[HPforGrownups] Re: Sirius' death (was: Dept of Mysteries Veil Room)

[kim reynolds]

No: HPFGUIDX 115246


SSSusan wrote:
>While I understand what Magda is saying about being in love with the *idea* of being a godfather/godson, I agree more fully with Nora. While it may seem bizarre to some of us that Harry could love Sirius deeply so quickly, we're...well...not Harry.  

>My take on this is that, *because* Harry was denied love for so long, to have someone openly CARE for him -- CHOOSE him, in fact -- was a deeply moving experience.  Why would he believe he was lovable up to that point?  Mrs. Weasley was kind to him, yes.  Lupin was, also. DD had supported him.  Ron & Hermione may have shown him this some, but would Harry be confident that he lovable to an adult, parent-like figure?  I think Sirius' coming for him, inviting him into his life, was a *BIG* deal to Harry, and he was overcome with wonder at it.  

>It COULD have been just an idealized thing, yes, but I think it *was* real affection for Harry.  If it had all been a "house of 
cards"--Sirius up on a pedestal, not a REAL person whom Harry truly cared about--then when Harry began to recognize faults & annoyances in Sirius [in OotP, particularly], he'd have had this image *shattered,* not shaken slightly, and the relationship would have crumbled.  No, the affection was genuine, imo, because these annoyances & concerns didn't shatter Harry's image of Sirius, nor make him stop caring about him.  

>At various times between the end of PoA and Sirius' death in OotP, Harry found an adult he trusted he could turn to for advice, an adult who WANTED to answer his questions(!!), an adult who risked his safety on his behalf, an adult who gave him real gifts <g>, an adult who wanted to share his life with him.  It makes perfect sense to me that it didn't take all that long for the affection to grow deep.  Again, if the feelings *weren't* genuine, when Sirius became surlier, more reckless, when he goaded Harry a little, Harry would've turned away from him and said, "Screw this!"  But he never did.


Kim here again:  Looks like the thoughts I sent on this topic were very similar to SSSusan's, and I couldn't have put it better myself (I truly hadn't read Susan's email before sending mine -- Sorry!).  Maybe that means great minds think alike...;-)
 
Here's another thought (considering my track record, it's no doubt been discussed at length before... in which case, feel free to ignore):  Perhaps Snape will turn out not to be such a bad guy after all.  After he reveals to Harry how much he'd loved Harry's mother way back when, and they (Snape and Harry) come to some reconciliation of the conflicts they've had, Snape will become a friend and mentor to Harry... (I can hear the groans as I write this)... It's just that Snape reminds me so much in some ways of Ebenezer Scrooge.  He needs a second chance in life just as much IMO.  Then again Lupin is as good, perhaps a better candidate than Snape, but there's that tricky habit he has of turning into a werewolf every full moon...      
 
Kim R. (who will try to inform herself better by reading all previous threads til her eyes fall out of her head, then take some Ginkgo biloba to remember everything she read)