Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Week 4

There is nothing worse than finding out a trusted friend might be responsible for the monstrous happenings that have been going on at Hogwarts. But Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are having to grapple with the fact that Hagrid might have been the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets the first time fifty years earlier. As they try to figure out the best way to ask him about it, there seems to be quite a bit of happenings around the castle.

First, Harry’s room at the school is ransacked. Everything he owns has been thrown about and all the pockets on his clothing turned out. At first it appears that nothing is missing, but then Harry realizes that the diary of Tom Riddle’s that he has been hiding under his mattress is gone. That is what they were looking for. But why would they want his diary? Ginny has been acting weird too. She has started withdrawing from the group and is always looking anxious when anyone speaks to her.

When Hermoine is petrified by the “thing” in the castle, as well as another girl, the entire school descends into chaos. Harry and Ron know that they have to talk to Hagrid and find out what happened all those years ago. But when they show up, someone else is coming to talk to him as well. Dumbledore and Mr. Fudge, who is the minister of magic appear at Hagrid’s. Mr. Fudge is there to take Hagrid into custody, as he had been accused in the past of opening the chamber, and held until the person who is responsible is caught.  With Hagrid’s words of “follow the spiders” ringing in their ears, they know they have to figure out what the mystery is. As they venture into the Forbidden Forest, they are following a line of small spiders deeper and deeper into the gloom. When they are picked up by larger spiders and carried through the forest, Ron is terrified! If you have seen the movie, you know that he is afraid of spiders, but can you imagine being carried by one!? As they are taken to the head of the spider family, Aragog, Harry and Ron tell him that Hagrid is in trouble. They find out that Hagrid was NOT the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets, and although Aragog knows what lies in the chamber, he never told Hagrid what was down there. Having cleared their friend of any wrong-doing, the two friends decide to leave, but are told that they cannot. Just when they think their end is near, the enchanted car of Mr. Weasley’s shows up and hurdles them to safety.

Relieved at knowing that Hagrid is innocent, they are more than determined to figure out what is going on. Professor Lockhart is adamant that Hagrid is involved and has not stopped saying so. But when a student is taken to the Chamber of Secrets, Professor Lockhart is going to be put to the test. He has been bragging about knowing the location of the Chamber, as well as how to defeat the creature that dwells inside. The professors of Hogwarts send him to defeat the monster and get the student back. But when Harry and Ron go to his office to tell him what they know about the chamber, they find him packing his bags in preparation to leave the school. Knowing that the student is Ginny, and that she could very well be killed if action is not quickly taken, Professor Lockhart seems very reluctant to act. When his secrets finally spill, Harry and Ron are angry. They manage to get his wand away from him and dragging him along, they all set out for the bathroom where Moaning Myrtle is in residence. Once they locate the entrance of the chamber, Professor Lockhart again tries to get out of going along, but is pushed in. Once inside, he attempts to erase their memories, but the wand he chose backfires on him, and he wipes his own memory instead!

Harry leaves Ron with Professor Lockhart, and goes in search of Ginny and the monster hiding in the depths. As he cautiously makes his way deeper into the tunnel, his anxiety continues to grow. When he gets to the en and sees Ginny lying there, he is surprised to see Tom Riddle there as well. As Riddle begins to talk and lay out some of the secrets that he has held, Harry is surprised and angry. Riddle has preserved himself into the diary, so that he could return and continue the work that he had started years ago. But he needed help. Getting Ginny to reveal her secrets, she began to put herself into the diary, and eventually Tom was able to release himself and emerge. He tells Harry how he forced Ginny to do all the things that had been happening around the school, and how afraid Ginny was that she was the one who was actually attacking the people. All he wanted was Harry. He wants to find out how Harry managed to escape Lord Voldemort, managing to stay alive when everyone else was killed.

But then, there is one last secret hiding with the Chamber…

This week we are reading Chapters 14-18

Questions:

1. Do you think Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber? If he didn’t, do you think he knows who did?
2. Professor Lockhart is a rather unlikable fellow, but why do you think he would make outrageous claims while things were happening at the school?
3. Tom Riddle is very interested in Harry, but never fully reveals why. Why do you suppose he is so interested in him?
4. Did you enjoy the book?

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