Sirius Black

As an adult, Sirius was shown to be capable of an explosive temper when angered, a trait shared by his mother Walburga Black and his mad cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. His years in Azkaban contributed dramatically, which was especially evident during 1993 and 1994: trying persistently to capture and kill Peter Pettigrew, going to lengths that even Dumbledore commented as not those of an innocent right-thinking man. Later on, he occasionally demonstrated himself to be reckless, immature, and even downright irresponsible. In several instances, he risked getting caught by the Ministry because he felt stir-crazy in his house and advised Harry to take rash actions. Much of this can likely be attributed to the vast amount of time spent in jail, which stunted his emotional development and made him especially eager to spend time with and protect his loved ones. However, through it all, Sirius had good intentions. For all his wrath and vengeance toward Pettigrew, he was capable of respecting Harry's request to not murder the man he escaped Azkaban to kill; opting instead to expose Pettigrew (a plan that unfortunately failed with catastrophic results). Despite this hatred for Snape, Sirius did display shame for his treatment of him in their youth. He also seemed to have possessed a superb mental control that contrasted sharply with his passionate and impulsive nature. The fact that he was able to completely resist the psychological effects of the Dementors for so many years suggests that he had an unusually strong sense of self, and therefore was capable of withstanding long periods of emotional torture and despair. Besides all this, Sirius seems to have some traits related to his Animagus form of a dog. Such examples are when James Potter points out Snape, and Sirius is described as "perfectly still like a dog smelling a rabbit." The most referenced of these traits is his "bark-like laugh." as it is described nearly every time it is heard. Sirius's other dog-like traits include his need to protect his loved ones, his selfless nature, his great sense of loyalty, and his need to be part of something bigger than himself, such as when he helped to plant the seeds of Dumbledore's Army and encouraged and enabled Harry to further the movement against Umbridge's increasingly totalitarian hold over Hogwarts. His territorial protectiveness over the places and people he cared for were always evident, given how he stayed in his dog form for Harry after his encounter and duel against the newly resurrected Voldemort in Little Hangleton, comforting his godson in plain view of many people, including Cornelius Fudge, who still thought he was a criminal, at great personal risk to himself.

Appearance: Unfortunately, Sirius's handsomeness — much like his imprisoned cousin Bellatrix — suffered due to the depression and maltreatment he underwent during the twelve years he spent in Azkaban. As a result, Sirius had prematurely aged beyond that of a man in his thirties. He had a gaunt, sunken face, waxy skin, yellow teeth, and long, matted hair. Harry thought he looked as a corpse might. By November, after his escape, he visited Harry in the common room fireplace, and he was described as having short, clean hair and a fuller, younger face, though his physical appearance had yet to fully recover from his imprisonment.