BP 1, Prompt 2: The Last Person You Would Suspect

In the first two Harry Potter books, our expectations are continually being modified to fit with the mysteries that are being solved throughout the text and the new mysteries that are arising as Harry journeys through his time at Hogwarts.

             

In the first book, our expectation is that Voldemort is dead. We know he was “destroyed” when he attempted to kill Harry, and the only hint we get to his returning is Hagrid’s comment in the Leaky Cauldron about suspecting that he was still alive, only biding his time before he could return to power. We then go through Harry’s first year with our suspicion focused on Professor Snape’s guilt in being involved in a plot to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone. Every sinister situation Harry finds himself in, Snape is there. Naturally we start to believe Snape is responsible for the evil going on at Hogwarts. It isn’t until the final chapter where our expectations that both Voldemort is dead and Snape is trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone are crushed by the fact that Voldemort is both alive and behind the plan to steal the stone, along with Professor Quirrell who we thought was innocent.

In the second book, our expectation is yet again that Voldemort has nothing to do with the bad things happening at Hogwarts. We now suspect the Heir of Slytherin, believing that it is Draco Malfoy. Just like in the Sorcerer’s Stone, we are given a red herring to follow. Again it’s not until the end that we realize that Voldemort is behind the basilisk trying to kill the muggle born students.

In any good literary work, it is essential to add some mystery and to not tell the reader all the details. The failure to fulfill these expectations on Rowling’s part comes from the chance to advance the mystery and plot and set up future conflicts.