[CLOSED] The Harry Potter Book Club! - Your Notes for Chapters 22 & Final Thoughts of the Prisoner of Azkaban!

(Pronounced Sher-Reez; or you can just say “Reese”) I think that Snape and Sirius are so similar, and I believe this is even more apparent in later books. They both seem to be people who cannot get past their high school years. In many ways, I feel that both of their lives ended on the night the Potters were murdered. It’s easy to look at actors like Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman and forget that canonically, the characters they were portraying were only about 21 years old that fateful night; they had only been out of Hogwarts for around 3-4 years. In this book, they’re in their early 30s. I’m really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on their characters as you get deeper into the story. Also I can’t wait for you to get into Goblet of Fire; it’s SO different from the movie. In my humble opinion, it’s one of the best books in the series 😁

itz_Cherise

> "It looks terrible when four extremely talented wizards bully a single classmate and that power dynamic makes people sympathise with Snape and rightfully so." I'd argue that the power-dynamic isn't nearly as one sided as its presented. For starters, Snape did have friends in his own House. Secondly, Snape wasn't powerless, he could and did fight back. Thirdly, whilst Snape got it worst, he wasn't the only person the Marauder's didn't like. Fourthly, the Marauders were content to leave Snape alone a lot of the time, they were far more interested in making their own fun and having their own adventures, than following Snape around bullying him. And most of the time it was Snape following them around, spying on them, trying to catch them rule-breaking. Fifthly, we never see any other victims of bullying end up like Snape. Harry, Neville, Percy, Malfoy. We're led to believe that none of them became embittered. None of them were still taking out their anger on schoolchildren at the age of 30-40. Never mind the fact that Snape would've died a loyal Death Eater if Voldemort had chosen Neville. *sigh*

S1lm4r1l

I fear I might be too late for this book club, so I'll make a quick point about the Marauders-Snape dynamic. Yes, bullying is terrible. It looks terrible when four extremely talented wizards bully a single classmate and that power dynamic makes people sympathise with Snape and rightfully so. HOWEVER, think about the power dynamic between a teacher and an 11 year old kid. What about the power dynamic between Snape and Harry in that first potions lesson? What about Snape and Neville? Hermione? Ron? And the countless other students who never discovered their love for portions because this man-child was their potions master? My point is, just because Snape isn't the worst person in the story, or one of the cowardly people in the story, it doesn't make him a hero. Dumbledore had to manipulate his obsession (yes obsession, not love) of Lily to bring out an iota of heroism in this man. Anyway, cannot wait for Goblet, which is the most complicated plot in the books. Thanks for everything Veggie!

Neellohit Basu

4 hours 21 minutes. Yes even with 1 chapter 😬 Everything else has been covered by others! Thanks for the review looking forward to the next book!

Mate

Hagrid is Harry's first friend. Not a father-figure at all.

S1lm4r1l

Katik

I just have to laugh when fudge says that snape is a little crazy when he's going off on one at harry about sirius lol and the but where fudge says that harry will thank him one day etc makes my blood boil I'm always screaming inside my head but you wouldn't even listen how are you now making things up!!! Lol it just baffles me how the minister can trust snape a former death eater over harry potter who is 13 nearly 14 and knows his own mind my almost 6 year old and 3 year old boys know exactly what they want (not saying they get it they're still young children haha) but then again I was scoffed at all the time as a teenager so maybe because of my own experiences I believe teenagers csn be trusted to tell the truth. Just wanted to get those few thought in before you close the book club and to tell you take care of yourself we are here to support you if you need to take time away from videos then take it we will be here when you get back and the jobs going great I don't know if u remember my last book club comment haha 😁

Liz

First comment, but I've been watching and LOVING since the beginning! I absolutely love your attention to detail as well as comments/points you have made that I haven't thought of before :) There are some things I love in the movie more than the books and vice versa, and was curious about your opinion. 1. pro movie: I actually really like that they confuse you with the jar breaking, Harry getting hit in the head, Hermione thinking she saw something in the woods, and the wolf howl - which all pay off when they go back in time. I was bummed it wasn't actually part of the book. 2. pro book: It made my heart so happy when Sirius gifted the owl to Ron. And that Ron made sure Crookshanks approved of him. It showed us how Ron really does value Hermione's opinion. 3. pro movie: Sirius is one of my favorite movie characters, but not so much in the books. They actually gave Sirius a lot of lines other characters spoke in the books, which made him more lovable. This is even more evident later, especially #5 :( 4. pro book: I love the explanation of the Marauder's backstory and how Sirius escaped from Azkaban. They made such a big deal about him escaping, but never explained how. It was a real shame that wasn't included in the movie. Lastly, I can't remember if someone mentioned this already, but Trelawney was right at Christmas dinner! She said, "when 13 dine together, the first to rise is the first to die". Before she sat down, there were already 13 people, since Scabber's was in Ron's pocket. Dumbledore stood up when Trelawney came, making him the first to rise at a table of 13, and he was the first to die.

Jess

Dumbledore knew that buckbeak had escaped when he told Harry and Hermione to rescue him. Do you think he had already figured out that it was them? What about Sirius? Do you think Dumbledore already knew that harry and Hermione had rescued Sirius before he asked them to? SO excited about doing goblet of fire. So much of the book is not in the movie, it’s basically a different story! Also…squibs are muggles.

Garry (Not Jerry)

Hey Veggie, thank you for being so kind with my last comment. I will keep this one short :) Now we finally got the answer how Sirius got the Firebolt. When I read it the first time (I must have been like 13/14?) that explanation was satisfactory to me. From the first re-read onwards I felt it was a bit of a lazy explanation though. Siriously, what are the security measures in Gringotts? They must know which vault belongs to whom. When Sirius ordered the broom per Owl order and send it right to Hogwarts to Harry, they must have known that notorious mad man, murderer, and wizard Nazi just payed for a super expensive broom for Harry freaking Potter. Shouldn't they alert the authorities? And if they don't have ways to varify the owner of the vault, then everyone could just say any vault number and pay with other peoples money. Either way their security is lacking in my opinion... I do love the ending though. Sirius showing his thoughtful and caring side in the letter, Ron getting his own quite eccentric owl (siriously, it's moments in the next book are golden), Ron asking crookchanks if it's actually an owl! It's just a really sweet ending, in my opinion.

PumpkinSparks

Hey veggie I don’t know if this will make it. All I wanted to say is a cant wait for you to read the next book, it is probably my favorites in the series.

Collin Anderson

So many brilliant little character moments and tying up of plot threads in this last chapter! I think most have been mentioned already. Overall, this is probably my favorite book in the series. At least in the top two. It starts giving the story a sense of real, personal history and depth. Harry and his sass grow so much. And Remus Lupin is of course fantastic. Personally, I always really enjoy the bits and pieces of the minor characters like Dean and Seamus discussing next year's DADA teacher and everyone's opinions on Sirius's escape. Anyway, love the videos and so excited for you to learn about all the things omitted from the Goblet of Fire movie!

Q

Hey Veggie! I am very late again, but for the chapter or the last chapters in general in the books, i love it that we have more of an end, that feels like an end. In the Movie Harry just flies of into the sky with his broom. Also i like that Ron shows his new Owl to Crookshanks! Hope you are doing well Veggie and i can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter and the book. Honestly cant wait for you to start goblet! Thats gonna be AWESOM!E

Jonas (Methanoutput)

I just came back from vacation in Bulgaria so I'm happy I managed to comment on time! The only thing I have to say about this last chapter is that it's so nice of Sirius to think about and send Harry the signed Hogsmeade permission so that he can finally go there with his friends... you know, legally (I remember when I watched the later films as a child and wondered how exactly did Harry manage to go to Hogsmeade since they made a big deal out of it in the 3rd film, but never explained it later). Technically Sirius is a guardian so the signature is legit and I wonder what was McGonnagall's reaction when Harry gave it to her. And of course loved the remark about having a fugitive godfather to Vernon, ahhhh Sassy Potter strikes again! All in all, great book, my favourite along with Half Blood Prince, but it's a pity they didn't include a lot of lore in the film as it would be less confusing for people who haven't read the books. Qustion for you Veggie - as an only film watcher from this point on, what can't you wait to be expanded upon/ learn more about in the 4th book?

Gothic Llama

Hey Veggie! In the previous book club a couple of us mentioned Snape acting out of line and you weren't sure what we were referring to. He did yell at Hermione for no reason, but I probably shouldn't have mentioned it until now. Here he's acting unhinged, yelling at his students and accusing them without evidence. His lines are all in CAPS, he's yelling at the kids and the Minister. On top of that, he purposefully outed Lupin to the entire community. NOT his place. I appreciate the honest talk between Harry and Dumbledore. Dumbledore stayed in the room, listened to Harry and acknowledged his feelings. It's a shame the films cut this and several other moments between the two. Also, Dumbledore confirmed that Harry's patronus was indeed a stag during the Quidditch match! My perhaps favorite moment in this chapter is Harry receiving Sirius' letter. The permission slip, the apology for frightening Harry at the beginning of the book, letting him know he bought the Firebolt (and of course Hermione's "HA!" moment xD), the line "Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather", and again, Sirius looking after Ron and giving him the owl! The entire letter is just full of love and care, and genuine good intentions. I love it. One last thing! I understood what you meant when you said that technically, two muggles could have a squib child! For all we know, Dudley could be a squib :D We know his aunt Lily had the gene, so even though the Evans family had been muggles for generations, the gene had to come from somewhere, so Dudley could possess it without anyone ever knowing. Although I'll admit, he's not the best example, since squibs CAN see Dementors (like Filch and Mrs. Figg) and Dudley couldn't see them in movie five. He's 100% muggle. Fun fact, JKR actually considered giving Dudley a magical muggle born child, but decided against it, since "any latent wizarding genes would never survive contact with Uncle Vernon’s DNA". Lol.

emmainkeri

how would going back to kill Voldy work? how many times would you have to turn the time turner and how long would that take? Like, it's ok for a few hours, a few days back, but I would say there's a limit. Let alone the fact that you don't turn back time to change something that's happened - for example if someone went back in time on November 1st 1981,say, one day, two days, however long, they still wouldn't be able to make it so Lily and James survive. They would have to know exactly where to go and what to do before it actually happened, and the time turning would have to happen before the time of the murders. Otherwise time doesn't change, there's no multiverse here. Yes time travel is always tacky, but I find it solid enough idk

Katerina Portokalia

Hey Sandra, I kinda feel like mentioning the bond between Harry and Pettigrew is unnecessary/spoilery and confirms that it will come in handy (heh, handy) later despite it not being in the films. I'm sure Veggie will make a note of it anyway and once we get to book 7, us viewers will be sure to remind him as well :)

emmainkeri

I love that fact! I find Veggie's book club videos super calming as well. Definitely my favorite thing on YouTube and social media right now, easily.

emmainkeri

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you mentioned in your last book chapter review that you thought Pettigrew was "too evil" or something. Not every villain has to be sympathetic. Even in real life, there are plenty of evil people with no redeeming qualities. Also, not every character Harry dislikes has unflattering descriptions. Gilderoy Lockhart and young Tom Riddle are described as good looking. Similarly, Mrs. Weasley, a person Harry is fond of, is described as very plump.

John Phillips

Hi Veggie! Possibly an unpopular opinion. I love this book, but one thing I’m not a fan of is the whole time travel aspect. It feels like a very forced plot device that creates more questions than answers. From the Hermione’s schedule to questions like, why can’t we just go back and kill baby Voldemort? JKR tried to write time travel as closed loop, but I don’t think she spent enough time thinking what consequences for the story it might create. I think she understood it herself, as the whole time travel aspect doesn’t come up at all anymore in HP (unless you count the Cursed Child). Anyhow, awesome book and now onto GoF!

Kate Bogd

Regarding Death Eater's knowledge of each other. This is a tad spoilery and will be revealed in Goblet.

S1lm4r1l

As a primarily book reader, I see the movie as a really long trailer for the book. It shows a lot of the scenes (with beautiful visuals and music) but doesn't tie them together like the book does in such a satisfying way. Not explaining the marauders+patronus is just insane when I feel like a big point of the story is Harry getting to know his fathers friends and as Dumbledore beautifully said in this chapter: finding his father inside himself. Several other things like Crookshanks, Quidditch, the Firebolt etc are present in the movie but the storylines don't get completed. This is why it's so interesting to hear your thoughts as you learn more of the story from the books. It would be awesome if you continued with the next book too, as I feel like the book exclusive story just began! :D

Hairy Pothead

Hi veggie, I like how this book strengthens Harry and hermionies friendship, she was obviously unable to help much in the last book being all petrified. In this book however she was able to risk her life and break the law to help Harry. There was a lot of character development for both characters. Also I’d like to thank you for these book clubs. Im a boxer and before my fights I watch your videos and it calms my nerves. People are always shocked when I say the real reason why I’m so calm 30 minutes before a fight. It’s always funny when people ask what song I’m listening too as I warm up and I say ‘no songs, just veggie gamer ranting about hufflepuff losing a quidditch game’

Logan

Hi Veggie, been a while! Got nothing to say really of this last chapter, so will instead answer two questions you made during the book and was advised in comments to wait till the end of the book. 1, Filch is the one who repairs the paintings. I imagine because he´s that bad naturally at magic, he can put all his focus at fixing things the Muggle way - hence being an expert. Maybe used Spellotape for it (Ron used it at his wand but that of course needs advanced magic to repair). Obviously a pun on Sellotape ^^ 2, You wondered about the deceased person who's face Trelawney covered while Parvati grieving beside her after the Battle at Hogwarts in last film? This won´t be covered in the book, so no spoiler: it isn't the twin sister Padma. Her whereabouts then unknown. It was a teacher called Camilla. You could see her sitting beside Trelawney at the teachers table. Unspecified what she taught, but seeing both so in tears she likely part of Astronomy department. In hindsight would have been better if it was Lavender getting covered up. Being the only student we get a separate death scene of on screen and Hermione of all people failed rescuing her... Would have been more impactful. Lavender adored divination taught by Trelawney just as much as the Patel sisters and was best friends with them. Looking forward to Book 4, my favorite by a mile! Will be present on all discussions for sure there!

Embran

Hi Veggie! edit : sorry for the format, I'm on my phone and not at home (on pc) right now, and the change-line-tool-thingy isn't working! I'm catching up from some previous videos, this is my first comment, but I'm not really here yet - just as an afterthought of the book, taking a moment to say a couple of things about PoA: first, can we take a moment to think about Ron the 13 year old, and HIS trauma, finding out that a full grown 30 year old adult has been sleeping with him, and what he might have actually witnessed?... Yeah that must have been awkward... Which reminds me, As far as we know Snape didn't know Wormtail was a Death Eater , and there's another thing (ok so to not spoil) - let's just say for reasons yet unmentioned. Also, regarding Sirius and his "prank" ,and many things to come regarding his character from now on, let's take a moment here to think that, he was like 20 when he went to prison. The mental maturity of a 20 year old, plus 12 years living among Dementors, that is not going to result in a healthy 32 year old, let's be honest. Lastly, on the Snape debate, the only thing I would like to mention, relative to the entire book, let's realise and remember that Snape is a teacher only because Dumbledore wants him to be. He is not fit to teach, but he is still there to play a role in Dumbledore's puppet show. So, if you have any problems with Snape's teaching methods, take your concerns to the headmaster. oh oh yes and a detail that many forget about the passage of the shrieking shack- it does not have an exit point, its only entrance/exit is the whomping willow, so Black would not have been able to get to the castle from there, hence no one needed to watch it. Overall PoA was my first immersion in the series, it's when I got hooked really :) From now on it's a ton of new information, and I can't wait to hear your comments and thoughts on the first chapter, (and then the ones after that). I can't wait to see your reactions to the new side plots and information! love and greetings from Greece

Katerina Portokalia

> "staff's commitment to 'asking no questions' is incredible." I mean, it's an Owl Office. Their whole business is animals delivering messages, orders etc. Is it so difficult to believe the staff wouldn't question it? On the other hand, ordering an expensive broom and asking that money be taken from the bank account of a known criminal who is currently on the run surely must've raised eyebrows at Gringotts. Wonder what the Goblins thought when the Broom store owner delivered the invoice.

S1lm4r1l

Welcome to the club!

Raider Max

I don't understand. Why would being Severus Snape be a crime?

Hawwah

Crookshanks took the broom order to the Owl Office for Sirius? Either the wizard post office is automated by magic or the staff's commitment to 'asking no questions' is incredible. The film of this is v good, one of the best, but I don't like the ending. Seems hurried and Harry flying away on a broom filled with joy after missing out on living with Sirius and losing his favourite teacher felt odd. Book captures the mood much better - sad to go back to the Dursley's but looking forward to Hogsmeade after Sirius' note and the Quidditch World Cup

Martin Wilson

Agreed!

Michelle Linardis

We've reached the end of PoA at last! This seems like a good spot to finally explain why I don't like Remus Lupin. I didn't want to get into it before because I was worried about possible spoilers. During the conversation in the Shrieking Shack, Lupin confessed that he had known the whole time that Black was an animagus and had been using this ability to sneak into the castle. But he never told this crucial information to Dumbledore. Why? In Lupin's own words: "Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others with me..." (PoA, ch. 18) To me, this confession is absolutely horrifying. I'm honestly baffled how Lupin remains so many people's favorite character after admitting this. Lupin sincerely believed that Black was a mass murderer determined to finish off Harry. He also believed that Black had murdered 12 innocent people before, just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That means that in Lupin's mind, Black didn't pose danger only to Harry, but to everyone unlucky enough to cross Black's path. And yet Lupin decided that protecting his own reputation was more important than protecting students' lives!!! How selfish is this?! Willing to risk children's lives to be able to avoid an unpleasant conversation?! This guy's moral compass is seriously askew. This is why I prefer Severus Snape to Remus Lupin. On a superficial level, Lupin seems like a much nicer guy. But when it comes to the things that really matter, Lupin was willing to sacrifice Harry's life for his own selfish interests. Severus sacrificed everything he had, including his reputation, to protect Harry and the rest of the Hogwarts students.

Hawwah

> "I believe that after his transformation lupin would have already felt guilty enough to resign. Snape was ensuring here that Lupin may never get another job, since we already know that no one wants to hire a werewolf. Exactly. Had Snape spoken to Lupin or Dumbledore and said "Look this wasn't cool, Lupin has to go." I genuinely think Lupin would've gone of his own free-will. Snape deliberately chooses to blindside Dumbledore and Lupin whilst simultaneously ensuring that Lupin will not be able to get another job. It is knowingly, wilfully malicious. There's no justification for it.

S1lm4r1l

Hi Veggie! So the first thing I remembered was that I hate with every fiber of my being that snape outs lupin as being a werewolf. I believe that after his transformation lupin would have already felt guilty enough to resign. Snape was ensuring here that Lupin may never get another job, since we already know that no one wants to hire a werewolf. Also, Harry's talk with dumbledore in lupin's office foreshadows a lot... not to mention we get both lupin's and sirius's emotional talks from the movie in there. Speaking of Sirius, that letter he sent with Ron's new owl is so heartwarming. He's thinking about all three of the kids here, and it always makes me smile. And Uncle Vernon's reaction to Harry's new godfather lol! I guess Harry did get to see the look on their faces when they found out about Sirius! As for the whole book, this is one of my favorites, mostly because we take a break from voldemort and meet several new key characters. I am very excited for GOF since it is one of my favorite books, but least favorite movies. We get to see a lot more of percy, who is actually one of my top favorite characters! I also happen to have a LOT more suggestions for reacting material, for example, if you haven't already seen it, I think stranger things would be an awesome show to react to, or the animated Hobbit/Lord of the Rings! Anyway, I wish you all the best, and I hope you have a great day!

Grace S

"All the ministry needs to do is send a fugitive a letter then follow the owl." was the funniest thing I read in a long time lol

Chorafini (Luiz)

Your pronunciation of Chorafini is good, and Luiz is the same as the hispanic name Luis, it's a variation. ("Lu" like in Lumos, and "iz" just like the word "is") The conversation between Harry and Dumbledore is probaby my favorite part of this chapter, it adds a lot their relationship, we had similar things in the 2 previous books, but this time it wasn't included in the movie. Make sure to remember Dumbledore's prediction, about Harry and Pettigrew, it pays off eventually. Ron checking with Crookshanks if the new owl was trustworthy and Harry threatening the Dursleys with Sirius an the end were hilarious. Now, to end this with a question, we know that the movies can't go on forever, so a lot of things have to get cut or just glanced over, so what do you want to see with more detail in the next book, that you think the movie couldn't give enough time?

Chorafini (Luiz)

Hi, Veggie. I haven't commented in a while since I felt the others were saying everything I would've in the last few book clubs. But now that we're getting into Goblet of Fire, my favorite of the series, I'll try to be more active. Anyway, here are some of my ramblings about this last chapter: I find it really interesting in this chapter that the last we see of Percy is him criticizing the Ministry. Many people in the fandom see Percy as a blind follower who doesn't see the flaws in how the Ministry handles things but at this point that obviously is not the case. It does show a bit of his arrogance that he thinks he knows better than people who've worked there for who knows how long. But I think his intentions are ultimately pure. He wants to make the system better from the inside. Also, the fact that Penelope seems genuinely interested in what Percy's saying makes me happy. She's the only one who seems to take Percy's ambitions seriously and I think that's probably one of the reasons he likes her.

Sara

Thanks for pointing that out have removed name.

Simon audsley

We don't learn Ron's owls' name (Pigwidgeon) until the next book. This is a bit of a spoiler :)

itsanursething

I'm going to keep my comment short and sweet on this one. Ron's owl! I love him and I can't wait for you to learn his name in the next book! I'm reading the Hufflepuff edition of the books. There is a little extra information about the patronus charm at the end. Apparently, the incantation, "Expect Patronum" means "I await a guardian." Also, if a wizard is able to cast a fully fledged patronus, which take the form of an animal, it reveals something of the innermost essence of the caster's character, or may be an animal with which the caster has a great affinity. The precise shape is unique to each person. And, it may change shape during their lifetime in response to a great shock or emotional upheaval; it may even mutate into an animal that represents the love of your life. It is also said that those who are not pure of heart cannot cast the patronus, although, I'm not sure how accurate that is because Umbridge can cast one. Anyway! I'm so glad you're enjoying these books Veggie! Number 4 is a beast and I'm so excited for you to get started :)

itsanursething

I totally agree with Lupin and his cowardly streak. Which we see come back into play in Deathly Hallows. I can't wait to see Veggie's take on that. It will always be Lupin's greatest flaw.

Kunzite Blossom

There are 2 things I hate the movie left out. 1) how Ron grabs the owl when seeing Crookshanks staring at the owl but when learning he can keep the owl, he asks Crookshanks for her opinion on if the owl was good or not! 2) The Dursleys reactions to Harry having a god father who is a supposed serial killer. It's just a minute of the chapter but I would have loved to seen that in the film

Kunzite Blossom

"Infamy! infamy! they've all got it infamy!" - Severus Snape? Hiya Well another book done and I've some takes possibly an unpopular one two. There's a lot of discussion about why fudge doesn't think of the time turner at the end when it's quite obvious he wouldn't know about it, the guy's a delegator of the highest order and would only rubber stamp lower departments decisions. The way the whole buckbeak was handled by the ministry was the right one, a child was attacked and injured by buckbeak and unlike the film Malfoy is injured as shown by madam Pomfrey keeping him in the hospital wing something she would never do needlessly, also to portray malfoys dad as malicious is a bit of a stretch sure he's at the hearing but isn't it natural for any father to want to see a what he sees as a vicious animal put down after it's attacked his child. I mean hagrid is his own worst enemy "Today children we'll be studying the feeding habits of man eating tigers who wants to hug one first" I've currently got seven baby versions of the animal you love reacting to the most in the whole world, one of which could put me in hospital if I ain't careful so there's no way I would let a kid near it. As for werewolves we have no measure at this point as to whether the wizarding world's reaction to them is justified or not as we have only met one so have no real basis to form a conclusion. Well on to my favourite book of the series at last.

Simon audsley

@Alexis Burrows - not sure who you’re replying to. Don’t want to speak for Kevin, but I’m very confused by this comment. Nowhere in either of our comments did we “come up with an excuse” for Sirius. We’re not even talking about that incident???

Sam-I-Am

Hi Veggie! Been watching your HP book reviews since the beginning and finally commenting for the first time. I read the books for the first time as a kid and it’s been so fun to relive that experience as an adult through your videos. I don’t actually have a lot to say on this final chapter of book three, just wanted to thank you for the amount of time and energy you put into these and say how excited I am for books 4-7! The amount of book exclusive material right from the start of the 4th book is astounding, and I think you’ll really enjoy it! 😊

Emory

So, Sirius decided to set up a muder which would have killed a kid and sent one of his 'best friends ' to Askeban (if he was not executed as Lupin was not considered fully human) and all you can do is come up with an excuse like that?

Alexis Burrows

I mean... The Black family has sort of a thing for naming their kids after stars... Sirius and Regulus Andromeda, Bellatrix, Orion, Cygnus, Draco, Scorpius (and yes, Draco is a Malfoy, his mum was a Balck, though) So yeah...

Dara Jeeling

Hi Veggie, Apologies in advance for the long comment. I am a bit sad that we are at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban. While I love the whole series, the first three books have a special place in my heart because they are the happiest and most light hearted in my opinion; there is a shift in the tone of the books going forward. I thought your comment in the last video about Sirius being dog-like was interesting; a lot of the characteristics you identified as dog-like are also very Gryffindor-ish. I'm sure someone has pointed this out before, but in astronomy Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. It is also known as the dog star because it is part of the Canis Major constellation (the great dog). I love the fun and unusual names in Harry Potter, but I do wonder what Sirius' parents were thinking when they named him! It seems like an unusually perceptive choice. I like the ending of this book much better than the ending of the movie. There are so many fun moments in this final chapter, such as Ron getting his owl and Fudge suggesting putting dragons at the school entrance. I also find it so touching that Harry finally gets his permission slip to Hogsmeade, which is totally excluded from the movie. The book really comes full circle with that moment. However, one of my favorite conversations in the whole book is when Harry tells Vernon that his godfather is a convicted murderer on the run. It is so hilarious and so satisfying! It's totally something I would have said as a kid if I had been in Harry's position. Also, in regards to Sirius being a bear-like dog: I live in an area of the United States with a lot of black bears, and I can confirm that bears can look dog-like, especially when seen from a distance or at night. My family has a fun story about my dad seeing an animal in our yard one night; he thought it was our neighbor's sheepdog, and opened the door to shoo it back to the neighbor's yard. He got a shock when it turned out to be a bear!

Maria

Fudge is constantly shown to be incompetent. The Time Turner comes from the Department of Mysteries, who are known to be incredibly secretive. Mr Weasley has worked for the Ministry for years and still has no idea what Bode and Croaker do. I can't imagine Fudge knowing unless he asks about the inventory of Time Turners. They are pretty careful about who they give them too. Hermione says McGonnagall has to send off multiple letters, that she was a model student and understood the risks of using it for anything but her studies.

S1lm4r1l

one of my favourite quotes from Red Dwarf: 'He is only guilty of being Arnold J. Rimmer. That is his crime; it is also his punishment.' It's also my opinion on Snape :)

Astrid

Hi Veggie. First time poster and recent Patreon member. Hope you are having a great day or night depending on where you are. Just want to say that I think this is the book that really made an impression on me with the way the book had a massive twist near the end. This is one of my favorite books of the HP series and I hope you enjoyed it as well. I do not comment often, and will probably only comment on the ending of the book as I am afraid of given spoilers. I can not wait untill you get to the rest of the series as it only gets better and darker from here. Keep up the good work and thanks for all you do to make this book club/reviews of chapters work. Bye for now. :)

Scott T.

Re-reading the books as an adult (and a Wolfstar shipper), the parallel of Snape outing Lupin to someone outing a member of the gay community was so glaring. Made the scene with Lupin packing and leaving even more heartbreaking. I hate that he just accepts his fate and resigns, but I’m sure he feared even harsher backlash if he had stayed on as a DADA professor 🥺 No matter how mad Snape was, it wasn’t his place at all

Sam-I-Am

> "About the last chapter: I find it strange that Fudge didn't know that one can't apparate and disapparate at Hogwarts. I would think that as a former student of Hogwarts he would know that. Or maybe he was just upset about Sirius' escape that he didn't realise what he said." Fudge gets easily flustered, it was probably that.

S1lm4r1l

Ron’s massive feet. Hello Veggie, I’m going to apologize in advanced because I have a lot to say. I do this book club in the other way around: while I see your review and the replays on the book club, Im taking notes about it ahah. I promise never to do it again!! I’m going to put all in short bullets, so it doesn’t take you much time. 1. Map of Hogwart’s ground - https://res.cloudinary.com/arenaillustration/image/upload/v1607388196/archive/arena-illustration-tomislav-tomic-44-harry-potter-hogwarts-map_vtinzo.jpg 2. Harry, Ron and Hermione are the new Marauders: Harry/James, Ron/Sirius and Hermione/Lupin. There are a million similarities but right now I want to focus on the loyalty expressed by Ron for Harry like Sirius for James. Sirius also was willing to die for James. So I think Sirius is moved to see them together and himself in Ron. So he cares about his well-being. 3. Black is a loyal dog. I do think that’s why his animagus form is a Dog. And (in relate the point before) Ron’s Patronus is a DOG! Is not a spoiler, is in the order of the Fenix movie. 4. Pettigrew was hiding in Hagrid’s hut because (I think) there were protected from Crookshanks for Fangs. 5. Why Pettigrew didn’t kill Ron to scape – as Sirius says, he will never do a thing that doesn’t suit him o gave him a benefit or advantage. Killing Ron would only give him more trouble because he didn’t knew for a fact that he will scape that situation. Was to take more risk. And remember that Cedric was kill by Pettigrew in Voldemort’s orders. He alone dont have the ba**s to do that without have someone to blame. 6. Been an animagus is not against the law, is become one in hidden. Remus couldn’t admit to Dumbledore for shame and guilt. For betray his confidence. Remus said he is a coward for that. 7. If Pettigrew went to Azkaban… I don’t think he could scape like Sirius for a couple reasons: (1) Sirius didn’t lose his mind because dementors couldn’t erase the thought that he was innocent. Pettigrew will lose his mind. (2) Because Sirius didn’t lose his mind, he didn’t lose his magic or ability to use it. Pettigrew would lose his ability to use magic. (3) Sirius describe how weak and tired he was, without the obsession of catching Pettigrew, he would never have had the energy, determination and focus to transform. Pettigrew wouldn’t have any of that. 8. In the lake, the dementors attack first at Harry and Hermione because they are protecting Black. As Dumbledore said, the Dementors will attack you if you gave them reason to do it. Being between them and their target is a reason. 9. Time travel theory – i follow what you said but I think is wrong in 1 thing: my past self will kill my future self. No the other way around. In that case I assumed…. You will just vanish in the present. I mean, in the moment that you travel back. 10. Maybe when Dumbledore talk to Sirius (already captured) he softened the protection so Hermione and Harry can rescue Him. Also, I don’t think he could scape alone because hi was injured (by the fight with Lupin), weak from the dementor encounter and without wand. 11. Why no one saw “Petter Pettigrew” sleeping in the common room in the map? When the twins had it, they use it to plan mischiefs so they didn’t focus in that part of the castle. There was no point to do it. Why would they look there?

Paloma LCR

The Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite HP movie, though it still has so many things that were changed or left out. What change do you think was the worst? For me it was making Ron seem stupid and a sort of secondary character. Also I missed the explanation about the Marauders. About the last chapter: I find it strange that Fudge didn't know that one can't apparate and disapparate at Hogwarts. I would think that as a former student of Hogwarts he would know that. Or maybe he was just upset about Sirius' escape that he didn't realise what he said. I almost felt sorry for Snape. Almost. He was completely right about Harry having something to do with Sirius' escape but couldn't prove it. That must have been very frustrating. But then he goes and outs Lupin out of spite, so all my compassion for him went out the window. I loved the train ride back to London. The letter from Sirius always makes me smile. It's so nice of him to give the owl to Ron. That's one of Sirius' best traits - he's a very loyal friend. Anyway, can't wait to hear your thoughts on GoF.

Janie

I completely agree! I would have loved to see Harry at least checking in with her once, or seeing her making friends and being glad about it. I want to believe that Ginny took this year to connect to herself and make peace with her experiences, as well as trying to make friends and catch up on what she missed in her first year.

YaeliEz (Yael)

Let me start by saying that I love the Prisoner of Azkaban film, it's amazing. However, I always disliked the ending and much preferred the book's ending. Having the movie end with Harry getting the Firebolt and flying off was just always weird to me having read the books first and knowing that he got it like halfway through the actual story. The whole scene on the train with Sirius' letter confirming that he bought the Firebolt, giving Ron the owl as an apology for not having a rat anymore, and Hermione's smug reaction to being proven right were all great. And Harry telling Vernon that he has a godfather who's an escaped convict and mass murderer will always just be the funniest thing in the world. Again, I love the movie, but I much prefer the book's ending. I also loved Dumbledore and Harry's conversation about casting the Patronus and how he interpreted it as his father manifesting in him most when Harry has need of him. Essentially telling Harry that his father lives on through him. Also, I always liked how it confirms that the first time Harry casts a proper Patronus wasn't at the lake but during the Quidditch match; although it brings up a possible inconsistency that I'll have to remember to bring up when it comes up halfway through Order of the Phoenix. Lastly, I just wanted to say that it always bothered me when Snape essentially outed Lupin about being a werewolf. I understand that he was annoyed about the situation and he probably did it as a measure of both revenge against the Marauders as well as trying to keep the students safe from danger (at least in his mind), but I always equated it to being similar to outing a member of the gay community or someone with HIV. It just always annoyed me with Snape and I always felt it wasn't really his place to do that.

Kevin Morris

but did Sirius have the right to give Ron the owl? can you catch post owls, did he buy it (how and where), or did he steal it?

Garfnob

how was Dumbledore roasting Treelawney? he was stating a fact and considering compensating her performance. as far as he knows she has only made two real predictions and one is speculation as he only has Haarry's description to go on.

Garfnob

the term gaslighted is thrown around too freely diminishing its impact when used properly. i do not think this qualify. people did not manipulate the situation or try to get Severus to question his reality. they just denied Severus's hypotenuses. witch had no evidence, even though it was correct. only 3 people know Harry helped Black. everyone else was correct in not believing the Harry did it hypotenuses. the correct default position is to not bereave any proposal until there is enough evidence to warrant belief. "Psychologists use the term “gaslighting” to refer to a specific type of manipulation where the manipulator is trying to get someone else (or a group of people) to question their own reality, memory or perceptions. " Severus may have had every right to expose Remus and have should. if it was because he though Remus was a threat. he has kept the secret all year so the threat could not be that great in his mind. the timing would suggest it was out of pettiness. Remus made a mistake and resigned do to it, the responsible action. i expect this would have been the case even if Severus did not expose him. the only differences would have been he would have finished out the school year and resigned quietly. test where over so there was a week or so left. he would not have been dangerous again in that time. when did Remus not consider the safety of others? he forgot do to hectic events unfolding. people make mistakes. your trying to tell me you have never forgotten to do something because your mind was distracted? just because you want to know something does not mean you have the right to that knowledge. i want to live in a world where people only believe things they have evidence for, stand or fall on their own merits not because of the group they belong to, and people are not trying to tell me what i can or cannot do if that action only effects me. sadly i do not get that world ether.

Garfnob

Hi Veggie! Hope you are well. One of the best things I think Sirius did was to give Ron his very own owl. We will find out what the owl will be named in the next book and I find the name very funny. Also I find it very funny that Ron made Crookshanks sniff the owl and get her approval 😂 I can't wait for you to start Book 4! Specially the first few chapters which they completely missed out in the movies. Take care 😊

Eshi

Another incidence where Severus is gaslighted and ignored for his own concerns. Which he was never really wrong about. So putting myself in Severus' shoes, I absolutely understand his anger and rage when he isn't listened to or taken seriously. Already knowing his story, this is quite heartbreaking. This isn't the first time Dumbledore has silenced Severus, even when his life was under threat, ironically, for a similar event. I know Remus is a fan favorite, but he must take appropriate accountability for his actions, too. Severus has already suffered enough for his. Severus had every right to expose Remus. Severus had been brewing his Wolfsbane perfectly for the entire year, giving him extra when he needs, and yet knowing how dangerous his condition was, failed to take the Wolfsbane, or seek Severus out for it earlier before he bolted off the grounds. Remus should have prioritised this, so he didn't put children and adults at a dangerous, life-threatening risk. Remus - as a teacher - had a duty of care to keep his students safe. He was working with children. Remus failing to take a potion that could have given him more self-control is a little reckless. Not to mention Remus withholding valuable information from Dumbledore which could have resolved this Sirius problem far safer and quicker. Severus had been holding on to his werewolf secret for many years, not even exposing him when he was loyal to Voldemort all those years ago. So when Remus did not consider the safety of others in such a dire time, Severus simply had enough. To be absolutely truthful, I'd want to know if my Professor was a werewolf, too. And a safe one, at that.

Michelle Linardis

I could not agree more on the films... My least two films as well! Especially HBP XD

Dara Jeeling

also excited for Veggie to read Goblet. I love the book and I really did not appreciate the film all that much! So as you said I can not wait for him to learn more about all that was cut out of the movie. Giblet and HBP are my least favorite movies, since I always thought that the films took so much away (changed to teen drama/ comedy).

Dara Jeeling

Hi Jake, for the time turner thingy... I always assumed - when the book came out - that McGonagall had to apply for a student (no name mentioned to the Ministry) and that she and Dumbledore and Hermione did not tell anyone else. Even the other teachers. And we know hermione used the time turner more, then she was allowed to do, since she mentions somewhere that she used it to get some sleep and have enough time to get through homeowrk as well. As for the cat delivering an order.... we know Owls do it all the time, so why not accept an order from a cat? but then that's just me, again. I sometimes try hard not to read to much in things and then read way to much into the characters...

Dara Jeeling

was it Sarcastic Dumbledore? i took it as a legitimate consideration. he was thinking out loud.

Garfnob

and sense out of order or items in different sense. will like to see if he mentions the problems with watching the sense as a movie refresher.

Garfnob

Greetings. As always feel free to skip commenting on any items you have covered form a prior post. Chapter – 22 -this chapter confirm quidditch performance effects the house cup, but not how. Are the points 1:1 or is a win worth X points or whatever else it could be. 1:1 would be problematic as covered in the past. -owl order has horrible payment practices. “hi, this is Harry Potter. I would like the most expensive item you have. Take the gold out if Sirius Black’s account.” Shop “ok”. -delivery owls are magic. Black “your owl will find me”. Verifying the sender does not need to know where the recipient is. All the ministry needs to do is send a fugitive a letter then fallow the owl. Man hunt over. -I like how Ron checks with Crookshanks before deciding to keep the owl. He has forgiven Crookshanks then. P.S. I like the excitable owl.

Garfnob

Snape raging at Harry is both amusing and sad to me. Amusing because he actually is right about Harry's involvement in Sirius' escape. It's sad because it showcases how he lets his hatred of James (& the marauders) color how he treats and views Harry. You know you're going too far when even Fudge is telling you to calm down and saying that you're unbalanced lol. The line where Harry is trying to think of an argument to make Lupin stay was so sad. In a very short time span Harry: -learned the truth about who truly betrayed his parents -got his hopes up about going to live with Sirius -had those hopes dashed with Wormtail's escape -went back in time to rescue Sirius -and now he's essentially losing another adult (Lupin) that he's come to trust and respect That's a lot for anyone to go through, let alone a 13 year old. "That brings her total of real predictions up to 2. I should offer her a pay raise." Sarcastic Dumbledore is glorious. Loved this moment of levity. So excited for the start of Goblet of Fire! There's so much new and fascinating information. Can't wait to hear your thoughts and reactions to the differences between the book and the movie. Though I love both, the amount that is left out of the movie is mind blowing. Sorry for the long message! Thank you for doing these videos! 💛

Sam-I-Am

So I have always wondered how payment for certain things work in the wizard world. I know Black used Harry's name to order the firebolt. But payment was taken from Blacks vault. Did this not set off alarms that it's not his own vault he wants to pay from? Could anyone put any vault down and as long as there enough money it's OK? Also Black is on the run at this point why is any money allowed to come out of his account at all. Well now you have finished the books that there movies retain the most information from the books. Moving forward you are about to get new characters and plots the movies had to leave out. I can't wait for your reactions to these.

Jacob sparks

Hi Veggie :-) Thank you again for doing this. I'm not THAT surprised about Fudge not knowing about Hermione having the time-turner – he's not making every decision in the ministry. Still maybe a bit strange that it wasn't mentioned by Fudge/Snape, though, so I've thought about that before too! Some of the things I really like in this final chapter: -"That brings her total of real predictions up to two. I should offer her a pay rise..." and more Treelawney roasting from Dumbledore. - The bond between Pettigrew and Harry that Dumbledore spoke about is interesting. Never mentioned in the films, of course. - Dumbledore being really good at making Harry feel he wasn't stupid about the whole "I thought I saw my dad" thing. - Sirius [....Mr. Black...] planning to be seen a long way away from Hogwarts. If you thought this book had many changes from book to movie, just wait for the next one...! If you compare it to Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire will seem like the movie is only vaguely inspired by the book! But I think you'll really enjoy it. It's a brilliant book, and I suspect the book clubs there will be even better than usual!

H

Rereading this chapter finally convinced me that Lupin would be the main character of a Marauders series. I wanted him and Harry to keep talking, that's why I prefer the movie version of their conversation. When Lupin talked about how he could have bitten any of them, I wanted to know more about how he felt after his transformation. Like- Where did he end up going? Where did he wake up? And how much does he remember from the night before? I really want to know. Anyway, my final thoughts: I was surprised how little I ended up commenting about this book. While it's my favorite, I also felt like it's one of the most faithfully adapted from the books. Besides missing the whole Marauders backstory... I feel like I'll have a lot more to say when you get to Goblet of fire. That book is up there in my favorites but the movie is my 2nd least favorite of the movies (Half-Blood Prince takes that cake). So I'm looking forward for you to meet book only characters.

Will

Hi Veggie! Hope all is going well! What I find interesting is the conversation between Harry and Dumbledore in this chapter is given to Harry and Lupin in the movies. I always felt Dumbledore is a fatherly figure to Harry in the books while in the movies he is more of a mentor. Even though this is a small difference I do think it changes the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore and overall Dumbledores character. What do you think of Dumbledore’s character so far in the series and his relationship with Harry? PoA if my favorite book and movie. Overall how did you enjoy this book and what has been your favorite so far?

Karen

This is probably my favorite ending, with Harry telling his uncle about Serius. I also feel like Ron asking Crookshanks if the owl is safe was adorable and showed that he had accepted the cat as someone with good judgement. Looking forward to the next book.

Kattie Martin

I just want to say this is the last movie that stayed semi to the book. I honestly feel that this book gave us an amazing taste of the darkness yet to come. I really feel like the movies caused the characters to seem 1 detentional instead of the fully flawed characters they are meant to be in the book. I think you will see that the villains and "good guys" seem less all bad all good as the books proceed as the story is written from Harry's prospective and as he gets older he starts seeing the world as less black and white.

Annamarie schwirian

Just one line of thought: We know that McGonnagall got the Time Turner from the ministry for Hermione. So at least someone from the ministry knows that she had it. So i assume that Fudge must know that she had it... he is the minister after all. And yet he does not even consider the possibility that she used it to save sirious... so he is either stupid or didnt know at all, in which case he does not a good job as minister. Another thought: Time turners can be used to free criminals, to kill innocents in the past and to do all sorts of bad stuff. I cant imagine the worst case scenario that could happen... maybe destroy time itself? Such dangerous items should not be used... and sure as hell dont be given to children.

Benjamin Hütz

I don’t think that Squib is meant to be taken as a scientific term. The term Squib was coined to describe someone whose parents were magical and therefore grew up in the magical world, but couldn't do magic. The words Squib and muggle are more about culture and relationship than magical potential. If we assume that magic is a genetic trait, then we would need different words than ‘muggle’ and ‘squib’ for people without the magic gene and people with a recessive magic gene. If the question you are trying to ask is, can two people with no recessive magical traits have a child who does carry recessive magical traits, in the real world in the vast majority of cases, the genetic potential has to exist in the parent for it to exist in the child. But there are examples in real genetics where it is not that simple, and we are talking about magic here, so who knows. To answer another one of your questions, why didn’t Lupin tell anyone that Sirius was an animagus, it was because he didn’t want Dumbledore to find out that Lupin betrayed his trust by leaving the shrieking shack with his friends as a werewolf. This is an example of Lupin’s worst quality, he has a cowardly streak when it comes to relationships. He never stood up to his friends when they were acting like bullies, and he doesn’t reveal this vital information about Sirius, in both cases because he doesn’t want to take the risk of losing the few people who accept him for who he is. In his defense, it is NOT a known fact that dementors don’t affect animals/animagi, and in fact, they do affect them, just not as much, and that really only helps Sirius stay sane. It still takes Sirius 12 years of near starvation to finally escape.

Ashley Evers

Can we just take a moment to appreciate Remus Lupin? After however many years of hardship and struggle, he has a well-paying job, a job he's good at, a job he likes, access to the only potion that helps his condition, a safe place to transform, and most people seem to treat him decently within Hogwarts. He makes a series of mistakes under tough emotional circumstances, He fails to inform Dumbledore about Black's Animagi status and he forgets to take his potion because he believes Harry is in danger. Snape decides that Lupin doesn't deserve another chance. I'm sure you can appreciate the irony there. Snape doesn't talk to Dumbledore or Lupin, doesn't try and convince them that Lupin needs to go. He blindsides them and forces the situation. It makes my blood boil that Snape uses Lupin's illness to completely up-end his life. And the consequences for Snape: Nothing. Nada. Zero. Sweet FA! ARGHH! I love this book and whilst it probably is the best of the movie adaptations, there are a number of interesting deviations. Of all the characters that were also in 1 and 2. Who had your favourite moment from this book and why? I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to Goblet. There will be returning characters, new characters, characters you've heard mentioned, but haven't seen yet, characters you liked and disliked in the films who are given much more depth. New storylines, storylines that were reduced to throwaway lines in the film. You will not believe the amount of stuff they sliced out of this movie. (And from 6. But that's for another time.) Prisoner has a runtime of 144 minutes to cover 22 Chapters. Goblet has a runtime of 157 minutes and covers 37 Chapters! And you know how much they removed from Prisoner!

S1lm4r1l

Hope you're well Veggie 😊 the reaction of Fudge and Snape in this chapter confuses me- didn't they know about the Time Turner? Fudge acts as if being in two places at once is impossible, and yet we learnt that Hermione had to get ministry permission for the Time Turner so surely he knows about it? Couple that with Snape's insistence they are confunded, and would it be so unreasonable to assume Hermione has indeed used the time turner in an extracurricular manner? And we finally learn how Black got Harry the firebolt! The whole thing seems a little contrived to me, though. Say you worked in Argos...would you really accept an order for a PlayStation 5 from a cat? And surely they know who owns the vault in Gringotts- would you not run a background check on where the money is coming from when it comes to something so 'priceless'? To me it just feels like Hermione getting another 'ha!' moment after an entire book of being shot down and treated like dirt by Ron. I'd like to say things will only get better, but, hormones...

Jake M

Hi Veggie! I've been following this series on youtube for a while, and decided to join the patreon now that we are getting close to the fourth book, which is the one I've been looking forward to the most since the beginning. Can't believe it's almost here! Back to this chapter, I really liked how in this book and the previous one the trip back to London on the Hogwarts Express was used to tie up the loose ends (Percy's girlfriend, and Sirius revealing he was the one who sent the Firebolt). When reading the books for the first time, it was nice to know that even after the action is done and everyone is going home you still had some little reveals to look forward to. It's also cool that this book teases what will happen in the next one with the Quidditch world cup. I know why they didn't put it in the movie, but I would have loved to see the Dursley's faces when Harry casually mentions that his godfather is a wanted murderer. It ties up nicely with the beginning of the book when Sirius's escape was reported on Muggle TV. Also, as a movie watcher I guess you're supposed to assume the time-turner is a one-time thing and will not be used again (as a storytelling plot point), but without Hermione being overworked and telling Harry and Ron that she gave it back at the end of the year, did you think she still had it for the rest of the series and kept using it to attend her classes?

Alias93

I really like the fact that dumbledore didn't know about the marauders being animagi. He sometimes seems too omnipotent and like a god rather than a wizard. It makes him seem more human and makes the marauders seem extra intelligent and cunning that they could all transform every full moon for years without anyone finding out. Loved hearing your thoughts for this book and so excited for you to learn of all the big changes in book 4!

Marianne

Hi Veggie 😊 First of all, we finally came to the “You can’t apparate or disapparate in the castle!” part. So glad we finally got that line. I mean what would it have taken them to include that in the movies because this always led to a lot of confusion for movie watchers. Also I like that a lot of little details were explained, like why Hermione doesn’t have the timeturner next year and why the dementors had to leave the school although Black wasn’t caught. I mean storyline-wise it is not that important that it was left out of the movie but still it answers a lot of questions. I also like that the “you can’t be in two places at once” line came from Dumbledore and not Hermione. I really like Dumbledore in the movies but in the books he is also quite cheeky and funny – I love it. And now we finally get to GoF, my second favorite book (and least favourite movie). My favourite book is OotP but I like HBP a lot too because that’s where we get a ton of background information. I’m so exited 😊.

Tämi

Hi Veggie! I gotta say that overall I think this book is probably one of my favourites with how things start to make more sense once you have all the clues. I think overall they did a great job with making this into a movie. The characters really start to show a lot more personality than the previous entries (my favourite thing about this book). I can't wait for you to get to Goblet of Fire next, my favourite book of the series!

Steven

This is not my favorite book mostly because I don't like the near-complete focus on one thing for the entire book, not to mention the almost complete absence of Ginny. I feel like JKR missed a great opportunity to have Harry and Ginny bond over the absolute hell that is Dementors and being forced to relieve their traumatic memories. Ginny has an increasing presence in the rest of the series but I always thought it was odd we don't really hear from her coming off the worst year of her life. I would have loved to know how she was doing in her second year at Hogwarts.

Josh Z

Hi Veggie :) Lupin packing up his office is sad. If he stayed, maybe Dumbledore would be sacked. He is someone who gave Lupin so many opportunities, so Lupin would feel terrible. Maybe Lupin thought resigning would show the wizarding community that he took people's safety seriously. I wonder why Harry and Ron didn't take Muggle Studies. Harry knows just as much as Hermione. I know Care of Magical Creatures and Divination are necessary for the plot. But imagine how happy Arthur would have been :) I like POA and how things tie up. However, I absolutely love GOF (top 3 for me). I can't wait for you to get so much extra info. Cheers :)

Sandra

It's tied for 2nd place for me. This and GoF are neck and neck but HBP is my absolute favorite

Raider Max

For some reason, the book doesn't end with Harry zooming off on his new broom laughing?? Jokes aside, I love the touches from Sirius, remembering that Harry's broom needs replacing and giving Ron some comfort after the shock of losing a pet in the strangest way possible! Fantastic Godfathering and amazing that he even thinks of Ron too. Another example of Ron as an afterthought in the movies? What do you think? Could be a time constraint but I think it's a great touch that could be achieved in a few lines of dialogue. Can't wait for book 4, this is where it all gets juicy...

Dinsdale_

he is not pleasant. Said it before and will continue to say so - he is my favorite character but I am not okay with some of his actions/reactions. I see differt reasons behind his reactions, some I still do not like. As for this one - I can sort of accept it (not what he will do in GoF, though). He knows, he lost his order - that one was for catching Black. Kick in the butt I am sure he is sure that Harry and Hermione helped - not sure how to describe it, but I have always had the feeling Snape is sort of keeping low level legimancy on Harry starting in book 1 (and no I do not approve) so I am quite sure he can make out Harry and/or Hermione feeling guilty or happy. But as we already established Truth Serums and Pensieves were not inented in this book - so he only had his rage, left. Which is not a pleasant character trait. I am also excited for Goblet, I loved all the little stories that were cut outin the film ( I wanted my Sphinx)...

Dara Jeeling

What do you think about the ability of owls to seemingly find someone whereever they are, once they were send by that person. I think they could have used that to find Black pretty easy with that. P.S. There is an accidental additional joke created by translating. Ron wants to call Harry on the pheleton (telephone), which is Feleton (Telefon) in german. If you say Feleton it sounds similar to Fehle Ton wich would roughly translate to missing sound, quite the opposite effect a phone should have.

Florian Krause

I didn't want to mention in the last book club that you still get the speech Sirius gives, but I think it makes more sense coming from Dumbledore. Sirius hasn't really earned that kind of emotional moment with Harry yet. This chapter has yet another reason why I don't like Snape as a person, him spilling Lupin's secret. Lupin was going to resign anyway because of what happened, there was no reason to tell anyone about him being a werewolf. Onto a lighter moment, Ron asking Crookshanks to make sure the owl is actually an owl always makes me smile. That whole scene is a lovely way to end this book, plus Harry telling the Dursleys about Sirius. Just *chefs kiss*.

Jacqueline Chaiton

I agrre with you on the fear front! more like "panic" mode

Dara Jeeling

my second favorite book in the series - I remember how much I loved it, that for ONCE it was not Voldemort. On chapter 22 I hate how the movie once more made a clown out of Ron "how d`you get there?" where here he is just unconsius. "dumbledore said calmly" and I am seeing him being as calm as in the film (Giblet) towards Snape *snickers* Also.... I love the end! Harrymaking sure Vernon knows his GODFATHER is the murderer *evil cackle* (on another note - not for th bookclub - being godparent - I have 4 godchildren - it means I take a very hands on approach in their upbringing. My youngest goddaughter is now 6and the circumstances of her birth are complictaed and left her mother in a coma and her dad running - so I took the tiny 3 day old baby in and raised her for the first 2 years until her mom was able to toake over. She came out of coma fater 5 month, but then came to live with us as well, since she could not live on her own with a baby. Also, here in Germany being a Godparent is striktly a church thing, so yes, I am also taking this very seriously. Me being roman catholic and all). Now we move on to the second worse film adaptation of a book (the worst is still HBP) you will undertsnd why I said that, after you finished book 4. and YAY that means I can now send the GoF box...

Dara Jeeling

I hope you have enjoyed this book and are ready for a LONG book full of new characters, side plots, red herrings, and a lot of new information… Do you want to know how many chapters does it take for us to get back to Hogwarts? 😅 I’ll be commenting more next book, pointing out some things, and trying to start some discussions (without spoilering). IT’S FINALLY TIME FOR THE GoF!!!

YaeliEz (Yael)

This is the start of why I don't like Snape. He instantly blames Harry for Black's escape, which he is correct, but he has absolutely no proof. He even continues after Madam Pomfrey says he had not left his bed. IMO this comes directly from hatred and not an actual intuition of Harry being guilty. He also let's the Slytherins know about Lupin knowing exactly what it would do to his job status. While not evil Snape is an absolute butt hole and I see it more every time I go through the series. Can't wait of Goblet of Fire.

Raider Max

Regarding Fudge. I think that he much like Snape is driven by fear. He was alive during Voldemort's last period of power and he is terrified of something like that happening again on his watch (!) that he is willing to get rid of Black as soon as possible to make sure that doesn't happen. In my opinion, Snape’s reactions in the hospital - both before and after the time travel - is the final proof to the theory that Snape is driven by fear in these scenes. Even Fudge is concerned by him overreacting. Snape's comment after the escape - “This has something to do with POTTER” - leaves me thinking that he is confusing Harry with his father again. I think he is roaring against James here, because he has “once again” saved Black from punishment and thus denied Snape his right to feel safe. I really, really wish that the whole “Dumbledore locking them in” had made it into the movie. That is such a good plan on Dumbledore’s part and all but clear the trio for any involvement. But since they left out Snape’s rage over Black escaping, I guess they would never need deniability. Dumbledore’s comment “He’s just suffered a severe disappointment” is also one of my favorite Snape-moments and goes to show how well Dumbledore understands Snape and his actions. Which makes it even more heartbreaking that he has to gaslight Snape about the escape (“Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once”). He knows that Snape is in the wrong, but he completely understands why Snape can’t see it.

Lisette C.