Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 12 Summary
The Polyjuice Potion
In chapter 12 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, titled “The Polyjuice Potion,” the trio uses the Polyjuice Potion to find out the identity of the Heir of Slytherin and confirm its doubts about Draco.
Harry’s Visit to Dumbledore’s Office
After the attack on Justin and Nick, Professor McGonagall escorts Harry to Dumbledore’s office. The office is a large, circular room filled with curious silver instruments, portraits of previous headmasters, and the Sorting Hat. Professor McGonagall asks Harry to wait, and leaves him alone in the office.
Nervous about being expelled, Harry takes the opportunity to speak to the Sorting Hat again, to confirm if it was correct in placing him in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat reiterates how hard it was to sort him, and reaffirms that Harry would have done well in Slytherin, which deeply unsettles Harry.
As Harry contemplates this, he notices Dumbledore’s pet bird, Fawkes, looking sickly before suddenly bursting into flames. Horrified, Harry looks around for a glass of water while cursing his luck, since this would be another death that he would be accused for.
Fawkes turns into a fireball, and leaves behind only ashes. At this exact moment, Dumbledore enters the room.
Harry is horrified and starts to explain, but Dumbledore calms him down, explaining that Fawkes is a phoenix, a creature that dies by bursting into flames and is reborn from those very ashes. As he explains this, Harry sees a tiny, ugly head poke out from the ashes.
This distraction momentarily eases Harry’s anxiety, but before Dumbledore can speak anything Hagrid bursts into the office. He fervently proclaims Harry’s innocence regarding the recent attacks, citing that Harry was there talking to him moments before the attack; and says that he would confess this in front of the ministry if he had to.
Dumbledore calms Hagrid down and dismisses him, and assures Harry that he does not suspect him. He also gently asks Harry if there is anything he wishes to share.
Harry, struggling with his thoughts about Draco’s remarks, the Polyjuice Potion and the mysterious voice he has been hearing, ultimately decides to say nothing
The School’s Reaction
The double attack on Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick sends the school into a state of deep panic. The fact that a ghost was affected raises significant alarm, because what kind of a power can harm something that is already dead?
Many students decide to leave Hogwarts early for Christmas, fearing for their safety. Ron notes that perhaps it would only be him, Harry and Hermione staying behind, with Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy.
Amidst the chaos, Fred and George Weasley find humor in the situation, mockingly referring to Harry as the “heir of Slytherin,” much to the dismay of Percy and Ginny Weasley. It did, however, make Harry feel a little lighter about the situation. For some reason, Fred and George’s antics aggravated Draco Malfoy as well, and his face became increasingly sour every time he saw them at it. Ron cannot help but conclude that it is because Malfoy is really the true heir, and does not like credit for his work being taken away.
Christmas at Hogwarts
As Christmas approaches, the school becomes quieter with many students gone. Harry perceives this atmosphere as peaceful rather than gloomy. The Weasley siblings also have chosen to stay at school rather than go visit Bill in Egypt with Mr and Mrs Weasley.
Hermione wakes them early on Christmas morning, excitedly announcing that the Polyjuice Potion is ready. They plan to use it that night to interrogate Malfoy. Hedwig flies in and nibbles affectionately at Harry’s ear, delivering a gift which turns out to be from the Dursleys; which is a toothpick and a note asking if Harry would be able to spend the summer at Hogwarts, too.
Harry spends the rest of the Christmas morning unwrapping other presents from his friends, which are far better than the one he got from the Dursleys.
The Polyjuice Plan
Since the Polyjuice potion is ready, the final ingredient can finally be added; a part of someone you wish to transform into. Hermione already has a hair from Millicent Bulstrode she found on her sweater, from the time when she put Hermione into a headlock.
She reveals a couple of plump chocolate cakes with a simple Sleeping Draught baked into them, and tells Ron and Harry to feed them to Crabbe and Goyle. Despite being unsure of this plan, since it has a lot of potential to backfire, they agree.
Ron and Harry find Crabbe and Goyle alone in the Great Hall, shoveling down their fourth serving of trifle. Harry puts the cakes down at the end of the banisters, and hides with Ron behind a suit of armor near the front door.
Crabbe and Goyle spot the cakes while coming out, and eat them whole without second thought. As expected, they become unconscious in a matter of seconds.
Ron and Harry then take a bunch of their hair, steal their shoes and, with much difficulty, hide them in the cupboard across the hall.
Back in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, Hermione divides the potion into three glasses, adding the hairs to each. The potion changes color as it reacts with the hairs, and they each drink their respective doses. The transformation is painful and disorienting, but Harry and Ron successfully transform into Crabbe and Goyle, respectively.
After taking a moment to appreciate the effects of the potion, they call out to Hermione, who is in an adjacent stall. Hermione, however, decides not to join them at the last minute. Bewildered but scared to waste time, (the effects of the Polyjuice Potion stay only for an hour) Ron and Harry went on ahead to look for the Slytherin Dormitory.
The Slytherin Common Room
Ron and Harry, now disguised as Crabbe and Goyle, struggle to find the Slytherin common room. Mistaking him for a Slytherin, they encounter Percy, who tells them off for wandering around. Fortunately, Draco Malfoy, who has been looking for them this entire time, appears and leads them to the common room.
He boasts about his father’s recent actions. He shows Ron and Harry a clipping of the Daily Prophet, that talks about the inquiry Mr Weasley is facing at the Ministry of Magic. According to the article, Arthur Weasley is being fined fifty galleons for bewitching a muggle car, and Lucius Malfoy is gunning for his resignation.
He insults Mr Weasley, and expresses his disdain for Muggle-borns. As Ron’s face contorts with anger, Malfoy notices it and asks him about it, to which Ron replies he has a stomach ache.
He wonders out loud why the Daily Prophet is not reporting the attacks in the school, and suspects Dumbledore’s hand in it. When Ron and Harry do not laugh at another one of his insults, one intended towards Colin Creevey, Malfoy snaps and asks if something is wrong. Alarmed, they both force a weak laugh, which somehow satisfies him.
Malfoy reveals his hope that the heir of Slytherin will continue the attacks, and that he wishes he knew it was, which surprises both Ron and Harry. He also tells them that when the Chamber of Secrets opened fifty years ago, a Muggle Born died, and whoever opened it was perhaps still in Azkaban
As the conversation proceeds, Malfoy mentions that the Ministry of Magic recently raided his manor, and his father had to hide some very valuable, dark artifacts in a secret chamber under the drawing room floor.
As the potion’s effects start to wear off, Harry and Ron quickly rush to leave the common room and return to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, noting that the trip was not such a waste after all.
Upon returning, they find Hermione still hiding in a cubicle. When she emerges, it is revealed that she mistakenly used a cat hair in her potion, resulting in a partial transformation into a cat. Harry and Ron take her to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey begins treating her.
The chapter ends with Moaning Myrtle happily thinking about how everyone would tease Hermione now. The chapter also clarifies that Draco Malfoy is not behind the attacks, and sets up the stage for further investigation.
