Spoiler: Sirius the 'Jerk'

[Dicentra spectabilis]

No: HPFGUIDX 64016

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" 
> <bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> >
> > Perhaps it wasn't the best choice of words, but "superior" and 
> "inferior" can  also mean "boss" and "servant."<<
> 
> I think if JKR had wanted Sirius to say "subordinate"  he would 
> have. The Fountain of Magical Brethren makes it clear how the 
> WW regards its "lesser breeds." 

And having been raised in such an environment as he was, Sirius would
no doubt have been taught to regard house-elves the same way Lucius
Malfoy does: with utter disgust and contempt.  That he achieved
kindness is an admirable feat, given how deep-seated bigotry tends to
be even in the most enlightened individuals (witness Ron's "Get away
from me, werewolf," etc.).  To criticize Sirius for not yet having
achieved Dumbledore's level of enlightenment is hardly fair.  For all
we know, it took Dumbledore 50 years to arrive at his present
position.  Sirius was only in his mid-30s.

Pippin:
> Dumbledore says he warned Sirius to treat Kreacher with 
> kindness and respect, and that Kreacher would be dangerous. It  
> doesn't sound like AD ever thought keeping Kreacher was a 
> good idea. The security risk argument doesn't hold water. 

So then why did Sirius keep him around?  Sirius was trying to purge
the house of every vestige of its pureblood-obsessed past: the only
reason his mother's portrait and the tapestry are still there is that
they're magically adhered to the walls.  You'd think that booting out
Kreacher when he's undermining the cleaning effort (stowing away
trinkets) would be the first thing Sirius did, security or no
security. (The Fidelius Charm would be protection enough anyway.) When
Hermione suggests that Sirius free Kreacher, he says:

"We can't just set him free, he knows too much about the Order.... And
anyway, the shock would kill him.  You suggest to him that he leaves
this house and see how he takes it." (110)

House-elves aren't all that good at dealing with freedom, especially
given how the house-elf subculture considers being released from one's
house the highest dishonor.

Furthermore, Kreacher was highly attached to his mistress: booting
Kreacher out would have severed him from the objects of his deepest
loyalties.  His emotional attachment to Sirius's mother and her
portrait are so strong that if Sirius had kicked him out, it would
have been extremely cruel.  Sirius knows this and therefore lets
Kreacher stay, despite the fact that he can't stand him.

Moreover, Dumbledore is naive if he thinks a little kindness would
have changed Kreacher's opinion of Sirius.  Kreacher hates Sirius
because his mistress hates Sirius.  Mrs. Black continues to shriek
terrible accusations of treason and of contaminating her house.  The
only way for Kreacher to change his opinion of Sirius is if the
portrait stops condemning him or if Sirius manages to sever Kreacher's
loyalty to his mistress.  That's not likely to happen in the year or
less that the Order was meeting there.

And yeah, I'm pissed that Dumbledore chose to criticize Sirius in
front of Harry when he did.  Maybe JKR couldn't find a better place
for it, but I wanted to slap him silly for pouring a barrel of salt
into Harry's raw wounds.  Not cool.  Very not cool.

--Dicentra