MBC**

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 179697

> Siriusly Snapey Susan wrote:
>
> **MOST BELOVED CHARACTER
> 
> Is there a character you simply adore? one you 
> couldn't get enough of, right to the end? 

Mike:
At the risk of being called an Alla clone, my two favorites are 
the same as hers, Harry and Sirius. Harry is the guy I cared about.
He's why I read the series. I wanted him to succeed, I wanted him
to get the girl (as awkward as he was and as JKR wrote it), and most 
of all, I wanted him to live. I cared about Harry more than I cared 
about all the other characters combined.

But "beloved", I save that for Sirius (no, not in that way <g>). I 
loved that he was slightly arrogant but fiercely loyal. That he 
would rather die than sell out his friends. I even loved his cocky, 
devil-may-care attitude as a youth. And I don't care what the *real* 
reason was that he broke out of Azkaban, he didn't belong in there 
in the first place. Just the fact that he did it was amazing enough. 
And if he was slightly off kilter after 12 years around those 
horrors, I forgive him his excesses. That he could still care about 
Harry, try his damnedest to protect Harry and be the best friend and 
Godfather to Harry that he could be, spoke volumes to me.

When Sirius went througth the veil I felt exactly like Harry did. I 
wanted Harry to kill Bella right then and there, with an AK if he 
could muster the strength. I was enraged that she got away. (OK, I 
got that one off my chest).

One last point in my defense of Sirius:
I agree with his assessment of Snape regarding the werewolf 
prank, "served him right". It seems quite obvious to me that Sev 
knew Lupin was a werewolf and that Sev also knew that Lupin's 
condition was known by the staff, since he had seen the school nurse 
take Lupin out to the WW. And since Snape was keeping track of full 
moon nights, whose fault was it that dearest Sev decided to pick one 
of those nights to try to confirm his suspicions? 

Besides, Snape doesn't like the Marauders getting away with their 
nighttime escapades, so he breaks those same rules himself to try to 
catch them. The only thing Sirius contributed AFAIK is how to get 
past the WW. But in doing that Sev was breaking the same rules that 
he was trying to catch the Marauders doing. All so he could gather 
proof of what "Potter and his mates get up to" for Lily. So yeah, 
Snape's not on some moral high ground here, imo. He did deserve it!



> SSSusan:
> I'd almost always sit up straighter every time Fred & George 
> were on page, too.  I recognize where they may have crossed a 
> line or two (or three hundred), but I loved their creativity 
> and ingenuity, their flare and style, and their wonderful, 
> so-often-necessary infusion of humor.

Mike:
I always enjoyed the twins. I admit the ton-tongue taffy trick on 
Dudley had me worried, but other than that, I loved their humor. 
Who will ever forget "Give her hell from us, Peaves" or "Shut up, 
Weatherby"? Like you said, Susan, much needed humor, especially in 
the dark times of OotP. They just don't rise to the level of beloved,
for me.