Today, I’ll be blabbing about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the sequel of J.K. Rowling’s popular bestselling novel which is none other than Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Sure thing, Harry Potter series is one of the most admired books of today’s generation and Harry Potter will always be an icon of our vivid imagination, a hero in the eyes of the witches and wizards, Harry Potter who triumph over HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second novel in the Harry Potter series, the book was published on July 2, 1998, where it had won a prominent Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for the age 9-11 category. It also won the British Book Awards’ Children’s Book of the Year. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book was recognized all over the world since this is so far the best novel ever written for kids. Even without watching the movie adaptation, you’ll be able to live… love… and laugh with each character as you continue to unknot the mystery behind the witchcraft and wizarding world. If you love the movie adaptation, there is without a doubt that you’ll love this book a hundred times and more. Harry Potter is destined for greatness, that’s how he was described in this tale.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Summary
Harry Potter spent his summer vacation back at the Muggle world, with the Dursleys. Number 4 Privet Drive wasn’t really a place called home for Harry. Both his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon aren’t fond of him, not even his only cousin Dudley Dursley. He was treated like a house servant, his owl was locked up in its cage and he’s not allowed to use magic, not only because it’s against the rules of the wizarding world but the whole household forbids him to use magic. Uttering the word “magic” is in fact prohibited around the house. What could be worse than that? Harry felt even more isolated when he hadn’t received any letters from his friends at Hogwarts, not even a single letter from Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley. dobbyHe later learned that a house elf named Dobby was preventing the letters for Harry to reach him. Dobby warned Harry about the terrible things that could happen to him if he ever returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But Harry couldn’t find the answers from Dobby as to why he must not return to Hogwarts.
Being with the Dursley, Harry felt the urged to be at Hogwarts all the more. Hogwarts is Harry Potter’s home. Due to the fact that Ron had not received any letter from Harry, he together with his brother George and Fred came to rescue Harry, bringing along his dad’s flying old turquoise car. The three of them brought Harry and Hedwig at the Burrow, Weasley’s humble sanctuary. It wasn’t so spacious but Harry was in amazement seeing the magical things they have before his very eyes. Being at the Weasleys for a short period of time brought joy and fun to Harry of which he never had during the time he spent at the Dursleys. He learned about de-gnoming, with gnomes which are nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. He learned how to travel using Floo powder, though it was tough in the beginning when he’s supposed to go to Diagon Alley but appeared in Knockturn Alley instead.
flying carHarry and Ron was as excited as everyone else to go back to Hogwarts but something or someone is preventing them to get through Platform nine and three-quarters. They missed the Hogwarts Express., so they took the flying Ford Anglia and followed the train. They were almost crushed by the whomping willow when they landed on that tree. The car disappeared before them, while they were brought to Professor Snape’s office for interrogation. They could’ve been expelled for flying the car without permission. But luck is on their side, somehow. The following day, Ron received a howler from Mrs. Weasley —–
“— STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY’D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON’T SUPPOSED YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOU’RE FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE—”
A new teacher named Gilderoy Lockhart will be teaching them “Defense Against the Dark Arts”. Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly’s Most-Charming-Smile Award. Girls adore him, but the boys simply aren’t pleased of his charm, especially Harry. When Harry got an accident during the Quidditch match after he was strangely smashed by the rogue Bludger on his elbow, Gilderoy Lockhart came to the rescue, as much as Harry rebuffed his help, he then cast a spell on Harry which caused him to have a deflated arm. Thus, Harry just toddles up to the hospital wing and have Madam Pomfrey treat him a dosage of Skele-Gro. While resting alone in the hospital wing, Dobby appeared again to warn Harry about the terrible things that are about to happen to him. He told Harry that he wasn’t able to prevent him from coming back to Hogwarts by stopping the barrier on Platform 9 ¾. And now he put a spell on the rogue Bludger to hit Harry, just so he wanted Harry to be sent back home.
harry n ginnyThe Hearthrob Harry Potter: Side Tracked
Ginny Weasley, Ron’s younger sister came to Hogwarts this year. After seeing Harry at King’s Cross, this young Weasley developed a huge crush on our charming hero. She often talks about Harry the whole summer and the sight of Harry in her presence makes her blush even more. And on Valentine’s Day, when Lockhart advanced to make it a special day for everyone, a dozen of dwarfs wearing golden wings and carrying harps, of which Lockhart called as his friendly, card-carrying cupids, were barging into their classes to deliver valentines. One of the dwarfs caught Harry and sang a valentine message for him:
“His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he’s really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord”
The message was from Ginny Weasley of course. And Draco Malfoy could only utter, “I don’t think Potter liked your valentine much!” Well, I personally think that Ginny could be the right girl for Harry. Brave, Innocent and sweet, this pair will come a long way if J.K. Rowling will give them the chance. But what do you know, I think they might have been— …I’m not going to spoil you that much.
“I never really gave up on you. Not really. I always hoped… Hermione told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And she thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more – myself.”
— Ginny Weasley on Harry Potter (This is not part of HP:Book 2)
The Chamber of Secrets
Moving on with the summary, there have been a lot of incidents lately in Hogwarts but the most fearful one was when they learned that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened once again. Muggle-born or Mudblood students were being attacked and had gone petrified, even Argus Filch’s cat named Mrs. Norris and a ghost like Nearly Headless Nick. It’s been written on the wall,
“THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE”
Mostly, everyone blamed Harry, naming him as the heir of Salazar Slytherin since they learned that Harry is a Parselmouth, he can talk to snakes. Being able to talk to snakes is what Salazar Slytherin was famous for, that’s why the Slytherin House has a serpent symbol. But Harry refused to accept this fact since the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor.
reading toms diaryOn the other hand, history repeats itself. Harry found an old diary owned by T.M. Riddle or Tom Marvolo Riddle. He found out that the same incident happened 50 years ago when Tom was on his fifth year in Hogwarts; the Chamber of Secrets was opened and the monster attacked a number of students, finally killing one. It turned out that the culprit was Rubeus Hagrid who kept a so-called monster under the cupboard. Hagrid was expelled for that particular reason but Harry would never believe what he had found out. And now that this monster is attacking once again, Hagrid was taken to Azkaban as the prime suspect of the current unpleasant incident at Hogwarts. But before he was taken away, he left a message for Ron and Harry,
“If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, all they’d have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That’d lead ‘em right!”
So Ron and Harry followed the spiders with Fang, Hagrid’s boarhound pet and came to know a gigantic spider Aragog and his wife Mosag. They learned that Hagrid was innocent after all, Aragog told them the things they needed to know about the incident which occurred 50 years ago. While unraveling the mystery behind the attacked, Ron and Harry found out that Moaning Myrtle was the student who got killed during the time of Tom Riddle, 50 years passed. They also found out about the Basilisk, the poisonous serpent which was responsible of the attacked.
at the chamber with ginnyAfter learning and sorting out their clues, they found out the Ginny Weasley was taken by the culprit. With a slight hope to save Ginny, both went down to the Chamber of Secrets with Gilderoy Lockhart but due to minor circumstances, Harry was separated from Ron and Lockhart. He is destined to face the monster which lurks around Hogwarts and save Ginny alone. Later on something has been revealed to Harry; Tom Marvolo Riddle is actually LORD VOLDEMORT himself. He told Harry that he was the one who manipulated Ginny to open the Chamber of Secrets through his diary. Ginny was able to obtain the Diary because Lucious Malfoy slipped it through her old Trasfiguration book. Harry fought along with Fawkes (Professor Dumbledore’s Phoenix), defeated the gigantic serpent and Lord Voldemort as the 16-year old Tom Riddle.defeating the basilisk Harry was able to save Ginny in the end; he was also able to free Dobby from his master and freed Hagrid from Azkaban. Harry’s very rare gifts and bravery made him triumphant in all his actions, thus it’s his choices that shows what he truly is, far more than his abilities.
As for me, I simply love this book. It’s well written and J.K. Rowling sure knows how to establish great characters, amazing plot and astounding magical well being.
0 comments:
Post a Comment