Sirius' declaration of loyalty in the Shrieking Shack

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 139607

> > Alla:
> > But if person thinks abous such declaration, it loses the 
sincerity
> > and becomes calculation, no? 


Magda: 
> You're damn right it becomes calculation, one of the most important
> calculations anyone can possibly make.  If a declaration like the
> above is tossed off without calculation or considering the
> consequences, then the person making the declaration is pretty
> stupid.


Alla: But I am not talking about Sirius' declaration in restrospect. 
I am talking about what he said in the Shack, that is all. I am just 
talking about how that defines Sirius' character for me and to me it 
defines him into very positive light, noble light, if you may.

After all, JKR did say that Sirius " for all his faults has this 
tremendous sense of honor". I would rather see the character die for 
his friends, even if those friends do not deserve it,which I am not 
sure about, then see the character doing the calculations and 
choosing his own life over the life of his friend, but that is just 
me of course





> > Alla:
> > Sorry for being repetitive, but isn't the fact that Sirius is 
> > willing to die for Peter contradicts your statement that it 
was " a
> > very unequal social arrangement between four dorm-mates"?


Magda: 
> I don't see how.  It just means that he's willing to throw his life
> away very cheaply.

Alla:

You were saying that Sirius did not consider Peter more than weak, 
talentless, whatever and even though Sirius may have considered him 
to be a weaker wizard, I am saying that one does not declare his 
willingness to die for your "dorm-mate", only for a friend.


Magda: 
> They assumed that Peter would do what they wanted him to do because
> he always had in the past.  That really is the only reason I can 
come
> up with for both James and Sirius managing to ignore the reality 
that
> was right in front of them for the better part of ten years.  James
> paid for this mistake with his life and Sirius paid for it with 
just
> about everything he had.  But it was a high price to pay.


Alla:

But what kind of reality was in front of them? I still think that we 
have hints that their friendship was genuine and that Peter may have 
broke under pressure from Voldemort.

Consider - in all most important moments of their life they were 
together, all four of them - creating the map, becoming an animagi, 
joining the Order. Do we have any signs that Peter was not 
participating in Map creation and animagi transformation just as 
equally as others?

And we have ONE scene, ONE, which hints that Peter was a tag along.

But going back to Sirius , even if they made a mistake, I feel that 
it speaks highly of them to make such mistake, not lower. Isn't it 
better to think higher of the person than such person deserves?

Who knows, maybe one day such person decides to live up to his 
former friends expectations.


JMO,

Alla.