To many people Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets is a boring book. Friends of mine say it’s just another “intro” book and not a lot happens in it. From what I’ve seen, when people list their favorite Harry Potter books, Chamber of Secrets is usually at the bottom. This is something I don’t understand. This is NOT the case for me! It is my favorite book in the series. In fact, it’s my favorite book of all time!

I read it when I was ten and it’s the reason I became such a huge fan of the series. J.K. Rowling has said herself in interviews that Chamber of Secrets is amongst her favorites! I also think its neat how the book is dedicated to her best friend Sean Harris, who Ron Weasley was based off of. JKRowling has even revealed on her official website that Sean owned the original turquoise and white Ford Anglia, the very type of car the Weasleys own in the book.

Even from the very beginning the book was exciting. The first line of the first page gave a huge foreshadowing of its theme: “Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Private Drive.”

I knew from then on that things were only going to get worse for Harry Potter.

There’s something so raw about how Harry interacted with his relatives and for the first time we got to see what his life was really like. Yes, in the first book there was a lot of description, but in this one we got to see the actual cruelty. It was interesting for me to read it as a ten-year-old. I come from such a big and loving family — much like the Weasleys — so though I couldn’t really understand Harry’s position I sympathized with him greatly.

Harry had changed since Sorcerer’s Stone. He was a bit tougher and more assured of himself. He snapped back when he could and dealt with things like yard work on a hot summer’s day only to be rewarded with bread and cheese. He had a bit more wit and more drive to prove himself.

Dobby was introduced in this book. I loved his character instantly. I loved how he spoke in third person and was so timid yet stubborn. He added a bit of mystery because no one knew of his real motives.

Of course, the gold of the book is Ron Weasley. From the moment Harry spotted the car parked by his window in midair I was in love. Harry was in trouble and Ron was there to rescue him.

Ron grew so much in this book. I knew from book one that he was brave, kind, funny and true but he stepped it up in Chamber of Secrets. He took less crap from Draco Malfoy. He was kinder to Hermione Granger and he was the best friend Harry needed. Ron’s humor, bravery, and loyalty in Chamber of Secrets reminded me of my best friend who is equally loyal and a bit impulsive like Ron. His character made it very easy for me to relate to the book. He was more than just a friend in this one though. We got to see him as a big brother to Ginny Weasley. Their brother/sister relationship is something I’ve always been jealous of. I’m not nearly as close to my brother as I would have liked to be.

I also enjoyed how the Weasley family was brought in. In the first book we got an introduction, but in Chamber of Secrets we really got to know them. We saw how the siblings interacted with each other and their parents and how Harry interacted with them as well.

I could easily identify with the Weasley family. I’m the youngest of seven. I have five older sisters and an older brother. The way the Weasleys interacted with each other was something I saw often in my own home.

I love this book so much largely because it is so Weasleycentric and Ron is just about everywhere! Never again in my opinion does he have such a huge role and an impact until the last installment of the saga, The Deathly Hallows.

We got to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in action. Mrs. Weasley was warm and kind, but fierce when she needed to be. We got to see her fuss over Harry and her kids. I saw so much of my mother in her. She always fussed over us and asked us a billion times if we had enough food. Mr. Weasley, who reminded me of my dad, showed us where Ron got his personality from. He was funny, cool, and a bit of a jokester himself.

The twins were great. They picked on Ron and Percy and were just so hilarious. Percy was a nag and such a black sheep to his brothers. We were also introduced to Ginny, this mousy little girl. I saw a bit of myself in her as I read. Being the youngest of such a large family and especially being the youngest girl is tough. I sympathized with how her brothers treated her and I felt the annoyance she must have felt when her parents nagged over her.

However, it’s not just the characters I love. The plot of Chamber of Secrets is remarkable. The way J.K. Rowling wrote the entire Heir-of-Slytherin ordeal kept me on edge and kept me guessing. It was so cool how she brought in the Parseltongue idea, and Gilderoy Lockhart kept the book light with his flashy robes and narcissism.

Of course the actual Chamber of Secrets part was flawless. Finding out about Tom Riddle and Voldemort getting his name was fantastic!

However, what I loved the most was Ron and Harry’s friendship. I loved how much they were together and helped each other out. Ron is my favorite character and one of the things I love about him so much is his dedication to the people he loves and moreover to Harry. All their adventures together in the book were so entertaining. They joked and took care of each other. It was beautiful.

So, when the movie came out you bet I was excited!

The first scene with Daniel Radcliffe at his desk made my jaw drop. He was so… BIG! He looked so much older than he was in Sorcerer’s Stone. I knew a couple of years or so had past but DAMN!!! Even his voice had changed. “I can’t let you out Hedwig,” made my already dropped jaw fall another inch.

I loved the look of Dobby. It was well done and his voice was how I heard it in my head.

Then it happened. The flying car came to the window. I had butterflies in my stomach. We saw Dan go closer to the window and then there he was in the front seat, with a smile on his cute face. “Hiya, Harry.”

That was it. My jaw completely fell off! Rupert’s voice had to have dropped ten octaves if that’s even possible! Rupert Grint had grown up and out! He was taller, bigger, and his butt was yummy! (And FYI I was just hitting puberty!)

From then on I was in heaven. I loved the scene at the kitchen when Ginny came downstairs and asked about her jumper but saw Harry and ran up the stairs. Harry asked Ron what he did and Ron said: “Ginny, she’s been talking about you all summer. It’s getting annoying really.” It was great!

One of my favorite parts of the movie was when Arthur asked how stealing the car had gone and they all started to tell how great it was until Molly hit him. Ron and Harry exchanged this PERFECT grin. I knew from that point that Rupert and Dan were going to bring the heat and make the movie marvelous.

In my opinion, Chamber of Secrets did the best job of staying true to the book. Yes, things were added and omitted here and there, and the pesky line changes annoyed a bit, but overall the film did follow the plot and I can’t thank Chris Columbus enough for that. I’m so pleased with the way he directed this movie.

Words cannot begin to describe how “Ron” Rupert was in Chamber of Secrets. Every expression, gesture, sound, it was all Ron. His arachnophobia was dead on, and the belching of slugs even surpassed how I saw it in the book. The facial expression Rupert made when he was in Hagrid’s Hut with the bucket was great. He didn’t even say much but he commanded the scene.

The boys’ friendship in the book was so magical and genuine. Rupert and Dan portrayed it effortlessly. They WERE Ron and Harry and their chemistry was off the charts! (The movie made me ship R/H, lol.)

A really good Ron/Harry scene was the flying car scene in the beginning. At first they were having fun but then the train came. It was incredible and I’m so happy they added the bit about Harry almost falling out of the car! Ron just grabbed him and pulled him back in. They were out of breath and panting.

Harry goes, “I think we found the train.” Ron replies, “Yeah,” and Rupert does this fantastic thing with his mouth like “Holy sh*t.”

Another great one was when they landed in the Whomping Willow. They kept giving each other glances and Rupert was flawless. When he banged his wand on the wheel and squeaked in such a high pitched voice, “What’s happening?!” I almost fell out of my chair with laughter.

The entire scene with Ron and Harry in the Forbidden Forrest was great. A memorable moment was when Ron sees a huge spider and trembles Harry’s name, but Harry cuts in and goes “Shush!” Ron closes his mouth and makes a face. It was SO Harry & Ron!

I also loved the scene where they were going into the chamber and Lockhart tried to get away. Ron and Harry just held up their wands. They were completely badass!

There were times when they weren’t even side by side or necessarily talking to each other yet Rupert and Dan were so in sync with each other. They were older, more experience, and it showed.

In my opinion, Rupert was never a better Ron and Dan was never a better Harry. I love Chamber of Secrets because Ron is almost in every scene, so the movie was easy to enjoy. Rupert was divine. He always does a perfect job but in Chamber of Secrets he was just spectacular. And Dan too did really well in this movie.

While others may not see it that way, Chamber of Secrets is the “bro” book for me. Hermione wasn’t in it a whole lot and it gave Ron and Harry time to shine. Both Ron and Harry learned and matured so much, and the film showed their developing friendship.

Chamber of Secrets will always be my favorite Harry Potter book and movie.

It’s real magic.