Why it had to be Sirius

[feetmadeofclay]

No: HPFGUIDX 75711

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mhershey2001" 
<mhersheybar at h...> wrote:
> In the weeks leading up to the release of OoP, after JKR revealed 
> that a major character died, there was a lot of speculation about 
who 
> it would be, and if I remember correctly, Sirius was not high on 
> anyone's list.  Now that we know it was him, and now that we have 
had 
> about six weeks to analyze every single word/theme/hint/prediction 
in 
> the book, I am wondering what people's theories are about why, in 
the 
> name of the plot, Sirius had to die.  There are a lot of 
> possibilities, some obvious, and some less so.  

I am sure Harry will inherit something important from Sirius (if it 
wasn't the mirror)  Basically I think it had to be Sirius because he 
was created to die. 

Rowling always knew she was going to kill him from the moment he was 
introduced.  He represents the constant hardships and sense of loss 
and denial Harry has to endure.  Sirius never got to be a proper 
gaurdian for Harry and now he never will. Harry never got the chance 
to have a real parent and now he's a man, so he doesn't need one.  

But Rowling made it a little easy on Harry for my liking.  I think 
the reason Sirius was not on many people's lists was because his 
death means he was created just to die. Like Cedric Diggory.  They 
expected more from him. They expected he would have a grand role.  He 
won't.  (I hope)

Sure Harry will suffer and grieve.  But people get through that.  
He's strong and I know he can handle grief.  It is sad but it is 
nothing to how interesting it could have been.  Harry struggling 
against the imposed desire for him to be like James.  Trying to 
establish himself as an individual in the face of Sirius' nearly mad 
need to bring James back through Harry.  Trying to decide who he 
wants to be in the face of the man Sirius would like him to become.  

Nobody really expected Harry to be able to deal with a depressed and 
unbalanced man like Sirius.  He was a burden that no child is really 
expected to understand much less handle well (though many sadly have 
to).  It would have been so interesting to see Harry take on more of 
the burden of caring for Sirius as he grew older.  Instead of his 
parents giving him a substitute parent, Harry would have inherited a 
true responsibility - a burden.  Family is like that - you have to 
take the good with the bad.  And caring for a depressed or mentally 
ill relative is hard especially as the carefree childhood changes 
into a responsible adulthood.  

So Sirius had to die because he was built to cause Harry pain.  But 
in a way I wish it had been a different kind of pain.  Loss of soul 
and a struggle to maintain love in the face of resentment.  It could 
have been great.  This is only so-so....  Afterall Harry's already 
lost his parents so symbolically I don't think Rowling can sap much 
out of Sirius' death that she couldn't have gotten out of Diggory.

That being said I really don't care that Sirius is dead and I am 
relieved that Molly is not.  

Golly