Those who perform magic during the holidays are usually punished with a school expulsion - but with Harry Potter, an exception is often made. Not because it’s acceptable to let a dreadful Muggle aunt float under the covers, but because Harry is once again standing on the brink. Evil forces are brewing around him and the school. There are terrifying Dementors, who are supposed to protect the students, a snarling wolfhound - harbinger of imminent death? - and the eerie fugitive from Azkaban prison, who seems to have set his sights firmly on Harry Potter.