Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Chapter 2 Summary

Chapter Two:  Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake

Dudley Dursley spends his summer eating and watching TV. This is the way Harry first finds out about an escaped convict from the wizarding world named Sirius Black. Harry knows that Sirius Black must be a very serious criminal if the news of him has made it all the way to the Muggle (non-magic folk) news. It is not long before Uncle Vernon’s sister, “Aunt Marge,” arrives and begins verbally abusing Harry while coddling her mangy, little, pampered dogs.  Uncle Vernon demands three things from Harry:  talk civil, no “funny stuff,” and agreement that he goes to Saint Brutus’ Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. Harry tries to blackmail Uncle Vernon by promising to be good only if his permission form to Hogsmeade is signed; however, Uncle Vernon trumps Harry’s blackmail by saying that the form would only be signed if Harry is good. Aunt Marge, who is as large as Uncle Vernon, continues throwing insults at Harry until she begins insulting Harry’s parents calling Harry’s dad a “no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger.” Suddenly, as a result of Harry’s extreme anger at hearing the insults flung at his parents, Aunt Marge blows up like a balloon and begins floating up in the air. Uncle Vernon tries to seize one of Aunt Marge’s feet, hoping to keep her on the ground. Harry takes this opportunity to leave the Dursley’s house for good this summer.  Harry quickly grabs his school trunk and his owl cage, leaving the Dursley’s house and walking onto the dark Muggle streets alone.