Sirius Black

"Sirius was a brave, clever, and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger."

- Albus Dumbledore

Sirius Black III (c. 1959 - June 17, 1996), also known as Padfoot, was a pure-blood wizard, son of Orion and Walburga Black and elder brother of Regulus. Although he was the heir of the House of Black, Sirius disagreed with his family's belief in blood purity and defied tradition when he was sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which he attended from 1971 to 1978. As Sirius' relationship with his relatives deteriorated, he gained great friendship in James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The four friends, also known as the Marauders, joined the Order of the Phoenix to fight against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. Sirius also became the godfather of Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Evans. However, Peter betrayed James and his family to Voldemort, and Sirius was framed for the murder of James and Lily Potter, as well as the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles Pettigrew killed during his escape.

Sirius was sent to Azkaban for twelve years, eventually becoming the only known person to escape the prison unassisted by transforming into his Animagus form of a massive black dog. Sirius exposed Pettigrew's treachery to his old friend Remus and his godson. After Lord Voldemort returned in 1995, Sirius rejoined the Order. He was killed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. He briefly appeared again through the Resurrection Stone for Harry, along with James, Lily and Remus in 1998.

Early life
Sirius Black was the last remaining heir of the House of Black, a once-notable pure-blood wizarding family. His parents, Orion and Walburga, were both Blacks by birth and second cousins. Sirius had a younger brother, Regulus, who died after turning against Lord Voldemort in 1979 by attempting to destroy his Horcruxes. He was killed by the Inferi guarding one of his Horcruxes (although Sirius did not know this).

"Sirius" is a traditional Black family name, recurring in at least three generations and following a family tradition of naming children after stars, constellations, and galaxies. The names Cygnus, Arcturus, and Regulus have also occurred at least twice each. Notably, however, only one Sirius (the subject's great-grandfather) left a line of descent, which ended with the youngest Sirius.

The Black family believed strongly in pure-blood elitism. They refused to consort with Muggles or Muggle-borns, Squibs and blood traitors and even disowned Squib family members, such as Sirius' great-uncle Marius Black, and insisted that their members only marry within respectable pure-blood classes. They also held the Dark Arts in reverence. Sirius rejected these values, leading to conflict with his family. He even put permanent-sticking charms on Gryffindor banners, as well as pictures of Muggle girls in bikinis and motorcycles on the walls of his room to emphasise his differences from the family and annoy his parents. When his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa made the desirable pure-blood marriages, to Rodolphus Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy respectively, Sirius held them in contempt. His favourite cousin, Andromeda Tonks, was disowned by the family as a "blood traitor" when she married Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born wizard.

Sirius would later share this designation and was held in contempt, even hatred, by some members of his family. However, in his later life, Sirius established friendships with his first cousin once removed, Nymphadora Tonks, as well as his godson Harry (whom he loved as a son), Harry's friends Hermione and Ron, (his third cousin) and his distant cousins in the Weasley family.

Hogwarts years
Sirius had an unhappy childhood; by adolescence he had come to hate most of his relatives, in particular his mother and his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. Whereas all other members of the Black family were sorted into Slytherin house, Sirius was placed in Gryffindor, showing that his views had already diverged from those of the rest of the family before he came to school. Sirius also took great care in hanging Gryffindor banners all over his room at number 12 Grimmauld place to show his difference from the rest of the family.

By contrast, he greatly enjoyed life at Hogwarts, where he was inseparable from his best friend, James Potter, as well as with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Remus, they later discovered, was a werewolf. To support him, Sirius, James, and Peter secretly — and illegally — became Animagi, which allowed them to safely accompany Remus during his transformations and keep him under control. Sirius' form took the shape of a huge black dog, from which his nickname “Padfoot” was derived. The four friends called their gang "The Marauders" and used the nicknames "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs"; Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail after their three Animagus forms and Moony after his werewolf condition.



Although he later considered himself "an idiot" during this time, Sirius, along with James, was immensely popular: teachers respected his intelligence, though not his behaviour, and girls adored his dark good looks. Many teachers regarded him and James as troublemakers or practical jokers; Hagrid once compared them to the mischievous twins Fred and George Weasley.

Sirius' popularity was not universal, however. Early on, a mutual hatred sprang up between James Potter and Severus Snape. Sirius actively supported James, leading to Snape bestowing an equal and life-long loathing upon Sirius. Sirius later claimed Snape was "this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts" from Snape's first moments at Hogwarts, though there is no evidence of this during their first meeting. Sirius and James often went out of their way to bully Snape. While watching one of Snape’s memories in the Pensieve, Harry saw Sirius and James physically bully him only because they were bored. Sirius attempted to justify this by pointing out that he and James were only 15 at the time (to which Harry hotly replied, "I'm 15!"), though he did admit that he and James were "arrogant little berks", and that he wasn't proud of his behaviour.

Late in his Hogwarts career, the feud between Snape and Sirius reached its climax when Sirius played a potentially lethal practical joke on Snape. He informed Snape of how to enter a tunnel under the Whomping Willow that would lead to the Shrieking Shack where, unbeknownst to Snape, Remus Lupin was confined during his transformations into a werewolf. Snape went there during a full moon, and James was forced to rescue him. Sirius excused his own actions, explaining that he had simply told Snape what he wanted to know about the tunnel, whilst omitting crucial information. He simultaneously claimed it "served Snape right". The resentment Snape felt for Sirius was never healed.

At age sixteen, Sirius finally broke with his family and took refuge with James Potter and his parents. His outraged mother blasted his name off the family tree. Sirius’ uncle Alphard, Walburga's brother, sympathised with his young nephew and left him a large inheritance, causing Walburga Black to also blast Alphard's name off. Sirius was left financially independent by his uncle’s generous bequest.

First Wizarding War
After leaving school, Sirius fought against Lord Voldemort, eventually joining the Order of the Phoenix. In 1977, he and James were involved in a motorbike chase with two policemen. Although the chase started off as a bit of fun, it turned slightly more serious when the pair were attacked by three men on broomsticks. Sirius and James used their wands to raise the police car that had been chasing them, and their attackers crashed into it.

He remained the best of friends with James, and attended James' wedding to Lily Evans as best man. When their son Harry was born, James and Lily named Sirius godfather, thus designating him as Harry's guardian in the event of their deaths. He also gave Harry his first broom at the age of one as a birthday present, as stated by Lily in a letter found by Harry a number of years later.

After joining the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius found himself roiling with mistrust and stress due to the great terror that was Lord Voldemort. It took its toll — by October 1981, he no longer trusted his old friend Remus Lupin, suspecting he was a spy and excluding him from important information. However, he trusted Peter Pettigrew implicitly, a decision he would grow to regret for the rest of his life.

In 1981, the Potters were aware that Harry, along with the son of Alice and Frank Longbottom, two other Order members, had become Lord Voldemort's specific targets. Albus Dumbledore advised the Potters to go into hiding using the Fidelius Charm, which Dumbledore hoped would conceal them from doom. James was adamant about Sirius being their Secret-Keeper, believing that Sirius would willingly die rather than reveal where they were. However, believing Voldemort would suspect him, Sirius suggested a "weak, talentless thing" — Peter Pettigrew — instead. Keeping everyone else, including Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore, in the dark, Sirius and the Potters reassigned Pettigrew to be Secret-Keeper with Sirius as a decoy.



Imprisonment
"I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!"

- Rubeus Hagrid recollecting his last meeting with Sirius

On Halloween night 1981, Sirius went to Pettigrew’s hiding place and found him missing. Unsettled by the missing signs of a struggle, Sirius frantically sped to Godric's Hollow, discovering the Potters' house destroyed and his friends dead; only baby Harry was still alive. When Rubeus Hagrid appeared on the scene to rescue Harry, on Dumbledore's orders, Sirius offered to take Harry himself. However, Hagrid told him that Dumbledore had made arrangements to send Harry to Lily's sister, Petunia. Sirius conceded, and gave Hagrid his flying motorcycle, telling him he wouldn't need it; nevertheless, after Hagrid had handed over the baby, he intended to return Black his bike.

After leaving Godric's Hollow, Sirius tracked Pettigrew down, determined to kill him in vengeance. However, Pettigrew outwitted Black: confronted by Sirius on a city street, he created a huge explosion which enabled him to fake his own death, leaving a severed finger behind as evidence, and killed twelve Muggles in the process. Sirius was arrested by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and was sentenced without trial to Azkaban for the murder of Pettigrew and the twelve Muggles, for giving the information about the Potters' whereabouts which lead to their death and for being in the service of Lord Voldemort. He would spend the next twelve years in solitary confinement at the mercy of the Azkaban guards, the Dementors.

Driven to the brink of madness, he retained his sanity by focusing on his innocence. He said, in the Shrieking Shack, that "it was more an obsession than a happy thought"; it could not be detected by the Dementors, but still gave him small comfort. However, his brooding over his friends' deaths and Pettigrew's betrayal became an obsession as well.

Escape from Azkaban
"I never betrayed Lily and James. I would have died before I betrayed them."

- Sirius trying to convince Harry of the truth in 1994.

Sirius' escape was legendary to say the least. In 1993, he became the first known person to ever escape from the wizard prison of Azkaban. After several trying years in Azkaban, Sirius regained enough strength to transform into his Animagus form. The simpler dog mind of this form proved less affected by the Dementors, who in turn had difficulty sensing the animal's emotions. After casually borrowing Cornelius Fudge's Daily Prophet during an inspection, he discovered that Pettigrew was still alive and in hiding in his Animagus form as Ron Weasley's pet rat. He began muttering "He's at Hogwarts" in his sleep according to the Dementors. Filled with the desire for revenge and to protect Harry, Sirius formed a hasty escape plan. He transformed into his Animagus form and, with his malnourished physique, slipped through his bars. Slipping past the Dementors, he swam across the North Sea to freedom, though the journey nearly killed him. He then made into Little Whinging, where he wanted to first catch a glimpse of Harry, now a teenager, having run away from his Muggle relatives. His appearance startled Harry, before the Knight Bus turned up. When Harry looked around for Sirius' dog shape, he had disappeared. Due to the situation surrounding his imprisonment and his sleep talking, many in the wizarding community believed that he had escaped to murder Harry in a mad attempt to bring Lord Voldemort back.



Sirius took refuge around Hogsmeade; he was spotted a few times and mistaken for the Grim. He made the acquaintance of Hermione Granger's cat Crookshanks, who had recognised that Sirius wasn't actually a dog, and who had also recognised what Peter was. Crookshanks attempted to bring Peter to Sirius but his keeper, Ron Weasley was very protective of his so-called pet. Half-crazed and desperate, he snuck into Hogwarts though the old passageway from the Shrieking Shack, and on one occasion slashed the Fat Lady's portrait when she refused him entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Later, he came to view the Qudditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, where he viewed Harry's excellent flying skills, which mirrored James'. Eventually, he was able to enter the Gryffindor common room with a list of passwords stolen from Neville Longbottom by Crookshanks, and shredded Ron Weasley’s bed curtains in his search for Scabbers. Unfortunately for him, Peter decided to fake his own death and hide.

In June, Sirius caught Ron Weasley carrying Scabbers and dragged them through the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. Harry and Hermione Granger followed. The former was intent on killing Sirius for the supposed betrayal of his parents, despite the age and skill difference between them. But once he had Sirius at his mercy, Lupin, who had seen Peter on the confiscated Marauder's Map, disarmed him of his wand. Together, the two revealed Peter's true form. Both wanted to kill their former friend for betraying James and Lily, only Harry prevented them from murdering Pettigrew, believing that it would be better to force Pettigrew to face justice. While traveling back to the castle Sirius told Harry about his house and asked if Harry would like to live with him since Sirius had been made Harry's guardian in case anything happened to his parents. Harry was ecstatic, but this was not to be. Unfortunately, as they got out of the Whomping Willow, Lupin transformed into a werewolf under the full moon and without the Wolfsbane Potion, went wild. In order to protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione from Lupin, Sirius transformed into his dog form and fought with him. This gave Pettigrew the opening to escape and flee back to the service of Voldemort. Sirius was weakened following this encounter and could not protect himself when the Dementors arrived. Sirius nearly had his soul sucked out by the Dementors, who were posted at Hogwarts. However, a Patronus resembling a stag warded off the Dementors.

Sirius was briefly re-captured by Snape, and was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss, a fate worse than death. Miraculously, Harry and Hermione helped him escape through use of Hermione's Time-Turner, which enabled them to rescue the hippogriff Buckbeak from execution, thus granting Sirius a form of travel. Sirius was once again a wanted man, although alive and with his soul intact. He sent a letter to them via owl, explaining that it was he who sent Harry the Firebolt during Christmas and gives permission as his godfather to go to Hogsmeade. He also leaves the owl for Ron, as he has no pet, whom Ginny names him Pigwidgeon.

Events surrounding the Triwizard Tournament
"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

- Sirius giving advice to Harry

Sirius fled Europe beyond the Ministry of Magic's jurisdiction. He communicated with Harry by owl very seldomly to retain the secrecy of his location. Harry grew to greatly rely on Sirius' advice in time of need. Sirius returned to Britain when Harry gave him notice that his scar had been hurting. This came to be known as a signal of Lord Voldemort’s presence or power.

Then Harry was mysteriously entered in the Triwizard Tournament, Sirius hid out near Hogsmeade and provided mostly moral support to Harry during this time. He warned Harry about Igor Karkaroff, the Durmstrang headmaster, telling Harry that Karkaroff used to be a Death Eater and that he gave up a considerable number of names in exchange for his freedom. Harry told Sirius about seeing the name "Bartemius Crouch" appear on the Marauder's Map when he was working on the second clue. Sirius admitted that it was fishy, but told Harry to focus on the task at hand and leave the mystery surrounding Crouch's "Illness" to others.

When Barty Crouch mysteriously disappeared in the castle grounds, Sirius warned Harry that someone didn't want Crouch to get to Dumbledore. He advises him to practise defensive spells and never wander off on his own.

Second Wizarding War
"I ran away from home...I'd had enough...Why did I leave?...Because I hated the whole lot of them...I don't like being back here...I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again."

- Sirius on being forced to remain in his family home

With Lord Voldemort restored to his physical form, Dumbledore reinstated the Order of the Phoenix. On that night, Dumbledore sent Sirius to gather the old crowd and to inform them of the situation. Sirius donated his ancient family home at 12 Grimmauld Place in London as Order Headquarters. Unfortunately because he was still wanted by the authorities, Sirius could never safely leave the house and became quite bitter over his perceived "uselessness." When he briefly left the house to see Harry to the Hogwarts Express, Draco Malfoy nastily complimented Harry on his "pet dog", which, coupled with comments Malfoy made on the train, suggested Sirius' cover was blown. Harry and Sirius stayed in touch during Harry's school year via owls and the Floo Network, though Sirius' presence was nearly discovered by Dolores Umbridge during her dictatorial managing of Hogwarts that year.

Sirius acted as a father and older brother figure to Harry throughout his hardships with Umbridge, encouraging him to oppose her reforms and strongly approving of Harry's secret defensive tutorial group for students, Dumbledore's Army. His vehement support of Dumbledore's Army worried Hermione who thought that Sirius was attempting to live vicariously through them. He also willingly answered all Harry's questions about the Order and Voldemort, though most of Harry's mentors felt it was inappropriate because of his youth. He also urged Harry to contact him if Professor Snape gave him a hard time during their Occlumency lessons.

During this time shut into 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius began to let himself go a little. His appearance is remarked upon when Harry and the Weasley children arrive at Grimmauld Place just before the Christmas holidays. He was unshaven, and still in his day clothes late at night, and he seemed to have taken to drinking, as he had a "Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him."

Battle of the Department of Mysteries and death
"Come on, you can do better than that!"

- Sirius' last words, to Bellatrix Lestrange.

"It was cruel that you and Sirius had such a short time together. A brutal ending to what should have been a long and happy relationship."

- Albus Dumbledore, to Harry Potter in 1996.

Voldemort used Legilimency to implant a false vision into Harry's mind that Sirius was being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. Harry was thus convinced that Sirius was being tortured, and, along with Ron, Hermione and other D.A. members Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, he flew to London via Thestral. The students made their way through the deserted Ministry of Magic and gained access to the Department of Mysteries, only to be ambushed by Death Eaters.

Ironically, it was Severus Snape who ultimately saved their lives by alerting the Order. Sirius, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody and eventually Albus Dumbledore all arrived and began battling the Death Eaters. Tragically, however, during a frenzied duel with his hated cousin Bellatrix, Sirius was struck with a spell, causing him to fall through the Veil in the Death Chamber to his death. It would be years before Harry could fully come to terms with the loss of his godfather, whom, as Dumbledore flatly stated, was the "closest thing to a parent" Harry had ever known.

Sirius was eventually recognised as innocent by the Ministry of Magic and the rest of the wizarding community after his death.

Post-mortem


Following the presentation of evidence as to the guilt of Peter Pettigrew for the betrayal of James and Lily Potter and the murders of innocent people, Sirius was posthumously exonerated.

Sirius did not have any children. As Phineas Nigellus, Sirius' deceased great-great-grandfather in portrait form, stated, the ancient Black family ended with Sirius' death. Had Regulus Black lived, he would have been the heir of the Black home; however, he predeceased Sirius. By right of primogeniture, then, his heir was either Bellatrix Lestrange (his eldest cousin, but legally invalidated by her murder of Sirius), Andromeda Tonks (his second-eldest cousin, who was disowned), or Draco Malfoy, the next senior male of the Black family through his mother, Narcissa "Cissy" Malfoy (née Black). However, their rights were superseded by Sirius’ will, which designated Harry Potter as heir to all his worldly possessions. Thus, by the will, Harry inherited 12 Grimmauld Place, Buckbeak (later known as Witherwings), Kreacher, and the remaining Black fortune. Having no great love for 12 Grimmauld Place, the house that held so many painful memories for Sirius, Harry chose to give it to the Order of the Phoenix for their continued use as Headquarters. Kreacher, forced to serve Harry by Sirius' will, was sent to work as a Hogwarts House-elf in the school kitchens (an imposition which did nothing to improve Kreacher's hatred of Harry). Buckbeak passed back into Rubeus Hagrid's care under the assumed name Witherwings.

Sirius had given Hagrid an enchanted, flying motorbike 16 years prior at Godric's Hollow, after Sirius discovered the Potters had been killed. After begging Hagrid to give him baby Harry — a request Hagrid refused because he had orders to take young Harry to Little Whinging — Sirius gave Hagrid the bike before setting off to hunt down Peter Pettigrew. The bike was in Hagrid's possession until it was needed to bring Harry from Number 4, Privet Drive to Order Headquarters shortly before Harry's seventeenth birthday. The bike ended up crashed, as the Order was ambushed by Death Eaters. Ted Tonks collected the debris and sent it to Arthur Weasley, who later repaired the bike and gave it to Harry.

Sirius was one of the four spirits that came out of the Resurrection Stone to speak to Harry as he went to what he believed to be his death in 1998. Sirius assured his godson that dying was not painful, and that they would stay with him as he went to confront Lord Voldemort. When Harry reached the fire, the stone slipped from Harry's hand, thus Sirius, his parents, and Lupin vanished.

Physical appearance
"And there he was... his face wasn't waxy at all but handsome and full of laughter."

- Sirius' early appearance

Sirius was a tall, well-built, darkly handsome man with long, lustrous black hair, striking grey eyes, and an air of "casual elegance". This vestige of aristocratic beauty is apparently an attribute passed down through the Black Family. Unfortunately, Sirius' good looks suffered due to the depression and maltreatment he underwent during the twelve years he spent in Azkaban. When Harry Potter first saw him in the Shrieking Shack, in 1994, he had a gaunt, sunken face, waxy skin, yellow teeth, and long, matted hair; Harry thought he looked as a corpse might. By November, after his escape, he visited Harry in the Common Room fireplace, and his hair was short and clean, and his face fuller and younger. Sadly, by the next spring, his condition deteriorated, and he reverted back to a state that was only slightly better than that which he had been in a year ago: unshaven, with a faint scent of stale drink around him, and he did not bother to change his clothes at night (presumably a result of his "imprisonment" at the home he utterly despised and his conviction of his apparent uselessness). Death, however, served to restore him to the peak of his dark good looks and vitality - his spirit was described as "tall and handsome, and younger by far than Harry had ever seen him in life. He loped with an easy grace, his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face."

Magical abilities and skills
Sirius was described as a powerful wizard by Minerva McGonagall, his former teacher. One of his dearest friends, Remus Lupin, also stated that he had been one of the cleverest Hogwarts students of his time.
 * Animagus Transfiguration: Sirius became an Animagus at age fifteen, and was able to turn himself into a large black dog. As he is unregistered, he is able to take advantage of his ability to elude his Ministry captors.
 * Nonverbal Magic: Sirius was able to perform human transfiguration and defensive spells nonverbally.
 * Duellist: In his Fifth year, Sirius held his own against Severus Snape, who was an extremely powerful wizard even in his childhood. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he survived a duel against Antonin Dolohov, who was one of Voldemort's most dangerous and skilled Death Eaters. However, in the following fight against his sadistic, mentally unbalanced witch of a cousin, Bellatrix, he underestimated his opponent and even openly mocked her, before being hit by an unknown spell that killed him within moments. Sirius' body arched backwards slowly and disappeared through the Veil. Presumably, if he had taken his intensely dangerous cousin more seriously, he would not have been killed.

Personality and traits


True to a Gryffindor student's ideals, Sirius was very brave and very loyal, as shown by his participation in both wars and willingness to die for those he loved. He was a talented and clever wizard, though he was a troublemaker in his youth, arrogant and given to bullying people occasionally, especially Severus Snape with his friend James. Sirius could be vicious towards those whom he disliked, sometimes unjustifiably; by sending Snape off to the Shrieking Shack as a teenager, he could have gotten Snape killed, he risked exposing his friend Remus' condition as a werewolf, and he risked getting himself and his friends expelled if his "prank" had worked.

He was also cruel to his house-elf, Kreacher, who praised Sirius' hated mother and made disparaging comments to members of the Order, but the true reason for his cruelty towards Kreacher was that the unpleasant, bad-natured house-elf was a living reminder of the home and family he despised. At times, he was irresponsible, risking getting caught by the Ministry because he felt stir-crazy in his house and advising Harry to take impulsive actions. Much of this can likely be attributed to the years Sirius spent in Azkaban, stunting his emotional development and making him especially eager to spend time with, and protect, his loved ones. However, his true heart never wavered, even during his stay in Azkaban.

Despite Sirius' good nature, he has, at times, shown to be capable of an explosive temper when angered. This trait is shared with both his mother, Walburga Black, and cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. His years in Azkaban contributed greatly to his short-fuse, which was particularly evident during the events of 1993 in which he tried persistently to capture Peter Pettigrew. It should be noted, however, that for all his anger towards Pettigrew, Sirius was capable of respecting Harry Potter's request to not murder the man he escaped Azkaban to kill; opting instead to expose Pettigrew (a plan that unfortunately failed).

Family
It was not known what kind of relationship Sirius had with his family in his early childhood, but it was revealed that, when he was eleven years old, he earned the severe disappointment and disapproval of his family, simply by being Sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts. Sirius, in turn, became increasingly rebellious, flaunting his house affiliation and disdain for their pure-blood values. His relationships with his mother and cousin Bellatrix became particularly antagonistic; Walburga disowned Sirius when he left home at the age of sixteen, burned his name off the family tree, and even treated her brother Alphard to the same punishment simply for leaving gold to his nephew. Little is known about Sirius' relationship with his younger brother, Regulus, but from Regulus joining the Death Eaters and from rather nonchalant comments Sirius later made about his death when he tried to leave, it was likely that they did not get along as well.

"Does it matter if she's my cousin? As far as I'm concerned, they're not my family. She's certainly not my family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming into Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having a relative like her?"

- Sirius to Harry discussing his cousin Bellatrix

Sirius would later claim to have "hated the whole lot of them", aside from his cousin Andromeda, who also rejected the notion of blood purity and married a Muggle-born wizard. After his escape from Azkaban, Sirius became friendly with Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora Tonks, another member of the Order of the Phoenix. He was killed by his cousin Bellatrix during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in a duel, during which both taunted each other; she laughed after killing him, overjoyed that she had simultaneously killed a "blood traitor" and caused Harry, her beloved master's most hated enemy, unbearable pain and heartbreak. His other cousin, Narcissa Malfoy, also seemed to hold Sirius in low regard, as she taunted Harry Potter about his death when they argued in 1996.

The Marauders
"It's been fourteen years, and still not a day goes by that I don't miss your dad."

- Sirius to Harry

Though he became increasingly estranged from his own family, Sirius gained three good friends who were in Gryffindor with him: James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The group was very popular and loved to play pranks. When they discovered that Remus was a werewolf, instead of ostracising him as many would have, they endeavoured to become Animagi in order to keep him company during his monthly transformations. When Sirius ran away from home at age sixteen, James' family took him in. After graduating from Hogwarts, the group of friends joined the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius was James' best man at his wedding to Lily Evans, and the godfather to their son.

At some point during the First Wizarding War, Sirius came to distrust Remus, suspecting that he might be a spy. Thus, he did not reveal to Remus that he decided not to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper when they became targets of Lord Voldemort, instead giving the job to Peter. This turned out to be a fatal mistake that Sirius regretted for the rest of his life, as Peter betrayed them all. The tragic deaths of James and Lily was a cruel brutal blow to him, who would have willingly died for them, and who confessed that he desperately missed his best friend everyday. He was sent to Azkaban for Peter's crimes, and Remus initially believed that he was guilty. After he escaped from prison in 1993, he told Remus the truth and, together, they planned to kill Peter for his treachery, though they were stopped by Harry. The two reclaimed their friendship afterwards.

Severus Snape


Sirius immediately got off on the wrong foot with Severus Snape when they met on the Hogwarts Express in their first year, as did James Potter, who would become Sirius' best friend. Sirius snapped at Snape after he sneered at James' wish to be sorted into Gryffindor house, and the two bestowed the mocking name of "Snivellus" on the Slytherin student. They loathed Snape as "this little oddball up to his eyeballs in the Dark Arts," and, according to Sirius, the other boy was jealous of their popularity and always took to following them around, trying to get them into trouble. Sirius and James outright bullied Snape frequently during their years at Hogwarts, sometimes simply out of boredom. Sirius also played a potentially lethal prank on Snape once, telling him how to get into the Shrieking Shack while omitting the fact that a werewolf was on the other side, showing a shockingly callous attitude towards Snape's safety.

Sirius and Snape maintained their hatred of each other into adulthood. Snape was very eager to see Sirius receive the Dementor's Kiss, a fate worse than death, after he escaped from Azkaban in 1993, believing him to be the one that betrayed Lily, though his efforts to capture Sirius were thwarted by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Later, Snape delighted in taunting Sirius about his "uselessness" to the Order of the Phoenix while he was forced to remain cooped up in 12 Grimmauld Place, and the two needled each other at every opportunity.



Lily Evans
Sirius met Lily Evans at the Hogwarts Express. She was with Severus Snape, her best friend at the time, while Sirius was with James. Their teasing of Snape left her with a rather bad impression of them, hence, during the Sorting Ceremony, when she recognised him from Hogwarts Express, she turned her back on him.

During their years at Hogwarts, Lily came to believe that Sirius was nothing more than a common, highly arrogant bully, just like his best friend, James, and hence their relationship was hardly a friendly or good one. But that changed in their later years at Hogwarts, presumably after she had ended her friendship with Snape, and got to know and understand Sirius better. During the First Wizarding War, they both became members of the Order of the Phoenix, and fought in several battles. She also sent a letter to Sirius, which showed that they were still intimate friends, despite the intense distrust and fear spread by the First War.

After Lily and James were killed by Lord Voldemort, Sirius was devastated; he attacked their betrayer, Peter Pettigrew, and attempted to kill him. He later stated to Harry that he had cared deeply for James and Lily, firmly declaring that he would have rather died than betrayed them.

Sirius was also godfather to Lily's son, Harry, and they shared a strong bond of friendship, love, and trust.

Harry Potter


Sirius was Harry Potter's godfather, and acted as a confidant and father figure to him. He loved Harry dearly, and was the only person Harry felt comfortable confiding in about his scar hurting in 1994. Some of the other Order members, however, criticised Sirius' behaviour towards Harry, claiming that he acted as if Harry were James, rather than the child that he truly, undeniably, was. Sirius shared a good deal of information about the First Wizarding War with Harry, much to the disapproval of Molly Weasley, and supported Harry and his friends' efforts to sabotage Dolores Umbridge's dictatorial rule over Hogwarts in their fifth year. While Harry craved a father figure, Sirius was not equipped to be one, and more or less considered Harry to be a beloved friend and brother, the way his father was before him. Voldemort lured Harry to the Department of Mysteries in 1996 by planting a vision of Sirius suffering in his mind, knowing that Harry would do whatever it took to save his godfather. He was utterly devastated by Sirius' death, going so far as to using the Cruciatus Curse on his killer, throwing a violent tantrum at Dumbledore, and mentally declaring that he would never ever forgive Snape for the ultimately crucial part he played in his beloved godfather's death. In 1998, Harry used the Resurrection Stone to summon the spirits of Sirius, Remus, and his parents, all four of whom gave him the emotional support he needed to sacrifice himself. He assured his godson that dying was not painful at all, and was actually quicker and easier than falling asleep.

Harry later named his first son after both James and Sirius.

Ron Weasley
Sirius first met Ron Weasley in 1993. Ron owned a rat named Scabbers which, unbeknownst to him and the rest of his family, was actually Peter Pettigrew in disguise. With his mind and heart firmly set on murdering Pettigrew for his treacherous betrayal, he sneaked into Hogwarts and went at Ron's bed while he was sleeping, a knife in his hand, all ready to kill the disguised rat. However, Ron saw him and, frightened out of his wits, screamed, alerting the whole dormitory and forcing him to flee for his life. At the end of his third year, however, Ron learned that Sirius was innocent, and what his pet rat really was. A year later, Ron, along with Harry and Hermione, brought food to Sirius, who was hiding in a cave.

During the Second Wizarding War, as they both lived at Sirius' house for some weeks, Ron liked Sirius very much, and they were good friends. When Hermione said that Sirius "lived through her, Ron and Harry", Ron became very angry, and snapped at her along with Harry. Sirius and Ron fought along during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. When Sirius was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, Ron was very sad and started to hate Bellatrix.

Hermione Granger
Sirius also met Hermione Granger in 1994 when he was an Azkaban escapee. Hermione, like the most of the Hogwarts residents, thought Sirius was the wizard who betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort. However, she learned the truth, and even indirectly helped to clear any doubts of his innocence through her questions. She also brought him food when he was hiding in a cave.

In 1995, she lived for a few weeks at Sirius' house, along with other members of the Order of the Phoenix. She thought that Sirius lived through her, Harry and Ron, but the two boys became angry when they heard her. However, she also started to think that Sirius was very selfish when it came to Harry, even voicing her theory that a part of Sirius had actually been hoping that Harry would not be cleared of all charges, so that both of them could be outcasts together, and have more time together. Nevertheless, she still had a good relationship with Sirius, knowing him to be a good person, and was very saddened by his death in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.



Albus Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore was Sirius' headmaster at Hogwarts. He knew that James and Sirius were constant, mischiveous trouble-makers, but also clever wizards and good people. Like the rest of the wizarding world, Dumbledore initially believed it was Sirius who betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, but he learned it was actually Pettigrew. In 1995, he trusted Sirius enough to give him a mission to bring together the members of the Order of the Phoenix. During the Second Wizarding War, he fought at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries along with Sirius; at the time Dumbledore defeated the remaining Death Eaters, Bellatrix killed Sirius. Dumbledore was deeply upset about Sirius' death, knowing and believing that it was mostly his fault, and expressed Harry his belief that Sirius was a brave, clever, and energetic man, one who would never be content with sitting at home in hiding, while his loved ones were in danger. Sirius' death was also a factor that led to Dumbledore confessing to Harry things that had been kept secret from him, mainly about the true power of his mother's sacrificial protection, and the prophecy about him and Voldemort.



The Weasley family
Sirius had a good relationship with the Weasley family. During the Second Wizarding War, they were good friends and lived together for a short time at 12 Grimmauld Place. However, Sirius thought Molly was too overprotective of Harry, who had proven time after time that, despite his age, he was brave and matured far beyond his years. Molly, on the other hand, thought Sirius was wrong to treat Harry like an adult, that he acted towards Harry as he did towards James.

He was also a good friend of Arthur, who was given Sirius' motorbike after the latter's death. Sirius had also a good relationship with Ginny, who stated that she cared about Sirius as much as Harry did. Fred and George Weasley liked Sirius, and they all joked together. Rubeus Hagrid once compared Sirius and James to Fred and George.

Sirius' relationship with Bill, Charlie and Percy is unknown; Sirius met Bill during the time of the Second War when the Weasley family were often at Grimmauld Place with the rest of the Order, but whether he met Percy or Charlie was unknown. Given that Charlie was on his family's side and Percy on the Ministry's, however, it can be theorised that Sirius would be friends with Charlie, if he had met him, but would not be with Percy.

The members of the Weasley family were very upset after Sirius' death; Ginny also named her son after Sirius.

Kreacher
Kreacher was the house-elf of the Black family for years. Kreacher didn't share the same ideology as Sirius; he believed that he should only serve pure-blood wizards, and he didn't like Sirius, because he was a blood-traitor. Sirius, on his part, didn't care at all about Kreacher, as he saw too much of the family he loathed so much in the utterly unpleasant and bad-natured house-elf. Hence, Kreacher grew to harbour a hatred towards Sirius, one that ultimately became fatal. He went to Bellatrix Lestrange, informing her that Harry regarded Sirius as a mixture of a father and an older brother, and was the one person whom Harry loved most of all and would do anything for. Equipped with this highly valuable information, Voldemort and his Death Eaters organised a plan that made Harry go to the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius; whom Harry believed was being held captive and tortured. Sirius and some members of the Order of the Phoenix came to rescue Harry, but he tragically died in the following fight.

Hogwarts staff
When Sirius attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the professors were very fond of him, knowing him to be a witty and charming wizard with a good heart. This liking, however, did not blind them to the fact that he was also a mischievous trouble-maker and prankster, and did not prevent them from usually punishing him and his best friend, James, when they went too far with their pranks or caused too much trouble.

Minerva McGonagall was Sirius' head of house during his years at Hogwarts. She described him as a powerful wizard, but she believed it was he who betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort. She learned the truth in 1995. It is possible that she and Sirius had a good relationship until his death. It is unknown how she reacted when she learned about his death.

Filius Flitwick had also taught Sirius, however, the relationship between them is unknown. Horace Slughorn, the Head of Slytherin House, was sad not to having Sirius at his house, having had all of his family.



Order of the Phoenix members
Sirius had a good relationship with most members of the Order of the Phoenix. He was good friends with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody, who were also two Aurors. They all fought at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and, when Sirius was killed by Bellatrix, Kingsley continued his duel with Bellatrix, although he was defeated.

Sirius was also friendly with Rubeus Hagrid. Although Hagrid believed that Sirius was a traitor, he understood the real situation after it was explained to him and it is likely that they resumed their friendship. They were both members of the First Order and most likely fought in several battles of the First Wizarding War.

Mundungus Fletcher also appeared to be friendly with Sirius, but this did not stop him from stealing Sirius' possessions after his death.

Etymology
The name "Sirius Black" is a pun on his Animagus form of a black dog, as the star Sirius is known as the Dog Star, and is the brightest star in Canis Major, the Great Dog constellation. Sirius is derived from the Ancient Greek Σείριος, Seirios, meaning "glowing" or "scorcher". In Arabic, the star is known as al-shira, "the leader", and in Scandinavia, it has been referred to as Lokabrenna, meaning "Loki's torch". Loki was a trickster god in Norse mythology, a possible allusion to Sirius' days of mischief-making as one of the Marauders.

Black hounds also appear on the Black family crest. Additionally, the "black dog" is a metaphor used by Winston Churchill for his depression. Sirius certainly suffered from depression at times in his life.

Author's comments
J. K. Rowling has said that she likes Sirius as a character, but she does not think he is "wholly wonderful":


 * "Sirius is very good at spouting bits of excellent personal philosophy, but he does not always live up to them. For instance, he says in "Goblet of Fire" that if you want to know what a man is really like, 'look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.' But Sirius loathes Kreacher, the house-elf he has inherited, and treats him with nothing but contempt. Similarly, Sirius claims that nobody is wholly good or wholly evil, and yet the way he acts towards Snape suggests that he cannot conceive of any latent good qualities there...Sirius' great redeeming quality is how much affection he is capable of feeling. He loved James like a brother and he went on to transfer that attachment to Harry."

Rowling also described Sirius as a "bit of a loose cannon" and a "case of arrested development" and once described Sirius as "brave, loyal, reckless, embittered and slightly unbalanced by his long stay in Azkaban."

Behind the scenes

 * Sirius is portrayed by Gary Oldman in all the film adaptations in which the character makes an appearance.
 * In the film versions of the series, Sirius has many tattoos, but it is never stated in the book if he has any.
 * In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the length of time Sirius has known Peter Pettigrew was hiding at Hogwarts is consistent. From Arthur Weasley's conversation with Molly Weasley at the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius was after Harry, saying "He's at Hogwarts" in his sleep, for several months before his escape from Azkaban. In the Shrieking Shack, Sirius shows that he was actually after Pettigrew, and he learned his location from a newspaper clipping that Fudge lent him, and it became an obsession until he was strong enough to escape.
 * In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is notable that despite Snape and Lupin, know that Sirius was aware of the passageway to the Shrieking Shack and, presumably, convinced of his guilt, the passageway was not blocked off or guarded.
 * In the film version of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Sirius mistakenly refers to Harry as "James", a slip of the tongue that does not occur in the book, although it is consistent with comments made in the novel regarding him considering Harry a younger version of James.
 * In the Order of the Phoenix film, when Sirius arrives with the other members of the Order, he punches Lucius Malfoy exclaiming, "Get away from my godson". This unknowingly causes the destruction of The Prophecy Orb by causing Lucius Malfoy to drop it. Both actions are contrary to the book, in which Neville Longbottom breaks the orb and the punch does not occur.
 * Also, in the film version of the Department of Mysteries battle, Sirius is hit with a Killing Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange and survives six seconds before falling into the veil. However, in the book, he fell back and into the veil after being hit by an unknown spell cast by Bellatrix.
 * The names Sirius and Regulus are also names of two main characters in the video game Bomberman 64. Interestingly enough, in Bomberman, Sirius is thought to be a good guy when in actuality he is a bad guy, which is the exact reverse of Sirius Black.
 * Sirius' godson Harry honored six people by naming his children after them. James Potter I, Sirius, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, and Luna Lovegood were these people. James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Lily Luna Potter.
 * Interestingly enough, the child that Harry named after James and Sirius often teases the child who's middle name is Severus, as in Severus Snape.
 * In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the way Sirius describes his brother's death implies that Regulus was killed by the Killing Curse. But in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is established that Regulus was killed by the Inferi in Voldemort's Horcrux cave. However, Sirius states regarding his brother's death "from what I've found out since I got out (of Azkaban)", so it is likely Sirius received this information second hand, so his source may have been mistaken or Sirius may have assumed it was the killing curse.
 * There is also a suggestion that Sirius might have done underage magic. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius states that he ran away from home at age 16. However, in Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that Sirius put permanent sticking charms of the back of all his pictures and posters hanging on his bedroom wall. But, considering he ran away from home at 16, and did not return until about age 35, he would have been underage at the time he performed the permanent sticking charm. However, since he was in the home of a witch and wizard at the time, this would not have registered.
 * The relationship between Sirius and Mrs. Weasley is considerably more tense in the books than is depicted in the films. He is also depicted in the books as being somewhat less in control than he is shown to be in the Order of the Phoenix film.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter Prequel
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)
 * Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Notes and references
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