The Marauders Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sirius

Sirius Black was one of the Marauders while he was a student at Hogwarts, and was best friends with James. When the members of the group discovered Remus' situation, they decided to learn the extremely difficult magic spell needed in order to become an Animagus, a witch or wizard who could turn themselves into an animal.

Sirius became a black dog, which was a nod to his first name - Sirius the Dog Star - and his last name. His code name, therefore, was Padfoot. When Harry first saw Sirius as an Animagus, at the beginning of the movie, he mistakenly thought he was Grim, the mythological omen of death. In this form it was easier, but dangerous, for Sirius to be out in public. He was still a man who had been sent to prison for committing several murders, and a recent prison escapee. His actions at his trial had led even his closest friends to believe that he had committed the terrible acts of which he was accused.

Answer: Sirius

Sirius Black was a member of the prestigious Black Family, one of the oldest pure-blood wizard families in England. When he joined the original Order of the Phoenix to fight against Voldemort, who wanted to rid the world of those witches and wizards who were not pure-blood, his family disowned him. He then went to live with James' family.

Sirius' home, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, was eventually used as the headquarters of the second Order of the Phoenix. It was invisible to Muggles because it was hidden by a Fidelius Charm. In "Order of the Phoenix" the Black family tree was shown on one of the walls; Sirius explained to Harry that his participation in the First Wizarding War against Voldemort was the reason why his name had been burned off.

Answer: Sirius

When news was released that Sirius had escaped from Azkaban, Arthur Weasley warned Harry that his life was in danger. At that point, the wizard world still believed that Sirius was guilty of murdering Harry's parents, and Arthur believed that it was likely that Sirius also wanted to kill Harry. Arthur warned Harry to be cautious; Dementors, the terrible guards from Azkaban, were sent to Hogwarts to protect all of the students, and some believed it was so dangerous that they should send all students home.

Third year students at Hogwarts had the right to go into town from time to time, as long as their parents signed the permission form. Uncle Vernon refused to do that, and, as rules were rules, Professor McGonagall would not let Harry go with his friends. Instead, Harry used his Cloak of Invisibility to go to town, ending up at the Three Broomsticks pub. There he overhead some of Hogwarts' teachers talking about the danger posed by Sirius Black being on the loose.

Harry also heard that Sirius was his godfather, and after his parents had been murdered, Sirius wanted custody of the baby. He was so disturbed by this information that Ron and Hermione found him weeping. Once Sirius was cleared of the murders, however, he was a proper godfather to Harry and they developed quite a strong bond. And-unlike Uncle Vernon, Sirius signed the permission form.

Answer: Sirius

At Sirius' trial, his behavior led people to believe that he might have betrayed his best friends and murdered them. According to the book he was laughing "maniacally" when Minister of Magic Fudge saw him at the scene where twelve Muggles had been murdered. In reality, Sirius found it difficult to process what had happened. He was furious that the Potters had been betrayed, and even more furious that the traitor had escaped. His demeanor led people to believe that he was guilty, and he didn't even have a trial; he was sent to the terrible prison, Azkaban.

Sirius knew the traitor wasn't dead, but he was also unsure of his whereabouts. Years later, while still in prison, Sirius saw a newspaper photo of the Weasley family vacationing in Egypt. Ron was standing in the front of his family, holding his pet rat, Scabbers. Sirius finally had the evidence he needed to prove his innocence, which is why he planned his escape.

Answer: James

Is there anyone else who feels that the Dursleys didn't get what was coming to them for the way they treated Harry? You may recall, "Prisoner of Azkaban" is the movie that featured a visit from Aunt Marge at the beginning. While Harry was treated as a servant, she spewed all sorts of accusations about James - that he was a "no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger" and a "drunk".

Harry couldn't take it any more. He verbally fought back and called her a liar. When Aunt Marge began her derogatory comments about Lily, Harry lost his temper. He didn't do it on purpose, but his anger caused him to let go of his magic, and cast an Inflating Spell. Aunt Marge, blown up like a balloon, sailed across the sky. It was a sight to behold!

Oh, and by the way, James may have been a spoiled, arrogant bully when young, but as he matured he became a great husband and father - for the short time he had with his family. In spite of the fact that his family was pretty wealthy, James worked as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, and joined the original Order of the Phoenix before the First Wizarding War. There was never any mention throughout the series of him being a drunk.

Answer: James

James Potter's Patronus was a stag, which symbolized his role as a strong leader and protector. It was also the form that he took as an Animagus, hence the nickname Prongs.

When Harry rescued Sirius from the Dementors in the movie, a stag appeared. Harry thought beyond reason that his Dad had somehow intervened and came to his assistance. As it turned out, Harry's Patronus was also a stag, while his mother's was a doe.

Answer: James

James Potter was the only child of older, pure-blood parents who were wealthy. They had a business selling potions, and were especially known for their Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. James didn't want for anything while growing up.

By the time he entered Hogwarts he was a mischievous bully, and the leader of his Marauders group of friends. He was a Chaser for the Quidditch team and collected Chocolate Card Frogs. After finding out that one of his friends was a werewolf, he and the others learned the spell necessary to become an Animagus, although none of them went through the proper channels and registered that fact with the Ministry. As he grew older, James matured and became a better person.

Answer: James

Finally in "Deathly Hallows Part 2", viewers were able to see more clearly what happened to James and Lily, however, in "Prisoner of Azkaban", the story was made clear through Remus' and Sirius' recollections. As Voldemort approached their home, he saw the Potter family together in the same room; James was playing with Harry. As he entered, James tried to hold off the attack, urging Lily and take Harry and run. But he had left his wand on the sofa. He died instantly from Voldemort's killing curse.

Harry was able to briefly talk with his father when he had possession of the Resurrection Stone in "Deathly Hallows Part 2". James told him that he was proud of him, and would stay with him until the very end.

Answer: Remus

Remus Lupin's nickname, Moony, was a reference to his monthly werewolf affliction. Before entering Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore said that he didn't see any reason why being a werewolf should keep Remus from being a trained wizard. His friends, in order to help make him feel more at home, learned how to become Animagi, however they did not register with the Ministry of Magic as required.

Each month when Remus transformed, his friends would too. Werewolves can only harm humans, so in their animal form the others could help Remus go through the transformation. In this way, it was not as painful and isolating for him.

Answer: Remus

Remus Lupin's father worked for the Ministry of Magic. After encountering Fenrir Greyback, who was on trial for killing two children, Lupin's father said some disparaging things about werewolves. Greyback retaliated by biting Remus when he was just four years old.

In spite of the fact that Remus was a werewolf, Dumbledore allowed his entry into Hogwarts. For two years Remus was able to keep his condition a secret from even his three closest friends, but they eventually found out. Rather than ostracizing him, they did what they could to help him through each full moon phase, using the Shrieking Shack as their headquarters.

Answer: Remus

Many pupils at Hogwarts said that Remus was the best teacher they had. He joined the staff as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in "Prisoner of Azkaban". A remarkable wizard himself, Remus had a way of teaching that helped to increase his students' confidence.

Remus was the teacher who taught Harry how to conjure his Patronus, which sure came in handy when Harry and Sirius were threatened by Dementors. In spite of the fact that Remus had such a close association with Harry's father, he tried really hard to strike a balance between being both a teacher and a friend. When he found Harry with the Marauder's Map, a magical map that he and his four friends had made when they were students, he immediately confiscated it, and lectured Harry about the dangers of roaming around Hogwarts at night. This, of course, was before Sirius had been found. When he left Hogwarts, Remus returned the Map to Harry. He and Harry remained close friends until his death.

Answer: Remus

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione first encountered Lupin, he was sound asleep on the Hogwarts Express on his way to take a position as Defence of the Dark Arts teacher. Hermione noticed that his clothes and belongings were a little old, threadbare, patched, and ragged. Draco Malfoy used that as a reason to dislike him.

Lupin was an amazing wizard, showcasing his skill quickly by protecting Harry from the Dementors who were on the train, but it was difficult for him to hold a job due to the prejudice people felt against werewolves. He was too poor to regularly afford the Wolfbane Potion that would have made his monthly changes a bit more bearable. Dumbledore's offer of the job and the potion was too good to resist.

Apparently, for many years James and Sirius had supported Remus, but after James' death and Sirius' imprisonment that came to an end. When Dumbledore found Lupin he was living in a run-down cottage. Going back to Hogwarts really gave Remus a new chance at life.

Answer: Peter

Last and least of the Marauders was Wormtail, so named because his Animagus was a rat - how appropriate was that? - and a rat's tail looks like a worm. His rat form allowed Peter to run through the branches of the Weeping Willow; this made it easier for the Marauders to enter the Shrieking Shack, which they used as their headquarters, especially during the full moon. While a student of Hogwarts, Wormtail was described as a hanger-on, very much a follower of his three more remarkable Gryffindor friends.

It was a bit surprising that the Sorting Hat didn't see through Wormtail's real character. Here's a bit of information that you may not know. It took the hat more than five minutes to decide where Wormtail belonged; in Harry Potter land that is called a Hatstall. Throughout Hogwart's long history, a Hatstall had happened only two other times.

Answer: Peter

Peter Pettigrew's blood status was unknown, as very little about his prior life before attending Hogwarts was revealed. His family apparently had some secrets that were kept deeply hidden.

After leaving Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall described him as a "stupid and foolish boy, Peter joined the original Order of the Phoenix with his Marauder friends. He reportedly became a spy for Voldemort because he didn't see any gain from fighting against him, and was given the Death Mark in spite of his cowardly disposition. Throughout the movies, while Peter was in his human form he was depicted and used as a lowly servant.

Answer: Peter

Scabbers was Peter's name while he lived with the Weasley family in his Animagus form as a pet rat. It is a bit unclear as to how Scabbers came to the Weasleys, but he was with Ron on the Hogwarts Express in "Sorcerer's Stone". At first Scabbers belonged to Ron's brother Percy, but when Percy became a prefect, Ron got the rat. When Scabbers' true identity was revealed, Ron was especially repulsed by his pet, saying they had even slept together.

Sirius told that after Peter accused him of killing the Potters and Muggles, he changed into Wormtail and disappeared. After Scabbers' true identity was revealed in "Prisoner of Azkaban", he once again became a devoted servant to Voldemort, and helped him regain his strength and form, even giving up his right hand, as told in "Goblet of Fire".

Answer: Peter

It was totally appropriate that Peter's Animagus form was a rat, because that is exactly what he did to his friends - he ratted them out. James, Lily, and baby Harry went into hiding after they began to fear that Harry was the baby in the prophecy. Their house was put under the power of the Fidelius Charm in order to make it invisible to those who didn't know the secret.

The secret was protected by a Secret Keeper, the only person who knew what the charm hid. Dumbledore believed that the Potters' Secret Keeper should be Sirius because he knew Sirius would rather die than tell anything about where the family was. Sirius, believing that he would be too obvious of a choice, suggested that the Secret Keeper should be Peter. Within a week the Potters were dead and Sirius was framed for crimes he did not commit.