Chapter Summaries

Tom let the basilisk out of the pipe, but when Myrtle startled them in the girls’ bathroom, the basilisk’s eye spell failed and Myrtle died. Tom sent the basilisk back into the pipe as he confronted it over breaking its promise.

• Tom agreed to let the basilisk out briefly, provided it promised not to hurt anyone.
• Myrtle hid in a bathroom stall and cried after Olive Humber mocked her.
• Tom brought the basilisk into the girls’ bathroom through a pipe without checking whether anyone was there.
• Myrtle burst out of the stall and startled Tom and the basilisk, causing the basilisk’s protective spell to fail and Myrtle to die.
• Tom accused the basilisk of breaking its promise and ordered it back into the pipe.

After Myrtle died in the bathroom, Tom panicked, considered making a Horcrux to escape his guilt, then decided to hide what happened and find someone else to blame. The next morning, Headmaster Armando and Galatea investigated Myrtle’s death, but Galatea could not identify the magic that killed her.

• Tom fled the bathroom after Myrtle died and returned to his dormitory, overwhelmed by guilt and fear of being discovered.
• Tom considered using a Horcrux to escape his pain, but threw his diary against the wall and abandoned the idea.
• Tom reviewed what he knew, realized no one else had witnessed the death, and decided he needed someone to take the blame.
• News of Myrtle’s death spread through Hogwarts, and Headmaster Armando arrived at the bathroom with several professors.
• Armando asked Galatea to investigate, and she found that Myrtle had not been killed by the Killing Curse but could not identify the spell.

After a student died at Hogwarts, Tom worried that Dumbledore might connect the incident to the Chamber of Secrets and his Parseltongue. At Malfoy Manor, Abraxas prepared to visit Hogwarts and confront Dumbledore, while Olivia left to seek potions to restore sanity.

• Dumbledore arrived at the scene, and Professor Merrythought suggested the death might not have been caused by magic.
• Tom heard students speculate about the death and worried that Dumbledore would suspect the Chamber of Secrets because Tom was a Parselmouth.
• Mickey and Ian pulled Tom away from the crowd and tried to comfort him by the Black Lake.
• Abraxas received a letter inviting him to Hogwarts and eagerly prepared to confront Dumbledore in a flamboyant outfit.
• Olivia watched Abraxas show off, then left to seek two sanity-restoring potions from House of Prince.

Tom discovered that Hagrid was secretly raising a dangerous Acromantula, then witnessed Abraxas pressure Headmaster Armando to find the Hogwarts murderer within three days or resign. Armando accepted responsibility, while Tom watched helplessly as the Board’s threat put the school’s future in jeopardy.

• Abraxas discussed with the Board of Governors how to use the death to weaken Dumbledore’s candidacy for headmaster.
• Tom watched Hagrid feed an Acromantula hidden in a cupboard and worried about the danger it posed.
• Tom noticed Dumbledore near the Headmaster’s Tower and struggled with his thoughts about him.
• Abraxas told Armando that Hogwarts would close unless the murderer was found within three days.
• Armando asked the Board to rescind its decision and vowed to resign if the culprit remained at large.
• Tom watched the confrontation and could not bring himself to leave.

Dumbledore wondered whether the basilisk needed to exist, while Abraxas escorted Tom back to the Slytherin common room. Tom kissed Abraxas, then told him to return to where he belonged, leaving Abraxas to tease him about the remark.

• Dumbledore mused to Fawkes that the basilisk might not need to exist without someone who could control it.
• Abraxas worried that he had upset Tom as they walked toward the dungeons.
• Tom struggled with gratitude, longing, resentment, and insecurity before telling Abraxas to go back.
• When Abraxas asked to be invited in for a drink, Tom grabbed his collar and kissed him.
• Tom healed Abraxas's injured lips and told him to go back to where he belonged.
• Abraxas teased Tom that his words sounded like an invitation, and Tom entered the common room in embarrassment.

Abraxas met Dumbledore at Hogwarts and gave him three days to resolve the rumors surrounding the Chamber of Secrets. Back at his manor, Abraxas realized Tom had opened the Chamber by accident and worried that exposing his weakness had disrupted his plan to make Dumbledore take the blame.

• Abraxas met Dumbledore at Hogwarts and hinted that he knew about Dumbledore’s Blood Pact with his former friend.
• Dumbledore asked Abraxas for clues about the Chamber of Secrets after rumors blamed its monster for the recent incident.
• Abraxas told Dumbledore that the Board of Governors expected a result within three days, then left Hogwarts.
• At his manor, Abraxas concluded that Tom had opened the Chamber and controlled its basilisk through Parseltongue.
• Abraxas realized he could no longer pin the incident on Dumbledore and would have to let him identify another culprit.

Tom heard Hogwarts students speculate about the Chamber of Secrets and realized the Slytherins suspected him of opening it. He found Hagrid hiding Aragog in a box and confronted him, but Hagrid insisted the creature would never kill anyone.

• Tom returned to the Slytherin common room and saw the students watching him warily.
• Corban reassured Tom that the professors would find the culprit, and Tom agreed before leaving to investigate.
• Tom quietly approached the cupboard and saw Hagrid trying to hide Aragog in a box.
• Tom told Hagrid he would have to report him and said Aragog was too dangerous to keep as a pet.
• Hagrid angrily insisted that Aragog would never kill anyone.

Tom tried to kill Hagrid’s Acromantula, but Hagrid stopped him and the creature escaped. At the Headmaster’s office, Tom reported what he had seen, and Armando sent both boys back to their dormitories to await the Ministry of Magic.

• Tom attacked the crate containing the Acromantula, which had grown larger and fled up the wall.
• Hagrid tackled Tom and stopped him from casting another spell.
• Dumbledore arrived and found Tom and Hagrid arguing about the escaped creature.
• Dumbledore took the boys to Headmaster Armando, who asked Tom to explain what had happened.
• Tom said he had followed Hagrid to the dungeon and tried to kill the monster, but had failed.
• Armando sent Tom and Hagrid back to their dormitories while they waited for the Ministry of Magic.

Tom watched Hagrid get taken away and learned that the headmaster would announce something important that evening. As Armando began speaking in the Great Hall, Tom realized the recognition he was about to receive would feel like disgrace rather than honor.

• After Tom and the other young wizard left, Armando wrote to the Ministry of Magic and wondered whether to give Dumbledore the headmaster position, then asked what Dumbledore feared.
• Tom hurried to the sealed girls' lavatory, checked the puddle by the sinks, and returned to the dungeons, expecting an upsetting event the next day.
• The Department of Magical Law Enforcement took Hagrid away, and Slughorn told Tom to summon everyone to the Great Hall at seven for an important announcement.
• Tom guessed that the supposed truth-revealer would be praised and awarded a trophy, which he regarded as an indelible disgrace.
• Tom sat in the Great Hall as Armando began announcing that the tragedy had come to an end.

Tom Riddle received a Second Class Order of Merlin for resolving the attacks, but the medal reminded him of his guilt and he destroyed it. He then brewed a potion in the Room of Requirement, preparing to visit Mr. Ogden during the holiday.

• Armando announced that Tom would receive a Second Class Order of Merlin and a Special Award for Services to Hogwarts, and Tom accepted the medal.
• Tom returned to his dormitory, destroyed the medal and his belongings, then vanished the melted medal and muttered about cleaning up more people.
• Corban delivered the materials Tom had requested, and Tom sent him away after taking the bag.
• Tom followed Ian's instructions to find the Room of Requirement and brewed a potion from the materials.
• Tom prepared to visit Mr. Ogden during the upcoming holiday.

Tom continued adjusting a formula in the Room of Requirement while Eileen Prince tried to brew a sleeping potion for her ailing grandfather. Their paths crossed near the dungeons, where Tom resolved to punish Eileen by deducting points, and she silently resented him.

• Tom kept refining his formula, determined not to give up on what he planned to do.
• Eileen searched her family's potion books for a way to drug her grandfather without him noticing, then abandoned the idea of using poison gas.
• Eileen packed her supplies and hurried toward the dungeons as curfew approached.
• Eileen bumped into Tom and apologized, asking him to move aside.
• Tom decided to take childish revenge by dragging out the encounter until he could deduct points from Eileen.
• Eileen kept her head down and privately thought Tom needed a brain-refreshing potion.

Tom finished his exams and prepared to seek the truth about his father, while Mickey connected Tom’s family history to the Gaunts and grew uneasy after hearing him speak in his sleep. The chapter left Mickey suspecting that Tom’s past was darker than he had realized.

• Tom deducted a point from Miss Prince for being out after curfew, then watched her leave and considered helping her in the future.
• After finishing his exams, Tom rested by the Black Lake while Ian lamented his spellcasting failure and Mickey listened.
• Tom planned to seek the truth about his father but decided to uncover it gradually rather than face the shock all at once.
• Mickey silenced Ian and realized Tom had fallen asleep and was murmuring about his father.
• Mickey recalled the Gaunt family’s history and recognized the significance of Tom’s middle name, Marvolo.
• Mickey connected Tom’s orphanage upbringing and recent research to his sleep-talk, and trusted his growing suspicion that something was wrong.

Mickey worried about his connections and struggled to get a letter delivered by his temperamental owl, while Tom attended Slytherin’s end-of-year feast. The chapter left Tom considering his future studies as Keban warned that senior students might act on the situation outside.

• Mickey and Ian joked about entering aristocratic circles, and Mickey considered broadening his circle of friends.
• Tom woke his companions and returned with them to the castle while an unseen figure watched them and called them disgusting.
• Mickey went to the Owlery to send a letter, cursed his useless owl, and left; afterward, the white-and-brown horned owl flew out.
• At the end-of-year feast, Tom celebrated Slytherin winning the House Cup and told Keban he intended to keep studying every subject.
• Keban asked whether Tom would refuse a Ministry job and warned that senior students might act because of who was leading things outside.

Tom traveled to Godric's Valley to uncover the truth and used a potion and Legilimency to search Ministry wizard Bob Ogden's memories. He found Ogden's 1925 visit to the Gaunt family, though the memory ended just as Ogden was attacked.

• Tom rejected the idea of relying on Coben's connections and decided to seek answers himself.
• Tom took the Knight Bus from The Leaky Cauldron to Godric's Valley.
• Tom found Bob Ogden's home and entered after presenting himself as a student of Slughorn.
• Tom made Ogden lose focus with a potion, then used Legilimency to access his memories.
• Tom watched Ogden arrive at the Gaunt family's home in 1925 and encounter a filthy man who threatened him.

Tom followed Ogden into the Gaunt home, where he met his mother, Merope, and watched Marvolo and Morfin mistreat her. Marvolo showed off a ring he claimed had belonged to Salazar Slytherin, leaving Tom focused on the Gaunt heirloom.

• Tom recognized Marvolo as his grandfather after Morfin attacked Ogden with a curse.
• Marvolo sent Morfin inside and reluctantly invited Ogden into the house to discuss Morfin's use of magic before Muggles.
• Tom saw Merope, his mother, and watched her drop a jar and fail to perform a Levitation Charm under Marvolo's shouting.
• Morfin mocked Merope, and Marvolo grabbed her to display his ring, claiming it had belonged to Salazar Slytherin.
• Marvolo shoved Merope back into the corner as Tom examined the golden locket before him.

After seeing his mother’s memories in Ogden’s Pensieve, Tom realized that his father had called another woman darling and that his mother had been terrified of losing him. Still determined to learn the truth, Tom went to examine the Gaunt family’s ruined home.

• Tom heard his mother explain that the passing family belonged to a vagrant named Gaunt and warn him to stay away from their mad son.
• Tom withdrew from Ogden’s memory, altered Ogden’s memories, and left Godric’s Valley at night.
• Tom sat beneath the stars and lamented that his mother could not see him, then questioned how he differed from her.
• Tom returned to the valley and inspected a small, dilapidated wooden house surrounded by brambles.

Mickey warned Abraxas Malfoy that Tom was acting strangely, prompting Abraxas to rush off. At Yaxley Manor, Nott threatened Corban over a bloodstained letter before Tom arrived at a half-closed door to see someone.

• Mickey told Abraxas Malfoy about Tom’s strange behavior and his suspicions.
• Abraxas left the Ministry of Magic and Apparated away, worried about Tom and blaming Ogden.
• Nott showed Corban a bloodstained letter and complained that Tom valued two half-bloods.
• Corban angrily confronted Nott, who warned him not to mistake him for a fool and recalled their earlier trouble with the two half-bloods.
• Corban had a house-elf burn the letter, then Tom stood before a half-closed door at a manor.

Tom confronted Old Tom, hoping to learn whether his father had known about him or loved his mother. Old Tom rejected him and admitted he had known Tom existed, leaving Tom numb as someone arrived at the study.

• Old Tom opened the study door and recoiled when he saw Tom, then threw an ink bottle at him and ordered him out.
• Old Tom cursed Tom’s mother and claimed she had controlled him with something strange.
• Tom asked Old Tom whether he had loved his mother, but Old Tom said that remembering her made him sick.
• Tom asked whether Old Tom had known he existed, and Old Tom admitted he had but did not care.
• Tom’s hope disappeared, and he stood numb as someone called out and entered the scene.

Tom relived the murders that led him to create a Horcrux, then witnessed a vision of his future self’s descent into violence and isolation. In his soul space, he learned that the black-robed figure was a fragment of that future self, preserved within the Resurrection Stone.

• Tom killed his grandparents and Old Tom, then used the ring to create a Horcrux.
• Tom accused Dumbledore of steering him toward becoming a person who shattered hope.
• Tom experienced his other self repeatedly splitting his soul, killing friends, and imprisoning Abou.
• Tom returned to his soul space and found its barrier gone, the house ruined, and several graves nearby.
• Tom approached the black-robed figure, who revealed that he was a fragment of Tom’s future self left in the Resurrection Stone.

Tom returned to The Leaky Cauldron after learning that Dumbledore had trapped Voldemort in an illusory realm and that his own feelings for Abraxas had helped Voldemort find a way out. Abraxas arrived too late to prevent a family slaughter, then received a ring matching the one Tom had been wearing.

• Voldemort told Tom that Dumbledore had used his life to suppress the Resurrection Stone and imprison him, but that Tom’s feelings for Abraxas had become his escape route.
• Tom chose to leave the illusory realm and seek the Abou who had been waiting for him, while Voldemort urged him to protect someone.
• Tom awoke at The Leaky Cauldron, wondered whether the Resurrection Stone could bring others back to life, and recognized whom Voldemort had told him to protect.
• Abraxas returned too late to stop the slaughter and wondered how Little Tom had uncovered the truth about Old Tom and the Muggle woman.
• Abraxas opened a parcel at Malfoy Manor and found a gold ring with a black gemstone and a crest.