Chapter Discussion Chamber of Secrets Ch. 7 Mudbloods and Murmurs

[Geoff]

No: HPFGUIDX 188914

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Chapter Discussion: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 7: Mudbloods and Murmurs

Harry spends a lot of time in the following few days avoiding Lockhart and less successfully avoiding Colin Creevey's persistent stalking. With Hedwig being annoyed and Ron's damaged wand malfunctioning, the weekend seems to beckon as a haven of peace until Oliver Wood gets him out of bed on Saturday morning for Quidditch practice.

On the way down, he is again overtaken by Colin, to whom, inter alia, he explains the rules of the game. After a long tactical teaching session from Oliver, they go to the pitch to start but have hardly got under way when the Slytherin team arrive with a note from Snape allowing them to have the pitch to practise with their new seeker, who turns out to be Draco Malfoy. It is also revealed that Lucius Malfoy has bought new brooms for the entire team.

After Ron and Hermione arrive, an argument develops culminating in Hermione accusing Draco of buying his way onto the team; an exchange of insults lead to Malfoy calling Hermione a Mudblood. Ron tries to hex him but his wand backfires and he starts spitting slugs. Harry and Hermione get him to Hagrid's hut where they find him grumpily trying to get rid of Lockhart; he reveals in passing that the latter was the only candidate for the DADA post. Harry learns how grave an insult it is to call someone a Mudblood.

On arrival back in the school, Professor McGonagall tells Harry and Ron that their detentions will be that evening and that Gilderoy Lockhart has particularly requested that Harry serve his time helping him with fan mail.

Harry spends his time addressing envelopes while  Lockhart signs photographs and rambles on, Harry  trying to tune him out. Suddenly, Harry hears an evil,  disembodied voice threatening to injure or kill someone. Lockhart cannot hear the voice and thinks that Harry is just drowsy and lets him leave. On arrival back at the Gryffindor dormitory, he tells Ron about this experience and they both settle down in their beds unable to offer any explanation about Harry's strange experience,

Questions.

1: What was your impression of Colin Creevey when he first appeared? Why do you think that JKR decided to introduce his character?

2: Can you explain Oliver Wood's apparent obsession with Quidditch, way even beyond keen players like Ron?

3: Did you find it unfair that the Slytherin team were given permission to practise when Gryffindor have already booked the pitch?

4: Does it surprise you that Fred wasn't sure whether Draco was a Malfoy bearing in mind that he and Harry already had track records of dislike from the previous year? 

5: Do you think that Hermione was perhaps biased and unfair in suggesting that money rather than talent got Draco onto the Slytherin team. Surely he must have had some aptitude?

6: Do you think that the spell Ron tried to use would actually have had Malfoy spitting slugs or did the backfire also alter the result? Is there anything significant in the fact that the backfire produced a green light, a colour  which seems to be associated with more serious spells? Hermione certainly thought it was a difficult curse.

7: What do you believe prompted Gilderoy Lockhart to press for Harry's detention to be served with him?

8: Why do you think that only Harry could hear the disembodied voice?

Please add any questions of your own if you have them.

Geoff

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Next Chapter Discussion, Chapter 8, The Deathday Party, on February 21, 2010.

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