Faking Sirius' Death?

[entropymail]

No: HPFGUIDX 91486

I've been going over the whole "Sirius is dead" thing for a while, and
wanted to put everything together. Besides JKR's ominous quote that no
one comes back once they are "properly dead" (what is properly dead,
anyway?), I've been trying to look for clues as to whether Sirius
actually may or may not return.  It just doesn't seem right, in a
literary sense, to spend all of this time on a character and then
trash him before he is fully drawn.

So, we know that Peter has told Voldemort that Sirius is an Animagus
("Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail
will have told him..."). So, as Sirius says, his "big disguise is
useless".  Meanwhile, Lucius has seen Sirius in his Animagus form at
King's Cross station.  He can now be sure that the Weasleys, Moody,
Lupin, et al are in contact with Sirius and know of his whereabouts.
It's just a matter of time before Lucius leaks his information to the
Ministry and/or Voldemort. This puts them all in great danger.  And
clearly, Dumbledore's plan of Sirius hiding out at Grimmauld Place
indefinitely is not working for Sirius.  This is not a long-term
option for him. He is bored, restless, and sure to become increasingly
reckless if this is allowed to continue.

This means that Dumbledore and the Order need to come up with a new
way of hiding Sirius. How?  

Perhaps by  faking his death.  We have already seen, In Book 1(ch. 8,
pg. 138 US ed.) "a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the 
Draught of Living Death", which can be brewed by combining asphodel
and  wormwood.  So, we know that it is possible to fake Sirius' death
in a convincing and realistic way (lovely that Snape will likely be
the one to brew this one!).  

Has Sirius been weighing this option for some time? When Harry asks if
he can stay with Sirius at Grimmauld Place if all does not go well at
his trial, and he is kicked out of Hogwarts, Sirius' answer is "We'll
see."  Given that Sirius would love to have some company, not to
mention someone who is the closest thing he'll ever get to his old bud
James, you would think that Sirius would jump at the possibility.  But
if Sirius knew of Dumbledore's protection at Privet Drive, his answer
would be a definite "no". Even if he had doubts about how comfortable
Harry would be at Grimmauld, his answer might be something along the
lines of "Well, if you think you'd be happy here..."  But he gives
Harry a noncommittable answer; exactly the answer one would give if he
knew he wasn't going to be around, but couldn't let on.

Now, on to the duel between Bellatrix and Sirius in the Dept. of
Mysteries. Of course,  we are all aware of  the mysterious second
curse.  We all know that Bellatrix cast the first, which Sirius
dodged. But then "the second jet of light hit him squarely in the
chest." Not "Bellatrix's curse", not even a "green jet" which would
surely be an AK and would seal Sirius' fate. Just "a second jet".  
Given that Dumbledore has already appeared, and all of the Death
Eaters except for Bellatrix have begun to run for it, who is it that
took the time to stop running from Dumbledore to cast a curse at
Sirius while he was already being held off by Bellatrix?  Perhaps it
wasn't one of the Death Eaters, but an OOP member, simply giving
Sirius a convenient nudge.  

After Sirius takes his long, dramatic arc through the veil, Lupin is
the one to tell Harry that Sirius is surely gone (There's nothing you
can do, Harry...It's too late, Harry...").  How does Lupin know what
the veil is? How in the world would a werewolf (the most outside of
outsiders) have any idea what is going on in the Department of
Mysteries? He wouldn't, unless he was given knowledge of the veil
beforehand.  

Anyway, I'm still working out bits and pieces of this.  Some things
won't be answered until much later (like, "where is Sirius' body?" and
"how quickly could the Order put the plan into effect when they found
they had to run to the MOM to save Harry?").  But I do think this is
the Order's best way of keeping Sirius hidden and safe. 

As they say, fire away...


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