Character Analysis of Sirius

      Sirius Black is an important adult figure in the series. Not only is he Harry's godfather and an escapee from Azkaban, he is also a part of the Order of the Phoenix. He is first mentioned in Sorcerer's Stone, having met Hagrid at the Potter's house shortly after the murders, but we aren't formally introduced to him until Prisoner of Azkaban, when he breaks out and is supposedly after Harry, becoming the main focus of the book. He is perceived to be a bad guy, a killer, but we learn that he actually was innocent, and manages to escape with help from Harry, and lives on the run for the rest of his life.

Role in the Order of the Phoenix

       His role in the Order is minimal after Voldemort's return, due to his status in the Wizarding World, so therefore the only thing he can really do is offer his house as headquarters. He feels terrible and helpless towards the cause because of this, but it actually turned out to be a huge help and advantage to the Order and the trio in the long run. He wants to go out into the world and fight, get information, or recruit: anything to get out of his house. He was active in the original Order during the First War, though it is unclear what exactly he did. He was a skilled duellist, as we see in OOTP during the Battle in the Ministry when he was fighting off the Death Eaters.

Family

       Sirius' entire family had been in Slytherin; all except him. They were obsessed with the Pureblood society and were very racist. Most were supporters of Voldemort and even before that,bad things like Muggle-hunting. He didn't want to be anything like them. He "went out of his way to annoy his parents" by putting Gryffindor and Muggle things on his wall with a permanent sticking charm: everything they despised. His great-great grandfather, Phineas Nigellus Black, was the most unpopular Hogwarts Headmaster ever. He is cousins to Bellatrix and Narcissa, as well as Andromeda and Tonks. Sirius is related to basically every Wizarding family some way or another due to intermarriage.

Sirius and Regulus

       Sirius and Regulus are very alike in character, though it doesn't seem that way on the surface. You have Regulus-the Slytherin, the favorite son, a supporter of the Dark Arts, and a Death Eater. Then there's Sirius- the Gryffindor, outcast (and proud of it) of the family, a hater of the Dark Arts, and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. They seem like polar opposites, but actually, their characters are very similar. Regulus became a Death Eater, probably with loads of support, if not persuasion from his family; but when he joined, he immediately wanted to back out. He found out about the Horcruxes and attempted to destroy them but died in the process. This is similar to Sirius, because he really wasn't as bad as he was made out to be, as Sirius was, and in the end, he showed Gryffindor-like traits in his pursuit to get away from Voldemort. Perhaps, like Harry, Regulus had chosen to be in Slytherin due to his family, when there is a slight possibilty he could've been in Gryffindor, as the Sorting Hat 'knows' true traits and underlying character like in Neville's case, where it wasn't clear why he was a Gryffindor until DH.

Relationships with the Marauders

       Sirius was hardly ever in the background. In his school days, he and James were popular and top of their class, though they did a lot of rule-breaking. The two were as close as brothers, the way they got along. They were the closest friends in the Marauders.
       Lupin was befriended by the rest of the Marauders shortly after their arrival at Hogwarts. After finding out about his "furry little problem", Sirius and James taught themselves and Peter to become Animagi to accompany Lupin during the full moon and give him company. He was very grateful, as it really helped him get through the pain.
       Lupin was not told of the Potters' switch in plans from Sirius to Peter regarding the Secret-Keeper of their residence. We see in Prisoner of Azkaban that Lupin had thought, along with the rest of the Wizarding World, that Sirius was Secret-Keeper and sold his friends out, and was genuinely shocked when news of the Potters' fate reached him. When he sees Sirius for the first time after his escape in the Shrieking Shack, he immediately realizes the switch and believes it without a doubt, much to the bewilderment of the trio. This is a defining trait in their friendship: that without a doubt, he would believe his friend, no matter what the situation or blame. He automatically knew the truth, even though he didn't at first. After Sirius escaped and was in his family home, Lupin kept him company when he wasn't working with the werewolves or nearing the full moon, giving him comfort, much like Sirius did for him.

Relationship with Harry

       As he was in Azkaban for the majority of Harry's life, he wasn't able to fufill his duties as godfather to him until Goblet of Fire; but even then, it was minimal. After his escape, he had become a central figure in Harry's life. As Dumbledore said, Harry had "com[e] to regard [Sirius] as a mixture of father and brother." He gave Harry help during the Triwizard Tournament and during his fifth year when he was teaching the DA. The latter is more important, as he was very supportive of Harry and basically a driving force in his decision to teach in the first place. It reassured Harry that he had support from Sirius.
       Sirius' death was a really low blow for Harry. Already having lost his parents, his next parental figure being taken from him really impacted him. He had just gotten to know him; not even two years had passed from their first meeting. Their time was cut short twice. Had it not been for the importance of the blood protection that Lily provided for Harry, he probably would have gone to live with Sirius, therefore would have been brought up differently: with love and care.

Favorite Moments

       My (Paige) favorite Sirius moment is when they are taking Pettigrew to the castle from the Shrieking Shack, and he tells Harry that he is his godfather, and offers him a place to stay, trying, somehow, to make up for the lost years. Harry then says one of my favorite lines: "Are you insane? Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?" I love this scene because it shows a complete contrast to the image of his character that we've seen througout the book, and it is a comic relief bit. It is also establishes the beginning of his role as a father figure to Harry, a relationship that I love in the series, and one that was tragically short-lived.
       My (Calie) favorite Sirius moment was probably in Goblet of Fire, when Sirius is trying to protect Harry after his ordeal in the graveyard. Here we see Sirius act as a parent, something we don't see so often. His love for Harry is so apparent in this scene that I can't think of another time that Sirius looks like a better guy. Sirius is acting like any parent would, trying to keep Harry from feeling anymore pain then he has to. We see the best in Sirius here, and I really like that.