Chapter Summaries

After Aragog’s funeral, Harry persuaded Professor Slughorn to supervise the Dueling Club’s planned Forbidden Forest trial by showing him footage of students fighting a Chimera. Harry then proposed filming the trial for a video website, and Slughorn eagerly asked him to explain the idea.

• Harry and Professor Slughorn helped the grieving Hagrid bury Aragog, then shared drinks in Hagrid’s hut.
• Slughorn reminisced about Lily Potter, and Hagrid mourned Lily and James before falling asleep at the table.
• Harry told Slughorn about the Dueling Club and showed him footage of Ron, Seamus, and Neville fighting a Chimera.
• Slughorn agreed to guide the club and approved its plan to hold a Forbidden Forest trial the Saturday after next.
• Harry proposed filming the trial and uploading it to a video website, and Slughorn asked him to explain how the site worked.

Harry recruited Professor Slughorn as a Dueling Club advisor and got Dumbledore’s approval to send students on trials in the Forbidden Forest. After the Fat Lady refused him entry to Gryffindor Tower, Harry went to Vienna to visit Veratia and explained his plans for the club’s video-sharing coverage.

• Harry explained the video-sharing website to Professor Slughorn, who accepted his invitation to advise the Dueling Club.
• Harry proposed having Dueling Club members undergo trials in the Forbidden Forest, and Professor Slughorn agreed to guide them in dealing with Acromantulas and collecting potion ingredients.
• Harry told Dumbledore about the trials, and Dumbledore approved the plan after Harry assured him that Professor Slughorn would help supervise.
• The Fat Lady claimed the password had changed and refused Harry entry, so Harry left Hogwarts and Apparated to Nurmengard Castle in Vienna.
• Harry visited Veratia, learned that Cass had been working at the Malfoy family’s place, and told Veratia about combining the Dueling Club trials with the video-sharing website.

Veratia planned to use Harry’s video website to improve the Ministry’s public image, while Harry discussed filming Dueling Club trials and checked in with Alfonso. Back at Hogwarts, Harry organized Quidditch training and learned that Draco liked Ginny, who had recently ended her relationship.

• Veratia asked Ms. Rosier to create an official video website account and post selected Ministry activities.
• Harry explained that he planned to post Dueling Club trials, then spoke with Alfonso, who reported eating hundreds of Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest.
• Harry returned to Hogwarts and told Ron and Hermione about the Acromantula training videos during Charms Class.
• Harry arranged extra Quidditch training ahead of the Ravenclaw match, while Ginny seemed cheerful after her breakup.
• Ron told Harry that Draco had admitted he liked Ginny, and Harry privately considered why Draco was attracted to her.

Ron struck Cormac McLaggen with a Bludger after seeing him approach Hermione, then served detention and found records of James Potter’s Hogwarts mischief in Filch’s office. Hermione investigated the Half-Blood Prince’s identity, and McLaggen confronted Ron in the Gryffindor common room, where Ron disarmed him.

• Ron hit McLaggen in the back of the head with a Bludger after seeing him chat with Hermione, and Professor McGonagall deducted fifty Gryffindor points and assigned Ron detention with Filch.
• Ron returned from detention with cards recording misdeeds by James Potter and Sirius Black, and he asked Harry to help him avoid the Acromantula trial.
• Hermione showed Ron a newspaper photograph of Eileen Prince and argued that she might be the Half-Blood Prince, but Ron disagreed and Hermione vowed to investigate further.
• McLaggen confronted Ron in the Gryffindor common room over the Bludger attack, and Ron admitted he had done it deliberately and called Hermione his girlfriend.
• McLaggen fired a Stupefy at Ron, who deflected it and disarmed McLaggen with a silent spell.

Ron defeated McLagan after he attacked him in the Gryffindor Common Room, and Professor McGonagall let the matter pass. At dinner, Harry discussed preparations for the upcoming Forbidden Forest trial, while Ginny and Draco teased Ron about his fear of spiders.

• McLagan attacked Ron with Reducto, and Ron deflected the spell back, breaking McLagan's wand arm.
• Colin Creevey filmed the duel, and students took McLagan to Madam Pomfrey's Hospital Wing.
• Hermione supported Ron, and Professor McGonagall chose not to punish him after hearing witnesses' accounts.
• Harry told the group to prepare for the Dueling Club trial in the Forbidden Forest and said he planned to record and upload videos of it.
• Ginny teased Ron about his fear of Acromantulas, and Draco admitted he enjoyed provoking Ron because it was entertaining.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville prepared to practice for a Forbidden Forest trial, but Professor Trelawney’s account of someone inside the Room of Requirement and a strange prophecy left them investigating who was there. Harry suspected the prophecy warned that Voldemort would choose a new vessel at the harvest feast.

• Ginny persuaded Ron to face his fear of spiders by promising to make Hermione kiss him, and Harry agreed to help him if he fainted.
• Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville went to the Seventh Floor with Professor McGonagall’s permission to practice in the Room of Requirement.
• They found Professor Trelawney on the floor beside spilled sherry bottles and learned that someone had been inside the Room of Requirement, shouting happily before throwing her out.
• Professor Trelawney fell into a prophetic trance and foretold a silver-haired traveler, a buried truth, someone falling amid smiles, and a circling shadow choosing a new vessel at the feast of harvest.
• Harry connected the silver-haired traveler to Veratia and the circling shadow to Voldemort, then planned to wait for the others and call Draco to check whether he was inside.
• Hermione asked what they would do if the person in the Room of Requirement was not Malfoy and his group.

After discovering that Death Eaters had used a Vanishing Cabinet to enter Hogwarts, Harry captured the Carrow siblings and alerted Dumbledore and Sirius. He then used the cabinet to reach the Death Eaters’ hideout and began attacking those inside.

• Harry captured Amicus Carrow and Alecto Carrow after they emerged from the Room of Requirement, then learned they had arrived through a Vanishing Cabinet linked to Borgin and Burkes.
• Harry brought the Carrows to Dumbledore, who ordered students to gather in the Great Hall and arranged for the Ministry to collect the prisoners.
• Harry called Sirius to report the breach, and Mr. Weasley, Lupin, and Tonks arrived to take the Carrows away.
• Harry returned to the Room of Requirement, entered the Vanishing Cabinet, and emerged in a foul-smelling cellar at the Death Eaters’ hideout.
• Harry attacked the Death Eaters who greeted him, then killed a woman who raised the alarm by having a silver snake swallow her.

Harry raided a Lestrange family Death Eater hideout, captured RABASTAN Lestrange, and learned that the group had only just begun preparing a passage to Hogwarts. After returning to school, he resumed classes with Ron and Hermione, and the chapter ended when Hedwig delivered him a copy of the Daily Prophet.

• Harry used time manipulation and the Imperius Curse to defeat the Death Eaters in the Lestrange family basement and question RABASTAN Lestrange.
• Harry brought RABASTAN to Hogwarts, where Snape and Dumbledore learned that only the Carrow siblings had entered the Vanishing Cabinet and Voldemort had not appeared at the hideout.
• Lupin and Mr. Weasley took RABASTAN away, while Harry told Ron about the raid and Hermione asked about their planned practice in the Room of Requirement.
• The students were allowed back to their Common Rooms, and Ron brewed a perfect Beauty Potion under Snape's watchful eye.
• Hedwig delivered a copy of the Daily Prophet to Harry during the meal.

Harry discussed the Death Eaters’ lair report and prepared with his friends for the Forbidden Forest trial, then met Dumbledore with Professor Trelawney to consider her prophecy. Dumbledore gave Harry Phoenix Tears from Fiona to support the trial.

• Harry reassured Ron, Hermione, and Draco that he did not mind being left out of the newspaper report, and they agreed to practice dueling that evening.
• Harry met the drunken Professor Trelawney on the way to Dumbledore’s office and listened as she recounted her first meeting with Dumbledore and Snape.
• Dumbledore asked Trelawney to examine the newspaper and had Harry repeat her prophecy about a silver-haired traveler, twin flames, and shadows choosing a new vessel.
• Harry suggested the silver-haired traveler might be Veratia, but Dumbledore doubted that interpretation.
• Dumbledore gave Harry a crystal bottle of Phoenix Tears collected by Fiona for use during the trial.

Harry arranged 5X-level Magical Creature training in the Room of Requirement, pairing students and assigning them opponents. Ron and Hermione faced four Acromantulas in a Forbidden Forest-like setting, where they fought off the first attack together.

• Harry told Dumbledore that Professor Slughorn would advise during the creature training, then left to prepare for the evening session.
• Harry brought the students into a vast Room of Requirement, paired them up, and had representatives draw lots for their opponents.
• Hermione drew Acromantulas for herself and Ron, while the other pairs drew a Horned Serpent, a Werewolf, Harpies, and a Troll.
• Harry led Ron and Hermione into a forest habitat and revealed that their practice would be recorded as they entered the woods.
• Four Acromantulas surrounded Ron and Hermione, but Ron used fire and the Spider Repellent Charm while Hermione stunned and slowed the spiders.
• Ron destroyed one Acromantula with Reducto, and the other three retreated into the undergrowth.

Ron and Hermione defeated four Acromantulas but received Harry's criticism of their spell choices. Ginny and Draco then fought a Horned Serpent in the swamp, wounded it, and cut off part of its horn before it disappeared; Harry praised their performance.

• Ron and Hermione used coordinated spells to defeat four Acromantulas, then Harry criticized their flashy and impractical combinations.
• Harry led Ginny and Draco to a swamp and explained the Horned Serpent's unusual abilities and valuable forehead gem and horn.
• Ginny disrupted the serpent's attempt to turn invisible while Draco and Ginny attacked it, and Ginny blasted a wound through its scales.
• Draco slowed the wounded serpent with a Dark Charm and cut off part of its horn before it sank into the swamp and vanished.
• Harry returned and praised Ginny and Draco for adapting well, saying he had not expected them to kill the Horned Serpent.

Neville and Luna defeated two Werewolves in their trial, and Harry sent Seamus and Pansy into a dueling arena to face an armored Troll. Their spells failed against its Red Crystal Armor, and the Troll charged at Pansy.

• Harry praised Draco and Ginny for cutting off the Horned Serpent’s horn, then assigned Neville and Luna to fight two Werewolves.
• Neville and Luna used Shield Charms, Knockback Jinxes, a Full Body-Bind, and a Stunning Spell to subdue both Werewolves.
• Harry congratulated Neville and Luna, then took Seamus and Pansy to the dueling arena for their Troll trial.
• A Troll wearing Red Crystal Armor and wielding a crystal-studded stone pillar entered the arena.
• Pansy cast Reducto at the Troll, but its armor absorbed the spell, and the Troll charged at her.

Seamus and Pansy defeated an armored Troll, while Hannah and Justin also returned victorious from their Harpy trial. Harry edited and uploaded the students’ battle videos, which quickly went viral, as Veratia’s push to let wizards live openly continued to gain support.

• Seamus and Pansy exploited gaps in the Troll’s armor to wound it, then destroyed it with an Exploding Charm to its mouth.
• Harry announced that Hannah and Justin had defeated the Harpies and rewarded the students who passed the trials with future Philosopher’s Stone products and personal computers.
• Harry discussed Veratia’s campaign for wizards to live openly, as French wizards called for their Ministry of Magic to merge into the European Ministry of Magic.
• Harry worked with Steve to edit the battle footage, uploaded it through Hogwarts’s official account, and sent Neville’s Werewolf video to Augusta Longbottom.
• Ron and Seamus told Harry that the video had gone viral, and Harry found growing views, tips, and comments online.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussed the response to their trial videos, while Hogwarts students admired the participants and Ron and Harry spent the afternoon playing Diablo 2. Harry later asked Ginny to help choose the next trial opponent, but she rejected his dangerous options and refused to volunteer.

• Ron and Harry read comments on the trial videos, and Hermione praised the event and asked her friends to help improve her own videos.
• Draco and Luna received attention from classmates, while Daphne asked Draco to speak to Harry about letting more students join the Dueling Club's training.
• Ron and Harry played Diablo 2 in the Common Room, and Seamus and Neville joined them after Apparition training.
• Harry considered which powerful Magical Creature to use for the next trial and asked Hermione and Ginny about a Wampus Cat.
• Harry listed dragons and other dangerous creatures as alternatives, but Ginny asked to choose none and refused to volunteer for a Chizpurfle trial.

Harry organized special combat training for Hogwarts students, beginning with defensive spells and practical movement drills in the Room of Requirement. After the first session, Veratia and Cassandra visited Hogwarts, and Harry went to meet them at Mr. LeMay's cottage.

• Ginny and Hermione declined Harry's suggestions for choosing dangerous Magical Creatures to fight.
• Harry recruited students from fourth through seventh year for combat training, received Dumbledore's approval, and set the first session for Saturday morning.
• Harry led the students to the Room of Requirement, where Hermione taught Protego and Ron and Neville demonstrated combat movement and evasion.
• The students practiced their defenses and footwork, then faced duels against Harry's instructor group; Neville defeated Theodore Nott in two moves.
• Harry arranged for training to continue Sunday morning, then learned Veratia and Cassandra had arrived at Hogwarts and went to Mr. LeMay's cottage to meet them.

Harry visited the Philosopher's Stone Company's industrial park in Hogsmeade while Sirius, Gemma, Veratia, and Vida Rosier discussed opening the wizarding world to Muggles. The group had agreed to gradually introduce the company's products across most of Europe, while Veratia remained frustrated by the International Confederation of Wizards' caution.

• Harry arrived at the industrial park, where Lupin explained that he was helping provide security during Vida Rosier's visit.
• Harry joined Sirius, Gemma, Veratia, and Vida Rosier as they debated changing the Wizarding Secrecy Law and using the company's products to build support for change.
• Vida argued that the products could serve as a window between the magical and Muggle worlds and that the movement needed strength, allies, and proof of the benefits.
• Vida left after the group discussed the International Confederation of Wizards' reservations, and Sirius told Harry they had agreed to roll out the products across Europe except France, Spain, and Portugal.
• Veratia vowed to abolish the cautious old organization, and Sirius and Gemma left Harry and Veratia alone to look around the industrial park.

Harry led the students through a practical combat exercise against venomless Chameleon Giant Snails, pushing them to defend themselves and work in pairs. After the exhausted students finished, Ron and Hermione proposed creatures for the next session, leaving Harry to consider their suggestions.

• Veratia left Hogsmeade for an emergency at the Austrian Ministry of Magic and took Cassandra with her.
• Harry released Chameleon Giant Snails in the Room of Requirement and had the students practice shielding and restraining them in pairs.
• Harry opened more cages with faster, more frequently camouflaged snails, and the students continued the exercise while Ginny corrected them and Colin took distracting photographs.
• The Pettigrew sisters trapped the final Streeler, and Harry dismissed the exhausted students after announcing another creature exercise for the following week.
• Ron suggested Blast-Ended Skrewts, Ashwinders, and Kelpies as future opponents, while Hermione proposed Red Caps and Inferi before Ron reminded her that students had already faced Inferi.

Harry planned to add controlled combat against Dark Wizards from Knockturn Alley to the students’ activities, while the sixth-years practiced collecting Venomous Tentacula venom and seeds. Charms class ended with Seamus accidentally blasting Ron with a waterspout, and Ron demanded that Seamus stop aiming his experiments at him.

• Harry captured dozens of Inferi from caves in the Forbidden Forest to use in the next event.
• Professor Sprout taught the sixth-year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs to collect Venomous Tentacula materials, and Harry and Neville earned ten Gryffindor points.
• Harry agreed with Seamus that students should practice against Dark Wizards and proposed finding controlled opponents in Knockturn Alley.
• Professor Flitwick demonstrated the Water-Making Spell, and Hermione filled her cup while Seamus’s spell sent Ron crashing to the floor.
• Ron confronted Seamus after class, who apologized and said he had not meant to blast him with the waterspout.

Harry led the students through a combat trial against Inferi in the Room of Requirement, teaching them to use fire, strong light, and teamwork. The exhausted students defeated the horde, and Harry announced the top individual scorers.

• Ron accepted Seamus's offer of ice cream after Seamus accidentally hit him with a Water Dragon Impact, and Draco later mocked Ron at dinner.
• Harry and the other instructors let students hear ominous rumors about their next challenge before they gathered in the Room of Requirement on Saturday.
• Harry explained the Inferi's weaknesses, summoned a wall of azure fire to hold them back, and divided the students into teams with prizes for top performers.
• The teams fought the Inferi with fire and strong-light spells, gradually improving their coordination as Hermione gave tactical directions.
• After the battle, Harry congratulated the students and announced Ernie Macmillan, Blaise Zabini, and Susan Bones as the top three individual scorers.

Harry awarded Colin Creevey's group for teamwork, then Ron tested the Weasley twins' mini weather station on Draco. The tornado vanished after wrecking Draco's hair and showering him with the debris it had swept up.

• Harry awarded Colin Creevey's group the Teamwork Award and decided to upload videos of the students fighting Inferi.
• Ron received the Weasley twins' mini weather station and learned that it could simulate different weather effects.
• After Professor Snape deducted fifty points for Ron's plan to use the device on him, Ron tried its sunny setting and enjoyed the artificial sunshine.
• Ron switched the dial to tornado mode and secretly placed the device beneath Draco's usual seat at the Slytherin table.
• A tornado erupted around Draco, wrecking his hair and scattering food and papers before it suddenly vanished, dumping the debris onto him.