Reliving The Magic: The Chamber of Secrets

"Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!" 

And with a final crack, Dobby disappeared.

Chapter 18 - Dobby's Reward

Well then, it hardly seems it but year two of Hogwarts is over. Less than a month ago I picked up 'The Chamber of Secrets' for the fair old price of 50p from a charity shop and got stuck in. What followed was an entirely entertaining, heartfelt and wondrous journey.

Naturally, year two for our favourite bespectacled wizard is harder, both in the way of school work and the emotional unrest he faces, especially when he is suspected of being the heir to Salazar Slytherin. The tone for the book, overall, is darker, grittier and more focussed on the truly dangerous nature of Hogwarts.

Gilderoy Lockhart, as portrayed
by Kenneth Branagh.

As well as this deliciously morbid twist, we also find a dizzyingly wonderful widening of the wizarding world; with the first proper meeting of the entire Weasley family, (not to mention their charmingly ramshackle house, The Burrow), to the fantastically pompous Gilderoy Lockhart, who doesn't enjoy his self-obsessed and bragging nature? When you find his students laughing behind his back, so do we, the readers. 

Not to mention, of course, we meet the deliriously Machiavellian Tom Riddle which gives a clever twist on the all-to-easy "Voldemort is back" story line, saving us the boredom of simply rehashing 'The Philosopher's Stone. The fact that we're dealing with a big-bad not far from Harry's own age makes for even more scintillating reading and the final confrontation in the chamber had me on the edge of my seat!

With all of this in mind, it's incredible to note that, even after all these years, for me, the most impressive thing about these books is how utterly enthralling, engrossing and entertaining they are. They truly give an immersive experience, Rowling not only writes the world within her books, she brings it life. Many lesser author's would've been content to write a "children's" book and be done with, however, what Rowling achieved with the Potter books is a cross-generational experience. 

The wonderful JK Rowling.

Having read them from the age of 11, and rereading them now, nothing has changed for me. We often find, when revisiting childhood loves, that some of the shine has gone, we can see them for what they truly are. Not Harry Potter though, they still glint and gleam and catch the light of imagination, just like the Golden Snitch.

On top of all this Potter related fun, my fiancé (did I mention I got engaged the other week?) introduced me to Pottermore. By golly what a game! Sad though it is, I've found myself utterly obsessed with it since I set up my profile just the other day. I've played right the way through book one and am a couple of chapters away from book three. If you're a Potter fan and fancy more magical fun, do give it a try. Be warned, however, it's incredibly addictive!

Oop, it looks like my Polyjuice Potion is ready! Until next time, chums.