Jayson’s Reviews > Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets > Status Update

Final Thoughts:
"The Chamber of Secrets," as a title, always felt like a misnomer. There's nothing really secret in there. Salazar Slytherin told everyone what it was built for, what he housed in there, how to open it, and what happens if it's opened. The only thing secret about it is its location, in which case it should be called "The Secret Chamber."

Thoughts:
(1) Myrtle: "'I was floating away ...' She looked dreamily at Harry. 'And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she’d ever laughed at my glasses.'"
- That's just short-term thinking.
(2) Hermione's incapacitated, Ron stays behind. It was the reversed in the last book. They mirror each other.

Notes:
(1) Percy: "Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was – well, never mind – the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody."
- Percy should lock his door...
(2) I love how, despite personal differences, the teachers all encourage Lockhart to go monster hunting, to get him out of the way.

Notes:
(1) "The creature that was lurking somewhere in the castle, [Harry] thought, sounded like a sort of monster Voldemort – even other monsters didn’t want to name it."
- Wonder if its name's just "basilisk," or if it has a personal name?
(2) The enchanted car reminds me of Nymeria from "A Song of Ice and Fire". A domestic, set free, and turned wild.

Notes:
(1) Fudge sort of treats Dumbledore like a nuclear weapon: better engaged at Hogwarts than loose in the world.
(2) Malfoy calls Hermione a mudblood: 'Let me at him,' Ron growled, as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. 'I don’t care, I don’t need my wand, I’m going to kill him with my bare hands!'
- Fist fights seem an aptly muggle reflex response.

Notes:
(1) Harry: "But why’s she got to go to the library?"
Ron: "Because that’s what Hermione does ... When in doubt, go to the library."
(2) "[Harry] chose the same new subjects as Ron, feeling that if he was rubbish at them, at least he’d have someone friendly to help him."
- And with Hermione taking everything, it guarantees they're always together.

Notes:
(1) Ron: "If I’d sprouted whiskers, I’d take a break from work."
- Future Ron should shave often.
(2) If Hagrid was expelled in third-year, and that was 50 years ago, then he'd be 63 years-old in the present, Tom Riddle would be 65, and Dumbledore around 150. I wonder if it's genetics or a side-effect of magic use that makes wizards live so long.

Thoughts:
(1) Nice of Harry and Ron to return Crabbe and Goyle's shoes when they're done.
(2) Malfoy insults Hermione, Ron wants to punch Malfoy. It's a law of nature.
(3) Myrtle to Hermione: "Wait till everyone finds out you’ve got a tail!"
- This line was given to Ron in the film, but changed to, "Look at your tail!" Which, to me, sounds fairly risqué.

A few things:
(1) Nearly all of Ron's explanation to Harry about parselmouths is once again given to Hermione in the film.
(2) Another fun name introduced here is "Millicent Bulstrode," who is described very much like the striding bull her name evokes.
(3) Harry's gone and become Hufflepuff enemy number one. Bad move ... badgers are deceptively vicious.

Notes:
(1) "Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times
a day at home."
- The empty death threats give him thicker skin, ironically.
(2) "Hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets and other protective devices was sweeping the school."
- Sort of like trading contraband in prison... wonder how they're smuggled in?