Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Ron Weasley is a 13-year-old wizard and “one of Harry’s best friends at Hogwarts” (3). Ron is described as having “flaming-red hair” (9), a long nose, and a freckled face. Like Harry, Ron is skinny and gangly, and the boys have a shared love for the wizarding game of Quidditch. Ron has joined Harry on his adventures throughout the Harry Potter series, and despite his hesitancy to get involved in sticky situations, Ron is an extremely loyal friend to Harry.

Unlike Harry, Ron was raised in a large wizarding family, and the entire Weasley household has welcomed Harry into their inner circle. The Weasleys are described as being “very nice and extremely poor” (9), and most of Ron’s possessions are hand-me-downs from his older siblings. “Like nearly everything Ron owned” (58), Ron’s pet rat Scabbers was a hand-me-down from his older brother. Despite the fact that Ron often complains about Scabbers being old, useless, and boring, he feels very protective of his rat. This causes a big strain in his friendship with Hermione, whose cat Crookshanks begins to harass Scabbers at the beginning of the school year in The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Ron demonstrates a penchant for holding a grudge when he believes that Crookshanks has eaten Scabbers. Unlike Harry, whose anger is more explosive, Ron’s anger tends to simmer over time. Ron can be vindictive, like when he loudly comments, “If Scabbers hadn’t just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies” (265), which causes Hermione to burst into tears. Ron shows no remorse in this moment but insists that Hermione needs to apologize before he can forgive her. Still, when Ron sees how upset Hermione is about Buckbeak’s imminent execution, he decides to put aside his childish grudge and help her prepare the hippogriff’s appeal. Ron may have an immature streak, but he cares deeply about his friends and family. Ron might complain when he is faced with a challenge, but he follows through on his commitments and rises to the occasion to help those who need him. 

Hermione Granger is a 13-year-old witch and another one of Harry’s best friends. Hermione is described as “the cleverest witch in Harry’s year” (5), with bushy brown hair and a talent for anything she sets her mind to. Unlike Ron or Harry, Hermione isn’t from a wizarding family; she is a “Muggle-born” witch. Hermione is bold, precise, and deeply protective of Harry.

In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione, who has always been an excellent student, decides to take more classes than Ron or Harry. Hermione has a genuine love of learning, but she also places very high expectations on herself. Hermione cares so deeply about schoolwork, in fact, that when it is time for her to face the boggart, it turns into Professor McGonagall telling Hermione that she “failed everything” (319). Hermione’s worst fear is failure, and as the school year goes on and she struggles to keep up with her intense workload, Hermione begins to crack. She places so much pressure on herself that she begins to have suffer from lack of sleep and extreme stress, and by the end of the novel, Hermione admits that she had to return the Time-Turner to Professor McGonagall because “it was driving [her] mad” (430). Hermione must learn that just because she is capable of an extreme workload doesn’t mean that she should subject herself to it.

Even with her heavy coursework, Hermione makes time to help those in need. Hagrid tells Ron and Harry that Hermione “Still found time to help [him] with Buckbeak’s case” (274), in spite of her heavy coursework. Hermione also whispers instructions to Neville during Potions to help him avoid Snape’s wrath, and when she realizes that Lupin is a werewolf, she doesn’t tell anyone because she knows Lupin is a good person. Hermione is deeply moral and has a huge heart for helping others, often at great personal risk to herself.

Remus Lupin is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher during Harry’s third year at Hogwarts and one of the late James Potter’s best friends. His nickname “Moony” appears on the Marauder’s Map, which he co-authored with his friends as a student at Hogwarts. Lupin is described as “extremely shabby,” and he often looks “ill and exhausted” (74), despite his youth. Professor Lupin is kind, insightful, and to his students he is “the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher [they’ve] ever had” (170).

Unlike their previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, Lupin doesn’t lecture his students; he gives them hands-on activities, such as battling a boggart on their first day of class and encouraging them to work together and face their fears. Lupin also takes a special interest in students like Neville Longbottom, empowering him to help lead the lesson on boggarts. Lupin instills confidence in his students and makes them eager to learn more.

Lupin’s greatest fear, the “silvery-white orb” (138) which turns out to be the full moon, hints at his great secret. Lupin is a werewolf who transforms every full moon, and although he now takes a potion that renders him harmless, he is haunted by the fact that he used to become “a fully fledged monster once a month” (353). Lupin is such a kind, gentle person that he is horrified by the fact that he could seriously hurt people in his werewolf state. Lupin believes so strongly in personal responsibility that he scolds Harry for sneaking out of Hogwarts into Hogsmeade. He states, “Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive” (290), and Harry is disrespecting their sacrifice by being so irresponsible.

Before learning that Sirius Black was innocent, Lupin is deeply troubled by the idea that one of his best friends would have killed his other best friend, and he seems to blame himself for not being a better judge of character. Still, as soon as Lupin learns that Pettigrew is alive and Black is innocent, he quickly returns to help Black, apologizing for ever believing that his friend could have committed such a terrible crime. Lupin is mature, caring, and deeply empathetic to the plight of those he loves.

Sirius Black is an escaped convict from Azkaban, and although he is later discovered to be innocent, Black is introduced as the main antagonist of The Prisoner of Azkaban. Black was one of the best friends of the late James Potter, and his nickname “Padfoot” appears on the Marauder’s Map, which he co-authored with his friends as a student at Hogwarts. Black is described as having “filthy, matted hair” (338), “waxy skin,” and “yellow teeth” (339) after spending 12 years in Azkaban. Black is also known to have a “nasty temper” (161), which is shown when he attacks the Fat Lady’s portrait with a knife and tries to kill Peter Pettigrew before bothering to explain the situation to Harry.

Black is accused of killing 13 people on the night that Lily and James Potter were murdered by Lord Voldemort. He is also blamed for telling Voldemort where the Potters were hiding, and although he didn’t betray Lily and James, Black bears the weight of their deaths, because he admits that he convinced them to use Pettigrew as their Secret-Keeper instead of Black. In Black’s mind, he “as good as killed [the Potters]” (365), and he feels tremendous shame because of this. Still, Black was appointed Harry’s godfather, and he cares for Harry.

Black is an Animagus and often takes the disguise of a “gigantic, shaggy black dog” (303). As a student at Hogwarts, Black decided to become an Animagus in secret to make sure his friend Lupin didn’t have to be alone during full moons. As a teenager, Black was mischievous and enjoyed exploring Hogwarts and Hogsmeade with his friends, which led to the creation of the Marauder’s Map. Black also has a cruel streak, because he tried to play a very dangerous prank on Severus Snape when they were students at Hogwarts. Still, Black’s impulsive behavior is often motivated by a drive to protect his friends and the people he loves, and although his methods are questionable, Black is a loyal friend and caring man.