Sirius's Will
Jun. 26th, 2006 03:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lls_mutantI've posted about this before as comments and such, but never as a "formal meta".
So Sirius did have a will, and Harry got everything. I've seen various theories bandied about, because let's face it- when Sirius has an impoverished friend who's pretty much starving to death from the sounds of it, there'd better be a good reason for why he left Remus nothing. I've seen the "werewolves can't inherit" theory, which may not be far off, because JKR is pretty restrictive legally. I've seen the "everything has to go to Harry to make the magic work" theory, which I'm okay with, too. I've seen the "Sirius wrote the will pre-Azkaban" theory, but that one doesn't work for me as much. And finally, I've seen the "Sirius and Remus weren't really good friends" theory, which I think is bull. Even though JKR's given them a difficult friendship at times, I believe we are meant to read MWPP as a Band of Brothers that went sour, and Sirius and Remus are The Last Two with some sort of unbreakable bond. So for the purposes of this essay, we don't need to assume lovers, but can we at least assume that the "like a brother" part is true?
Anyway. The will.
The question is not "why did Sirius leave Remus nothing?", because after all, even people who like Remus-Sirius friendship are asking that. The real question is "why did Sirius leave Harry everything?", and when you ask THAT, well, the answer to the first one becomes patently clear.
Look at it from Sirius's perspective. Back in the 1980, he made a promise to James and Lily that he would watch over Harry if anything happened to them. Given the political climate of the time, I'm sure Sirius realized that there was a very good chance he might actually have to live up to this promise. Then, in an effort to protect his very best friend and his wife, Sirius devises the Secret Keeper Switch... and it leads to James's and Lily's doom.
Was it Sirius's fault that Peter betrayed the Potters? No. But did Sirius play a role in the tragedy? It's not just Sirius playing the martyr when he says he did. Forget trusting Remus- if Sirius himself had stayed the Secret Keeper, the Potters might have been safe. Harry was orphaned, not just because of Peter and Voldemort, but via Sirius's own mistake. And if hadn't been for Lily, Harry would have died.
Sirius carries a lot of guilt for that action. That's why he didn't try to escape Azkaban earlier- some part of him believed that he deserved it. And when he does escape, look at the lengths he goes to for Harry. He sends him a Firebolt, which is by all accounts a hideously expensive broom. He offers to let this child he doesn't even know stay with him. He lives in a cave eating rats, when he could be on some tropical island drinking pina coladas (or whatever he was doing when he was hiding). He moves back into his former home, something he accurately equates to a prison, and the only reason he stays there is because he knows that his safety is important to Harry. In the end, Sirius gave his life to protect Harry. Sirius is not one for half measures.
So he has a deep loyalty to Harry. He also carries a massive amount of guilt. I think that Sirius left Harry everything not because Harry needed it, but because Sirius needed to give Harry everything he could to atone for his mistake. The fact that Harry has forgiven him doesn't mean anything to Sirius: Sirius has not forgiven himself. He doesn't leave everything to Harry for Harry's sake, he leaves it for his own.
But what about guilt over Remus? one might ask. What guilt? Yes, Remus lost his friends during the first war. BUT the only reason that Remus was left alone was because he was a werewolf. Remus is a personable, likeable guy. (Let's also consider that Remus seems quite adjusted to his life.) Yes, Remus had a hard 12 years, but is that Sirius's fault, or would Remus have had a hard 12 years regardless? And then there's the little matter of Sirius thinking Remus was the spy. In canon, Remus shows absolutely no evidence of resenting that. And why should he? Remus was likely doing something during the first war that made Sirius believe he was the spy (like hanging out with werewolves, perhaps?), and understands why Sirius believed it. Finally, while you might make a case that Sirius had a hand in some of Remus's misery, Remus was an adult, fully qualified as a wizard and far from defenseless. Harry was a one year old child. Harry trumps Remus, no matter what Sirius and Remus's relationship to each other.
So yes, no matter what the relationship between Sirius and Remus, Sirius would have left Harry everything.
Also, from the newest JKR interview: "She made up the rules for quidditch in 30 minutes after a fight with her ex-boyfriend" Hehe, that so makes me laugh, because YES! I'll bet she was ready to play Beater, too. And I so want to see fic where Molly plays Quidditch when she's at Hogwarts, and is a Beater to rival Fred and George. Because you know they had to learn it from somewhere....
So Sirius did have a will, and Harry got everything. I've seen various theories bandied about, because let's face it- when Sirius has an impoverished friend who's pretty much starving to death from the sounds of it, there'd better be a good reason for why he left Remus nothing. I've seen the "werewolves can't inherit" theory, which may not be far off, because JKR is pretty restrictive legally. I've seen the "everything has to go to Harry to make the magic work" theory, which I'm okay with, too. I've seen the "Sirius wrote the will pre-Azkaban" theory, but that one doesn't work for me as much. And finally, I've seen the "Sirius and Remus weren't really good friends" theory, which I think is bull. Even though JKR's given them a difficult friendship at times, I believe we are meant to read MWPP as a Band of Brothers that went sour, and Sirius and Remus are The Last Two with some sort of unbreakable bond. So for the purposes of this essay, we don't need to assume lovers, but can we at least assume that the "like a brother" part is true?
Anyway. The will.
The question is not "why did Sirius leave Remus nothing?", because after all, even people who like Remus-Sirius friendship are asking that. The real question is "why did Sirius leave Harry everything?", and when you ask THAT, well, the answer to the first one becomes patently clear.
Look at it from Sirius's perspective. Back in the 1980, he made a promise to James and Lily that he would watch over Harry if anything happened to them. Given the political climate of the time, I'm sure Sirius realized that there was a very good chance he might actually have to live up to this promise. Then, in an effort to protect his very best friend and his wife, Sirius devises the Secret Keeper Switch... and it leads to James's and Lily's doom.
Was it Sirius's fault that Peter betrayed the Potters? No. But did Sirius play a role in the tragedy? It's not just Sirius playing the martyr when he says he did. Forget trusting Remus- if Sirius himself had stayed the Secret Keeper, the Potters might have been safe. Harry was orphaned, not just because of Peter and Voldemort, but via Sirius's own mistake. And if hadn't been for Lily, Harry would have died.
Sirius carries a lot of guilt for that action. That's why he didn't try to escape Azkaban earlier- some part of him believed that he deserved it. And when he does escape, look at the lengths he goes to for Harry. He sends him a Firebolt, which is by all accounts a hideously expensive broom. He offers to let this child he doesn't even know stay with him. He lives in a cave eating rats, when he could be on some tropical island drinking pina coladas (or whatever he was doing when he was hiding). He moves back into his former home, something he accurately equates to a prison, and the only reason he stays there is because he knows that his safety is important to Harry. In the end, Sirius gave his life to protect Harry. Sirius is not one for half measures.
So he has a deep loyalty to Harry. He also carries a massive amount of guilt. I think that Sirius left Harry everything not because Harry needed it, but because Sirius needed to give Harry everything he could to atone for his mistake. The fact that Harry has forgiven him doesn't mean anything to Sirius: Sirius has not forgiven himself. He doesn't leave everything to Harry for Harry's sake, he leaves it for his own.
But what about guilt over Remus? one might ask. What guilt? Yes, Remus lost his friends during the first war. BUT the only reason that Remus was left alone was because he was a werewolf. Remus is a personable, likeable guy. (Let's also consider that Remus seems quite adjusted to his life.) Yes, Remus had a hard 12 years, but is that Sirius's fault, or would Remus have had a hard 12 years regardless? And then there's the little matter of Sirius thinking Remus was the spy. In canon, Remus shows absolutely no evidence of resenting that. And why should he? Remus was likely doing something during the first war that made Sirius believe he was the spy (like hanging out with werewolves, perhaps?), and understands why Sirius believed it. Finally, while you might make a case that Sirius had a hand in some of Remus's misery, Remus was an adult, fully qualified as a wizard and far from defenseless. Harry was a one year old child. Harry trumps Remus, no matter what Sirius and Remus's relationship to each other.
So yes, no matter what the relationship between Sirius and Remus, Sirius would have left Harry everything.
Also, from the newest JKR interview: "She made up the rules for quidditch in 30 minutes after a fight with her ex-boyfriend" Hehe, that so makes me laugh, because YES! I'll bet she was ready to play Beater, too. And I so want to see fic where Molly plays Quidditch when she's at Hogwarts, and is a Beater to rival Fred and George. Because you know they had to learn it from somewhere....
