Warnings: Not for Sirius Black fans.
Part (3)
Title: How innocent was Sirius Black?
Spoilers: Prisoner of Azkaban (PoA), The Order of the Phoenix (OotP)
Summary: This is a multi part (3) piece.
Beta by my ever wonderful "cho_sa"
A/N: I would very much appreciate it if you do not go after my blood/head/or any other part of my physiology. A/N2: I would like to thank
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[[I think part of this is also false bravado. There is canonical evidence that Sirius is insecure in regards to his relationships with other people, which usually stems from a lack of self-confidence in some area (certainly his mother did not help in this regard). In order not to dwell on any shortcomings (perceived or actual), actions may be rash, and you unapologetic for those actions. In the company of people he loves (and that he knows love him in return), he is quick to say he’s not proud of his actions as a teenager, which implies that he knows he was not always right.]]
Sirius did not forgive his brother, nor take into account his brother’s ignorance and his family’s influence on him. He also gave no thought of the pressure young Regulus was under after his big brother’s abandonment (Regulus was probably 18-19 years when he was killed). Sirius was probably jealous that even after Regulus’ desertion, his mother did not disown him and did not remove his name from the Family Tree.
[[I think all of this speaks more to the fact that Sirius resents Regulus for not being stronger. If Sirius was strong enough to decide right from wrong, and act on the convictions he had, then why couldn’t Regulus? Do you think Sirius never brought up to Regulus how wrong he (Sirius) thought the family were? I find that exceedingly unlikely, especially after Sirius got himself sorted into Gryffindor.]]
Shouldn’t that make Sirius proud that his brother discovered his mistake before doing something unforgivable? Shouldn’t he feel some kind of compassion for his little brother who died almost 15 years ago?
[[No, he’s probably thinking that Regulus should have not joined up in the first place (‘Stupid idiot…he joined the Death Eaters’) and it was his own damned fault for getting himself killed so young. I’ve always read that as Sirius seeing that as a waste that needn’t have occurred, that it could have been prevented if Regulus had had a mind of his own from the start.]]
Isn’t time supposed to heal all wounds?
[[No, it doesn’t; it merely puts it on the backburner of your mind.]]
But that would make Sirius Black forgiving, merciful, and understanding. Something he is definitely NOT.
[[It’s hard to be those things when they don’t exactly apply (save for the understanding bit. Sirius is not entirely understanding, I’ll give you that).]]
Sirius’ mother had been dead for years. And he did break her heart when he turned his back on them all, which eventually led to feelings of strong resentment. Can’t he let go and stop this hatred he felt towards a dead mother and a dead brother?
[[So what if her body has died? Her portrait is still well capable of yelling out degrading things to Sirius, to remind him that he’s a less-than-desirable person. A mother of all people - someone who is supposed to love and support you unconditionally - to have that person tell you that you are the ‘shame of [their] flesh’, you’d be hard-pressed to forgive them indeed. It’s a betrayal of the worst sort. I’d never want to return to that sort of environment again, either. You’d have to be an absolute masochist to willingly endure such abuse.]]
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\The way he treated Kreacher indicates his general behavior towards ‘lesser beings’. It’s very reminiscent to the way Lucius Malfoy treated Dobby, and Crouch Sr. treated Winky. It all gives an indication on how the pure-blood, noble, and rich families treated their elves.
[[Kreacher goes round the house muttering about how awful Sirius is. Sirius treats Kreacher as he would treat any person saying those sorts of things about him, which shows far more respect for Kreacher than if Sirius regarded him merely as a ‘lesser being’. The ultimate display of thinking Kreacher a lesser-being would be to patronise him, or to disregard him entirely. Indeed, Sirius actually attributes meaning to what Kreacher is saying, which is far more respectful toward Kreacher than either Hermione or Dumbledore’s behaviour toward him is.]]
Excuse -
Kreatcher was his mother’s elf, and he was mad so it’s alright if he abused him (if Kreacher were mad, this means he was not aware of his actions, and did not deserve the abuse). [[Kreacher may not be aware he’s speaking his thoughts aloud, but his thoughts are coherent and lucid, which does not indicate complete madness. This reminds me of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, in which they try to determine whether or not Hamlet’s speaking to himself is a sign of madness.
Guil: I think I have it. A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense not to himself.
Ros: Or just as mad.
Guil: Or just as mad.
Ros: And he does both.
Guil: So there you are.
Ros: Stark raving sane.]]
Remus Lupin was Sirius Black’s friend for many years. Till something happened to make them doubt each other’s loyalties. Was that due to the ‘Trick’ Sirius played on Snape many years ago? Doubtful.
[[Is there anyone out there that actually thinks this? The prank happened when they were 16, and they continued to be friends into their 20s - obviously loyalties weren’t doubted due to this. I fail to see the purpose in even bringing it up]]
We don’t know if there were any acts performed by Lupin to make S. Black mistrust him, except probably our suspicions of Pettigrew’s influence on both of them. This takes us back to the ‘Not trust Dark Creatures’ theory.
[[Alternatively, it was known that there was a traitor within the Potters’ circle of friends: Sirius, Remus, or Peter. Were I Black, I would be more inclined to suspect Lupin over Pettigrew because I would think Lupin far more capable of being deceitful because he has shown to be far cleverer than Pettigrew in the years I’d known them. People whom you view as being dim never strike you as being deceptive because you think, consciously or not, they haven’t the mental acuity to be so. And it’s this same reasoning, I expect, that led Lupin to suspect Black over Pettigrew. Sirius had it right when he postulated, ‘who would trust an untalented thing like Peter with something so big?’ (paraphrased, as I haven’t got my books on me). The notion of not trusting ‘dark creatures’ doesn’t necessarily have to even enter into the equation.]]
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[[I honestly think he didn’t reckon Snape stupid enough to do what he said. Why would you follow the exact advice of your enemy? You’re asking to be set up for a trick doing such a thing. As for the lack of remorse, it’s the same thing as with Regulus from Sirius’s POV: If he (Snape) hadn’t been so stupid as to have done that, it wouldn’t have happened in the first place. And Snape’s trying to find out what they were doing was dangerous to their well-being in regards to expulsion]]
and a dog (inferior to a werewolf when it comes to physical strength, and can still get infected if bitten)
[[It says right in canon that were a werewolf to bite someone whilst that someone was in their animagus form, it would have no effect - hence why WPP became animagi in the first place]],
Using James (indirectly) when he was bored to find entertainment. [[Right, I’d forgotten the part where Sirius threatened to hex the crap out of James and lay waste to his entire family if James didn’t harass Snape. James made his own decision in that. Sirius hadn’t even noticed Snape was nearby till James called his attention to it]]
IT WAS a murder attempt. If it happened in our world, Black would be in police custody for it and most definitely expelled.
[[If he had been expelled, all eyes would be holding on Lupin, not Sirius, because Lupin in fact was the dangerous element in all this, though not intentionally, of course. You can’t very well expel a kid and then give the reason for his expulsion as being ‘Er, he told some other kid to go by a dangerous tree.’ It’s only a murder attempt if Snape’s demise was the core motivation for such a thing. You’ve interpreted it as being that way, but I don’t. Canon can go either way on it, so I think it’s quite presumptuous of you to categorically state that it was a murder attempt. Idiotic scare tactic gone horribly awry is my interpretation, and Dumbledore, he who gives the benefit of the doubt, who wants to see the best in people might see it the same way.]]
But Dumbledore must have thought that an expulsion or involvement of authority will cause much harm.
[[Or that it would draw unwanted attention to Remus Lupin, who didn’t deserve any of it]]
And he still believed in the goodness of the playful, handsome, prankster, Gryffindor- Sirius Black.
[[Please refer to statements above. The fact that Sirius actively rejected his ZOMG!EVIL family probably garnered a point in his favour in Dumbledore’s book.]]
This probably got Dumbledore to think more cautiously about Black’s actions and true motives. It must have been a shock for him to discover that quite a number of them were not simply ‘children’s pranks’ but malice intent. [[If he had done, and had made such a discovery about Sirius’s character, why would he then allow Sirius to join the Order?]]
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[[Who’d want to be caught? Not wanting to be caught does not equal cowardice. It’s just proof that he’s human. He didn’t run from it; he basically offered himself up as bait, which is far from being cowardly. Could he have cracked and revealed Pettigrew’s location? Sure, he could have done, but I’m much more willing to put my money on the fact that he’d die before doing such a thing (especially since JKR even said he really would have died for his friends as he has got a perverse sense of honour to them, and to what he feels is right and wrong).]]
His plan: switch with Pettigrew and flee.
[[Yeah, the part where he fled, only to check up on Pettigrew and make sure he was all right]]
None. Except perhaps he didn’t feel the need to, till he discovered Pettigrew was still alive. He escaped to kill him, even though Peter lived with Harry and co. for years without causing them any harm.
[[You do recall in POA when they said Pettigrew wasn’t about to act right under Dumbledore’s nose without making sure that there was someone out there that could protect him, don’t you?]]
And why he chose to remain in Azkaban? Because he was a coward; he was afraid of being hunted down by Death Eaters and Aurors alike.
[[Which explains why he was so anxious to be near Harry and Hogwarts during the Triwizard tournament despite Harry’s protests, why he would gladly face dementors over sitting in #12, why he went to the DoM where he knew there were Death Eaters and right in the heart of the Ministry - yeah, real frightened of being captured, Sirius.]]
Dumbledore never allowed him out of Grimmauld Place, claiming that it was too dangerous, even though he could have used a disguise like Crouch junior with the polyjouice incident (if Crouch JR can make it, so can clever Sirius).
[[It's not an issue of Sirius being clever or not; it was too dangerous. Sirius would be risking his very soul every moment he spent out of #12. If his disguise were to fail somehow, if it were discovered he was Sirius Black, he’d get the kiss, no questions asked, as I don’t believe the authorisation to use the kiss on him issued in POA was ever repealed.]]
(His hysterical cries when he thought he killed Pettigrew must be signs of a mental break down.)
[[I’d like to see the part in the DSM-IV that lists ‘hysterical cries’ as symptomatic of a mental breakdown. Even if he had an emotional1 breakdown, he’d be entitled to it after his life had basically fallen apart in the span of a day. 1I say emotional because I believe that to be likely, whereas I do not think he suffered a mental breakdown, as he had wits enough about him even after his little sojourn to Azkaban. Not to a person's full capacity, mind, but certainly enough to be going on with. I further think that being relegated to playing Mary Housekeeper for the Order in his childhood home drove him a bit mad (seeing as how his behaviour in OotP does not entirely match up with his behaviour in PoA and GoF).]]
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It's absolutely amazing!
I have to applaud you for the effort and time you put into your comment, though I'm curious as why divide it (no need to answer that if you don't like).
SO, thank you for commenting, even though it was on a 2 week-old essay.
Always welcome.
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As to why I divided it, LJ limits comments to 4600 characters (or something like that). My comment ended up being nigh on 17,000, so it was necessary to divide it.
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