Sirius Black

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Sirius BlackIII (3 November^[1]1959^[16] –18 June1996),^[4] also known asPadfoot orSnuffles (in hisAnimagus form), was anEnglishpure-bloodwizard, the eldest son ofOrion andWalburga Black, the older brother ofRegulus Black, and godfather ofHarry Potter. Although he was the heir of theHouse of Black, Sirius disagreed with his family's belief inblood purity and defied tradition when he wasSorted intoGryffindor House instead ofSlytherin atHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which he attended from1971 to1978. As the rest of his family had been in Slytherin, he was the odd one out.

As Sirius's relationship with his relatives deteriorated, he gained a lifelong friendship withJames Potter andRemus Lupin. He was also friends withPeter Pettigrew. The four friends, also known as theMarauders, joined theOrder of the Phoenix to fight againstLord Voldemort and hisDeath Eaters during theFirst Wizarding War. Sirius was named the godfather of Harry James Potter, the only son of James andLily Potter. When Pettigrew betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, Sirius sought to get revenge on Pettigrew. However, Pettigrew was able toframe Sirius for his betrayal of the Potters, the murder oftwelve Muggles, and the staged murder of Pettigrew before Sirius could accomplish this.

Sirius was sent toAzkaban and, after twelve years, became the only known person toescape 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. Siriusexposed Pettigrew's treachery to his old friend Remus and his godson Harry. Unfortunately,Dementorsattacked the group and allowed Pettigrew to escape. With theMinister for MagicCornelius Fudge wanting to have Siriuskissed by the Dementors and Sirius's proof of innocence gone, he was forced to go on the run.

After Lord Voldemortreturned in1995, Sirius rejoined the Order. He waskilled by his cousinBellatrix Lestrange during theBattle of the Department of Mysteries and subsequently cleared of all charges by theMinistry of Magic, though it was too late for him to enjoy his freedom. Eventually, his death wasavenged byMolly Weasley.

He briefly appeared again to Harry through theResurrection Stone on2 May1998, along with James and Lily Potter, and Remus Lupin. Harry later named his first sonJames Sirius Potter after him and his father James Potter I.

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Who is Sirius Black?

Sirius Black III is a character from the Harry Potter series.

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What is Sirius Black's animagus form?

Sirius Black's animagus form is that of a black dog.

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What is Sirius Black's relationship to Harry Potter?

Sirius Black is Harry Potter's godfather.

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What is Sirius Black's opinion on blood purity?

Sirius disagreed with his family's belief in blood purity and completely rejected the concept that pure-blooded families were better than others and that it was a disgrace to be associated with Muggle-born witches and wizards.

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What house was Sirius Black sorted into at Hogwarts?

Sirius Black was sorted into the Gryffindor house at Hogwarts.

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Biography

Early life(1959–1971)

Sirius Black III was born on3 November1959, in the London borough of Islington,England, toOrion Black andWalburga Black, both of whom wereDark wizards and second cousins. He was the last remaining heir of theHouse of Black, a once-notablepure-blood wizarding family. Sirius had a younger brother,Regulus. Sirius did not share a close relationship with his brother, calling him a "better son" than himself.^[17]

"Sirius" was 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 namesCygnus,Arcturus, andRegulus have also occurred at least twice each. Notably, however, only one Sirius (the subject'sgreat-grandfather) left a line of descent, which ended with the youngest Sirius, as he did not have children.^[18]

The Black family believed strongly in pure-blood elitism. They refused to consort withMuggles orMuggle-borns, Squibs, andblood traitors and even disownedSquib family members, such as Sirius's great-uncleMarius 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 theDark Arts in reverence.

Sirius rejected these values, leading to conflict with his family. He even put permanent-sticking charms ofGryffindor banners, as well as pictures of Muggle girls in bikinis and motorcycles, as well as 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.^[19] When his cousinsBellatrix andNarcissa made the desirable pure-blood marriages, toRodolphus Lestrange andLucius Malfoy respectively, Sirius held them in contempt. His favourite cousin,Andromeda, was disowned by the family as a "blood traitor" when she marriedTed Tonks, a Muggle-born wizard.

Sirius would later share this designation and was held in contempt, even hatred, by some members of his family.

Hogwarts years(1971–1978)

Sirius had an unhappy childhood; by adolescence he had come to hate most of his relatives, in particular his motherWalburga and his cousinBellatrix Black. Whereas all other members of the Black family were Sorted intoSlytherin, Sirius was placed in Gryffindor during hisSorting in1971, showing that his views had already diverged from those of the rest of the family before hisyears at 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. He became friends withJames Potter,Remus Lupin, andPeter Pettigrew, growing inseparable from them. They later discovered that Remus was a werewolf. To support him, Sirius, James, and Peter secretly — and illegally — becameAnimagi. This allowed them to safely accompany Remus during his transformations and keep him under control. Sirius's 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 theMarauder's 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.

Although he later considered himself "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 twinsFred andGeorge Weasley, saying that the Weasleys could "give them a run for their money".

Sirius's 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 later claimed Snape was "this little oddball who was up to his eyes in theDark Arts", from Snape's first moments at Hogwarts. He was one of the many people who hated Snape.

Sirius and James often went out of their way to bully Snape. One time, Sirius and James physically bullied him simply out of boredom. Though, Sirius did admit that he and James were "arrogant little berks" and that he was not proud of his behaviour, but he 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 ofLily Evans, a pretty redhead who disapproved of such behaviour, whom James later married right after they left Hogwarts.

Inhis fifth year^[20] at Hogwarts years, Sirius played a potentially lethal practical joke on Snape.

He informed Snape of how to enter a tunnel under theWhomping Willow that would lead to theShrieking Shack where, unknown 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 while omitting crucial information. He simultaneously claimed it "served Snape right".

The resentment Snape felt for Sirius was never healed. Snape was not the only student whom Sirius and James tormented during their years at Hogwarts. They also used an illegal hex on a boy namedBertram Aubrey that caused his head to grow twice its original size. It is unknown why they hexed him.

At age sixteen, Sirius finally broke away from hispure-blood family and took refuge with James Potter and his parents.Fleamont andEuphemia Potter generously adopted Sirius as a son. His outraged mother blasted his name off the family tree, as was the tradition for those who did not support the family's supremacist ideology. Sirius's uncleAlphard, Walburga's brother, sympathised with his young nephew and left him a large inheritance in his will, most likely causing Walburga to blast Alphard's name off, as well. Sirius was left financially independent by his uncle's generous bequest and eventually got a place of his own.

First Wizarding War(1978–1981)

After leaving school, Sirius fought againstLord Voldemort, eventually joining theOrder of the Phoenix. Around1977, 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.^[21]

Sometime in1979,Sirius's father andbrother both died. Orion's death was from an unknown cause, while Regulus's death was caused when he drank theDrink 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 theInferi, although Sirius never learned the details of his death.^[19]

He remained the best of friends with James and attended James's wedding toLily Evans as best man. When their sonHarry 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.^[19]

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

In1981, the Potters were aware that Harry, along with theson of fellow Order membersAlice andFrank Longbottom, had become Lord Voldemort's specific targets.Albus Dumbledore advised the Potters to go into hiding using theFidelius Charm, which Dumbledore hoped would conceal them from doom. James was adamant about Sirius being theirSecret-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.^[22]

Between the wars(1981–1995)

Imprisonment

OnHallowe'en night1981, Sirius went to Pettigrew’s hiding place and found him missing. Unsettled by the lack of signs of a struggle, Sirius frantically sped toGodric's Hollow, discovering the Potters' house destroyed and his friends dead; only baby Harry was still alive.^[22] Sirius foundRubeus Hagrid at the scene as well and offered to take Harry himself as he was the chosen guardian in the events of James's and Lily's deaths, but Hagrid was adamant that Harry was to go to the Dursleys per Dumbledore's instructions.^[23]

Upon being informed that Dumbledore had made arrangements to send Harry to Lily's sister,Petunia, Sirius conceded. He gave Hagrid hisflying 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.^[24]

After leaving Godric's Hollow, Sirius, overcome with grief and rage, tracked Pettigrew down, determined to kill him in vengeance for betraying the Potters toLord Voldemort. 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 an extremely powerful explosivecurse (likely theBlasting Curse), killingtwelve Muggles.

This enabled Pettigrew 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.^[25]

Sirius was arrested by theDepartment of Magical Law Enforcement and was charged with three crimes: thirteen counts of murder with the curse, giving the information about the Potters' whereabouts which led to their deaths, and service to Lord Voldemort. He was then sentenced byBarty Crouch Snr to life imprisonment inAzkaban without a trial. The surviving Muggles wereObliviated and given an excuse by theMuggle-Worthy Excuse Committee that a gas leak had caused the city street explosion.

Pettigrew was unjustly awarded theOrder of Merlin, First Class for his confrontation with Sirius, which, along with the finger that they recovered, were "posthumously" given tohis mother. As time passed, due to misconceptions, many believed that Black drewhis 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.^[25]

Marked as Prisoner ᛈᛉ390, Sirius was placed in solitary confinement at the mercy of the Azkaban guards, theDementors. Driven to the brink of madness, he retained his sanity by focusing on his innocence, which he said in theShrieking 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 by them. However, the Dementors evidently were not concerned about these apparent temporary disappearances since they thought it meant he was losing his mind like every other convict in their custody, includingBellatrix and some of her fellowDeath 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 Pettigrew's information. This indicated to Sirius 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 remained in his cell all while getting very weak with no hope of driving the Dementors back without his wand, which was taken from him and stored away underMinistry of Magic safety repercussions.

By1985, Sirius's mother died, leaving the Black house-elfKreacher alone in the house, which was thus left abandoned.

DuringJacob's sibling's second visit toAzkaban during the1989–1990 school year, Sirius unintentionally saved Jacob's sibling's life when, during a lockdown following the escape attempt byPatricia Rakepick, he howled whilst in his dog form. The loud noise distracted Rakepick long enough for Jacob's sibling towandlesslydisarm Rakepick and retrieve their wand, which Rakepick had forcefully taken from them.^[26]

Escape from Azkaban

In1993, Sirius became the first known person ever to escape fromAzkaban. He was, however, unknown to the public, beaten byBarty Crouch Jnr through hismother's sacrifice. After receiving an issue of theDaily Prophet fromCornelius Fudge during an inspection, he discovered that Pettigrew was indeed hiding in his Animagus form asRon 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 past the Dementors when they opened his cell door to bring him food. Then, he slipped out of Azkaban and swam across the North Sea in his dog form back to the mainland and to freedom.

First, he made his way toLittle Whinging to catch a glimpse of his godson as a teenager, where his Animagus appearance startled Harry before theKnight Bus turned up. News of his escape caused an unprecedented panic, as he was the first known escapee of the notorious prison, and many people believed that he was planning another mass murder as well to murder Harry in a mad attempt to bringLord Voldemort back.Witch Watchers that operated 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 aroundHogsmeade and theForbidden Forest, where he was spotted a few times and mistaken by Harry for theGrim. He made the acquaintance ofHermione Granger's catCrookshanks, 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 snuck into Hogwarts through the old passageway from the Shrieking Shack and on one occasion slashed theFat Lady's portrait when she refused him entrance toGryffindor Tower on 31 October, 1993. Later, he came to view the Quidditch match betweenGryffindor andHufflepuff. During the match he witnessed Harry's excellent flying skills, which he later commented mirrored James's skills.

ThatChristmas, Sirius filled out a broomstick order form in Harry's name, with instructions to take the gold fromhis own vault atGringotts and had Crookshanks take the order to the owl office for him. Sirius ordered Harry aFirebolt, to make up for all the birthday presents he'd missed.

Eventually, he was able to enter the Gryffindor common room. He accomplished this with a list of passwords Crookshanks had stolen fromNeville Longbottom and shredded Ron's bed-curtains in his search for "Scabbers". Peter was nowhere to be found since Sirius's escape had prompted him to once again fake his own death and hide.

Reunion with Harry Potter

In June, Sirius caught Ron carrying Scabbers after the rat had been discovered hiding inHagrid's Hut and dragged both boy and rat through the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to theShrieking 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's 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's attempts to aid the Animagus.

Once Harry had Sirius at his mercy,Remus Lupin, who had seen Peter on the confiscatedMarauder'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; but 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 theWolfsbane 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 ofDementors guarding Hogwarts arrived. Harry and Hermione had followed Sirius and found him lying unconscious and surrounded by the hooded creatures, he attempted to perform thePatronus Charm but to no avail. The Dementors nearly succeeded in sucking out Sirius's soul until a powerful Patronus resembling a stag warded them off.

Sirius was briefly recaptured bySeverus Snape and was sentenced to theDementor's Kiss, a fate worse than death. Miraculously, and byAlbus Dumbledore's suggestion, Harry and Hermione used Hermione'sTime-Turner to help Siriusescape; as Dumbledore had also hinted that "more than one innocent life" could be saved that night, they rescued thehippogriffBuckbeak from execution, thus granting Sirius a form of travel.

Sirius was once again a wanted man, although alive, soul intact, and innocence known to at least certain people. Soon after his escape, he sent Harry, Ron, and Hermione a letter via atiny, hyperactive owl explaining that it was he who sent Harry theFirebolt for Christmas and giving Harry permission, as his godfather, to go to Hogsmeade. He also apologised to Ron for the loss of his pet, asking him to accept the owl in place of "Scabbers".^[22][27]

Years in hiding

Sirius fled Europe beyond theMinistry of Magic's jurisdiction. He communicated with Harry but very seldom to retain the secrecy of his location. However, due to his use of exotic birds, Harry suspected him of hiding somewhere in the tropics. Harry grew to greatly rely on Sirius's advice in time of need. Sirius returned to Britain when Harry gave him notice that his scar had been hurting, which had come to be known as a signal ofLord Voldemort's presence or power.

When Harry was mysteriously entered in theTriwizard Tournament, Sirius hid in a cave near Hogsmeade, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione occasionally visited him. He did this in order to provide Harry with moral support and advice during this hard time.^[27] He warned Harry aboutIgor Karkaroff, theDurmstrang headmaster, telling Harry that Karkaroff used to be aDeath Eater and that he gave up a considerable number of names in exchange for his freedom.

This, in turn, caused Karkaroff to land himself on the wrong side of Death Eaters still loyal to Voldemort, as one of the names he gave up wasAugustus Rookwood. Harry told Sirius about seeingBarty Crouch when he was working on the second clue on his way to theprefect's bathroom. 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.

After Harry followedViktor Krum to the edge of the Dark Forest, as Krum wanted to talk to him about his relationship with Hermione, the two encountered a delusional Barty Crouch Snr. When Crouch mysteriously disappeared in the castle grounds after Harry left to retrieve Dumbledore, Sirius warned Harry that someone did not want Crouch to get to the headmaster. He advised Harry to continue his practice of defensive spells and to never wander off on his own, as times were dangerous.

Following the final task of the tournament, Dumbledore summoned Sirius to his office to meet with Harry, who had barely survived an encounter with Lord Voldemort. Sirius wished for Harry to be allowed to rest from his ordeal but was overruled by Dumbledore. As Harry explained the night's events, Sirius nearly interrupted twice and was greatly angered. He also showed signs of strong emotion when he learned that shades of his old friends James and Lily had returned and hid his face in his hands.

Sirius was allowed to stay with Harry in the hospital wing in his dog form — Dumbledore tellingMadam Pomfrey that he was very well-trained — and remained so even as he heardCornelius Fudge besmirch Harry and question his credibility on Voldemort's return. Once the Minister had left, Dumbledore began making plans to resist the Dark Lord.

He asked Sirius to resume his human form (which also frightenedMolly Weasley when she first saw him as she believed him to be a murderer) and make his peace withSnape, although neither was pleased. Dumbledore then asked Sirius to retrieveRemus Lupin,Arabella Figg, andMundungus Fletcher and lie low at Lupin's house until Dumbledore contacted him.

Sirius promised to see Harry again soon and left to fulfil his instructions.^[27]

Second Wizarding War(1995–1998)

Rejoining the Order of the Phoenix

With Lord Voldemort restored to his physical form, Dumbledore reinstated theOrder of the Phoenix, sending Sirius to gather the "old crowd" and inform them of the situation. Sirius donated his family home at12 Grimmauld Place in London as Order Headquarters. Unfortunately, as 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 theHogwarts Express,Draco Malfoy nastily complimented Harry on his "pet dog," which, coupled with comments Malfoy made on the train, suggested that the Malfoys recognised Sirius in his Animagus form. Harry and Sirius stayed in touch during Harry's school year via owls and theFloo Network, though Sirius's presence was nearly discovered byDolores Umbridge during her dictatorial managing of Hogwarts that year.

During Harry's fifth year, some of the adults discredited Sirius's ability to parent Harry and often insinuated that Sirius acted like Harry was James, rather than being a proper father figure to Harry. Throughout Harry's hardships with Umbridge, Sirius encouraged him to oppose her reforms and strongly approved of Harry's secret defensive tutorial group for students,Dumbledore's Army.

His vigorous support of Dumbledore's Army worried Hermione, who thought that Sirius was attempting to live vicariously through them. He also willingly answered all of Harry's questions about the Order and Voldemort, though most of Harry's mentors felt Harry was too young to handle the burden of the truth.^[17] He also urged Harry to contact him if Professor Snape gave him a hard time during theirOcclumency lessons.

During his time confined to the Order's headquarters, Sirius fell into a deep depression. When Harry and the Weasleys arrived at Grimmauld Place just after Arthur was attacked byNagini, Sirius was unshaven and still in his day clothes late at night. He also seemed to have taken to drinking, as he had a "Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him".

However, Sirius made a complete turn-around when the Weasley family and Harry decided to stay at Grimmauld Place over theChristmas holidays for its proximity to St Mungo's, and at one point was heard singing "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs" at the top of his lungs. Sirius also gave Harry advice when he confided in him about how he had been feeling.

Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Main article:Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Voldemort usedLegilimency to implant a false vision into Harry's mind that Sirius was being tortured in theDepartment of Mysteries, convincing Harry that Sirius had in fact been captured, but in reality Sirius was alive and safe in Grimmauld Place and also treating Buckbeak, who had been injured by Kreacher as part of his plan to keep Sirius out of the way on the orders of the Malfoys through Voldemort.

After givingSeverus Snape a cryptic message informing him of the situation and then ditching Umbridge in the Forbidden Forest, Harry, along with Ron, Hermione, and fellow D.A. membersGinny Weasley,Neville Longbottom, andLuna Lovegood,flew to London viaThestral. The students made their way through the deserted Ministry of Magic and gained access to theDepartment of Mysteries, only to be ambushed byDeath Eaters.

It was Snape who ultimately saved their lives by alerting the Order to what Harry had seen; Sirius,Kingsley Shacklebolt,Nymphadora Tonks,Remus Lupin,Alastor Moody, and eventuallyAlbus Dumbledore, arrived at the Ministry and began battling the Death Eaters in theDeath Chamber. Black was seen fighting bitterly with an unknown Death Eater. Then he pushedAntonin Dolohov, which tried tocurse Harry and use theSummoning Charm on theprophecy. Dolohov tried to use the same curse on Sirius, but Harry placed Dolohov underBody-Bind.

Death

Tragically, however, during a frenzied duel with his hated cousin Bellatrix, Sirius was struck withan unknown spell which caused him to fall through theVeil in theDeath Chamber to hisdeath.^[17] This was witnessed by his distressed godson. It would be years before Harry could fully come to terms with the loss of his godfather, and would have a hard time dealing with this loss because, as Dumbledore flatly stated, Sirius was the "closest thing to a parent" Harry had ever known. Harry also blamed himself for Sirius's death.

In the aftermath of Sirius's death, Harry, enraged and grief-stricken, unsuccessfully attempted totake revenge on Bellatrix before Voldemort arrived, even attempting to use the Cruciatus Curse. After a short duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort, the latter fled, but not before he was seen by Cornelius Fudge himself and several other Ministry officials, finally forcing them to abandon theirsmear campaign against Dumbledore and Harry and admit the truth to the world. With that done with, Dumbledore successfully convinced the Ministry that Sirius was innocent all along and managed to get him cleared of all charges posthumously.

Post-mortem

Black did not get married or have children. As the portrait ofPhineas Nigellus, Black's deceased great-great-grandfather, stated, the direct line of the ancientBlack family ended with Sirius's death.^[17] HadRegulus Black lived, he would have been the heir of the Black home; however, he predeceased Sirius. By right of primogeniture, then, his heir was eitherBellatrix Lestrange (his eldest cousin),Andromeda Tonks (his second-eldest cousin, who was disowned), orDraco Malfoy, the next senior male of the Black family through his mother,Narcissa Malfoy (néeBlack).

However, their rights were superseded by Black's will, which designatedHarry Potter as heir to all his worldly possessions. Thus, by the will, Harry inherited 12 Grimmauld Place, Buckbeak, 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 theOrder of the Phoenix for their continued use as Headquarters. Kreacher, forced to serve Harry by Black's 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 intoRubeus Hagrid's care under the assumed name "Witherwings".

It was discovered that Sirius (along with others) had a file kept by theMinistry of Magic while it was under Lord Voldemort's control in 1997. It was kept inDolores Umbridge's office. The document listed Sirius'sblood status, his status of his family, and his security status. Because he died in the service of the Order of the Phoenix his picture had a giant red X crossed over it.

Black had givenHagrid an enchanted, flying motorbike sixteen years prior atGodric's Hollow after Black 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 toLittle Whinging - Black gave Hagrid the bike before setting off to hunt downPeter 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 crashing, as the Order was ambushed by Death Eaters.Ted Tonks collected the debris and sent it toArthur Weasley, who later repaired the bike.

Sirius Black was one of the four shadows that were summoned by theResurrection Stone to speak to Harry as he went to what he believed to be his death on2 May,1998. Black assured his godson that dying was not painful, that it was faster and easier than falling asleep. He also promised Harry that he and the others would stay with him as he went to confrontLord Voldemort and would stay to the very end. When Harry reached the fire, he allowed the stone to slip from Harry's hand, thus his parents, Sirius, and Lupin vanished.^[19] Harry later gave his first son the middle name Sirius to honour his godfather's memory.James Sirius's personality was very similar to Sirius's.

Following the end of the war, with the help of Harry's words, Sirius's innocence was spread among the wizarding community and it became common knowledge that he was framed by Pettigrew, though a certain number of wizards still had the incorrect idea that Sirius was aDark Wizard and a murderer of Pettigrew and the twelve unfortunate Muggles in 1981.^[28]

Physical description

Sirius was a tall, well-built, darkly handsome man with fair skin, medium, lustrous black hair^[10], which sometimes appeared light in the sun, striking grey eyes,^[11] and an air of "casual elegance"; Harry also noted that as a teenager, Sirius always had a slightly haughty look on his face. This vestige of aristocratic beauty and haughtiness is apparently an attribute passed down through theBlack Family. When Harry entered into Snape's memory, he saw a sixteen-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's handsomeness — much like his imprisoned cousin Bellatrix — suffered due to the depression and maltreatment he underwent during the twelve years he spent inAzkaban. 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 escape, 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.

Unfortunately, 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). He was also branded with a series oftattoos over the chest and arms.^[29]

Death, however, served to restore him to the peak of his 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".

Personality and traits

Sirius was true to the ideal of aGryffindor student. He was true-hearted and brave, as shown by his participation in both wars and his 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 he was also quite an arrogant and mischievous troublemaker and, sometimes, a bully. He bullied and humiliated those he particularly disliked, namelySeverus Snape.

He was vicious towards those he hated, sometimes unjustifiably — deliberately sending the teenage Snape off to theShrieking Shack whenRemus Lupin was a full-fledgedwerewolf while knowing that it could be fatal for Severus. He, along with James, were acknowledged to be some of the cleverest students of their time, 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 motherWalburga Black and his mad cousinBellatrix Lestrange. His years in Azkaban contributed dramatically, which was especially evident during 1993 and 1994: trying persistently to capture and killPeter Pettigrew, going to lengths that even Dumbledore commented as not those of an innocent right-thinking man.

Later on, he occasionally demonstrated himself to be reckless, immature, and even downright irresponsible. In several instances, he risked getting caught by theMinistry because he felt stir-crazy in his house and advised Harry to take rash actions. Much of this can likely be attributed to the vast amount of time spent in jail, which stunted his emotional development and made him especially eager to spend time with and protect his loved ones.

Rowling also described Sirius as a "bit of a loose cannon" (i.e. unhinged) and a "case of arrested development"^[30] and once described Sirius as "brave, loyal, reckless, embittered and slightly unbalanced by his long stay in Azkaban."^[31]

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 with catastrophic results). Despite this hatred for Snape, Sirius did display shame for his treatment of him in their youth. 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 theDementors 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's other dog-like traits include his need to protect his loved ones, his selfless nature, his 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 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. This was demonstrated by how he and James becameAnimagus during their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

• Transfiguration: Sirius was incredibly talented in Transfiguration. In his fifth year, he was already skilled enough inHuman Transfiguration to successfully become anAnimagus, assuming the shape of a large blackdog. 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 performedUntransfiguration on Peter, forcing him out of his Animagus form.
• Potions: In their fifth year, Sirius and James successfully brewed theAnimagus 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 theHomonculous Charm and aspell to insult those who attempted to read it, and both enchantments lasted long after all four of the producers' demises. He also placedPermanent Sticking Charms on the decorations in his room at Number 12 Grimmauld Place that were too strong for his parents to remove. He was capable oflevitatingSeverus Snape's unconscious body in theShrieking Shack with the charmMobilicorpus. He was proficient with other everyday household charms, such as theLevitation Charm,Summoning Charm,Banishing Charm andMending Charm.^[32] He also used charms to enchant his motorcycle to be able to fly and travel at unnaturally high speeds. He also used theSummoning Charm to successfully summon several bottles ofButterbeer at12 Grimmauld Place to himself, Harry, and theWeasleys. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he cast an effectiveShield Charm to protect Harry. Last but not least, Sirius was capable of producing a non-corporealPatronus,^[13][14] which is a highly advanced piece of protectivemagic, and further proof of his superior magical and overall charms ability.
• Nonverbal magic: Sirius was able to non-verbally perform Human Transfiguration and defensive magic (Disarming andStunning spells). Since non-verbal magic is very difficult, this is testament to his power and skill as a wizard.
• Healing magic: Siriusmagically healed an injury from a bitingsnuffbox filled withwartcap 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 ofCrookshanks, a highly intelligent half-Kneazlecat. He also got along well withBuckbeak theHippogriff. 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 theFirst Wizarding War and survived. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he defeated an unnamed Death Eater and fought the extremely deadlyAntonin Dolohov to a standstill until Harry intervened and knocked out Dolohov. He also fought on par 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.

• Intellectual skills: Sirius was able to deduce thatPettigrew was at Hogwarts with Harry when he saw a photograph of theWeasley family with Pettigrew in his animagus form in aDaily Prophet article. Sirius then escapedAzkaban to protect Harry, using hisAnimagus form and weight loss to his advantage, becoming the only person to escape Azkaban unaided. He was able to successfully enterHogwarts 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 theTriwizard Tournament confirm his incisive intelligence.
• Indomitable willpower: Sirius had an extremely strong willpower and mental fortitude, which allowed him to resist theDementors' depressive effects inAzkaban for twelve years by focusing on both his innocence and his desire for vengeance againstPettigrew along with transforming into hisAnimagus 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 unnervedCornelius 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 againsthis family's prejudice against non-pure-bloods, which eventually resulted in them disowning him, upending their tradition of being Sorted intoSlytherin, which resulted in him being Sorted intoGryffindor, and even fighting against family members likeBellatrix, who joinedVoldemort and hisDeath Eaters. This also included fighting against both Voldemort and hisDeath 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 from Pettigrew even though theMinistry of Magic was after him andHogwarts was heavily guarded by both theprofessors and Dementors. He was later willing to risk his own safety and risk exposure in order to give Harry and his friends advice along with protecting them, which eventually resulted in his own death at the hands of his cousin Bellatrix to protect Harry and his 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.

Relationships

Family

The nature of Sirius's relationship with hisfamily 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 intoGryffindor house at Hogwarts. Sirius, in turn, became increasingly rebellious by flaunting his house affiliation and his 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 brotherAlphard to the same punishment simply for leaving money to his nephew.

Little is known about Sirius's relationship with his younger brotherRegulus, 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 he was rather upset with losing his little brother to the Death Eaters at such a young and promising age, indicating that Sirius still loved Regulus, regardless of their different beliefs. 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 cousinAndromeda, who also rejected the notion ofblood purity and married aMuggle-born wizard namedTed Tonks. After his escape fromAzkaban, Sirius became friendly with Andromeda's daughter,Nymphadora Tonks, a fellow member of theOrder of the Phoenix. It can also be assumed that he at least had a healthier relationship with his uncle Alphard than most of his family, considering he left some inheritance for Sirius. Furthermore, Sirius refers to Alphard affectionately as his "Uncle Alphard", indicating they had been close.

He was killed by his cousin Bellatrix during theBattle of the Department of Mysteries in a duel, during which both taunted each other; Bellatrix laughed after killing her cousin, overjoyed that she had simultaneously killed a "blood traitor" and caused Harry, her beloved master's most hated enemy, unbearable pain and heartbreak.^[5] His other cousin, Narcissa Malfoy, also seemed to hold Sirius in low regard, as she tauntedHarry Potter about his death when they argued in1996.^[33]

It is unknown how his family reacted when he was arrested and thrown inAzkaban after the public believed he betrayed thePotters to Lord Voldemort.

Kreacher

Kreacher was the house-elf of theBlack family for years. Kreacher mimicked the family'spure-blood supremacist values, believing he should only serve pure-blood wizards; as such, he accused Sirius of being a "blood-traitor" and "breakinghis 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".

As a result, Kreacher grew to harbour a hatred of Sirius, which ultimately proved fatal when Kreacher was easily convinced to reveal the nature of Harry's and Sirius's relationship toBellatrix Lestrange. Equipped with this highly valuable information, Voldemort and his Death Eaters organised a plan that lured Harry to theDepartment of Mysteries with the intention of rescuing Sirius, who Harry believed was being held captive and tortured. Sirius and various other members of theOrder of the Phoenix arrived at the Department of Mysteries to rescue Harry, but Sirius was tragically killed in the ensuing battle.

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, andPeter Pettigrew. The group was very popular and loved to play pranks. When they discovered that Remus was awerewolf, instead of ostracising him as many would have, they endeavoured to becomeAnimagi in order to keep him company during his monthly transformations. Together, this group created theMarauder's Map. When Sirius ran away from home at age sixteen, James'sfamily took him in. After graduating from Hogwarts, the group of friends joined theOrder of the Phoenix. Sirius was James's best man at his wedding toLily Evans, and the godfather to theirson.

At some point during theFirst 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 ofLord 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 (whom he loved as a brother) every day. He was sent to Azkaban for Peter's crimes, and Remus initially believed that he was guilty. After heescaped from prison in1993, 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, but it was tragically cut short by Sirius's death two years later.

The ending of the three Marauders who had stayed true to their friendship to the very end — James, Sirius, and Remus — was bittersweet: though they all lost their lives to the two wizarding wars, it can be theorised that they were reunited in death, never to be parted again, as seen when Harry summoned the three of them with theResurrection Stone. However, all respect for Peter was lost, as his betrayal was what led to such a breakdown.

Severus Snape

Sirius immediately got off on the wrong foot with Severus Snape when they met on theHogwarts Express in their first year, as didJames Potter, who would become Sirius's best friend. Sirius snapped at Snape after he sneered at James's wish to be Sorted intoGryffindor house, and the two bestowed the mocking name of "Snivellus" on theSlytherin student.^[19] They loathed Snape as an "oddball up to his eyeballs in theDark Arts." He also described him as a "greasy, oily haired kid."^[27]

According to Sirius, the other boy was jealous of his and James's popularity, and 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, even in front of his childhood friendLily Evans.^[17] Sirius also played a potentially lethal prank on Snape, telling him how to get into theShrieking Shack while omitting the fact that awerewolf 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. Not only did Snape grow to despise Sirius for humiliating him at school, but he also believed Sirius to have been the one who betrayed Lily to Voldemort. He was eager to see Sirius receive theDementor's Kiss (a fate considered by many to be worse than death) after heescaped fromAzkaban during the summer of1993, yet he was beside himself in outrage when Sirius was able to escape yet again at the end of the preceding school year, with the assistance ofHarry Potter,Hermione Granger, andRon Weasley.^[22] After Sirius's innocence was proven by the end of the 1994-1995 school year, however, Dumbledore insisted that the two put their differences aside and ally against Voldemort, which they accepted. Later, Snape delighted in taunting Sirius about his "uselessness" to theOrder of the Phoenix while he was forced to remain cooped up in 12 Grimmauld Place, and the two needled each other at every opportunity. Sirius also, however, told Harry that he was ashamed of his treatment of Snape in their younger years.^[17]

It's possible that Snape never knew Sirius was an unregistered Animagus, as he didn't recognise him in dog form at the end of the 1994-1995 school year, but he showed a mix of horror and hatred when he recognised him for what he was.

Lily Evans

Sirius met Lily Evans on theHogwarts Express, where he and James Potter almost immediately made a bad impression on her by insulting her best friend,Severus Snape. She quickly moved to leave the compartment they were all sharing on the train, with Snape in tow, and literally turned her back on Sirius when she wasSorted with him intoGryffindor House.

During their earlier years at Hogwarts, Lily came to believe that Sirius was nothing more than a common highly arrogant bully, just like his best friend, James, so their relationship was not likely a friendly one. 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 theOrder of the Phoenix and fought in several battles. She also sent a letter to Sirius, which showed that they were still friends despite the intense distrust and fear spread by the First War.

After Lily and James were killed byLord Voldemort, Sirius was devastated; he attacked their betrayer,Peter Pettigrew, and attempted to kill him. He later told Harry that he cared deeply for James and Lily and that he would have rather died than betray 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 paternal figure to him. He deeplyloved Harry and was the only person Harry felt comfortable confiding in completely.^[27] Harry regarded Sirius as a mixture of father and older brother, and Sirius viewed Harry as exceptionally brave and mature for his age, having experienced as much as many adults have.

Sirius felt that Harry should have the right to know difficult truths, and considered him perfectly capable of taking on heavy burdens that many other fully-grown wizards could not. Molly Weasley, however, criticised Sirius's behaviour towards Harry, claiming that he acted as if Harry wereJames rather than the child that he undeniably still was. Sirius shared a good deal of information about theFirst Wizarding War with Harry, much to the disapproval ofMolly Weasley, and supported Harry and his friends' efforts to sabotageDolores Umbridge's dictatorial rule over Hogwarts in theirfifth year.

While Harry craved a paternal figure, Sirius wasn't equipped to be one and more or less treated Harry like his best friend, the way Harry's father was before him.^[30]Voldemort lured Harry to theDepartment of Mysteries in1996 by planting a vision of Sirius suffering in his mind, knowing that Harry would do whatever it took to save his godfather.^[17] Harry was completely devastated by Sirius's death, having lost the closest thing to a parent he had ever known. Harry felt riddled with guilt over the incident but eventually managed to compartmentalise his grief, knowing that Sirius wouldn't have wanted him to shut himself up.

In1998, Harry used theResurrection 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. Sirius assured his godson that dying was not painful at all and was actually quicker and easier than falling asleep.

Harry later named hisfirst son after both James and Sirius.^[19]

Ron Weasley

Sirius first met Ron Weasley in1994. Ron owned a rat named Scabbers, which, unbeknownst to him and the rest of his family, was actuallyPeter Pettigrew in disguise. With his mind and heart firmly set on murdering Pettigrew for his treacherous betrayal, Sirius snuck intoHogwarts and approached Ron's bed, knife in hand, with the intention of killing the disguised rat. However, Ron awoke, saw Sirius, and, frightened out of his wits, screamed, alerting the whole dormitory and forcing Sirius to flee for his life. At the end of his third year, however, Ron learned that Sirius was innocent and discovered the true identity of his pet. Feeling partly responsible for Ron's loss, Sirius gave him an owl to replace "Scabbers". A year later, Ron, along with Harry and Hermione, provided food for Sirius, who was hiding in a cave outside of Hogsmeade.

During theSecond Wizarding War, Ron and Sirius grew closer, as they both lived atSirius's house for several weeks and eventually became good friends. When Hermione voiced her theory that Sirius was attempting to "live through" her, Ron, and Harry, both boys snapped at her angrily in Sirius's defence. Sirius and Ron fought alongside one another during theBattle of the Department of Mysteries, and when Sirius was killed byBellatrix Lestrange, Ron grieved for him and grew to share Harry's intense hatred of Bellatrix.

Hermione Granger

Sirius also met Hermione Granger during the1993–1994 school year, following his escape fromAzkaban. Hermione, like the rest of thewizarding world, initially believed that Sirius was the wizard who betrayedJames and Lily Potter toLord Voldemort. However, she learned the truth and even indirectly helped to clear any doubts of his innocence through her questions. Together with Harry and Ron, she brought him food when he was hiding in a cave near Hogsmeade during the1994–1995 school year.

In1995, she lived for a few weeks at Sirius'shouse, along with other members of theOrder of the Phoenix. It was then, however, that she started to see "flaws" in Sirius's character. Firstly, she severely disapproved of his indifferent and occasionally cruel treatment of hishouse-elfKreacher despite the fact that Kreacher initially appeared to be disgusted by her and addressed her as "theMudblood" (which Hermione often attributed to Kreacher being senile due to his old age.)

Secondly, she grew to believe that Sirius could be very selfish when it came to Harry, even voicing her theory that a part of Sirius had actually been hoping for Harry's expulsion from Hogwarts so that Harry would stay with him at Grimmauld Place instead of going back to school for his fifth year. She also thought that Sirius was attempting to live vicariously through her, Harry, and Ron, but the two boys became angry and snapped at her when she expressed this belief. Nevertheless, she had a generally good relationship with Sirius, knowing him to be an ultimately good person, and was greatly saddened by his death at theBattle of the Department of Mysteries, and was one of the last people to duel his killer Bellatrix Lestrange during theBattle of Hogwarts.

Albus Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore was Sirius's Headmaster atHogwarts. Like the rest of the wizarding world, Dumbledore initially believed it was Sirius who betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, but he was quick to accept Sirius's innocence when he learned the Secret-Keeper had actually been Pettigrew, and he helped Hermione and Harry to save Sirius from the Dementor's Kiss and to escape from his Ministry captors by means of aTime-Turner andBuckbeak. The two resumed their friendship, and Sirius helped Dumbledore to recall the Order of the Phoenix an hour after Voldemort returned. However, their relationship was soon strained: Dumbledore forced Sirius to stay at12 Grimmauld Place on account of his being a wanted convict and because he had a tendency to act rashly, which could lead him to put himself in great danger.

Though his intentions were noble, Sirius could not bring himself to appreciate Dumbledore's actions, as he utterly despised the home which brought him many bitter, unhappy memories, and the fact that he was to be alone in the house most of the time with only his house-elf for company made it all the more intolerable. Nevertheless, he still trusted Dumbledore enough to confide in him about how Harry felt Voldemort awaking inside him the night thatArthur Weasley was attacked and initially attempted to follow the headmaster's instructions. Dumbledore was devastated when Sirius was killed by Bellatrix, believing that it was mostly his fault, and he later expressed to Harry his belief that Sirius was a brave, clever, and energetic man who would never be content with sitting at home in hiding while his loved ones were in danger. Sirius's death was also a factor that led to Dumbledore finally revealing 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 most of the Weasley family and was so thrilled to have their company during the Christmas of1995 that he was heard singing "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs" at the top of his lungs. When Sirius was going over the Black Family Tree with Harry, he mentioned that he was distantly related to both Molly and Arthur, although they were not on the tapestry due to being known as "blood traitors".

Sirius disapproved ofMolly's overprotective behaviour towards Harry, who had proven time after time that, despite his age, he was brave and matured far beyond his years. Molly, in turn, thought Sirius was wrong to treat Harry like an adult and that he treated Harry as though he wereJames. However, they still had a relatively good relationship, and it was Molly who ultimately avenged Sirius's death by killing Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts.

He was also a good friend ofArthur, who was given Sirius's motorbike after the latter's death, andGinny, at one point, stated that she cared about Sirius as much as Harry did.Fred andGeorge Weasley liked Sirius, and they all joked together;Rubeus Hagrid once compared Sirius and James to Fred and George. A rare bump in Sirius's relationship with the twins occurred shortly after Arthur was wounded by Nagini, and Sirius forbade the Weasley children from visiting their father before it was safe to do so. At this, Fred and George argued, forcing Sirius to remind them of the importance of maintaining the Order's security, at which point Fred yelled back that Sirius, trapped in Grimmauld Place by his fugitive status, was doing virtually nothing for the Order himself.

Although Sirius was angered by Fred's words (he even seemed to Harry like he would have liked to strike Fred), Sirius let the slight go, and their relationship recovered shortly after. It is unknown whether Sirius learnt that the Marauders Map was once in Fred's and George's possession, and it is unknown whether Fred and George learnt that Sirius was one of the map's creators (although it is possible they did learn it considering Sirius mentioned Pettigrew's nickname "Wormtail" in front of them while explaining Voldemort's plans to them).

Sirius's relationship withBill,Charlie, andPercy 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's likely that Sirius would have been friends with Charlie if he met him but not with Percy; though, considering Percy was practically Sirius's polar opposite, he arguably wouldn't have been particularly close to him in any case. Despite this, Sirius assured Molly that Percy would eventually reconcile with them after he fell out with his family, something which ultimately did happen at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Ginny eventually named hereldest son after herfather-in-law and Sirius.

Hogwarts staff

When Sirius attendedHogwarts 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. Their affection, however, did not blind them to the fact that he was also a mischievous troublemaker and prankster, and it did not prevent them from punishing him or his best friend James when they went too far with their pranks or caused too much trouble.

Minerva McGonagall was Sirius'sHead 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 in1995, and it's possible that she and Sirius had a good relationship until his death. It is unknown how she reacted when she learned about his death.

Horace Slughorn, theHead of Slytherin House, mentioned that he would have liked to have Sirius in his house, having had all of his family.

Order of the Phoenix

Sirius had a good relationship with most members of the Order of the Phoenix, and it was he who set out to alert them all when Dumbledore reinstated the Order upon Voldemort's return in1995, contacting the old crowd, including Remus Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher andArabella Figg. Although unconfirmed, Black also might have been responsible for contacting other surviving members of the Order, such asAberforth Dumbledore,Dedalus Diggle,Elphias Doge,Emmeline Vance andSturgis Podmore. Several of the Order members fought alongside Sirius at theBattle of the Department of Mysteries, and when Sirius was killed byBellatrix Lestrange,Kingsley Shacklebolt continued his duel with Bellatrix.

Sirius had been fairly close withRubeus Hagrid prior to the Death ofthe Potters, both having been members of the First Order, and most likely having fought together in several battles of theFirst Wizarding War. Although Hagrid initially 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.

Though Sirius also appeared to be friendly withMundungus Fletcher, that did not stop Fletcher from stealing Sirius's possessions after his death.

Barty Crouch Snr

Sirius had a strong grudge and hatred againstBarty Crouch Snr. This was mostly because Crouch was the one responsible for sentencing him to life imprisonment in Azkaban without a trial, denying him the opportunity to appeal his frame-up, and because of his disgust about Barty Crouch Jnr. However, his hatred of Crouch didn't stop Sirius from taking Crouch seriously, for when Harry told him about Crouch's ramblings and him vanishing afterwards, he instantly realised that Crouch was trying to warn Dumbledore, and that the reason he vanished is because someone wanted to stop him from seeing Dumbledore. Despite his dislike of the man, Sirius also acknowledged that Crouch had never harboured the beliefs of one who would support Lord Voldemort and asserting he had always been vehemently against the Dark Arts. He also was knowledgeable of Crouch's tactics to catch Death Eaters and other enemies while he was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including using the Unforgivable Curses against them. Sirius stated that despite his disdain towards him, Crouch's principles may have been right to start off with, as they were fellow opponents against Voldemort at the time, although he also said that Crouch became just as cruel and ruthless as the forces he was fighting against. Sirius also knew Crouch's demeanour well enough to be suspicious over Crouch's disappearance and the rumours of Crouch's illness, knowing that Crouch would never miss a day of work for any simple reason such as sickness. Even after Crouch's death, Sirius was still resentful of Crouch's decision to sentence him in Azkaban without a trial, commenting that he was unsure he would accept an apology from the Ministry of Magic even if they acknowledged Voldemort's return.

Etymology

The name "Sirius Black" is a play on hisAnimagus form of a black dog since the starSirius is known as the Dog Star and is the brightest star inCanis 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 asal-shira, "the leader," and in Scandinavia, it has been referred to asLokabrenna, meaning "Loki's torch."Loki was a trickster god in Norse mythology, a possible allusion to Sirius's days of mischief-making as one of theMarauders. 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's nickname.

Black hounds also appear on theBlack family crest.

Behind the scenes

• Sirius is portrayed byBritish actorGary Oldman in thefilm adaptations ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,Goblet of Fire,Order of the Phoenix andDeathly Hallows: Part 2.
  • Sirius is 5'9.5" (176.5cm), as is Oldman. He is described in the book as "very tall", which is contradictory given that the average height of men in England was 174.4 cm in 1998.^[34].
• The fifteen-year-old Sirius in the film version ofHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is portrayed byJames Walters.
• Young Sirius is portrayed byRohan Gotobed in a flashback in theHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 film.
• Like James Potter, Snape, Lupin and Pettigrew, Sirius is portrayed as being much older in the Harry Potter films. Gary Oldman was 46 when he first played Sirius in Prisoner of Azkaban and 53 when he last played him. Sirius died at age 36. However, in Sirius's case, it may have been done purposely to help represent how much the trauma he suffered in Azkaban greatly aged him well beyond his actual years.
• In thefilm adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,Filius Flitwick'soffice is replaced by theDark Tower as a temporary prison for Sirius that Harry and Hermione rescue him from. The shot of Sirius looking out from the cell was used in trailers and promotional material, making it look as if it was Sirius in Azkaban.
• Due to the much bigger fourth book compared to its predecessors, Sirius's role in the film adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is drastically cut. All of the scenes after his head appears in the fire are removed, and Molly Weasley does not meet him (incidentally, Molly herself is cut from the film).
• Sirius and Snape meet on screen in the book version ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the film directed by Alfonso Cuaron. They subsequently meet in the bookHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but this does not occur in the film due to Sirius being mostly left out. InHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, they meet again, but are only heard interacting off-screen in the film.
• In the film versions of the series, Sirius has multiple tattoos, but it is never stated in the books if he has any. These are implied to be prison tattoos that he received while in Azkaban, although it would be almost impossible considering what is known about the conditions in Azkaban. It could be implied these brands were done to him as a form of a testament to his crimes.
• InHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is notable that despite the fact that Snape and Lupin know that Sirius was aware of the passageway to the Shrieking Shack and, presumably, were convinced of his guilt, the passageway was not blocked off or guarded.
• In thefilm version ofHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Snape's memory shows James disarming Snape, and Sirius remarks, "Nice one, James!" InBattle of the Department of Mysteries, Sirius repeats this line when Harry disarms Lucius Malfoy, calling Harry "James" (these are his last words); a slip of the tongue that does not occur in the book, although it is consistent with comments made in the book regarding him considering Harry a younger version of James.
• In theOrder of the Phoenix film, when Sirius arrives with the other members of the Order, hepunchesLucius Malfoy exclaiming, "Get away from my godson". This unknowingly causes the destruction ofThe Prophecy Orb by causingLucius Malfoy to drop it. Both actions are contrary tothe book, in whichNeville Longbottom breaks the orb and the punch does not occur.
• Also, in the film version of the Department of Mysteries battle, Sirius is hit in the shoulder and arm with aKilling Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange. The curse stings him and causes him weakness before he falls back into the veil. This differs from the book, where he is killed as he was knocked through the veil by an unknown red spell that Bellatrix had cast.
• The names Sirius and Regulus are also names of two main characters in the video gameBomberman 64. Interestingly enough, in Bomberman, Sirius is thought to be a hero when in actuality he is a villain, which is the exact reverse of Sirius Black.
• InHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the way Sirius describeshis brother's death implies that Regulus was killed by the Killing Curse. But inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is established that Regulus was killed by theInferi 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 under-age magic. InHarry 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 under-age 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 theOrder of the Phoenix film.
• In the films, after Sirius's death, it seems that Harry has picked up Sirius's fashion sense of occasionally wearing a blazer as regular wear, much like Sirius, who in theOrder of the Phoenix film was always depicted as wearing a blazer.
• Sirius was hysterical when the Aurors lead him to jail because James and Lily's death had unhinged him.^[35]
• Sirius's godson Harry honoured Sirius by naming his first-born James Sirius Potter.
• Interestingly enough, thechild that Harry named after James and Sirius often teases thechild whose middle name is Severus, as in Severus Snape.
• In thefilm versions, Sirius Black has brown hair instead of black and blue eyes instead of grey.
• Sirius and his cousin, Bellatrix, met their deaths in a similar way because they were both taunting their killers before they died (and their taunts were their last words)
• Despite being innocent of murdering Pettigrew and the Muggles, a crime for which he was sent to Azkaban, if he had been discovered as an unregistered Animagus, it carries a sentence in Azkaban.
• In the books, Sirius gives Harry an enchanted mirror (by which they should be able to communicate with); however, in the films, this is not shown on-screen.
• Sirius is described in the books as being able to transform into a dog about the size of a bear. In the films, however, he transforms into a fairly normal-sized dog.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the only book in which the narrator calls Sirius by his surname. He is first referred to as "Sirius" in the narration about halfway through Chapter 20, at which point Harry has learned the truth about him, though at this point the narration is somewhat inconsistent in referring to him as either "Sirius" or "Black". By the final chapter, however, he is referred to consistently in the narration as "Sirius". J.K. Rowling has never explained her reasoning for this, but it is speculated to be due to the fact that the books are portrayed from Harry's perspective and throughout most of the book, Harry views Sirius Black as a dangerous criminal and later not only this, but also a man who betrayed his parents.
• On the first episode of BBC'sThe Casual Vacancy miniseries, there's a comment by a "S. Black" to the announcement of Barry Fairbrother's death in Pagford's Parish Council Website. It reads: "The news came as a shock when I heard. Always so full of life, and I know the work he was doing at Sweetlove House was invaluable to the community. He'll be greatly missed".
• Sirius was born at autumn, something that possibly relates to the Dog sign of the Chinese Zodiac being associated with that season.
• Sirius Black's dog form,Padfoot, was portrayed by the dogsFern andCleod inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and byQuinn inHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• Sirius' middle name is often said to be Orion; however, there is no canonical evidence for this. But it is worth mentioning that Regulus' received his middle name from his grandfather, Arcturus, so it is possible Sirius was named after his father.

  • 

    Another speculation is that Sirius's middle name could be Licorus. The reasoning behind this is that the House of Black is a "Traditional" pureblood house. Thus the traditional difference between a Junior and II (the Second) is that a Junior is (typically) a son named after the father. Traditionally, a (typically) male child that is the Second (II) of their name is in honour of a family member who is not the father. Both Junior and the II of that name must be entirely the same (First, Middle, and Surname). So following that reasoning, we know Sirius I was the eldest son of (possibly) Cygnus Black I and Ella Max; and Cygnus is possibly the first-born son of Licorus Black and Magenta Tripe. We also know that he died young, and we can reason that Phineas Nigellus Black named his eldest son in honour of his lost brother and therefore kept his full name the same as his (Sirius II) deceased paternal uncle. It would also explain why Sirius II named his first-born daughter Lycoris, a variation of Licorus.

Author's comments

J. K. Rowling has mentioned having mixed thoughts on Sirius but liking him as a character overall.

"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 loathesKreacher, 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 towardsSnape suggests that he cannot conceive of any latent good qualities there... Sirius's great redeeming quality is how much affection he is capable of feeling. He lovedJames like a brother and he went on to transfer that attachment toHarry."^[31]

Appearances

The Harry Potter Wiki has 310 images related toSirius Black.

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone(First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(First appearance)
• 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(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(Appears in flashback(s))(Appears as aghost or aspirit)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1(Mentioned only)(Appears in photographs)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2(Appears in flashback(s))(Appears as aghost or aspirit)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)(Appears as aghost or aspirit)
• Pottermore
• HarryPotter.com
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter prequel
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened(In theBook with No Name)(Appears as an echo)
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac

Notes and references

Order of the Phoenix
Founder: Albus Dumbledore
Leaders: Albus Dumbledore ·Alastor Moody ·Kingsley Shacklebolt
Original Order of of the Phoenix: Aberforth Dumbledore ·Alastor Moody ·Alice Longbottom ·Arabella Figg ·Benjy Fenwick ·Caradoc Dearborn ·Dedalus Diggle ·Dorcas Meadowes ·Edgar Bones ·Elphias Doge ·Emmeline Vance ·Fabian Prewett ·Frank Longbottom ·Gideon Prewett ·James Potter ·Lily Potter ·Marlene McKinnon ·Mundungus Fletcher ·Peter Pettigrew (defected) ·Remus Lupin ·Rubeus Hagrid ·Severus Snape ·Sirius Black ·Sturgis Podmore
Reconstituted Order of the Phoenix: Aberforth Dumbledore ·Alastor Moody ·Arabella Figg ·Arthur Weasley ·Bill Weasley ·Charles Weasley ·Dedalus Diggle ·Elphias Doge ·Emmeline Vance ·Fleur Delacour ·Fred Weasley ·George Weasley ·Harry Potter ·Hermione Granger ·Hestia Jones ·Kingsley Shacklebolt ·Minerva McGonagall ·Molly Weasley ·Mundungus Fletcher ·Nymphadora Tonks ·Remus Lupin ·Ronald Weasley ·Rubeus Hagrid ·Severus Snape ·Sirius Black ·Sturgis Podmore
Order of the Phoenix allies: Andromeda Tonks ·Augusta Longbottom ·Buckbeak ·Dobby ·Fallen Fifty ·Fawkes ·Filius Flitwick ·Firenze ·Garrick Ollivander ·Ginevra Weasley ·Grawp ·Helena Ravenclaw ·Horace Slughorn ·Karkus ·Kreacher ·Lee Jordan ·Luna Lovegood ·McKinnon family ·Mr Westenberg ·Mrs Westenberg ·Muriel ·Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington ·Neville Longbottom ·Oliver Wood ·Olympe Maxime ·Rita Skeeter ·Patrick Delaney-Podmore ·Peeves ·Percy Weasley ·Pomona Sprout ·Poppy Pomfrey ·Sybill Trelawney ·Ted Tonks ·Westenberg family ·Winky ·Xenophilius Lovegood
Other affiliations: Dumbledore's Army ·Forbidden Forest Centaur colony ·Headless Hunt ·Hogwarts Hippogriff herd ·Hogwarts house-elves ·Hogwartsghosts ·Hogwartsstaff ·Hogwarts students ·Hogwarts Thestral herd ·British Ministry of Magic ·Giant colony(UnderKarkus's control)

Animagi

Before registration system
Falco Aesalon (Falcon) ·Cliodna (Sea Bird) ·Morgan le Fay (Bird) ·Morrigan (Crow) ·Unidentified Native American Animagus (Eagle)
Registered
Minerva McGonagall (Tabby cat) ·Adrian Tutley (Gerbil) ·Talbott Winger's mother (White Swan) ·Unidentified witch (Black cat) ·Five unidentified individuals (Unknown)
Unregistered
Patricia McManners (Calico cat) ·Olivier Kikkert (Frog) ·Sirius Black (Black dog) ·Peter Pettigrew (Rat) ·James Potter (Stag) ·Harold Ruddle (Ferret) ·Rita Skeeter (Beetle) ·Talbott Winger (Eagle)
Unknown registry status
Mudiwa Onai (African fish eagle) ·Natsai Onai's father (Giraffe) ·Natsai Onai (Gazelle) ·Poacher Animagus (Wolf) ·Jacob's sibling (Brown dog,Black and white cat orFalcon) ·Vega (Fennec fox) ·Bly (Lemur) ·Ambrose Turner (Butterfly)
Fictional Animagi
Babbitty Rabbity (Rabbit)

Azkaban
Azkaban's island,North Sea
Non-imprisoned inhabitants
Dementors(two known Dementors) ·Ekrizdis ·Azkaban Security Officials and Very Important Wizards
Convicts
Alderton ·Arkie Alderton's alleged son ·Avery II ·Verucca Buckthorn-Snyde ·Eustace Burke ·Joseph Button-Jones ·Alecto Carrow ·Amycus Carrow ·Jane Court ·Crispin Cronk ·Delphini ·Calvin Farrell ·Wilhelmina Farrell ·Penelope Fawley's mother ·Marvolo Gaunt ·Morfin Gaunt ·Ginger Witch ·Antoine Grimalkin ·Bedilia Grimalkin ·Gareth Greengrass's brother ·Victor Gridley ·Rubeus Hagrid ·Theophilus Harlow ·Jugson ·Igor Karkaroff ·Barnaby Lee's father ·Barnaby Lee's mother ·Xenophilius Lovegood ·Elspeth MacGillony ·Cassandra Mason ·Patricia McManners ·Tarquin McTavish ·Jeremiah Muldoon ·Kaleena Page ·Carlotta Pinkstone ·Sturgis Podmore ·Patricia Rakepick ·Kazuhiro Shiratori ·Merula Snyde's father ·Merula Snyde's mother ·Anne Thisbe ·Dolores Umbridge ·Unidentified Metamorphmagus Dark wizard ·Yubert Thorne
Escapees
Sirius Black ·Bartemius Crouch Junior ·Antonin Dolohov ·Mundungus Fletcher ·Bellatrix Lestrange ·Rabastan Lestrange ·Rodolphus Lestrange ·Walden Macnair ·Lucius Malfoy ·Mulciber II ·Nott ·Augustus Rookwood ·Scabior ·Stanley Shunpike ·Travers ·Unidentified Azkaban escapee ·Corban Yaxley
Buried inAzkaban burial ground
Bartemius Crouch Junior's mother ·Percival Dumbledore ·Morfin Gaunt