The house fell into disrepair during Sirius' twelve-year imprisonment in Azkaban. Following his escape, he returned to it in the fifth book to discover that it was now a gloomy and unpleasant ruin teeming with dust, decay, magical creatures, and various dangers. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and various members of the Order gradually restore it to a livable condition over the course of this book. In "Half-Blood Prince", Harry learns that he has inherited the property under the terms of Sirius' will, although he donates it to the Order (wanting no connection to the place where Sirius felt trapped and useless before his death).