Harry Potter fans are well aware of the close bond that Harry shared with his godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius was a loyal friend of Harry’s parents, James and Lily, and a member of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society that fought against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Sirius was also one of the few people who knew the truth about Harry’s scar and his connection to Voldemort. But was Sirius more than just a godfather to Harry? Was he actually related to him by blood?
The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
To answer this question, we need to take a look at the Black family tree, which was displayed in the drawing room of the family home at 12 Grimmauld Place in London. The tapestry showed the lineage of the Black family, dating back to the Middle Ages. The family motto was “Toujours Pur”, meaning “Always Pure”, which reflected their obsession with maintaining their pure-blood status and their disdain for anyone who associated with Muggles or Muggle-borns.
The Black family tree was full of notable names in the wizarding world, such as Phineas Nigellus Black, the least popular Headmaster Hogwarts ever had; Araminta Meliflua, who tried to make Muggle-hunting legal; and Elladora Black, who started the tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to serve. The family also had many connections to other prominent pure-blood families, such as the Malfoys, the Lestranges, the Crabbes, and the Rosiers.
However, not all members of the Black family followed their ancestors’ beliefs and practices. Some of them rebelled against their family’s ideals and were disowned by their parents. They were marked with a burn mark on the tapestry, indicating that they were no longer considered part of the family. Some examples of these outcasts were:
- Iola Black, who married a Muggle
- Cedrella Black, who married Septimus Weasley, a blood traitor
- Marius Black, who was a Squib
- Andromeda Black, who married Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born
- Sirius Black, who ran away from home at 16 and joined the Order of the Phoenix
The Potter Connection
So where does Harry Potter fit into this complicated family tree? Well, it turns out that Harry is indeed related to Sirius by blood, but very distantly. Harry’s paternal grandmother was Dorea Black, who married Charlus Potter. Dorea was the daughter of Cygnus Black II and Violetta Bulstrode, and the sister of Pollux Black, Cassiopeia Black, and Marius Black. This means that Harry and Sirius were third cousins once removed.
However, this was not the only way that Harry was connected to the Black family. Harry’s maternal grandmother was Merope Gaunt, who was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin and Cadmus Peverell. Cadmus Peverell was one of the three brothers who received the Deathly Hallows from Death himself. He possessed the Resurrection Stone, which he passed down to his descendants. One of these descendants was Isolt Sayre, who founded Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America. Isolt married James Steward, a Muggle, and had two daughters: Rionach and Martha.
Rionach Steward married William Sayre, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin’s daughter. They had a son named Gormlaith Gaunt, who became a powerful Dark witch and killed her own family. She also kidnapped her niece, Isolt’s daughter Martha Steward II, who was a Squib. Gormlaith raised Martha as her own daughter and named her Morfin Gaunt. Morfin married his cousin Rionach Gaunt, and they had a son named Marvolo Gaunt.
Marvolo Gaunt was an abusive father to his children: Merope Gaunt (Harry’s grandmother), Morfin Gaunt (Harry’s great-uncle), and Riddle Gaunt (Harry’s grandfather). Riddle Gaunt abandoned his wife Merope and his son Tom Riddle (who later became Lord Voldemort) when he learned that they were wizards. Tom Riddle inherited his ancestor Cadmus Peverell’s Resurrection Stone from his mother Merope.
Now here is where things get interesting. Cadmus Peverell had two brothers: Antioch Peverell and Ignotus Peverell. Antioch Peverell possessed the Elder Wand, which he passed down to his descendants until it reached Godelot. Godelot wrote a book called Magick Moste Evile, which contained information about Horcruxes. He also had a son named Hereward, who stole the Elder Wand from him and left him to die in his cellar.
Hereward passed down the Elder Wand to his descendants until it reached Barnabas Deverill, who was killed by Loxias. Loxias claimed to be the true master of the Elder Wand and called himself the Arcane One. He was eventually defeated by Arcus and Livius, who took the wand from him. Arcus and Livius were the sons of Arcturus Black II and Lysandra Yaxley, and the brothers of Callidora Longbottom, Cedrella Weasley, and Charis Crouch. This means that they were also Sirius’s great-uncles.
The Elder Wand changed hands many times until it reached Albus Dumbledore, who won it from Gellert Grindelwald. Dumbledore was killed by Severus Snape, who was killed by Voldemort. Voldemort then took the Elder Wand from Dumbledore’s tomb, believing that he was its true master. However, he was wrong, because Harry had disarmed Draco Malfoy, who had disarmed Dumbledore before Snape killed him. This made Harry the rightful owner of the Elder Wand, and the only person who could defeat Voldemort with it.
Ignotus Peverell possessed the Cloak of Invisibility, which he passed down to his descendants until it reached Harry Potter. Harry inherited the cloak from his father James Potter, who got it from his father Fleamont Potter, who got it from his father Henry Potter, who got it from his father Hardwin Potter, who got it from his mother Iolanthe Peverell. Iolanthe Peverell was the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell and the wife of Linfred of Stinchcombe, the founder of the Potter family.
Harry Potter was thus the heir of Ignotus Peverell and the owner of one of the Deathly Hallows. He also had a connection to Antioch Peverell through Sirius Black’s family, and to Cadmus Peverell through Merope Gaunt’s family. This made him a distant relative of Lord Voldemort, who was also a descendant of Cadmus Peverell and the owner of another Deathly Hallow.
Conclusion
To sum up, Harry Potter was related to Sirius Black by blood through Dorea Black and Charlus Potter, who were Harry’s grandparents and Sirius’s cousins. They were third cousins once removed. However, Harry also had other connections to the Black family through the Gaunt family and the Peverell family, which made him a distant relative of Lord Voldemort as well. Harry possessed two of the Deathly Hallows: the Cloak of Invisibility and the Elder Wand, while Voldemort possessed one: the Resurrection Stone. These three objects were originally owned by the three Peverell brothers, who were also Harry’s ancestors.
The Black family tree was a complex and fascinating piece of wizarding history that revealed many secrets and surprises about some of the most important characters in the Harry Potter series. It showed how blood ties were not always a guarantee of loyalty or friendship, and how choices mattered more than heritage. It also showed how Harry Potter was more than just a boy who lived; he was a boy who had a rich and remarkable legacy that shaped his destiny.
