Dumbledore isn't in the entirety of the Chamber of Secrets, as he is suspended for part of the film after the Chamber is opened - but he's still around for enough time to make some famously bad decisions (and some great ones, too). As usual, fans are left wondering why Dumbledore keeps so much a secret, and of course, why he didn't just tell poor Harry everything he should have known at the start!
Despite his usual secrecy, though, Dumbledore does make some particularly great choices over the course of the second installment - from the first night at Hogwarts, right to his final, triumphant, return.
Not Expelling Ron And Harry
When Ron and Harry crash into the Whomping Willow in their attempts to get to Hogwarts, Dumbledore would have been well within his rights to expel them - and Snape makes it seem as though he would love to see that. However, the Heaster decides to let them stay, refusing to expel them and just giving them detentions.
This might seem like letting them off easy, but it's clearly done in an attempt to protect Harry - and to provide a little understanding for two twelve-year-olds who make a mistake! Of course, Dumbledore also needs to keep Harry near, because he knows that eventually, he will need Harry to die so that Voldemort can be destroyed... but fans won't know that for some time! Whatever his reasoning, the decision to keep Harry around was clearly a good one.
Defends Harry Against Mr Filch
Throughout this film/book, Harry is suspected of being the one to open the Chamber, thanks to his bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Mr Filch's cat, Mrs Norris, is petrified, the caretaker is out for blood - and wants Harry's! However, Dumbledore steps up to calm the situation down, and make the point that Harry is far too young and inexperienced to do the kind of magic necessary to petrify Mrs Norris.
Of course, this doesn't stop the suspicions completely, but it helps in the moment - and definitely helps Harry overall. Dumbledore could have been a little more vocal about his certainty that it was not Harry, of course, but his choice to stick up for him here was a solid one.
Giving Harry A Coded Message
When Hagrid is carted off to Azkaban and Dumbledore is suspended, Harry is hiding under his cloak in the corner - something that Hagrid knows and Dumbledore clearly becomes aware of, too. Both, therefore, choose to give Harry some cryptic advice, seemingly speaking out loud to the air. Dumbledore's is about 'loyalty to him' and 'asking for help' - something that does eventually come into play when Harry defends him, which calls Fawkes to him with the Sorting Hat and Sword of Gryffindor.
However, Dumbledore could have arguably made this clearer, or talked to Harry ahead of time, when they met in his office - instead of risking giving Harry away when he was hidden. It's also likely that Harry would have behaved exactly the same way had Dumbledore not chosen to speak, but on balance, it's still a good thing that he did!
Gets Hagrid Released From Azkaban
When Harry saves Ginny, and reveals the truth about the Chamber, Dumbledore is restored to Hogwarts - and one of the first things he does is send an owl to Azkaban to get Hagrid freed. This was clearly one of his best decisions, as Hagrid was unfairly imprisoned, and given the general anti-giant sentiment in the Ministry, he may otherwise have simply been left there to rot.
The confusing part about this, though, is that Dumbledore chose to use his significant pull - and the revelations about who really did open the Chamber - to get Hagrid released... but not to get the original charges against him dropped. By this point in the story, it's clear that Hagrid did not open the Chamber the first time, yet he is still not allowed to finish his studies in magic, or openly use his wand. It may be that this did happen, and was simply not discussed in the books, but given Hagrid's proven innocence, Dumbledore should have gone further.
Talks To Harry About Slytherin
One of Dumbledore's most famous quotes comes at the end of this installment, as Harry speaks to him about fears that he should have been in Slytherin. Dumbledore reassures him that 'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" - and that only a true Gryffindor could have pulled the sword from the hat.
In this conversation, Dumbledore debated revealing more to Harry about his connection with Voldemort, but for a few reasons, chose not to. Instead, he reassured Harry about his place in Hogwarts and the Wizarding World, and his innate goodness. While no one conversation can be pinned down as the one that led Harry to his future choices, this clearly had an impact on him. And had Dumbledore made a different choice here - to tell Harry something else, or the truth - things would almost definitely have gone off the rails in the future.
