Chapter Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 17: Cat, Rat and Dog

[Geoff]

No: HPFGUIDX 190243

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Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 17: Cat, Rat and Dog

After hearing the fall of the axe, the Trio decide that they must return to the 
castle. During their walk back, Scabbers becomes very restless, bites Ron's 
hand  and runs away from Crookshanks. Ron pursues the rat and recaptures 
him but then, an enormous black dog emerges from the darkness, knocks 
Harry over, turns on Ron, seizes him by the arm and drags him into the now 
active Whomping Willow, breaking his leg en route.

While Harry and Hermione try to avoid the Willow's attack, Crookshanks 
shows that he knows how to stop the tree thrashing around. They follow a 
tunnel from the roots and find themselves in the Shrieking Shack. Searching
 the building they find a room with Ron in it and also Sirius Black who is 
revealed to be an Animagus.

Black disarms Harry and Hermione but a furious Harry  tries to attack him 
and in the resulting melée, regains his wand and advances threateningly on 
Black; an impasse occurs when Crookshanks sits on Sirius Black's chest 
blocking Harry's potential spell. 

At this point, footsteps are heard and the door bursts open to reveal Remus 
Lupin, who uses an Expelliarmus spell to gain control of the wands.  He holds 
a conversation with Black which is incomprehensible to the others and then, 
to their horror, embraces him. Hermione accuses him of betraying their 
trust and reveals that he is in fact a werewolf.

After attempting to explain to an unbelieving and furious Harry, Lupin 
returns their wands in an attempt to gain their attention; he reveals that he 
was Moony, one of the creators of the Map and had followed their progress 
by using it. He then makes a request to see Scabbers and reveals that the 
rat is Peter Pettigrew in Animagus form.

QUESTIONS

1. When the dog attacked the group, what were your thoughts about where 
it had come from and what it was? For example, did your mind return to the 
Grim? 

2. Did you assume that it was attempting to get at Harry? If that was the 
case, what was your reaction that, after Ron pushed Harry aside, it then 
apparently focussed its attack on him instead?

3. Crookshanks pushed the knot on the trunk of the tree which caused its 
flailing to stop. What were your thoughts at that point about Crookshanks 
and his actions? Accidental? More to the Kneazle than meets the eye?

4. In the Shrieking Shack, the dog is then revealed to be Sirius Black. Had 
any sort of possibility like this crossed your mind previously?

5. Many of Sirius' actions and words at the outset still seemed to indicate 
that he was after Harry. Do you think that he took a very great risk to 
himself in increasing that perception by saying to Harry "Going to kill me?". 
If so, why did he behave in this way? Would Harry have really attempted 
to do this if Crookshanks had not intervened?

6. To me, this is the most interesting chapter in the whole book because 
there are so many questions answered, so many puzzles resolved and, as 
a result,  so many pieces of the jigsaw fall into place. Would you agree 
and, if so, what was for you the most illuminating information that was 
revealed?

7. Please add any additional questions if you feel they may be relevant.

Geoff