In the Harry Potter series, Sirius Black is definitely a fan-favorite character as many fans love the Marauders and are interested in their past stories and adventures.
While Sirius wasn’t a perfect character and had a lot of flaws, he was a good man at the end of the day who dealt with a lot of unfairness and loss in his life. There were times where his heroic actions inspired fans as well as other times where fans felt sorry for what he had gone through. Here are Sirius Black's emotional highs and lows in Harry Potter. Get your tissues ready.
Inspiring: Was a rule-breaker
Sirius Black, along with his BFF James Potter, wasn’t someone to go along with the rules — especially at Hogwarts. While Sirius could definitely take things too far, there was something invigorating about how he did what he wanted and wasn’t afraid of much. This doesn’t mean that his breaking the rules was always good, but he was self-assured and confident, which is inspiring in its own way.
Felt Sorry: How awful his family was
Sirius' rash personality really starts to make sense when his family history is revealed. He grew up in an angry and possibly abusive home, and his parents were pure-bloods who believed in Voldemort’s prejudiced lies.
Sirius was clearly trying to distance himself from his horrible family, and this is partially why he became a rebel who made his own path.
Inspiring: Left his family at 16
While Sirius’ family might be horrible and cruel, the fact that he took control of his own life is really inspiring. At the young age of 16, he left his family because of their hateful views and how hard it was to live with them. Luckily, he was able to live with James’ parents and find a much happier home. But, the fact that Sirius found the courage to leave is quite inspiring.
Felt Sorry: Forced to live in hiding even though he was innocent
After Harry, Dumbledore and the other members of the Order learn that Sirius is an innocent man and still on the run from the Ministry, who believe him to be guilty. So, Sirius still has to live as a fugitive in hiding. After all the time he spent in Azkaban, the fact that he has to spend his days cooped up in the childhood home that he hated is quite sad.
Inspiring: Loyal to his friends
Sirius does have many flaws, like the fact that he can be stubborn, hot-headed, and arrogant. But one of his greatest strengths is the fact that he is extremely loyal and values friendship so highly. He’s the type of person who would do basically anything for the people he cares about. He was willing to learn how to become an Animagus to help Lupin with his werewolf transformations, and he always had his friends' backs.
Felt Sorry: Died at such a young age
One of the most tragic deaths from the Harry Potter series was Sirius Black's. This death was so devastating because it was so hard for Harry and because so many fans were attached to the character. While his death might have made sense for the narrative, knowing that he died at such a relatively young age of 36 was hard to accept. Plus, seeing Harry lose his godfather was heart-wrenching.
Inspiring: Trying his best to be a good godfather to Harry
Make no mistake, Sirius was far from a perfect godparent. He could be selfish and reckless, and the way he was trying to live vicariously through Harry while cooped up in Grimmauld Place wasn’t a good look.
However, he did love Harry and worry about him. Sirius tried to be there for him, and there were many times where he took a lot of risks to watch out for Harry’s safety.
Felt Sorry: Having to be in Azkaban for 13 years
Azkaban is a truly cruel place, and the fact that the wizarding world punishes people in this way is pretty barbaric. Sirius was locked away in Azkaban for 13 years for a crime he didn’t commit, and this meant a lot of suffering. He had to endure the Dementors for so long, and even though being able to transform into a dog helped him cope, living in those conditions would have been hellish.
Inspiring: Joining the first and then second Order of the Phoenix
One of the most inspiring and heroic things about Sirius Black is how committed he was to fighting against Voldemort and his followers. This shows that Sirius cared a lot about people and ideals of equality. He was a member of both the first and second iterations of the Order of the Phoenix, and this shows how brave he really was.
Felt Sorry: Framed for what Peter Pettigrew did
The fact that Sirius was framed for murdering Peter Pettigrew was bad enough, but the really tragic thing was that everyone who knew him well, such as Lupin and Dumbledore, thought that Sirius had betrayed James and Lily. This is something that Sirius would never have done. So, not only did he lose two of his closest friends, he was then blamed for their deaths.