Sirius Black

Sirius Black was, in many respects, a lonely wolf – or, more precisely, a lonely dog. He lived alone for most of the series. Sirius's alienation from others was undoubtedly caused by his imprisonment in Azkaban. Yet, some plotlines reveal that his family members left him feeling alienated even before that.

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Sirius broke the Black family tradition by becoming a Gryffindor rather than Slytherin, as all of his family members were. This immediately distinguished him as unusual. His Gryffindor status – combined with a substantially more compassionate nature – led to a cold war between Sirius and his own family. Sirius's dissatisfaction with Grimmauld Place - the mansion where he spent the most of his early years - contributed to the emergence of his more bitter side. He made no apologies for the fact that he did not enjoy his youth.

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Sirius Black demonstrated to us that one's biological family does not necessarily have to be one's actual family. He eventually discovered kinfolk in Harry Potter's dad and Remus Lupin. Sirius taught Harry a great deal, but one of the most significant lessons he taught Harry was that, even if you don't have a blood family relationship, you could still find one in the shape of your friends.