The Intriguing Details and Foreshadowing in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Importance of Chamber of Secrets in the Harry Potter Series

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second installment in the Harry Potter franchise, and it features many scenes that become important later in the series. The sequel is just as magical as the first, and it follows Harry Potter and his friends in their second year at Hogwarts. However, just like his first year, trouble follows Harry at every corner, starting with the beginning, where the house elf Dobby tries to stop Harry from returning to Hogwarts, knowing there are many dangers to come, although his methods aren't always the best.

Harry Potter hugs Hagrid after his return from Azkaban in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Harry Potter movie franchise, which includes eight adaptations, is very layered, often including details the audience only notices during further re-watches or when re-reading the books. There are many instances when the series' creator, J.K. Rowling, has either used foreshadowing or callbacks throughout Harry Potter, which is why the series is still popular and intriguing to this day, despite the author's ongoing controversial statements. The last Harry Potter book came out in 2007, with its adaptation premiering in 2011. Over a decade later, there are still many Harry Potter theories and hidden details that thrill the audience.

Harry and Ron in Transfiguration class in Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets introduced the concept of a wizarding prison. After many students were Petrified, the Ministry of Magic decided to do something about it to calm the waters, and arrested Hagrid, taking him to Azkaban. Although he was innocent, Hagrid going to Azkaban sets up a very important storyline: Sirius'. Azkaban is further detailed in the upcoming installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which describes the prison and its guards, the Dementors. Azkaban is later mentioned several more times in the series, and it had great importance for the Wizarding World.

Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy looking at Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

During Ron and Harry's drive back in the Weasley's invisible Ford Anglia, the two get stuck in the Whomping Willow, leading to Ron breaking his wand. Throughout the film, he struggles with his broken wand, and, one scene during a Transfiguration class gives a clue about Scabbers not being a real rat. The students were supposed to transfigure some objects, and although Ron's wand didn't work properly, the reason why he couldn't turn his rat into a goblet was because Scabbers was actually Peter Pettigrew. He probably needed a different spell for humans, and that scene set up Pettigrew's return in the next installment.

Lucius Malfoy was introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and one scene foreshadowed his return to Voldemort. Although Malfoy claimed he was no longer one of Voldemort's supporters, it was later revealed that he was the one who gave Ginny Tom Riddle's diary during their encounter at Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley. The scene showed that he was still evil and that he still believed in Voldemort, which would lead to his return to the Dark Lord in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) glaring at each other at the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Foreshadowing of Relationships and Dark Magic

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets also sets up Harry and Ginny's relationship. Although her crush on Harry is more obvious and discussed in the books, the movie also shows Ginny being starstruck with Harry since he arrives at The Burrow. Ginny's storyline included her opening the Chamber of Secrets via Tom Riddle's diary, and Riddle got Ginny to trust him after she wrote in the diary how much she liked Harry. At the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry ends up saving her. The two have several scenes together, and the film subtly hints at their future relationship, which doesn't happen until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Harry and Ginny in Chamber of Secrets

Highly influenced by Lucius Malfoy, Cornelius Fudge arrested Hagrid because of all the Petrified students. Fudged sort of knew Hadrid was innocent, but he did what the rest wanted, keeping everyone happy and making it seem like he was doing something. The scene is vital in showing how easily manipulated Cornelius Fudge was, which is also seen later in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Cornelius refused to believe Voldemort was back and was oblivious to Lucius' evilness, and Malfoy used that to his advantage. Malfoy ended up manipulating the Minister to do his bidding and, inadvertently, helped Voldemort return to power.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry discovered he could speak Parseltongue, which was a trait of the Salazar Slytherin descendant. Harry previously spoke to a snake in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but learned in the second installment that what he did had a name, and that only dark wizards could do it. The scene where he discovered that Voldemort was the true heir of Salazar Slytherin further foreshadows the fact that Harry was connected to Voldemort. When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, he unwillingly passed some of his powers to Harry, and the scene where Harry found out about speaking Parseltongue set up this revelation.

Harry Potter at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Setup of Major Events and Character Arcs

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets sets up Dobby's death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1. Dobby is an important figure in the Harry Potter series, with a much bigger presence in the books. The beloved house elf tried to help Harry throughout the Chamber of Secrets, although his ways weren't always helpful or safe. At the end of the second film, after helping him be free of the Malfoys, Harry makes Dobby promise not to save his life again, which foreshadows his sacrifice later in the series, where Dobby rescues him again, leading to his untimely death.

Dobby sits on the end of Harry Potter's bed in Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets introduces the concept of the Vanishing Cabinets, and Draco checking out the Vanishing Cabinet is a scene that foreshadows many important details from The Half-Blood Prince. The Vanishing Cabinet is vital for Draco to succeed in his plan of killing Dumbledore, and, he notices it during his stop with his dad at Borgin and Burkes. Harry sees them by accident after mistakenly arriving on Knockturn Alley. The Hand of Glory and the opal necklace are also important objects in later movies. Draco used the Hand of Glory to escape with the Death Eaters, and the opal necklace to curse Katie as he was trying to assassinate Albus Dumbledore. The Vanishing Cabinet has even bigger moments in the book, as Peeves dropped it and it broke after Nearly Headless Nick challenged him. That is also an important scene, as Draco spends most of his sixth year trying to repair it.

Harry Potter and the Vanishing Cabinet in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the first time the series hinted at the Horcruxes. Tom Riddle revealed he put his soul into the diary so he could return, leading to Harry ruining the diary, preventing him from becoming human again. In Voldemort's attempt to become immortal, he had divided his soul into seven (eight, including Harry), using several objects for it, and the diary was one of them. The Horcruxes became very important later in the series, respectively in the last three movies, with Harry finding out their names in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Harry Potter reading Tom Riddle's diary with a young Tom Riddle

Although he had no idea about them at that point, or how to destroy them, he prevented Voldemort from returning by stabbing the diary with the Basilisk's fang. The venom of the creature destroyed the diary, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets foreshadowed important information from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione tried to find out how to destroy all the Horcruxes.

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