Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Chapter 3 Summary.
In Chapter 3 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, titled “The Knight Bus,” delves into Harry’s journey as he navigates both physical and emotional challenges, after leaving the safety of the Dursley house.
The Knight Bus
After storming out of the Dursleys’ home, Harry walks several blocks before collapsing on a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, feeling a mixture of anger and fear. Realizing the severity of his actions—performing underage magic and inflating Aunt Marge—he panics at the thought of being expelled from Hogwarts. He contemplates his next move, considering using more magic to get to London, where he could withdraw money from Gringotts and live as a fugitive. Even though Harry understands that it is a terrible idea, he also recognizes the need for quick action.
As he searches for his Invisibility Cloak in his trunk, Harry senses something watching him from the shadows. He lights up his wand, and sees a large, menacing figure with gleaming eyes. He trips backwards on his trunk in fear, and lands in the gutter.
There is a loud and definite BANG, and he sees a blinding flash of light. However, it turns out to be from a triple decker bus.
Harry wonders if the bus is actually there or if he is just imagining it, when the bus conductor comes out. He introduces himself as Stan Shunpike, bus conductor for The Knight Bus, a magical bus that acts as emergency transport for the stranded wizard.
All one needs to do is hold out their wand hand, and the bus will pick them up, and drop them wherever they need to go.
Harry notices that Stan is only a few years elder to him, perhaps eighteen or nineteen.
The Bus Journey
Stan asks why Harry is lying on the floor, and sniggers. Stan asks for Harry’s name, and not wanting to reveal his identity, Harry announces that he is Neville Longbottom. Stan helps Harry with his trunk and owl cage, and introduces the bus driver, Ernie Prang. Harry asks if the bus can indeed take him anywhere, and asks to be taken to Diagon Alley. The trip costs him eleven sickles.
The bus takes off with a BANG, and Harry is thrown back flat on his bed. He asks how the muggles don’t see the bus, and Stan explains that they hardly pay attention to anything.
As the bus zooms across the country, jumping vast distances with each bang, Harry tries to process everything that has happened. During the journey, he learns more about Sirius Black from Stan Shunpike, who reads from The Daily Prophet.
Stan reveals that Sirius Black was a notorious supporter of Voldemort who once killed thirteen people with a single curse. He recently escaped from Azkaban, the wizarding prison, and is believed to be extremely dangerous.
The newspaper also mentions how Cornelius Fudge is facing extreme criticism for informing the Muggle Prime minister about Black’s real identity, from the International Federation of Warlocks.
Stan tells Harry that after Voldemort lost his powers, he thought Black would be the second in command. However, he got cornered on a street just like all the other Death Eaters, and was taken to Azkaban, but not before he had murdered one wizard and twelve muggles in broad daylight.
After committing the murder, Black had stood on the spot of the crime and proceeded to laugh, till the authorities took him away. He remains the first person to have ever escaped Azkaban, achieving a feat that was previously considered impossible.
The Leaky Cauldron
The Knight Bus eventually drops off all the passengers but Harry, and arrives in London. It drops Harry off at The Leaky Cauldron, where he is surprisingly greeted by Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge, far from being angry about the incident with Aunt Marge, seems relieved that Harry is safe. This encounter leaves Harry bewildered, as he expected severe punishment for his actions but instead finds himself being treated with unusual leniency.
Stan is surprised that Harry is not Neville but Harry Potter, but claims that he knew it all along. Fudge reveals that he is very glad that the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but requests for a private parlor to be arranged at the Leaky Cauldron, so he can talk to Harry alone.
Fudge introduces himself to Harry, and informs him that the Accidental Magic Reversal squad was able to cure Aunt Marge and modify her memory. He also tells Harry that the Dursleys have agreed to take him in for summer vacation, so long as he stays at Hogwarts for Christmas and Easter.
Harry asks about the punishment he is to receive for blowing up his Aunt, to which Fudge offers reassurance, saying that it was a mere accident and not a big deal. He suggests that Harry takes a room in the Leaky Cauldron for the remainder of the vacation.
Harry shifts into Room Eleven, and finds Hedwig there, already waiting for him. Before leaving, Fudge suggests that Harry sticks to Diagon Alley and does not visit Muggle London, but doesn’t specify his reasons. Harry asks Fudge if he can sign his Hogsmeade consent form, which Fudge denies, stating it is against the rules. Fudge leaves, and Harry is left alone in his room with Hedwig.
The chapter ends with Harry trying to comprehend everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours, and falls asleep without even taking off his glasses.
