And we are back at Hogwarts! Harry, Ron and Hermione have some new teachers and new classes. Arrogance leads to an injury and a disastrous Quidditch pitch invasion ruins the start of the season. And, a pet and a new broom has caused a rift between friends.
Ready to have some fun patching up conflicts and unearthing some new secrets? Here we go!
Podcasts:
Canon Thoughts: Prisoner of Azkaban by Steve VanderArk
Episode 16: So How Does the Marauder’s Map Work Anyway? by Steve VanderArk and Nick Moline
Mysteries: Scabbers the Rat by Steve VanderArk
Reader’s Guides:
These guides were originally written in March of 2002. Since that time, a few edits were made here and there but basically the text remained the same. To get ready for this Canon Celebration, our editors have been revising each one. We’ve added fan artwork to the Guide which illustrates the text. At the bottom in the Commentary section we’ve added a gallery of additional artwork. So even if you’ve read our guides before, please give them another look. And if you’re doing a re-read of the first book, have the Guide to each chapter open as you go! I’m sure you’ll find a lot of information you didn’t know.
Calendars
Fitting the books into the real-life calendars isn’t easy! In fact, it’s impossible. But that didn’t stop us:
Day by day calendar of events in the book
Essays
A View of the Map: Understanding How the Marauder’s Map Works by Steve Beers
An Elegantly Woven Tapestry: Plotlines in Prisoner of Azkaban by Amy Z.
Interesting Artwork
We have hundreds and hundreds of pieces of fan artwork in our collection. Some subjects get a lot of depictions — Diagon Alley is a favorite topic, for example, and, well, of course it is! But there are a few pieces which illustrate more unusual moments in the text. Here are some examples:
The moment when he’d first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the
Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasn’t a happy memory, he didn’t know what was … (PA12)
“HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!” Wood roared,
as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. “KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!” (PA13)
“Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his
abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.
Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.
Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor.
Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.” (PA14)
“And they didn’t desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my
transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life.” (PA18)
“Make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for.” –Sirius Black (PA18)
“I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man
would want to spend twelve years as a rat.” –Remus Lupin (PA19)
Artwork Challenge
These chapters provide a lot of moments, both dramatic and action-packed, that deserve to be illustrated.
Here are some suggestions we’d like to see:
- Oliver Wood getting lectured by McGonagall about the Firebolt
- Ron confronting Hermione about his missing rat
- Harry first mastering the Patronus during his private lessons
- Harry and Cho Chang racing each other for the Snitch
- Malfoy, Flint, Crabbe and Goyle dressing up as Dementors
- Sirius Black sneaking into the castle
- An invisible Harry throwing mud at Draco and his cronies
- Hermione slapping Draco
- Students studying for and taking their exams
- Gryffindor students celebrating their Quidditch victory
- Scabbers hiding in a milk jug
- Crookshanks standing protectively between Harry and Sirius
- Prof. Snape sneaking into the Shrieking Shack
- Dumbledore approaching Lupin to come to Hogwarts (as either a student or professor)
- Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail learning how to become Animagi
- Sirius confronting Pettigrew on a Muggle street
- Dementors capturing Harry, Hermione and Sirius
- Hermione and her Time-Turner
- Sirius and Buckbeak‘s escape
If we really like your work, we may feature it in the Lexicon! Send your artwork to [email protected]. By submitting it, you are giving us permission to display your work on the Lexicon. We would like to include your name with your artwork so you are properly credited, so when you send your work let us know what name to use. Please also include a way to get a hold of you so that if we decide to feature your work as part of our regular collection we can contact you for more details. All artwork we display remains the property of the artist and they retain all copyright.
Special Feature – Snapshot views of the Marauders
Harry’s father James doesn’t appear in this book, but the past history of both him and his friends – Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew – is vital to the plot. So, what do we know about the personalities of The Marauders?
Always scheming
According to Fred and George Weasley, who “filched” the Marauder’s Map from Argus Filch and found out how to use it:
“Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs,” sighed George, patting the heading of the map. “We owe them so much.”
“Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of law-breakers,” said Fred solemnly. (PA10)
Very clever and hard to control
Overheard by Harry at the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade:
“Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course – exceptionally bright, in fact – but I don’t think we’ve ever had such a pair of troublemakers –”
— Professor McGonagall (PA10)
Not adverse to rule-breaking
When Harry is caught with the map by Professor Snape, Professor Lupin tells him:
“….because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They’d think it extremely entertaining.” (PA14)
Loyal and kind….
When they find out that one of their friends is a werewolf,
“they didn’t desert me at all. Instead they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi.”
— Remus Lupin (PA18)
….but also made poor and sometimes cruel choices
After Harry had watched the younger Severus Snape’s memory in the Pensieve (OP28), he asks Lupin and Sirius about what he had seen:
“Yeah,” said Harry, “but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because – well, just because you said you were bored.” (OP29)
Reckless and brave (in true Gryffindor fashion)
In the 2008 prequel story, written for charity by Rowling, James and Sirius are on the run from Death Eaters:
“Exceeding the speed limit by – by a considerable amount!” (In fact, the speed registered had been greater than Fisher was prepared to accept that any motorcycle could travel.) “Failing to stop for the police!”
“We’d have loved to stop for a chat,” said the boy in glasses, “only we were trying —”
“Don’t get smart-you two are in a heap of trouble!” snarled Anderson. “Names!”
“Names?” repeated the long-haired driver. “Er-Well, let’s see. There’s Wilberforce… Bathsheba… Elvendork…” (Pre)
So what are we to conclude from this? The Marauders are larger-than-life and leave an imprint on everyone around them, foe and friend alike, that isn’t easily forgotten. No wonder they are some of the series’ most popular characters!
From the Atlas – Azkaban
Far out in the icy waters of the North Sea lies a tiny island that is home to one of the most terrible places on earth: Azkaban, the wizarding prison.
It is probably the worst place in the wizarding world to end up. The Azkaban guards are Dementors, creatures that suck all the happiness and memories out of your soul. You eventually become a mere shell of yourself. It is meant to be a huge deterrent to breaking the law.
Coming Up Next Week…
We will be taking a detour from the books to delve into the history of the wizarding world. Come explore with us!