Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapters 21-22: What we need is more time.

CHAPTER 21: HERMIONE’S SECRET

The chapter begins in media res, with Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, commending Professor Severus Snape on a job well done and promising him the Order of Merlin, First Class for rescuing the Confunded children and single-handedly capturing mass murderer Sirius Black.

Wait, what?

I think this chapter begins so brilliantly; we, as readers, are confused by this sudden re-write of recent history because Harry is confused, overhearing snippets of conversation as he slowly regains consciousness in the Hogwarts hospital wing.  But once fully awake he and Hermione jump immediately to Sirius’s defense, their pleas falling on deaf ears, for “[t]here is not a shred of proof to support Black’s story, except [their] word–and the word of two thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody.”

So many of the stories we read and watch concern The Truth and the search for it as a life’s ultimate goal, that no matter the result it’s important to us as humans that it is revealed.  The two that come most immediately to mind, for reasons of I JUST WATCHED/READ THEM, are The X-Files and Mulder’s obsessive need to learn what’s out there, and Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy, and Tris’s quest to discover and disseminate the truth about her community.  No matter what ultimately happened to Mulder and Tris, they’re deemed heroic characters for their value of the truth above all else, even though securing the evidence of their respective truths didn’t really help either of them all that much.

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The Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 16: It’s All Finally Happening

No gifs or pictures or captions for me today. This is not a chapter that lends itself to humor. This is a chapter that explodes, illuminating the final act of the book and setting that act into motion. It is the chapter where shit gets real.

It’s also a chapter of lovely little character moments. JKR is a smart lady and she shows the way Ron and Hermione are all a little bit different after this, not just Harry. Ron and Hermione and Harry are 13 and they are growing up. Time carries on, whether you have a Time Turner or not.

Side note: I’ve loved time travel stories since I was a kid and I love what this story is doing and where it’s going. It’s complex and sophisticated and helps launch the series into a new direction. And I’m so glad that Hermione gets to have this adventure – unlike Rachel McAdams who is about to appear in her third time travel movie without ever being allowed to travel through time.

The Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapters 14-15: Snape vs. The Marauders

First, I’d like to apologize for the seriousness of the following recap. Sinus infections makes me humorless and lazy. Second, here is my post.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: SNAPE’S GRUDGE

Following the near-murder of Ronald Bilius Weasley (ha, Bilius), Hogwarts staff frantically steps up the security, while Ron basks in his new-found fame and Neville receives a Howler. Harry and Ron are soon summoned to Hagrid’s hut, presumably to talk about Black’s break-in, but they’re greeted with a Hermione intervention instead. Regardless of her intensely busy schedule, she’d been helping Hagrid with Buckbeak’s defense. Harry and Ron had been so caught up with the Firebolt and Crookshanks shenanigans that they had completely forgotten about Buckbeak’s trial. But Hagrid is more worried about the way they’d been treating Hermione, who may be Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, but is just looking out for their safety. And let’s face it- we all get a little crazy about our cats. (My husband is OBSESSED with our cats.)

Harry and Ron aren’t ready to give in to Hermione yet, regardless of the threats she throws at them. I have to admit, she can get pretty obnoxious when she worries. She sounds an awfully lot like me right before my husband tells me to stop acting like my mother. So Harry and Ron ignore her and decide to meet up in Hogsmeade, even though he’s been forbidden following Black’s intrusion. After dodging both Neville and Snape, dangerous for two very different reasons (poor Neville), Harry finds Ron in Honeyduke’s while under the Invisibility Cloak.

The Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapters 12-13: My Patronus is a Narwhal

Hey guys, are you sick of me yet? I just have to say, before I dive in, that I absolutely loved the amount of discussion that was generated in the comments section of my last post. It outstripped the post itself by a long shot. You guys are FREAKING AMAZING. I’m still conversing with people on that post, nearly a month later. It’s kind of funny, because I originally planned to incite the “what’s your Patronus?” discussion on this post, but it was already done for me! Since we will be discussing Harry’s first casting here, however, I will still talk about the awesomeness that is the Patronus charm. How could I not?

It is no secret that PoA is one of my favorites in the series. I was just floored by it the first time I read it. The twists! The turns! The Marauder’s Map! By the way, I totally want a “Mischief Managed” tattoo. I know that it has been done, but I want it so bad.

ON HARRY AND LUPIN, A MISMANAGED MOVIE RELATIONSHIP

I specifically requested a chapter where Lupin and Harry have one-on-one time so I could talk about how much I love their relationship in the books and how I thought the movie made it look downright creepy. I understand that it’s hard to show a caring mentor/mentee relationship between an older man and a young boy without it being misinterpreted. In this day and age, with priest abuse scandals and unfortunate celebrity molestation trials, it’s easy for our minds to go there. In the HP movies, however, I think they do a pretty good job of showing these relationships as they truly are. Sirius and Harry pull off a loving relationship with no weird vibes, no one thinks Dumbledore is being creepy when he has heart-to-hearts with Harry, and Snape’s favoritism toward Draco doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable in any way. Lupin and Harry, on the other hand… I don’t know if it is the way things are staged, with them always meeting in secret, walking the deserted grounds as if their relationship is forbidden, but it gives me the icks.

 

    

Now, before you all yell at me in the comments for being wrong, just consider other relationships that were a little off. For example, how affectionate Harry and Hermione are in the movies as compared to the books. They throw themselves into each other’s arms and exchange meaningful looks a lot. I bet that scene in Goblet when she comes down the stairs in her gown sent Harry/Hermione shippers into a frenzy of fanfictioning. My point is that sometimes the movies get it a bit wrong, portraying relationships differently than we picture them in our heads. For me, this is one of those instances.

That being said, let’s focus instead on the Harry/Lupin book relationship which, as I said, I love. I had no idea, when I requested a chapter with a heart-to-heart, I was going to get to talk about the chapter where Harry learns how to cast a Patronus. YAY!

CHAPTER 12: THE PATRONUS

Everyone’s mad at Hermione! Again! As she points out later, she was right about where the Firebolt came from, but we don’t know that yet, so we are mad at her for getting it taken away. I’ve always wondered how Sirius managed to use his Gringotts gold and no one wondered “hey, that escaped convict took gold out of his vault and ordered a broom via owl post that was subsequently delivered to Harry FREAKING Potter. MAYBE WE SHOULD CHECK INTO THAT!!” But alas, that would make sense. Ah magic, how you casually explain away my reasoning. IT WAS JUST MAGIC, JEN! GET OVER IT.

Speaking of which, the Patronus charm is probably my favorite piece of magic in the Potterverse. Harry’s little wispy hints at a true full-blown Patronus are so exiting on re-read. It is a truly beautiful and elegant piece of magic and I am on the edge of my seat, wanting Harry to figure it all out, to reach his true magical potential. Go Harry, go!

The Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapters 6-7: It’s Cool, It’s School

Oh hey guys! This is my first post on this here re-read.

CHAPTER 6: TALONS AND TEA LEAVES

I have some feelings about this chapter and they’re not all positive. Just getting that out of the way. It’s not like I hate it, but we have some history.

Of all the blogs in all the internet…

The chapter opens in the great hall. A little disappointingly, we do not hear what any of the characters are eating for breakfast. Toast? Bacon? Cheeri Owls?! I’m genuinely curious! Schedules are passed out and Hermione is taking, like, a thousand classes. Ron and Harry question her, but she just brushes them off. I love her deflections here. They’re brilliant in their simplicity.

On their way to Divination Harry, Ron and Hermione encounter Sir Cadogan, who is a tiny delight. It’s hard not to love a miniature knight with a pudgy pony and too big sword. It’s like a Chihuahua that growls at a Great Dane, but can talk and show you the way to the North Tower. I hope you stick around, little guy. *wink*

So far, so good. Draco being a total dick? Check. Hermione making Ron so confused he just stops asking questions? Check. New part of the castle? Check. New character? CHECK.

It’s Divination time! *cue eerie soft jazz* It actually makes a lot of sense to me that Harry and Ron would sign up for this class, since Divination is the Hogwarts version of Film Studies. Jocks (and Harry is totally a jock) take it because they think it’ll be an easy O. (I was a film studies major; I’m allowed to say such things.) Hermione, you’re better than this and you know it. Think about your choices, boo.