If there is one character for whom fans feel extremely bad when it comes to the Harry Potter series, it's Sirius Black. Sirius is a character who's portrayed to be a murdering convict, broken free of Azkaban to attack and kill his godson. The opinions shift pretty quickly when it's revealed he was framed all those years ago and has served twelve years in prison for essentially nothing.
But Sirius isn't all innocent, and he's had some pretty problematic moments, too. Although there have been many times fans have felt absolutely awful for the marauder, there have also been times where he's been a tad hateable.
Updated on December 10th, 2021 by Tanner Fox: Is Sirius Black evil? Is Sirius Black good? It's one of the most intriguing mysteries in the Harry Potter series. The character gave fans plenty of reasons to both love and hate him, making for one compelling character.
Times We Felt Bad For Sirius Black
Finding Out He Had His Likeness Burned From The Black Family Tree
It's no secret that Sirius Black intensely disliked his family. His blood purity-obsessed elders and wicked cousin were detestable, to be sure, but growing up as an outcast isn't easy for anyone. Outsiders alike, that's a major reason why Sirius and Harry bonded so easily.
That said, while his family was horrible, returning home to see his visage burned from the family tree must have taken an emotional toll. Regardless of the familial rift, being utterly disowned by one's parents can't be easy.
When He Was In Azkaban
Upon finding out Sirius Black spent 12 years in Azkaban for a crime he did not commit, it's hard not to feel terrible for him. Azkaban is not a normal prison or pleasant place. It's flanked by dementors, which means that anyone who stays there will have the happiness and energy sapped out of them.
Sirius lived 12 years without knowing how to be happy, clinging to his insanity only because he knew was innocent. That's no life for anyone, let alone someone who did nothing wrong.
Finding Out He's An Unregistered Animagus
Sirius Black and his friends originally chose to become animagi to support Lupin, who was struggling with his lycanthropy. Likely in keeping with his name, Sirius adopted the form of a dog, but his status as an unregistered animagus wouldn't help his already troubled image.
A known troublemaker, his eerie animal visage and unregistered status more or less brand him as a criminal. It's a pity, as, beneath the fearsome exterior is a genuinely kind-hearted person, but those who've seen his animal form may find him difficult to trust.
Hearing About His Escape
When Sirius Black describes how and why he's escaped, it's pretty painful to read. He swims all the way to shore and is pretty much skin and bone for weeks as he attempts to find food and survive. His motivation is actually the opposite of what everyone thinks.
Rather than attempting to kill Harry, he's actually trying to save him. Considering he must have been very weak, the fact he swam back to shore because he needed to save Harry is pretty amazing.
Learning About His Family
Sirius Black tells Harry about his family while in Grimmauld Place, and it's a grim story. It's coupled with meeting a portrait of Walburga Black, who screams at Sirius repeatedly.
Sirius says he ran away when he was a teenager, and, although he doesn't go into much detail about his childhood or home life, it's heavily implied he was neglected and abused for the fact that he chose not to involve himself in Pure-blood mania and biases.
When He's Locked In His Family's House
In Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore forces Sirius Black to stay inside, and Sirius feels utterly useless. To make matters worse, he's trapped in a house that clearly has no happy memories for him. He eventually leaves even though he's told not to, and fans were torn.
On one hand, it must have been horrible for Sirius to spend so much time trapped in a place he hated, particularly after escaping confinement in an equally detestable prison. On the other, he disobeyed an order from Dumbledore in a crucial period before the second Wizarding War, which could have been disastrous.
When He Died
Sirius Black is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, his own cousin, after coming to Harry's rescue, knocked backward into a veil that it's implied leads to the afterlife. Murdered by the very family he chose to leave, killed after only a short time out of Azkaban, it's devastating that he dies this way.
This is also a brutal moment for Harry, as he's made to deal with the loss of the closest thing he had to a family ever since that fateful encounter with Lord Voldemort years ago.
Times We Hated Sirius Black
Seeing His Shabby Appearance
Potterheads certainly won't hate Sirius Black for his appearance; after spending years in one of the wizarding world's most infamous prisons, that just wouldn't be fair. Yet, given his utterly ragged appearance throughout most of The Prisoner of Azkaban, it's not hard to understand why some in the wizarding community would hate him.
Worn and disheveled in both his human and animagus forms, Sirius certainly doesn't make a great first impression. Part of the hatred for him likely stems from his coverage in The Daily Prophet, but, tattooed and tattered, he lives up to his infamy at first glance.
When He Broke Into The Common Room
In the book, there's a scene that takes place before readers know he's innocent where Black tears into the Gryffindor Common Room with a knife. It's presumed that he's looking for Harry and that he is endangering other students in his quest to find and kill his godson.
It puts the whole school on edge, and, as no one knows exactly how he broke in, it's a slightly terrifying moment. He seems like the real villain of the book; after all, why else would he break in with a weapon?
Learning About His Treatment Of Kreacher
The Black family's loyal house-elf, Kreacher never saw eye to eye with Sirius. Kreacher was obsessed with his nefarious masters and bought into their infatuation with wizarding blood purity. Sirius, on the other hand, rejected his family and their interests.
Kreacher was never the most likable sort, and he eventually played a role in Sirius' death. However, rather than hatred and vitriol, Sirius should have pitied the house-elf. An indentured servant with no way to form or express opinions of his own, Sirius Black may have done well to recognize that Kreacher was nothing but a product of his poor surroundings.
Seeing Him Bully Snape
A flashback shows that both James Potter and Sirius Black were extremely cruel towards Severus Snape in their Hogwarts years. While Snape is far from a pleasant person, the way James and Sirius treated him is utterly callous.
They humiliated him in front of fellow students, and the books even tell of a time that Sirius tried to kill him by leading him into Remus' path on a full moon. How Remus ever forgave him for this...
His Sniping At Harry
Sometimes, it seems as if Sirius Black just can't behave like an adult. Perhaps a life spent either in prison or on the run wasn't conducive to his emotional development.
When Harry is trying to keep him safe by refusing to meet up with him and have him running around in the open since he is still a wanted criminal, Sirius almost makes fun of him in the books and is cold towards him for weeks. All because Harry actually wants to keep him safe.
Every Time He Risked His Life
Sirius Black often unnecessarily risks his life, and fans got angry with him because Harry needs him. He insists on accompanying Harry to the train station while disguised in dog form—and doesn't behave much like a dog, giving himself to Lucius Malfoy—and other excursions because he's restless.
It might be understandable, but it's hard not to wish he had more regard for his own life.
When He Called Harry 'James'
Sirius Black calls Harry 'James' by accident in the heat of the moment, and, although it's sad, it's a sign that he isn't being what Harry needs.
Molly Weasley was right; he thinks of Harry as a best friend more than a son, and he can't really provide what Harry needs in a parental figure. It's tragic, but Sirius should have done a better job of concealing his emotions.