3. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
Harry, now 13, is veering toward adolescence. Back on Privet Drive, he boils over when Uncle Vernon's awful sister Marge derides Harry's parents to his face and he magically inflates the windbag into a literal balloon. All alone in the Muggle world, Harry's rescued by the Knight Bus (''emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard''), an impossibly fast triple-decker jalopy driven by reckless old Ernie. Meanwhile, notorious Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban prison, infamous for its soul-sucking guards, the dementors. Believing Black intends to pursue Harry, Dumbledore allows the dementors to police the school, though the demon cops seem keen on killing Harry themselves. (At least he gets a fancy new Firebolt broomstick after the dementors attack him during a Quidditch match — but who sent it?) As if this weren't enough, Harry suspects he's being stalked by a black dog. Harry makes his first visit to Hogsmeade, a popular off-campus destination that's home to Honeydukes sweetshop, Zonko's joke shop, and the Shrieking Shack. But because he failed to get his permission slip signed by the Dursleys, Harry must sneak in using the Marauder's Map bequeathed to him by the Weasley twins.
Major Introductions In addition to his late father's school chums, the Marauders, there's Cho Chang, star Quidditch player for Ravenclaw and Harry's future crush, as well as a menagerie of new critters.
Coolest Magical Object The boggart wardrobe, a teaching tool in the classroom of Remus Lupin, Harry's newest Dark Arts teacher (and surrogate father). A boggart is a magical entity that takes the form of your worst fear.
Voldemort Watch In a protracted climax inside the Shrieking Shack, Harry, Hermione, and Ron discover that Black was framed by Peter Pettigrew, who betrayed Harry's parents and has been hiding out in the form of Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. Black is determined to avenge the Potters by killing Pettigrew, but Harry stops him, an extraordinary act of mercy that will have major consequences. Ultimately, Pettigrew escapes and Black is captured and sentenced to a deadly dementor's kiss. But Hermione comes to the rescue: With her Time-Turner (which she's used to take a double load of classes), she and Harry travel back in time to bust Black out of jail and send him into hiding on the back of Buckbeak, a wild hippogriff (half-bird, half-horse) that took a shine to Harry.
Notable Quote Dumbledore: ''This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me...the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life.''
What Harry Learns From Snape, that Harry's father and his friends were cruel pranksters who loved to pick on the cranky Potions teacher back in the day; from Dumbledore, that it's okay to break the rules for the sake of higher justice — in this case, sparing Black from death; and from Lupin, the power to conjure an extremely potent (and for Harry, ultimately life-saving) spell, the Patronus charm — Harry's takes the form of a silver stag. — Jeff Jensen
