At Flourish and Blotts
chapter four of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
En route to Diagon Alley, Harry takes the Floo to Knockturn Alley by mistake and runs into the Malfoys. He soon ends up in the right place, though, where he and his friends cap a memorable shopping excursion by meeting Gilderoy Lockhart (their new teacher) and watching a fight between Arthur and Lucius before heading home.
An old wooden street sign… told him he was in Knockturn Alley.
(by Snapesforte)
“But you’re Muggles!” said Mr. Weasley delightedly. “We must have a drink!”
(by Heather Campbell)
“We can actually meet him!” Hermione squealed. “I mean, he’s written almost the whole booklist!”
(by Edgar Torné)
“We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy.”
(by NicoPony)
Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads….
(by glockgal)
about the chapter
I always wonder what the backstory is on the relationship between Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy. They certainly have plenty of animosity for each other long before this day, and it’s never really clear why. Arthur is at least a few years older than Lucius, so it probably doesn’t stem from a relationship at Hogwarts. Perhaps it’s simply that each seems to be something of a spokesman in the wizarding world for his respective viewpoint on Muggle relations; either way, I wish we could hear more about it.
Something You May Not Have Noticed
This chapter is the first time we’ve ever heard the phrase “Dark Lord” used to describe Voldemort. The fact that Lucius Malfoy is the one speaking it, along with his context, makes it pretty clear that the title is used primarily by his supporters. I’ve always thought it was interesting that they continue to use this phrase (although here Lucius is in private) – wouldn’t it be something of a giveaway? But we’ll see some evidence down the road that there might be other reasons for it, too.
The Wizarding World
Wizards don’t seem to place as high a premium on privacy as we Muggles are used to (or at least as high as I’m used to). For example, I find it a bit disconcerting that Dumbledore knows Harry is staying at the Burrow – how does he know? Some kind of magical surveillance? Isn’t that a little Big Brother-ey? But none of the Weasleys seem to think twice about it. To the contrary, Molly is genuinely impressed. Perhaps the cultural distinction stems from wizards being such a tight-knit society, or from the wide uses of magic; either way it gives a bit more insight into the closeness of the wizarding world, and how incredibly disruptive Voldemort’s reign of terror must have been for those used to living in it.
Something to Remember
There are lots of great tidbits in this chapter that hint at things we’ll see later on:
- The Weasleys don’t think twice when they hear explosions from Fred and George’s room. But they also don’t seem to ask, what the heck are those two doing in there?
- The Dark objects that Harry sees on display in Borgin and Burkes are worth remembering; knowledge of several will prove useful in future years.
- Finally, another interesting thing to note about Lucius’s visit to Borgin and Burkes is the fact that he’s in a hurry because he has “important business elsewhere.” But an hour later we see he’s still shopping, this time at Flourish and Blotts. So what important thing is he attending to?
The Final Word
“Gilderoy Lockhart is a great example. I knew his name had to have an impressive ring to it. I was looking through the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable – a great source for names – and came across Gilderoy, a handsome Scottish highwayman. Exactly what I wanted. And then I found Lockhart on a war memorial to the First World War. The two together said everything I wanted about the character. “–J.K. Rowling, on how she finds names for her characters, November 2002
Perhaps Lucius just doesn’t want to spend much time in B&B as it seems like the sort of place that would make any wizard feel uncomfortable even if they’re one of the “dark side”!
Liz said this on March 19, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I always assumed his “important business” was to “casually meet” the Weasleys at some store and slip Riddle’s diary in between Ginny’s school things.
Lola said this on March 19, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Lola, that’s my assumption too – I was just saving the spoiler until a later chapter, but I’ll definitely get back to it!
John Kearns said this on April 16, 2009 at 2:06 pm
The explosions coming out of the twins room might have to do with Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes.
Jeremy said this on October 1, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Something i’ve wondered when i re-read the chapter, when harry is hiding from the malfoys in Borgin and Burkes, he hides in a cabinet. Could it possibly be the vanishing cabinet we see later on in the series?
Soraya said this on January 9, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Soraya, I thought about that too, but would he not have vanished while in it? Or does it require some form of magic that Harry didn’t use, because he was simply hiding?
Though, it does seem strange that a small dark arts shop would have more than one cabinet large enough to hold a twelve (and later, seventeen) year old boy.
Shea said this on January 13, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Soraya and Shea, I think it is the vanishing cabinet, but the reason Harry didn’t vanish is because they’re broken, and neither has been fixed yet. But now that I think about it, in the fifth book, Montague was shoved into a vanishing cabinet and dissapeared, apparently in limbo between the broken cabinets. That’s a really interesting side note… just might look into that.
Erica said this on January 26, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Also, I didn’t mention this in my comment above, but I would like to say that I am in love with NicoPony’s artwork. The detain in them is astounding.
Erica said this on January 26, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Another point to note about the Vanishing Cabinet: Harry doesn’t shut himself in, but rather leaves the door open a crack in order to spy on Malfoy. So assuming it is the cabinet, he could have had a very interesting experience if he’d shut the door….
John Kearns said this on January 27, 2010 at 9:09 am
That’s true, I didn’t think about that. Hmmm
Erica said this on January 28, 2010 at 6:42 pm
A sentence that always stands out to me at the start of this chapter is: “What Harry found most unusual about his life at Ron’s, however, wasn’t the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: it was the fact that everyone there seemed to like him.” Poor Harry… it’s so sad that he’s twelve years old and just experienciong what it’s like to be in a loving and accepting family for the first time.
Andrea said this on February 11, 2010 at 3:10 pm
With regard to the privacy or lack thereof – wouldn’t Dumbledore be keeping a very close eye on Harry, given that Voldemort had already tried to kill him once (as a baby) and Dumbledore suspected that he would be back to try again at some stage? I would say that his surveillance on Harry would have been protective rather than “nosy”.
Electa said this on June 8, 2010 at 8:16 pm
I agree with Electa. Also, it would seem that Dumbledore would want to know if Harry leaves the Dursley’s as he would no longer be under the magical protection of his aunt. Right? Because, if Voldemort were strong enough, he could come after Harry at the Burrow (or any other place).
Laura said this on July 4, 2010 at 11:18 am
One other thing about Dumbledore: he seems to have a preexisting relationship with the Weasleys – maybe through Molly’s brother’s and/or the First Order of the Phoenix? (I know Molly wasn’t in the 1st order, but we don’t know how much she and/or Arthur knew about it.) Perhaps he has even encouraged the relationship by talking to the Weasley’s about Harry and knows Harry is going to the Burrow. Maybe that is another reason Molly made sure to send Harry presents at Christmas. Something to think about…
Pam said this on July 28, 2010 at 2:09 pm