Chapter Summaries

Albert prepared an extensive set of defenses and escape options for dealing with the Basilisk, while admitting he still felt unprepared. He realized he had run out of Liquid Luck and wrote to Hertok and Bard to obtain more before confronting Tom.

• Albert reviewed and revised his cautious plan for handling Riddle's Diary and the Basilisk.
• Albert gathered protective glasses, a Detection Ball, Snake-Repelling Pellets, roosters, transfiguration supplies, animated armor, a Ten Thousand Arrows Needle, Sticky Balls, and a flying broom.
• Albert considered using his Time-Turner as a last resort but decided it required extreme caution.
• Albert realized he had no Liquid Luck left and wrote to Hertok asking to buy some.
• Albert also asked Bard whether they had any Liquid Luck in reserve, hoping to deal with Tom before Easter.

Mog and Bard discussed Lucius Malfoy’s political ambitions and the renewed danger at Hogwarts after Albert asked them to help find Liquid Luck. They suspected a Basilisk was in the Chamber of Secrets and left the matter to Dumbledore while arranging to assist Albert.

• An owl delivered Albert’s letter to Mog, who asked a house-elf to bring warmed wine while Bard read the Daily Prophet.
• Mog and Bard concluded that Lucius Malfoy’s dispute with Arthur Weasley was part of a broader effort by the Pure-blood faction to influence the Ministry.
• Mog learned from Albert’s letter that he needed Liquid Luck, and Bard said Hertok Dagworth might have some in reserve.
• Bard told Mog that a student had been petrified after the Chamber of Secrets opened again, and they suspected a Basilisk was inside.
• Mog and Bard agreed to try to get Albert Liquid Luck and speculated that the Chamber’s opening method might have been left behind by The Dark Lord.
• Bard warned that Lucius Malfoy might seek influence over Cornelius Fudge, while Mog and Bard decided not to choose a side too soon.

Albert received a bottle of Liquid Luck, and Harry wanted to buy it to help find Slytherin's Heir and the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione explained that the potion only improved its drinker’s abilities and was difficult to brew, leaving Harry disappointed and Ron stunned by its price.

• Hertok mailed Albert a bottle of Liquid Luck for thirty Galleons and warned him about its side effects.
• The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan admired the potion, while Ron and Harry learned that a bottle cost thirty Galleons.
• Harry asked Albert to sell him Liquid Luck so he could find Slytherin's Heir, but Albert refused.
• Hermione explained that Liquid Luck did not create genuine luck, but made events seem to go the drinker's way by improving their abilities.
• Hermione said the potion took six months to brew without mistakes and that Snape was probably the only person at Hogwarts who could manage it.

Harry and Ron investigated the flooded Girls' Lavatory and found a fifty-year-old diary after Moaning Myrtle said someone had thrown it at her. Albert caught them there and warned them that Filch was approaching, while Harry carried the diary away without noticing Albert's reaction.

• Ron wondered how Albert had so many Galleons and suspected he funded Fred and George's inventions and shop plans.
• Hermione told Harry and Ron that she planned to study Ancient Runes and that Albert had written a book about it.
• Harry and Ron found Filch complaining about water flooding the corridor outside the Girls' Lavatory.
• Harry and Ron entered the lavatory, where Moaning Myrtle said someone had thrown a book at her.
• Harry picked up a fifty-year-old diary from the floor, and Albert warned him that Filch was coming.
• Harry hurried away with the diary without noticing the gleam beneath Albert's glasses.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigated a blank diary bearing Tom Riddle’s name and connected it to the Chamber of Secrets’ opening fifty years earlier. Their attempts to reveal hidden writing failed, leaving the diary’s secret unknown.

• Harry picked up the water-stained diary, and Tom Riddle sensed something was wrong but suspected Lockhart had set another trap.
• Harry found the diary blank except for the name Tom Riddle, and Ron recognized him as a recipient of the Special Award for Services to the School fifty years earlier.
• Harry reasoned that Riddle had likely bought the diary on a Muggle street and wondered why it had survived if Riddle had discarded it.
• Hermione linked the diary’s age and Riddle’s award to the Chamber of Secrets, which Malfoy had said was opened fifty years earlier.
• Hermione tried a revealing eraser and an Engorgement Charm on the diary, but neither revealed anything.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigated Tom Riddle after Harry found Riddle's diary, searching the Trophy Room for clues about the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione asked Albert for help, and he agreed to investigate while Isabelle warned him not to take unnecessary risks.

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione visited the Trophy Room and found Tom Riddle's awards, including a medal for services to the school, an outstanding-character medal, and a Head Boy list.
• Hermione connected Riddle's award from fifty years earlier to the Chamber of Secrets, while Ron suggested asking Albert about him.
• Harry proposed asking Nearly Headless Nick who had been expelled, but the trio encountered Albert near the library.
• Hermione told Albert about Harry's diary and asked what he knew about Tom Riddle, and Albert agreed to investigate.
• Isabelle warned Albert that the Chamber of Secrets was dangerous and urged him to consider the consequences of taking risks.

Harry questioned Nearly Headless Nick about Tom Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets, but Nick remembered little. Albert told Hermione that Tom Riddle had caught the real Heir and that an innocent student had been made a scapegoat, then gave her a mirror to help her stay safe from further attacks.

• Harry asked Nearly Headless Nick about Tom Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets, but Nick could not identify Riddle or the person who opened the Chamber.
• Harry saw Ginny Weasley looking pale, and she quickly walked away without explaining what was wrong.
• Albert told Hermione that Tom Riddle had caught Slytherin's Heir fifty years earlier and that the expelled student had been a scapegoat.
• Albert gave Hermione a small mirror and warned her to use it to check around corners in case the attacks continued.

Harry discovered that writing in Tom Riddle’s diary let him communicate with its owner, who lured him into viewing a memory of the Chamber of Secrets’ first opening. The memory identified Hagrid as the culprit, leaving Harry torn between suspicion and loyalty to his friend.

• Harry wrote in Tom Riddle’s diary and received a reply from Tom, who claimed the diary recorded buried events at Hogwarts.
• Tom told Harry that he had caught the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years earlier and offered to show him the memory.
• Harry entered Tom’s memory and saw Hagrid identified as the person who opened the Chamber.
• Harry connected Hagrid’s interest in monsters and his visit to Knockturn Alley to the evidence, but could not bring himself to report or confront him.
• Harry decided to keep his suspicions from Hagrid and seek advice from his two friends.

Harry told Hermione and Ron what Tom Riddle’s diary had revealed about Hagrid being expelled fifty years earlier, and they suspected Riddle had framed him. Ginny tried to approach them but fled, while Harry decided not to pursue the mystery and hoped the attacks had ended.

• Albert watched Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave the Great Hall, pleased that Harry had met Tom Riddle through the diary, and suspected the diary would soon return to Ginny.
• Harry told Hermione and Ron about Riddle’s memory, and Hermione explained that Albert believed Hagrid had been framed.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussed whether Riddle had framed Hagrid and why he might have wanted to keep Hogwarts open.
• Ginny approached the secluded courtyard, stammered that she had come to tell Harry about morning Quidditch training, and hurried away.
• Harry suggested asking Hagrid for information, but Hermione recommended talking to Albert; Harry decided to leave the mystery alone because the attacks seemed to have stopped.

Hermione told Albert that Tom Riddle's Diary had revealed Hagrid's connection to the attacks, and Albert arranged to study it after the Wizard Cards tournament. When Harry returned to his dormitory, he discovered that someone had ransacked it and stolen the diary, leaving Albert to warn them that it was suspicious.

• Hermione told Albert that Harry had learned about Hagrid from Tom Riddle's Diary, and Albert asked to borrow the diary to study its magic.
• Albert and Hermione watched Truman win the Wizard Cards tournament, then Hermione asked Harry to lend Albert the diary, and Harry agreed.
• Albert returned to the dormitory with Harry, where they found the room ransacked and Harry's belongings scattered.
• Harry discovered that Riddle's Diary was missing, and Albert deduced that a Gryffindor student had searched the room for it.
• Albert warned Harry, Ron, and Hermione to be cautious if they found the diary and to bring it to him or Professor Dumbledore.

Albert kept his distance from danger after Ginny stole Riddle’s Diary back, while Tom Riddle planned to use Ginny and eliminate Lockhart. At a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Albert’s friends questioned Lockhart’s teaching, and Lockhart redirected them to Albert.

• Albert avoided risky places and warned Isabelle and his friends to be careful as he anticipated another attack.
• Ginny resumed writing to Tom Riddle and asked how she had lost the diary; Tom concealed Lockhart’s involvement and planned to regain control of Ginny and kill Lockhart.
• George asked Lockhart to demonstrate the Human Transformation Spell, and Fred pressed him to teach it.
• Lockhart refused, claiming he could not interfere with Professor McGonagall’s subject, then pointed the students toward Albert.
• Albert admitted he had not learned the spell, and Lockhart used this to discourage the class from expecting a demonstration.

Albert visited Hagrid and argued that Tom Riddle had opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, later changing his name to the Dark Lord. He left without proof but said he would look for clues connecting Riddle to the attacks and the diary.

• Albert visited Hagrid and asked whether Tom Riddle might have opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years earlier.
• Albert linked Riddle to the diary, Parseltongue, the Basilisk, and Hagrid’s expulsion, persuading Hagrid that Riddle had framed him as a scapegoat.
• Albert reasoned that Riddle had likely changed his name because a wizard of his talent would not otherwise remain unknown.
• Albert explained that Riddle’s diary could have opened the Chamber and controlled the Basilisk during the recent attacks.
• Albert identified the Dark Lord as Tom Riddle but admitted he had no proof and would seek clues.

Albert explained to Hagrid that Tom Riddle was behind the Chamber of Secrets attacks and considered how to prove it to Dumbledore, while Hermione brought him new clues. He warned Hermione about the Basilisk and kept investigating, leaving her unsure whether he would face the danger himself.

• After visiting Hagrid, Albert considered how exposing Voldemort as Tom Riddle and clearing Hagrid's name might complete several tasks, but hesitated over a challenge that could put him in the Basilisk's path.
• Hermione found Albert and asked to speak privately about new clues; he warned her not to wander around the castle alone.
• Albert told Hermione that the Basilisk's direct gaze could kill and that Colin had survived only because his camera prevented him from looking straight at it.
• Hermione guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been killed by the Basilisk in the girls' bathroom, and Albert admitted he suspected the same but had not verified it.
• Albert said Dumbledore was waiting for Slytherin's heir to make a mistake and urged Hermione not to involve herself further; an owl delivered him an invitation to a gathering during Easter holiday.
• Hermione asked whether Albert would stay out of danger, and he confidently claimed that he never put himself in danger before returning to the castle.

As Easter homework piled up, Albert worked in the library with his classmates and learned that another attack had occurred. Hermione Granger and Nearly Headless Nick had been petrified, leaving Hogwarts frightened and Albert wondering why Tom Riddle had targeted them instead of Lockhart.

• The Gryffindor fourth-years brought Albert to the library to help them with their homework.
• Albert joked with his friends about popularity, money, and rumors that he planned to court Miss Granger.
• Albert warned Angelina and Shanna that Muggle-born witches could face limited opportunities at the Ministry of Magic.
• The Detection Ball grew warm, and a distant scream prompted students to rush out of the library.
• Albert learned that Hermione Granger and Nearly Headless Nick had been petrified and questioned why Tom Riddle had attacked them.

Albert used a Time-Turner and the Marauder’s Map to go back an hour and arrange for Nearly Headless Nick to protect Hermione from the Basilisk. As Albert watched the past unfold, Hermione followed Ginny into danger, and the chapter ended with the Basilisk attacking her.

• Albert visited petrified Hermione and found a parchment message telling him to go back one hour with the Marauder’s Map.
• Albert traveled back in time and persuaded Nearly Headless Nick to protect Hermione from the Basilisk at four thirty.
• Hermione noticed Albert watching Ginny and secretly followed her, suspecting she was connected to the attacks and the stolen diary.
• Tom realized Hermione was following Ginny and decided to use the Basilisk to kill her while preserving Lockhart for his plan.
• Ginny shook Hermione off and entered the Chamber of Secrets, where Tom controlled the Basilisk to attack her as Albert watched through the Marauder’s Map.

After Hermione was attacked, Hagrid learned that the Ministry planned to send him to Azkaban as a scapegoat, but Albert’s letter gave him confidence that he would be cleared. As Hagrid was taken away, Lucius Malfoy announced Dumbledore’s dismissal, and Harry and Ron decided to seek Albert’s help.

• Hagrid received news that Hermione had been attacked, then got a Ministry letter summoning him to Azkaban and burned a draft of a letter to Albert before Albert’s message arrived.
• Albert’s letter reassured Hagrid that he would be released before the end of term, and Hagrid waited through the night for the Ministry officials to arrive.
• Harry and Ron visited Hagrid under the Invisibility Cloak, where Hagrid told them to ask Albert about the Chamber of Secrets and warned them to feed Fang while he was gone.
• Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge arrived to take Hagrid, and Hagrid demanded that the Ministry publish an apology if he was proven innocent.
• Lucius Malfoy arrived and announced that the school governors had dismissed Dumbledore; Hagrid accused Malfoy of being behind the attacks, but Dumbledore agreed to leave.
• After Hagrid left with Fudge, Harry and Ron worried about the attacks and decided to find Albert, leaving Fang behind in the cabin.

With Dumbledore removed and Hagrid arrested, McGonagall tightened Hogwarts security while Albert helped care for Fang and shared food with his friends. Harry then asked Albert to speak privately about Hermione and Hagrid, leaving their conversation about to begin as their friends secretly followed.

• McGonagall imposed strict curfews, escorts, and patrols, while Lockhart insisted Hagrid was guilty and the danger had passed.
• Albert and his friends hid from Snape, overheard Malfoy offering to support Snape for Headmaster, and Albert predicted Lucius Malfoy would lose his place on the Board of Governors.
• Albert asked Kara in the kitchen to care for Fang, then shared pies and milk tea with the Gryffindors in the Common Room.
• Harry realized he had forgotten Hagrid's request to look after Fang and asked Albert to speak privately about Hermione and Hagrid.
• Albert led Harry toward his dormitory, while Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Ginny, and Ron followed them.

Albert explained to Harry why Hagrid had been blamed for the attacks fifty years earlier and why the Ministry had imprisoned him again, then revealed his deductions about the Basilisk and the Malfoys’ involvement. He suspected Riddle’s Diary was connected to the attacks but withheld his full guess, leaving Harry and the others to investigate.

• Albert told Harry that Hagrid had been innocent fifty years ago and was being used as a scapegoat again, but the Basilisk’s victims would eventually prove his innocence.
• Albert explained how Hagrid’s Acromantula and Harry’s Parseltongue supported the conclusion that the Chamber’s monster was a Basilisk.
• Albert connected Lucius Malfoy and Riddle’s Diary to the attacks, suggesting the diary’s user might be in Gryffindor while refusing to name his suspected culprit.
• Albert told Harry that the ghost of the student killed fifty years earlier could help him find the Chamber’s entrance.
• Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Ron revealed they had been eavesdropping, and Albert warned them that accusations without evidence would not be believed.

Ginny feared she had opened the Chamber of Secrets and confessed her anxieties to Tom Riddle’s Diary, unknowingly strengthening him. Tom decided to kill Albert and Lockhart, while Albert prepared a trap for Slytherin’s heir and planned to expose the Chamber during Easter.

• Ginny worried that she had opened the Chamber of Secrets, lost part of her memory, and might be expelled or sent to Azkaban.
• Ginny confided her fears to Tom Riddle’s Diary, allowing Tom to feed on her secrets and grow stronger.
• Tom realized Albert suspected Ginny and had deliberately baited him, but dismissed Albert as an overconfident Muggle Wizard.
• Tom planned to kill Albert and Lockhart, and expected Harry to find the Chamber of Secrets.
• Albert prepared a corridor and escape route for his trap, intending to expose the Chamber during Easter without fighting the Basilisk himself.

Albert prepared for an anticipated attack at Hogwarts, using Liquid Luck and a staged opportunity to lure Tom Riddle into a confrontation. After sensing the Basilisk waiting around a corner, he retreated along a route he had planned in advance, beginning the game against Tom.

• Percy explained Professor McGonagall's Easter restrictions, and Albert chose to stay at Hogwarts while many students went home.
• Albert found a Chinese note warning that the attack would happen that day, then drank some Liquid Luck and decided to give Ginny Weasley time to prepare.
• Albert hinted that he needed to ask Professor McGonagall about leaving by Floo Network, then went alone toward her office as part of his plan to draw Tom Riddle out.
• Albert used his map to locate Ginny Weasley in the abandoned Girls' Lavatory and noticed signs that the Basilisk had attacked a ghost.
• Near a staircase, Albert sensed Tom Riddle and the Basilisk waiting beyond a corner, then turned back and followed his prepared route.