Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Elizabeth from Book YAbber and I are continuing the Pottermas book discussion with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. J.K. Rowling does any excellent job with description in all installments of the Harry Potter series. I absolutely love how she describes the dementors, Hogsmeade and the different creatures in the book. PoA is a book of change and for good reasons too. And of course Lupin is introduced in the series and he is my second favorite character.

WARNING 
For those who haven't read the Harry Potter series, all book discussions WILL HAVE spoilers. If you do not want to read spoilers, please do not read ahead.

The plot gets darker and even Hermione bends more rules than before. More creatures are introduced, we learn about the Marauders and Sirius Black emerges and this is the only book in the whole series Voldemort does not make an appearance. Sure, Wormtail reveals his true identity but Voldemort doesn't confront Harry until Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Because Harry saves Wormtail's life, Wormtail is debt which will come in handy in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is also the first book that doesn't feature Voldemort. His servant returns to him but Voldemort doesn't make an appearance.

The mystery for Harry in PoA is who is Sirius Black? Why does he "hunt" Harry down and what is the real story for the showdown that happened on Halloween of 1981?

Speaking of the Marauders, how awesome would it be if, in the near future, there is a spin off based on the Marauders when they were at Hogwarts. Even if J.K. Rowling doesn't write a book about them, I would love to see a film made for the big screen. I know about two fan made films called The Gathering Storm: A Marauders Fan Film and Severus Snape and the Marauders.

Image from HarryPotter.wikia.com

Remember when Professor Trelawney mentions these lines in PoA? Although she hardly predicts anything that is worth listening to, she does predict a few things that do come true.

"I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!"

Well in the future books like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this unlucky superstition comes true. This unlucky number is a number of misfortune. It has caused at least two deaths that I know of. Sirius is the first to rise in OotP when sitting with the Order and he is the first in the order to die. After the death of Alastor Moody, thirteen people were at the Weasley's and Remus Lupin is the first to swinish his firewhiskey and ultimately was the first one to die within the group. Voldemort's wand is 13 1/2 inches long. Voldemort and his Death Eaters reunite after thirteen years.

In PoA dementors are introduced and their kiss is supposedly worse than death. It's interesting when Harry faces a boggart, the boggart takes the form of a dementor. Professor Lupin mentions how Harry fears the most is fear itself. So what are your fears? If you approached a boggart, what form will it take?

Image from hp-lexicon.org

I love how the Patronus is a guardian that acts as a shield between the caster of the Patronus charm and the dementor. Since a dementor is fear and hope, happiness and the desire to survive will ward off the dementor. What would your Patronus look like? Mine would be an otter.

Image from Plazbuzz,com

Hermione acts out of character due to the stress of her heavy class workload. Because she is taking all the classes Hogwarts has to offer for a Third Year, her patience is thin. First she slaps Malfoy for his insulting behavior, she walks out of Professor Trelawney's Divination class and she retrieves the invisibility cloak near the witch's hump even though Harry would never go near it because of Snape. Character development for Hermione is definitely a strong point in this novel.

In PoA Harry encounters Hogsmeade for the very first time. Imagine getting Butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks or trying out Jelly Slugs of Fizzing Whizzbees from Honeydukes? The icing on the cake is how the Trio gets to spend some time in Hogsmeade during December. I would love to visit Hogsmeade during the holidays. It would be a great place to meet up with friends and to go shopping. It's the perfect place to take pictures! How stunning would a holiday card be with Hogsmeade in the background with the winter snow?

"Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottage and shop were covered in a layer of crisp snow there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees."

Image from Pottermore

What would you do in Hogsmeade if you had a chance to visit it? Also, what drinks and food items would you want to taste during this festive time of year at Hogsmeade or at Hogwarts? 

My favorite quotes from PoA:

Image from Tumblr.com

Image from eevanikunen.tumblr.com

Don't forget to check the blog on Sunday, December 13th for a discussion about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. If you are new to Pottermas 2015, make sure to check out this post. Also, you can follow Pottermas 2015 on social media with the hashtag #Pottermas15.