Chapter Summaries

Amosta encountered Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Owlery on Christmas morning and gave them Honeydukes sweets. As they walked back, Hermione questioned him about Sparkle and Barty Crouch, leaving Amosta to respond to her suspicion that Crouch’s illness was connected to the Dark Mark.

• Amosta melted the ice outside the Owlery, startling Harry, Ron, and Hermione with the resulting gale.
• Amosta explained that he was sending sweets to the orphanage where he grew up, then gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione bags of Honeydukes sweets.
• Amosta learned that Hermione was attending the Yule Ball with Ron and teased Harry about going with Fleur.
• Hermione asked whether Amosta and Dumbledore had released Sparkle, and Amosta confirmed that Sparkle had returned to care for the sick Barty Crouch.
• Hermione asked whether Amosta had visited Crouch because he suspected a connection to the Dark Mark at the Quidditch final.

Amosta advised Harry, Hermione, and Ron to stop investigating and enjoy Christmas, while the students wondered what unusual plan awaited the Yule Ball feast. After Hagrid hinted that Amosta had devised a surprise, Harry and Ron prepared to get ready for the evening.

• Amosta told Hermione, Harry, and Ron to enjoy Christmas instead of pursuing their investigation, then gave his candy to Moody as a New Year's gift before Moody set off to patrol the Forbidden Forest.
• Students speculated about the Great Hall's sparse decorations, and Krum greeted Amosta nervously before hurrying away with his classmates.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron trained, opened gifts, ate lunch, and played in the snow before visiting Hagrid's Hut.
• Hagrid said Amosta had proposed a surprise for the feast that every professor had approved, but refused to explain it.
• Hermione told Harry and Ron to make themselves presentable for the Yule Ball, and Ron lamented that his old-fashioned dress robes would not fit Harry's clothes.

As Hogwarts students waited for the Yule Ball, Amosta prepared to unveil a secret new arrangement and handled Ministry business with Percy. Ludo Bagman tried to recruit Amosta into a risky Triwizard Tournament bet, then begged him for a loan.

• Students questioned the Great Hall's plain appearance, and Snape revealed that Amosta was planning something new for the ball.
• Percy asked Amosta how to respond to the Ministry's inquiry about Madam Bones's proposal to expand the Hit Wizard force, and Amosta advised him to support it.
• Ludo Bagman pulled Amosta aside and revealed that German gamblers planned to bet against Granger completing the Triwizard Tournament.
• Amosta rejected Ludo's betting scheme, but Ludo pleaded with him to lend money so he could gamble himself.

Amosta warned Ludo not to profit from the Triwizard Tournament before joining Harry, Hermione, and Ron for the holiday festivities. He led the assembled students through the snow to the frozen Black Lake, where the feast was set to take place.

• Amosta warned Ludo that his efforts to make money from the tournament could land him in Azkaban.
• Amosta met Harry, Hermione, and Ron on the stairs and admired their formal attire, while Ludo asked Hermione about the Golden Egg.
• Fleur joined Harry and the others in the crowded Entrance Hall and linked her arm through Harry's despite his protests.
• Amosta gathered the students and staff and led them outside, where the students shivered in the freezing weather.
• Amosta announced that they had reached the shore of the frozen Black Lake, leaving the students shocked and confused.

Amosta and Dumbledore used magic to raise a magnificent Ice Castle from the frozen Black Lake for the celebration. Hogwarts’s professors and ghosts adorned it, leaving the young wizards amazed by the spectacle.

• Amosta explained that he and Dumbledore had planned a more original celebration, then the two walked onto the frozen Black Lake with their wands.
• The lake began to shake, and an icy-blue glow revealed a tower rising through the ice.
• A castle made of shining blue ice emerged from the lake, resembling Hogwarts’s main castle.
• McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Snape, and Sinistra decorated the Ice Castle with magical creatures, lights, flowers, and a fountain.
• Peeves and the other Hogwarts ghosts flew into the Ice Castle as the shaking stopped.
• Dumbledore and Amosta returned to the young wizards, and Harry said he loved magic.

Amosta and Dumbledore created a magnificent, warm ice castle for the Yule Ball, leaving the students awestruck as they explored it and took their seats. Beneath the crystal floor, the Giant Squid appeared alongside humanoid shadows, and Hermione realized what the figures might be.

• Amosta and Dumbledore finished the ice castle, and the students entered to admire its magical decorations and warm interior.
• Amosta conjured tables and seats, and Hermione took Ron's arm as his dance partner, prompting Moody to react with alarm.
• Harry told Percy they would discuss why he had asked about Crouch's movements later.
• The students spotted the Giant Squid beneath the transparent floor of the castle.
• Ron saw humanoid shadows swimming toward the squid, and Hermione's expression changed as she recognized a possible explanation.

At the banquet in the ice castle, the champions and their companions navigated awkward romantic tensions while the guests watched the merpeople depart. After dinner, Amosta raised a stage and began the dance.

• The merpeople persuaded the Giant Squid to leave the wizards' celebration, and Hermione watched them thoughtfully.
• Amosta noticed Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang quietly growing closer while Harry kept glancing at Cho.
• Fleur watched Amosta resentfully, while Harry sat beside her and pretended to focus on the meal.
• Hermione became more open toward Ron, but Ron remained restless and insecure beside her.
• Viktor Krum politely spoke with Daphne Greengrass but occasionally glanced at Hermione and avoided Amosta.
• Amosta waved his wand to lower the tables and raise a stage, then invited the champions and guests to dance.

At the Yule Ball, Harry danced with Fleur while Ron struggled through the opening dance with Hermione under the crowd’s scrutiny. Hermione reflected on her feelings for Ron and thanked him as the dance ended, leaving their relationship unresolved.

• Cedric and Cho Chang, followed by Viktor and Daphne, went to the stage to begin the ball’s opening dance.
• Fleur reassured Harry and guided him toward the stage, while Ron nearly collapsed from nerves before Hermione helped him up.
• Ron and Hermione danced beneath the spotlight as Ron grew distracted by the crowd’s mocking looks and stumbled through the steps.
• Hermione recalled Ron’s kindness and their difficult history as she considered whether her feelings could lead to a future with him.
• As the music ended, Hermione smiled at Ron and thanked him.

Ron and Harry struggled with jealousy and regret during the Yule Ball, while Hermione and Fleur tried to help them face their feelings. The chapter ended with Fleur asking Cedric to dance, leaving Harry to wonder what she intended.

• Ron felt painfully ordinary as he led Hermione in the opening dance, but Hermione thanked him and silently assured him they would remain friends for life.
• Lavender asked Ron to dance, and Hermione encouraged him to accept before she left the stage.
• Harry watched Cedric and Cho dance with Cho Chang and regretted never asking her to the ball.
• Fleur learned that Harry had wanted to ask Cho but had missed his chance, then urged him to be braver.
• After the music ended, Fleur approached Cedric and asked him to dance.

Fleur helped Harry get a chance to dance with Cho Chang by drawing Cedric away, and Cho accepted Harry’s invitation despite her feelings for Cedric. Their brief moment together ended when Cho apologized and pulled away from Harry.

• Fleur invited Cedric to dance, prompting Cho Chang to agree to wait for him downstairs.
• Harry gathered his courage and asked Cho Chang to dance, and she accepted after hesitating.
• Harry danced with Cho Chang, delighted by her closeness while restraining himself from kissing her.
• Hagrid accidentally knocked Harry into Cho, and Harry told her he had wanted to invite her to the ball before Cedric did.
• Cho apologized to Harry and pushed away from him.

The Yule Ball continued in the Ice Castle as students and staff danced, ate, and played with its enchanted creatures. Amosta Breen agreed to dance with Fleur Delacour, and their conversation ended with her asking whether the castle would remain after the ball.

• Students and Hogwarts staff filled the dance floor, while Karkaroff pulled Snape aside to discuss the disturbances in his Dark Mark.
• Amosta welcomed Gabrielle Delacour onto an ice reindeer, then set out refreshments and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fireworks for the students.
• Harry left the dance floor and went outside with Hermione after a brief conversation.
• Fleur approached Amosta and persuaded him to dance with her as a friend.
• Fleur praised the castle and asked Amosta whether it would remain after the ball, while Moody watched them from the staff table.

At the Hogwarts celebration, Amosta warned Fleur against moving to Britain and later discussed Professor Moody and Miss Creona with Dumbledore. Dumbledore urged him to approach Creona, and Amosta invited Moody to join him on a patrol outside.

• After dancing with Fleur, Amosta cautioned her to think carefully before moving to Britain, but she remained determined.
• Amosta danced with students as Fred, George, and Lee Jordan set off fireworks that drew Hogsmeade villagers to watch.
• Dumbledore told Amosta that Professor Moody had saved Sirius and argued that Miss Creona might still be guided toward the right path.
• Amosta insisted that allegiance mattered more than good and evil, while Dumbledore cited Regulus and Severus as examples of conscience overcoming allegiance.
• Amosta approached Professor Moody, joked that he had come to ask her to dance, and invited her to patrol outside with him.

Amosta and Moody left the Ice Castle banquet and encountered Harry and Hermione fleeing toward the crowd after overhearing Snape and Karkaroff. As Amosta created a sheltered space in the blizzard and offered Moody food, Moody remained troubled by the students’ discovery and Amosta’s lack of concern.

• Fred and George sold Canary Creams to visiting students, while Lee Jordan transformed into a canary to demonstrate them.
• Amosta and Moody crossed Professor Sprout’s flower bed and ran into Harry and Hermione, who hurried away after colliding with them.
• Snape arrived looking for Harry and Hermione, asked whether Amosta had seen anyone, and declined to join Amosta and Moody on patrol.
• Moody questioned Amosta’s indifference to the students’ eavesdropping, and Amosta suggested they might have overheard Snape and Karkaroff by accident.
• Moody praised the banquet and Ice Castle, and Amosta conjured a windless shelter before offering to find him something to eat.

Amosta Breen invited Professor Moody to share grilled meat and Butterbeer by the Black Lake, then spoke about Hogwarts’ long history of surviving threats. The conversation ended with Amosta explaining that Hogwarts endured through people’s faith in it and its refusal to remember hatred.

• Amosta summoned house-elves to bring a grill and food, then prepared a barbecue for himself and Moody by the lakeshore.
• Amosta and Moody ate grilled meat and drank Butterbeer while Moody wondered whether this unguarded side of Amosta was his true self.
• Amosta asked Moody what he thought of life at Hogwarts, and Moody said he found it safe, pleasant, and welcoming.
• Amosta told Moody that Hogwarts had faced countless enemies and repeated threats of destruction throughout its thousand-year history.
• Amosta explained that Hogwarts survived because it had become a faith people would sacrifice themselves for, and because it never remembered hatred.

Amosta urged Moody to let go of hatred by reflecting on his own childhood and the people who had cared for him. As Moody’s disguise began to fail, Amosta left without confronting her, leaving Vitia exposed and alone by the lake.

• Amosta challenged Moody’s belief that the Druids could defeat the Vatican by allying with Voldemort, then said he would return to the orphanage the next day.
• Moody asked whether Amosta hated the parents who abandoned him, and he replied that the orphanage and Hogwarts had given him a happy life.
• Amosta asked after Moody’s old companions, and she recognized that he was urging her to remember what she had rather than cling to hatred.
• Fireworks burst above Ice Castle as Moody’s Polyjuice Potion wore off, revealing her emerald-green hair and changing her body back toward Vitia Creona.
• Amosta went to send the young wizards to bed without turning around, while Vitia remained alone as the magical barrier shattered.

Harry woke after the Yule Ball exhausted from a late-night trip to the library with Hermione and Ron to investigate Hermione's Golden Egg. Hermione then brought Harry to the Gryffindor common room, where he joyfully reunited with Sirius, who invited Harry, Ron, and Hermione to spend the rest of the holiday at Grimmauld Place with Remus.

• Harry remembered staying in the library with Hermione and Ron until two in the morning to investigate the Golden Egg Hermione had received after the first task.
• Hermione rushed into the dormitory and hurried Harry and Ron downstairs without explaining why.
• Harry heard Sirius's voice in the common room, rushed to him, and embraced him.
• Sirius said he had come to spend Christmas with Harry and invited Harry, Ron, and Hermione to Grimmauld Place to join Remus.
• Sirius told them to pack quickly so they could take the Knight Bus to the house and arrive before dinner.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived at Grimmauld Place with Sirius and saw how he had renovated the Black family home. They reunited with Remus in the kitchen, where he said his business with the goblins was proving difficult.

• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius got off the Knight Bus and made their way through the snow to Grimmauld Place.
• Sirius brought them into his renovated ancestral home, where Harry and Ron admired a magical Quidditch carpet.
• Sirius explained that Kreacher had resisted his changes to the house and warned them about an unwelcome Black family portrait.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione found Remus in the kitchen and greeted him.
• Remus said his dealings with the goblins were more troublesome than teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent Christmas dinner with Sirius and Remus, exchanging gifts and discussing the Triwizard Tournament and Remus’s work. As Sirius showed them his inherited home, Hermione noticed the door to Regulus’s room.

• Sirius gave Ron solid gold Gobstones, Harry an alchemical dagger, and Hermione a rare magic book from the Black family library.
• Remus explained that his alchemical products were selling well in Europe, but a permit delay was holding up sales in the United States.
• Hermione described her deduction about the Triwizard Tournament’s second task, and Sirius and Remus praised her insight.
• Harry and his friends shared stories about the Yule Ball and agreed to visit Remus’s workshop in Diagon Alley during the holiday.
• Sirius led the tipsy youngsters on a tour of his house, and Hermione noticed the plaque on the door to Regulus’s room.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron visited the old Black family home, where Sirius recalled his brother Regulus and kept the truth of Regulus’s sacrifice secret. Harry then told Sirius and Remus that Karkaroff feared Voldemort was growing stronger, and Hermione began to reveal another conversation she and Harry had overheard.

• Sirius showed Harry, Hermione, and Ron the plaque bearing Regulus Arcturus Black’s name and recalled how close he and Regulus had been as children.
• Sirius refused to reveal the truth about Regulus’s sacrifice, citing his promise to Amosta and Dumbledore, and sent the children to bed.
• Harry raised Karkaroff and Snape, prompting Sirius and Remus to ask what the children had learned.
• Hermione explained that she and Harry had followed Karkaroff and Snape and heard Karkaroff say that Voldemort was growing stronger.
• Harry added that Snape had told Karkaroff to run if he was afraid, and Sirius suspected Karkaroff had a role in Hermione becoming a Triwizard Tournament champion.
• Hermione said she and Harry had overheard another conversation between Karkaroff and Snape in Hogsmeade, then began to explain what happened.

Sirius pieced together clues linking Barty Crouch to the Dark Mark incident and Hermione’s selection as Hogwarts champion, and suspected Crouch had a Death Eater accomplice. He proposed asking Amosta what he and Dumbledore had uncovered.

• Sirius reviewed the Dark Mark’s appearance, Hermione’s selection, the suspected Polyjuice Potion plot, and Amosta’s questions about Barty Crouch and Sparkle.
• Remus warned Sirius that accusing Crouch, a senior Ministry official, was a serious charge, while Ron noted Crouch had arrived too late to arrange either incident himself.
• Sirius concluded that Crouch likely had an accomplice who had infiltrated Hogwarts, and Remus listed several people who might have been impersonated or involved.
• Sirius suggested that Crouch may have acted for Voldemort because he wanted power and had lost his chance at becoming Minister for Magic.
• Sirius proposed asking Amosta whether he and Dumbledore had already investigated Crouch and his possible accomplice.