chapter seventeen of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

After Scabbers bites Ron to try to get away, a large dog soon attacks Ron instead and drags both him and Scabbers into a hidden tunnel. After Harry and Hermione follow, they discover the dog to be Sirius Black. When Harry tries to attack Black, however, Lupin arrives and throws things into confusion – especially when he reveals that Scabbers is really an Animagus as well.
 

And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots –

(by Drew Graham)

 

“He’s the dog… he’s an Animagus….”

(by Tealin Raintree)

 

It was Sirius Black.

(by Michael Greenholt)

 

“There’ll be only one murder here tonight,” said Black, and his grin widened.

(by Ani Bester)

 

“Why’s that?” Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron and Hermione. “Didn’t care last time, did you? Didn’t mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew….”

(by glockgal)

 

“Going to kill me, Harry?”

(by Tealin Raintree)

 

“No, he’s not,” said Lupin quietly. “He’s a wizard.”
“An Animagus,” said Black, “by the name of Peter Pettigrew.”

(by Amanda Grazini)

 

about the chapter

In a sense, this chapter is where the books grow up. In just a few pages the series transforms from lighthearted kids’ books into something far deeper and more real. Suddenly Crookshanks answers Hermione’s call for help and then fights for Black; Lupin starts to reveal a deep, complex past; characters are thrown into confusion as we can’t be sure who to trust; and with the final line in the chapter – “An Animagus… by the name of Peter Pettigrew,” Harry’s world is turned upside down as we learn that Ron’s longtime pet is in fact a transformed human who was believed dead. This book is a favorite of many a Harry Potter fan, and I think this is a big reason why – we (and Harry) discover very quickly that we can’t assume anything in this world of magic. The villains aren’t cardboard cutouts, deception and evil run deep, and there is far more happening underneath the surface than we would ever have imagined. It’s time for Harry to brace himself for an wild – and scary – few years, spun by an absolute master storyteller.
 

The Boy Who Lived

When Harry has a lengthy chance to kill Sirius Black, he can’t pull the trigger, instead finding he doesn’t have it in him. It’s not a surprise, really, for a thirteen-year-old, and we’ll see an older student respond similarly to a similar situation down the road. This is Harry’s first lesson that there’s a difference between a desire for revenge, or “righteous anger” (as a future nemesis will put it), and a willingness to pull the trigger and do actual harm to another human being. Harry doesn’t think much of it now, but it’s a dilemma he’ll continue to grapple with over the years.
 

Something to Remember

When Hermione blurts out that Lupin is a werewolf, our reaction is mostly one of surprise that he was withholding such a massive secret; along with, of course, curiosity as to what other secrets he might hold. But a close look at Ron’s reaction reveals something a deeper, and in some ways stronger, than the emotions Harry and Hermione are feeling. His utter revulsion to the idea that Lupin would be a werewolf just barely hints at how the rest of the wizarding world would feel about Lupin’s state, and also start to give some insight into where this character might be headed.