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Sirius Black III

Basic Information
  • ID: I0007
  • Birth: 1959-11-03
  • Death: 1996-06-18

Families

Parents

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Analysis

Speculation

Sending Snape to the Shack

I cannot count nor even begin to compile a list of references to the many places I have read that one or another character justified distrust of Sirius on the fact that Sirius sent Snape to his death down the tunnel between the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack. Everyone acts as if Snape was tricked into a life or death situation. If that were true, then Sirius certainly bears heavy responsibility. But is that credible?

As I discuss in my extended look at Snape’s Worst Memory, I do not believe that it is credible. Lupin admits that Snape had been investigating the trips out out of the castle for some time. Lily states that she “knows [his] theories” connecting Lupin and the full moon despite knowing only rumours of Snape having met a life threatening situation in the tunnel. Given this is all happening in the space of a few days, we have one of two options.

  1. Despite being constrained to keep secret about Lupin’s status, Snape has gone on at such length that in one or two days Lily is already sick and tired of hearing his theories plural about his “supposed” status as a werewolf. Note, she distinctly said “theories” not “theory” in the book. Snape has developed multiple theories connecting Lupin to a full moon. and Lily is tired of hearing about it.
  2. Snape has been developing these multiple theories for some time. Presenting them to Lily has gained some urgency in the last few days now that at least one of them has been proven right, but this is not a new topic. Lily is still tired of hearing about it.

I find the second of these far more likely, though admittedly, both fit the canonical facts. So the most likely scenario is something like this:

Snape started insinuating that he already knows what is going on. He is goading Sirius precisely the way we see happen during Order of the Phoenix meetings.3 Sirius made a comment along the lines of “if you want to meet one, go down and …” giving directions to access the tunnel. The thing is, if Snape believed his own theories, why did he go? Why would you take advice from an enemy about meeting a dangerous creature? Conversely from Sirius’ perspective, who would think that Snape would actually go down the tunnel the night of a full moon?

Sure, I can believe that Sirius was probably not very upset that Snape almost died, but that would be in part because of his own dark upbringing, and in part because Sirius would blame Snape for the situation. More, Sirius would resent being blamed, when he, rightly, would question who in their right mind, having made comments similar to those Snape had been making, would have ever gone down the tunnel!

Effects of Azkaban

Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban. We are told that most prisoners go mad within weeks, and to drain a wizard of his/her powers.4 What effects did this experience have on Sirius? He believes that he never lost his mind because the thought of his own innocence was not a happy thought, and keeping that thought kept him sane,5 and that later, hearing about Peter created an obsession within him, one that cleared his mind and gave him strength.6

A fogged mind and reduced magic for twelve years sounds like, whatever Harry thinks in at various times in the book, he was in fact affected by the experience. This kind of long term trauma might have long term effects on his mental state. Additionally, we do not know how much wizards depend on their magic for their overall health. If his magic was suppressed by his depression, would that have long term health consequences as well?

One possibility:

“He was in desperate need of a mind healer after twelve years in Azkaban and another one spent as a dog. … If it was only some psychological trauma he could visit from time to time or even find someone in Britain, but he suffered brain damage from everything he went through. Dementors are not gentle when they pillage through your brain. Sirius needs to take more than a dozen potions each day and while I’m a certified healer my knowledge about head injuries boils down to detecting them and fetching a mind healer.”

“Can we visit?”

“I am not sure. He’ll be unconscious for most of the treatment so he might spend the next three months in an induced coma while the potions do their magic,” the older witch said7

A second possibility:

Dementors fed on happy memories. That was what they did. When you spent any amount of time in Azkaban, they sucked your happy memories out of you. You could recover them, of course. It was possible to entirely recover from even an extended trip to Azkaban, in fact, given time and support and a great deal of chocolate, but the key word there was time. Nearly a full year had passed between when Sirius escaped from Azkaban and when Harry had met him, during which time Sirius had been propelled entirely or almost entirely by hatred of Wormtail. Harry’s parents were probably the subject of Sirius’ worst memory, the image of them lying dead which (having been among Snape’s memories) haunted Harry as well. Them he could not forget, any more than he could forget his raging need for Peter Pettigrew to be dead. That wasn’t a happy memory. But Harry? Harry had been one year old when Sirius lost him, a tiny ball of green-eyed joy who chased James’ cat on his toy broomstick and couldn’t pronounce ‘Moony’ properly. Harry would probably have been, in his entirety, a happy memory …8

Lack of a trial

Why was Sirius denied a trial? More, how was it possible to deny him a trial? It is reasonable to accept that Lupin both believed him guilty and would have been unable to demand a trial. Why, however, did none of Dumbledore, Andromeda Black, or his own blood family demand a trial?

Lets start with the easy ones: Arcturus, Pollux, and Walburga Black. We know that Walburga hated her son, enough to want him disowned. We further know, because Sirius inherited number 12 Grimmauld Place, that neither Orion (died 1979) nor Arcturus Black (died 1991) did so.9 However, we can infer the following from the fact that they also did not disown Bellatrix and Regulus Black:

My guess is that they held themselves apart from actually joining the Death Eaters, and thus did not know that Sirius had not joined. They saw his incarceration thus as being one of two alternatives:

Given that, I believe they would find the lack of a trial almost palatable, they would somewhat fear to find out which alternative is true. If he is in fact guilty, then when Riddle returns (which they probably expected, the Malfoy family certainly seems to have expected it) then he would be freed from Azkaban. If he was innocent, then it is a shame the family name would die out, but better that no one know their shame (that Sirius is a blood traitor).

Thus they were essentially betting on the odds that Sirius was both in fact guilty (and thus the trial would not help him) and that Riddle would return before Sirius died, thus giving him (Sirius) an opportunity to procreate.10

Why did Andromeda not demand a trial? My guess is that she falls sufficiently into the “trust Dumbledore” category that she believes his testimony about the betrayal even if the only evidence of her Order membership is the use of her house as a safe house.11

What about Dumbledore? It really comes down to what did he know when. Was anything said in the Potter wills? We do not know. Did he have any indication, from Snape for example, that Pettigrew was in fact the traitor? Again, we do not know. This might be simply Dumbledore not caring to use political capital to ensure a trial that should not change anything (Sirius if guilty would have still gone to Azkaban).

Lastly, it is entirely possible that there was other evidence beyond Dumbledore’s testimony against Sirius. Sirius was imprisoned not just for the betrayal of the Potters, but primarily for the murder of Peter Pettigrew. If Sirius did cast a spell during that confrontation, he might well have thought he had succeeded. In other words, Peter might well have tricked not only the Ministry, but Sirius as well.12 Sirius says that Peter cut off the finger and blew up the street,13 but that could mean before his curse landed rather than before it was cast.

Sirius as Godparent

Does Sirius recognise that Harry is not James reincarnated? Is he an adrenaline junkie, or can he help Harry learn to make mature decisions about dangerous situations? Is the antagonism with Snape due to hatred for one whose loyalty he suspects might in fact be towards Riddle, or is it evidence that he remains the immature bully he admits he was a youth?14 In short, does Sirius deserve the censure that Molly and Hermione at times level upon him? Much of this hinges on the effects of Azkaban.

  1. Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban p. 212. © 2000 Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎

  2. See my notes on the History page.↩︎

  3. For one example, see Kindle Location 7647, Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Bloomsbury UK (2003)↩︎

  4. Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban p. 188. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎

  5. Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban p. 371. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎

  6. Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban p. 372. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎

  7. VonPelt. No Longer Alone Chapter 3 Published: 2017-12-02. Updated: 2020-12-24. Last Viewed: 2021-06-30.↩︎

  8. slythernim. Messing With Time Published: 2019-06-23. Updated: 2023-01-17.↩︎

  9. See my notes on the History page.↩︎

  10. Some writers have speculated that long term exposure to dementors would affect virility, fertility, or both. I am unaware of any cannon reason to believe this.↩︎

  11. Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows better citation needed.↩︎

  12. This line of reasoning from comes from “Abandoning Ship” by Red Hen Publications. I am not sure how much I am convinced by it, but it does have a certain persuasiveness.↩︎

  13. Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Bloomsbury Press (2004). page 363.↩︎

  14. Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Kindle Locations 9822-9830 of 13038. Pottermore Limited © 2005. American Kindle Edition.↩︎