Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Family)

The Importance of Family
The meaning of family can be defined in many different ways. Some consider family to include only their blood or biological relatives while others consider family as a meaning of security and closeness with individuals who aren’t biologically related. Either way, family is considered important. For without family, an individual can struggle to understand where they came from, and miss out on connections that may impact their life. The importance of family is exemplified in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban as the main character struggles to discover himself. A wise man once said, “You don’t have to be blood to be family” (Rowling). According to Harry Potter, this was very much so the case. Harry Potter was orphaned as a baby when his parents were murdered. He then fell into the care of his unaccepting and uncaring Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Here, Harry felt like a burden and lonely.
“Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are as cruel to Harry as any fairy-tale step-parent: they feed him poorly, and clothe him shabbily; they make him sleep in a dark spider-infested cupboard under the stairs and destroy his mail” (Lurie 130).
His friend, Ron, from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one day thought it would be nice to call Harry at home. Before Harry could pick up the phone, his Uncle Vernon intervened and made it clear he was dissatisfied with the phone call. The only way Harry could contact his friends was through wizard mail - mail that was sent via owls. Harry did not consider his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon his true family.
Harry was a child who possessed magical powers, therefore, he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“With the help of magic, he is recued and enters an alternate world in which imagination and adventurousness are rewarded” (Lurie 131).
Hogwarts eventually serves as a home for Harry and it is where his surrogate family resides. Here, he felt important for a change. Harry often looked to the headmaster, Ablus Dumbledore, for guidance and wisdom. He looked up to this wise, elderly man and in many ways; he looked to him as a father-like figure. Professor McGonagall often looked after Harry as a son. She is not always fair to him, but keeps his best interests in mind. For example, Harry anonymously received a brand new Firebolt, a newly engineered broom that would allow him to win the Quidditch Cup. Professor McGonagall quickly took the broom from Potter, as a precaution, to examine it for jinxes because there was an alleged murderer on the loose, who was supposedly after Harry. This was quite a disadvantage for Harry because his former broom was smashed to smithereens just a few days prior and there was an important Quidditch match quickly approaching.
Ron and Hermione are Harry’s two best friends. They stood by Harry’s side for the past three years through situations regarding life and death. Defying strict orders from his Professors, one evening, Harry walked the school grounds with his two friends. Little did he know that his best friend Ron would be attacked by the alleged murderer of Harry’s parents, Sirius Black. Determined to save their friend, together, Hermione and Harry set out after Black. After they caught Black, Harry discovered the truth of his parents’ murder. It was not Black who had murdered them; it was instead Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers, also known as Peter Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew was an Animagus (a person with the abilities to transform into an animal). It was Pettigrew who gave away Harry’s parents location to Voldemort who murdered Harry’s parents, framed Black (his former best friend), and escaped by transforming himself into a rat. Sirius Black was indeed at the site of the murders, but he was there to help defend Harry, who was a baby at the time. Harry learns that Sirius Black is really his godfather. Black didn’t break out of Azkaban to kill Harry; he broke out to save him by seeking out Pettigrew. This is another example of the importance of surrogate family in Harry Potter’s life. In choosing Black as Harry’s godfather, James Potter was seeking to protect Harry in the future.
At this point, Harry was beside himself. After he discovered the truth about his parents’ untimely and cruel deaths and Sirius Black’s innocence, he began to realize what family is about. To Harry, family meant people who are there for each other, in times of difficulty and confusion, biologically related or not. That same evening, Black asked Harry to live with him, meaning he’d leave his Aunt and Uncle. When Harry heard this, he was enthusiastic. He savored the very thought of sleeping in his own bed as well as having proper clothing and food. He thought of the word ‘family’ and recalled how his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon made no effort to make him feel as if he was a part of theirs. This also made Harry wonder what living with his parents would have been like, assuming they had lived. Professors who knew his parents, Lily and James Potter, often approached Harry to tell him “You truly are like your father, James. But, you have your mother’s eyes.” Harry often felt curious as to how much he resembled his parents.
That same evening, Sirius was in a great deal of trouble. Because he had escaped from Azkaban, the dementors, guards of Azkaban who inhale souls were in search of him (Whited). Sirius was caught by the dementors and practically killed. Luckily, Hermione beheld a rare device that turned back time. With this device, both Harry and Hermione were able “to take a trip back in time to cross paths with their earlier selves, and discover that not everything is as it appears” (D’Ammassa). From across the lake where Sirius’ dying body lay, Harry believed his father conjured the Patronus, to save Sirius’ life, when in fact, he was the one who conjured it. If Harry hadn’t gone back in time, Sirius would not have survived. The Patronus was a spell that drove the dementors away from Sirius’ dying body. In order to cast a Patronus, the wizard must think of an overwhelmingly joyous thought, which, with enough strength and power, will create a protective creature, driving the dementors away. It is much like a force field that the dementors cannot break through. In Harry’s case, his Patronus was a stag, which was his father’s Animagus shape (Whited). Not only did Harry successfully cast the Patronus, saving his godfather’s life that evening, but he cast it with such power, that even Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, a very advanced wizard, was astounded. Harry thought of his parents that night; he thought of his family. It wasn’t until after Harry saved Sirius’ life that he discovered himself. The headmaster told Harry
“You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him” (Rowling 427, 428).
After Dumbledore said this, Harry realized that his roots and heredity were powerful, and that although Lily and James Potter were not physically beside Harry, they were still with him mentally and emotionally. Throughout this novel, we can follow the valuable role that family played in Harry Potter’s character development. Without the support and love of his surrogate family at Hogwarts, Harry would have continued to be a lost soul, and may not have reached his true potential. From his professors’ guidance and motivation to keep him safe, to his friends’ support, Harry developed into an outstanding individual with positive values and emotional strength. These attributes will offer him a sound foundation for a future full of potential. Harry’s evolution as a family member led him from Privet Drive, where his most basic needs were neglected, to his surrogate family at Hogwarts, where he discovered his true family, who had been alive in him all along.