The Leaky Cauldron

Chapter 4 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Leaky Cauldron

Synopsis

Harry's time in Diagon Alley is his own; he browses the many shops, sees the new Firebolt broom at Quality Quidditch Supplies, and spends the afternoons working on his homework, with free sundaes, at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. While buying school supplies, Harry is surprised that the book Hagrid gave him for his birthday, The Monster Book of Monsters, is displayed in Flourish & Blotts. Checking his booklist, he sees it is required for his Care of Magical Creatures class, which is a relief to Harry who was worried Hagrid wanted help with some new "pet". It is also a relief to the Flourish & Blotts clerk, as it is difficult to extract the aggressive tomes from their cage. While looking for his Divination text, Harry sees Death Omens: What To Do When You Know The Worst Is Coming. Something similar to the large black dog he saw when the Knight Bus stopped for him is on the book's cover. He tries convincing himself that it is not a death omen.

Many Hogwarts students are appearing in Diagon Alley, including Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and the real Neville Longbottom. Ron and Hermione finally arrive the day before school starts. Ron has a new wand, while Hermione has three bags of books. She wants to buy an owl, while Ron is going to have the sickly Scabbers looked at, so they troop into the nearby Magical Menagerie pet store. When a large cat named Crookshanks tries to attack Scabbers, Hermione buys it, and also the rat tonic recommended by the clerk for Scabbers.

At the Leaky Cauldron they meet Mr. Weasley. He mentions that Sirius Black is still at large, and the Ministry is putting all its efforts into capturing him. The other Weasleys sweep in: Mrs. Weasley, Percy, who is now Hogwarts Head Boy and as pompous as a Lord Mayor, the Twins, Fred and George, who try to take Percy down a notch by imitating his affected mannerisms, and Ginny. The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione dine in a private salon at the Leaky Cauldron. Mr. Weasley says the Ministry is providing cars to the train station.

Ron has misplaced Scabbers' Rat Tonic, and Harry volunteers to look for it in the salon while Ron helps Percy look for his Head Boy badge. On the way, Harry overhears Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arguing about what Harry should be told about Sirius Black. The Ministry believes Black escaped Azkaban expressly to find and kill Harry as revenge for him having defeated the Dark Lord. Dementors, guards from Azkaban, have been placed around Hogwarts to protect Harry.

Surprisingly, Harry is unconcerned and believes Black will not be any harder to deal with than Voldemort. The Dementors are more worrisome, however, as it appears he will have to somehow slip past them to get into Hogsmeade village. Carrying Ron's Rat Tonic, Harry finds Fred and George outside the room Ron shares with Percy, and sees that they have changed Percy's Head Boy badge to read Bighead Boy.

Analysis

For the first time, Harry is on his own, though he is likely being remotely monitored. His time is used to explore and observe the hidden Wizarding realm, comparing and contrasting it to the parallel Muggle world he was raised in and is only a few steps away, unencumbered by the adult limitations or interpretations he would encounter at home or at Hogwarts.

Harry's character is further illuminated during his stay in Diagon Alley when he goes to Gringott's Bank to get money for school supplies. Rather than withdrawing a huge sum and frivolously buying whatever he wants, including the Firebolt broom he so admires, he carefully only considers how much he needs to cover his necessary school and living expenses. This level of maturity and restraint is rarely seen in someone so young, and it reflects Harry's balanced personality in general.

When Harry is finally reunited with Ron and Hermione in Diagon Alley, he happily rejoins the Weasley family chaos as the children prepare to return to Hogwarts. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley warmly greet him, as do Ron and Ginny. Fred and George, meanwhile, seem even more irreverent, and, propelled by Fred's more dominant personality, are likely planning new mischief for Hogwarts. Percy, now Hogwarts Head Boy, is more pompous and insufferable than ever, somewhat distancing himself from his younger siblings, making him an irresistible target for the Twins' pranks. All these familial interactions provide Harry with rare doses of the happy, cozy family life he so sorely craves.

Three important plot elements unfold in this chapter. Most significant is that Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban prison is somehow tied to Harry. Only now does Harry understand why Fudge so quickly dismissed the incident involving Aunt Marge, and realize that he is probably being closely watched by Ministry wizards while in Diagon Alley. Secondly, and in Harry's mind most important, is Harry's intent to somehow attend the Hogsmeade school outings, despite lacking custodial permission. Finally, there is the ongoing battle between Crookshanks and Scabbers, a situation that likely will continue to escalate, straining Ron and Hermione's friendship, possibly permanently estranging them. We have seen already that Crookshanks will attack Scabbers while ignoring the nearby caged rats, so it is likely this specific antipathy will continue. Just why Crookshanks seems fixated on Scabbers is puzzling.

Harry is beginning to realize that the frequent canine images he has encountered are likely more than coincidence, and actually may have some significant hidden meaning, though probably unrelated to what he believes it to be. Harry also learns about Dementors, the strange, eerie creatures that guard Azkaban Prison, though he is unsure exactly what they are. Surprisingly, and considering how worried he is about the possible death omens he repeatedly sees, he seems unperturbed that Sirius Black may be hunting him. Just why Harry acts so nonchalant is unclear and seems unwise, though he may be rationalizing to himself that any threat other than Voldemort, who he has already faced twice, is simply less dangerous.

Questions

Review

1. Why is Harry seemingly unconcerned when he learns that Sirius Black is looking for him?
2. Why does Harry believe he is seeing Death Omens? What are they, and where specifically has he seen them?
3. Why does Hermione buy so many books?
4. Why is Scabbers looking so sickly?
5. Why would such a "dangerous" book be assigned for the "Care of Magical Creatures" class? Who might have assigned it?
6. Why was Harry actually relieved to see that the "Monster" book was on the school list?

Further Study

1. Why would Sirius Black be looking for Harry?
2. Fred and George have bewitched Percy's prefect badge. Is their replacement caption valid or is this just a mean-spirited prank on their part? How long before Percy is likely to notice?
3. What might account for Percy's changed behavior?
4. Why does Hermione decide to buy a cat rather than an owl, especially one that tries to attack Ron's pet rat?
5. Why would Hermione's new cat, Crookshanks, only want to attack Scabbers, and not any other animal? How does Ron feel about that?
6. As Harry spends time alone in Diagon Alley, what comparisons and contrasts might he make between the Muggle and Wizarding realms?
7. If Harry is so convinced he is seeing death omens, why does he fail to tie that to Sirius Black, who is supposedly hunting him?
8. Why do Mr. and Mrs. Weasley disagree about what Harry should be told regarding Sirius Black? Who is right, and just how much should Harry be told about this?

Greater Picture

As Voldemort openly returns to power later in the series, we learn that Florean Fortescue has apparently been captured. One has to wonder why the Death Eaters would attack a harmless ice cream merchant, though his knowledge about medieval Wizardry, as evidenced when he helps Harry with his homework, could be a factor. Also, Fortescue may be related to Dexter Fortescue, a former Hogwarts Head Master whose portrait hangs in Dumbledore's office; one supposes that this connection could also have some bearing on Florean's later disappearance. This is left unexplained, however, and Fortescue is never seen again after Death Eaters drag him off.

Harry's relief that Hagrid's gift is a required textbook for the Care of Magical Creatures course, rather than something to aid Hagrid with a potentially ferocious new pet, will be short-lived when he learns that Hagrid is that class' new teacher. Whatever fear Harry may have had about Hagrid having a new "pet" will likely be magnified many times when he realizes the curriculum will probably include dangerous magical animals.

The conflict between Scabbers and Crookshanks comes to a head with Scabbers' disappearance and apparent death around April. This results in an extended estrangement between Ron and Hermione. When Scabbers reappears in June, we discover that Crookshanks' distrusting him is wholly justified, so much so that before accepting a new pet, Ron asks for, and receives, Crookshanks' approval. It should be noted that Crookshanks is something other than an ordinary cat: he is a cat / kneazle cross-breed, and thus much more intelligent than the average domestic feline.

Near the story's end, we learn that Sirius never intended to murder Harry; rather, Sirius wants to kill someone else at Hogwarts for revenge. However, this mistaken assumption that Harry is the target, and the associated beliefs concerning why Sirius was incarcerated, helps drive the story.

The Firebolt broom seen in Diagon Alley becomes a plot point, starting at about Christmas, and it results in Harry and Ron being estranged from Hermione. She is immediately suspicious about who sent Harry the broom as an anonymous gift, and, fearing it may be cursed, reports it to Professor McGonagall, who confiscates it for examination.

As a note of interest, one might note that up until this point, the term "Azkaban Guards" is used, but after this chapter it is never used again, with "Dementors" taking its place. This may be because the author wanted to keep the name of the creatures hidden to give the illusion that the guards of Azkaban might be humans. As a part of the story, however, it does not quite make sense why everyone drops "Azkaban Guards" after Harry finally knows what they are.