Prompt #2 Nothing Is True

     In the first two books of the Harry Potter series, some of our biggest expectations are not fulfilled. J.K. Rowling makes it so that the reader will have to read each book more than once, just to see if there were any clues that were missed. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, every person who reads the book for the first time is 100% sure that Snape is after the stone and is working for Voldemort. Prof. Quirrell is the last person that anybody expects to be after the stone and nobody could have ever predicted that Voldemort would actually be attached to the back of Quirrell's head. Though Rowling writes in a way to keep her reader's guessing, she makes some things very easy to figure out. Once you meet Malfoy, you can tell that he's going to end up being an enemy to Harry. His attitude and arrogance quickly set him apart from Harry. This is established almost from the start, just to create some polarity between the two characters.                   
     In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Rowling continues to toy with our thoughts towards characters. I know that back when I read the book for the first time, I thought that the heir of Slytherin was going to be Malfoy. It seemed so obvious to me at the time and I never really thought that Voldemort had anything to do with it. For a while I even suspected Hagrid because of the connection between his expulsion and the last time the chamber was opened. Again, I never expected Voldemort to be waiting for Harry in the Chamber and I never expected Ginny to have something to do with it. One of the things I did expect was for Lockhart to be a big fake and an even bigger idiot. At least Rowling makes some things easy for readers to pick up.                

Alan Lawson