QUICK SUMMARY

Harry Potter is in his 3rd year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Sirius Black, a mass murderer, believed to have sold out Harry’s parents that lead to their death, has escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban

Danger is at Hogwarts now that Sirius Black has made Hogwarts his target, and it is assumed that Harry is his target

THEME 1: LOYALTY

Loyalty plays a big role in this book Harry is loyal to those at his school

and even his aunt, uncle and cousin who he detests

Harry’s friends are loyal to him when they go with him, when they say they’re all in it together

"No, Vernon," hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Harry’s. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect) …" "They didn’t die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet.

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

Ron, however, spoke to Black. "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color.

LEARNED FROM THE LESSON

Always stay loyal to your friends and family

Who might be loyal may surprise you

Do not take advantage of one’s loyalty

LESSON 2: THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY

People will never know what really happened the day that Lilly and James Potter were betrayed

Not many know who – or what – Remus Lupin secretly is.

“All this time we’ve thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down – but it was the other way around, don’t you see? Peter betrayed your father and mother – Sirius tracked Peter down—”

"My transformations in those days were -- were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits." 

LEARNED FROM THE LESSON

You can’t know everything about a person if you just assume

There is always a second half to a story Never disregard a side of a story, it could be

the truth

LESSON 3: FRIENDS & FAMILY

Harry Potter does not get along with his aunt, uncle and cousin

He much prefers Ron Weasley’s family, they treat him like a son

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are Harry’s best friends

They find a very close friend in Hagrid, the gameskeeper at Hogwarts

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were eager for it to finish so that they could talk to Hagrid. They knew how much being made a teacher would mean to him.

"Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry."

Mrs. Weasley kissed all her children, then Hermione, and finally, Harry. He was embarrassed, but really quite pleased, when she gave him an extra hug. "Do take care, won't you, Harry?" she said as she straightened up, her eyes oddly bright. Then she opened her enormous handbag and said "I've made you all sandwiches [...] Here you are, Ron [...] no, they're not corned beef [...] Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are, dear [...]"

LEARNED FROM THE LESSON

Friends can be just as good as family You need your friends and family to be there

for you It is important to take what you get from

friendships and from family

LESSONS IN REAL LIFE

All of the lessons can be used in real life Be there for friends and family Develop strong friendships Remain loyal to your friends, don’t sell them out Listen to each part of a story before assuming