Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Question: Did Harry simply get away with attacking Professor Snape? It happened before the moment that he and Hermione would time-travel back to, so it wasn't erased.

Answer: Harry was acting to save Sirius, who Snape was intending to turn over to the Dementors so his soul could be sucked out. Due to the unusual circumstances, Dumbledore would not have allowed Harry to be punished for protecting his godfather and uncovering the truth that proved his innocence. Dumbledore also knew Snape had acted inappropriately due to his personal hatred of Sirius. In the book, Snape was simultaneously jinxed by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Snape later claimed they were not responsible for their own actions and were coerced.

raywest

Question: After Harry wakes up in the hospital wing, Hermione was telling Harry that Snape said an incredibly powerful wizard could have produced the patronus that saved Harry and Sirius Black's life. Snape knew how powerful James and Lily were as witches/wizards so did he make the connection? Does Snape know that Harry made the patronus? even though Snape already knows Harry is destined to destroy Voldemort.

Answer: Snape woke up after the Patronus was conjured, only seeing the Dementors flying away from the scene. Harry nor Snape did not know who made the Patronus (it was Harry, even though Harry thought it was his dad) And at this point, Snape does not know that Harry is destined to destroy Voldemort. He did not hear the end of the prophecy and Dumbledore had not confided such information to Snape as of the end of the third book.

kristenlouise3

Question: In the scene where Harry is playing Quidditch, he is followed by the dementors. Why isn't he flying back to the Quidditch game at the ground? There would've been enough people who could have helped him. What happened to the dementors after, did they hurt anybody else?

Loesjuh1985

Chosen answer: Hermione visits Harry while he's recovering and explains that the incident never should have happened and Dumbledore was so furious over it that he banished the dementors way back behind the ground's perimeter. When Harry encounters the dementors they begin sucking out his soul, sort of. His face is shown almost like smoke being drawn to them and they, in turn, appear to be "sucking" the face smoke stuff into their "mouths." it looks horrific and I'm surprised anybody would ever wonder why he didn't retreat. He didn't retreat because he couldn't. It's that simple - he wasn't able to.

Question: When Harry and Hermione are using the time turner, I have two questions about that scene. One: Why can't anyone see them? IS this crucial to their mission? Two: Before they go back in time, we see that they already have (Hermione thinks she saw herself in the tree's.). But this means that there would never be an end to the chain. It's a time paradox.

M0vi3

Chosen answer: They can't be seen to avoid people asking questions. It's generally known where Harry and Hermione were during the course of events, so if somebody later claimed to have spotted them somewhere, people might realise what had really happened, which could cause them problems. As for the paradox, I don't see one - it's a simple course of events. Harry and Hermione live through the chain of events once, including a couple of unknowing interactions with their future selves. They then use the time-turner to travel back and re-experience the events and interactions with themselves again, this time from the alternate perspective. They catch up with the time left departed from and continue onwards. It's pretty straightforward, with no obvious paradox involved.

Tailkinker

Question: This applies more to the book: Buckbeak's appeal is set for two in the afternoon, and his execution at sundown. If the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures is so certain of Buckbeak's guilt, why (besides the gaping plot hole) do they wait so long between appeal and execution?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: The gap is to get all the formalities done. There was probably lots of paperwork to be done.

Ssiscool

Question: Why was there never a tribute to Richard Harris in the credits of any of the Harry Potter movies? I understand he died 2 weeks before the Chamber of Secretes debuted in theaters, however there was plenty of time to put a tribute in the credits of The Prisoner of Azkaban.

SAZOO1975

Chosen answer: Probably because it was eighteen months later by that point and, in the end, Harris really had nothing to do with that film, making a tribute to him in the credits inappropriate.

Tailkinker

Question: Are there any midi files or digital sheet music or pictures of sheet music available for the knight bus or apparition on the train?

Answer: Here is a midi file from the Knight Bus http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/prisoner_azkaban.html#audio. I wasn't able to find any free midis for Apparation On The Train, but if you are willing to spend $0.08 you can download it from http://songs3.allofmp3.com/mcatalog.shtml?group=5823&album=3&song=4&affiliate=saniheating.

Mortug

Question: Why does the first Dementor we see on the train focus specifically on Harry, and attack him? It seems a bit off for a "prison guard", looking for an escaped prisoner, to go after an innocent child.

Answer: Dementors are drawn to unhappy memories, bad emotions and so so - Harry's got more of those than just about anybody else on the train, which would draw the Dementors to him. It's also not really the case that Harry was really attacked as such - the presence of the Dementor would have brought bad memories to the fore for all those present. Harry having worse memories than the others, he was simply affected to a much greater degree.

Tailkinker

Question: I'm actually wondering if any other fans out there can spot students from Ravenclaw and Huffelpuff throughout the film? I've watched a lot of classroom scenes a few times and can only ever see Griffyndor and Slytherin students. Even in the choir scene it's difficult to make them out and I'm still not sure there are any. The new uniform colours make it quite difficult to spot them as: Slytherin wear dark green, Ravenclaw dark blue, Griffyndor dark red, and Huffelpuff dark yellow.

Answer: In the choir scene, the girl directly in front with the brown hair and pigtails, is from Ravenclaw. You can tell because of her blue lining.

Question: I know that Chris Columbus didn't direct this movie, but was his daughter an extra like she was in the past 2 movies?

Answer: According to IMDB, Violet Columbus was "Girl With Flowers."

Hamster

Question: Is it ever explained why the characters cannot use magic to protect themselves from the werewolf (Lupin)?

Answer: No, it's not really explained, though one could argue that it's simply because nobody wanted to harm Professor Lupin. Potions can be used to help subdue the beast, but it was too late by the time Lupin transformed.

LuMaria 1

Question: This is sort of a question for the three movies, I just don't know where to put it...In the first movie, Emma Watson's (Hermione) hair is very thick and bushy, where as in the next two movies, her hair is a bit more straight and neat. In the first movie, was that her real hair, or did she have hair extensions or something?

Answer: It has always been her natural hair, she just seemed to 'grow' into it. It has also been styled differently in each subsequent movie, presumably for the maturity of the character.

Macalou

Question: When Harry sneaks into Hogsmeade, he buys a lollipop. Since the lollipop is under the invisibility cloak, why isn't it also invisible like Harry?

Answer: Simple: the lollipop isn't under the invisibility cloak.

Xofer

Question: I heard that Trelawney's prophecy was worded different in the movie than in the book. Does anyone know what the change was and/or how it could change the plot?

Answer: The prediction in the book is, "The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before." It doesn't change the plot at all in the movie. It was just reworded to make it shorter.

Question: As Harry and Hermione are going back in time, after Ron has left the room, there is a part where it looks as though a number of people are unwrapping someone to the right of the screen. What is happening then?

Answer: Exactly what it looks like - a person is being unwrapped from full body bandages. It's a hospital ward and they are just showing things representative of Harry and Hermione going back in time. It's just supposed to be something that happened earlier that day that they are "passing" by.

wolfchild

I thought it was the cast being put on Ron's leg?

It's the moment someone is covered from head to torso in bandages.

lionhead

Question: Not including the Dursleys, is it known what happened to the rest of Harry's family - paternal and maternal grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.? Is their absence ever explained?

Answer: Although I don't think it's ever been mentioned, given their absence to date, his grandparents must be deceased. I believe that it's established in the books that James Potter was an only child, while Lily had only one sibling, Petunia, who married Vernon Dursley. Dudley is therefore his only cousin.

Tailkinker

Question: When the Fat Lady is gone out of the portrait, Harry is carrying something in his hand. Someone told me it was a gift that Ron gave to Harry when he was in Hogsmeade. Does anyone know what it is?

Answer: It's supposed to be the Sneakoscope that in the book is given to him by Ron at the very beginning of the book.

wolfchild

Question: In the scene where aunt Marge gets blown up and floats away, what is the music being played? It made the scene a whole lot funnier.

Answer: It's the original score by John Williams.

MoonFaery

Question: What is the spell that Hermione casts to free Sirius when he is locked in Hogwarts? It is not alohamora. It sounds like bombarda.

Answer: It is Bombarda, or something to that effect. Alohamora only opens a regular doorlock, a good old padlock obvoiusly calls for a different, more powerful spell.

Question: Since when do Dementors fly? Gliding is different than flying.

Answer: I think any glider pilot would take issue with that last statement. This is a choice by the filmmakers in their portrayal of the Dementors - the books never state, as far as I can remember, that the Dementors aren't capable of leaving the ground, so it's not necessarily an incorrect interpretation. J.K. Rowling is consulted during the making of these films, so she presumably has no problem with this.

Tailkinker

Visible crew/equipment: At dinner, just after Harry takes the plate from Petunia and as Aunt Marge says, "A bit more," referring to the brandy Vernon pours, in the left glass door of the hutch behind Vernon, there is a nice clear reflection of a crew member lowering his white sleeved arm off screen. (00:02:40)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sirius Black: Brilliant, Snape. Once again you've put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and as usual come to the wrong conclusion.

More quotes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Trivia: In order to acquaint himself with his three lead actors, director Alfonso Cuaron had each of them write an essay about their characters, from a first-person point of view. Emma Watson, in true Hermione fashion, went a little overboard and wrote an 16-page essay, Daniel Radcliffe wrote a simple one page paper, and Rupert Grint never even turned his in, as he said that is what Ron would have done.

More trivia for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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