Sirius' death (was: Dept of Mysteries Veil Room)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 115049


I (Carol) wrote:
> 
> > Carol, who thinks that learning to cope with Sirius's death is an
> > important lesson for Harry, much more important than any 
> > contribution the living Sirius made or could have made in helping 
> > him grow up
> 
> Wow.  I think that's one of the *coldest* things I've seen anyone 
> post on here lately.  Learning to deal with the death of the person 
> he loved more than anyone (note, who Harry loved, regardless of how 
> we feel about the character) is more important or beneficial than, 
> perhaps, learning what it's like to build a relationship of trust
and love, even when the person in question *is* unquestionably
damaged?  <snip>

> Sirius gave Harry something that no one else in the series has, at 
> least from Harry's POV--and when you're talking about emotions, each 
> individual POV is all you have to go on.  To reduce that to an object 
> lesson about death and mourning is to ignore those contributions.
> 
> -Nora adds, for the sake of being contrary: don't cite those 'good 
> qualities' without the 'latent' qualifier

Carol responds:
Cold or not (thanks for your courtesy, Nora), I do believe that
Sirius's death is crucial for Harry. He is about to face a war; other
friends will almost certainly die. He must face that and deal with it,
and that, in my *cold* opinion, is his greatest contribution. Alive,
what could he have done? He's the most wanted fugitive in the WW. He
sits in Grimmauld Place feeling bored and stir-crazy.

I suppose that things might have been different if he had not landed
himself in Azkaban by going after Peter Pettigrew and had somehow
managed to persuade Dumbledore of his innocence. Even then he would
have played no role in Harry's life until he attended Hogwarts because
Dumbledore wanted Harry to be placed with the Dursleys. And Sirius at
his best is not much of a role model for the boy destined to be the
one who destroys Voldemort. He's arrogant and reckless, qualities that
Dumbledore can't allow Harry to develop.

I'm sorry if that view strikes you as cold. Your saying so strikes
*me* as rude.

Carol, who thought the List Elves had dealt with the incivility issue
and is sorry to discover that she was wrong