Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• Read: 6 Apr 2026 - 14 Apr 2026

• Author: J.K. Rowling

• Year: 1999

• Pages: 480

• Remarks: Harry Potter Series Book 3

• Synopsis:

  • Harry Potter returned for his third year at Hogwarts under the terrifying shadow of an escaped Azkaban convict named Sirius Black. As the frantic search for the notorious mass murderer went on, the Ministry of Magic stationed soul-sucking Dementors around the school grounds to protect the students. Amidst these looming dangers, Harry had to master advanced defensive magic and navigate the challenges of school life whilst unravelling the hidden, complicated truths about his parents' tragic demise.

[14 Apr 2026] ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ (1999), by J.K. Rowling.

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Reading Background:

• Took more than a week to finish this book despite it being a relatively short book. Was quite distracted from reading during this period. Raced Alden on F1 25 on a couple of nights, and G and I went to JB for a 2-night staycation with ZY, XW, Camy and SK over the recent weekend. Brought along my Kindle and thought I would read there, but the activities (including karting, karaoke, escape room, jail tour, movie nights, and lots of eating) proved to be too exhausting.

• I think that one drawback of re-reading a mystery book is that the mystery is no more, and that really took away one big motivation to press on with the reading.

• This was probably my fourth or fifth time reading 'Azkaban', and it had been my favourite 'Harry Potter' book for the longest time! Despite this, I think I have had enough of this series for the time being. Will move on to read some other series first before revisiting the rest of the 'Harry Potter' series again in the future!

What I enjoyed about the book:

• The refreshing change of format.

  • Unlike its two predecessors, where the story arc always ended with Harry vs the ultimate villain Voldemort, this book deviated from this "formula", and it was a refreshing read. I really liked the unexpected twist at the end.

• The tightly interwoven plot.

  • I really liked how different elements in the plot, such as the Grim, Crookshanks, Scabbers, Marauders' Map, Lupin's illness etc, all seemingly unrelated when they were introduced, were pieced together intricately in the climax. 

• The dementors as allegory for depression.

  • Didn't think too much about them during my previous reads when I was younger, but now, reading about dementors and their effects on the characters in the book gave me so much feels. J.K. Rowling's descriptions about them were really accurate, e.g. how their effects manifest differently across different people; how they make you feel like you would never be cheerful again; how when they're gone you suddenly feel like you're back alive again, but the thought of being near one again is too frightful to bear.

What I found less enjoyable about the book:

• The 'Hermione's Secret' element.

  • I used to think this element was brilliant, creative and novel, but after this read and on hindsight after finishing all the books, I realised it did the series quite a huge disfavour. It really opened up too many massive plot holes. 

My overall thoughts:

• This book felt very enjoyable and a fun read! Similar to what I like in its predecessors, I enjoyed Rowling's writing style, the humour she sprinkled everywhere, and the mystery and thrill in the intricately interwoven plot that she presented. I also liked the glimpse of how the tone of the series was transitioning into a darker and more mature one. The only pity I felt was that Rowling probably didn't think through the time element thoroughly enough. It felt a bit like a situation where you win a battle with the novelty and creativity, but lost the war with the numerous plot holes it introduced. Overall, it was still a superb book, and of course I would highly recommend it!

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• Chapter 1: Owl Post

  • Harry Potter spent his summer holidays at the Dursleys’ house, forced to complete his schoolwork in secret. On his thirteenth birthday, he received cards and gifts from his friends via owl post. Ron Weasley sent him a Pocket Sneakoscope from Egypt, Hermione Granger sent a Broomstick Servicing Kit, and Hagrid gifted him a biting textbook called A Monster Book Of Monsters. He also received his Hogwarts letter, which included a permission form to visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade that required a guardian’s signature.

• Chapter 2: Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake

  • Uncle Vernon’s sister, Aunt Marge, arrived for a week-long visit. Harry made a bargain with Uncle Vernon to behave normally in exchange for a signature on his Hogsmeade permission form. Throughout the week, Aunt Marge constantly belittled Harry. On the final evening, she viciously insulted his late parents, causing Harry to lose control of his magic and inflate her like a massive balloon. Furious and panicked, Harry packed his trunk, threatened his uncle with his wand, and ran away into the night.

• Chapter 3: The Knight Bus

  • Stranded in the dark, Harry sensed a massive black dog watching him before he accidentally summoned the Knight Bus, an emergency magical transport. The conductor, Stan Shunpike, informed Harry that a notorious mass murderer and supporter of Lord Voldemort named Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban prison. The bus dropped Harry at the Leaky Cauldron in London, where the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, met him. To Harry’s relief, Fudge did not expel him for underage magic and arranged for him to stay at the inn until the school term began, though he declined to sign the Hogsmeade form.

• Chapter 4: The Leaky Cauldron

  • Harry spent his remaining summer days wandering Diagon Alley. He reunited with Ron and Hermione, who purchased a grumpy ginger cat named Crookshanks that immediately set its sights on Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers. On the final night before school, Harry overheard Mr and Mrs Weasley arguing and discovered that Sirius Black had specifically broken out of Azkaban to track down and kill him.

• Chapter 5: The Dementor

  • Harry, Ron, and Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express and sat in a compartment with the sleeping new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor R. J. Lupin. The journey halted when a Dementor, a foul Azkaban guard searching for Black, boarded the train. Its presence forced Harry to hear a woman’s dying screams and pass out. Professor Lupin awoke, drove the Dementor away with a silvery spell, and handed out chocolate to help the students recover. At the welcome feast, Dumbledore warned the school about the Dementors, and announced Hagrid as the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher.

• Chapter 6: Talons And Tea Leaves

  • In their first Divination lesson, Professor Trelawney predicted Harry’s imminent death after spotting a spectral dog known as the Grim in his tea leaves. In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall dismissed the prediction as nonsense. Hagrid hosted his first Care of Magical Creatures class, introducing the students to Hippogriffs. Harry successfully approached and rode a Hippogriff named Buckbeak. However, Draco Malfoy insulted the creature and was slashed on the arm, leaving Hagrid devastated and fearful for his job.

• Chapter 7: The Boggart In The Wardrobe

  • Malfoy milked his minor injury to avoid work in Potions, whilst Professor Snape relentlessly bullied Neville Longbottom. In Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin taught the class how to repel a Boggart, a shape-shifter that took the form of a person’s worst fear. Neville successfully dressed a Boggart-Snape in his grandmother’s clothes. However, Lupin intervened before Harry could face the creature, abruptly ending the lesson.

• Chapter 8: Flight Of The Fat Lady

  • Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood pushed the Gryffindor team through gruelling practice sessions. Harry felt left out when the other third-year students departed for their first Hogsmeade weekend. He spoke with Professor Lupin, who explained he had stopped Harry from fighting the Boggart because he assumed it would take the shape of Lord Voldemort. Harry confessed his greatest fear was actually the Dementors. Following the Halloween feast, the students returned to Gryffindor Tower to find the Fat Lady’s portrait slashed; Sirius Black had attempted to force his way inside.

• Chapter 9: Grim Defeat

  • The students slept in the Great Hall whilst the staff searched the castle, but Black had vanished. Sir Cadogan replaced the Fat Lady as the Gryffindor guard. During a torrential thunderstorm, Gryffindor played Hufflepuff in Quidditch. Harry spotted the large black dog in the stands before a swarm of Dementors invaded the pitch. Harry heard his mother’s screams and fell fifty feet from his broom. Cedric Diggory caught the Snitch to win the game, and Harry’s beloved Nimbus Two Thousand was destroyed when it blew into the Whomping Willow.

• Chapter 10: The Marauder’s Map

  • Fred and George Weasley gifted Harry the Marauder’s Map, a magical parchment showing every person and secret passage in Hogwarts. Harry used a hidden tunnel to sneak into Hogsmeade and join his friends. While hiding under an Invisibility Cloak in the Three Broomsticks, Harry eavesdropped on the teachers and the Minister for Magic. He learnt the horrifying truth that Sirius Black was his godfather, had been his parents’ Secret-Keeper, and had betrayed them to Voldemort before murdering their friend Peter Pettigrew.

• Chapter 11: The Firebolt

  • Consumed by hatred, Harry wanted revenge against Black. Hagrid received a letter stating that Buckbeak was going to be put on trial for the incident with Malfoy. On Christmas morning, Harry received an anonymous, top-of-the-line Firebolt broomstick. Suspicious that it was a cursed gift from Sirius Black, Hermione reported the broom to Professor McGonagall, who confiscated it for testing. This caused a bitter falling out between Hermione and the boys.

• Chapter 12: The Patronus

  • Professor Lupin began teaching Harry how to repel Dementors using the Patronus Charm, an advanced spell fuelled by a profoundly happy memory. Harry struggled to cast a fully corporeal Patronus, managing only a silvery shadow. The feud between the friends escalated when Ron found his bedsheets stained with blood and ginger cat hair, leading him to conclude that Crookshanks had finally eaten his missing rat, Scabbers.

• Chapter 13: Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

  • Professor McGonagall returned the Firebolt, declaring it free of curses. During the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle dressed as Dementors to sabotage Harry, but Harry blasted them with a Patronus and caught the Snitch. The victory celebrations ended abruptly that night when Sirius Black broke into the boys' dormitory with a knife, slashed Ron's bed curtains, and fled.

• Chapter 14: Snape’s Grudge

  • Security around the castle became extremely strict. Hagrid invited Harry and Ron to his cabin and scolded them for abandoning Hermione. Harry used his Invisibility Cloak to sneak into Hogsmeade again, where he threw mud at Malfoy. Malfoy spotted Harry's floating head and reported him to Snape. Snape cornered Harry and forced him to empty his pockets, revealing the Marauder's Map, which insulted Snape in writing. Lupin intervened to save Harry but confiscated the map and reprimanded him for risking his life. Hermione then arrived with the terrible news that Buckbeak had lost his appeal and was sentenced to death.

• Chapter 15: The Quidditch Final

  • Tensions reached breaking point before the Quidditch final. Hermione snapped and slapped Malfoy for mocking Hagrid's misery. In a particularly foul-heavy and aggressive match against Slytherin, Harry outflew Malfoy to catch the Snitch, winning the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor and securing a joyous victory.

• Chapter 16: Professor Trelawney’s Prediction

  • During Harry’s Divination exam, Professor Trelawney fell into a genuine trance and predicted that the Dark Lord’s servant would break free and rejoin his master before midnight. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneaked down to Hagrid's cabin under the Invisibility Cloak before Buckbeak's execution. Inside, Hermione discovered Scabbers hiding in a milk jug. As the execution party approached, the trio slipped out the back. From the edge of the forest, they heard the swing of an axe and believed Buckbeak had been beheaded.

• Chapter 17: Cat, Rat, And Dog

  • As the trio retreated, Scabbers bit Ron and ran away. Crookshanks and the massive black dog appeared. The dog dragged Ron by his broken leg into a tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow. Harry and Hermione followed the tunnel into the Shrieking Shack, where they found Ron and discovered the dog was actually Sirius Black, an unregistered Animagus. Professor Lupin burst into the room, disarmed Harry, and embraced Black. Hermione exposed Lupin as a werewolf. Lupin admitted his condition but insisted Black was innocent, revealing that the true traitor was Peter Pettigrew, who had spent twelve years disguised as Scabbers the rat.

• Chapter 18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, And Prongs

  • Lupin explained that he, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew had created the Marauder's Map. His three friends had secretly become Animagi to keep him safe and accompany him during his werewolf transformations. Suddenly, Professor Snape threw off Harry’s Invisibility Cloak, aiming his wand at Lupin and Black, desperate to see them punished due to a bitter childhood grudge.

• Chapter 19: The Servant Of Lord Voldemort

  • Snape refused to listen to the truth, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione simultaneously cast Disarming Charms, knocking the Potions master unconscious. Black explained how he had seen Pettigrew in a newspaper photograph and broken out of Azkaban to protect Harry. Lupin and Black forced Scabbers to revert to his human form. Cornered, Pettigrew confessed that he had sold James and Lily Potter to Voldemort out of cowardice. Black and Lupin prepared to execute him, but Harry intervened, demanding they hand Pettigrew over to the Dementors so that Black could be cleared of all charges.

• Chapter 20: The Dementor’s Kiss

  • The group made their way back to the castle grounds. Sirius offered Harry a chance to live with him, which Harry eagerly accepted. However, the moon emerged from the clouds, and Lupin, who had missed his potion, transformed into a werewolf. Sirius transformed into a dog to fight him, whilst Pettigrew changed back into a rat and escaped. Sirius was badly injured in the fight and retreated to the lake, where a massive swarm of Dementors cornered him, Harry, and Hermione. Harry failed to cast a Patronus to repel them. Just as a Dementor lowered its hood to perform the fatal Kiss, a brilliant, stag-shaped Patronus charged across the lake and drove the Dementors away. Harry fainted, convinced he had seen his deceased father cast the spell.

• Chapter 21: Hermione’s Secret

  • Harry awoke in the hospital wing to discover that Black had been captured and sentenced to the Dementor’s Kiss. Dumbledore arrived and instructed Hermione to use her Time-Turner, a device the Ministry had given her to attend multiple classes. Harry and Hermione travelled three hours into the past. They rescued Buckbeak just before the executioner swung his axe and then waited in the forest, watching the night's events replay. Realising that nobody else was coming to save them at the lake, Harry stepped forward and cast the powerful stag Patronus himself. Harry and Hermione then rode Buckbeak up to the tower window where Sirius was imprisoned, allowing the innocent man to escape into the night on the Hippogriff.

• Chapter 22: Owl Post Again

  • Harry and Hermione made it back to the hospital wing just as Dumbledore locked the doors. Snape was utterly enraged when he discovered Black had vanished. Following the leak of his werewolf status by Snape, Professor Lupin resigned and returned the Invisibility Cloak and Marauder’s Map to Harry. On the Hogwarts Express journey home, a tiny owl delivered a letter from Sirius. It included a signed Hogsmeade permission form, confirmation that he had sent the Firebolt, and the gift of the tiny owl for Ron to keep. Harry returned to the Dursleys feeling much more optimistic, comforted by the knowledge that he finally had a godfather.