How Sirius found Harry (was Quick Question)

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 28054

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Cindy C." <cynthiaanncoe at h...> wrote:
> Early in PoA, Sirius find Harry near Privet Drive, and later he 
> reveals that he knows Harry lives with his aunt and uncle.  How does 
> he learn this?  Does Crookshanks tell him?  Does he learn it the 
> night Harry's parents died, and if so, why would he know this if 
> MacGonagall didn't know until Dumbledore told her?  Does it have 
> something to do with the missing 24-hours?

Good question, and I don't remember it being asked on here 
either, though I do remember wondering myself.  I have four theories:

(1) He picked up this info sometime during the year of PA, either from 
Crookshanks (doubtful, it seems to me) or from spying around.  

However, he knew enough to look for him in Little Whinging, though, so 
he must've known at least enough to make an educated guess at the 
start of PA.   So:

(2) He could easily have learned where Lily's only sister lived from 
years of friendship with L.  

(3) He learned it from Hagrid the night James and Lily died.  He asked 
Hagrid to give him Harry, Hagrid said no, he had orders from 
Dumbledore--Hagrid could easily have added that he was taking Harry to 
Lily's sister's.  It's the kind of unnecessary information Hagrid 
would spill, especially since he felt terrible for Sirius and had no 
suspicion of him at the time.

(4) Maybe there's even a magical way he can detect Harry (e.g., 
relatives can find him and Sirius counts?), though Dumbledore would 
surely have closed this loophole if he'd known about it.

I go for theory #3, myself.

Amy Z

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 "I'm =not= going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.
 "That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.
                       -HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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