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One theme of Harry Potter is that it deals with life's unpleasant realities. Harry's parents cannot come back to life and Harry will never meet them, this side of death. And there's no simple way to defeat Voldemort. Whatever happens, people are going to get hurt and others will die. There are consequences for one's actions and there is a price to be paid for one's gain.

But this almost doesn't happen in the case of saving Buckbeakat the end of Prisoner of Azkaban. They use the time turner and break a few rules and basically avoid the law of cause and effect. Buckbeak's death, while unfair, was still a result of the choices made, and the results of those choices when nasty people can do what they want without checks and balances.

Is there a price they pay for saving Buckbeak? Are there negative consequences, or did those involved manage to pull this off without facing negative consequences?

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  • Had they not saved Buckbeak, Sirius would have (again) suffered the Dementor's Kiss at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban (since they used Buckbeak as means of escape for him).

  • By Harry saving Buckbeak, Sirus gained a liability - having to take care of him and having him be a point through which he could be attacked.

    And, as it turned out, that was a fatal vulnerability, in the end, not directly, but by what it enabled. In OoTP, Harry tried to contact Sirius in the Order Headquarters using Umbridge's fireplace. Sirius wasn't available, for he was tending Buckbeak (who Kreacher has injured) in another room.

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  • To extend this answer a touch.. Right there is the consequence -- by Harry saving Buckbeak, Sirus gained a liability - having to take care of him and having him be a point thru which he could be attacked. And, as it turned out, that was a fatal vulnerability, in the end, not directly, but by what it enabled. Not that it should have been avoided.. but EVERYTHING has consequences; the inability to foresee them is another recurring theme.
    – K-H-W
    Commented May 18, 2012 at 18:13
  • @KeithHWeston and b-jonas: One of you might consider taking this answer and Keith's comment and combining them, since together they make a better answer than either one alone.
    – Tango
    Commented May 18, 2012 at 18:35
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    You also have to consider that had they not saved Buckbeak Sirius would have (again) suffered the Dementor's Kiss at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, which I think is described in the books more than once as being "a fate worse than death".
    – Anthony Grist
    Commented May 19, 2012 at 12:24
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    @TangoOversway - done
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented Dec 24, 2012 at 23:23
  • It's unfortunate that when I picked this answer, b_jonas gets credit for it, since I made it clear, over 7 months ago, what simple editing would make the answer acceptable and he did nothing and it was @DVK who put in the work to make it a suitable answer.
    – Tango
    Commented Dec 25, 2012 at 8:31

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