Sirius confusing Harry and James

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 75835

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tara" <killerwhaletank at h...> 
wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I was just wondering what you thought about Sirius seeming to 
confuse Harry
> for James in book 5.  To be honest, if JKR hadn't explicitly had 
other
> characters mention it, I never would have picked up on that, and 
even though
> it was stated in the book, the idea felt a little bit forced to 
me.  I
> thought Sirius often behaved irrationally in book 5 (it was 
understandable,
> but still irrational) but I never really thought of him seeing 
Harry as
> James.  

Did any characters make this accusation other than Molly? I don't 
recall if this sentiment was also echoed by Hermione. 

I never felt for an instant that Sirius looked at or talked to Harry 
and thought he was interacting with James.  I do think he made 
comparisons in his mind between the two, and I also think he was well 
along on the down-side of the scale of depression, but I don't think 
he was delusional. 

The clearest instance of Sirius making comparisons was when Harry 
told him he shouldn't come up for the next Hogsmeade weekend.  
Harry's reaction was clearly not what James' reaction would have been 
and it disappointed Sirius that Harry didn't respond to the 
suggestion as James would have. "You're less like your father than I 
thought."  I didn't read that as Sirius suddenly becoming aware that 
he was speaking to Harry and not James, but rather a realization, 
that Harry is his own person and that sometimes he'll act like or 
think like James, and sometimes he won't.

And, as far as Sirius thinking that Harry had many of James' traits 
in his behavior and skills, that did exist as early as PoA.  When 
Harry and Hermione arrived in a rush at the Shack, Sirius says that 
is exactly what James would have done.  Harry takes that as a taunt, 
but I believe Sirius meant it exactly as stated.  And, later he says 
that Harry flies as well as James. Finally, as he escaped with 
Buckbeak, Sirius tells Harry that he's truly his father's son.  None 
of this strikes me as evidence that Sirius was confusing the two 
Potters in his mind.

I guess it's time to do my third re-read of OoP, because the only 
instance I can think of where this accusation is made is by Molly in 
the kitchen scene when Harry first arrives at Grimmauld Place. 

Marianne