HOL

Rooms have shown up! Yay for participation in The Cursed Castle activity and helping to solve this mysterious 'cursing'.

But we've also got a bit of a conundrum. Yes, the castle is cursed, but, isn't the name of the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?

There are a couple of discussion questions here.

#1
Just what is this Chamber of Secrets? Who, in the castle, do you think are aware of it?

Yes, later on in the story, we find out that some Professors (and the Keeper of Keys and Grounds) are aware of this Chamber, or at least of the existence of such a thing, even if not particularly where. But, at the time of the story, in the book we're discussing, who do you think knew about it? Do you think the Head Boy(s) or Head Girl(s) knew of it? What about the Weasley twins? What about any who might have known about it in previous times -- like the Marauders?

#2
What is some of the alleged history of the Chamber of Secrets? Who is 'said' to have created it? Why? Do you think this explanation is correct or do you have another theory?

You’ll earn 20 beans when you answer with 100 or more words. If you answer both, you earn 20 beans per question if you give it the required number of words.

Post your response below by 11:50 PM HOL-time on the 4th of April to get your beans!

#1:
The Chamber of Secrets was just a rumor for a long time, and probably would’ve been far less known if it weren’t for a certain family (looks at the Gaunt family line). I’d say most students had likely heard the rumor at some point, as it had been passed down through generations and often spread like wildfire in schools, so they had a semblance of the idea if they were to believe it. However, the only people who really knew about it were Salazar Slytherin’s descendants, a fact reinforced by the need to speak Parseltongue to open it. I could see the Marauders and the Weasley twins poking around for it, because why wouldn’t they want a more private area for their special brand of chaos? How close they came, though, that’s a very debatable topic. I think at least a few Head Boys and Girls knew about it, because what good is being a Head Boy/Girl if not to investigate and sate curiosity (I’m specifically looking at those in Ravenclaw and Slytherin).

#2:
The Chamber of Secrets was made by no other than Salazar Slytherin himself, as he intended to teach the Dark Arts there after the disapproval of the other founders. This, of course, would change after he was consistently unable to change the other founders' minds about Muggleborn students at the school, leaving him to resort to planting a basilisk there before he left the school. He allegedly did so to purge the students he perceived as “unworthy” from the school. My least favorite thing about its history is that the entrance needed some fixing up after the introduction of plumbing (I hate now knowing what wizards did before this), which was done by Corvinus Gaunt to keep it hidden. I don’t see a reason not to believe the history, since it seems very on-brand and offers some explanations.

Hello,

1: The Chamber of Secrets is pretty self-explanatory. It is commonly known as a rumor, perhaps even as a myth due to Salazar Slytherin's reputation. It was maybe a cool gossip topic, and people had fun doodling how it would look like if it truly existed. However, they don't know that under their feet, a stone room in a suffocating atmosphere resides a horrid creature, that only a few professors know of. Of course, the Headmaster and Vice-Headmistress are aware of the existence of this Chamber, as well as the Magical History professor, Binns. Head Boys and Girls are not told about the situation in case their curiosity wins over their reason.

2: We know little bit about the Chamber of Secrets' History thanks to our dear Professor Binns, the unofficial (but very effective) cure for insomnia. We learned that the room was created by Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of Hogwarts, as a small act of rebellion towards the other three founders, who wanted to include Muggle-borns in the school while Slytherin refused. His goal was to make his heir find out about this room and the heir ONLY, so that they could unleash the Basilisk and get rid of the Muggle-borns he hated and continues loathing beyond his death. I agree with the theory: everything links back to itself, and a creature deadly to humans in the room created by a Muggle hater? It could only mean one thing. I mean, at least he values family loyalty.

Kaylee Oatsong