Sirius' situation his own fault? WASRe: Debatable ethical issues in OotP and HBP

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 142427

> SSSusan again:
> And there's another issue as well, methinks.  Sirius sat at Azkaban 
> for 12 years, during which time DD apparently never once visited or 
> contacted Sirius to get his account of the GH affair/murder of 
PP/12 
> muggles.  That is, if we believe that DD was as surprised as anyone 
> else at the end of PoA to discover the truth about Peter's betrayal 
> and Sirius' innocence, then he never made such an effort.  
> 
> If I'd been Sirius, knowing that DD "didn't care enough" [that's 
how 
> I'd *feel* anyway] to come ASK me what had happened, I'd be 
reluctant 
> to go running to him straight off myself.



Alla:

The funny thing is that I don't see Dumbledore doing it for some 
malicious, or Puppet!Master Dumbledore reasons at all. I think that 
JKR simply needed Sirius in prison till PoA, period.

But I do think that Dumbledore's character suffers because of it. I 
mean, really Dumbledore who is always, always giving people second 
chances would not go to one of his former students, who was also one 
of the Order Members to check up his account of events, to use some 
Legilimency, maybe, just in case something went wrong?

I would think that Dumbledore had no problem getting to Azkaban if 
needed, especially if he decided to visit Sirius during Fudge's 
reign, since we do know that up to Voldemort's return Fudge held 
Dumbledore in a very high regard and I speculate that he would have 
agreed to give Dumbledore the little favor, if asked.

Lucianam:
About Snape, funnily I don't think he was much to blame. He was 
> Sirius's 'enemy', and whatever he said made Sirius pissed and 
> uneasy, maybe even contributed to his wish to leave the house and 
go 
> to the MOM, but I don't think it added much to his depression.
> 
> I think what Sirius's friends - The Order - didn't do had more 
> weight. 

Alla:

Right, since I am incorporating it into other post, I think I can say 
that I actually agree with you.

Whatever I may think of Snape/Sirius relationship, I do NOT blame 
Snape for starting Sirius' depression ( amounting to it - maybe, 
betraying Sirius to Voldemort - could be :-), but this is a topic for 
different post).

Snape indeed has no obligation to help Sirius as a person ( I mean, I 
would argue that any decent person should, but they indeed have a 
history), so while I would prefer Snape to shut his mouth, IF this is 
the only thing he wronged Sirius with in OOP, I don't blame him much.

I think Snape owes Sirius a loyalty as a fellow Order member, but 
nothing more than that.

But Dumbledore? Yes, I think he owed Sirius something more than Snape 
did. I would say that he should have known Sirius better and simply 
helped him to occupate himself with something useful.

As SSSusan said, Sirius is a DOer, and inaction is an absolute worst 
thing, which could happen to him.


I don't think this makes Dumbledore evil, by the way. Just again 
handling the situation in not a good way, IMO.


JMO,

Alla