Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Question: When Hermione, Harry and Ron are in Hagrid's hut and the Ministry of Magic Knock on the door, what is it that Hagrid puts a blanket over?

Answer: A bit earlier in that scene, he tosses food to a new 'pet', aka a new strange creature, that catches it in his 'mouth' and that is what he covers up, because he doesn't want his new 'pet' to be confiscated/sent back to its own kind, just like Norbert was.

Super Grover

Question: In the book and the movie, why did Sirius wait many years before escaping Azkaban? If I remember the book correctly, he did it by changing into his dog form and walking past the Dementors, who navigate by emotions. I know he had seen Ron holding Scabbers/disguised Peter in the newspaper article, but could he not have turned into his dog form and walked out years ago? Even without knowing where Peter was?

Answer: To add to the other fine answer that I agree with, Sirius' mental state negatively affected his desire and/or ability to escape. He languished in prison as a broken man, knowing that everyone believed him guilty and that no-one would help him if he did escape. Others would have killed him. It was a while before Sirius realised the Dementors couldn't detect his dog form. It also wasn't until he'd lost a significant amount of weight from being half-starved that he could slip through the bars as a dog, though, realistically, it wouldn't have taken 12 years to become that thin.

raywest

Answer: And do what? He had no goal, no way of avenging his wrongful imprisonment. He knew the dementors and every auror would be chasing him if he escaped, he had nowhere to go, no plan. Without any leads he would just be recaptured (and killed most likely). Seeing Wormtail in the papers however, gave him a reason to escape.

lionhead

Question: When Hermione left divination why did she knock over the crystal ball?

Answer: It's an act of rebellion. Shows how much she thinks of Trelawny and the subject.

Ssiscool

Answer: Hermione was always a bit arrogant about being the smartest student. She thought Divination was nonsense and deliberately gave a phony reading from the crystal ball to mock Trelawney and the subject. Trelawney knew she was faking it and made a rather rude assessment of Hermione's "ability." Hermione was insulted and and knocked the ball off the table in anger and disdain.

raywest

Answer: The Shrieking Shack was actually well-known to everyone. The dilapidated house was located near Hogsmeade and was believed to be haunted, as wails and screams were regularly heard. There wasn't another similar-type house in the area, and Hermione, being very smart, merely deduced that based on their location from the Whomping Willow tree, that was where they were.

raywest

Question: Why is Ron so shocked by Scabbers running away after Buckbeak's execution? He's run away before.

Answer: Don't disagree with the other answer, but would add that Ron was initially confused about why Scabbers had previously disappeared and was now struggling so hard to escape while he held him. He was shocked that Scabbers bit his hand to get loose and run off again. After so many years as a contented "family pet" it was uncharacteristic behavior. Of course, it's soon learned why Scabbers (Pettigrew) was so desperate to get away.

raywest

Answer: I think he was upset rather than shocked. He is frustrated any time that his pet runs away. Also, he, Harry, and Hermione were already upset by the situation with Hagrid and Buckbeak. Scabbers running away again, on top of everything else, was extra trouble.

Question: Boggarts take on the physical form of whatever scares people. Neville is afraid of Snape, so the boggart turns into Snape. But, what would a boggart turn into if someone's fear has no physical form? For example, if someone was afraid of getting lost. What kind of form would the boggart take?

Answer: The boggarts seem to come up with some image that represents a non-physical fear. For example, in the fifth book, Molly Weasley finds a boggart that takes the form of her dead family members and Harry, since her biggest fear is losing them (She had begun to think of Harry as family).

Question: If Hermione doesn't believe, and thinks the Grim is rubbish, why is she scared when she sees the dog after Ron calls it the Grim?

Answer: She is scared of a big, snarling dog looking at them.

lionhead

Answer: Hermione is obsessed with following rules and knows she could be expelled for inflicting a spell or curse on another student. She isn't someone who gives in to her emotional impulses. For Hermione, reasoning, calmness, and logic always prevail. She may also have been bluffing and only wanted to frighten Draco, knowing he is a coward.

raywest

Question: What did Professor Trelawney mean by "innocent blood shall be spilt" in her prediction?

Answer: My interpretation was that Trelawney's prediction referred to Sirius Black and the Dementors, who were going to suck out his soul. While his blood would not literally be spilled, it was still a death of an innocent person. It was more of a dramatic colloquial expression, like saying someone has "blood on their hands" for causing innocent people's deaths. The prediction could also include Buckbeak, who was being wrongly executed that same night. Her prediction was regarding events that would have occurred if Harry and Hermione had not traveled back in time and changed the outcome.

raywest

Question: Hermione was the one who said that when a werewolf transforms he'd kill his best friend if he saw him, so why did she think she could talk to Lupin after he transformed?

Answer: Hermione was quoting what she knew from reading in text books. Now she was in a precarious real-life situation and she's going to try anything to survive. At first, Lupin (as a werewolf) seems passive and non-dangerous, prompting her to see if she can communicate with him. She quickly realises she's wrong.

raywest

I wonder why Lupin can't recognize Hermione while in his werewolf form, but he used to spend time with James, Peter, and Sirius, in their Animagus forms? So he was capable of recognizing friends.

All 3 friends of Remus managed to calm down werewolf Lupin as animagi after a while. But only Sirius wasn't enough apparently, plus it had been decades since they did that.

lionhead

Totally agree with Lionhead, but would emphasize that Lupin had no control whatsoever over his mind, did not know who he was, nor did he recognize anyone when he transformed into a werewolf. He simply related to James, Sirius, and Pettigrew in their Animagus forms as being other animals who could moderate his behaviour and kept him far away from humans.

raywest

Question: How come while everyone else was looking worried, Hermione was smiling when Hagrid brought Buckbeak out to show the class?

Answer: Hermione has probably read about Hippogriffs already. Maybe she is excited about seeing one. And she is probably trying to keep a positive attitude for Hagrid, who is a new teacher.

Question: Since Harry's Boggart was a Dementor, would it have the same abilities as an actual one?

Answer: Lupin addresses this by saying (and I'm paraphrasing a bit here) Boggarts sometimes do not have the same strength or magic as what they imitate, for example, a Boggart transformed into a Dementor has weaker magic than a real Dementor or a deadly scream as a true Banshee.

Ssiscool

Answer: They needed to make it look like Buckbeak had escaped by himself. If they had freed him earlier, the Ministry of Magic would have believed that Hagrid deliberately released him, and held him accountable. They freed Buckbeak while Dumbledore and Fudge were inside Hagrid's hut so that the Ministry would know Hagrid was with them when Buckbeak "escaped" and Hagrid could not be blamed.

Casual Person

I'm not sure if I explained myelf properly. What I mean is, when Hermione was crying on Ron's shoulder, why not she just tell them about the time turner then instead of crying? Or just go back in time herself.

She's not allowed to tell anyone about the time turner. It's only after the events in the shack, when things are a lot more dire, does Dumbledore basically give permission for her to use it. She also had to sign to say she wouldn't use it for anything other than it's intended use. Saving 1 Hippogriff is not worth the risk of being caught.

Ssiscool

I know she can't tell anyone but like I said, she could have done it on her own. Then they wouldn't know.

She can't mess with it and use it to do things on her own without approval. She was given it to be able to attend more classes and was specifically told not to use it otherwise.

lionhead

Answer: Shes had it on her all year. And better to have it in case she needs it and to stop people finding it by accident if left in her dorm.

Ssiscool

Answer: In the book, Hermione had to receive special permission from the Ministry of Magic to use the Time Turner and then had to abide by strict rules on how and when to use it and to keep its use a secret. As noted in the other answer, she would keep the Turner with her at all times to prevent it from being found and misused by other students (like the Weasley twins). For the purpose of the movie, Hermione is more prominently shown wearing it which is meant to be a clue to the audience about its existence and purpose.

raywest

Question: I heard there was a scene where Ron and Hermione hug but it was cut. Does anyone know at what point in the movie this hug would have taken place?

Answer: Other than when Hermione turns to Ron and puts her arms around his shoulders after the Trio thinks they've just witnessed Buckbeak's execution, there does not appear to be any other time when she hugs or embraces Ron. All of the Azkaban deleted scenes are online or were included with the DVD and none contain this.

raywest

My understanding is that the specific scene where she put her arm around Ron was actually supposed to be a real hug but Emma Watson didn't feel comfortable doing it so they changed it to only an arm.

lionhead

It was more than just her arms, she had her face buried in his neck.

Answer: Ron wrongly accused Crookshanks of having eaten Scabbers, even though he had no proof. He was rude to and angry at Hermione when he shouldn't have been. She wanted an apology for his behavior.

raywest

Answer: Hermione wanted him to apologize for saying it was her fault.

lionhead

Answer: She called him a "smelly old shoe brush"

lionhead

I don't get that.

Well in that Scene Ron and Hermione were fighting over their pets and Ron called Crookshanks "a pig with hair" so Hermione retaliated by calling Scabbers a "smelly old shoe brush".

lionhead

It's just a polite insult that is used to show disgust.

Ssiscool

Answer: Because they were just having a bit of fun at Ron's expense. After saving Sirius and Buckbeak and going through a rather harrowing ordeal, they can now relax and enjoy themselves. The levity provides an "end point" to the main story, indicating to the audience that it has reached its conclusion.

raywest

Answer: I wouldn't say they were surprised, exactly. They hadn't seen Harry all summer and their reunion was a bit awkward because Ron and Hermione were squabbling with each other. They didn't expect to see Harry at that moment.

raywest

Answer: Because they had some small hope that something would happen that prevented it, they stayed to see if a miracle would happen basically. They didn't want to see it of course, but they felt it too terrible to just not know if there was any hope it wouldn't happen and then miss it.

lionhead

But how could they tell from the top of that hill? They were so far away they couldn't hear a thing.

They could see the executioner from where they were standing, just not very well or entirely. They saw him swinging the ax, but not what he was hitting. They just assumed it was Buckbeak.

raywest

Answer: They didn't actually see Buckbeak being executed because he never was. They were far enough away that they only partially saw the executioner wield the axe, but he was actually chopping a pumpkin out of frustration because Buckbeak had disappeared. If they had been closer, they most likely would not have looked at all, not wanting to witness such a gruesome scene.

raywest

Thank you but I was meaning to ask why they stayed on that hill to watch instead of returning to the common room?

It's pointless to speculate what their reasoning for watching was because it really comes down to it being a plot device. The audience has to think that Buckbeak has been killed in order to propel the story forward. That is achieved by having HR&H stop atop the hill and watch what they think is the execution. It also is to convey their sense of grief and hopelessness.

raywest

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban mistake picture Video

Continuity mistake: When Malfoy and his friends bother Ron and Hermione, Harry shows up and messes with the three boys. He grabs hold of Malfoy's feet, lifts them in the air and pulls him across the snow. In the first close-up of the soles of Malfoy's boots, not a speck of snow is on them, though he was just walking in it. Then in the next close-up, his feet still in the air, the soles are now covered in snow. (01:02:45)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sirius Black: Brilliant, Snape. Once again you've put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and as usual come to the wrong conclusion.

More quotes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Trivia: Actor Tom Felton's Hogwarts' robes' pockets had to be sewn shut to prevent him from taking food on set.

More trivia for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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