Chapter Summaries

Jon discussed Dumbledore’s treatment of Harry and the need to address the Minister for Magic as Voldemort’s return became public. In the Hospital Wing, Harry and his friends read the Prophet’s coverage, talked about their recovery, and caught up on events at school.

• Jon told Dumbledore that he thought he had pushed Harry’s emotions too far, then turned to the matter of Voldemort and the Minister for Magic.
• Cornelius Fudge announced that Voldemort had returned and that the Dementors of Azkaban had rebelled and joined him.
• Hermione read the Prophet’s articles praising Harry and Dumbledore, while Ron criticized the paper for its earlier treatment of Harry.
• Luna said her father had sold Harry’s interview to the Prophet and that they planned to search for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack in Sweden.
• Ginny told Hermione that Flitwick had removed most of Fred and George’s swamp but had preserved a small section as a memorial.

Harry visited the hospital wing and learned that Umbridge remained terrified after Dumbledore rescued her from the centaurs. As he headed to see Hagrid, Malfoy confronted him and threatened revenge over his father’s imprisonment.

• Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Harry discussed Umbridge’s condition and joked that Filch missed her.
• Harry kept the prophecy’s contents secret as he listened to Ron and Hermione talk about the shattered Prophecy Orb.
• Harry left the hospital wing to visit Hagrid and walked through the quiet castle grounds.
• Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle confronted Harry, and Malfoy threatened him over his father’s imprisonment.
• Harry mocked Malfoy’s threats and said that everyone now knew what his father and the other Death Eaters were like.

Jon checked on Hogwarts and its growing connection to the Magic Net before watching Professor McGonagall return to the castle and award points to Harry and his allies. Harry visited Hagrid, who asked if he was all right, then explained that he had been hiding in the mountains.

• Jon found that the Magic Net had greatly improved Hogwarts's intelligence and left after speaking with Hog.
• Snape confronted Harry and threatened to deduct points from Gryffindor after Harry admitted he had considered cursing Malfoy.
• Professor McGonagall returned from St Mungo's and awarded fifty points each to Harry, the Weasley siblings, Lumbaton, and Hermione, plus fifty to Lovegood.
• Professor McGonagall sent Harry and Malfoy outside, and Harry went to visit Hagrid.
• Hagrid welcomed Harry to his hut, asked if he was all right, and said he had been hiding in a mountain cave.

Harry grieved for Sirius in isolation as the school year ended, while Jon secretly gathered Harry’s emotions for Joanne’s planned biography. On the night before the farewell feast, Harry discovered Sirius’s Two-Way Mirror and called his name.

• Jon cast a spell on Harry to glimpse his emotions and planned to give them to Joanne for her biography of Harry Potter.
• Harry hid beside the lake and mourned Sirius, feeling cut off from everyone around him.
• Ron and Hermione returned from the hospital, and Hermione tried to talk about Sirius while Ron stopped her.
• Peeves attacked Umbridge as she left Hogwarts, using a crutch and a sock stuffed with chalk.
• Harry found Sirius’s Two-Way Mirror in his trunk and called out Sirius’s name.

Harry hoped the mirror would let him contact Sirius, but after it failed, he asked Nearly Headless Nick whether Sirius could return as a ghost. Nick explained that Sirius would move on, leaving Harry alone with unanswered questions about death.

• Harry called Sirius's name into the mirror, saw only his own reflection, and shattered it in disappointment.
• Harry rushed through Hogwarts to find a ghost and caught up with Nearly Headless Nick near the Charms classroom.
• Harry asked Nick whether Sirius could return as a ghost, and Nick told him that only wizards could become ghosts.
• Nick explained that Sirius would not return and would move on, while ghosts remained as imprints of themselves.
• Nick admitted that he had stayed behind because he feared death, said he knew nothing of its secrets, and left Harry alone.

As the Hogwarts students left for summer, Harry and his friends survived a train journey marked by a fight with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle and awkward news about Cho and Ginny. At King’s Cross, Harry found members of the Order of the Phoenix waiting to welcome him, sent by Jon, as another year passed.

• Jon watched the students leave Hogwarts, then rode the train with Stephen and the others.
• Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle ambushed Harry, but D.A. members rushed out and helped Harry and his friends defeat them.
• Harry learned that Cho was seeing Michael Corner and Ginny had chosen Dean Thomas, while Ron reacted by knocking over the chessboard.
• At King’s Cross, Harry saw Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Lupin, and the Weasleys waiting to greet him; Jon had arranged for them to collect Harry and help him over the holiday.

Jon stayed busy with Order of the Phoenix preparations and the laboratory as Hogwarts approached the holidays. Meanwhile, after a week of disasters and public criticism, the Prime Minister reluctantly met with Cornelius Fudge, who began listing the troubles affecting both their worlds.

• Jon handled Order of the Phoenix preparations, oversaw the laboratory, and helped train its next generation of researchers.
• The Prime Minister struggled to read a memorandum while worrying about accidents, murders, a hurricane, Herbert Chorley's strange behavior, and his political rival's criticism.
• A portrait delivered Fudge's urgent request for a meeting and arranged for the Prime Minister's expected call with a foreign president to be delayed.
• Cornelius Fudge arrived through the fireplace, and the Prime Minister reluctantly welcomed him into his office.
• Fudge told the Prime Minister that his week had also been awful, citing Brockdale Bridge, the murders of Bones and Vance, and unrest in the west.

The Prime Minister recalled his first bewildering meeting with Fudge and the wizarding world, then remembered Fudge’s later visit to report Sirius Black’s escape from Azkaban. Fudge warned that Black might support Voldemort, leaving the Prime Minister with a request to issue a warning.

• Fudge told the Prime Minister that wizards lived secretly among Muggles and demonstrated magic by turning a teacup into a gerbil.
• The Prime Minister tried to remove the talking portrait that announced Fudge’s visits, but every attempt failed.
• Three years earlier, Fudge arrived drenched and panicked, reporting that the Dementors had rebelled and Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban.
• Fudge explained that Black was a notorious Muggle killer who might join Voldemort, whom Dumbledore believed was still alive.
• Fudge asked the Prime Minister to issue a warning about Black, then left through the fireplace.

Fudge told the Prime Minister that Voldemort had returned and that Britain was at war, linking recent disasters and deaths to Voldemort and his followers. The Prime Minister demanded to know why Fudge had not stopped them, while Fudge insisted that the Ministry was hunting them.

• Fudge informed the Prime Minister about trouble at the Quidditch World Cup and the import of dragons and a sphinx for the Triwizard Tournament.
• Fudge later reported a mass breakout from Azkaban, and the Prime Minister noticed that their meetings had become more frequent and Fudge more distracted.
• Fudge told the Prime Minister that Voldemort had returned and explained that Brockdale Bridge, the hurricane, and the murders were connected to the wizarding conflict.
• Fudge said Sirius Black had been innocent and murdered at the Ministry, then revealed that escaped Death Eaters had joined Voldemort.
• The Prime Minister challenged Fudge over the deaths and destruction, while Fudge said Aurors were trying to capture Voldemort and his followers.

Fudge told the Prime Minister that Voldemort’s return had brought attacks, deaths, escaped Dementors, and widespread panic, then revealed that he had resigned as Minister for Magic. Rufus Scrimgeour arrived as his successor, and the Prime Minister objected when Scrimgeour locked the door.

• Fudge told the Prime Minister that Death Eaters and suspected giants had caused the destruction, while Ministry workers searched for the giants and altered Muggles’ memories.
• Fudge reported that Amelia Bones had been murdered, Emmeline Vance had been killed, and Dementors had left Azkaban to join Voldemort.
• Fudge said he had resigned three days earlier and that his successor, Rufus Scrimgeour, was on his way.
• Scrimgeour arrived through the fireplace, greeted the Prime Minister, and locked the office door with his wand.
• The Prime Minister asked Scrimgeour to unlock the door.

Scrimgeour told the Prime Minister that magical threats had compromised his staff and security, then left him to face the crisis with the Queen on the phone. Jon reviewed Kingsley's report and received a warning from Snape's magical telegraph that unwelcome visitors had arrived at Snape's home.

• Scrimgeour told the Prime Minister that Kingsley Shacklebolt was an Auror assigned to protect him and that Herbert Chorley had been harmed by a Cruciatus Curse.
• Scrimgeour said Chorley would be removed from Muggle society, then left with Fudge after warning that their enemies could use magic too.
• The Prime Minister answered a call from the Queen after his secretary put her through.
• Jon reviewed Kingsley's report on the Prime Minister's meeting and sent it to Privet Drive with Kane.
• Jon received a message from Snape's magical telegraph, indicating that hostile visitors had arrived at Snape's residence.

Narcissa defied Bellatrix’s warnings and went to Snape’s home in a run-down Muggle neighborhood to ask for an urgent conversation. The chapter ended as Snape asked what he could do for the sisters.

• Narcissa and Bellatrix Apparated beside a filthy river, where Bellatrix killed a fox with a flash of green light.
• Bellatrix tried to stop Narcissa from seeking Snape and warned her not to reveal their plan, but Narcissa threatened her with her wand and continued on.
• Narcissa reached Snape’s house on Spider's Tail Alley, and Bellatrix followed her inside.
• Snape welcomed Narcissa and Bellatrix into his sitting room, then asked Narcissa what she needed.

Snape hosted Narcissa and Bellatrix, while Wormtail served them drinks and was sent away for eavesdropping. Bellatrix challenged Snape’s loyalty to the Dark Lord, and Snape began defending his past actions before she insisted she had remained faithful.

• Snape revealed Wormtail hiding on a staircase and ordered him to bring drinks.
• Snape sent Wormtail away after catching him eavesdropping, then asked Narcissa to continue.
• Bellatrix accused Snape of abandoning the Dark Lord, obstructing his plans, and failing to kill Harry Potter.
• Snape argued that the Dark Lord had already questioned him and accepted his answers.
• Snape explained that he had stayed at Hogwarts to spy on Dumbledore and had believed the Dark Lord was finished after his fall.
• Bellatrix declared that she had remained loyal and spent years in Azkaban for the Dark Lord.

Snape defended his actions as a spy to Bellatrix, explaining why he stayed at Hogwarts, obstructed Quirrell, and returned to Voldemort late. Bellatrix pressed him about his intelligence and his failure to kill Harry Potter, but Snape had not answered her final question when the chapter ended.

• Snape told Bellatrix he had stayed at Hogwarts under Dumbledore’s protection and claimed Voldemort valued the intelligence he gathered there.
• Snape explained that he had stopped Quirrell from obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone because Voldemort had not trusted him while weak and hidden.
• Snape said he returned to Voldemort two hours after the Dark Mark burned so Dumbledore would continue to trust him as a spy.
• Bellatrix challenged Snape’s usefulness and blamed him for withholding intelligence, while Snape said his reports had reached Voldemort directly.
• Snape said his intelligence had helped lead to Emmeline Vance’s capture and death and Sirius Black’s death.
• Bellatrix demanded to know why Snape had let Harry Potter live, and Snape began explaining Voldemort’s use for Harry without answering her question.

Snape explained how he had deceived Dumbledore and remained valuable to the Dark Lord. Narcissa begged Snape to save Draco from a dangerous assignment, and Snape revealed that he knew of the secret plan but could not persuade the Dark Lord to change it.

• Snape told Bellatrix that he had never intended to kill Harry and had earned Dumbledore’s trust by feigning remorse.
• Snape revealed that he knew the Dark Lord’s secret plan, and Narcissa asked him for help.
• Narcissa pleaded for Draco, believing the Dark Lord had chosen him to punish Lucius for failing to retrieve the Prophecy Orb.
• Snape said the Dark Lord was angry with Lucius and could not be persuaded to change his decision.
• Narcissa seized Snape’s robes and begged him to carry out Draco’s dangerous task in his place.

Snape made an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa to protect Draco and finish the task if Draco failed. After Narcissa and Bellatrix left, Jon arrived to discuss the vow and preparations for Dumbledore’s plan, warning Snape that he might not always be able to protect him in time.

• Snape told Narcissa that Voldemort had assigned Draco to attempt the task first and might eventually send Snape to complete it.
• Narcissa begged Snape to protect Draco, and Snape agreed to make an Unbreakable Vow with Bellatrix as witness.
• Snape vowed to watch over Draco, protect him from harm, and complete the Dark Lord’s task if Draco was on the verge of failure.
• After Narcissa and Bellatrix left, Jon used an hourglass made by Helga to create a time-slowed space and spoke with Snape.
• Jon discussed preparations for Dumbledore’s plan and warned Snape that he might not arrive in time to save him from Voldemort.

Jon reassured Snape that he would protect him and left after their conversation. Meanwhile, Harry fell asleep waiting for Dumbledore to arrive at Privet Drive and take him to The Burrow.

• Jon told Snape he would help keep him safe and could help him forget painful memories if he wished.
• Snape agreed to contact Jon if anything happened and said he would go to Dumbledore if he could not reach him.
• Jon ended the time-distorting field and vanished from Snape's doorway.
• Harry waited for hours by his bedroom window, surrounded by clutter and newspapers reporting on the Ministry attack, Scrimgeour's appointment, and new Hogwarts security measures.
• Harry fell asleep shortly before eleven with Dumbledore's letter in his hand, still waiting to be collected.

Dumbledore arrived at the Dursleys’ home to collect Harry, though he said they needed to discuss a few matters before leaving. After seating the Dursleys with magic, he revealed a shriveled, blackened hand that alarmed Harry.

• Harry anxiously waited for Dumbledore and hurriedly began packing when he saw a cloaked figure approach.
• Dumbledore entered the Dursleys’ home and greeted Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley.
• Harry asked whether they were leaving, and Dumbledore said they would leave after discussing a few matters.
• Dumbledore used his wand to knock the Dursleys onto the sofa, then settled into the sitting room.
• Harry noticed Dumbledore’s shriveled, blackened hand and asked what had happened.

Dumbledore told Harry that Sirius had left him his fortune and Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, but the Black family’s enchantments might pass the house to Bellatrix Lestrange. He summoned Kreacher to test whether Harry had inherited the house.

• Dumbledore told Harry that Sirius’s will left him all his possessions, including a large sum of gold and Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
• Harry offered the Order of the Phoenix use of the house, saying he did not want to return there.
• Dumbledore explained that Black family tradition or a curse might transfer the house to Bellatrix Lestrange, so the Order had moved out.
• Dumbledore said that Kreacher’s allegiance would show whether Harry had inherited the house.
• Dumbledore summoned Kreacher, who protested that he did not want to belong to Harry.

Harry accepted ownership of Kreacher and sent him to work in Hogwarts’s kitchens, while leaving Buckbeak with Hagrid under the temporary name Droopy Wing. Before leaving the Dursleys, Dumbledore explained that Harry needed to return once before his seventeenth birthday to preserve the protective magic on the house.

• Dumbledore persuaded Harry not to let Kreacher return to Bellatrix Lestrange, and Harry ordered Kreacher to go to Hogwarts and work in the kitchens.
• Harry left Buckbeak with Hagrid after Dumbledore said the Hippogriff would temporarily be called Droopy Wing.
• Harry packed his belongings and returned to the sitting room, where Dumbledore addressed the Dursleys.
• Dumbledore told the Dursleys that they had neglected and abused Harry, and explained that the protection tied to their home would end when Harry turned seventeen.
• Dumbledore asked the Dursleys to let Harry return once before his seventeenth birthday, then prepared to leave with Harry.