Question: The pure-blood extremists, such as the Malfoy family, don't want Muggle-born children to attend magic schools. However, wouldn't this cause Muggle-borns to be out in the world, accidentally doing magic, without supervision? For example, the things that Harry did before his eleventh birthday.
raywest
19th Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Answer: In the "Deathly Hallows" book, the Ministry of Magic, now controlled by Voldemort, has a statue that depicts a witch and wizard sitting on mounds of Muggle bodies. Some of the extremists might want to exterminate Muggles or force them into servitude.
28th Jun 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Snape promised Dumbledore that he would protect Harry. When Snape found out that the flying car was seen by Muggles, he tells Harry and Ron that he'll have them both expelled. Why would Snape expel Harry? Doesn't he realise that if he expels Harry, he won't be able to protect him?
Answer: What Dumbledore or Snape say and what actually happens are two different things. Dumbledore may threaten expulsion, but his intent is to scare them into behaving. It's doubtful he ever would, particularly Harry. Snape is always torn between his promise to protect Harry and his hatred for him. He is usually being reactive, and his misplaced animosity is irrational because it is Harry's father, James, that he actually despised. He also loved Harry's mother, so he would always protect Harry because of that. Also, one professor cannot expel a student. There would be an official hearing, and Dumbledore would make the final decision. As the other answer pointed out, Harry would still be protected by the Order. He is also magically protected by his mother's blood until he turns 17 years old, as he is when he spends summers at the Dursleys.
Answer: Snape, and others, could certainly watch and protect Harry outside of Hogwarts. Members of the Order of the Phoenix watch him later on, before his fifth year of school begins. Also, in the "Chamber of Secrets" book, Dumbledore tells Harry and Ron, "If you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you." Even he considered the possibility of Harry not finishing school.
21st Mar 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: The fang of the basilisk has been shown in the other movies to be able to destroy a horcrux. Since Harry was a horcrux himself, when the basilisk bit him, why didn't it kill him or at the least destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul that was inside of him?
Answer: Because he is alive and the piece of Voldemort inside him is too. He had to die to kill the horcrux inside him, but Fawkes the phoenix healed him before that could happen.
20th Jan 2022
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Is it true that Lucius Malfoy's line "Avada" was ad-libbed by Jason Isaacs?
Answer: It wasn't exactly an ad-lib. While filming the scene, Isaac forgot what curse he was supposed to say, so it came out as the start of 'Avada Kedavra', the only one he could remember. It was decided to use that take in the movie. As I recall, in the book it was never specified exactly how Malfoy threatened Harry, but it was enough that Dobby used his elf magic to protect him.
31st Dec 2021
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Hagrid is determined to be innocent after this year, so why is he still banned from using spells and charms?
Answer: According to J.K. Rowling in an interview with Southwest News Service, Hagrid was allowed to openly use magic after he was exonerated. However, because he never completed his training, he was always a bit inept. The movies just glossed over this as there was little need plot-wise to show him casting spells.
2nd Aug 2021
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Why would Dumbledore hire Lockhart to be a professor at Hogwarts? Dumbledore knows how incompetent Lockhart is and that the DADA is cursed.
Answer: This is better explained in the book. Dumbledore, and also the other Hogwarts' staff, always doubted the narcissistic Lockhart's credentials and abilities, but no-one else would accept the job, knowing it was cursed and no instructor lasted more than a year. At the time, Dumbledore was pressed to hire a new teacher before the school year started, and Lockhart was the only option and better than nothing.
Answer: On paper, Lockheart is far from incompetent. Look at all his books. It appears he has exceptional experience of the Dark Arts and creatures such as Hag's Banshee's etc. So as far as Dumbledore knows he's the best position of the job. With regards to the job being cursed, it's been cursed for 13 years with no teacher lasting more than a year. He still needs a teacher. And all the teachers get more and more qualified as time goes on. Consider the fact that he hires ex-auror, Moody.
In the novels, Lockheart has admitted to Harry and Ron that he's a fraud. His backstory goes that all of his "accomplishments" were told to him by other wizards that actually achieved them and after he learned the whole story, he used Obliviate on them to make them forget what they did and claimed them as his own. Even the spell that he claims would work on pixies failed.
In the movie he tells them too. Nobody knew that though, not even Dumbledore when he hired him. Although some do start getting suspicious, like Snape.
Dumbledore was aware of Lockhart being a fraud as two of the wizards that had their memories erased were friends of his and was able to correctly guess that Lockhart was responsible.
I wouldn't consider Dolores Umbridge, who succeeded (the fake) Mad Eye Moody, as an improvement. She was mediocre in addition to being corrupt. The real Mad Eye, never taught, so it's unknown how well he would have done. Barty Crouch, Jr. (the fake Moody) was a dark wizard, making him an effective instructor. Lupin was an excellent teacher, as was Snape, though he didn't last a full year.
12th Jun 2020
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: There is something about wizards I don't understand. Why do they keep their magic a secret?
Answer: Many reasons. Muggles (non-magic people) would have a variety of reactions to them. Many would fear their power, others would want wizards to solve all their problems with magic, others would want to eradicate them. From the wizards' point of view, they live a certain way, and that would be disrupted by humans knowing about them.
I thought the reason wizards kept their magic a secret was fear of discrimination.
12th Jun 2020
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Answer: One reason is that Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon Dursley absorbed his hatred of wizards from his wife, Aunt Petunia Dursley. As the Harry Potter books progress, we find out that Vernon's wife, Petunia, was a "muggle" (not a wizard) but her sister, Lily, Harry's mother, had magical powers. Lily was invited to study at Hogwarts: here Lily refined her magical powers and wizarding abilities, and met James Potter, her future husband (and Harry's father). Petunia was jealous and resentful of Lily, and, because of this, Harry Potter and the whole wizarding world. For all his faults, Vernon loves Petunia, and so he shares her hatred of wizards. It appears that Vernon and Petunia know a lot more about the wizarding world than they would admit. They cannot tolerate the thought that Harry Potter is a wizard with powers and abilities greater than theirs, so they put Harry Potter (and the wizarding world) down at every opportunity.
27th Nov 2018
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: How did Riddle know that the people the Basilisk was petrifying were muggle born? It sounds to me like Ginny was his best shot at knowing, but how could she know?
Answer: It's easy to tell which students are Muggle-born. They have little knowledge of the wizarding world and need special training, their parents are not wizards, and Hogwarts, being a small community, makes it easy to know everyone's background. Ginny would have little problem identifying which students Riddle should target.
29th Oct 2018
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Considering how big the Basilisk is, how is it able to travel through the pipes in Hogwarts since so many of them are small?
So how was it able to get into the girls restroom and kill Moaning Myrtle many years ago? All of those pipes in the restroom aren't large enough.
The girls' bathroom is the entrance to the chamber of secrets. She was in there when Tom Riddle opened it and let the snake out.
Answer: Perhaps the basilisk is a magical creature and can change size at any given time to fit into those tiny pipes.
Yes like the Occamy in fantastic beasts and where to find them.
4th Feb 2018
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
4th Feb 2018
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: What is the letter of Argus about?
Answer: The movie glossed over this. Argus Filch was a squib (a non-magical person born into a wizard family). In the hope of somehow developing magical powers, he'd sent for a home correspondence course on learning magic spells. Filch was embarrassed when Harry happened to pick up his dropped letter, realizing that this probably revealed what he was, though almost every student knew this about him.
13th Dec 2017
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
8th Dec 2017
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: If the Basilisk snatched Ginny and took her to the chamber, then why doesn't she have teeth marks when they show her lying on the chamber floor? Surely the Basilisk didn't drag her, because it doesn't obviously have arms.
Answer: The comment that she was "snatched" was a generalization used by the Hogwarts staff and not a literal description of her physically being taken. Riddle was able to control Ginny through the diary, putting her into a trance and commanding her what to do. She most likely was instructed to follow the basilisk into the Chamber of Secrets.
8th Dec 2017
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
8th Dec 2017
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Why does the basilisk only obey Riddle? Was it trained or bred to?
8th Dec 2017
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Did the Basilisk intentionally mean to petrify Mrs. Norris or was she in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Answer: It was just a coincidence. There was a puddle on the floor that Mrs Norris was drinking from. When the Basilisk appeared she seen its reflection in the water and was petrified. Though, even with it not being intentional, she still would have died had she actually looked it in the eyes instead of seeing it through a reflection.
27th Oct 2017
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Why did Fudge wait so long to arrest Hagrid? It sounds to me he didn't care that Hagrid's record was against him and that he only arrested Hagrid so Fudge would look like he knew what he was doing.
Answer: He probably wouldn't have arrested Hagrid, but he was pressured by Lucius Malfoy who could have used his wealth and influence to have Fudge removed from office. Hagrid was a convenient scapegoat to make it look like the Ministry was making progress in the investigation. Of course, Malfoy was orchestrating all this solely to aid Voldemort.
23rd Sep 2017
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Is it ever explained how Dobby found out about the Chambers of Secrets and how he believed Harry might be involved? I doubt Lucius or any of his peers would have discussed anything about this in front of Dobby.
Answer: The Malfoys would have had no concerns about discussing anything within earshot of their house elves. Dobby may very well have overheard the Malfoys' conversations. House elves are magically bound to guard everything about their masters' secrets. Breaking that would result in severe punishment or death. Dobby circumvented this restriction as much as he possibly could to warn and protect Harry.
26th May 2014
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: When Hagrid says that he went to Knockturn Alley for flesh-eating slug repellent (after Harry asks why he was there), he seems to hesitate first. Is he lying?
Answer: He was being evasive rather than lying. Hagrid was there to legitimately buy the flesh-eating slug repellent, and he was alarmed to find Harry in such a dodgy place, but he was not above engaging in "under-the-table," business transactions, particularly when dealing with magical creatures. He'd previously come into possession of a dragon's egg, resulting in a hatchling that was illegal to own. Hagrid was also seen quickly covering up another one of his creatures (in Prisoner of Azkaban) when Dumbledore and Fudge arrived at his hut. It wasn't illegal to be in Knockturn Alley, but judging by Hagrid's reaction, he'd probably conducted some unknown business that he didn't want Harry or anyone else to know about.
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Answer: Yes, but the pure-bloods don't care what happens in the Muggle world. What damage they do in the Muggle world, they don't do in the wizarding world. They don't want Muggle-borns to be called wizards; they think they are too weak to train in wizardry. If they stay in the Muggle world, they don't have to deal with them.
lionhead