OoP: Why that death? Some answers

[Tim Regan]

No: HPFGUIDX 63022

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| OoP and Anna Karenina 
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Hi All,

Loads of us have been asking why Sirius had to die. The thing that 
struck me most forcibly about Sirius' death was his killer. I think 
I'm right in saying that James and Sirius were the most able wizards 
of their year, and hence possibly of their generation. But Lestrange 
killed him without too much difficulty. This quickly shocks us into 
realizing what a phenomenally gifted witch she is. We already know 
how loyal and dedicated she is, now we know how capable too. 
Dumbledore was the only wizard there capable of defeating her. And 
she escaped.

There are also narrative structures at work. The theme of family 
ties and family betrayals is covered repeatedly in OoP. The book 
starts with someone saving their hated cousin's life and ends with 
someone killing their hated cousin. For me, this added to the 
structural beauty of OoP; it was like Anna Karenina, which starts 
with hope on a railway platform and ends in death on a railway 
platform.

I am also intrigued by the veil and the arch. People have mentioned 
how odd it is that Harry doesn't go into the arch. Maybe later he 
will. We've seen the ends he'll go to, to try to rescue Sirius. 
We've also started to learn, through Harry's conversation with 
Nearly Headless Nick, the workings of death and the hereafter in the 
Potterverse. Maybe, like Lyra, Aragorn, Odysseus, and countless 
other mythical heroes Harry is going to journey through the arch, 
and into the land of the dead.

Sirius' death also frees Kreacher, which may prove important though 
I doubt it.

Wasn't Lestrange's impromptu DADA lesson amazing. Harry may have had 
a few good DADA teachers but the two Death Eaters stand out for me 
as the best. Barty Crouch Junior as Mad Eye Moody taught Harry how 
to deal with the Unforgivable Curses, and now Lestrange has started 
to teach him how to use them. While we are given every indication 
that Dumbledore is unwilling to sink to Voldemort's level, that 
isn't how war works. Yoda warns "fear leads to anger; anger leads to 
hate; hate leads to suffering" but I'm more inclined to believe the 
Sex Pistols: "anger is an energy".  Part of me wishes that Harry's 
DA class could do an exchange trip to Durmstrang for a term, and 
learn how to actually perform offensive hardcore spells.

Cheers,


Dumbledad.