Real Places: Egypt, London, France 

Points to Ponder 

1. If you won money to go on a trip to another country, which would you choose and why? 

2. When Harry looks at the magical moving photo of the Weasleys visiting Egypt, they are described as “waving furiously at him”. 

Why is context important for understanding the author’s intended meaning of this sentence?

Points to Ponder 

1. When Aunt Marge inflates and drifts into the air like a balloon, she is described as making “apoplectic popping noises.” When you read the phrase “apoplectic popping” out loud, it actually sounds like the noise being described! 

Good writers choose their words based not only on the denotation (dictionary definition) and the connotation (emotions or implied meaning), but also on the way they sound. 

The sound of words is especially important in poetry, but can also be considered when writing words in paragraphs; not poetry, as shown here. 

2. Harry has just taken his things and left home. What would you do next in this situation?

1. Why do you think the Minister was there to meet Harry? 

How do you think he found out where Harry was going?

1. The textbook Harry needs to buy for his Divination class is written by Cassandra Vablatsky. 

Briefly research the story of Cassandra from Greek mythology, then explain why the author’s name is appropriate for a book on this subject.

• 1. What does Aunt Marge say that provokes Harry to risk using magic outside of school? 

• Why does he react so hastily by leaving the house? 

• How has Harry’s attitude changed toward his relatives? 

• 2. Why does the Minister of Magic take a personal interest in Harry’s welfare when he arrives at the Leaky Cauldron, and why does this surprise Harry? 

• 3. Why do the Dementors affect Harry so strongly? 

• Discuss their method of controlling the prisoners in Azkaban. 

• Why is Dumbledore opposed to the Ministry’s use of Dementors? 

• What is the effect of the Dementors’ “kiss”? 

• 4. Harry and his friends have three new teachers this year. 

• Compare what they learn in Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class, 

• Lupin’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and Trelawney’s Divination class. 

• What are the skills that each teacher brings to his or her subject and what skills do the students learn best from each of them?

1. What is your first impression of Professor Lupin?

1. Do you have any superstitions? 

1. What would a boggart turn into for you? How would you make it comical? 

2. The previous book revealed background information about why Snape treats Harry the way he does. Why do you think Snape treats Neville poorly? 

Learn about Boggarts here

• What magical ability do Boggarts have?

• Why does Harry’s Boggart take the shape of a Dementor?

• What shape do you think your own Boggart would take?

• Write some interesting facts about a Boggart in your journal and draw a picture of what your own personal Boggart would look like.

Learn about Dementors here

What magical abilities do Dementors have?

Describe what you think it would feel like to receive the Dementor's kiss.

Record some interesting facts you have learned about Dementors in your journal and also draw a picture of one.

Remus Lupin and Werewolves

• What would you do if you were bitten by a werewolf?  Would you still try to live a normal life or would you live underground with the rest of the werewolves?  How have Lupin’s own experiences aided you in your decision?

• What magical abilities do werewolves have?

• List some interesting facts about werewolves in your journal and draw a picture depicting one at while transformed.

Hippogriff - Video 

What is a Hippogriff

In this book, Harry gets the chance to ride a Hippogriff!  What would you do if you were in Harry’s shoes?  Would you have agreed to fly on this creature?  Describe what your favorite or least favorite parts of this experience would be.

What is a magical ability that Hippogriffs possess?

List some interesting facts about Hippogriffs and draw a picture of one.

Owls - 

Learn more about these magical creatures

Hedwig

Why do you think the Wizarding world uses owls as a means of delivering mail?  Do you think this system would be very effective?  Why or why not?

List some interesting facts about owls and draw a picture of one of the owls from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

There are a lot of things going on at this point in the book that the author does not fully explain, to make the reader want to know what will happen next. 

In storytelling, withholding information to create worry or excitement for the audience is called tension. What unresolved mysteries exist at this point in the story that create tension?

Find out about Grindylows here

Remus Lupin: "Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me. I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex. Pity sugar makes it useless."

Harry Potter: "Why — ?"

Remus Lupin: "I’ve been feeling a bit off-colour. This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren’t many wizards who are up to making it."

— Remus Lupin explaining his taking of this potion to Harry Potter

A few hours later, Ron and Hermione return. They reach the portrait of the Fat Lady and see it slashed and that the Fat Lady is gone. Peeves reveals that he saw her fleeing through another portrait after Sirius Black attacked her for not letting him into Gryffindor Tower. Dumbledore, Argus Filch, and Percy seek her out. 

• 5. Sirius Black has been a prisoner in Azkaban for twelve years. Peter Pettigrew has spent those years hiding in the body of a rat. 

• How have these years affected each of them? 

• How did Sirius survive in Azkaban and how was he able to escape? 

• What does this tell us about his character? 

• 6. Why is Scabbers a good name for Ron’s rat? 

• Why is a rat a suitable animal form for Pettigrew to assume? 

• Discuss how all the Animagus forms suit their characters: Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail. How does an Animagus differ from a werewolf? 

• 7. What does Lupin’s lesson on Boggarts teach about how to face our deepest fears? 

• When Harry tells Lupin his Boggart would take the form of a Dementor, Lupin says, “That suggests that what you fear most of all is – fear. Very wise, Harry.” (p. 155) 

• What does he mean? 

• Why is Lupin the only other person besides Dumbledore who will say Voldemort’s name?

This chapter introduces several mythological creatures that you may not be familiar with, but appear in other stories besides the Harry Potter series. 

Research all the entries in this chapter’s Character Cross-Reference and briefly describe each, including which country’s mythology the creature comes from. 

Draw a quick sketch of each creature.

1. Harry was hesistant to use the Marauder’s Map, not only because he’d be breaking the rules, but because he feared it might be one of the dangerous magical objects Mr. Weasley warned him about, like Tom Riddle’s diary. Do you think the map is dangerous? Why or why not? 

2. The practice of choosing a godparent for a new baby is more common in some countries, cultures, and religions than others. If you are already familiar with this custom, briefly describe it. If not, research it and then write a summary of what you learned.

 3. Harry already knew that Sirius Black was an escaped murderer who was probably trying to kill him, and had resolved to stay out of trouble and let the dementors or the Ministry of Magic capture him. Now, Harry has learned that Black is his godfather, and is partly responsible for his parents’ deaths. Would this information change your attitude to the situation if you were Harry? Why or why not?

1. Research, then briefly describe some British Christmas traditions. 

2. Who do you think sent Harry the broom?

1. Salamanders are small amphibians that live under rotting logs. When people use logs as firewood, any salamanders hiding in them run away to avoid being burned. Because of this, some ancient people believed salamanders were magical creatures that were actually created by the flames. 

2. What happy memory would you use for a Patronus lesson? 

3. Hermione has been acting very suspiciously. What do you think she’s up to? 

4. Do you think Sirius Black deserves the dementor’s kiss? Why or why not?

1. Do you think Sirus Black was really in Harry’s dormitory? 

If so, why did he run away when Ron screamed, instead of attacking them?

1. Hagrid was very concerned about the way Ron and Harry were treating Hermione, telling them they should value their friendship more than broomsticks or rats. Do you think Hagrid is right, or is Hermione overreacting? 

2. Hermione was very concerned about Harry leaving the castle when he wasn’t supposed to. Harry thought the Invisibility Cloak would keep him safe from Sirius Black, so there was nothing to worry about. Who do you think is right?  

3. How to you think Professor Lupin knew about the Marauder’s Map? How do you think he knew Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs? 

4. Professor Lupin tells Harry that when he does dangerous things, he is wasting the sacrifice his parents made to keep him alive. Do you agree or disagree? 

Why do you think Harry had not considered that point of view before?

1. Do you think Professor Trelawny was making a real prediction? 

What do you think her statement about the Dark Lord meant?

1. Did you guess that Professor Lupin was a werewolf? Or that Sirius Black was an animagus? What were your theories about them before the answers were revealed in this chapter? 

2. If Professor Lupin is “Moony”, who do you think Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs really are?

• 8. What does the word Patronus suggest? 

• Why does the Patronus only appear if you are concentrating very hard on a happy thought? 

• Why is each one “unique to the wizard who conjures it”? (p. 237) 

• For Harry to summon his Patronus, he tries several memories. What do we learn about Harry’s character during this process? 

• Which memory from your own life could you use to summon a Patronus? 

• 9. What is the most important thing that Harry learns about his father from Lupin? 

• What does Lupin mean when he tells Harry, “James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle.” (pp. 424-425) 

• 10. Discuss the feelings that Harry has when he discovers the truth about Sirius Black. Why does Harry stop Sirius and Lupin from killing Pettigrew? 

• Why did Harry’s feelings change from his earlier wish to hunt down Sirius Black for revenge? 

• 11. Why is Snape so unwilling to hear anything good about Sirius Black or Lupin? Why does he continue to be mean to Harry, Ron, and Hermione? 

• 12. Discuss Hermione’s role in saving Sirius and Buckbeak. 

• Why is the Time-Turner necessary in helping Sirius escape? 

• Why is it so important that Harry and Hermione not be seen when they go back in time? 

• 13. What does Dumbledore mean when he says to Harry: “You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?” (p. 427) 

• What is the importance of Harry learning to produce the Patronus? 

• 14. Consider some of the new names in this book and discuss what the names suggest about the characters: 

  • Cornelius Fudge 

  • Sirius Black 

  • Remus Lupin 

  • Wormtail 

  • (Peter Pettigrew) 

  • Sybill Trelawney 

1. Write a brief journal entry of your thoughts after reading this chapter.

1. Why do you think Peter was sorted into Gryffindor? 

2. Do you think Peter deserves to die, or not?

1. The dementor was going to “kiss” Harry, even though this punishment is reserved for those convicted of particularly horrible crimes. What does this reveal about the nature of dementors? 

2. How do you think Harry was rescued from the Dementors?

1. How did you think Hermione had been getting to all her extra classes all year, before the time turner was revealed?

1. Do you think Professor Snape really believed the version of events he recounted to Mr. Fudge? 

Why or why not? 

Was he simply telling the facts as he saw them, because he was unconscious when Peter escaped? 

Was he trying to get Sirius and Lupin in trouble? 

Was he so blinded by his hatred for Sirius and Lupin that he didn’t want to see the truth? 

2. Professor Lupin suffered a lot of persecution because of being a werewolf. It was not his fault he was bitten as a child, but he was only able to come to Hogwarts at all because of Professor Dumbledore’s intervention, and now as an adult he is constantly in poor health, and can’t keep a job because people are afraid of him. 

Do you think this is fair? 

Are people being unnecessarily prejudiced, or are they right to protect themselves and their children? 

Do you think Professor Lupin is actually dangerous? 

3. Can you think of any analogies to being a werewolf in the real world? 

4. What would you do now, if you were Professor Lupin? 

5. Do you think the Ministry of Magic should continue to allow time turners to exist? Hermione said that attempting to change the past was very dangerous and that many wizards had accidentally killed their past or future selves while using one. On the other hand, Harry and Hermione could not have saved Sirius without one. 

Write a persuasive essay explaining your opinion. 

6. Dumbeldore said that Harry and Hermione were able to save “more than one innocent life”, referring to Buckbeak. What does this reveal about Dumbledore’s character? 

7. Why do you think the Ministry of Magic uses dementors to guard Azkaban instead of wizards? Mr. Fudge seemed horrified to realize they would attempt to “kiss” an innocent boy, yet he sent them back to guard Azkaban instead of 50 firing them. 

Do you think this is wise? 

If the dementors can suck out people’s souls, why do you think they take orders from Fudge anyway, instead of attacking him? 

8. Add any new characters introduced in this book to the Hogwarts Yearbook project you began in previous books. 

9. Add any new creatures introduced in this book to the naturalist’s journal you began in previous books. 

10. Make a drawing, painting, sculpture, diorama, collage, or other work of art depicting a “behind the scenes” moment from the Harry Potter series up to this point—something that was not specifically described in the text, but that you think probably happened. For example, you might draw the four Marauders creating the map as Hogwarts students, or Mrs. Weasley knitting Christmas sweaters. 

11. Harry seemed very excited at the prospect of living with his godfather from now on, even though they had just met, and Harry had spent the whole previous year thinking Siruis was a dangerous murderer (or the Grim). Why do you think this is? Would you feel the same way? 

12. Do you think time travel is really possible? Why or why not?

1. Discuss the idea that appears throughout the series of the power of a name. 

• Dumbledore teaches Harry that fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself. 

• Why are so many wizards afraid to say the name Voldemort, and why does Harry insist on using it? 

• When Dumbledore faces Voldemort at the end of Order of the Phoenix, and when Harry faces him in the final battle in, Deathly Hallows, why do they both call him by his given name, Tom Riddle? 

2. Describe the growth and maturation of major characters throughout their seven years at Hogwarts. 

• Who do you think has changed the most? 

• What experiences and insights contribute to their growth? Which characters – students and/or adults – remind you of people you have known in your own life? 

3. Comparing the six Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers Harry encounters, which one do you think was most effective and why? 

• Which classes at Hogwarts prepare the students with skills for their future lives? 

• In Order of the Phoenix, Dolores Umbridge tells her class: “I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little.” (p. 317) 

• Discuss this point of view in relation to teaching methods of the other professors at Hogwarts and those that you have experienced in your own schooling. 

4. Author Philip Pullman, in his 1996 Carnegie Medal acceptance speech, said: “There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children’s book.” (http://www. randomhouse.com/features/pullman/author/carnegie.php) Discuss this quote in relation to the Harry Potter series. What do you identify as the major themes, that you can identify, and why are they best illuminated in a coming-ofage saga? 5. Susan Cooper, author of The Dark Is Rising sequence, has written: “Fantasy goes one stage beyond realism; requiring complete intellectual surrender, it asks more of the reader, and at its best may offer more . . . Fantasy is the metaphor through which we discover ourselves.” (Susan Cooper, Dreams and Wishes: Essays on Writing for Children, McElderry Books, 1996, pp. 44-45) How does the fantasy element of the Harry Potter series help readers discover more about themselves and others? What insights have you gained from reading these volumes? 

6. In Harry Potter’s world, the magic community exists alongside our “real” world and provides a contrast to the institutions that are familiar to us: educational, governmental, medical, and sporting. 

• Compare the Ministry, Hogwarts, St. Mungo’s, Azkaban, the TriWizard Tournament, and the Quidditch World Cup to similar organizations and events in our own world. How do these parallel existences compare to the similar constructions in other books of fantasy? 

7. Dumbledore tells Harry: “That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children’s tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing . . . That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped.” (Deathly Hallows, p. 709) 

Discuss this idea in relation to the truths of your own life. What are the important elements that have shaped your own character?

https://www.startingharrypotter.com/book/read-alongwww.startingharrypotter.com/book/read-along 

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