Fidelius swap was Re: The Sorting Hat

[Berit Jakobsen]

No: HPFGUIDX 87501

Mandy wrote:
The statement that he [Sirius] would rather die than betray his 
friends are words 
> that come from the mouth of someone who has nothing to loose.  No 
> family: no wife, no children, no parents.  It's easy to take that 
> stand when the only person who may be threatened by your bravery, 
is 
> the very person you are trying to protect, in Sirius' case James 
> Potter.  Given the choice between James Potter and Peter or Remus, 
> Sirius would choose James with out thinking twice.  Lupin and I 
> believe Peter (except we have no canon to support this yet) had 
> families.   If I was being tortured for the where abouts  of my 
> friend and my loved ones were threatened; I'd choose my family.

Berit replies:

I agree with you that it's easier to claim one would rather have died 
than betray one's friends if there's "nothing" (like family) to 
lose... On the other hand, we know from history that people have 
indeed been willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their 
friends/allies even if it meant never being able to see one's loved 
ones ever again (or possibly putting them in danger). That's why I 
think Sirius's statement is genuine and true. And not easy at all. 
Because the question is not about calculating just how much one can 
afford to lose, but about what is RIGHT to do at any given situation, 
regardless of consequences (I know that sounds awful :-). Remember 
DD's words at the end of GoF? There will come a time when one will 
have to choose between what is right and what is EASY. Note the fact 
that Rowling uses the word "easy" rather than "wrong". I think that's 
very significant. It wouldn't be wrong to protect one's family, would 
it? But it would be the "easy" choice in Sirius's (or Peter's) 
situation, and possibly not the right one... So I really believe 
Sirius would have been willing to die for his friends, refusing to 
betray them, even if he had family of his own. Just like Lupin and 
James would have done for him. That's the beauty of loyalty, bravery 
and friendship :-) The principle of true love in its most extreme 
form.

Berit