Interview w/ JKR [Sirius]

[dublinaaireland]

No: HPFGUIDX 72510

<lots of serious snipping>

No, lots of people didn't.  Either they were not Sirius fans, or they 
were simply happy that the death wasn't their favorite character or  
the death itself was portrayed as so nebulous - unknown curse, no 
body, veil thing, etc. - that it didn't really hit them right away.
So, no, you are not alone in not being terribly affected by this 
death.

<Dublina> Youre right in the fact that Sirius isnt my fav. character 
but still the death of Cedric Diggory was more *traumatic* for me.>>

I was devastated for days, but that's because Sirius was my favorite 
character.  So, the final two books have lost a lot of their 
potential allure for me.

<Dublina> Are you for real?  It is probably getting to THE best bit - 
how could one character do this to your demise your 'potential 
allure'?>>

Interesting reaction, as that left me cold. I found the entire end of 
the book from the Harry/Dumbledore discussion onward as very 
unsatisfying.  

<Dublina> Yes, very unsatisfying that Dumbledore who is *supposedly* 
a great wizard, keeps getting it wrong ie. how many times has LV 
tried to kill HP?  How many times has LV gotten past so many 
*protectors*??  Either Dumbledore is losing the plot (pardon the pun) 
and needs to be 'put out to pastures new' or he's done the time 
turner thingy and knows that HP has to deal with all this (ahem) 
problems to toughen him up for what's to be the *final showdown*.>>

I felt that Harry was pretty much left out there on 
his own. There was no evidence of any adult coming forward to offer 
him any support at all.  

<Dublina> Dont know what book you were reading but just in case, it 
was called the *Order of the Phoneix* and the members of said Order 
had actually turned up on the train station giving their *2 knuts 
worth* to the Dursleys...>>

Simply having a bunch of oddly dressed wizards at the train station 
to threaten Vernon about Harry's well being was completely 
unsatisfactory to me. 

<Dublina> I thought the Dursleys were fearful/intimidated re. magic 
and odd looking people that might get the neighbours talking??>>
 
Did any of them say, "Gee, Harry we know you're going through a bad 
time. Let us know if we can help you, if you want to talk, if you 
need a shoulder to cry on..." 

<Dublina> What was the speech that Dumbledore gave HP at the end??  
Also, didnt Harry turn round and look at all of them and I quote
"Harry nodded. He somehow could not find words to tell them what it 
meant to him, to see them all ranged there, on his side"

Plus your dealing with a teenager and they are just slightly horrible 
to begin with, I may be 30 but I can still remember back that far!>>


Oh, big deal. They'll show up if they haven't heard from Harry every 
3 days.  Well, that should let them sleep at night. Just as long as 
they don't have to deal with Harry as an emotional human being. 

<Dublina> Didnt Harry trash Dumbledores office while DD just looked 
on?  I would call that an emotional outburst, no?>>

Harry doesn't know how to ask adults for help for his own emotional 
well-being. 

<Dublina> Well would you trust adults after you've been looked in a 
cupboard under the stairs for how long??  I surely wouldnt!>>

And these wand-waving idiots are not offering him anything that he 
needs as a young adult who has just suffered a grievous loss. 

<Dublina> Grievous loss?  What about watching a mate die (GOF) and 
also his parents dying??  Sirus is *not* all that!  No disrespect for 
all the Sirius fans, I don't want to start a TBay...>>

The lack of empathy from the adults in Harry's life makes me want to 
scream.

<Dublina> Yes, to this I agree with, there is no empathy and I think 
that's the whole problem, I get the feeling that they (people who do 
love him) treat him with kid gloves where he actually needs a hug.  I 
think he should have been nurtured from the first day on Dursleys 
doorstep.  I know that the Dursleys were exceptionally evil to such a 
small child but something should of been done to fix the problem.  If 
Arabella was around and the *cats* were keeping an eye on him, it 
should of been reported that there was abuse and it should of been 
rectified!

And I also feel - was mentioned in another post - that people talk of 
Harry as 'my Harry' and that's what it comes down to. We want to hold 
him as our own and look after him and treat him as our child the way 
we would treat our own children; the way HP deserves to be treated.  
It really brings out (sorry, guys) the mother instinct in us all and 
its lovely to care for such a character and I thank JK for that!>>

Dublina - but my fav has always been and will always be, Neville!