HARRY POTTER - POP N° 16 - Sirius Black
Sirius Black was imprisoned in Azkaban on false charges of murder, but escaped to find Harry Potter. He is a character whose courage, mischievous streak, and Animagus form are unforgettable and essential in helping Harry Potter learn more about his parents and himself. All Padfoot fans will need this Sirius Black Pop! for their collection. The collection stands approximately 3.75 inches tall.
Sirius Black was born on November 3, 1959, to Orion and Walburga Black. He was never married. Sirius did not share the views of the Black family, an old line of pure-blood wizards proud of their heritage, considering it nobility, and generally agreeing with Voldemort's ideas. Sirius was the only one in his family to be in Gryffindor House; his entire family had been in Slytherin House. He died on June 17, 1996, in the Death Chamber, in the Department of Mysteries, killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.
Sirius is James Potter's best friend. With Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, they form the Marauders. At 16, Sirius ran away from the family home he hated to live with James. His mother Walburga never forgave him and disowned him. He was arrested by Muggle police for speeding (an episode recounted in Harry Potter prequel). A year later, the Marauders finished their schooling. James married Lily Evans, Sirius was his best man, and in 1980, when Harry was born, he became his godfather.
That same year, the war against Voldemort had already begun. The Marauders and Lily belonged to the Order of the Phoenix. The Potter family was in danger because Voldemort had discovered a prophecy targeting their son Harry. They secluded themselves at their home in Godric's Hollow thanks to the Fidelius Charm and made Sirius Black their Secret-Keeper. Therefore, he was the only one who knew their hiding place. However, Sirius found the idea too obvious for Voldemort not to think of it and convinced them to use Peter instead. The latter, having already sided with Voldemort, revealed James and Lily's hiding place, which allowed him to kill them.
Sirius, suspecting the plan, went to Peter's house to check that he was safe, but his hiding place was empty. He then flew to Godric's Hollow on his flying motorcycle and discovered the disaster. Hagrid, sent by Albus Dumbledore to collect Harry, followed Dumbledore's instructions and refused to entrust the child to Sirius. Sirius then gave him his motorcycle and went in pursuit of Peter. He cornered him on a street full of Muggles. Peter then screamed that Sirius had killed James and Lily, then caused an explosion that killed a dozen Muggles, cut off a finger to make it look like Sirius had killed him, and fled through the sewers in his rat form. Sirius was then arrested without any resistance on his part. Barty Crouch Sr. sent him to Azkaban without a trial for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, while Sirius is imprisoned in Azkaban, he recognizes Peter Pettigrew in his rat form in a newspaper and decides to escape to kill him. At the end of the book, he manages to reunite Ron, Hermione, and Harry in the Shrieking Shack and explains what really happened. Harry, still believing Sirius responsible for his parents' deaths, refuses to believe that Scabbers, Ron's rat, is Peter Pettigrew's Animagus form. It is then that Remus arrives in the shack and embraces Sirius; Remus, having seen Peter Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map, deduced that he was still alive. They are then interrupted by Severus Snape, whom Harry incapacitates. The two Marauders then restore Peter to his human form, and Harry accepts the truth. He prevents Sirius and Remus from killing Peter and decides to hand him over to the Dementors. However, Remus, not having taken his Wolfsbane Potion, transforms into a werewolf, and in the confusion, Peter manages to transform into a rat and escape. Sirius thus loses all chance of rehabilitation and is taken prisoner at Hogwarts to await the Dementors. By going back in time with Hermione's Time-Turner, Harry and Hermione manage to save Sirius from the Dementor's Kiss, which consists of sucking out his soul, and Sirius flies off on the back of Buck the Hippogriff, who was also saved that night.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sirius hides in a tropical region, far from the Dementors. He regularly corresponds with his godson Harry, for whom he means a lot. When he learns that his scar is hurting him, Sirius decides to return north for Harry, much to Harry's dismay. Sirius is still actively sought by the Ministry of Magic. He hides with Buck in a cave near Hogsmeade. He gives Harry information and advice throughout the year. After Voldemort's rebirth, Sirius is present when Harry recounts his evening in Dumbledore's office and watches over him in the infirmary. He then leaves Harry to contact the former members of the Order of the Phoenix at Dumbledore's request.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius made his childhood home at 12 Grimmauld Place available to the Order of the Phoenix to become its headquarters. Sirius must remain confined to this house he detests, as there is a price on his head and the Death Eaters know his Animagus status thanks to Peter. He keeps in touch with Harry as often as possible through letters or by his nocturnal appearances in the Gryffindor common room fireplace, but he almost gets caught by Dolores Umbridge, who monitors all the fires at Hogwarts. Sirius explains almost all of Voldemort's plans to him, for which Molly Weasley reproaches him, accusing him of confusing his godson with his best friend James, Harry's father. In late June, Voldemort sends Harry a false vision that Sirius is his prisoner in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. This is a ruse to obtain the prophecy, as Voldemort needs Harry to get it. Thanks to Snape, who raised the alarm, the members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Sirius, join Harry and his friends as quickly as possible at the Ministry of Magic. Away from the ensuing battle, Sirius confronts his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange near a mysterious arch in front of which a veil, appearing to undulate on its own, is stretched. Bellatrix quickly ends the fight by casting a spell on him, which propels him through the arch with no hope of return. The cinematic version differs on this point, with Sirius being killed by an Avada Kedavra and his soul sucked through the veil.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as Harry heads towards certain death, he uses the Resurrection Stone to conjure his parents, Remus, and Sirius. They appear to him less solid than a living human but more real than a ghost. All four have a youthful, happy, and serene appearance.
Sirius Black is played in the films by Gary Oldman and James Walter, who portrays 17-year-old Sirius.
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