MuggleNet Rereads “Prisoner of Azkaban”
Welcome back to the “MuggleNet Rereads Harry Potter” series! We’ve already reread Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, and for further discussion of the series, check out our podcast, Alohomora! Grab your battered copy of Prisoner of Azkaban, get comfy, and join us at Hogwarts once more.
One thing I noticed during this reread was how funny Prisoner of Azkaban really is. Fred and George had several comical moments during the film series, but they have so many more lines in the book that cracked me up.
Harry!” said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. “Simply splendid to see you, old boy —”
“Marvelous,” said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry’s hand in turn. “Absolutely spiffing” (PoA 62).
Professor McGonagall also had some incredibly sassy lines that I had forgotten about.
You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don’t let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in” (PoA 109).
There were several characters mentioned in the book that we never really got to see in the films, the most prominent being Neville’s grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. She was mentioned several times and played such a large part in Neville’s life. It’s such a shame we never actually got to see her.
It was harder rereading Prisoner of Azkaban this time without thinking of Alan Rickman, especially when reading the now iconic “turn to page 394” line. Even though he was in plenty of movies, he will always be Severus Snape to me. He was an incredible performer who made the audience both hate and love him, and I still can’t believe he’s really gone.
It’s easy to forget how young these characters really are. By this book, they’ve fought Voldemort twice, facing several obstacles along the way. I think Ron and Harry’s fight with Hermione really demonstrates their immaturity and childishness.
She’s in a righ’ state, that’s what. She’s bin comin’ down ter visit me a lot since Chris’mas. Bin feelin’ lonely. Firs’ yeh weren’ talking to her because o’ the Firebolt, now yer not talkin’ to her because her cat —”
“— ate Scabbers!” Ron interjected angrily” (PoA 273-274).
Their stupid and petty fighting is also really relatable and reminds me that fighting is part of friendship. It’s fantastic that in a world so unlike our own, we all face similar challenges. Fighting and squabbles are something everybody goes through and ultimately tests and tightens our bonds with our friends.
Hermione is amazing. Her slapping (or punching in the film) Draco for someone else is one of the many times she stands up for someone other than herself. It was incredibly satisfying to see Draco getting what he deserved.
I would love a Time-Turner. It would be amazing to be able to see and redo several hours of the day. However, I don’t ever want one of Hermione’s school days. She had an incredibly hard year and was under an intense amount of pressure.
I felt so bad for Harry. He started the book completely ostracized and bullied by the Dursleys. I forgot how verbally abusive they were, especially how bad Aunt Marge was to him. Harry believed he had a brief reprieve when he thought that he was going to live with Sirius, only to have that happiness snatched from him again. During this reread, I noticed how short their time in Prisoner of Azkaban really was. I’m glad that the film expanded and added the emotional ending between the two.
What are your favorite parts of Prisoner of Azkaban? Did you pick up something new on your latest reread? Let us know in the comments!
