PHILOSOPHERS STONE: CHAPTER TWO

As the chapter discussions are still new in opening, I have taken it upon myself to chair this second chapter discussion. If anyone wishes to put their name down to chair (lead) and other chapter discussions then visit the sign up thread found here:
http://hogwarts-experience.heavenforum.org/viewtopic.forum?t=2984

This discussion will be open for one week, and everyone who participates could earn a possible fifty housepoints dependant of their participation in the discussion.

Remember – this is a discussion, not a debate, so any strong opinions which may invite debate should be kept out. It’s also helpful to re-read the chapter before participating.

That said, on with the discussion!



Summary of the second chapter:

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Since this chapter takes place almost ten years after The Boy Who Lived, the reader gets a lot of information about how Harry has been treated. We first see that the Dursley's have no pictures that show that Harry lives there as well. Harry wakes up to his aunt banging on the door of his cupboard. He tries to remember the dream about a flying motorcycle. Harry forcefully is reminded that today is Dudley's birthday.
He pulls a spider off sock, then after he dresses he goes into the kitchen to tend to Dudley's breakfast. The table is covered with presents and Harry guesses what’s there. We find out that Harry had been living in that cupboard for years and wears Dudley's old clothes. At this time the only thing he likes about his own appearance is the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. He is not allowed to ask questions at the Dursley’s.
Uncle Vernon comes in and tells Harry to comb his hair. Harry had haircuts more often than any of the other boys in his class. Harry is frying eggs when Dudley comes into the kitchen with his aunt. A description of Dudley id given in which Aunt Petunia often said that her son looked like a baby angel while Harry said he looked like a pig in a wig. A small argument ensues over the amount of presents Dudley received. Petunia ‘saves the day’ by telling him she’ll buy Dudley two more presents, totaling thirty-nine.
While Dudley opens his presents, Aunt Petunia goes to answer the phone. Upon her return, she states that Mrs. Figg, a cat-crazed old woman, cannot watch Harry while the Dursley family goes out to celebrate Dudley’s birthday. The Dursley’s try to think of something to do with him. Dudley pretends to cry to try to get his way. When his friend, Piers Polkiss, walks in he immediately stops ‘crying.’ The Dursley’s decide to take Harry with them after Vernon tells Harry not to do any funny business.
Harry remembers all the strange things he had done. These included growing his hair back after it was cut off, shrinking a sweater his aunt was trying to make him wear, and finding himself on a school roof. Uncle Vernon complains while he’s driving. Harry tells him about the flying motorcycle only to get told off. The reader learns that the Dursley’s don’t like things acting out of the ordinary. After hanging out at the zoo a while they visit the reptile house.
Dudley finds the biggest snake in the place. It was asleep so Dudley tells Uncle Vernon to wake it up. Vernon taps on the glass a couple times, but it doesn’t wake up. Dudley gets bored and moves on. Harry moves in front of the tank and sympathizes with it, comparing himself with the Boa Constrictor. The snake wakes up and winks at Harry. After Harry looks around to make sure no one is watching, he winks back. While continuing his ‘conversation’ with the Boa, Piers screams for the Dursley’s to come see what the snake is doing. Dudley pushes Harry out of the way sending him to the floor. The glass on the front of the tank disappears and the Boa uncoils onto the floor. The snake thanks Harry in words instead of his earlier tail pointing.
Back at Private Drive, Vernon sends Harry to his cupboard. As Harry waits so he can safely sneak some food from the kitchen he thinks about his life with the Dursley’s. He couldn’t remember the car crash his parents supposedly died in but he remembers a lot of green light. He also remembers strangers that seemed to know him. The reader learns that Harry has nobody at school.

I am very relaxed as to where you want to take this discussion, though perhaps a few points of discussion could lie here:

Is there is a significance to the spiders in Petunia’s clean house?

What are your first impressions upon Petunia?

We get a first glimpse of parsel tongue which is later touched upon in the second book. Is there anything else you can see that may light the way for theories in the last book? Look at things that may show events in the other books too.

Why are there no pictures of Harry in the dursleys house?

If there is anything else you think important to discuss feel free

let the discussion commence…

Well, to be honest there's not too much that happens in The Vanishing Glass that would seem to hold any importance for the rest of the series.

In my opinion, it just serves to show us the characters of the Dursleys - Dudley as the spoiled brat, with his 37 birthday presents, and the differences in how Vernon and Petunia treat Harry compared to their own son.

Now I'll answer your questions:

Is there is a significance to the spiders in Petunia’s clean house?

I think this just shows that the Dursley's never venture into Harry's cupboard. Petunia doesn't want anything to do with Harry - including his 'bedroom'.

What are your first impressions upon Petunia?

Cruel and shrill, bossy and controlling.

We get a first glimpse of parsel tongue which is later touched upon in the second book. Is there anything else you can see that may light the way for theories in the last book? Look at things that may show events in the other books too.

Hmm...well Harry remembers meeting three nameless strangers. Later on in the book we find out one of them is Dedalus Diggle (who even later in the series we find out is an Order member). Perhaps the other nameless wizards now know Harry?

Why are there no pictures of Harry in the dursleys house?

My first reaction would be to say because they hate him. But then if you think about it...in OotP, it becomes clear that Petunia knew about the dangers of the wizarding world, so what if she kept no pictures of Harry in her house and made him live in a cupboard because she didn't want anyone to know he lived there? Not because she hated him, but because she was afraid Dark Wizards would come and harm her family. It's far-fetched, but it's a thought.

There's not much else I don't think...as I said before, I think this chapter is simply setting up the personalities of the characters, introducing us to the horrible Dursley's, and giving us a tiny glimpse of foreshadowing with the boa constrictor episode.

Is there is a significance to the spiders in Petunia’s clean house?

I agree with Duck with this. I dont think there is any other significance to the spiders.

What are your first impressions upon Petunia?

I thought there was something more to her. she didnt seem as shallow as vernon and dudly - there was something about her.


Why are there no pictures of Harry in the dursleys house?

It is one of the many ways to pretend he doesnt exist.
I do like your theory on the dark wizards coming to find him if he 'existed' there but isnt the house under a secrecy spell? therefore they couldnt have

Instead of looking at all the questions I have got stuck on the spiders one

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Is there is a significance to the spiders in Petunia’s clean house?

I think there is possibly something more here. I think that the spiders may show many areas of symbolism. The most simplest and possibly most obvious is that spiders are known to work hard, showing a distinct relationship with Harry having to work hard.

There is a well known rhyme about spiders:

If you wish to live and thrive
let a spider run alive.

This could symbolise the fact that Harry strives to live.


Spiders also represent secret imperfection/secret information - this could simply show the secret of harry being a wizard that the dursleys have kept from him or perhaps more?

I'm not sure how much weight is in these spider theories - I think there's no significance except to again highlight the neglect of Harry lol.

Something else that happens in this chapter is that Harry mentions a dream of a flying motorbike. Do you think this has any significance, or just serves as foreshadowing?

Mrs Figg is also mentioned in this chapter - albeit only in passing that she can't look after Harry - but what were your impressions when mentioned? Did you think nothing of it, when first reading or...?

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Something else that happens in this chapter is that Harry mentions a dream of a flying motorbike. Do you think this has any significance, or just serves as foreshadowing?

Well Harry, as we know, does get flashbacks a lot so perhaps this is one of them. Just an idea (one im throwing out without much thought) could this be linked with the chapter 1 discussion of where harry was during the missing hours? could sirius have taken harry on the bike? It would explain his dreams of flying on the bike - although didnt hagrid bring him to dumbledore on the bike?

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Mrs Figg is also mentioned in this chapter - albeit only in passing that she can't look after Harry - but what were your impressions when mentioned? Did you think nothing of it, when first reading or...?

I honestly thought nothing of it. I just assumed she was a nasty neighbour who hated harry because she believed what the dursleys had said about her

Ilyria wrote:

Instead of looking at all the questions I have got stuck on the spiders one

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Is there is a significance to the spiders in Petunia’s clean house?

There is a well known rhyme about spiders:

If you wish to live and thrive
let a spider run alive.

This could symbolise the fact that Harry strives to live.

I think that this is more right than any other possibility. i think this shows a little significance and meaning the JK does do, though i cant see it being more

elfie dumbledore wrote:

Using this translation, Spinners end translates back to spiders end

Spiders end shows death - the end to all. Does this fortell the end to Snape in the final book?

JK does like her translations so I think this is possible. Sorry I am getting stuck on the spiders again.

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Something else that happens in this chapter is that Harry mentions a dream of a flying motorbike. Do you think this has any significance, or just serves as foreshadowing?

I like phoenix's input on this. It does also tie in nicely with the third person being a distinct possibility at godrics hollow. It also could be a simple fact that sirius may have taken him on the bike before or remembering hagrid taking him on the bikke to dumbledore

THe whole spider thing is very interesting. I think that Wormtail and Snape will redeem themselves together to save Harry. For wormatail it would be more for his duty as a Maurderer and for Snape, he owes it to Dumbledore so that might be how it ends up. Thats what I'm hoping anyway.

For the Aunt Petunia, I remeber first reading it and thinking she was just scared. Scared of her own son, and scared of her husband. She could also be scared of Harry because she knows what he is (a wizard), and knows what danger that might meen later.

Flying Motorbike time.-- This dream I think is really a memory that he just happens to relive when he's sleeping. I really don't beieve it has anything to do with Godric's Hallow or Sirius. Becasue in the 1st chapter, Hagrid says while handing Baby Harry over to Dumbldore that he fell asleep after they took of, so Harry either remembers Hagrid landing to get him, or while they were actually in the air.

Mrs. Figg -- umm.. to be perfectly honest the first time I read it, I thought nothing of it. But after all the books and rereads, I have come to decide that it's just like Sirius, he was just mentioned in passing but turns out to be pretty major. Figgy is major because she's part of the Order and witnessed the dementor attack.