Chapter Summaries

Albert prepared an elaborate set of precautions for dealing with Tom Riddle’s Diary and the Basilisk, determined to avoid a direct fight and survive any danger. Realizing he had run out of Felix Felicis, he wrote to Mr. Hertok and Bard to ask about obtaining more before confronting Tom.

• Albert reviewed and revised his plans for staying safe after locking Tom Riddle’s Diary in the Little Black Room.
• Albert checked his protective glasses and gathered a Detection Orb, Snake Repellent Pellets, roosters, a Magical Stone Wall, armor knights, a Ten Thousand Arrows Needle, Sticky Balls, and a Flying Broom.
• Albert considered using a Time-Turner as a last resort but decided it required careful preparation.
• Albert realized he had run out of Felix Felicis and wrote to Mr. Hertok and Bard to ask about buying some.
• Albert planned to deal with Tom before Easter once he obtained the potion.

Morg and Bard discussed the Chamber of Secrets attack at Hogwarts and the pure-blood faction’s political maneuvering. After Albert asked for Felix Felicis, they decided to help him while remaining wary of choosing sides too soon.

• An owl delivered Albert's letter to Morg, who read that Albert needed Felix Felicis.
• Bard told Morg that a student had been petrified after the Chamber of Secrets was opened again, and they suspected a Basilisk was involved.
• Bard explained that Albert had predicted trouble at Hogwarts, so Morg agreed to help him find Felix Felicis.
• Morg and Bard speculated that Lucius Malfoy and the pure-blood faction might exploit the attack to undermine Dumbledore and influence Cornelius Fudge.

Albert received a bottle of Felix Felicis for thirty Galleons, prompting Harry to ask to buy it so he could find the Chamber of Secrets and catch the Slytherin Heir. Hermione and Albert explained that the potion only enhances the drinker’s abilities rather than creating real luck, leaving Harry disappointed and Ron contemplating its price.

• Hertok mailed Albert a bottle of Felix Felicis for thirty Galleons and warned him against taking too much.
• Fred, George, and Lee Jordan discussed the potion’s rarity and brewing difficulty as Ron and Harry asked about it.
• Harry asked Albert to sell him Felix Felicis, hoping it would help uncover the Chamber of Secrets, but Albert refused.
• Hermione explained that Felix Felicis makes events seem favorable by enhancing the drinker’s abilities, not by granting real luck.
• Hermione said the potion took six months to brew and was so difficult that Snape was likely the only person at Hogwarts who could make it.

Harry and Ron discovered a fifty-year-old diary in the flooded Girls' Washroom after Myrtle said someone had thrown it at her. Albert warned them that Filch was approaching, and Harry left with the diary without noticing Albert's gleam of interest.

• Ron wondered how Albert had so many Galleons and suspected he was funding Fred and George's joke-shop plans.
• Hermione told Harry and Ron that Albert was an Ancient Runes Expert who had co-authored a book.
• Harry and Ron found the Girls' Washroom flooded and heard Myrtle sobbing inside.
• Myrtle said someone had thrown an object at her, and Harry found a waterlogged diary dated fifty years earlier.
• Albert warned Harry and Ron that Filch was coming, and Harry hurried out carrying the diary.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigated a blank diary bearing Tom Riddle’s name and connected it to the Chamber of Secrets, but they could not reveal any hidden writing. The diary remained a mystery.

• Harry found Tom Riddle’s name on the diary’s first page and noticed the rest of it was blank.
• Ron recognized Tom Riddle as a Hogwarts student who received a Special Contribution Award fifty years earlier.
• Harry reasoned that the diary belonged to a Muggle-born wizard and suspected it concealed a secret.
• Hermione connected the diary’s age and Riddle’s award to the Chamber of Secrets, which had been opened fifty years earlier.
• Hermione tried Reveal Rubber and the spell “Reveal Yourself!” on the diary, but neither revealed anything.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigated Tom Riddle’s diary by searching the Trophy Room, then asked Albert for help learning about Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets. Albert agreed to investigate, while Isobel warned him to be careful as he pursued the mystery.

• Harry suspected Tom Riddle’s fifty-year-old diary was connected to the Chamber of Secrets, so he, Ron, and Hermione searched the Trophy Room for information about Riddle.
• Hermione found Riddle’s awards and student records, while the three friends discussed how to learn who had opened the Chamber fifty years earlier.
• Harry suggested asking Nearly Headless Nick, but the group ran into Albert near the library and Hermione told him about the diary.
• Albert agreed to investigate Tom Riddle, and Isobel teased him about Hermione’s admiration before warning him not to take risks.
• Albert promised Isobel that he would protect himself and said he treasured his life.

Harry questioned Nearly Headless Nick about Tom Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets, but Nick could not identify the culprit from fifty years ago. Albert told Hermione that Riddle had exposed the real Slytherin Heir and that the expelled student was a scapegoat, then gave her a mirror to help her check around corners for danger.

• Harry asked Nearly Headless Nick about Tom Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets, but Nick remembered little and suggested asking Dumbledore.
• Harry saw Ginny Weasley looking pale, and she hurried away before he could learn what was wrong.
• Hermione asked Albert about his investigation, and he said Tom Riddle had caught the Slytherin Heir while the expelled student had been made a scapegoat.
• Albert refused to reveal the scapegoat's name, then gave Hermione a mirror and warned her to check around corners for strange sounds.

With Albert’s prompting, Harry discovered that Tom Riddle’s Diary absorbed his writing and spoke with Tom, who drew him into a memory of the Chamber of Secrets being opened fifty years earlier. Harry saw Hagrid identified as the culprit and, troubled by the evidence but unwilling to betray his friend, decided to keep the discovery from him and tell his other friends.

• Harry wrote in Tom Riddle’s Diary and received a reply from Tom, who claimed the diary recorded the Chamber of Secrets attacks.
• Tom persuaded Harry to enter his memories and showed him the night he caught the person who opened the Chamber.
• Harry saw Hagrid accused of opening the Chamber and was shocked by the revelation.
• Harry connected Hagrid’s interest in monsters and his visit to Knockturn Alley with the accusation, but could not bring himself to report Hagrid.
• Harry decided not to tell Hagrid and resolved to discuss what he had learned with his two friends.

Harry told Ron and Hermione what he learned from Tom Riddle’s Diary, including the story of Hagrid’s expulsion fifty years earlier. The friends found no new lead, while Albert watched Ginny’s unease and expected the Diary to return to her.

• Harry left dinner with Ron and Hermione and told them about the memories he had seen in Riddle’s Diary.
• Hermione said Albert had long known Hagrid was framed, and she reasoned that Dumbledore would not have kept Hagrid at Hogwarts if he had opened the Chamber.
• Harry suggested Riddle might have framed Hagrid to avoid being sent back to his Muggle orphanage, while Ron compared Riddle’s actions to Percy’s.
• Ginny approached the group, stammered an excuse about morning Quidditch training, and hurried away.
• Harry decided not to question Hagrid or seek Albert’s help because he thought the attacks might have stopped and the Mandrakes would soon reveal the Basilisk.

Hermione told Albert that Harry had learned about Hagrid's expulsion from Tom Riddle's Diary, and Albert agreed to study it. When Harry returned to his dormitory to retrieve the diary, he found the room ransacked and the diary missing.

• Hermione told Albert about the diary and its connection to Hagrid, and Albert explained that it seemed to be an unusually powerful magical object.
• Albert and Hermione agreed to ask Harry to lend him the diary after the Wizard Card Competition, which Truman won.
• Harry agreed to let Albert study the diary, but when he and Albert returned to the dormitory, they found it had been burgled.
• Harry discovered that Riddle's Diary was missing, and Albert warned the others to be wary of whoever had taken it and to bring it to him or Professor Dumbledore if they found it.

Albert stayed wary after Ginny stole Riddle's diary, while Tom Riddle secretly planned to eliminate Lockhart as a threat. As Albert warned his friends to be cautious, Lockhart dodged their request to teach the Human-Shape Restoration Charm.

• Albert kept to the library, Great Hall, and Common Room, warned Isobel to avoid danger, and prioritized staying safe.
• Ginny reconnected with Tom Riddle through the diary and admitted she could not remember how she had lost it.
• Tom reassured Ginny while deciding to regain control of her and kill Lockhart before he could expose her to Dumbledore.
• Albert told George, Shanna, and Fred that another attack might happen, though he could not explain his prediction.
• George and Fred asked Lockhart to demonstrate the Human-Shape Restoration Charm, but Lockhart deflected the request and pointed to Albert.

Albert told Hagrid that Tom Riddle had likely opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and used the name Lord Voldemort. He left Hagrid with a theory but no proof, promising to find clues.

• Albert visited Hagrid and asked about Tom Riddle, then linked Riddle to the Chamber of Secrets and the suspicious diary.
• Albert argued that the attacker who stole Riddle’s diary had to be a Gryffindor, and suggested Riddle had been a Parselmouth and Slytherin’s heir.
• Albert persuaded Hagrid that Riddle had framed him as a scapegoat after the attacks stopped when Hagrid was caught.
• Albert explained that the diary could contain magic allowing Riddle to open the Chamber and control the Basilisk again.
• Albert named Lord Voldemort as the person behind Tom Riddle, but admitted he had no evidence yet.

Albert told Hagrid his discovery about the Chamber of Secrets and expected Dumbledore to understand that Voldemort was Tom Riddle. He warned Hermione about the Basilisk and urged her and her friends to stay out of the investigation, while the identity of the Heir of Slytherin remained unresolved.

• Albert considered whether to risk the Basilisk for a task reward, then checked Ginny Weasley's location on his Tracking Parchment.
• Hermione found Albert and said she had new clues; he warned her not to wander alone and confirmed he had told Hagrid about his investigation.
• Albert explained that the Basilisk's direct gaze could kill and said Colin had survived because his camera shielded him.
• Hermione guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the student killed by the Basilisk fifty years earlier, and Albert said he had suspected the same but had not verified it.
• Albert told Hermione that Dumbledore was waiting for the Heir of Slytherin to make a mistake, received an invitation from an old friend, and advised Hermione and her friends to stay out of the matter.

As Easter homework piled up, Albert joked with his friends about money, gossip, and their futures before his Detection Orb warned him that Tom Riddle had acted again. Hermione Granger and Nearly Headless Nick were found petrified, leaving the school in panic and Albert wondering why Riddle had targeted them instead of Lockhart.

• The Gryffindor Fourth Years gathered around Albert in the library to work through their Easter assignments and ask him for help.
• Albert's friends teased him about rumors that he was pursuing Miss Granger, and he discussed money and career prospects with them.
• Albert noticed that his Detection Orb was growing hot and realized Tom Riddle had made another move.
• A scream drew students from the library, and Hermione Granger and Nearly Headless Nick were discovered petrified.
• Albert questioned why Tom Riddle had attacked Hermione, while Fred and George worried about his safety as panic spread through Hogwarts.

Albert used a Time-Turner to return an hour and persuaded Nearly Headless Nick to protect Hermione from the Basilisk. Hermione independently followed Ginny, allowing Tom to lure her into danger, while Albert watched the attack unfold on the Marauder's Map.

• Albert found Hermione petrified in the School Hospital and received a quest to wake her, but decided to wait until Tom Riddle's Diary was destroyed.
• Albert discovered a note, his glove, and the petrified Nearly Headless Nick in an empty classroom, then used the Time-Turner and Marauder's Map to return one hour.
• Albert found Nick and convinced him to stand between Hermione and the Basilisk, explaining that Nick's intervention would save her life.
• Hermione noticed Albert watching Ginny and secretly followed her, reasoning that Ginny might be connected to the stolen diary and the Chamber of Secrets.
• Tom realized Hermione was following Ginny, shook her off on the Second Floor, and sent her toward the Chamber of Secrets for the Basilisk to attack.
• Albert saw Hermione following Ginny on the Marauder's Map and realized she was in danger.

After Hermione was petrified, Hagrid learned that the Ministry planned to send him to Azkaban and drew courage from Albert’s letter. As Hagrid was taken away, Lucius Malfoy announced Dumbledore’s dismissal, and Harry and Ron decided to seek Albert’s help.

• Hagrid received news that Hermione had been attacked and then got a Ministry letter warning that he would be arrested.
• Albert sent Hagrid a letter that reassured him he would be cleared before the end of the school year and prompted him to demand a public apology if proven innocent.
• Harry and Ron visited Hagrid to ask about the Chamber of Secrets, but Hagrid warned them it was too late and told them to feed Fang while he was gone.
• Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge arrived to take Hagrid to Azkaban, and Hagrid firmly asked Fudge whether the Ministry would publish an apology if he was found innocent.
• Lucius Malfoy announced that the school governors had dismissed Dumbledore, while Hagrid accused Malfoy of orchestrating the attacks and Dumbledore’s removal.
• After Hagrid left with Fudge, Harry and Ron decided to find Albert for answers and hurried out of the cabin.

With Dumbledore dismissed and attacks still feared, Albert helped his friends care for Hagrid’s dog and hosted a tea party in the crowded Gryffindor Common Room. Harry then asked to speak with Albert alone about Hermione and Hagrid, while their curious friends secretly followed.

• McGonagall imposed strict safety rules at Hogwarts, while Lockhart claimed Hagrid’s arrest had ended the danger.
• Albert discussed the attacks and the School Board’s decision with Shanna, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, then predicted Lucius Malfoy would pay for threatening the governors.
• Albert and his friends sneaked to the kitchens, where he asked Kara to look after Fang.
• Albert shared pies and milk tea with Gryffindor students, and Harry felt ashamed when Albert reminded him that Hagrid had asked them to care for Fang.
• Harry asked Albert for a private conversation about Hermione and Hagrid, and Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Ron, and Ginny followed them toward Albert’s dormitory.

Albert explained to Harry why Hagrid had been blamed for the attacks and argued that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a Basilisk. He suspected the Malfoy family and Tom Riddle’s Diary were involved, but refused to name a culprit without evidence.

• Albert told Harry that Hagrid had been expelled fifty years earlier after Riddle used him as a scapegoat, and that the Ministry was blaming him again to calm the attacks.
• Albert explained that the monster was likely a Basilisk, using Aragog’s fear of the creature and Harry’s ability to hear its hissing as evidence.
• Albert told Harry that the Malfoy family was connected to the attacks and secretly identified Tom Riddle’s Diary as a likely means of opening the Chamber of Secrets.
• Albert said the Chamber’s entrance could be found by asking the ghost of the student killed by the Basilisk, and Harry realized he meant Myrtle.
• Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Ron were caught listening outside Albert’s dormitory as Albert explained that accusations would not be believed without evidence.

Ginny feared that she had opened the Chamber of Secrets and confided in Tom Riddle’s diary, unknowingly strengthening him. Tom dismissed Albert as a fool and planned to kill him, while Albert prepared a trap for the Heir of Slytherin and intended to expose the truth during Easter.

• Ginny worried that Albert suspected her of opening the Chamber of Secrets and feared the consequences if he reported her.
• Ginny confided her fears to Tom Riddle’s diary, allowing Tom to feed on her secrets and grow stronger.
• Tom learned from Ginny that Albert had identified the Basilisk and suspected her, then decided to kill Albert and Gilderoy Lockhart.
• Tom underestimated Albert, who had prepared a trap and planned to expose the truth without facing the Basilisk himself.

Albert learned that Tom Riddle’s attack was imminent and prepared for the danger by drinking Felix Felicis and arranging a route that would draw Tom into a confrontation. He discovered Ginny Weasley was in the abandoned Girls' Washroom and, sensing the Basilisk waiting around a corner, turned back to follow his own plan.

• Percy told Albert that students staying at Hogwarts for Easter would be restricted to the Great Hall, library, and their house Common Rooms, and Professor McGonagall collected the names of students remaining at school.
• After most students left for the Easter holiday, Albert found a Chinese note in a library book that read, “Today is the day,” and drank a dose of Felix Felicis.
• Albert hinted that he had an Easter dinner invitation, then left the library alone to visit Professor McGonagall, creating an opportunity for Tom Riddle to attack him.
• Albert used his map to locate Ginny Weasley in the abandoned Girls' Washroom and saw that the ghost girl had been petrified.
• Near the stairs, Albert sensed danger around a corner, found his Detection Orb growing hot, and concluded that Tom Riddle was waiting there with the Basilisk.
• Albert took out the item he had prepared for the Basilisk, turned around, and began following his planned route instead of walking into Tom Riddle’s ambush.