Chap. 9 Summary: The Writing on the Wall

[Zarleycat at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 24546

Mr. Filch sees an apparently dead Mrs. Norris and accuses Harry of 
killing her.  Dumbledore arrives with several other teachers and 
everyone goes to Lockhart's offices. As Dumbledore inspects the cat, 
Snape appears to be trying not to smile and Lockhart babbles on about 
himself.  Dumbledore says the cat has been Petrified and that no 
second year student was capable of this sort of Dark Magic.  Filch 
admits he is a Squib.

Snape then seeks to discover what the Trio was doing in the upstairs 
corridor instead of attending the feast.  When he is not satisfied 
with their explanation, Snape suggests removing Harry from the 
Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest.  McGonagall 
sharply tells Snape that there is no evidence that Harry has done 
anything wrong and Dumbledore agrees with her.  The Trio is allowed 
to go.  They stop in an empty classroom to discuss matters.  Harry 
asks if they thought he should have told the professors about the 
voice he heard.  Ron vaguely remembers something about a secret 
chamber and explains what a Squib is to Harry.

For the next few days, Mrs. Norris is a hot topic among the student 
body.  Hermione takes the unusual step of quesitoning Professor Binns 
in History of Magic for whatever knowledge he can impart on the 
Chamber of Secrets.  This causes quite a stir as the students 
generally fall asleep during Binns' lectures.  Reliable facts, Binns 
tells them, indicated a growing rift between Salazar Slytherin and 
the other three Hogwarts founders, as Slytherin wanted magical 
learning to be kept within all-magic families.  Eventually, Slytherin 
and Gryffindor had a serios argument on the subject and Slytherin 
left the school.

According to legend, Slytherin built a secret chamber whcih he sealed 
when he left the school.  The other founders were unaware of it, and 
only the true heir to Slytherin would be able to open it.  The heir 
could then release the horror hidden in the chamber and use it to 
purge Hogwarts of all those who were deemed unworthy to study magic.  
The students attempt to discuss this further, but Binns insists that 
it is all myth.

After class the Trio find themselves in the upstairs corridor again 
and decide to look around for clues.  They see a line of spiders 
fighting to get through a small crack.  There are scorch marks on the 
floor.  The three go into the out-of-order bathroom where Moaning 
Myrtle spends her time.  They ask her if she noticed anything the 
night of the attack on Mrs. Norris, but she is not helpful and dives 
into her toilet.

As they leave the bathroom, Percy catches them and scolds them for 
sneaking around this area.  He tells Ron that Ron should be concerned 
about Ginny, because this incident has upset her greatly.  Ron 
accuses Percy of being more concerned about his chances forl making 
Head Boy than of any real distress about Ginny's feelings.

That evening the three try to figure out who might be Slytherin's 
heir and their suspicion falls on Draco Malfoy.  Hermione comes up 
with the idea of using Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as 
Slytherins so that they can quesiton Draco.  This will entail getting 
a book from the Restricted Section of the Library.  Ron predicts that 
only a teacher who was really thick could be tricked into granting 
them permission.

Questions:
1. What was Snape's "peculiar expression"?  If he really was trying 
not to smile, what about this situation did he find so amusing?

2. Is Snape's suggestoin that Harry be removed from the Quidditch 
team reasonable?

3. We know Harry is not very trusting of adults.  Even so, and 
leaving aside what it would do to the plot, do you think Harry should 
have told Dumbledore about hearing a disembodied voice no one else 
can hear?

4. Why does the incorporeal Myrtle cause the water in the toilet to 
splash when she dives in?

5. Is Ron correct that Percy cares more about becoming Head Boy than 
he does about Ginny?

6. What is it about getting competent teachers for this school?  
Can't Dumbledore/Hogwarts Board of Govenors find a living, vital 
person to teach History of Magic, or are they happy at not having to 
pay anyone a salary for this position?

7.  Why wouldn't an heir to Slytherin have appeared sometime in the 
last 1000 years?  Or can the heir only open the Chamber when there is 
a particular need to do so?


Marianne