Book Summary: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Spoiler Warning! Contains spoilers if you haven't read the books! Beware!

The book begins with the Dursleys' guests, the Masons, coming over for dinner, an event during which Harry is to spend his time in his room "making no noise and pretending he doesn't exist". This is the culmination of Harry's generally miserable summer, during which Harry missed Hogwarts very badly, and worse, received not a single letter from anyone, not even his best friends, Ron and Hermione. However, as Harry enters his room in order to follow the orders issued to him, preferably by sleeping, he finds a House-Elf named Dobby already present on his bed.

Dobby warns him not to return to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as scheduled, but cannot explain why because the wizard family who owns him has forbidden it. He also admits that he has been intercepting Harry's letters, hoping that if Harry thinks that his friends have forgotten him he will not want to return to Hogwarts. When Harry insists on going, Dobby uses a Hover Charm to destroy Harry's aunt's pudding. Believing that Harry performed the charm, the Ministry of Magic sends him a warning that if he does any more magic outside school he may be expelled from Hogwarts.
Cover of the United States edition
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Cover of the United States edition

Uncle Vernon, after reading the Ministry's letter and realising that Harry isn't allowed to do magic outside school (which Harry "neglected" to tell them), locks him in his room. Vernon reasons that if he uses magic to get himself out, he will be expelled anyway. This method of locking Harry in works well for three days until one night Ron Weasley, Fred Weasley, and George Weasley, worried about not hearing from Harry all summer, borrow their father's enchanted Ford Anglia, which is capable of flight, and come to the rescue. It is a tight escape (as Vernon wakes up in the middle of it and tries to prevent it), but an escape nonetheless.

Harry is taken to The Burrow, the Weasleys' house, for the first time, and is introduced to some other members of the Weasley family: Arthur, Molly, Percy, and Ginny (all of whom he had briefly seen in King's Cross railway station the year before, apart from Arthur). Ginny, who is enrolling at Hogwarts this year, has a very obvious crush on Harry (which figures into the plot later). Bill and Charlie Weasley were not there.

Harry stays at the Burrow until his departure for Hogwarts. During that period, he and the Weasleys travel to Diagon Alley with Floo powder in order to get their school supplies. Harry has difficulty with the smoke around him, however, and accidentally lands in a shop in Knockturn Alley instead. There he sees Lucius Malfoy selling items related to Dark Magic to Mr. Borgan, a dark arts salesman. Malfoy explains that the ministry has been conducting more raids on wizard houses in order to uncover illegal artifacts, so he is selling the more problematic artifacts in his possession. He also expresses his disdain for a rumoured Muggle Protection Act, which he (rightly) assumes Arthur Weasley is behind.

Harry leaves the shop to be encountered by a very suspicious witch who clearly wants to take advantage of the fact that he is lost. Fortunately, he is found by Hagrid and taken back to Diagon Alley to reunite with the Weasleys. In Flourish and Blotts, he and the Weasleys meet the famous wizard/author Gilderoy Lockhart, who announces that he will be taking over as Hogwarts' new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He also grabs Harry in order to have his picture taken with him for the main page of the Daily Prophet and gives him all of his books free of charge. (However, Harry discreetly deposits them in Ginny's cauldron and buys his own.)

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