Chapter Summaries

As Christmas approached, Amosta returned Neville’s wand and told Hermione that he had brought Crookshanks and a black cat back from Hogsmeade. He then told Harry he would make the real culprit pay, leaving Harry’s friends curious about what he knew of Amosta’s past.

• Percy tried to persuade Ron to go home for Christmas, but Ron stayed at Hogwarts for Harry.
• Colin took Harry’s Christmas portrait, and Ginny asked for one too.
• Amosta gave Neville his recovered wand and told Hermione that Crookshanks was with him and a black cat in his office.
• Harry asked Amosta whether he had learned anything about Lupin’s reaction, and Amosta instead promised to make the real culprit pay.
• Hermione and Ron questioned Harry about how he knew Amosta spent Christmas at an orphanage, and Harry pretended they were threatening him.

Sirius, trapped in cat form in Amosta Breen’s sealed office, reconsidered Breen’s accusation that he had acted cowardly toward Remus and Harry. Meanwhile, Amosta returned to his office, spoke with Snape about the passage beneath the Whomping Willow, and asked what he thought of Peter Pettigrew.

• Sirius reflected that his choices after James and Lily’s deaths had left Remus and Harry to suffer, and wondered whether Breen was right to call him a coward.
• Sirius tried to open the office window but was repelled by Breen’s magical seal, then noticed a mysterious black curtain and exchanged a sly look with Crookshanks.
• Amosta shattered falling icicles with a spell, earning Cedric Diggory’s admiration and another Hufflepuff student’s complaint about his dangerous lessons.
• Snape confronted Amosta about sealing the Floo Network, and Amosta said he had visited the passage beneath the Whomping Willow.
• Amosta asked Snape what he thought of Peter Pettigrew, and Snape judged Peter presentable enough and more courageous than the others.

Amosta learned that Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter had made a map that tracked everyone at Hogwarts, and considered using it to find Peter. Sirius said Filch had confiscated it before they graduated and might have destroyed it.

• Snape visited Amosta, delivered Lupin's Wolfsbane Potion, and told him Draco was isolated and frequently visiting the Owlery.
• After Snape left, Sirius angrily insulted him and challenged Amosta for a wand, but Amosta's magical pressure stopped him.
• Sirius apologized for mocking Snape in front of Amosta, then studied the surveillance screens.
• Sirius told Amosta about the Marauder's Map, which recorded secret passages and tracked everyone on Hogwarts grounds.
• Sirius said Filch had confiscated the map before the Marauders graduated and thought Filch might have destroyed it.

Amosta investigated the Weasley twins’ confiscated magical cord, then asked Filch to search for an old blank parchment that might be the Marauder’s Map. Fred and George worried that Amosta knew about their secret and decided they needed to warn Harry.

• Amosta visited Filch’s office, where Filch was questioning Fred and George about a length-changing cord.
• Amosta examined the cord, suggested the twins study the Vocalisation Charm, and gave them a list of books while assigning them punishment later that week.
• Amosta asked Filch to find an old blank parchment confiscated more than ten years earlier, but Filch could not locate it and promised to search his quarters.
• Fred and George wondered how Amosta knew about their cord and decided to warn Harry.

Amosta questioned Sirius about the Marauder’s Map and placed a magical precaution on him in case the map could track him. Meanwhile, Harry and his friends learned that Amosta had been searching for the map, and Harry spotted a name vanish from it.

• Sirius told Amosta that the Marauder’s Map could track people through disguises, though spells concealing names could block it.
• Amosta used black smoke and glowing chains to place a precaution on Sirius.
• Fred and George told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that they had overheard Amosta asking Filch about the Marauder’s Map.
• Harry suspected Lupin knew about the map because he had asked whether Harry received help finding the passage beneath the Whomping Willow.
• Harry opened the map and saw that Amosta and Lupin were absent, then noticed that a name had just disappeared.

Harry continued investigating the strange appearance of Sirius Black’s name on the Marauder’s Map while keeping the map hidden. Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts briefly, explained his search for a former house-elf connected to Tom Riddle, and then left again, leaving Amosta and the other staff to manage the school.

• Harry checked the Marauder’s Map after lights-out and found Professor Breen and Sirius Black absent from the office.
• Harry recalled that he, Ron, and Hermione suspected Professor Lupin had told Professor Breen about the map, but he refused to hand it over.
• Hermione told Harry and Ron that Dumbledore had returned and gone outside with Professor Breen.
• Amosta recognized a scent from Knockturn Alley on Dumbledore, who explained that he was searching for a house-elf connected to Tom Riddle and had not found it yet.
• Dumbledore handled Hogwarts paperwork for about two days, then left again and assigned school affairs to McGonagall, the Heads of House, and Amosta.
• Amosta sympathized with McGonagall’s anger and joked that the staff should have let Lucius Malfoy have Dumbledore dismissed earlier.

After transforming, Remus struggled to take his Wolfsbane Potion, but Lenny found a way to feed it to him until Amosta returned. Amosta offered to let Remus adopt Lenny, and Remus happily agreed to befriend the clever cat.

• Remus watched Gryffindor's first-years flying and talked with Lenny, who nodded in response to his remarks about Harry.
• Remus tried to levitate his Wolfsbane Potion but was too weak, then fell from his bed while Lenny tried to help him.
• Lenny used a quill to draw up the potion and feed it to Remus, helping him regain his awareness.
• Amosta returned, helped Remus onto the bed, and gave him more potion.
• Amosta asked whether Remus wanted to adopt Lenny, and Remus said he wanted to be friends with him.

Harry and Ron opened their Christmas presents and found a Firebolt among Harry’s gifts, leading them to suspect Professor Breen had sent it. Harry suggested they ask Professor Breen when they delivered Mrs. Weasley’s hand-knitted sweater.

• Harry and Ron opened their presents and found that Mrs. Weasley had sent Ron an extra green sweater with a snake stitched on it for Professor Breen.
• Harry uncovered a Firebolt in a long package, and Hermione questioned who could have sent such an expensive broom.
• Ron guessed Professor Breen had sent the Firebolt because he had promised Harry a future gift after the Chamber of Secrets incident.
• Harry proposed visiting Professor Breen to deliver Mrs. Weasley’s sweater and ask about the broom.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to Professor Breen’s office to return a borrowed broom and deliver a Christmas gift, but found Professor Lupin there instead. Hermione remained suspicious of the Firebolt’s origin, and Lupin introduced a black cat named Lenny as Professor Breen’s gift to him.

• Harry brought the Firebolt and Professor Breen’s Cleansweep Seven to return, while Ron carried Mrs. Weasley’s sweater.
• Hermione warned Harry and Ron that the Firebolt might be cursed and connected to Sirius Black, but Ron dismissed her concern.
• Professor Lupin appeared outside Professor Breen’s office and invited the three students inside.
• Hermione reunited with Crookshanks, while Harry remembered seeing Sirius Black’s name in the office two weeks earlier.
• Professor Lupin introduced Lenny, a clever black cat and Professor Breen’s Christmas gift to him.

Harry returned Professor Breen’s Cleansweep Seven and learned that Professor Lupin would investigate whether the Firebolt was a safe gift from Breen. As Lupin and the others left his office, Filch revealed he had been searching for a blank parchment Breen had asked about, and Lupin reacted with sudden alarm.

• Hermione reunited with Crookshanks in Professor Lupin’s office, while Lupin explained that Professor Breen had left for Christmas and would be away for at least a week.
• Ron said he wanted to give Professor Breen his mother’s sweater in person to thank him for saving Ron and Ginny.
• Harry returned the Cleansweep Seven and explained how he had received the Firebolt; Lupin said he would ask Breen about it and advised Harry not to ride it until its origin was confirmed.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione found Filch outside Lupin’s office, where Filch learned that Professor Breen was away and looked relieved.
• Filch asked Lupin to pass on that he had searched for the blank parchment Breen had asked him about, and Lupin trembled and questioned him about it.

Lupin realized Sirius had returned to Hogwarts disguised in Amosta Breen’s robes and confronted him in his sealed office. Sirius tried to explain that Breen had not helped him for money, but Lupin’s anger and suspicion left the two former friends on the brink of violence.

• Filch told Lupin that the Marauder’s Map had disappeared from his office two weeks earlier, and Lupin connected the timing to Amosta’s search beneath the Whomping Willow.
• Lupin sent Harry, Ron, and Hermione to the Great Hall with Filch and told them to take Harry’s broom to McGonagall and Flitwick for inspection.
• Lupin sealed his office door with spells that would last until his death, and Lenny transformed into Sirius.
• Lupin recognized Sirius by the ill-fitting robes and accused him of using his wealth to buy Amosta’s help.
• Sirius insisted that Amosta had refused his Galleons and offered to explain, but Lupin grabbed him and accused him of wanting Breen to eliminate him.

Remus confronted Sirius about his return to Hogwarts, and Sirius revealed that Peter Pettigrew had betrayed James and Lily. Remus believed Sirius but kept him bound and unconscious while asking Amosta to verify the story.

• Remus bound Sirius and demanded an explanation for his escape and return to Hogwarts.
• Sirius told Remus that Peter had revealed the Potters' whereabouts and explained how Amosta had brought him back to Hogwarts as a cat.
• Remus admitted he could find no flaw in Sirius's account but asked for evidence to confirm it.
• Sirius offered to let Remus examine his memories and urged him to bring Dumbledore if necessary.
• Remus decided not to tell Albus yet, wrote to Amosta asking him to verify Sirius's story, and stunned Sirius before leaving to send the letter.
• Remus welcomed Sirius back as Padfoot before leaving the room.

Remus sent an urgent, cryptic letter to Amosta Breen asking him to return after Lenny revealed startling secrets, while keeping Sirius Black’s name out of the message. At the Owlery, Remus encountered Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe, then left without noticing their fear; a one-forepawed rat appeared on Malfoy’s shoulder afterward.

• Remus hurried to the Owlery to send Amosta a letter about Lenny’s revelations, carefully avoiding any mention of Sirius Black.
• Remus found Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe beside collapsed racks in the Owlery, where Crabbe was holding a gnawed rack of lamb.
• Remus told the students that he was writing to Professor Breen and suggested they attend Professor McGonagall’s Christmas banquet.
• Remus sent his letter by school owl, then left without seeing the fear and pleading in Malfoy’s eyes.
• After Remus left, a rat missing one forepaw appeared on Malfoy’s shoulder.

After Draco Malfoy’s actions during the Quidditch match angered his Slytherin peers, he went to the Owlery to serve his punishment and clean it. Crabbe’s clumsy spell enraged the owls, and Draco charged in to fight them.

• Daphne told Pansy that the Slytherins wanted Draco to pay for helping Potter, but Pansy defended him.
• Draco confronted Daphne, agreed to clean the Owlery, and refused Pansy’s offer to join him.
• Draco explained to Crabbe and Goyle that he only meant to appear to clean before returning for lunch.
• Crabbe accidentally set an owl’s tail feathers alight, provoking the owls to swarm and attack him and Goyle.
• An owl splattered Draco with droppings, and he drew his wand and rushed into the Owlery to retaliate.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle wrecked the Owlery with a rebounding Explosion Curse, trapping Peter Pettigrew beneath a fallen rack. Goyle recognized the injured rat as Scabbers, Ron Weasley's pet, leaving Peter exposed to the Slytherins.

• Crabbe and Goyle tormented the owls while Malfoy conjured a venomous snake, which an owl quickly killed.
• Malfoy's Explosion Curse ricocheted around the Owlery, blasting the room and sending the owls fleeing.
• The blast knocked over a wooden rack, pinning Peter Pettigrew in rat form and breaking one of his legs.
• Goyle spotted the trapped rat and recognized it as the one belonging to Weasley.

Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle tormented Scabbers in the Owlery until Peter transformed back into a man and overpowered them. Peter threatened Malfoy, who warned that Dumbledore and Professor Breen could stop him, leaving Peter to consider what to do with the witnesses.

• Malfoy recognized Scabbers from the Hogwarts Express and taunted him while Crabbe and Goyle joined in.
• Malfoy levitated Scabbers and forced him to roll in bird droppings.
• Peter transformed from Scabbers into a man and threatened Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.
• Peter seized Malfoy, took his wand, and blasted Crabbe and Goyle away.
• Malfoy warned Peter that Dumbledore and Professor Breen were at the school, and Peter said he could not let the boys go.

Draco Malfoy tried to save himself by offering Peter an alliance against the Weasleys and Dumbledore, but Peter used a spell to strip Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle of their souls as they left. Meanwhile, Remus received Amosta’s reply about Sirius, but it only said, “No time!”

• Draco Malfoy persuaded Peter to release him by promising that Lucius would help him deal with Dumbledore and the Weasley family.
• Peter warned Draco to keep his identity secret and let Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle leave the Owlery.
• Peter cast “Soul Departure” on Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, leaving them as soulless puppets.
• Remus received Amosta’s brief reply after lifting the office wards and letting in a frost-covered owl.
• Sirius asked Remus whether Amosta had proved his innocence, and Remus told him the reply was, “No time!”

Scabbers grew suspicious after seeing Remus Lupin send a frantic Christmas letter and decided to investigate what had happened at Hogwarts. At Christmas dinner, Draco Malfoy asked after Lupin, prompting Harry, Ron, and Hermione to speculate about the letter and Harry’s Firebolt.

• Scabbers reasoned that Remus’s urgent letter must concern Sirius Black or another serious matter and decided to seek information around the school.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione argued over whether Harry should surrender the Firebolt for inspection, and Harry chose to keep it until Professor Breen returned.
• Professor McGonagall hosted Christmas dinner for the students staying at Hogwarts.
• Draco Malfoy arrived alone, claimed Crabbe and Goyle were full, and asked where Professor Lupin was.
• Professor McGonagall said Lupin had stayed away because he was ill, while Harry and his friends wondered whether Lupin’s letter concerned the Firebolt or the parchment.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione puzzled over Professor Lupin’s reaction to the Marauder’s Map, then fought in the snow before Filch caught Malfoy and took him to Gryffindor Tower. As Filch confronted Harry and the others, a rat slipped away toward the boys’ dormitory.

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussed why Professor Lupin had seemed shocked that Professor Breen knew about the Marauder’s Map, but they could not solve the mystery.
• The three friends fought a snowball battle, with Hermione’s enchanted snowballs overwhelming Harry and Ron.
• Hermione urged Harry to hand over the Firebolt and Marauder’s Map if the professors asked, while Harry and Ron objected to surrendering the map.
• After Filch found muddy water on the Entrance Hall floor, Mrs. Norris tracked Malfoy, who blamed Harry, Ron, and Hermione for the mess.
• Filch took Malfoy to Gryffindor Tower, where a rat slipped from Malfoy’s trouser leg and quietly climbed toward the boys’ dormitory.

Amosta returned to Hogwarts, found Remus Lupin’s note, and went to Grimmauld Place to see how Remus and Sirius were managing. He found the house cleaned and Remus cooking, then teased Sirius about being caught after revealing his identity.

• Amosta returned to Hogwarts and found Remus Lupin’s note saying he and Lenny had gone to Lenny’s old house.
• Amosta worried that the Ministry’s Aurors were still watching the house and Apparated to Grimmauld Place.
• Amosta found Grimmauld Place renovated, with Remus cooking in the basement kitchen.
• Remus told Amosta that Kreacher had tried to poison him and later put revolting things in his meals.
• Sirius arrived, and Amosta teased him for being caught less than twelve hours after revealing his identity to Remus.