OOP: the point of the death?

[elspeth_orange]

No: HPFGUIDX 64762

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jenny_ravenclaw" <
meboriqua at a...> wrote:

> That's it!  Sirius did not die because Harry needed 
> to learn a lesson about death - he deals with death 
> every single day as a kid with no parents.  Sirius 
> also did not die so Harry would be angrier at 
> Voldemort - how much angrier can Harry get?
> 
> JKR chose for Sirius to die because Harry needs 
> to get a grip on himself.  He is, far and away, the 
> most powerful wizard at Hogwarts 
> and can give adults a run for their money as well, 
> as we've seen more than once.  Throughout OoP, 
> though, Harry is emotionally out of control.  This 
> is dangerous.  This is what Voldemort is feeding on.  
[further excellently-written thoughts snipped]

*wow*.  this is the one post i've read over the past few days that 
in one fell swoop sums up how i felt about the NON-reasons (er, 
bear with me here) for Sirius' death, and -- finally!! -- makes me 
feel altogether better about the whole nasty affair.  i absolutely, 
wholeheartedly agree, but could never describe it so succinctly.  
:>  

while i was blindly moping about Sirius' death and the gaping 
hole it would clearly leave in poor Harry's abused psyche, it didn't 
fully occur to me that Dumbledore essentially lays it all out for us 
in Ch. 37, where he says outright that Harry's pain is his greatest 
strength.  similarly, when he's pelting off without presence of 
forethought, it is too his greatest weakness.  of course it sounds 
at first to be horribly placating, but getting a grip on his out of 
control emotions has to be, as you say, the only way he'll begin 
to realize his power.  i never really thought of it that way 'til
now.  
wahoo. 

i guess it's a bit of an oversimplification to think of the death as 
just another object lesson for Harry (i.e., "This is what happens 
when you don't heed your elders"), but perhaps Hermione in her 
new-found infinite emotional wisdom will play a role in helping 
him to see the complexity and importance of control.

which reminds me of my favorite line!  "Just because you've got 
the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have."  
:>

~elspeth.