Genre: Fantasy
Series: Harry Potter #3
Page Count: 435
Publication Year: 1999
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Summary: Harry’s third school year is bombarded by an escaped convict and a rat.
As is becoming usual, I had no memory of this book prior to rereading it. But it is my favorite HP movie and rewatching that movie is what prompted my reread in the first place. I was apprehensive going into this book but excited because of how much I like the movie, so let’s see what I have to say.
It’s getting harder to talk about these books without spoiling them, but as movie Snape said: “I’ll do my best.”
Keep in mind, I can’t view this through the eyes of a child but I am cutting it some slack because of the target audience.
As usual, we begin with Harry’s relatives being scum of the earth. This time, Aunt Marge is there to join Team Scum and her insults about Harry’s parents result in him turning her into a figurative balloon. Eager to leave and convinced he’ll be expelled from school for performing underage magic, he makes his way to the wizard shopping center. He meets the Minister of Magic and is relieved when he’s allowed to remain a student at Hogwarts. With the wizarding world on edge after the escape of a murderer, Harry returns to Hogwarts for a year of new classes and more danger.
These first three HP books kinda follow the same setup: trouble at home, gets school supplies, has some classes, practices Quidditch, hears rumblings of trouble and then it ends with the rather hasty confrontation. I see flaws in that formula, but because they’re fun and easy adventures, I can push aside my critiques and enjoy it.
This is one of those times when liking the movie first didn’t make the book a disappointment. This story is the beginning of the darker and maturer stories; however, the exclusion of a confrontation with the main big baddie makes this one-off adventure more relaxing and entertaining.
We get to see more classes, especially the Defense Against the Dark Arts. I really like those because their teacher, Lupin, actually teaches them practical stuff. Although I don’t care for sports normally, the Quidditch matches are interesting to me.
I still think the teachers and Dumbledore should have conversations with Harry about what fresh horror is after him. So many conversations about him are said behind closed doors (perhaps heard with the help of an invisibility cloak). Or if the adults do talk to him they fumble around pertinent information instead of saying it like it is. Who knows how much trouble could be avoided if people treated Harry like the danger magnet he is. After all: forewarned is forearmed.
The final act includes a rather long conversation between Harry and the other principle characters. Then a burst of action rounds out the book. It’s kinda the opposite in the movie which I think is a better approach for pacing’s sake, but the details here provide character backgrounds I’d forgotten. The action is short and opens a can of worms which doesn’t bother me as much as it does others.
I don’t like the recaps. From Quidditch rules to telling us that Ron and Hermione are Harry’s best friends, it acts like the reader has little memory of previous events and it’s a bit condescending. If I don’t know who Harry’s friends are by now, I probably didn’t read the first books. I guess kids have garbage memories, but I hope it goes away in the next book.
I’m still liking Harry as a protagonist. He has some sassy lines and even though he consistently breaks rules, it’s rarely for selfish reasons. Solutions and assistance frequently fall into his lap so he doesn’t have to do a lot of heavy lifting, but he is good at Quidditch and patronus charms, so there’s that. It’s refreshing how quickly he adjusts to new situations and processes new information.
Ron and Hermione have their issues (generally with each other) but for the most part they’re good friends to Harry, which is what he needs. The thing with Hermione is that she has the right idea and good intentions, but her words often fall on deaf ears because she’s still mostly seen as an insufferable know-it-all.
Snape is a butt. He has this unmitigated hatred of Harry who doesn’t deserve it. He says he tries to treat Harry like any other student but that’s a boldfaced lie. Snape walks over all the non-Slytherin students because he can’t be bothered with fairness. It makes me wonder if any regulations exist when it comes to the teachers. Does Dumbledore not care if some of his students get unfairly punished by teachers?
Lupin, however, is great. He’s such a good teacher and his exam at the end sounded amazing. He’s a good friend to Harry and he’s a good person. Dumbledore allowing him to teach, even with his condition, is the sweetest thing ever.
Sirius (sans spoilers, remember), is one of my top HP characters. All the garbage he had to suffer through never squashed his spirit or sanity and his loyalty is admirable. He’s not a major character here, but I’m looking forward to more scenes with him. Although, I do like him better in the movie. So far.
I said in my last HP review that everyone blushes across the whole red spectrum and that hasn’t changed. But in general, people’s emotions are so…loud. They cry, blush, yell, tremble, gasp, all at the drop of a hat. I guess kids need to be told what the current emotion is so they can understand, but it comes across as heavy-handed.
I’m digging this minimalist description. It doesn’t overload the senses so there’s very little to keep track of but it gets the view across fine.
The dialogue continues being good too.
All in all, this is a cracking book and it spawned a pretty faithful adaptation. Next book please.
SPOILER THOUGHTS
Vampires! They’re mentioned again. (Yes, I will be talking about them every time they make an appearance.) This time Harry thinks Sirius looks like a vampire, which is a great segue for me to once again express my wish for a Marauder vampire hunting trilogy.
Why didn’t Harry do basic research on Sirius? People kept mentioning him in conjunction with Harry, so wouldn’t it make sense to take a trip to the library? C’mon Harry, use your resources.
I love how Harry goes from seeing Sirius as his parents’ murderer to wanting to live with him. That trust in Sirius is fantastic and I’m already upset about Sirius’ fate and it’s still two books away.
I like how Harry got the Firebolt in the movie better. Instantly knowing who it’s from is better than having Hermione’s suspicions cause all that trouble.
I now know how James saved Snape and it’s a little underwhelming.
Imagine for a moment that Snape isn’t a butt and his conviction that Sirius put the trio under a confusing spell was true. From the teachers’ perspective, suspecting Sirius of that kind of treachery is perfectly reasonable. If it weren’t for Snape’s history with Lupin and Sirius, would Harry and Co. maybe hesitate to jump to Sirius’ defense? I think that’s what could’ve happened if this were an adult book.
The time travel aspect does create problems, but those are stymied by the warning: bad things happen to wizards who mess with time. I believe Rowling’s version of time travel is that everything has already happened, therefore you can’t hop back in time unless you’ve already been back in time. I know it sounds wonky, but I think it makes as much sense as time traveling will ever make.
So…Sirius gets the cat to deliver an order for a broom using his bank account, but Harry’s name. I assume Sirius’ account was under a false name, otherwise that should’ve set off red flags. Either that or Gringotts doesn’t care if murderers reactivate their account after a decade.
Harry telling Uncle Vernon about Sirius, his convicted godfather, is priceless.
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