[ HARRY POTTER ]
Tracking
the Truth
If you saw "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" but didn't read the book, you missed something. With the story moving so quickly, though, you probably didn't notice.
But take it from someone who's been through the book a couple of times (and only once for the sake of a child): The movie's got a puka, and that's in explaining the magical Marauder's Map and its connection to Harry's past.
It's a back story, a prologue, a prequel, and understanding it fills in the background, adding richness to what is a really cool story.
You don't have to go through the trouble of reading the book, though. I'll fill in the blanks for you right here. Just follow the footsteps:
Where did that magical map come from, or was it just an incredibly handy plot device?
The Marauder's Map was created by Harry's father, James, and his best friends -- Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew -- when they were all students at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. The books don't get into the magic by which it was created, except to say that James and Sirius were gifted wizards.
Must be so, because the map, created by teenagers, confounds even adults. It was at some point confiscated by the caretaker, Filch, who had no idea of its powers. A generation later it was stolen by the Weasley twins, George and Fred, who then gave it to Harry.
So who are Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs?
The names that appear when the map is activated are the nicknames taken by the Potter gang. Remus, a werewolf, was named for his nemesis, the full moon. The others based their names on their animal alter egos -- Sirius, a dog, was called Padfoot; Peter, a rat, was Wormtail. James could transform into a stag and was called Prongs for his antlers.
Did you catch the part in the movie when Harry tried to ward off the Dementors and conjured up the silvery image of a stag? That was a mystical connection to his father.
Can all wizards turn into animals?
No. A witch or wizard who can pull off the feat is called an animagus. Professor McGonagall is one; she morphs into a cat. The boys taught themselves the art of transformation in order to keep their friend, Remus, company during the full moon. He wouldn't hurt them when they were animals and was actually gentled by their presence.
Why was a werewolf at the school anyway? Wasn't that dangerous?
Remus was bitten by a werewolf as a child and would have been ostracized for a lifetime, but Hogwarts' headmaster, Dumbledore, allowed him to come to school, provided his "condition" was kept secret.
Every month, Remus was taken to a tunnel that led off-campus into a shack in the town of Hogsmeade. There he would undergo his painful transformation. His howling was heard by the villagers, who called the structure the Shrieking Shack. (This is the building where Peter, the rat, was finally forced to reveal his human self and Harry learned the truth about Sirius.)
What about that tree that kept beating up on people and birds?
The Whomping Willow was planted the year Remus came to Hogwarts to guard the entrance of the tunnel. The tree could be quieted by touching a knot on the trunk. Peter, as a rat, was small enough to do that and gain entrance to the Shrieking Shack for his friends. (This differs from the movie, in which Remus used a spell to immobilize the tree.)
Where did the super-broomstick, the Firebolt, come from?
Sirius Black sent it. "Please consider it 13 years' worth of birthday presents from your godfather," he wrote.
What's the deal with Professor Snape? Is he a good guy or a bad guy?
Severus Snape is the most conflicted character in the books. As is revealed in later parts of the Potter series, Snape was once a follower of the dark lord, Voldemort, but mended his ways. Dumbledore trusts him now, and Snape is completely loyal to the headmaster.
He does not like Harry, however, and that goes back to Harry's father. Snape was a contemporary of James Potter at Hogwarts but was always an outcast. James and his friends picked on Snape, and he came to hate them all.
Still, he has protected Harry. And when Remus came back to Hogwarts as a teacher, Snape made a monthly Wolfsbane Potion for him, to keep him harmless when he transformed.
So, he is on the whole good, just nasty.
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