Harry Potter Book 2
The Chamber of Secrets

Memorable Harry Potter Quotes
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in…They got in on pure talent. (Hermione to Malfoy, p. 112)

Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him. (Tom Riddle to Harry, p. 317)

Mud blood's a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born -- you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards -- like Malyfoy's family -- who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood. (Ron to Harry, p. 115-6)

Harry Potter Book Report
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

Harry's summer has gone badly because he hasn't had any word from his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Harry soon finds out this is due to Dobby the house elf interfering with his mail. Dobby not only steals his letters but ends up causing Uncle Vernon to bar Harry's window. The Weasley twins and Ron end up having to break Harry out!

Harry returns to Hogwarts School for his second year of wizard training. The year gets off to a bad start when Harry and Ron miss the Hogwarts Express and have to take Mr. Weasley's flying car to school. They are spotted by muggles, almost get expelled and Ron's wand is broken by the Whomping Willow tree. They find out Gilderoy Lockhart, author of Magical Me, is their new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. And he is terrible.

As the year progresses, Harry and Malfoy have their usual fights, this time over pure-blood wizards versus Mudbloods. The Chamber of Secrets is opened by the heir of Slytherin and the whole school thinks it's Harry because is his a Parselmouth which means he can talk to snakes. Students begin getting petrified. Harry, Ron, and Hermione make a Polyjuice Potion to turn themselves into Malfoy's friends in order to find out more about the heir. While working on their potion in an empty bathroom they meet Moaning Myrtle who lives in the U-bend. She died at Hogwarts fifty years ago. Harry finds Tom Riddle's diary in the U-bend and begins to unlock the secrets of the mysterious chamber.

They come to find out that Hagrid was accused and expelled from Hogwarts for letting the monster out of the chamber that killed a student fifty years ago. This leads them to Aragog in the Dark Forest. Aragog is Hagrid's pet spider that he has taken care of and hidden all these years. He tells Harry and Ron that Hagrid was not responsible for the death.

As the year continues more students are petrified, including Hermione. Ron and Harry find the location of the Chamber of Secrets and force Lockhart to go into it with them. He attempts a memory charm on the pair but is using Ron's wand so it backfires and he forgets everything, including who he is!

Harry meets Tom Riddle who we find out is Voldemort as a boy. They have a showdown in which Harry has to kill the Basalisk which is the true monster that lives in the Chamber. Harry is able to save Ginny Weasley and defeat Voldemort, or his memory in the form of Tom Riddle, once more.

Harry Potter Book Review
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

Harry is much older in this one. He is no longer the innocent little boy who came to Hogwarts knowing nothing. He continues to learn about himself and the wizarding world (he's shocked that speaking parse tongue isn't common among wizards) while just narrowly escaping expulsion by Snape at every turn.

This book is critical to the overall story because it introduces us to Tom Riddle who we find out is Voldemort before he turns into the Dark Lord. I liked it for this reason. Of course, as every Potter book, it's excellently written and definitely a page turner. I would have to say out of all the Potter books though, it's my least favorite. My only reason really is because I like the plots of the other stories better.

I do like the fact that we get our first glimpse of how important Ginny will become to Harry as well as Malfoy's potential for evil. Dobby is a wonderful character, true supporter of Harry and extremely loveable. At the end when Harry remains so loyal to Dumbledore that Fawks comes to his aid, well that's all just pretty fantastic too.

We get more of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and it's obvious that they are already starting to view Harry like one of their own. They couldn't be more grateful that he saves Ginny.

The most resounding part of this book is Harry's struggle to grasp how he and Voldemort are alike and different at the same time. He is definitely worried since some of their physical and family traits are the same. They both were orphans, they both speak Parseltonuge, they both considered Hogwarts their true harm. But as always Dumbledore lays these fears to rest. "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" (p. 333) he tells Harry.

Once again, Dumbledore is my hero and my love for Harry continues to grow as this story grows deeper at every turn.

…Harry Potter Flying Car - the Ford Anglia

Why? With the invisibility booster compounded by the fact that this car actually has a personality, this is magic at it's finest!

Harry Potter Trivia
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

1. What creature does Lockhart release on the class the first day?
   Cornish Pixies

2. What does Mrs. Weasley send Ron as punishment for taking the flying car?
   A Howler

3. Who does Harry find out the sword from inside the sorting hat belonged to?
   Godric Gryffindor

Harry Potter Spells
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

"Obliviate" - erases the memory of the person hit by the spell

Polyjuice Potion - transforms you physically into another person for a short period of time

Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

Professor Lockhart

And What About Lord Voldemort?
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

Harry encounters Voldemort yet again but this time it is through the memory of his 16 year old self, Tom Riddle, preserved in a diary. Again Harry defeats Voldemort and it almost seems as if he really did it this time because he fully kills the memory. But don't be fooled - Voldemort is stronger than we think, even as a memory.

Harry Potter Information Tidbit
The Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter Book 2

J.K. Rowling rode shotgun regularly in a real turquoise Ford Anglia owned by her good friend. She dedicated The Chamber of Secrets to him.

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