Sirius Black III

## Sirius Orion Black

**Sirius Orion Black III** (born 3 November, 1959) was an English pure-blood wizard, the older son of Orion and Walburga Black, and the brother of Regulus Black. 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 House instead of Slytherin at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which he attended from 1971-1978. As the rest of his family had been in Slytherin, he was the odd one out.

Sirius continued to be at odds with his parents throughout his youth. He met three great friends at Hogwarts- James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Together, they were collectively referred to as the Marauders. Sirius became an animagus in his fifth year of schooling in order to support his friend, Remus Lupin, who was a werewolf, along with James and Peter. Sirius took the form of a Grim. In their sixth year, the Marauders, with the collective brilliance of Sirius and James, developed a map that showed anyone on Hogwarts grounds.

The Marauders all joined the Order of the Phoenix to fight against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. Sirius was named the godfather of Harry James Potter, the only son of James and Lily Potter. When Pettigrew betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, Sirius sought to exact revenge on Pettigrew. However, Pettigrew was able to frame Sirius for his betrayal of the Potters, the murder of twelve Muggles, and the staged murder of Pettigrew before Sirius could accomplish this.

Sirius was sent to Azkaban, and after twelve years became the only known person to escape the prison unassisted by transforming into his Animagus form of a massive black dog often confused with a "Grim", an omen said to cause death. Sirius exposed Pettigrew's treachery to his old friend Remus and his godson, as well as to the entire Wizarding World when Pettigrew was captured by a pair of Aurors on Hogwarts Grounds on 6 June, 1994 after the interference of Harry and three school friends which brought the truth to light.

## Biography

### Early life (1959-1971)

Sirius Black was born on 3 November, 1959, in the Islington Bourough of London, England, to Orion Black and Walburga Black, both of whom were Dark Wizards and second cousins. He was the last remaining heir of the House of Black, a once-notable pure-blood wizarding family. 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 did not share a close relationship with his brother, calling him "a better son" than himself.

"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, as he did not have children.

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 family members only marry within respectable pure-blood classes; because of these beliefs, they were forced to marry their own cousins. They also held the Dark Arts in reverence.

Sirius rejected these values, leading to conflict with his family. He even put permanent-sticking charms of Gryffindor banners, as well as pictures of Muggle girls in bikinis, and motorcycles, and a picture of himself and his Gryffindor friends 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, 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 estranged younger sister, Aquila, his first cousin once removed, Nymphadora Tonks, as well as his godson Harry Potter (whom he loved as a son), Aquila's best friend Ginny Weasley (his third cousin), Harry's best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, (another third cousin) and his distant cousins in the Weasley family. He was distantly related to Arthur.

#### Hogwarts years (1971-1978)

Sirius had an unhappy childhood; by adolescence he had come to hate most of his relatives, in particular his mother, Walburga and his cousin Bellatrix Black. Whereas all other members of the Black family were Sorted into Slytherin, Sirius was placed in Gryffindor during his Sorting in 1971, 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. Aside from the shrine to Godric Gryffindor, Sirius did the rest of his room akin to a Muggle boy of his age. He put up pictures of motorcycles and fighter jets, as well as posters of bathing beauties. Honouring Muggle accomplishments annoyed his family, but none so much as angering his mother that Sirius considered Muggle women attractive.

By contrast he greatly enjoyed life at Hogwarts, where he was inseparable from his best friends: James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They later discovered that Remus was a werewolf. To support him, Sirius, James, and Peter secretly — and illegally — became Animagi. This allowed them to safely accompany Remus during his transformations and keep him under control. Sirius' form took the shape of a huge black dog (not unlike the Grim), from which his nickname "Padfoot" was derived. James would become a stag (Prongs) and Peter would become a rat (Wormtail). The four friends called themselves "the Marauders" and used the nicknames "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs". Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail came from their three Animagus forms and Moony after his lycanthropic condition. They also created the Marauders Map, which allowed them to see where everyone in the castle was at a given time which made sneaking around and avoiding teachers much easier.

Sirius was extremely skilled in all subjects of magic, but most particularly in Transfiguration and Potions. His younger brother, Regulus, was a haemophiliac and Sirius grew up exposed to his Uncle Alphard, who was a potioneer and had done extensive research into the disease. Sirius became interested in Potions but didn't quite like his teacher, Slughorn, from the first few years of his classes. He turned to focus on Transfiguration instead, as it was incredibly fascinating. He graduated Hogwarts with twelve N.E.W.T.s and twelve O.W.L.s, having taken every academic class Hogwarts had to offer. At first, it was to make his parents proud, and when Orion and Walburga failed to recognise his achievement, his studies became more of a self-expectation for himself. Sirius held himself to a very high regard and refused to let himself fail. He wanted to truly make something of himself.

Although he later referred to his social life and himself as "an idiot" during this time, **Sirius**, along with James were immensely popular. Teachers respected his intelligence (though not his behaviour) and girls adored his dark handsome looks. His especially rebellious attitude made him ignore them, therefore making girls fawn over his bad boy attitude, as well as his looks. Many teachers regarded him and James as troublemakers or practical jokers. Hagrid once compared them to the mischievous twins Fred and George Weasley, saying that the Weasleys could *"give them a run for their money".*

Sirius' popularity was not universal, however. A mutual hatred sprang up between James Potter and Severus Snape. Sirius actively supported James, leading to Snape bestowing an equal and life-long grudge upon Sirius.

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 simply out of boredom. 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 Sirius did admit that he and James were "arrogant little berks" and that he was not proud of his behaviour, but had done nothing to rectify it. He and James eventually ended their campaign of ill treatment towards Snape, but they apparently never apologised. The only time James ever stopped was in front of Lily Evans, a pretty red-head, whom James later married straight out Hogwarts.

Tensions with his parents reached an all-time high during his fifth year at school. In the summer of 1976, Sirius ran away from home at the age of sixteen. He made it to the Potters' house and Charlus and Dorea treated him like a second son. His mother, Walburga, had struck him off the family tree when he did so, and the rest of his family were forbidden to talk to him, including his brother, Regulus, and cousins, Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa.

#### Death of his uncle (1977)

In August of 1977, Sirius received a letter from his Uncle Alphard, who was in hospital for treatment for more internal bleeding. When Sirius arrived to say goodbye, his younger brother, Regulus was already in the room. Alphard encouraged the boys to reconvene and not let their parents control whether they were allowed to speak to each other. Alphard died the night of the 28th of August, and he left Sirius quite a bit of gold. Walburga struck Alphard off the family tree for leaving the money to Sirius. The night that Alphard died was probably the last time Sirius saw Regulus before Regulus's death in 1979.

#### First Wizarding War (1970s-1981)

**Sirius**: *"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard that ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter!"*
**Peter Pettigrew**: *"You don’t understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"*
**Sirius**: *"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"*
— Sirius confronting Peter in regards to his betrayal
After leaving school, Sirius fought against Lord Voldemort, eventually joining the Order of the Phoenix. Around 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. It is unknown whether they got into trouble with the Ministry of Magic.

Sometime in February or March 1979, Sirius' brother died. Regulus' death was caused when he drank the Drink of Despair while trying to destroy one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, and when he tried to get water to quench his thirst, he was dragged to his death by the Inferi, although Sirius never learned the details of his death.

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 fellow Order members Alice and Frank Longbottom, 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 Peter Pettigrew as a less obvious choice. 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.

#### Between the wars (1981-1994)

On Hallowe'en night 1981, Sirius went to Pettigrew’s hiding place and found him missing. Unsettled by the lack of 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 take Harry from him on Dumbledore's orders, Sirius offered to take Harry himself as he was the chosen guardian in the events of James and Lily's death. However, Hagrid told him that Dumbledore had made arrangements to send Harry to Lily's sister, Petunia. Sirius conceded after an argument 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, but never got the chance.

After leaving Godric's Hollow, Sirius, overcome with grief and rage, tracked Pettigrew down, determined to kill him in vengeance. However, Pettigrew outwitted Black: confronted by Sirius on a city street, he shouted out that it was Sirius who betrayed the Potters, and then created a huge explosion on the street with a powerful Blasting Curse, killing twelve Muggles in the process and enabling him to fake his own death and escape in his Animagus form, leaving a severed finger behind as evidence. The surviving Muggles who witnessed the event were pretty certain they saw Sirius murder their twelve companions and Pettigrew with the curse, and Fudge claimed to have seen Sirius laughing maniacally at the scene of the crime, suggesting that he thought Peter accidentally killed himself, and found joy from that.

Sirius was arrested by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and sentenced by Barty Crouch Snr to life imprisonment in Azkaban without a trial for thirteen counts of murder with the Blasting Curse, giving the information about the Potters' whereabouts which lead to their death and service to Lord Voldemort. The surviving Muggles were Obliviated and given an excuse by the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee that a gas-leak occurred before they could remember who really cast the Blasting Curse. Pettigrew was unjustly awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class for his confrontation with Sirius, which, along with the finger that they recovered, were "posthumously" given to his mother. As the time passed, due to misconceptions, many believed that Black drew his wand and killed Pettigrew before the other had a chance of even drawing. Even the other remaining Marauder, Remus, believed it was Sirius who betrayed their brotherhood.

Marked as Prisoner *ᛈᛉ-390,* Sirius was placed 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, which he said in the Shrieking Shack was *"more an obsession than a happy thought"*; it could not be detected by the Dementors, but still allowed him to maintain a sense of self and regain enough strength to transform into his Animagus form in his cell. Since Dementors have difficulty sensing the less complex emotions of animals, he was able to remain relatively unaffected as a dog. It was not at all trouble to them, though, since they thought it meant he was losing his mind like every other convict in their custody, including Bellatrix and some of her fellow Death Eaters.

However, his brooding over his friends' deaths and Pettigrew's betrayal became an obsession as well. This was due to hearing many different theories regarding why Harry survived Voldemort's attack being made by the confined Death Eaters, the most persistent of which indicating that they believed Pettigrew to have betrayed them since the Dark Lord met his downfall on Peter's information. This most likely meant that Pettigrew went into hiding as a rat in hopes of avoiding the half of Voldemort's followers who avoided imprisonment, afraid that they will be motivated to kill him if his continuing existence became known, if not return to their master. Sirius waited until any sources reached within the prison walls leading to the discovery that Pettigrew was staying with a wizarding family as a rat to keep up on current news about Voldemort, all while getting very weak with no hope of driving the Dementors back without his wand, which was taken from him and stored away under Ministry of Magic safety repercussions.

#### Escape from Azkaban (1993)

In 1993, Sirius became the first known person ever to escape from Azkaban. After receiving an issue of the Daily Prophet from Cornelius Fudge during an inspection, he discovered that Pettigrew was indeed hiding in his Animagus form as Ron Weasley's pet rat, Scabbers. Filled with the desire for revenge and concern for Harry, Sirius took his Animagus form and (thinned from undernourishment) was able to slip through the bars of his cell and past the Dementors. He swam across the North Sea back to the mainland and to freedom.

First he made his way to Little Whinging to catch a glimpse of his godson as a teenager, where his Animagus appearance startled Harry before the Knight Bus turned up. News of his escape caused an unprecedented panic, as he was the first escapee of the notorious prison, and that many people believing that he planned to murder Harry in a mad attempt to bring Lord Voldemort back. Witch Watchers that operate as a special Ministry force were used as a means of trying to catch him, but to no avail. The Muggle authorities were warned that Black was dangerous.

Sirius took refuge around Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest, where he was spotted a few times and mistaken by Harry for the Grim. He made the acquaintance of Hermione Granger's cat Crookshanks, who had recognised that Sirius was not actually a dog, and who had also recognised Peter for what he was. Crookshanks attempted to bring Peter to Sirius, but Ron was very protective of his so-called pet. Sirius also spent some of his time in the Shrieking Shack planning various ways in which to catch Pettigrew.

Half-crazed and desperate, Sirius sneaked into Hogwarts through 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 on 31 October, 1993. Later, he came to view the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Eventually, he was able to enter the Gryffindor common room. He accomplished this with a list of passwords Crookshanks had stolen from Neville Longbottom and shredded Ron’s bed curtains in his search for "Scabbers". Peter was nowhere to be found since Sirius' escape had prompted him to once again fake his own death and hide.

#### Reuinion with Harry Potter

In June, Sirius caught Ron carrying Scabbers, after the rat had been discovered hiding in Rubeus Hagrid's cabin, and dragged both boy and rat through the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. Harry and Hermione Granger followed, the former intent on confronting Sirius about the supposed betrayal of his parents, despite the obvious differences in their ages and skill levels; Sirius' weakened state (due to being on the run) at that time led to the boy easily, and without a wand, overpowering the older wizard despite Crookshanks' attempts to aid the Animagus.

Once Harry had Sirius at his mercy, Remus Lupin, who had seen Peter on the confiscated Marauder's Map, disarmed Harry and warmly greeted his old friend. Together, Lupin and Sirius revealed Peter's true form. Both wanted to kill their former friend for betraying James and Lily, but Harry prevented them from doing so, believing that it would be better to force Pettigrew to face justice at the hands of the Dementors. That, and he did not want his father's friends to become murderers, as he did not think that would be what his father wanted.

As they made their way back to the castle, Sirius hesitantly asked Harry if he would like to live with him, thinking Harry would not want to live with the aunt and uncle who had raised him; Harry enthusiastically agreed, thrilled at the idea of leaving the Dursleys and finally having a real home. Unfortunately, soon after they left the Whomping Willow, Lupin transformed under the full moon and, having forgotten to take the Wolfsbane Potion in the wake of discovering Pettigrew, was uncontrollable.

In order to protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione from Lupin, Sirius turned back into a dog, giving Pettigrew an opening to escape and flee. Sirius was weakened following his encounter with Lupin's werewolf form and could not protect himself when hundreds of Dementors guarding Hogwarts arrived. Harry and Hermione had followed Sirius and found him lying unconscious and surrounded by the hooded creatures, he attempted to perform the Patronus Charm but to no avail. The Dementors nearly succeeded in sucking out Sirius' soul until a powerful Patronus resembling a stag warded them off.

Sirius was briefly recaptured by Snape and was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss, a fate worse than death. But miraculously, this never came to pass, for Harry and Hermione had used Hermione's Time Turner to travel back in time where they had run into Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister, and her friend Aquila, in the Forbidden Forest, who were attempting to hide from their friend Maisie Cattermole, who incidentally was also a werewolf. Ginny had recognised Pettigrew as her brother's rat and had recaptured him, putting him into a cage that Aquila had conjured. However, when Hermione and Harry told them the full story, they wanted to help. Sirius met Aquila for the first time when she and Harry flew to the top of the North Tower to rescue him. Their meeting was brief, however.

When Harry and Sirius flew down to an interior courtyard, the plan initially being to raise the alarm, as Hermione and Ginny were waiting on the ground for them with Pettigrew, they were intercepted, and they ran into Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and two of his Aurors, Dawlish and Shacklebolt, who were there to oversee Sirius's near-execution.

Fudge, upon seeing Black with the four children, immediately ordered the Aurors (Dawlish and Shacklebolt) to re-capture Sirius, but Hermione managed to perform a tricky bit of magic which forced Pettigrew back into his human form, just as they descended. She had managed to copy Remus and Sirius's spell which they had performed earlier, which ended up saving Sirius's life. Sirius and Pettigrew were both dragged off for questioning in London.

#### Captured

Sirius was interrogated in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement for a large amount of time. It took so long that Harry worried that they would just throw him back into Azkaban. Thankfully, Albus Dumbledore managed to speed up the process, and gathered key witnesses, including Hermione, Harry, and Ron, to testify of the evening's events. The entire Weasley family was also brought in to identify their former rat, and Arthur Weasley was questioned as to whether an average wizard was able to ascertain whether a pet was an animagus or not.

The verdict was, according to Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, that Sirius had been imprisoned unlawfully and that the blame was centred on the mistakes of the previous administration. Peter Pettigrew was arrested after he confessed to the crime of killing thirteen muggles, and for his status in an illegal terrorist organisation, and because he was an unregistered animagus. He could not, however, be prosecuted for pseudocide or because he deliberately mislead and tricked the Weasley family into believing he was their beloved pet for twelve years.

### Freedom (1994)

Cornelius Fudge granted an official "pardon" to Sirius, after everything was over, but because he had never been convicted of a crime in the first place, it could not technically be considered a pardon. He was released by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement from holding on 24 July, 1994, and walked out as a free man.

Sirius was, however, required to testify along with Remus Lupin at the trial of Peter Pettigrew, which took place on 6 August, 1994. He spent the week between his release and the trial at Remus's small house in Yorkshire, but he visited Harry Potter four times in Little Whinging.

During the trial of Peter Pettigrew, Sirius volunteered information regarding the events of 1 November, 1981, while members of the Weasley family, including Arthur Weasley, Percy Weasley, and Ronald Weasley, filled in the rest as to what happened later, and how Pettigrew had come into their possession. Much of the evidence came from Pettigrew's confession, however, as he pleaded guilty. It is unknown why Pettigrew chose this plea. Harry was there for the trial, and the testimony which he gave to officials in July was used regarding the evening of 6 June, 1994. Also sitting in the viewer's gallery was Hermione Granger, Molly Weasley and her daughter Ginny, looking reluctant, and Narcissa Malfoy, who looked *"rather as if she had some dung up her nose"* but also Harry wondered whether that was her natural expression. On the third and final day of proceedings, Aquila was there, sitting beside Lucius Malfoy, who looked similarly disgusted. They left, or rather, Aquila was forced to leave, before she could say hello to Harry.

Peter Pettigrew was officially convicted on 30 August, 1994, of each crime brought against him. Out of all of the Weasleys, only Arthur was there on the day of the sentencing. Sirius and Remus sat beside him in the viewer's gallery. Albus Dumbledore was also present, as presiding Chief Warlock of the Wizenagmot, for the judgement.

## Physical Appearance

Sirius was a tall, well-built, darkly handsome man with fair skin, medium, lustrous black hair, which sometimes appeared light in the sun, striking grey eyes, and an air of "casual elegance". This vestige of aristocratic beauty is apparently an attribute passed down through the Black Family. When Harry entered into Snape's memory, he saw a fifteen-year-old Sirius finishing his exams while being ogled by a girl who sat a few rows behind him, due to his considerable good looks and casual yet elegant attitude.

Unfortunately, Sirius' handsomeness - much like his imprisoned cousin, Bellatrix - suffered due to the depression and maltreatment he underwent during the twelve years he spent in Azkaban. As a result, Sirius had prematurely aged beyond that of a man in his thirties. 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 exoneration, he visited Harry in the Common Room fireplace, and he was described as having short, clean hair and a fuller, younger face, though his physical appearance had yet to fully recover from his imprisonment.

## Personality and traits

Sirius was true to the ideal of a Gryffindor student. He was true-hearted and brave, as shown by his participation in both wars and willingness to die for those he loved. He was particularly loyal to his best friend, James Potter, a fellow Gryffindor. In his youth, he was a witty and talented wizard, but also quite an arrogant and mischievous troublemaker. He bullied and humiliated those he particularly disliked, namely Severus Snape. He was vicious towards those he hated, sometimes unjustifiably — deliberately sending the teenage Snape off to the Shrieking Shack when Remus Lupin was a full-fledged werewolf, while knowing that it could be fatal for Severus. He, along with James, were acknowledged to be some of the most brilliant students Hogwarts had ever seen, as proven by their ability to become Animagi as underage wizards and by the creation of the Marauders' Map.

As an adult, Sirius was shown to be capable of an explosive temper when angered, a trait shared by his mother, Walburga Black, and his mad cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. His years in Azkaban contributed dramatically, which was especially evident during 1993 and 1994: trying persistently to capture Peter Pettigrew, going to lengths that even Dumbledore commented as not those of an innocent right-thinking man.

However, through it all, Sirius had good intentions. For all his wrath and vengeance toward Pettigrew, he was capable of respecting Harry's request to not murder the man he escaped Azkaban to kill; opting instead to expose Pettigrew (a plan that unfortunately failed at first, with positive results). He also seemed to have possessed a superb mental control that contrasted sharply with his passionate and impulsive nature. The fact that he was able to completely resist the psychological effects of the Dementors for so many years suggests that he had an unusually strong sense of self, and therefore was capable of withstanding long periods of emotional torture and despair.

Besides all this, Sirius seems to have some traits related to his Animagus form of a dog. Such examples are when James Potter points out Snape, and Sirius is described as *"perfectly still like a dog smelling a rabbit."* The most referenced of these traits is his *"bark-like laugh."* as it is described nearly every time it is heard. Sirius' other dog-like traits include his need to protect his loved ones, his selfless nature, great sense of loyalty, and his need to be part of something bigger than himself, such as when he helped to plant the seeds of Dumbledore's Army and encouraged and enabled Harry and Aquila to further the movement against Umbridge's increasingly totalitarian hold over Hogwarts. His territorial protectiveness over the places and people he cared for were always evident, given how he stayed in his dog form for Harry after his encounter and duel against the newly resurrected Voldemort in Little Hangleton, comforting his godson in plain view of many people, including Cornelius Fudge, who still thought he was a criminal, at great personal risk to himself.

## Magical abilities and skills

Sirius was described as a powerful wizard by his former teacher, McGonagall. Remus also once stated that he had been one of the cleverest Hogwarts students of his time.

* **Animagus**: Sirius was able to become an Animagus in his fifth year, assuming the shape of a large black dog. Since he was an unregistered Animagus, he was able to take advantage of this ability to elude his Ministry captors.
* **Transfiguration**: Sirius was incredibly talented in Transfiguration. In his fifth year, he was already skilled enough in Human Transfiguration to be successfully become an Animagus. Along with Remus Lupin, he easily performed Untransfiguration on Peter, forcing him out of his Animagus form.
* **Potions**: In his fifth year, Sirius and James successfully brewed the Animagus Potion, a potion which is highly complex and time-consuming to brew, and with great consequences if done improperly.
* **Charms**: Sirius was highly talented in charm-work from a young age. With his friends, he created the Marauder's Map during their teenage years, the complex manufacturing process of which involved the Homonculous Charm and a spell to insult those who attempted to read it, and both enchantments lasted long after all four of the producers' demises. He also placed Permanent Sticking Charms on the decorations in his room at Number 12 Grimmauld Place that were too strong for his parents to remove. He also used Charms to enchant his motorcycle to be able to fly and travel at unnaturally high speeds. Last but not least, Sirius was capable of producing a non-corporeal Patronus, which is a highly advanced piece of protective magic, testifying to his exceptional proficiency in charms and superior magical ability as a wizard.
* **Non-verbal magic**: Sirius was able to non-verbally perform Human Transfiguration and defensive magic (Disarming and Stunning spells). Since non-verbal magic is very difficult, this is testament to his power and skill as a wizard.
* **Care of Magical Creatures**: Sirius won the trust and loyalty of magical creatures easily. During his hunt for Wormtail, he managed to gain the trust of Crookshanks, a highly intelligent half-Kneazle cat.
* **Critical Thinking:** Sirius was able to deduce that Pettigrew was at Hogwarts with Harry when he saw a photograph of the Weasley family with Pettigrew in his animagus form in a Daily Prophet article. Sirius then escaped Azkaban to protect Harry, using his Animagus form and weight loss to his advantage, becoming the only person to escape Azkaban unaided. He was able to successfully enter Hogwarts on two separate occasions and escaped recapture both times, even though the highly skilled Hogwarts professors and the Dementors were searching for him. His interest in the Daily Prophet crossword and the intelligent questions he asked about the schemes surrounding the Triwizard Tournament confirm his incisive intelligence.
* **Duelling**: Sirius fought with the Order of the Phoenix in the First Wizarding War and survived. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he defeated an unnamed Death Eater and fought the extremely deadly Antonin Dolohov to a standstill until Harry intervened and knocked out Dolohov.
* **Physical Combat Skills**: During his school years, Sirius and James used their respective Animagus forms to physically keep Remus in check while he was a werewolf. As demonstrated by his attack on Wormtail, Sirius possessed a dog's swift speed in his Animagus form, which allowed him to get the jump on his opponents before resuming his human form. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he infused physical combat into his duelling style by ramming Dolohov with his shoulder and punching Malfoy in the face.
* **Occlumency (possibly)**: Though it was never outright stated or confirmed, it is likely that Sirius was an accomplished Occlumens. He was confident that he could conceal the change in Secret Keepers from Voldemort, who was a formidably skilled Legilimens, and while in Grimmauld Place, he had a silent conversation with Remus Lupin while the two maintained eye contact for a lengthy period of time.
* **Indomitable Will:** Sirius was able to resist the Dementors' effects in Azkaban for twelve years and retained his sanity by focusing on his innocence and transforming into his Animagus form when necessary.
* **Driving Skills:** Sirius was a very capable motorcyclist, able to maintain stability with a passenger riding pillion while duelling three pursuers on broomsticks and evading a Muggle police car. Sirius' driving was certainly above average, if not at peak levels, as very few professional stunt cyclists would be capable of a similar feat.
* **Mechanical Aptitude:** Sirius modified a motorbike to be able to fly (among other possible modifications he made) and maintained it for around four years.

## Relationships

#### Family

*"I hated the lot of them: my parents with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them... They thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having pure-bloods in charge."*
—Sirius alienation in regards to his family
The nature of Sirius' relationship with his family during his early childhood is unknown, but at the age of eleven, he earned the severe disappointment and disapproval of his family by being sorted into Gryffindor House at Hogwarts. Sirius, in turn, became increasingly rebellious, flaunting his house affiliation and disdain for his family's 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 money to his nephew.

Little is known about Sirius' relationship with his younger brother, Regulus, as he never spoke about it. It was revealed, however, that Sirius had wished that Regulus had not been foolish enough to go with what their parents told him to do, and was rather upset with losing his little brother to the Death Eaters at such a young and promising age. It can be theorised that he would have been comforted if he had known that his brother had died defying Voldemort.

Sirius later claimed to have "hated the whole lot of them," referring to his family, 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 his estranged sister, Aquila, who was the same age as his godson, as well as his cousin Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora Tonks, a fellow member of the Order of the Phoenix. It can also be assumed that he at least had a more healthy relationship with his uncle Alphard than most of his family considering he left some inheritance for Sirius.

#### Kreacher

Kreacher was the house-elf of the Black family for years. Kreacher mimicked the family's pure-blood supremacist values, believing he should only serve pure-blood wizards; as such, he accused Sirius of being a "blood-traitor" and "breaking his mother's heart." Sirius, on his part, did not care at all about Kreacher, as he saw too much of the family he loathed in the utterly unpleasant and bad-natured house-elf, and treated him, in Dumbledore's terms, as *"a servant unworthy of much interest or notice".*

#### Marauders

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. Together, this group created the Marauder's Map. 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, who was less likely to be suspected of holding the secret. 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, as he would have willingly died for them, and 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. Afterwards, the two reclaimed their friendship.

## Etymology

The name "Sirius Black" is a play on his Animagus form of a black dog since 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 Greek mythology, it is Orion's dog. 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. His full name is an oxymoron of sorts, as his first name, "Sirius" is referring to the brightest star in the night sky, and his last name, "Black," is referring to the darkest colour, which is the result of the absence of light.

Padfoot refers to a spectral Hellhound (Most commonly known as Black Shuck) with glowing red eyes that haunts the moors around Leeds, in Northern England. Its presence is announced by soft, padding footfalls that may be accompanied by the rattle of chains or a fierce roaring as the beast draws closer to its intended victim. It's one of many "black dog" myths and is the likely source for Sirius' nickname.

Black hounds also appear on the Black family crest.