Sirius' motivation for breaking with his family, house elves

[Marion Ros]

No: HPFGUIDX 154124

ericoppen wrote:
>>>I think that we may have seen a clue to Sirius' motivation in our 
first minutes in his family mauso--er, his family _mansion._ What 
if Little Sirius had had a house elf that he really, really loved, 
that was his favorite playmate---and one day he comes downstairs to 
find out that Mama has had that elf's head cut off and mounted on a 
plaque? <<<

Marion:
Hm. Well, it's a nice thought but I don't buy it. I don't believe that children could hate their parents when they do something that might hurt the child, but the parent think it's for the child's own good (or in this case the elf's own good).
We've been told that Kreacher at least had the wish to have his head amongst his predecessors after he died (probably a way to stay 'with his Masters family' even after death).
Elves are *weird*. Elves are *different*. Elves *want* to serve and are loyal.
You don't kill and cut of a healthy elf's head just for kicks. Especially not when they belong to an ancient and noble House. (The Malfoys may be old purebloods, but they sound rather New Money to me.) 
When Harry tricked Lucius in giving Dobby a sock, Lucius said "you've cost me my servant, boy!".

Servant. 

Not, 'one of my servants'.

I don't think that a House has more than one House elves. Two at the most. You don't go and cut off a perfectly good elf's head for no good reason. If the elf had died, and had asked on his or her deathbed to be mounted just like his or her predecessors, then maybe. It just doesn't make economical sense to go kill of perfectly good house elves!
And even if they *did* put a deathly ill house elf out of his or her misery, is this a reason for Sirius to get all upset?
He's a pureblood of a Ancient House! He *knows* about house elves and the way they think. This kind of knowledge and these values are poured into him with a silver spoon.

Besides, if a farmers son who lived on a farm where they had, say, hutches of rabbits, if he had a rabbit he was aspecially fond of, and one day that rabbit was slaughtered (like all the rabbits on that farm were, sooner or later), would that kid be traumatized for life? No, because I *know* ex-farmkids and they grow up with the knowledge that rabbits get slaughtered, just like the pigs and the chickens.
Now, citykids who get a pet rabbit and *that* gets slaughtered for Christmas Lunch.. Yeah, that kid might be traumatized. But not traumatized enough to hate his parents for years and years afterwards. Not enough to run away from home when he's sixteen. And Sirius never has any concrete allegations against his parents, does he? We never hear him tell the world at large, "they were quite mean you know, they killed my childhood friend. Look, there is his head, mounted".

Now, I've had my problems with *my* parents. I've been seriously depressed, even suicidal, when living in their house, but in the end, they are my parents, whom I love. Who love me. 
I've read accounts of men and women whose parent(s) were alcoholic, abusive, even incestuous, and the one thing they had in common was that they all thought that there was something wrong with *them*, not with the parent(s). They would still love their parent(s). 
It's the spoiled and indulged child that spits in his parents face and treads on their hearts.
Besides, Sirius doesnt' strike me as a particular sensitive kid, now does he? He gleefully bullies helpless children four to one, he kicks his house elf (who is defenseless - no matter how much Kreacher disapproves of him, he can't NOT obey) he is reckless and impulsive and has a cruel streak. 

Nope, sorry, I know that Sirius has a great fanbase, because he was handsome and brave and falsely accused and imprisoned, but for all his bravery and sad destiny, he simply wasn't a very nice person to those he percieved as 'different' or 'not his kind' or 'wanting different things than he wanted'. 

No, the more I think about it, the more I believe that Sirius was too much indulged rather than mistreated. It's a myth that mistreated children turn into bullies. It's the overindulged, undisciplined children that turn into bullies. Dudley Dursley was loved and overindulged. James Potter was loved and overindulged. The Weasley twins were loved and overindulged (note that when they nick their father's illegally charmed car and their mother tries to discipline them for it, their father replies with a 'did it handle well'. That's what I call overindulging. No consequenses to bad behaviour) 

Waaay past midnight. I'm quitting for the day.

Marion