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[edit] Chapters

Chapter 1: Owl Post

Chapter 2: Aunt Marge's Big Mistake

Chapter 3: The Knight Bus

Chapter 4: The Leaky Cauldron

Chapter 5: The Dementor

Chapter 6: Talons and Tea Leaves

Chapter 7: The Boggart in the Wardrobe

Chapter 8: Flight of the Fat Lady

Chapter 9: Grim Defeat

Chapter 10: The Marauder's Map

Chapter 11: The Firebolt

Chapter 12: The Patronus

Chapter 13: Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

Chapter 14: Snape's Grudge

Chapter 15: The Quidditch Final

Chapter 16: Professor Trelawney's Prediction

Chapter 17: Cat, Rat and Dog

Chapter 18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

Chapter 19: The Servant of Lord Voldemort

Chapter 20: The Dementor's Kiss

Chapter 21: Hermione's Secret

Chapter 22: Owl Post Again

[edit] Overview

The third installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is written from the point-of-view of 13 year-old Harry Potter. The title refers to convicted criminal, Sirius Black, who has escaped Azkaban, a wizard prison. Black's life previously intersected with Harry's history and continues to do so in the present.

[edit] Book Highlights

• New places visited: Hogsmeade, Shrieking Shack
• Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher: Remus Lupin
• Title refers to: Sirius Black, Azkaban Prison

Chapter 1: Owl Post

[edit] Synopsis

It is near midnight, and Harry crouches under his bed covers at the Dursleys, reading The History of Magic and writing a summer homework essay on witch burning. Harry has much homework to do over the holiday and had to steal his books, quill, parchment, and ink from his chest after Uncle Vernon locked them away in the cupboard.

As usual, Harry celebrates his birthday alone. With the exception of a botched telephone call from Ron, which had ended when Uncle Vernon hung up on him, Harry has not heard from his Hogwarts friends all summer. As Harry is preparing to go to sleep, though, Hedwig and Errol (the Weasley’s owl) arrive with presents for Harry. Ron sends him a Pocket Sneakoscope and a Daily Prophet article about Ron’s father winning a contest. The Weasleys use the prize money for a trip to Egypt; the article's photo shows the entire Weasley family, including Ron's rat and Percy wearing his new Head Boy badge. Hermione sends Harry a Broomstick Servicing Kit while she is on vacation in France with her parents. Hagrid sends him a strange book titled, The Monster Book of Monsters. It almost seems alive, nipping at Harry and nearly waking the Dursleys as it scrambles around the room before Harry subdues it.

There is also the usual Hogwarts' letter with instructions about classes, textbooks, and supplies. Professor McGonagall has also sent a letter with an enclosed permission slip that needs to be signed by a parent or guardian, giving students permission to visit Hogsmeade (a wizarding village), during the school year. Harry is unsure how he can persuade the Dursleys to sign it, but for now, he is happy that it is his birthday.

[edit] Analysis

Once again, Harry must endure another unhappy summer with the Dursleys. His confinement there only reinforces what little connection Harry feels left to the Muggle world and how he longs to return to the Wizard realm, the only place he believes he truly belongs. He has not been totally shut off however; reading A History of Magic is one means by which he remains connected during his enforced absence. Also, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid have not forgotten him and sent birthday gifts and letters. Ron's present, the Sneakoscope, will soon appear to be defective, but it will play a significant role in the plot, as does the photograph of the Weasley family on holiday in Egypt. Hagrid's gift is also notable, as it indicates there may be a change at Hogwarts that Harry is as yet unaware, leaving him confused as to why he was given such a "ferocious" book. The "Monster" book, as well as Hermione's present, may foreshadow upcoming plot elements.

Readers might notice what may be a minor mistake. The textbook that Harry is reading, A History of Magic, is said to be by Adalbert Waffling. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we are told that A History of Magic is by Bathilda Bagshot. Adalbert Waffling is the author of Magical Theory, according to Book 1. This mistake is pointed up by Bathilda's becoming a more important character in book 7. However, as in the Muggle world, it is possible that these are two separate books by different authors that just happen to have identical titles and that Magical Theory is another book by Waffling.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What is unusual about the book Hagrid sends to Harry?
2. What is the permission slip for? Why is Harry concerned?
3. What does Ron send Harry for his birthday? What is it for?

[edit] Further Study

[edit] Greater Picture

The photo of the Weasleys in Egypt, though seemingly innocuous, is what spurs on the majority of the book's action. If Sirius Black had not seen the picture in the Daily Prophet, he never would have recognized Ron’s rat as being something other than a pet, and would not have escaped from Azkaban prison and gone to Hogwarts.

Ron mentions that the Sneakoscope is cheap and probably not reliable. However, the two times he mentions it going off are both times that it should have gone off, leaving us wondering whether Ron is correct in his analysis. We will see it go off twice more, and both times it will be disregarded, though in fact it will be telling us, quite correctly, that there is someone untrustworthy around. Ron's inability to see that the Sneakoscope going off when he is tying it to Errol's leg for transport is it functioning exactly as intended, may be a sign of Ron's immaturity. Unawareness of consequences, like Ron's choice to use Errol for a forbidden extended trip, is typical of his lack of maturity.

Hermione's gift, the broomstick servicing kit, may be intended to point up the significance of brooms to Harry. As such, while it does not play any direct role in events, it is perhaps foreshadowing the loss of Harry's broom, its replacement, confiscation of the replacement, and its eventual return.

We will find out that Hagrid has become the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. The Monster Book of Monsters is his chosen "set book" (textbook), and he has selected in part because he sees it as a bit of a joke. The book will not open until you stroke it, whereupon it purrs and relaxes. Not one of the students that we see has been able to figure this out.

Chapter 2: Aunt Marge's Big Mistake

[edit] Synopsis

At breakfast the next morning, Harry is hardly surprised when nobody wishes him a Happy Birthday. Everyone is watching the new kitchen TV, which had been installed because Dudley was complaining about the long walk from the living room TV to the fridge. The TV newscaster is reporting on an escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, saying he is armed and dangerous; Aunt Petunia immediately goes to the window to see if he might be outside. Uncle Vernon prepares to leave for the train station to collect Aunt Marge, Vernon's sister and Harry's least favorite relative. Harry has unhappy memories of Marge's past visits when she tortured him, and he is unhappy that she is staying for a whole week. Uncle Vernon warns Harry to keep a civil tongue and that there will not be any funny stuff (presumably meaning magic). He reminds Harry that Marge believes he attends St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. As Uncle Vernon is leaving, Harry corners him with a counter proposal: if he behaves during Marge's visit, Uncle Vernon will sign his Hogsmeade permission slip. Uncle Vernon, reminded about how easy it would be for Harry to slip up and say something about his magical connections, and how little he has to lose by doing so, angrily agrees, and slams off to the station as Harry, resigned to acting like a Muggle for the week, sadly puts away all his magical stuff and sends Hedwig and Errol to Ron for the week.

The visit begins poorly, with Marge giving Dudley a big hug and a kiss and £20, while treating Harry as a porter. Throughout the week, Marge repeatedly insults Harry, at one point commenting about how problems in the parents usually appear in the offspring. When her wine glass suddenly shatters, she passes it off as her having such strong hands, unsuspecting that it could have been Harry who caused it to break – Harry is angry enough to have done it, but is unsure whether he did. On her last day, Aunt Marge goes into a diatribe about Harry's "good-for-nothing parents". Harry's anger causes her to start swelling, eventually inflating like a balloon and bobbing around on the ceiling. Harry knows he is probably in trouble for twice violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Under-Age Sorcery, an action that could result in having his wand snapped in two and/or being expelled from Hogwarts. Harry hurriedly packs his belongings, and dragging his trunk behind him, runs into the night.

[edit] Analysis

It would have seemed that no one could be more unpleasant to Harry than Uncle Vernon, but Aunt Marge is equally hateful toward him. Her derogatory comment, "If there is something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup," is meant as an aspersion at Harry by targeting his mother's character, but it might also be a thinly disguised insult against Aunt Petunia, who Marge may consider inferior and tainted by her blood relationship to Harry. This animosity does not extend to Dudley, despite his blood connection to Harry and Petunia. Marge dotes on her young nephew.

Harry's interactions, both with Vernon and with Marge, show how he has matured and grown in self-confidence. He is here able to bargain, almost as an equal, with Vernon; he is aware of the strength he holds, and is not afraid to use it to get what he wants. With Marge, he is able to restrain himself for almost the full week, only losing control of himself when she starts insulting his parents. It is perhaps worthy of note that we see Vernon attempting to defuse the situation. Vernon surely knows that Harry is being pushed to his limits, and is afraid of what might happen if Harry is pushed beyond those limits. This does illustrate the changing dynamic of their relationship; even one year earlier, Vernon would not have worried about Harry in a similar situation.

Harry shows how he has become more sophisticated and adept at manipulating and interacting with people. Knowing that Vernon fears Aunt Marge might learn he is a wizard, Harry barters with his uncle, offering good behavior and agreeing to act like a Muggle in exchange for having his Hogsmeade permission slip signed. However, when Harry is unable to control his anger with the obnoxious Aunt Marge, he loses this opportunity. Although his uncontrolled reaction lost him his chance to visit Hogsmeade, it also shows just how powerful Harry's magical abilities have become. Without realizing it, Harry has twice or three times demonstrated "wandless magic," a nearly impossible feat for most wizards. While Harry himself is unsure whether he caused Aunt Marge's wine glass to shatter, it is certain that both his blowing up of Aunt Marge, and the lock of the cupboard opening when he retrieves his trunk, are magic, and as Harry's wand is locked in the cupboard at that point, Harry is doing this magic without its assistance.

Despite the changed relationship between Harry and Uncle Vernon, Harry is still a child, and his reactions are still quite childish. Having gotten into trouble in Vernon's house, and presuming himself in trouble with the law, Harry's impulse is to run away. He has no clear idea of where he will go, or what he will do when he gets there; he simply decides that he must become a fugitive, believing that he can gather his money from Gringotts and go into hiding. For one as famous as Harry, this is clearly wishful thinking at its worst; there is no way that Harry would be able to remain hidden. This actually is an interesting contract to Harry's behaviour in his first year, where, knowing that he was headed into possibly mortal danger, Harry pressed ahead anyway. It likely would prove interesting to examine this event, and Harry's earlier excursion Through the Trap Door, to see how Harry's character is motivated in each case.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Why does Harry run away?
2. How does Harry plan to have Uncle Vernon sign his Hogsmeade permission slip? What does this say about Harry's character?

[edit] Further Study

1. How is Harry able to unintentionally and without his wand perform magic?

[edit] Greater Picture

We do not realize until the next chapter that Sirius Black is actually a wizard fugitive, but dangerous enough for the Muggles to know about him. The method by which Muggles are alerted about the Wizarding world is shown in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Though, for the most part, the Wizarding world is kept secret and separate from Muggles, in some situations it becomes necessary to break the silence.

Chapter 3: The Knight Bus

[edit] Synopsis

Harry finds himself, with his possessions but no Muggle money, on a dark deserted street. Fearing Ministry officials are searching for him and will expel him from the Wizarding community, Harry figures that using more magic could not worsen his situation. He intends to magically lighten his trunk, and, hidden under his Invisibility cloak, fly to London on his broom to retrieve his Wizarding fortune from Gringotts. While rummaging through his trunk, he has an uneasy feeling eyes are upon him. Flashing his wand-light at a dark corner, he sees a huge dog; recoiling, he trips over his trunk and falls into the street. He is almost run over by a purple triple-decker bus that suddenly appears from nowhere.

A conductor in an equally purple outfit hops out and introduces himself as Stan Shunpike, conductor for the Knight Bus. Only after he partially gets through his spiel does Stan realize that the person who "flagged" the bus is lying on the ground. Helping him up, Stan asks Harry his name. Figuring he is by now a wanted fugitive, Harry identifies himself as his Hogwarts' classmate, Neville Longbottom. Stan tells him the Knight Bus will take him to London for eleven sickles; for thirteen, he gets hot chocolate, and for fifteen, a hot water bottle and a toothbrush. Harry climbs on board, while Ernie, the driver, manhandles his trunk into the bus. Inside, the bus is furnished with four-poster beds rather than chairs.

The ride is very bumpy, and Harry is unable to sleep. Stan is reading The Daily Prophet. On the front page, Harry sees a picture of Sirius Black, the same fugitive that was on Muggle TV. The story says Black killed thirteen people with a single curse, and it is believed he was a strong supporter of Voldemort.

The Knight Bus arrives at The Leaky Cauldron the next morning—Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge greets Harry. Stan Shunpike is astounded that Fudge wants to talk to his passenger and that he addresses him as "Harry". Stan is in awe of "The Boy Who Lived". Fudge escorts Harry to a private parlor in the Leaky Cauldron and informs him that his Aunt Marge has been punctured and her memory altered. He also says that his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are willing to take him back next summer if he stays at Hogwarts for Christmas and Easter. And, most puzzling, given what happened when Dobby the house elf used magic at his home last year, Harry learns there will be no consequences for having performed under-age wizardry.

Harry is to stay at the Leaky Cauldron until school starts, and Fudge requests that he confine his travels to within Diagon Alley and to not venture into Muggle London. Harry asks Fudge if he will sign his Hogsmeade permission slip, but Fudge seems very disconcerted by this and refuses. Harry finds Hedwig inside his room, where he promptly falls asleep.

[edit] Analysis

Harry, thrown into a panic, is thinking and acting irrationally, and, in what becomes a typical behavioral pattern, packs his trunk and runs away. Although his reaction is childish, he also knows from his own past experience the harsh penalty for using underage magic; he expects only the worst: expulsion from Hogwarts and having his wand snapped in two. His brief foray into the nighttime Muggle world is frightening, and however unhappy he was at the Dursleys, he was at least safe and comforted by knowing he would always return to Hogwarts. Now everything he holds dear seems to have vanished, and Harry is too used to unfair treatment to expect the incident to be resolved favorably. He is unsure what to do next, but decides his only option is to become an outcast living clandestinely on the wizarding world's fringe. Fortunately, his faulty plan is derailed by a scary large dog and the Knight Bus' timely arrival. Stan Shunpike, a rather comical and ineffectual character, represents Harry's lifeline back into the Wizarding world, although the return trip is bumpy, both literally and figuratively. Along the way, Harry learns about the escaped fugitive, Sirius Black, though he only briefly takes notice. It seems that Harry's concern and panicked reaction over the episode with Aunt Marge was unnecessary— Fudge, surprisingly, brushes off the entire incident and arranges for Harry to stay in Diagon Alley until school starts.

As a minor aside, there is a small numerical discrepancy here. Harry's birthday, and the start of Aunt Marge's visit, fall on the 31st of July; Aunt Marge's visit is only one week long, and Harry leaves on her last night there, which should be August 6. The next day, Fudge twice remarks that Harry will be staying in the Leaky Cauldron for the last two weeks of his vacation; but if school starts on 1 September, Harry's stay in the Leaky Cauldron should be closer to three and a half weeks rather than two.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What does Harry see when he is on the dark street?
2. What is the Knight Bus and how did it know where to find Harry?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why does Fudge brush off the incident involving Harry's aunt?
2. Why would Fudge refuse to sign Harry's permission slip?

[edit] Greater Picture

Throughout the year, Harry repeatedly sees the same black dog that he observed moments before accidentally hailing the Knight Bus. At first, he believes it is the Grim, a magical creature believed to be an omen of death. The first few times Harry sees it, he finds himself in a possible mortal situation. However, before one Quidditch match, he sees Crookshanks and the dog together, which reassures him that the canine cannot be supernatural. Ironically, although Harry initially considered it a death omen, the dog's first appearance actually aids Harry by causing him to stumble backwards and raising his wand arm, thus hailing the Knight Bus that carries him to safety. Harry finally learns that the dog is actually Sirius Black, who is an Animagus (a wizard that can transform himself into an animal), and the reason they have continually encountered each other is because Sirius wants to see Harry, who is his godson.

At this point in the story, Harry is still a hero: "The Boy Who Lived," who is widely believed to have been the reason for the downfall of Voldemort some twelve years earlier. As such, the fact that Fudge wants to be perceived as being "on Harry's side" is unsurprising. Add to that the belief in the Wizarding community at large that Sirius Black is (or was) Voldemort's right-hand man, and that he is trying to kill Harry, and we can quickly see that it would be political suicide for Fudge to be identified as the head of a government that had stripped the hero, Harry, of his only defences against Black. Mystifying as it may be for Harry, this forgiveness of his magical misbehaviour is the only course that the politically-driven Fudge can possibly follow.

By the same token, of course, Fudge can neither allow Harry out into London proper, or into Hogsmeade village, both places where he would be relatively unprotected from attacks by Black. It is a little surprising that Fudge waffles at the prospect of signing Harry's permission form; one would expect that he would have an excuse at the ready.

Stan Shunpike reappears throughout the series, although he remains a minor character. While he occasionally engages in petty mischief, Shunpike will represent how easily innocents can become the hapless pawns and scapegoats of a corrupt institution.

Chapter 4: The Leaky Cauldron

[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

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?

[edit] Further Study

1. 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?
2. What might account for Percy's growing estrangement from his family?
3. Why would Hermione decide to buy a cat instead of an owl, especially one that tries to attack Ron's pet rat?
4. 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.

Chapter 5: The Dementor

[edit] Synopsis

Surprisingly, the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry are all ready on time the next morning. Ministry cars spirit them away to catch the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station. At Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Mr. Weasley takes Harry aside to discuss Sirius Black. Harry admits that he overheard him and Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley asks him to promise that, no matter what he hears, he will not go looking for Sirius Black. Harry is puzzled, but the departing Hogwarts Express prevents him from making that promise. Wanting to talk privately to Ron and Hermione, they chase away Ron's sister Ginny. The only available compartment is occupied by someone named R. J. Lupin, although he is apparently fast asleep. Despite his presence, Harry relates everything he knows about Black, including what Mr. Weasley said. The pocket Sneakoscope Ron gave Harry starts whistling. Ron says it is cheap and likely defective, so Harry bundles it back up in his trunk to deaden the noise.

The conversation turns to Hogsmeade, and Ron and Hermione are appalled that Harry will be unable to join them, as neither Uncle Vernon nor Fudge would sign his permission slip. Later, Draco and his two sidekicks, Crabbe and Goyle, show up intending to cause mayhem, but Lupin's presence deters them.

The train lurches to an unexpected stop. Ginny and Neville Longbottom make their way through darkness to Harry's compartment, and amidst the confusion, Lupin wakes up and provides some illumination. As he is about to go and find out what is happening, the compartment door slides open and a black-robed figure, as tall as the doorway, glides in, briefly displaying a hideous, dead-looking hand. Harry hears someone screaming and passes out.

When he regains consciousness, the creature is gone and the train is moving again. Lupin says it was a Dementor, an Azkaban prison guard searching for Sirius Black. To counteract the Dementor's effect, he gives each student chocolate, then leaves to speak with the driver. In his absence, Harry asks if anyone else fainted, but they tell him no, nor did they hear a woman screaming. Hermione tells Harry that Lupin repelled the Dementor by casting a silvery object from his wand.

They arrive at Hogwarts in a driving rain. As Hagrid rounds up the first-years for the boat ride across the lake, the trio find horseless carriages waiting for them. Upon hearing from Neville that Harry fainted, Malfoy maliciously attempts to taunt him, but Lupin arrives on the scene, defusing the incident. As they head to the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall asks to see Harry and Hermione in her office; she reassures Ron that his two friends are not in any trouble. Hearing about Harry's encounter with the Dementor, she has summoned him to be checked over by Madam Pomfrey, who approves Lupin giving the students chocolate. Professor McGonagall suggests keeping Harry in the infirmary overnight. Not wishing to give Malfoy further ammunition to humiliate him with, Harry insists he is fine and asks to attend the Welcoming Feast. Professor McGonagall grants permission, and then asks for a private word with Hermione about her class schedule. Afterwards, they go to the feast together.

Although they have missed the Sorting ceremony, the Feast is just beginning; Professor Dumbledore warns students that the school grounds are being guarded by Dementors and any attempt to slip past them by subterfuge will fail as they do not rely on sight to hunt their prey. He also welcomes two new teachers: Rubeus Hagrid, who will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures and Professor Lupin, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry notes that Lupin receives a loathing look from Professor Snape. Harry, Ron, and Hermione congratulate Hagrid on his appointment and then head for Gryffindor Tower.

[edit] Analysis

The Ministry providing cars to transport Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys to King's Cross Station is highly unusual, and it indicates that there is deep concern for Harry's safety that is probably tied to Sirius Black's escape. Mr. Weasley's warning to Harry to not go looking for Black is revealing, although Harry nonchalantly dismisses its significance, more concerned with finding a way to attend the Hogsmeade weekends with his friends than with avoiding an escaped murderer.

This chapter shows a possible hint of Harry's and Ginny's relationship in the future. As Percy goes to meet his girlfriend Penelope, Harry and Ginny look at each other and silently laugh. Although this does not mean that Harry is interested in Ginny, it does show that they have a similar sense of humor, and therefore have common ground on which to build a relationship.

While Harry is thinking foolishly by brushing off concerns about Sirius Black, he soon becomes fixated on Dementors. Although the eerie creatures have been assigned to protect him and hunt Black, they strongly affect anyone near them, feeding on unhappy emotions and memories, while leaving behind darkness, coldness, and despair. The Dementor that entered Harry's compartment may have deliberately targeted Harry, though its purpose is unknown. This, compounded with what Harry believes is a recurring death omen and Sirius Black's escape, likely foreshadows a difficult and dangerous year ahead at Hogwarts. Professor Lupin, however, unexpectedly demonstrates an ability to repel Dementors with an unknown spell, suggesting that it is possible to protect one's self from them.

Also, a valuable story clue may appear here, but Harry quickly bundles it up and stows it away. There is some question as to whether the Sneakoscope actually works; Ron, in the note he included when he sent it to Harry, claimed it was just a cheap device. Apparently, it is more effective than anyone realizes, even though it seems to be giving off false alarms; when Ron used it before sending it to Harry, it was responding correctly.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Why would the Ministry of Magic provide cars to transport Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley family to the train station?
2. Why does Lupin give the students chocolate after their encounter with the Dementor?
3. Why is Harry the only one who faints in the Dementor's presense?

[edit] Further Study

1. Who might Harry have heard screaming as he fainted? Why did no one else hear it?
2. Why would Snape give Professor Lupin such a loathing look during the Welcoming Feast? Is it because Lupin got the job that Snape has long wanted or is it something else?
3. Why does Harry's Sneakoscope sound an alarm? Is it faulty as Ron claims, or could something be amiss?
4. Why would Mr. Weasley ask Harry to promise not to go looking for Sirius Black?

[edit] Greater Picture

Harry's reaction to the Dementors is by far the most severe of anyone he is aware of. Nobody else heard screaming, nobody else fainted. Harry is afraid that this is caused by some weakness in himself. Lupin will reassure him later that this is not so; Dementors feed on happy memories, leaving only despair in the minds of their victims, and Harry, having had so many bad experiences in his life, is much more deeply affected by them. The memory that the Dementors seem to be fixating on in Harry is the time of his mother's death; as Harry encounters Dementors through this story, the memory will be repeatedly brought forward and strengthened until he is able to recall not only his mother's words but Voldemort's.

Harry will learn much later that the "horseless" carriages are actually pulled by creatures that are invisible to most people.

We have seen no evidence whatsoever so far that the pocket Sneakoscope is giving false warnings. Assuming that it is working, we can guess that one of the people in the compartment is not trustworthy. Apart from the Trio, the only other human in the compartment is Lupin, who being asleep is certainly not untrustworthy, leaving only Crookshanks, Hedwig, and Scabbers as potentially untrustworthy. We have already had our attention pointed at Scabbers, as he has apparently lived a good deal longer than any rat ought to have. Still, when the truth about Scabbers is revealed late in this book, it will be a surprise to us.

Lupin's shabby appearance has also been quite strongly pointed out to us. This would be an indication that he is having a hard time finding work, which would also be possible explanation for his taking the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, one that is now widely believed to be jinxed. We will discover later that Lupin is a werewolf, and over the next few books we will discover that there is a significant anti-werewolf prejudice in the Wizarding world. It is this prejudice, merited or not, that presumably has prevented Lupin from finding work.

Chapter 6: Talons and Tea Leaves

[edit] Synopsis

The next morning, Malfoy entertains the Slytherin table by imitating Harry's reaction to the Dementors. The Weasley twins remark that Draco was less brave when the Dementors were near his compartment.

Ron notices that Hermione's class schedule lists Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, and Divination, all at nine o'clock. When Ron teasingly asks if she is going to be in all three classes at the same time, Hermione says only that it is all worked out with Professor McGonagall.

Harry and Ron have trouble finding the Divination classroom at the top of the North Tower. Sir Cadogan, an inept Knight in a portrait, clatters through several paintings, leading them to a room with a trapdoor in the ceiling. A nameplate reads "Sibyll Trelawney, Divination Teacher." The trap door opens, and a silvery ladder descends. Harry clambers up followed by the others. With great drama and fortuneteller's tricks, Professor Trelawney tells them Divination is a difficult subject, one that cannot be learned from books. Hermione seems skeptical. Today's lesson is reading tea leaves, and Trelawney sees a dog shape in Harry's cup that she identifies as the Grim, an omen of death. She predicts someone will die, leaving Harry a bit worried; it is the third time a dog shape has appeared to him recently.

Harry and the entire class are so disturbed by Trelawney's prediction that during their next class, Transfiguration, they seem unimpressed when Professor McGonagall transfigures herself into a cat to demonstrate how Animagi change shape. Somewhat nettled, Professor McGonagall, who appears to have little respect for Divination or its teacher's abilities, explains that it is an imprecise branch of magical study. Every year Professor Trelawney predicts some student's imminent demise and none have ever died. McGonagall carefully stops short of denigrating Professor Trelawney.

At lunch, Hermione comments that she is quite unimpressed by Divination, proclaiming it a woolly and almost useless subject, particularly compared with her Arithmancy class. Ron is amazed, as she has been with them all morning and wonders how she could also have Arithmancy.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione head to Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class. Hagrid is dismayed that no one has been able to open their textbook — the secret is to stroke it, whereupon it becomes quiescent. In a paddock in the Forbidden Forest are Hippogriffs, magical creatures with a horse's hindquarters, and the wings, talons, and head of a bird. Harry is volunteered to be the first to approach them. He steps up to Buckbeak and, acting as Hagrid instructed, is accepted. Hagrid convinces him to climb onto Buckbeak, whereupon Buckbeak takes him for a quick flight around the Forest and back to the paddock. The students lose their fear and address the Hippogriffs properly; Malfoy, however, insults Buckbeak, and the angry Hippogriff slashes his arm with its talons. Hagrid carries Malfoy to the hospital wing as the class disperses in disarray.

When Hagrid is not at dinner, the Trio decide to visit him later. Hagrid has been drinking, convinced he will be sacked. Harry, Ron, and Hermione insist that Professor Dumbledore would not do that and that they are witnesses that Malfoy behaved improperly. Hermione tells Hagrid he has had enough to drink. He soaks his head in the rain barrel and, suddenly realizing Harry is outside the castle after dark, soundly berates them.

[edit] Analysis

Once again, Harry sees a dog image. Professor Trelawney identifies a shape in the tea leaves as a Grim; this is the first time that it is actually named and specifically identified as a death omen. This, along with Ron's description of the Grim that his uncle had seen shortly before he died, further supports Harry's growing suspicion that he is seeing a true death symbol. Coupled with the ever-present Dementors, this is making Harry extremely anxious and fearful for his own safety.

Readers no doubt will be appalled at the level of fakery in the Divination course as taught by Professor Trelawney. The cultivation of the mystical, misty atmosphere in her classroom, and the careful impreciseness of her "predictions", clearly reflects the fortune-telling methods used by Muggle "mediums". It is particularly curious that Trelawney's classroom seems less designed to teach the methods of fortune-telling, than to be a place where Trelawney's fortune-telling abilities can be showcased. It seems that Trelawney is held in less than great esteem by the other teachers at the school. Although she very carefully avoids speaking ill of another teacher, McGonagall clearly does not feel that the brand of Divination taught by Trelawney is of any use. We can see that Professor Dumbledore, despite his eccentricities, is very level-headed and aware of what is transpiring in the school, and he almost certainly shares McGonagall's lack of faith in the validity of Trelawney's teachings. Given this, one must wonder exactly why she is kept on.

Readers should also pay close attention to Professor McGonagall's class lecture and demonstration.

Hermione is in all of Harry and Ron's classes, but it would appear from her timetable that she is taking many other subjects they are not, including ones that are taught at the same time. She remains cryptic and evasive when Harry and Ron ask just how she can be taking so many courses, saying only that she has arranged it with Professor McGonagall. There is as yet no explanation as to how Hermione is managing this, although there is probably some magical means behind it.

Hagrid, who was recently exonerated after being falsely accused of releasing the monster from the Chamber of Secrets, based on suspicion that he was repeating actions falsely attributed to him some fifty years before, soon finds his new-found confidence and self-esteem severely shaken after the incident involving Draco Malfoy and Buckbeak.

Malfoy's character is further illuminated when he uses the Dementor incident to mock Harry, as the Twins tell Harry that Draco is also terrified by them. Although he is a bully, he is a cowardly one who only acts when he is accompanied by his ever-present minions. False accusations and incorrect assumptions will likely continue to be a recurring theme throughout the novel.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Why is this chapter called "Talons and Tea Leaves"? What does that represent?
2. What is seen in Harry's tea leaves and what does it signify? Has Harry seen it before?
3. What does Trelawney predict and how do the students react to it?
4. What does McGonagall have to say about Trelawney's prediction?
5. What is Hermione's opinion about Divination? Explain.
6. Why does Buckbeak attack Draco Malfoy?

[edit] Further Study

1. How does Hagrid react after the Malfoy/Buckbeak incident? Is his behavior justified or not?
2. Why might Hermione be so evasive about her class schedule? How can she be taking classes that are scheduled at the same time? What effect might this eventually have on her?

[edit] Greater Picture

It is at the end of this book that we will learn part of the reason for Trelawney's tenure. During Harry's Divination exam, Trelawney will lapse into a trance and make an actual prophecy. Told of this later, Professor Dumbledore will remark that this is her second real prophecy. We will later learn that her first prophecy had concerned Harry and Voldemort, and that Dumbledore had witnessed it just after deciding not to hire Trelawney as Divination teacher. He later also refuses to allow her to leave the school, apparently fearing for her welfare should Voldemort learn that she was the source of the first prophecy, which Voldemort badly wanted. We will also learn that Divination is an examined subject, as an OWL exam is offered in that course. Though, given what Trelawney is teaching, one must wonder exactly what is being examined.

In Professor McGonagall's class, we learn about the Animagus transformation. We are told by Hermione that there are only seven registered Animagi, but of course we do not learn yet about unregistered Animagi. Most readers, unlike Hermione, will understand that it is possible to be outside the law in small ways, and after learning about registration of Animagi, will wonder if the registered ones are all there are. It will turn out that there are several unregistered Animagi, one of whom is Sirius Black.

As noted, Hermione seems somehow to be taking more classes than humanly possible. We will learn that what she has arranged with Professor McGonagall is a technique for moving back in time, using a device called a time-turner. However, Hermione soon realizes she may have taken on a heavier load than she can comfortably handle and is beginning to discover her own limitations. Through the course of the book, Hermione will get steadily more stressed by the work she has to do, to the point that she actually slaps Malfoy. At the end of the book, she will drop a class, leaving her with a humanly-possible workload, and will return the time-turner to McGonagall. The time-turner will be destroyed accidentally in the fifth book, along with all other known examples of that artifact.

Despite his size and strength, and his bravery in facing various monsters, Hagrid is curiously insecure in himself. It will take a long time for him to recover from the incident with Draco and Buckbeak, and he will struggle throughout most of the book to prove Buckbeak's innocence. Meanwhile, Malfoy, who deliberately insulted Buckbeak, shows no remorse over how he damages the lives of those he considers inferior to himself, nor will he hesitate to allow an innocent being to be condemned.

Chapter 7: The Boggart in the Wardrobe

[edit] Synopsis

Draco Malfoy reappears on Thursday, midway through Professor Snape's Double Potions class, claiming his injury is still painful. He sits himself at Harry and Ron's bench, and Snape orders them to prepare Malfoy's ingredients for him. Malfoy taunts them with threats of Hagrid's imminent dismissal thanks to his father, Lucius, who apparently still has influence with the Ministry. Malfoy also contends that if he was Harry, he would want revenge on Sirius Black. Harry later asks Ron why he would want revenge against Black; Ron cannot answer. Meanwhile, Hermione helps Neville make his potion correctly, against Snape's orders; Snape penalizes Gryffindor five House points, because he assumes (correctly) that Hermione helped him.

As the Trio leave the dungeon, Hermione suddenly seems to disappear. Looking around, Ron sees her catching up while tucking something down her robe. Her bag splits, and Ron asks why she is carrying so many books, as there is nothing that afternoon except Defence Against the Dark Arts. She does not answer.

In Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin tells the class to put their books away and bring out their wands. This will be a practical class. He leads them to the staff room, wherethey find Snape. When Snape, as he departs, snidely comments about Neville's undisciplined magic, Lupin replies that he hoped Neville would lead off the demonstration. Lupin explains that there is a Boggart in the wardrobe. No one knows what a Boggart looks like because it styles itself after a person's deepest fear. To repel it, it must be forced to change into a humorous shape by casting the Riddikulus charm. Neville's greatest fear is Snape. Lupin tells Neville to imagine the scary professor wearing his grandmother's clothing. Each student similarly comes up with their own fear and then pictures it as a funny image. Harry first thinks of Voldemort, but on further thought decides that his greatest fear is a Dementor; he wonders how can he make that funny. The wardrobe is opened and "Snape" emerges. Neville casts the spell that dresses Snape as his grandmother. Following Neville's success, each student takes a shot at the Boggart. As Harry goes to take his turn, Lupin steps in before the Boggart takes shape. It rapidly turns into a floating white orb, and Lupin forces it back to Neville, who spells it one last time, whereupon it vanishes. Class is dismissed. Harry wonders why he was prevented from repelling the Boggart, while Parvati is curious as to why Lupin fears crystal balls. Ron wants to know what Hermione's worst fear is, but she also did not have a chance at the Boggart.

[edit] Analysis

Professor Lupin's character is becoming more defined here. Understanding that students require respect, he shows that to them. Despite Snape's aspersions against Neville, Lupin has him lead off against the Boggart, and coaches him to where he has the confidence to perform the spell twice. This proves to be an important milestone in Neville Longbottom's development. To date, Neville has always felt that he was in the wrong place. He once remarked that his family believed he was, "almost a squib," in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and he himself fears he has no real magical abilities. Indeed, it does appear that he has little, if any, skill in Potions, and he is apparently just as lost in Divination as Harry and Ron. Lupin, by having him lead off the class against the Boggart and later having him finish the lesson, boosts his confidence. Additionally, the astute reader may note that Lupin uses the students' Christian names rather than their surnames, as is the British custom. While this could be seen as excessive familiarity, particularly in schools run on the English public-school model, in this context, it seems to change Lupin from a professor into a teacher.

The Boggart represents how everyone's fears are different. Curiously, it is not Voldemort that Harry fears most, but Dementors. It may be that Harry fears Dementors more because he has difficulty comprehending what the eerie creatures are and does not know how to react to them. Voldemort, although an evil and powerful enemy, is a human being (albeit a still disembodied one), and Harry can better understand his more predictable human traits. Dementors, in contrast, are dark, hideous creatures that are not entirely understood by wizards, are unpredictable, and apparently are difficult to keep under control; they also seem to show a particular interest in Harry, whose encounter with them left a deep emotional wound.

Note that Peeves is especially disrespectful towards Lupin when they meet in the hall. Peeves may know something about Lupin's earlier school years, and the song he sings ("Loony, loopy Lupin") may refer to Lupin's "furry little problem." Lupin's Boggart, a silvery orb, may provide a clue as to just what this problem is. However, Lupin demonstrates that he is able to hold his own against Peeves and, in the process, reinforces his students' admiration.

We also receive a few more insights into Snape's character, but we learn little that is new; he is wholly biased towards his own house, Slytherin, and seems to purposely belittle Gryffindors, especially Neville.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What is a Boggart, and what form do they assume?
2. Why does Lupin step in when it is Harry's turn to face the Boggart?
3. Why does Lupin ask Neville Longbottom to be the first to confront the Boggart in class?

[edit] Further Study

1. What could the shape of Lupin's Boggart mean?
2. What might Draco mean when he says Harry should want revenge against Sirius Black?
3. What could account for Hermione seeming to suddenly vanish and reappear as the Trio is leaving class?
4. Why does Harry fear Dementors more than Voldemort?
5. What shape might Hermione's Boggart assume?

[edit] Greater Picture

We will find out the reason for Draco's taunt at Christmas time. It is then that we will discover that Sirius Black is widely believed to be the one who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort. While this belief will later be disproved, it has a certain consistency about it, and Harry will be driven by this belief for much of the rest of the book.

Hermione disappearing and reappearing is, of course, the work of the time-turner. Hermione is using it to attend more classes than would be physically possible. Hermione's bag splitting open is a nice distraction from the question of where Hermione was and how she had vanished and reappeared. Several times during this book, Hermione will similarly appear in places where she had not been mere moments before, and always there will be some distraction that will prevent us from wondering overmuch what had caused her appearance.

The confidence that Lupin instills in Neville sustains him through his next two years at Hogwarts, and Harry later builds upon it in Dumbledore's Army. It also allows Neville to join Harry in the Battle at the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Without this initial success, Neville likely would have remained ineffectual, depressed, and useless, never discovering his strengths in Herbology, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Harry, as mentioned, is upset because Lupin did not allow him a chance at the Boggart. In the next chapter, Lupin explains that he had stepped in because he did not think that the class was prepared to face a simulacrum of Lord Voldemort. When Harry admits that he had thought of Voldemort first, but had quickly decided that it was Dementors of which he was more afraid, Lupin admits that he is impressed by Harry being more afraid of fear rather than an actual being. When fear is intangible and incomprehensible, it often becomes more terrifying.

Although Hermione also never had a chance at the Boggart in Lupin's class, it will be revealed later that her greatest fear is Professor McGonagall telling her that she failed all her classes.

It will be revealed later that the "silvery orb" that Lupin fears is not a crystal ball, but the full moon, which of course is connected to his being a werewolf. Parvati's mistake in believing it to be a crystal ball is wholly in character and a nice bit of misdirection on the part of the author; we will see later that Parvati has a significant aptitude for Divination, so likely is already predisposed to seeing things related to Divination.

Chapter 8: Flight of the Fat Lady

[edit] Synopsis

Defence Against the Dark Arts is now the most interesting and popular class. Although Slytherins complain about Professor Lupin's patched robes, everyone else enjoys the lessons and actually finds them practical. Unfortunately, this is their only fun class. Potions is dreadful, particularly since Professor Snape heard about Neville turning the Boggart into a simulacrum of him dressed in an old woman's clothing. Snape now bullies Neville mercilessly in class. Divination is almost as bad, with Professor Trelawney constantly predicting Harry's death and looking at him tearfully. Care of Magical Creatures is also just as bad now that Hagrid has lost confidence and only teaches about Flobberworms.

On a brighter note, Quidditch is starting up, and Oliver Wood has had the team practicing since early October. Wood, now a seventh-year, sees this as his last chance to win the Quidditch cup for Gryffindor. He feels that it should have been theirs for the past two years, but Harry was out of commission at the critical match in his first year, and his second year, the Quidditch Cup had been canceled.

A notice is posted for the first Hogsmeade weekend. Ron suggests that Harry, who lacks his guardian's permission, should ask Professor McGonagall. As they are discussing this, Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, attacks Scabbers, Ron's pet rat. Ron is still upset the next day, and barely speaks to Hermione. Harry asks Professor McGonagall for permission to visit Hogsmeade with the other students, but she refuses to bend the rules that far. Harry must resign himself to staying behind. Percy only makes things worse with his over-pompous attempts to console Harry.

Wandering aimlessly around the castle on Saturday, Harry runs into Professor Lupin. He invites Harry into his office for tea and to see the Grindylow that he has just received for their next class. When Harry asks why he was prevented from facing the Boggart, Lupin explains he was concerned it would turn into Lord Voldemort and terrify the class. Harry, mildly surprised that Lupin uses Voldemort's name, is somewhat mollified by this explanation. He says his first thought was Voldemort, but then realized he was more frightened by Dementors. Lupin is impressed that Harry is more afraid of fear than the actual creature. They are interrupted by Professor Snape who delivers a steaming goblet to Lupin. After Snape leaves, Harry, worried about the possible contents of the goblet, warns Lupin that many believe Snape would do anything to get Lupin's job, but he drinks the potion nevertheless.

Ron and Hermione return with many stories about Hogsmeade. They are also amazed that Lupin would dare to drink anything prepared by Snape. It is time for the Halloween Feast. Lupin attends the festivities, but Harry notices he looks unhappy. He observes Snape watching Lupin rather more intently than usual. Students head back to Gryffindor Tower, but there is a jam at the entrance; the Fat Lady is missing, her portrait slashed. Professor Dumbledore is summoned, and he questions Peeves, who says Sirius Black shredded the painting.

[edit] Analysis

While it is not mentioned in the chapter summary, possible reasons can be seen for Hermione's disdain for Divination. It is mentioned in Chapter 6, Talons and Tea Leaves, that Professor Trelawney used fortune-teller's tricks; one of these was deliberately-vague "prediction" given to Lavender Brown, "That thing you are dreading. It is going to happen on Friday the sixteenth of October." On October 16th, Lavender receives word that her pet bunny, Binky, was killed by a fox. Hermione questions how this actually fits with the prediction by recalling exactly what it said. Was the bunny's death even a surprise or was Lavender expecting it? Did it happen on the 16th, or is it only on the 16th that she had heard about it? Hermione surmises that Lavender has rationalized her experience to match the prediction. Lavender and Parvati Patil, however, now seem to almost worship Professor Trelawney. Throughout the remainder of the book, these two spend much spare time in the Divination classroom.

Also, the battle between Crookshanks and Scabbers escalates, putting more strain on Ron and Hermione's relationship. We also see, although Hermione evidently does not, that Crookshanks is deliberately targeting Scabbers, although it is unknown why. Even though cats attack small animals, Crookshanks has shown no interest in other pets such as Trevor, Neville's toad. Why has he become so fixated only on Scabbers?

Considering Draco's comments in the previous chapter that Harry should want revenge against Sirius Black, a correlation can be made as to why authority figures such as Fudge (in Chapter 3) and McGonagall (here) refused Harry permission to visit Hogsmeade, and why Mr. Weasley attempted to get a promise from Harry that he would not set out after Sirius. As yet, however, Harry is unaware what Sirius has done and is unable to make that correlation.

From the discussion with Professor Lupin, we see his concern for Harry's emotional well being and for the entire class. Lupin perhaps is more concerned about the students than any other teacher, with the possible exception of Professor Dumbledore. The Slytherins, meanwhile, are acting as normal, making rude comments about Lupin's patched robes, obviously more impressed by someone's superficial outer appearance than with their inner character and abilities.

At the chapter's end, it is learned that Sirius Black has breached the castle's supposedly impenetrable security as well as bypassing the vicious Dementors. It is now believed that Black may have broken into Hogwarts in the same manner in which he escaped from Azkaban, although just what that is has not been revealed.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Why does McGonagall refuse to give Harry permission to visit Hogsmeade?
2. What is Lupin's explanation to Harry about why he prevented Harry from facing the Boggart? Is he telling the truth?
3. Why would Snape give Lupin a potion? Why does Harry warn him against drinking it, and what is Lupin's response?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why would Crookshanks only attack Scabbers and not other pets?
2. Hogwarts' security is supposed to be impenetrable. How could Sirius Black have bypassed the safeguards?
3. The Dementors work for the Ministry of Magic and are stationed at Hogwarts to protect Harry while searching for Sirius Black. Why would Harry fear them more than Voldemort or even Sirius Black? Based on what has been seen, is Harry's fear justified?

[edit] Greater Picture

It is mentioned that Lavender and Parvati spend much of this book with Professor Trelawney. Their near-obsession with Divination extends beyond this one book; they apparently pass their Divination OWL exams, because in their first year of NEWT-level studies, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, both of them do go off to Divination.

It is uncertain how Sirius had gotten into Hogwarts, though it is clear that he has managed somehow to get onto the castle grounds. We will find out later that there are two secret passages into the school, one that starts at the Shrieking Shack and ends at the Whomping Willow, and one that goes to the interior of the school from the basement of Honeyduke's Sweetshop. It is possible that Sirius either broke into the Shrieking Shack and used the tunnel from there, or else sneaked into the basement of Honeyduke's. It is also possible that he simply walked in. The protective spells around Hogwarts must be specific to people, as owls, for instance, can pass freely in and out of the school grounds. However, we cannot know whether these spells see the transformed Sirius as a person or a dog.

Crookshanks, we will learn later, is definitely aware of the difference; his attacks on Scabbers seem to be almost entirely because of what Scabbers is: an Animagus. Sirius will tell us later that it had taken a long time for him to earn Crookshanks' trust. Crookshanks will make no attempt either on Trevor, as mentioned, or on Pigwidgeon, both of whom are the sorts of creatures that Crookshanks would normally hunt.

It will be some months yet before Harry learns that Sirius is widely believed to have betrayed his parents to Voldemort, and some months after that before he learns the truth of what actually happened. Until he hears the generally-accepted story, he, and we, will be unable to determine why there is such reluctance on the part of authority to allow him to visit Hogsmeade. We do already know that Sirius is apparently trying to murder Harry, though Harry doesn't see this as any more of a threat than what he has already faced three times from Voldemort. With the Dementors prowling Hogsmeade and protecting the school, likely the authority figures would feel Harry was safe from Sirius, but are uncertain whether Harry is in possession of the commonly-believed story about Sirius betraying Harry's parents. Likely they believe that if Harry knew that Sirius had betrayed his parents, Harry would chase after Sirius, thus taking him out of the protection nominally afforded by the Dementors.

It is perhaps significant that the authorities, with the possible exception of Dumbledore, have not thought that if Sirius was able to pass the Dementors once on Azkaban in order to escape, he certainly could do so again in order to reach Harry. Also, with the possible exception of Lupin, nobody has noticed that the Dementors have a strange attraction to Harry and may be more dangerous to him than even Sirius.

Chapter 9: Grim Defeat

[edit] Synopsis

Following Sirius Black's break-in into the castle, Professor Dumbledore orders all students to spend the night in the Great Hall. Prefects stand guard while the teachers search the castle. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are still awake when Professor Dumbledore receives the all clear from Professor Snape. Snape reminds Dumbledore that he had expressed concerns over an appointment Dumbledore made. Dumbledore interrupts, saying he is certain that nobody in the castle would have helped Black.

Sir Cadogan becomes the new Gryffindor guard, the only portrait brave enough to take the job. There is wild speculation throughout the school as to how Black broke in. It becomes apparent that the school knows Black's objective: Harry notices that a teacher is always walking alongside him, and the pompous Percy Weasley trails behind, reinforcing Harry's belief that he is Black's target. Additionally, Professor McGonagall tells him about Black, but is taken aback when he admits he already knows. When McGonagall suggests that Quidditch practice might be an unnecessary risk, Harry protests; it is only a week until the match with Slytherin. Professor McGonagall relents and suggests that Madam Hooch can watch him during practice.

In the final practice session before the Slytherin match, team Captain, Oliver Wood, announces a schedule change: they are playing Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin. This means that their practice to counter Slytherin's moves is wasted. Hufflepuff has a completely different playing style, due in part to their new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory.

Oliver keeps cornering Harry between classes with strategy pointers, making Harry ten minutes late for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Unfortunately, Snape is substituting for an absent Professor Lupin. After doling out House point penalties, Snape lectures about werewolves, although this topic is scheduled for later in the term. He assigns a homework essay on recognizing and means to defeat werewolves.

The Quidditch match is played in a fierce storm, and Harry is unable to see. During a time-out, Hermione spells Harry's glasses to repel water. Harry is now able to play properly, although his lighter body weight causes the wind to push him around more than Cedric. Momentarily distracted by a large black dog, possibly a Grim, in the stands, Harry nearly misses seeing the Snitch that Cedric has already started after. As he chases it, Dementors appear, and hearing screaming inside his head, Harry loses consciousness and falls off his broom.

Harry awakens in the Hospital Wing to find his teammates, still in their muddy uniforms, surrounding his bed. Gryffindor lost, but Harry learns that Diggory had demanded a rematch after what happened, even though Wood admitted Gryffindor had been beaten. Harry is depressed that this is the first Quidditch match he has ever lost. Madam Pomfrey ousts everyone except Ron and Hermione. They say that Professor Dumbledore stopped Harry's fall and has banished the Dementors. Unfortunately, Harry's Nimbus 2000 was blown into the Whomping Willow and destroyed.

[edit] Analysis

Although Snape clearly despises Lupin, why he does is unknown. When he substitutes for Lupin in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, there seems to be a particular reason that he has the class study werewolves before it is scheduled. Snape is also being required by Professor Dumbledore (presumably) to do things he is clearly unhappy about. One, as seen in the previous chapter, is having to prepare a potion for Lupin. Although Harry suspects Snape may have poisoned it in an attempt to get rid of Lupin so he can have his job, Lupin apparently trusts Snape enough to drink it.

After Black breaks into the castle, Snape's comments to Dumbledore about a misguided appointment also seems pointed at Lupin, although his name is never mentioned. Doubtless Snape previously expressed his opinion that Dumbledore erred in appointing Lupin as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Snape appears to believe that Lupin assisted Black to get into Hogwarts, an implication Dumbledore clearly disputes. It is unclear why Snape believes Lupin is helping Black, but it indicates that Snape may know about some prior connection between the two.

The Dementors entering the castle grounds against strict orders to remain outside is disturbing, even more so when they blatantly approach Harry during the Quidditch match. These strange creatures are unpredictable, and this is the second time they have singled out Harry, who they are supposedly guarding. Their actions are highly suspect. Harry, meanwhile, is at a low point. He has not only lost his first Quidditch match, but also his prized Nimbus 2000. Further complicating matters is his unusually sensitive reaction to the Dementors, and he struggles to understand why he is more affected by them than others, and for the reason he hears someone screaming every time they approach.

That Hufflepuff won the match against Gryffindor is significant. Traditionally, they have always been the weakest team. Hufflepuff House rarely attains much glory in anything and is perhaps considered by many as being the repository for those students who failed to be sorted into the more specialized Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin Houses. There have been notable Hufflepuff students, of course, and Cedric Diggory appears to be one, although it almost seems that the Sorting Hat placed him in the wrong House. This becomes even more evident in the next book. However, Cedric's character also demonstrates fairness, loyalty, and a strong work ethic, which are Hufflepuff traits. Cedric's superb athletic skills and leadership abilities have helped Hufflepuff gain some long-awaited recognition.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What happens when Harry is approached by a Dementor during the Quidditch match?
2. Other than the Dementors, what unusual thing does Harry see during the game?

[edit] Further Study

1. What does Snape mean when he says he expressed concerns over an appointment Dumbledore made? What is Dumbledore's response?
2. Why would Snape, who is substituting for an absent Lupin, suddenly assign homework on werewolves, a subject that was scheduled to be covered later in the term?
3. Why would the Dementors continually single out and approach Harry in such a menacing manner?

[edit] Greater Picture

Snape is, apparently, questioning Dumbledore about Lupin's appointment as the Dark Arts Professor. This ironically mirrors the same suspicions others will express about Snape in the future. Despite the obvious things that Snape does at Dumbledore’s behest, such as making the Wolfsbane Potion for Lupin and giving Harry Occlumency lessons in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Snape’s Death Eater history cannot be easily forgotten. Snape, on the other hand, has either fully accepted the Ministry story about Sirius, or is using it to suit his own ends, and will express the belief that Lupin, who was fast friends with Sirius, the late James Potter, and the supposedly late Peter Pettigrew, is helping his old friend enter the castle undetected. However, Dumbledore trusts both Snape and Lupin and does not publicly entertain doubts regarding either man's loyalty.

Snape, of course, has been aware that Lupin was a werewolf since his own school days. We will find out that, as students, Pettigrew and Sirius had almost managed to get Snape into the Shrieking Shack with the transformed Lupin, something that would have proven fatal to him; he was only saved through James' intervention. While he likely has agreed to not reveal that Lupin is a werewolf, his teaching Harry's class about werewolves is an attempt to get around that restriction. Snape is hoping that someone in the class will recognize were characteristics in Lupin and release that information. Lupin is lucky in that the only person who actually does the assignment is Hermione. While Hermione does, as we will shortly see, recognize that Lupin is a werewolf, she also chooses not to reveal that fact to anyone, not even Harry and Ron.

The large black dog that Harry sees will turn out to be Sirius, coming to watch his godson playing Quidditch. Harry is unaware of this, and fears it is a Grim. Shortly after this, he is nearly injured when the Dementors appear on the pitch. The juxtaposition of the dog and Harry's nearly falling to his death will reinforce Harry's belief that he is seeing a Grim, rather than simply a dog. Harry will continue to fret about this until one night when he sees the dog in company with Crookshanks. Once he has this proof that the dog is physical rather than spectral, his fear of it will pass. Sirius will later be apologetic that he had so scared Harry.

Chapter 10: The Marauder's Map

[edit] Synopsis

Harry is deeply disappointed over his first-ever Quidditch loss and losing his broom. He is also worried that he has seen the Grim three times; twice he was nearly killed, once by the Knight Bus, and then by falling off his broom during a Quidditch game. He says nothing, however, to Hermione, who would scoff, or Ron, who would panic. The Dementors also trouble him, and Harry is beginning to realize it is his mother's screams as she was being murdered that he hears when they approach him.

Returning to classes on Monday is a relief, even with Draco's taunts. Professor Lupin also returns and cancels the Werewolf essay Professor Snape assigned. After class, he tells Harry he is sorry that the Whomping Willow destroyed his broomstick. The willow was planted during his first year at Hogwarts. Lupin says that Harry's reaction to the Dementors is not weakness. Dementors drain peoples' happiness and good memories, leaving only the bad. Harry's dreadful memories make him particularly vulnerable. Harry says that when the Dementors are near, he can hear Voldemort murdering his mother, a revelation that leaves Lupin visibly shaken. Harry asks Lupin to teach him how to defend himself against the Dementors the way Lupin did on the Hogwarts Express. Lupin promises he will after the Christmas holidays.

With that promise, and Ravenclaw flattening Hufflepuff in Quidditch, Harry's outlook brightens. Also, Ron and Hermione are staying at Hogwarts over Christmas, further bolstering his morale. Even the prospect of missing yet another Hogsmeade weekend does not bother him too much. Borrowing Which Broomstick from Oliver Wood, Harry intends to spend the Hogsmeade weekend reading up on a replacement for his destroyed broomstick. Fred and George, however, have other ideas. Claiming Harry's needs are greater than their own, they bequeath him their Marauder's Map, a magical parchment they stole from Filch their first year. The map, apparently created by Messrs "Moony," "Wormtail," "Padfoot," and "Prongs," shows seven secret passageways in and out of Hogwarts, as well as every person's location within the castle. Fred and George say Filch apparently only knows about four tunnels. One of the remaining three has caved in, and one starts under the Whomping Willow, making it too dangerous. The passage at the One-Eyed Witch statue goes directly to Honeyduke's Sweet Shop in Hogsmeade village. To activate the map, the user must say, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and "Mischief managed" to make it blank again.

Harry opens the One-Eyed Witch's hump with a spell ("Dissendium!") provided by the map and heads down the passageway. He emerges in Honeyduke's basement. Upstairs, Harry sneaks up behind Ron and Hermione. Ron believes he Apparated, but Harry tells him about the Map. Ron is upset that Fred and George did not give him the map. Hermione demands Harry turn it in to Professor McGonagall, but Harry refuses, believing Sirius cannot be using the two usable passageways because Hogsmeade is swarming with Dementors. They set off for the Three Broomsticks. Ron, who seems to have a slight crush on Madam Rosmerta, the pub's owner, gets a round of Butterbeer.

Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid, and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, enter. Ron and Hermione quickly hide Harry under the table. The four, plus Madam Rosmerta, sit down at an adjacent table. When Rosmerta complains the Dementors are affecting her business, Fudge explains they are necessary because Black is so dangerous. Rosmerta mentions that Sirius and James Potter were great friends once, always in the Three Broomsticks together. This surprises Harry. Fudge says that not only was Sirius James' best friend, but also best man at his wedding and Harry's godfather. James and Lily knew Voldemort was hunting them and went into hiding. They used the Fidelius charm to conceal themselves and appointed Sirius their Secret-Keeper. Dumbledore, aware someone close to them was leaking secrets, offered to be their Secret-Keeper, but they declined. Barely a week later, Voldemort killed James and Lily, although he met his own demise in baby Harry. Obviously Black, tired of playing double agent, had thrown his lot in with Voldemort but, after his defeat, fled for his life. Peter Pettigrew, another Potter friend, caught up to Black the next day and accused him of betraying James and Lily. Black killed him and twelve Muggle bystanders with a single curse. Only Pettigrew's bloodstained robes and a severed finger remained. Black was sentenced to Azkaban. It is believed he is trying to reunite with Voldemort, perhaps after killing Harry to prove his loyalty. The teachers depart; Harry, Ron, and Hermione are too stunned to speak.

[edit] Analysis

Professor Lupin seems particularly upset about the Whomping Willow destroying Harry's broomstick. Curiously, the Marauder's Map shows a secret passageway starting from the Whomping Willow, although it is unknown why a tunnel would be next to such a dangerous tree or where it leads to. Lupin tells Harry that the Willow was planted the year he started Hogwarts. This is obviously no ordinary tree, and its massive size would indicate it is much older. It is probable that magic was used to accelerate its growth in addition to making it "whomping", although for what purpose is unknown.

The Marauder's Map is an extraordinary magical creation. Whoever Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail, and Prongs may be, they were obviously exceptionally talented wizards. Since the map is of Hogwarts, it can be presumed they were students there, although it is unknown when. The twin's gift gives Harry new-found freedom and power over his own actions, and he feels no hesitation in using the map to break school rules, although Hermione, as usual, objects, while Ron urges him on. However, when Harry secretly slips into Hogsmeade to join his friends, his excursion will ultimately bring unwelcome news and additional distress. While in the Three Broomsticks, the supposed back story behind Black's imprisonment is revealed, along with why he is attempting to break into the castle. Harry, thrown into a turmoil after learning that Black betrayed his parents, now understands the reason there is so much concern over his safety and why Black is supposedly trying to kill him. That this person is also his godfather, someone who is supposed to love and protect him, only adds to Harry's despair. Harry realizes that when Malfoy was talking to Harry about wanting revenge, Malfoy knew that the Potters were betrayed by Black, as did Mr. Weasley when he spoke to Harry at the train station, although neither told him this.

In this chapter, we begin to see Fudge's remaining fear of the previous Wizarding war, as he states here that he still has nightmares of the events of the day that Sirius Black was captured. With the escape of Sirius following Fudge's last meeting with him, Fudge seems to see the prospect of a revival of Voldemort's previous reign of terror, and does everything he can conceive of, with his limited imagination, to protect the Wizarding world from the possibility of that recurrence.

As was mentioned in the last chapter, when Snape substituted for Lupin's Defence Against the Dark Arts class, he assigned a paper on werewolves; while there is not yet enough information to understand why Snape chose this particular subject, Hermione may have some idea.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What is the Marauder's Map and how does it work?
2. How did Fred and George come into possession of the Marauder's Map, and why do they give it to Harry?
3. What was Sirius Black's relationship with James and Lily Potter?
4. Why is it believed that Sirius Black betrayed Lily and James Potter and Peter Pettigrew?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why would a dangerous tree like the Whomping Willow have been planted on school grounds during Lupin's first year at Hogwarts? Why would it be planted over a tunnel and where might the tunnel lead to?
2. If the huge Whomping Willow had only been planted the year Lupin started at Hogwarts, it is likely magic was used to accelerate its growth. Why?
3. Why would Lupin be so shaken when Harry tells him that the screams he hears are his mother's when she is being murdered?
4. Who might Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail be? What could their relationship to the Marauder's Map be?
5. The Marauder's Map only responds to precise instructions. How could Fred and George have figured out how to use it?
6. What might the names "Moony", "Padfoot", "Prongs", and "Wormtail" actually mean? Do they fit any characters that have been seen so far?
7. Does Sirius Black's betrayal of James and Lily Potter seem logical? Is there another explanation, given what is known about the personalities involved?

[edit] Greater Picture

Harry receives another relic of his father's: the Marauder's Map, which James Potter, along with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, created in their sixth year using their combined knowledge about Charms and Hogwarts' grounds. This map aids Harry in many ways during the series, usually by helping him avoid detection during his night-time sojourns around Hogwarts, to guard against and spy on Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and to gaze at Ginny's name in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It also plays a role in Barty Crouch Jr.'s plan to murder his own father during Harry's next year because the map shows when Crouch Sr. arrives at Hogwarts.

Lupin may feel partially responsible for Harry's broom being destroyed by the Whomping Willow because it was on his behalf that the dangerous tree was planted when he first arrived at Hogwarts as a student. We will find out that the tree was planted expressly to protect the entrance to the secret passage, and that the passage leads to the Shrieking Shack, where Lupin penned himself up at the full moon, so that he could transform safely.

With the exception of one teacher (Lupin), the Hogwarts faculty are unaware that the One-eyed Witch tunnel exists. It will be revealed later, however, that Dumbledore, and several other faculty, know about the tunnel leading from the Whomping Willow. Also, Snape is aware that Sirius Black knows it exists. Regardless, it appears that this passageway, which will be used by the Trio later in the story, was never monitored or sealed off after Black's escape. It is unclear why Dumbledore failed to consider this a necessary precaution, especially after Black by-passed the castle's security. Perhaps the fact that the tunnel starts outside the castle proper and ends inside a boarded-up house leads to something of a false sense of security.

According to Minister Fudge, Sirius Black was the Potter's Secret Keeper in an attempt to hide them from Lord Voldemort, but Sirius betrayed them and later killed Peter Pettigrew, leaving only Pettigrew's finger behind. This ties in to another fact: Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, lacks a toe on one paw. It will be discovered that Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew, who, like Sirius and James, was an Animagus, his rat form prompting the nickname, "Wormtail." Pettigrew severed his own finger to make his escape appear more convincing. Sirius, seeing the picture in the Prophet of the Weasley family in Egypt, has recognized Pettigrew in his rat shape, and by the lack of a finger has realized what Pettigrew had done; it is actually because of Pettigrew that he has come to Hogwarts. In the next book, Pettigrew will again be forced to sever a body part.

It is extremely interesting to note that in this chapter, Fudge seems to believe in the possibility of a re-animated Voldemort; when Madam Rosmerta suggests that as a horrible possibility, Fudge admits that they believe that is Sirius' plan. Yet, in the next book, when Dumbledore asserts that Voldemort has returned, Fudge refuses to accept this. One must wonder what has happened in the meanwhile to cause Fudge's beliefs to change so wildly.

Chapter 11: The Firebolt

[edit] Synopsis

Harry is in emotional turmoil, so distraught that he cannot even remember how he got from the Three Broomsticks and through the secret passage back into Hogwarts. Why had no one told him the truth about Sirius Black? Unfortunately, there is no opportunity to talk to Ron and Hermione that night, and Harry does not fall asleep until almost 5:00 a.m. He awakes at around noon to an empty Common room. The Christmas holiday has begun, and nearly everyone has left Hogwarts.

Harry is filled with rage and black thoughts of revenge; Ron and Hermione are unable to reason with him. Harry remembers Draco saying that if it was him, he would hunt Black down, but Ron tells Harry he would be better advised to listen to his friends rather than his enemies. To change the subject, Ron suggests visiting Hagrid, but this backfires when Harry seizes on it as an opportunity to ask Hagrid why he never mentioned Black. Ron is now reluctant to go, but Harry is adamant. They find Hagrid sobbing uncontrollably. Although Hagrid has been exonerated in Buckbeak's attack on Draco, his father's complaint has been upheld. Buckbeak must appear before the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. A distraught Hagrid is certain Buckbeak will be condemned, being that the committee members are all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. Harry, Ron, and Hermione promise to find precedents that will save Buckbeak. Hagrid considers setting Buckbeak free, but how does one explain to a Hippogriff that it has to go into hiding? And, after his unfortunate sojourn in Azkaban, Hagrid is terrified of breaking the law. This all helps distract Harry, and he, Ron, and Hermione search the library for cases of dangerous creatures avoiding execution. Unfortunately, they find little information.

With Christmas comes presents; Harry gets the usual hand-knit jumper (US: sweater) from Mrs. Weasley, bright red with the Gryffindor lion woven into it, plus various treats. There is also a long thin package containing a broom. Not just any broom — a Firebolt. Harry and Ron are stunned. It is the finest and fastest broom there is. Harry has no idea who sent it. Hermione is immediately suspicious, and says no one should ride it yet. Ron demands to know why but is interrupted by Crookshanks attacking Scabbers. In the commotion, Harry's pocket Sneakoscope starts whistling shrilly. Hermione and Crookshanks leave, and Harry tucks away the Sneakoscope in his trunk. Harry and Ron tend to Scabbers, who is looking poorly.

They head to the Great Hall where one table is set for twelve. In addition to themselves, only Professor Dumbledore, the four House Heads, Filch, and three other students are having Christmas dinner.Professor Trelawney joins them, and suddenly realizes there are thirteen at the table. She melodramatically declares that the first to rise will be the first to die, although Professor McGonagall is skeptical. Professor Lupin, who is apparently sick again, will not be joining them. Trelawney predicts his imminent "departure," but Dumbledore mildly says he does not think he is in any immediate danger, then checks with Professor Snape that Lupin has received a potion. As Harry and Ron rise from the table two hours later, Trelawney demands to know who got up first. Because they rose together, they are unable to answer. Hermione stays behind to speak to Professor McGonagall. Minutes later, Professor McGonagall arrives in the Common room and confiscates Harry's Firebolt. Because it is unknown who sent it, Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will test it for any Dark Magic that may be embedded in it. If it is jinx-free, Harry will get it back. It should only take a few weeks. Both Harry and Ron are furious with Hermione, but she says that she and McGonagall believe the broom was sent by Sirius Black.

[edit] Analysis

Ron shows his budding maturity here; rather than supporting Harry's desire for revenge as might be expected, Ron instead reasons with him, wisely advising Harry to heed his friends' advice rather than listen to enemies like Draco Malfoy. Ron's attempts to diffuse Harry's rage by redirecting his focus backfires when Harry finds a new target (Hagrid) to vent his frustration at. Hagrid's being in need of help himself is a good bit of timing; it allows us to perceive the depth of Harry's dismay at his discovery of Sirius' story, but prevents Harry from dwelling on it, as we can see he is likely to do. In this way, while we see Harry's concern and the depth of it, we do not become bored by his continuing reactions.

Trelawney's prediction that Lupin will soon depart Hogwarts actually has a high probability of coming true. However, she has probably (subconsciously) based this on historical fact rather than on any divination ability, although she no doubt believes she has truly foreseen the unknown future. No Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has ever lasted more than one year at Hogwarts, and it remains to be seen if Lupin can break this pattern. It is true that Trelawney is hinting that Lupin will die, but we have come to expect this; Trelawney is over-dramatizing, an age-old fortune-teller's trick. Trelawney's prediction that the first to rise from the table will be the first to die is a similar over-dramatization, which will prove false. Once again, we are exposed to the massive amount of fakery that passes for a magical discipline in this exposure to Divination.

The confiscation of the Firebolt is likely to create a rift between Hermione and the other two. Hermione clearly sees the risk associated with this very expensive and anonymous gift, as does McGonagall; Harry and Ron are blinded to the risk by the glamour of the broom itself. One does wonder whether, rather than leaving it to Flitwick and Madam Hooch to analyze, the broom ought to be returned to the factory for a check out. Perhaps McGonagall feels that the factory would be best able to check out its motive spells, but less able to decipher Dark magic added to it than the school wizards.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What is Harry's reaction when he learns that Black was responsible for betraying his parents to Voldemort, as well as murdering Pettigrew and twelve Muggles?
2. Why does McGonagall confiscate Harry's Firebolt? Who told her about it?
3. Who do McGonagall and Hermione believe sent Harry the Firebolt?
4. Although Hagrid was exonerated in the incident involving Draco Malfoy and Buckbeak, why is he still upset? What have the Trio offered to do to help?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why would Trelawney predict Lupin's "imminent departure?" Is there a more logical explanation than Divination?
2. Why was the truth about the his parents' murders and his relationship to Sirius Black kept from Harry?
3. Why are Harry and Ron so angry at Hermione? Was she justified in what she did?
4. What does Ron mean when he says Harry should listen to his friends rather than his enemies?
5. Why does Professor McGonagall choose to have the broom examined by Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick? Would it not be more sensible to have the Firebolt factory technicians examine it?

[edit] Greater Picture

Once again, the pocket Sneakoscope is providing a clue: someone untrustworthy is nearby. But the only people present are the Trio, plus Crookshanks and Scabbers. We have learned about Animagi, but Hermione has categorically ruled out that there is another registered Animagus around. It is likely that Hermione's perhaps excessive concern about rules leads her to the unconscious belief that other people also will be generally rule-abiding; the possibility that there may be unregistered Animagi does not seem to have occurred to her. We will find out later that the untrustworthy person is, in fact, Scabbers, who is an unregistered Animagus.

McGonagall confiscating the Firebolt starts another rift within the Trio. Harry and Ron both feel that Hermione is unfairly depriving Harry of his new broom. While Hermione is correct, that it could be jinxed and it would be unsafe to fly on, Harry and Ron are acting childishly, and they can only see the Firebolt's loss, rather than the legitimate reasons behind the confiscation and the real danger such an expensive and anonymous gift could realistically pose. As a result, neither speaks to Hermione for almost four months, until the Firebolt is returned in mid-April. It is interesting, and also unnoticed by Harry and Ron, that although Hermione turns in Harry's new broom to McGonagall, she never reveals to any Hogwarts teacher what she knows about the Marauder's Map or the secret tunnels listed on it, despite knowing that Sirius Black could possibly use one to enter Hogwarts undetected. Hermione's loyalty to her friends, as well as fearing their reprisals, has always overruled her need to adhere to school rules. However, this time the Firebolt posed too great a danger for her to ignore.

It is also probable that the reason for not sending the Firebolt back to the factory for analysis is involved here. Likely, analysis at the factory, by wizards familiar with the workings of the Firebolt's charms, would take only about a week; by leaving it with Flitwick and Madam Hooch, the analysis process takes several months, which allows the rift between Hermione and the other two time to widen and solidify, and also allows time for Harry to brood about its loss.

Chapter 12: The Patronus

[edit] Synopsis

Harry and Ron remain furious at Hermione for the confiscation of Harry's new Firebolt. Because of this, Hermione tends to avoid the Common room. Holidays end, and the night before classes start, Oliver Wood corners Harry and asks if he has his Dementor problem sorted out. Harry says that Professor Lupin has promised to help with that. Oliver asks about a new broom, and Ron tells him about the Firebolt. Oliver thinks it is unlikely it was sent by Black, a fugitive on the run. He promises to make Professor McGonagall see sense.

Classes start but are no fun. Hagrid, however, has cheered up, and for his first lesson has a large bonfire full of flame-loving salamanders for them. Professor Trelawney has moved the Divination class on to palmistry and wastes no time in pronouncing that Harry has the shortest life lines she has ever seen. Harry is eager for Defence Against the Dark Arts class and Professor Lupin's promised anti-Dementor lessons. Ron mentions that Lupin looks sick and wonders what is wrong with him. Hermione overhears them and says it is obvious, but does not elaborate.

Harry meets with Lupin, who is carrying a Boggart in a case, that evening. Lupin says it will turn into a Dementor against which Harry can practice. Lupin teaches Harry the Patronus charm. Harry, concentrating on a happy memory, causes white vapour to come out from his wand. He says he is ready for a test. The Boggart is released and appears as a Dementor. Harry tries to cast a Patronus, but hearing his mother screams, passes out. Lupin brings him around and gives him a Chocolate Frog. Harry wants to try again and selects a new memory. When he tries again he hears the screaming and also his father, then faints. When he revives, Harry says this time he heard his father; Lupin, looking shaken, admits that he knew James and says they should call it a night. But Harry wants to continue and selects another memory, the day he learned he was a wizard and would be leaving the Dursleys. The Boggart is released. Harry tries to conjure a Patronus, and again, he hears screaming, but fainter. Something huge and white bursts from his wand, and the false Dementor is halted. Lupin quickly steps in and uses the Riddikulus charm to return it to the case. Lupin tells Harry that he has done enough and says they will try again next week. Harry asks if he knew Sirius Black, and Lupin admits that he and Black went to Hogwarts at the same time.

Ravenclaw plays Slytherin and loses by a slim margin. This cheers Oliver Wood because if Gryffindor can beat Ravenclaw, they will be in second place. Wood increases practice to five times a week, which combined with weekly anti-Dementor lessons leaves Harry only one night a week to do homework. Hermione seems to have it worse, although she is somehow is getting to all her classes, even those which seemed to be at the same time. Oliver tells Harry that Professor McGonagall will not be returning the Firebolt immediately. Oliver felt that having Harry flying a jinxed broom would not be a problem if he won the match before it threw him off, although McGonagall, for some reason he is unable to fathom, felt this was rather insensitive. He suggests Harry order a Nimbus 2001, but Harry declines.

The anti-Dementor lessons are not going well either. Despite his earlier success, Harry can now only produce a thin, silvery mist. After one long session, Professor Lupin brings out Butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks. Harry nearly lets it slip that he has been there. They discuss Dementors, and Harry states that Black deserves the Dementor's Kiss (sucking out a person's soul), although Lupin expresses some skepticism.

Professor McGonagall returns the Firebolt to Harry, declaring it jinx free. He heads to the Common room with his broom, finding Ron on the way. Outside Sir Cadogan's portrait, Neville is in tears. He had written down the passwords for the week—Sir Cadogan changes them several times a day—but he has lost the list. Harry gives the password, and they enter. Nearly everyone wants to see the Firebolt, and there is renewed hope of winning the Cup. Harry and Ron finally reconcile with Hermione. Ron offers to take the Firebolt up to the dorm room, it being time for Scabbers' rat tonic. Harry is again wondering how Hermione can be taking so many courses; she seems as exhausted as Professor Lupin. Ron suddenly reappears, howling that Scabbers is gone, and carrying a bloody sheet covered with cat hairs that look like Crookshanks'.

[edit] Analysis

While Harry is dejected over his destroyed Nimbus 2000 and angry about the confiscated Firebolt, these are losses he could afford to replace with the considerable fortune his parents left him. However, he refuses to do so and remains upset over his lost brooms. Rather than finding a workable solution, his anger, stubbornness, and emotional immaturity cause him to do nothing, and he slips into a temporary, self-pitying state-of-mind. Underlying all this is Harry's strong emotional attachment to these two objects that he believes cannot be replaced merely by buying substitutes. The Firebolt, in particular, is meaningful because he convinces himself that it must have been sent by someone who secretly cares for his well being, rather than by an enemy wanting to murder him, although he has no proof for either possibility. However, Harry will overcome this emotional state when the Firebolt is returned jinx free, further bolstering his belief that someone may be watching over him.

Although the Firebolt's return patches the rift between Hermione and the boys, a new one erupts over Scabbers's apparent killing by Crookshanks. While the evidence is only circumstantial, it does seem that Crookshanks is guilty. This rift is perhaps even harder on Hermione, who is already massively overburdened by her schoolwork. This time, however, only Ron is upset with her.

There is yet another of the series' endemic date and schedule contradictions here. The anti-Dementor lesson that Harry is leaving when he runs into McGonagall on her way to return his Firebolt to him is said to be his fifth – he has been unable to produce more than a faint mist in the four lessons since the first successful one; and the first lesson was in the first week of classes, "soon after the New Year". As these lessons are supposed to be every week, by that count, it can be no later than early February. However, it is only two days later that they have the match with Ravenclaw. Less than a week later, Harry and Ron visit Hagrid and find that they are only a day away from the hearing at the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, which is April 20th. By that count, Scabbers should have vanished about 12 April, and Harry should have had about 12 lessons rather than 4; with perhaps three of them interrupted by Professor Lupin's "illness", there should still have been at least nine anti-Dementor lessons. While it's certainly true that as a teacher, Lupin will have had other things to deal with and would likely not have been able to fit twelve lessons in, still we are left with the impression that these lessons are meant to be every week, rather than every three weeks. In this case, the schedule confusion does cause a small problem in the story, as the compression at this point leads us to believe that the end-of-term exams are happening in about March.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Why does Oliver Wood think McGonagall's comment about his being "insensitive" regarding Harry is unwarranted?
2. Why is it difficult for Harry to recall a strong "happy" memory?
3. Why is Neville having (more than usual) difficulty remembering the password to the Gryffindor Common room? What does he do to help him remember and what happens after he does?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why is it "obvious", at least according to Hermione, what is wrong with Lupin? What might his problem be and how did Hermione figure it out? Why does she refuse to elaborate?
2. Is Ron justified in assuming that Crookshanks killed Scabbers? How does this affect his relationship with Hermione?
3. Lupin tells Harry that Sirius Black was a student at Hogwarts the same time he was. Is it possible he knows Black better than he is letting on? Why might he disagree with Harry about Black deserving the "Dementor's Kiss"?
4. Harry has inherited a large fortune, and could easily order a new broom. Why does he resist?

[edit] Greater Picture

At this point, Hermione is clearly aware of Lupin's "furry little problem", as it will later be referred to, presumably as a result of applying what she had learned while writing the werewolf report demanded by Snape. We have gathered that she was the only student to write that report, so it is not surprising that neither Harry nor Ron knows why Lupin looks ill. Hermione's estrangement from Harry and Ron is important at this point, as it is this estrangement that prevents Hermione from explaining to Harry and Ron.

Knowing that Lupin is a werewolf, and finding the effect the Boggart has on Harry, leaves us with something of a contradiction. Clearly the Boggart, in Dementor form, is having the same magical effect on Harry that a real Dementor would, leaving Harry despairing and bringing horrible, buried memories to the front of Harry's mind. And yet, when the Boggart takes the form of the full moon, Lupin's greatest fear, it does not affect him. One can only surmise that this is due to something similar to the "placebo effect": if you believe something will have an effect on you, it quite often does. To this end, the Boggart-as-Dementor is believable, as being something that could be present in the classroom, and so has an effect on Harry because he believes it will; the Boggart-as-full-moon is not believable, as a full moon cannot exist inside a classroom, and being unbelievable, has no effect on Lupin.

Neville losing the list of passwords will turn out to not be his fault. Crookshanks had stolen that list at the request of Sirius Black, who will use it two nights hence to enter Gryffindor tower. That event will cause some confusion, as Black will apparently be found attacking Ron, rather than Harry who he is supposed to be trying to kill; it will, however, turn out to be the departed Scabbers that Black is looking for. It is worth noting, however, that the selection of Neville to lose this list was very well-made; Neville has been characterized from the beginning of the series as having memory problems, particularly with passwords, so his losing the list that he has made is of a piece with his character.

We learn that Lupin had gone to school with Harry's father and Sirius Black. We know also by now that "little Peter Pettigrew" was one of their friends, and we may also recall that Snape had been in school at the same time — Professor Dumbledore had mentioned that James saved Snape's life. While it is still not possible for us to recognize James, Sirius, Pettigrew, and Lupin together as a group, we should be aware at this point that they knew each other. It is a little curious that Harry is more interested at the moment in talking with Lupin about Sirius than about his father, but it is true that Sirius is someone who seems to be more immediate for him.

Repeatedly, through this book, we see a pattern recur: someone wonders how Hermione can be taking so many classes, and promptly there is an interruption of some sort that prevents us from wondering further. It is a tribute to the author's skill that the interruptions do not seem contrived, but are simply normal occurrences, or as normal as they can be in this situation. This chapter shows one of these interruptions: the apparent death of Scabbers interrupts Harry's musing on this topic. While the event itself is extraordinary, it is not entirely unexpected. Like Ron and, to a lesser extent, Harry, we can see that Crookshanks has been targeting Scabbers since he was introduced to the story. Thus Scabbers' apparent demise, seemingly at Crookshanks' claws, while something of a surprise, is still a natural progression, and the interruption seems quite natural.

Chapter 13: Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

[edit] Synopsis

Scabbers' apparent demise at the claws of Crookshanks appears to have ended Ron and Hermione's friendship. Ron feels that Hermione is unsympathetic; she apparently believes that attacking rats is normal cat behavior and that there is no real evidence that Crookshanks attacked Scabbers. Harry, however, thinks there is, given the physical evidence and Crookshanks' history of attacking Scabbers. Hermione, feeling Harry always sides with Ron, storms off. Ron is taking the loss hard, and not even the twins' reminding him that he thought Scabbers was useless (mere days before) seems to have any effect. Finally, Harry invites him to Quidditch practice, offering him a chance to ride his Firebolt, which cheers him up a bit.

Arriving at the Quidditch pitch, Harry meets the team and Madam Hooch, who has been delegated to guard Harry during practice. She is entranced by the Firebolt, as the Gryffindor common room had been, and soliloquizes about it until Oliver reminds her they have to practice. And it is a magnificent practice. Inspired by the Firebolt, everyone works so well that Oliver does not have a single criticism—a first for him. Oliver asks Harry about his Dementor problem, and Harry replies, a bit untruthfully, that he has mastered the spell. As practice breaks up, Ron flies the Firebolt into the darkening sky. Madam Hooch awakens, reprimands Harry and Ron for letting her fall asleep, and sends them to the castle. On the way back, Harry thinks he sees a pair of eyes watching him. Ron uses the Lumos charm to reveal Crookshanks. Harry does not want to admit that he thought it might be a Grim.

The Quidditch match is the next morning. The Gryffindors form an honor guard and carry the Firebolt down to breakfast. Students from the other Houses, including Ravenclaw, come over to check it out, including Draco Malfoy who, as expected, makes a wisecrack. The team head for the Quidditch pitch where Ravenclaw are already waiting. Oliver mentions Ravenclaw's new Seeker, Cho Chang, saying she is good, but is riding a slower broom, a Comet Two-Sixty. Harry notices she is pretty. Madam Hooch blows her whistle, and the match is on. Lee Jordan is commentating, but repeatedly lapses into descriptions of the Firebolt instead of the game, for which he gets a stern warning. Harry spots and loses the Snitch several times, finally seeing it by the Gryffindor goalposts, when he accelerates for it. So does Cho, but she gasps and points downwards. Harry, seeing three Dementors on the field, pulls his wand and summons a Patronus, sending it at the Dementors. Then he blasts ahead of Cho to grab the Snitch, winning the game.

In the ensuing celebrations on the field, Professor Lupin comments that Harry produced quite the Patronus. Harry says the Dementors had not affected him, but Lupin says they were not Dementors. It was actually Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint disguised in Dementor-like robes (with Draco and Goyle having shared a robe, to appear larger). Professor McGonagall berates them soundly and deducts House points.

There is a celebration in the Gryffindor Common room. Fred and George hand out treats from Honeyduke's and The Three Broomsticks. Hermione does not join the party, saying she has 422 pages of Muggle Studies to read before Monday. Ron comments loudly that Scabbers would have liked to be there, and Hermione departs crying. Harry asks Ron to cut her some slack, but Ron says not until she starts acting a little sorry about Scabbers. The party goes on until one in the morning, when Professor McGonagall appears and sends everyone to bed.

Harry is awakened by Ron screaming. Sirius Black has slashed Ron's bed curtains and was standing over him with a knife. Harry sprints down to the Common room. The noise has brought most Gryffindors from their dormitories, and Percy orders everyone back to bed. Ron tells him Black was there. Professor McGonagall arrives and asks Sir Cadogan how Black got in. Sir Cadogan states proudly that he allowed a man in because he had the passwords — a whole list of them. Livid, McGonagall demands to know who was stupid enough to write down all the passwords and then lose the list. A shamed-faced Neville raises his hand.

[edit] Analysis

Madam Hooch's rhapsodizing about the Firebolt actually feels quite out of place. Readers may not understand why it feels wrong, but will be somewhat disturbed by it all the same. If we look back through this book, we will find that two chapters earlier, when Professor McGonagall had confiscated the broom, she had said that she was going to have Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick examine it for hidden jinxes. Thus, Madam Hooch has been working with the broom for almost four months, from late December to mid-April, which is certainly enough time for the (non-magical) charm to wear off.

Harry produces a Patronus, but concentrating on the Snitch, he is unable to see what form it takes. Lupin, however, appears shaken by what he sees, although he later congratulates Harry on it. If Harry managed to produce a corporeal Patronus, then nearly everyone in the Quidditch pitch now knows he can produce one and what form it takes. However, only Lupin seems to understand the shape's significance.

Unable to remember the numerous passwords, Neville made a list and then apparently lost it, allowing Black to find the list and use it to enter the castle. The repercussions for Neville are severe: he is humiliated in front of his classmates and punished by McGonagall. We will learn later just how this list fell into Sirius' hands.

Ron was terrified by his experience with Sirius Black, but Black’s behavior in Gryffindor Tower seems at odds with his mass murderer record. Though he slashes Ron’s curtains with a knife, he does not harm either Ron or Harry. They wonder why, when Ron yelled, Sirius ran away. Presuming, as everyone does, that Sirius was targeting Harry, it would have been simple enough for such a vicious killer to permanently silence Ron and quickly move on to the next bed to find his real target.

Meanwhile, there is a widening rift between Ron and Hermione. Hermione's refusal to express any sympathy or take responsibility for Scabbers' apparent demise could indicate that something is preventing her from behaving appropriately. Being that she has just patched things up with Ron and Harry after a long and difficult estrangement, she may be unwilling to admit that there is another problem that could threaten their friendship. She is also increasingly tired and shrill and clearly under much stress from her studies. Considering she has always easily been at the top of her class, this is difficult to understand.

Harry has his first encounter with Ravenclaw's Seeker, Cho Chang, the first girl he is strongly attracted to. Harry "felt a slight jolt in the region of his stomach that he didn't think had anything to do with nerves." Cho is pretty and also a very good flier, who, at least once, thwarts Harry for the Snitch despite having a slower broom. This may make her even more attractive to Harry.

This is also the first and only time that Harry plays a game against Ravenclaw. In all of the other books something in Harry's adventures causes him to miss playing against them.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. How was Sirius Black able to get into the Gryffindor Common room?

[edit] Further Study

1. Is Hermione acting insensitively towards Ron after Scabbers disappears? Is she taking responsibility for what Crookshanks might have done?
2. Was Crookshanks actually responsible for Scabbers' disappearance? Explain.
3. Although Sirius Black enters Harry's dorm, he does nothing to harm him and instead slashes Ron's bed curtains? Why?
4. Remus Lupin congratulates Harry on the strong Patronus he conjures during the Quidditch game, but its form surprises Lupin (although its shape remains unknown to readers). What form might it have taken and why was Lupin so affected by it?

[edit] Greater Picture

Harry's Patronus will later be revealed to be a stag. At this point, only three people know the significance of this; Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew, James' friends, would recognize the stag as James' Animagus form. Of the three, Lupin is the only one here present.

The fact that Harry can produce a corporeal Patronus in his third year at Hogwarts is a sign that, if properly motivated, he can do magic at quite an advanced level. The Patronus charm is normally taught to sixth or seventh year students. It is because of this that, in Harry's fifth year, many students seem awed by Harry's ability to perform this charm. One might wonder why they are surprised, having quite possibly seen the Patronus on the Quidditch pitch in this chapter. It is, of course, possible that the students who are most surprised by Harry's ability either were looking at something else at the time and didn't notice the white and misty stag, or if they did see it, did not understand what it was.

Later explanation will reveal that Sirius was actually after Scabbers, who is now missing and presumed killed by Crookshanks. Sirius may have learned from Crookshanks that Scabbers is Ron's pet, and which bed Ron sleeps in. This would explain why Sirius targeted Ron. It is likely that, with Scabbers' apparent demise being so recent, Sirius was unaware of it.

This also is an explanation for Scabbers' disappearance. While Ron seems to believe that Scabbers' haggard appearance is due to the actions of Crookshanks, we should recall that he was already looking poorly when Ron and Hermione met up with Harry in Diagon Alley. Ron was buying rat tonic at the time as he felt that Scabbers needed it; and it was in that same visit that Crookshanks first attacked Scabbers, and Hermione bought him. Scabbers' bedraggled appearance actually dates back to the Weasley household's discovery of Black's escape; Scabbers will have heard it being discussed and will know that Black is on his way to Hogwarts. As Black got ever closer to the Gryffindor common room, Scabbers will have decided that it was time to disappear, and will have faked his own death, as we will find out he had done before, before he departed to another location where he could still stay in touch with the Wizarding world.

It will be found later that Black, in his Animagus form, had managed to win Crookshanks' confidence. Crookshanks had stolen the list of passwords from Neville and had passed them to Black. It is uncertain why Crookshanks was unable to inform Black of Scabbers' departure.

The rift between Ron and Hermione will be mended only by an outside event: Hagrid writing to say that Buckbeak had lost his final appeal. The Trio will re-unite to visit Hagrid, against his instructions, to try and comfort him.

Chapter 14: Snape's Grudge

[edit] Synopsis

A sleepless night in Gryffindor Tower ensues. At dawn, Professor McGonagall reports that Sirius Black has escaped. Sir Cadogan is sacked and the the Fat Lady returns as the guard to the Common room, although she demands extra protection in the form of a squad of security trolls. Every opening into the castle, even ones as small as a mouse hole, are boarded over except, Harry notices, the One-eyed Witch tunnel. Harry and Ron believe that the Dementors in Hogsmeade will prevent Sirius from entering the tunnel in Honeyduke's, and they decide not to report it.

Ron basks in the attention he receives over Black's break-in. But he wonders, when Sirius realized he was not Harry, why did he not permanently silence Ron and go to the next bed? Why did he run? Harry cannot answer.

Neville suffers the worst from the fallout. He is banned from future Hogsmeade visits, given detention, and forbidden to have any passwords. He also receives a Howler from his grandmother.

Hagrid invites Harry and Ron to tea. When they see Hagrid's best suit hanging out, they suddenly remember that Buckbeak's hearing is that Friday, and they are dismayed that they forgot their promise to help with his defense. Hagrid tells them that Hermione is very upset that no one is talking to her, and he tells them that friends are more important than pet rats or new brooms. Chastised, they return to the castle at around 9:00 p.m.

A Hogsmeade visit is scheduled for that weekend, and Harry plans to sneak in wearing his Invisibility Cloak. Neville and Professor Snape nearly prevent him from getting to the One-eyed Witch passage, but he evades them and meets Ron in Hogsmeade. They visit the Post Office and Zonko's Joke Shop, then head to the Shrieking Shack. While he and Ron are discussing the Shack's reputation as the most haunted building in Britain, Ron is approached by Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. They start insulting Ron, but Harry attacks them. In the fracas, Harry's Invisibility Cloak slips down, revealing his head. Draco panics and runs off, and Harry rushes back to Hogwarts through the secret passage, discarding the Cloak in the tunnel just below the statue of the witch. He exits at the Hogwarts end and closes the passage, but is immediately apprehended by Snape and taken to his office. Snape says Draco reported seeing Harry's head in Hogsmeade, and demands to know what Harry was doing there. Snape reveals that although Harry's father James, once saved his (Snape's) life, it was because he and his friends had played a potentially fatal trick on him. He claims James got cold feet and warned him at the last minute only to protect himself. When Snape orders Harry to turn out his pockets, he finds the Marauder's Map. He demands it reveal its contents, but the Map's four authors, Moony, Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail, each respond with an insult. Snape summons Professor Lupin and asks if the map contains Dark Magic. Although Lupin seems taken aback when he sees the map, he responds that it looks like a common joke scroll. Ron bursts in, claiming he bought it at Zonko's ages ago. Lupin says that settles it, and, collecting Ron, Harry, and the map, departs. Lupin sternly tells Harry he knows it is a map, he knew the creators, and that he cannot return it—not after what happened when someone else left information lying about. He also says the creators would have wanted to lure Harry from the castle, and that risking his life is a poor way to repay his parents for their sacrifice.

As Harry and Ron approach the Gryffindor Common room, they meet Hermione who is almost in tears. She tells them Buckbeak is to be executed.

[edit] Analysis

Hermione reappears after being absent for several chapters, and readers can see how deeply affected she is by the rift with Ron and Harry. Her feelings are relayed to them through Hagrid, who attempts to patch things up; his efforts to seem to result in some small change. However, immediately after Harry and Ron visit Hagrid, Hermione dares to suggest that Harry going to Hogsmeade is irresponsible and could land him into trouble, and Ron savages her.

Ron's belief that Sirius cannot be getting into Hogwarts through Honeyduke's is likely incorrect. Harry and Ron are both aware that Sirius must have evaded the Dementors earlier to escape Azkaban. Both Ron and Harry have lulled themselves into a false sense of security, believing only they (and Hermione and the Twins) know about the tunnel's existence. They are obviously more concerned with keeping the tunnel secret, so Harry can continue to sneak into Hogsmeade, than protecting him from Black.

When Snape shows Lupin the Marauder's Map, Lupin barely hides his reaction to seeing it, indicating he knows something about it. Although he tells Snape it is only a joke shop item, not only does he know it is a map and how to utilize it, but also that it could be used by Sirius Black to lead him to Harry.

While Harry could possibly have avoided being caught by Snape by judiciously using the Map and the Cloak when exiting the secret passage, he was panicked and in a rush to get back to his dormitory before Draco could report his appearance in Hogsmeade. Given what we have learned about Harry, this is a consistent reaction for him.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What finally ends Ron and Hermione's feud?
2. What happens when Snape attempts to use the Marauder's Map?
3. How could the Marauder's Map be dangerous to Harry?

[edit] Further Study

1. How could Lupin know so much about the Marauder's Map and how to use it? Why did he cover for Harry?
2. Why does Snape often seem to know what Harry has been up to?
3. Snape admits James Potter once saved his life. Why is he still resentful towards him and, by extension, Harry?

[edit] Greater Picture

Snape calls Lupin into his office by throwing a handful of glittering powder into the fire. The powder is probably similar to Floo powder, though it does not show quite the same effects (Snape's fire does not burn green, for instance, and Snape does not have to stick his head in the fireplace to talk to Lupin, he merely has to speak) and shows another way of communication within the wizarding world. We will see Floo powder used for communication by Amos Diggory and Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and by Sirius and Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Snape's explanation of why he owes James Potter (and, by proxy, Harry) a life debt is biased towards his own feelings: Snape believes that the joke Sirius had planned (which we learn later was to send him to the Shrieking Shack while Lupin, who is a werewolf, is transforming) was planned by all four of the Marauders. However, James was unaware until a few moments before the moonrise, and he intercepted Snape, saving him from a certain death.

While in Snape's study, Harry suspects that Snape is reading his thoughts; this is the second time he has felt this sensation, and this has actually bothered Harry since his first year at Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry wonders whether Snape has this ability. Although Snape's close inspection of the One-eyed Witch statue hints that Snape might have glimpsed the secret tunnel in Harry's mind, Harry did not sense it then. This does tie in with Snape's legilimency, which we will learn about in a later book.

We will find out later that Lupin is, in fact, one of the Marauders of the Marauders' Map, the others being James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. It is a little surprising that Snape is not aware of this, although he seems to have some suspicion that there might be a connection between "Moony" and Lupin.

Chapter 15: The Quidditch Final

[edit] Synopsis

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are dismayed when Hagrid tells them Buckbeak is to be executed. Ron promises that he and Harry will work on the appeal with Hermione, who finally apologizes to Ron for what Crookshanks did to Scabbers. Apparently, all is patched up between them.

With the tight security measures, the only time they can talk to Hagrid is during Care of Magical Creatures class. Hagrid says losing the case was his fault; facing the black-robed committee flustered him, and Lucius Malfoy's presentation was so smooth they simply ruled in his favor. Hagrid starts crying and runs off, causing Draco Malfoy to makes a snide comment. Hermione punches him in the nose. Draco, with his sidekicks in tow, retreats in confusion. As a result, Harry and Ron arrive late for Charms class, and Professor Flitwick reprimands them. As they prepare to learn Cheering Charms, Ron notices that Hermione, who was just behind them, has disappeared. She is not at lunch either, and Harry worries that Draco has done something to her. They find her asleep in the Gryffindor Common room. She wakes up and says Malfoy got her so worked up that she forgot to go to Charms and runs off to apologize to Professor Flitwick. Harry and Ron wonder how she could forget when she was walking behind them as they headed to class.

In Divination, Professor Trelawney is starting crystal ball gazing. She says she has been vouchsafed the information that the crystal ball will be on the exams. Hermione mutters that it is no great prediction considering Trelawney sets the exam. When Trelawney claims to see the Grim in Harry's crystal ball, Hermione protests. When Trelawney suggests that Hermione is insensitive to the Inner Eye, Hermione packs up and leaves, saying she is dropping the course. Parvati and Lavender see this as fulfillment of Trelawney's earlier prediction that at around Easter, "one of our number will leave us forever."

Easter Holidays start, but few are relaxed. The third-years have more homework than ever, and Neville looks like he might break under the load. Hermione has more work than anyone and is first into the library in the morning and last into bed at night. Ron has been working on Buckbeak's appeal in between his homework. Harry is trying to fit homework in between Quidditch practice. They are playing Slytherin, who are leading by 200 points, the Saturday after Easter break. Gryffindor House is obsessed with the match, it being the first time they are in the running for the Cup since Ron's brother Charlie was Seeker. For Harry, it is a personal conflict between himself and Draco, while Oliver sees it as his last chance to win the Quidditch cup. Tensions are also high in the Slytherin camp. Slytherins try to trip Harry in the hallways and Crabbe and Goyle constantly appear wherever he is, slouching away disappointed when they find him safely amidst chattering Gryffindors.

Waking from a bad dream, Harry looks out his window and sees what looks like Crookshanks and a large black dog. He realizes that if Crookshanks can see the dog, then it must be a real animal and not a Grim. Before he can wake Ron, they have moved out of his view.

The next day is the final Quidditch game against Slytherin. Harry blushes when Cho Chang wishes him luck. The match starts, and it is a dirty game, with Slytherin committing multiple fouls against Gryffindor. Harry cannot catch the Snitch until Gryffindor is more than fifty points up or else Slytherin will win the series. He is trying to pay attention to the game and the Snitch. Gryffindor is up by sixty points (largely through penalties). Harry sees the Snitch, but is thwarted by Draco, who holds on to Harry's broom, preventing him from reaching it. Gryffindor lose the advantage because everyone on the team is getting angry at Slytherin's antics. Harry helps Gryffindor regain their lead by blocking the entire Slytherin team, then manages to catch the Snitch, edging out Draco by inches. Gryffindor wins the match and the Cup.

[edit] Analysis

Hermione's evolving character is showing its many facets. Although stubborn by nature and never doubting she is right, she finally admits that Crookshanks was the likely culprit in Scabbers' disappearance, and she apologizes to Ron. However, Ron and Harry have been far too harsh with her, reacting as they did when she turned in Harry's broom; Harry, ecstatic over his new prize, refused to consider the real possibility that it could contain Dark magic that could harm or kill him. Harry and Ron also forgot that even though Hermione has often strongly objected to their many rule-breaking activities, she has never reported them, including Harry using the Marauder's Map, an object that could potentially lead Black to Harry. She has even helped them break the rules on occasion, usually against her better judgment. Obviously under a tremendous burden from her heavy workload, it takes little to provoke her, as seen by her reaction to Trelawney and what she considers a bogus subject, and also to Malfoy, who she uncharacteristically punches in the nose for his rude behavior. Surprisingly, Malfoy does not retaliate, although Harry initially worries that he has when he and Ron are briefly unable locate Hermione. Her overall behavior has become odd, however, such as claiming she "forgot" to go to Charms class when she was clearly walking to the classroom with Ron and Harry before suddenly vanishing. Harry and Ron suspect something unusual is going on that she is withholding.

Gryffindor's win over Slytherin is a true victory, considering they won it fairly and through their superb Quidditch skills while Slytherin blatantly broke rules and played a dirty match. This appears to be how many Slytherins operate in general life, succeeding by using whatever methods they can, and taking pride only in what they obtain, not the means by which they achieved it. Draco Malfoy particularly embodies these traits, and the expensive brooms that Lucius Malfoy bought the Slytherin Quidditch team (in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) to ensure Draco's recruitment is a typical example.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Why does Hermione drop her Divination class?
2. After Hermione drops Divination, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil claim Trelawney's earlier prediction that one of their number would leave them forever around Easter has come true. Was the prediction accurate or only a coincidence? Why?
3. What does Harry think when he sees Crookshanks and the dog together?
4. Why did Hermione punch Draco in the nose? Was it deserved?
5. What makes Harry blush? Why?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why would Crookshanks, a rather unusual cat, be in the company of a large dog?
2. Why does Hermione miss Charms class? What is her explanation, and is it believable? What else might this indicate about her?
3. What does Slytherin's playing style in the Quidditch match reflect about their character in general?

[edit] Greater Picture

We had seen earlier that Hermione, given a choice of subjects to take, had chosen to take all of them. Of course, we never see her in any courses except the ones that Harry and Ron also take, but we are led to believe that she is taking multiple additional courses with conflicting schedules. At lunch on the first day of the school year, Hermione had remarked, for instance, that she much preferred Arithmancy to Divination, despite there having been no time when she could have taken it. We will learn that she is making use of a Time-Turner, a device which allows her to go backwards in time. Using this, she is able to attend one class, then step back an hour and attend a different class at the same time, subject only to the constraint that she must never be seen to be in two places at the same time. As a result, she is able initially to take twelve subjects, double the normal work load. As the year has worn on, though, she has suffered from the strain; her days must be inordinately long, and she is likely shorting herself on sleep. We see this here, where she very uncharacteristically punches Draco, and where she forgets to go to a class. Additionally, there is little opportunity for her to use the time-turner to get extra study time during the Easter break; as she is seen to enter the library early in the day, and leave late at night, the only place she can be is in the library. Thus she cannot use the time-turner to grant herself extra study time, and so she has less time than she thinks she needs to study the eleven subjects she is still taking.

We will soon learn that the large dog which has been appearing to Harry is, in fact, real, if not exactly a dog. It will turn out that this is Sirius Black in his Animagus form.

We have already seen that the Patronus charm requires a happy memory to drive it. Harry's victory in this Quidditch match will give him an extremely strong happy memory that he will use as the foundation for Patronus charms in the future.

Chapter 16: Professor Trelawney's Prediction

[edit] Synopsis

It is late May, and exams are looming. Harry and Ron see that Hermione has two exams scheduled for Monday morning and two for Monday afternoon. When Harry asks if there is any chance of an explanation as to how Hermione expects to sit two exams at once, Hermione cheerfully says, "No," then looks for her Ancient Runes book. Hedwig delivers a note from Hagrid: Buckbeak's appeal is 6 June, and it will be at the school. A Committee wizard and an executioner will attend, making it appear to Harry that the Committee's decision is already made. Ron is dismayed over the wasted work he has done on the appeal. Draco, who lost some of his usual swagger after Slytherin's Quidditch defeat, appears to be getting it back. Worse, the tight security has made it impossible to visit Hagrid, and Harry has not yet dared to retrieve the Invisibility Cloak from the One-Eyed Witch tunnel.

Exams begin, and they are as rough as expected. In Transfiguration, students had to transfigure a teapot into a tortoise, which was a problem for most. In Charms, they were tested on Cheering Charms, the one class Hermione missed. Tuesday's Care of Magical Creatures was a simple exam; they only had to keep Flobberworms alive for one hour. Harry, Ron, and Hermione use this time to exchange a few words with Hagrid, who says Buckbeak is tired of being penned up. It will be several days before they know the appeal's outcome. The Potions exam does not go well. Snape gives Harry a zero. Astronomy is Tuesday at midnight, History of Magic Wednesday morning, and Herbology is Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morning is Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Professor Lupin has set them a practical test: students have to wade across a deep pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes containing Red Caps, cross a stretch of marshland while avoiding being distracted by a Hinkypunk, then climb into an armoire to battle a Boggart. Harry gets a perfect score, but Ron is distracted and led astray by the Hinkypunk. Hermione is unable to defeat the Boggart who has taken the form of Professor McGonagall telling her she has failed every subject.

Heading back, they run into the Minister for Magic on the castle steps. Fudge says he is there for a very sad duty—witnessing the execution of a dangerous animal. Ron protests that the hippogriff might be exonerated, but before Fudge can answer, he is joined by a testy old wizard and a tall, strapping man carrying a large axe. Convinced the appeal is a mockery, Ron starts say something, but Hermione drags him away to protect Mr. Weasley's job.

After lunch, Harry and Ron have their Divination exam, while Hermione has Muggle Studies. Professor Trelawney examines students individually. Harry, examined last, pretends to see a hippogriff in the crystal ball and claims it is flying away. As Trelawney dismisses him, she suddenly enters into a trance and speaks in a strange voice: "It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before. Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will set out... to rejoin... his master..." Suddenly awakening, Trelawney is unaware of what she has just said, and chastises Harry for repeating it to her.

Uncertain if Trelawney was merely adding melodrama to the exam or experiencing a real prediction, Harry heads back to the Common room. Before he can share what Trelawney said, Ron and Hermione tell him Hagrid sent a note that Buckbeak lost the appeal and will be executed at sunset. He orders them to stay away. Harry bemoans that his Invisibility Cloak is still in the One-eyed Witch tunnel, otherwise they could visit Hagrid. However, if Snape catches Harry anywhere near there, he will be expelled. Hermione dashes off, returning shortly with the Cloak.

Donning the Invisibility Cloak, the three head to Hagrid's hut. A distraught Hagrid says Macnair, the executioner, is Lucius Malfoy's friend, but at least the end will be quick and clean. Professor Dumbledore is also coming to support Hagrid. Says Hagrid, "Great man, Dumbledore." Fetching a pitcher, Hermione discovers Scabbers hiding inside. Scabbers seems frantic to remain hidden, trying to climb back into the milk jug even as Ron grabs him. Hagrid spots the execution committee coming and shoos Harry, Ron, and Hermione out the back door. As they head to the castle under the Invisibility Cloak, Scabbers makes another bid for freedom. As Ron tries to contain him, they hear the swish and thud of the executioner's falling axe.

[edit] Analysis

Trelawney's prediction leaves Harry stunned and confused, unsure if what he has just heard was mere melodrama or a true prophecy. It should be remembered, however, that Trelawney has a poor record for making accurate predictions. There is also no indication as to who Voldemort's servant may be. Harry can only wait and let events unfold; the prediction, if it is real, is that events will happen before midnight, far too short a time for Harry to consult with other wizards to try and find a meaning.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What happens during Trelawney's Divination final exam? What might it mean?
2. Who retrieves Harry's Invisibility Cloak and why?
3. What makes Harry believe that Buckbeak's appeal has been decided even before the committee convenes?

[edit] Further Study

1. Scabbers vanished in April, and it is now early June. Why did he remain hidden in Hagrid's hut all this time, rather than leave Hogwarts?
2. What might Trelawney's prediction mean?
3. Who is Voldemort's servant mentioned in the prediction?

[edit] Greater Picture

Although Harry's made-up prediction that Buckbeak flies safely away is wishful thinking, it foreshadows events in the book's conclusion. It is perhaps lucky that Harry is aware that he is making this up; if he had been a little less sure of himself, he might have somehow come to the conclusion that he had a touch of the Talent.

Trelawney's strange pronouncement is, in fact, a true Prophecy, and Dumbledore later tells us that it is her second while in Hogwarts' employ. We will later find out that the first concerned Harry and Voldemort, and had occurred on the occasion of her initial hiring by Dumbledore. It is apparently on the strength of these two prophecies that Dumbledore keeps her on staff; otherwise, it would seem that he shares the general opinion of the staff that the subject, Divination, is purest flummery and does not deserve a place at Hogwarts.

The reader may believe that this is a true prophecy; it is certainly delivered in a convincing manner. If so, the reader will be misled by the belief that Sirius is the Dark Lord's servant. It is true that Sirius, imprisoned in Azkaban, could be said to be chained "these past twelve years", except that he has by now been free for almost a year. Despite the various bits of foreshadowing — the Sneakoscope, the revelation of the Animagus transform, Sirius' attack on Ron, and Crookshanks' repeated attacks on Scabbers — we are somehow unable to predict that Scabbers will turn out to be the Animagus form of Peter Pettigrew.

The Invisibility Cloak has lain, undiscovered, in the secret passage leading from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade after Harry was forced to abandon it there in mid-April. It was still there in early June, when Hermione went to retrieve it. We know that Sirius was in the school on the night after the match against Ravenclaw, before the Cloak is left in the passage, and Harry sees him in his Animagus form the night before the Slytherin match, after it had been left. Did Sirius enter the school via that passage? If so, did he pass by the Cloak, and, recognizing it as once belonging to James Potter, leave it aside? Or did he use another means to get into Hogwarts? The author never clears this point up, but it is quite possible that Sirius has opened one of the boarded-up windows of the Shrieking Shack, and is using the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to enter the school grounds.

Chapter 17: Cat, Rat and Dog

[edit] Synopsis

Still hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry, Ron, and Hermione debate whether to return to comfort Hagrid, eventually deciding to proceed to the castle. Scabbers bites Ron, who is struggling to hold on to him. Harry spots Crookshanks approaching, apparently homing in on Scabbers' squeaks. Scabbers escapes and runs off, with Crookshanks in hot pursuit. Ron takes off after Scabbers. Harry and Hermione fling off the cloak and chase after him. Ron catches Scabbers, but before they can get under the cloak again, a black dog appears, knocking Harry aside and grabbing Ron. Something strikes Harry's face as the dog drags Ron under the Whomping Willow, breaking Ron's leg as he is dragged through a hole.

Crookshanks dives under the branches and presses his paws against a knot in the tree trunk. The flailing branches fall still; following Ron and the black dog, Harry and Hermione enter a tunnel that leads to the Shrieking Shack. Upstairs, Ron is lying beside a decrepit four-poster bed. He warns them it is a trap; the dog is Sirius Black, an Animagus. Black disarms Harry and Hermione with Ron's wand.

Sirius remarks he is glad Harry acted like his father, coming to save his friend rather than running for a teacher; that will make things easier. Ron says that if Black is going to kill Harry, he will have to kill them all, but Black tells him to lie down so he does not injure his leg further. There will only be one murder tonight. Harry demands to know if killing twelve Muggles plus Peter Pettigrew were not enough and lunges at the visibly weakened Black, grabbing his wand wrist. Black chokes Harry with his free hand. Hermione kicks Black while Ron grabs his wand hand. Harry breaks away and as he grabs his wand, Crookshanks claws his hand. Defenseless, Black asks if Harry is going to kill him. Harry tells Black he knows that he betrayed his parents to Voldemort. Black admits he was responsible but says there is more to the story. While Harry decides whether or not to hear him out, Crookshanks deliberately sits on Black's chest, resisting Black's efforts to shift him off.

Professor Lupin suddenly bursts in and disarms Harry, Ron and Hermione. He asks Black, "Where is he?" and Black points at Ron. Lupin asks, "Why hasn't he shown himself? Unless...you switched...and didn't tell me?" Black nods. Lupin pulls Black to his feet, embracing him. Hermione, sounding betrayed, tells Lupin that she trusted him and protected his secret that he is is a werewolf. Lupin admits that he is, but that he has not been helping Black, nor does he want Harry dead. The Hogwarts staff knows he is a werewolf; Professor Dumbledore convinced them he was trustworthy. Professor Snape set the werewolf assignment with the expectation that a student would detect Lupin and give away his secret.

When challenged by Harry that he was helping Black, Lupin denies it, and returns the Trio's wands, placing his own wand in his belt. He then asks the Trio to listen, as they now hold the advantage. Lupin explains he saw Black on the Marauder's Map, a map he helped create when he was a student. He is "Moony." When he saw the three returning from Hagrid's on the map, he saw someone else - Sirius Black. He also one other. He asks Ron's to hand over Scabbers, who Lupin and Black claim is actually a wizard Animagus named Peter Pettigrew.

[edit] Analysis

Harry is shocked by Lupin's apparent betrayal, and, overwhelmed by extreme emotions, is thinking and reacting illogically. He initially wants to execute Black, who even admits he was responsible for the Potters' deaths, although Black's demeanor and concern over Ron's injury belies his supposedly murderous intent. However, nothing is as it seems, and Lupin's timely and surprising arrival prevents Harry from inflicting any serious harm to Sirius, although it is doubtful whether Harry would intentionally kill him. His underlying humanity ultimately prohibits him from committing violence. Only after Harry has been forced to calm down is he willing to hear out Lupin, although his explanation that Scabbers is actually an Animagus wizard seems incredible.

Hermione is also feeling betrayed by Lupin, having trusted him and protected his secret. If Lupin is lying and was actually aiding Black, by remaining silent, Hermione may have unwittingly doomed Harry. Lupin, of course, has denied this, but given what we have been told about Sirius to date, we are having as hard a time believing this as Hermione, Harry, and Ron are.

Now that we know that Sirius' Animagus form is a large black dog, we may also wonder if he was the dog that Harry had seen in Privet Drive and in the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, that he took for a Grim. If he was, and the author's economical writing style would seem to imply that, what was Sirius interested in if he was not in fact planning to murder Harry?

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What does Black mean when he says he is glad Harry acted like his father?
2. Why did Hermione never reveal Lupin's secret? How did she figure it out?
3. What did Lupin, Pettigrew, and Black keep secret about themselves? Why?
4. Lupin knew Black and Pettigrew were in the Shrieking Shack by using the Marauder's Map. How could he know how to use it?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why would Crookshanks attack Harry when he reaches for his wand?
2. How does Crookshanks know how to still the Whomping Willow?
3. What might Lupin mean when he asks if Black "switched?"

[edit] Greater Picture

As is usual in the Potter books, the end of the book contains a series of revelations that explain much of what has gone before, but leave questions open for the future. In this book, we are faced with a significant number of revelations, so we cannot get everything wrapped up in a single chapter. The story-closing revelations thus span three chapters, and the resulting activities on the part of the principals take three more. The necessary revelations appear so densely that these final six chapters, about one third of the 22-chapter book, actually cover only about four hours of the school year.

In this chapter, we have learned that Sirius does not intend to murder Harry, as we had been led to believe, although we still doubt this; that Lupin does not believe Sirius has evil intent towards Harry; that Lupin is a werewolf and that Hermione knew this; and that Peter Pettigrew, who we had thought long dead, is actually still alive in the form of Scabbers. We also learn that Lupin, under his nickname Moony, was one of the Marauders, leading us to believe that possibly Sirius, Harry's father, and Pettigrew were the other three. At this point, we can see that things are not as we had been led to believe, but we are not yet sure what the truth is. Over the next two chapters, we will be given corroboration, not only by Sirius and Lupin, but also inadvertently by Snape, that Sirius is, in fact, blameless of the crime for which he was imprisoned, and that Sirius feels responsible for Harry's parents' deaths, though he did not betray them. We will also receive proof, in the form of Pettigrew being forced to take his human shape, that Sirius' murder of Pettigrew had not happened.

We learned, back at Christmas, that Sirius was Harry's godfather. Sirius has retained affection for Harry, and has been trying to see how Harry had grown up while he was imprisoned. Sirius will tell us later that he had visited Privet Drive to see Harry, and had been present at the Quidditch match to see how well he could fly.

Chapter 18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

[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

1. Why did Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew become unregistered Animagi? How did they achieve this?
2. What do Lupin and Black reveal about "Scabbers"?
3. Why does Black want to kill Pettigrew?
4. Why was the Shrieking Shack built? Is it haunted?
5. What is Severus Snape's past connection to Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, and James Potter?

[edit] Further Study

1. What might James Potter's nickname (Prongs) indicate about his Animagus animal shape?
2. Why have there been so few Animagi in Wizarding history?
3. Why do all wizard Animagi have to be registered with the Ministry of Magic?
4. 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.

Chapter 19: The Servant of Lord Voldemort

[edit] Synopsis

Snape found Harry's Invisibility Cloak by the Whomping Willow. He was bringing Lupin his Wolfsbane potion when he noticed a very interesting map on Lupin's desk. As he suspected, the map showed that Lupin was helping Black. Snape magically binds Lupin before he can explain, and tells everyone they are returning to the castle to have a word with the Dementors. Harry blocks the door and demands Snape listen. Snape orders him out of the way, but Harry disarms him, helped by Ron and, surprisingly, Hermione. Their triple-force spell throws Snape against the wall and knocks him out.

Harry does not yet fully believe Lupin's story. Lupin asks Ron to hand over Scabbers, and he will provide proof. Ron protests. Even if Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus in the form of a rat, why should it be Scabbers? Sirius explains that he saw Scabbers in the photograph of Ron's family on vacation in Egypt. He had gotten the paper from Fudge when the Minister visited him at Azkaban. He recognized Pettigrew, having seen him transform many times, and he noticed that Scabbers was missing a toe. Pettigrew severed his own finger before killing the Muggles. Shouting that it was Sirius who killed James and Lily for bystanders to hear, Pettigrew blew up the street, and transforming, disappeared into the sewer. He left his severed finger behind as evidence he was dead. Ron insists this is impossible, but Lupin reminds him that Scabbers has been in the Weasley family for twelve years, whereas a common rat lives only three or four. Lupin observes that Scabbers is not looking too good at the moment, although Ron claims it is strain caused by "that mad cat" going after him all the time. Harry figures differently: Scabbers was already looking stressed in Diagon Alley, just after returning from Egypt, presumably because he had heard about Black's escape in the meanwhile.

Sirius says Crookshanks recognized Pettigrew for what he was. He had also spotted Sirius and initially distrusted him, but helped him once he understood what Sirius was after. Unable to bring Scabbers to Sirius, Crookshanks stole Neville's password list and later told Sirius that Scabbers had vanished, leaving blood on Ron's sheets. After all, appearing dead had worked once before.

Sirius is about to kill Pettigrew, but Harry says he should have let Snape take Sirius to the Dementors. It was Sirius who was his parents' Secret-Keeper and betrayed them. Sirius says he was not the Secret Keeper. He was responsible for their deaths, but only because he persuaded James and Lily to use Pettigrew as their Secret-Keeper rather than himself, believing no one would suspect a weak wizard like Pettigrew. When Black checked on Pettigrew's hiding place, he found him absent with no signs of a struggle, he feared the worst. He then went to Godric's Hollow, and finding James and Lily's bodies amid their destroyed house, realized what had happened—Pettigrew had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort.

Lupin calls a halt, and he and Sirius cast a spell to transform Scabbers into a human: a short man with vaguely rat-like features, colorless hair, and a large bald spot—it is Peter Pettigrew. Lupin demands that Pettigrew explain about the night James and Lily died. Pettigrew says he knew Sirius was going to escape and come after him, because he has powers that "He Who Must Not Be Named" taught him. Black says that Voldemort's followers are unhappy with Pettigrew, that Voldemort went to the Potters' on Peter's information and died there. The Death Eaters in Azkaban think Pettigrew double-crossed Voldemort, and many are still at large. Lupin asks why an innocent man would stay hidden for twelve years. Peter claims he was scared because he put Voldemort's top lieutenant, Sirius Black, in Azkaban. Sirius angrily reminds Pettigrew that he (Pettigrew) was the Potter's Secret-Keeper.

Black says Pettigrew never harmed Harry because he would not risk acting on Voldemort's behalf unless Voldemort could protect him. Sirius also explains that he remained sane in Azkaban by changing into a dog when things became unbearable. A dog's simpler thoughts are not as affected by the Dementors as a human's. Because Dementors cannot see, they were unable to detect him transforming. Instead, they feel and navigate towards emotions. When Black recognized Pettigrew's animal form in the photograph, he realized the traitor had to be exposed. As a dog, he was able to evade the Dementors during his escape. He journeyed north to Hogwarts and lived in the Forbidden Forest, emerging to watch the Quidditch matches.

Finally, Harry believes Sirius is innocent. Pettigrew's pleas for mercy are ignored. He admits to working for the Dark Lord, but claims he would have been killed if he resisted. Black says he should have died for his friends, as they would have done so for him. Lupin and Black prepare to execute Peter, but Harry intervenes, not wanting his father's two best friends to become murderers; they will turn Pettigrew over to the Dementors. Black and Lupin relent, and Lupin binds Peter and splints Ron's leg. Black warns Pettigrew that if he transforms, he will kill him. Lupin charms the unconscious Snape to float along with them. Black suggests that two people should be chained to Peter to prevent his escape, Lupin and Ron volunteer, and Black, using Snape's wand, conjures manacles. With Crookshanks leading, they return to the tunnel.

[edit] Analysis

Harry's actions are often ruled by his emotions and carried out without considering all facts. He was single-mindedly determined to kill Sirius to avenge the Potters, disregarding any consequences. However, Harry's already admirable character takes a great leap forward here. When he learns that it was actually Pettigrew who betrayed his parents, he acts to prevent Black and Lupin from executing him. After the initial shock and confusion, Harry quickly regains his composure and by logically analyzing the situation realizes the probable outcome: if Lupin and Black kill Pettigrew, even if it was to avenge the Potters, they would be convicted of murder. Harry acts to save them and protect the truth, and he will allow justice to deal with Pettigrew in the proper manner. For once, it is the student guiding the teacher.

In Chapter 13, it was believed that Neville lost the password list, and that Sirius Black had found it. In fact, as we discover here, Crookshanks stole them from Neville at Sirius' request. Granted, losing the list is the sort of thing Neville would likely do, but it appears, in this case, that he was punished for something that was only partially his fault.

Snape here has quite clearly decided what is going on, and not accepting explanations that might destroy his "understanding," has bound and gagged both Sirius and Lupin. While Harry does not yet fully believe Sirius' story, he is certain of Lupin's trustworthiness, and rebels against Snape's refusal to even listen to what Lupin has to say. While it is expected that Ron would join this rebellion, it is surprising to everyone, including herself, that Hermione also joins in.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Crookshanks is a cat / kneazle cross, which makes him very intelligent for a cat, but how could he have "told" Sirius that Scabbers had vanished?
2. How did Black learn that Pettigrew was still alive?
3. Why did Black and Pettigrew switch places as the Potters' "Secret Keeper"?
4. Why do Harry, Ron, and Hermione knock out Snape in the Shrieking Shack?
5. How did Black escape from Azkaban prison? Why were the Dementors unable to detect him?
6. Why does Harry prevent Lupin and Black from killing Pettigrew?
7. Why did Pettigrew, who had close access to Harry, never try to kill him?
8. Although Sirius is innocent, why does he, by his own admission, claim he is responsible for the Potters' deaths?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why didn't the Weasley family ever notice or question Scabbers' unusually long life?

[edit] Greater Picture

It has become obvious over the past few chapters that Crookshanks is not an ordinary cat. According to the author, he is actually part Kneazle, a cat-like creature that often associates with wizards. Intelligent, they are able to communicate with other animals, which is how Sirius, in his dog form, was able to receive and relay information.

Harry's decision to prevent Lupin and Black from executing Pettigrew has large repercussions. Pettigrew will escape, as we will discover shortly, and will, as predicted, return to Voldemort. He will also manage to trap one Bertha Jorkins, an employee of the Ministry of Magic, and it will be with her unwilling assistance, and Pettigrew's help, that Voldemort will be able to capture Harry and re-embody himself.

It should be noted here that Lupin's having failed to take the final dose of Wolfsbane Potion will have serious consequences. It is the night of the full moon, and Lupin will transform, thus putting all of his companions at risk. If Lupin had remembered to take the final dose, he would retain his mind after the transformation and Pettigrew would, in consequence, have been unable to escape. Without that final dose, however, Lupin will become a mindless animal, and Sirius will have to transform to dog shape to protect Harry and Ron. With both fully grown wizards occupied, Pettigrew will be able to transform himself and escape.

Chapter 20: The Dementor's Kiss

[edit] Synopsis

Proceeding down the tunnel, Sirius realizes he will be a free man once Pettigrew is turned over to the authorities. He mentions to Harry that he is his godfather and also his guardian. Sirius hesitantly offers to let Harry live with him. Harry's enthusiastic, "Yes!" catches him rather by surprise, and his smile makes him look ten years younger.

As they exit the tunnel, a shifting cloud bathes them in full moonlight. Lupin, who has forgotten his potion, transforms into a werewolf. Sirius yells at Harry to run, but he cannot—Ron is still chained to Pettigrew. Sirius transforms into a dog to defend the others. Lupin, now a werewolf, is no longer shackled to Pettigrew, who grabs Lupin's dropped wand and stuns Ron and Crookshanks. Harry disarms Pettigrew, but he transforms into a rat and vanishes into the grass. Lupin, prevented by Sirius from attacking Harry, Hermione, and the Stunned Ron, bounds off into the Forbidden Forest chased by a wounded Black.

Harry and Hermione run to Ron's aid, but they are unable to undo Pettigrew's jinx. Hearing a whining yelp, Harry and Hermione run to the lake and find the human Sirius cowering on the shore. About a hundred Dementors are approaching from all directions. Harry and Hermione leap to Sirius' defense, but there are too many Dementors, and Harry's Patronus charm is too weak to repel them. Both Harry and Hermione are overwhelmed by the creatures' presence. Harry falls and feels himself being lifted by one to administer the "Kiss."

As consciousness fades, Harry sees a bright light. He somehow senses the brightness is running around him, scattering the Dementors. As they disperse, he sees a large animal in the light's midst. On the opposite lake shore, he sees something impossible before losing consciousness.

[edit] Analysis

When the truth is finally revealed and Pettigrew is exposed, Harry and Sirius form an instant familial bond. It appears that Harry will not only be freed from his unhappy life with the Dursleys, but has finally found a loving home and a real father figure, who will finally be exonerated for a crime he did not commit. Unfortunately, Harry and Sirius' new-found happiness is short-lived and circumstances quickly change when Pettigrew, and the truth, escape, leaving Sirius a hunted fugitive once again.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. What is the light Harry sees before losing consciousness?

[edit] Further Study

1. Lupin does not transform into a werewolf when the moon rises, but rather once he is directly exposed to moonlight. Why, then, was the Shrieking Shack necessary when he was a student? Why not simply confine him in a windowless room?
2. Why would the Dementors try to administer the "Kiss" to Harry?
3. What might Harry have seen on the lake shore?

[edit] Greater Picture

This is the third time Dementors have attacked Harry, and it seems obvious that each incident is deliberate. Why the Dementors have continually targeted Harry is unknown, but it raises suspicions that they may have ties to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. This is not borne out by anything in the story so far. It is true that the Dementors defect to Voldemort quite quickly after his return, but until his return to power there is no center of Dark wizardry for them to return to; the Death Eaters are disorganized, and remain so until the end of the fourth book. Lupin has told us earlier that Harry is more deeply affected by the Dementors because he has suffered so greatly. It is entirely possible that the Dementors focus on Harry because he has such a rich fund of horrible memories to feast on, possibly more than nearly any other wizard at Hogwarts, and because he is unable to properly defend himself.

Chapter 21: Hermione's Secret

[edit] Synopsis

Harry awakens in the infirmary and hears Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Professor Snape discussing the night's events. Snape says that the cut on his head was Harry, Ron, and Hermione's work but that they were probably under a Confundus charm by Black. When he regained consciousness, the Dementors were returning to their posts, and he found Harry, Hermione, and Black unconscious beside the lake. He conjured stretchers and brought them to the Hospital Wing. Fudge says this will probably put him in line for the Order of Merlin, Third Class. Harry opens his eyes and sees Hermione in the next bed, wide awake and looking frightened. Nearby, Madam Pomfrey is attending to Ron. Hermione tells Harry that Black has been captured, and the Dementors will shortly administer the Kiss. Harry leaps up, shouting that Sirius is innocent and Peter Pettigrew is alive and is an Animagus. Snape says he is obviously Confunded, and Madam Pomfrey forces him back into bed. When Professor Dumbledore arrives, Harry also tells him. Dumbledore says he has spoken with Black and needs to speak to Harry and Hermione alone. Madam Pomfrey and Fudge depart, but Snape protests that Black has shown that he was capable of killing someone when he was 16. Dumbledore responds that he is aware, and Snape leaves stiffly.

Harry and Hermione try to explain what happened, but Dumbledore says their unsupported word will not save Sirius. Neither can Lupin, even if he were not currently roaming the Forbidden Forest. Apart from being Sirius' old friend, a werewolf's word counts for little. Snape's version will bear the most credibility, and while Dumbledore believes Harry and Hermione, he cannot force other people to see the truth. "What we need," Dumbledore comments, "is more time." Hermione apparently understands. He mentions Black is in Professor Flitwick's office. He cryptically says it is five minutes before midnight, that they must not be seen, and that more than one innocent life can be saved. He tells Hermione that "three turns" should do it, then leaves, locking them in the infirmary.

Harry is mystified, but Hermione produces a tiny sparkling hourglass from her robes. She loops the chain around herself and Harry, and turns the hourglass over three times. The world becomes a spinning blur; when it settles, they are standing in the deserted Entrance Hall, and the sun is shining. Pushing them into a broom closet, Hermione tells Harry that they are now three hours in the past. Slow footsteps are heard going past, and Hermione says that it is themselves under the Invisibility Cloak; Harry is trying to comprehend being in two places at the same time, in the closet with Hermione as well as under the Cloak with Ron and Hermione heading for Hagrid's hut. Hermione explains that the hourglass is a Time-Turner; she has been using it all year to get to all her classes. Professor McGonagall instructed her to tell no one about it.

Now that they have gone back three hours, Hermione is unsure what Dumbledore expects them to do. Harry guesses that he intends for them to save Buckbeak and Sirius, who is locked in Flitwick's office. Buckbeak can fly them to Flitwick's window to save Sirius. They head for the Forbidden Forest, edging around it until they reach Hagrid's pumpkin patch. There they watch themselves going in the hut. Harry wants to grab Buckbeak, but Hermione says the Committee must see him first, otherwise they will think Hagrid freed him. They hear Hagrid breaking the milk jug and the other Hermione finding Scabbers. Harry wants to dash in and grab Pettigrew, but Hermione asks what would he think if he suddenly saw himself bursting in that way. There is a reason Dumbledore said they must not be seen.

The Committee, including Professor Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge, approach. Harry and Hermione watch Harry, Ron, and Hermione vanish under the Invisibility Cloak and exit at the back while the Committee enter the front. The executioner, Macnair, spots Buckbeak. Deciding it is time to act, Harry bows to Buckbeak and starts leading him into the forest, but Buckbeak resists. As the Committee starts to exit the hut, Dumbledore calls them back, saying that the decree needs another signature. Just as Harry gets Buckbeak into the woods, the Committee emerges to find Buckbeak gone. Macnair buries his axe in the fence in anger.

Harry and Hermione, with Buckbeak, move closer to the Whomping Willow and watch as the black dog drags Ron into the tunnel. Shortly, Crookshanks stills the branches and their other selves go into the tunnel. Almost immediately, Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge, and the old Committee member walk past on their way back to the castle. Now they see Professor Lupin running to the Whomping Willow and diving into the passage. Harry wonders if he could dash out and collect his Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione dissuades him. Two minutes later, Snape arrives, and, putting on the Invisibility Cloak, goes into the tunnel.

Now they must wait while the events inside the Shrieking Shack unfold. Hermione wonders how they were saved from all those Dementors. Harry says it must have been a powerful Patronus; he believes the caster is his late father.

An hour later, everyone exits the tunnel and Lupin transforms into a werewolf. Realizing they are standing where Lupin is about to run, Harry and Hermione rapidly retreat to Hagrid's empty hut. Despite a werewolf roaming loose, Harry wants to see who cast the Patronus and takes off for where the spell-caster was standing. No one is there. Harry suddenly understands: it was not his father he saw, it was himself. As the Dementors attack Sirius and the earlier Harry and Hermione, he casts the Patronus. A large animal bursts from his wand, and charging the Dementors, scatters them. When they disperse, the Patronus, in the form of a large silver stag, canters back across the lake to Harry, who now realizes his father's Animagus form was a stag, hence the nickname, "Prongs".

Hermione appears, furious that Harry has been up to something. He explains that his earlier self had seen his later self casting the spell, and he was only performing the events that already happened. They watch as Snape conjures stretchers and transports everyone to the castle. They mount Buckbeak and fly to the West Tower. Hermione opens the window, and Sirius climbs out onto Buckbeak. Harry and Hermione dismount on the tower top, and Harry urges Sirius to leave quickly. Sirius first asks about Ron, then escapes with Buckbeak into the night.

[edit] Analysis

Many small mysteries in the book are cleared up with the revelation of the Time-Turner. The Time-Turner explains why Hermione is able to take three exams on the same morning, why she is continually appearing and disappearing, and how she could "forget" Flitwick's class when she had been headed to it with Harry and Ron immediately after hitting Draco in an earlier chapter. It also explains a lot of Hermione's stress: she is artificially lengthening her days, and likely is not getting enough sleep.

Dumbledore already knows that Buckbeak will be saved at the start of this chapter, although he may not yet know how; he was in the party that was present for the earlier execution. One rather wonders if he has not planned this rescue; it was Dumbledore who called Macnair back into the hut for his signature on the form, giving Harry the few extra seconds he needed to get Buckbeak under cover. It is certain that Dumbledore was aware that Buckbeak had vanished between their arrival at Hagrid's and several minutes later. If he had not been planning Buckbeak's rescue, he was certainly able to connect the fact of the rescue with Hermione's Time-turner, and provide the clues that Hermione and Harry needed to rescue both Buckbeak and Sirius. It is possible that Dumbledore had seen, through Hagrid's window, that Harry was pulling Buckbeak into the forest.

This chapter seems to show how far Fudge will go in order to keep the Wizarding world from falling into chaos. Though he hears from both Harry and Hermione that Sirius is innocent, he convinces himself that Snape is telling the truth. He further accepts Snape's theory that the Trio are under some sort of spell, and brushes off their claims. Fudge is so overjoyed that Sirius is in custody, and that the threat he sees to the Wizarding world is contained, that he gives the Dementors permission to administer the "kiss" to Sirius.

It appears that Dumbledore was unaware that Sirius, James, and Peter Pettigrew were Animagi until his talk with Sirius.

Before escaping, Sirius asks Harry how Ron is before he flies off on Buckbeak. This is apparently meant to illuminate something about Sirius' character; like Lupin, he is concerned about how his actions affect others. In this case, he knows Ron was injured, and inquires about his condition before saving himself.

In the film version of this chapter, there is significant interaction between Harry and Hermione, and their earlier selves. When the Committee is coming down the hill, Hermione (later) gets Harry (earlier)'s attention by tossing snails at him. When Lupin changes to a werewolf, Hermione (later) attracts his attention away from Harry and Hermione (earlier) by howling like a werewolf herself. This, of course, goes against Dumbledore's repeated injunction, "You must not be seen!" In the book, Hermione is deathly afraid of being seen, and for good reason; as she explains to Harry, many wizards have died because they allowed their earlier selves to see them, and the earlier self thought that the later self was a Dark attack. It is this fear that makes Hermione so shocked when she learns that Harry actually produced the Patronus that saved them. Hermione here is facing a conflict: doing something against the rules has saved their lives, is it possible that rules are not always there to be followed?

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. How was Hermione getting to her many classes during the year?
2. What does Dumbledore mean when he tells Harry and Hermione they need more "time"?
3. Harry initially believed it was his father he saw on the lake shore who cast the Patronus. Who did he actually see?
4. How does Sirius escape? Who goes with him and why?

[edit] Further Study

1. Why would the Ministry of Magic consider Harry, Ron, Hermione, and also Lupin, as unreliable witnesses regarding Sirius' innocence?
2. Why is Hermione so concerned that she and Harry not be seen when they use the Time Turner? What might have happened if they were seen?
3. Why is Harry so convinced that it was his late father who cast the Patronus?

[edit] Greater Picture

We will learn more of Fudge's personality in later books. We can already see that he seems quite pleased with himself at Sirius' capture, perhaps inordinately so, particularly given his apparent belief, expressed at Christmas, that Voldemort is still out there, seeking allies to help him return to power. It will turn out, unsurprisingly, that Fudge's main motivation is to keep himself in power. This will explain his readiness to accept Snape's story over Harry's and Hermione's; if Sirius is the threat that Fudge believes him to be, then his capture and execution, while Fudge is in charge, can only enhance Fudge's reputation and consolidate his grip on power. Snape's story, of course, supports this view. Accepting Harry's story would be political suicide: the placement of Dementors in Hogsmeade has proven extremely unpopular, and the revelation that the Ministry could be so easily hoodwinked as to put an innocent man in Azkaban for twelve years would seriously affect the population's trust in the Ministry.

Chapter 22: Owl Post Again

[edit] Synopsis

Hermione tugs at Harry's sleeve, saying they have only ten minutes before Dumbledore locks the Hospital Wing. They dash off, hiding as Snape and Fudge walk past on their way to watch the Dementors administer the Kiss to Sirius Black, and again as Peeves drifts past. They reach the Hospital Wing just as Dumbledore is coming out. Harry and Hermione tell him Sirius is safely away on Buckbeak. Dumbledore lets them into the Hospital Wing, empty except for the still unconscious Ron, and locks the door.

Madam Pomfrey, nettled, returns but is interrupted by a roar of rage from above. Shortly, they hear Snape outside, shouting that Black could not have Disapparated because it is impossible inside the castle. Someone must have freed him, and as he slams the doors to the infirmary open, he says that Potter must somehow be involved. Dumbledore says Harry has been locked in the infirmary, and Madam Pomfrey verifies that no one has left. Snape, snarling imprecations, leaves. Fudge suggests he may be unbalanced, but Dumbledore says that he has simply suffered a great disappointment. Fudge says The Daily Prophet will have a field day if they find out Black was in custody and escaped again. When Dumbledore suggests removing the Dementors from Hogwarts, Fudge complies—if they tried to administer the Kiss to an innocent boy, then they are certainly unsafe. Dumbledore and Fudge leave, and Madam Pomfrey relocks the door and returns to her office. When Ron wakes up, he asks what had happened; Harry tells Hermione to explain.

The castle is nearly deserted when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are released from the Hospital Wing the next day. It is another Hogsmeade weekend, but Ron and Hermione decide to stay at Hogwarts with Harry. Relaxing by the lake, they are met by Hagrid, who says Buckbeak escaped. They pretend to act surprised. Hagrid also says that Snape told the Slytherins at breakfast that Professor Lupin was a werewolf, and Lupin has resigned. Harry finds him in his office, where nearly everything is packed. Lupin says he cannot stay—too many parents would object to a werewolf teaching their children. He then asks about the previous night's events, including Harry's Patronus. He says that Harry is correct, that James transformed into a stag, hence his nickname "Prongs." Lupin returns the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map to Harry, saying James would have been disappointed if Harry had not found any of the secret passages.

Dumbledore arrives to tell Lupin his carriage is ready. After Lupin leaves, an upset Harry tells Dumbledore that what he did made no difference: Pettigrew still got away. Dumbledore replies that his actions saved two innocent lives. Harry remembers Professor Trelawney's prediction during his exam, and tells Dumbledore. Dumbledore is quite pleased, saying that brings Trelawney's true predictions up to two. Harry is dismayed that even forewarned, he was unable to prevent Pettigrew's return to Voldemort. Dumbledore points out that Pettigrew now owes Harry a life debt. Voldemort will be displeased at having a servant who owes so much to his worst enemy. Harry tells Dumbledore about his Patronus' form, and that he thought it was his father casting it. Dumbledore says "You think the dead that we have loved, ever truly leave us?" He said that it was the memory of James that allowed him to produce that particular Patronus. Harry realizes Dumbledore must now know about James' Animagus ability. Dumbledore says Sirius told him about it.

Meanwhile, Malfoy is furious that Buckbeak escaped and is convinced Hagrid is responsible, and nearly everyone is upset over Lupin's departure.

Marks come out at the end of the term, and Harry is amazed he has passed everything, even Potions. Ron and Hermione also pass everything. Percy has his top-grade NEWTs, while the twins have each managed to scrape a handful of OWLs. Gryffindor wins the House Cup for the third straight year, largely from winning the Quidditch Cup.

As they head home on the Hogwarts Express, Hermione tells Ron and Harry that she has dropped Muggle Studies. With that and Divination off her schedule, she will not need the Time-turner and so has returned it to Professor McGonagall. Ron suggests Harry might like to come to the Quidditch World Cup. His dad is usually able to get tickets. Hermione spots something flying outside the widow. Harry reaches out and grabs a tiny Scops owl carrying a message far too big for it. It is from Sirius, who writes that he is safe. He says that it was he who sent Harry the Firebolt for Christmas. He got Crookshanks to carry the message to the Owl Office for him. Enclosed is a Hogsmeade permission form for Harry. Because he was instrumental in losing Ron's rat, Sirius gives him the little owl. Holding the owl up to Crookshanks, Ron asks if he thinks it is real. Crookshanks purrs, so Ron claims him.

As he meets his uncle at King's Cross Station, Harry tells him that he has met his godfather, Sirius, who is a wizard and a convicted murderer on the run. Since Sirius is very interested in Harry's well-being, Harry can now expect that he will have at least a bit more fun with the Dursleys than in previous years.

[edit] Analysis

The book concludes as usual with Harry returning to the Dursleys' at school's end. Unlike the previous two summers, Harry has a much happier outlook about the time he must spend there. He is comforted by knowing that he now has a caring godfather that he may eventually be able to live with. Harry also knows that Sirius being a wanted fugitive has provide him with some leverage with the Dursleys, who will likely be intimidated by this new information into treating Harry better. Ron also throws out hope that Harry's stay there will be shorter than usual, further uplifting Harry's spirits. Harry is probably relieved that Hermione will be returning to a normal class schedule, making her company in the coming school year far more agreeable.

There is one small inconsistency in this chapter. Fred and George apparently receive their OWL results at the end of term, and Percy receives his NEWT results at the same time. While Harry, Ron, and Hermione sit their OWLs at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, they don't get their results until the summer. As the description of Harry receiving his OWL results is quite detailed, where the description in this chapter of Percy and the twins getting their results is one throw-away sentence, this is almost certainly a slight mistake by the author. It is much more likely that the twins wouldn't have actually gotten their results until summer, because decisions depending on OWL results aren't necessarily made until the following September. However, as employment starts right after graduation, and would be expected to depend upon NEWT results, it is likely that these results would have come back sooner for Percy, quite possibly before end of term. This is, of course, assuming that Wizard bureaucracy is no more inefficient than Muggle civil servants.

[edit] Questions

[edit] Review

1. Why does Lupin resign?
2. What does Dumbledore tell Harry about his Patronus?
3. What does Black give Harry? What does he give to Ron and why?
4. Why does Harry tell Uncle Vernon about his new-found godfather?

[edit] Further Study

1. Dumbledore tells Snape that Harry could not have set Sirius free, saying, "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione can be in two places at the same time." Is Dumbledore deliberately giving Snape a hint as to what has happened? If so, why? Wouldn't Snape likely already know about Hermione using the Time Turner all year?
2. What does Pettigrew now owe Harry? How will this affect Pettigrew's relationship with Voldemort?

[edit] Greater Picture

When Dumbledore mentions that this would be Trelawney's second real prediction it is easy to brush it off as unimportant, but this is actually a major plot detail for the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In that book, Voldemort's energies will be bent towards procuring the record of that first prophecy, which will eventually result in Voldemort tricking Harry into retrieving the record for him. Voldemort's attempt will, however, fail in the end.

We can already guess that, despite our seeing him wing off into the sunset, we have not seen the last of Sirius Black. He will appear again in the next two books, and again in the seventh. Lupin also will reappear; he will be mentioned in the fourth book, and will appear in person in the fifth, sixth, and seventh books. Despite Sirius being Harry's godfather, we see that Lupin's ideas and personality, resonating more closely with Harry's, will have something of a greater effect on Harry's maturation than Sirius will.

Pettigrew's owing a life debt to Harry will not have any immediate effect on the relationship between Voldemort and Pettigrew. Voldemort understands what Pettigrew is, a weak, largely ineffectual menial, almost a classic toady, who is hitching himself to Voldemort's star as a way to gain rewards for himself. We have already seen that in his nature in the Shrieking Shack, and cannot be surprised that Voldemort, a keen judge of character, sees it in him as well. As a result, Voldemort will use Pettigrew as a means of returning from near-dead, will at least initially depend on him for survival, but will understand that Pettigrew's loyalty is to the main chance, and so will never entirely trust him. In the end, this life-debt will save Harry's life at the cost of Pettigrew's; Harry, at a critical point, will remind Pettigrew of the debt, and Pettigrew will hesitate. The weapon he is wielding, which was given to him by Voldemort, will sense this hesitation and fatally turn on Pettigrew.