Pottermore Moments Revisited: Risky Business
Apologies for the hiatus, readers! These particular chapters take a bit of time to complete, and I was unfortunately called away from Hogwarts by Muggle life. However, let us dive again in the Chamber of Secrets!
Chapter 11: “The Dueling Club”
Chapter thoughts: This is quite the action packed chapter. The Polyjuice Potion is begun as Hermione steals supplies from Snape’s personal store. The trio attend the Duelling Club meeting, where Harry will learn the Disarming Charm for the first time (from no one less than Snape). Harry learns he is a Parselmouth, and Hufflepuff has a bad moment when one of its members accuses Harry of being Slytherin’s heir (can we all just remember that it’s really just one Hufflepuff making these accusations, and not paint the whole house with the same brush?). However, another attack will send Harry to find out where Dumbledore lives. “Sherbet lemon!”
Moment 1: The Diversion
To complete this moment, you must first brew Swelling Solution. I personally think this is a great thing; it’s one of those moments that you feel really interactive with the story. However, the amount of time it takes to brew the potion is a little irritating. The result is that you can open Snape’s private stores and collect boomslang skin and a Bicorn horn.
Moment 2: Harry and Draco’s Duel
This is a great moment to highlight using Pottermore while reading the books. The moment has you identify the spells shown at the Duelling Club. Readers will know right away which spells effects go to which incantation! The absolute chaos in the scene is also very telling, and really drives home the point that Lockhart has no idea what he is doing (did he really think having a bunch of adolescents shoot spells at each other with no organization in close proximity was a good idea?)
Chapter 12: “The Polyjuice Potion”
Chapter thoughts: Sometimes, I forget that these three are twelve years old as the brew and then take a dangerous, highly advanced potion. Of course, it’s not without its hiccups. Poor Hermione’s goes badly wrong, of course, and Harry and Ron do not find out who the Heir of Slytherin is. Rather risky for not a lot of payout!
Moment 1: Dumbledore’s Office
Dumbledore’s office is quite the place. It seems both mysterious and home-like, which seems to describe Dumbledore himself rather well. It is filled with all sorts of mysterious instruments, books, and of course, a sad looking Fawkes the phoenix. However, there’s not a lot to do in this moment. I do wish Fawkes would have burst into flames; it would have added a bit of excitement.
Moment 2: The Potion is Ready
This is another moment that makes reading the books helpful to understanding this moment, as the potion in each tumbler changes color to represent each of the three Slytherins Harry, Ron and Hermione will attempt to take the appearance of. We get a bit of new information on Polyjuice Potion itself, including how long its effects can last. JKR also seems to be bragging about Hermione a bit, as she emphasizes that the fact that Hermione brews this potion at the age of twelve is extraordinary.
Moment 3: The Slytherin Common Room
I was honestly dreading this moment. Previously, to enter the common room as a member of any house but Slytherin, you had to have brewed Polyjuice Potion yourself. It is the most frustrating and tricky potion I have ever attempted. Now, however, that is no longer necessary! At the same time, part of me wishes you still had to complete that task, as it is more interactive with the book.
The room itself is not what I would think of as comfortable; it is dark and grandiose. It is very much the opposite of the warmly lit, cozy Gryffindor common room. I’m sure many people would appreciate this kind of room, but it’s not really my cup of tea.
We may not have found out who the Heir of Slytherin is, but Ron at least has some information on the Malfoys to pass on to his dad! Poor Hermione, however, has much bigger problems; as Myrtle points out, she has a tail!
