Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter 4 At Flourish and Blotts

Harry spends days at the Burrow, amazed at the difference in living there. The Weasleys (and Harry) decide to meet up with the Grangers are Diagon Alley and go school shopping together. We meet Lockhart and Lucius Malfoy in person for the first time and Arthur and Lucius have a face down.

"I went on the Underground --"

"Really?" said Mr. Weasley, eagerly. "Were there escapators? How exactly --"

Oh, Mr. Weasley you are grand, a trait I am glad your family all inherited.

Harry looked quickly around and spotted a large black cabinet to his left; he shot inside it and pulled the doors close, leaving a small crack to peer through.

Would that be the vanishing cabinet? Brilliant!

"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" said Malfoy, looking sulky and bad-tempered. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous...famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead...."

Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls.

"...everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick --"

"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Mr. Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son. "And I would remind you that it is not -- prudent -- to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear -- ah, Mr. Borgin."

I do like the Malfoys, WAIT WAIT, I like the Malfoys as characters. I would not want to meet them in person. I just find them very interesting (as all the characters of this series. They're so well developed that I can't hate any of them. Except Dobby and Lockhart I can easily dislike them.)

...the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals, Caution: Do Not Touch, Cursed -- Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muffle Owners to Date.

The cursed necklace that Katie Bell touched? Niceee.

"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth, "Together, you and I are worth the front page."

Ugh, Lockhart.

Also as much as I am against fighting, I'm secretly pleased that Arthur fought with Lucius. (I'm always secretly pleased when men defend their loved ones.)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter 3 The Burrow

Ron, Fred and George save Harry from the Dursleys and escape back to their home where Harry has a wonderful day.

Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked in midair. Grinning at Harry from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.

YES! The younger Weasley brothers! One point for each of you!

"Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"

Totally made me think of this:

 

"Percy's been acting very oddly this summer," said George frowning. "And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending loads of time shut up in his room..."

THAT'S BECAUSE PERCY HAS A GIRLFRIEND. mehehehehehe

"Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject --"

Oh, no, no no. I forgot about him. Ugh this because has terrible people in it.

BUT WEASLEYS. =D

"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I -- I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that -- that was very wrong, boys -- very wrong indeed..."

Oh, how I love you Arthur and Molly. :]

But Harry grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in."

Weasleys make me happy.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter 2 Dobby's Warning

 Dobby, a house elf, gives Harry a cryptic warning against going back to Hogwarts. Dobby threatens Harry and ends up getting him in a lot of trouble with the Dursleys.

   

Alright, I know that being a mistreated slave with abusive owners and deciding to go against their will is a huge deal. I totally understand that. It's a difficult thing. However, Dobby has decided he needs to warn Harry Potter. SO WARN HIM! Don't give hints or clues! TELL HIM WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN! And for goodness sakes listen to the boy when he tells you to be quiet! DON'T THREATEN HIM! Threatening won't work! I JUST CAN'T SAY ANYMORE BECAUSE I DISLIKE DOBBY SO GREATLY!

 YOU LOSE TWENTY POINTS DOBBY.

Also I greatly dislike how the abuse against Harry is talked about in such a light matter. Abuse is not a laughing matter and I don't find any of it funny.

Rage fest over. And don't worry, I still love the Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter 1 The Worst Birthday

We find Harry Potter on his birthday, though it seems no one remembered. The Dursley's are to have a dinner party and so for Harry that means spending the evening in his bedroom pretending not to exist.

JK Rowling please stop telling me everything I was told in the previous book! AGH. Does this happen in the other ones? I sincerely hope not. Though, if you took up all the recap there would barely be a chapter.

He crossed the lawn slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath.
"Happy birthday to me...happy birthday to me..."
No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist.

Harry, don't feel bad. Birthdays are lame celebrations in the first place. Oh I was born this day, let us celebrate my birth that happened a long time ago. There are better occasions to celebrate.

Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe, slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed.
The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.

 NOOOOO! I forgot about him. >:|


Memorable lines:
"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Chapter 17 The Man with Two Faces

Quirrell is really the mastermind behind everything and we discover Voldemort is on the back of his head. Harry fights back the best he can but ends up fainting. Several days later he awakes in the hospital wing. Dumbledore explains what happened after Harry fainted. Harry is able to come down for the end of the year feast where Dumbledore gives out points giving the Gryffindor's victory of the House Cup. Soon everyone parts ways...until next year.

"But Snape tried to kill me!"
"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."
"Snape was trying to save me?"
"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to refree your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again."

Haha yes, yes! Snape!

"Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off..."

"I saw you and Snape in the forest--" he blurted out.
"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me -- as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side."

Severus Snape, I award you with fifteen points.You saw through Quirrell right away and you did all you could to detract him from his path. You protected Harry despite the grudges you held against his father and now him. You may not be perfect but you have some good qualities, Severus. (Don't worry I won't let people know, haha.)

I just want to give Dumbledore two points for how clever and amusing he is. I basically want to quote most everything he said. :]

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, is i love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scare, no visible sign...to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

This series puts a lot of emphasis on love. Particularly Lily's sacrifical love for Harry. I know love is a powerful thing but love is just an emotion (and also an action). Love is not some supernatural power that saves people from death and causes physical pain to those who are "purely evil".

Hermione is more emotional than I remembered her to be (all the Gryffindors actually).

It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at hum from every page were his mother and father.
"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' school friends, askin' fer photos...knew yeh didn't have any...d'yeh like it."
Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.

Hagrid that's just so touching. One point for your extraordinary kindness.

Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set."

See, Percy isn't a terrible person. Can't you see the pride he has for his youngest brother? He's so glad to call Ron his brother (and I'm sure he always has been). :]

"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."

No Harry Potter! You're going to have a terrible summer. I'm so sorry. :(


Memorable lines:
Humans do have knack of choosing precisely those things that worst for them. (Dumbledore)
"The truth", Dumbledore sighed, "It is a beautiful and terrible thing and should therefore be treated with great caution."

Sorcerer's Stone may not be as exciting the second time around but it is still an entertaining read. There were many little details and happy moments I didn't remember. I'm glad to have read it, despite people saying it's one of their least favorites.