ANXIETY

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS: A SYNOPSIS 

              Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets by JK Rowling portrays Harry Potter’s second year in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry gets to spend his summer holidays with the Dursley’s who are swamped with work as uncle Vernon is hosting a dinner party for a rich builder and his wife. Harry was shut away in his room on his twelfth birthday as dinner party was scheduled that night. No sooner had Harry tucked in an elf named Dobby warns that Harry must not go to Hogwarts as a plan is plotted and terrible things may happen in Hogwarts. Infuriated by Harry’s resistance Dobby chucks the pudding specially made for the guest’s thereby exasperating the Dursley’s and Harry is caged in his room. Finally, Potter escapes the Dursley’s wretchedness as Ron Weasley along with his twin brothers; Fred Weasley and George Weasley drive him to The Burrow in their flying car. 

   The Burrow was Ron’s home where his six siblings and parents resided. Harry’s sojourn was really welcoming though Mrs. Weasley berated the brothers for taking the flying car. Harry Potter’s travel by the floo powder went disastrous as he landed in knockturn alley where Mr. Malfoy was negotiating a deal with a wizard. Hagrid gets him out of the knockturn alley as joins the rest of the Weasleys along with Hermione Granger. Gilderoy Lockhart, newly appointed defense against the dark arts teacher at Hogwarts gloats his achievements as he meets Potter and the audience at the book signing ceremony. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Arthur Weasley have an altercation at the Diagon Alley. Harry and Ron missed the Hogwarts express as they couldn’t get through the barrier at the railway station. So, the duo uses Angelina Ford, Arthur's Weasley's car to reach Hogwarts and they crash into a willow tree.

    Ron receives a howler from his mom causing much embarrassment while Lockhart relishes his fame in the school. Draco Malfoy, new seeker of the Slytherin quidditch team remarks Hermione ‘mudblood’ and Ron’s spell rebounded while trying to attack Malfoy and belched slugs. Harry Potter started hearing voices from walls while none one of the others did. While returning from the death day party of headless Nick, the trio encounters Mrs. Norris, a cat petrified and hanging upside down. The writings on the wall in blood meant the chamber of secrets will be opened. In accordance to a legend, the chamber of secrets was created by Salazar Slytherin and it was sealed unless a true heir would return thereby perishing everyone who were born to muggles. At the quidditch match, a bludger races at Harry as he breaks his bone. Once when Harry was resting in the infirmary, Dobby visits Harry and confesses that chamber of secrets will be opened once more and Harry must leave Hogwarts at once. Dobby also admits that he had charmed the bludger and sealed the barrier at railway station. Harry’s gets to know that he is a parseltounge in the dueling club. Harry and Ron transform into Crabbe and Goyle using the polyjuice potion concocted by Hermione to know who is the heir of Slytherin but that’s to no avail. 

     Harry finds diary of Tom Riddle in an abandoned bathroom where  Moaning myrtle resides. Communicating with the strange diary he gleans that Hagrid fancied having monsters as pets and opened the chamber of secrets fifty years ago. Strange noises continue but this time Hermione who was studying in the library is petrified. Harry and Ron race to Hagrid only to find that he is sent to Azkaban, Dumbledore is suspended and the school is shut down. The duo venture out to the forbidden forest and encounter Hagrid’s monstrous pet Aragog, a spider that proves no involvement in the recent attacks. Though Aragog ties to kill them but Arthur’s car comes to the rescue . Once again Hermione’s brilliance comes  handy as she ferrets out that the monster is a Basilisk , a gigantic snake but she was petrified before passing on the information. Ginny, Ron’s sister is taken into the chamber of secrets. 

     Terrified, Harry and Ron accompanied by Professor Lockhart enter the chamber of secrets. Lockhart confesses that he is a fraud and loses his memory in a squabble. Tom Riddle reveals that he is none other than Lord Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin and had bewitched Ginny as she confided in his diary. As Tom untethered the basilisk, Fawkes, a phoenix and Sword of Godric Gryffindor comes to his rescue. Finally, Harry manages to slay the gigantic snake, the diary is destroyed and Ginny is rescued. All of them return back to the castle while Lucius Malfoy who slipped the diary into Ginny’s cauldron is furious. Dobby is freed with Harry’s help, Hermione and the others are unpetrified. For the second time in a row Gryffindor wins the House Cup, Harry Potter and his friends begin their journey home as the scarlet Hogwarts express hoots at a distance.