3 storylines that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban failed as a film

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is undeniably my favorite of the books. The books so far had been slow-burning mysteries about why a three-headed dog was guarding a trap door or who was trying to unleash a monster on students at Hogwarts. The third Harry Potter book had several mysteries to unfold and intertwine and each one of them was important to remember in the context of the other. Here are three things that the movie adaptation short-changed.

1. Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban

One of the introductory pieces of art in the book is that of an unkempt man framed against the Whomping Willow, behind bars and accompanied by a rat. This is a great foreshadowing but also misleading.

In one of the great pre-school-term scenes of the entire series, Harry accidentally hears Mr. and Mrs. Weasley discussing truths that Harry should know. They range from what a mass murderer has been saying in his sleep to the unimaginable consequences of Harry wandering off on his own. By this time, Harry's heard about Sirius Black from the Muggle newsreaders as well as Stan Shunpike and Ernie Prang aboard the Knight Bus.

Sirius' obsession with coming for someone at Hogwarts is finally explained when he tells Harry that finding a way to save hm "lit a fire in [his] head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it." The danger to his godson drove Sirius to slip past the Dementors and swim to the mainland from the remote prison. He lived in the forest and repeatedly endangered himself to go after Peter Pettigrew. Harry has spent half of the year learning how to draw power from within and it is after this confession that he decides to accept Sirius' explanation as truth.

2. The Marauders and the Potions Master

One of the great shocks of "Cat Rat and Dog," one of the pivotal chapters of the third book is the revelation of exactly why Professor Lupin is frequently in bad health. Eagle-eyed readers might have picked up on it earlier and naming him after a mythical figure raised by a she-wolf really should have been a clue, but I thought that, in a world of Skelegrow and the Elixir of Life, I didn't know some obscure illness. Hermione tries to warn Harry against Remus Lupin because he's been helping Sirius, because he wants Harry dead, and because he's a werewolf. Only one of those things is true and we immediately see the tone change towards the professor who's become a favorite of students and staff alike.

It is then that Harry learns the truth of how well James Potter knew Remus Lupin. Lupin's treatment by Hermione and Ron must remind him of the prejudice he faced as an adult and the bigotry he feared as a student. It's extremely moving to hear that, rather than ostracize Lupin for his condition, Sirius, James, and Peter became Animagi as a way to help him during his monthly transformations.

We also learn that, at great risk to himself, James Potter saved his school rival Severus Snape from being attacked by the transformed werewolf. We won't know for two more books what bullies the Marauders were at times and won't know for four more books why Snape resented James Potter, but this act of courage on behalf of an enemy is remarkable.

3. Hermione's Secret

Compared to lycanthropy and homicidal maniacs, this may be a small ting, but it makes for a more grounded piece of storytelling. We don't know for 90% of the book why Hermione is so stressed. Normally very organized, she starts getting confused, disappears in mid-conversation at one point, and even sleeps through a Charms lesson. Hagrid tells Harry and Ron that she's cried a few times during the time that they're not talking to her.

We finally find out that Hermione's burnout is a result of her using a Time-Turner to attend extra classes. She is literally trying to fit three days into one at times and while we applaud her thirst for knowledge, we can understand why she returned it to Professor McGonagall at the end of their third year.