Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets: Chapter 15 Summary.
Aragog
Chapter 15 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, titled “Aragog,” deals with Harry and Ron’s dangerous journey into the Forbidden Forest to follow the trail of spiders, and their interaction with a giant monster named Aragog.
The Atmosphere at Hogwarts
As summer begins to bloom at Hogwarts, the vibrant signs of life around the castle, blue skies, a sparkling lake, and blossoming flowers—contrast sharply with the ominous atmosphere within. However, the school grounds look empty without Hagrid, as noted painfully by Harry.
The recent suspension of Dumbledore and Hagrid’s arrest have left the school community in a state of deep fear and uncertainty. Every face is tense and grim, and any laughter in the corridors feels unnatural and dies off quickly.
Harry and Ron attempt to visit Hermione, who lies petrified in the hospital wing, only to be turned away by a stern Madam Pomfrey. She fears that the attacker might return to finish off the victims, and has therefore banned any and all visitors.
Harry thinks about Dumbledore’s parting words (‘I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.’), but has no idea what they meant. Hagrid’s clue is far easier to follow, except it seems like there are no spiders left in the school. The fact that students weren’t allowed to go out on their own and had to stick to a group did not help.
Only one person seemed to be enjoying the state of the school; Draco Malfoy, who strutted around as if he had been appointed Head-boy.
In Potions class, Harry overhears Malfoy tell Crabbe and Goyle that his father probably had a hand in suspending Dumbledore, considering his hatred for him. He also wishes that the new headmaster would not want to close the Chamber of Secrets, and notes that Professor McGonagall wouldn’t last long since she is only filling in for the position.
He asks Snape why he doesn’t apply for the position of Headmaster, to which Snape replies with a smile that Dumbledore is bound to be back soon. Malfoy declares that if Snape were to apply, he would get Lucius’s vote since he was the best teacher Malfoy had ever had. He also makes a snarky comment that the the next mudblood would die in an attack, and says it’s a pity it wasn’t Hermione. This attracts a violent reaction from Ron, which goes unnoticed as Harry and Dean manage to hold him while the bell rings at the exact same time.
Following the Trail of Spiders
After Potions, their next class is Herbology. Snape escorts the class to the Greenhouses, with Harry and Dean still holding on to Ron. Professor Sprout puts them on the task of pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. During the class, he comes face to face with Ernie Macmillan, who apologizes to Harry for suspecting him.
Ernie admits that Harry could never attack Hermione, and talks of his distrust of Malfoy. He asks Harry if he suspects Malfoy too, to which he says no.
A few minutes later, Harry sees a bunch of spiders scurrying across the Earth. He notifies Ron of the same, and realizes they are heading towards the Forbidden Forest. After the class, they discuss that in order to visit the forest, they would need to bring out the invisibility cloak and probably take Fang along.
Their next class is Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Lockhart greets them cheerfully. He happily announces that the threat has passed since Hagrid has been arrested. Ron begins to argue him, but Harry stops him before he can say anything. He passes Ron a note saying “Let’s do it tonight”, and with some hesitation, Ron agrees.
Aragog
That night after dinner, Harry retrieves his invisibility cloak from his trunk, but had to wait until midnight before the common room cleared and he got a chance to actually use it.
Finally, Ron and Harry put the cloak over themselves and make their way out to the grounds. First, they go to Hagrid’s house to fetch Fang. Fang is overjoyed to see them, and Harry feeds him a Treacle Fudge to keep him silent. He leaves his invisibility cloak in Hagrid’s hut as there would be no need for it in the pitch dark forest. Muttering Lumos to light his wand up, Harry searches the ground for spiders and spots two little ones scurrying into the forest. They start to follow the spiders.
After walking for a while, they are deep inside the forest. They notice that the ground is beginning to slope downwards, and the trees are getting thicker.
Suddenly, Fang notices something ahead and lets out a loud bark. Ron and Harry quiet down to listen, and realize that something big is snapping branches to make way on their right.
They stand still, waiting for it to pass. For a second, it seems like the thing has passed. Suddenly, there is a large flash of light, and the thing is revealed to be Mr Weasley’s car. The forest had turned it wild and it was covered with mud, but it was still there.
They breathe a sigh of relief, but Harry realizes that they have lost the trail. Harry barely has the time to inform Ron of this, when something long and hairy seizes him around the middle, lifts him up and sweeps him away into the dark trees. In the distance, he sees that Ron too has been picked up.
Harry realizes that the thing carrying it has 8 long, hairy legs and two sharp pincers. The creature takes and drops them into the heart of the forest, where they are surrounded by large, cart-horse sized spiders.
Hagrid’s innocence
The giant spider that had brought Harry here starts calling for “Aragog”. From the center of a misty domed web, Aragog emerged; a greying spider the size of a small elephant.
Aragog asks if the men the spiders have found include Hagrid. When the spider says no, Aragog asks him to kill them.
Harry yells that he is a friend of Hagrid and that Hagrid is in trouble. Aragog recalls the past and informs Harry that years ago, everyone had thought that Aragog was the monster from the Chamber of Secrets, and that Hagrid had been wrongfully expelled for raising him. He explains that he was not born in the castle but foreign land, and actually came from an egg that a traveler gifted Hagrid. Hagrid cared for him, raised him and even found him a wife. Out of respect for Hagrid, Aragog never attacked anyone, and only stayed inside the dark cupboard where Hagrid kept him.
Harry asks if Aragog knows the creature that is attacking students. This results in an angry scuttle from all the spiders, as Aragog explains that it is a monster spiders fear the most, and they cannot even speak of i
Harry does not press further and says he should go, but Aragog reveals that he cannot deny his children fresh meet that has chosen to wander willingly into their midst. As the spiders close in, it seems that all hope is lost.
Just then, the enchanted Ford Anglia reappears, its headlights blazing and horn blaring, scattering the spiders. Harry, Ron, and Fang scramble inside, narrowly avoiding a gruesome fate. The car speeds through the forest without Ron having to touch the accelerator. It dodging trees and obstacles, and finally deposits them safely at the edge of the woods. Harry gives it a grateful pat as Fang runs back to Hagrid’s hut, and the car reverses back into the forest.
Back at Hogwarts, the gravity of their adventure sinks in. Harry and Ron are shaken but relieved to have survived. They now possess crucial knowledge: Hagrid is innocent, and a far more dangerous creature is at large.
The chapter ends with Harry pondering over everything Aragog told them, and realizes that the girl who was killed in the bathroom might be someone they already know- Moaning Myrtle.
