Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard." Harry Potter era un ragazzo insolito sotto molti punti di vista. Prima di tutto, odiava le vacanze estive più di qualunque altro periodo dell'anno. Poi voleva davvero fare i compiti, ma era costretto a studiare di nascosto, nel cuore della notte. E per giunta era un mago» Once again I want to point out that I’m a pacifist! The way Hermione dished out that slap was pretty spectacular though! *lol* Guess she took Mr. Weasley as an example. Haha! Sound advice for parents: You better don’t slap mean people in front of your kids! ;-P Also is it just me or did anyone else notice the irony of the situation? A person like Hermione, a person that values words, resorted to actions because she realized words won’t get her far with a Malfoy. *lol*

And at the end, Harry and Sirius’s special relationship always melts my heart and fills my eyes in tears. I always find this is one of the most meaningful and genuine relationships JKR formed between two characters. There is a reason why J.K. Rowling is the fairy god-mother to millions of children (and adults) worldwide. Friendship, love, hope, they're present in her books even in the most desperate times, when Evil seems undefeatable, when no escape is visible. She encourages and empowers, shows that everything is possible, that strength and courage can be found within, when you have someone to hold your hand. Harry was a kid who was deprived of love yet he was capable of loving, it took him years but he finally found a place to belong, to feel safe and cared. Ron, with his witty lines and his constant presence, Hermione, my personal favorite, with her intelligence and compassion, they managed to enchant my prejudiced heart, and even now, years later, I'm still under their spell. I think I will always be. Ron's in the hospital, leaving Harry and Hermione to save the day. It was the other way around last book, which is an interesting bit of mirroring. Hermione: "Harry, I can't believe it... You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those Dementors! That's very, very advanced magic."

I can’t wait to read “The Goblet of Fire”! Not just because it’s one of my favourite HP books but also because I want to find out which other details I missed the first time around! It will get dark now and I’m so ready for it!!! <3 These books are only gonna get longer- so, rather than re-capping, I’m just going to note my favorite part of each chapter/podcast. I always liked “The Prisoner of Azkaban”! Not only because the kids have grown so much but also because it marks the beginning of the series getting all “Sirius”. *lol* (Sorry, I couldn’t help it. XD) The Hufflepuff quidditch team's secret weapon is Cedric Diggory... who makes all the female Griffindor players giggle and swoon.

Obviously, there will be spoilers for the book below, for the 1.5 of you who haven't read this yet. Hermione's awfully naive, assuming every Animagi voluntarily registers with the Ministry. But then, she's new to rule-breaking.

Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the third in the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999. I heard J.K. Rowling say once that being a werewolf was akin to living with AIDS. Really makes you read Lupin's origin story differently. I always laugh out loud when the night bus shows up and asks Harry why he fell over. But I also love that Hedwig finds Harry.

I loved rereading this third book the past two weeks with my middle child, and I can not get over this new set of the illustrated series by Jim Kay. I mean. . . I'm not sure I can imagine a reading experience more sublime. Can you? Crookshanks kills a spider, and eats it in front of Ron. Then goes to kill Scabbers: taking out all Ron's natural enemies. This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me… the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew’s life.” The tunnel at the base of the Whomping Willow goes off the Marauder's Map. It's literally uncharted territory. A mistake, eh?" the cat said. "We'll see about that. I have a great big doggie friend who's just aching to get his jaws around you...."Personal Opinion Note: I’m terribly sad for you, if you’ve never read the books (or at least watched the movies). 😉📚🎧🎬 Though the first two books were quite wonderful, the build-up for events seemed much better in this third book. The occurring of events seemed much less transparent, and manages to keep the reader well in suspense right till the end. The plot feels to be moving more in-line with the core of series - towards a bit darker side - as the first two had already laid a strong foundation. And the world of magic keeps expanding, with a lot of interesting elements being added to it! I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself when I say, this is becoming one of my favorite book series of all time.