Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Prisoner of Azkaban/Chapter 18
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Chapter 18 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
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[edit] Synopsis
Harry, Ron, and Hermione insist Lupin and Black must be crazy, Scabbers could not be Peter Pettigrew; Sirius Black murdered him twelve years ago. Black says he did try to kill him, but, unknown to him, Peter escaped. Black lunges at Scabbers. Ron, still holding Scabbers, yells in pain when his leg is jostled. Lupin tells Black that Harry must understand everything before Pettigrew dies. Black acquiesces, but demands Lupin be quick, he wants to commit the murder for which he was imprisoned. When Ron reminds Black there were witnesses, Black contends they were fooled. Hermione points out that Pettigrew is not listed among the seven registered Animagi. Lupin claims there were three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts.
Ron, noting a door apparently opening by itself, says the Shrieking Shack is haunted, but Lupin says it is not. The howls the villagers believed were ghosts were actually his. Before there was a potion to allow a werewolf to retain his mind, the Shrieking Shack was built specifically to confine Lupin during his transformations. The Whomping Willow was planted to guard the tunnel leading to the shack. Terrible as the transformations were, he did have three great friends: Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter. They discovered he was a werewolf, but rather than shunning him, they secretly became Animagi to support him. It took them three years to learn how, perfecting it in their fifth year. James and Sirius learned on their own, but Peter needed their help. When transformed, they could safely run with Lupin in the Forbidden Forest. Sirius and James were large enough to keep a werewolf in check, although there were near misses. That was how they chose their nicknames; Sirius was Padfoot, James was Prongs. Pettigrew, the rat, was Wormtail.
Harry asks what animal his father was, but Hermione interrupts, saying it was dangerous to allow a werewolf to run free. Lupin admits it was, but they were young and uncaring. Lupin regrets never telling Dumbledore that Sirius is an Animagus, but says he was ashamed to admit to him that he betrayed his trust by once roaming the village as a werewolf. Lupin says he believed Black was in league with Voldemort and convinced himself that Black used Dark Magic to enter the castle, rather than his Animagus form. He confesses that Snape was partially right, that he was aiding Black. Sirius demands to know how Snape is involved, and Lupin explains that Snape is now a Hogwarts teacher. Lupin goes on to explain that Black once played a trick on Snape, who became curious about where Lupin disappeared to each month. Black told him about the tunnel and how to get past the Whomping Willow. It was only James' last-minute intervention that saved Snape from being trapped in the Shack with a deadly werewolf. Dumbledore had, of course, forbidden Snape from telling anyone, but Snape now knew what Lupin was.
Says Harry, "So that's why Snape hates you." Behind Lupin, pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, Snape replies, "That's right."
[edit] Analysis
Many questions are answered, but Harry is barely able to digest what is happening. Nothing is what it seemed, and Harry had become so entrenched in his belief that Sirius Black was guilty that he is barely able to consider any other explanation. Te revelations concerning Lupin's and Pettigrew's roles only add further confusion. Regardless, Harry learns much about his father and his comrades that he never knew before, and gains some insight into Snape's animosity towards him and James Potter.
There have been few Animagi; presumably, mastering the ability is too difficult a feat for most wizards, and it is mentioned elsewhere that Pettigrew nearly failed in the process and had to be coached by James and Sirius. Being an Animagus is certainly a useful ability, although it is a skill that can also be used for illegal or unethical purposes. That is why all Animagus wizards must be registered with the Ministry of Magic, and failing to do so is a serious crime. That obviously never deterred James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, whose solidarity for their friend, Remus Lupin, outweighed any legal concerns. Of the four Marauders, Pettigrew was the weakest member, physically, intellectually, and magically lagging behind the others in ability. They befriended him because he was able to ingratiate himself into their inner circle, but his weak, cowardly character eventually resulted in him defecting to Voldemort and betraying his friends. The Sorting Hat having placed Pettigrew into Gryffindor is a mysterious decision and is never explained. However, that Pettigrew was able to become an Animagus at all may indicate that he has some noteworthy magical ability.
An Animagus does not choose his animal form; rather, it reflects that person's inner character. The rat form seems appropriate here for Pettigrew (Wormtail), representing that animal's less desirable traits, while Sirius' (Padfoot) dog shape emphasizes amity and fidelity. It should be noted that in the Western world, the rat is usually associated with mostly unsavory characteristics such as cowardice, treachery, deceit, and filth. However, in other cultures it can represent admirable qualities, and in the Chinese Zodiac the rat symbolizes intelligence, adaptability, and industriousness. Rowling is using the Western characterization here, although some Eastern characteristics could also apply to Pettigrew including: edginess, shrewdness, and opportunism. It is unknown yet what James Potter's Animagus form was, although the nickname "Prongs" should provide some clue.
The opening of the door, apparently by itself, that prompts Ron to say that the Shrieking Shack is haunted, should be noted. It is reasonably clear that this is the point where Snape, under the Invisibility Cloak, has entered the room, though it is entirely possible that he had been listening from outside for some time before that. Thus, he will certainly have heard that the Marauders were Animagi, but may not have heard that Pettigrew was Scabbers.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Why did Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew become unregistered Animagi? How did they achieve this?
- What do Lupin and Black reveal about "Scabbers"?
- Why does Black want to kill Pettigrew?
- Why was the Shrieking Shack built? Is it haunted?
- What is Severus Snape's past connection to Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, and James Potter?
[edit] Further Study
- What might James Potter's nickname (Prongs) indicate about his Animagus animal shape?
- Why have there been so few Animagi in Wizarding history?
- Why do all wizard Animagi have to be registered with the Ministry of Magic?
- Although Lupin had always believed that Black was guilty, why did he never reveal Black's secret Animagus ability?
[edit] Greater Picture
We will find shortly that Prongs is a reference to James Potter's Animagus shape, a stag. Interestingly, this is the same shape that Harry's Patronus takes, when it is fully formed. It is because of this that Lupin is so shaken after the Quidditch match with Ravenclaw in a previous chapter; he recognizes the shape that James had taken. With the possible exception of Black, who had been present at an earlier match, nobody else present at the match understands the significance of that shape; and Harry, busy catching the Snitch, does not see it himself, and so does not receive that clue to what James' nickname might have referred to.
A large part of Ron's reluctance to accept that Scabbers may actually be Pettigrew is likely denial. If Scabbers is Pettigrew, Ron has been sharing his bed, unknowingly, with a grown man for the past three years at least. This prospect, horrifying for Ron to contemplate, is something that he cannot help resisting.
Harry's reluctance to accept what is being revealed stems from his sharing the common belief that Sirius had betrayed his parents. He is, however, being convinced by the extremely precise recounting of events by Lupin and Black, helped by his personal trust of Lupin. Snape's appearance will actually bolster the solidity of Black's account as Snape will clearly reject everything that Lupin and Black have said, even those things that are immediately provable. Harry's distrust of Snape, combined with Snape's attempted refutation, will leave Harry more certain of Black's good intentions than almost anything else could.
As mentioned, based on what has been said since he entered the room under the Invisibility Cloak, Snape will have heard that the Marauders were Animagi, but not heard Black's and Lupin's claim that Pettigrew was still alive, and in fact was Scabbers. However, this does not seem to be particularly germane to Snape. We will see in the next chapter that Snape has formed his own ideas of what happened, and will act on those ideas, literally stifling anyone who would dissent.
