[HPforGrownups] Trusting characters Re: bullies? twins, padfoot and prongs

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 118837

Magda: 
> Dumbedore was the head of the Order that Sirius that Sirius 
> belonged to.  It's normal procedure for a subordinate to check in 
> with his commander before he undertakes an important initiative 
> that will have an effect on the Order as a whole.  That is not 
> unnecessary delay - that is sound military tactics.  
> 
> What possible good could Sirius do fighting off Voldemort in some
> kind of spur-of-the-moment duel?  Was he going to expelliarmus
> Voldy's wand while James pantsed him in front of any DE's who
> happened to be around?  Granted, that apparently worked once but 
> it's dangerous to rely on old tactics.


SSSusan:
Actually, I don't really care what kind of good Sirius could have 
done or not done; I'm merely spouting off about what I think Sirius 
himself might have been thinking.  Some posters have been arguing 
that Sirius' case as presented makes no sense -- that he must've 
been in on a double-cross of James & Lily -- or that he was a 
coward.  I'm trying to show an alternative way of looking at his 
actions which might bring us to a different conclusion.

Sherry now:

Going on what we've seen of the character of Sirius, it would have been
completely like him to rush off to try to help James.  After all, this isn't
a trained army.  It's a bunch of volunteers who hate the evil and are trying
to fight it.  Dumbledore is the commander, of course, but he hasn't
engrained sound military tactics into his followers or order members, that
we know of.  In fact, it isn't even that kind of war, two armies facing each
other across a battle field.  There's no way that Sirius would have calmly
waited to get orders from Dumbledore, if he thought his best friend and
surrogate brother was in danger.  He'd try to help, even if he hadn't
thought it through yet.  And how many of we real world folk would do any
less to help our friends?  I'd probably call the police and rush to my
friend in similar circumstances.  However the order members communicated, we
don't know if Sirius tried to contact Dumbledore or not as he raced to help
James.

Sherry G (who will never be convinced of ESE Sirius either)