Sirius revisited

[lavaluvn]

No: HPFGUIDX 104370

snip> 
> Carolyn:
> Your point about Sirius-the-dog is well made, and I have often 
> thought it myself. His essential nature seems to be all about pack 
> loyalty to a leader, ferocious savagery if attacked, bounding about 
> after sticks when he's happy. Not super-bright, but man's best 
friend 
> and all that.
> 
> I can  see even the Shrieking Shack incident in this light - an 
> opportunity to attack an enemy of his pack leader, James, coupled 
> with a brattish teenage indifference to the consequences, and WW 
> robustness about dangerous pastimes. And I'm sure he never really 
> regretted his actions that night, or understood what all the fuss 
was 
> about.
> 
> The idea would also seem to hold good for Peter the rat, McGonagall 
> the cat, and the curious aptness of Lupin's name has been much 
> discussed. But James the stag? What's that all about? Male deer 
only 
> grow their horns for the mating season, and then they spend many 
> months roaring at the top of their voices, engaging in deadly head-
> butting fights with rivals, and jealously guarding their herd of 
> does, which they have singled out for mating with.
> 
> All typical alpha male behaviour in spades, but what on earth does 
it tell us about James?
> 

Andromeda:

Carolyn, I loved your post.  I, too, had recently been thinking about 
the Sirius-the-dog aspect. Loyalty to pack, above all, bite anyone 
else.  He said, quite clearly, that he would willingly have died to 
protect his friends and I believe him.  That was, in fact, my 
favorite non-canon part of the POA movie, Sirius' comment about being 
loveable as a dog, James advising him to make the change permanent, 
etc.

 As for the symbology of a true stag, well.... obviously James was 
rutting after Lily for years.  And whether any of his "pack" liked 
her or not, they wouldn't have dared get between them, except the 
rat, who was clearly jealous of Lily.  Creepy.  I really can't 
understand why Sirius would have trusted him over Lupin... tell us 
why Jo!!!!