Recaps

Silan faced Tom and the Basilisk alone while Hermione stopped George and Fred from rushing to help, insisting they trust him. The Basilisk charged at Silan, who remained calm and wandless, leaving Tom uneasy about what he had planned.

• Hermione held George and Fred back, saying they should trust Silan and avoid getting in his way.
• Professor McGonagall anxiously tried to learn what was happening inside the Great Hall as students shouted conflicting reports.
• Silan stepped away from the professors and confronted Tom, who was controlling Lockhart.
• Tom ordered the Basilisk in Parseltongue to ignore the professors and kill Silan first.
• The Basilisk charged at Silan while he stood calm and wandless, making Tom suspect Silan had prepared something.

Silan spoke Parseltongue to the Basilisk, startling it and revealing his ability to the Great Hall. Tom ordered the Basilisk to attack anyway, but after Tom shattered Silan’s glass bottle, strands of memory entered the creature’s mind and began restoring its memories.

• Silan addressed the Basilisk in Parseltongue, and the creature froze in pain and fear.
• Snape and Tom were astonished that Silan could speak Parseltongue, while Lee Jordan announced it to the students behind the wooden boards.
• The young wizards panicked at the thought that Silan might be like the Dark Lord, and Hermione defended him.
• Tom forced the Basilisk to charge at Silan again, then shattered the glass bottle Silan threw.
• Strands of memory escaped the broken bottle and entered the Basilisk’s mind, restoring its memories.

Silan Prewett used a glass bottle and a magical sphere to restore the Basilisk’s memories and frighten it into submission. After he claimed it as his own, students debated whether Silan or Lockhart was Slytherin’s heir, concluding that whoever won was the heir.

• The Basilisk recognized Silan Prewett and panicked when its memories returned, while Lee Jordan reported that it feared Prewett after a bottle shattered nearby.
• Silan threw a sphere that covered the Basilisk’s eyes and tightened around its head, making it writhe and beg for mercy.
• Snape moved to attack the blinded Basilisk, but Silan stopped him and demanded that the creature choose between death and submission.
• Silan snapped his fingers, electrocuting the Basilisk until it swore eternal loyalty and prostrated itself at his feet.
• Lee Jordan announced that Prewett had tamed the Basilisk, and the students concluded that whoever won was Slytherin’s heir.

With the Basilisk under Silan’s control, Tom Riddle found himself overwhelmed by the professors and Silan. After Silan mocked him and the students rejected him as Slytherin’s heir, Tom attacked, and the Basilisk lunged at him.

• Tom Riddle, trapped in Lockhart’s body, faced Silan, three professors, and the Basilisk after it switched sides.
• Tom asked Silan how he had controlled the Basilisk, and Silan claimed he was stronger before insulting Tom’s reliance on outside help.
• The professors and students reacted to Silan’s tirade, while the students looked down on Tom and praised Silan as a worthy Slytherin heir.
• Tom cast Avada Kedavra at Silan, but Snape blocked the curse.
• Silan commanded the Basilisk to attack, and it lunged at Tom as the professors pressed him with spells.

Tom tried to reclaim the Diary, but the Basilisk bit off Lockhart's arm and spat out the Diary, leaving Tom's fate unclear. Professor McGonagall secured the damaged object and turned the professors' attention to the gravely injured Lockhart.

• Tom searched for the Diary, found it near a broken plate, and crawled toward it despite Lockhart's failing body.
• The Basilisk bit off Lockhart's arm as he reached for the Diary, then spat out the mangled arm and the Diary, which had been pierced by a fang.
• Silan ordered the Basilisk to spit out what was in its mouth, then inspected the damaged Diary while black mist made him uneasy.
• Professor McGonagall warned Silan away from the Diary, checked that he was unharmed, and sealed the object in a conjured box to give to Dumbledore.
• Professors Sprout, Flitwick, and Snape defended Silan, and McGonagall praised his courage before asking how they should deal with Lockhart.

Professor McGonagall arranged for Lockhart to be treated and decided the Basilisk would stay secured in Silan’s trunk until Dumbledore returned. She took Silan to the Hospital Wing for an examination, allowing Hermione to accompany him.

• Professor McGonagall sent Snape to take Lockhart to the Hospital Wing and search his office for Dark magic items.
• Hermione stopped Snape to ask whether Silan was all right, and Snape reassured her before scolding Harry and Ron for following her.
• Silan persuaded Professor McGonagall not to kill the Basilisk, and she agreed to leave its fate to Dumbledore while keeping it contained in his trunk.
• Professor McGonagall took Silan to the Hospital Wing for an examination as Hermione, Neville, Harry, and several Weasleys gathered around him.
• Professor McGonagall allowed Hermione to accompany Silan to the Hospital Wing.

After helping stop Lockhart and the Basilisk, Silan was examined in the Hospital Wing and kept overnight for observation. Hermione visited him, and after everyone left, Silan entered his suitcase to question the Basilisk about the black mist that had emerged from Lockhart.

• Professor McGonagall brought Silan to the Hospital Wing, where Pomfrey scolded him and the professors for letting him face the Basilisk and Lockhart.
• Pomfrey examined Silan and found no obvious injuries, but ordered him to stay overnight for observation.
• Hermione persuaded Pomfrey to let her visit Silan, then warned him that he had taken too great a risk and admitted she had been worried.
• Silan and Hermione discussed Lockhart's sudden change and his use of the Killing Curse before Pomfrey sent Hermione away.
• After Pomfrey finished examining him, Silan stayed awake thinking about Tom Riddle and the black mist, then entered his suitcase to question the Basilisk.

Students across Hogwarts discussed Silan Prewett’s taming of the Basilisk, while Hermione’s roommates teased her about her relationship with him. The chapter left Silan sleepless in his suitcase, where he found Norbert fighting the Basilisk.

• Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins speculated about how Silan had tamed the Basilisk, and Malfoy decided he needed to build his own power base.
• Gryffindors celebrated Silan as their relative, while George and Fred blamed the Sorting Hat for placing him in Slytherin.
• Lavender and Parvati pressed Hermione about how intimate she and Silan had been, and Hermione admitted they had only held hands.
• Lavender whispered something that embarrassed Hermione, who fled to bed and lay awake thinking about Silan.
• Silan entered his suitcase and found Norbert fighting the Basilisk.

Silan questioned the Basilisk about the Diary, the Chamber of Secrets, and Slytherin’s secret treasure, learning that the treasure was knowledge imprinted in the Basilisk’s soul. After getting the Basilisk to agree he need not pass the trials, Silan asked how to obtain that knowledge.

• Norbert battered the Basilisk until Silan arrived, and the Basilisk tried to win Silan’s sympathy.
• Silan shocked the Basilisk into answering questions about the Diary, and it reported a sudden pain in its head.
• The Basilisk explained that Slytherin left it to guard his magical knowledge and guide an heir through trials.
• The Basilisk said Tom Riddle could qualify as an heir but had not finished the trials.
• Silan pressured the Basilisk into agreeing he did not need to pass the trials, then asked how he could obtain Slytherin’s knowledge.

Silan collected venom and scales from the Basilisk to unlock Slytherin’s hidden knowledge, then left it with Norbert. After Hermione brought him breakfast and Madam Pomfrey discharged him, two cloaked visitors approached and asked whether he was Mr. Prewett.

• Silan learned that combining the Basilisk’s venom and scales would reveal a spell on Slytherin’s statue, and he collected the venom.
• Silan ordered Norbert to strip scales from the Basilisk, healed its wounds with a potion, and saw his Animal Bloodline proficiency increase.
• Hermione secretly made Silan sandwiches and visited him in the Hospital Wing for breakfast.
• Madam Pomfrey examined Silan, said Lockhart’s soul had suffered severe damage, and reported that the Ministry would take him to Azkaban.
• Madam Pomfrey discharged Silan, and two cloaked visitors approached and asked if he was Mr. Prewett.

Ministry employees Walton McNeil and Billy took Silan aside to question him about the Basilisk, but Silan used his Hogwarts ties and the Prewett name to deter them. He realized they had acted without consulting the professors, leaving the two men speechless.

• Walton McNeil ordered Silan to come with him over suspicions that he was harboring a dangerous magical creature, while Billy tried to reassure him.
• Silan went with the Ministry employees after signaling Hermione to find Dumbledore.
• Billy asked Silan whether he spoke Parseltongue and controlled the Basilisk, and Silan claimed the professors had dealt with it.
• Walton threatened to search Silan and use Veritaserum, but Silan invoked Snape, Arthur Weasley, and his Prewett name.
• Billy stopped Walton from escalating the confrontation, and Silan asked whether they had questioned the professors before acting.

Silan challenged Ministry officials Old Billy and Walton over their authority to question him, then insisted they wait for Dumbledore. At Hogwarts, Hermione interrupted Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge to report that the Ministry had taken Silan away.

• Silan questioned whether the Minister had authorized Old Billy and Walton to imprison him, and Walton threatened to use force if he did not cooperate.
• Old Billy rebuked Walton and offered to let Silan leave, but Silan refused and said they should wait for Dumbledore.
• Fudge spoke with Dumbledore about the Basilisk investigation, complaints from parents, and Lucius Malfoy's opposition to Dumbledore.
• Hermione rushed into Dumbledore's office and announced that Ministry officials had taken Silan away.
• Snape turned sharply and fixed Fudge with a piercing stare after Hermione's announcement.

Hermione told Dumbledore and Snape that Ministry officials had taken Silan, prompting them to confront Fudge and go investigate. After learning the arrested student was Prewett, Fudge panicked about the political fallout, and Professor Sprout joined the growing procession.

• Hermione explained that two Ministry officials had taken Silan from the Hospital Wing, and Fudge claimed he had only ordered an investigation into the Basilisk.
• Snape, Dumbledore, and Fudge set out to find the officials and Silan.
• Professor McGonagall confronted Fudge, then joined the group after Snape revealed that the arrested student was Prewett.
• Fudge worried that the Ministry would be blamed for mistreating a hero's descendant and tried to distance himself from the arrest.
• Professor Sprout encountered the group, leaving Fudge fearing that another professor would join them.

Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Dumbledore, and Hermione went to find Silan after learning Ministry officials had taken him to an empty classroom. When Fudge and the Hogwarts staff arrived, Old Billy realized the situation had become much more serious than he expected.

• Professor Sprout angrily objected when McGonagall told her that Ministry officials had taken Prewett away.
• Professor Flitwick said he had seen two wizards take Prewett into an empty classroom, and Hermione asked him to lead them there.
• Dumbledore, Fudge, the four Heads of House, and Hermione followed Flitwick downstairs toward the classroom.
• As the group approached, Silan put away his book and acted frightened, leaving Old Billy bewildered.
• Fudge entered the classroom with Dumbledore and the Hogwarts staff, and Old Billy's relief turned to dread.

Minister Fudge tried to dismiss Walton’s mistreatment of Silan, but Snape retaliated and forced Fudge to accept that the matter was settled. Dumbledore then redirected the conversation to the Basilisk investigation.

• Walton accused Silan of harboring dark creatures and proposed using measures on him, but Fudge rebuked Walton and denied ordering his actions.
• Hermione and the professors gathered around Silan, and McGonagall invited him to explain what had happened.
• Silan said Walton and Old Billy had questioned him about the Basilisk, threatened him with Veritaserum, and intimidated him with Walton’s axe.
• Fudge tried to dismiss Silan’s complaint as a joke, so Snape used Sectumsempra to cut Walton’s robes and lightly mark his skin.
• Dumbledore and the professors treated Snape’s attack as a minor matter, and Fudge agreed to let the incident go.
• Dumbledore changed the subject and asked whether Fudge’s party had come to investigate the Basilisk.

Dumbledore and Snape convinced Fudge that the Basilisk was dead by presenting ashes and scales as proof. Fudge accepted their explanation and left with his officials to take Lockhart away to Azkaban.

• Dumbledore asked Snape to produce proof that the Basilisk was dead, and Snape brought out a box of ashes and black scales.
• Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick identified the scales as Basilisk scales, persuading Fudge to accept that the Basilisk had been cremated.
• Fudge asked where Lockhart was and said he would be taken to Azkaban, so Dumbledore sent McGonagall to lead the officials to the Hospital Wing.
• Fudge apologized to Silan and made Walton apologize, then left Hogwarts with Walton and Old Billy.

After Dumbledore resolved the Ministry’s threat against Silan, George and Fred followed Walton as he left Hogwarts, intending to punish him. Walton attacked a flock of birds and failed to notice that one was a carved wooden decoy until it dropped something over him.

• The professors checked on Silan, who thanked them and agreed to help Professor Sprout with her Mandrakes.
• Silan thanked Hermione, and Dumbledore took him to the headmaster’s office for a private conversation.
• George and Fred decided to teach Walton a lesson after overhearing him threaten Silan.
• Fudge left Hogwarts while Old Billy escorted Lockhart toward Azkaban, leaving Walton to depart alone.
• Walton cursed at the birds circling above him, and one wooden bird revealed itself as a decoy by pulling out a Dungbomb.

George and Fred tormented Walton with Dungbombs until he fled Hogwarts, then planned to write to Arthur Weasley so Walton would be too busy to retaliate. Silan followed Dumbledore to the headmaster’s office for a conversation.

• Dungbombs covered Walton in foul-smelling sludge, and his spells failed to stop the birds dropping more on him.
• Walton tried to Apparate, remembered it was forbidden near Hogwarts Castle, and ran outside instead.
• Walton scrambled into the Black Lake, but the Giant Squid threw him back out because of his smell.
• George and Fred laughed at Walton and decided to tell Arthur Weasley so he could search Walton’s house.
• Silan followed Dumbledore to the headmaster’s office, where Dumbledore invited him to sit down and said they had a lot to discuss.

Silan discussed Lockhart, Voldemort’s Diary, and the Basilisk with Dumbledore, who paid him for his help and warned him to stay vigilant. After Silan traded Tonguefire Grass seeds with Dumbledore and Fawkes, he left the office and found Hermione waiting outside.

• Dumbledore thanked Silan for helping prevent casualties during the Basilisk attack, and Silan reassured him that Lockhart’s actions had been unexpected.
• Dumbledore showed Silan the damaged Diary and explained that Voldemort had hidden a fragment of his soul inside it to beguile and control people.
• Dumbledore warned Silan not to lose himself to dark powers, and Silan agreed to remain vigilant.
• Dumbledore gave Silan fifteen hundred Galleons for his help, and Silan agreed not to release the dead Basilisk.
• Fawkes ate Tonguefire Grass seeds from Silan, and Dumbledore bought some seeds from him.
• Silan left the headmaster’s office and saw Hermione waiting for him around the corner.

Hermione waited for Silan outside the headmaster's office, and they walked together through the snow to the Black Lake. George and Fred told them they had used their Dungbomb-carrying puppet birds to punish Walton, while Snape watched Silan and Hermione walk away.

• Hermione finished another book while waiting for Silan, who praised her and walked with her toward the Room of Requirement.
• Silan took Hermione's hand to warm it, but George and Fred interrupted them on the stairs.
• George and Fred showed Silan their wooden puppet birds and explained that they had used them to hit Walton with Dungbombs.
• Hermione approved of the prank, and George and Fred left to write their father a letter.
• Hermione suggested that she and Silan visit the Black Lake to see the last snowfall of the year.
• Snape watched Silan and Hermione walking through the snow, while Harry and Ron fled after seeing him smile; Silan and Hermione reached the lake and admired the snowfall.

Silan and Hermione shared a snowy moment by the Black Lake, leaving Hermione flustered but happy after Lavender and Parvati teased her about their closeness. Silan then harvested Tonguefire Grass and completed a trait mission, gaining Harvesting Hand.

• Silan and Hermione watched the snowfall by the Black Lake, and Silan wrapped them both in the cloak Hermione had made for him.
• Hermione returned to the dormitory, where Lavender and Parvati teased her about her romantic outing with Prewett.
• Silan entered his trunk and checked the trait mission for planting and harvesting Tonguefire Grass.
• Silan harvested a mature Tonguefire Grass plant and collected its Red Seeds.
• Silan received the Harvesting Hand trait after completing the harvest.

Silan used his Harvesting Hand trait to collect extra seeds and herbs, then persuaded Neville that taking over harvesting was a way to spare him hard work. Neville gratefully accepted responsibility for planting, and the two planned to help Professor Sprout transplant Mandrakes the next afternoon.

• Silan tested Harvesting Hand and confirmed that harvesting plants himself increased their yield by 30%.
• Silan harvested five jars of Tonguefire Grass seeds and gathered all the mature herbs in Neville’s plantation.
• Neville told Silan that Professor Sprout wanted them to help transplant Mandrakes the next afternoon so they could be used to cure the petrified students.
• Neville worried that Silan had harvested the herbs because he had done a poor job, but Silan reassured him and claimed he wanted to share Neville’s workload.
• Silan assigned Neville to planting and himself to harvesting, and Neville left determined to devote himself to the plantation.

Silan and Neville transplanted Mandrakes for Professor Sprout, who rewarded them with House points and gave them two seedlings after admiring their homegrown herbs. Back in the Room of Requirement, Neville planted the seedlings while Silan began brewing a potion to reveal the spell on the Slytherin statue.

• Silan and Neville finished transplanting the Mandrakes, and Professor Sprout awarded ten points each to Gryffindor and Slytherin.
• Silan presented Professor Sprout with herbs grown by him and Neville, and she praised their work, especially their Chomping Cabbages.
• Silan asked for new seeds or seedlings, and Professor Sprout agreed to give them two Mandrake seedlings.
• Silan and Neville returned to the Room of Requirement, where Neville planted the Mandrakes and Silan began brewing the Statue-Revealing Potion with Mandrake leaves, Basilisk venom, and scales.

Silan prepared a potion from Basilisk scales, Mandrake juice, and snake venom, then went to the bathroom entrance to the Chamber of Secrets after nightfall. After using the Basilisk to frighten Peeves into silence, Silan entered the Chamber.

• Silan mixed Basilisk scale powder, Mandrake juice, and snake venom into a potion and waited for nightfall.
• After Neville left the Room of Requirement, Silan used a Disillusionment Charm to reach the bathroom where the Chamber of Secrets was located.
• Silan found Peeves tormenting Myrtle and warned him to leave, but Peeves refused and threatened to tell Filch.
• Silan released the Basilisk and used its presence to frighten Peeves into promising to keep silent about their encounter.
• Silan put the Basilisk back in his suitcase, opened the Chamber entrance in Parseltongue, and went inside.

Silan questioned the Basilisk about Slytherin and learned that Tom Riddle, not Slytherin, had ordered the attacks on Muggle-born students. After preparing defenses, Silan applied a potion to Slytherin’s statue, which spoke to him in Parseltongue.

• Silan released the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and asked what it remembered about Slytherin.
• The Basilisk described Slytherin’s friendship with Gryffindor, Hogwarts’ founding, and Slytherin’s growing obsession with Dark magic.
• The Basilisk said Slytherin built the Chamber to teach selected pure-blood students and left it hoping an heir would find his secret treasure.
• The Basilisk revealed that Tom Riddle had ordered the attacks on Muggles and mixed-blood students after passing its trial.
• Silan put the Basilisk away, protected himself, and spread a prepared potion across Slytherin’s statue forehead.
• Slytherin’s statue transformed and addressed Silan: “My heir, welcome...”