Chapter Summaries

Albert discussed Yanila, the Christmas Ball, and Harry’s potential dance partners with Hermione and Harry, while Harry prepared for the first Triwizard task. At dinner, Harry challenged Malfoy’s taunts and invited Ron to join a weekend trip into the Forbidden Forest, unaware that Ron had been drawn into a dangerous adventure.

• Hermione recognized Yanila as the famous singer whose record Albert had given her, and Albert said he had met Yanila several times in Spain.
• Albert told Harry that Champions opened the Christmas Ball with their partners, suggested Ginny or Hermione as Harry’s partner, and kept his own partner secret.
• Harry declined Albert’s invitation to explore the Forbidden Forest, then invited Ron to join Sirius and Lupin for training against trolls without revealing the full danger.
• At dinner, Harry argued with Malfoy about the first task, offered to bet on its contents and his performance, and mocked Malfoy when he refused.
• Ron decided to join Harry’s forest trip, while Harry and Hermione exchanged knowing smiles.

Albert discussed plans for a lasting Wizard Card Club Activity Room while Harry trained for the Triwizard Tournament’s first task. Sirius and Lupin prepared Harry to face dragons and led him, Hermione, and Ron toward an Acromantula nest for further practice.

• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee that he would preserve the Wizard Card Club with a magical book containing an Activity Room, and planned to reveal it during the finals.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed to the Forbidden Forest, where Sirius and Lupin explained that Harry would face a dragon and taught him the Conjunctivitis Curse.
• Sirius gave Harry a spare Rowan wand, and Lupin explained that Albert had suggested using Harry’s flying ability and the Summoning Charm to call his Firebolt.
• Harry practiced the Conjunctivitis Curse on a ferret, but found it too weak to help against a dragon.
• Sirius announced that they would find Acromantulas for Harry to practice on, and Ron reluctantly agreed to help watch for the spiders with a Dark Creature Detector.

Sirius and Lupin trained Harry to face an Acromantula as preparation for the Triwizard Tournament’s first task, while Ron and Hermione watched. Harry overcame his panic and improved in combat, and Sirius planned to continue training them next week.

• Sirius and Lupin Apparated with Harry, Ron, and Hermione into the Dark Forest and used a bright toy to stun and capture an Acromantula.
• Lupin and Sirius revived the Acromantula and had Harry face it, but his spells failed to stop its charge before they restrained it with a barrier and vines.
• Sirius and Lupin advised Harry to stay calm and target the Acromantula’s weaknesses, and Hermione suggested using the Conjunctivitis Curse on its eyes.
• Harry fought the Acromantula repeatedly, grew more composed, and blinded it before Sirius killed it and Lupin collected its venom.
• Sirius praised Harry and proposed another session next week, while Hermione welcomed the chance to fight an Acromantula and Ron refused because he hated spiders.

Albert rejected Yanila’s attempt to secure him as a dance partner, then took part in the Champions’ wand-testing ceremony. Afterward, he privately warned Mr. Ollivander to leave Britain before trouble came, claiming the dragon task would verify his foresight.

• Albert told Yanila he would not change his mind about dancing, and she settled for asking him to dance a few times at the Christmas Ball.
• Albert discovered Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Angelina, and several girls had been eavesdropping, then left to attend the wand testing.
• Rita Skeeter abandoned her attempt to interview Albert and instead interviewed Harry Potter before the ceremony began.
• Mr. Ollivander tested Fleur’s, Albert’s, Krum’s, and Harry’s wands, noting Fleur’s Veela-hair core and Albert’s well-maintained redwood wand.
• Albert privately advised Mr. Ollivander to travel abroad before next winter and keep out of reach, saying the Triwizard Tournament’s dragon task would confirm his warning.

After Rita Skeeter’s article enraged Hogwarts students, Albert explained that he had asked her to leave him out, and Harry used Albert’s advice to confront Malfoy and other bullies. Albert later inspected Zonko’s with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan before meeting Isobel to shop for Christmas gifts, where they heard a familiar voice ask whether Isobel was his girlfriend.

• Rita Skeeter’s article focused on Harry and omitted Albert, prompting Hogwarts students to protest and curse her.
• Albert told the students he had asked Rita Skeeter not to write about him and explained how she distorted Harry’s words.
• Harry took Malfoy’s handkerchief after freezing him, Goyle, and Crabbe, then said Albert’s advice had helped him stand up to mockery.
• Albert accompanied Fred, George, and Lee Jordan to inspect Zonko’s Joke Shop and discuss ideas for their future shop.
• Albert met Isobel, and they shopped for Christmas gifts before heading toward the Three Broomsticks.
• A familiar voice asked Albert whether Isobel was his girlfriend.

Albert, Isobel, and Yanila met Fleur and the Beauxbatons students at the Three Broomsticks, where talk turned to the Triwizard Tournament’s dangers and Albert’s confidence in facing a dragon. Harry’s arrival led to Rita Skeeter falling in front of the pub, and Albert later left with Isobel while Yanila and Fleur argued about Isobel.

• Yanila joined Albert and Isobel at the Three Broomsticks, and Fleur brought Gabrielle and the other Beauxbatons students inside after them.
• Albert bought Butterbeer for the group as the pub’s customers watched the Beauxbatons girls, and Rita Skeeter’s photographer fell and dropped his camera while trying to take their picture.
• Rita Skeeter tried to grab Harry at the entrance but fell, and Harry walked past her as Hermione and the pub’s patrons reacted.
• Yanila asked Albert about the first Triwizard task, and Albert, Isobel, Yanila, and Fleur discussed the tournament’s dangers, cheating, and the risks of Harry competing as the fourth Champion.
• Albert claimed that he could exploit a dragon’s weaknesses, then left with Isobel while Yanila and Fleur disparaged each other over Albert’s relationship.

Yanila told Albert that the Triwizard Tournament’s first task involved dragons, while Madame Maxime coached Fleur to hypnotize one and steal its Golden Egg. Harry and his friends learned that Hagrid had forgotten to warn them, and they continued preparing for the dangerous task.

• Yanila questioned Fleur about Albert and learned that he was engaged to Isobel, while Fleur later told her that the first task involved dragons.
• Madame Maxime revealed the dragon task to Fleur and planned to train her in hypnosis so she could take the Golden Egg without confronting a dragon directly.
• Yanila told Albert about the dragons, and Albert passed the news to Hermione, who told Harry and Ron.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussed how the tournament encouraged cheating and how Hagrid had forgotten to warn them.
• Hagrid tried to tell Harry about the dragons but learned that Albert and Harry already knew, and Ron reproached Hermione for excusing Hagrid’s forgetfulness.

On the day of the Triwizard Tournament’s first task, Albert received dragon-hide protective clothing while Hogwarts had prepared no safety equipment for its Champions. After drawing the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon, he entered the arena as the first contestant, where the chapter ended with him facing the dragon.

• Albert changed Shanna’s banner to say that Hogwarts would win, while Fred and George opened a betting pool that favored him and mocked Harry’s chances.
• Shanna pointed out that the Champions had no protective clothing, and Lee Jordan confirmed that Hogwarts had prepared none.
• A package from Mr. McDougal arrived with a dragon-hide outfit from Elegant Wizarding Apparel for Albert to wear during the task.
• Albert changed into the outfit, then Professor McGonagall led him and Harry to the Champions’ tent and reminded them to prioritize their safety.
• Bagman explained that the Champions had to take a Golden Egg guarded by a dragon, and each drew a model to determine their order and opponent.
• Albert drew the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon and entered the arena first, while Harry drew the Hungarian Horntail and was assigned last.

Albert fought the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon in the first Triwizard Tournament task, using Transfiguration, smoke chains, and rocks to subdue it before his eagle retrieved the Golden Egg. His spectacular victory won the crowd’s cheers and left Karkaroff considering how to keep Durmstrang from losing to him.

• Albert surveyed the arena, transformed rocks into a lion and an eagle, and decided against killing the dragon for a quest reward.
• The Swedish Short-Snout Dragon focused on Albert and unleashed a prolonged blast of blue fire, but he protected himself behind a stone barrier.
• The dragon shattered the barrier and attacked, but Albert’s lion drew it away while falling rocks struck it.
• Albert turned smoke into chains and used rocks and the ground to bind the dragon, while his eagle distracted it.
• The eagle fetched the Golden Egg from the nest and placed it in Albert’s hand, and Albert raised it to announce his victory.
• The crowd celebrated Albert’s success, while Karkaroff worried that Krum could not catch up and began considering unpleasant ways to secure Durmstrang’s victory.

After Albert subdued the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon, he posed for promotional photographs and reunited with Isobel before receiving his scores. Karkaroff awarded him one point, provoking a student riot that destroyed the judges’ box and left Rita Skeeter eager to report the uproar.

• Mike Dabo arranged photographs of Albert beside the subdued dragon, while Morg warned him not to take private pictures of Albert and helped negotiate the advertising deal.
• Professor McGonagall congratulated Albert, and he embraced and kissed Isobel before rejoining his friends and returning to the stands.
• Madame Maxime, Crouch, Dumbledore, and Bagman gave Albert ten points each, but Karkaroff gave him one point because he objected to Albert’s Dragonhide Robes.
• The crowd booed Karkaroff and threw rubbish at the judges’ box; after Karkaroff defended his score, students began hurling Dark Curses.
• Dumbledore protected the judges with a barrier and Apparated them away, but a second wave of curses blew apart the judges’ box as Rita Skeeter celebrated the newsworthy riot.

After Karkaroff’s biased judging provoked the crowd, the judges removed him and recalculated his score, then continued the first task. Fleur and Krum both retrieved their Golden Eggs but endangered themselves and damaged dragon eggs, leaving them with modest scores as Albert watched and prepared for his own turn.

• Karkaroff left the judges’ panel after Madame Maxime and Bagman condemned his conduct, and the remaining judges agreed to use the other four judges’ average for his vacant score.
• The judges returned to the repaired table and announced that Karkaroff would no longer judge the tournament, calming the crowd.
• Fleur hypnotized the Welsh Green Dragon and took its Golden Egg, but the dragon woke and attacked her before the Dragon Tamers subdued it; she received forty points.
• Albert told Isobel and Katrina that the tournament was dangerously unreliable and that he had entered to fulfill someone’s wish.
• Krum attacked the Chinese Fireball directly, took its Golden Egg, and left the Dragon Tamers to subdue the rampaging dragon; the judges awarded him seven points each because dragon eggs had been damaged.

Harry completed the First Task by luring the Hungarian Horntail away from its nest and taking the Golden Egg, though the dragon injured him before he escaped. After the Champions received their scores and Bagman announced the Second Task’s date, Albert revealed to Hermione that it would take place underwater in the lake.

• Harry faced a hostile crowd, summoned his Firebolt, and used it to distract the Hungarian Horntail before stealing its Golden Egg.
• The Horntail struck Harry with its tail and pierced his shoulder, but Madam Pomfrey healed him after he landed safely.
• Harry received forty-five points, while he learned that Albert had earned a perfect score and that Karkaroff had left the judges’ stand in disgrace.
• Bagman told the Champions that the Second Task would begin on February 24 and that the Golden Egg contained a clue to its challenge.
• At the Celebration Feast, Albert let Hermione infer that the Second Task would take place underwater in the lake.

After the first Triwizard task, Albert rejected an offer from Elegant Wizarding Apparel and struggled with his sudden popularity while planning to use reports about Karkaroff to attract attention elsewhere. He warned Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that Voldemort would likely kill Karkaroff after returning, then asked them to help arrange a job with Dobby and another House-elf for a future plan.

• Albert refused Mike Dabo's offer to design formal wear, explaining that he already had clothes and did not want to owe the shop a favor.
• Rita Skeeter's article damaged Karkaroff's reputation, while Hogwarts students began supporting Harry and celebrating Albert's performance in the first task.
• Albert chose photographs for Sirius Black and explained to Lee Jordan, Fred, and George that accepting favors could create obligations, then reassured Fred and George about their future work in the shop.
• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that Karkaroff was a former Death Eater who had betrayed his companions and would probably be hunted by Voldemort after his return.
• Albert proposed that Karkaroff could hide with a House-elf's help, said Harry would eventually defeat Voldemort, and asked Lee Jordan and the twins to contact Dobby about a job.

Sirius and Lupin used Defence Guide to expose Karkaroff’s past as a Death Eater, reigniting rumors about his role in the Triwizard Tournament and boosting the magazine’s readership. The revelations provoked public outrage and calls for Karkaroff’s removal, leaving him unable to remain in Britain.

• Sirius persuaded Lupin to publish a truthful account of the Triwizard Tournament and Karkaroff, arguing that Defence Guide needed readers’ trust.
• Rumors spread at Hogwarts that Karkaroff had discriminated against Albert, put Harry Potter’s name in the Goblet of Fire, and helped cause the Dark Mark’s appearance at the Quidditch World Cup.
• Albert rejected Lee Jordan’s plan to stir up a scandal about Krum, while the group discussed the Christmas Ball and the Wizard Card Club finals.
• Fred invited Angelina and George invited Aylia to the Christmas Ball, leaving Lee Jordan without a dance partner.
• Defence Guide published an article identifying Mr. One Point as Karkaroff and revealing that he had been a Death Eater pardoned after betraying his companions.
• Wizards sent Karkaroff curses and Howlers, parents demanded his removal from Hogwarts, and outrage made it impossible for him to stay in Britain.

Dumbledore and Phineas discussed Albert Anderson’s motives and Sirius’s growing reliance on him before Snape reported Karkaroff’s flight and the Dark Mark’s return. Dumbledore asked Snape to watch Moody and prepare Veritaserum because he suspected someone had infiltrated Hogwarts.

• Phineas accused Albert Anderson of using Sirius and trying to take the Black family fortune, while Dumbledore defended Anderson and said he was wealthier than the Blacks.
• Snape told Dumbledore that Karkaroff had fled and showed him his Dark Mark, which had grown darker as Voldemort regained strength.
• Dumbledore told Snape that he had expected Voldemort to return but did not know how he had done it.
• Dumbledore asked Snape to watch Moody and brew the strongest Veritaserum because he suspected an infiltrator at Hogwarts.

Amid growing interest in Voldemort and Harry Potter, Albert revealed the Wizard Card Club’s new Activity Room, a magical space hidden inside a silver book. He laid out rules for future membership and began the Fourth Wizard Card Club semifinals, with Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger as the first contestants.

• Rita Skeeter’s reports about Karkaroff fueled more talk of Voldemort, and Harry received even more invitations to the ball.
• Lee Jordan showed Albert’s silver Metal Book, which recorded the Wizard Card Club’s history and tournament champions.
• Albert used a key and his wand to transform the book into a door leading to the club’s spacious Activity Room.
• Albert explained that future members would register to gain access and would be expected to maintain the room.
• Albert opened the Fourth Wizard Card Club semifinals by announcing Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger as the first contestants.

At the Wizard Card gathering, Luna won the competition and agreed to attend the Christmas Ball with Lee Jordan as her friend. Albert also offered her the chance to become the Wizard Card Club’s successor, leaving her to consider the responsibility.

• Hermione defeated Cedric two-nil, and Luna narrowly beat Shanna two-to-one to reach the final.
• Luna defeated Hermione in the final and received the Wizard Card championship prize as fireworks formed a Ravenclaw eagle.
• Albert congratulated Luna and offered her the option of attending the Christmas Ball with Lee Jordan or receiving another prize.
• Luna agreed to attend the ball with Lee Jordan, who suggested she use her prize money to buy a dress.
• Albert asked Luna to consider becoming captain of the Wizard Card Club after he graduated, and Luna said she would think it over.

Harry realized he needed a dance partner for the Christmas Ball and began planning to ask Cho Chang. As he hesitated, Ron remained unsure about asking Fleur, while Hermione claimed she had already found a partner.

• Hermione remained upset about losing the Wizard Card Club championship, and she and Ron argued over whether looks mattered when choosing a dance partner.
• Ron learned from Fred and George that they had asked Angelina and Aylia to the ball, and heard that Albert had dated McDougal after Percy was rejected by her.
• Fred and George reminded Harry that, as a Champion, he had to lead the dancing, prompting him to decide he needed a partner.
• Harry thought of Cho Chang and spent the next few days trying to work up the courage to ask her, though she was usually surrounded by friends.
• Hermione told Ron she had already found a dance partner, while Neville worried that he and the others might be left without one.

As the Christmas Ball approached, Albert watched Davies fail to invite Katrina and Harry get rejected by Cho, then revealed Cho was already dating Diggory. The chapter ended with Ron’s ill-fated invitation to Fleur becoming a schoolwide joke.

• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee that Cedric Diggory was dating Cho Chang, and that their relationship had begun the previous term.
• Katrina McDougal rejected Roger Davies’s invitation, while Albert refused to reveal who her dance partner was.
• Harry Potter tried to invite Cho Chang to the ball and was rejected; Albert told him that Cho had been dating Diggory since the previous year.
• Albert encouraged Lee Jordan to pursue fame through Wizard Cards, and the group then spotted Fleur talking with Diggory.
• Ron Weasley invited Fleur Delacour to the ball while under her Veela charm, then fled after she lifted it; Diggory left, and Ron became the target of school gossip and Draco Malfoy’s mockery.

While Albert stayed with his family over the Christmas Holiday, Lee Jordan fought off Montague and his Slytherin companions with help from Albert’s Defence Bracelet. Albert later welcomed Isobel to his family home, where she told Nia she had defeated many girls before claiming Albert for herself.

• Lee Jordan closed the Wizard Card Club Activity Room after students asked where Albert had gone, and he guessed Albert had left Hogwarts for Christmas.
• Montague attacked Lee Jordan, but Albert’s Defence Bracelet reflected the spell and knocked Montague down; Warrington and Blaise fled.
• Fred and George arrived with two captured students, joked with Lee Jordan, and planned to send Warrington a Christmas gift.
• At home, Albert shared stories about the Triwizard Tournament with Nia and reassured Luke that he would be careful around dragons.
• Isobel visited Albert’s home, chatted with his family, and helped Sansa make fried dumplings and Butterbeer.
• When Nia asked whether Isobel would be Albert’s Christmas Ball partner, Isobel said she had already graduated and claimed that she had defeated many girls to win Albert; Albert choked on his drink.