text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets/Chapter 12

Synopsis
After depositing Harry in the Headmaster's office, Professor McGonagall departs. Looking around, Harry sees small intricate mechanisms on the many tables, portraits of sleeping past Headmasters and Headmistresses on the walls, and the Sorting Hat on a shelf behind a desk. Harry puts on the Hat, asking it if it still believes he should be in Slytherin. The Hat responds that Harry would have been great there. Returning it to the shelf, Harry says it is wrong. Harry then notices an ill-looking bird on a perch. It suddenly bursts into flames, crumbling into ashes. Professor Dumbledore enters, and, unperturbed about the bird, explains, "Fawkes is a Phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flames when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes." Lifting a chick from the ashes, Dumbledore says Phoenixes are extremely beautiful, except on a burning day. Also, "they can carry extremely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets."

Hagrid suddenly bursts in, loudly proclaiming Harry's innocence. Dumbledore assures Hagrid that he does not suspect Harry of anything. Abashed, Hagrid leaves the office. Dumbledore then asks if Harry wants to tell him anything, but recalling Ron's words that hearing voices no one else can, even in the Wizarding world, is a bad thing, Harry says nothing about it. Dumbledore dismisses him, and he returns to his dormitory.

Nearly the entire school believes Harry is the Heir; Fred and George, however, joke about it, loudly proclaiming that a "seriously evil wizard" is approaching whenever Harry walks down the hall. While Harry appreciates their humorous gesture, Ginny seems distraught.

The term ends, and there are a few stayovers for Christmas, including Draco Malfoy, and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. On Christmas morning, Hermione barges into the boys' dormitory, waking them up and letting them know the Polyjuice Potion is ready. Harry receives Christmas presents from the Weasleys, while the Dursleys have sent him a toothpick. After the magnificent Christmas feast, Hermione gives Harry and Ron two small cakes loaded with Sleeping Potion. They place them where Crabbe and Goyle will find them after leaving the Great Hall. Crabbe and Goyle promptly eat them; Ron and Harry drag the unconscious pair into a closet, gather a few hairs, and head for Moaning Myrtle's washroom where Hermione awaits with the potion.

Hermione has already plucked a hair from Millicent Bullstrode's robes. After adding the hairs and drinking the potion, Ron and Harry painfully transform into Crabbe and Goyle's likenesses. From a cubicle, Hermione tells Harry and Ron to go without her—something seems amiss, but she does not elaborate.

Ron and Harry have difficulty finding where the Slytherin common room is located. They even ask a Ravenclaw student for directions. Percy suddenly appears and threatens the two with detention for being out after hours. Draco intervenes just in time, and leads the impostors to the entrance to Slytherin's common room. He gives the password, "pure blood", and heads in. Ron, barely able to contain himself, becomes infuriated when Malfoy shows him an article in the Daily Prophet about Mr. Weasley being fined for having an enchanted Muggle car. Draco discusses the Chamber of Secrets, saying it was opened once before. A girl was killed by the Monster, and the person who released it is likely still in Azkaban. Draco also mentions that there is a secret chamber beneath Malfoy Manor's drawing room containing many Dark objects. Although he does not know who the Heir is, he wishes it was himself. His father has instructed him to stay uninvolved in the matter, however.

As the potion starts wearing off, Harry and Ron rush back to the washroom. Moaning Myrtle is laughing wildly at Hermione. Apparently, the hair Hermione used in her potion belonged to Millicent Bullstrode's cat. Hermione now has a furry face, pointed ears, and a bushy tail. As Polyjuice Potion is not intended for species transformations, it will not wear off on its own.

Analysis
Much is learned in this chapter. Our introduction to Dumbledore's office here gives insight into the Headmaster's nature, and perhaps Headmasters in general. The Put-Outer, which we saw in book 1's first chapter, clearly belongs in Dumbledore's collection, being the same type of magical / mechanical hybrid as the devices which fill Dumbledore's office. It may be that Dumbledore actually invents these objects, rather than simply collecting them.

Once again, the Sorting Hat states that Harry would be great in Slytherin House. By now Harry has seen hints that a link exists between him and Slytherin, notably Harry's ability to speak Parseltongue. This has left him unsure whether or not he is the Heir of Slytherin, as he is unable to fully trace his ancestry, though no one in the Potter family, unlike Slytherin's heirs, was known for speaking Parseltongue. There must be some other explanation for Harry having this ability. Despite vehemently denying the Hat's belief, however, Harry, already troubled by this possibility, must be even more upset at the Sorting Hat's insistence on this link.

Harry's ability to speak Parseltongue not only sets him apart from everyone else, but it causes many students to suspect and fear him. Based on his comments after bringing the Petrified Colin Creevey, the reader should guess that Dumbledore does not believe Harry is the Heir, but he is hoping Harry can shed some light on recent events. Hogwarts is a place where being a wizard is considered "normal," and, for the first time, Harry is allowed to fit in with others like himself. Now he finds he is once again disdained and ostracized because he has an ability others lack. He does not tell Dumbledore about the voice because he fears that admitting to others that he hears voices others cannot will only further ostracize him.

Dumbledore's emphasis on the Phoenix's abilities also seems more telling than we would expect, and it is likely foreshadowing. These birds are extremely loyal, can lift heavy weights, and have healing tears; how could these abilities assist Harry?

Harry and Ron, meanwhile, were unable to find the answer they were seeking, but they have gained some valuable information from Draco, who is so self-absorbed he cannot even detect that "Crabbe" and "Goyle" are acting oddly, even for them. Now Harry and Ron know definitively that someone other than Draco is the Heir of Slytherin, though Draco wishes it was him, a stark contrast to Harry, who still fears that he is the Heir. Draco's behavior is telling, not only about himself, but also Slytherins in general who, known for embodying stealth, cleverness, determination, and ambition, will often take the shortest and easiest available path to reach what they want. Draco desires to be Slytherin's Heir not only because he believes it will bestow enormous prestige on him, but because he can obtain it merely through an "accident of birth", basking in the reflected glory, rather than anything he deliberately worked hard at to achieve on his own. This is the polar opposite to Harry, who did inherit his fame by fate rather than by his own design—a fame that dismays him, and that he feels is undeserved and propels him to prove himself in other ways. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron also learn that the Malfoy family is hoarding Dark objects at their mansion, information Ron will likely share with Mr. Weasley as soon as possible.

The information that Harry and Ron do learn is thanks to Hermione's efforts, though she, unfortunately, pays a price. Despite her clever planning and meticulous effort in brewing the Polyjuice Potion, her one tiny mistake (assuming the stray hair was Millicent's) has resulted in a huge furry problem, landing her in the Hospital Wing. It seems likely, knowing Hermione's nature, that she is probably more upset that she made an error, than what resulted from it. Regardless, her role here shows how vitally important she is becoming to "The Trio."

Also, Slytherin's password, "pure blood," is certainly revealing, and it could be considered as their creed. It clearly re-enforces Slytherin House's belief that they are separate (and superior) to the other Houses. This belief in pureblood superiority becomes even more extreme and wide-spread as the series progresses.

Review

 * 1) Why does Harry feel the need to put the Sorting Hat on? What does it tell him and why does Harry disagree?
 * 2) Why did Draco's father order him to stay out of what is happening at Hogwarts? What does this indicate about Mr. Malfoy?

Further Study

 * 1) Should Harry have told Dumbledore about hearing voices? What would Dumbledore have done?
 * 2) Who might the person be who is still in Azkaban Prison that Draco is referring to?
 * 3) Why would Dumbledore have a Phoenix as a pet, and is that what Fawkes actually is? If not, what exactly is he?
 * 4) What are Fawkes' unique qualities, and how could that be valuable to Dumbledore?
 * 5) Why would Draco wish that he was the Heir of Slytherin? What does this say about his character?
 * 6) Is the ability to speak Parseltongue sufficient proof that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin? Give evidence both for and against this argument.

Greater Picture
Harry meets Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's Phoenix familiar. Fawkes plays an important part later in the year, twice saving Harry's life (once by blinding the Basilisk, then using his tears to cure Harry of the Basilisk venom). Additionally, his other abilities are necessary, because it is his loyalty to Dumbledore that summons him to Harry's defence, and his ability to lift heavy weights returns Harry and his co-adventurers to the surface after the battle. Fawkes will prove helpful both to Harry and to Dumbledore throughout the series.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry learns that the Phoenix feather core of his holly wand, and of Voldemort's yew wand, both come from Fawkes. These are the only two tail feathers Fawkes has ever donated.

Draco's admission that he does not know who the Heir of Slytherin is, and that his father has told him nothing other than to stay uninvolved, is somewhat telling. Knowing what the Diary actually is, we can see that the Heir of Slytherin is, as Dumbledore has suggested, the same person as last time, Tom Riddle. However, that Lucius has given Draco no instructions, except to stay clear, again indicates that Lucius may lack a clear idea of what he has unleashed. If he does know more, Lucius may be withholding information from Draco because he believes Draco is still too young and irresponsible to be entrusted with Dark matters. Considering Draco has already blabbed what little he does know to the bogus Crabbe and Goyle, this is probably a correct assumption.

Having been to the Slytherin common room, Harry will be able to describe it accurately when claiming to be Vernon Dudley from Slytherin after the Snatchers catch him.

Ginny being distraught by the Twins' joking is worth mentioning. We believe Ginny has a crush on Harry, and presumably this alone would be enough to upset her; the Twins seem to be mocking Harry, and that may upset Ginny, despite Harry's appreciation that at least two people find any association between him and Slytherin laughable. Likely, though, Ginny's dismay is probably due to her dawning realization that she may acting as the Heir. Clearly she has begun to note that she is unable to remember anything during the intervals when the petrifications happened, and, as the Riddle Horcrux tells us later, Ginny fears she may be losing her mind. We should note that Ginny's attempt to discard the Diary will happen shortly before Hermione's release from the Hospital Wing in early February; this chapter of the story, encompassing the start of Christmas break, clearly is late December. As Ginny will attempt to flush the diary down Myrtle's lavatory in about a month, she must, in this chapter, already be very near the limit of stress she can take from the effects of the diary.

The sleeping headmasters' and headmistresses' portraits will play an active part starting from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The reader must be curious why these portraits seem so sleepy, when the portraits in the school proper are talkative and interact with students and faculty. Their apparent drowsiness is actually a means of concealment.

It will turn out that the Ravenclaw girl and Percy turning up in such proximity is not happenstance. We will learn later that she is Penelope Clearwater, a Prefect, and Percy's girlfriend. Penelope will be Petrified, and while we will see Percy's deep dismay at that occurrence, we will be carefully misled into believing that it is simply because Percy had previously believed Prefects to be invulnerable to attack.

Connections

 * Fawkes, first actually seen here, is a minor character and not properly a connection. However, his characteristics are important and do form connections.
 * It is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone that Harry's wand and Voldemort's share a core, each containing one of only two tail feathers ever given by one phoenix. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, we will learn that the phoenix in question is Fawkes. We do see Fawkes leaving feathers as markers of one sort or another in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but we must assume those are not tail feathers and so possibly not usable for making wands.
 * "They can carry extremely heavy loads": Later in this book, Fawkes will carry Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart up from the Chamber of Secrets. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Fawkes will carry Dumbledore to safety.
 * "Their tears have healing powers": Later in this book, Fawkes' tears will heal Harry's Basilisk-envenomed wound. After the battle in the cemetery, as Harry tells his story to Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fawkes' tears will heal Harry's leg injury.
 * "They make highly faithful pets": Very nearly all of Fawkes' activities throughout the series are due to this loyalty. It is Harry's expression of loyalty to Dumbledore that summons Fawkes to his aid in the Chamber of Secrets later in this book.
 * The calming effect of phoenix song is not mentioned here, but we see this effect in the Chamber of Secrets in this book, in Dumbledore's office in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and finally after Dumbledore's death in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 * The portraits of the sleeping headmasters will play parts in a number of subsequent books. We will first see them awake in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and we learn there that they can travel from those portraits to other portraits of themselves scattered around the world. The occupants of the portraits will thereafter generally play some part in any visit Harry makes to Dumbledore's office, and quite often to places where other portraits of headmasters are located. This will also prove a vital channel of communication for the Trio, as they will be carrying the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, a past headmaster, with them through much of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * The small, intricate mechanisms on Dumbledore's tables will play a part in later books. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, one of them will be used to analyze the attack on Mr. Weasley. In that same book, the attempt to arrest Dumbledore will result in several of the mechanisms getting damaged. At the end of that book, Harry will be returned to Dumbledore's office, which he will find repaired; in his anger at Dumbledore he will destroy one of the tables and the mechanism on it. In this book, when the diary is sharing T. Riddle's memories, Harry recognizes that it is a memory in part because of the absence of mechanisms on tables in the Headmaster's office.
 * Earlier in this book, Ron laments that Percy is not willing to allow the family to use his owl, Hermes, leaving the Weasley family dependent on the aging Errol for their communication. Ginny will later tell us that Hermes is carrying letters back and forth to Penelope Clearwater, Percy's girlfriend. We see Penelope in this chapter, though she is not identified. She will be petrified by the basilisk later in this book. Percy keeping Hermes exclusively to himself will be mentioned in a later book, so we can assume that he keeps this pattern going through the intervening two years.
 * Harry's visit to the Slytherin common room in this chapter will aid him in the final book of the series. Captured, Harry will use this knowledge when claiming to be Vernon Dudley from Slytherin, and so will avoid immediate identification.
 * Malfoy mistakenly calling Percy "Peter Weasley" may actually be foreshadowing for the next book in the series, when Ron mentions that his pet rat, Scabbers, used to belong to Percy. As it turns out much later, there is more to Scabbers than meets the eye.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets/Chapter 13

Synopsis
Returning to Gryffindor tower after visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing, Harry and Ron hear Filch yelling, and they cautiously investigate. Water from Moaning Myrtle's washroom has flooded the floor near Filch's usual post, the hallway where Mrs. Norris was petrified. Ron and Harry, entering the washroom, find Myrtle more distraught than usual. A book was thrown at her while she was in her favorite U-bend pipe. Her watery reaction washed the book, a worn-out diary, onto the floor. It is dated fifty years previously; the name "T. M. Riddle" is barely etched on the front page, but the pages are blank. Ron remembers during his detention seeing an award that was presented to T. M. Riddle for Special Services to the School fifty years ago.

In early February, Hermione, now fur-free and tailless, leaves the Hospital Wing. When Harry tells her about Riddle's Diary, she notices a correlation between its date and the Chamber being opened fifty years ago. Thinking the Diary may contain information about the Chamber, she attempts several revealing spells, but it remains stubbornly blank. Harry visits the Trophy Room for information about Riddle, but other than his award, and his name on the Head Boys list, there is none. Harry keeps the Diary, hoping to learn about Riddle.

The school's mood is lighter; the attacks have ceased and spring is approaching. The Mandrake plants are nearing maturity, and can soon be harvested to make a potion that will treat the Petrified victims. The only dark cloud is Professor Lockhart claiming credit for halting the attacks. Lockhart proposes a little "morale-booster:" having dwarves dressed as Cupids deliver live Valentines around the school on February 14. One corners Harry to deliver a Valentine (most likely from Ginny). In the resulting fracas, Harry's bag is ripped open, breaking his ink bottle and spilling ink on everything. Malfoy grabs the Diary, waving it around. Ginny seems terrified, and Harry reclaims it with a disarming jinx. Harry notices that there are no ink stains on the pages, though Ron, preoccupied with his recalcitrant wand, ignores Harry pointing this out.

That night, Harry discovers that when he writes in the Diary, it responds with Tom Riddle's written words. When Harry asks about the Chamber of Secrets, the Diary shows him the events of 13 June, fifty years back. Tom Riddle asks then-headmaster, Professor Dippet, if he can remain at Hogwarts for the summer, rather than return to his orphanage "home." Professor Dippet says because the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, that is impossible, and the school may close permanently. In a hallway, Harry sees a much younger and auburn-haired Professor Dumbledore telling Riddle to return to his dorm. Harry follows Riddle to the dungeons, where Riddle secretly watches another student sneak in to care for an unknown large creature. It is Hagrid, then a third-year student. Tom confronts Hagrid and accuses him of releasing the Monster from the Chamber. As the creature scuttles away, Harry is suddenly ejected from the memory. He tells Ron what he saw, and that Hagrid was expelled for opening the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago.

Analysis
This chapter is significant in that it not only introduces us to Tom Riddle through his Diary, but re-confirms that the Chamber was opened fifty years before, and a girl died then. Hermione points out that Draco Malfoy had mentioned this earlier, though he is unaware who was responsible. Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father likely attended Hogwarts some twenty years before Harry, but that would be thirty years after the Chamber was previously opened, so he could not be the Heir who previously opened the Chamber. And while Lucius may not know who the Heir is, as he told Draco, he may have some suspicions.

Filch's new usual post, where Mrs. Norris and the bloody message were found, is close to Moaning Myrtle's washroom, the source of the water on the hallway. We have seen that Peeves' insults chased a distraught Myrtle back to her washroom; her turning on the water taps on that occasion, and the resulting flood, clearly are a fairly common occurrence.

While inside Riddle's memory, Harry sees the much younger Dumbledore, and though the present-day Headmaster is older and greyer, he is no less powerful. It is hinted that Dumbledore alone may have considered Tom Riddle's actions suspect, despite his later Award for Special Services to the School. It is unknown if Dumbledore shared his suspicions about Riddle with Dippet. Even if he did, Hagrid's fate remained the same.

Truth, and how it is perceived and or manipulated by others, is an ongoing theme throughout the series. Viewing other peoples' memories, either through a diary, or other magical means that will be seen in later books, can sometimes be misleading, especially when taken out-of-context. Riddle's memory clearly implicates Hagrid, but does it tell the whole story? Is it possible to alter or edit these stored memories? While that remains unanswered here, the memory Harry is watching ends extremely abruptly, leaving it open to interpretation, though it seems to be steering Harry, and us, to a specific conclusion. With Muggles, memories can be faulty, biased, and sometimes dead wrong. Can that be the case with preserved wizard memories? Whether it is or not, Harry will have to come to the realization that the truth cannot always be determined by one person's viewpoint alone.

Truth can also be contaminated by prejudice, another ongoing theme, and it seems that Tom Riddle is perceived by the school authorities as being more truthful solely because he is charming, handsome, and eloquent. He is also fully human, whereas the unsophisticated and less-articulate Hagrid is not; Hagrid is suspect because his character is believed to be tainted by his giant ancestry. Only Dumbledore seems able to look beyond Riddle's charismatic façade, suspecting a darker persona may lurk within.

Another recurring theme in the series is how people (living or dead) can still affect others through their past actions, even though they may no longer be physically present. The memories show us how previous generations have impacted Hogwarts, leaving faint footprints that through the years have been tread upon, again and again, but are never completely erased. Hogwarts is a legacy of the many students and teachers who have lived there, and who can continue to influence the school in some indirect but meaningful way. As the series progresses, this becomes particularly significant in regards to Harry. Not only is his character continually shaped by those currently surrounding him, but it is increasingly affected by his late parents, who have left their own legacy.

When the attacks stop, life at Hogwarts seems to return to normal. However, this is likely a false sense of security, an "eye of the storm," that foreshadows worse events soon to come. Meanwhile, Lockhart's "mood lightener" to mark the occasion shows how little he understands people, though it does indicate how other teachers regard him. While this is little surprise to the reader, and initially seems to do little for the story, we find that it is an essential plot element, as it causes Harry to wonder why the spilled ink did not stain the Diary's pages. It is because of his curiosity about the way ink behaves, and in part because of Ron's distraction with his wand, that Harry learns how to communicate with the entity in the diary.

This is the first, but probably not the last, experience Harry has inside other peoples' memories. Note that Harry is initially confused that Dippet fails to react to him, a key indicator he is within someone's memories, which are unchanging and can only be observed, not participated in. One possibly confusing issue is that if we are in Tom's memory, as stated, how can we see what Dippet is doing before Tom arrives? This is never completely explained. The author has said that when you are in someone else's memory, what you see is what actually happened, not what they perceived. It is possible that the charm has an effective range that retrieves the memory, such that anything happening within 30 feet (10M) or so of the memory's owner can also be retrieved.

The author also interjects a little humor by again focusing attention on the rather human-like Mandrake plants. Their life-cycle nearly parallels the Hogwarts students, starting from infancy and childhood, through a moody, secretive early adolescence, on into a rebellious and rather wild teenaged period (with some even suffering from acne), and finally, adulthood. In this case, however, the poor plants are to be chopped up for a potion after reaching maturity.

Review

 * 1) Why is Moaning Myrtle so upset?
 * 2) How does Harry know he is in a memory?
 * 3) Why would a cat be Petrified?

Further Study

 * 1) Why would someone throw a diary into the toilet? Who might this have been?
 * 2) Ginny apparently sent the Valentine to Harry. Is the confusion around its delivery sufficient to explain her apparent reaction or is something else responsible for her behavior? Explain.
 * 3) Why might Tom Riddle want to stay at Hogwarts for the summer?
 * 4) Who might the girl who was killed have been? Give evidence for your conclusion.
 * 5) Why have the attacks suddenly stopped? Could they start again? If so, why?
 * 6) Based on what is seen, was Hagrid responsible for releasing the monster in the Chamber of Secrets? Give reasons both for and against his being guilty.
 * 7) Are the memories that Harry sees truthful? Explain.
 * 8) What does the younger Dumbledore's interaction with Tom Riddle reveal?

Greater Picture
This is a pivotal chapter in the book. As mentioned, Filch's usual post is a chair near Myrtle's bathroom, and under the writing on the wall where Mrs. Norris was found. While Harry and Ron never consciously make the connection between Mrs. Norris and the bathroom, it may help Harry solve the riddle to the Chamber's entrance later in the story.

An important plot point in the Harry Potter series is also shown here: this is Harry's first contact with Tom Riddle's Diary, which we learn in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the first-found of six Horcruxes believed to be created by Voldemort (whose birth name is Tom Marvolo Riddle). Riddle's soul shard opens the Chamber by controlling Ginny. Because Ginny finally connects the Diary with the odd occurrences, she attempts to flush it down the toilet in Moaning Myrtle's washroom, thus arousing Myrtle's ire and attracting Harry and Ron's attention. The episode with Draco Malfoy waving the Diary particularly disturbs Ginny because she recognizes it as the one she had disposed of, and now is deathly afraid Harry might learn how to communicate with it, learning the secrets that she entrusted to it. We are led to believe, however, that she is actually mortified because she sent the Valentine greeting delivered to Harry.

It is because Ginny no longer has the Diary, and thus is no longer being controlled by it, that the attacks cease. Ginny will eventually retrieve the Diary from Harry's dorm, and the attacks will immediately start up again, though nobody makes the connection between the two events.

Though the memory was incomplete, Harry learns that Hagrid was involved in the Chamber of Secrets' opening fifty years ago. However, we will shortly learn that the pet Tom Riddle saw him with was an Acromantula, a large spider capable of speech. While Hagrid and the Acromantula will prove to be unconnected with the Chamber, this Acromantula, Aragog, gives Harry a vital clue to finding the Chamber of Secrets' entrance.

While the memory Tom Riddle shows Harry is accurate, it is incomplete and slanted to imply Tom's innocence and reinforce Hagrid's guilt in opening the Chamber. Harry, like the school in Tom's day, is taken in by this. It was Hagrid's exposure, and the Monster never being released after Hagrid's expulsion, that led Headmaster Dippet and the school to believe that Tom correctly identified the culprit who opened the Chamber. For this, Tom received the Special Services award. It is likely that the only school member not sharing this belief is Professor Dumbledore.

Of course, Tom is Slytherin's heir; we will discover in the sixth book that Tom's mother, Merope Gaunt, claimed and could prove descent from Salazar Slytherin. Tom explored the castle extensively and found and opened the Chamber, controlling the Monster within. It is unclear how he was able to find it when many others, including Ghosts who can pass through solid barriers, were unable to. One possibility is that the Chamber is charmed to be invisible to all but Slytherin's descendants; however, this is unlikely, as Ron and Lockhart are quite able to see it once it is opened. Another possibility is that it is simply charmed to be unmappable. We never see any ghosts in the Room of Requirement, which is apparently also unmappable; perhaps the charm also prevents ghosts from entering.

It should be noted that memories can be edited; we will see an instance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Professor Slughorn had edited his memory before giving it to Professor Dumbledore. Though Slughorn's editing was clumsily done, we are led to believe that Tom Riddle was more adept at magic involving memories. Unlike Slughorn, Riddle does not try to replace memory segments he wants to remain hidden; instead he simply leaps over them.

It should also be noted that while memories can be altered, as in Slughorn's case, their accuracy in general might be questioned by readers. Are the strands that a volunteer surrenders an exact recording of what was actually seen, or are they as tainted by the individual's imperfect recollections as our own memories are? The author has stated in an interview, perhaps in response to this possible discrepancy, that memories retrieved in this manner are the actual events that occurred at the time; however, if they can be edited consciously, we have to assume that they may also be edited unconsciously. It should also be considered that Riddle may have had much more leeway to manipulate his memories by recording them in an enchanted diary, rather than them being directly taken from his mind and deposited into a Pensieve, which is how Harry will view other peoples' recollections later in the series.

It is in this book, looking back from the series end, that we first see Dumbledore's habit of holding his cards close to his vest. From early on, Dumbledore had suspicions about Riddle, suspicions that either were allayed by Riddle's behaviour, or simply did not occur to others who were blinded by his glamour. Dumbledore likely suspected Riddle was being evasive when he exposed Hagrid as the one who opened the Chamber, and clearly retained this suspicion through the intervening fifty years. Dumbledore now believes Riddle is again opening the Chamber, and as seen in an earlier chapter, only wonders how he is doing it.

As a point of irony, one might note a statement Ron makes in this chapter. While the Trio wonder why Tom Riddle received his award, Ron jokingly suggests that Riddle received it because maybe he is the person that killed Myrtle. The irony here is that Riddle did, in fact, kill Myrtle, and then received the award for stopping killing people. However, we will not come to this realization until the book's final chapters.

Connections

 * Aragog, who we see later in this book, will be mentioned again in the sixth book, where he passes away. Aragog's offspring will have a small role in the final book, also.
 * We will see Tom Riddle's orphanage in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Professor Dumbledore will take Harry to view a memory in Dumbledore's Pensieve to illuminate Riddle's early influences.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets/Chapter 14

Synopsis
Harry, Ron, and Hermione discuss this revelation endlessly—none wanting to believe that Hagrid would have anything to do with a monster. And yet, he was expelled from Hogwarts, and he has an affection for large, terrifying creatures, like Norbert the Dragon, and "Fluffy," the giant three-headed dog that guarded the Philosopher's Stone the previous year. The attacks must have stopped after Tom Riddle turned in Hagrid. Otherwise, Tom would not have received the Special Services award. They decide to do nothing unless there are more attacks. The school seems to be returning to normal, as it's been four months since the last attack, and the Mandrake plants are maturing and nearly ready for treating the Petrified victims.

Starting in their third year, Hogwarts students can attend elective courses, so over Easter Break, the second-years are to select their third-year classes. Hermione eventually decides she wants to take everything. Harry seeks advice from Percy, who pompously tells him to stay with his strengths. Feeling his only strength is Quidditch, Harry decides to take the same courses as Ron so they can work together.

Returning from Quidditch practice, Harry discovers his dorm has been ransacked and Riddle's Diary is gone. Harry surmises that a Gryffindor must have taken it; nobody else knows the password to the tower.

While heading to the Quidditch pitch for the match against Hufflepuff, Harry hears the voice again. Ron and Hermione hear nothing, but something suddenly occurs to Hermione and she runs to the library, while Ron and Harry head to the Pitch. Just before the game starts, Professor McGonagall announces it has been canceled and orders everyone to their House Common room. She singles out Harry and Ron to follow her to the infirmary. There has been a double attack: Penelope Clearwater, a Ravenclaw Prefect, and Hermione have been Petrified. Both were found near the library, Hermione clutching a small mirror. Percy is in shock that Penelope was attacked, apparently believing Prefects were immune.

In an attempt to protect the students from the monster, several restrictions are announced. Among them are a 6:00 PM curfew, which has the additional result of banning all evening activities outside the House dormitories. Further, students are to be escorted from class to class by teachers. If the monster is not found and dealt with, the school may have to be closed permanently.

Hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry and Ron sneak out to Hagrid's hut to ask him about the Chamber of Secrets. Before he can reveal anything, a knock on the door sends Harry and Ron diving back under the Cloak; Professor Dumbledore and Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge enter. Fudge, apparently believing Hagrid had previously opened the Chamber, and ignoring Dumbledore's protests, is sending Hagrid to Azkaban, the wizard prison, as a precaution. Lucius Malfoy suddenly arrives with an Order signed by the Governors of Hogwarts calling for Dumbledore's removal as Headmaster. Fudge objects to Dumbledore's removal, as does Hagrid, but Malfoy insists that it is an internal affair and no concern of the Ministry. As he is leaving, Dumbledore, staring directly at where Harry and Ron are huddled under the Cloak, says, "I will only truly have left the school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." As Hagrid is led away by Fudge, he calls out that if anyone wants to find answers, they should just follow the spiders, and to also feed Fang.

Analysis
That Hagrid may be involved with the Chamber's opening is clearly a hard revelation for Harry. But the proof seems incontrovertible, and in the memory Harry actually saw Hagrid being discovered. Harry's trust in Hagrid has been shaken, but not fatally; it is only after the attacks start again that Harry felt he must approach Hagrid about the events resulting in his expulsion.

Meanwhile, the Diary has been stolen; Harry believes it was a targeted theft, as nothing else was taken. Harry and Ron also conclude it was a Gryffindor who stole it, as someone would need to know the password to get into the dormitory. Both facts may be significant. One thing is certain: Harry can no longer use it to learn more about Hagrid's expulsion from Hogwarts.

If Harry had braced Hagrid about those events, almost certainly Harry would also have had to explain how he had seen them, and the author revealing the Diary's role early on would have significantly weakened the plot. Thus, Hagrid's arrest, or some means, stronger than the easily-breached curfew, that renders Hagrid unavailable, is necessary to the story line. Hagrid's arrest also introduces us to Azkaban Prison, and how much wizards fear it. From the next book's title, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, we can assume Azkaban will figure largely in it; and as it has been at least mentioned now in both this and the previous book, Azkaban will likely reappear in future books as well.

Lucius Malfoy is seldom, if ever, straightforward in his motives. In this case, he claims the Board of Hogwarts is suspending Dumbledore for failing to prevent the student attacks. We are aware that Malfoy's motives are usually something other than what they appear, and his machinations are extensive. It is a safe assumption that he has coerced the board into suspending Dumbledore; his smug satisfaction when delivering the document speaks to that. However, we are left wondering exactly what he hopes to gain by this action. Is hatred of Dumbledore sufficient reason for this level of action against him? Or is there something more to discover?

Hagrid is careful to tell Harry and Ron about the spiders, though we have no idea yet as to why. The spiders near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom were acting odd, however.

Readers should take note that when Hermione ambitiously states she wants to take every class in Year 3, this may foreshadow future events, as well as being an example of be careful what you wish for.

Review

 * 1) Before he leaves, Dumbledore seems to look directly at Harry and Ron, though they are under the Invisibility Cloak. Can Dumbledore actually see them? If so, how?
 * 2) Why does Hermione suddenly go to the library?
 * 3) Is Hagrid's being sent to Azkaban justified?

Further Study

 * 1) Who might have taken the Diary? How did they know about it, and why was it taken?
 * 2) What evidence is there that Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets? Is it believable or merely circumstantial? Explain.
 * 3) Can Harry trust what he sees in the Diary? Explain why or why not.
 * 4) When Harry and Ron go to Hagrid for an explanation about the Chamber of Secrets, can they trust what he will tell them? Explain.
 * 5) Why would Hagrid tell Harry to follow the spiders? Where might they lead?
 * 6) Why was Hermione holding a small mirror when she was petrified?
 * 7) Is Dumbledore's removal as headmaster justified or is there another reason behind it? Explain.
 * 8) As he is leaving Hagrid's hut, what might Dumbledore's words to Harry mean?

Greater Picture
It should be noted that a new attack occurs immediately after the diary is stolen. It is certain that the diary had been deliberately disposed of; carrying something into a disused bathroom and flushing it down the toilet is hardly accidental. It is likely that the diary, in the hands of its original owner, was somehow connected to the attacks, and the recurrence of the attacks so shortly following the theft of the diary would imply that the original owner has reclaimed it. Harry, while not understanding why the diary has been stolen, suspects the thief is a Gryffindor student. This would probably also lead Harry to speculate, probably surprisingly, that a Gryffindor, rather than someone connected to Slytherin House, could be the Heir. We will discover in the final chapters that the Diary is directly associated with the attacks and that a Gryffindor student is involved, though that person is not the Heir of Slytherin.

The Twins' comments lead us to surmise that Percy is distressed only because a prefect has been attacked. Percy quite plainly believed that prefects were invulnerable. Even so, his reaction appears extreme, until we learn at the end of this book that Ginny had caught him kissing Penelope Clearwater. This romantic entanglement's revelation makes Percy's shock understandable at last.

Hermione's running to the library after Harry hears "the voice" again is perhaps what most helps Harry to once again save the day: connecting Harry to being the only person who can hear the voice inside the walls, Hermione correctly concludes that the monster is a Basilisk. Harry can hear it because he is a Parselmouth, possessing the rare ability to speak to snakes. A Basilisk's gaze is lethal to anyone looking directly into its eyes. However, no one has died because each saw the monster indirectly: Mrs. Norris saw it reflected in the water outside Myrtle's bathroom, Colin through his camera, Justin through Nearly-Headless Nick (who sees it directly, but since he is already dead, cannot be killed again), and Hermione and Penelope reflected in a mirror Hermione was carrying. Hermione also correctly guesses that the Basilisk uses the plumbing to move through the school's walls unmolested.

Lucius' motives in getting Dumbledore suspended are never entirely explained, but some understanding may come from knowing that Lucius engineered the attacks, even though he apparently remains uncertain what mechanism is involved. Knowing that Lucius provided the weapon, we can see that his orchestrating Dumbledore's suspension is a means to give that weapon free rein. Only three teachers at Hogwarts seem to believe that there might be a Chamber of Secrets containing a monster: Dumbledore, who was at Hogwarts at the time it was last opened; McGonagall, who accepts Dumbledore's word; and Lockhart, who is utterly ineffectual. By removing Dumbledore, Lucius is effectively halving the forces countering the monster.

Hagrid's final words as he is being taken away indicate strongly that Hagrid is more aware than we had thought of what is going on. What we will find out is that the spiders, in fear of the Monster, are heading for safe territory, the Forbidden Forest home of Aragog and the Acromantulae. Hagrid's suggestion that Harry and Ron should do likewise would argue that Hagrid has spoken with Aragog about the Monster, and that Hagrid believes Aragog can shed some light on current events. In retrospect, this is not too surprising; the Monster was last active at Hogwarts when Hagrid was caring for the then-juvenile Aragog, and it is to be expected that Hagrid would discuss the events at the school with Aragog. As Aragog is unable to name the Monster for Harry and Ron, we can assume that he is unable to name it for Hagrid either, and so Hagrid may not know exactly what the Monster is, but he does know that Aragog knows about it, and apparently believes that Aragog will be able to help Harry identify it.

Also, while Hermione's claim that she wants to take "every" third-year class seems like childish hyperbole, she is actually quite serious. She will arrange with McGonagall to do just that, and how she is able to accomplish this feat will play a major role in the next book. As a result, Hermione will painfully learn that sacrifices must be made to obtain so much knowledge and that there are limitations as to just how much one person can learn. She will, however, turn her misstep into an advantage.

Connections

 * Though Harry and Ron have previously noted spiders acting oddly in this book, this is the first concrete mention that their actions are related to the Monster. The spiders, of course, will lead us to Aragog shortly. Aragog will not be seen again until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at his funeral. However, his descendants will appear in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * Hermione's signing up for every possible third year course will result in her being issued a Time-turner, which she carries for the duration of the next book. This device would prove so useful in the final battle that it must be destroyed before the end of the series. That destruction happens in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but we don't learn about its import until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 * In particular, Hermione's selection of Ancient Runes is connected to key plot point in the final book. Dumbledore will bequeath a book to Hermione, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which will be written in ancient Runic. It will be Hermione's puzzling over the runes, and particularly over one particular symbol that she doesn't recognize, that will lead Harry to gradually understand the import of the Deathly Hallows. The symbol that Hermione can't understand is not a rune at all, but the sigil of the Hallows, and it will be to decipher the meaning of this sigil that the Trio will visit Xeno Lovegood. Xeno will explain the Tale of the Three Brothers and how it relates to the Hallows. The book's being in runes, and Hermione's high marks in that course through the years, likely caused Dumbledore to leave the book to Hermione; and her lengthy efforts to decipher the runes are essential to the timing of the visit to Xeno Lovegood.
 * Dumbledore's statement that he "will only truly have left Hogwarts when none here are loyal to me" will be echoed later in this book, and in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. A variant of this, where Harry agrees that he is "Dumbledore's man through and through", appears in that same book twice, at Christmas and after Dumbledore's funeral.
 * We will mention here that Cornelius Fudge's character is consistent throughout. In this instance, we can see that he is taking action to prevent a perceived threat; the action, we believe, is wrong, but Fudge feels he must do something to alleviate the worries of his constituents. We will see his political nature again almost every time we see him, next in July in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, then in December in that same book, and again in June of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Looking back at Fudge's actions from the end of the series, we can see that he is ever the consummate politician, acting always to attempt to retain power, doing what looks good rather than determining what would be best done.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets/Chapter 15

Synopsis
Security is tighter than ever. Harry and Ron are unable to visit Hermione in the infirmary. Teachers shepherd students around in little groups. Most students are upset and frightened, though Draco is seemingly pleased over his father's having played some role in Dumbledore's removal.

About a fortnight later in Herbology, Ernie Macmillan, the Hufflepuff who had earlier accused Harry of being the Heir of Slytherin, apologizes and asks Harry if he believes Malfoy could be the Heir. Harry points out some spiders to Ron, the first they have seen since Hagrid's arrest. They appear to be headed for the Forbidden Forest. Ron is hardly cheered over this news. As they are escorted to their next class, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry says that in order to follow the spiders, they will need his Invisibility Cloak, and they should take Fang. Professor Lockhart bounds into the classroom, gaily announcing that with Hagrid arrested, the danger has passed. Ron wants to dispute that, but Harry reminds him that they were not actually there. Harry decides they should follow the spiders that night.

Waiting until past midnight for the Common room to clear, Harry and Ron make their way through the halls, avoiding teachers and Ghosts searching for the Monster. They collect Fang from Hagrid's hut and, making their way into the Forest, follow the spiders by wand light. Hearing something large moving, they investigate. It is the Ford Anglia, Mr. Weasley's flying car, roaming the Forest. As they check on it, giant spiders catch and drag them to a hollow among the trees. There they meet Aragog, the patriarch of a huge colony of giant spiders. Aragog, cranky at having his sleep disturbed, tells his children to kill Harry and Ron. Harry forestalls this by saying they are Hagrid's friends, and he is in trouble, arrested again for apparently opening the Chamber. Aragog admits he was mistakenly believed to be the Monster. The Monster is another creature, an enemy to spiders, and such that he cannot even name it. Aragog was blamed for killing a girl, but the girl died in a bathroom, a part of the Castle he was never in. Hagrid kept him in a cupboard in the dungeon. As Aragog is unable to help them further, Harry says they will just go. Aragog says no, his children will not harm Hagrid on his command, but he has too little control over them to protect Hagrid's friends. As the spiders start their attack, the Ford Anglia screeches into the hollow. Harry and Ron bundle themselves and Fang into it, and it carries them back to Hagrid's hut, deposits them there, and returns to the Forest.

Back in the Gryffindor dorm, Harry has a sudden thought: was the girl killed in the bathroom Moaning Myrtle?

Analysis
Hermione's Petrification, as alarming as it is, does provide some benefits. Until now, it was suspected that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin, based partly on his arriving first on the scene at other previous incidents, partly on his uncertain parentage and apparent power, but largely on his ability to talk to snakes. Now, though, even Harry's most suspicious classmates agree that Harry could not have instigated the attacks, as he would never injure Hermione. Ernie, in particular, announces he believes Malfoy, not Harry, is the Heir; Ron's evident amusement over this claim is probably due to Harry and Ron having had the same suspicion several months previously.

The truth to Hagrid's utterance that "if people wanted to learn some stuff, they should follow the spiders," is shown here. Whenever we have seen the spiders, Harry noted that they appeared to be running away from something. Now they seem headed towards something—the Forbidden Forest, perhaps feeling the Acromantula colony will afford some protection.

In fact, Harry does learn "some stuff" by following the spiders to Aragog and his children, though it seems Hagrid seriously misjudged the extreme danger he was sending Harry and Ron into. It is from Aragog that Harry and Ron gather at least some truth about Hagrid's expulsion from Hogwarts. And Aragog also provides Harry a clue to where the Chamber's entrance is located.

It had seemed uncertain whether Harry would be able to use this knowledge, being surrounded by masses of inimical and hungry spiders. The flying car's timely arrival is not only fortuitous, but illustrates the author's deftness at preparing situations to pay off in future chapters (and future books). We were led to believe that, having delivered Harry and Ron to Hogwarts before driving off to roam the Forest, the flying car's role was done; we are pleased that the aging and ailing car can still do something important for Harry. While it certainly seems odd to assign a personality to a machine, the car shows just that, and that personality is consistent from its arrival at Hogwarts through to this chapter. Mr. Weasley's charm on it must have had a much greater effect on it than he had ever intended.

Review

 * 1) The monster has Petrified Mrs. Norris, Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly Headless Nick, Hermione, and Penelope Clearwater. Are these random targets or do the victims share a connection?
 * 2) Who does Harry believe the Monster killed fifty years ago? What brings him to this conclusion?
 * 3) What "stuff" does Harry learn from Aragog? How will this help him?

Further Study

 * 1) Why does the flying car come to Harry and Ron's rescue?
 * 2) Why would spiders be heading into the Forbidden Forest?
 * 3) Why would Aragog allow his children to kill Harry and Ron, who he knows are Hagrid's friends? How would Hagrid have reacted if that had happened?
 * 4) Why does the flying car always retreat back to the forbidden forest ?

Greater Picture
Very little in this chapter carries forward to later books. Harry's guess that the girl who died is Moaning Myrtle is correct, and we learn later how she died. Lockhart's character is further illuminated, while Aragog's existence is also revealed. However, rather than laying groundwork for future books, this chapter is almost entirely devoted to moving this book's story forward to its conclusion.

Aragog's fate is revisited in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when he dies from old age and brings Hagrid, Professor Slughorn, and Harry together to mourn him. Hagrid will be surprised that Aragog's offspring no longer grant him free passage, but actually try to attack him. Given their experiences in this chapter, neither Harry nor Ron is at all surprised by their behaviour.

Aragog's children will appear again in the closing chapters of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Hagrid will once again assume that they are less dangerous than they are.

The flying car is never seen again, and while Moaning Myrtle appears throughout the series, the circumstances surrounding her death are unimportant after this book.

Connections

 * Aragog will be seen again in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at his funeral. His descendants will be mentioned then, and will appear in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets/Chapter 16

Synopsis
With increased security, sneaking into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom will be difficult, but Harry and Ron need to talk with Myrtle to learn if their guess is correct.

Professor McGonagall reminds students that exams are starting next week, which apparently catches everyone by surprise. Considering the serious situation, it seemed unlikely that exams would be held. Three days later, it is announced that the Mandrakes are ready to be harvested, and the Petrified victims will be revived that night. Ginny, who appears somewhat upset, apparently has something important to tell Harry and Ron, but Percy arrives after a night's patrolling, and interrupts, causing her to run off. Ron is angry, believing Ginny may have wanted to tell them something about the Chamber of Secrets, but Percy claims it had nothing to do with the Chamber, and deflects further questions.

While the mystery may possibly be solved with Hermione's revival, Harry still wants to see Moaning Myrtle. An opportunity arises that morning: as Professor Lockhart escorts students to History of Magic class, Harry and Ron suggest there is no need to guard them any longer as Hagrid has been arrested. Lockhart agrees and goes off to take a nap. Harry and Ron head for Myrtle's bathroom, but Professor McGonagall intercepts them. Harry lies smoothly, saying they had intended to visit Hermione in the hospital wing. Touched by their apparent concern, McGonagall grants permission, which forces them to actually go to the infirmary. While there, they find a torn-out book page clutched in Hermione's petrified hand describing Basilisks. A Basilisk kills with its gaze, but no one had died because they weren't looking directly at it. Mrs. Norris saw a reflection in the water on the floor. Colin Creevey was looking through his camera lens. Justin saw it through Nearly Headless Nick, and, of course, Hermione had her mirror. This explains both the fleeing spiders and the killed roosters — spiders fear the basilisk, and a rooster's crow is fatal to it, so presumably whoever has been controlling it has also been killing the roosters. Harry hears the voice because he is a Parselmouth— the Basilisk is a snake. Hermione had guessed that it has been traveling through the walls and ceilings using the plumbing; the page in her hand has "Pipes" written in the margin. It occurs to Ron that, if Myrtle was the Basilisk's victim fifty years ago, the Chamber's entrance may be in her washroom.

Harry and Ron sprint to the staff room to report their findings to Professor McGonagall but find it empty. Professor McGonagall makes an announcement, ordering all students to their Houses and summoning the faculty to meet in the staff room. Harry and Ron hide so they can overhear what has happened. The staff arrive, and McGonagall reports that Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber. Lockhart arrives belatedly, and, after he is briefed, the other teachers challenge him to back his boasts by opening the Chamber and defeating the Monster. He excuses himself to go to his office and "prepare". Having gotten rid of him, the remaining instructors plan how to inform the students and discuss the school's future.

Harry and Ron rush to Lockhart's office to share what they know, but find him hastily packing. He confesses that he never actually performed the feats in his books. Rather, he took credit for other witches' and wizards' accomplishments, and erased their memories with a charm. He threatens Harry and Ron with a memory charm, but Harry disarms him, and Ron tosses his wand out the window. They force Lockhart to Moaning Myrtle's lavatory.

Myrtle reveals that when she was a student, she went into the washroom to have a bit of a cry. Hearing a boy's voice, she looked outside the cubicle and saw big yellow eyes—then she died. She points to one particular basin. Harry addresses it in Parseltongue, and it opens to reveal a vertical shaft. Ron and Harry push Lockhart down it first, then follow.

At the bottom of the shaft, they discover a giant snake skin on the ground. Lockhart pretends to faint, and as Ron approaches, he grabs Ron's wand. Lockhart says he will tell everyone that he defeated the monster, using the snake's skin as proof, and that Harry and Ron were tragically rendered insane upon seeing Ginny's dead body. He casts a memory charm, but Ron's broken wand backfires and explodes, erasing Lockhart's memory and causing the ceiling to collapse. Harry and Ron are unhurt, but the fallen rubble separates them. Harry leaves Ron to clear the rock fall while he explores the tunnel further ahead. Finding a door engraved with shimmering serpents, he opens it by speaking Parseltongue.

Analysis
Throughout the series, Harry constantly succeeds because he is aided by friends and allies: he is the sum of many parts. With his friends' help, the mystery is nearly solved as the puzzle pieces fall into place. Hermione, through her usual diligent research, gathering information, and patiently working to understand what it all means, has discovered what the monster is and how it navigates throughout the school. It is by sheer luck that she was still clutching the torn-out book page when she was petrified, allowing Ron and Harry to find it. Ron's steadfast loyalty and Wizarding knowledge have aided Harry throughout. Hagrid also provided an important clue (through Aragog), while Moaning Myrtle gave valuable information when Ron and Harry's hunch that she was the victim who died 50 years ago proves correct. It is still unknown who the Heir of Slytherin is, though the tunnel Harry is about to enter will likely lead him to the answer.

Harry's ability to dissemble, possibly part of the reason the Sorting Hat wanted to place him in Slytherin, shows through in this chapter when he deceives Professor McGonagall in order to keep their plans secret. However, he does not frequently exploit this skill, instead, he uses it on impulse or when he deems it necessary.

Also, as one mystery is nearly solved another arises: Ginny. Unlike the apparent Muggle-borns that were targeted, she is a pure-blood. Why then was she taken into the Chamber? Is Neville correct that certain pure-bloods are being targeted? Rather than becoming another petrified victim, however, she likely plays some other integral part in this evil plot, judging by her recent odd behavior and her earlier urgent attempt to reveal something important to Harry and Ron. Just what her role is also remains unknown, but it should be assumed that she is someone's innocent pawn. It may be that this person would only use a pure-blood to execute his plan, though Ginny may be considered "disposable" once she is no longer useful. We should note that Percy's behavior may have seemed suspicious when he prevented Ginny from speaking to Harry and Ron, but from his comments afterwards we can guess it was probably unrelated to the monster or the Chamber of Secrets.

Lockhart is finally unmasked as the fraud we have always believed him to be, and the bogus claims in his books are now confirmed to be other wizards' accomplishments. After stealing their stories, he claims to have altered their memories. Magically he seems quite weak, except for Memory charms, and Harry easily disarms him, as Professor Snape had in the Dueling Club. Lockhart is likely somewhat transparent to other wizards; he is certainly not held in particular esteem by any Hogwarts instructor, so it is entirely possible that those whose stories he stole may have deliberately given him misinformation. This could explain his confidence in the ineffectual Pixie-banishing charm he used in the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Of course, he likely never attempted it before, merely borrowing it from a more accomplished wizard.

With this revelation, it is worthwhile re-examining the technique the Weasley children used for de-gnoming the garden earlier. While we are never explicitly told that this technique came from Lockhart's book, the reference to Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests hints at that being the source. That the technique is, ultimately, ineffectual, is the same pattern that we have seen in Lockhart's activities to date, and so would suggest Lockhart was the originator. It is unlikely that Lockhart would have been able to publish a book on household pests under his own name unless he was already famous for his writings, so we can safely assume that several of his earlier works were already doing well in the magical bookstores. More competent magicians would have realized by that time, from reading his books, that his stories were questionable, and so when Lockhart, doing his "research", consulted a trained pest-removal wizard for information on removal of household pests, likely he would have been deliberately given misinformation. It is perhaps a shame that the wizards who provided the information would then have their memory modified, as it would prevent them from properly appreciating the joke they had played on Lockhart.

This is a particularly telling comment about celebrity's nature and those seeking fame. Lockhart, who the author has stated was modeled on a real person, is clearly willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to keep his own star bright. Harry, who Hagrid had earlier said is more famous than Lockhart would ever be, clearly is uninterested in the fame he has fallen into; throughout this book he tries, often futilely, to shun the limelight. In contrast to Harry, who remains a solid, sympathetic character despite his renown, Lockhart has fashioned himself into a glossy, empty shell, and the reader cannot help but be pleased to see him hoist by his own petard.

As they approach the Chamber, Ron's broken wand finally does something well: when Lockhart grabs it and, unconcerned whether Ginny may still be alive, attempts to erase Harry and Ron's memories, it backfires and Obliviates him, as well as causing a small explosion. We have seen this particular misbehaviour before, when Ron tried to jinx Draco and ended up jinxing himself. This backfire ends Lockhart's plan to claim he found the Chamber and destroyed the monster, at the cost of Ginny's life and Ron and Harry's sanity. With his memory erased, he has received the same as what he inflicted on other wizards—a fitting punishment. However, the explosion has separated Harry from Ron. Now, Harry must search for Ginny alone, without his friend's help.

Review

 * 1) Why do Harry and Ron want to talk to Moaning Myrtle?
 * 2) Why are the roosters being killed? Do we know who or what is doing it?
 * 3) Why are the spiders fleeing the castle?
 * 4) What does Lockhart do when the Hogwarts teachers call on him to save Ginny? What explains his actions?

Further Study

 * 1) What might Ginny have wanted to tell Harry and Ron? Why does she seem so upset?
 * 2) Why does Percy prevent Ginny from speaking to Harry and Ron?
 * 3) Why was Ginny, a "pure-blood", abducted when most of the other victims were Muggle-born?
 * 4) Why do the teachers really challenge Lockhart to open the Chamber of Secrets and fight the monster?
 * 5) How did Hermione deduce that the monster is actually a Basilisk? Trace her steps in figuring this out and state the facts she found.
 * 6) Why did Lockhart use Ron's wand, knowing it was damaged?
 * 7) Professor McGonagall says the Petrified victims will be cured later that evening. Why are Harry and Ron unable to wait until then to talk to Hermione? What do they do instead, and would it have been better if they had waited?
 * 8) How was Lockhart able to maintain his charade for so long?

Greater Picture
The backfired memory charm's effects on Lockhart will be long-term, and Lockhart has yet to recover when we meet him again, some three years later. This is to be expected, in a way; Lockhart intended for the charm he cast at Ron to be everlasting, so when it backfired, it is to be expected that it would permanently affect him.

Even this early, the main characters' future romantic entanglements are seen. Ginny, having something important she needs to tell someone, approaches Harry first, rather than her brothers. Of course, earlier in the book, Ginny showed the classic schoolgirl crush on Harry. A person is often too shy or awed by the one she has a crush on to ever approach him. That Ginny can now go to Harry may indicate that her feelings have matured and deepened, possibly beyond the crush level. Despite several side roads on both Harry's and Ginny's part, this relationship will persist, off and on, throughout the entire series.

We also see the first of several progressively-larger hints the author drops about a budding relationship between Ron and Hermione. While Ron is upset over the Monster's depredations, he is far more affected by Hermione being petrified than anyone else, excepting his sister, Ginny. True to his character, though, Ron will be unable to recognize the basis of his concern for several years yet.

It is mentioned that Harry has to speak to the basin twice to get it to open; the first time, Ron tells him that he was speaking English. That Harry is unable to tell whether he is speaking English or Parseltongue should hardly be surprising, as he is unable to differentiate between the two languages when hearing them; no one else can understand the Basilisk, because to them its speech is a low, indistinguishable hissing, while to Harry it sounds like plain speech. This will be a plot point in the series' final book.

As a sidenote, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry again enters an unknown tunnel (to the Shrieking Shack), following a friend (Ron) who has been taken against his will, that seemingly leads him to disaster, but results in another mystery being solved.

Connections

 * Harry's ability to speak to snakes is first seen in the first book of the series, and no mention is made there of whether Harry perceives that the snake is not speaking English. We noted Harry's inability to tell the difference between English and Parseltongue in an earlier chapter. This is a key point in this book, as he perceives the Monster's voice at several points and does not recognize that the Monster is not speaking in English. We see this confusion again in this chapter, when Harry has a need to speak Parseltongue and finds it difficult to switch, and it will be a minor plot point in the final book.
 * Basilisk venom, and basilisk fangs, will be found to be of use in completing Harry's series-long mission. Having learned of the existence of the Chamber in this book, and hearing the relatively simple Parseltongue password, Ron will later open the Chamber himself in order to retrieve some basilisk fangs.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets/Chapter 17

Synopsis
Harry enters a long chamber; at the opposite end is a giant wizard statue, with an ancient, monkey-like face, a long thin beard, and wearing sweeping robes. Ginny is lying on the floor. As Harry tries to revive her, a tall, black-haired boy identifying himself as Tom Riddle approaches. Riddle, carrying Harry's dropped wand, explains he is a memory, preserved in his Diary for fifty years. He opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, intending to purge Muggle-borns and Half-bloods from the school. However, when the attacks were about to close the school and because Dumbledore (then the Transfiguration teacher) kept such a close watch on him, he halted the attacks and framed Hagrid. He left behind a Diary containing his sixteen-year-old self's memory in hopes it would, one day, fall into an unsuspecting victim's hands to help finish his work.

Ginny had been writing in the Diary all year. Riddle answered sympathetically, and Ginny confessed her fears, hopes, and feelings to him, partially pouring her soul into him during the process, which was exactly what he wanted. Gradually growing more powerful, he eventually poured a portion of his own soul back into her, possessing her and using her body to strangle the school roosters, write on the walls, and open the Chamber of Secrets. He tells Harry how Ginny related Harry's entire history and how happy he was when Harry found the Diary after Ginny, becoming fearful, threw it away. He was disappointed when Ginny reclaimed it. Seeing Harry with the Diary on Valentine's day, she feared it would reveal her secrets, and so she ransacked Harry's room to retrieve it. Tom forced Ginny into the Chamber for two purposes: first, to sap her remaining life force and fully return to life; and second, to lure Harry Potter there so he could meet him directly.

Tom wants to know how Harry, an ordinary baby wizard, could have defeated Lord Voldemort, the most powerful wizard of the age. Harry wonders why Tom cares. Riddle reveals he is a Half-blood. His mother named him Tom after his Muggle father and Marvolo after his wizard grandfather, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. He scrambled his name to create a new one—Lord Voldemort, a name he knew people would fear when he became the most powerful Wizard in the world. It was also a way to eliminate his Muggle father's name. Harry states Voldemort was not the most powerful wizard, Albus Dumbledore is. He says Dumbledore probably saw right through Tom when he was at school and is still stronger than Voldemort. When Tom says Dumbledore was driven from the school by Tom's memory, Harry retorts that Dumbledore may be closer than Tom realizes.

Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix, suddenly appears in a burst of fire and drops the Sorting Hat at Harry's feet, then perches on his shoulder. Tom is openly contemptuous: a songbird and an old hat. This is what Dumbledore sends to his allies? Tom again demands to know how Harry defeated him when he was only a baby. Riddle's form is becoming more solid as Ginny's life force ebbs. Harry must act quickly if he is to defeat him and save Ginny. Harry tells Riddle that by sacrificing her life for her son, his mother saved him from Voldemort and reduced him to an ineffectual remnant.

Containing his rage, Tom agrees that that indeed would be a powerful protection. He then summons the monster—a Basilisk. Harry avoids its deadly gaze, as Fawkes takes flight. Harry is smashed against the wall by the snake's coil but is not bitten. Fawkes blinds the Basilisk, and Tom again orders the serpent to kill Harry, telling it to smell him. The thrashing snake has swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. He puts it on, thinking, "Help me!" The Hat constricts sharply and something bumps his head. Removing it, Harry finds a sword inside. As the Basilisk strikes, Harry impales it through the roof of its mouth and into its brain, killing it. But a single venomous fang pierces his arm.

Harry removes the fang, but it is too late. As the venom spreads, Harry dimly sees Fawkes land beside him. Riddle says Harry will soon be dead, even Dumbledore's weeping bird knows it. But suddenly remembering that Phoenix tears heal wounds, Riddle attempts a Killing Curse. Before he can strike, Fawkes drops the Diary into Harry's lap, and Harry stabs it with the fang, destroying Tom Riddle.

As Riddle vanishes, Ginny, gasping, awakens. Now sobbing, she had wanted to tell Harry that the Diary was controlling her, but Percy prevented her. Harry leads her from the Chamber to where Ron is clearing away rocks. Ron explains that Lockhart has forgotten everything, even his own name.

Remembering that Phoenixes can lift amazingly heavy loads, Harry has everyone join hands with him while he grasps Fawkes' tailfeathers. Fawkes lifts them from the Chamber to Moaning Myrtle's washroom. Myrtle seems mildly disappointed that Harry has survived, saying she'd be willing to share her toilet with him if he died. Fawkes then leads everyone to Professor McGonagall's office.

Analysis
In Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, Harry, attempting to find and protect the Stone, was aided by his friends until they reached a certain point, then Harry was forced to confront Voldemort alone. Once again, Harry must follow a dangerous, unknown path by himself that he hopes leads to a solution: saving Ginny. As before, his friends' assistance brought him only so far, then circumstances forced him to continue on alone. This time, Harry also placed his faith into what he believed was an ally, that being Tom Riddle's memory, only to be betrayed when Riddle reveals himself as Lord Voldemort's younger self who lured Harry into a trap. Harry, still young and innocent, will likely never again be as trusting.

Riddle reveals the hidden back story to the recent events only because he arrogantly assumes Harry is about to die and no longer poses a threat. For Harry, obtaining this knowledge nearly cost him his life, and it is only Harry's loyalty to Dumbledore that saves him and Ginny. It is the expression of that loyalty which summons Dumbledore's Phoenix, Fawkes, who brings the Sorting Hat. In what becomes a common trait, Voldemort reacts with supreme overconfidence in himself, derisively dismissing the Hat's importance, considering it a harmless artifact rather than an instrument that delivers Dumbledore's potent power – power that is extended to Harry through the Sword of Gryffindor. The Sword becomes a recurring symbol throughout the series, representing justice, courage, and strength when wielded by a heroic figure, in this case, Harry. Voldemort, of course, vastly underestimated Harry's abilities. Though Riddle depended on Harry's cleverness to lead him into the Chamber, he never considered him capable enough to slay the Basilisk or the Diary. But even as Voldemort is apparently gaining strength, so Harry grows stronger and cleverer each time he confronts and thwarts the Dark Lord. And though Tom Riddle's Diary has been destroyed, Harry does not assume this is the last time he will encounter Lord Voldemort.

It should be noted that Tom Riddle's memory acted independently, taking over another person's life force (Ginny) to reanimate itself and manipulating events inside the school from the Chamber. This proves an unusual enough characteristic to warrant special attention. It certainly indicates that Voldemort, who still lacks a human body, can manifest himself in different forms, each apparently equally powerful.

Throughout this chapter Voldemort demonstrates his cruelty, and how it manifested even when he was only in his teenage years. (The version of Riddle's persona entrapped in the diary would not age, and clearly retains the characteristics of his 17-year-old self.) It more than proves that while he definitely hates Muggles, Muggle-borns, Half-bloods, and Squibs, what he wants, more than the recognition of his own pureblood self-righteousness, is his own personal power. If he needs to manipulate purebloods to get it, then that's what he'll do. The so-called Purity of Blood is certainly more important to a man like Lucius Malfoy than to Voldemort.

Review

 * 1) How is Harry able to look at the Basilisk without it killing him?
 * 2) Why was Ginny taken into the Chamber?
 * 3) How and why does the Sword of Gryffindor suddenly appear in the Sorting Hat? Where did it come from?
 * 4) How was the Diary able to deceive Ginny?
 * 5) Why did Ginny begin to fear the Diary, prompting her to throw it away?
 * 6) How does Harry know to stab the Diary?

Further Study

 * 1) What caused Fawkes to suddenly appear in the Chamber bearing the Sorting Hat?
 * 2) How is Fawkes able to blind the Basilisk without being killed?
 * 3) How can Tom Riddle look into the Basilisk eyes without being affected?
 * 4) Why does Riddle ridicule Fawkes and the Sorting Hat?

Greater Picture
Riddle repeatedly says the Diary contains Tom's memory, which is what Harry sees and talks to. However, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Professor Dumbledore points out that Riddle's Diary does far more than a memory should be able to - it can independently think and respond, possess a person to do its bidding, and it can sap a person's life force to create a body for itself. This strongly indicates that the Diary actually is a Horcrux, a soul shard that renders a person immortal as long as the Horcrux remains intact. Or rather, this was a Horcrux until Harry destroyed it. At the time, Dumbledore expresses concern that the way the Horcrux was treated, as a weapon, is not how one would expect someone's sole chance at immortality to be handled; one would expect that an object containing a Horcrux would be hidden away safely. This one's apparent design argues that Voldemort has several Horcruxes... but how many?

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that Harry has lucked into one of the few methods to destroy a Horcrux: Basilisk venom. It is learned that a Horcrux will act to protect itself; to destroy one, its physical container must be irrevocably damaged beyond ordinary magic's ability to repair. Also in that chapter, it will be revealed that the only known cure for Basilisk venom is Phoenix tears. Phoenixes are extremely rare creatures, so their tears are certainly outside the realm of ordinary magic.

This creates an apparent problem: a Phoenix is in close proximity shortly before Harry stabs the Diary. Could not the Diary, using ordinary magic such as the Accio charm, summon Fawkes' tears? Possibly, but the author has stated in an interview given after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published, that she carefully distanced the Phoenix before the death blow. And looking at the sequence of events, we see that Riddle attempted to Curse Fawkes, driving him away, before Harry stabbed the Diary.

Readers should also pay attention to the Sorting Hat delivering Gryffindor's Sword to Harry. During the final battle at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, another worthy Gryffindor, Neville Longbottom, also extracts the Sword from the Hat, using it to destroy a Horcrux. This time, however, it is Voldemort himself who summons the Hat from the Headmaster's office, using it as a means to torture Neville, and apparently unaware that it can produce the weapon.

Ron will also wield the Sword when, after heroically saving Harry and recovering the Sword from a frozen pond where it was hidden, he destroys a Horcrux with it in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It will be learned that Dumbledore also uses the blade to destroy a Horcrux.

There are several other useful items mentioned. Thinking Harry will shortly be dead, Riddle reveals his grandfather's name, Marvolo, something Voldemort had taken pains to conceal. While this is not particularly useful information to Harry, Dumbledore, who also knows it, uses it to unearth another Horcrux: given the approximate age, and Marvolo being an uncommon name in the Wizarding world, plus the name Riddle associated with a wizard-caused death in Tom's youth, Dumbledore is able to locate and retrieve a Horcrux hidden where Tom's mother had lived. Tom also mentions what is likely his greatest shame: that despite being Slytherin's last heir, he is descended from a Muggle, one of the very half-bloods he so despises. Harry is able to cause some dissension among the Death Eater ranks he faces in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, just before the Battle in the Ministry when he reveals that fact.

Connections

 * We will meet Marvolo, Tom's paternal grandfather, in a later book. Interestingly, perhaps, despite Tom's never knowing his grandfather or mother, he seems to very closely mirror the "pureblood" beliefs that grandfather espoused. At the same time, we will meet Tom's mother, and be very briefly exposed to his father.
 * The Chamber of Secrets, and the remains of the Basilisk, will reappear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Ron and Hermione retrieve Basilisk fangs to destroy a Horcrux.
 * We will learn that the Sword of Gryffindor is a Goblin-forged blade, charmed to accept any foreign material that will strengthen it, and reject anything that does not. Harry's using this Sword to kill the Basilisk will result in the Sword absorbing Basilisk venom, thus empowering it to destroy Horcruxes. We will learn then that Dumbledore had used it to destroy a Horcrux; Ron will also destroy a Horcrux with it, and so will Neville. The Sword will be come something of a disputed item, with the Goblins claiming ownership; but the Sorting Hat will ultimately deliver it to Neville when he is in need.

We note as an aside that in this chapter Ginny states she "wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since Bill came". Charlie had been out of Hogwarts at least one year before Harry arrived, as the twins told Harry that the Gryffindor team "hadn't won since Charlie left". Even if Charlie had left early, after his sixth year, Bill, who is older still, must be either two or three years out of Hogwarts by the time Harry entered. Given that Bill was Head Boy, an office only open to seventh-year students, Bill must be either nine or ten years older than Harry, and thus ten or eleven years older than Ginny. As it is unlikely that Ginny would be able to formulate this sort of wish at the age of one, it is more likely that she would have said that she had wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since she can remember. The author has said that she has always had trouble with math, which is likely the reason for this small misstatement. (The scattering of errors of this sort have become known as "flints" on the fan sites.)


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Chamber of Secrets/Chapter 18

Synopsis
Inside Professor McGonagall's office, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley immediately sweep Ginny into a hug. As they, and also Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, listen, Harry recounts what happened, omitting Ginny's role and the Diary as much as possible. Professor Dumbledore wonders how Lord Voldemort enchanted Ginny, as he is believed to be currently hiding in Albania. Harry is relieved, as Dumbledore clearly knows Ginny was not at fault, and explains how Ginny was controlled by Riddle's Diary. Harry has brought the diary, along with the Sword and the Sorting Hat. Dumbledore confirms that Riddle and Voldemort are one and the same, a fact that is known to very few people. Mr. Weasley chastises Ginny: "Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain!" Dumbledore says there will be no punishment for Ginny. "Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He sends her to the Hospital Wing, saying that Madam Pomfrey will still be there, dispensing the Mandrake juice to the Petrified students. He recommends bed rest and also recommends Ginny have hot chocolate, something that always cheers him. Ron is relieved to hear that Hermione will not suffer any permanent damage. As Mr. and Mrs. Weasley leave with Ginny, Dumbledore dispatches Professor McGonagall to alert the kitchens to prepare a feast.

Professor Dumbledore awards Ron and Harry Special Awards for Services to the School plus two hundred House points each. Noticing Professor Lockhart's vacant gaze, Dumbledore has Ron take Lockhart to the hospital wing. When Professor Dumbledore and Harry are alone, Harry admits he is distressed by Riddle, noting their similarities: both are orphans, dark-haired, and speak Parseltongue. Dumbledore believes Voldemort transferred some of his powers, including the ability to speak Parseltongue, when his curse on the one-year-old Harry failed. Harry says the Sorting Hat saw Slytherin's power in him and wanted to place him in Slytherin House. When Dumbledore notes it put him in Gryffindor instead, Harry says it was only because he asked it to. Dumbledore replies that, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." He then shows Harry the sword. Engraved on the blade is, Godric Gryffindor. "Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the Hat, Harry."

The door bursts open and Lucius Malfoy strides in, accompanied by, to Harry's amazement, Dobby. Lucius is furious that Dumbledore has returned after being suspended. Dumbledore replies that after Mr. Weasley's daughter was attacked, the other Governors asked him to return. Some were under the impression that Malfoy would curse their families if they refused to expel Dumbledore. Lucius demands to know if the culprit has been found. Dumbledore responds it was the same as last time, via the diary, and most ingeniously. If the plot had succeeded, Ginny Weasley would have been blamed, reflecting badly on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act. Behind Mr. Malfoy's back, Dobby is performing a charade, which Harry suddenly understands: Malfoy gave the diary to Ginny at Flourish & Blotts. Lucius demands that they prove this accusation. Dumbledore says that is impossible with the diary destroyed, but if other such artifacts are passed to anyone, Arthur Weasley will be sure to trace them to Lucius Malfoy. Lucius stomps off, kicking Dobby along the way. Harry takes Riddle's diary, wraps it in one of his socks, and runs to return it to Lucius. Lucius angrily strips the sock off, tossing it aside. Dobby catches it, and, having been given clothes by his master, is free at last. Malfoy, enraged, lunges at Harry, but Dobby magically hurls Lucius backwards. Lucius leaves Hogwarts, defeated on all fronts. When Dobby asks how he can repay Harry, he replies he wants Dobby to never try to save his life again.

The feast is an odd one, even for Hogwarts, with everyone in pyjamas, lasting all night, and enlivened by the Petrified students' and Hagrid's return. Everyone, except Hermione, is further cheered when it is announced that exams are canceled.

The remaining year is peaceful. The only grim face is Draco Malfoy's, as Lucius was fired from the school's Board of Directors. On the train back home, Harry asks Ginny about what Percy did not want her to tell anyone. Ginny reveals that Percy has a girlfriend, the same Penelope Clearwater who was Petrified with Hermione. She saw Percy and Penelope snogging (US: kissing). Fred and George intend to have some fun with Percy about this over the summer, while Harry, not expecting to have any fun at all, asks Hermione and Ron to telephone him so they can arrange to meet. And then the train pulls into Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

Analysis
Having used the time-honoured technique, where the villain explains to the hero exactly what happened, in the previous chapter, the author completes the story by laying out the parts that the other characters played in the events. We learn here that the Diary originated with Lucius Malfoy, and that Dobby, as suspected, was his House-elf. We also suspect that Dumbledore perhaps knew much about what had been going on, but may have been constrained from acting, possibly by forces still unknown to us. Finally, we also see, with almost breakneck speed, the Basilisk victims' recovery, Hagrid's return, the school year's closing days, and the return trip to London on the Hogwarts Express. Ginny is naturally quite distraught over her role in helping Tom Riddle, even though she was entirely blameless due to her being possessed by Riddle's Diary. It is unknown whether or not Lucius Malfoy specifically chose her before setting his plan into motion or if he only happened upon an opportune moment to slip Ginny the Diary while at Flourish & Blotts in Diagon Alley. Other than it being a convenient time to pass on the Diary, he may also have been motivated to use Ginny based on his disdain for the Weasley family in general, and his dislike for Mr. Weasley in particular. Overall, it seems a poor choice by Malfoy, considering how close Harry has become to the Weasleys; once Harry became aware that something was amiss with one of the Weasley children, he could more easily trace this back to Voldemort.

It is interesting to note that Tom Riddle, Ron, and Harry all received Special Awards for Services to the School for closing the Chamber of Secrets. Fifty years on, other students may be wondering what Ronald Weasley did to merit this award. It is unlikely that Harry's role will be questioned: after all, he is the famous Harry Potter.

A guiding principle in the series is voiced by Dumbledore: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Although another character, such as Percy Weasley, speaking those words would seem overly sententious, Dumbledore can utter this without pontificating, partially, perhaps, because he is considered eccentric. It is perhaps worthwhile to review just what choices Harry has been given, and which decisions he made. Harry has seldom taken the easy path, often choosing the more difficult route because he believed it was right. It will be instructive to see if Harry maintains this habit.

This particular instance is interesting in another direction. Throughout this book, we have seen Harry's increasing doubt that he was meant to be sorted into Gryffindor House. When he meets Tom Riddle, this doubt is echoed again, though it has no effect on his course of action. It is Dumbledore's pronouncement about making choices, coupled with the Sword being Gryffindor's, that finally removes Harry's uncertainty about the Sorting Hat's decision. We can safely assume that Harry will never be troubled by this matter again.

Many students are probably suited to more than one House. Hermione, for instance, would seem destined for Ravenclaw. Instead, the Sorting Hat, perhaps detecting her strong personality and willingness to act upon her beliefs, placed her in Gryffindor where, influenced by her Housemates, she is developing abilities she might otherwise have underutilized or completely ignored. Another such student is Neville Longbottom, perhaps the most timid and frightened student at Hogwarts. Though we still have no idea why he was also sorted into Gryffindor, it should be assumed he has unseen abilities, including non-magical ones. It is prudent to realize that courage comes in many forms; we recall Dumbledore's statement at the end of the previous year, where he said, specifically of Neville's actions, "it takes courage to stand up to our friends."

Harry also failed to consider that even if he was Slytherin's descendant, then so was one half of his family, yet both his parents were sorted into Gryffindor. Just how and why the Sorting Hat makes a final determination regarding which House a student is sorted into is not entirely understood, though the students' individual preferences are apparently considered, as well as family tradition. It appears most students are generally satisfied with the Sorting Hat's choice. Whether or not a student can request a change of House after being Sorted is unknown, but interesting to consider.

Review

 * 1) Why does Ginny think she will be expelled? Have her actions warranted that?
 * 2) Why does Dumbledore call for a feast at 3:00 am?

Further Study

 * 1) What does Dumbledore mean when he tells Harry it is choices rather than abilities that make a person what they are? Give examples.
 * 2) Compare and contrast Tom Riddle's and Harry's personalities, backgrounds, abilities, and the choices each one chooses to make.
 * 3) Does having similar characteristics to someone automatically mean you will become exactly like that person? Explain.
 * 4) How could a restorative potion be administered to Nearly Headless Nick, who is a Ghost? How could it have any effect on him?
 * 5) Why was Harry still so troubled that the Sorting Hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin House? Is he convinced he is a true Gryffindor?
 * 6) How could Dumbledore know, or believe, that Voldemort is in Albania?
 * 7) What led Dumbledore to suspect that Lucius Malfoy was responsible for the Diary being given to Ginny? Give specific examples to prove or disprove this.
 * 8) What might Lucius Malfoy have done to Harry if Dobby had not intervened?
 * 9) If House-elves are so magically powerful, how did Wizards enslave them?

Greater Picture
Curiously, that Voldemort is currently believed to be hiding in Albania will prove germane to the overall story arc. Voldemort had found an artifact there that he used to create a Horcrux, and had apparently returned there as a disembodied spirit after his initial encounter with Harry. This is where Professor Quirrell likely encountered him, and Peter Pettigrew will rejoin him there between books three and four. One wonders what attracted Voldemort to Albania, or what the author intended him to find there.

In the sixth book, we discover that this "memory of Tom Riddle" is a Horcrux, greatly troubling Dumbledore when he discovered it, though that is not seen here: Dumbledore, throughout this story, seems as imperturbable as ever. Later, however, Dumbledore tells Harry that the Diary Horcrux's discovery worried him. As long as a Horcrux remains intact, its creator remains alive, the Horcrux tethering his soul to the living world. Thus, a Horcrux's primary purpose is immortality, and the wizards who create them invariably protect them as they would their own lives. Yet the Diary was apparently also crafted as a weapon, to be placed into an unsuspecting accomplice's hand—in this case a naive schoolgirl. Dumbledore concludes that this is not Voldemort's only Horcrux, and attempts to determine how many there might be. Harry secures a memory suggesting that Tom Riddle saw seven as the most magical number, and so Dumbledore concludes, correctly, that Voldemort had intended to have seven soul shards: one remaining within himself, and six stored in Horcruxes.

We can see immediately that Harry freeing Dobby from servitude, and Dobby's gratitude for that, will affect Harry's future when Dobby rejoins the story in the fourth book, helping Harry solve a major problem he is set. True to Harry's request, Dobby will never again attempt to save Harry's life until directed to do so by another person late in the seventh book; but in the meanwhile, Dobby will assist Harry in his work with Dumbledore's Army in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and his attempts to determine Draco's mission in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Connections

 * Voldemort's affinity for Albania is first seen here, and revisited in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and again in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In the last book, we learn that Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem had been stolen by her daughter and hidden in a tree in Albania; and also that Voldemort had retrieved it from there. It is possible his attachment to Albania was due to his having found the Diadem, one of the few remaining artifacts of the Founders of Hogwarts. We note that Hogwarts was founded roughly a thousand years ago; there is no discussion on exactly what sort of tree would have remained solid enough to hide an artifact for a thousand years, even in Albania.
 * Riddle's diary is the first Horcrux we see, and is where we discover some of the abilities of these soul fragments. Horcruxes will form a major part of the plot in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * It is Percy's letters to Penelope that had kept Percy's owl Hermes busy all the previous summer. The ongoing romance between the two of them may only continue through the next book; it is mentioned early in that book, but makes no appearance after that.
 * Dobby becoming a Free Elf will be a lesser plot point in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and his ongoing gratitude for his rescue from the Malfoys will result in Dobby helping Harry and the Trio in that and all succeeding books. Dobby's freedom will also bolster Hermione's efforts to free House Elves in general from slavery; her first efforts in that direction include the creation of a charitable organization, the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.