Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling. The book was published on July 8, 1999. A film based on the book was released on May 31st, 2004, in the United Kingdom and June 4th in the U.S. and many other countries.
Harry Potter is spending another horrible summer with the Dursleys, and when he is driven to uncontrollable anger by Uncle Vernon's sister Aunt Marge, he actually blows Marge up without his wand. As he runs away, he is almost positive he is expelled from Hogwarts, since he used magic illegally in the Muggle (non-magic) world. However, strangely he is not. Around this time he receives news about an escaped convict named Sirius Black.
In Harry's third year at Hogwarts, two new teachers are hired: Professor Remus J. Lupin for Defense Against the Dark Arts and, to Harry and his friends' delight, Rubeus Hagrid for Care of Magical Creatures. While Lupin's lessons are thoroughly enjoyable, Hagrid's prove to be dreary, all because of Draco Malfoy's actions on the first day of school. Hagrid's hippogriff Buckbeak, a half horse and half eagle, had attacked Malfoy when it was provoked by Malfoy himself. Now Draco's father, Lucius, a powerful inquisitor at the Ministry of Magic, has enough authority to execute Buckbeak. However, this is the least of Harry's worries, as Sirius Black turns out to be a wizard who escaped from the fortress Azkaban. As a result the Azkaban guards, sinister ghouls called dementors, are prowling Hogwarts, seeing Black will not enter the school. This does not bode well for Harry, as he has a natural weakness towards dementors. Dementors absorb all happiness and light from wherever they are, and they even enter a game of Quidditch, where they brutally attack Harry, forcing him to fall off his Nimbus 2000 broomstick. Albus Dumbledore narrowly saves Harry's life. But the Nimbus was utterly destroyed by the Whomping Willow tree, leaving Harry in a miserable state.
Meanwhile, situations get hairy between Hermione and Ron. Hermione's pet cat, Crookshanks, has been torturing Ron's rat, Scabbers, and ultimately Scabbers disappears. Then, as Christmas arrives, Harry receives a superb Firebolt broomstick from an anonymous person. Hermione suspects Black sent it, and practically gives the broom to the teachers for safety checks and measurements. This angers both Harry and Ron.
Harry secretly learned that Black was the best friend of Lily and James. As well, he was supposed to be Harry's godfather. But he was imprisoned for murdering twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew, another friend of the Potters. It appears, according to the teachers, that Black had joined the Dark side with Lord Voldemort after the fateful night of Harry's parents' death.
On a happier note, Harry and his Quidditch team wins the Cup, thanks to his Firebolt, which was returned to him in perfect form. But Buckbeak has been sentenced to death, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione make a feeble attempt to activate the appeal, which clearly fails. In a strange turn-around of events, Scabbers turns up at Hagrid's hut. The rat is still pursued by Crookshanks, and this spectacle ends up in a room under the Whomping Willow. There Harry confronts Black, who can transform into a dog, which is the basis why he escaped from Azkaban so easily. Shockingly Lupin shows up as well, to team up with Black. Together the two explain that Scabbers is actually Pettigrew, who is the one who actually joined Voldemort's side and framed Black. Harry is skeptical of this theory at first, but discovers it is true when Scabbers converts to Peter Pettigrew himself. Black had escaped Azakaban to kill Pettigrew, for he betrayed the Potters and Black himself. However, as Pettigrew is forced to be handed over to the dementors, Lupin morphs into a werewolf. This gives Pettigrew the chance to escape, and the evidence to prove Black is an innocent man is gone. The dementors are about to capture Black again.
Luckily with Hermione's help involving time-traveling, Black and Buckbeak manage to escape their execution. Harry is positive Voldemort might return soon, but otherwise is happy he finally has a true family member to depend on.
