What if he is the Heir of Slytherin? Why has he suddenly discovered that he can speak Parseltongue (snake language), Salazar Slytherin's own gift? What's more, the Sorting Hat did suggest that Harry would do well in Slytherin House in Book 1. Harry is an orphan, so he doesn't have parents whom he can ask about his ancestry. Things get worse as the rest of the school begins to suspect that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin.
Hogwarts begins to seem like a dream to Harry, proving that his first burst of pleasure in the wizarding world hasn't healed his insecurity about his place in it. Yet Harry still spends the summer worrying that "maybe he didn't have any friends at Hogwarts" (1.86). He soon discovers that Dobby the house-elf has been keeping his letters from him in an effort to convince him not to go back to Hogwarts. Harry's Insecurityįirst of all, Harry spends a brutal summer with the Dursleys without hearing any word from his Hogwarts friends. His first year at Hogwarts has given him some confidence in himself and his friends, but Chamber of Secrets takes some of that easy assurance away from him. It's in this book that Harry starts learning the dark side of his own fame. Rowling has to give us something new about her central character to keep us interested in his development. We know that he's embarrassed by all the attention he gets in the wizarding world (he is, after all, famous) and that he defends his friends with everything he's got.
(Click the character infographic to download.)Ĭhamber of Secrets is Book 2 of the Harry Potter series, so we've already been introduced to Harry.