OOP Sirius (was Jenny's Big Questions - Spoilers!)

[Grey Wolf]

No: HPFGUIDX 62095

jenny from ravenclaw wrote:

<snip examination of Sirius, which I mostly agree with>

> However, we can't forget that Snape doesn't exactly act as an adult 
> around Sirius either, what with his snide comments about Sirius 
> not "out there risking his life" and instead is "sitting on his 
> backside... having a comfortable time".  That's just bratty.

Yes, it is clear that Snape still had issues with Sirius and that he 
hasn't grown up in that part of his life. Snape is still a 15-year-old 
trying to get back against his tormentors. Doesn't improve my opinion 
of him, since he -unlike Sirius- doesn't really have an excuse for not 
having grown up.
 
> Whatever behavior Sirius displayed throughout OoP, he certainly 
> didn't deserve to die.  If anyone thinks he did, what terrible thing 
> did he do to earn his own death?
> 
> --jenny from ravenclaw

I think many people are having a grave case of metathinking here. 
People die, and death, in RL, doesn't have a point or is deserved, or 
is earned in any way. Sirius joined an attack on DEs, taunted one of 
them and was killed. In a war, such things happen. The only way Sirius 
earned his death was in not attacking directly but taunting his enemy - 
and this was not a bad move, since an angered enemy (i.e. a taunted one 
that has bought the taunt) is a debilitated enemy. It is a common theme 
that taunting is the most basic form of psicological warfare, so I for 
one don't blame Sirius for trying.

So my point remains: Sirius died in a war, were people die. He didn't 
deserve to die, but that's besides the point, since good people can 
die. I am pleased, in a way, that he did, since it demonstrates that 
JKR isn't writting a cliched book, but one that reflects RL (one of my 
main points against metathinking). The old OoP group had 50% deaths in 
their ranks. I expect no fewer than that in the next books. I'll mourn 
them all, but I hope they do happen, because in a war people *do* die, 
and JKR is writing a realistic story. Just because it's fantasy, it 
doesn't mean that it cannot reflect RL.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf