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September 29, 2015 at 10:07 am #308727RumplesGirlKeymaster
Welcome to the Harry Potter Re-Read Project!
Can you read a beloved series time and time again and find new topics of discussion? Can you examine a series in depth looking at what the author is saying culturally, religiously, morally, ethically, thematically? That is, in a nutshell, the aim of this project.
The Harry Potter Re-Read Project aims to look at the series from beginning to middle to end and really dig deep into what JKR wrote, to examine the characters and the plot as they stand in each book and how the series slowly builds, layer upon layer.
There are some rules and regulations we ask that everyone follow:
1) All forum rules apply
2) Healthy debate in encouraged but please no out and out fighting
3) We recognize that since this is such a beloved series, we all know the ending and a lot of the answers to our questions. However, we ask that spoilers be kept to a minimum, only used if a point needs to be made. We also ask that we try not to answer the BIG questions until they are revealed in the series. This gives us a chance to really dig into the material and not wear out discussion before we get to certain reveals. If you do need to discuss something spoilery, please use the tags.
4) Feel free to jump in! Don’t think that you need to lurk. If you have something to say, then say it. If you would like to tackle a chapter analysis yourself, please send a message to @RumplesGirl and she’ll get you on the schedule!
5) Have fun!
Thanks to all who participate!
<3 Jo, Macy, and RG
You can find a link to our discussion on the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, HERE.
CHAPTER LINKS
The OP will be updated with hyperlinks to the chapter analysis as they happen.
Chapter 4: At Flourish and Blotts
Chapter 5: The Whomping Willow
Chapter 6: Gilderoy Lockhart
Chapter 7: Mudbloods and Murmurs
Chapter 8: The Deathday Party
Chapter 9: The Writing on the Wall
Chapter 10: The Rogue Bludger
Chapter 11: The Dueling Club
Chapter 12: The Polyjuice Potion
Chapter 13: The Very Secret Diary
Chapter 14: Cornelius Fudge
Chapter 15: Aragog
Chapter 16: The Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 17: The Heir of Slytherin
Chapter 18: Dobby’s Reward
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: A Retrospective
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"September 30, 2015 at 12:19 am #308771Marty McFlyParticipantCan i do chapter 13?
September 30, 2015 at 7:01 pm #308817runaroundmacyParticipantChapter 1: The Worst Birthday
“I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there, he said.”
Summary:
Harry has returned to the Number 4 Privet Drive for the summer holiday, and things are hardly going well. He misses Hogwarts and his friends dreadfully, and the Dursleys are treating him (and Hedwig) no better than they were before he went away to school. He also worries that he will fall behind in his studies, won’t be as good as Quidditch having had no practice, and why he hasn’t heard from any of his friends all summer. On Harry’s birthday, Uncle Vernon berates and shouts at Harry during breakfast, because he said Dudley hadn’t said the magic word when demanding the bacon to be passed to him. Merely mentioning the word magic is enough to send Uncle Vernon into a towering rage.Uncle Vernon launches into his plans for that evening, entertaining a prospective client, Mr. Mason. Harry’s role is simple: he will remain in his room, making no noise, pretending not to be there.
While in the yard later that day, Harry is surprised to see two large, green eyes staring back at him through the bushes. Before he can investigate further, Dudley nastily reminds Harry it is his birthday and asks why all his “weird friends” have not bothered to send any cards or presents. In retaliation, Harry says he is trying to magically set the garden hedge on fire, even though he knows that underage wizards are forbidden to practice magic outside of school. Dudley tattles to Aunt Petunia and, as a punishment for mentioning magic, Harry must clean the house all day.
That evening, as Mr. and Mrs. Mason arrive, Harry is sent to his bedroom and is shocked to find someone sitting on the bed.
ANALYSIS:
“Happy Birthday to me… happy birthday to me…”
Welcome to Book 2, Chamber of Secrets everyone! As with most of the series, the first chapter recaps the previous book. We are reminded about Harry, that he’s a wizard attending a wizarding school and a short synopsis of what happened in the previous year. The first chapter is also used to reinforce the contrast between Harry’s magical world and his family’s perfectly normal household (thank you very much). Although Harry has his own room now, his life has hardly improved. The Dursleys, crueler than ever, make his life as miserable as they can as he waits the long weeks to return back to school. He is obviously still physically mistreated, and is nearly starved while Dudley gets bigger and bigger. It’s the opposite of Hogwarts, a place he loves and feels at home, where he is valued as a person and celebrated for his (unwanted) fame, and isn’t treated like he’s a freak. When he is with the Dursleys, he is considered abnormal, and anything tying him to that other world is forbidden and locked away. Hedwig must stay in her cage and god forbid Harry use the “m” word. It’s not even surprising that his aunt and uncle have forgotten that it’s his birthday.
In the last book, I referred to Harry’s sass, and there is no shortage of it here. While in the previous book, Harry barely spoke during the first few chapters, here we start to see a slight change in his personality. Where last year he kept his snark limited to comments to Dudley, he deliberately taunts all of the Dursleys. We are starting to see his self confidence grow, and he becomes more assertive in his self defense. He also is starting to realize a little bit of the power that he has in just being a wizard. Yes, he can’t use his magic outside of school, but the Dursleys don’t necessarily believe he won’t, and just the mere mention of magic terrifies them. Unfortunately, the one thing that is really making the summer hard for him is that he hasn’t heard from his friends from school.
Something else that is revealed in this chapter is the Durlseys (mainly Vernon’s) sickening ambition. They’re not trying to keep up with the Jones’s, they’re trying to jump over the Jones’s (who have been waiting patiently in line) and snatch the prize out of their hands. Their plans for entertaining the Masons, are so disgustingly sycophantic, I personally, can’t believe that he actually thinks this is going help him climb the social ladder (much less earn him that vacation home in Majorca).
The clear mystery that is being presented in this chapter is who or what has been peering at Harry through the bushes. Clearly it’s somehow connected to the wizarding world, but it’s not apparent whether it’s friend or foe (although Harry considers both options). What we do know, is that it’s sitting on Harry’s bed.
DISCUSSION POINTS: (this is a hard one to do for an opening chapter btw)
Why do you think the Dursleys banish all mention or reminder or magic when Harry returns from school?
What does “the dinner party” reveal about Uncle Vernon and his schemes to climb the social ladder?
Why do you think Harry hasn’t heard from his friends all summer?
Who or what do you think is peering out from the bushes and/or sitting on Harry’s bed when he enters his room?
Keeper of the Cheshire Cat’s smile, Baelfire’s sword, Snow’s backpack, Robin Hood’s bow, Ariel’s purse, Ariel’s smile, Henry’s heart, Belle’s shoe collection
October 1, 2015 at 9:32 am #308864RumplesGirlKeymasterThanks the analysis Macy!
I must admit I have a real fondness for CoS so I’m looking forward to our discussion on this book.
To start off, this:
I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there
is one of my all time favorite HP quotes. I use it often. 🙂
This chapter is a lot of recap from JKR from the last book, to make sure that her readers are all on the same page but it does have a few meaty introspective moments from our young boy wizard.
The Dursleys, crueler than ever, make his life as miserable as they can as he waits the long weeks to return back to school.
And their cruelty isn’t just physical; it’s emotional and mental. They’ve locked up all his Hogwarts possessions (even Hedwig! Cruelty to animals, y’all) and kept it tucked away in an attempt to deny Harry his identity. They’ve always tried to squash his identity in the past but there is something so much worse about trying to stamp out an already formed identity, or even in Harry’s case an identity that only JUST formed.
Previously, as we talked about back in Book 1, Harry was very silent in terms of narrative. There were hints that he was sassy and had a personality, but he had largely accepted that he was “nothing” as the Durselys force him to believe. Now, Harry knows that he is special, but moreover that he’s a person. He gets to have a voice and experiences and friends and a life. The Dursleys are actively denying him any of that.
Once again, Harry is the dirty little secret they keep locked under the stairs.
He is obviously still physically mistreated, and is nearly starved while Dudley gets bigger and bigger.
It’s the little tiny moments that remind us how horrible Petunia Dursley really is. She almost hits him with a frying pan. That could do some serious damage (just ask Flynn Ryder and Cruella from 4B!). She forces him to do back breaking labor without food (or water!) and then when he does get food, it’s less than what you’d give an inmate in prison.
Really, the prison metaphor works well for Harry in this opening chapter. Like Hedwig, he in a cage. He can’t really go anywhere or do anything without the express permission of his warden. He is expected to not cause any trouble, to do as he’s told, and if he doesn’t he’ll get locked in solitary.
It’s the opposite of Hogwarts, a place he loves and feels at home, where he is valued as a person and celebrated for his (unwanted) fame, and isn’t treated like he’s a freak
Yes, exactly. And the gulf in power dynamic is never more clear than it is when Harry is back at Privet Drive (we won’t call it home; it’s not). At Hogwarts, Harry has professors that are above him but he is not treated like a prisoner. He is expected to follow the rules (except when Dumbledore needs him to do a thing…) but overall he is treated with more kindness and freedom than he would ever get at Privet Drive.
Something else that is revealed in this chapter is the Durlseys (mainly Vernon’s) sickening ambition. They’re not trying to keep up with the Jones’s, they’re trying to jump over the Jones’s (who have been waiting patiently in line) and snatch the prize out of their hands. Their plans for entertaining the Masons, are so disgustingly sycophantic, I personally, can’t believe that he actually thinks this is going help him climb the social ladder (much less earn him that vacation home in Majorca)
“Disgustingly sycophantic” is the perfect way to put it! The rehearsed conversation points are sickening to the point of absurdity and farce. It’s like a play–a comedy of errors–where the stage direction is to act insanely over the top because that’s the audiences cue that SOMETHING is going to go wrong.
Why do you think the Dursleys banish all mention or reminder or magic when Harry returns from school?
They hate Harry; they hate magic; they hate his “abnormality.” They don’t care about his identity or his schooling or anything that is labeled “Harry.” It’s interesting because I think if they stopped and thought about it for a hot second they’d realize that the best way to keep Harry out of their hair and removed from their lives is to let him work on his school work, to send letters to his friends. I’m sure Harry would be fine camping out most of the time in his room, away from the Dursleys if he was allowed to hold on to the magical world. The Durselys don’t think this through: the best way to keep Harry out of their collective hair to let him be a quiet wizard in his room, or better yet, to write to Ron or Hermione and get away for the summer.
What does “the dinner party” reveal about Uncle Vernon and his schemes to climb the social ladder?
Vernon doesn’t care about his company. It’s all about him. Let’s say the Masons were going to another house for dinner–a peer and coworker of Vernon’s. Would Vernon be happy that his company (but not him specifically) was potentially getting a large drill order? No, probably not because while it’s good for the company, it’s not good for him. And as far as Vernon is concerned, his happiness and social importance is where it begins and ends.
Why do you think Harry hasn’t heard from his friends all summer?
We’re going to learn the answer to that right quick, but I want to mention the saddest line in this whole chapter: “He had never felt so lonely.”
This is a kid who, prior to Hogwarts, never had a single friend. No one ever talked to him, acknowledged him, to even noticed that he was there. Harry was basically Mr. Cellophane. But the reason why he’s so lonely now, even though his situation should feel akin to how he grew up, is because he now knows what it is to have friends. He knows companionship and friendship and being part of something, a group. The loss of that group weighs on him more than being a “nothing” ever did.
Who or what do you think is peering out from the bushes and/or sitting on Harry’s bed when he enters his room?
CoS came out when I was…roughly…12? So I’m trying to remember what I thought back then. I knew it had to be something magical but I didn’t think it was something evil. For some reason, I couldn’t picture Voldemort sending a little spy after Harry. It just didn’t feel right.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"October 1, 2015 at 10:23 am #308868TheWatcherParticipantWhy do you think the Dursleys banish all mention or reminder or magic when Harry returns from school?
Because magic is weird, something they don’t understand, and because they don’t understand it, they hate it and even fear it probably. Who knows what Harry could do to them. Best take away all his belongings and forbid it from even being discussed to keep themselves safe and sane. It’s sad and pathethic on their part.
The Dursley are just terrible people and I wouldn’t have blamed Harry for turning them into toads for a day or two if he could. THEN he’d have gotten some respect around that house.
Why do you think Harry hasn’t heard from his friends all summer?
Because social media hadn’t been invented yet 😛 Nah, perhaps the Dursleys are keeping them at bay, letters, calls, tweets.
Who or what do you think is peering out from the bushes and/or sitting on Harry’s bed when he enters his room?
RG! You gave me a little image of Voldemort just peeping out the bushes going “Soon, Potter. Soon….”
But whatever it is, to me atleast, it isn’t evil. I don’t think a bloodthirsty villain will just take a seat on the bed while it waits for it’s target. Maybe Harry’s friends have dropped by for a visit. Maybe it’s Hagrid come to escort Harry away like he did last year.
"I could have the giant duck as my steed!" --Daniel Radcliffe
Keeper Of Tamara's Taser , Jafar's Staff, Kitsis’s Glasses , Ariel’s Tail, Dopey's Hat , Peter Pan’s Shadow, Outfit, & Pied Cloak,Red Queen's Castle, White Rabbit's Power To World Hop, Zelena's BroomStick, & ALL MAGICOctober 1, 2015 at 10:34 am #308870RumplesGirlKeymaster, they hate it and even fear it probably.
Oh they for sure fear it. Just look at how Dudley reacts when Harry mumbles nonsense under his breathe.
But there’s another dimension of fear here, not just of magic itself but that someone will learn the Great Dursley Secret–namely just learn of Harry’s existence. Not even that he’s a wizard but that Harry Potter is a living entity.
And this brings me back to something I noted above: the Dursely’s don’t think things through. In business, one way to endear yourself to a client to create sympathy. To show that you’re a good person. Now, yes, the Dursleys have invited the Masons into their home and are feeding and being all manner of suck-up to them, but there’s a pretty obvious sympathy getting card starting them in the face: Harry himself.
Introducing Harry as the poor, down on his luck orphan whom the Dursleys have “graciously” taken in and are “raising” out of the kindness in their hearts is a sure fire way to get the Mason sympathy and to make the Masons think that Dursleys are just the sort of people who should handle the Masons business affairs. “They care about their poor nephew so much! Surely they’ll care about my business venture with the same gusto!”
But the fear of letting the world know that Harry exists is stronger than a cunning business move.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"October 3, 2015 at 7:59 pm #309079JosephineParticipantI know a significant portion of the HP fandom rank CoS at the bottom of the pile, but for some reason I’ve always loved this book. This is the book where Harry really is exposed to the Wizarding world. Yes, he went to Diagon Alley, attended Hogwarts, and fought the evilest wizard of modern history, but he’s still sheltered to the outside wizarding community. He’s shepherded from Hogwarts straight back to the Dursleys where no magic is allowed. But Harry is aging and has a tiny bit more life experience and as a reflection of that his world is expanding, too.
It’s interesting to note that JKR has said that CoS and HBP are two parts of one story. CoS being part one. I think it will be interesting to look in depth at this and have it in the back of my mind as I’m rereading it.
Why do you think the Dursleys banish all mention or reminder or magic when Harry returns from school?
The Dursleys are perfectly normal, thank you very much. (Sorry, couldn’t resist 😛 ) Harry is different, exceptional. He is not one of them. He is not normal, ordinary, or someone they can brag about. Harry is a reminder of an obligation they have to fulfill. I think another part of stems from the fact that they, well Vernon really since Petunia grew up with Lily, just do not know what Harry’s capable of yet. I think a big part of magic embargo is fear. He has abilities that they don’t have. You control what and beat down what you fear. So they banish any mention or use of magic.
What does “the dinner party” reveal about Uncle Vernon and his schemes to climb the social ladder?
Vernon will do anything to toady up to anyone who will further his goals. The Dursleys have aspirations of grandeur. They remind me of a more horrible version of Hyacinth Bucket (it’s pronounced “Bouquet”). While Hyacinth is comedic and you can’t totally hate her, I can totally despite Petunia Dursley.
Why do you think Harry hasn’t heard from his friends all summer?
Of course I know the real reason why he hasn’t heard from them, but I think at the time of reading I probably assumed that his aunt and uncle were stopping communication somehow.
Who or what do you think is peering out from the bushes and/or sitting on Harry’s bed when he enters his room?
Oooo, I’m trying to remember what it was when I initially read the novel. Probably some form of Voldemort hiding away, weakened but awaking a chance to attack. Or someone watching out over him like Dumbledore in the beginning of SS.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
October 3, 2015 at 10:01 pm #309082MatthewPaulModeratorI know a significant portion of the HP fandom rank CoS at the bottom of the pile, but for some reason I’ve always loved this book. This is the book where Harry really is exposed to the Wizarding world. Yes, he went to Diagon Alley, attended Hogwarts, and fought the evilest wizard of modern history, but he’s still sheltered to the outside wizarding community. He’s shepherded from Hogwarts straight back to the Dursleys where no magic is allowed. But Harry is aging and has a tiny bit more life experience and as a reflection of that his world is expanding, too.
I completely agree. I’ve always enjoyed CoS a lot more than the majority of the Harry Potter fandom. In fact, I enjoyed it even more than the first book. It’s actually OotP that is my least favorite, which I’ll go into more detail once we get to it.
October 4, 2015 at 5:32 am #309091RumplesGirlKeymasterHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter Two: Dobby’s Warning
“But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warm him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the over door later…Harry Potter much not go back to Hogwarts!”
Summary
Harry Potter meets Dobby the House Elf, a curious little creature who works for a bad wizarding family and who is the creature spying on Harry. Dobby is more or less a slave to this wizarding family and is forced to endure mistreatment and punishment whenever he speaks ill of or does something “bad” to his family. Even coming to Harry means that the little guy has to shut his ears in the oven. Dobby has come with one purpose, to convince Harry not to go back to Hogwarts this year.
Harry is distressed at the idea of not going back to Hogwarts but Dobby is adamant We learn that Dobby is the one holding on to Harry’s letters from Ron, Hermione and Hagrid. Dobby hints that there is a plot to “make terrible things happen” at Hogwarts this year, but cannot be more forthcoming about these plots.
Dobby has taken it upon himself to save Harry from whatever is planned for Hogwarts. This includes interrupting the Dursley/Mason dinner party going on downstairs by making a pudding fall on the floor, with the idea that Harry was to blame. The use of magic inside the Muggle household alerts the Ministry of Magic and they send a warning to Harry, which a very angry Vernon intercepts. Having learned that Harry is not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, the Dursleys become even more unpleasant and fashion bars over Harry’s windows, letting him out of the room once in the morning and once at night. They shove “food” through a cat flap in the door. They swear they will never let Harry out, not even to go back to school in a month.
Harry’s situation is desperate but, just when it looks like there is no hope, Ron Weasely appears hovering outside Harry’s bedroom window.
Analysis
Enter the Elf
If Harry Potter, the human, were to wake up one day and be a magical creature, he’d be Dobby the House Elf. Upon re-reading, it surprised me how many parallels there are between the two. Both Harry and Dobby live with a family that treats them appallingly. Dobby is shocked that Harry would invite him to sit down, “like an equal.” We know that Harry is not viewed as an equal in the Durlsey household. Like Harry, Dobby’s life is full of woe and pain and this woe and pain is more than just being ignored, the woe and pain is encouraged.
Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments….”
“But why don’t you leave? Escape?”
“A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free…Dobby will serve he family until he dies, sir….”Both Harry and Dobby feel trapped by the family they “serve.” Both are abused and neglected by said families as well. In the previous chapter, Petunia works Harry to the bone and then barely feeds him. To really drive home the parallels, JKR even gave Dobby bright green eyes (just like Harry) and like the Harry we met back in book one, Dobby’s wearing highly unappealing garments.
But where Dobby and Harry do differ is that Harry has one bright light of hope: Hogwarts. The school Harry now attends is his safe harbor. It’s the one point of light in his otherwise dark and Muggle filled world.
”But I’ve got to go back—terms starts on September first. It’s all that’s keeping me going. You don’t know what it’s like here. I don’t belong here. I belong in your world—at Hogwarts.”
The idea of Hogwarts, the place that has become his home, is what is keeping Harry sane while he spends the summer with the Durselys. It’s interesting to note here that while Harry is being informed of dark and dastardly plots at Hogwarts apparently involving Voldemort, it’s not this that frightens him–it’s never going back to Hogwarts. For months, since returning to Privet Drive, Harry’s identity as a wizard has been kept under lock and key. He’s expected to never mention his “abnormality” and basically shut down who he is. Hogwarts is the place where he’s free to be himself, and where people (okay, most people) welcome him with open arms. Dobby wants to take that away from him.
The interactions between Dobby and Harry are worth noting upon. I don’t know how anyone else would act if a house elf suddenly showed up in their bedroom but Harry’s first reaction is to be polite and considerate and sympathetic. He asks Dobby to sit; he is concerned for Dobby’s well-being and safety; he asks if there is anyway he (Harry) can help Dobby. It’s more than sympathy; it’s empathy on Harry’s part. Harry gets this little guy. He knows all about suffering and being oppressed. This goes back to our conversations on nature vs nurture and how even though Harry grew up in truly horrible circumstances, he is kind.
Both Dobby and Harry are prisoners but where Dobby has a life sentence, Harry is (hopefully) going to be free of his captors very shortly.
The Play’s The Thing
I want to talk a little bit about the narrative structure in this chapter and how it feels very much like a play where different groups are in different rooms and reacting to the other unintentionally. The point of this sort of set up is to create comedy and I think JKR is having some fun here.
Let’s take a look at an example:
Oh—really?” said Harry. “Er—I don’t want to be rude or anything but—this isn’t a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom.”
Aunt Petunia’s high, false laugh sounded from the living room.Harry says something funny; Aunt Petunia laughs. Now, Petunia is not laughing at what Harry has said, but rather something that is going on in her own part of the stage, but the timing JKR placed in her narrative makes it seem as though Petunia is suddenly laughing at Harry, almost laugh track style.
This keeps happening in this chapter where one character does something and the other group reacts to something different, but it can be read as if they are reacting to character A. It’s a deliberate set up, as if you are in the audience and the dramatic irony is playing out in front of you. You’re in on the secret: group B is not reacting to person A, but it feels like they are and only you know the truth.
Another example:
”Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!”
There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon’s voice.Dobby has said something shocking and, as often happens in over the top comedy, something is dropped in surprise—normally it’s silverware (I’m sure you’ve all seen the trope play out). And in this case, we hear the distant clink of the “dropped” silverware and we hear the sound of dissent from Vernon, even though he’s far removed from the action.
It’s a very tense moment for Dobby and Harry because of Dobby’s dire warnings, but JKR has framed it in a comedic fashion. This continues to happen even after Harry has entered the Durselys stage and things happen to the Masons (the pudding, the owl) that are not Harry’s fault but for which he is blamed.
Just another part of JKR’s brilliance.
Potential Foreshadowing
1) Dangerous plots at Hogwarts happening this year.
2) Threats of expulsion from Hogwarts
3) Dobby serving a bad wizarding family
Conversation Questions
1) If you were Harry, would you stop to think about Dobby’s warnings and consider not going back to Hogwarts? And do you think Harry should have thought it through a bit more?
2) Dobby’s actions: foolhardy, gallant, or both?
3) The plight of the House Elves in general will eventually take up part of the narrative in this series. Thinking broadly, for a brief moment, is it okay for Wizards to keep House Elves?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"October 7, 2015 at 7:34 pm #309468JosephineParticipantI don’t feel bad being behind. Everyone else is, too. Must be the start of the new tv season.
1) If you were Harry, would you stop to think about Dobby’s warnings and consider not going back to Hogwarts? And do you think Harry should have thought it through a bit more?
I would definitely stop and think about the warnings. I wouldn’t be able to not stop thinking of them. Someone warning me that terrible things will happen if I go back to school. It would be a little worrying. However, Harry’s current situation is horrible. He’s being held prisoner by his aunt and uncle. He has no freedom, no contact with his outside world. The thought of facing Voldemort, something he’s done already, might seem not as horrible as what it would mean to stay at Privet Drive.
2) Dobby’s actions: foolhardy, gallant, or both?
Both. Dobby does what he can to protect someone he admires. He doesn’t have the power or ability to act like witches or wizards have, so he uses what can to protect Harry. It’s gallant because he’s defying direct orders from his family. He’s a slave and yet he thinks it’s worth the punishment to warn this young boy about what might happen in the future. The thing people don’t realize and underestimate about Harry is that you don’t give him a little bit of information. He’s like a hound on the scent. Nothing is going to stop him when he gets something in his head.
3) The plight of the House Elves in general will eventually take up part of the narrative in this series. Thinking broadly, for a brief moment, is it okay for Wizards to keep House Elves?
Big question. House Elves are sentient beings therefore would be logical to be granted certain rights. An interesting read is the beginning chapter of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It discusses the classification of beasts vs. beings and what rights are granted to different divisions.
Looking at it from a real life historical perspective, it’s abhorrent to enslave another group. But then this is in a fantastical context. It’s hard to come up with a hard and fast solution, something even Hermione in the future will wrestle with.
As for the next chapter. Hope to get it up tonight. If not, then in the morning it will be available.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
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