Chapter by Chapter: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

As a continuation of my chapter by chapter journey through the Harry Potter series, here are my reflections on the chapters to the Chamber of Secrets.

EDIT 2024 - The SuperCarlinBrothers have an incredible podcast, "Through the Griffin Door", that follows a similar premise of dissecting the literary work in each individual chapter in unprecedented depth. I began doing this "chapter by chapter" analysis back in 2020 and never completed it, so I'm finally going through the entirety of the book alongside the podcast and expanding on my commentaries.

Chapter One: The Worst Birthday

I understand now why I usually skim or skip through the majority of this chapter - it is far more summary than actual content. The first four or so pages of summary add zero value add for a reader of the lore. It is a reminder of just how much these early books were geared towards younger children who need the reminders and simplifications and definitely does not take for granted that people would just "know" the story by virtue of it being one of the most recognizable series of all time. It's not even a well written or dynamic summary; by contrast it makes the entire premise of the series feel juvenile. That said, for new parts where there is actually story, however, each line of text becomes infinitely valuable again. I love the line about being in his bedroom and pretending that he's not there - repeated three times. And I still find it striking just HOW abusive the Dursleys were. In this chapter, Aunt Petunia literally attempts to wack him with a frying pan. And mostly, I was appreciative of Harry's inner dialogue where he worries that perhaps Hogwarts was all a dream or that his friends didn't really care about him. When you live 10 years of your life one way, and live one year of your life another, and then go back to the old life, you IMMEDIATELY regress into your old schemas. Harry was back to being that abused, unloved boy again and it is so heartbreaking.

Chapter Two: Dobby's Warning

This chapter has even more extreme cases of abuse. Harry literally thinks he may starve to death and wonders if he'll still be alive in four weeks time if someone from Hogwarts came to come get him. He aches with hunger. They feed him half a can of soup. He's only let out of his bedroom twice per day to use the bathroom. And yet Harry is so sweet that he gives up some of his food to Hedwig. I also enjoyed the many descriptions of Dobby's eyes - glowing, orbs, like headlights, or like tennis balls. Vernon is described as a gorilla. Also, I looked up the real life Japanese golfer joke and it's really not funny. It would be fitting if Vernon is also a racist, though. 

Chapter Three: The Burrow

The animal metaphors continue in this chapter! This time Vernon was described as an angry bull, while Molly Weasley was described as both saber-tooth tiger and a bullfrog. There was a lot of sky imagery as well, as the flying car shoots towards the moon, and the colors of the sky change at sunrise to pink and then red. The rest, again, matches the film or is a scene with enough dialogue for me to have read it several times (like the de-gnoming scene). I did feel a bit of sympathy for Arthur when he first came back and slumped in a chair, eyes closed, from having worked all night. In the film, he just comes in all chipper.

Chapter Four: At Flourish and Blotts

It felt like so much happened in this one chapter! Floo powder, the Malfoys, and Gilderoy Lockhart's introduction... It still begins at the Burrow, though, which is described as "burst[ing]" with the strange and unexpected - little details like the talking mirror escaped me. And the fact that Harry seems surprised and caught off guard that everyone likes him is so sad. A few other noticeable details is that Harry thought Errol was a feather duster until he realized it was breathing, the description of traveling by Floo powder was unpleasant (cold hands slapping him??), and Borgin and Burkes was filled with a lot of dark trinkets I had forgotten about as well (bloodstained cards, assortment of human bones). Many of the objects, however, were recognizable in future books which is incredible foreshadowing (Vanishing cabinet, cursed necklace, hand of glory). Favorite detail was Borgin's voice being described as oily as his hair. Least favorite was a witch holding a plate of fingernails (I'm sorry what??).

Chapter Five: The Whomping Willow

It's so impressive that his month at the Burrow was the best of his life thus far - not Hogwarts. Could the Burrow feel even more like home than Hogwarts? Some other descriptions that I enjoyed - seeing the Hogwarts Express from above like a "scarlet snake." It's strange to think about the Hogwarts Express moving through literal space and time - how does it make its way out of London? I also loved the phrase "Stars were blossoming in the blackness." The Whomping Willow branches are also referred to as a snake (a python) as well as a battering ram. The animal metaphors continue with McGonagall looking at them like a "wrathful eagle." Once they reach the Whomping Willow, Harry hits his head and gets a "golf-ball sized lump." That sounds like a concussion to me but it's never addressed again. After they leave, they look through the window to the Great Hall. Knowing the way the castle was fully designed in the films, I don't know if this is possible, and it throws me off trying to envision this. It is a very classic introduction to the Whomping Willow tree which will have far more plot significance in the third book. 

Chapter Six: Gilderoy Lockhart

Poor Harry and his little guilty heart this chapter. Though it is comical to think of the Whomping Willow's branches in slings. The professors do take care of that tree as if it is sentient. Multiple plants are sentient in this universe - the Mandrakes being a very literal version of that in that their roots are humanoid. I liked how the Mandrakes did not like being repotted whatsoever and fought back. Gilderoy Lockhart's dialogue is so well written - the italicization is so well placed that the dialogue just reads itself. Harry's brain is referred to as a "wrung sponge" after his first classes of the year, which makes sense because these first classes of the year are iconic. Mandrakes and Cornish Pixies. The Cornish Pixies do damage compared to a "rampaging rhino" despite their small size.

Chapter Seven: Mudbloods and Murmurs

I always remember this chapter title because I like the alliteration. At the same time, I find it off-putting as a chapter title because "Mudbloods" is literally the equivalent of the n-word in the Wizarding World, so it feels gross to turn it into a cutesy alliteration. It's also strange that Ron actually repeats the word back when talking in Hagrid's hut, though I suppose he has to in order to communicate to Hagrid the gravity of the situation. A lot of the chapter is just exposition and re-explaining the rules of Quidditch and the members of the Quidditch team for the readers. The murmurs from the Basilisk barely actually start this chapter. 

Chapter Eight: The Deathday Party

This chapter is largely unique as the majority of it does not occur in the film, so it has not been visualized, apart from the very ending. One exception would be that when Pottermore was first a thing, there was a Deathday Party chapter art that you could interact with, and it was beautifully done. Going through this chapter more carefully, the first thing I noticed is that Percy is described as "bullying" Ginny into taking Pepperup Potion. Why would that require peer pressure? Is it not just a normal and acceptable thing for people to take that potion when they are sick? It must be so common in the Wizarding World that it would not be embarrassing, though I suppose Ginny is at that critical age where everything has the potential to be embarrassing. This is the Halloween chapter of this book, and Hagrid's pumpkins are mentioned multiple times. I could not fathom how huge they were, bigger than even shown in the movies! Each pumpkin as big as a garden shed?? Three grown men could sit inside a pumpkin?? Fred and George spy on the Slytherin Quidditch Team and in the book, they are described as greenish blurs that look like missiles. I wonder if that was Fred and George calling them missiles or not, because it seems like the Weasleys have simultaneously extremely limited knowledge of Muggle artefacts and better knowledge than others because of Arthur's job. Speaking of Muggles, Harry never assumes that Filch cannot do magic, even though he is always seen manually cleaning? It seems odd that Filch's non-magical status is not obvious. It still makes sense that he would be self-conscious and embarrassed by it, given a squib's lower status in the Wizarding World, however, you would think that more people would be assuming it already. Another Filch moment is that he uses the Vanishing Cabinet - is that the one in the Room of Requirement?? That seems odd, because I don't think Filch knows about the Room of Requirement. So is it at a different place at this point in the story? Wow this is kind of a long random paragraph into little details noticed, because so much of it is new. I love the imagery of the salamander whizzing around the common room spitting out firecrackers. 

Chapter Nine: The Writing on the Wall

One key difference between the film and the books that make the logic of the story seem far more believable is that Dumbledore was genuinely perplexed but what was happening. In the film, he is able to immediately say that Mrs. Norris is not dead, though has been petrified. In the book, he takes a long time examining her and experimenting with spells, as if this is a phenomenon he has never seen. It makes the mystery far more believable that Dumbledore genuinely did not know what was within the Chamber or, if he was able to put together that it was likely a Basilisk (due to the fact that it was Slytherin's monster and Slytherin is represented by a snake), he did not know why the attack resulted in petrification. I always appreciate moments in the series where Dumbledore is caught off guard - fallible - because there feels to be more at stake than just Harry going on his own coming-of-age journey while Dumbledore is just pulling the strings the whole way. I would like to think that Dumbledore was keen enough to recognize that Harry was not sharing the whole truth, though not all-powerful enough to read Harry's mind in that moment. As always, descriptions that I appreciated included: Dumbledore looking through Harry like an X-Ray, Professor Binns like a tortoise, and Filch's "pouchy, purpling face" from tears.

Chapter Ten: The Rogue Bludger

Lockhart and Dobby are comedy gold, I swear to god. I really do have such an appreciation for the dry humor of these novels, and how expertly the humor comes across the page in written dialogue. Of note this chapter, I had completely forgotten that it was raining during the Quidditch game. The way the rain is written into this chapter is so visual and visceral, and yet I completely unwrite it in my brain because in the film, the game happens on a bright, sunny day. But the rain does play a role into the confusion. I wonder how much the people in the stands would have recognized that the bludger was rogue. In the film, it is nonsensical why the game was not just cancelled with an inquiry. Madam Hooch literally says nothing about it. Descriptions to appreciate are Madam Pince as an underfed vulture and his arm as a "flesh colored rubber glove" (yuck). The description of Harry's pain, like his arm is full of splinters, is also graphically felt.

Chapter Eleven: The Dueling Club

This felt like a long chapter! Whether it was physically long or just had a lot of jam-packed content, I don't know, but it was eventful. It begins with the news of Colin Creevey's attack, and ends with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick already being attacked! I had forgotten that Nearly Headless Nick had turned black and ashy, and perhaps weirder, that he was found horizontal on the ground. Wonder how that works in terms of gravity because I would think that he could just sink through the floor. It is interesting that his body responds to the elements because they are able to use a fan to move him with air. Other interesting and vivid descriptions are the blinding winter light (which is so accurate and yet I don't think I had quite heard it described in that way), and disturbingly, what happens with the Swelling Solutions. Draco's nose is the size of a small melon and Goyle's hands are like dinner plates. When I first read it, I thought it said Goyle's HANDS were the size of dinner plates which was a far more disturbing image. Last thought - Snape whispered something to Malfoy before the duel. I hope the implication is not that Snape told him to conjure a snake because that feels so much more predetermined and calculated. I much better like the idea of Malfoy doing it of his own accord and Snape experiencing genuine shock, confusion, and disturbance. I like when those all-knowing characters like Snape and Dumbledore are caught off guard.

Chapter Twelve: The Polyjuice Potion

Another eventful chapter! But man, what is with Harry's odd luck and timing. It's the opposite of plot armor - plot... Murphy's law? He finds Fawkes when he is described to be a "half-plucked turkey" that's literally "gagging." Also, not just this chapter, but I'm noticing across this whole book how often Harry's stomach drops or he feels stick to his stomach with nerves or guilt. It's not a happy year for him. The description of the sensation of Polyjuice Potion is highly unpleasant, as if he "swallowed live snakes" and body "burning like hot wax." Apart from Harry's experiences, some other interesting details I noticed this time around - there's a laundry room? Where is it and how does Hermione know where it is? And is it an exception that house elves can handle clothes for laundry, otherwise, who is doing the laundry?? And poor Hermione is very emotive this chapter, with a mixture of crying, trembling, and looking stern as compared to McGonagall. It's so sad to think of how embarrassed she was with the cat transformation and how hard it was to convince her to leave the bathroom. Overall, it's not their smartest plan and it was bound to go wrong.

Chapter Thirteen: The Very Secret Diary

And the eventful chapters continue! Back when these books were shorter, and towards the final third of the book when the plot really picks up, these chapters pack a punch! This week was tainted yet again by another absurdly transphobic tweet from She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I have her blocked and do not seek out her platforms and I'm sure she makes terrible comments all the time, however, this news story happened to breakthrough because it referenced Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. A lot of the time I'm able to block it out and forget, but this really was a setback in terms of my positive feelings of reclaim towards the series, so I was slightly more checked out when reading it and had a harder time appreciating the humor and storytelling. I think my only comments are that Hermione was in the hospital wing for a LONG time, poor girl. And those poor dwarves were probably very much exploited for this position parading around as Cupids. The scene in the diary was interesting because it reminded me of the Pensive, and I'm wondering if there is any similar magic involved. Tom Riddle clearly did not have any intention of the school closing, and framing Hagrid was unplanned, which was also interesting. 

Chapter Fourteen: Cornelius Fudge

These chapters are so jam-packed. It also continues to be refreshing how accurately the movie portrayed this book, down to the dialogue. I have less overall comments and more continued noticings of little details. First and foremost of which - there's a freakin' sex joke in this chapter. What in the world. You know the Mandrakes are mature if they try to move into each other's pots. I could probably count the number of sex jokes in this series on one hand, if that. The next standout moment to me was McGonagall with a giant purple megaphone - why do we need megaphones in the wizarding world? I'm pretty sure there are spells for that, like in the Quidditch World Cup for example when I think Cornelius Fudge just puts his wand to his throat. It seems unnecessarily complicated and heavy to carry something so large. The rest of my thoughts are just complaints about how the school handled this situation. They start NOW instating all these rules like being escorted to class, and why didn't they do that in the first place? Or at least after the second attack? They waited this long to put in a safety protocol. I got a little glimpse at the start of the next chapter where Madam Pomfrey doesn't allow guests in because the attacker may come "finish these off" and like, why don't they just send them home where they are safe to lay in bed and then Madam Pomfrey can have them sent back and treated once the potion is ready?? They're just sitting ducks at Hogwarts. And as to Harry's handling of things - he's like "it's time to get the cloak out again" and I'm like, my dude... you could have been using the cloak all year long to solve these mysteries.

Chapter Fifteen: Aragog

Gosh every chapter slaps with plot!! As for descriptions, I love the contrast between the sorrow, tense, and dim nature of everyone's spirits inside the castle, juxtaposed with the sunny, warm weather. The "periwinkle blue" of the sky, the flowers as large as cabbages, and the sun warming the outside of the castle walls. Later in the chapter, I really liked the descriptions of the darkness in the Forbidden Forest, with the line that jumped out to me most being, "the darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs," especially in contrast again with the blazing light (this time coming from the car). The car being so personified was hilarious, really lending the idea that magical objects can be granted a soul, ("the forest turned it wild!") and I loved the comparison of it to a "large, turquoise dog greeting its owner." As far as plot and characters go, my GOODNESS, how is Draco not being IMMENSELY punished or at least called out for using HATE SPEECH so repeatedly, PARTICULARLY when the school is going through this whole ordeal?? Not just hate speech, but WISHING DEATH UPON OTHER STUDENTS like come on. I am a Draco apologist to the end, but not at all in the Chamber of Secrets era. 

Chapter Sixteen: The Chamber of Secrets

From the name alone and where we started in the chapter, I was first thinking "holy crap how long will this chapter be??" but it ends before Harry actually goes inside. This chapter deals more with discovering the secret of the chamber, finding out Ginny was captured, and going inside. For that, I didn't find this chapter to stand out much. In the film, these scenes stand in my mind as some of the most clever and well-executed of the entire series. Daniel Radcliffe's line delivery is captivating as he starts to ponder and put the pieces together. It's what really solidifies the film as most within the mystery genre compared to all the other installments. It's also where I find really respect for Harry as intelligent. In the book though, the information that solves the mystery just suddenly clicks and he just bursts with it. At least on page, it felt anticlimactic, but I would love to hear how the lines are delivered in an audiobook. (Okay, I say Harry is intelligent, but also he was NOT using his Invisibility Cloak to talk to Myrtle which could have solved this WAY earlier). Some details I liked - comparing Ginny's demeanor to that of Dobby's when he's withholding a secret (foreshadowing!), the teachers all banding together to troll Lockhart and look at him with "what looked remarkably like hatred", the snake skin being more of a bright green (as well as the emerald eyes in the snakes that unlock the door), and Harry's heart beating so fast it hurt. 

Chapter Seventeen: The Heir of Slytherin

What an iconic reveal. That moment of rearrange Tom Marvolo Riddle into I Am Lord Voldemort is always so satisfying. I'll focus on small details that are deviations from the book that I would not have remembered. Firstly, in the film, the statue of Salazar is mostly his head. In the original book, it's his entire body, and at one point they reference his toes. So, I'm sorry, was the statue of Salazar Slytherin barefoot? I hope he was otherwise clothed... Secondly, as referenced in the previous chapter, the basilisk is a bright green. And thirdly, Fawkes's feathers being described as surprisingly hot to the touch. It's also no surprise, but it's just eerie and nauseating to read it in such detail how PREDATORY the diary process was on Ginny. A final notable mention is just the sheer amount of rage (and all its different synonyms) that describes Harry's anger in this chapter. He was practically bursting with it. He even calls Voldemort ugly once to his face.

Chapter Eighteen: Dobby's Reward

I can't believe the Through the Griffin Door podcast has made its way through two books already. That feels disturbingly fast and I'm not prepared for how quickly life in general is moving by, and this process has been a marker of that. The chapter itself is a quick comedown after the action-packed chapters prior. A few notes is that Dumbledore very clearly knew Lockhart uses memory charms, Dumbledore knew that Voldemort was somehow enchanting Ginny, and Dumbledore knew Fawkes must have been down there rescuing them. What I know Dumbledore does NOT yet know is how the diary works, and I would have liked to see more confusion or fascination on his face about it. Also the fact that he was so willing to let the diary go back into Lucius Malfoy's hands doesn't make sense, he would have wanted to examine that mysterious thing to hell and back because that magic is NOT normal (I know Dumbledore does eventually get the diary back anyways, but he doesn't know that when he lets Harry give it to Lucius). He seems very casual about the diary and not making a ton of epiphanies about the implications quite yet. One final comment is about Dobby's freeing. In the film, Harry hides the sock in the diary. In the book, he just puts the sock on top of the diary and hands it to Lucius, so it really is Lucius's own fault and there's not really a loophole that he didn't intend to give Dobby a clothing item. Can't really blame Harry for being manipulative there, that's on you dude.

And there we have book two complete!!!