Spoilers:
We dove into the second half of this novel with only one Petrification, but it's only a matter of pages before Colin Creevey gets the hairy eyeball. Or snaky eyeball. Then it's Hermione (gasp!), who of course gets hit right after figuring out everything, which leaves Harry and Ron on their own and reminds us how much better the three of them are as a "three of them" instead of the "two of them."
Do all of the students at Hogwarts wear pointy hats? Did I just miss this in the first book when they talked about uniforms, or was this just students of yesteryear? (page 243 of the hardcover: "A boy of about sixteen entered, taking off his pointy hat.") Or is JK just checking to see if we are paying attention? None of these kids have been wearing pointy hats in my imagination. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
When Harry and Ron go to visit poor Petrified Hermione, they find a torn piece of a library book in her poor Petrified hand. Was anyone else astounded to think that Hermione would tear a piece of a library book out? She is so much more of a badass than I sometimes give her credit for.
And lastly, I swear I did not know that this book ended on a conversation about phone conversations, or I wouldn't have been so hung up on the lack of phone conversations at the beginning of the book. I promise. I'd like to retract my previous statements about how Harry needs to get with it and share his phone number and give him 10 points for thinking of it himself. Now I'll be looking through the rest of the books as I re-read to see if they ever actually do call Harry...
So, to sum up Chamber of Secrets: Not sure why I thought this was my least favorite, though verdict is still out until I finish the whole series. Dobby is still awesome, Lockhart is now doubly awful because he can't even remember who he is. Harry does know how to use a phone, and we can all look forward to less back story in the rest of the series... right?
Yes, they do actually use the fellytone to call Harry. Maybe it's in the next book? But Arthur Weasley tries calling Harry and he annoys the Dursleys by shouting into the phone.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid there will still be backstory in every book. But I think that's more of the publisher fault than the author's. it happens in every contemporarily-written series.
also, i don't have my book one to hand right now, but i'm pretty sure on that list of required items that hagrid takes harry shopping for, a pointy hat was included. but honestly, they're just very silly and shouldn't have ever been part of canon as far as i'm concerned.
That is RIGHT! I'd forgotten about that. I hate the backstory, but agree on the publisher issue. I don't understand why we have to assume all readers have not read the rest of the series, or why anyone thinks the weird tidbits of backstory are sufficient to fill us all in on what's already happened, though. Bother!
DeleteI choose not to picture most of the students wearing those pointy hats, but that is probably because the movies don't show them wearing them. And they're kinda dumb.
ReplyDeleteI did have a moment of "Hermione ripped a page out of a LIBRARY BOOK??" But then I figure this was pretty much a matter of life or death, so it's OK.
Harry only thought to tell Hermione and Ron to call him AFTER he spent a summer not hearing from them. Still something he probably should have come up with earlier. Or even an actual Muggle-delivered letter, to Hermione anyway. Then Hermione could have told Ron what was up.
The pointy hats thing is seriously throwing me. I'm trying to envision it as I read the 3rd book and it is messing with my head.
DeleteAnd I have a hard time believing that Hermione doesn't know some magical library-book-page reproducing spell. Or, you know, that Hogwarts doesn't have a copy machine. (Yet another use of Muggle technology that could come in handy here).
RIGHT? There has to be, if not some wizarding version of a copier, then at least a spell that does that.
DeleteWe should invent this spell and call it "Xeroxius!"
DeleteBam! That could be in the book and it totally fits with all the other spells.
DeleteHooray for Dobby! Oh and I think it might be in the next book where they actually attempt to call Harry, but I'm not 100% sure.
ReplyDeleteSadly, there's probably a teeny bit of backstory in each book, but whatevs. I can deal with it.
I'll deal, too, but I probably won't stop whining about it.
DeleteOh Dobby! I had a total change of heart after he catches that rogue sock. I feel bad for all the dobby-bashing I did last week.
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry gives them his phone number, he tells Ron he explained to Mr Weasley, all about how to use phones...SO...how do non-Muggle people contact eachother? Do they only use their owls?? Seems a little unreliable, not to mention a slow system.
The rogue sock is the BEST! Dobby is all YOU SHALL NOT TOUCH HARRY POTTER. What a badass.
DeleteAlso, I think wizard-people use owls, or other forms of communication to be revealed in the 3rd book but that only some people can do, or Apparate, but that could be inconvenient when you just want to say "Don't forget to get milk on your way home, dear!" and you instead have to Apparate to your spouse and reveal to everyone around him/her that he/she cannot be trusted to remember the milk.
I was indeed astounded that Hermione tore a page from a library book AND I do not buy it. If Hermione wanted to get information about basilisks, she'd copy that information onto her own piece of paper and take it to Harry and Ron in that format. Come on. There's no spell that lets you do that? DOUBT IT.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Hermione is much more of a badass than she gets credit for. I love how she bullies Ron and Harry into the Polyjuice Potion idea.
Right? There are spells for everything and they don't have a Xerox machine spell yet? Pshaw.
DeleteAlso, Hermione is totally a badass, and just gets badass-erier as the series goes on.
They *do* all wear pointy hats! It's crazy. I picture them without them too. But there are many mentions of the Great Hall being a sea of pointed hats.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness he gave his phone number out. FINALLY.
I cannot BELIEVE the pointy hats! I'm not sure if I'm more astounded that they wear them or that I'VE MISSED THAT FACT THIS WHOLE TIME.
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