

The trio eventually reconcile in time to help Hagrid with his eleventh-hour appeal to save Buckbeak, his hippogriff. Midway through the year, the boys stop speaking to Hermione after her cat presumably kills Scabbers and after she turns Harry's anonymously gifted Firebolt broomstick to Professor McGonagall for inspection. Harry devotes most of his time to three things: Quidditch (which pays off since he and his team win the Quidditch Cup, finally), sneaking into Hogsmeade (courtesy of a magical map provided by Fred and George), and working with Professor Lupin on casting the Patronus spell, a defense against Dementors.

Meanwhile, everyone is preoccupied with fear of Sirius Black, who breaks into Hogwarts twice during the school year. The year progresses and Harry is busy kicking butt in Quidditch, Hermione is swamped with her insane course load, Hagrid is eagerly (with Hermione's help) trying to prove that his hippogriff isn't dangerous before a tribunal, and Ron is consumed with worrying about Scabbers. Remus Lupin arrives as the awesome new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Hagrid is the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Being around the creepy Dementors makes Harry hear his parents' death at Voldemort's hand, and often makes him faint (not something that most teenaged boys hope for). So what else is new? On the way back to school, some Dementors, the scary guards of Azkaban, enter the train to look for Sirius Black.
PRISONER OF AZKABAN SUMMARY SERIES
Crookshanks, of course, has it in for Ron's pathetic rat, Scabbers, which leads to a long series of arguments between Ron and Hermione. Harry reunites with his two BFFs, Ron and Hermione, and the three head back to Hogwarts with something new in tow: Hermione's adopted cat, Crookshanks (who is rather hideous and super smart). The real problem is that he doesn't have permission to visit Hogsmeade, the wizarding village near Hogwarts, this school year. Given how many times he's faced off with homicidal maniacs, Harry isn't all that concerned about this development. Harry isn't punished for his "crime" (he's not allowed to practice magic outside of school) and soon finds out why: turns out, a dangerous prisoner, Sirius Black, has escaped from Azkaban and is hunting down Harry.
