Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Prisoner of Azkaban/Chapter 4
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Chapter 4 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Leaky Cauldron
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[edit] Synopsis
Harry's time in Diagon Alley is his own; he browses the many shops, and in the afternoon works on his homework, with free sundaes, at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Harry sees the new Firebolt broom at Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry has to buy his school supplies and is surprised to see the book Hagrid gave him for his birthday, The Monster Book of Monsters, displayed in Flourish & Blotts. Checking his booklist, he sees it is required for his Care of Magical Creatures class, which comes as a relief to Harry who was worried that 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. On the cover is something similar to the large black dog he saw when the Knight Bus stopped for him. He tries convincing himself that it is not a death omen.
Although many Hogwarts students are appearing in Diagon Alley, including Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and the real Neville Longbottom, Ron and Hermione do not show until the day before school starts. Ron has a new wand, while Hermione has three bags of books. She also wants to buy an owl. Ron wants 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 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. The Ministry believes Sirius 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.
Harry stops by Ron and Percy's room, and finds that Fred and George have changed Percy's Head Boy badge to read Bighead Boy.
[edit] Analysis
For the first time, Harry is on his own, although he is likely being remotely monitored. He uses his time to explore and observe the hidden Wizarding realm, comparing and contrasting it to the parallel Muggle world he grew up in, unencumbered by any adult limitations or interpretations. When Harry is finally reunited with Ron and Hermione, 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, and 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 his aunt and realizes that he was probably being closely watched by 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, ignoring the nearby caged rats, so it is likely this specific antipathy will continue.
Harry is beginning to realize that the frequent canine images he has encountered may be more than coincidence and actually may have some significant hidden meaning. Harry also learns about Dementors, the guards of Azkaban Prison, although he is unaware of 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.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Why is Harry seemingly unconcerned when he learns that Sirius Black is looking for him?
- Why does Harry believe he is seeing Death Omens? What are they, and where specifically has he seen them?
[edit] Further Study
- Fred and George have bewitched Percy's prefect badge. Is their replacement caption valid or is this a just mean-spirited prank on their part? How long before Percy is likely to notice?
- What might account for Percy's growing estrangement from his family?
- Why would Hermione decide to buy a cat instead of an owl, especially one that tries to attack Ron's pet rat?
- As Harry spends time alone in Diagon Alley, what comparisons and contrasts might he make between the Muggle and Wizarding realms?
[edit] Greater Picture
In a later book, as Voldemort openly returns to power, we will be told that Florean Fortescue has apparently been captured. One has to wonder exactly why the Death Eaters would attack someone as harmless as an ice cream merchant.
As we surmise, the conflict between Scabbers and Crookshanks will come to a head with Scabbers' apparent death in about April. This will result in an extended estrangement between Ron and Hermione. When Scabbers reappears in June, we will find out that Crookshanks' distrust of him is wholly justified, to the point that before accepting a new pet, Ron asks for, and receives, Crookshanks' approval. It is perhaps useful to comment at this point that Crookshanks is not simply a cat, but a cat / Kneazle cross-breed, and thus much more intelligent than the average feline.
Near the end of the story, we also learn that the widely held belief, that Sirius is trying to kill Harry, is incorrect; it is true that Sirius is trying to kill someone at Hogwarts, but it isn't Harry. However, this mistaken belief, and the associated beliefs concerning the reason that Sirius was incarcerated initially, will drive a lot of the story.
The Firebolt broom that we see in Diagon Alley will prove to be a plot point, starting at about Christmas. It will result in an estrangement between Hermione and the other two, when Hermione suspects the origins of the broom.
