Sirius Black is a driving force in Harry Potter’s life. He is the godfather of the boy who lived. He’s basically the only legit family member Harry has left. Sirius Black appears in the third movie installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where the story is all about him. There is so much to Sirius Black as a character than the movie gave him credit for. There is a complex family history. Here are five facts you may not know about Sirius Black to celebrate his Birthday today!
1. Sirius Black Chose to Run Away at the age of 16
There is a misconception that Sirius Black got kicked out by his family. That his mother’s cruelty led to him being kicked out. Or that he got sent a letter of being kicked out while he was studying at Hogwarts, which led him to live with James Potter. That’s not the case at all. Sirius chose to leave. When he ran away from home at sixteen, he was already disowned by the Black family. I can’t imagine the thought of making that choice.
2. Sirius Black was 22 When thrown into Azkaban
The actor Gary Oldman was a pretty old actor at the time. He portrayed Sirius as a man in his mid forties in the movies. However the age that Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban was at the age of 22. He was in there for ten years before escaping, so in the film he should be 32.
3. His Black Dog Animagus was Ginormous
In the movie Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius is revealed to be an Animagus, which means he can shapeshift into an animal. He is a black dog which is fairly average sized and vicious. His dog form (Padfoot) is described in J.K. Rowling‘s books as the size of a bear. A bear size is more deadly, dangerous, and powerful than seen in the film.
4. Sirius Black is Related to the Malfoys and Weasleys
Not many people are aware of this until that one scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. But when Harry sees his godfather again, the wall has several burnt spots. This includes Sirius Black’s name. However Narcissa Malfoy is part of that family tree as well as Bellatrix Lestrange. They are Sirius Black’s first cousins. Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy. Bellatrix married Rodolphus Lestrange.
Arthur Weasley is also a part of this family tree. He is Sirius Black’s second cousin once removed. This explains why the Weasleys and Malfoys don’t get along at all.
Based on this information alone it seems Harry has more family than he realized. Draco and Ron are basically his distant cousins of some sort. Small world and coincidences?
5. He wasn’t the Only Black Disowned
It’s common knowledge that Sirius Black wasn’t the most popular child in his family. Not only are Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange sisters, but they also had another sister in the Black family named Andromeda. She is a name that has also been burned off the family tree wall. She ran off with a muggleborn wizard named Ted Tonks. They are the parents of Nymphadora Tonks. Another coincidence? The most plausible reason of her being disowned was being with a muggleborn and that the Black family were all about pure blood. Seems that the Harry Potter family is a blended one.
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