What Red Read: It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities

Friday, February 1, 2013

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities

Happy Friday/Harry Potter Day! Your favorite day, right? I mean, also because it means it's almost the weekend but mostly the HP thing. But before we get to that, I have a picture I must share

CHECK THIS OUT

Kayleigh (aka Nylon Admiral) made some kick ass Harry Potter wands AND offered them up to those who wanted them. So of course I jumped on that cos LOOK AT THAT THING? And the glitter? And the notes. Yeah, I ran around the house giggling and pointing that at things while yelling nonsense. I pointed it at Boyfriend+ who looked at me, paused and then yelled "I point at thee*" before turning back to whatever he was doing before I interrupted him. Be prepared for more wand photos.

Onto the readalong, hosted by Alice (aka Reading Rambo aka Muggle Wrangler?).

And now we can discuss the second half of the Chamber of Secrets and then move on to the more interesting books in the series. You know, any that aren't this one.

Fine, that's mean. This is my least favorite of the series, but it's still pretty good. Something has to be the worst and this is it. Besides the first time I read it I felt no need to continue on with the rest of the books. Luckily I got over that.

And I did like parts of this book. I like Gilderoy Lockhart, even though he tries to erase Harry's and Ron's memories. That was a dick move. But really, I liked everything from the moment they find out Ginny had been taken to the end. Then we had some action and mythical creatures and things were fun. Well fun in a dark-and-perilous kind of way.

Is the basilisk Harry fights supposed to be the same one that Voldie let loose when he was a student? Cos they say the creature can live hundreds of years, but they don't say anything about if it needs to eat or anything during that time. Was someone feeding it all these years?

"Ron read the message [to follow the spiders], swallowed hard, and looked sideways at the empty seat usually filled by Hermione. The sight seemed to stiffen his resolve, and he nodded." AWWWWWWWW Ron.

What was Hagrid hoping Harry and Ron would learn by following the spiders and meeting Aragog? I know if they hadn't, they wouldn't have found out that Hagrid didn't open the Chamber and that the girl died in the bathroom. Except did anyone really believe Hagrid opened the Chamber? No, so they learned the girl died in the bathroom. But was that what Hagrid was hoping would happen? Aragog would make an off handed remark about not going there? Actually I hope Hagrid's plan was for Harry and Ron to ride spiders into the school to take down the monster. That would have made no sense, but I think I would have enjoyed it.

I'm torn about the ending. Did Lucius know what the diary was? Because Dumbledore seems to suggest that he did and this was all a plan to get Arthur Weasley fired, by having his daughter murder a bunch of students with a mythical beast. Which, if THAT'S what Lucius was planning to do with a piece of Voldemort's soul, that is overkill. But if Lucius didn't know what the diary actually was, what was he hoping would happen by sneaking it into Ginny's book? Maybe just have her be caught with a dark object? WHAT IS YOUR END GAME?

Can house elves not do laundry? Would that count as presenting them with clothes? And really, does the way Dobby was "presented" with clothes count, because he actually caught something Lucius was throwing away? This is a case where I think the movie did it better by having Lucius present Dobby with the sock hidden inside the book. So he didn't realize that he was presenting him with his freedom.

OK, so I apparently have lots of questions after this one. But really, I'm just excited that we're up to Prisoner of Azkaban now.

*I really tried to find a clip of this from Conan since he says it pretty much any time he's referencing a nerd, but my cursory Googling failed to turn anything up. Instead, you can watch this clip of him teasing a person dressed up as HP at his show.

Title quote from page 422

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Scholastic, 1999.

Comments (44)

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Jennifer · 637 weeks ago

Oh my goodness, your wand is awesome! I love it!

I think it is the same basilisk, since there's a trail of small animal skeletons like a mile long leading up to it's lair. In fact, the students and staff of Hogwarts have that snake to thank for Hogwarts being vermin-free. And/or I think Tom Riddle said something about it being asleep or something all that time.

And from later books, it's mentioned that Lucius knows that it's a powerful dark object but not necessarily the specifics, i.e. that it's a piece of Voldy's soul. The sock-flipping is kind of weird, he didn't actually GIVE it to Dobby, Dobby just caught it.

1 reply · active 637 weeks ago

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readingrambo 112p · 637 weeks ago

Maybe he didn't know it was part of Voldemort's soul, but he was told by someone that it would open the Chamber of Secrets.

Also, aw, Ron/Hermione moment.

7 replies · active 637 weeks ago

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Emily · 637 weeks ago

Yeah, that thing with Lucius and the diary continues to puzzle me because I think the text is contradictory (no surprise--it's Rowling). He can't possibly have known that his own son wouldn't accidentally die from seeing the basilisk, and really, a basilisk of that size in the hallways where students are roaming, and only a handful get petrified, and all of those were muggleborn? I just don't see how that's logically possible. Even assuming that Voldie was controlling Ginny, and Ginny knew who the muggleborns were, there was no guaranteeing that Malfoy wasn't just about to walk around the corner and be confronted by the basilisk while it was in the process of petrifying somebody else.

Anyway, yeah. Hogwarts was vermin free (except for scabbers) thanks to the giant snake--i like that idea.

9 replies · active 637 weeks ago

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Laura · 637 weeks ago

ALLEY WE PICKED THE SAME TITLE QUOTE AGAIN!

I mean, there are almost no other good quotes from this part, but STILL! The excitement!

I like to think that Lucius didn't know that it was a piece of Voldy's SOUL because that shit has got to be waaay dangerous, but maybe he did, and he wanted the chamber open so all the muggle borns could die? Because he's genuinely evil?

And the snake... I dunno. I feel like maybe it hibernates until the chamber is opened? And then it can get out and shit gets fucked up? That's all I've got. It's been a long day!

3 replies · active 637 weeks ago

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jennysbooks 89p · 637 weeks ago

I'm pretty sure Dumbledore straight-out says Lucius Malfoy didn't know the diary was part of Voldemort's soul. Because Voldemort plays his cards close to the chest. Malfoy Sr just thought it was a dark object with wicked powers. He probably had some different endgame than what actually happened but when Muggle-borns started getting basilisked, he was probably just like, Whatever. That'll be fine.

5 replies · active 637 weeks ago

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@Murphy_Kayleigh · 637 weeks ago

Yay for wand fun times! And yay it didn't fall apart in the mail!

1 reply · active 637 weeks ago

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Sarah Says Read · 637 weeks ago

That wand is awesome!!!!

I think the movie did the Dobby's-freedom thing better too. When I read it, I was like "what, the book is in the sock, that makes no sense!" and then realized I was thinking of the movie. And how freaking big or stretchy is Harry's sock that he can stuff a diary in it?

Also, I feel like Hagrid had a little more faith in his spidery friends and figured they'd tell them the real story, and then safely escort them out of the forest. Poor Hagrid, he really has too much faith in creatures. Buuuut that awesome car showed up and saved them! I think the car turning into basically a stray puppy who's just chilling in the forest is hilarious.

Book 3! *happy dance*

1 reply · active 637 weeks ago

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briefraser 73p · 637 weeks ago

Maybe the owners of house-elves have to put the clothes into a basket before giving it to their elves. So they can't actually THROW clothes at them or it could potentially free the elves.

I tried not to over think the ending about the diary and Mr Malfoy's part in it all, but you raise ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS! Yes, WHAT was his end plan?? And how did he know it would play out the way it did....?

1 reply · active 637 weeks ago

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Kayleigh V · 637 weeks ago

The movie freeing-of-Dobby was way better than the book freeing-of-Dobby. How crazy to think the movies did something better. Only in book 2.

1 reply · active 637 weeks ago

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Kerry M · 637 weeks ago

I think we learn later on that Lucius didn't know what the diary was because Voldemort never really told anyone what he was doing with his soul. I think. But maybe I am inferring that from what I know about things yet to come.

Also, I NEVER thought about the laundry part of house elves! I'm fairly certain they iron, though, right? Because sometimes Dobby has to iron his ears? Maybe there is a secret loophole about giving them clothes to be cleaned... no, no, I'm trying to make sense of that and it's not working.

Also also, that wand is AMAZEBALLS.

1 reply · active 637 weeks ago

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Laura · 637 weeks ago

I kind of felt like I missed something with Dobby and the sock. I get that when they are given clothes, they are freed, but I may have missed where that dirty sock came from. And it seems a bit convenient, no matter what. "Yea, go ahead and give that diary back, good thing there is a sock on top of it so that the kindhearted, but totally socially inept hose elf can be freed."

1 reply · active 637 weeks ago

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