Chapter Summaries

Abraxas secretly traveled to the Slytherin common room to find Tom, while Tom resolved to pursue power so he could protect what he cherished. Abraxas waited outside Tom’s bedroom for him to return.

• Abraxas restrained Abraxas’s anger after overhearing Tom’s muttering and decided to comfort him without revealing that he knew.
• Abraxas changed into a plain black robe and secretly left the manor, while Brutus and Olivia remarked that Abou took after his mother.
• Abraxas reached Hogsmeade, uncovered a hidden passage, and followed a student into the Slytherin common room.
• Abraxas knocked on Tom’s bedroom door, received no answer, and waited invisibly for Tom to return.
• Tom rejected the idea that he wanted to rule Muggles and resolved to gain power and strength to protect what he cherished.

Tom returned to his dormitory and found Abraxas waiting to see him, bringing his longing and confusion to the surface. The chapter ended as Tom leaned toward Abraxas, tempted to kiss him.

• Tom walked back to the Slytherin common room determined to pursue what he wanted despite others’ expectations.
• Abraxas embraced Tom in the dormitory, and Tom pulled away after noticing Abraxas’s arousal.
• Abraxas said he had returned because he wanted to see Tom and have him by his side.
• Tom recalled how he had longed for Abou during painful moments and realized Abraxas was truly within reach.
• Tom caressed Abraxas’s cheek and leaned toward his lips.

Tom and Abraxas shared a kiss before Radolphus interrupted them with a letter about Prefect Malfoy. As Tom read it, he realized Abraxas was bound by rules tied to his family name, and wondered whether those rules could be broken.

• Tom and Abraxas drew close, and Abraxas kissed him after the knock at the door interrupted them.
• Tom pulled away, noticed his undone buttons, and angrily opened the door to confront Radolphus Lestrange.
• Radolphus told Tom he had received a letter about Prefect Malfoy, and Tom nearly slammed the door on him.
• Abraxas offered to tell Tom everything and tried to continue their intimacy, but Tom opened the letter instead.
• Tom read that Abraxas was tightly constrained by his surname and quietly asked whether the rules could be broken.

Tom reflected on Abraxas’s explanation of power and pure-blood politics, then struggled to resist his attraction to him. In an illusion, Tom confronted the young man he suspected of manipulating his dreams, who questioned whether Tom’s feelings were truly his own.

• Abraxas told Tom that people lived within rules and that pure-blood leaders maintained power by protecting their followers.
• Tom recognized that pure-bloods saw Muggle-borns and half-bloods as competitors for the wizarding world’s resources, and understood Abraxas could not openly stand beside him.
• Tom asked whether Abraxas still meant to wait for him, and Abraxas promised that he never forgot a promise.
• Abraxas left Tom’s dormitory after Tom used a Disillusionment Charm and a Tongue-Tying Curse on him.
• Tom collapsed onto his bed and realized how close he had come to surrendering to his feelings for Abraxas.
• In the illusion, Tom accused the young man of controlling his earlier dreams about Abraxas, and the young man asked whether Tom would consider his feelings genuine or manipulated.

Tom confronted the young man in his mindscape and failed to reach the yew tree, which he believed held the answer he sought. The young man warned that he would take over Tom’s body if Tom failed, then visited the tree and vowed to protect someone as he searched for a fading figure.

• Tom questioned whether his feelings for Abraxas were genuine or a deception, then stared toward the yew tree he could not approach.
• Tom tried to walk to the tree but could only step in place, and he vowed not to give up.
• The young man warned Tom that he would take over his body if Tom failed.
• Tom woke in the dormitory and swept the objects from his bedside table onto the floor, wondering if another soul lived inside him.
• The young man crossed blood-soaked ground to the yew tree, wondered whose life the Killing Curse had taken, and vowed to protect someone.

Tom suspected that the mysterious person in his mind was a Horcrux and considered searching the Chamber of Secrets for answers. He tried to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays but Headmaster Dippet refused, leaving Tom to plan a more careful search.

• Tom searched the Forbidden Section for information about Horcruxes and found scattered references to Herpo the Foul.
• Tom suspected Salazar Slytherin might have made a Horcrux hidden in the Chamber of Secrets and decided to search for its entrance.
• Tom went to Headmaster Dippet and asked to remain at Hogwarts during the holidays.
• Armando Dippet refused Tom’s request because the rules did not allow students to stay, though he said he personally wished he could grant it.
• Tom accepted the refusal and resolved to be more careful around the basilisk.

Tom returned to the orphanage for the holidays, struggling with resentment and loneliness as he felt that warmth and belonging remained beyond his reach. Ian and Mickey joined him in the train compartment, but Tom still sensed a barrier between himself and his friends.

• Tom boarded the train after Headmaster Armando left him no chance to ask to stay at the castle.
• Tom reflected on his mother, the professor, and the pure-bloods, feeling wronged and considering giving up on affection and guidance.
• Ian entered the compartment complaining about people delaying his departure, while Mickey stopped him from questioning Tom's mood.
• Tom smiled at Ian and Mickey but felt separated from them, thinking that only magic power and magic would never abandon him.

Tom considered whether to create a Horcrux, but recoiled at the cost of splitting his soul and sharing his memories of Abraxas with another version of himself. After returning to London, he sent the money Mrs. Cole had given him back to her and bought himself dinner at The Leaky Cauldron.

• Tom wondered whether a Horcrux could give him a companion who would never betray him, but rejected the idea because it required murder and would divide his memories of Abraxas.
• The young man in the dim space sensed Tom's intense emotions and remarked on his possessiveness.
• Tom said goodbye to his friends at the station and went to The Leaky Cauldron instead of returning to the struggling orphanage.
• Tom sent Apos with an envelope containing Mrs. Cole's money and his saved pennies.
• Tom spent a few Knuts on baked potatoes, a turkey sandwich, and Canyon Water, then began eating at a clean table.

Tom stayed at the Leaky Cauldron, where he heard rumors about Dumbledore and Grindelwald and gathered news about Abraxas Malfoy’s growing popularity at the Ministry. He wondered why Abraxas had suddenly abandoned the Malfoy family’s usual caution about public attention.

• Tom overheard drunk patrons claim that Bathilda Bagshot was Grindelwald’s great-aunt and that Dumbledore and Grindelwald had once been very close.
• Tom resented Dumbledore and planned to find the Chamber of Secrets while preparing for his O.W.L. exams.
• Tom learned that Minister Muun opposed pure-blood ideology and that Abraxas Malfoy was thriving at the Ministry without openly promoting it.
• Tom heard patrons praise Abraxas’s charm and influence, then questioned why he was pushing himself into the spotlight.

Tom wondered whether Abraxas had drawn attention to himself to protect him, but he could not bring himself to ask. Remembering his love for Abraxas and fearing he was unworthy, Tom inflicted a Bone-Gouging Cruciatus Curse on himself.

• Tom questioned whether Abraxas had put him in the spotlight to shield him, then dismissed the idea as wishful thinking.
• Tom tried to write Abraxas a letter about his doubts but left the parchment blank.
• Tom removed the Preservation Charm from the white rose Abraxas had given him and watched it wither before vanishing it.
• Tom remembered imagining a dance with Abraxas and wondered whether Abraxas suffered from their love as he did.
• Tom pointed his wand at himself and cast the Bone-Gouging Cruciatus Curse, collapsing onto the bed in pain.

Tom endured the Cruciatus Curse while mourning, and Eileen learned that her father had died. Scarbor urged her to leave the wizarding world after graduation, fearing the Prince family’s wealth would put her in danger once he was gone.

• Tom mocked himself as a madman while lying under the Cruciatus Curse, which could not ease his pain.
• Eileen visited her father’s grave with Scarbor and learned that he had kept the death from her until she graduated.
• Eileen cried over missing her chance to see her father one last time, while Scarbor warned her that the Prince family’s books and wealth would attract greedy people.
• Eileen insisted she would become the youngest Potions Master, but Scarbor told her to take everything and leave the wizarding world after graduation.

Tom received a playful letter from Abraxas and reflected on how his admiration for him had shaped his habits and feelings. He accepted that he loved Abraxas and was willing to give him everything.

• Tom woke ashamed of having used the Cruciatus Curse on himself and blamed his Gaunt heritage.
• Apos tapped at the window, and Tom let his tired pet inside before noticing the letter from Abraxas.
• Tom remembered how he had copied Abraxas’s manners and tastes, then realized he had never truly disliked sweets.
• Tom read Abraxas’s teasing letter, blushed as its guesses proved accurate, and felt reassured by Abraxas’s affection.
• Tom folded the letter and resolved to return Abraxas’s love without reservation.

Tom measured his growing height and worried about his lack of romantic experience, then focused on finding the Chamber of Secrets before his O.W.L.s. His search stalled at the girls' lavatory, and another collision with Rubeus Hagrid left him warning the Gryffindor prefect to be careful.

• Tom measured his height in the Slytherin dormitory and hoped to grow taller than Abraxas.
• Tom fretted over his lack of experience and blamed Amortentia for his feelings.
• Tom searched Hogwarts lavatories for the Chamber of Secrets entrance but avoided the girls' lavatory because of Corvinus Gaunt's hint.
• Rubeus Hagrid struck Tom in the head in the abandoned dungeons and urged him to visit the Hospital Wing.
• Tom healed his forehead and reminded Hagrid that he was a prefect, while considering deducting Gryffindor's points.

Tom discovered the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in the girls' bathroom and descended into its foul underground passage. He reached an enormous snakeskin, though what lay beyond it remained unseen.

• Hagrid warned Tom to stay away from the dungeons, then returned to care for the Acromantula egg he had bought.
• Tom overcame his reluctance and entered the second-floor girls' bathroom under a Disillusionment Charm.
• Tom found a snake symbol on a faucet, spoke to it in Parseltongue, and opened the hidden passage beneath the sinks.
• Tom prepared himself with protective and cleaning spells before jumping down the pipe.
• Tom walked through the underground passage and found an enormous snakeskin.

Tom entered the Chamber of Secrets and awakened its basilisk, which revealed that the chamber was only a first line of defense, not Salazar Slytherin’s true chamber. The basilisk had not answered whether Salazar truly left, and Tom asked where the real chamber was.

• Tom reasoned that Salazar would not have placed students in danger with a basilisk and suspected there was more than one chamber.
• Tom opened the enormous iron door and explored the stone chamber, then bowed to the statue and spoke to it in Parseltongue.
• A basilisk emerged from the statue and identified Tom as a half-blood descendant of Salazar Slytherin.
• Tom asked where Salazar’s true Chamber of Secrets was, and the basilisk said the chamber was only the first line of defense.
• Tom asked where the real chamber was and whether Salazar Slytherin had truly left.

Tom learned that the basilisk would reveal nothing until he proved himself the true heir, possessing both a spear and a shield. He identified Slytherin’s lost wand as the shield, a weapon with powerful healing abilities, and realized Hogwarts was meant to be the wizarding world’s refuge.

• The basilisk complained that it had been denied food and refused to tell Tom how to escape, saying only the heir with both the spear and shield could know its secrets.
• The basilisk told Tom that the monkey-faced figure was Godric as Salazar had seen him, not Salazar himself.
• Tom noticed a Gordian Knot mark on the statue’s robes and connected it to Ilvermorny and Slytherin’s lost wand.
• Tom recalled that a snakewood tree grew where the wand was buried and that its leaves had potent healing effects.
• Tom concluded that the wand could serve as a shield as well as a weapon, and that Hogwarts was intended to become the wizarding world’s last refuge.

Tom learned Salazar's final wish and committed himself to protecting Hogwarts, though the danger inside his body remained unresolved. After emerging from a hidden passage, he encountered Professor Dumbledore and explained that he had come to investigate noises near a cupboard.

• Tom poured magic into the Gordian Knot, opening a hidden passage, and resolved to protect Hogwarts in accordance with Salazar's wish.
• The young man within Tom's consciousness saw sunlight return and acknowledged that Tom had been right.
• Tom emerged from the passage into a corner of the entrance hall and encountered Professor Dumbledore.
• Tom told Professor Dumbledore he had investigated noises near a cupboard, where an Acromantula had recently hatched.
• Professor Dumbledore recognized that Hagrid was likely feeding the creature and trusted that Hagrid would not harm the students.

Dumbledore told Tom that his mother, Merope Gaunt, had been deeply in love with Old Tom Riddle, and Tom struggled to hide his anger and doubt. Alone in the dormitory, he questioned whether his father had ever loved his mother and felt that his handsome face only reminded him he had been cast aside.

• Dumbledore offered to walk Tom back to his dorm and brought up the dream Tom had once described.
• Tom said he had stopped dreaming after settling into life with Ian and the others, then asked whether the woman in his dream might have been his mother.
• Dumbledore said the woman resembled Merope Gaunt and described her as deeply infatuated with Old Tom Riddle.
• Tom suppressed his rage as Dumbledore called his parents' relationship moving, then returned to the dormitory after saying the password, "Glory."
• Alone, Tom questioned whether his father had truly loved his mother and lamented that his appearance reminded him he had been abandoned.

Tom learned that Amortentia could cause intense infatuation and feared that he himself had been conceived through its influence. He later tried to reassure himself that his father had simply not known about him, but remained distressed as his friends noticed his troubled state.

• Tom healed the scratches on his face and clutched the flower-scented envelope in bed.
• Professor Slughorn showed the students Amortentia and warned them about its effects and the consequences of using it on someone.
• Tom smelled Abraxas's scent in the potion and realized it matched what he loved most.
• After Corban warned Radolphus to be careful, Tom rushed back to the dormitory and concluded that he was the product of Amortentia.
• Tom tried to convince himself that his father had only been unable to accept his mother being a witch, then later told Ian and Mickey that he was fine and returned to studying the Sleeping Draught.

Tom sought comfort in the Chamber of Secrets, where the basilisk urged him to face the truth and open the true Chamber. As Tom prepared to leave, the basilisk asked to see what Hogwarts had become.

• Tom hid from his friends and went to the Chamber of Secrets after class, bringing hunted animals for the basilisk.
• The basilisk rebuked Tom for retreating and recalled how Muggles had tortured Salazar and his students a thousand years earlier.
• Tom promised to guard Salazar's treasure and do his utmost to stay, while the basilisk asked him to open the true Chamber of Secrets and grant him release.
• As Tom stood to leave, the basilisk awkwardly asked to go outside and see Hogwarts, explaining that most passages had been sealed.