"Go home Harry Potter. Go home."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Part I

In case you haven't been following along (why aren't you following along!?), we are now on the second book of Harry Potter in Alice's super-awesome Harry Potter Readalong and all the gifs. Of course, this post was supposed to be up on Friday, but I blame work and birthday celebrations for a good friend. Also, we all already know I'm like the last person on Earth to read Harry Potter, but just in case you fall into that 0.01% with me, then know that these posts are potentially full of spoilers.*

So after the the Philosopher's Stone, Harry has to go home and spend the summer with the horrible, good-for-nothing Dursley's. But my question is: WHY? Couldn't he have just gone straight to Ron's? Or stayed behind and lived with Hagrid? Isn't someone watching over Harry based on the fact that they now know how poorly the Dursley's have treated him all his life? I know, I know, it makes the story more interesting...because hello - flying car!

But before Ron and his brother's break Harry out of the Dursley's in their FLYING CAR, we meet Dobby. Dobby, the most annoying little house elf if I've ever known one, is hell-bent on keeping Harry from returning to Hogwart's. Something about Harry being in mortal danger if he should return. It seems fitting that I have a picture of myself strangling Dobby:

{circa 2007}

Of course, Harry doesn't listen to Dobby (there would be no story then), and spends the last month of his summer with the Weasley's, which Harry proclaims to be "the happiest of his life". Oh Harry. The usual back-to-school shopping is done and Harry sees for himself how poor (money wise), the Weasley's actually are. Which brings up another question: Why doesn't Harry offer to buy Ron something for school? I mean, they did let him stay with them and they fed him for an entire month!  And then, later on, when they are back in school and Ron's wand is broken, Harry daftly states "write home for another one"- as if he hasn't actually seen the bare insides of the Weasley's bank vault. No Harry, YOU should buy Ron a new wand! Or is that expecting too much from a 12 year old boy?

{You tell him, Alfred}

We are also introduced another new character in the Chamber of Secrets: Gilderoy Lockhart - the author of the majority of their school text books and their new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. For the most part, I just find his character quite amusing. Not sure how he achieved the status that he has, seeing as all of his spells go wrong.

We end this first half of the book with:
-Harry hearing voices
-learning that the house names come from the 4 wizards and witches that founded Hogwarts
-the original Slytherin (the wizard from which this name comes from), left Hogwarts at one point in a disagreement and built a hidden chamber of secrets in the castle and the only person who can open it is the true heir (whoever that is - Malfoy? Harry?)
-Hermione convinces Ron and Harry that they must make The Polyjuice Potion in order to get inside information from Malfoy.
-Harry breaks his arm in Quidditch, Gilderoy Lockhart performs another shoddy spell to fix Harry's arm, but ends up turning it into a rubber glove.

So while Harry lies in the infirmary, waiting for his arm to heal, Dobby returns and tells him to go home and admits the bludger that broke Harry's arm in the Quidditch match was rigged by none other than himself. Harry then over hears Dumbledore confirm that the chamber of secrets is indeed open again but by who or how they do not know...


*I'm finding it tough to search for Harry Potter gifs without spoiling things for myself so if you've come here looking for HP gifs, I am sorry to have let you down.