Screenname: Siri_b
Nickname: Siri, Bee, Beck
Date: Monday 24th September 2007
Birthday: 26/02
First Language: English
Age: 22

1. One of the most important influences in Sirius’ life has been that of his three best friends. Describe how you think his relationships with Remus, James and Peter differed from each other, how each contributed to his personality and why they were important to him.

2. Snape and Sirius hate each other. Why? (Please do not restrict your answer to the Whomping Willow scene)

Those are your questions. Please use correct grammar and spelling at all times, and be creative. Use as much detail as you can, use quotes, scenes, examples, whatever you want. You may use any and all of the books in your answers. WRITE A LOT! WRITE A LOT! There's no such thing as writing too much. Let's put it like this: You haven't got a shot unless you write your heart out. If you take a peek at the notable applications topic in this forum, you’ll notice that there’s a wide range of acceptable essay styles and length (ranging anywhere from 500-10,000 words per question) aim for 500 words at a minimum per question – there’s no such thing as writing too much, but it is possible to not write enough. Most importantly, be creative, be thoughtful, be organized, and again, write as much as you can. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the process of becoming one of the few who can call themselves a club member at Immeritus!

ife

Question One: One of the most important influences in Sirius’ life has been that of his three best friends. Describe how you think his relationships with James, Remus, and Peter differed from each other, how each contributed to his personality and why they were important to him.


In the early years of his life, Sirius Black fought an internal philosophical battle, defying the "traditional" beliefs of his family and choosing a completely different path for himself- one that he chose to share with three friends so close to him that he considered them his family. Through shared talents, personal traits, abilities, secrets and loyalty, these four became very close during their schooling years, and remained close friends even after leaving Hogwarts. The friendship of these three boys - James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew - though different, as all relationships are, were very important to Sirius, and greatly impacted upon the kind of person he would later become.

For Sirius, James Potter seems to be the person who had the greatest impact on him in his adolescence and young adulthood. James was a fiercely loyal friend, with a wicked sense of humour, and he and Sirius shared a common love of the mischievous. Sirius himself was able to express aspects of his personality with James that (based upon the information we are given in the Order of the Phoenix, pages 103 - 107) would not have been as welcomed in the Black household.
As Madam Rosemerta comments on page 152 of the “Prisoner of Azkaban“,
“…The number of times I had them in here - ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!”
McGonagall also refers to their mischief-making:
“ .. Both very bright, of course - exceptionally bright, in fact - but I don’t think we’ve ever had such a pair of troublemakers -” (p152)
Their practical jokes, run-ins with Filch, and exploration of the schools secret passageways have become the stuff of Hogwarts legend. This is indicated by the Weasley twins, when they pass on the Marauders Map to Harry in the Prisoner of Azkaban, and we are also given more information about who the Marauders actually were . This love of practical jokes and trouble-making is, at once, one of their most endearing, and yet, more obnoxious aspects of their characters. Both seemed to feed off the other; they encouraged one another to be more daring, to take more risks, to make better jokes. Sirius clearly loved this aspect of his friendship with James and missed it, as he continually attempted to have a similar relationship with Harry. It would also appear that this aspect of Sirius’ personality grew and developed its own unique style, something that perhaps, with the information given to us about Sirius’ early family life, might have otherwise been stifled.

It is also clear that both had mutual respect for one another, and were willing to compromise or go out of their way for each other. For example, in the quote from the scene in the Snape’s Worst Memory chapter in the Order of the Phoenix: “ … Harry had the distinct impression that Sirius was the only one for whom James would have stopped showing off.” (Ootp, p 568) Even when being an obnoxious teenage brat, James still would have listened to Sirius and respected his opinion. It’s something I quite like about their friendship, it's one of the more mature aspects of it. Sirius’ respect for James was a lifetime thing, and this too was transferred over to Harry - he treated Harry as a friend, as a young adult, and continually attempted to reveal to him information others thought he was too young to hear. He respects Harry’s opinion, and never let his decisions concerning Harry be affected by anyone else. An example of this would be the argument between Sirius and Molly Weasley on pages 83 to 91 of the Order of the Phoenix.

James and Sirius were also very much alike in their personalities. Both were highly intelligent boys, with razor-sharp wit, curious natures, and they quickly became inseparable throughout their schooling days. Their close friendship was obvious to even a casual observer, as the following quote indicates:
“You’d have thought Black and Potter were brothers!” chimed in Professor Flitwick. “Inseparable!”
“Of course they were,” said Fudge. “Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry…” (POA p152, Australian version)
These shared qualities and level of trust are quite often key ingredients in the recipe for close friendship, and a necessity in the construction of a life-long friendship. I think Sirius’ friendship with James was very beneficial to Sirius- it provided him with someone solid who would be there for him, and enabled him to be happy for at least the school months. It’s very much like Harry’s relationship with Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts, where he is happy and content, while during the summer at the Dursley’s, he’s miserable.

I think another reason why these two had become so close has to do with the Potters’ willingness to welcome Sirius into their home after his runs away from 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius discusses this with Harry in the Order of the Phoenix book, and it is obvious how much it meant to him:
“You ran away from home?”
“When I was about 16,” said Sirius. “I’d had enough.”
“Where did you go?” asked Harry, staring at him.
“Your dad’s place,” said Sirius. “Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad’s in the school holidays, and when I was seventeen I got a place of my own… I was always welcome at Mr and Mrs Potters for Sunday lunch, though.”(Ootp, p 104)
The Potters would have been well aware of the beliefs and traditions the rest of the Blacks hold dear, for they were quite well known, and obviously did not agree with them. I think the close proximity of Sirius and James did bring them closer together, and really accentuated the notion that they were “brothers”. I think for a boy who was really the outsider in a family full of people whose beliefs differed so greatly from his own, these summers must have felt very warm, loving and safe. It seems like summers at the Potters were the first fully loving and nurturing environment Sirius got to experience, something that would have had a huge impact on his psyche.

Of course, many of the friendships we make while at school can drift apart after graduation, becoming only faint memories. This was not one of those relationships. It is clear from the canon that Sirius and James remained very close, even brotherly close, right up until James’ untimely death. I think a good indicator of this is the letter Harry found in Sirius’ bedroom from his mother Lily:
Dear Padfoot,

Thank you, thank you, for Harry’s birthday present! It was his favourite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I’m enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Of course, James thought it was so funny, says he’s going to be a great Quidditch player, but we’ve had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don’t take our eyes off him when he gets going.
We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been very sweet to us and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn’t come, but the Order’s got to come first and Harry’s not old enough to know its his birthday anyway! James gets a bit frustrated shut up in here, he tries not to show it but I can tell - also, Dumbledore’s still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news of the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard.
Bathilda drops in most days, she’s a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I’m not sure he’s be pleased if he knew! I don’t know how much to believe actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore.. (DH, p 149)
This letter, its use of nicknames, familiarity, and the line “ If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much” indicate that James (and now Lily) includes Sirius as an important member of his family, something that Sirius, by keeping the letter for so many years, obviously treasures. The value of trust, loyalty, and a good laugh which were the very essence of James, stayed with Sirius for the rest of his life.
In the Order of the Phoenix, page 592, Sirius explains his friendship with James to Harry: “Look,” he said, “your father was the best friend I ever had and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of 15. He grew out of it.”It is quite obvious from this quote, the fond way Sirius speaks about James and their friendship, and by his relationship with Harry, that their friendship meant everything to him.

Remus Lupin, somewhat quieter and more studious than James, also had a great impact on Sirius' personality, although not quite to the same extent. He and Sirius were very close during and following their time at Hogwarts, although they had less in common. This closeness is made obvious by the reunion scene in the Prisoner of Azkaban:
“But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand. Next moment, he had walked to Black’s side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.” (POA, p252)

It is Remus' unfortunate condition as a werewolf that provides the quartet with another, more serious reason to bond. As explained on pages 258 - 259 of the Prisoner of Azkaban, to keep him company during his monthly transformation, the other three become animagus illegally. Although they were close before they figured out why Remus disappeared once a month, I think it is this bond, this shared secret, that helped cement the group as a whole, and also helped to cement Remus as a regular feature in the group. I think also that the fact that these three boys were willing to put in all that hard work and effort, and risk being found out instead of telling people Remus' secret was something Remus was immensely grateful and happy about, because finally he had real, true friends.

I also think Remus' role in the group was a very important one: he was basically their conscious. Their friendship was quite benefital to Sirius, because Remus seems to put quite a lot of value in morals and what is right and what is wrong, and, sometimes unwittingly, demonstrated these to Sirius. I think Remus sometimes made Sirius and James pause and consider their actions, something that perhaps, without him, they might not have done. And I also think they both acknowledged and appreciated Remus' role in the group, even much later on:
“Of course he was a bit of an idiot!” said Sirius bracingly, “we were all idiots! Well - not Moony so much,“ he said fairly, looking at Lupin.
But Lupin shook his head. “Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?” he said. “Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?”
“Yeah, well,” said Sirius, “you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes… that was something…”(Ootp, p591)
This seems an important defining aspect about Sirius: although he cannot be said to be the most considerate of people, or more inclined to think before he acts, he has the capacity to, and can, on occasion, control himself. Remus seems to play a big part in that: in the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 18, for example, Sirius would like nothing better than to murder Petter Pettigrew right on the spot, but Remus convinces him to wait and explain things to Harry, Ron and Hermione, who he feels deserve to know the truth. I do not think it is very likely that anyone else at that time could have convinced Sirius to wait; Remus explains it to Sirius logically and in a way he knows Sirius will respond, and Sirius agrees. Sirius valued his close friendship with Remus, and even apologised for doubting him all those years before. I think the first quote concerning their reunion and hug displays just how much they meant to each other, and how important the friendship was.

Peter Pettigrew perhaps had the greatest effect on Sirius psychologically, though in a negative way. According to what we learn in the Prisoner of Azkaban, for all those years he spent in prison, Sirius thought about his innocence, and that thought kept him sane. Sirius did, at one time, blame himself for the Potter's deaths. He also thought about Peter, and his betrayal, and plotted his revenge. His breakout from Azkaban was conducted solely to avenge James and Lily, to try to correct the wrong. I think he most definately felt betrayed, and also very guilty about this: he had not only suspected Remus, but he had reccommended that the Potters change their secret keeper to Peter, as stated in the following quote:
“Harry… I as good as killed them,” he croaked. “I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-keeper instead of me… I’m to blame, I know it… The night they died, I’d arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he’d gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn’t feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies - I realised what Peter must have done. What I had done.” (POA, p268) Loyalty was an essential aspect of their friendship, one of the principles Sirius lives by, and to have Peter destroy their trust like that is something that is pretty much unthinkable to him.

I think that initally, before the deaths of Lily and James, Sirius and Peter were good friends. Had Peter not had been wanted in their group, they would not have divulged information to him like Remus' monthly transformation into a werewolf, nor would they have helped him illegally become an animagus, thus letting him know their own illegal status. I do think they were all close, however, in saying that Sirius did not respect Peter as much as he did James or Remus; he states in the Prisoner of Azkaban that the reason why he chose Peter as the better candidate for the secret-keeper was because he was weak, and no one would have expected him to be trusted with such important information.
"How dare you,” he growled, sounding suddenly like the bear-sized dog he had been, “I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter - I’ll never understand why I didn’t see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who’d look after you, didn’t you? It used to be us… me and Remus.. And James…” (POA p 269)
I think this quote demonsates Sirius' opinion of Peter, although stronger now by hate and years of resentment.
Lupin also states that Peter needed alot of help with his animagus transformation, and he was clearly not as intelligent or brave as the others. Another indicator of this closeness comes straight from the text: "Then you should have died Peter! Died rather than betray your friends as we would have done for you!” (POA, p 275). I think this simple quote reveals that Sirius once cared for Peter and would have died rather then betray him; now though, he and Lupin are quite willing to kill him. Whatever Peter's past influence on him is now irrelevant to Sirius; 13 years of jail and knowing what his one-time friend did to his best friend have definately changed Sirius, hardened and aged him. What was once an important friendship to Sirius he now sees as a mistake.

In conclusion, I think that while Sirius, at one time or another, valued all three of these friendships, it is James that influenced him the most. Peter's betrayal was a huge blow to Sirius emotionally, and it changed him significantly, but his humour, reckless behaviour and bull-at-a-gate attitude that are the Sirius we know and love were all aspects of Sirius' and James' friendship that stayed with Sirius until his death.I like to think that it is the good things - the happy memories, the fun times, the people who you cared about - that influence you the most, and that stay with you the longest, not the bad.



I hope I've written enough here, and that its of the appropriate standard. If I haven't, or it's not, let me know and I'll be happy to fix or add anything.

I'll have the second question done for you in a few days. Thanks!

-SiriB

Sirius and Snape hate each other. Why? (Do not restrict your answer to the Whomping Willow scene).


While the Whomping Willow scene is an important indicator of how Sirius felt about Snape, it was not the primary cause of their mutual dislike. I believe the origin of this hatred stems from the fact that Snape’s beliefs in wizarding purity and a curiosity with the Dark Arts coincide with that of Sirius’ parents, something Sirius had turned his back on since entering Hogwarts. I think that this hatred was due to the fact that Snape represented the exact opposite of everything Sirius stood for, and that Sirius’ disregard for his family’s traditions and beliefs was something Snape had been sneering at and scorning since childhood. Snape had listened to and bought other's beliefs, while Sirius had actively pushed them aside and drawn his own conclusions. I also believe that in the company of others who believed the same things he did, Snape felt like he belonged, and was accepted, something he hadn't really felt before. And, Sirius, being somewhat of a bully in his earlier years, could sense this. He was not a perfect person; he sensed Snape's weakness, Snape's predisposition to the Dark Arts, and he hated him for it. I think that this ideology and shared recognition of each other's character flaws is what is at the core of their hatred, and that it came before Sirius almost led Snape to his death.


We are shown early on in the books that Severus Snape was a former Death Eater, a former supporter of Voldemort and all that he stood for. We know that Snape had longed for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, and we know that Snape favoured the students who were ‘pure blood’ and in Slytherin. As the following quotes demonstrate, Snape’s purity beliefs and curiosity and affinity for the Dark Arts are so strong they even overtake his friendship/relationship with Lily, the one person he loved.
‘… thought we were supposed to be friends?’ Snape was saying.
‘Best friends?’
‘We are Sev, but I don’t like some of the people you’re hanging around with! I’m sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev? He’s creepy! D’you know what he tried to do to Mary McDonald the other day?’
Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face.
‘That was nothing,’ said Snape. ‘It was a laugh, that’s all -’
‘It was Dark Magic, and if you think that’s funny -’ (DH, p 540)
And

..Distantly he heard Snape shout at her in his humiliation and his fury, the
he heard Snape shout at her in his humiliation and his fury, the unforgivable word: ‘Mudblood.’
The scene changed …
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I’m not interested.’
‘I’m sorry!’
‘Save your breath!’ (DH p542)

‘…. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just -’
‘Slipped out?’ There was no pity in Lily’s voice. ‘It’s too late. I’ve made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends - you see, you don’t even deny that’s who you’re aiming to be! You can’t wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?’
He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking.
‘I can’t pretend anymore. You’ve chosen your way, I’ve chosen mine.’
‘No - listen, I didn’t mean -’
‘ - call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?’ (DH, p542)


His ideas and beliefs on these subjects could not be any more different from that of Sirius Black, whom we know to value loyalty, bravery, and to be adamantly against any sort of Dark Magic. The two were bound to butt heads based upon these differences of opinion alone. Having both been bought up in families where they were both incredibly unhappy, they did have something in common, and had circumstances been different, might even have been able to get along. Beliefs and ideals got in the way.


Although the two boys first met on the Hogwarts Express at eleven years of age, we are shown that they had already formed opinions and beliefs about the Hogwarts houses, about wizard purity, and about the Dark Arts. An example of Snape’s beliefs prior to Hogwarts is demonstrated in the following quote:

‘Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?’
Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over her pale face, the dark red hair.
‘No,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t make any difference.’ (DH p535)

Their opinions are at opposite ends of the scale and they were bound to lock heads due not only to this, but also to their strong personalities. I think this initial meeting started off what would be a lifelong mutual dislike that escalated into hatred throughout their schooling years. The following quote shows this first confrontation, and the reactions of both boys:

… and with a jolt, Harry realised that it was Sirius. Sirius did not smile.
‘My whole family have been in Slytherin,’ he said.
‘Blimey,” said James, ‘and I thought you seemed all right!’
Sirius grinned.
‘Maybe I’ll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?’
James lifted an invisible sword.
‘“Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!” Like my dad.’
Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him.
‘Got a problem with that?’
‘No,’ said Snape, though his sneer said otherwise. ‘If you’d rather be brawny than brainy -’
‘Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?’ interjected Sirius.
James roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike.
‘Come on Severus, let’s find another compartment,’
‘Oooooo …’
James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip Snape as he passed.
‘See ya, Snivellus!’ a voice called, as the compartment door slammed …
(DH p 539)

It seems here that, had Snape not interjected with a sneer and a slightly provoking comment, then Sirius would not have felt it necessary to reply. These seem to be roles that they both continue to fall into right through childhood and into adulthood. It seems obvious, to me at least, that Snape believes the qualities James finds attractive about Gryffindor to be lacking. Sirius’ lack of a smile when he mentioned Slytherin says a lot I think about his preferences; he would like nothing more then to not be sorted into Slytherin, unlike other members of his family.


Moving on into their adolescence now. Snape was very curious about what happened to Remus Lupin each month, and where he went. We are told of the Whomping Willow incident in the Prisoner of Azkaban, p 260, how Sirius told Snape that all he had to do to was 'prod the knot on the tree-trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after' Remus. Had James Potter not found out and saved Snape at the last minute, Snape could very well have died. We know from the Prisoner of Azkaban that Snape hated Sirius even more so for his 'joke', and longed for vengeance. This only added to their mutual dislike though. Clearly Sirius thought very little of Snape prior to the 'joke' - otherwise he would never have done it. I think Snape's desperate urge to know what Remus' secret was irritated Sirius immensely, adding to his dislike, and he tried to teach him a lesson. Clearly this stunt was very stupid, but done out of immense dislike and irritation, serving to only distance these two more from one another.

This mutual hatred that started on the very first day of their Hogwarts schooling careers continued long after they had both graduated, and into adulthood. Obviously, Sirius hated Snape as a Death Eater, and as a person who believed in the purity of wizard blood. Snape thought very little of Sirius' beliefs and ideals as well, given that Sirius was friends with a werewolf, and many muggle-borns, and hated that Sirius had not only teased him during school but had also been the one to almost cause his death. Their life-long hatered is obvious in one scene in the Order of the Phoenix:
'Wait a moment,' said Sirius, sitting up straighter in his chair.
Snape turned back to them, sneering.
'I am in rather a hurry, Black. Unlike you, I do not have unlimited lesiure time.'
'I'll get to the point then,' said Sirius, standing up. He was rather taller than Snape who, Harry noticed, balled his fist in the pocket of his cloak over what Harry was sure was the handle of his wand...
... Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table towards Snape, pulling his wand out as he went. Snape whipped ouot his own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius's wand to his face.
'Sirius!" Harry said loudly, but Sirius appeared not to hear him.
'I've warned you, Snivellus,' said Sirius, his face barely a foot from Snape's, 'I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better -'
'Oh, but why don't you tell him so?' whispered Snape. 'Or are you afraid he might not take very seriously the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for months?'
'Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?'
They know exactly which buttons to push to set the other one off, and they obviously hate one another with a passion. They both obviously still hold the same feelings they did for one another in school, and neither believe that the other has changed. It is these things combined - the differences in opinion and ideals, the weaknesses, the character flaws, the teasing - that were the cause of the lifelong mutual hatred that Sirius Black and Severus Snape shared.



Hopefully this is up to the standard you guys are looking for - if it's not, or its not long enough, then I will re-write or write more. No worries. Thanks guys! I hope I make it.

SiriB

Excellent! Just give me a few days to confer with my other half and give it a good read-over, and I'll be back with a decision for you.

Hang in there!

ife

Sorry for the delay, things got a little crazy with all the new modding stuff. I do hope the wait was worth it, though...



Congrats! You did a very nice job on both questions, I thought. You were especially strong in regards to backing up your theories with examples from canon. Very coherent and interesting - Your membership is well deserved, indeed!

ife

Oh yay! Thank you so much Aoife! It was definitely worth the wait