Thanks for a very interesting essay. Generally I'm more interested in Lucius than in slash, so I haven't read any of the fics you've mentioned, but it's always interesting to get an insight into the appeal of pairings that would never occur to me.
I found myself disagreeing in places, particularly:
[Sirius'] alliance with Dumbledore has always struck me as being due to Sirius’ friendship with James Potter and his Muggleborn wife, rather than any strong feelings on the equality of wizards and muggles. His antagonism to his family appears to be personal, rather than in response to their views.
I had the impresssion from OotP that Sirius wasn't impressed by his family's attitude: "Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft eough to believe them..." (OotP pg 104, UK edition)
While I can see James and Lily influencing Sirius to join the Order of the Phoenix, his antagonism to his family seems deeper rooted than that, especially considering that he showed the seeds of it at age 11 when he was Sorted. Which doesn't contradict the Lucius/Sirius dynamic: I would think the combination of a proud pureblood Lucius and a Sirius who'd turned away from his heritage would have wonderful dramatic possibilities.
Now, while I don’t think it is more likely that Sirius’ familiarity is with Lucius, I do think that, considering Snape and Sirius have never been on good terms, it is just as likely.
Personally I'd always assumed that Sirius was referring to the time after Snape first became a spy. As a member of the OotP there's a reasonable probability that he knew of the Snape/Lucius relationship through that rather than because of a personal connection with either of them.
On the other hand, I do agree with:
consorting with an attractive, familiar enemy, like Lucius, is precisely the kind of thrill that I think would appeal to Sirius.
and this is a very intriguing possibility that hadn't really occured to me, or at least hadn't hit home:
considering that, as Karkaroff points out, only Voldemort knows the identity of all the Death Eaters, it seems apparent that Lucius believes Sirius to have been, at least at one point, on the same side as himself.
One thing I'm curious about: Do you see it as at all significant that Lucius ended up marrying Sirius' cousin? That could say a lot not just about potential jealousies or transference of desire, but also about how close the two families were, and how much Lucius and Sirius would have seen each other in childhood.
Sirius non-reaction to Harry's surprise that he's related to Lucius could be a rich seam, I would think. Is it significant that Sirius' vents his ire on Bellatrix and not Lucius?
Finally, I can't leave without mentioning Halrloprillalar's awesome Blood Will Tell, which is probably the only fic I've read that focuses on the two of them. I suppose some might not consider it a ship fic, but it does exemplify the mindgames and struggle for supremacy which you advocate so enticingly!
no subject
I found myself disagreeing in places, particularly:
[Sirius'] alliance with Dumbledore has always struck me as being due to Sirius’ friendship with James Potter and his Muggleborn wife, rather than any strong feelings on the equality of wizards and muggles. His antagonism to his family appears to be personal, rather than in response to their views.
I had the impresssion from OotP that Sirius wasn't impressed by his family's attitude: "Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft eough to believe them..." (OotP pg 104, UK edition)
While I can see James and Lily influencing Sirius to join the Order of the Phoenix, his antagonism to his family seems deeper rooted than that, especially considering that he showed the seeds of it at age 11 when he was Sorted. Which doesn't contradict the Lucius/Sirius dynamic: I would think the combination of a proud pureblood Lucius and a Sirius who'd turned away from his heritage would have wonderful dramatic possibilities.
Now, while I don’t think it is more likely that Sirius’ familiarity is with Lucius, I do think that, considering Snape and Sirius have never been on good terms, it is just as likely.
Personally I'd always assumed that Sirius was referring to the time after Snape first became a spy. As a member of the OotP there's a reasonable probability that he knew of the Snape/Lucius relationship through that rather than because of a personal connection with either of them.
On the other hand, I do agree with:
consorting with an attractive, familiar enemy, like Lucius, is precisely the kind of thrill that I think would appeal to Sirius.
and this is a very intriguing possibility that hadn't really occured to me, or at least hadn't hit home:
considering that, as Karkaroff points out, only Voldemort knows the identity of all the Death Eaters, it seems apparent that Lucius believes Sirius to have been, at least at one point, on the same side as himself.
One thing I'm curious about: Do you see it as at all significant that Lucius ended up marrying Sirius' cousin? That could say a lot not just about potential jealousies or transference of desire, but also about how close the two families were, and how much Lucius and Sirius would have seen each other in childhood.
Sirius non-reaction to Harry's surprise that he's related to Lucius could be a rich seam, I would think. Is it significant that Sirius' vents his ire on Bellatrix and not Lucius?
Finally, I can't leave without mentioning Halrloprillalar's awesome Blood Will Tell, which is probably the only fic I've read that focuses on the two of them. I suppose some might not consider it a ship fic, but it does exemplify the mindgames and struggle for supremacy which you advocate so enticingly!