Though most of his interaction with Harry is via owl post in the fourth book, Sirius begins to take on a very important role, as a mentor, confidant, and constant source of worry for Harry. Alice and Martha break down Sirius’s arc in what is arguably the happiest year of his adult life.
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Tags: character studies, Sirius Black
I have to take issue with the general idea that Sirius is reckless, because it’s a very pervasive one. He does things that, yeah, sound a little nuts, especially as we’re looking at all of this through Harry’s eyes. But the only things that Sirius does that are “reckless” are things he does in response to Harry being in clear and present danger. He didn’t break out of Azkaban, for instance, until he realized Pettigrew was perfectly positioned at Hogwarts to attack Harry. He stayed safely abroad and didn’t come back to Britain until Harry told him his scar hurt and Dumbledore told him it was because Voldemort was getting stronger. He didn’t do anything stupid or reckless while he was living in the cave, and was very careful not to get caught. In Order of the Phoenix, he’s depressed and miserable in his apparently abusive family’s house, but he never leaves or puts himself in any unnecessary danger until Harry’s fighting Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries.
Put plainly, Sirius’ behavior isn’t really all that reckless. He considers himself responsible for Harry’s safety and well-being and loves him very fiercely and protectively, so he takes what appear to be calculated risks when he believes it to be the best thing for Harry. And Harry has literally never been an adult’s first priority before, so he sees Sirius taking risks on his behalf and perceives it as unnecessary.
I mean, you can’t tell me that if Ron’s name had come out of the Goblet, that Molly Weasley wouldn’t have stormed into Hogwarts and made a stink about putting her underage son in danger without consent. And no one would call her reckless.
Aha, I see you covered this in part 4. Lovely!