Looks like Corrie and I are neck-and-neck in our review of Chamber of Secrets, but I am sure that we will pick up on different things and discuss different topics - which is what makes this whole challenge so great!
Chapter 3 - The Burrow
As Corrie already mentioned, Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by the three youngest Weasley boys - Fred, George and Ron - who arrive in their dad's enchanted blue Ford Anglia. They proceed to rip the bars off Harry's window and really, just how feasible is it that the noise doesn't wake up the Dursleys when Hedwig appears to have been disturbing them all summer? Luck being ever on their side, however, they grab all of Harry's things and fly away into the night as Harry taunts the Dursleys with a yell of "See you next summer!"
Considering the trouble Harry seems to cause in the lives of the Dursleys during the summer holidays (Dudley's pig tail last year and the smashed cake this year, not to mention what will happen in future books) I am amazed that they keep taking him back. Does Aunt Petunia keep receiving letters from Dumbledore reminding her of her promise to keep Harry until his 17th birthday?
We learn a bit more about Draco Malfoy and his family, namely that Lucius Malfoy is suspected of being a supporter of Lord Voldemort and that perhaps Dobby was sent to Harry as a joke. We are told that house elves usually serve old, rich wizarding families and that Mrs. Weasley had always wished that they had a house elf to help with the ironing.
Why can't the Weasleys acquire a house-elf? You don't need to pay them!
We find out that Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic, in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, which is a part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Arthur Weasley is apparently only helped by one warlock, which seems ludicrous - surely there are hundreds of magical objects that somehow end up in the hands on unknowing Muggles? Is the fact that the Ministry is only willing to dedicate two members of its workforce to monitoring this misuse of magic a latent expression of anti-Muggle sentiments?
As dawn begins to break, Fred brings the car lower and we slowly reach our destination, which is located outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole. Like Corrie, I love the idea of the Burrow and you can see some amazing fanart depicting the house in Corrie's post about Chapter 3.
Even greater than my love of the Burrow, is my love of Molly Weasley. She is just amazing. Raising seven children, two of whom are Fred and George, must have been no easy job but from the minute we meet her we know she is a great mother, who is full of love for her children. I love this line:
Mrs. Weasley rightfully gives her sons hell for the highly dangerous stunt that they pulled, before leading them all inside for breakfast. The inside of the house is even better than the outside. While I personally prefer modern architecture and furniture, I do love the idea of a cluttered house that is full to bursting with items and family heirlooms. I especially love the item that I refer to as The Clock of Chores, and the fact that we get our first mention of Celestina Warbeck.
We get some slight, fun fore-shadowing in the form of Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests and then we are out in the garden. Corrie already wrote about the gnomes, so I will skip over that section as I don't particularly enjoy it anyway and go straight to the arrival of Arthur Weasley.
Arthur talks about having had nine raids that night - one of which included Mundungus Fletcher trying to hex him - before we get to the main event, namely the confrontation between Molly and Arthur about his flying car.
I love that Arthur made a loophole in the law allowing him to tinker with Muggle artifacts, as well as the glee with which he asks his children if the flight went well, quickly backtracking and affecting a slightly more disapproving tone "as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes." As the parents argue we go upstairs, passing an extremely shy Ginny peeking through her door, who we are told is acting very unlike herself, as she doesn't shut up usually. As much as I enjoy and relate to the Ginny in this book, I can't wait until she grows up a bit and becomes more self-assured and Bat-Bogey Hexing.
Ron's room, we are told, is full of Chudley Cannon posters and also features comic books about The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle and I find myself wishing we were told more about these stories. I love the Self-Shuffling playing cards and the reminder of the existence of Scabbers, as we close the chapter with Harry pronouncing the Burrow the best house he's ever been in.
I had intended to review Chapter 4 in this post as well, but as this is already quite long, will leave that for later.
Until next time,
Lucia
We learn a bit more about Draco Malfoy and his family, namely that Lucius Malfoy is suspected of being a supporter of Lord Voldemort and that perhaps Dobby was sent to Harry as a joke. We are told that house elves usually serve old, rich wizarding families and that Mrs. Weasley had always wished that they had a house elf to help with the ironing.
Why can't the Weasleys acquire a house-elf? You don't need to pay them!
We find out that Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic, in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, which is a part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Arthur Weasley is apparently only helped by one warlock, which seems ludicrous - surely there are hundreds of magical objects that somehow end up in the hands on unknowing Muggles? Is the fact that the Ministry is only willing to dedicate two members of its workforce to monitoring this misuse of magic a latent expression of anti-Muggle sentiments?
As dawn begins to break, Fred brings the car lower and we slowly reach our destination, which is located outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole. Like Corrie, I love the idea of the Burrow and you can see some amazing fanart depicting the house in Corrie's post about Chapter 3.
Even greater than my love of the Burrow, is my love of Molly Weasley. She is just amazing. Raising seven children, two of whom are Fred and George, must have been no easy job but from the minute we meet her we know she is a great mother, who is full of love for her children. I love this line:
Mrs Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a sabre-toothed tiger.I tried to find some fan art depicting this scene, but was unsuccessful. Instead, I give you another rendition of the Burrow, which at least features Mrs. Weasley in the background. The Weasley family is, hands down, the best family EVER. It is one we should aspire to!
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| The Burrow by Keith James (source) |
Mrs. Weasley rightfully gives her sons hell for the highly dangerous stunt that they pulled, before leading them all inside for breakfast. The inside of the house is even better than the outside. While I personally prefer modern architecture and furniture, I do love the idea of a cluttered house that is full to bursting with items and family heirlooms. I especially love the item that I refer to as The Clock of Chores, and the fact that we get our first mention of Celestina Warbeck.
We get some slight, fun fore-shadowing in the form of Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests and then we are out in the garden. Corrie already wrote about the gnomes, so I will skip over that section as I don't particularly enjoy it anyway and go straight to the arrival of Arthur Weasley.
Arthur talks about having had nine raids that night - one of which included Mundungus Fletcher trying to hex him - before we get to the main event, namely the confrontation between Molly and Arthur about his flying car.
I love that Arthur made a loophole in the law allowing him to tinker with Muggle artifacts, as well as the glee with which he asks his children if the flight went well, quickly backtracking and affecting a slightly more disapproving tone "as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes." As the parents argue we go upstairs, passing an extremely shy Ginny peeking through her door, who we are told is acting very unlike herself, as she doesn't shut up usually. As much as I enjoy and relate to the Ginny in this book, I can't wait until she grows up a bit and becomes more self-assured and Bat-Bogey Hexing.
Ron's room, we are told, is full of Chudley Cannon posters and also features comic books about The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle and I find myself wishing we were told more about these stories. I love the Self-Shuffling playing cards and the reminder of the existence of Scabbers, as we close the chapter with Harry pronouncing the Burrow the best house he's ever been in.
I had intended to review Chapter 4 in this post as well, but as this is already quite long, will leave that for later.
Until next time,
Lucia
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