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[CLOSED] The Harry Potter Book Club! - Your Notes for Chapters 11, 12 & 13 of the Prisoner of Azkaban! (Patreon)

Published:
2023-02-20 17:26:20
Edited:
2023-03-09 17:43:26
Imported:
2026-08
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Content

This part of the Book Club is now CLOSED! Thanks for taking part and see you next time!! :)

HI GUYS!  PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING UPDATE BEFORE COMMENTING! -

UPDATE: - ello. :)

Just a quicky this time - If you DM me your thoughts instead of commenting on this blog, please start your message with "Book Club -".  This will really help me out when it comes to organising the Book Club section! Thanks!!

Here is a chance to get your comment read out in the next Book review video!

If you are reading along with the reviews, we are covering chapters "Firebolt", "The Patronus" and "Gryffindor Vs Ravenclaw"! So if you have any thoughts, opinions, comparisons or questions regarding these, please leave a comment below!

I do have to ask, try to keep them fairly short, like 4 or 5 sentences.  That way I can cover more when making the video.  Also try to keep them on subject and not referencing anything that we are yet to cover. Ideally, keep it to 1 comment each if you can (if you have more to say after commenting, you can edit it and add to it! :) ).  These are just rough guidelines rather than rules, I want to be able to fit in as many of you as possible! :)

NEW FEATURE!! - As some of you may want to make a comment, but not have it replied to by others, you can now Message me your thoughts on the chapters by DM'ing me on here.  If you do, please follow all the above rules, especially avoiding mentioning things in future chapters or books!  Oh and please start your DM message with "Book Club -"!

To anyone that does reply to comments below, please make sure you are being friendly and respectful!  A lot of tone and meaning can be lost in text, after all!  If you disagree with someone on something, keep it polite and remember the golden rule in life - Sometimes you have to just agree to disagree! :)

Thanks, guys!! :)

Files

Comments

Raider Max

Professor Trelawney's omen at Christmas is CORRECT. She doesn't want to sit because when 13 dine the first to arise is the first to die. When Dumbledore stands up to tell conjure a chair, everyone believes there are 12 there. Except for one major thing, Scabbers isn't a rat therefore there were already 13 there and Dumbledore was the first to arise.

Helen

Hermione telling Prof. McGonagall about the firebolt is very revealing about her character. Harry’s safety is more important to her than their friendship. Also, it’s interesting that they changed this so much in the movie. In the movie, the firebolt is gifted at the end of the year in a gift known to be from Sirius who is now a friend.

Rebecca May

It’s so, so wrong that what Harry wants more than anything else – what he saw in the Mirror of Erised - is to be with his family, and yet the closest he can get is hearing the last moments of his parents’ lives. That’s so much more than anyone, yet alone a thirteen-year-old, should ever have to go through… It’s heart-breaking watching Harry make the choices he has to make in these chapters. I’m happy that Lupin can be there to help him through it, but it can’t be easy for Lupin either. That being said, I’m actually really glad that Lupin waited this long to tell Harry that he was friends with James. It gave their relationship a chance to develop on its own terms, without Harry seeing Lupin as a sort of stand-in for James, or vice versa. It’s natural for Lupin to be protective of Harry but the way their relationship progresses just feels so real and genuine. It really is one of my favourite things about these books.

Chesca

When I first read this book at age 12 I found the Sirius knife scene so scary! I love Sirius but the fact that he was willing to break into the boy’s dormitory with a knife, & risk terrifying 13 year old Ron to get to Pettigrew shows him to be very morally grey in my opinion. I wonder if that’s why this scene didn’t make the film? Sirius becomes such a loved character & this isn’t one of his finest moments! On a different note, Lee Jordan’s quidditch commentary never fails to make me laugh - he definitely seems to have a Firebolt sponsorship here haha. Also it’s a shame they didn’t show Malfoy & co impersonating a dementor in the film - would have been funny to watch!

Josh Z

I think we have officially hit the point where the movies difference from the books are permanently noticeable, so I can't wait to hear what you think. My observations are as follows. 1. The firebolt, and Sirus Black invading the castle for the second time. I love how much more built up he is in the book and how unhinged he is, really shows how terrible Askaban is. Hermione is right to be suspicious of the Firebolt, Harry clearly forgot that he has had his broom jixed in first year. 2. I have always loved the way the book handled learning and casting magic in general, you can't just point your wand say something, and do magic, especially in the case of more advanced spells like the Patronus charm. The movies ironically do a terrible job with the magic and just how special it truly is. Did you know that throughout the entire first movie, Harry Potter does not cast a single spell, let that sink in. 3. Back to these chapters, I love that the Ron Hermione subplot in the book doesn't feel petty, they are each truly upset for very valid reasons and I'll be very interested to hear your opinions. The movies really did drop the ball with a lot of the personal relationships, I know these things are secondary but they should have been given the same authenticity and respect as the source material. Time constraints is no excuse for turning characters into lesser versions of themselves. Keep up the great work veggie:)

Florian

Hey Veggie, what do you think of Hermione's behaviour, of constantly bringing Crookshanks near Scabbers and her acting with Ron after the attack after the rat supposedly died?

Hawwah

I hate to be that person, but it doesn't say anywhere that Ron had Scabbers with him at the Christmas table. It's just a guess.

Rebecca May

It's a fairly reasonable guess though. Not long before the Christmas dinner Harry says of Scabbers: "It had been a while since Harry had seen him out of Ron's pocket..." It certainly seems heavily implied that Ron is constantly keeping Scabbers in his pocket in an attempt to protect him and keep him away from Crookshanks. Either way, I do think it's clever that JK Rowling often leaves Trelawney's skill as a Seer - or lack thereof - so open to interpretation.

Hawwah

You're absolutely right about Hermione. She cared more about Harry's life than about the possibiliy that he might get angry at her. Like a real friend should. Professor Lupin had to make a similar choice, but he decided that protecting his reputation was more important than Harry's life.

Clair C

First, I undertand the changes they made, of the harry potter adaptations this is my favorite. At the same time is so sad to see the changes get bigger and bigger. In this chapters I have 4 things that I like to comment: 1) The firebolt question is so incredible, brings us a part of the wizarding world, they dismantle the broom and is so good to se the little pieces of how does this world work. We also have the big question: who give harry this present? Is so nice to see this mistery, in the movie the present is one of the last scenes and they know it is from sirius. 2) The buckbeak trial seems also bigger, and give us a idea of how the ministery works. They consider hagrid inocent and buckbeak will have a trial, so it makes me think about the ministery protocols and the departments division, and mostly the magical laws. 3) Also, they argue about scabbers, and when we have this scenes I like to think about scabbers as just a rat, not a person, so I agree a lot with ron. Hermione doesn't look like she cares. But she is also right when she says that ron had a "preconception" about crookshanks since the begining. Both have good reasons to be upset with each other. I love see how complex this friendship becomes as time goes by and they get older. Also, hermione overloaded with the subjects she takes is so interesting 4) Sirius second invasion, at the movie sirius invades hogwarts once (the fat lady invasion), but this second is so important, I don't know why they didn' put this instead. It is a hint, he wasn't looking for harry. And the password plot is so well done. Thanks for this book club, it's so good see others opinion.

Jacqueline Chaiton

It's chapters like these where you really have to remember that Ron and Harry are 13 years old. To prioritize the Firebolt over Harry's own safety is ridiculous but for two 13 year old boys who grew up without money, to have the most expensive broom in the world in their possession and then suddenly not, I can understand why they are mad. I don't agree with them being mad, obviously Hermione is totally in the right here, but I get it.

Will

When Gryffindors were celebrating their win, Sirius must have been in the castle already. So now I just imagine him waiting patiently for them to finish celebrating until he attacked.

Caroline

Hi Veggie! Thank you for the book club! It's so much fun! This time I finally manage to write a comment. Did you know that JK created the Dementors as an embodiment of depression? During an Interview, she once talked about this and how she suffered from depression. Her personal way of dealing with it was to hold on to beautiful memories. And sometimes eating a piece of chocolate ;) (If you've ever wondered why of all things the antidote is chocolate) Anyway I think this makes every detail of their description so much more impressive and deep. For example Harry is often afraid that the dementors might suddenly return and doesn't know how to deal with it, which weighs heavily on him. Nevertheless, Wood constantly urges him to find a quick solution to his "Dementor Problem" because he can't imagine it being such a big deal for Harry and that other things are more important. I study literature, which is why these "meta-themes" are so exciting to me. I will definitely try to pick up some of these in future book clubs when it fits the chapters. Hope you find this as interesting as I do :) the HP Books are full of them. When I read the story for the first time, I was completely surprised by the plot twist with Scabbers. I should have known from the previous books that there are always hidden clues in the story, but no one could have guessed that, right? But reading it today it's very, very obvious. So much revolves around their pets. They were never mentioned this much before. In general: Rereading these chapters showed me again how much I love the writing style. Such a complex world and character-building, humour and storytelling at the same time. The more I read the books the more fascinated I am. And that’s still nothing compared to the following books. Already looking forward to this.

Jacob sparks

it always felt odd that harry was worried the dementors would come back during the  match. Yes they showed up at the first match but the other teams have played against each other with no dementors coming in.

Jakmar

Harry getting the Firebolt here instead of at the end totally changes the entire dynamic of the scene/chapter. It goes from “oh no Sirius Black may have given Harry this Firebolt” to “Wicked, Sirius gave Harry a brand new Firebolt.” I do think I prefer the book version.

Kunzite Blossom

These are some of the biggest changes. From Harry getting the firebolt early and Sirius's second appearance. Which do you prefer for Harry getting his firebolt? I find it so much more meaningful in the movie, knowing he gets it AFTER knowing the truth. The added feather from Buckbeak is nice since it shows they are both safe and out of danger for the time being. Thought's on Trelawney's prediction? Since from the movie you know Scabber's is actually Peter we know that while everyone count's 12 people there, we actually later know there were 13 before she joined. So Dumbledore getting up would mark him as the first to die. Who do we know dies first? There will be other instances of this prediction coming true in later books. Wonder if you will catch it.

Jake M

It's criminal how the movie condensed Ron and Hermione's feud into one scene in the Leaky Cauldron, when it's an overarching subplot of the entire book. The Firebolt is one of many combative moments between them and it's completely removed from the film by Harry getting it at the end. Was the idea to make the trio seem like perfect people with infallible friendships? Because that's not how teenagers work. Ron does make a good point though- how could the most wanted man in wizarding Britain waltz into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy the most expensive broom, no questions asked? Given its prestige and price tag ('Price on request', remember), you'd think the shop has a record of all the people who bought one; like supercars in the muggle world. I'd be interested to know your ideas of how Sirius would go about getting Harry a broom? Also, a lot of people are telling you to pay attention to Trelawney's predictions, but I think it's far more interesting to pay attention to Harry and Ron's 'joke' ones in this book and the next. Already we've had 'a bowler hat' and 'unexpected gold' from Ron, which both pay off in the future. So as a rule of thumb- if anyone makes a prediction, take note of it! One last thing- have you seen the corresponding deleted scene of the attack aftermath, with Paul Whitehouse? Percy gets ONE more line and McGonagall is sassy AF 😂

Kate Bogd

Three great chapters that were almost completely cut from the movies. So much to cover! 1) My favorite funny moments: Hagrid’s comment about Flabberworms: “Dead. Too much lettuce” and Wood saying that he doesn’t care if Harry falls from the broom if he catches the snitch first. He is getting desperate 2) Poor Hermione is so burned out! Consider that she also time travels to study more and probably has 35-hour days with still only 8 hours of sleep at best. It explains a lot of her behavior here, though still not excuses it. Firebolt situation is understandable, though I think she should have told Harry her concerns first, before going to McGonnagal. In the case of Scabbers, she is definitely in the wrong, considering she is not being apologetic at all and all signs clearly point to Crookshanks. I love Hermione’s character here: multi-dimensional and pretty relatable 😅 3) People already mentioned Trelawney having a correct prediction. There’s actually a theory that all of Trelawney’s predictions are correct. Another example here is that she keeps saying that Harry will die soon and he dies in book 7, which is still relatively soon for a child (He comes back from the dead but he does technically die). Keep an eye on this, I think this is fun. 4)I’m a proud Ravenclaw, but can’t care less about the loss of their team. Griffindor seems to play better here, so all fair. Maybe it’s a Ravenclaw trait - we are more of a solo-players? 🦅💙 5) Finally, poor Neville, the kid can’t get a break. How do you think Black has found his list of passwords? Neville has lost it inside the castle so it is very lucky for Black to get into the castle and just stumble upon it.

Jake M

Perhaps he thinks they're particularly attracted to his memories? In his head the world does seem to revolve around Harry, after all XD

Jake M

Poor Neville, banned from Hogsmeade and has to stand outside in the corridor every night with a madman on the loose? 😱

Animal Analytics

It always felt odd to me that they cut so much of the Quidditch out of the movie of this book, specifically. It was a big part of the book, and with Wood leaving at the end of year it is the last time for this original team to show up. I do like the suspicion around the Firebolt, as well.

Lisette C.

Let's talk about Hagrid. Hagrid is so broken when he gets the letter about Buckbeak's trial that it leads me to think that he might have lost a similar trial in the past. "You don't know them Gargoyles at the Comittee" sounds like Hagrid actually does know them - and not for anything good. On the other hand there might be other reasons for his misery. As he mentions, he walks by the dementors on his way to Hogsmeade. But his hut is also much closer to the fence than the castle. He might be feeling extra gloomy simply by being too close to them. Also, a nice red herring about the Sneakoscope dropping out of the socks and going off while Crookshanks is in the room (Scappers too obviously).

Hawwah

@Jake If it was Professor Snape's punishment, everyone would be complaining how evil Snape is, but it was McGonagall, so it's fine. This fandom is full of ridiculous double standards.

Hawwah

@Kate Hermione told Harry about her concerns, but he didn't listen. (EDIT: Actually that's incorrect, Hermione just hinted at it but never explicitly told Harry that she thought Black may have sent him the broom. My bad.) And regarding Gryffindor victory, I really don't think it's fair that Harry has a so much better broom than everyone else. Shouldn't they all have a standardized equipment?

S1lm4r1l

Ron and Hermione are good friends to Harry, but I always disliked the way they try and 'manage' him. Interesting to hear about Hagrid's time in Azkaban, because that was completely glossed over in the films. McGonagall's having a pretty rough time of it don't you think? She's being short-tempered with almost everyone. Very interesting Lupin says "Yes I knew him, or rather I thought I did." Lots of character-building in these chapters. Neville being forgetful (and getting a lot of very unjust schtick as you'll find out later,) Hermione over-working, Oliver Wood being unreasonably obsessed with Quidditch. Got to say, Hermione's being very obstinate with the whole Crookshanks situation. It's attacked Scabbers on multiple occasions. I don't blame Harry for thinking that Scabbers probably did get eaten. What was the biggest surprise in these chapters or so far?

Q

Oliver Wood in these chapters is an absolute gem. "Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first." Gotta agree with McGonagall, his priorities are pretty skewed, but at least he's consistent lol. "...you'd think I'd said something terrible...." And I love that Harry doesn't even contradict him and just keeps bothering McGonagall about it! As someone who recently started working at a middle school (approx. ages 11-14, whatever the UK equivalent is), kids really are Like That, especially about sports. I really feel for McGonagall here. I relate to Hermione in these chapters as well. As much as I can see her being wrong here, what cat owner isn't overly defensive of their cat? I'll complain about my cat's bad behavior when warranted, but if anyone else says a word against Nutmeg, I'll throw hands. That's normal, right? Or is that just me and Hermione.... It's so heartbreaking to read Harry's inner turmoil after finding out the "truth" about Black. Harry has endured so much, and him even slightly considering revenge murder is a pretty dark turn for the series! Last note, I love Remus Lupin so much. He's a flawed character of course, and we learn more about that later on, but he is really great at balancing his love and grief for James and his love and care for Harry as an individual and his student. As always, great job, Veggie! Keep it up!

Clair C

Sirius will explain how he did to buy the broom

Clair C

But it is very unrealistic if you think about it. I have the impression that this attitude "no questions asked" happens a lot in the wizarding world, so for me it's part of the vibe

Clair C

I think sirius explains how he gets the password later

Clair C

I don't question the punishment the professors gave (except the umbridge one, because envolves blood), I don't agree with most of them, for me the detention is the most boring part on the books (I only like the ones that they have to do things without magic, and snape always gives them this kinds of detentions <3). The only thing that I question about snape's detentions is why he doesn't give draco/crabbe/goyle (i don't remember who) for the spell that makes hermione teeth grow, but gives harry and ron for the hexes. I just think that this is unfair and a bully atitude with hermione when he says that there's no difference and she looks the same.

.

Nutmeg! such a cute name! <3

Jake M

I know Sirius explains, but I'd like to hear Veggie's theory before the reveal 😅

.

It's funny because when I was younger, reading that Hermione had told Prof. McGonnagall about the firebolt never sat well with me. I was annoyed just like Harry, thinking she was disregarding people's feelings. But nowadays, reading these books as an adult, I keep thinking she was right to be looking out for Harry. The fact Ron and Harry always dismiss potential danger, go against the rules, or are always angry with Hermione for caring annoys me a bit at times. They give her a hard time for thinking about her bestfriend's safety.

Dara Jeeling

me trying to get some things in, again a) in the "firebolt" chapter I awlays have to smile, whne Dumbledore practically forces Snape to do the large silver craker and then swaps his head with the witches head with the stuffed vulture on top (which makes Harry remember the Boggart fom Lupins lesson) b) I really love that Hermione really got the right dea out of Snape s DaDA lesson (for me reading that book as an older person it was also pretty obvious) and I can stilll laugh about her comment in the "patronus" chapter. Harry and Ron - oblivious as ever... Clever Hermione is not. c) and on the "Quidditch" chapter... First time we really meet Cho and she is doing such a great job at distracting Harry (with her flying and such). I think it's funny and hilarious the way Mc Gonagall is yelling at Lee. Wish we could have had that in the movie. So excited! Thank you for doing this I know it can be hard!

Hawwah

@ Clair C But professor Snape didn’t punish Harry and Ron for the hexes. He punished them because they shouted insults at him. The Slytherins didn't shout any insults, so they weren't punished. No one was punished for the hexes.

Jake M

@Hawwah honestly, most of Snape's punishments we hear about seem perfectly reasonable. Excepting his random 'ban Harry from Quidditch' suggestion in CoS, he has students doing useful things like cleaning the hospital wing (Ron, CoS) or organising files (Harry, HBP). Certainly not confining them to sitting in corridors with trolls or banning them from recreational trips to the nearby village. I don't see the benefit in McGonagall's punishments- the damage was done, no need to demean Neville further.

Jake M

The way Cho behaves in the Quidditch game makes me think she's a lot more canny and potentially manipulative than Pumpkin Pastie's shy, innocent appearance in the movies- she seems to realise Harry likes her, knows he won't knock her off her broom, and uses it to her advantage. All's fair in love and quidditch XD

John Phillips

I've never commented before, but I try to pay access to these videos on Patreon when I can afford it. I'm enjoying these videos, but try not to let your Hufflepuff pride affect your judgment on the Quidditch chapters. I'm rooting for Gryffindor, but I wasn't upset when they lost to Hufflepuff in the Grim Defeat chapter.

Kate Bogd

Guys, the punishment is not even given in this chapters, it chapter 14, chill on this discussion 😅 I’m not even sure they should have punished Neville at all, we know Crookshanks stole passwords from him and even if he lost them, that seems kinda harsh. Sir Cadogan changing them all the time is also partly at fault, I feel for poor Neville.

Kate Bogd

@Hawwah unless I missed something, Hermione was suspicious and said something about not know who gave it to Harry, but she didn’t tell him she thinks it could come from Black. The boys didn’t think of that themselves, so when McGonnagal turned up to confiscate the broom it was completely out of the blue for them. I think she should have told them directly, that she thinks it could be from Black and it should be checked for jinxes by professors. And then go to McGonnagal when the boys would brush her off (which they would do for sure). I agree on the broom advantage thing. I try to think about brooms in terms of race cars in F1 or smth but it still seems unfair. But here I don’t think Harry’s broom made a difference. Cho was just following Harry, which is a very Ravenclaw tactic but it also shows that she knows he is better at seeking than she is. And then when he fooled her she was too far away to catch it anyways.

Kate Bogd

Hermione is definitely smart for figuring the whole warewolf thing out. I still don’t think I would have figured it out myself from just reading the books tbh. But it did rub me the wrong way her “Isn’t it obvious?” remark. Like she wants to show off that she knows something the boys don’t and at the same time risks outing Lupin’s secret to more people. It’s so cute how all professors are pretending that they know nothing (or they don’t know? But then it’s even more impressive that Hermione has figured it out), and she slightly exposes him. Luckily Harry and Ron are too thick to start figuring it out 😂

Hawwah

@Kate I've just re-read the chapter and you're right - Hermione sort of hinted at it, but never explicitly told Harry and Ron that she thought Black might have sent it. So I stand corrected. Regarding the broom, I'm not saying Harry's not good, because he clearly is. But we are told that Cho is also very good (Wood is unhappy that she recovered from her injuries) but has a much worse broom. I just don’t see how's that considered fair. On the other hand, Hogwarts really isn't about fair play, is it.

Hawwah

@Jake I don't think Professor Snape's suggestion in CoS was random. Harry had just lied to the teachers in a very serious matter and Snape knew it. He wanted Harry to tell the truth, which was a perfectly reasonable request in my opinion.

Thunderbird

So much in these chapters was left out of the movies! What I found the most interesting was Hagrid’s insight of Askaban and how he felt there. Not to forget, we get to know what the Dementor’s kiss is (I’m not sure anymore but I think this wasn’t covered in the movies). Just horrible! And so sad that Harry still kind of wants to have encounters with them because it’s the only times he ever heard his parents. 😢 On a happier note, I really like how the trio puts their differences and problems aside to help Hagrid with the defence for Buckbeack’s case. It is nice to see how important Hagrid is to them. Also I just live for the Quidditch scenes, they are so much fun. Lee Jordan advertising the Firebolt during the match cracks me up every time. And we already got introduced to Cho Chang (finally a Ravenclaw character). Altough I don’t particullarly like her after reading all the books, I do like how she is introduced here.

Katik

Yea I was thinking about that, even knowing the explanation from Sirius - I think the "no questions asked" might easily apply to any dealings with Gringotts. Although it would make sense for the Ministry to freeze any assets of any known criminals, especially the ones on the run! - the Goblins probably are keeping enough independence not to agree to any such things. Gringotts is basically a Swiss bank :D

Katik

On the note of Hermione's impossible schedule and exhaustion at this stage: we all know what's going on and also why this is obviously such an important point for the plot (or otherwise the last part of the story could not happen) - but for the practical running of the school this does not make sense at all. I mean Hermione might be the only one taking all the subjects in her year, but surely, other students must have different combinations of the same subjects she's taking! She can't be the the only one who's taking for example Muggle Studies AND also Divination or Charms and Arythmancy. So what do other students do about conflicting classes? Surely when it comes to the schedules they have to be designed in a way that whichever combination of subjects students chose they have to be able to attend all the classes. She is also not the first student to take all the subjects - at least we hear both Percy and Bill achieved 12 O.W.L.s - which means all the subjects. I doubt the same special accommodations were made for them and other students like them. So apart from a forced plot device explanation, what else could be going on here?

Janie

These chapters show us that Hermione is definitely not the perfect goddess like she is in the movies. It looks like her cat ate her best friend's pet and she doesn't even say sorry. She can be pretty insensitive towards other people's feelings, always trying to find logical explanation to everything. She might be right that there's no proof that Crookshanks hurt Scabbers but she could have shown more sympathy for Ron. He's had Scabbers for most of his life, of course he would be upset about it. It's sad that practically nothing from these chapters made it into the movie. Even though I'm not a big fan of Quidditch, I would love to see Lee's commentary and McGonagall yelling at him!

Dara Jeeling

@Kate I actually love her even more for being sassy, here. she soemtimes is an odd bookworm - but then she has her sassy moments as well. IF I had to choose from the "golden Trio" it would always be Hermione. I prefer her over Harry and Ron. I maybe biased - becuase she is the only girl and has to put up a lot with those two (and I know younger boys can be so stressfull).. I do not really think Harry and Ron are "thick" just normal teenage boys - which makes them prioritize (that looks wrong) other things then education (or mostly)

Janie

I agree with you about Hermione's schedule. It never made sense to me either! Maybe just this year she really was the only student taking all classes? The timetable is probably different every year so the classes are not usually at the same time? I really don't know.

Annamarie schwirian

I know everyone is always focused on the christmas banquet table but I absolutely love the scenes of the boys playing in the snow and just having a normal teen reaction to a daily break.

Steven

Hello! First time being able to comment on the book club and keep up the good work with the videos, veggie! Chapter 11: The Firebolt has got to be one of my favourite chapters in all of the books and it annoys me that it was almost an afterthought in the movie (although i can understand why they did it that way.) The amount of emotions that harry goes through during this chapter just builds so much character. He goes from being giddy with excitement when he receives it to feeling like he’s never going to see it again, like a 13 year old would in this situation.

Diego Zenhäusern

Hi Veggie, I just wanted to use this opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate that you seem to be able (based on the last few episodes) to have a mature and nuanced view on Snape🙂! To many people nowaday just fall either into the camp of "Snape is an a*hole and his sacrifice at the end doesn't change that a bit" or "Snape is just so missunderstood and we can't fault him for how he behaves towards those children./ Snape isn't doing anything wrong in the first place."

Janakin B

It sometimes feels like Hermione is looking for beef. She herself says that it is in a cats nature to go after rats but still brings her cat into the boys dorm. Totally not giving a s*** about Rons concerns.

John Phillips

I know you mentioned how Hagrid's line at the end of the 2nd movie "I'd still be you know where", referring to his time in Azkaban, doesn't appear in the 2nd book. In chapter 11 of this book (Prisoner of Azkaban) however, Hagrid gave a little insight on what Azkaban was like.

Kattie Martin

Thus begins Hermione's downward spiral. I'm still not sure if it's because of the stress of so many classes or from her strained relationship with her friends. It's probably both since it started showing after Scabbers's disappearance. Also we got a hint at Hermione knowing about Lupin's secret and why she didn't tell Harry or Ron.

ambiture

Something that was always very powerful to me was this exchange between the trio: Harry: "You heard what Fudge said! Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are! It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others!" Ron: "So what are you saying? You want to.. to kill black? Or something?" Hermione: "Don't be silly, Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry? "Harry didn't answer" This is the same sweet, innocent little boy who bought a whole trolley of candy and shared it with his new friend out of the kindness of his heart. The same boy that wanted to stop voldy from getting the stone purely to save the wizarding world, and with no selfish intentions. And now he is seriously contemplating murdering someone solely out of revenge. Hard to imagine Stone harry ever considering murder. And that was only a couple of years ago. gotta love character development As a side note: I made a dark Hufflepuff playthrough on Legacy since there's so few Hufflepuff dark wizards! He has a soft spot for beasts and still displays his Hufflepuff pride wherever possible, alongside his dark arts apparel. Cant take the loyalty out of a Puff, no matter how bad they become. Probably should have been placed in Slytherin, based on the dialogue choices he chooses, but his love of beasts overpowered all of his other traits and the hat chose Hufflepuff. Of course he HATES Gryffindors.

itsanursething

A few things stuck out the most to me in these chapters (which were excellent, in my opinion). First, is Harry finding that Sirius was in the wedding photo he has of his parents. I didn’t remember that little detail until I reread the book. And the fact that his time in Azkaban drastically changed his appearance! I wish at some point we could have a Marauders era book or TV show or movie or something. I can just picture a young Sirius Black in a leather jacket with his motorcycle…like a young James Dean. Poor Hagrid! Does he have any friends aside from the trio? My heart just goes out to him. I do love his new class though with the salamanders in the fire. That sounds wonderful (and appropriate). I know everyone has talked a lot about the Christmas meal. Here’s my favorite bits: Filch dressed up! McGonagall is super sassy and I love it. Dumbledore! He’s not teaching classes, but he seems to make it a point to know every student by name and to make everyone present feel included. Finally, I want to talk a little bit about the patronus. I love that we get more details about what it is and how it works. I also love that Harry can’t do it in three tries like he could in the movie. My biggest question here though: how can a BOGGART affect him the same way an actual dementor can?? I mean, lights are going out, the room gets cold, Harry faints, he hears his parents screams. A boggart shouldn’t be able to do that. Unless boggarts are somehow able to take on properties of whatever they turn into to try to scare a person. What do you think Veggie? Sorry this got so long! So many interesting things happen in these chapters!

rreowenn

It's interesting that the Firebolt has a registration number on it, I hadn't noticed that before! How do you feel about Cho being older than Harry, for some reason I assumed she was in Ginny's year? It's nice that Cedric congratulated Harry on his broom, that's Hufflepuff for you. And Poor Neville, he just wanted to remember the passwords!!

Richard Stewart

These chapters are fantastic. From a movie goers perspective I'm excited to see how you react to the firebolt coming into play this early on. I'm also excited to see your reaction to Cho being introduced as the seeker of ravenclaws team. It makes her way more interesting than she is in the movies

Garry (Not Jerry)

If you recall, they - sort of - did. They pulled their robes up and pretended they were dementors. But it was only for a second, and not during the quidditch match, and it seemed like they were just making fun of Harry rather than actually trying to scare him. But I think it was a little nod to that moment in the book.

Garry (Not Jerry)

You’re right that Harry doesn’t cast a spell in the first movie (in the sense of saying magic words while holding a wand and making magic happen on purpose). Although he does do quite a lot of magic. (Talking to snake, making glass dissappear, trying out different wands, saying “up” to the broomstick, actually flying the broomstick, burning quirrels face…did I cover them all?)

Garry (Not Jerry)

I know we can’t mention it in these chapters but it’s even more sad when you realise that they completely forgot about helping hagrid with his trial. All the while Hermione was doing everything on top of all her other classes while Harry and Ron are being petty and stupid about their broomstick.

Garry (Not Jerry)

The fact that he wants to be able to fight dementors, not for his own safety, but so that he can win at quidditch 🙄

Garry (Not Jerry)

Ah yes. The standard “take a completely unrelated comment and use it to talk about snape” (not that I’m complaining, I’m loving it.) Anyway, on point 2, it’s also worth mentioning (though not to veggie, as it’s a spoiler) that Hermione is also helping hagrid with his trial, meanwhile Harry and Ron have some petty grudge against her and have apparently completely forgotten about hagrid. Poor Hermione.

Garry (Not Jerry)

Timetabling for schools is deceptively difficult. Nowadays they use computers to work out the optimal solution, and they still sometimes have to tell students that they can’t take certain combinations of classes. There could be a number of things going on. 1. There could be certain combinations of lessons that no-one else is taking. 2. There could be multiple classes in a particular subject per year group. 3. They could be mixing and matching a little. For example two muggle studies are at the same time as arithmancy and two are at the same time as ancient runes. Meaning you could take two of any class and still manage 4 a week. Does that make sense? Probably not. It’s hard to explain 😂

Garry (Not Jerry)

1) Pumpkin Pasty is Ravenclaw’s seeker! What was your reaction when she showed up? 2)“Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy, Then it could catch the Snitch for you.” - savage 3) I never noticed the dream Harry has right before Ron screams when Sirius is in the room. He is chasing a stag but he can’t catch up to it. As he runs faster, the stag runs faster too. What fantastic imagery and foreshadowing!

Richard Stewart

If you've ever done the patronus quiz on wizarding world it is designed to mimic this dream sequence

itsanursething

See, I'm with Ron on this one. I am a massive animal lover but if your pet attacks my pup, I will kick it. Or hit it with something to get it off. No remorse. My pet's safety comes before anything else.

Jacob sparks

Harry: I don't care about my safety or hearing my parents die. I have to win the quidditch cup.

Chesca

Oh yeah you’re right - I’d forgotten about that! Does seem like a small nod to it.

Charlotte

would’ve been super creepy if Cho was in Ginny’s year who are 12-13 years old, considering she dated Cedric and he was 17😅

Q

Oh yeah, you are absolutely right about that. Same for if someone else's pet attacked my cat. And while the rational part of my brain would agree that if she attacked someone else's pet they should defend against her, I don't think rational brain would be too powerful in the moment. As Hagrid says "people can be a bit stupid about their pets." Ron is right, but I also understand Hermione's defensiveness is what I was going for.

Loveinthehat

I don’t even think Ron was really mad about the broom, obviously he was a bit but I think he was more using that broom thing because he was already mad at Hermione for the scabbers situation Also this sounds horrible because I love hagrid… but he shouldn’t be having 13 year olds do the work for the buckbeak trial in the first place. Like yeah Ron and Harry were being petty, and it’s nice they said they’ll help but they shouldn’t be helping in the first place. What do they know about stuff like this really? I can’t blame or be mad at them for focusing on stuff normal teenagers would be. Hagrid should be getting adults, maybe other teachers if he can to help him instead. They offer because they are nice but it is definitely a thing where hagrid expects them to do way too much for him when he’s a grown up, especially later on.

Loveinthehat

I think it’s just normal tbh even if it’s annoying now, like you said you agreed with them when you were younger so it’s just more them being more immature 13 year olds than anything. I think even though it’s stupid Ron just wants more reasons to be mad because he’s already upset with the scabbers situation. Even though Hermione did the right thing I think it would’ve been better if she just talked to Harry about it first, it’s understandable of course but that wasn’t going to go well doing it behind his back, I’m sure Harry could’ve been talked into it. Things haven’t been going well so for Harry it just feels like she’s took something good away from him that he was excited about. It seems silly when you’re older but it’s nice to see them being genuine just petty 13 year olds at times.

Loveinthehat

Yeah like people defend Hermione and even hagrid says about how people would be like that way with their pets with how Hermione defends crookshanks but that’s like… yeah how would Ron feel then? Hermione had that cat for a couple of months, Ron’s had scabbers in his family since he was like 1 years old or something

Loveinthehat

Yeah that would be weird… I feel like I’m the knot one uncomfortable with the whole Hermione and Viktor thing as well because isn’t he 18?

Hawwah

I'm very curious to hear your opinion on the Firebolt drama. Did Hermione do the right thing when she went to McGonagall or not? I personally think Hermione was 100% justified. I'd even go as far as saying that she would have been wrong if she hadn't tell anyone. Hermione knows there’s a possibility of the broom being cursed. She has two options: 1. Not to tell anyone. Harry will be happy, blissfully unaware of the danger he's in, but it might cost him his life. 2. Tell a teacher. Harry will be mad at her, but he will be safe. Hermione came to the conclusion that Harry's safety was more important than whether or not he would be angry with her. The only correct conclusion, in my opinion. Regarding the Quidditch match, I'm not mad that my house lost, but I find it unfair that Harry has a so much better broom than everyone else. Shouldn't they all have standardized equipment? And since we ended with a cliffhanger, do you have any prediction how will Professor McGonagall punish Neville?

Hawwah

It's probably pointless to start this discussion all over again, but as far as I'm aware, no Snape fan on this site ever said that Snape was flawless or that he had never done anything wrong. We merely pointed out that while he was a strict teacher, he wasn't any worse than McGonagall, and that people apply ridiculous double standards to these two. If Snape bullies students, so does McGonagall. If McGonagall doesn’t bully students, neither does Snape. We just want you to be consistent, that’s all.

Hawwah

That's true. As much as I like Hagrid, I think it was unfair how he scolded Ron for being angry with Hermione. So, Hermione has a right to be "a bit stupid" about Crookshanks, Hagrid has a right to be "a bit stupid" about his beloved monsters, but Ron is in the wrong when he's "a bit stupid" about Scabbers? How hypocritical of you, Hagrid.

Hawwah

@Miss_CJ I had the same change of perspective with Mrs Weasley and Professor Snape. Caring about people's safety, not their feelings - that's Professor Snape to a t.

Diego Zenhäusern

You're right, McGonagall has flaws and can act abusive. And I'll also admit that I simply glossed over many of those flaws before you challenged me on them (for which I have to thank you, as it gave me a way more nuanced and critical view on her character). But her abusiveness and Snapes are clearly and objectively on another level (As I've pointed out way more detailed in one of our previous discussions). And anyone who can't see that is just clearly biased towards Snape (Just as people that don't give him any credit for his bravery are blinded by their dislike of Snape). But I have no interest in prolonging this discussion with you, since I've come to realize that: a) You have no interest in challenging your own views on the characters and just want to convince people of your own opinion. b) You'd rather discuss your head canon of the text than the text itself. Which can be seen by the fact that you'd rather pretend that Neville is a psychopath that doesn't care whether or not he hurts his classmates (which has no textual basis whatsoever) than admit that Snapes behaviour in the Trevor incident was just not defendable.

Collin Anderson

I feel really bad for Hermione in these chapters, telling McGonagall was the right thing to do and it really shows that she cares about harry. Even after they got the broom back, they didn't say thank you for wanting me to stay alive or something like that. Ron rubs it in saying "see Herminie there's nothing wrong with it." She is very tired and stressed out with her classes and she has on one to go to, because they are mad at her for doing the right thing. Thanks for making my daily commute a lot better, keep up the great work.

Rebecca May

@Diego I've noticed and commented on Veggie's very balanced and carefully considered views on Snape in the past... I really appreciate it too! 😊 He's very fair-minded and it's quite refreshing (This coming from someone who falls on the pro-Snape side of the scale but tries not to let that cloud my judgement... Hopefully I succeed! 😊) Anyways, just wanted to say I agree!

Garry (Not Jerry)

I see what you’re saying, but I don’t think Hagrid expected them to do anything. He wasn’t mad when he found out they didn’t do it. I just think it’s bad that they said they were going to help and then forgot about it. I believe Dumbledore was also helping Hagrid a lot as well.

Garry (Not Jerry)

Nah he didn’t think Ron was wrong to be angry, not really. just he was aware that Hermione was under a lot of stress and they were making it worse by holding this grudge.

Garry (Not Jerry)

@Charlotte reminder: Krum and Hermione was the same age gap

itsanursething

Hermione is a year older than the boys. She turned 15 in September so she's only 3 years younger than Krum.

Diego Zenhäusern

@Rebecca May It definitely feels like you're suceeding.🙂 I also really enjoy Snape as a character. Which is also why it annoys me when people fall to far on either end of the scale, because I think his complexity is exactly the thing that makes him so great in the first place!😊

Rebecca May

@Diego Phew! That's nice to hear, thank you 😊 Oh absolutely, you're so right! Despite having a massive soft spot for Snape, I do think that his complexity is a large part of what makes his character so special and fascinating, and I wouldn't ever want to take away from that.

Garry (Not Jerry)

Interesting. A couple of thoughts. 1. Ginny ‘s year is 12-13, but of course they weren’t dating until book 4, so Ginny would be 13-14 in Goblet of Fire. 2. I was relying on the “age gap” as being the difference between a 4th year and a 7th year (3 years) But, depending on how old they are for their year, that could either be an age gap of 15/17 (seems fine) or 18/14 (seems creepy). 3. Of course the age gap becomes less of a big deal as they get older. 15 and 18 doesn’t seem as bad as 14 and 17.

Gothic Llama

I've never really been interesed in the quidditch, but I always love Lee's commentary. Hilarious! And Prof McGonnagall's reactions! As I'm reading the book for at least 20th time, it's amazing how much re-read factor they have, I mean every time you re-read something clicks in your mind and you're like "ooooh I get it!" or you notice forshadowing. Also also, I see what you did there JKR with the Sneakoscope! Lastly, I really appreciate that, in the books, we see Harry have four weeks (FOUR WEEKS) of Anti-Dementor training with Lupin and read him notice improvements that prove to have worked as we see him cast a Patronus during the match. It would've been nice to at least have some indication of Harry having more lessons, instead of suddenly castinga fully materialized Patronus when saving himself and Sirius after like four tries at the end of the movie. I mean, I know Harry's a powerful wizard, but come on movie, he's not that overpowered. Anyway, greetings from Poland!

Gothic Llama

Yeah, I noticed that too. I even went back a page to re-read that whole section, because I didn't see it being mentioned. Also, I know I'm being nitpicky, but Dumbledore stood up when Prof Trelawney came, not when he was conjurig the chair.

Kristen Campbell

Hi Veggie, I really love your reviews no matter how long. I love how wood is unbothered when he hears about Sirius Black being after Harry or the fact that the Firebolt might be cursed. I really wish the movies included how Ron and Hermione fight they literally stop speaking when Crookshanks "ate" Scabbers. Also Hermione could of told Harry and Ron about the time turner. I know she wasn't suppose to say anything but they would not have told anyone and if they kept something from her she pesters them to tell her.

Methanoutput

The scene with Harry and Ron having dinner with the teachers and Filch is one of my favorites. One thing I like is how Dumbledore asks if one of the first-years wants some sausages (in my German version, it's sausages - Bratwurst, to be exact). He calls the first-year Derek, which shows that Dumbledore interacts with other students besides Harry, Ron, and Hermione because he knows Derek's name, and I like that. I also enjoy this scene because, in my opinion, it's very funny. Dumbledore is simply enjoying himself, while Trelawney gets hysterical about the number of people, McGonagall gets annoyed by her, and Snape doesn't really want to be there. This makes the scene really funny in my opinion. I could imagine that writing great humor in a way that is not trying too hard is really difficult. If there were a sitcom with Dumbledore, Trelawney, Snape, and McGonagall, I would definitely watch it. Hope you are doing good Veggie, can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Garry (Not Jerry)

“I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous.” “That explains a great deal”

Simon audsley

salutations Thought I'd leave my two penn'orth here now I've joined, just spent last day and half catching up so now I'm up to speed. I'm not sure JK Rowling understands how steam trains work either that or we have been denied an extremely entertaining scene of Hermione or the trolley lady clinging to the outside of a speeding train while making their way to the driver. Hermione's morality compass is all over the place in these chapters she grasses about the firebolt but not the map. Have you found any of the meaningless changes between book and film as irrationality irritating as me point in question the person hagrid bought fluffy off was Greek not Irish the change makes no mythological sense.

Rod

First time I've read this book was in the Brazilian Portuguese translation, and while these translations are full of errors and weird choices, Prisoner has my favorite one. When Harry sees Cho in the field, he finds her "extremely pretty" and feels "a slight jolt in the region of his stomach that he didn't think had anything to do with nerves." The translator chose to translate "jolt in the region of his stomach" as "pulsation in his crotch". To make things worse, her term of choice for "crotch" was "baixo-ventre", a term that's not common in Portuguese. It's only ever used in cheap softcore erotic novels as an euphemism for genitals. So, basically, the translator gave Harry an erection.

Bennet

Hi there Veggie, after reading these comments I feel that I don't have to add anything really. I just wish for everyone who is going to hear this to have a great and comfy day! Lots of love and greetings from germany ^-^