Sirius Black

"*We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.*"
— Sirius to Harry Potter[src]
**Sirius Black** is a character in the *Harry Potter book series*. He is the best friend of James Potter and Godfather of Harry Potter. He was part of the Order of Phoenix in the First Wizarding War. He was framed by Peter Pettigrew for betraying James, Lily and Harry to Voldemort.

Twelve years later, he escaped from Azkaban to find Pettigrew. He proved his innocence to Harry and they captured Pettigrew. However, he escaped capture which took away Sirius's chance at vindication, and he spent three years in hiding at 12 Grimmauld Place. He was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries helping to save Dumbledore's Army from the Death Eaters.

## Biography

### Early life

Sirius was the elder child of Orion and Walburga Black, who were second cousins. He had a younger brother, Regulus Black.

He was born into the Noble House of Black, an ancient and pure-blood wizarding family. They studied the Dark Arts and supported blood purity. The House of Black disowned anyone in their family that they found unsuitable for the preservation of their bloodline. He was raised to think pure-bloods were better than everyone else and he was pressured into upholding these values.

Sirius grew up to be rebellious and fought against these values, causing conflict with his parents. He was not close to Regulus, who was their parents' favourite, because he was supportive of their values. He was closer to family who were disowned, including a cousin, Andromeda Tonks who was disowned for being a blood traitor.

Sirius had an unhappy childhood and hated life at 12 Grimmauld Place. He was not fond of Walburga and he hated other family members including his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. He was accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at age eleven. He was expected to be Sorted into Slytherin, the House of the family.

### Education

In September 1971, he began attending Hogwarts. Sirius was Sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. He was very proud of it even though that set him apart in the family. At home in Grimmauld Place, he put up Gryffindor banners and photos of him and his friends around the bedroom to annoy Orion and Walburga.

He befriended James Potter on the train to their first-year. While they talked to each other, they heard Lily Evans and Severus Snape talking about what House they wanted to be Sorted into, but James's response was very rude when he heard Snape was hoping for Slytherin. Sirius told James how his whole family was Sorted into Slytherin, and James told everyone he wanted Gryffindor. Sirius snarked at how Snape wasn't brainy or brawny, causing Lily and Snape to leave. James tried to trip Snape up and someone shouted "Snivellus" when he walked away. They continued to bully Snape for years.

Sirius loved life at school away from home. He and James befriended fellow Gryffindor students, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew and the four friends were inseparable. He and James were like brothers and enjoyed pranking people. They would get Rosmerta to laugh whenever they went to the Three Broomsticks Inn. Even though he acted foolish, he was academically intelligent. He and James were very popular because they were rebellious and many of the girls had a crush on him because he was good-looking.

Sirius, James and Peter eventually worked out that Remus was a werewolf in their second-year. They spent three years training to illegally be Animagi in order to join him in the Shrieking Shack whenever he transformed and keep him company. He eventually succeeded in transforming and turned into a large, black dog. They adopted a name for their gang, Marauders, for which he was given a nickname, Padfoot. Having joined Lupin in the Shrieking Shack for a while, they thought they could control the werewolf and gained the confidence to let Lupin loose and wander school grounds. They foolishly found it funny, even if Lupin nearly escaped. Through exploring the school, they found hidden passageways and created the Marauder's Map.

However, their pranking could turn into bullying, and their teasing and bullying of Snape got worse. They kept taunting and calling him Snivellus. In June 1976, they took an O.W.L. examination and walked round school grounds when it was finished. Sirius was bored, so James decided to pick on Snape for fun. Sirius encouraged James to hex and humiliate Snape and kept laughing. Lily defended Snape which led to further teasing. Sirius found Snape very annoying, especially when he started getting curious about where Lupin was going when he saw him being taken to the Whomping Willow one day. Sirius ended up telling Snape how to tap a knot in the trunk of the Willow to get into a secret passageway to the Shrieking Shack, knowing he would get into danger when he was confronted by a werewolf. Snape unknowingly headed towards danger, but James found out what Sirius had done and pulled Snape back before he was killed.

Years later, Professors would say Sirius and James were troublemakers. Rubeus Hagrid thought they would have given pranksters Fred and George Weasley a runaround. People had a good opinion of Sirius when he was attended school and didn't think he would ever get involved in the Dark Arts.

### First Wizarding War

He was Best Man at James and Lily's wedding, where a photograph was taken which was later given to Harry. He was chosen to be their first child, Harry Potter's godfather. In 1980, Voldemort heard a prophecy about how Harry would one day have a power he could use defeat him, James and Lily had to go into hiding. They needed a Secret Keeper and they had to choose wisely because they had a spy in their ranks. Sirius suspected Lupin could be a spy and didn't even think of Peter because he had appeared too cowardly to even consider it.

James wanted Sirius to be their Secret Keeper because he knew would willingly do anything necessary to keep Harry safe. However, Sirius knew he was going to be suspected, and suggested they use Peter instead because he was their less obvious choice. Because he thought he could be a spy, Lupin was kept in the dark about switching Sirius for Peter. However, Peter was the spy and he told Voldemort less than seven days later. Sirius would feel life-long guilt for trusting Peter because he thought he had gotten James and Lily killed by being so foolish.

### Imprisonment

Sirius kept checking on Peter in a hiding place to find out if he was okay. One night, he found Peter was gone and was worried. He couldn't find any signs of a struggle. He decided to check the Potter cottage where he found James and Lily dead. Harry survived and Sirius, being the godfather, wanted to raise him. However, Albus Dumbledore sent Rubeus Hagrid to take Harry to the Dursley family instead. He eventually gave Harry to Hagrid and let him borrow his flying motorbike. He was devastated and had to be consoled by Hagrid.

He decided to find and confront Peter for what he done. Peter fought back and faked his own death in an explosion. He killed twelve Muggles in the process, cut his finger off, even asked Sirius how HE could have betrayed James and Lily and snuck away in Animagus form to go into hiding. Ministry officials found nothing but Peter's finger and blood-stained robes in front of a laughing Sirius. He was taken prisoner by Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad who thought he was insane.

These actions bought Sirius infamy. He was thought to be a deranged supporter of You-Know-Who and the wizarding world lived in fear of him. People even suggested he wanted to be second-in-command to the Dark Lord, and that he was the Secret Keeper who betrayed James and Lily. Knowledge of Sirius supposedly killing Peter and being a Secret Keeper was not widely known in the wizarding world. He was kept under the highest security of Azkaban.

Sirius was largely kept sane by the knowledge that he was innocent. It wasn't a happy thought so the Dementors didn't have a profound effect. He called that thought an obsession rather than a happy thing and he stayed rational. He brooded about losing James and Lily and grew angry at Peter's betrayal. He heard things including other Death Eaters also having anger towards Peter. They knew Peter had told Voldemort where to find the Potters, so when the Dark Lord supposedly died in the encounter, they suspected he set him up to fail. Sirius thought Peter stayed a rat for years to avoid getting caught not just by Aurors but also by Death Eaters.

### Escape

In July 1993, Cornelius Fudge inspected Azkaban and gave Sirius a newspaper. He saw a photograph of Peter in Animagus form on the front page, who was now a pet rat adopted by the Weasley family. He figured out that Peter was there to keep up with the news and that Ron was in Harry's year at Hogwarts. Siriusthought Peter was biding time until Voldemort returned so he could get back into the Death Eaters good books by killing Harry.

Sirius wanted to find and kill Peter to protect Harry and get revenge. The guards heard Black talking while he was sleeping saying "he's at Hogwarts". They thought he was talking about Harry instead of Peter. Sirius was undernourished and thin enough to transform into Animagus form and get through the bars of the cell, and with Dementors struggling to detect the feelings of an animal, he successfully escaped. Fudge attended Azkaban that night and was concerned for Harry.

### Prisoner of Azkaban

The news of Sirius escaping caused panic in the wizarding world. He was the first known prisoner to ever escape, he was called dangerous and people thought he was intending to kill Harry and find the Dark Lord. The hunt to find Sirius failed and he was featured in the Muggle news. They weren't given details but a phone line was established. Harry saw Sirius for the first time on TV.

The first thing he did was travel to Privet Drive to be close to Harry. He startled Harry when he noticed a black dog staring at him. However, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Knight Bus and he slipped away. Sirius then travelled to Hogsmeade and started living in the Forbidden Forest to be near Hogwarts. In October, he was spotted by a Muggle near Hogwarts who phoned the authorities. When the Ministry of Magic arrived, he had vanished. A few days later, he run out of patience and tried to get into the Gryffindor common room. However, the Fat Lady wouldn't open the door. He was angry and started slashing her portrait while she run away. A search party was set up but he had fled the school.

In November, Sirius decided to attend a Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. During the game, Harry noticed a black dog in the highest, empty stand. When he looked back, Sirius had run away. In December, the Ministry of Magic put a curfew on Hogsmeade which they did not plan to lift until they had caught Sirius. He decided to send Harry a gift for Christmas. By that point, he had befriended Crookshanks, a Kneazle who had a good judge of character. He sent Crookshanks to deliver an order form to send Harry a Firebolt. Harry was delighted at the gift and didn't consider who had sent it. However, Hermione Granger told Professor McGonagall who took it away for investigation.

In the new year, the Ministry of Magic decreed that Sirius could be given the Kiss the second he was found. In February, Crookshanks found a piece of paper with passwords written down for the Gryffindor common room. He gave it to Sirius who Sir Cadogan granted entry. He found Scabbers next to Ron and he was about to attack when Ron woke up and started screaming. He run away and a second search party tried to find him. However, he had escaped. Security at Hogwarts then increased with the front door getting taught to recongise a picture of Sirius.

In the spring, Harry saw Crookshanks talking to a black dog near the Forbidden Forest. In June, Sirius saw Harry with Hermione and Ron holding Scabbers on the school grounds. He appeared in Animagus form to get Scabbers. He bit and dragged Ron by the arm into the Shrieking Shack where he revealed who he was. He disarmed the trio but Sirius's words upset Harry and he had to held back when he tried to attack him twice. The second time, he and the others physcially overpowered Sirius and took control of the three wands back.

"*Then you should have died! Died, rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you.*"
— Sirius confronting Peter for betraying James, Lily and Harry[src]

Eventually, Harry pointed a wand at Sirius's chest and questioned how he killed James and Lily. Sirius did not deny he caused their deaths but that he needed to hear the full story. They were interrupted when Lupin arrived who disarmed Harry. To everyone's shock, he helped Sirius and asked where Peter was. They revealed that Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew. Harry and the others found the news very diffiult to accept but he and Lupin started to tell the story, starting with their youth. They were also interrupted when Professor Snape arrived, who tried to apprehend Sirius. However, Harry wanted to hear the rest of Sirius and Lupin's story and knocked Snape out so they could continue.

Sirius and Lupin continued to tell Harry their story and explained what happened to James and Lily. Harry wanted proof that Scabbers was Peter so they forced the rat to transform into a human with a spell. Peter tried to say he was innocent and that he lived in hiding out of fear Sirius would kill him. He told Harry that Sirius was a Dark wizard who couldn't be trusted and pleaded for help. Upon hearing the full story, Harry decided Sirius was telling the truth. Peter soon admitted to the truth when he couldn't keep his story together under questioning. Though he still tried to say he did it out of fear of Voldemort, it was revealed he did it because he was a coward who thought he had more to gain out of siding with the Dark Lord.

Sirius and Lupin decided to kill Peter but they were stopped by Harry who thought it was better to give Peter to the authorities. The group guided a restrained Peter out of the Shrieking Shack toward Hogwarts. Harry and Sirius spoke kindly for the first time in which he invited Harry to live with him. Sirius was surprised when he gladly accepted the invitation. Their joy at the reunion was ruined when Lupin. having forgotten to take the Wolfsbane Potion, transformed into a werewolf. While they tried to control the situation, Peter escaped causing Sirius to transform into a dog and run across school grounds.

"*The ones who love us never really leave us, you can always find them in here.*"
— Sirius's farewell to Harry[src]
 Harry found Sirius near the lake getting the Kiss off a horde of Dementors. He tried to produce the Patronus Charm to help but they also attacked him. While he passed out, he saw a figure over the other side of the lake saving them. Sirius was recaptured by Snape and taken to Filius Flitwick's office. Cornelius Fudge arranged for Sirius to get the Dementor's Kiss that night. Fortunately, he was rescued by Harry and Hermione who used a Time-Turner to help Sirius escape. They also rescued Buckbeak, a Hippogriff at Dumbledore's suggestion that "more than one innocent life" could be saved that night. He flew away with Buckbeak, promising Harry that would be reunited.

Soon after his escape, he sent Harry, Ron and Hermione a letter with a tiny owl called Pigwidgeon (which he offered to Ron to keep) telling Harry he had sent the Firebolt for Christmas. Being his godfather, he also gave permisson for Harry to visit to Hogsmeade. Due to Peter's escape, Sirius had to stay in hiding.

## Appearance

He was handsome when he was younger, but when he escaped Azkaban he was gaunt and had elbow-length, tangled hair. He had a sunken face and shadowed eyes.

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 16 stated that James and Lily Potter were born in January and March 1960. Sirius was in their year at Hogwarts, and had to be born in Sept 1959 to Aug 1960 to be in their year group.
2. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 31 determined that the Battle of the Department of Mysteries took place on the third Thursday in June. That places the date in or around 18 to 20 June.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 18
4. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 6
5. ↑ J.K. Rowling's World Book Day Chat
6. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 33
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 10
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 11
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 19
10. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 1
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 3
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 4
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 2
14. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 7
15. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 8
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 9
17. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 12
18. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 13
19. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 14
20. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 15
21. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 16
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 17
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 20
24. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 21
25. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 22
26. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 11