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The Monster/Basilisk
Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, becomes a symbol of Harry and Dumbledore’s shared loyalty, and of how Dumbledore’s support of Harry inspires Harry’s bravery. After several mysterious attacks on students, Dumbledore is forced to leave his post by the school governors. Then, in the Chamber of Secrets when Harry confronts Tom Riddle, he tells Riddle that Dumbledore isn’t as absent from Hogwarts as Riddle thinks. These words of loyalty to Dumbledore call Fawkes to Harry. In turn, Fawkes does several key things: first, he blinds the basilisk, which is what enables Harry to fight the monster without being killed by looking into its eyes. Second, Fawkes brings the Sorting Hat, which delivers to Harry the Sword of Gryffindor. Both of these acts make Harry feel as though he is not alone in fighting the basilisk, and they enable him to have the courage (and the practical tools) necessary to defeat both Riddle and the basilisk. Fawkes also helps heal Harry when he is stabbed by a basilisk fang, and he allows Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart to escape the Chamber once the basilisk is dead. All of these moments serve to emphasize how Harry could not defeat the snake or Tom Riddle alone; it is only with Dumbledore’s support that he is able to find the strength within himself to do so.
Fawkes Quotes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets quotes below all refer to the symbol of Fawkes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 17
Quotes
He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting.
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Fawkes Symbol Timeline in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The timeline below shows where the symbol Fawkes appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12: The Polyjuice Potion
...bird just caught fire and he couldn’t do anything, but Dumbledore smiles. He explains that Fawkes is a phoenix, and Harry watches as a newborn bird pokes its head out of...
(full context)
Chapter 17: The Heir of Slytherin
...although even Harry himself doesn’t know quite what he means by that. At that moment, Fawkes swoops in, holding the Sorting Hat. Harry realizes that he is not alone and musters...
(full context)
...shuts his eyes and tries to blindly feel his way around. But then he hears Fawkes attacking the snake, and Harry peeks long enough to see that Fawkes has punctured the...
(full context)
...sunk into Harry’s arm, and he can feel poison spreading throughout his body. Harry thanks Fawkes for trying to rescue him, and the bird starts to cry. Tom Riddle relishes watching...
(full context)
...see Ginny alive. Lockhart is also there, his memory wiped from the Charm that backfired. Fawkes flies Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lockhart through the air and back up to Moaning Myrtle’s...
(full context)
Chapter 18: Dobby’s Reward
...for showing him immense loyalty down in the Chamber, as nothing else could have called Fawkes to him.
(full context)
