Joanne Murray - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.

I’ll write again soon.

Sirius

Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there. He read it through quickly and felt suddenly as warm and contented as though he’d swallowed a bottle of hot Butterbeer in one go.

I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade at weekends.

‘That’ll be good enough for Dumbledore!’ said Harry happily. He looked back at Sirius’ letter.

‘Hang on, there’s a PS ...

I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it’s my fault he no longer has a rat.

Ron’s eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly.

‘Keep him?’ he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment, then, to Harry and Hermione’s great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff.

‘What d’you reckon?’ Ron asked the cat. ‘Definitely an owl?’ Crookshanks purred.

‘That’s good enough for me,’ said Ron happily. ‘He’s mine.’

Harry read and re-read the letter from Sirius all the way back into King’s Cross station. It was still clutched tightly in his hand as he, Ron and Hermione stepped back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. Harry spotted Uncle Vernon at once. He was standing a good distance from Mr and Mrs Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously, and when Mrs Weasley hugged Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seemed confirmed.

‘I’ll call about the World Cup!’ Ron yelled after Harry, as Harry bid him and Hermione goodbye, then wheeled the trolley bearing his trunk and Hedwig’s cage towards Uncle Vernon, who greeted

him in usual fashion.

‘What’s that?’ he snarled, staring at the envelope Harry was still clutching in his hand. ‘If it’s another form for me to sign, you’ve got another -’

‘It’s not,’ said Harry cheerfully. ‘It’s a letter from my godfather.’

‘Godfather?’ spluttered Uncle Vernon. ‘You haven’t got a godfather!’

‘Yes, I have,’ said Harry brightly. ‘He was my mum and dad’s best friend. He’s a convicted murderer, but he’s broken out of wizard prison and he’s on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though ... keep up with my news ... check I’m happy ...’

And grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon’s face, Harry set off towards the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of him, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.

J. K. (JOANNE KATHLEEN) ROWLING has written fiction since she was a child.

Born in 1965, she grew up in Chepstow and wrote her first ‘book’ at the age of six - a story about a rabbit called Rabbit.

She studied French and Classics at Exeter University, then moved to London to work at Amnesty International, and then to Portugal to teach English as a foreign language, before settling in Edinburgh.

The idea for Harry Potter occurred to her on the train from Manchester to London, where she says Harry Potter ‘just strolled into my head fully formed’, and by the time she had arrived at King’s Cross, many of the characters had taken shape. During the next five years she outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997. The other Harry Potter titles: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, followed.

J. K. Rowling has also written three other companion books, Quidditch Through the Ages, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in aid of Comic Relief.

Jacket Design: William Webb Jacket Image: Michael Wildsmith Author Photograph: © Bill de la HEY