Debatable ethical issues in OotP and HBP

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 142405

Carol earlier:
> >
> > The first sensible thing he does is to fly to some tropical
paradise on Buckbeak, but he forgoes safety and flies to England to
live on rats and hide in caves when he hears that Harry's scar hurts.
> >
> >Alla:
> >So, rushing to help his godson, who needs him is wrong? Should have
he ignored Harry's cry for help then? Would that made Sirius more
sensible person? Why is it Sirius fault to rush to help the boy who
needs him?
> 
> Christina:
> 
> Alla, we agree so rarely that I just had to point this one out :)
> 
> I think Sirius feels very guilty about abandoning Harry for all of
those years, and tried hard to uphold his godfatherly duties whenever
possible to make up for that.  What kind of man would he be if he had
sat back in the sun while Harry was in such distress?

Carol responds:
I'm not saying that it wasn't a noble gesture, but even Harry thought
it was the wrong thing to do and felt guilty that he had told Sirius
about his scar. He didn't really help Harry, did he? But my point is
simply that he chose to come to England and endanger himself when he
could have provided advice and moral support without risking capture.
Had he done so, Harry would still have a godfather.
> 
> 
Carol earlier:
> > Yes, his is a tragically wasted life.
> > But the responsibility for that wasted life, like the decision to
go to the MoM, is primarily or entirely his own.
> 
> Christina:
> 
> I'm glad you brought this up, Carol, because it hits on something
I've never understood.  I'm not sure if you are implying that Sirius's
decision to go to the MoM was a bad one or not, but I've seen that
event used to support reckless!Sirius about a million times in the
fandom, and I've never understood why.  I *do* think that Sirius is a
leap-before-you-look kind of guy, but I think he made the right choice
in going to the MoM.  At that point in the story, the number of Death
Eaters skulking around was unknown, but the Order knew that there were
 a significant number (especially considering the breakout at
Azkaban).  Faced with the knowledge that six children had gone off to
engage in a conflict with goodness-knows-how-many Death Eaters, the
members of the Order who were immediately available went to help. 
> Without Sirius, only four Order members would have been defending
the kids.  I would think that with the number of Death Eaters on the
loose, an extra set of hands would be seen as a huge advantage
(especially when those hands belonged to somebody with such a hunger
for battle).  Harry's and the other childrens' lives were in grave
danger- who cares if Sirius was caught if it meant saving Harry's
life?  With hindsight, we know that Sirius would not have died if he
had not been at the MoM, but I don't see any reason to believe that he
was targeted specifically during the battle.  Any of the Order members
could have died in the MoM- the fact that Sirius was the one who did
does not support the thought that he shouldn't have been there in the
> first place.

Carol responds:
I'm not saying that his decision to go to the MoM was a bad one in and
of itslef; just that Snape told him to wait for Dumbledore and had he
done so, he would not have been killed. Also, his own reckless bravado
as he duelled Bellatrix got him into trouble. He wasn't paying
attention to his surroundings or he'd have noticed the veil and
steered clear of it. None of the other Order members was taunting the
person they were duelling. I'm sure that he felt he was doing his duty
and finally getting a chance to help Harry and the Order, but it's
unclear whether his presence made any difference. And given Kreacher's
remark ("Master won't return from the Ministry of Magic," quoted from
memory) it's just possible that the DEs did have a vendetta against
him. At any rate, his particular brand of reckless courage is partly
responsible for his death--much more so than Snape's taunts.

Carol