How did Sirius get the Grimmauld Place?

[Hagrid]

No: HPFGUIDX 131673

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Juli <jlnbtr at y...> wrote:
> Steve/bboyminn: (snip)
> ...it would take a legal event of substantial magnitude to 
> prevent Sirius from having undisputed claim to the Black Family
> Estate. Disowned or not disowned, ... There may be legal 
> directives and entailments, that transend the wishes of 
> the immediate generation of Blacks.
> > 
> Jmoses wrote:
> I see only one problem with this theory.  I believe Sirius was 
> a fugitive at the time.  If he was, he wouldn't have a legal 
> claim to anything.  I believe that it was more along the 
> lines of he got there first and hid it.  
> 
> Juli replies:
> The way I see it, only a BLACK could get the Black Family fortune,
> as Sirius is the Last Black. You say that someone may challenge 
> it, say Narcissa Malfoy or Bellatrix Letrange, they may have 
> Black blood but none of them are Blacks, they changed their last 
> names, so legally they aren't Blacks.   ...
> 
> Sirius may have started to live at 12GP only during OoP, but he 
> owned it long before that, since his mother died (8 years 
> ago?) he was the rightful owner of the Black estate, so why 
> would anyone challenge it years after that? If Narcissa or 
> Bella wanted the house they could have challenged it years ago 
> when Mrs Black died, not now
> > 
> Juli
> 
aussie:
Welcome to Wizards' Law. 

Especially when dealing with an ancient family, you probably have to 
respect the line of ownership until death at least.

Wizards have faced enough persecution of the last millenium from 
Muggles. They wouldn't want to copy Muggle laws that Salazar 
Slytherin and other founders suffered under.

Magical curses may protect the house exclusively for the heirs and 
those they invite. Kreacher was bound by such laws as was anyone 
wanting to claim the house for the simple reason that the sole heir 
was a convicted murderer in an inescapable prison.

One of these posts reminded us that Black didn't go direct to 12GP. 
He was sending tropical birds instead of owls to Harry. Whoever 
helped Sirius then may hold a few more answers for Harry about his 
godfather.

aussie