Chapter Summaries

Lucius Malfoy escaped Azkaban with help from Gedwin Robards and reached Malfoy Manor, where he reunited with Narcissa and Draco. He revealed that Kristoff Patrick had arranged his rescue and warned his family to keep his return secret, while Draco began to realize how he might respond to his orders.

• Gedwin Robards helped Lucius escape Azkaban, gave him a Wand, and told him to conceal Robards's involvement.
• Lucius crossed the North Sea by canoe, Apparated to Malfoy Manor, and reunited with Draco and Narcissa.
• Lucius told Narcissa and Draco that Kristoff Patrick had rescued him, surprising Draco, who recognized Kristoff as his friend.
• Lucius warned his family not to reveal his return, not even to Bellatrix, because the Ministry would search for him.
• Draco panicked about his orders, then began to think he knew what to do because Kristoff was involved.

Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Remus Lupin arrived at Grimmauld Place for an Order of the Phoenix meeting after learning that Lucius Malfoy had escaped from Azkaban. Harry Potter was already at the meeting, and Sirius Black revealed that Dumbledore had allowed him to join the Order.

• Kingsley told Moody that Lucius Malfoy had escaped from Azkaban and that the Ministry was keeping the news quiet.
• Moody, Kingsley, and Remus entered Grimmauld Place, where Mrs. Weasley told them the meeting had begun.
• Remus reunited with Harry Potter and Sirius Black, and they discussed Remus's time in Romania and Sirius's confinement.
• Sirius told Harry and Remus that Dumbledore had agreed to let Harry join the Order of the Phoenix.

At the Order of the Phoenix’s Christmas gathering, Harry celebrated being invited to join while Sirius and Snape clashed. The feast ended with a warning from Dumbledore that their headquarters had been exposed and an enemy was approaching.

• Harry happily told Lupin and Sirius that Dumbledore had invited him to join the Order of the Phoenix, and they congratulated him.
• Snape arrived for Christmas and traded insults with Sirius until Moody stopped their argument.
• At dinner, Kingsley told Arthur that Lucius Malfoy had escaped from Azkaban, while Lupin refused to reveal details of his mission in Romania.
• A scarlet bird brought a feather to Moody, who recognized it as Dumbledore’s warning that the Order’s location had been exposed.
• Moody ordered everyone to prepare for battle and told Sirius to take Harry and the others to safety.

The Order of the Phoenix headquarters at Grimmauld Place was attacked, forcing Sirius to evacuate Harry and the Weasley children while the others fought. Arthur later reached them with news that Molly was badly injured and Kingsley had been killed.

• Moody ordered Sirius to take Harry and the Weasley children out through the Kitchen fireplace as the attack began.
• Harry claimed he had seen Snape at the Dungeon stairway and accused him of betraying them, but Sirius and the others doubted him.
• Sirius brought the group to Ted Tonks's house and refused the twins' demands to return to Grimmauld Place.
• Arthur arrived covered in Molly's blood and said he had taken her to Aunt Muriel's house after she was badly injured.
• Arthur said unfamiliar attackers had assaulted them and revealed that Kingsley had died after a green light pierced his chest.

Harry Potter learned that Kingsley Shacklebolt had been killed in an attack on the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, then experienced a strange, vivid dream as his scar hurt. He woke without remembering the dream, which had shown Voldemort learning of the raid and hinting at another enemy of Dumbledore.

• Mr. Weasley told Harry and the others that Kingsley Shacklebolt had died, and the room mourned him.
• Harry demanded to know who had attacked the Order, but Mr. Weasley said they did not know; Sirius Black took Harry to rest at the Tonkses' cottage.
• Harry's scar began to hurt sharply, and he laughed strangely as his surroundings shifted into a Death Eater Christmas gathering.
• Severus Snape told Voldemort that unknown powerful wizards had attacked the Order's headquarters, killing at least five members, including Kingsley Shacklebolt.
• Voldemort said Dumbledore's other mortal enemy had escaped prison, then Harry woke to Sirius calling him and could not remember the dream.

Daphne and Astoria Greengrass attended Horace Slughorn’s crowded Christmas banquet, where they saw Albus Dumbledore. The gathering ended with Slughorn introducing Durmstrang headmaster Winston Vance and his student Kristoff Patrick as distinguished guests.

• Daphne told Astoria that Slughorn had invited them to his Christmas banquet, and the sisters agreed to attend.
• On their way to Slughorn’s office, Daphne told Astoria that Dumbledore was attending and was troubled by the escape of a mortal enemy.
• Slughorn welcomed the sisters and recognized Astoria, asking about her recovery from illness.
• Daphne and Astoria spotted Dumbledore sampling herb stew at the front table.
• Slughorn introduced Durmstrang headmaster Winston Vance and his prized student Kristoff Patrick to the guests.

Professor Slughorn’s Christmas Banquet brought Durmstrang headmaster Winston Vance and his prized pupil, Kristoff Patrick—actually Jon Hart—to Hogwarts, where Kristoff reunited with his old friends. The banquet was interrupted when Filch brought in a boy who admitted sneaking in without an invitation.

• Professor Slughorn introduced Durmstrang headmaster Winston Vance and Kristoff Patrick to the Hogwarts guests.
• Kristoff greeted Blaise, Tiffany, Sean, and other Slytherins, while Daphne and Astoria recognized him as Jon Hart and wondered why he had returned.
• Albus Dumbledore left the banquet after receiving an urgent message, and Marcus Belby relayed the news to Slughorn.
• Vance took the seat Dumbledore had occupied and quietly questioned Kristoff, who answered with a discreet shake of his head.
• Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom arrived as dance partners, and Hermione learned that the returning exchange student was Kristoff Patrick.
• Argus Filch brought a boy to Slughorn, and the boy admitted that he had sneaked into the banquet without an invitation.

Draco Malfoy returned to Hogwarts and tried to reach Kristoff Patrick, while Harry, Ron, and Ginny arrived with news that a mysterious group had attacked Grimmauld Place. Hermione and Harry recognized Kristoff and Durmstrang Headmaster Winston Vance among Slughorn’s guests, and Hermione resolved to speak with Kristoff at the Christmas ball.

• Argus Filch caught Draco Malfoy sneaking into Slughorn’s banquet, but Slughorn let him stay after learning he wanted to attend the Christmas celebration.
• Draco asked Goyle where Kristoff was and tried to approach him, but Goyle and Crabbe held him back until the ball began.
• Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley entered the banquet with invitations and told Hermione Granger that a mysterious group had attacked Grimmauld Place and badly hurt the Order of the Phoenix.
• Slughorn welcomed Harry and Hermione and introduced Harry to the banquet’s distinguished guests, while Hermione noticed that Kristoff and Winston Vance had been left out.
• Hermione told Harry that Vance was one of Gellert Grindelwald’s most loyal followers, then decided to speak with Kristoff when the Christmas ball began.

Kristoff Patrick spoke privately with Durmstrang headmaster Winston Vance about Hogwarts, Lord Grindelwald, and whether Kristoff would carry on Grindelwald’s ideals. As the Christmas banquet turned into a dance, Vance told Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley that Kristoff had gone to invite a young lady to dance.

• Kristoff Patrick and Winston Vance discussed the unusual state of Hogwarts and Vance said Dumbledore’s recent appearance had been a crude Transfiguration.
• Kristoff told Vance that Lord Grindelwald had been fishing at Lake Baikal two months earlier and that Rosier was at a banquet in London.
• Kristoff explained that he had asked Frederick to collect a new friend, then said he might inherit Grindelwald’s ideals.
• Horace Slughorn started the dance, and Draco Malfoy pushed through the crowd toward Kristoff’s table.
• Hermione Granger asked Vance where Kristoff had gone, and Vance said Kristoff had invited a young lady to dance.

Kristoff Patrick warned Daphne Greengrass to protect Astoria and escape to the castle’s higher levels when trouble began, then told Draco Malfoy to reveal everything he knew about him. After Kristoff predicted an attack, an explosion struck the castle gates and Winston Vance attacked Professor Horace Slughorn with the Killing Curse.

• Kristoff danced with Daphne Greengrass, learned Slughorn had invited her and Astoria, and warned her to flee to the castle’s higher levels rather than the Slytherin common room when unrest began.
• Draco Malfoy thanked Kristoff for helping his father escape Azkaban, but Kristoff told him they were no longer on the same path and advised him to tell others everything he knew about Kristoff.
• Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley confronted Kristoff about his presence, his connection to Gellert Grindelwald, and the Order of the Phoenix’s attack.
• Kristoff counted down and predicted that Hogwarts would be engulfed in flames; an explosion then sounded near the castle gates as smoke and panic spread across the dance floor.
• Winston Vance drew his Wand and cast Avada Kedavra at Professor Horace Slughorn.

Winston Vance attacked the Hogwarts Christmas Banquet, knocked Professor Slughorn unconscious, and unleashed Fiendfyre that threatened to consume the castle. As Professor McGonagall ordered an evacuation, Dumbledore returned with the Elder Wand to confront the flames.

• A blast of smoke made Harry discover that Kristoff Patrick had vanished, while panic broke out across the banquet hall.
• Winston Vance attacked Professor Slughorn with the Killing Curse, then defeated him in a duel as Harry and his friends hesitated to intervene.
• Professor McGonagall confronted Vance, but he unleashed magical fire and escaped through a shattered window.
• The flames transformed into savage beasts and spread through the Great Hall as McGonagall ordered everyone to evacuate Hogwarts.
• Professor Flitwick failed to contain the Fiendfyre, and McGonagall warned that the castle would burn unless everyone left within fifteen minutes.
• Dumbledore returned from London carrying the Elder Wand and told McGonagall and Flitwick to stand back.

Voldemort and the Death Eaters discussed attacks on the Order of the Phoenix headquarters and Hogwarts, suspecting that Gellert Grindelwald had found a way to defeat the Marauder’s Map. They discovered that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had fled and summoned Draco from Hogwarts, where Voldemort welcomed him as a loyal friend.

• Bellatrix Lestrange learned that Hogwarts had been attacked after the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, and Severus Snape and Voldemort concluded that Grindelwald had found a way to defeat the Marauder’s Map.
• Voldemort and the Death Eaters speculated that Grindelwald’s attack on Hogwarts had been a test, and Voldemort said he wanted to measure Grindelwald’s strength.
• Nott reported that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had abandoned Malfoy Manor without signs of a fight, and Snape concluded they had betrayed Voldemort and fled with only family heirlooms.
• Voldemort told Bellatrix that the Malfoys had likely found a new master and warned that betrayers would be severely punished.
• Voldemort pressed Bellatrix’s Dark Mark, summoning Draco from Hogwarts, and welcomed him as a loyal friend.

Draco Malfoy answered Voldemort’s summons, revealed his Dark Mark, and pledged his loyalty in exchange for the promise of his father’s former position. He reported the attack on Hogwarts and identified Winston Vance and his student Kristoff Patrick, leaving Voldemort to consider the unfamiliar name.

• Draco Malfoy entered Voldemort’s gathering and declared his loyalty, revealing the Dark Mark on his arm.
• Voldemort praised Draco and promised him his father’s former position if he completed his task.
• Voldemort dismissed the other Death Eaters and asked Draco what had happened at Hogwarts.
• Draco explained that Dumbledore had left the school before Winston Vance attacked Slughorn and unleashed Fiendfyre.
• Draco told Voldemort that Vance had brought a student named Kristoff Patrick to Hogwarts.

After the attack on Hogwarts, Dumbledore and McGonagall assessed the injuries and damage while Jon Hart explained that the staged assault concealed Dumbledore’s death and the loss of the Order’s Secret-Keeper protections. Jon left the Headmaster’s Office to see someone off from Britain.

• McGonagall told Dumbledore that the students were unharmed, several Aurors had minor injuries, and Horace Slughorn remained unconscious but would recover.
• Dumbledore declined to visit Horace and went to his office to deal with the Order of the Phoenix’s problems.
• Jon told the portraits that Draco Malfoy had left Hogwarts, Slughorn would wake soon, and the Ministry would suppress public details of the attack.
• Jon explained that Dumbledore’s death had caused the spells tied to his soul to fail, making the Order’s headquarters and safe houses unsafe.
• Jon said he had staged the attack as an escape by Grindelwald to keep Voldemort cautious while the Order regained the initiative, then set out to see their friend off from Britain.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy joined Kristoff Patrick and three of Grindelwald’s followers for a journey to Northern Europe. As they flew north, Rosier accepted Patrick’s plan to challenge Voldemort’s claim to the title of Dark Lord, while Frederick recognized Grindelwald in Patrick’s manner.

• Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy waited on a sea cliff with Winston Vance, Rosier, and Frederick before Kristoff Patrick arrived.
• Patrick told Vance that Hogwarts had stabilized after Albus Dumbledore’s return, alarming Narcissa about Draco.
• Rosier questioned why Patrick had summoned them, and Patrick said they should not let Voldemort usurp Grindelwald’s title of Dark Lord.
• Rosier agreed to Patrick’s reasoning after recognizing the master’s manner in him, and the group departed for Northern Europe on Thestrals.
• Frederick told Rosier that he accepted her explanation for agreeing to the plan.

Horace Slughorn woke in the Hospital Wing after being unconscious for a day and a half and told Albus Dumbledore about the attack on Hogwarts. Dumbledore kept the incident secret while investigating the attacker and Kristoff Patrick, then agreed to submit Filius Flitwick’s request for Apparition lessons.

• Poppy Pomfrey helped Horace Slughorn recover after he woke from his injuries.
• Albus Dumbledore told Slughorn that the attacker had impersonated Winston Vance and that Vance had been a follower of Gellert Grindelwald.
• Slughorn recounted the attack and identified Vance’s strange companion as Kristoff Patrick.
• Dumbledore instructed Slughorn to keep the attack secret and to claim he had been injured in a spell mishap after transferring to St Mungo’s.
• Filius Flitwick gave Dumbledore an application for Wilkie Twycross to teach Apparition to eligible students, and Dumbledore agreed to submit it.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley received notice of an upcoming Apparition course, while Ginny Weasley revealed that Professor Slughorn’s injury might leave Hogwarts’ Potions post vacant. Harry then learned that Albus Dumbledore planned to give him individual lessons starting next term.

• Pigwidgeon delivered letters to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley at the Burrow, where the Weasleys were sheltering the Order of the Phoenix after the attack on Grimmauld Place.
• Harry and Ron read an announcement inviting eligible students to attend Professor Wilkie Twycross’s twelve-week Apparition course.
• Ginny told Harry and Ron that Professor Slughorn had been sent to St Mungo’s, leaving the Potions teaching position vacant while he recovered.
• Harry worried that Snape might temporarily teach Potions and discover his secret from the Half-Blood Prince’s textbook.
• Harry opened a note from Albus Dumbledore, who invited him to begin individual lessons next term and meet at his office on Sunday evening.

Harry found an unopened gift addressed to Gideon Prewett while cleaning his room at The Burrow and began to open it. Meanwhile, Dumbledore arrived at The Burrow and asked Mrs. Weasley to take him to visit the injured Order members.

• Harry learned that Dumbledore had arranged private tutoring for him and discussed it with Ron and Ginny before Mrs. Weasley sent them from the kitchen.
• Harry freed Hedwig, then noticed that a rat had knocked an old box over in his room.
• Harry found an unopened gift addressed to Gideon Prewett among the fallen objects and began tugging at its ribbon.
• Dumbledore arrived at The Burrow, spoke with Mrs. Weasley, and asked her to take him to see Hestia, Sturgis, and Emmeline as they recovered.

Harry returned to Hogwarts and hid the Half-Blood Prince’s copy of Advanced Potion-Making in the Room of Requirement to keep Snape from discovering its secrets. There, he ran into Malfoy, and both drew their wands.

• Harry arrived at Hogwarts through the Floo Network and asked Professor McGonagall who would teach Potions while Slughorn recovered.
• Harry learned Snape might take over Potions and worried he would discover the Prince’s secret in Advanced Potion-Making.
• Harry rushed to the Room of Requirement and hid the Prince’s book in a blistered cabinet.
• Harry found that he had also packed a marked copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, briefly placed it in the cabinet, then took it back.
• Harry encountered Malfoy beside a broken Vanishing Cabinet, and they both drew their wands.

Jon Hart disguised himself as Albus Dumbledore as Professor McGonagall brought Draco Malfoy to the Headmaster's Office after Draco nearly killed Harry Potter with a spell. Snape defended Draco as Dumbledore sent for news of Harry and left Draco to face his punishment.

• Jon Hart learned that a student had been knocked unconscious in the corridor, then disguised himself as Albus Dumbledore when McGonagall approached.
• McGonagall brought Draco Malfoy to the office and said Draco had used a strange spell that left Harry Potter barely breathing.
• Snape questioned Draco, who said he had used an incantation from an old book during a fight with Harry.
• Snape called the incident an ordinary student fight, while McGonagall accused him of twisting the truth to protect Draco.
• Dumbledore sent a portrait to check Harry's condition and urged McGonagall to trust Snape to punish Draco.
• Snape grabbed Draco by the hair and ordered him to his office.