Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has its problems. The book has too many unnecessary chapters, making it some of the worst writing in the series. Harry is more worried about what Dumbledore thinks of him than anything else. And Dolores Umbridge is in it. But there is one aspect of Order of the Phoenix that was well-executed and necessary: the death of Sirius Black.
Well, you got through the first paragraph, but probably only out of pure rage that someone would say that Sirius deserved to die. But that’s not what I’m saying at all. If Sirius had not died, Arthur Weasley would have instead (and without knowing the function of a rubber duck, no less).
Molly and Arthur took Harry in as their own. They gave him a place to stay on breaks and were more of an influence on him than the Dursleys. Had Arthur died, Harry would have lost a father figure, something Sirius could have never been.
Sirius was too immature. He gave great advice, but when he looked at Harry, all he saw was James. Harry did not like being compared to his father, especially after seeing how he bullied Severus Snape. But Sirius longed to have his best friend back. That caused a weird dynamic between Harry and Sirius. It made Sirius look more like the cool uncle who buys you Zonko’s Joke Shop gifts for Christmas and tells you to use them on adults.
The whole series is built around how Harry is different from everyone. When he meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, he realizes they had more satisfaction in their family lives than he would ever have. Hermione was raised by two Muggle parents who love and accepted her. The Weasley family was Harry’s idea of a perfect family.
There are also stark differences between Ron and Harry, and killing off Arthur would have made them the same. Throughout the whole series, Ron just wants to be as famous as his friend. Harry often pointed out that Ron should be happy with what he has because all Harry wanted was a family, something Ron had. If Arthur would have died, it would have made Ron very similar to Harry, and that would not have made for a very interesting book.
Harry needed more stability. He wanted the semi-normal family life, and that’s what the Weasleys could give them. Arthur’s role in the series often goes unnoticed, but that’s what dads do best — they are always there in the background, protecting and encouraging you.
Georgia Davis is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you think it was right for Sirius Black to die? Tell Georgia by tweeting her at @georgiadee35.
