Harry Potter is one of the most successful book series of all time, and while the books and movies are both over, there are still millions of fans. While these books transport readers into a magical world full of spells and fantastic creatures, there are many things about them that seem strange upon closer inspection. Some of the things from Harry Potter seem outdated or problematic when reading as an adult. This doesn’t mean they aren’t great books or that fans shouldn’t love them, but it is interesting to look at these aspects.
This is why we’ve put together a list of 10 things from the Chamber of Secrets that haven’t aged well.
THE FACT GILDEROY LOCKHART WAS ALLOWED TO TEACH
If there’s one thing Hogwarts seems to struggle with, it’s finding qualified professors to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. While Dumbledore notes that it’s hard to find people to take the job, there should still be a standard of teaching.
There definitely needs to be a stricter process of hiring here seeing as Lockhart doesn’t know how to teach at all. The sad thing is that he’s one of the least horrible defenses Against the Dark Arts professors seeing as he wasn't connected to Voldemort.
HARRY AND RON FLYING THE FORD ANGLIA
A lot of the poor decisions that Harry and his friends made can be excused because they are so young. Clearly, at twelve years old, Harry and Ron’s ability to make smart decisions isn’t great.
When they stake the Ford Anglia to Hogwarts, they risk Arthur Weasley’s job as well as their own safety. Doing so was a ridiculous choice since Ron’s parents would have likely met them back at the car in less than half an hour. The recklessness of this choice is pretty out there.
FILCH’S TREATMENT OF STUDENTS
The way Filch treats students is rather appalling when you think about it. He is often disparaging and yells at them. While cleaning up after a bunch of students would be super frustrating, his attitude isn’t all right either.
He often mentions wishing that harsh, physical punishments were still implemented. This definitely isn’t appropriate to say to a bunch of pre-teens and teens. This is definitely a disturbing thing.
HOW FILCH IS PERCEIVED BECAUSE HE’S A SQUIB
Filch’s job at Hogwarts is kind of complicated. On the one hand, he still needs a job in the wizarding world and wouldn't be able to do most of them because he can’t do magic. On the other hand, having the janitor of a school be someone who can’t use magic seems cruel as someone else could do the job without as much work involved.
When Harry learns that Filch is a Squib, this fact is met with disdain by Ron and others. It definitely is an example of how people who can’t do magic are seen as inferior.
THE EXISTENCE OF KNOCKTURN ALLEY
The fact that Knockturn Alley exists seems strange in and of itself. The area is known to attract dark magic and people, and yet it’s still allowed to be there.
Many of the artifacts sold there are harmful and full of dark magic, so it seems strange that shops like Borgin and Burkes are allowed by the ministry to stay in operation. It seems like Knockturn Alley should be shut down especially given its close proximity to Diagon Alley.
THE DURSLEYS LOCKING HARRY UP
The way the Dursleys treat Harry throughout his childhood is awful. They abuse and neglect him in a variety of ways. In Chamber of Secrets, Harry is blamed for Dobby’s actions. Instead of a reasonable punishment like grounding, Harry is literally locked in his room.
He’s only allowed out to use the bathroom and gets food given to him through a dog door. This is extremely abusive. The fact that Harry is forced to live with them over the summer is quite cruel even if there is a reason for it.
THE FACT THAT LEARNING ABOUT THE BASILISK SEEMED TO FALL TO HARRY, RON, AND HERMIONE
When reading the Harry Potter books as an adult, one thing that sticks out is how dangerous Hogwarts is as a school. There are often dark wizards and scary creatures around. It would seem that Dumbledore and the other professors would be the ones with the knowledge and ability to figure out that the creature was a Basilisk.
The fact it had to be Hermione to figure this out seems really troublesome. Solving these problems shouldn’t be in the hands of twelve-year-olds.
THAT ANTI-MUGGLE BORN SENTIMENT ISN’T SQUASHED
While the Harry Potter series is a good versus evil story that’s about fighting against people who believe Muggles are inferior, there are often times when this sentiment is allowed to flourish. Even characters like Ron often don’t realize their own prejudice against Muggles.
But, the really shocking thing is how characters like Draco Malfoy are allowed to say things like Mudblood and threats against Muggle-borns without any repercussions.
THE EXISTENCE OF HOUSE ELVES
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the book that introduces readers to house elves. Their existence is pretty messed up when you think about it. Having a race of magical creatures whose entire purpose is to be slaves to wizards is horrible.
It’s even more strange that hardly anyone realizes how awful this is as it’s really only Hermione who later has a problem with it.
KEEPING HOGWARTS OPEN AFTER THE CHAMBER IS REOPENED
As soon as the Chamber of Secrets was opened, the smartest thing to do would be to close Hogwarts until the problem was solved. Given that Moaning Myrtle died the last time the Chamber opened, Dumbledore and others knew the risks.
They should have put the student’s safety first and closed the school right away. But, instead, the attacks were allowed to continue.