Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Ch 11-14

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Chapter Eleven - The Dueling Club

• “So Dobby stopped us getting on the train and broke your arm…” He shook his head. “You know what, Harry? If he doesn’t stop trying to save your life he’s going to kill you.”

Q1 - At this stage of their schooling, which Wizard or Witch would you want to duel and which would you not want to duel?

• “Scared?” muttered Malfoy, so that Lockhart couldn’t hear him. “You wish,” said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.

Q2 - If you could talk to any animal, which one would you choose?

Q3 - Do you think Harry is Slytherin’s descendant?

• “No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into Smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that.” He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, “That’s probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn’t want another Dark Lord competing with him.”

Q4 - Do you think Ernie is right here?

Q5 - What do you think a blood-sucking Bugbear is?

Q6 - Why are the students getting petrified rather than killed?

Chapter Twelve - The Polyjuice Potion

• “Fawkes is a Phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…”

Q1 - Would you want to have a Phoenix as a pet?

Q2 - Should Harry have confided in Dumbledore?

• No one, not even someone dreading taking Polyjuice Potion later, could fail to enjoy Christmas dinner at Hogwarts.

Q3 - Which character would you want to impersonate for an hour after taking some polyjuice?

Q4 - What do you think Draco’s parents are doing that is keeping Draco at Hogwarts for the holidays?

• Mr Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she’d set the family ghoul on them.
• “And Father won’t tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened, either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it’ll look suspicious if I know too much about it.”

Q5 - Theories on who opened it the first time?

Chapter 13 - The Very Secret Diary

• “Let’s all throw books at Myrtle, because she can’t feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head!”

Q1 - Is Myrtle quoting from the official counting book for the point system of Hogwarts?

Q2 - Do you think ghosts can die?

• “Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention,” said Ron resentfully. “That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you’d wiped slime off a name for an hour, you’d remember it too.”

Q3 - What do you think T.M. Riddle’s special services to the school award was for?

• “He sounds like Percy,” said Ron, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Prefect, Head Boy — probably top of every class.” “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” said Hermione, in a slightly hurt voice.
• Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

Q4 - You ever get a valentine?

• “It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago.”

Q5 - How do you think Hagrid opened the Chamber?

Chapter 14 - Cornelius Fudge

• And if, as a boy, Hagrid had heard that a monster was hidden somewhere in the castle, Harry was sure he’d have gone to any lengths for a glimpse of it.

Q1 - Do you think Hagrid’s love for misunderstood creatures is endearing or foolish?

• In the end, he 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.
• “Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest,” said Dumbledore. His bluey eyes were full of a fire that Harry had never seen before.

Q2 - What are your first thoughts of Fudge?

• “Take him away, an’ the Muggle-borns won’ stand a chance! There’ll be killings next!”
• “However,” said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly, so that none of them could miss a word, “you will find that I will only truly have left the school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”

Q3 - What do you think Dumbledore means?