Perhaps one of the most important male figures in Harry Potter’s life, Sirius was maybe the closest Harry would ever get to his father. But Sirius first entered into Harry’s life through hatred and betrayal. Let’s talk about why Peter’s cowardly decisions would have deeply affected Sirius Black.
It’s important to remember that Sirius had a horrible family life. Constantly surrounded by hateful rhetoric and parental abuse, Sirius left home at only 16 to live with James Potter and his family. He was subsequently burned out of the family tree and disowned by the House of Black.
Despite being surrounded by the hateful idea that purebloods were superior to any other form of wizard, Sirius believed that this was a wrong belief, and no one should be persecuted by their blood. It’s truly astounding that he was able to believe that considering the people he was surrounded by; many people in his family were Voldemort’s Deatheaters.
Sirius found his crew with Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew, although James was his closest friend. Sirius was even asked to be Harry’s godfather – something that maybe doesn’t make sense, as religion is never discussed in this universe, but I’ll let it slide because it’s adorable.
Aware that Voldemort wanted to kill Harry, the Potters chose one of their friends to be a secret keeper, meaning the secret of where their home could be diverged by no one except for the keeper, even under torture. They originally chose Sirius, but he was afraid that Vodlemort was on to him, and asked them to choose Peter instead. And, days later, the Potters were dead.
The night it all went down, Peter led aurors to Sirius, and framed him for the murder of James and Lily Potter. Deeply wounded and betrayed, Sirius fought Peter, but, when Peter shot a spell causing an explosion, 13 muggles were killed. Peter transformed into a rat and managed to escape, and Sirius was arrested and sent to Azkaban without a trial.
After 12 years in prison facing horrible conditions from Dementors and cells away from Sirius’ cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange – whom he hated – he became the first person to escape Azkaban. He immediately went to find Harry and explain to him how he had been wrongfully convicted. When he did, Harry who looks so much like his father, looked at Harry and told him he hated him.
This is horrible for Sirius on so many levels. First, he tried his whole life to be better than who he was raised to be. Despite all of his hard work, one lie from Peter (his supposed friend) caused everything he had done to be overlooked. He spent years in prison for a crime he did not commit, all the while knowing the real murderer was out there, and that his friends James and Lily Potter died thinking he had betrayed them and would never know any different.
It’s also hard to imagine how excited Sirius must have been to meet his godson after all this time, only to realize that this child not only wanted nothing to do with him but also wanted to kill him to avenge the death of his parents.
In the end, Sirius healed his wounds. He and Harry grew incredibly close, taking on the role of father and son. He turned his family home, a place where he had never received love, into a hideaway for the Order of the Phoenix. He died saving Harry’s life in the way he was not able to for James. At long last, Sirius was awarded the chance to find James in the afterlife and explain everything to him.
So there you have it. That is the rundown of Sirius Black’s horrible life and how, against all odds, he was able to do good in the world. And now, no matter what happens, the world will view Sirius as nothing less than a hero. Always.
While we celebrate the life of Sirius Black, let us remember to celebrate that of Dame Maggie Smith’s as well.
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