CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chamber of Secrets Chapter 18: Dobby's reward

Wed Jun 2 03:11:24 UTC 2010

No: HPFGUIDX 189260

Zara, as always many thanks for your help :)

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CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 18: Dobby's reward

Harry and Ron and Ginny appear in Dumbledore's office, where everybody including her parents is extremely happy to see them alive and well. Upon Dumbledore's request Harry tells them how they saved Ginny, Ginny explains what she did and Dumbledore tells her that there will be no punishment, that stronger wizards than her had been hoodwinked by Voldemort. Dumbledore sends Ginny to Madame Pomfrey and everybody else leaves as well. Ginny's parents go with her and Ron takes Lockhart to  the infirmary. Harry stays and has a chat with Dumbledore where he expresses worries that he is too much like Tom Riddle because he speaks Parseltongue. Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort put something of himself in Harry that night.

 Dumbledore agrees that Harry has many qualities that Salazar Slytherin looked for in his students, however he also shows Harry the words Godric Gryffindor that appear on the sword and tells Harry that only a  true Gryffindor could have pulled it out of the hat.

Lucius appears with Dobby to "congratulate" Dumbledore on being back. Dumbledore explains to him that governors really wanted him back after they learned that Arthur's daughter was attacked and they even mentioned that they were blackmailed. Lucius is not very happy. Harry tells Lucius that he gave Ginny the diary and has an idea how to free Dobby. He puts  the diary in the sock, gives the diary to Lucius. Annoyed, Lucius after promising Harry that he will meet the same sticky end as his parents gives the diary to Dobby to hold. Alas. Dobby is FREE.

1. Harry is asking Dumbledore whether Voldemort put a bit of himself in Harry. After DH do you see it as foreshadowing of Horcrux ? Why or why not?

2. I know that Hagrid tells Harry that Lockhart was the only applicant for the job, but still why do you think Dumbledore hired him? Does it mean that Snape applying every year was after all a lie? If it was a lie, why Dumbledore did not teach DADA himself, instead of hiring incompetent imbecile whom I consider Gilderoy to be?

3. Among many other things I hold Albus Dumbledore responsible for is him not shouting to Wizarding World about Tom Riddle being Lord Voldemort, while IMO telling useless nonsense to Harry about calling him one imaginary name instead of another imaginary name. But in this chapter Dumbledore easily shares such information and while he does it within limited circle of people, he does not ask them to keep it a secret or anything like that. Should I cross off this offense (my opinion of course) off the list and maybe realize that he may have shared such information more than once and people were not interested in sharing such information with each other?

4 Ginny insists her brothers would not tease Percy about Penelope, is there a chance that Fred and George will keep their promise?
5. Dumbledore tells Harry " It is our choices, Harry, that show what
we truly are, far more than our abilities ". Which choice of Harry's is Albus talking about here? Do you agree this is a difference from Tom Riddle?

6. What did you think happened to big and scary Basilisk before DH?

7. Harry is asking Dobby "Just promise never to try and save my life again." Did you expect a repeat performance from Dobby and did it live up to your expectations if any?
In light of DH do you believe that JKR planned Dobby's character arc already when she wrote CoS? Why or why not?

8. Please feel free to add your own questions.

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