100 Fun Facts About Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Prisoner of Azkaban is which book in the Harry Potter series?

It covers Harry's third year at Hogwarts, the year without Voldemort.

On what date was the book published in the UK by Bloomsbury?

8 July 1999: Bloomsbury published Prisoner of Azkaban in the UK on that date, with Scholastic's American edition following on 8 September 1999.

Why was the UK release timed for 3.45pm?

So children would not skip school: Bloomsbury held the UK release until 3.45pm on 8 July 1999, after the school day had ended, to stop pupils playing truant to buy it.

Whose Beowulf translation beat Prisoner of Azkaban to the 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year?

Seamus Heaney's Beowulf translation took the overall 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year after Prisoner of Azkaban had won the children's category, the judges splitting five votes to four.

Prisoner of Azkaban was the first Potter book shortlisted for which science-fiction and fantasy prize?

It lost the 2000 Best Novel Hugo to Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky; Goblet of Fire won the following year.

Which relative does Harry accidentally inflate at the start of the story?

Aunt Marge, Vernon's sister, swells up like a balloon after insulting Harry's parents; Pam Ferris played her in the film in prosthetic bodies that inflated at different rates.

What vehicle picks Harry up after he runs away from the Dursleys?

The Knight Bus, a violently purple triple-decker for stranded witches and wizards, appears with a bang when Harry throws out his wand arm on Magnolia Crescent; Muggles cannot see it.

Who plays Stan Shunpike, the conductor of the enchanted triple-decker bus, in the film?

Lee Ingleby plays Stan Shunpike, the spotty young conductor of the Knight Bus; Ingleby later starred as Detective Sergeant John Bacchus in Inspector George Gently.

Which Minister for Magic meets Harry at the Leaky Cauldron and tells him he will not be punished?

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, is waiting at the Leaky Cauldron and waves away the Marge incident; Robert Hardy plays him in the film.

What creatures board the Hogwarts Express searching for Sirius Black?

Dementors, the hooded guards of Azkaban, stop the Hogwarts Express to search it for Sirius Black; Rowling based them on her own experience of depression.

Which spell repels the guards of Azkaban?

The Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) conjures a silvery guardian from a happy memory that drives Dementors back; Lupin teaches it to Harry privately after he faints during the Quidditch match.

What is the name of the soul-sucking act performed by the guards of Azkaban?

The Dementor's Kiss sucks the victim's soul out through the mouth, leaving an empty living body; Fudge authorises it for Sirius after his recapture, though Harry and Hermione free him first.

Which subject does Professor Lupin teach?

Defence Against the Dark Arts: Lupin follows Quirrell and Lockhart in the post and, unlike them, teaches practical lessons on boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas and Grindylows.

Which Hogsmeade joke shop sells Harry Dungbombs and a Nose-Biting Teacup?

Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade, packed with students, is where Harry buys Dungbombs, Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap and a Nose-Biting Teacup while hidden under the Invisibility Cloak.

Hagrid takes over which teaching post this year?

Care of Magical Creatures: Hagrid takes over from the retiring Professor Kettleburn, and his first lesson ends with Malfoy injured after insulting Buckbeak.

What kind of creature is Buckbeak?

A hippogriff, with the head, wings and forelegs of a giant eagle on a horse's body; Buckbeak must be bowed to before he is approached.

Who gives Harry the Marauder's Map?

Fred and George Weasley, who nicked it from Filch's office in their first year, hand the map to Harry so he can sneak into Hogsmeade.

Who created the Marauder's Map?

Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew made the map as Hogwarts students, signing it with their Marauder nicknames; Lupin, recognising it, confiscates the map from Harry.

In which pub does Harry overhear that Sirius Black is his godfather?

The Three Broomsticks: hidden under a table, Harry hears Fudge, McGonagall, Flitwick and Hagrid tell the landlady that Sirius Black was his father's best friend and is his godfather.

What is the name of Ron's pet rat?

Scabbers, the elderly rat Ron inherited from his brother Percy, turns out to be Peter Pettigrew hiding in his Animagus form.

What is the name of Hermione's cat?

Crookshanks, the bandy-legged ginger cat Hermione buys at the Magical Menagerie, keeps chasing Scabbers; Ron blames him when the rat vanishes and the two stop speaking.

Ron is dragged by a large black dog through a passage under which tree?

The Whomping Willow, planted the year Lupin arrived at Hogwarts, flails at anyone who comes near; the dog drags Ron into a tunnel beneath its roots.

Where does the big reveal about Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew take place?

The Shrieking Shack, the boarded-up house above Hogsmeade that villagers believe is haunted, is where Sirius and Lupin corner Pettigrew in the bedroom at the tunnel's end.

How many Muggles did Peter Pettigrew kill when he faked his own death?

He left a severed finger behind and framed Sirius for the massacre.

Which Gryffindor Quidditch captain finally wins the Cup in his seventh year?

Oliver Wood, Gryffindor's Keeper and captain, lifts the Quidditch Cup in his seventh and final year after Harry catches the Snitch against Slytherin.

What causes Lupin to transform and lets Pettigrew escape on the way back to the castle?

The full moon: the clouds part as the group crosses the grounds, Lupin, who has missed his Wolfsbane Potion that night, transforms, and in the chaos Pettigrew grabs Lupin's dropped wand and escapes.

What device do Harry and his friend use to go back and save Sirius and Buckbeak?

A Time-Turner, the tiny hourglass the Ministry lent Hermione so she could attend overlapping classes; Dumbledore only hints at the plan rather than ordering it.

Who exposes Lupin as a werewolf, forcing him to resign?

Snape, furious at losing his Order of Merlin when Sirius escaped, lets slip at breakfast that Lupin is a werewolf; Lupin resigns before parents' owls can arrive.

What broomstick does Sirius send Harry after his Nimbus 2000 is destroyed?

A Firebolt, the racing broom Harry had coveted in Diagon Alley; it arrives anonymously at Christmas, and Sirius later admits he ordered it in Harry's name from his own vault.

Who directed the 2004 film?

Alfonso Cuarón, fresh from Y Tu Mamá También, directed the film after Chris Columbus stepped down to produce; Cuarón had not read the books when first approached.

Which director, offered the job, was put off because the first two films were too 'bright and happy'?

Guillermo del Toro turned the film down, later saying he found the first two Potter films 'so bright and happy and full of light' that he could not see himself directing the third.

Michael Gambon took over as Dumbledore after which actor's death?

Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two films, died in October 2002; Michael Gambon, also Dublin-born, took over and kept a hint of Harris's Irish lilt as a homage.

Which actor turned down Dumbledore partly because he had already played Gandalf?

Ian McKellen declined, saying he had already played Gandalf and that Richard Harris, who had publicly criticised his acting, would not have approved of him taking over the role.

Which American comedian wanted to play Lupin but was ruled out by the British-only casting rule?

Robin Williams asked to play Lupin, but the producers' rule that the cast be British or Irish ruled him out; David Thewlis, Cuarón's first choice, got the part.

Who plays Divination teacher Sybill Trelawney in the film?

Emma Thompson plays Sybill Trelawney, hidden behind huge magnifying spectacles and shawls; she returns as the Divination teacher in Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Who plays Peter Pettigrew?

Timothy Spall plays Peter Pettigrew, returning in Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows Part 1; Spall later played J. M. W. Turner in Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner.

Which lead refused Cuarón's request for a character essay, saying 'Ron wouldn't do it'?

Rupert Grint never handed in the essay, joking that Ron would not have done it either; Daniel Radcliffe wrote a short one and Emma Watson a very long one.

Cuarón wanted Dumbledore to look like what?

An old hippie, but still chic: costume designer Jany Temime gave Gambon's Dumbledore flowing robes of tie-dyed grey silk and a soft tasselled cap, a world away from Richard Harris's heavy velvet.

Which Scottish location hosted three purpose-built sets, including Hagrid's hut, near the Clachaig Inn?

Glen Coe: Hagrid's hut and two other sets were built on the hillside beside the Clachaig Inn and removed after filming, while the Hogwarts Express scenes used the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

Rowling let Cuarón add a sundial to the grounds but vetoed which addition, because of a later book?

A graveyard would matter in the then-unwritten sixth book.

To make the triple-decker bus look like it was doing 100 mph, how fast was it actually driven?

Other cars crawled at 8 mph and stunt pedestrians were trained to walk incredibly slowly.

Cuarón first tried to create the Azkaban guards using what, before switching to CGI?

Underwater puppets: master puppeteer Basil Twist filmed his Dementor puppets moving underwater in slow motion; the tests failed on screen but shaped the CGI creatures' drifting movement.

Which composer scored Prisoner of Azkaban, his last Potter film?

John Williams scored all three of the first Potter films; for this one he wrote new themes including 'Double Trouble' and 'A Window to the Past', and was succeeded by Patrick Doyle.

The film received Academy Award nominations in which two categories?

Visual Effects and Original Score: at the 77th Academy Awards it lost Visual Effects to Spider-Man 2 and John Williams's score to Jan A. P. Kaczmarek's Finding Neverland.

Where does the acclaimed Prisoner of Azkaban rank among the eight Potter films at the box office?

It still made $810 million and was 2004's number two film worldwide behind Shrek 2.

Which 2004 film beat Prisoner of Azkaban to the year's worldwide box office crown?

Shrek 2, with about $920 million worldwide, topped 2004; Prisoner of Azkaban was runner-up with close to $800 million, ahead of Spider-Man 2 and The Passion of the Christ.

Prisoner of Azkaban was the first Potter film released in which format alongside standard cinemas?

IMAX: Prisoner of Azkaban opened simultaneously in IMAX cinemas on 4 June 2004, the first Potter film given an IMAX release; Goblet of Fire and later entries followed.

Who replaced Elizabeth Spriggs as the Fat Lady portrait in this film?

Dawn French plays the Fat Lady, the Gryffindor portrait guardian, this time trying to shatter a glass with her singing; Elizabeth Spriggs had played her in Philosopher's Stone.

Who illustrated the original Bloomsbury cover of Prisoner of Azkaban?

Cliff Wright drew the original Bloomsbury cover, showing Harry and Hermione on Buckbeak, having also illustrated Chamber of Secrets; Mary GrandPré drew the American editions.

What is Harry secretly writing his History of Magic essay about under the bedcovers?

Witch burning: the essay title is 'Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless – discuss', and Harry writes it by torchlight because Vernon has locked his schoolbooks away.

When the bus conductor asks his name, which classmate does Harry claim to be?

Neville Longbottom: expecting to be a wanted fugitive for inflating his aunt, Harry gives Stan the first name that comes to mind, only for Fudge to greet him as Harry Potter in London.

How many Sickles is the fare on the purple triple-decker bus to take Harry to London?

Eleven Sickles: Stan quotes 'eleven Sickles, but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in the colour of your choice'.

How did the Weasleys pay for their summer trip to Egypt at the start of the book?

Mr Weasley won the Daily Prophet's Grand Prize Galleon Draw, seven hundred Galleons, and spent most of it taking the family to visit Bill in Egypt.

What birthday present does Hagrid send Harry at the start of his third year?

The Monster Book of Monsters, a snapping, scuttling textbook that Harry subdues with a belt; only in Hagrid's first class does anyone learn that stroking its spine calms it.

What does Uncle Vernon tell his sister Harry's school is called?

St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys: Marge approves of the fictitious school and asks whether they use the cane, Harry assuring her he is beaten 'all the time'.

What do Fred and George alter Percy's Head Boy badge to read?

Bighead Boy: the twins bewitch Percy's new Head Boy badge and mimic his pomposity through the Leaky Cauldron dinner the night before term starts.

What does Professor Lupin hand out after the hooded creature leaves the train compartment?

Madam Pomfrey later approves of the treatment; chocolate is the standard remedy for Dementor exposure in the series.

Which portrait character guides Harry and Ron to Divination and later guards Gryffindor Tower?

Sir Cadogan, a pint-sized knight with a fat grey pony, leads Harry and Ron to the North Tower and, as the only volunteer, replaces the slashed Fat Lady, changing passwords daily.

What death omen does Professor Trelawney claim to see in Harry's tea leaves?

The Grim, a giant spectral dog that haunts churchyards and is the worst omen of death; Harry has already twice spotted a large black dog watching him.

Which two subjects besides Divination does Hermione's timetable list at nine o'clock on day one?

Arithmancy and Muggle Studies: Hermione's Monday timetable lists Divination, Muggle Studies and Arithmancy all at nine o'clock, and Ron asks how she can be in three classes at once.

What does the Transfiguration teacher turn herself into to demonstrate how Animagi change shape?

A cat: McGonagall transforms into a tabby with spectacle markings around its eyes, and is nettled when the class, shaken by Trelawney's prediction, barely applauds.

In Lupin's boggart lesson, what does Ron's boggart become?

A giant spider: Ron's boggart is a six-foot spider whose legs vanish when he shouts Riddikulus; Seamus faces a banshee, Parvati a mummy and Dean a severed hand.

Which house beats Gryffindor in the storm-lashed Quidditch match in which Harry falls off his broom?

Hufflepuff: their captain and Seeker Cedric Diggory catches the Snitch while Harry falls from his broom, then offers a rematch, which Oliver Wood refuses as a fair win.

Which teacher confiscates Harry's anonymous Christmas broomstick so it can be checked for jinxes?

Professor McGonagall, tipped off by Hermione, takes the Firebolt away to be stripped down for jinxes by Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick, who find nothing wrong.

How many diners are at the Hogwarts Christmas table when Trelawney warns the first to rise will die?

Thirteen: Trelawney hesitates because twelve are already seated, warning that when thirteen dine together the first to rise will die; Harry and Ron later stand up together.

Which memory finally works for Harry during his first private anti-Dementor lesson with Lupin?

Learning he was a wizard and would leave the Dursleys: after fainting on his first try with a broomstick memory, Harry's second attempt produces a silvery shadow that halts the boggart-Dementor.

Who is Ravenclaw's new Seeker in Harry's third year, riding a Comet Two-Sixty?

Cho Chang, a fourth-year whom Harry finds very pretty, is Ravenclaw's new Seeker; her Comet Two-Sixty is no match for the Firebolt when Harry takes the Snitch.

Which Slytherin captain joined Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle disguised as Dementors at the Ravenclaw match?

Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain, and the three others stood on each other's shoulders under long hooded robes; McGonagall gives them detention and docks fifty points from Slytherin.

How did Sirius get past the portrait into Gryffindor Tower the night he slashed Ron's bed curtains?

Neville had written down a week's worth of Sir Cadogan's ever-changing passwords; he is banned from Hogsmeade and gets a Howler.

Which sweet shop does the secret passage behind the One-Eyed Witch statue lead to?

The spell to open the witch's hump is Dissendium, one of seven passages the Marauder's Map shows.

What phrase makes the Marauder's Map go blank again?

'Mischief managed': tapping the map and saying it wipes the parchment blank again, just as 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' reveals it.

How many secret passages out of Hogwarts does the Marauder's Map show?

Filch knows about four; one has caved in and one starts under the Whomping Willow, so only the Honeydukes route is safe.

Which pub landlady does Ron have a slight crush on in Hogsmeade?

Madam Rosmerta, the curvy landlady of the Three Broomsticks, serves the teachers and Fudge the drinks over which Harry, hidden under a table, hears that Sirius is his godfather.

Which Marauder nickname belonged to Peter Pettigrew?

Wormtail, after the rat he became as an Animagus; the others were Moony (Lupin), Padfoot (Sirius) and Prongs (James).

What is the Gryffindor common room password when the third year begins?

Fortuna Major: Percy announces the new password at the portrait hole on the first night back, and Neville, who can never remember them, has to wait to be let in.

How long did it take James, Sirius and Peter to become Animagi to keep Lupin company?

Three years: Lupin says it took his friends the best part of three years, finally managing it in their fifth year; Pettigrew needed all the help James and Sirius could give.

According to Lupin, why was the 'most haunted building in Britain' outside Hogsmeade actually built?

To confine him during his transformations: Dumbledore had the Shrieking Shack built and the tunnel dug so Lupin could transform safely each month; the villagers' 'ghosts' were his howls.

How does Hermione's cat still the violent tree guarding the tunnel out of the grounds?

By pressing a knot on the trunk: Crookshanks slips between the flailing branches and presses the knot that freezes the Whomping Willow, then leads the way into the tunnel.

How does Sirius finally escape from his cell in Azkaban?

He slips through the bars as a dog: Sirius transforms, squeezes through the bars of his cell when the Dementors bring food, and swims to the mainland in dog form.

How many turns of Hermione's tiny hourglass does Dumbledore say should be enough?

Each turn is an hour; they land in the Entrance Hall three hours earlier and have to hide from their own selves.

Which teacher's office is Sirius locked in before Harry and Hermione fly Buckbeak up to rescue him?

Professor Flitwick's office, on the seventh floor, thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower; Hermione blasts the window open with Alohomora from Buckbeak's back.

What animal shape bursts from Harry's wand when he saves Sirius at the lake?

A stag: Harry's Patronus takes the form his father took as an Animagus, which is why James was called Prongs; it gallops across the lake and drives off the Dementors.

Who is the executioner sent to behead Buckbeak?

Macnair, the Ministry's executioner, arrives with Fudge and a Committee member; Hagrid calls him a friend of Lucius Malfoy, and he resurfaces among the Death Eaters in Goblet of Fire.

How many true predictions does Dumbledore say Trelawney has made after her exam-day trance?

Two: Dumbledore says the exam-day trance about Voldemort's servant brings Trelawney's total of real predictions to two, the first being the prophecy revealed in Order of the Phoenix.

What is enclosed with Sirius's letter to Harry on the Hogwarts Express home?

A signed Hogsmeade permission form: as Harry's godfather Sirius signs it himself, and in the same letter admits he ordered the Firebolt and gives Ron the tiny owl.

Which subject does Hermione tell Ron and Harry she has dropped, letting her hand back the hourglass?

Muggle Studies: having already walked out of Divination for good, Hermione drops Muggle Studies too, so her timetable no longer clashes and she hands the Time-Turner back to McGonagall.

Which actor, cast as Sirius Black, admitted he accepted the part because he needed the money?

Gary Oldman, who had stepped back from films for several years to raise his sons, admitted he took the role of Sirius Black because he needed the money.

Which cinematographer shot Prisoner of Azkaban?

Michael Seresin, the New Zealand-born cinematographer of Midnight Express and Angel Heart, shot Prisoner of Azkaban, replacing Roger Pratt, who returned for Goblet of Fire.

The choir piece 'Double Trouble' in the film takes its words from which Shakespeare play?

Macbeth: the lyrics are the witches' chant 'Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble' from Act IV, Scene 1, set by John Williams for the Hogwarts choir.

Which Oscar-winning actress plays Madam Rosmerta in the film?

Julie Christie, Best Actress winner for Darling (1965), plays Madam Rosmerta, the Three Broomsticks landlady, in her only appearance in the series.

How much did the Prisoner of Azkaban film make in its opening weekend in the US and Canada?

$93.7 million: opening on 4 June 2004, it took $93.7 million over its first three days in the US and Canada, the biggest opening of the three Potter films released by then.

Harry's flight on Buckbeak over the school's waters was filmed at which Surrey location?

Virginia Water, the lake on the edge of Windsor Great Park in Surrey, stood in for the Hogwarts lake when Harry's flight on Buckbeak skimmed the water.

Who was the production designer on Prisoner of Azkaban, as on every Potter film?

Stuart Craig, production designer of all eight Potter films, added Cuarón's clock tower and covered wooden bridge to Hogwarts for this film.

Who wrote the screenplay for Prisoner of Azkaban?

Steve Kloves adapted Prisoner of Azkaban, as he did every Potter film except Order of the Phoenix, which Michael Goldenberg wrote.

The Honeydukes sweet-shop set was a redress of which shop set from Chamber of Secrets?

Flourish & Blotts: the Diagon Alley bookshop set from Chamber of Secrets was redressed as Honeydukes, having itself been a redress of the Ollivanders set from the first film.

Why did Warwick Davis play the conductor of the Hogwarts choir in Prisoner of Azkaban?

Flitwick was absent from the script, so Cuarón gave Warwick Davis the choir conductor instead; the conductor's younger, dark-haired look then became Flitwick's for the rest of the series.

Which comedian provides the voice of the shrunken head on the Knight Bus?

Lenny Henry voices the chatty shrunken head that swings from the Knight Bus's mirror, a character invented for the film and absent from the book.

Which actor took over as Tom, the Leaky Cauldron innkeeper, replacing Derek Deadman from the first film?

Jim Tavaré, a stand-up comedian known for his double-bass act, plays the hunchbacked Tom in Prisoner of Azkaban; Derek Deadman had played him in Philosopher's Stone.

Which comedian plays the portrait knight Sir Cadogan in the film?

Paul Whitehouse, the Fast Show comedian, plays the portrait knight Sir Cadogan in Prisoner of Azkaban; Sir Cadogan is the blustering knight who replaces the Fat Lady.

How much did Prisoner of Azkaban take in the US and Canada, only the sixth-best of 2004?

$250.7 million: that domestic total ranked sixth for 2004 behind Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers and The Incredibles, though overseas it was the year's top film.