The 1992-1993 School Year

The 1992-1993 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the second year of attendance for Harry Potter. The year was overwhelmingly defined by the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets for the first time in fifty years. This led to a series of attacks that left several students, a ghost, and a cat petrified by the monster within: a Basilisk. The events culminated in Harry Potter discovering the entrance to the Chamber, slaying the Basilisk, and destroying a memory of the young Lord Voldemort contained within a magical diary, which was later revealed to be one of his Horcruxes.

• Pre-Term: Harry Potter is visited at Number Four, Privet Drive by Dobby the house-elf, who warns him not to return to Hogwarts. Dobby's attempts to protect Harry result in an Improper Use of Magic Office warning for Harry and him being locked in his room by the Dursleys. He is rescued by Ron, Fred, and George Weasley in their father's enchanted Ford Anglia.
• Arrival at Hogwarts: Dobby magically seals the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, preventing Harry and Ron from boarding the Hogwarts Express. They fly the enchanted Ford Anglia to Hogwarts, crashing into the Whomping Willow upon arrival, which damages both the tree and Ron Weasley's wand.
• The Heir of Slytherin: On Hallowe'en, a message is found written in blood on a castle corridor wall: “THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.” Argus Filch's cat, Mrs Norris, is found petrified nearby. Suspicion falls on Harry, as he was the first to find the scene.
• The Duelling Club: The new, incompetent Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, starts a short-lived Duelling Club. During a duel with Draco Malfoy, Harry is revealed to be a Parselmouth when he instinctively speaks Parseltongue to a conjured snake. This ability, famously associated with Salazar Slytherin, greatly increases the school's suspicion that Harry is the Heir.
• The Polyjuice Potion: To investigate their theory that Draco Malfoy is the Heir of Slytherin, Hermione Granger brews a Polyjuice Potion in the girls' bathroom haunted by Moaning Myrtle. While Harry and Ron successfully impersonate Crabbe and Goyle, Hermione's transformation goes wrong when she mistakes a cat hair for that of Millicent Bulstrode. From Malfoy, they learn he is not the Heir.
• A Series of Attacks: Throughout the year, the Basilisk petrifies several victims:
  1. ` - ` Mrs Norris (the cat)
  2. ` - ` Colin Creevey
  3. ` - ` Justin Finch-Fletchley
  4. ` - ` Nearly Headless Nick
  5. ` - ` Hermione Granger
  6. ` - ` Penelope Clearwater
• Tom Riddle's Diary: Harry finds a blank diary in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He discovers it belonged to a former student named Tom Marvolo Riddle. The diary contains a memory of Riddle, who shows Harry a scene from fifty years prior in which Rubeus Hagrid is accused of opening the Chamber and his giant spider, Aragog, is blamed as the monster.
• Hagrid and Dumbledore Depart: Following the attack on Hermione and Penelope, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and school governor Lucius Malfoy arrive at Hogwarts. Hagrid is arrested and taken to Azkaban as a precaution, while Lucius Malfoy secures the suspension of Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster. Before being led away, Hagrid leaves a clue for Harry and Ron: “follow the spiders.”
• The Climax in the Chamber: After Ginny Weasley is taken into the Chamber, Harry and Ron discover the final clue from a petrified Hermione: the monster is a Basilisk that travels through the pipes. They locate the Chamber's entrance in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Inside, they find the memory of Tom Riddle, who reveals he is a younger version of Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, arrives with the Sorting Hat. Harry pulls the Sword of Gryffindor from the hat, slays the Basilisk, and uses one of its fangs to stab the diary, destroying Riddle's memory and rescuing Ginny.

• New Staff: Gilderoy Lockhart was appointed the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. His tenure was a complete failure, as he possessed no practical skill and his lessons consisted of reenacting his fictional published exploits.
• Quidditch: The Slytherin Quidditch team received new Nimbus Two Thousand and One brooms, a gift from Lucius Malfoy to secure his son Draco's position as Seeker. During the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, Dobby enchanted a Bludger to attack Harry, breaking his arm. The Quidditch Cup was ultimately cancelled due to the security risk posed by the attacks.
• Examinations: As a school-wide treat following the resolution of the Chamber of Secrets crisis, all end-of-year exams were cancelled.

• All petrified victims were successfully revived using a Mandrake Restorative Draught brewed by Professor Sprout.
• Hagrid was released from Azkaban and Dumbledore was reinstated as Headmaster, their names cleared of all suspicion.
• Lucius Malfoy was removed from his post as a Hogwarts governor after Dumbledore and Harry presented Tom Riddle's Diary as evidence of his involvement.
• Harry tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing his house-elf, Dobby.
• Gilderoy Lockhart was permanently institutionalized in the Janus Thickey Ward of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries after a Memory Charm he attempted on Harry and Ron backfired.
• The destruction of Tom Riddle's Diary marked the first time Harry Potter unknowingly destroyed one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.