Sirius' Temper

[serenadust]

No: HPFGUIDX 44322

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Carol Bainbridge <kaityf at j...> wrote:
> I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't see Sirius as 
having a 
> temper "problem."   Again, it may just be semantics with me, but I 
just 
> don't see a problem.  I'm not suggesting that Sirius doesn't get 
angry, 
> just contending that the anger isn't inappropriate.  How much 
evidence do 
> we have of real anger?  


I agree, Carol.  I think that anger is often confused with temper, 
but IMO a person can be exteremely angry and show it without 
necessarily being considered bad tempered.  For me, it depends 
entirely upon the reason for the anger and no one in the Potterverse 
has more reason to be angry than Sirius Black.



Carol said:

.  I refuse to count the picture 
> slashing incident because I did not get information about that 
first 
> hand.  I'm not arguing that he did not slash the picture, just his 
state of 
> mind and emotion as he was doing it.  I think we take Peeves' word 
for it 
> that Black has a nasty temper.  (He's the one who says so after 
the 
> slashing of the painting.)  But Peeves is hardly a trustworthy 
witness.
> 


I must be the only one who thought that Sirius slashed the portrait 
of the Fat Lady, not so much in a fit of rage at being denied entry, 
but in a desperate attempt to get *through* the actual portrait in 
order to get to Griffyndor Tower.  At the risk of being insensitive 
to paintings who can speak and otherwise interact, the portrait *is* 
just paint on canvas, not a sentient being.  On my first reading of 
this part of PoA, I just believed it was a physical barrier as far 
as Sirius was concerned.


> Of course, I could be completely wrong about Sirius' temper, but 
I'm going 
> to put final judgment on hold until I see some other evidence of 
his temper 
> "problem."

Again, I agree.  I can't recall any evidence of Sirius'"nasty
temper" in GoF; although he does show great worry and anguish on 
Harry's behalf. If he did have an uncontrollable temper, I think 
that he certainly would have shown it towards Fudge in the hospital 
at Harry's bedside, when he refuses to believe Harry about 
Voldemorts return.  Personally, I would have loved it if "Snuffles" 
had at least bitten him on the ankle <g>.


Jo Serenadust, confused about why anyone takes Peeves word for 
anything