Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Chapter 6 Summary

Talons and Tea Leaves

Chapter 6 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, titled ‘Talons and Tea Leaves’ introduces Sybill Trelawney as the Divination professor, and deals with Hagrid’s first class.

Breakfast in the Great Hall

Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the Great Hall for breakfast, where they see Draco Malfoy entertaining a group of Slytherins by mocking Harry’s fainting episode during the Dementor attack on the train. As they pass, Malfoy exaggerates a swooning fit, causing laughter among his friends. Pansy Parkinson joins in, taunting Harry by pretending to summon Dementors.

Feeling annoyed, Harry takes a seat next to George Weasley, who informs him that Malfoy wasn’t so brave during the actual Dementor encounter, having run into their compartment in fear. Fred and George reassure Harry by sharing their own family’s experiences with Dementors. Fred mentions that they are scheduled to play Slytherin in the first Quidditch match of the season, which lightens Harry’s mood.

Meanwhile, Hermione examines her new timetable, which is packed with classes. Ron notices that her schedule seems impossible, with multiple classes booked at the same time. Hermione avoids explaining and assures him it’s all been arranged with Professor McGonagall.

Divination Class with Professor Trelawney

The trio heads to their first Divination class in the North Tower. To reach the classroom, they follow the eccentric Sir Cadogan, a knight in a painting who leads them up a spiral staircase. They climb through a trapdoor into a classroom that resembles an old tea shop. It is small and cozy, with at least twenty round tables and chintz armchairs.

Professor Trelawney, their Divination teacher, greets them with a soft, misty voice. She begins by explaining the difficulties of Divination and hints at dark omens. Looking at Neville, she asks if his grandmother is well, and tells Parvati to beware a red-haired man.

Trelawney also mentions that around Easter, one of their members would leave them forever. She makes a few more predictions, like a nasty flu outbreak in February, and that the thing Lavender is dreading will happen on the sixteenth of October.

Professor Trelawney then tells everyone to sit in pairs and grab a teacup each. She instructs them to drain their teacup till only the dregs remain, drain the tea completely, and have their partner read the cup. Ron and Harry struggle with the task, so she comes to help them out. She takes Harry’s glass to read his leaves and exclaims that he has a mortal enemy somewhere. Hermione makes an off-hand comment saying that everyone already knows this, which Trelawney chooses to ignore. She continues reading Harry’s cup and dramatically announces that he has the grim, which is the worst omen of death.

Most of the class is unnerved by Trelawney’s prediction, especially Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who take Divination very seriously. Hermione, however, is skeptical and openly dismisses the prophecy as nonsense, which earns her Trelawney’s disapproval. Trelawney ends the lesson here and predicts that Neville will be late to the next class.

Transfiguration and Discussions

Following Divination, the trio heads to Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. The class is already in a tense mood due to Trelawney’s prediction, and Harry chooses a seat at the very end. Today’s lesson is about the Animagi- wizards who can transform into an animal at will. Being an Animagi herself, she transforms into a cat; but much to her disappointment, the class is not very enthusiastic.

Professor McGonagall asks if something’s wrong. Hermione mentions that they had their first divination class earlier today, and Professor McGonagall quickly guesses what has happened. She reassures Harry that Trelawney has a habit of predicting a student’s death every year, but none of the predictions has ever come true. She expresses her skepticism about Divination, calling it an imprecise branch of magic.

Harry feels a little better after hearing this. Ron remains worried, and Hermione seems more dismissive of Trelawney’s claims than ever.

At lunch, the conversation turns to the Grim. Harry mentions seeing a large black dog on the night he left the Dursleys, which alarms Ron. Ron recalls that his Uncle Bilius saw the Grim and died within 24 hours. Hermione scoffs at this, arguing that the Grim is merely a superstition and not a real threat.

Further, Hermione declares that Divination is mostly guesswork. Ron taunts her, quoting Professor Trelawney on Hermione not having the right seer aura. The suggestion that Hermione hates not being the best at something touches a nerve, and she storms off with her Arithmancy book.

Care of Magical Creatures Class with Hagrid

After lunch, the trio makes its way to their first-ever Care for Magical Creatures class with Hagrid. Both Ron and Hermione, following their tiff earlier, aren’t on speaking terms. Hagrid waits for the class at the door of his hut and proudly welcomes them. Upon reaching, Harry realizes that the class is combined with Slytherins.

Hagrid tells them to open their books but soon realizes that nobody has figured out how to tame the Monster Book of Monsters yet. He instructs them to stroke them, and the violent books start to behave like normal books.

Still eager to make a good impression in his new role as a teacher, Hagrid introduces the students to Hippogriffs—large creatures that are half horse, half eagle. He explains that Hippogriffs are very proud animals and must be approached with respect. He asks for volunteers to approach one, but nobody steps forward.

Feeling bad, Harry reluctantly volunteers to approach a Hippogriff named Buckbeak. He follows Hagrid’s instructions to bow, and to his relief, Buckbeak bows back, allowing Harry to touch him and even ride him around the paddock.

Emboldened by Harry’s success, everyone is now ready to approach the magical creatures. However, when it is Draco Malfoy’s turn, he insults Buckbeak, calling him a “great ugly brute,” and the Hippogriff lashes out, injuring Malfoy’s arm. Hagrid wrestles it back into its collar, then picks up Malfoy and rushes to the Hospital wing. The class is over, and the remaining students head back.

The Slytherin students quickly blame Hagrid for the incident, and there is a sense of impending trouble for Hagrid, as they worry about how Malfoy’s father might react.

To comfort him, the trio visits his hut at the end of the day. Hagrid is in a very bad state, and they find him drinking out of a tankard. Hermione takes it away after they talk to him, and Hagrid washes his face to sober himself up.