RE-READ: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I’m sorry I forgot most of what happened in this book. I’m clearly the worst. I forgot that Hagrid was accused of being the Heir of Slytherin 50 Years ago, I forgot what Ginny’s role was in opening the Chamber of Secrets, I basically forgot that Hermione was petrified (this poor girl, also being turned into a half-cat!), I forgot how huge of a jerk Professor Lockhart was, and I forgot that Dobby was so strange… As a fan, I am embarrassed to say all of these things, but I suppose that is the point of re-reading these books!

I was honestly more surprised that I didn’t remember everything. Compared to the first book, where I was overwhelmed with nostalgia, in Chamber of Secrets it almost seemed like I was reading the book for the first time. This is also why I write reviews on Goodreads, so I can remember what I liked and didn’t like about a book. For Chamber of Secrets, I still felt that the pacing was excellent, every chapter was used perfectly. The build up of clues to solve the mystery was also well used. Of course, there was also character development for Voldemort, in the form of Tom Riddle. This of course, will be important later. Subtle, J.K.

My poor memory should not be an indication that this book was somehow less of a piece of the Harry Potter universe. It still stands on it’s own. I appreciate it for the nuances of Dobby created to stop Harry from returning to Hogwarts, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and McGonagall were reaffirmed as good characters, Snape was Snape (I don’t think we get a real sense of him until later). The point is, Year Two at Hogwarts is just as important as Year One, and just as important as Year Seven.

I’m very excited to continue my re-read quest. On to Book Three!