Discover Top Posts Tagged with #black meta

Blutorden - Demo '97

#black meta #heathen black metal #pagan black metal #raw black metal

hey,

do you think Dumbledore was ever jealous of the closeness between Harry and Sirius? not like in a weird way and not jealous jealous exactly but do you think that Dumbledore actively or repressedly wanted the same level of intimacy and familiarity as Harry and Sirius had? I mean in their interactions they do have that instant connection and understanding but Dumbledore does keep up a certain distance. I feel like he felt like he would've been a bit sceptical about Sirius being capable to look after Harry as best as possible?

This is such a good question!! (And I completely get what you mean about not in a weird way, don't worry!)

I thought about it for a while (obviously XD) and I would say "yes, and no". If anyone could possibly hold both answers simultaneously, Albus would be the one to do it.

I think of Dumbledore as a very rational person, or a person who thinks rationally first even when he would rather not do so, and that rational part of him would not be jealous of Harry and Sirius' relationship. Or more accurately, that part of Dumbledore wouldn't allow himself to be jealous because he would see how the warmth between Harry and Sirius was desperately needed by both parties. Harry and Sirius both come from families that didn't want them, they're both very openly passionate and can be reckless, and they both also put that aside to try and look after each other as best they can (stunted emotional development notwithstanding). Dumbledore is a very good analyzer and judge of character, so he would see all these things and be logically pleased that Sirius and Harry could connect in a way that he and Harry couldn't. Related to this, I do think Dumbledore would have some reservations about Sirius' capability of looking after Harry due to his time in Azkaban--but I also think that Remus, Molly, Arthur, and McGonagall also share these same reservations about Sirius, and people just kind of handwave it for everyone else.

On the other hand...

Dumbledore is also human, and just as prone to vices and ill feelings as any other human in the HP universe. So I do think you're right and a part of him would be very envious of how openly and freely Harry and Sirius are fond of each other.

Dumbledore's own family history, his status as an international government figure, his required impartiality as headmaster of a premier magical institution, and a million other things have served to put a distance between him and 99% of the people he interacts with. Yet it's obvious in how Dumbledore interacts with Harry that Harry is in the 1% category. Dumbledore empathizes with Harry's struggles, guides Harry through his challenges and is even able to share a joke with him once in a while.

This is where I think the envy would come in. The 2 main things holding Sirius back from spending more time with Harry are the blood protection that Harry needs from the Dursleys' home until age 17 and Sirius' status as a fugitive. Even if Sirius' name had been cleared, it would have been necessary to seriously evaluate if he could have kept Harry safe from Voldemort at Grimmauld Place or anywhere else. (That Woman chooses not to answer that follow-up question by simply killing Sirius, so...) As for Sirius' criminal status, Peter becomes basically nonexistent after the reveal of who the real traitor is in book 3, staying waaay in the background from book 4 until he's needed for that one moment in book 7, so there's no way for Sirius and Harry's relationship to be broadcast before Sirius dies.

But even with all of that, Sirius never has to hide the depth of his fondness for Harry around people the way Dumbledore does. Poor Dumbledore has to spend so much time acting that he's even got a chunk of the fandom fooled. ^^

We know it's unusual for Dumbledore to be close to anyone because of how often characters comment on it from Harry's fifth year on. But even with his best attempts at acting, his affection still shines through, and more so once Sirius is gone. Draco Malfoy, Horace Slughorn and Rufus Scrimgeour all comment at one point about Dumbledore's notable fondness for Harry and that's during a time where no one knows they're meeting up to talk about Voldemort's darkest secrets.

Aaah, so long and so wordy... but tldr: yes, I do think Dumbledore may have been quietly jealous of Harry and Sirius' bond, even as he appreciated his own relationship with Harry and did his best to cultivate it.