Sirius - who is right?

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 73789

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mkaliz" <kai_z at o...> wrote:
> Marina said:
> 
> > Yes, the sensible thing would've been for Sirius to accept his 
lot, 
> > be patient and wait it out.  But I think it's a little much to 
take 
> > somebody as damaged as Sirius has been and expect him to just be 
> > sensible.  Sirius was not a bad soldier, but a shell-shocked 
one, 
> > and Dumbledore[...]basically says, "Tough luck, deal with it."  
And when 
> > Sirius is unable to deal, Dumbledore says, "Gosh, how 
immature."  
> > For somebody who's supposed to be wise and insightful, I think 
> > Dumbledore slipped up badly in this case.
> 
> I agree with you completely. This seems to be one of Dumbledore's
> major blind-spots--that he frequently underestimates 
his "soldier's"
> emotional vulnerabilities. He does the same thing with Snape, re. 
the
> occlumency lessons. In both cases, there are disasterous 
consequences.
> 
> How difficult could it have been for Dumbledore to give Sirius some
> kind of important, yet house-bound, Order-related task to help him
> feel like he was contributing materially to "the cause"?[...]Why
> didn't he find some means to allow Harry and Sirius to communicate
> regularly?[...]I think that would have gone a
> *long* way to making Sirius (and Harry) feel "in the loop" and
> valuable and possibly taken the edge off of Sirius' frustration.
> 
> Like Harry, I suppose that I have a bit of a bone to pick with
> Dumbledore! ::g::
> 
> --kai

Annemehr:
Marina  and kai, I think you've both put your fingers on the 
problem.  Dumbledore has been completely blind to the hearts of 
Sirius, Harry and Snape, and he only seems to admit it in Snape's 
case (that Snape couldn't overcome his hatred of James to properly 
teach Harry Occlumency).  Harry had to tell Dumbledore that "People 
don't like being locked up!" and I'm not quite sure if that really 
sunk in.  I still wonder if Dumbledore doesn't see his treatment of 
Harry to be merely a *tactical* error, in that he failed to give 
Harry enough *information* as opposed to *support.*

Ironically, it is his own emotions regarding Harry that Dumbledore 
sees as leading to his greatest mistake: that of failing to reveal 
the prophecy to him much earlier.  Does this have anything to do, as 
he thinks, with being about 150 years old?  His own emotions get in 
the way of his better judgment (as he himself foresees), yet he 
cannot take into account the emotions and spirits of any of the 
others?  It makes me wonder about this man who is supposed to be the 
wisest and most experienced in the WW.  I do think we can count on 
his knowledge and power to a great extent, but I also think it is 
becoming very clear that Harry will eventually need to find his own 
way (with the help of all his loved ones, including Dumbledore) in 
the coming showdown with Voldemort.

And certainly, I see Sirius as much more damaged than anyone 
realised and someone who did his best for Harry, and I do think 
Dumbledore's mistakes cost him his life.

Annemehr