Sirius: Much Ado About Nothing

[mkaliz]

No: HPFGUIDX 73471

Marianne said:

> I really find it odd that people can make all sorts of excuses or 
> have loads of sympathy for adult Snape, no matter what his behavior, 
> because he had a rotten childhood.  I'm by no means belittling how 
> this can affect an adult.  But, for Sirius to suffer 12 years of 
> mental torture and physical deprivation and emotional isolation, then 
> another two years in fuguitive mode, and now to end up in what is 
> essentially a second prison, somehow is seen as inconsequential. 
> These experiences are also traumatizing, and I, for one, don't think 
> he's had a chance to recover.  I believe, too, that JKR's 
> descriptions of him in OoP were meant to illustrate a person slipping 
> into depression, speaking as a lay person, not a mental health expert.

To be honest, my dislike for Sirius and my suspicion of his motives
has little to do with his behavior in GoF or OotP, but everything to
do with what he did to a boy who was supposedly one of his best
friends (Lupin). 

Not only did he out Lupin's secret to one of their "enemies" (Snape),
but he also set this best friend up to possibly commit
murder/manslaughter. I doubt that werewolves who've attacked or killed
people are treated very kindly by the Wizarding justice system. And,
how would Lupin have felt to awaken after the full-moon to discover
that he'd killed a fellow student, even one that he disliked or hated? 

I hope that I never *ever* have a friend who thinks that it would be
"fun" or "justified" to set me up to commit involvuntary manslaughter!

There is also the fact that--if Sirius is to be believed about Snape
(to paraphrase: that he knew lots of hexes and was steeped in the Dark
Arts)--Sirius directly put *Lupin's* life at risk during the prank.
What if Snape had decided to whip an AK, or something equally deadly,
at the rampaging werewolf? (Perhaps in the same way he zapped those
flies on the ceiling.) Somehow I doubt that a Wizarding court would
have tossed Snape into Azkaban for killing a werewolf in self-defense.

Even if Snape "deserved it" and "got what was coming to him" for
sneaking around and trying to get Sirius & Co. expelled, surely Lupin
didn't! 

Now, Lupin has apparently forgiven him for that "prank" (which really
amazes me! I doubt there are many people could do that.) And I agree
that Sirius, like Snape, probably had a pretty miserable home life.
And I totally agree that being sent to a sadistic prison to be
tortured for 12 years for a crime that he didn't commit (and feels
guilty for anyway) doesn't make for a well-adjusted and/or sane adult. 

But. No matter how hard I try to like the guy, I keep coming back to
the fact that he was willing to betray a good friend and deliberately
put that friend directly in harm's way. (It's no wonder that people
thought him capable of betraying the Potters. He'd already betrayed
one deadly secret!)

As a result, even when he seemed benevolent towards Harry, I was
suspicious of his motives. Like when he encourages the trio to
continue with the defense classes. It certainly wouldn't be in Harry,
Ron, or Hermione's best interest--or in the case of Harry, in the
Order's best interest!--to get expelled from school, no matter how
important it was that they learn to defend themselves.

--kai