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Originally posted by DWAlphaGam
BTW, I just finished re-reading OotP, and I noticed that Dumbledore confirms on several occasions that Sirius is indeed dead. A few people were making the argument awhile back that Harry assumes that he is dead and is the only one that actually uses the word "dead" when he talks about it. But, when Harry is in Dumbledore's office afterwards, Phineas Nigellus asks if his great-great grandson is dead, and Dumbledore says yes. Dumbledore also says "It is my fault that Sirius died." So, I think he really is dead, but that Harry will find a way of communicating with him. I think other people were avoiding the use of the word "dead" out of sympathy for Harry.
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I don't think that Harry will even communicate with him. JKR's said in interveiws that death has to be permanent, or else it isn't scary. I really don't think she'd halfway kill him like that. (Because, really, killing him but letting Harry still communicate with him really isn't killing him off, y'know?)
My perspective- Sirius is dead. In this world, dead means absolutely gone. The only way Harry might talk to him is some kind of device that somehow traps a shadow of him, a bit like Tom Riddle's diary but maybe interactive. I can't remember exact passages offhand, but I beleive various characters have said things alluding to magic's limited power when it comes to death. Even just Avada Kedavra is an illustration- there is no countercurse and it is irreversable. I think JKR means for death to be something even wizards can't conquer.
As for Mudblood (or even the term half-blood), what I'm getting at is it may be misleading to just assume that it automatically means a certain amount of Muggle heritage. I'm thinking it's a bit like the "one-drop" philosophy that shows up several times through history. I think someone considering themselves pureblood might refer to someone who has 3 wizard grandparents as a halfblood simply because they definitely aren't pure. It would be interesting to see how the squib thing factors into the whole equation. Maybe they are considered weaker wizarding blood?
I think the whole concept of Lily's parents as squibs is a possibility, too. I am just absolutely convinced that Petunia has had more exposure to the wizarding world than she lets on.