50 Fun Facts About Sirius Black

What is Sirius Black's relationship to Harry Potter?

Lily and James named him when Harry was born, and Harry eventually inherits everything he owns.

In which book is Sirius first mentioned, as the lender of a flying motorbike?

Hagrid arrives at Privet Drive on the bike in chapter one; Sirius had handed it over after the Potters' deaths.

Who plays Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films?

He admitted he took the part because he needed the money after years of turning down work to be with his family.

What were the names of Sirius's parents?

Both were Blacks by birth and second cousins, in keeping with the family's pure-blood obsession.

What was the name of Sirius's younger brother?

Regulus Arcturus Black is the R.A.B. whose note Harry finds in the fake locket.

Which of his three cousins was Sirius's favourite?

She is the mother of Nymphadora Tonks; her sisters are Bellatrix and Narcissa.

The Black family names its children after what?

Sirius is the Dog Star, which suits an Animagus who turns into a huge black dog.

Which Hogwarts house was Sirius sorted into, breaking with the rest of his family?

He rejected the family's pure-blood elitism and reverence for the Dark Arts and came to hate most of his relatives.

Who was Sirius's inseparable best friend at school?

The two were immensely popular and known for their good looks, and were later joined by Lupin and Pettigrew.

Why did Sirius, James and Peter secretly become Animagi?

In animal form they could safely accompany the werewolf and keep him under control.

What is Sirius's Animagus form?

It earned him the Marauder nickname Padfoot.

What is Sirius's Marauder nickname?

Prongs was James, Moony was Lupin and Wormtail was Pettigrew.

At what age did Sirius run away from home?

He took refuge with James and his parents, and his outraged mother burned his name off the family tapestry.

Which relative left Sirius a large inheritance that made him financially independent?

Walburga struck the benefactor's name off the family tree too.

What role did Sirius play at James and Lily's wedding?

He was also the Potters' first choice as Secret Keeper when they went into hiding.

Which spell hid the Potters and required a Secret Keeper?

Sirius persuaded the Potters to switch the role to Pettigrew, reasoning no one would suspect so weak a wizard.

Why did Sirius suggest Pettigrew become Secret Keeper instead of himself?

He feared he was the obvious target; instead Pettigrew turned out to be Voldemort's spy in the Order.

How many Muggles died in the street explosion Pettigrew staged to frame Sirius?

Pettigrew left a severed finger behind as evidence of his own death and vanished as a rat.

Who sent Sirius to Azkaban without a trial?

The same hard-line official would later send his own son there.

How long did Sirius spend in Azkaban?

He stayed sane partly because he knew he was innocent, and partly by hiding in a dog's mind the Dementors could not read.

What did Sirius spot on the front page of the Daily Prophet that drove him to escape?

He recognised the rat as Pettigrew's Animagus form, perfectly placed at Hogwarts to hand Harry to Voldemort.

How did Sirius physically get out of his Azkaban cell?

Malnutrition had made him thin enough, and Dementors cannot detect Animagi; he was the first to escape unaided.

Which omen of death does Harry mistake the dog-form Sirius for?

Trelawney has just read the same omen in his tea leaves.

Which cat befriends Sirius and recognises Scabbers for what he is?

The cat even fetches Neville's list of dorm passwords so Sirius can get into Gryffindor Tower.

What does Sirius anonymously send Harry for Christmas in his third year?

McGonagall confiscates it on suspicion it is jinxed; Harry's old broom had been smashed by the Whomping Willow.

Who stops Sirius and Lupin from killing Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack?

He argues that his father would not have wanted his best friends to become killers.

What sentence is Sirius given after his capture at Hogwarts?

Harry and Hermione use the Time-Turner to free him and he escapes on Buckbeak, another unjustly condemned creature.

Where does Sirius hide while near Hogsmeade in Goblet of Fire?

He survives mainly on rats, with Buckbeak for company and food smuggled up by the trio.

Whose house does Dumbledore tell Sirius to lie low at after Voldemort's return?

He is first sent to alert Lupin, Figg, Fletcher and the rest of the old Order.

What is the address of the Black family home Sirius turns into Order headquarters?

As the last Black he inherits the decaying house and is confined there by the manhunt, which sinks him into depression.

What is the name of the Black family house-elf Sirius mistreats?

Rowling says this cruelty comes back to haunt him, since the elf eventually betrays him to Voldemort.

Who recognises Sirius's dog form at King's Cross in Order of the Phoenix?

The sighting brings more threats, and Umbridge nearly catches him through the Floo Network later.

Which two adults object that Sirius treats Harry as if he were James?

Rowling's own verdict: what Harry craves is a father, but Sirius never really grew up.

What lures Harry to the Department of Mysteries in Order of the Phoenix?

Voldemort plants it; Snape alerts the Order and a rescue party, Sirius included, follows the students in.

Who kills Sirius?

He is taunting his cousin for failing to land a hit when her curse knocks him through the veil.

Through what does Sirius fall to his death?

The archway stands in the Death Chamber of the Department of Mysteries.

Which three things does Harry inherit from Sirius?

Dumbledore calls the death a brutal ending to what was going to be a long and happy relationship.

Where is the Resurrection Stone hidden when Sirius makes his final appearance?

He tells Harry dying is quicker and easier than falling asleep.

What does Harry name his first son?

Rowling's family tree on the ITV documentary honoured both Harry's father and godfather.

Who chases Sirius and James in Rowling's 800-word prequel story?

They were speeding on the motorbike; Death Eaters on brooms then crash into the police car used as a barrier.

Why did the actor who plays Sirius say he accepted the role?

He had taken no major work for years to be with his family, and the part made him a hero to his children.

To which musician did Oldman compare the character of Sirius?

He also likened the dialogue's difficulty to Shakespeare, and suggested the character's hairstyle himself.

Who designed Sirius's tattoos for the third film?

The director of Prisoner of Azkaban drew them; Oldman's contribution was the hair.

What did Oldman say he would have done had he known Sirius died early?

He had read only the first book when he signed on.

How does Sirius appear in the Goblet of Fire film?

Oldman provided only the voice for the brief expository scene.

Who plays the teenage Sirius in the Order of the Phoenix film?

It is a brief appearance in Snape's worst memory.

What colour are Sirius's eyes in the books?

Tall, long black hair, carelessly handsome before Azkaban; Harry's first impression of him afterwards is of a corpse.

Why, according to Sirius, was he never made a prefect?

He told Harry that he, James, Lupin and Pettigrew were all idiots.

What was Rowling's answer to whether Harry had a godmother?

She also said she likes Sirius but does not think he is wholly wonderful.

For how much was Rowling's hand-drawn Black family tree bought at auction in 2006?

It went to a Book Aid International charity sale and was purchased on behalf of Daniel Radcliffe.