n  

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

n



Re-read - Only the Quidditch scenes earned five stars from me. This book is EPIC. Suffice to say that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best of the series. The story gets darker and more complex than the previous books. Harry, Ron and Hermiome don't chase the clue this time, they have to find a way to guard their lives from the most horrendous prisoner, Sirius Black.



n  

“Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways.”

n

Harry grows up through this book, he tries to learn new magic and overcome his fear. Dementors are the symbol Rowling created to stand for your fear in the deepest of your mind, and it quite works for me very well, this creature makes the book gloomy and grey. I loved the scene when Harry is fell from his broom., it's everything to me. PERFECTION.



And the movie, oh no ! I don't want to talk about the movie on this page but let me. It is very amazing and captivating, I extrememly like about time travel, it's pure magic. For the first time I read this book, I gasped and gasped and gasped and couldn't stop gasping for the ending. It's what I asked for and it's perfect. Trust me, this book is the last book that will leave you feel whole after you finish it. Because in the next one, this feeling will vanish and it's hurt like Avada Kedavra running through your heart !

n  “I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me.”n

More at http://goo.gl/0s2GmI

TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. TRANS MEN ARE MEN. NON-BINARY PEOPLE ARE NON-BINARY.

Harry Potter changed my life and the memories I have associated with it can never be changed or tarnished no matter what its creator says or does. Her comments have caused me so much pain and disappointment and even if one day she realises how ignorant and hateful she has been it is now too late to amend the harm she has caused. Nevertheless, like Daniel Radcliffe said the relationship between a reader and a book is sacred and nothing can change that. Harry Potter is no longer hers and I will continue loving and cherishing this world and these characters forever (and yes, I will be re-reading the series and watching the movies time and time again during my lifetime).

However, I can no longer support her or her future work. Rowling is TRANSPHOBIC and supporting her in any way, shape or form supports her views and harms trans people and the LGBTQ+ community profoundly. I cannot take back the money I have given her already, but I can choose to never again spend money that will go directly in her pockets.

I want to use this space to encourage everyone to support trans authors and read more literature featuring trans characters. This page is a good place to start.

Please consider donating to a trans charity of your choice (MermaidsUK could be a place to start, because they have been directly attacked by Rowling) and click here to find about more trans organisations in the UK and what you can do to help.

If you still love Harry Potter that’s okay but stop supporting Rowling and stop putting any more money in her pockets. Let’s all actively work together to make this fandom inclusive to everyone and show trans people especially that we are a loving community who would never question their identity or experience.

1.) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ★★★★★
2.) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ★★★★★
3.) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ★★★★★
4.) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ★★★★★
5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ★★★★★
6.) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince ★★★★★
7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ★★★★★
8.) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child★★

--------------------------------------------------

Legit almost cried at the end

Third book....third year at Hogswarts.

I think this might be my favorite Harry Potter book yet. It has more psychological depth. The wild adventures are still wizardly enthralling ....but we there are also many emotionally unsettling scenes to grapple with....which has us thinking and feeling deeper.

At the start, J. K. Rowling immediately begins by pulling on our heartstrings. It’s summer, Harry’s least favorite season when he’s in the throngs of the unbearable muggle relatives, the Dursleys.

It’s Harry’s birthday - and for the first time ever - his friends- Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid give him cards and gifts.....but his relatives wouldn’t even consider such a thing. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looking at Harry suspiciously at every turn - is one thing - bad enough- but when Aunt Marge shows up on his birthday voicing her opinion that Harry was mentally subnormal and displaying other cruel actions - Harry is willing to almost do anything he needs including lie to get what he so desperately needs. Third year students at Hogwarts can sign out to visit Hogsmead on weekends - but first they must turn in a signed permission slip from their caretaker. So Harry makes a deal with his Uncle Vernon - promising to act normal - that’s going to come back and bite him.

However - soon enough school starts in September....and the wild ride begins of following the escape of a prisoner Sirius Black. The wizards and muggles are both after him and Harry’s in real physical life or death danger .....but Harry - poor Harry also has to re-live the events leading to his parents murder whenever the dementors get near him. On the flip side Harry learns more about his parents and himself and so do we.

Yep.... my favorite so far! The characters are endearing
Ron was more emotional in this story....
Hermione was slightly wonderfully hysterical about studying for her classes......and watching Ron and Hermione go at it was - well was so wizardly-human!
Ron thinks Hermione will never admit she’s wrong: squabbling over the Scabbers!

I just started to fall in love with these kids more and more.

And who knew I could feel excited for a Quidditch match? I did!

Thank you .....once again to my friend Lisa for being my Harry Potter inspiration

JO ROWLING after typing the last sentence for this book:

  

SAY WHATEVER the fuck you want, this is possibly one of the most ingenious, well crafted, well written, well developed Children's book out there.

This person sat down, and not only put together an universe where children can do magic, away from their parents, while studying at a British boarding school alongside magical creatures, but this motherfucker sat down and genuinely created

★ DEMENTORS, energy sucking creatures who guard a prison and feed off of your happiness. And the only way to shield yourself from them is to perform a spell that uses your happiest memory for strength. Also, yeah, chocolate helps too. (as an adult this hits so fucking hard)

★ PAINTINGS WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER. Paintings who cover the walls of this magical castle, paintings who have feelings, memories, and communicate with the students. I mean that is not only hilarious, that is so endearing and unique.

★ A TIME TURNER. THE FUCKING TIME TURNER. Not that Rowling has invented it herself but the way she used it in this book? Reading Dumbledore say:

n  You can save more than one innocent life tonight??!!!?!!?!!? n

n   BRO IF THAT SHIT DOESN'T TOUCH YOU, YOU'RE DEAD INSIDE. DEMENTORS WOULD STARVE TO DEATH IF THEY WERE STUCK IN A CELL WITH YOU, YOU ALREADY HAVE NO HAPPINESS LEFT INSIDE YOURSELF. n

★ SNAPE? THE LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY of Snape's character. In a Children's book?? Really? Do I even need to start talking about Sirius and Buckbeak's arc in this book? OK I THOUGHT SO

★ THE NAME OF EVERY SINGLE SPELL

★ HOGSMEAD? DIAGONAL ALLEY? HOGWARTS ITSELF?

★ THE NAME OF EVERY ROOM, EVERY ITEM? THE MARAUDERS MAP?

★ QUIDDITCH? You are going to look at me, sit here and tell me that inventing quidditch from scratch is not the most unbelievable thing? Also, I am mad we got robbed of seeing Cho play Quidditch against Harry on television. Why did no one tell me this bitch was a FEMALE SEEKER FOR RAVENCLAW? That slaps.

And this woman was capable of creating ALL OF THIS AND MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE and still develop all of her characters thoughts, feelings, arcs, emotional baggage? I mean a pet rat here has a more complex arc than all of the "booktok" recommended books' characters I've read about combined.

Anyways, I usually don't cry while reading books. It's nearly impossible. But I did get quite emotional multiple times during this one.

"So you did see your father last night, Harry. . . . You found him inside yourself."  

I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.  

Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance. . . .” “Hagrid would like that,”

About Snape: “Fellow seems quite unbalanced,” said Fudge, staring after him. “I’d watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore.” “Oh, he’s not unbalanced,” said Dumbledore quietly. “He’s just suffered a severe disappointment.”

  

The hippogriff took off into the air. . . . He and his rider became smaller and smaller as Harry gazed after them . . . then a cloud drifted across the moon. . . . They were gone.

  

“Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick’s office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight."  

Anyway, if you ever want to know what World Building and Character Development in a book is supposed to look like, you just have to read this.

The market is so oversaturated, everyone nowadays think they can write a fantasy book because the internet and KU makes it possible. And this book, THIS CHILDREN'S book, is here to prove to you that no, not everyone can.

Funny, heart wrenching and warming at the same time, creative, unique, well paced, entertaining, imaginative, poignant, artistic, expressive, compelling, engaging...

A fucking world phenomenon, for a damned good reason.

  

I still have hope that in this mass market oversaturation where only Booktok books are getting deals because their authors have lots of followers, that someone, somewhere, will re-ignite a real passion for literature over their greed for fucking money and we will start seeing real fantasy novels like this one again.

2022: Chyba naprawdę musiałam dojrzeć, aby pokochać tę część.
2021: Nie rozumiem jak mogłam nie lubić tego tomu. Jest przepełniony nadzieją.

Each of the Harry Potter books is different from one another. I think by book 5 the mystery element had to go. It was unsustainable. New characters here, were bound to reappear later. So there's some foreshadowing ongoing.

Again, this book was very enjoyable. The interactions between the Hogwarts residents and Harry are worth reading. I had little to no problem with the time travel element.

What hit me most were the cliffhanger tropes at the end of each chapter. You can sense how Rowling crafted each scene. By now we had come to realize that everything is seen through Harry's lenses. At the end everything had a lot of information unfurled to reveal the puzzles written before. This book is usually my most cherished Potter book.

n  "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good"n

true
if you count fangirling as one

4.5 Golden stars

93%

For some reason, I never really liked Prisoner of Azkaban when I was younger, I thought it as a sidejob, after Chamber of Secrets & that big Revelation, I waited for more (& there was a little amount of waiting before the book been translated, so maybe that might be a reason too, a kind of mild disappointment & no book after that.), so I thought it was, not as important as the last book... but after 13/14th re-read in 2019; I figured out I loved this side of the story too! (it's easier to love when you have all the books in the series)
it's CUTE & Awesome! funny & magical! & all those backstories! the real rate actually improved.
this book is Beautiful & absolutely deserves 5.

the beginning of the story, always unique, funny & Great:

"Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard."

Epic chapters in an Epic world
Amazing story, full of Amazing characters & Amazing revelations!
interesting plot (& plot twists)
the Marauders & their history!
Lupin, witty & mischievous

no surprise he was the brain of the squad

"I've got only teabags, I'm afraid- but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"
Harry looked at him & Lupin's eyes were twinkling.
he's so sweet & caring & motivational

Quidditch! not once, not twice, but 3 times! by that funny commentating!
with lots & lots of adventures.
& so much FUN! (I forced myself stop laughing in the middle of the nights when everyone was asleep. mostly by Ron, Fred & George, Harry, Lee & sometimes Wood when it comes to Quidditch.)

"I don't go looking for trouble, trouble usually finds me..."

"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you.”

Sassy Harry XD

& can we appreciate Harry could recognize Fred from George when everyone else just can't tell them apart? (I'm so proud!)

"Mischief Managed"
-
World building: ★★★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★★/5
Written style: ★★★★★/5
Plot: ★★★★★/5
Cover: ★★★★★/5 (this cover is GORGEOUS!)
General idea: ★★★★★/5

I have to say that at first the Prisoner of Azkaban was my least favourite in the series but lately, I came to realise how great is it and how many memorable scenes we got in this book.

Okay, I will admit it here, publicly, for the very first time: I've got a mad crush on Remus Lupin.

How could I not have fallen hard for a man who, by day, has the vibe of a young Pablo Neruda, and by night strips down naked and takes on werewolf form?

I mean, can you imagine having sex with this man?

Well, I have. Several times. And, as a woman who read the entire Harry Potter series as an adult, rather than a child, I could not get over my joy when the series shifted from the wonderful, but somewhat saccharine, child-like storytelling in books 1 and 2 and took on a more mature feel.

Please, don't get me wrong. I love the first two books in this series, but I love them for their magical quality, their appeal to children, and their overall introduction to this world.

But The Prisoner of Azkaban, at least for me, marks the shift into adolescence and the less tidy endings.

And, of course, the introduction of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to the plot.

I loved rereading this third book the past two weeks with my middle child, and I can not get over this new set of the illustrated series by Jim Kay. I mean. . . I'm not sure I can imagine a reading experience more sublime. Can you?

My two absolute highlights from this novel are:

When Remus Lupin turns to Hermione Granger and says, “You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione.” It's a shift from everyone poking fun of Hermione for being a teacher's pet or a “nerd” and acknowledging her as a force to be reckoned with.

And Jim Kay's illustration of Harry summoning his first real Patronus. . . my God, I turned the page, and goosebumps ran down the entire length of my body. Then I cried like a child. My daughter, who was sitting next to me, wasn't exactly surprised (she's been around for the last two years of this horror called perimenopause), but she was like, “Mom, pull it together.”

I couldn't help it. Damn it, I think I'd run back into a burning building to grab this book.

Remus!

The author of this series is a TERF. I highly recommend buying a used copy of this book so that your money doesn't directly go into the author's pockets. Trans people are real and valid. A cis person doesn't get a say on how trans people identify. If you have the money, here's a trans nonprofit that you can donate to: https://transgenderlawcenter.org

I don't feel comfortable praising this series without pointing out how the author's tweets are unacceptable, so my statements at the start of each of my reviews may seem repetitive but it's what I have to do. Now onto the rest of my review~

Times read as of October 2024: 5

This book hurts even more with each reread. It's so good but Harry was so close to having a perfect life away from the Dursley's and Voldemort, and then any chance of that perfect life was all stripped away. It's so painful. Harry and Sirius deserved better.

Prisoner of Azkaban is the one that always feels the most different from the movie. The movie is wonderful, but so many things are different in the book. The movie ends with the firebolt but that scene takes place in the very middle of this book, Lavender becomes more of a main character, Hermione's busy schedule is a major plot point, Harry and Ron ignore Hermione so much that she goes to see Hagrid while in the middle of crying, Lee's iconic quidditch commentary, and so many other things. I adore the movie, but it changed so many of my favorite scenes from this book.

Anyways, Prisoner of Azkaban will always be one of my favorites in this series. It's the perfect mix of school drama, heartache, and friendship.

Note: Since I believe in calling out all problematic content in books despite how much I like a book, I have to comment on the problematic content in this book. The treatment of Dudley's weight in this story is fatphobic.

Some of my favorite moments/quotes:
-"Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night."

-" On the rare occassion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises. "

-"Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction... Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious... Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once - his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water."

-"A delighted Mr. Weasley told tje Daily Prophet , 'We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank.'"

-" It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. "

-" Don't let the Muggles get you down! "

-" ...this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup. "

-"'What were you doin' down there?' said Stan, dropping his professional manner.
'Fell over,' said Harry.
''Choo fall over for?' sniggered Stan.
'I didn't do it on purpose,' said Harry, annoyed."

-"'Woss your name?' Stan persisted.
'Neville Longbottom,' said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head."

-"The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed."

-"Harry didn't have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all his essays with occassional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medevial witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour."

-"'Get out of the way,' said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobby walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage.
'Hang on,' said Harry quickly, 'I've already got one of those.'
'Have you?' A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. 'Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning-'"

-"Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers.
'NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!' cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door...
'What was that?'
'It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger,' said Harry."

-"...Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat.
'You bought that monster?' said Ron, his mouth hanging open.
'He's gorgeous , isn't he?' said Hermione, glowing.
That was a matter of opinion, though Harry. The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall."

-"'I hope you're well?' said Percy pompously, shaking hands. It was rather like being introduced to the mayor.
'Very well, thanks -'
'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.'"

-'We tried to shut him in a pyramid,' he told Harry. 'But Mum spotted us.'"

-"'The Ministry's provding a couple of cars,' said Mr. Weasley.
Everyone looked up at him.
'Why?' said Percy curiously.
'It's because of you, Perce,' said George seriously. 'And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them -'
'- for Humongous Bighead,' said Fred."

-"'We've got it,' Fred whispered to Harry. 'We've been improving it.'
The badge now read Bighead Boy. "

-"'I'm not going to be murdered,' Harry said out loud.
'That's the spirit, dear,' said his mirror sleepily."

-"'I don't go looking for trouble,' said Harry, nettled. 'Trouble usually finds me .'"

-"There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames."

-"'Hermione,' said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, 'they've messed up your schedule. Look - they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time .'"

-"Harry's immediate impression was of a large, glittering insect. Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight, and they saw that she was very thin; her large glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl."

"'On, and dear' - she caught Neville by the arm as he made to stand up - 'after you've broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink.'
Sure enough, Neville had no sooner reached the shelf of teacups when there was a tinkle of breaking china."

-"'Right,' said Ron as they both opened their books at page five and six. 'What can you see in mine?'
'A load of soggy brown stuff,' said Harry."

-"...so you're going to suffer but be very happy..."

-"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."

-"There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling Snape's palm."

-"'He bit Goyle for us once!' Ron said miserably. 'Remember, Harry?'
'Yeah, that's true,' said Harry.
'His finest hour,' said Fred..."

-"Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on having acquired such a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, asked if she could actually hold the Firebolt.
'Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!' said Percy heartily as she examined the Firebolt closely. 'Penelope and I have got a bet on,' he told the team. 'Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!'
Penelope put the Firebolt down again, thanked Harry, and went back to her table.
'Harry - make sure you win,' said Percy, in an urgent whisper. ' I haven't got ten Galleons .'"

-"'HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!' Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid collision. 'KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!'"

-"Three dementors, three tall, black hooded dementors, were looking up at him.
He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he whipped out his wand and roared, ' Expecto patronum! '
Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand."

-"'The dementors didn't affect me at all!' Harry said excitedly. 'I didn't feel a thing!'
'That would be because they - er - weren't dementors,' said Professor Lupin. 'Come and see -'
He led Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field.
'You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright,' said Lupin.
Harry stared. Lying in a crumped heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes."

-"...Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black..."

-"'Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.'
Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map didn't stop there. More writing appeared beneath the first.
'Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.'
It would have been very funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. And there was more...
'Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that every became a professor.'
Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he'd opened them, the map had had its last word.
'Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.'"

-"Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them - gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."

-"She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strengh she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabberfasted as Hermione raised her hand again."

-"'Seen anything yet?' Harry asked the, after a quarter of an hour's quiet crystal gazing.
'Yeah, there's a burn on this table,' said Ron, pointing. 'Someone's spilled their candle.' ...
'Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?' she murmured over the clinking of her bangles.
'I don't need help,' Ron whispered. 'It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight.'"

-"Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley (Ron's second oldest brother) had been Seeker."

-"A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears."

-"Crookshankes seemed to have come to a halt. Harry was sure he could see something else moving in the shadows of the trees too.
And just then, it emerged - a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving steathily across the lawn, Crookshanks trotting at its side."

-"Then Wood was speeding toward him, half-blinded by tears; he seized Harry around the neck and sobbed unrestrainedly into his shoulder."

-"Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag..."

-"...all anybody felt like doing was strolling onto the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, perhaps playing a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel itself dreamily across the surface of the lake."

-"...History of Magic on Wednesday morning, in which Harry scribbled everything Florean Fortescue had ever told him about medieval witch-hunts, while wishing he could have had one of Fortescue's chocolate-nut sundaes with him in the stifling classroom."

-"Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from hinkypunk, then clim into an old trunk and battle with a new boggart."

-"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?"

-"'This is a useful little spell,' he told the class over his shoulder. 'Please watch closely.'
He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, ' Waddiwasi! ' and pointed it at Peeves.
With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves's left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing."

-"'Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces,' said Professor Lupin. 'Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks - I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock.'"

-"After Boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nasty little goblinlike creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved onto kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds."

-"'She got a letter from home this morning,' Parvati whispered. 'It's her rabbit, Binky. He's been killed by a fox.'"

-"Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day."

-"I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394."

-"Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

-"You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

-"At that very moment, Hermione appeared at his shoulder; she was holding her cloak over her head and was, inexplicably, beaming.
'I've had an idea, Harry! Give me your glasses, quick!'
He handed them to her, and as the team watched in amazement, Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, ' Impervius! '
'There!' she said, handing them back to Harry. 'They'll repel water!'
Wood looked as though he could have kissed her."

-"'Where is Wood?' said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there.
'Still in the showers,' said Fred. 'We think he's trying to drown himself.'"

-"Hargid snet him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get-well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit."

-"Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already deocrated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies."

-"Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn't stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, Harry wasn't fooled; they were doing it to keep him company, and he was very grateful."

-"'This, Harry, is the secret of our success,' said George, patting the parchment fondly.
'It's a wrench giving it to you,' said Fred, 'but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours.'"

-" I solemnly swear I am up to no good. "

-"'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,' sighed George, patting the heading of the map. 'We owe them so much.'"

-"There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbert balls that Ron had mentioned; along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons."

-"Somewhere above him, Hermione whispered, ' Mobiliarbus! '
The Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in the front of their table, hiding them from view."

-"Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have though... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

-"Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here - ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter."