Chapter Summaries

Professor Flitwick summoned Andrew Taylor and scolded him for neglecting practice and relying on raw talent, while warning him not to imitate Lockhart. Andrew’s impressive Transfiguration display revealed his unusual ability, and Flitwick urged him to prepare for class and focus on his strengths.

• Professor Flitwick told Andrew Taylor that his Charms lacked practice and that his performance in other subjects showed little understanding or preparation.
• Professor Flitwick blamed Lockhart’s influence for Andrew’s interest in flashy memory magic and language study, and urged him to build a solid magical foundation.
• Professor Flitwick asked Andrew to demonstrate his Transfiguration, and Andrew transformed the office floor into soil and grass.
• Professor Flitwick praised Andrew’s cleverness, restored the office floor, and told him to prepare for lessons while focusing on Transfiguration.
• Professor Flitwick let Andrew keep the snacks and warned him again not to imitate Lockhart.

Ron eagerly headed to the library with Harry after Professor Flitwick encouraged him to study, while Andrew finished planning his account of Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Fred and George discovered that ink made a mysterious diary respond, and they prepared to continue its tests.

• Ron told Harry that Professor Flitwick had praised his progress and given him a reading list, then suggested they visit the library to look at a book about curses.
• Andrew revised his manuscript about Dumbledore's prophetic dream, added historical divination and praise of Grindelwald, and planned the rest of their story.
• Andrew put away the finished manuscript and went to practice Area Transfiguration.
• Fred and George found that tearing the indestructible book made it reform as a diary, then tried potions and ink on it.
• Ink made the diary display the words "Who are you?", and Fred and George celebrated what they thought might be another Trickster legacy.

Fred and George tested a mysterious diary and persuaded Nearly Headless Nick to write in it, revealing that it belonged to Tom Riddle and promised treasure hidden in Hogwarts. Suspicious of the diary’s offer, the twins soaked it and planned to uncover its real scheme, leaving Nick hopeful that the treasure might help detach his head.

• Fred and George debated the danger of writing in the diary and chose Nearly Headless Nick as a test subject.
• The twins found Nick and convinced him that writing in the diary might be dangerous enough to remove his head.
• Nick wrote his name, and the diary introduced itself as Tom Riddle; Nick recalled Riddle as a friendly Slytherin student and prefect.
• Tom Riddle’s diary claimed it contained clues to unfinished searches for the Four Founders’ treasures and offered a reward if the twins gave it to a Slytherin.
• The twins threatened the diary, then tore it apart and soaked it when it stopped responding.
• Fred and George decided to keep testing the diary until it revealed its trap, while Nick remained interested in the promised treasure.

Andrew abandoned his plan to wait for Ginny and arranged a false report of a hidden pervert in the girls' bathroom to get Percy and others to inspect it. The search found only Moaning Myrtle, whose distress left the investigation unresolved.

• Andrew decided he could frame someone to expose the snake rather than wait for Ginny to act.
• Andrew asked a Hufflepuff student to gather girls and a Prefect outside the Third Floor Bathroom, claiming a girl had reported a hidden pervert.
• The Hufflepuff Prefect organized the search, and Percy arrived after Andrew quietly explained the situation.
• The girls searched the bathroom and reported that only Moaning Myrtle was inside.
• Percy entered with Andrew and the Hufflepuff Prefect, and Moaning Myrtle emerged through the ceiling, then began crying when she feared they had come to drive her away.

Andrew searched the girls’ Bathroom for an imaginary pervert and instead discovered a concealed mechanism connected to the Chamber of Secrets. He ordered Percy and Nazarov to guard the discovery while he went to alert a professor, intending to trace it back to Ginny and the Diary.

• Andrew cast a spell that burst a can of beans across the Bathroom, but it revealed no hidden person and angered Moaning Myrtle.
• After Percy helped him check the stalls, Andrew cleared the students from the Bathroom by warning that his next test was dangerous.
• Andrew transformed the floor and used the beans’ roots to locate a Copper Tap with a tiny snake carved into it.
• Andrew found that his Transfiguration could not affect the Tap and realized it was more sophisticated than he had expected.
• Andrew told Percy to watch Nazarov, keep everyone away, and reveal nothing while he went to tell a professor.

Andrew brought Professor McGonagall to a hidden, magically sealed pipe bearing Slytherin’s crest, and she summoned Dumbledore after failing to open it. Dumbledore began investigating the seal while Andrew received permission to question younger students from the start-of-year train incident about possible magical control.

• Andrew told Professor McGonagall that his Transfiguration could not open a hidden lock marked with Slytherin’s crest, and she went with him to the girls’ bathroom.
• Professor McGonagall examined the pipe and found its magic beyond her ability, so she sent Andrew to fetch Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore identified the crest as genuine or connected to Slytherin and estimated he would need three days to open the sealed entrance.
• Professor McGonagall took Nazarov to question portraits about the person who had exposed the entrance and to explain what must remain secret.
• Andrew asked Dumbledore to let him question younger students who had been on the train at the start of the school year, and Dumbledore agreed as long as he used no Truth Serum.

Ginny confessed to Andrew that she had found and used Tom Riddle’s diary before throwing it away, while Andrew discovered that the diary had been recovered by Hufflepuff students but stolen from Mr. Filch’s lost-and-found. He left to question the Weasley twins, whom Filch suspected of taking it.

• Ginny recalled finding the diary, confided her thoughts in it, and threw it away after suspecting it had caused trouble for Ron and Harry.
• Andrew questioned Ginny, who confessed everything and was told she would not be expelled, though she might receive detention.
• Ginny returned to her friends, relieved and delighted by Andrew’s suggestion that she might serve detention with Harry Potter.
• Andrew learned from Mr. Filch that Hufflepuff students had turned in Tom Riddle’s diary, but it had since disappeared from the lost-and-found.
• Mr. Filch blamed the Weasley twins for stealing the diary, and Andrew went to question them.

Fred and George used Tom Riddle’s diary as fuel while grilling fish, then learned from it that Slytherin’s treasure supposedly required offerings of freshly roasted chickens. Andrew Taylor negotiated with the twins for the diary and took it to Professor McGonagall’s office, promising to keep Ginny and the thief from being expelled.

• Fred and George burned the diary to grill fish and sweet potatoes until it offered to talk.
• The diary claimed that Slytherin’s treasure could be revealed by offering Slytherin enough freshly roasted chickens.
• Andrew Taylor found Fred and George and explained that Ginny had lost the dangerous diary and could be expelled.
• Fred and George agreed to return the diary that night in exchange for Andrew’s promise that Ginny and the thief would receive detention instead of expulsion.
• The twins gave Andrew the genuine diary and three sweet potatoes, and he carried them toward Professor McGonagall’s office.

Andrew brought the recovered diary to Professor McGonagall, who confirmed she could neither detect magic on it nor break its protections. Dumbledore recognized it, rewarded Andrew, and left him with a request to uncover what was hidden in a badge.

• Andrew told Percy and Professor McGonagall that the diary and the people involved were safe, then explained how the diary had passed from Ginny through several hands to the Weasley twins.
• Professor McGonagall questioned Andrew about the diary’s history and accepted that Ron did not need further investigation because he had been given Truth Serum.
• Dumbledore arrived, examined the diary, and recognized it as the one he had been looking for.
• Dumbledore awarded Ravenclaw a hundred points, said Andrew should become Head Boy, and asked him to visit once he had uncovered what was hidden in a badge.
• Andrew called Jim and asked for sausage and beans.

Tom’s Diary consciousness tried to lure a student into opening the Chamber of Secrets, but Albus Dumbledore confronted him. At Hogwarts, Andrew assigned Harry detention and gave Harry, Ginny, and the Twins separate jobs as a consequence of the Diary incident.

• Tom’s consciousness weakened while the Diary stayed closed, then tried to manipulate a boy who repeatedly damaged the Horcrux.
• Tom invented an adventure to draw the student toward the Chamber of Secrets and lied that the rooster threatening the Basilisk had been dealt with.
• Albus Dumbledore opened the Diary and introduced himself to Tom, whose magic carried a terrifying presence.
• Students discussed Professor McGonagall sealing off the Library bathroom and Ginny nearly being expelled, while Ron said Percy had not explained what happened.
• Andrew gave Harry detention for a magical duel with Slytherins and assigned Ginny and Harry to help Lockhart with letters, while the Twins chose to scrub bedpans.

Andrew heard the latest rumors about his detention of the Weasleys and asked Hal to investigate who had been digging up the Black Lake. In the Hospital Wing, Fred and George caught Sirius's attention while waiting for Harry to visit.

• Andrew and Kevin practiced Charms in the Dormitory while discussing Andrew's detention of the Weasley family and Kevin's rivalry with Ron.
• Hal told Andrew that Ron was praising Harry for taking the blame and refusing to name his accomplices, while Gryffindor students called Andrew the Cold-faced Ripper.
• Andrew learned that no one knew who had been digging up the Black Lake, and he decided to ask someone else to investigate.
• Madam Pomfrey had Fred and George clean in the Hospital Wing, where they kept trying to get Sirius's attention.
• Sirius waited anxiously for Harry, then recognized the Twins and asked whether they were Fred or George.

Sirius chatted with Fred and George while helping them clean bedpans, then recognized their Marauder’s Map and warned them to watch Peeves at night. After the twins left to investigate his warning, Sirius was discharged to move around the grounds, while Andrew and Hal discussed school life and Andrew anticipated Dumbledore opening the Chamber of Secrets.

• Sirius told Fred and George that Filch’s restrictions and a collapsed secret passage were unfortunate, then explained to Madam Pomfrey that he had been teaching the twins some magic and castle night-walking tips.
• Madam Pomfrey praised Sirius as a potential professor but ordered him to keep resting, and Sirius returned to his hospital bed.
• Fred showed Sirius the Marauder’s Map, and Sirius recognized it, returned it to the twins, and warned them to watch Peeves at night.
• Fred and George wondered why Sirius had named the map and warned them about Peeves, then decided to investigate rather than ask him directly.
• Andrew and Hal discussed classes, Bell’s selection as a Substitute, and the school’s recent quiet; Andrew privately hoped Dumbledore would open the Chamber of Secrets soon.

After working out how to open the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore summoned Andrew, Percy, and Professors McGonagall and Snape to the sealed bathroom. They reached the entrance and prepared to break it open, while Andrew watched Dumbledore’s powerful Transfiguration.

• Dumbledore summoned Andrew from Magical History and gathered him with Percy and Professor McGonagall for an adventure.
• Dumbledore concealed the group as they went to the sealed bathroom, where Professor Snape was waiting.
• Mrs. Piley told Dumbledore that many students, Sirius Black, and Professor Lockhart had tried to get through the protections.
• Professor McGonagall removed the Transfigured walls, and Moaning Myrtle briefly emerged before diving into a toilet.
• Dumbledore shielded the group, Transfigured the Mirror and faucet into figures, and announced that he would break open the entrance.

Dumbledore led McGonagall, Snape, Percy, and Andrew through the hidden passage beneath Hogwarts and discovered the Chamber of Secrets. They found evidence of a Basilisk, and Andrew transfigured its shed skin into a cloak before the group continued toward a locked stone wall.

• Dumbledore opened the hidden entrance beneath the sink in the girls' bathroom, and the professors and students slid down the passage.
• McGonagall identified the underground chamber as the long-rumored Chamber of Secrets, while Dumbledore sent the Mirror and a mass of water ahead to scout.
• Dumbledore reported finding rat skeletons and then returned with an enormous Basilisk shed skin.
• Dumbledore asked Andrew to transfigure the shed skin, and Andrew turned it into a cloak despite its strong Magic Resistance.
• Dumbledore led the group onward toward a stone wall with another lock, while Andrew wondered whether he would get to keep the Basilisk skin.

Andrew and Dumbledore found a Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and Andrew learned more about Moaning Myrtle’s death and her fixation on Olive Hornby. He invited Myrtle to witness the Basilisk’s execution, which she agreed to do.

• Dumbledore found only one Basilisk and the Chamber of Secrets, and McGonagall said the Basilisk would be killed and its materials given to Snape for Slytherin House.
• Percy told Andrew that someone had died the last time the Chamber had been opened, reminding Andrew that the victim was Moaning Myrtle.
• Andrew asked Myrtle about her death, and she recalled reporting strange eyes before Hagrid was expelled and Dumbledore protected him.
• Myrtle said she had followed Olive Hornby through school and even attended her brother’s wedding before the Ministry stopped her from pursuing Olive.
• Andrew invited Myrtle to watch the Basilisk’s execution, and she agreed, revealing the Ravenclaw badge on her chest.

Andrew returned to the Chamber of Secrets, where Professor Snape butchered the Basilisk and gave Andrew and Percy meat and promised them bone Potions. After showing Moaning Myrtle the Basilisk’s remains, Andrew learned more about her past with Olive Hornby and resolved to kill Tom, the other murderer.

• Andrew found that Moaning Myrtle could not enter the Chamber of Secrets, so he returned to show her the Basilisk’s remains afterward.
• Professor Snape killed and carved up the Basilisk, giving Andrew and Percy slabs of meat and promising each of them a Potion made from its bones.
• Andrew showed Moaning Myrtle the Basilisk’s skin and skull, which Snape had given her, and heard how she had died and later tormented Olive Hornby.
• Andrew realized Myrtle must have known Olive while they were alive and had visited Olive’s home and workplace, but he chose not to interfere in their unresolved relationship.
• Andrew vowed to kill Tom, the other murderer, and Myrtle wished him luck.

Andrew reported that Moaning Myrtle could not enter the Chamber of Secrets and learned that Professor Snape had given her the treated Basilisk Skull. After the rumors about the Chamber spread, Dumbledore summoned Andrew, urged him to practice realistic Grassland Area Transfiguration by the Black Lake, and gave him a compact Orrery.

• Andrew told Professor McGonagall that Snape had given Moaning Myrtle the treated Basilisk Skull, and she sent him to rest and reminded him that Dumbledore wanted to see him Monday.
• Andrew met a crying First Year by the Black Lake, checked that no one was bullying her, and left after she reassured him.
• Andrew, Percy, and Nazarov ate soup made from Basilisk meat, while rumors about Dumbledore and the Chamber of Secrets spread through Hogwarts.
• Andrew learned that students had pieced together much of the truth about the Basilisk, while Mr. Filch caught eleven students sneaking into the girls' Bathroom and assigned them Detention.
• Dumbledore discussed Andrew's Area Transfiguration progress, ordered him to practice Grassland Transfiguration by the Black Lake for an hour and a half each day, and gave him a compact Orrery.

Andrew practiced Area Transfiguration beside the Black Lake, gradually improving how naturally he restored the grass while students learned he had permission to train there. Meanwhile, Ron and Harry discussed Hermione’s ambitions and Andrew’s reputation, and a publisher’s editor received Andrew’s new manuscript about Dumbledore and Grindelwald.

• Andrew repeatedly stripped and restored patches of lakeside Lawn, correcting flaws in the grass while worrying about how much practice he still needed.
• Students reported Andrew to Filch, learned he had permission to practice there, and eventually accepted that he only wanted a quiet patch of ground for Transfiguration.
• Harry and Ron discussed Andrew’s growing reputation, while Hermione put away an advanced Transfiguration book after Ron warned her against studying too far ahead.
• Andrew finished his daily practice, planned to record his progress, and considered sending his new manuscript to the publisher.
• A publisher’s editor received Andrew’s manuscript, titled “Dumbledore, a Legend: Two Peerless Rivals,” and was captivated by its opening quote about Dumbledore defeating Grindelwald.

Lockhart failed to profit from the Chamber of Secrets and planned a weekly Hogwarts diary column to compete with A Legend. Andrew’s new story about Dumbledore and Grindelwald reached readers, while Dumbledore discovered Ariana had been omitted and Andrew waited to learn whether Dumbledore approved of his treatment of her.

• Lockhart resented A Legend’s new advertisement and his missed chance to write about the Chamber of Secrets, then decided to pitch a weekly column about everyday Hogwarts life to the Daily Prophet.
• Harry expected A Legend’s second story to cover secret treasures, but Sirius said Dumbledore’s post-graduation work in Alchemy Operations was important exam material.
• Dumbledore read Andrew’s story, noticed Ariana had been removed from its account, and accepted that Andrew had concealed her presence in the everyday scenes.
• Readers admired Grindelwald’s reported brilliance and debated whether he surpassed Dumbledore, while Andrew wondered whether Dumbledore had read his suggestion about Ariana.
• Andrew set aside his worries, practiced Range Transfiguration, and left after tidying the stiffened patch of Lawn.

Professor Trelawney’s claims about Dumbledore’s lost prophetic powers spread through Hogwarts, while Fred and George worried they had failed their Ghost creditor, Nick. Sirius suggested that Gryffindor’s Sword, summoned from the Sorting Hat, might sever a Ghost’s neck, and the twins prepared to repay Nick by helping him find it.

• Professor Trelawney told her students that using the Inner Eye to foresee hundreds of futures carried an immense cost, and Andrew realized the rumor he had planted had spread through Hogwarts.
• Fred and George discussed studying Divination and creating a magical object like the Marauder’s Map when Nick confronted them about their unpaid debt.
• Nick revealed that he had known about the Chamber of Secrets through Moaning Myrtle and despaired that the Basilisk was dead before it could sever his neck.
• Fred and George promised to ask Sirius for help, and offered to reveal a place the House-elves had told them about in exchange.
• Sirius suggested that a courageous and wise Gryffindor could summon Gryffindor’s Sword from the Sorting Hat and proposed going into the Headmaster’s office to find it.