Continuing right where we left off — here's Part 2 of the Prisoner of Azkaban review!
Honestly, this is where one of the most iconic spells in the entire Harry Potter series makes its first appearance:
the Patronus Charm.
The way the movie visually portrays the spell, and the deeper meaning behind it...
I found all of it absolutely fascinating.
And of course, this is also the part where Harry’s relationship with Sirius Black completely changes —
finding family he thought he never had... what a powerful moment that was.
The Patronus Charm and Time Travel
In order to defend himself against the Dementors, Harry decides to learn the Patronus Charm from Professor Lupin.
The Patronus, a pure manifestation of positive energy, can only be conjured by focusing on one’s happiest memories — and Harry struggles hard to master it.
Meanwhile, while sneaking around Hogsmeade under the Invisibility Cloak,
Harry accidentally overhears McGonagall and some others talking.
And that’s when he learns the shocking truth: Sirius Black isn’t just some random criminal —
he’s Harry’s godfather, and someone connected to the tragedy of his parents’ deaths.
From that point, Harry’s motivation shifts. He no longer simply fears Black — he knows he has to face him directly.
The Truth at the Shrieking Shack
While chasing after Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers, Harry and his friends are attacked by a giant black dog —
only to be dragged into the Shrieking Shack, where an even bigger revelation is waiting.
The black dog? None other than Sirius Black himself.
Inside the shack, Harry finally confronts Sirius.
But instead of attacking him, Sirius tries to explain the truth.
Lupin soon joins them, and together they reveal what really happened all those years ago.
The Real Betrayer
It turns out, Sirius wasn’t the one who betrayed Harry’s parents — it was Peter Pettigrew.
Pettigrew had been hiding in plain sight for years, living as Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers.
Sirius didn’t escape Azkaban to kill Harry — he escaped to protect him.
(The Animagus transformations during this part are so striking —
the contrast between Pettigrew’s rat form and Lupin’s werewolf transformation is seriously memorable.)
Unfortunately, when the full moon rises, Lupin loses control and transforms into a werewolf.
In the chaos, Pettigrew manages to escape, and Sirius is captured by the Dementors.
Turning Back Time
That’s when Harry and Hermione, following Dumbledore’s cryptic hint,
use Hermione’s secret Time-Turner to go back in time.
They manage to save Buckbeak the Hippogriff, and in one of the most emotionally charged moments,
Harry successfully casts a full-bodied Patronus to drive away the Dementors — saving both Sirius and his past self.
Sirius escapes, flying away on Buckbeak’s back into the night sky.
The Ending
Although Sirius is now free, he remains a fugitive.
Lupin, revealed to be a werewolf, resigns from Hogwarts.
Harry has uncovered a huge truth about his past — yet he’s left once again with that lingering sense of loneliness.
Still, Harry isn’t the same boy he was at the start of the year.
He’s grown — emotionally and mentally.
Learning the Patronus Charm not only saved his life but allowed him to reconnect, even if briefly, with the love and memory of his parents.
A Major Turning Point in the Series
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban marks a major evolution for the series.
It steps away from simple magical adventures into deeper emotional territory —
highlighting the complexity of relationships, the weight of loss, and the courage it takes to move forward.
This is where Harry stops being just someone who needs protecting.
He starts taking control of his own destiny.
(And maybe, just maybe... I’ve grown up a little along with him too? 😆)
