Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Chapter 1 Summary.
Owl Post
Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, titled “Owl Post,” deals with Harry Potter’s challenging summer with the Dursleys and the unexpected arrival of birthday presents from his friends.
Harry’s Summer Struggles
Harry Potter is a highly unusual boy, particularly in his dislike for the summer holidays, his eagerness to do his homework, and the fact that he is a wizard. Forced to do so in secret, Harry works on his assignments in the dead of night, using a flashlight under his blankets. His work is made more challenging by the fact that his non-magical relatives, the Dursleys, despise anything related to magic.
The Dursleys – Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son Dudley – have always tried to keep Harry downtrodden in the hopes of squashing the magic out of him, and their disappointment in not being able to achieve the same knows no bounds.
Each summer, they lock away his magical belongings and strictly monitor his activities. This summer, however, Harry has managed to sneak some of his books into his room to keep up with his homework. He is currently working on an essay for his History of Magic class about the pointlessness of witch burnings in the fourteenth century. The current assignment involves reading about Flame Freezing Charms used by witches like Wendelin the Weird to avoid being harmed by burnings.
As long as Harry did not leave ink spots on the bedsheet, no one would ever have to know about his homework-filled nights. Specially since the Dursleys were already quite mad at him, for something that had happened earlier.
Ron’s Phone Call Incident
One week into the summer vacation, Harry’s friend Ron Weasley had attempted to call him on the Dursley telephone.
Ron, unfamiliar with using a Muggle telephone, had screamed into the phone, causing a loud and confusing confrontation with Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon, furious and alarmed, yelled at Ron to never call at his place again, and then at Harry, for giving out their number to “people like him.”
The incident results in a complete communication shutdown between Harry and his friends. Ron does not call again, perhaps having realized how he got Harry into trouble. Hermione Granger, likely warned by Ron about the mishap, also does not contact Harry, which is a shame because Hermione being a Muggle Born would have known how to communicate better on the phone, and probably would have not mentioned the fact that she knows Harry from Hogwarts.
Harry receives no letters from his friends either, which leaves him isolated for five long weeks. The only small comfort is that Uncle Vernon has allowed Hedwig, Harry’s owl, to be let out at night after much protest from Harry about her being locked up. However, Harry had to swear against sending any messages with her, leaving him completely cut off from his friends and the wizarding world.
Harry’s Thirteenth Birthday
As Harry lies in bed working on his essay, he realizes that he turned thirteen an hour ago.
Unlike other children, he has no anticipation for this day, as the Dursleys have never celebrated his birthday. He goes out to the window, and scours the sky for any signs of Hedwig. Hedwig had been absent for two nights in a row, and Harry missed having her around.
A little while later, Harry hears a noise and sees three owls approaching his window. He recognizes the first owl as Errol, who belongs to the Weasley family and is unconscious, overburdened by the large package tied to its legs. Hedwig, Harry’s own owl, and a third unknown owl accompany Errol, holding him. They land on his bed with a soft thump.
Harry quickly takes the packages and letters from the owls. He revives Errol with some water and helps the other owls settle.
Excited and curious, Harry begins to open the parcels and read the letters they have brought. He realizes that the third owl is perhaps from Hogwarts, since it brought him a letter with the Hogwarts crest.
Birthday Gifts
Harry first opens the package from Ron. Inside, he finds a Pocket Sneakoscope, which is a magical device that lights up whenever it is near someone untrustworthy.
Inside, he also finds a letter explaining Ron’s recent experiences. Ron’s family has won 700 Galleons from the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw, and are spending the summer in Egypt with Bill Weasley. Ron describes their adventures, including visits to ancient tombs and encountering various magical protections and curses. He apologizes for the disastrous phone call and hopes to meet Harry in London before the school term starts. As a side note, he informs Harry that Percy has been made Head Boy.
Next, Harry opens Hermione’s parcel, brought to him by Hedwig. She has sent him a Broomstick Servicing Kit, complete with a handbook, polish, and tools for broom maintenance. Her letter explains her holiday in France and her efforts to keep up with wizarding news through the Daily Prophet. She explains how she was worried the gift might be stopped and opened a customs, but then Hedwig showed up at her place and helped her out. She also mentions the picture of the Weasley family in the newspaper, expressing her jealousy of Ron’s exciting trip.
Harry laughs, and admires the Broomstick Servicing kit. Next, he opens up the third package, from Hagrid. As he picks it up, something inside the parcel snaps its jaws shut. Harry freezes in fear. He knows that Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on person, but then again Hagrid never realized how dangerous certain things are.
He opened the parcel nervously, and out fell “The Monster Book of Monsters,” a magical book. It immediately begins to cause chaos by snapping and scuttling around the room.
After a brief struggle, Harry manages to subdue it by clamping it shut and tying it with a belt. He picks up Hagrid’s letter, which suggests the book will be useful for the upcoming school year. Although Harry is wary of what it implies, he puts the card up next to Ron and Hermione’s, grinning broadly.
Finally, Harry opens the letter from Hogwarts. It includes the usual information about the start of the new school year and a list of required books. This year, there is an additional permission form for third-year students to visit Hogsmeade, the wizarding village on certain weekends. Harry is thrilled at the prospect but worried about convincing Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form.
The chapter ends with Harry feeling genuinely content about his birthday for the first time as he falls asleep, looking at his three birthday cards and counting down the days until his return to Hogwarts.
