Chamber of Secrets Chapters 8 - 9

The Squib

So now we know why Filch is so nasty to students. He's the exact opposite of a muggle-born wizard. He was born to a witch and wizard, but has no magical ability. I'm guessing that there are very few jobs available to squibs in the wizarding world, so for some reason, Filch chose to take a crummy job in the wizarding world as opposed to work in the muggle world.

One thing I noticed in Chapter 8 that I had never noticed before is something that is critical to Book 6. Ever wonder how the Vanishing Cabinet got damaged in the first placed that caused Draco so much trouble in repairing it? We found out in this chapter that Nearly-headless Nick put Peeves up to dropping it over Filch's office. I never noticed that before.



Time line

In this chapter, we again get an exact date of reference so we know in what time this story takes place. Since Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington died in 1492, and he is celebrating his 500th deathday, then that must mean that Harry's second year takes place in 1992. If this is true and Harry turned 12 on July 31, then that means he was born in 1980 and that if he really lived now, he would have just celebrated his 29th birthday.


The Chamber of Secrets


So this is what the story is about. Apparently, there's some secret chamber inside the castle built by Salazar Slytherin. Didn't we just learn about a secret chamber hiding the Sorcerer's Stone? How many secret chambers are there in Hogwarts? We learn in this chapter the reason behind the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry in school. Okay detectives, if you're sharp, you should be able to figure out what kind of monster is hidden inside the chamber by now. Think about it. First, Salazar Slytherin's house color is green. Second, his name is Slytherin. What kind of animal slithers? Third, the Slytherin house mascot is a snake. If that doesn't give it away right there...

Chamber of Secrets Chapters 6-7

He must have porcelain veneers

Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart, in my opinion, is one of the most exaggerated characters in the series. He has his place, but is not really of importance to the series as a whole. He is one of those characters with very little depth and only really serves a purpose in this book. I know I'm being a bit negative here, but when you're dealing with a writer of such talent, the characters come under closer scrutiny. I would certainly expect this caliber of character from Stephanie Meyer, but not from Rowling. Lockhart does have some great moments in this book, but mostly, I find him annoying. Hey, it can't be all sunshine and daisies.



What were they thinking?

So Harry and the gang learn about mandrakes. Professor Sprout tells them that the cry of a mandrake is fatal. If that's the case, then why are they letting 12-year-olds handle them? I wouldn't trust a 12-year-old with a hamster. Apparently, there really are plants called mandrakes.


Pre-teen swear words

I like that even in the wizarding world there are swear words. Just as our swear words here in America are different from those in England, wizard swear words differ from muggle swear words. Apparently Mudblood is a pretty bad word to wizards, but we'll see that later in the series, that word gets thrown around pretty librally. I also like that Rowling comes up with her own sayings that are unique to wizards. For example: the exclamation, "Merlin's Beard!" to connote surprise or incredulity, or "Hungry as a Hippogriff," using a magical creature in a hyperbole to compare a state of hunger.

There's really not much else of significance in these chapters. I suspect there will be more in the next couple of chapters as the plot thickens.


Quiz help:

In my previous post, I wrote a quiz question about a spell Lockhart uses on the cornish pixies. Here's a hint that should give the answer away:

pesky + pixie + pester + no + me

Got it?

A little Quiz to wet your appetite

Hey Harry Potter-ites! Sorry for the lengthy hiatus from this blog. If you've been through dental school, you know it eats up quite a bit of time. We just got done with an intense 6-week term. Anyway, enough about my boring life and on with the Potterness. To hold you over until my next couple of Chamber of Secrets chapters, here's a little quiz to see how well you know your Harry Potter spells. We'll start easy.

1.) What is the incantation that goes with the movements "Swish and Flick?"

A.) Petrificus Totalis

B.) Aquamenti

C.) Wingardium Leviosa

D.) Expelliarmus

E.) Avada Kedavra


2.) What is the spell Ron uses on Scabbers in Sorcerer's Stone?

A.) Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!

B.) Rainbow, daisies, sunshine mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!

C.) Sunflower, daisies, butter yellow, turn this stupid fat thing yellow!

D.) Sunbeams, daisies, butter yellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!

E.) Avada Kedavra


3.) Which of these spells is used in the Harry Potter movies, but not in the books?

A.) Aquamenti

B.) Bombarda

C.) Point me

D.) Riddikulus

E.) Avada Kedavra



4.) What is the incantation Gilderoy Lockhart uses against the Cornish Pixies?

A.) Peksipiksi Pesternomi

B.) Peskipiksi Pesternomi

C.) Peskipiksi Pesternami

D.) Peksipiksi Pesternami

E.) Avada Kedavra

Chamber of Secrets - Chapters 4 - 5

Sorry it's been so long folks, but here's the next installment.

Borgin and Burke

This dodgy little shop of horrors not only holds items of dark magic, it contains items of significance later on in the series. Did you notice the cabinet Harry hides in? I'm pretty sure it's the same significant cabinet we learn about in the 6th book. Also noted in this chapter is the "Hand of Glory" which Draco will use in book 6. The "Opal necklace" is also briefly mentioned which again comes into play in book 6. It's just interesting that the author plants these little notes here and there early on in the books so that later on we can say "Oh, she mentioned that in an earlier book." It shows that she is able to see the entire story folded out before her. I don't think she makes it up as she goes.



Modes of Transportation



Flying car, floo powder, just to name a few. One thing I wanted to point out is that in the wizarding world, there are way more methods of travel than in the muggle world. What is interesting is that in every book, we, the readers, and Harry learn a new method of transportation. Here's a fairly comprehensive list:

Sorcerer's Stone: Flying on brooms, bewitching objects to fly, i.e. motorcycles.
Chamber of Secrets: Floo powder
Prisoner of Azkaban: Riding a Hippogriff, the knight bus.
Goblet of Fire: Portkeys, flying carriage, magical watercraft, i.e. the Durmstrang ship
Order of the Phoenix: Riding thestrals
Half-Blood Prince: Apparition/side-along apparition, vanishing cabinet.
Deathly Hallows: Traveling by deluminator, riding a dragon*, flying (as demonstrated by Voldemort*)

*Not a typical mode of transportation for wizards

I wouldn't consider the Hogwarts express on this list because there is nothing especially magical about the train itself, although it is stationed at a magical platform.



Educational decree number blah blah blah

So Harry gets a slap on the wrist from the ministry for using magic as an underage wizard. If this holds true, then how do you explain when Ron uses his wand to unlock and start the Ford Anglia? Knowing that Fred and George also flew the car, one can assume they also used their wands to unlock and start the car. Why didn't they get a letter from the ministry? I'll have to ask J.K. next time I run into her.

Reading Minds

When Harry and Ron get busted by Snape for flying the car, Harry has the distinct impression that Snape can read minds. There are a couple of other occasions when Harry also senses the same thing. Harry, however, doesn't really convince the reader that Snape can. I don't think Harry himself believes it either, but this isn't the first time our little hero "accidentally" jumps to the right conclusion.

Half-Blood Prince Movie Review

!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be giving a review of the 6th movie. Do not read if you haven't seen it yet. You've been warned.







Holy Crap Load of Awesomeness!

I just got back from the movie, and I have to say, it is one of my favorites. It really is much better than the previous two. The acting is much better and the cinematography is fantastic. I'll break down this review into things I loved, and things that could have been better.

Awesome Stuff

- First off, bravo to Mr. Michael Gambon who plays Dumbledore. I was very much impressed with his performance in this movie. I haven't been a huge fan of his before now. I finally caught glimpses of the Dumbledore from the books. Finally!

-The trio have really raised the bar with their acting in this movie. I thought that in the previous two films, the trio may have gone a little too serious with their roles, but in this movie, they struck a good balance between the dramatic and the comedic.

-There was much more of Luna in this movie than I anticipated. The way I see it, the more Luna, the better. I laughed out loud at Luna's Christmas party dress, by the way.


-I was pleasantly surprised by Jim Broadbent's job as Slughorn. He isn't portrayed in the movie like he is in the books, but I kind of like Mr. Broadbent's take on the character.

-The movie didn't get bogged down in over-the-top cinematic action sequences. The fourth movie felt clumsy and clunky as it shifted from one action sequence to the next. In this movie, however, the plot moved forward nicely and the transitions were much more smooth.

-Tom Felton took it up a notch as well as Draco Malfoy. The kid did his homework. I think he was exactly like the Draco we read about in the books.

- The writers took lots of liberties with changing the plot and order of events, but I felt that in this book, more than the others, it worked well and I'm not bummed that something important was left out.

-I was very impressed with the attention to detail. For one thing, in the Chamber of Secrets novel, it's mentioned early on that Mr. Weasley has a garden shed full of muggle stuff he loves to take apart and put back together. This is never mentioned again in the books and is left out of the 2nd movie, but this little nugget wasn't forgotten. They actually included it in this movie. Also, in Sorcerer's Stone in the very first chapter, Dumbledore sits on the Dursley's garden wall and unsticks two lemon drops. These are, in his words, "A muggle sweet I'm rather fond of." Near the end of the film, as the camera pans over Dumbledore's desk, there lies a bowl of lemon drops. Neat, huh.

- Once again, Alan Rickman was amazing. In other news, water is wet. Moving on.




Could have been better

- The ending felt a little rushed. Dumbledore croaking is one of the biggest events in the series. They could have spent a little more time with it. I would like to have seen the funeral. It would have provided a good opportunity for little cameos as well (i.e. Umbridge, Grawp, Firenze, Dobby, Mad-Eye, the Hogwarts Ghosts, etc.) It's important for continuity sake to bring up old characters who will play an important role in the coming films. (By the way, it was just confirmed that Imelda Staunton will be reprising her role as Umbridge for the final two films)

- I felt that the adolescent love stuff was funny and entertaining, but I felt they took it a bit too far sometimes. i.e. Dumbledore asking if there was anything between Harry and Hermione. Like he'd ever really ask that.

- I don't like where they left things between Ron and Hermione. The alluded to the fact that they would eventually hook up, but at the end of the film, it left audiences with the impression that they had, in fact, hooked up.

-I don't think there was enough camera time for the "Staples." Hagrid hardly got any screen time, and same with McGonagall. Shame. Did anyone else think Maggie Smith didn't look very healthy? She looked like she had aged about 10 years between films.

Conclusion

That's about all I can think of for now, but I'm sure to think of other stuff and it has time to settle in my rather empty head, so don't be surprised if I let little opinions on the movie slip into my Chamber of Secrets posts. I probably won't see this in theatres again, but I will definitely get it on DVD... probably on the day it comes out. :)

Chamber of Secrets - Chapters 2-3

Dobby

I've got two words for any strange creature I find jumping on my bed -- Avada Kedavra. Seriously, Harry it far too trusting. Dobby, however, turns out to be alright. In fact, Dobby ends up being one of my favorite characters. Rowling uses Dobby to represent a lot of social and political underlying themes that occur throughout the series. I'll touch more on those when they present themselves later in the series. For now, let's just enjoy our quirky little friend.

George mentions that house-elves have powerful magic of their own, but are bound by their masters. This is a big forshadowing statement. We'll find out later just how significane that is.



Early Mentions

If you look carefully, you'll notice that Rowling name drops quite a bit. She brings up names far before the character is formally introduced. There are two characters in Chapter 3 that fall in this category. The first is Celestina Warbeck. Como se Huh? Yeah, she's mentioned as playing on the radio when Harry first enters the Burrow in this book. She's also the same wizard singer who sings Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love in Book 6 during Christmas time. The other is Mundungus Fletcher. Dung is mentioned as someone who gives Mr. Weasley a hard time during the previous night. He doesn't become a prominant character until Book 5.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Chapter 1

Overview

As a stand alone book, The Chamber of Secrets is very similar in plot structure to the first book. It is also similar in its prepubescent target audience. On the surface, this book reads very similarly to the first book, but what I like about it is that it gives a lot of important information on the series as a whole. Each book as its own plot, but there is also this overarching master plot that continues throughout the series and reaches a climax at the end of the last book. I didn't realize just how much important information about the series is contained in this book until I read the sixth book.



The Dursleys

Uncle Salt Porker, Aunt Horseface, and Roast Beefy are just as nasty as we remember. Did you expect any less?

He has to do homework over break?

Seriously?

Getting us Caught Up




One thing J.K Rowling does really well is getting the reader caught up on the background info on the story. She makes it easy for someone who has either never read the first book, or has forgotten a lot about the first book to be able to follow where the story is going. Another nice thing is that she gets the reader caught up without using a lot of words. This way, the story doesn't get bogged down in elements of the story the reader should already know.