Why Sirius was Chosen as Godparent & Sirius' sacrifice

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 105067

In post #103685, Kneasy said this about Godparents in the UK:

"The Godfather bit I consider to be a red
herring. In the UK 'Godfather' is a purely symbolic title and confers
no rights nor places responsibilities/obligations on the recipient."

I've been thinking about this one, because I don't agree it's a red 
herring. I think this is another point that was supposed to be 
misinterpreted in POA when we first find out about it, just like 
Padfoot is mistaken for the Grim, only to discover the true 
signigicance later on.

While I trust Kneasy's explanation of Godparents in RL UK, here are 
some thoughts about it in the WW. 

First, the term seems to imply guardianship. Sirius is considerd a 
legitimate guardian when signing the form Harry needs to go to 
Hogsmeade. In OOTP, during the fight with Molly over Harry's 'need 
to know,' Sirius feels he has a legal right to make decisions for 
Harry, much as the Weasleys do for their children. Notice Molly 
doesn't dispute that Sirius has some claim on making decisions for 
Harry, only that his fitness as a guardian is in question.

Taking that information, I started thinking again about Lily & James 
choosing a guardian for Harry. This wasn't a hypothetical situation 
in their case, as it is for most of us with children. We don't 
*really* expect both parents to die at the same time, but for James 
& Lily this was a very real possibility. 

Not only that, they are choosing a guardian for Harry, a baby with a 
Prophecy hanging over his head. A child who will undoubtedly be 
targeted by Voldemort & live a life of danger. Anyone agreeing to 
guardianship of Harry is agreeing to a life of possible danger and 
death themselves, not something your average citizen will take on!

Looking for someone to fulfill these qualifications leads James & 
Lily to Sirius. Who better? He possesses all the negative traits 
Kneasy lists (at a drop of a hat, I might add <g>), but also has 
some unique qualifications in this case: Loyal to James & Lily? 
Check. Brave? Check. In the Order and safe to tell about the 
Prophecy? Check. Willing to take on the task of guarding the One 
with the Power? Check. Willing to die for Harry? Check.

This musing takes us up to OOTP. Up until then, Sirius has been able 
to provide Harry with a little guidance, act as a conduit for useful 
information, act as a source of support for Harry, who is starving 
for a little personal communication & guidance from an adult.

In OOTP, however? Not so much. Sirius is slowly being worked into a 
corner. The more he fights this the more Dumbledore & the Order 
press down on him to 'stop acting reckless' 'be safe' 'think of 
Harry'. The more Sirius tries to do these things, the more he gets 
trapped in 12 Grimmauld Place, then finally (metaphorically) in 
Buckbeak's room--the two criminals on the lam, who await execution 
if they are ever found out.

Now back to Godric's Hollow. What if Sirius being willing to die for 
Harry has more significance than previously thought? What if James & 
Lily chose him for this specific reason? In other words, there's 
more to this guardian selection, some additional protection conveyed 
onto Harry if Sirius does indeed die while attempting to protect 
him, similar to but not as powerful as Lily's sacrifice. Sort of a 
strengthening of Lily's sacrifice.

This is probably something Dumbledore is unaware of until OOTP, or 
perhaps is still unaware of, something between Lily/James/Sirius, 
that may even involves a charm cast between them. For we know that 
Lily's sacrifice is *separate* from the charm Dumbledore placed on 
Harry before he was delivered to Petunia.

And Sirius, loyal dog that he is, makes a choice. He can stay, 
cramped in Buckbeak's room, awaiting execution. OR, he can die 
fighting and give Harry much more protection than he will ever be 
able to give alive. Given that situation, there's really only one 
choice Sirius would make.

Jen