Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Chapter 20 Summary.
The Dementor’s Kiss
Chapter 20 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, titled “The Dementor’s Kiss” deals with a scary transformation, a horrifying escape, and a deadly encounter.
The Return to Hogwarts
Harry finds himself in an unusual group as they make their way back from the Shrieking Shack. Crookshanks leads the way, with Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron struggling to walk in sync due to the manacle binding them together. Snape, still unconscious, drifts along behind them, controlled by his own wand which is now in Sirius’ hands. He keeps bumping his head on the low ceiling, and Sirius does little to help him. Harry and Hermione carefully follow at the rear.
It is difficult for Ron and Lupin to navigate the narrow tunnel since they are tied to Pettigrew. Despite the awkwardness, Lupin keeps his wand aimed at Pettigrew.
As they move, Sirius suddenly turns to Harry and asks if he realizes what turning Pettigrew in means. Harry thinks it means Sirius is free, but there is more to it than that. Sirius tells Harry he is his Godfather. Lily and James wanted Sirius to take care of Harry if anything were to happen to them, and Sirius wanted to uphold their expectations.
Sirius asks Harry if he would be open to living with him, but says he would understand if Harry did not want to leave his uncle’s house.
The thought of leaving the Dursleys makes Harry jump with excitement, and he agrees immediately. Sirius smiles deeply, and Harry finally recognizes him as the man as the man who was present at his parents’ wedding.
They don’t speak again till they reach the end of the tunnel. Once there, Crookshanks darts forward and presses his paw to the knot of the Whomping Willow, rendering it motionless. One by one everyone climbs out.
As the group stands in the dark grounds, Harry’s mind races with excitement. He was finally going to leave the Dursleys, and go on to live with his dad’s best friend.
Lupin’s Transformation
The group silently makes its way across the lawn. Suddenly, a cloud shifts, and Lupin stops dead in his tracks. His body had gone completely rigid, and his arms were beginning to shake. As the reality of the situation sinks in, Hermione realizes that he hadn’t taken his potion; meaning he was highly dangerous.
Sirius yells for Harry and Hermione to run. Harry tries to help Ron, who is still chained to Lupin and Pettigrew. Sirius catches him, and asks Harry to leave Ron to him.
Lupin begins to transform; his shoulders begin to hunch, his body sprouts hair and his hands turn into claws. Acting quickly, Sirius transforms into his Animagus form and grabs Lupin by the neck. The werewolf and the dog lock jaw to jaw in battle, and rip at each other with their claws.
Pettigrew’s Escape
Amidst the chaos, Pettigrew seizes his chance to escape. Spotting Lupin’s dropped wand, he lunges for it. Ron, still struggling to move because of his bandaged leg, falls to the ground. Before either Harry or Hermione can react, Pettigrew fires a spell and renders Ron motionless on the ground. A second later there is another curse, which sends Crookshanks flying through the air.
Harry, acting on instinct, points his wand at Pettigrew and shouts “Expelliarmus”. Lupin’s wand soars into the air and goes out of sight. But Pettigrew had anticipated this. Before Harry can restrain him, Pettigrew transforms into his rat form and scurries away.
Meanwhile, Lupin now fully a werewolf, turns and bolts toward the Forbidden Forest. Harry yells for Sirius to inform him that Pettigrew has escaped. Sirius was heavily wounded and bleeding from multiple gashes, but at Harry’s words he bounces back instantly, and rushes across the grounds.
The Dementors Strike Again
Harry and Hermione rush to Ron’s side, relieved to find that he’s still breathing but deeply unconscious. Unsure of what spell Pettigrew has used on him, they realize they need to take him up to the castle immediately. However, the discussion is cut short when they hear a whine from a distance; of a dog screaming in agony.
Realizing that Sirius is in trouble, Harry makes a split-second decision to run towards the sound, and Hermione follows behind him. As they reach the lakeshore, they spot Sirius back in his human form, kneeling on all fours, clutching his head in pain.
Before they can reach him however, an eerie, familiar chill descends upon them, sending shivers down their spines.
They turn around to find the source of the cold. Over a hundred Dementors glide ominously across the lake, closing in on them from all directions.
The overwhelming presence of so many Dementors made the air thick with despair, while the fog rising around them blurred their vision completely.
The Patronus
Harry instinctively raises his wand, yelling for Hermione to think of something happy and cast a Patronus. He desperately tries to conjure his own, focusing on the thought of living with Sirius. However, despite his best efforts, only a thin wisp of silver mist emerges from his wand, too weak to protect him. Hermione, unable to produce a Patronus or endure the cold, collapses unconscious beside him.
Now entirely alone, Harry fights to stay conscious. The Dementors continue advancing, and their rattling breath fills his ears. The closest Dementor raises its decayed hands and grips Harry by the neck, forcing his face upwards. It slowly lowers its hood, revealing a horrifying, shapeless hole that sucked the air around it, and prepares to administer the Dementor’s Kiss.
Just when it seems all is lost, a blinding silver light bursts across the scene. Through his fading vision, Harry sees a powerful Patronus galloping across the lake, driving the Dementors away with overwhelming force. The light illuminates the entire area, and the Dementors are forced to retreat.
Barely conscious now, Harry sees a figure standing on the opposite shore, raising a hand to the Patronus as if welcoming it. He has the bizarre impression that he recognizes the figure, but before he can fully comprehend what’s happening, exhaustion overtakes him.
The chapter ends on a cliffhanger, with Harry dropping down to the ground, unconscious. Who was it that cast the Patronus?
