Summary
Years after first readingHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I discovered a highly poetic parallel within the Black family that I just can’t stop thinking about. It’s things like this that have kept me aHarry Potterfan for so long, since there is always something new to discover when rereading. This discovery was easy to overlook all these years since it was entirely left out of the movies. The history of the Black family only got a short feature, with even Sirius Black’s story being frustratingly neglected.
In theHarry Potterbooks, it’s revealed that the Black family was at the very center of pure-blood ideology in the wizarding world. Many prominent Dark wizards found their roots here since any pure-blood family was likely to be connected to the Blacks in some way or another.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixspent some time exploring the ancient house of Black at No. 12 Grimmauld Place, which was packed full of Dark artifacts. It was no wonder thatSirius Black worked so hard to escape his family’s legacy. However, he might not have been as successful as he thought.
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Regulas & Sirius Black’s Tragic Stories Parallel One Another
The Black Brothers' Stories Subtly Reflect One Another In Harry Potter
Sirius Black despised his pure-blood idealizing, Dark Arts-loving family and did all he could to separate himself from it. His younger brother, Regulus Black, was the opposite, and he fully embraced the Black way of life, even joining up with the Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts. However, I notice an ironic parallel between these two siblings. Though Sirius was on the good side of the First Wizard War and Regulus was on the evil side, their endings subverted expectations. The older brother died as the direct result of his poor treatment of the house-elf Kreacher, while the younger “Dark” brother died to save his life.
The older brother died as the direct result of his poor treatment of the house-elf Kreacher, while the younger “Dark” brother died to save his life.
Though theHarry Pottermovies left this outentirely,Sirius' death at the Ministry of Magic wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t treated his family house-elf so cruelly. Dumbledore noted after the fact that Sirius, who treated his lessers with kindness in general, had never stopped to consider that Kreacher was a being with “feelings as acute as a human’s.” He had never deconstructed the belief that he had been raised with that Kreacher was no more than a servant. He behaved cruelly toward the elf, leading Kreacher to betray his master to the Death Eaters.
Regulus' full story was also left out of theHarry Pottermovies, but it’s the ironic reverse of Sirius'. He was a Dark wizard who joined Voldemort’s ranks, believing wholeheartedly that his kind was superior to the oppressive Muggles. However, when Voldemort attempted to sacrifice Kreacher’s life to hide away the locket Horcrux, Regulus rebelled against his Dark Lord. He saved Kreacher and returned to the cave with his house-elf to retrieve the locket,taking the deadly Emerald Potion himself to spare Kreacher’s life.
How The Black Family Supports The Themes Of Harry Potter
The Stories Of The Black Family Contain Lessons On Indoctrination & Morality
I find the ironicconnection between Sirius and Regulus' deathsdeeply poetic, especially when looking at how their stories relate to the overall themes ofHarry Potter. Concepts of morality serve as the foundation of the series, and the Black family is a spectacular example of indoctrination and the various struggles that come from it. Both Regulus and Sirius were raised in a family that taught that pure-blood wizards like themselves were better than others and that creatures like house-elves were inconsequential. Sirius fought against this indoctrination but still fell prey to his unconscious biases.
Sirius fought against this indoctrination but still fell prey to his unconscious biases.
Regulus, on the other hand, died a hero even though he mainly aligned with pure-blood ideology all his life. It’s similar to Severus Snape’s story—he was despicable to the very end, but his love for Lily allowed something good to come from the man. Though Regulus had been taught that Kreacher’s race was lesser, it didn’t stop him from loving him. It’s anotherbeautiful example of how love is the prime weapon against even the most deeply sewn hate. Neither Black brother was all good or all bad, and the heartbreaking parallel between their stories drives this point home.
There’s So Much More To The Black Family Than The Harry Potter Movies Let On
I’d Love To See The Black Family Explored Further In Harry Potter Spinoffs
The Blacks are among the more fascinating families of theHarry Potterbooks, which is why I have long been disappointed that the movies neglected them. While I only noticed the ironic connection between Regulus and Sirius in recent years,I have long loved the dynamic between the three Black sisters, Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda. While the first two married into other powerful pure-blood families, the last fell in love with a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, and this drove a painful wedge between them. Of course, even the books didn’t dive as deep into this story as they could have.
HBO is open to creating multipleHarry PotterTV spinoffs, which means that a dark series dedicated to the Black family is possible.
I would love to see theBlack family further explored in the comingHarry PotterTV remake. Or, perhaps an entire spinoff series could be dedicated to the generation that included Sirius, Regulus, and the Black sisters. Not only would this be deliciously dark and creepy, buta story devoted to the Black family could further explore the profound moral themes woven withinHarry Potter. Regardless of whether this happens, I will forever be thrilled by the tragically poetic parallel between Sirius and Regulus, and I look forward to finding more covert lessons throughout Harry’s story, even after all these years.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
