Sirius and Harry's relationship (Was Re: Sirius Black-What a Guy!)

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 44283

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Carol Bainbridge <kaityf at j...> wrote:
> Marina again:
> >Harry knows Sirius is
> >innocent, and Sirius knows that Harry is brave and decent, and 
that's
> >pretty much it.  At that time, I think Sirius couldn't love Harry 
as
> >person in his own right, because Sirius didn't *know* Harry as a
> >person in his own right.
> 
> I disagree slightly with this.  I think they both had a chance to 
see the 
> basic qualities of the other.  Serius has certainly had a chance 
to watch 
> Harry, if not interact with him.  Harry had a chance to learn why 
Serius 
> was behaving the way he was and learned a great deal about his 
loyalty and 
> depth of friendship with his parents.  He also learned about his 
passionate 
> side and his softer side.  Of course, all of this could be a mere 
front (I 
> doubt it, but it's possible).  However, that in no way detracts 
from the 
> attraction the two had for each other and what they were able to 
see of one 
> another.  I think what you see of someone under dangerous, 
emotionally 
> tense circumstances can tell you a great deal more about that 
person than 
> what you'd see under normal, every day circumstances.

I suspect our disagreement is more a matter of degree than of kind.  
I certainly don't mean to say that Sirius and Harry's connection in 
PoA was based purely on their symbolic significance to each other -- 
human beings don't work that way.  By the end of their Shrieking 
Shack encounter, they had an idea of each other's basic personality, 
and each had a good reason to believe that the other was a decent 
human being and well worth knowing.  But the same could be said of 
Sirius and Ron, or Sirius and Hermione.  Yet there was no instant 
emotional bond between Sirus and them.  And why not?  Because Ron 
and Hermione aren't James' kids.  Because Sirius doesn't hold 
himself responsible for wrecking their childhoods.  Because they 
both already have perfectly good fathers, and don't need a 
replacement.  In short, because there's no external factors leading 
them to form a bond, the way there are with Sirius and Harry.

If the Potters had had a brainy daughter named Hermione instead of 
an athletic son named Harry, Sirius would've bonded with her. :-)

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com