Sirius and the "major character" conundrum

[Mike Pachuta]

No: HPFGUIDX 132742

While filling out my predictions for whats to happen in HBP, I was 
surprised when my mind gave pause at the very first question  who will be 
the major character to die in Half-Blood Prince?

The reason my mind paused  what is the definition of a major character?  We 
can all agree that Harry is a major character.  Same with Ron and Hermione.  
Dumbledore is now a major character.  He wasnt in the first book; he was 
mostly an unseen headmaster.  I think Neville is a major character now, but 
I didnt before Order of the Phoenix.  Are the Dursleys major characters?  
I think so; theyve been fairly important in every book, and in Harrys 
life.  Is Lupin a major character?  Series wide. I dont think so; hes only 
been in two books, and he was a very important character in only one book.

So when Sirius dies in OotP, I felt bad for Harry, but as part of the series 
as a whole, I didnt think we lost a major character.  I know Sirius had a 
whole book named after him and about him, but he wasnt even in that book 
until the very end.  He made a few appearances in GoF, and was featured a 
lot more in OotP.  But in my mind, he wasnt a major character.  He was a 
man who gave Harry motivation in PoA.  He was a man who gave Harry advice in 
GoF.  And he was a man Harry cared about in OotP.

I think Sirius was a very good literary device  he was integral in the 
outing of Peter Pettigrew (who has featured in all but one book as either 
Scabbers or Pettigrew).  He gave Harry a person to genuinely miss when he 
was gone.

In Harrys mind, prior to the end of Order of the Phoenix, the battle 
between good and evil was a battle between Harry and Voldemort.  It may boil 
down to that in the end, but its bigger than just Harry.  Now he knows that 
Voldemort rips apart families and takes away people who matter to everyone.  
Its personal now.  I think it actually click with Harry earlier on in OotP, 
when Moody was showing Harry the photo of the original Order, and Harry 
realized what Voldemort did, and how many families he tore apart.  And then 
later it actually hit home for Harry.  He got an up-close, personal example 
of a family being torn apart  not only was Sirius, his father/friend killed 
and taken away from him, but Sirius was killed by one of his own relatives!

mike