Sirius and Dumbledore WAS: Draco and Dumbledore

[Renee]

No: HPFGUIDX 159782

 
> Alla:
> Sirius wanted to be closer to Harry, sure, but why exactly he 
> can be closer to Harry only in Grimmauld place?

> Sirius did not come back to spend all his days in Grimmauld place, 
> he came back to fight, to do something useful for the Order. 
> Dumbledore thought that something useful for the Order would be to 
> keep Sirius confined to keep him alive. I do not remember anything 
> in canon that Sirius thought so.

Renee:
Because it was only at Grimmauld Place he didn't run the risk to be
caught and end up Kissed by the Dementors? That's also behind Harry's
negative reaction when Sirius wants to come to Hogwarts - DD is not
the only one who thinks it's unwise for Sirius to show himself
anywhere outside (even as Padfoot). In fact, Sirius realises it, too,
however much he hates it: he does not leave more than once after his
escapade to King's Cross Station, and when he does, it is to save
Harry - nothing and no one could keep him back then.   

Sirius has the freedom to make his own choices. He's *not* locked up
at Grimmauld place and the other Order members don't restrain him,
those few times he does leave. If he's confined, it is because of
circumstances beyond the control of even someone like Dumbledore. Of
course he says repeatedly he wants to leave, but ultimately he chooses
to stay for Harry's sake and to sacrifice even his freedom for him
(and why question the meaning of this sacrifice?). It's only when
Harry's own life is a stake that he leaves.   

So, when Dumbledore largely blames himself for Sirius's tragedy, I
don't think he means to say it's his fault because Sirius wasn't free
to leave. What he means (I believe), is that he failed to solve the
problem - because he underestimated the extent of it and didn't even
begin to try. He more or less admits as much when he says he's
forgotten what it is to be young  - and I don't think he's merely
talking about Harry here; Sirius was still young, too, certainly
compared to Dumbledore.   
 

> Alla:
> 
>I remember Harry wanting to leave Dursleys as soon 
> as possible **every summer** pretty much ( have to double check all 
> the books, but several examples stood up), I remember Harry not 
> wanting to return there when Summer starts.
> 
> I have to double check if he asks Dumbledore directly in OOP 
> anything to that effect, but even if he did not, I think it shown 
> sufficiently that he does not **want** to live there and I do not 
> believe for one second especially after Dumbledore OOP end speech 
> that Dumbledore does not know it.

Renee:
Of course Harry didn't want to live with the Dursleys; I'd doubt his
sanity if he did! But unlike someone else in the series who ran away
from home at sixteen, Harry stays at Privet Drive (just like the
aforementioned person chose to stay at home later in life). Maybe
because he actually believes what DD says about the blood-protection,
and because he realises that circumstances don't always allow us to do
what we want most? 


> Alla:
> 
> I am convinced so far that blood protection is quite useless thing, 
> I can be proven wrong of course in book 7, but so far I had not been 
> shown anything to convince me to the contrary.

Renee:
It's notoriously difficult to prove a negative. "Why not do away with
all the extra locks on our doors and windows - no one has broken in to
our home in ages." Still, showing is always better than telling, and I
agree we haven't been shown how it works; Voldemort's words in the
graveyard are just another case of telling, not showing. All the same,
I don't doubt they were meant to corroborate DD's claims about the
blood-protection by the author. 

If this isn't enough, JKR has obviously failed to convince you (and
some others on this list), but personally, I don't think there's much
room for doubt if two enemies both say the same thing. 

Renée