They discover that centuries before, one of the school’s founders, Salazar Slytherin, had taken a racist vow that all prospective witches and wizards who didn’t possess “pure blood” would be banished from Hogwarts. True to form, Ron, Harry and Hermione strive to stamp out the Dark Magic in their midst. And finally, Ron’s sister Ginny (who has a huge crush on Harry) winds up in the clutches of a nasty, conniving villain. On top of that, his life is once again endangered by strange magic at a Quidditch match. Students are turning up literally petrified, and many think Harry’s to blame. Threatening messages are being written on the school walls in blood. Kill! I want blood!” Meanwhile, the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher seems more interested in his perfect hairdo than in battling corruption. He repeatedly hears a sinister voice hissing, “Kill. But return Harry does, and discovers right away that evil is indeed lurking at Hogwarts. This digitally animated ascetic begs Harry not to return to school, warning that there is a plot afoot to harm or even kill the famous young wizard. To top it off, he receives an ominous visit from a house elf named Dobby.
Harry has passed a predictably miserable summer with his awful adoptive family-a holiday made all the worse by the interception of all correspondence from his school friends Ron and Hermione. Rowling’s popular young wizard and his friends are back for their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. And they’re ready to take on the next big boarding school mystery.