BOOK SUMMARY 9: HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS:JK ROWLING 📚

 

GENERAL OVERVIEW:
Rating: 4/5❤️

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, FRIENDSHIP,Action, Adventure, Suspense thriller

CHARACTERS:

I Have already discussed the major characters in the first series of the novel. You can check it out there. But there are some new characters in the second series:

DOBBY:
Dobby is a supporting protagonist in the Harry Potter series. He is  a male house-elf who serves the Malfoy family. His masters are  Dark Wizards who treats him badly.

LUCIUS MALFOY:

Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater and  head of a wealthy pure-blood wizarding family. He is so very rich so obvious that his son Draco is such a brat. He lives with his wife Narcissa Malfoy and their son Draco at the Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire.

GLIDEROY LOCKHART:

Gilderoy Lockhart is a famous author and temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.  Though he claims himself that he is a well known wizard to fight against all the Dark wizards he is at last found to be a fraud.He is a prominent villain in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

INTRODUCTION:

This novel is second book of the Harry Potter series. As the first novel is the story of Harry's first year at Hogwarts while CHAMBER OF SECRETS is the story of Harry's second year at Hogwarts. Harry is so very obsessed with dangers that even when he is away from Hogwarts he faces a lots of troubles. After arriving at PRIVET DRIVE for the summer vacation Harry is again troubled and bullied and tortured by the Dursleys until they knew that now Harry can perform Magic. So the Dursleys keep themselves away from him and pretend to be nice to him. They shift his bedroom to Dudley's previous bedroom.

PART 1: AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

An unexpected visitor comes to Harry's bedroom one night. He is  the house elf Dobby. He is of short height, with long nose and large ears. He is so fond of HARRY. He is infact Harry's fan. Dobby tries to warn him of the dangers awaiting Harry at Hogwarts. He threatens or coerces Harry to remain here and quit Hogwarts. Harry becomes so irritated with the repetition of his vain advice. He is forced to illegally perform magic outside of the school. Although he is well aware that performing magic outside wizarding world is illegal. The spells are recorded by the Ministry of Magic and is punishable by law regarding it as  a serious crime.

PART 2: HARRY IS IMPRISONED

Since performing Magic outside is crime, Harry receives a warning letter from Ministry of Magic. The letter is received by his uncle. When he comes to know that Harry has been lying all the while his tantrum is bursted out. He takes all his magical tools. He does not allow Harry to read magical books. He takes Harry's broom and wand as well. His uncle is yet not satisfied. He locks up Harry in his own room. To make sure he does not run away he bars the windows as well. Harry is now left alone with Hedwig,his owl.

PART3: HARRY IS RESCUED

Harry used to keep talking with his best friends Ron and Hermione from his uncle's telephone. Since Harry is locked up he is not able to talk to them. Ron finds this fishy and finds out that he is locked up. So Fred Weasley and George Weasley, Ron's elder brother try to rescue Harry. The three of them drives out their Dad's flying car. They magically collects all his belongings and flies to Ron's house for the remaining of the vacation.
at  the Burrow, Ron's house.Harry meets the other Weasleys—Molly, Percy, and Ginny.

PART 4: HARRY GOES TO DIAGON ALLEY

Harry along with Ron's family goes to visit Diagon Alley to buy books and other materials for his next year at Hogwarts. He meets his other best friend Hermione Granger. Then the three of them together goes shopping to buy all their essentials.

They also meet Draco MALFOY along with his father, Lucius MALFOY. Ron's father happens to dislike Lucius MALFOY so they have a heated argument which leads them to fight. They are separated from the moved away from the crowded area.

PART 5: DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS TEACHER

The crowd is eventually because of a famous wizard with his outstanding deeds signing his books at the bookstore. A lots of students and well as public is a die heart fan of none other than Glideroy Lockhart. He has written a lot of books where he has mentioned his daring adventures. He mentions how he defeated lots of dark wizards and saved the wizarding world. Lockhart himself happens to be great fan of Harry himself. He promises Harry to meet at Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

PART 6: FLYING TO HOGWARTS

The day to arrive at Hogwarts arrives after their vacation. They pile themselves up at the King's Cross Railway station at nine and Three Quarters. All the Ron's family along with Harry wait for their turn to pass through. Harry and Ron are the last to pass and they could not pass. It is already late and if they made further late they are sure to miss their train.
So they miss their train. Ron decides to take His father's flying car to Hogwarts. They surreptitiously get in the car and Ron's accelerates the car and they are FLYING.

PART 7:  CHAMBER OF SECRETS IS OPEN

Harry notices a voice only he can hear  coming from the walls. Harry also learns that some of the Wizards dislikes the Muggle born and half blood.Since Hermione is a Muggle born and Harry is half blood himself they are under threats of pure blood Wizards. The pure blood Wizards think that only they should be allowed at Hogwarts while all the rest should be kicked out.

Eventually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione find the school caretaker Argus Filch's petrified cat, Mrs. Norris.

They read a scrawled warning:
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware".

The Chamber of Secrets is rumored to have been created by Salazar Slytherin. Slytherin is one of the school’s founders who after a disagreement with fellow founders on admitting Muggle-born students. He didn't agree to admit any Muggle born at Hogwarts. So the Chamber of SECRETS  houses a monster, which the Heir of Slytherin would be able to control.

PART 8: DOBBY VISITS HARRY AT THE HOSPITAL

Duringa Quidditch game, a Bludger chases  Harry and breaks his arm. Lockhart claims that he is able to fix a broken arm as he has done before.But he  blunders while attempting to fix it leaving Harry with no bones at all.Harry is forced to heal in the hospital overnight. Dobby visits Harry. Harry is not happy at all but since Dobby wants to confess something he forcefully listens to him. Dobby confesses that he charmed the Bludger and sealed the gateway at King’s Cross. He also reveals that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before. He says that fifty years back the chamber of secrets was opened and Hagrid was punished as the culprit compelling Hagrid to get expelled from Hogwarts during his second year.

PART 9: HARRY IS A PARSELMOUTH

During a duelling class  set up for the students,it is revealed that Harry is a 'Parselmouth', having the ability to speak to snakes. This sparks rumours that Harry is the Heir, as Slytherin was also a Parselmouth. Everyone suspects Harry to be Slytherin's heir.

But Harry, Ron, and Hermione begin to suspect Draco is the Heir. He is a pure blood and belongs to Slytherin. His family's hostility toward Muggle-born students are also reason to suspect Draco.

PART 10: POLYJUICE POTION

To confirm the suspicion,Hermione prepares Polyjuice Potion. The potion allows the drinker to act as an imposter of anyone they wish. They finally prepare after a week long preparations at the girls bathroom. This  allows Harry and Ron to impersonate Draco’s friends Crabbe and Goyle. They discover that Draco is uninvolved, and that the Chamber had previously opened fifty years ago.

PART 11: TOM RIDDLE'S DIARY

Meanwhile, "Moaning" Myrtle, a ghost that haunts a girls' bathroom provides a new clue. She says that is magical diary left in her stall. The diary belonged to Tom Riddle, a student who witnessed a fellow student’s death when the Chamber was opened fifty years ago. Harry magically communicates with Riddle using the diary. Harry enters the Diary and finds out every thing Riddle wanted to show Harry. He is shown that Riddle was the good and best students of Hogwarts then. He is also awarded as the best student for solving the mystery of chamber of secrets. Riddle claims Rubeus Hagrid was to blame.

PART 12: RON AND HARRY IS ATTACKED BY  THE SPIDERS

Hermione is attacked next which is obvious for the reason that she is a Muggle born. Alongside a prefect and Collin Creevyis petrified as well.
Then the school is put on lockdown which restricts the students from roaming alone at all. They are guided to every place by their teachers.  Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Hagrid are forced to leave the school on some false pretences.

Before Hagrid leaves he says that he is innocent then and now. He says that it was a spider that he was taming as a pet that Tom claimed to be the dangerous animal. He was then expelled from Hogwarts. From the instructions left by Hagrid, Harry and Ron follow spiders into the Forbidden Forest.

They find Acromantula named Aragog, blamed for the original attacks. The spider happens to be a friend of Hagrid but denies to be friends with Ron and Harry.  Aragog denies its involvement, claiming spiders fear the real monster hidden in the chamber of secrets. Aragog attempts to feed Harry and Ron to its progeny. At the same time, Arthur's car rescues them.

PART 13: THE MONSTER IS A BASILISK

Visiting Hermione who is still petrified, they discover that she had deduced the monster is a basilisk - a gigantic snake that kills with a stare (and petrifies when seen indirectly). She also found that Basilisk is afraid of spiders. Harry deduces that the basilisk is the voice he and only he has been hearing. He also discovers  that Myrtle was killed in the original attack fifty years ago when the chamber of secrets was opened for the first time.

Ginny, Ron's sister  is taken into the Chamber as explained at the scrawlings of the wall.

PART 14: CHAMBER OF SECRETS

Harry and Ron discover that the entrance to Chamber of secrets is in Myrtle's bathroom. Since Lockhart is Defense against the Dark Arts teacher they force Lockhart to enter the Chamber with them. Lockhart confesses he is a fraud and not any kind of celebrity. He attempts to erase the boys' memories with Ron’s damaged wand as he had done before with the other wizards to gain popularity.Instead he erases his own memory and causes a rockfall, separating Ron and Harry. From there Harry enters the Chamber all alone.

PART 15: HEIR OF SLYTHERIN

Harry proceeds all the way to  find Ginny unconscious at the mouth of the chamber of secrets. Tom Riddle is standing at the door. Harry is relieved and asks Tom to help Harry rescue Ginny. However Tom reveals himself to be none other than The Lord Voldemort himself. The Tom he is seeing now is the memory that was preserved in the Diary. Riddle reveals he is the Heir of Slytherin who is as well a Parseltongue. He had opened the Chamber before and framed Hagrid as the culprit. He is responsible for all the damages that occurred fifty years ago. By possessing Ginny through his diary, Riddle had been continuing what he started. He had controlled Ginny and forced her to write down all the scrawlings on the walls of Hogwarts. He then unleashes the basilisk.

PART 16: BASILISK BITES HARRY

Basilisk attacks Harry. Harry is well aware that Looking directly into Basilisk eyes kills the person. So he attacks Basilisk eyes with the Gryffindor sword. The sword is found inside the Sorting Hat of ALBUS DUMBLEDORE.
Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes had arrived to assist Harry with the Sorting Hat. Using the Gryffindor powerful sword he is able to slay the Basilisk. But he is also poisoned in the process. The poison of Basilisk kills the person there and then. So Riddle taunts the dying Harry.

Meanwhile Fawkes starts crying and dropping tears where he is poisoned. Little did both of them knew that Fawkes tears has healing powers. Finally Fawkes' tears heal him. He uses a basilisk fang to stab Riddle's diary spilling all the black ink and destroying it. Riddle is also destroyed. And only then Ginny wakes up.

PART 17: DOBBY IS FREED

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart return to the castle after killing the Basilisk. They reunite with McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny is reprieved by Dumbledore.Lucius Malfoy is so furious about Dumbledore's return but unable to do anything. He is as well accompanied by Dobby, who is the Malfoys' servant. Harry suddenly realizes that the diary had been in the Malfoys' possession. To reopen the Chamber of Secrets Lucius had intentionally slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron in Diagon Alley. He returns back from the office when Harry calls him back.

Harry hides a sock in the diary and returns it to Lucius. By discarding the sock, which Dobby catches, Lucius unintentionally frees him from the Malfoys' service. It is said in the wizarding world if a Master gives clothes to the elf he is freed. So DOBBY is Finally free. Lucius attacks Harry in revenge, but Dobby saves him.

PART 18: GRYFFINDOR WINS THE HOUSE CUP ONCE AGAIN

The petrified students are cured along with Hermione. They win the house cup again where Harry and Ron receive awards and extra points for their House Gryffindor. Hagrid returns being free from all the allegations. Lockhart is discharged, and Harry returns to Privet Drive in high spirits until next year at Hogwarts.

FINALLY:

WOW!!The story for this series is over on happy terms. What I personally learned From this series is that to become a successful wizard or person it is not necessary that our previous generations has to be successful as well. Harry and Hermione are better wizards than Malfoy, who is from a family of generations of pure wizard blood. They prove that dedication and hard work is more valuable rather than genetic heritage the in guaranteeing success.
I always adore the trio together. When they are together they can solve almost everything. So it is known that teamwork and friendship is so worthy.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron break the secret of the Chamber, find the entrance, and defeat the beast inside by working together. Each of the three adds a special element to the trio, and all depend on the others for support and assistance.

So as in the novel wouldn't it be better if we were lesser proud of what we are and work together to solve everyday problems????

So if you people have read the novel or watched the movie please feel free to answer which part was the most terrifying in the comments section below 🙂🤗📚.

BY SANJITA NAPIT