Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Ch 1-4

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Chapter 1 - Owl Post

• Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework, but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard.

Q1 - Wendelin the Weird is so named because she liked to be burned, if you had a title to your name, what do you think it would be?

Q2 - Why haven’t wizards adopted ballpoint pens yet?

• For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him. To their fury, they had been unsuccessful.
• Harry sat down on his bed, grabbed Errol’s package, ripped off the brown paper and discovered a present wrapped in gold, and his first ever birthday card.

Q3 - Do you think the grand prize was fixed so that the Weasleys could win after what happened to them last year?

Q4 - Would you want a pocket Sneakoscope?

Q5 - Did you guys get really into the go-back-to-school countdown and sales and stuff?

• At that moment, Harry Potter felt just like everyone else: glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.

Chapter 2 - Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake

Q1 - Have you ever, in your town, heard about a prisoner escaping or some serious crime happening?

Q2 - Have you ever called someone Aunt or Uncle who isn’t really your relative?

Q3 - Do you think Harry’s strategy of threatening his Uncle to forgot the school name in order to get his permission form signed is the right way to go about it?

• Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier he looked, the happier she would be.
• Harry was bursting to say that he’d rather live in an orphanage than with the Dursleys, but the thought of the Hogsmeade form stopped him.

Q4 - Would you rather live in an orphanage or with the Dursleys?

Q5 - Why do you think Vernon made Harry sit there with Marge at the dinner table?

• “It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I’m saying nothing against your family, Petunia” — she patted Aunt Petunia’s bony hand with her shovel-like one, “but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here’s the result right in front of us.”

POD NOTE: Danny mentioned Harry was sure to run away soon if he didn’t end up going to Hogwarts.

Chapter 3 - The Knight Bus

Q1 - What do you think Harry saw that was “very big, with wide, gleaming eyes…like a dog, but massive?”

• “That man!” Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. “He was on the Muggle news!” Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled. “Sirius Black,” he said, nodding, “Course ‘e was on the Muggle news, Neville. Where you been?”

Q2 - Where have we seen Sirius Black before in this book?

Q3 - Why do you think Sirius Black murdered 13 people with one curse?

• “Laughed,” said Stan, “Jus’ stood there an’ laughed. An’ when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, ‘e went wiv ‘em quiet as anyfink. Still laughing ‘is ‘ead off. Cos ‘e’s mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?”

Q4 - How do you think a wizard or witch could escape from a magical prison?

Q5 - Why did Fudge come to see Harry?

Chapter 4 - The Leaky Cauldron

Q1 - Why do you think Florean Fortescue is giving Harry free sundaes every half-hour?

Q2 - Which of Harry’s two new classes (Care of Magical Creatures or Divination) sounds more interesting?

Q3 - Would you want a pet rat or a cat?

Q4 - Who is your favorite of the Weasleys?

• “...makes no sense not to tell him” Mr Weasley was saying heatedly. “Harry’s got a right to know. I’ve tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He’s thirteen years old and—” “Arthur, the truth would terrify him!”

Q5 - Why do you think Sirius Black wants to murder Harry?