Sirius as Father Figure (was:Re: How Sirius' death suits Dumbledore?...)

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 130711

> >>Alla wrote earlier:
> <snip>
> >Yes, I DO blame a lot of his mistakes in OOP on his depression. I 
> am not sure why it is so strange for you. IMO this house holds not 
> only bad memories, but horrible memories for Sirius, since he run 
> away from home and never looked back.<
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> It's strange to be because Sirius chose to go back to his house.  
> He "offered it to Dumbledore". (OotP scholastic hardback p.79)  
And 
> he's only been there, what a month?  Maybe?  On the outside?  And 
> with an entire gaggle of Weasleys there to help chase the Black 
> ghosts away.  Seems like an awfully quick slide to me.  Especially 
> when he seemed so eager and enthusiastic at the end of GoF, a mere 
> month or so ago.

Alla:

Umm, he offered the house to Dumbledore. He did not, as far as I  
remember anyway, offered to stay locked up in the said house. There 
is no "regular" time frame during which person can slip into 
depression,as far as I know. The house is a living reminder of very 
unhappy times in Sirius' life, IMO. I am not surprised at all.

Betsy: 
> And then he's so incredibly cruel to Harry.  For no real reason.

<SNIPs canon>
I mean, wow!  Sirius really knows how to hit Harry, and he seems to 
have no qualms about doing so.  All because Harry didn't want to 
risk Sirius coming to Hogsmeade?  Talk about a lame reason to be so 
cruel.  It's illogical behavior and beyond mere depression, IMO.

Alla:

NO, I think because Sirius longed to spend time outside  WITH Harry, 
because he wanted to be helpful somehow , just as he was in GoF. And 
NO, depressed person's behaviour is not always logical,as far as I 
know.

Sirius was not always at his best with Harry in OOP, but frankly 
under circumstances I am surprised he managed to do as well as he 
did.

Please allow me to quote Phoenixgod, whose posts I always adore and 
whose opinion of Sirius in OOP sums up mine perfectly.


Phoenixgod in 130668:
" Sirius is a hero. he
survived in a prison that's left everyone else a gibbering wreck. He
did it through willpower and the same stubborness that caused him to
leave a family that held disgusting beliefs that he disagreed with.
He stuck with friends in a war that had families turning on each
other. he joined a group dedicated to a fight he didn't have to
participate in since his blood would have shielded him. He did the
best he could with the time he had. Was he the worlds most mature
person? Maybe not, but he didn't have the decade of life experience
that everyone else around him did. He tried to work with what he
could to protect the teenager he loved until he was locked away again
by someone he trusted. He was left to twist and molder while others
took on important jobs with the order and with Harry. It ate at him
over the span of a year, but when Harry needed him, he tried to be
there for him the best as he could and when Harry was in trouble he
came running. Sirus was locked in a prison he didn't earn for crimes
he didn't commit. He suffered a fate that would have left any other
member of the order a drooling basketcase and came out of it
fighting. Sirius is a hero who gave everything he had to the cause
and to Harry. You can't ask for more than that."



> Betsy Hp:
<SNIP>

> And I would say by chalking up Sirius' strange behavior (the 
> cruelty, the lack of help and/or sympathy when Harry tells him 
he's 
> afraid he's going mad, the pointless digging at Snape) to either 
his 
> being drugged or his being an alcoholic is actually speaking *up* 
> for Sirius.  Because if Sirius becomes so very cruel and hot-
headed 
> merely by staying in a house he hates, a house he *volunteered* to 
> the Order, it doesn't say much for his strength of character. 

Alla:

Should we really start talking about Snape here? :-) Snape taunted 
Sirius just as much as Sirius did , IMO. They were not on their most 
mature behaviour, IMO, but were you expecting Sirius NOT to answer 
Snape's taunts? That would be really expecting too much, IMO.

As to alcoholism and drugs, well, not that I am seriously opposed to 
them, but as you said yourself - there is really no canon to back it 
up ( at least there is  possible hint for drugs, but not for 
alcoholism, IMO), therefore I cannot adopt it for now.

And as Gerry said, I consider Depressed!Sirius  who struggled  to be 
helpful to the Order and to be helpful to his Godson by telling him 
what he needed to hear, but could not because Dumbledore forbade 
him, to be tragic enough without adding alcoholism or drugging to 
the mix.


Just my opinion,

Alla.