By J. K. Rowling

“Not kill you, sir, never kill you!” said Dobby, shocked. “Dobby wants to save Harry Potter’s life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here, sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!”

**Original thoughts, 2018, on the American Audible version**

Going through all of the HPs, listening on Audible. I have listened to the Stephen Fry Philosopher’s Stone, but all the rest I have are the Jim Dale versions. I much prefer the Stephen Fry, as Jim Dale has some odd intonations and I don’t like his pronunciation of Voldemort and other words. Sometimes Dale sounds really whiny and wheedling, especially with the children’s voices.

**re-read on kindle 06/2025**

Even though this remains a Harry Potter that is not a favorite of mine, it cannot be skipped. It is the introduction of Dobby, Lucious Malfoy, Tom Riddle, Ginny Weasley, Arthur Weasley, the first Horcrux, The Burrow, Polyjuice Potion, the Sword of Gryffindor, Borgin and Burkes, Aragog, Moaning Myrtle, and Fawkes. And probably some others I don’t remember. It gives so much context to many momentous events to come. So many aspects which have far reaching influence on our key players’ final outcomes and fates start here. Nevertheless, it still comes across as a children’s’ book (which it is, of course) but, for me, minus much of the wonder, and, though there were some funny lines, humor, of its predecessor. I almost think the movie surpassed the book in many areas particularly in its portrayal of Dobby. It brilliantly captured the amazing, almost impossible, mix of annoying and adorable, funny and tragic, victim and victor.

And a few things took me out of the book. I couldn’t get over why Harry was shunned and suspected of being the Heir of Slytherin when Draco Malfoy should have been the obvious suspect of everyone from the start.

Then someone shouted through the quiet. “Enemies of the Heir, beware! You’ll be next, Mudbloods!” It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.

But there is no reaction to this outburst! Where is the outrage? It is a harbinger of Harry being celebrated one minute and vilified the next that repeats itself throughout the series.

Also the whole Polyjuice Potion scheme was a very high risk, low reward plan. It could only succeed in possibly satisfying the trio’s suspicion of Draco’s guilt or innocence, but would prove nothing to anyone else and could never accomplish anything.

Hermione’s infatuation with the nincompoop Lockhart seemed very out of character.

Of course Chamber of Secrets is part of Harry Potter so I liked it a lot. I am enjoying noticing things I didn’t notice before. Listening to books on Audible holds many joys, but you miss some detail and subtleties. This is my second time reading Harry Potter in “print” on Kindle and it’s been quite a few years. I am enjoying all of the re-discoveries. One of these worth noting is the part where Harry first hears the name “Riddle”. He thought it sounded vaguely familiar. He knew he had never heard it before but it “still seemed to mean something to him almost as though Riddle was a friend he’d had when he was very small and had half forgotten.” Chilling. It’s a clue and dark foreshadowing as to what is going on with the connection between Harry and Voldemort that will gradually be revealed in the coming books.