So just who is Sirius Black? Most people out there know who he is (otherwise why come to this site?), but here's the lowdown for those of you who don't.
Sirius Black came from a wealthy, muggle-hating wizarding family that associated with such people as the Malfoys and the Crabbes. He had only one brother, Regulus, who his mother favored over him, though Sirius was slightly older than him. Regulus died sixteen years before Sirius, because he had joined the Death Eaters, and was murdered on Lord Voldemort's orders.
Most of Sirius's family was made up of dark wizards that he did not like - with only three exceptions... his Uncle Alphard (who gave him some gold to buy a house), his cousin Andromeda (who married a muggle-born), and her daughter, Nymphadora Tonks (who joined the Order of the Phoenix). The rest of his family did awful things, including becoming the least popular headmaster of Hogwarts, trying to make muggle-hunting legal, beheading house-elves, marrying Malfoys, and other such things. In fact, Sirius is related to Bellatrix Lestrange herself... the same woman who killed him.
Luckily, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Sirius found three amazing friends - James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The four of them dubbed themselves the Marauders, and acted as if the school was their own personal playground. And, in a way, it was. The Marauders were stopped by nothing - not even when they found out that Remus was a werewolf! James and Sirius were experts in Transfiguration, so they expressed their loyalty to Remus by turning into Animagi (so that they could accompany Remus on the full moon) over the next five years of their life, and also helping the rather scatterbrained Peter. They nicknamed themselves Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, and now suddenly they were unstoppable!
Sirius kept this attitude when he went home over the summer, and decided that running away from his family would be the most reasonable thing to do. So he ran away, staying at James's house during the holidays. When he was seventeen, his Uncle Alphard gave him enough money so that he could buy his own house.
He lived like this for a long time, his own happiness increasing when James and a Lily got married . And then, suddenly, his whole world flew apart. Voldemort was after the Potters. Sirius declined being their secret-keeper, instead handing the job to Peter.
After a while, Sirius began to suspect Peter, and one night this feeling was so strong that he flew over to James' house on his flying motorcycle - and found that he was too late. The house was completely destroyed, the bright green dark mark looming in the air above it. Sirius sobbed and sobbed, deep inside knowing that it was his fault for suggesting Peter.
Soon, Hagrid, the Game Keeper at Hogwarts, arrived, and comforted Sirius, then went inside the house to get young Harry Potter - who had miraculously survived Voldemort's attack! Sirius was overjoyed that his godson was still alive, and offered to take Harry home. Hagrid would not allow this, so Sirius went off - plotting to kill the man who was once his friend, Peter Pettigrew.
Sirius searched for Peter, and, very soon, found him. As Sirius raised his wand to kill Peter, he blasted the whole street - killing 13 people (11 muggles) with one curse. Before Sirius had any time to react, Peter had transformed into his Animagi form, a rat, and escaped through the sewers. In an instant, wizards from the Ministry had arrived, blaming Sirius on the murder - and also of killing James and Lily Potter. Before he knew what was happening, Sirius was in Azkaban.
Sirius Black stayed in Azkaban for 13 years, knowing that Peter (also known as Wormtail) was still alive, but not knowing where. And then, one morning in the Daily Prophet, the answer came to him. Peter was at Hogwarts, acting as the pet rat of Ronald Weasley.
It was not that difficult for Sirius to sneak out of Azkaban. He knew that he was innocent, so he remained slightly sane. The Azkaban guards, Dementors, became suspicious that he was not losing his mind, so Sirius transformed into his Animagi form, a dog. The Dementors could not see, so they assumed that he was going crazy like everyone else there. One night, as they opened his door to bring Sirius food, he slipped outside, and swam back to the mainland. For most of the year, he hid in the Forbidden Forest as a dog, until one night he got the perfect chance. Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Peter Pettigrew (disguised as a rat) were standing outside of a secret passageway that Sirius had used often in his years at school. He dragged Ron and Peter with him, and Harry and Hermione followed. They were soon joined by Remus, who was teaching at Hogwarts. Sirius and Remus had a long discussion with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, which ended in Peter running away again.
Shortly after this, some of the Azkaban guards found Sirius, forcing young Harry to fend them off. He was discovered by Snape, and put into a locked room. Soon Dementors were going to suck his soul from him, and he could do nothing about it. As Sirius sat, slouching, sure that his life was about to end, something miraculous happened. Harry and Hermione appeared at his window - along with a Hippogriff to use as his means of escape! Sirius was flabbergasted, but accepted the gift, and ran away, hiding in caves near the small wizarding town of Hogsmeade.
Two years passed, and one day Sirius received the shocking news that Voldemort had come back. He, along with Snape, Lupin, Tonks, and others, resurrected the Order of the Phoenix, a group that fought against Voldemort. He moved back into his hated mother's house, and was alone most of the time. The best thing that ever happened while Sirius resided in his old house was having the entire Weasley family over for Christmas, but, unfortunately, this happiness didn't last long.
Harry Potter had gone into the Department of Mysteries - the very place he should never have gone. Voldemort himself was waiting for him there. Sirius and a few others acted quickly, hurrying down to the Department where Harry was.
Sirius, in order to save his godson's life, had to fight with his own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. In his opinion, she was a much too easy opponent, and it was directly after he told her this that he was hit.
So ends Sirius Black's biography.
Note: I got my Sirius Black doll at http://www.behindthemasks.com/dawnatello/harrypotter/
