Chapter Summaries

Silvan asked Luna to be his Christmas Ball partner, and she agreed. As Hogwarts prepared for the holiday, Silvan spent his last classes chatting with Flitwick while Harry passed Snape’s Wide-Eye Potion test with Hermione’s help.

• Silvan freed Luna’s shoes from a knight statue with Relashio after she said the Nargles had taken them.
• Silvan invited Luna to be his Christmas Ball partner, and she agreed.
• Hogwarts filled with elaborate Christmas decorations as the holiday approached.
• Flitwick let his students play games and asked Silvan about the Summoning Charm he used in the first task.
• Snape tested the students’ Wide-Eye Potion, chose Harry, and saw him succeed with Hermione’s help.
• Ron and Harry joked that Moaning Myrtle might invite Snape to the Christmas Ball.

Silvan stayed at Hogwarts while Harry, Ron, and Hermione went home, then spent Christmas morning opening an enormous pile of gifts sent by supporters of his Triwizard Championship. After checking the presents for possible enchantments, he shared the snacks with Fred and George and stored the other gifts.

• Silvan saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione off at the station and returned to Hogwarts, unable to attend Sirius's public hearing because the Champions had to attend the Christmas ball.
• In the Gryffindor Common Room, Silvan watched Neville transform back from a giant canary after eating one of Fred's Canary Creams and resolved not to accept treats at the ball.
• On Christmas morning, Silvan discovered that owls had delivered around fifty gifts, including one from Padma Patil, who had sent it to support him as a Triwizard Champion.
• Fred and George helped Silvan finish opening ninety-five gifts before lunch, most of them sweets, chocolates, decorations, and jewelry.
• Silvan warned Fred and George that Karkaroff might have enchanted some gifts, shared the snacks with them, and put the remaining presents in a trunk.

Silvan celebrated Christmas at Hogwarts, then attended the Yule Ball with Luna. The chapter ended as Luna saw Wrackspurts and Nargles surrounding Barty Crouch Sr., and Silvan advised her not to warn him.

• Silvan and the students enjoyed a lavish Christmas feast, enchanted biscuits, and a large snowball fight.
• Silvan dressed in light-gray dress robes and waited for Luna, who arrived in glittering silver-sequined robes.
• Silvan and Luna entered the Great Hall with the champions and their partners for the Yule Ball.
• Luna stared at Barty Crouch Sr. and told Silvan that Wrackspurts and Nargles surrounded him.
• Silvan told Luna not to warn Crouch because he probably would not believe her.

Silvan attended the Yule Ball with Luna, watched the guests dance, and joined her on the floor despite neither of them knowing how to dance properly. Luna left to tell her father about the Weird Sisters’ songs, leaving Silvan at the ball.

• Barty Crouch Sr. left dinner after receiving a letter, and Percy Weasley arrived to attend the Yule Ball in his place.
• Silvan, Fred, and George watched Roger Davies stare at Fleur Delacour and bet that he would make a dramatic move, but he only kept gazing at her.
• Dumbledore cleared the Great Hall and the Weird Sisters began playing as the Champions took to the dance floor.
• Silvan danced with Luna, whose unusual movements matched the music, while Fleur Delacour drew the attention of the other students.
• Dumbledore danced with Madame Maxime, while Professor Sinistra tried to avoid Alastor Moody’s wooden leg as they danced.
• Luna told Silvan she had enjoyed the songs, then left for the Owlery to write to her father about them.

At the Christmas ball, Silvan received Arthur Weasley's letter reporting that Sirius Black had gained broad support at his public hearing after Dumbledore presented his memories. The chapter ended with Dumbledore returning to the Great Hall after attending the hearing at the Ministry.

• Luna left the ball to share a song with her family, while Percy kept Silvan talking about his duties as a Triwizard Champion until Fred and George sent him away.
• Fleur asked Silvan about the Golden Egg and proposed that they work together, but an owl carrying Arthur Weasley's letter interrupted them.
• Silvan read that Dumbledore had presented Sirius Black's memories at the hearing and that most of the Wizengamot supported Sirius's release.
• Silvan realized Dumbledore had left the ball to attend the hearing, then saw Dumbledore return to the Great Hall and wink at him.

After Hagrid revealed his half-giant identity to Madame Maxime and they argued, Silvan visited him and learned that the Blast-Ended Skrewts were killing one another. He used a dead Skrewt’s carapace to make a wand, which proved perfect and enhanced Avada Kedavra.

• Silvan heard Cedric and other students discussing Hagrid’s claim that he was a half-giant and realized Hagrid had told Madame Maxime.
• Silvan visited Hagrid, cleared the alcohol fumes from his hut, and warned him that revealing his identity could cause trouble.
• Hagrid told Silvan that the Blast-Ended Skrewts were killing one another, and Silvan took a dead one to use as a wand core.
• Silvan made a wand from holly and the Skrewt’s carapace while talking with Hagrid about Sirius’s hearing and the golden egg.
• Silvan inspected the finished wand and found that it was perfect, with a trait that made Avada Kedavra cast faster and reach farther.

Silvan discovered that his Blast-Ended Skrewt-shell wand had changed, and he tried to test its connection to the Killing Curse. Unable to cast the curse and reluctant to kill Hagrid’s surviving Skrewts, he proposed that Hagrid hatch another batch so Silvan could study fresh shells.

• Silvan noticed that his Blast-Ended Skrewt-shell wand had changed and wondered whether it could affect the Killing Curse’s range.
• Silvan went to an empty area and tried to cast Avada Kedavra, but the wand produced no effect.
• Silvan tried the Killing Curse with Silver Mane, whose unicorn soul rejected the Dark magic and returned to the wand after he apologized.
• Silvan considered asking Alastor Moody about the Killing Curse but decided he could not approach him directly.
• Silvan asked Hagrid for fresh Blast-Ended Skrewt shells, but the old shells had lost their magic and Hagrid would not kill the survivors.
• Silvan proposed that Hagrid hatch another batch, suggesting they could use the shells of the Skrewts that died in the process.

Silvan confronted Rita Skeeter and stopped her from sensationalizing Hagrid’s half-giant heritage by offering her a lead about possible Triwizard Tournament cheating. Rita agreed to keep quiet about Hagrid, and the rumor soon faded at Hogwarts.

• Hagrid agreed to care for more Blast-Ended Skrewts while Silvan waited for them to grow enough to provide wand cores.
• Silvan met Rita Skeeter in Hogsmeade and told her not to publish a sensational report about Hagrid being a half-giant.
• Rita threatened to expose Silvan, but he warned that he could reveal her secret Animagus identity.
• Silvan offered Rita information that Ludo Bagman may have colluded with Durmstrang’s Champion and headmaster to cheat, and Rita agreed to leave Hagrid alone.
• The Daily Prophet published no news about Hagrid, and Hogwarts students gradually stopped discussing the rumor.

Harry recounted Sirius’s hearing and accidentally damaged Belladonna, earning detention, while Hagrid’s lesson had the students care for Beauxbatons’ Abraxan horses. In Defence Against the Dark Arts, Silvan questioned Moody about Viktor Krum’s use of the Conjunctivitis Curse, and Moody confirmed that Durmstrang taught Dark magic.

• Harry told Silvan that Amelia Bones had secured enough votes to acquit Sirius, but Harry accidentally pulled an unripe Belladonna from its vine and received detention from Professor Sprout.
• Silvan and his classmates found all eight Blast-Ended Skrewts alive, then groomed and fed the Abraxan horses while Hagrid repeatedly left to tend to the Skrewts.
• In Moody’s Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Silvan asked whether Viktor Krum had used the Conjunctivitis Curse during the first task.
• Moody confirmed that the Conjunctivitis Curse was Dark magic and said Durmstrang taught its students to use it.

Professor Moody taught the students about Dark magic and said he might demonstrate the Unforgivable Curses in the next lesson. Silvan was pleased that his classmates' questions had steered Moody toward that topic, and later he went to Hogsmeade with Ron while Harry followed under his Invisibility Cloak.

• Justin Finch-Fletchley asked Moody to teach the class how to fight Dark magic, and Silvan asked about countering the Unforgivable Curses.
• Moody explained that the Unforgivable Curses had no counter-curses and told Hermione that a victim should run and hope the spell missed.
• Moody assigned homework on the Pathfinding Charm and said he might show the class real Dark magic next lesson if Dumbledore agreed.
• Silvan told Ron he was happy because he hoped Moody would demonstrate the Unforgivable Curses, then claimed he was looking forward to Butterbeer.
• On Saturday, Silvan and Ron left for Hogsmeade while Harry followed under his Invisibility Cloak, and they saw Viktor Krum swimming in the Black Lake.
• Silvan glimpsed something flash in the lake and suspected Krum had solved the secret of the Golden Egg.

Hermione discovered that the Golden Egg’s song was a merpeople’s message meant to be heard underwater, and Silvan confirmed it by opening the egg beneath water. The message revealed that the second task involved finding what the champions held most dear, but the chapter ended before they learned how to retrieve it.

• Harry, Ron, and Silvan visited Hogsmeade and saw Ludo Bagman speaking with goblins while a beetle listened from his chair.
• Hermione told Silvan, Harry, and Ron that she had identified the Golden Egg’s sound as merpeople singing and explained that the egg needed to be opened underwater.
• Ron fetched the Golden Egg, and Silvan used Aguamenti to submerge it in a hollow before opening it.
• Hermione placed a leaf on the water, making the Golden Egg’s song clear enough for them to hear its message about finding what they held most dear.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Silvan discussed the second Triwizard task after hearing the merpeople’s song, and Silvan realized they would likely need to rescue a person from the Black Lake. The group began preparing for an underwater task, while Silvan considered ways to locate and reach whoever was taken.

• Harry interpreted the merpeople’s song as a warning that something valuable would be taken, and Hermione concluded that the second task involved finding it within an hour.
• Harry suggested preventing the merpeople from stealing anything, while Silvan privately realized the task was about rescuing a person rather than retrieving an object.
• Silvan suspected Harry or Hermione might be the person taken and considered secretly enchanting an item on them so he could find them underwater.
• The group agreed they would probably have to dive in the Black Lake, and rejected Ron’s suggestion of using Muggle diving equipment because it might hurt their scores.
• Hermione recommended the Bubble-Head Charm, while Silvan also considered transforming himself into a fish and continued weighing the risks.

Professor Moody began teaching the students about the Unforgivable Curses after Dumbledore approved his request, demonstrating the Imperius Curse and preparing to show the Cruciatus Curse. Professor Flitwick stood by to help as Moody insisted the students needed to understand the curses’ true danger.

• A Durmstrang student mocked Hogwarts for restricting Dark magic, and students jeered back about Krum’s defeat in the Triwizard Tournament.
• Silvan criticized Durmstrang for admitting only pure-blood wizards, while Hermione left lunch for the library.
• Professor Flitwick accompanied Moody to class after Dumbledore approved Moody’s request to teach the Unforgivable Curses.
• Harry correctly named the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and Avada Kedavra when Moody questioned the class.
• Moody demonstrated the Imperius Curse on a spider, making it dance and move according to his commands.
• Moody asked Flitwick to cast the Cruciatus Curse on him so the students could witness its effects.

Professor Moody demonstrated the Unforgivable Curses to the students, having Professor Flitwick cast the Cruciatus Curse on him before killing a spider with Avada Kedavra. After class, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Silvan discussed Moody’s extreme demonstration and the fear it had left behind.

• Professor Flitwick cast the Cruciatus Curse on Professor Moody, who writhed in pain before struggling back to his feet.
• Professor Moody cast Avada Kedavra on a spider and explained the Killing Curse’s requirements after Silvan asked about its restrictions.
• The students took notes on the Unforgivable Curses in silence until the lesson ended.
• Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Silvan discussed why Moody had used the Cruciatus Curse on himself, and Ron described Moody’s reputation as Mad-Eye.
• The students’ fear of the Unforgivable Curses grew, and the Durmstrang students stopped boasting about their school’s Dark Arts courses.

Silvan learned from Hagrid that a Kelpie in the Black Lake could help him breathe underwater during the second task, and agreed to try taming one the following night. Hagrid also gave him a large Blast-Ended Skrewt shell, which Silvan planned to use as a wand core while reconsidering the wand wood.

• Silvan checked Hagrid's newly hatched Blast-Ended Skrewts, which were growing quickly, and heard that Hagrid planned to release them into the Forbidden Forest.
• Silvan told Hagrid that the second task would likely take place in the Black Lake and that he and Hermione were seeking a way to stay underwater.
• Hagrid explained that a tamed Kelpie could let its rider breathe underwater, but warned that taming one was dangerous and usually taught in seventh year.
• Silvan agreed to meet Hagrid on Saturday night to try taming a Kelpie from the Black Lake.
• Before Silvan left, Hagrid gave him a large Blast-Ended Skrewt shell, and Silvan decided to use it as a wand core and carefully choose the wood.

Silvan bought two tracking Sneakoscopes from Fred and George for the second task and kept his plans to meet Hagrid’s Kelpie secret. Hagrid took him across the Black Lake to meet the creature Quickmouth, whose seaweed-covered mane caught Silvan’s attention.

• Fred and George showed Silvan tracking Sneakoscopes, and he bought both to help locate the second task’s hostages.
• Silvan chose not to tell Fred and George about his plan to meet a Kelpie because he was unsure he could tame it.
• Silvan left the Gryffindor common room as a cat and met Hagrid near his hut on Saturday evening.
• Hagrid rowed Silvan across the Black Lake to a secluded spot near Hogsmeade station to avoid drawing attention from Durmstrang.
• Hagrid introduced the giant snake Quickmouth, which transformed into a horse-like Kelpie, and explained its usual forms.
• Silvan focused on the Kelpie’s seaweed-like mane and wondered whether it could feel if he pulled out strands.

Silvan repeatedly tried to tame a Kelpie by riding it into the Black Lake, where the Giant Squid rescued him each time. By dawn, the squid had returned him and the Kelpie to shore for the fifth time, and Silvan’s effort remained unresolved.

• Hagrid warned Silvan about the dangers of putting a bridle on the Kelpie, but Silvan climbed onto its back anyway.
• The Kelpie plunged into the lake and knocked Silvan unconscious; the Giant Squid brought him safely ashore.
• Hagrid explained that the Giant Squid rescued students who fell into the lake, and Silvan decided to keep trying to tame the Kelpie.
• Silvan climbed onto the awakened Kelpie again, and the angry creature repeatedly carried him into the lake before the Giant Squid returned them to shore.
• At dawn, the Giant Squid brought Silvan and the Kelpie ashore for the fifth time, and Silvan rolled to a stop beside Hagrid’s campfire.

Silvan recovered from his bruises after another disastrous night training with the Kelpie, then returned to the Black Lake to try again. The Kelpie still refused to submit, and the Giant Squid smashed Silvan’s boat as he and the Kelpie plunged into the lake.

• Hermione questioned Silvan about his bruises, and he claimed he had fallen before going to the Hospital Wing for treatment.
• Madam Pomfrey healed Silvan’s injuries and gave him an Invigoration Draught.
• Silvan told Hermione he had been training for the second task, and she accepted his explanation after he said Hagrid could confirm it.
• After taking a break from training, Silvan returned to Hagrid’s hut on the second Saturday night and went with him to the far shore of the Black Lake.
• The Kelpie presented its back to Silvan, who climbed on and plunged into the lake beneath the Bubble-Head Charm.
• A Giant Squid tentacle struck the shore and smashed the boat Silvan had used.

Durmstrang’s ship was battered by violent waves on the Black Lake, and Karkaroff accused Hogwarts of targeting Krum before leading his students away. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione dismissed the complaint as a plot, Silvan privately suspected the Giant Squid had caused the waves.

• Durmstrang’s ship rocked in the suddenly turbulent Black Lake, flooding its cabins and leaving nearly all its students with colds.
• Karkaroff accused Hogwarts of targeting Krum, but Moody challenged him to investigate and Karkaroff refused before leading his students away.
• Ron told Harry and Hermione that his father had said Karkaroff used to be a Death Eater, prompting Harry to wonder whether Krum might be one too.
• Harry warned Silvan to watch out for Krum during the second task, while Ron and Hermione insisted the lake’s waves must have been a conspiracy.
• Silvan suggested Karkaroff might not be pretending, then guiltily looked away as the others joked that the Giant Squid could never have overturned the ship.

Silvan prepared for the second Triwizard task, which would take place in the lake, while his friends and professors encouraged him. As he joined the Champions at the judges’ table, he realized that none of Harry, Hermione, or Ron appeared to be the person he was supposed to rescue from the lake.

• Silvan told Harry and Ron that his special training for the second task was finished and hinted that something needed to come back to life.
• Hagrid offered Silvan help with Fluffy, but Silvan said the task was in the lake and the three-headed dog would not help.
• McGonagall gave Silvan a magazine with material on human Transfiguration, and Cedric advised him to seek her help if needed.
• Snape taunted Silvan about seeking help from Slytherin, leaving Silvan to wonder whether Snape had been offering assistance.
• On the sunny morning of the second task, Harry, Hermione, and Ron piled food onto Silvan’s plate and wished him luck as he went to the Champions’ table.
• Silvan noticed that all three of his friends were present and realized one of them should have been waiting at the bottom of the lake for him to rescue.