[HPforGrownups] Re: Was Sirius railroaded? And what was his view?

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 192723

Alla:




I am not going to argue about whether Sirius would have been the best single parent or not. I love the character, but sure he had plenty of flaws. But in my head Sirius v Dursleys equals no contest.




I consider Dursleys to be child abusers and also do not feel that they were punished as much as they should have been. I despise them and pity Harry for having to grow up with them, but I also think that Dumbledore got what he wanted. Of course Harry would love WW and would do anything to save their miserable selves in comparison to what he had to endure growing up. IMO .


Sherry:
I agree with Alla in regard to the Dursleys. Locking a child in a cupboard, later, locking him in a room with bars on the windows, feeding him through a flap in the door, just the bare minimum to keep him alive. Yeah, that's abuse to me. Letting Marge get away with the stuff she did, and on and on.

But I'll also say, we really don't know what kind of a father Sirius could have been, given the chance. At the time of his imprisonment, he and the Potters and other friends, had been fighting in a war for several years. That tends to cause people to grow up. As for the depression, he was on the run, a convicted murder, he was locked in a house he hated, with that horrible picture of his mother and Kreacher, and Snape, constantly poisoning his mind with negativity. He wasn't allowed to help in the war. Nobody bothered to try to bring out the truth about him. Who wouldn't be depressed?

I think of the Sirius of POA and GOF. The man who risked everything to keep Harry safe from Pettigrew. The man who lived nearly a year, in his dog form, hiding in a cave and eating rats, to be near his godson. Two of my favorite scenes in the whole series happen in GOF. One is the almost hug from Molly in the hospital wing, but the other is Sirius with Harry as Harry told the story of the third task to Dumbledore. It always brings tears to my eyes.

That man, I believe could have been a good father to Harry.


Sherry