Sirius - who is right?

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 73770

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> 
wrote:

> Dumbledore doesn't quite say that Sirius was too mature to be
> hurt. He says that "Sirius was much too old and clever to *allow*
> such feeble taunts to hurt him." (emphasis mine). The stress
> here is on choice, as usual. Dumbledore's opinion is that Sirius
> could have decided not to let Snape's taunts get to him, not that
> Sirius actually did make that choice.

If that's what Dumledore thinks, then he really has lost sight of the
human element.  People don't choose what they feel.  Yeah, Sirius 
could "choose" to be unbothered by his situation (of which Snape's 
insults were only a small part) -- just like Molly could "choose" 
not to care about the welfare of her children or Snape 
could "choose" not to hold grudges.  All it takes is a complete 
personality transplant.

> Sirius is not magically enslaved. The essential difference is that
> Sirius *chose* to put himself under Dumbledore's orders.
> Having done that, he should have obeyed those orders or else
> resigned from the Order. Sirius could have left Grimmauld Place
> at any time and returned to his tropical hideout. Perhaps
> Dumbledore was hoping that he would.

Sure, Sirius could've said "Screw you all, I'm going to Tahiti."  It
certainly would've been better for *him.*  Personally, though, I 
think the fact that he didn't do this is grounds for admiring him, 
not condemning him.  If Dumbledore wanted Sirius to quit and go 
away, he should've said so, instead of ordering him into an 
intolerable situation which Sirius, nevertheless, struggled to 
tolerate for a year before he hit the breaking point.  Sirius wasn't 
enslaved; he was held where he was by his loyalty to the Order, his 
love for Harry, and his desire to contribute to the war.

>
> It's all very well to argue that Dumbledore should adopt a more
> solicitous (some would say "interfering") management style, but
> would Sirius, or Harry, ever even *want* to work for him in that
> case?

I think that if Dumbledore had given Sirius something useful to do, a
bit of freedom and a chance to communicate with Harry, then, yes, 
both Sirius and Harry would've been absolutely thrilled to work for 
him.

>
> If Dumbledore  were the type of  person who would order Sirius
> to   forget about trying to help the Order and just look after
> himself, he would never have won Sirius's allegiance in the first
> place.

But that's exactly what Dumbledore did order Sirius to do.  To sit
around and do nothing, while Harry was in danger and the rest of the
Order were out risking their lives.  And the rationale behind it?  To
preserve Sirius' physical safety.  "We don't need you, we just need 
your house.  If you insist on sticking around, do some dusting or 
something. But hey, look at the bright side, at least you're *safe*!"

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com