Overview

Overview Synopsis - plot introduction  In the second novel, the main character Harry Potter, returns to his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Soon after the start of his second year, Harry and his friends, Hermione and Ron, discover messages on the corridor walls which state that the mythical Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The messages are threatening and make claims that the "heir of Slytherin" will kill all pupils that have been born into a Muggle family. Over the passing months at Hogwarts many events take place which have different consequences upon pupils at the school. During this time Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover Moaning Myrtle who haunts the cubicles in the girl’s toilets where she died. Moaning Myrtle is the ghost of a girl who was killed the last time the Chamber was opened. Myrtle decides to show Harry a diary which bears the name 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'. When Harry opens the diary to read it he finds that all of the pages are blank. Harry decides to write in the diary and when he does so it responds by asking to show him events which took place at Hogwarts fifty years ago. Here he sees Tom Riddle, owner of the diary, who is a head boy at the time. Harry wonders what is going on and he finds that he is blaming Rubeus Hagrid, who was thirteen at the time, for keeping dangerous creatures and opening the Chamber of Secrets. Harry doesn’t believe it was Hagrid that opened the Chamber fifty years ago and later we find that it wasn’t him at all.