Sirius Black

### Died

18 June, 1996 (aged 36) Death Chamber, Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic, Whitehall, London, England, Great Britain

### Also Known As

* Padfoot (by Marauders and the quartet
* Snuffles (by Quartet)
* Stubby Boardman (by *The Quibbler*

## Relationship Information

### Family Members

* Orion Black (father/second cousin once removed; deceased)
* Walburga Black (mother/second cousin once removed; deceased)
* Regulus Black II (brother/third cousin; deceased)
* Felicity Black (daughter)
* Arcturus Black III (paternal grandfather/maternal first cousin twice removed; deceased)
* Melania Black (née Macmillan) (paternal grandmother)
* Pollux Black (maternal grandfather/paternal first cousin twice removed; deceased)
* Irma Black (née Crabbe) (maternal grandmother)
* Lucretia Prewett (née Black (paternal aunt/maternal second cousin once removed; deceased)
* Alphard Black (maternal uncle/paternal second cousin once removed; deceased)
* Cygnus Black III (maternal uncle/paternal second cousin once removed; deceased)
* Ignatius Prewett (paternal uncle by marriage)
* Druella Black (née Rosier (maternal aunt by marriage)
* Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) (maternal first cousin/paternal third cousin; deceased)
* Andromeda Tonks (née Black) (maternal first cousin/paternal third cousin)
* Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) (maternal first cousin/paternal third cousin)
* Rodolphus Lestrange (maternal first cousin-in-law/paternal third-cousin-in-law)
* Edward Tonks (maternal first cousin-in-law/paternal third cousin-in-law)
* Lucius Malfoy (maternal first cousin-in-law/paternal third cousin-in-law)
* House of Black
* Macmillan Family (paternal relatives)
* Crabbe Family (maternal relatives)
* Gamp Family (paternal ancestors)
* Bulstrode Family (maternal ancestors)
* Flint Family (paternal/maternal ancestors)

### Romances

* Remus Lupin
* Charlotte Potter

## Affiliation

### Loyalty

* House of Black (formerly; disowned)
* Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
	+ Gryffindor
	+ Marauders
* Potter Family
* Order of the Phoenix

"*I don't know how I did it. I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me... but it kept me sane and knowing who I am... helped me keep my powers... so when it all became... too much... I could transform in my cell... become a dog.*"
— How Sirius survived in Azkaban

{ADD: BIOGRAPHY (EARLY LIFE, HOGWARTS, FIRST Ww, BETWEEN (IMPRISONMENT, ESCAPE, REUNION, HIDING), SECOND WW (REJOINING, BOTDOW (DEATH), POST-MORTEM)) DESCRIPTION, PERSONALITY, RELATIONSHIPS (FAMILY, KREACHER, MARAUDERS, SNAPE, LILY, FELICITY, HARRY, RON, HERMIONE, DUMBLES, WEASLEYS, HOGWARTS, OOTP, BARTY CROUCH))

**Sirius Black III** (3 November, 1959 - 18 June, 1996), also known as **Padfoot** or **Snuffles** (in his Animagus form), was an English Pureblood wizard, the elder son of Orion and Walburga Black, the brother of Regulus Black, father of Felicity Black, and godfather of Harry Potter. 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 the rest of his family had been in Slytherin, he was the odd one out.

As Sirius' relationship with his relatives deteriorated, he gained a lifelong friendship with James Potter and Remus Lupin. He was also friends with 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 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 get revenge on Pettigrew. However, Pettigrew was able to frame Sirius for his betrayed of the Potters, the murder of Charlotte Potter and 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. He did it 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, his daughter Flick, and his godson Harry. After Lord Voldemort returned in 1995, Sirius rejoined the Order. He was murdered by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and subsequently cleared of all charges by the Ministry of Magic, though it was too late for him to enjoy his freedom. Eventually, his death was avenged by Molly Weasley.

He briefly appeared again to Harry through the Resurrection Stone on 2 May, 1998, along with James and Lily Potter, and Remus Lupin. Harry later named his first son James Sirius Potter after him and his father James Potter I.

## Magical Abilities and Skills

"*It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father, Charlotte and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong - one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James, Charlotte and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will.*"
— Remus Lupin explaining how Sirius became an Animagus along with his friends

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.

"*I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all.*"
— Sirius boasting of his Transfiguration expertise in his fifth year

* **Transfiguration**: Sirius was incredibly talented in Transfiguration. In his fifth year, he was already skilled enough in Human Transfiguration to successfully become an Animagus, 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. Along with Remus Lupin, he easily performed Untransfiguration on Peter, forcing him out of his Animagus form.
* **Potions**: In their fifth year, Sirius, James, and Charlotte successfully brewed the Animagus Potion, a potion which is highly complex and time-consuming to brew and with great consequences if done improperly. This demonstrated that Sirius was skilled with potion-making.
* **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 five of the producers' demises. He also placed Permanent Sticking Charms on the decorations in his room at 12 Grimmauld Place that were too strong for his parents to remove. He was capable of levitating Severus Snape's unconscious body in the Shrieking Shack with the charm *Mobilicorpus*. He was good with other everyday household charms, such as the Levitation Charm, Summoning Charm, Banishing Charm, and Mending Charm. He also used charms to enchant his motorcycle to be able to fly and travel at unnaturally high speeds. Also used the Summoning Charm to successfully summon several bottles of Butterbeer at 12 Grimmauld Place to himself, Flick, Harry, and the Weasleys. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he cast an effective Shield Charm to protect Harry. Last but not least, Sirius was capable of producing a non-corporeal Patronus, which is a highly advanced piece of protective magic, and further proof of his superior magic and overall charms ability.
* **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 a testament to his power and skill as a wizard.
* **Healing Magic**: Sirius magically healed an injury from a biting snuffbox filled with wartcap powder seconds after he received it. He also tended to the injury Kreacher caused Buckbeak, apparently successfully.
* **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. He also got along well with Buckbeak the Hippogriff. Sirius escaped with Buckbeak and took care of him for the next two years, feeding him and caring for his injuries successfully.
* **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. He also fought on part with his cousin Bellatrix, who was Voldemort's most powerful Death Eater, although his recklessness led to his death at her hands.
* **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.

"*Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake. I'll be surprised if I don't get Outstanding on it at least.*"
— A fifth year Sirius boasting about his high intelligence after his Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.

* **Intellectual Skills**: Sirius was able to deduce that Pettigrew was at Hogwarts with Harry and Flick 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 and Flick, 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. The intelligent questions he asked about the schemes surrounding the Triwizard Tournament confirm his incisive intelligence.
* **Strong Willpower**: Sirius had an extremely strong willpower and mental fortitude, which allowed him to resist the Dementors' depressive effects in Azkaban for twelve years by focusing on both his innocence and his desire for vengeance against Pettigrew along with transforming into his Animagus form when necessary. This was especially notable as most prisoners of Azkaban either became insane or lost their will to live within weeks when succumbing to the Dementor's depressive effects, something which especially unnerved Cornelius Fudge, who was surprised to see how little the Dementors had an effect on Black. Earlier in life, Sirius was unafraid of challenging and rebelling against his family's prejudice against non-pure-bloods, which eventually resulted in them disowning him, upending their tradition of being sorted into Slytherin, which resulted in him being sorted into Gryffindor, and even fighting against family members like Bellatrix, who joined Voldemort and his Death Eaters. This also included fighting against both Voldemort and his Death Eaters while being unafraid to say Voldemort's name aloud. After his escape from Azkaban, Sirius was determined and relentless in wanting to both avenge his wrongful imprisonment due to Pettigrew's treachery and protect Harry and Flick from Pettigrew even though the Ministry of Magic was after him and Hogwarts was heavily guarded by both the professors and Dementors. He was later willing to risk his own safety and risk exposure in order to give Harry, Flick and their friends advice along with protecting them, which eventually resulted in his own death at the hands of his cousin Bellatrix to protect Harry. Flick and their friends when Voldemort lured them to the Ministry of Magic. Albus Dumbledore in particular noted that Sirius was never one to stand by when any of his loved ones were in danger, which was another testament to Sirius's strong willpower.
* **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's driving was certainly above average, if not at peak levels, as very few professional stunt cyclists would be capable of a similar feat.
* **Mechanical Skills**: Sirius modified a motorbike to be able to fly (among other possible modifications he made) and maintained it for around four years.