HARRY POTTER and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter Twelve
Chapters 1-12
Chapter Twelve
THE DUELING CLUB
Harry wakes up the next morning. His arm does not hurt anymore! His bones have regrown! He looks over at Colin’s bed, but there is a curtain blocking him. Harry gets out of bed. He wants to find Ron and Hermione and tell them about Colin and Dobby. Harry decides to go to Myrtle’s bathroom. That’s where they will be!
He enters the bathroom and finds Ron and Hermione. They are already working on the Polyjuice Potion. There is a small cauldron on the floor. The liquid inside is steaming and bubbling.
Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the night before, about Colin and Dobby. They cannot believe what Harry tells them. “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?” asks Hermione. “Well, that’s it!” says Ron angrily. “It must have been Malfoy’s father who opened it the first time! And now he has told Draco how to do it!”
“I wish Dobby had told you what kind of monster was in the Chamber,” he continues. “No one has seen it, but it keeps attacking people!” “Maybe it is invisible,” says Hermione. She continues to stir the Polyjuice mixture in the cauldron. “We still need to add some ingredients to the potion,” she says. “But there is only one place to get them: Snape's private office.” The children all look at each other.
The days pass. All the children at Hogwarts are scared of the monster. December begins. Professor McGonagall asks all the children who will stay for the holidays. Harry, Ron and Hermione all sign the list. The holiday is the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion. They must discover if Malfoy is the heir! They still need the Bicorn horn and the Boomslang skin. They make a plan to take the ingredients from Snape’s office.
“We need to create a diversion during his potions class,” says Hermione. “Then one of us can go into his office and take the ingredients.” Harry and Ron look at her nervously. She understands. “I think I should steal the ingredients,” she says. “If you two are caught again, you will be expelled. So you will create the diversion in class, and I will find the ingredients in his office. I will only need a few minutes.”
The time for the diversion has come. They are in potions class. All the children are cooking swelling potions in cauldrons on their desks. Harry looks at Ron and Hermione. They are ready. Harry takes one of Fred’s firecrackers and touches his wand to it. The firecracker begins to fizz. He throws the firecracker into the air. It goes right where he wants it to go: into Goyle’s cauldron!
