Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Harry wakes up in the hospital wing with Hermione and Ron. Ron is still unconscious. Harry hears Snape and Fudge discussing what happened, and he learns that Black has been apprehended by the Ministry of Magic. The hospital wing matron, Madam Pomfrey, tells Harry that “the dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now” (389). Harry and Hermione rush to tell Fudge that Black is innocent, and they’ve got the wrong man. Snape and Fudge dismiss their claims, but Dumbledore arrives and asks to speak to Harry and Hermione in private. Dumbledore believes their story, and Black told him the same thing, but “Professor Snape’s version of events is far more convincing than [Harry and Hermione’s]” (392). Dumbledore then turns to Hermione and tells her that “three turns should do it” (393), and that they must not be seen. He locks them in the hospital wing, and Hermione shows Harry a “tiny, sparkling hourglass” (394) around her neck.

Hermione turns the hourglass, and they are transported three hours back in time. The device, called a Time-Turner, was given to Hermione at the beginning of the school year so she could attend multiple classes at once. They first rescue Buckbeak from being executed, and as they wait for the events at the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack to unfold, Harry confesses to Hermione that although it’s ridiculous and impossible, he believes his father conjured the Patronus that saved them from the dementors. When the moment comes for Harry’s father to rescue him, Hermione, and Sirius from the dementors, Harry realizes that no one is coming, and he must be the one to rescue their past selves. He conjures an incredibly powerful Patronus, and the dementors retreat. Harry realizes that his Patronus has taken the form of a stag, the animal his father could transform into as an Animagus. Harry and Hermione ride Buckbeak up to the part of the castle where Sirius is being held, and they give him the hippogriff to escape with. Sirius says his goodbyes, then disappears into the night with Buckbeak.

Harry and Hermione sneak back into the hospital wing as Dumbledore is locking them in. Snape and Fudge are furious to learn that Black has mysteriously disappeared, and Snape claims “THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!” (419). Fudge promises that the dementors will be sent back to Azkaban because they attempted the Dementor’s Kiss on Harry, an innocent boy. Ron awakens, and Harry and Hermione explain everything that happened. Lupin tells Harry that Snape “accidentally let slip that [Lupin is] a werewolf” (423), so Lupin decided to resign before word reaches the parents of the Hogwarts students: “They will not want a werewolf teaching their children” (423). He returns the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder’s Map to Harry and bids him goodbye. Dumbledore assures Harry that he did the right thing in showing mercy to Peter Pettigrew, and he confirms that Professor Trelawney did have a real prediction the previous day: Voldemort will likely rise again, and Pettigrew will help him. Dumbledore suggests that although Harry didn’t see his father that night at the lake, “[Harry’s] father is alive in [him]” (427).

Hermione gives the Time-Turner back to McGonagall and decides to stick to a more manageable schedule in the future. Harry is disappointed that he won’t be able to go live with Sirius now, but on the train ride back home for the summer, Sirius sends a letter with a tiny owl. Sirius assures Harry that he and Buckbeak are safe, and he confesses that he sent Happy the Firebolt. He also confirms that he was the dog Harry saw last summer. Sirius provides written permission for Harry to go into Hogsmeade next year, and he offers the owl to Ron, “as it’s [Sirius’s] fault he no longer has a rat” (434). When Uncle Vernon picks Harry up at the train station, Harry decides to let it slip that he has a godfather who is “a convicted murderer, but he’s broken out of wizard prison and he’s on the run” (435), adding that Sirius likes to check in on Harry and make sure he’s happy. Uncle Vernon is horrified, and Harry is hopeful that this summer will be better than the last one.