The students thinking that Harry had Petrified those kids. It feels forced, and doesn't make sense in story.
12 year olds believe lots of silly things, I'm sure.
A different but related point that I find a bit unrealistic at various points in the series, but especially here, is how the older students are often depicted as reacting much the same way as the students of Harry's own age. I mean, seriously, imagine you're a 17-year old student in that situation. Are you really going to take the idea seriously that some 12-year old, albeit a notorious one, would be capable of doing these things that you yourself have no idea how to do?
The Quidditch teams sometimes suffer from the same problem - that Malfoy manages to make lackeys of the Slytherins in his own year, okay, sure. That he manages to buy his way onto the team through those broomsticks, I can buy as well. But it does not make sense to me that they'd act so subservient to him, when most of the people on that team have to be three, four or five years older. That's an enormous gap at that age, they should barely be giving him the time of day, famous family or not.
The Great Harry Potter re-read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
19/07/2010 09:32:22 AM
- 2356 Views
Chapters 1-3
19/07/2010 09:32:52 AM
- 1589 Views
Dobby
19/07/2010 02:39:06 PM
- 1557 Views
I hate Dobby.
20/07/2010 11:32:58 AM
- 1672 Views
Stuff
20/07/2010 05:54:26 PM
- 1588 Views
The Dursleys.
23/07/2010 11:35:31 PM
- 1636 Views
Chapters 4-6
19/07/2010 09:33:18 AM
- 1541 Views
Another character we love to hate! Gilderoy Lockhart. Plus Weasley vs Malfoy.
20/07/2010 03:29:39 PM
- 1588 Views
I can't remember how much I hated him the first read
21/07/2010 03:44:15 AM
- 1670 Views
You're right. It's not as bad the second (or third) time around with him.
21/07/2010 01:54:01 PM
- 1477 Views
My problems with Dobby are very different from my problems with Lockhart
21/07/2010 07:02:55 AM
- 1578 Views
More stuff
21/07/2010 07:00:04 AM
- 1516 Views
This section really brought home to me how well Rowling writes about love and relationships.
21/07/2010 07:22:43 PM
- 1600 Views
That last remark made me check out the names in the French translation...
26/07/2010 05:18:36 PM
- 1626 Views
Don't get me started on the Norwegian translation.
26/07/2010 09:52:09 PM
- 1557 Views
That is indeed genuinely awesome.
27/07/2010 12:24:07 AM
- 1568 Views
Re: That is indeed genuinely awesome.
27/07/2010 09:07:35 AM
- 1555 Views
McSnurf? MCSNURF?? WTH? *NM*
27/07/2010 08:47:55 PM
- 939 Views
Chapters 7-9
19/07/2010 09:33:44 AM
- 1515 Views
Colin Creevey.
22/07/2010 06:55:17 PM
- 1561 Views
Re: Colin Creevey.
23/07/2010 10:13:33 PM
- 1511 Views
Even more stuff
23/07/2010 10:10:39 PM
- 1584 Views
Chapters 10-12
19/07/2010 09:34:13 AM
- 1426 Views
Three good chapters
22/07/2010 02:28:20 PM
- 1487 Views
Yup.
23/07/2010 11:32:03 PM
- 1529 Views
I agree. And plain jealousy that Harry's hogging the spotlight time and again.
26/07/2010 05:28:09 PM
- 1609 Views
Something I don't like:
23/07/2010 11:24:59 PM
- 1405 Views
Those students are 12 years old, though.
26/07/2010 05:35:13 PM
- 1391 Views
Chapters 13-15
19/07/2010 09:34:50 AM
- 1303 Views
Heh. I'd forgotten how near the end of the book the spiders are.
23/07/2010 11:26:43 PM
- 1369 Views
"Goodbye friends of Hagrid..."
26/07/2010 01:58:25 PM
- 1385 Views
Chapters 16-18
19/07/2010 09:35:20 AM
- 1466 Views
Overall thoughts
19/07/2010 09:36:06 AM
- 1554 Views
Thoughts on the movie quality
21/07/2010 04:15:20 AM
- 1303 Views
I always felt that the first two movies were the best, and the others bungled the atmosphere. *NM*
21/07/2010 03:08:29 PM
- 858 Views
I wonder if Rowling ever looks back and wishes she could change some stuff
21/07/2010 06:44:41 PM
- 1411 Views
Suggestions for the re-read?
19/07/2010 09:37:32 AM
- 1370 Views
Do we want a wee break before the next book?
24/07/2010 10:47:07 AM
- 1341 Views
we need an impatient smiley that taps its foot while looking grumpy. *NM*
27/07/2010 08:51:30 PM
- 824 Views
It's not Wednesday yet! *NM*
27/07/2010 09:26:21 PM
- 751 Views
But it was a question:
27/07/2010 10:25:27 PM
- 1362 Views
Yes, but the two possibilities in Rebekah's post were either Wednesday or next Monday.
27/07/2010 10:33:10 PM
- 1704 Views