Sirius Black

[TCole]

Sirius was a marauder and one of the most popular boys in school so of course the girls would have loved him. I think he is the type of person who showed interest in girls when he got bored. I'm sure he cared about his friends and pranking much more but if he had nothing to do on a Saturday I'm sure he probably went to find a girl to hang out with. He probably had girlfriends sometimes but I doubt he wouldve really got to know most of them. He most likely just went out with her because she asked or because he didnt want to be single. If James and Remus had girlfriends Sirius wouldnt want to be the only one single.

At the same time Sirius does seem to consider other people's feelings. I think if he did have a girlfriend he wouldve at least respected her and was nice to her. Much better than my own boyfriends. But I still dont think he wouldve taken any of his relationships seriously.

*sigh* All right. Most of this, I disagree with, but there is like one or two things I agree with you on. First off, I agree that Sirius is the type that showed interest in girls when he got bored, but it's not like that's the only time he would do that. Sure, he's a Marauder and one of the popular kids in Hogwarts, and all of the girls loved him, but that doesn't mean he couldn't do the same thing. It's not like he wasn't a normal kid! He has feelings, too, you know. Just because it wasn't shown in the actual books that he had actually loved someone like that, doesn't mean that it never did or could have happened. Everyone makes Sirius out to be a jerk and that he didn't have a heart, but... he did. The sole fact of how much Sirius loved James and the rest of the Marauders (besides Peter after what had happened) just goes to show that he did have a heart. He could care about other people even when he wasn't bored.

Again, it's stereotypical to think that Sirius would go with a girl and not get to know her. What makes everyone think that? It wasn't shown at all that he never showed interest in a girl other than making out or more than that. Once again, this just shows that everyone thinks he doesn't have a heart, and that he doesn't care about the girl's feelings.

*sigh again* I don't think that Sirius would have cared if he was the only single one. He was very independent, and although he did do just about everything with the other Marauders, it doesn't mean that just because they did something, he would. Or that just because they had something, he would want the same thing. I don't think he was like that at all.

Ah, I think he would have taken most of his relationships seriously. I mean, not all of them. He's a guy, and most guys don't take every single relationship they have seriously. There, of course, were probably a lot of girls that Sirius had dated that he really did have feelings for. We were never told that he didn't, but then again we were never told that he did, but why does everyone assume the worse with him? That just.. irritates me.

Man, I missed all of this. First of all, I don't think Sirius has to be "Gary Stuish" or whatever or gay or whatever. I think he's important in fanfiction because he touches people because of his passion. He is meant to be a archetypical hero, I think, brought down by his fatal flaw, his passion. It's appealing.

*tacklesquishes* Leah! I love you so much right now. Lol. You have no idea. I agree with every single thing you said. I have nothing to add! Lol.

[fg_weasley]

Sirius was a marauder and one of the most popular boys in school so of course the girls would have loved him. I think he is the type of person who showed interest in girls when he got bored. I'm sure he cared about his friends and pranking much more but if he had nothing to do on a Saturday I'm sure he probably went to find a girl to hang out with. He probably had girlfriends sometimes but I doubt he wouldve really got to know most of them. He most likely just went out with her because she asked or because he didnt want to be single. If James and Remus had girlfriends Sirius wouldnt want to be the only one single.

I have to disagree with this as well as what cmwinters said. Honestly, I really think people put way to much stock in that one scene from Snape's Worst Memory. Sure, he may not have been paying them any mind right then, but that doesn't mean he was always like that, which in turn does not mean that he had to be gay. It's only one instance, and for all we know, at any other time he could have paid them a lot of attention. This also doesn't mean we can assume the opposite either. The fact of the matter is that we really don't know much about him at that time, so really, I think it could be argued either way. Personally, though, I'll have to go along with what Leah said. Sirius had a lot of passion, so I'm more inclined to think that he would be more interested in girls. Maybe not to the extent that some portray him, but I do think he'd be more interested than some. And like Tiff, I fully agree with everthing Leah said, and couldn't have said it better myself.

Everyone makes Sirius out to be a jerk and that he didn't have a heart, but... he did.

I both agree and disagree with this. I think you are right, he did have a heart... but I don't think one can go so far as to say he wasn't a jerk (and that's not to say that you were saying he wasn't, I'm just speaking generally here). He had a heart, but to a certain extent. I mean, come on, look at the way he treated Snape. I love Sirius, but let's face it, he could be an arse at times. It's true, it bothers me a lot when people assume the worst in him, but I suppose I can see why some would think that. We also can't always assume the best in him. I'm not saying that you are, I'm just saying for the sake of argument. He's like any other human being in that you can't assume either extreme because he had both good and bad qualities.

[TCole]

I both agree and disagree with this. I think you are right, he did have a heart... but I don't think one can go so far as to say he wasn't a jerk (and that's not to say that you were saying he wasn't, I'm just speaking generally here). He had a heart, but to a certain extent. I mean, come on, look at the way he treated Snape. I love Sirius, but let's face it, he could be an arse at times. It's true, it bothers me a lot when people assume the worst in him, but I suppose I can see why some would think that. We also can't always assume the best in him. I'm not saying that you are, I'm just saying for the sake of argument. He's like any other human being in that you can't assume either extreme because he had both good and bad qualities.

Lol. I know what you mean, love, but I wasn't really talking about the whole Snape thing. I meant when it came to like his relationships with the girls. He was jerk a lot with Snape and all that, but I just don't think he would be that way with the girls he would date. That's what I meant to say, lol, I should have probably been more clear. It was really late at night when I wrote all that. >.<

But yeah, I agree that you can assume either, and of course he has good and bad qualities, but like I think I said, that is what makes him such a great character.

[fg_weasley]

Lol. I know what you mean, love, but I wasn't really talking about the whole Snape thing. I meant when it came to like his relationships with the girls. He was jerk a lot with Snape and all that, but I just don't think he would be that way with the girls he would date. That's what I meant to say, lol, I should have probably been more clear. It was really late at night when I wrote all that. >.<

Oh, I know you weren't talking about Snape, dear, I was just using that as an example because it was the best I could think of. I was speaking generally. I probably should have said that, but oh well. I actually do think he may have acted like that to girl too, though. Probably not ones he liked or dated, like you said, but I could see him being a jerk to others that irritated him and whatnot. I agree that he would have a lot more respect for girls he really liked. I mean, I could possibly seeing him dating girl that he didn't necessarily really like, just like any person might, but I don't see him as someone dating a girl just because he was bored or because he felt 'left out' when James or Remus had dates. I really don't think he would care that much; he's really rather laidback. I think you said that, but I'm just re-iterating it.

[TCole]

Oh, I know you weren't talking about Snape, dear, I was just using that as an example because it was the best I could think of. I was speaking generally. I probably should have said that, but oh well. I actually do think he may have acted like that to girl too, though. Probably not ones he liked or dated, like you said, but I could see him being a jerk to others that irritated him and whatnot. I agree that he would have a lot more respect for girls he really liked. I mean, I could possibly seeing him dating girl that he didn't necessarily really like, just like any person might, but I don't see him as someone dating a girl just because he was bored or because he felt 'left out' when James or Remus had dates. I really don't think he would care that much; he's really rather laidback. I think you said that, but I'm just re-iterating it.

Exactly! He was very independent to begin with. So, like.. why would he stop being like that just because of the Marauders? Like you said, he's really laidback, and wouldn't have cared at all probably. At least, I don't think he would have cared at all. lol. To be honest, he probably enjoyed being single for the most part. lol.

Ah yeah. Snape is the perfect example to show that. And yeah, girls that annoyed him he probably wasn't like "sweet" to them, so to speak. I'm sure he got annoyed by a lot of the girls that threw themselves at him when they were in Hogwarts, and I'm sure he didn't always just stay nice to them. There were probably times where he got aggravated and just.. was a jerk to them, but not to the same extent as he was to Snape, as you've said.

[fg_weasley]

Exactly! He was very independent to begin with. So, like.. why would he stop being like that just because of the Marauders? Like you said, he's really laidback, and wouldn't have cared at all probably. At least, I don't think he would have cared at all. lol. To be honest, he probably enjoyed being single for the most part. lol.

Ah yeah. Snape is the perfect example to show that. And yeah, girls that annoyed him he probably wasn't like "sweet" to them, so to speak. I'm sure he got annoyed by a lot of the girls that threw themselves at him when they were in Hogwarts, and I'm sure he didn't always just stay nice to them. There were probably times where he got aggravated and just.. was a jerk to them, but not to the same extent as he was to Snape, as you've said.

mmmhm. I totally agree. In fact, I think he would probably rather be single than date a bunch of girls. He just seems like that sort of type to me, that he would date, but not outrageously, not every single girl that wanted it.

I do agree that he might get annoyed, but I also think that his arrogance would probably get a kick out of it as well. I think it'd be more of a silent enjoyment too, like ... like he may have known they were watching him in Snape's Worst Memory, but he didn't care enough to let on. If that makes sense; kind of hard to explain.

Sheesh, we're like, hogging the Sirius thread now. lol.

[megan_lupin]

Sheesh, we're like, hogging the Sirius thread now. lol.

Oh, Nikki, yours and Tiffany's discussion has been quite enjoyable to read, I have to say. No qualms on my part with you hogging it

I definitely have to agree with a lot of the points you've both made. One of the biggest things with Sirius's character is that he's one of the most human and real characters in the series, as far as I'm concerned. (And I think I've said similar things about him before.)

Like with any human being, he has the good qualities and he has the bad qualities -- but like Tiffany (I think) said, that's what makes him such an interesting character.

And also, I got to thinking about this while reading through the replies. With Sirius, his feelings towards a person weren't ever really hidden. What I mean is, if he liked you, you knew it, and by the same token, if he hated you, you knew it.

He wasn't the phony/hypocritical type of person, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Yeah, he was definitely a jerk (more so as a teenager than when he was older, I think) to certain individuals, but those were "special cases", to quote Remus from OotP. He usually had reasons to hate or be cruel to some characters (Snape, Peter, Kreacher being some of the ones that spring to the front of my mind).

Snape, for instance, never gave Sirius reason to be nice to him. Yeah, so maybe the first meeting on the train when they were ELEVEN years old didn't start out so well and their school years were just mutual hatred.

But one thing that has always annoyed me is when people say that Sirius was being childish by not growing out of a grudge that was nearly TWENTY years old, yet for some reason, they don't point the exact same accusation at SNAPE himself.

To quote JKR concerning Sirius:

Sirius is brave, loyal, reckless, embittered and slightly unbalanced by his long stay in Azkaban. He has never really had the chance to grow up; he was around twenty-two when he was sent off to Azkaban, and has had very little normal adult life.

However, Snape DID have the opportunity for a "normal adult life." Yes, so he lost Lily, and felt betrayed by certain people/things/whatever, and I am by no means saying that he had to forget all of that and just move on. But the point is, he had a nice job at Hogwarts, he had no reason to be hated/shunned by the Wizarding World ... He could have had a nice, respectable life, while still mourning the loss of Lily; I'm not going to say he had to forget her.

This is from my lengthy analysis of Sirius's character, done ... several months ago, I think, and I think it says that answer just a little more in-depth:

Snape, on the other hand, HAS had a normal adult life. And, really, out of the six people – James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Snape – he had the best life, in terms of what was offered to him.

Yes, he felt guilty over the death of Lily and everything, but he had a job at Hogwarts for all those years, was a gifted Potions Master, and really could have had nice respectability within the Wizarding community.

He didn’t die (a la James and Lily); he didn’t spend over a decade in the company of soul-sucking creatures (a la Sirius); he didn’t spend all his time being shunned for something he couldn’t help (a la Remus); and he didn’t spend years hiding as a rat (a la Peter).

Everyone else seeming lost everything (in different ways), but just compare Snape to Remus, for instance. Remus went on with his life, dealt with every nasty card that Fate dealt his hand, and never turned bitter. Snape loses ONE person that’s important to him by a mistake that he made, and turns as Dark as possible without actually being evil in the end.

He HAD that normal adult life, yet he still holds onto that grudge and doesn’t let things go – He’s playing into the hatred with Remus during PoA strictly because of Remus's past associations and friends, while Remus himself is trying to be civil to him.

So, really, I have a HUGE problem with people accusing Sirius of being childish and immature in maintaining the grudge with Snape, yet they don’t seem to want to point the same accusations at Snape himself, who, in my opinion, is actually MORE at fault, since he had the normal adult life and the chance to grieve, accept, and grow up in a normal manner.

So, really, neither of these characters were perfect -- far from it, in fact, and they were both very real and human characters -- and both of them went through a lot of horrible events in their lives. Snape had tragedy in his past -- all through his life, really -- but, SIRIUS did as well.

Basically, if a person wants to point accusations on one character, they need to be sure that those same accusations can't be pointed towards the other.

Honestly, I really think people put way to much stock in that one scene from Snape's Worst Memory.

Thank you so very, very much for saying that! I swear, I think it's a problem in the fandom in general with these characters. Judging a character's entire personality and characteristics by ONE scene in their teenage years doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I mean, in life, it wouldn't be right to say "This person's a jerk" just because you've only seen/met them once when, unbeknown to you, they were having a really bad day.

Let's throw it towards another character. Harry's very first impression of Snape is a very bad one, and you spend the whole first book with being led to believe that Snape's the big evil bad guy. Such is actually done through most of the series, but in the end, lo and behold, we see a different side to Snape than what we'd seen before. And our opinions -- and Harry's -- changes because we see more than just that ONE time.

My point it, the scene in Snape's Worst Memory was ONE scene. Just ONE hour or whatnot in the life of Sirius when he was 15 or 16 years old.

... And I know I had something else I wanted to say, some other points I wanted to respond to, but for the life of me, I've drawn a blank.

So, I'll just have to come back if I think of them

~Megan

[fg_weasley]

Oh, Nikki, yours and Tiffany's discussion has been quite enjoyable to read, I have to say. No qualms on my part with you hogging it

hahaha. This made me smile.

erm, anyway. Sirius. Right. haha.

One of the biggest things with Sirius's character is that he's one of the most human and real characters in the series, as far as I'm concerned.

I absolutely agree with this. I believe someone said [don't remember who] that Sirius didn't really haev depth. The thing is, though, he had so much of it. We didn't see him much through the books because it was only when Harry did, but to me it seemed that even in those brief glimpses Sirius had loads more to him than even Harry did.

But one thing that has always annoyed me is when people say that Sirius was being childish by not growing out of a grudge that was nearly TWENTY years old, yet for some reason, they don't point the exact same accusation at SNAPE himself.

Oh my gosh. I could hug you for saying this. This is one MAJOR thing that bothers me about Snape. I mean, honestly, I don't really blame Sirius for holding his grudge because of the various reason you pointed out in your post. It sort of bothers that BEING IN AZKABAN for half his life doesn't consitute a good reason, yet because Snape loved Lily and even when she didn't love him that makes him some how much more noble and tragic. I mean, okay, I'm not dismissing Snape entirely, but I just don't see why people seem to 'forget' that Snape never let go of his grudge [in fact, it could be argued that he held it more avidly because of the way he treats Harry] when they point out this 'flaw' in Sirius. I really don't need to say more because megan pretty much said everything so wonderfully in that quote in her post. I'd just be re-iterating what she said, and I probably wouldn't say it as well. ha.

I swear, I think it's a problem in the fandom in general with these characters. Judging a character's entire personality and characteristics by ONE scene in their teenage years doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Exactly what I was getting at. I think the reason the fandom does that is because its really the only whole, solid looking into Marauder Era that we get into the books. If I'm not mistaken, its really the only full scene. Yet still, that doesn't mean its all we should base on. I think Sirius' adult character could lend a hand to his teenage one. I mean, they would be different, of course, what with maturing and Azkaban and all that, but it could still be a pretty solid base. He wouldn't have changed entirely; things like his passion and his recklessness were obviously still intact.

Also, along with that and the whole dating thing we were discussing earlier, I think Sirius' reckelessness would have played a part there as well. I think that's also another reason why I can see him more as a 'lady's man'--though, like I said, not necessarily up to some fandom personas. The recklessness in him would be like a sort of drive--that and the fact that he wasn't exactly humble.

I wanted to say more, but my brain is sort of wandering at the moment, so I suppose I shall just have to come back later.

[cmwinters]

I swear, I think it's a problem in the fandom in general with these characters. Judging a character's entire personality and characteristics by ONE scene in their teenage years doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

It happens to Marauder-era characters all the time. We know very little about Lily, other than she was Harry's mum and had Snape convinced she was his friend, and that she hated James but married him anyway, and that she gave her life to protect her child. She's suddenly this "do-no-wrong" goddess type figure.

Snape is derided by Jo and a lot of fans for his behaviour towards his students, which, while admittedly reprehensible, is not all there is to his character. I've seen decent arguments for him having to play a part to protect his position as spy by people who don't even like him. But to hear some people (including Jo) tell it, the entire wizarding world would have been better off without him.

James and Sirius are gods, despite the fact that they're arrogant miscreants.

Peter's always the leftover, which is preposterous, given that Sirius believed in Peter's loyalty enough to convince James to remove Sirius as Secret Keeper, and James and Lily believed in him enough to agree.

But one thing that has always annoyed me is when people say that Sirius was being childish by not growing out of a grudge that was nearly TWENTY years old, yet for some reason, they don't point the exact same accusation at SNAPE himself.

I take exception to this. First of all, I can be quite critical of Snape's behaviour. His actions towards an eleven year old Harry are utterly inexcusable. However, more to the point, Sirius never, EVER showed any remorse for Snape nearly dying at Lupin's hands, so why the devil should Snape forgive him for nearly killing him and getting away with it? Further, he has very good reason to feel threatened by Lupin, even if the prank wasn't Lupin's fault. And as an adult, Lupin has behaved very irresponsibly with regards to both his lycanthropy condition and Sirius Black, who at the time even Lupin thought was a murderer. I'm sorry, but I just don't see Snape as being at fault here. Frankly, I don't think enough people are critical enough of Sirius for that "one prank", because twenty years after the fact he still thinks it was a capital idea.

Having said that, however . . . I am quite convinced that even had Sirius been completely contrite, Snape would still hold a grudge.

As for Sirius' relationship with women/girls his age: a while back I mentioned that perhaps he "already had someone", which is possibly why he wasn't paying any attention to the other girls trying to catch his notice. Sirius is from an old and tradition-laden family, and he was sixteen. It's entirely possible a marriage was arranged for him by his parents, and he may have even liked the girl. He hadn't yet run away from home when that scene happened (so if he was scheduled for an arranged marriage, it was still probably "on" at that point)

Sirius is brave, loyal, reckless, embittered and slightly unbalanced by his long stay in Azkaban. He has never really had the chance to grow up; he was around twenty-two when he was sent off to Azkaban, and has had very little normal adult life.

Yeah, except at thirty five he's still acting twelve. If he was acting twenty-two, it would be different.

Having railed viciously against Sirius Black, however, I will give him this: he seems to have taken Peter's defection quite personally (understandable to some, including myself, but there are others who would probably think he was doing it to an extreme), and he seemed bound and determined to do right by James' son. While I don't always agree with his methods regarding parenting Harry (I think he encouraged irresponsible behaviour for the wrong reasons, as well as encouraging and flaunting disrespectful behaviour toward authority figures for the sake of his own twenty-year long grudge), I concede that he did always try his level best to be a good father figure to Harry, and that he is one of only three adults the series who recommended actually telling Harry what the devil was going on. (The other two being Arthur and Snape). And, that was particularly difficult given Sirius' own circumstances. I mean, how many people would choose to live outside, in caves, eat out of the trash and eat rats for a year, breaking into the house of people who have the authority to kill you on sight (for a crime you didn't even commit), just so you can be in relatively close proximity to your godson? And even more than that, I think he tried to bring him up the way he thought his parents would have been brought up.

I certainly don't think that Harry was *better* off with the Dursleys and while he may have become a prat like James had he stayed with Sirius, I don't think Sirius was a completely bad influence on Harry. I think he's a jerk and wouldn't give him the time of day if he showed up on my doorstep, but he did try, and you have to give credit where credit is due.

[TCole]

It happens to Marauder-era characters all the time. We know very little about Lily, other than she was Harry's mum and had Snape convinced she was his friend, and that she hated James but married him anyway, and that she gave her life to protect her child. She's suddenly this "do-no-wrong" goddess type figure.

Snape is derided by Jo and a lot of fans for his behaviour towards his students, which, while admittedly reprehensible, is not all there is to his character. I've seen decent arguments for him having to play a part to protect his position as spy by people who don't even like him. But to hear some people (including Jo) tell it, the entire wizarding world would have been better off without him.

James and Sirius are gods, despite the fact that they're arrogant miscreants.

Peter's always the leftover, which is preposterous, given that Sirius believed in Peter's loyalty enough to convince James to remove Sirius as Secret Keeper, and James and Lily believed in him enough to agree.

I agree with you partly. lol. It's rediculous how people portray the characters in Marauder Era fics.

To be honest, I despise Snape. I really do, but he was necessary. I don't think that "the entire wizarding world would have been better off without him", though. I mean, in the end we did find out that he was kind of a good guy and all that, and he did have a major part in the books and such. It wouldn't have been the same if he wasn't in them.

James and Sirius aren't really portrayed as "gods". They are portrayed as being popular and stuff, but I wouldn't say that people think of them as gods exactly.

I agree completely with what you said about Peter, though.

I take exception to this. First of all, I can be quite critical of Snape's behaviour. His actions towards an eleven year old Harry are utterly inexcusable. However, more to the point, Sirius never, EVER showed any remorse for Snape nearly dying at Lupin's hands, so why the devil should Snape forgive him for nearly killing him and getting away with it? Further, he has very good reason to feel threatened by Lupin, even if the prank wasn't Lupin's fault. And as an adult, Lupin has behaved very irresponsibly with regards to both his lycanthropy condition and Sirius Black, who at the time even Lupin thought was a murderer. I'm sorry, but I just don't see Snape as being at fault here. Frankly, I don't think enough people are critical enough of Sirius for that "one prank", because twenty years after the fact he still thinks it was a capital idea.

Having said that, however . . . I am quite convinced that even had Sirius been completely contrite, Snape would still hold a grudge.

You say that Sirius never showed remorse for Snape, but ... again, as Megan said, Snape never tried to fix things with Sirius either. It's both of their faults. Not just Sirius's and not just Snape's. But yet, no one thinks of it that way. Everyone thinks that Sirius should have "grown up" and gave Snape a second chance or whatever they say, but yet... they don't say things like that about Snape (some people do, but not everyone who is like in love with him as a character). I think people are critical enough of Sirius for that one prank. It was horrible for him to do something like that, but like things in real life, you can't change the past, and they should have accepted that fact once they got older, but again... neither of them did!

Exactly, Snape would have still held a grudge! Why is it okay for Snape to hold a grudge, but not for Sirius?

As for Sirius' relationship with women/girls his age: a while back I mentioned that perhaps he "already had someone", which is possibly why he wasn't paying any attention to the other girls trying to catch his notice. Sirius is from an old and tradition-laden family, and he was sixteen. It's entirely possible a marriage was arranged for him by his parents, and he may have even liked the girl. He hadn't yet run away from home when that scene happened (so if he was scheduled for an arranged marriage, it was still probably "on" at that point)

It may be possible that he had "someone else", but I don't really think that's true. Even if it was, that wouldn't have stopped Sirius anyway. He never really did do anything that his parents had wanted, so why would he marry someone that they wanted him to marry? Even if this was back before he ran away?

Yeah, except at thirty five he's still acting twelve. If he was acting twenty-two, it would be different.

Honestly, guys never grow up! No matter how old they are they still act like they're 12. Sure, some can be mature in certain situations, but they're all still usually always a child at heart. It's the same thing with fictional characters.

Having railed viciously against Sirius Black, however, I will give him this: he seems to have taken Peter's defection quite personally (understandable to some, including myself, but there are others who would probably think he was doing it to an extreme), and he seemed bound and determined to do right by James' son. While I don't always agree with his methods regarding parenting Harry (I think he encouraged irresponsible behaviour for the wrong reasons, as well as encouraging and flaunting disrespectful behaviour toward authority figures for the sake of his own twenty-year long grudge), I concede that he did always try his level best to be a good father figure to Harry, and that he is one of only three adults the series who recommended actually telling Harry what the devil was going on. (The other two being Arthur and Snape). And, that was particularly difficult given Sirius' own circumstances. I mean, how many people would choose to live outside, in caves, eat out of the trash and eat rats for a year, breaking into the house of people who have the authority to kill you on sight (for a crime you didn't even commit), just so you can be in relatively close proximity to your godson? And even more than that, I think he tried to bring him up the way he thought his parents would have been brought up.

I agree with you. Sirius did try his best to try and raise Harry even though the situation he was in was extremely hard. It was hard for him to even get close to Harry, as you have said, and so I think it's a great part of Sirius's character. He was very caring towards Harry. He tried his best, and to be honest, that's really all anyone could have asked of him, I think.

I certainly don't think that Harry was *better* off with the Dursleys and while he may have become a prat like James had he stayed with Sirius, I don't think Sirius was a completely bad influence on Harry. I think he's a jerk and wouldn't give him the time of day if he showed up on my doorstep, but he did try, and you have to give credit where credit is due.

To be honest, I don't think Harry would have became a prat if he stayed with Sirius. Harry was his own person, and even though he did take a lot of things Sirius said to heart, I don't think he would have listened to him each and everytime Sirius told him to do something.

Even though he is a jerk, I would welcome him into my home any time if he showed up on my doorstep.