OoP: What was the Point of this Death? And Phineas ??s

[ezzleberry621]

No: HPFGUIDX 62872

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kiricat2001" 
<Zarleycat at a...> wrote:
> Here's your obligatory spoiler space:
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> 
> I confess up front that I'm a Sirius fan, so I'm probably 
approaching 
> this with a jaundiced eye.  Frankly, this death leaves a lot of 
holes 
> for me.  The relationship between Harry and Sirius seemed to 
be 
> getting stronger and I think that's something that could have 
been 
> explored further.  Sirius could have been used as an even 
greater 
> source of information for Harry.  Is that why JKR had to get rid 
of 
> him?  Can't tell Harry too much too soon?  Ooops.  No, 
Dumbledore 
> himself just shot that theory all to hell.
> 
> Is this a comping-of-age thing where Harry has to deal directly 
with 
> the death of someone important to him, just to show life isn't 
fair?  
> I think the kid already has that lesson figured out.  After all, do 
> we all have to have a parental figure die when we're 15 to help 
us 
> grow up?
> 
> Is this an object lesson for Harry?  Listen to your elders 
because if 
> you leave the house when we tell you not to and go out and 
play in 
> traffic you might die?  

I was terribly saddened by this death, but i have great faith in 
JKR, and believe that we will come to understand the choice she 
made. I agree with several of the replies here, that Harry must, 
while still accepting help & guidance, must ultimately stand on 
his own. The final battle will be his battle to fight.
> 

> 
> What curse killed Sirius?
> 
> Was he dead before he fell behind the veil?
> 
> Is there significance to the veil being in the Dept of Mysteries?
> 
> Who do we hear whispering behind it?

IMHO, I think that Sirius's death was more due to him "passing 
beyond the veil" than it was from the curse. For us muggles, 
"passing through the veil" is a euphemism for death, and it 
appears in the wizarding world to be quite literal. 
I don't think we've seen the last of this veil. I think Harry may 
revisit it in future books. 

Is it just me, or was anyone else concerned that in addition to 
Harry being "drawn to the veil", Ginny & Neville were both 
mesmerized by it? At one point Harry was so drawn to it, that he 
wanted to walk through it himself. If this is indeed an arch that 
takes you from the living to the afterlife, then I'm concerned that 
this may be a dark foreshadowing of Harry, Ginny & Neville's fate.