A lot happened in chapters 10-13 of The Chamber of Secrets. After all the pompous posturing of the previous chapters it was nice to get back to some Quidditch, spells and potions. J.K. Rowling writes a very compelling story and I’m very much looking forward to finding out the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets.
Below are some reflections from chapters 10-13 of The Chamber of Secrets.
Speaking in Tongues
I enjoyed the initial gathering of the Dueling Club. For years I’ve heard friends and students running around shouting nonsense like “Expelliarmus” and “Rictusempra”. After reading about the Dueling Club the nonsense finally made sense. I found this chapter interesting because Harry ends up speaking in a foreign language even though he didn’t know he could. That sounds a lot like the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended and the disciples began speaking in different languages. I don’t know if Harry had a similar experience when facing down the snake but the parallels did make me giggle.
Polyjuice Potion
After chapters of planning, it was great to finally see the polyjuice potion come to fruition. The transformation of Harry, Ron and Hermione almost went exactly to plan with only one small hiccup. The thought of being able to change my appearance has often appealed to me. Growing up I had to shop in the husky section and I often thought about what it would be like to be a little thinner. Even now, as an almost well-adjusted adult, I still think about what it would be like to have the chiseled jaw of Jon Hamm. As good looking as he may be, though, God didn’t make me to look like Jon Hamm. He made me to look like me and a polyjuice potion would mess with God’s intentions.
Magical Books
I really liked the chapter about T. M. Riddle’s diary. I’ve always enjoyed stories where characters are unseen observers like Ebenezer Scrooge, Tom Sawyer and Ensign Ro and Geordi La Forge in the TNG episode “The Next Phase”. T. M. Riddle’s magic diary let Harry step into the past and see Hogwarts as it had been 50 yeas earlier. I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to step into my past and see how I’ve grown and changed. Very often we think that we’re not really getting anywhere or we’re not really growing. Stepping into our past would allow us to see how far we have come and how God has used our lives’ experiences to shape and change us.
I’m really excited to finish The Chamber of Secrets and finally discover what has been roaming the halls of Hogwarts. I have enjoyed my time with the first two Harry Potter books and the opportunity to see how God can use even a wizard to speak to me.
What insights did you have from chapters 10-13 of The Chamber of Secrets?
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