BDCHS Advanced Reading discussion

Harry Potter – By J.K. Rowling:

Harry Potter and his best friends Ron and Hermione are heading into their 3rd year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. But before they leave Harry finds out that a mad man named Sirius Black who is believed to work for Lord Voldemort, has escaped out of the most fearsome and brutal wizard prison, Azkaban, and is hunting down Harry. Meanwhile back at Hogwarts, there is a new teacher for Defense against the Dark Arts named Remus Lupin who all of the students become very fond of, but there is something rather odd about Professor Lupin, Harry’s least favorite teacher, Professor Snape keeps having to make him a strange potion and his greatest fear is the moon, why? Because he is a werewolf. Later, Harry finds out that his father, Remus and Sirius Black used to all be best friends back at Hogwarts and with another boy named Peter Pettigrew who “died” in attempt to stop Sirius Black. When in reality Sirius Black is the godfather of Harry and was innocent while Pettigrew betrayed the Potter’s and is a Death Eater in league with Voldemort. While trying to get Pettigrew back to the castle to clear Sirius’s name, Remus turns into a werewolf and Pettigrew escapes thus causing Sirius to be sentenced to death. Harry informs Dumbledore about what actually happened and Dumbledore tells Hermione and Harry how to help Sirius. Him and Hermione end up going back in time to earlier that day and save Sirius by giving him Hagrid’s hippogriff (a creature with the front half of a bird and the back half of a horse) And escapes then he goes into hiding. Sirius sends Harry an owl letting him know that he’s safe for now and he doesn't know when Harry will be able to come and live with him but he’ll be looking out for him, so with that Harry returns to the muggle world to live with the Dursley’s once more. The overall theme of the story I think is friendship because all through out the book Harry always has his friends with him or he tries to comfort his friends. Like when Hermione and Ron were arguing Harry tried to comfort both of them and they got along in the end. When Hagrid's pet was going to be executed, Harry, Hermione and Ron all tried to be there for him and help him out with it.

I really enjoyed reading the story, and meeting all of the different characters especially Sirius Black. I thought it was cool that him and Harry's father used to be friends and Harry thought he had betrayed him but in reality Sirius was Harry's godfather. It did make me really sad though when Harry couldn't be with Sirius in the end and he had to go back to the Dursley's, I think his life would have been a whole lot better if he could have lived with Sirius.

I learned that through out the story, friendship is more important than anything and not to let others stand in your way of doing what you think is right.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I really liked Sirius as well when he was introduced and I was bummed that Harry couldn't live with him as well. Do you think his life would have been so different? The Dursleys weren't as bad in his later life, he still would have gone back to Hogwarts, and Sirius still would have died. How do you think it would have been different?