Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Friendship

The Harry Potter series really boils down to the power of friendship more than any other thing. But friendship isn't glossed over or presented with rose-colored glasses here. We see fights, personality conflicts, disagreements, and the difficulty of maintaining close friendships with people. But even with these difficulties, Harry, Ron, and Hermione always come back together after they are separated. Plus, we get some extra bang for our buck with this theme in Prisoner of Azkaban since it introduces us to an older generation of buds – the Marauders (James Potter, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter). Through tales of the Marauders and glimpses into their past, we get a chance to see how close friendships operate in the adult world and in a time of war. While our favorite trio is at the heart of novel, the other friendships we see, whether it's Lupin and Sirius or Hermione and Hagrid, play a very important role here too.

Questions About Friendship

1. Have the members of the trio (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) crossed the line from friends to family?
2. Are Ron and Hermione actually friends or are they brought together more through their friendship with Harry?
3. Are Ron, Harry, and Hermione good friends to one another in this book?
4. How are themes of forgiveness tied into themes of friendship throughout the novel?