Post 1, Prompt 2: Respect the Unexpected

           Let me ask this: where is the fun in expecting the unexpected? What I came to love about the Harry Potter series is that you quickly learned to set aside all expectations. While yes there are certain characters with which you could “expect” to act in a certain way within a given situation, the story itself always lent itself well to the mystery genre. I think that that is what is important about raising an expectation and failing to fulfill it. You bring the reader in, wait until they feel as though they have just “figured it all out” and then take the story in another direction. The reader is left disoriented, possibly frustrated, but in all the right ways. It leaves them to rethink the journey they have just experienced and most likely go back for another read-through.

            In the first Harry Potter book, the reader is led to believe that Snape is the one behind all that is going wrong within Hogwarts. As we, the readers, are following the young trio, we are somewhat restricted to following their thought processes. Nonetheless, it could be said the majority of us believed Snape to be the culprit. We come to learn at the end, however, that Professor Quirrell, along with a bodiless Voldemort, were behind the wrongdoings. The end would be all the more shocking to the young readers of the world, as they may have yet to be exposed to such plot-twisting storylines.

            In the second book, the reader is left conflicted as Hagrid’s connection to the Chamber of Secrets comes to light. Many questions are raised within the book: what is the diary? Who is the heir of Slytherin? Was Hagrid ever really at fault? What is lurking in the shadows, ready to prey on unsuspecting students? While reading with such uncertainties, it is almost impossible to form any sort of conclusion as to what is going to happen. Chamber of Secrets is full of the unexpected. As the books progress, their stories become more and more convoluted, making each one more engaging than the last. I believe readers need to let the experience guide them through the pages, instead of trying to figure everything out for themselves. It makes the journey all the more magical and all the more real.