Chapter Summaries

After Darren and Hermione were petrified in another attack, Professor McGonagall warned Harry and Ron that Darren could no longer safely face the snake. Harry returned to Gryffindor with the news and began planning to search for clues, while Neville asked to join him.

• Professor McGonagall sent Harry and Ron away from the Quidditch crowd and told them that Darren and Hermione had been petrified.
• Professor McGonagall explained that Darren had taken the antidote but was no longer strong enough to face the snake without risking death.
• Harry and Ron saw Darren and Hermione in the Hospital Wing before Professor McGonagall ordered them back to Gryffindor.
• Professor McGonagall announced new restrictions requiring students to stay in their Common Rooms, and Ginny sobbed when she learned Darren and Hermione were petrified.
• Harry decided he had to search for the snake himself, and Neville asked to go with him.

Harry and Ron went to find Hagrid, hoping his pet had seen the Basilisk, but arrived as Fudge and Lucius confronted Hagrid over the Chamber of Secrets. Lucius presented a document to force Dumbledore out, leaving Hagrid protesting that the school needed him.

• Neville told Harry that Darren had secretly paid his parents’ medical bills and asked to help, but Harry refused because Neville was too weak.
• Harry and Ron left the dormitory under the Invisibility Cloak to ask Hagrid whether his pet had seen the Basilisk.
• Hagrid hid Harry and Ron when Fudge and Lucius arrived at his hut.
• Lucius accused Hagrid of opening the Chamber of Secrets, while Dumbledore defended him and called the accusation a misunderstanding.
• Lucius demanded Dumbledore resign, and Hagrid protested that Hogwarts needed Dumbledore.
• Lucius pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket as Fudge watched the confrontation.

After Dumbledore was forced to leave Hogwarts and Hagrid was taken away, Darren returned from the Hospital Wing and blamed himself for Hermione’s petrification. As Harry, Ron, and Darren were turned away from visiting Hermione, they spotted spiders leaving through a window and remembered Hagrid’s clue to follow them.

• Lucius presented Dumbledore with a petition signed by every governor, and Dumbledore left Hogwarts after saying that anyone who sought him would receive help.
• Hagrid told them to follow the spiders, then left with Fudge; Lucius hurried after them.
• Darren was discharged from the Hospital Wing and repeatedly blamed himself for failing to save Hermione, despite Harry and Ron reassuring him.
• Darren tried to visit Hermione with Harry and Ron, but Madam Pomfrey warned them to be careful and sent them away.
• Ron noticed a swarm of spiders crawling out through a window, and Darren recalled Hagrid’s instruction to follow them.

Darren persuaded Harry and Ron to let him join the search for the attacker, hiding how deeply the attacks on Hermione, Justin, and Nick troubled him. After defending Harry from Snape’s taunts, Darren heard Draco suggest Snape apply to become headmaster, while Snape continued guarding Darren amid the school’s panic after Dumbledore’s departure.

• Darren asked Harry and Ron to let him go with them, and they agreed after he pretended to be overwhelmed by guilt.
• Harry comforted Darren, who concealed his distress over Hermione, Justin, and Nick’s condition.
• Darren defended Harry when Snape mocked him for failing to find the attacker, and Snape took twenty points from Gryffindor for Harry’s retort.
• Draco asked Snape why he did not apply to become headmaster, and Snape imagined the satisfaction of replacing Dumbledore.
• Snape kept watch over Darren because he feared something would happen to him, but he reset Darren’s dormitory door after its security had been compromised.

Darren, Harry, and Ron followed spiders into the Forbidden Forest to investigate the attacks at Hogwarts. Darren was eager to find Aragog, though the spiders disgusted him, while Harry and Ron wondered why Hagrid had not told the Ministry what he knew.

• Snape teased Harry by saying he would make him a prefect if he became headmaster, and Darren told Harry that Snape had only been joking.
• Darren, Harry, and Ron went to Hagrid's hut at night to follow the spiders, and Harry and Ron brought Fang along despite Darren's concern for the dog.
• Harry and Ron complained about the Ministry's handling of Hogwarts and Dumbledore's absence while Darren pretended to worry about the school and Fang.
• Harry spotted spiders heading into the Forbidden Forest, and Darren followed them eagerly despite finding them disgusting.
• Ron questioned why Hagrid had not told the Ministry about the cause of the attacks, and Harry guessed that Hagrid might not have had time.

Darren, Harry, and Ron found Aragog in the Forbidden Forest and learned that the spiders feared the creature hiding in the castle. Aragog ordered its descendants to attack, and Darren stayed behind as Harry and Ron were captured.

• Darren asked Aragog about the snake in the castle, and Aragog realized that Hagrid had not sent anyone to the colony before.
• Aragog revealed that the spiders feared the creature and ordered its descendants to kill Darren, Harry, and Ron.
• Darren accepted a system mission to use the Fiendfyre Curse after the spiders captured Harry and Ron.
• Darren fought the spiders with ordinary spells but could not stop them from binding Harry and Ron in spider silk.
• Aragog offered to let Darren leave if he abandoned Harry and Ron, but Darren refused to leave them behind.

Darren used the Fiendfyre Curse to save Harry, Ron, and the Weasley brothers from Aragog, then pretended to be dazed as the others rescued him from the flames. The group escaped the Forbidden Forest, while Darren continued acting shaken and Harry heard professors approaching.

• Darren pleaded with Aragog to release Harry, Ron, and the Weasley brothers, then burned nearly all of its descendants with Fiendfyre.
• Darren completed his mission and received Centaur's Favor, then accepted a temporary mission to act terrified of his wand after using an Unforgivable Curse.
• Harry tried to reach Darren through the flames, and Mr. Weasley's car arrived to rescue Harry, Ron, Fang, and Darren.
• Harry pulled Darren into the car, which carried them out of the Forbidden Forest before jolting and throwing them onto the ground.
• Harry checked on Darren, who kept staring fearfully at his wand, and said the professors were coming.

Darren confessed to using the Fiendfyre Curse to save Harry and Ron from Acromantulas, then pretended to fear he was evil because he felt no remorse. Professor McGonagall investigated the spell and discovered it was an unusual golden, improved version, leaving the professors baffled.

• Snape and the other professors arrived as Harry and Ron tried to explain that they had come looking for Hagrid.
• Darren admitted he had used the Fiendfyre Curse and asked whether he would be sent to Azkaban.
• Harry and Ron explained that Darren had used the curse to save them from Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest.
• Darren claimed that feeling no discomfort after casting the curse meant he might be a born bad seed, worrying the professors.
• Professor McGonagall used Prior Incantato on Darren's wand, revealing a warm golden Fiendfyre Curse that Professor Flitwick said differed from the ordinary spell.

Darren was distressed after casting Fiendfyre, but Professor Lawrence explained that it was an improved, controllable version fueled by love and a desire to protect. Snape took Darren to the Hospital Wing, where Darren continued to fear that he was a bad person.

• Darren blamed himself for casting Fiendfyre and refused to let Harry and the others approach him.
• Snape took Darren to the Hospital Wing while the professors returned from the Forbidden Forest after the Fiendfyre destroyed the Acromantulas.
• Professor Lawrence explained that Darren's Fiendfyre was controllable because he had cast it with love and a desire to protect.
• Professor McGonagall and the other professors acted as though they had already understood the spell and sent Harry to return Darren's wand and reassure him.
• Darren asked Snape and Madam Pomfrey if he was bad and should turn himself in to Azkaban, then drank Snape's potion and was put to bed.

Darren learned that the Fiendfyre Curse he used to protect Harry and Ron did not make him a criminal, then heard that Hogwarts would close after exams while staff searched for the monster. As the Mandrakes neared maturity and the petrified students were due to awaken, Ginny grew visibly afraid that they might expose her.

• Darren fell asleep believing he was beyond saving, while Harry, Ron, and Snape tried to reassure him that his protective magic did not make him a bad person.
• Harry and Ron explained the professors’ conclusion to Darren, and he guiltily blamed himself for frightening them into forgetting it.
• Professor McGonagall announced that exams would take place in a week before Hogwarts closed so staff could search for the monster.
• Professor McGonagall said the Mandrakes would mature in two days, allowing the petrified students to awaken and possibly help identify the person behind the Chamber of Secrets.
• Darren glanced at Ginny, who turned pale and forced a smile as Percy suspected she was ill.

Darren waited for Ginny, but Percy revealed that Penelope had witnessed the attack and fled without testifying. Darren reassured Percy that he did not blame Penelope, then grew worried that Ginny was still missing and went to look for her.

• Ginny asked Darren to meet her later and said she would visit the Hospital Wing first.
• Percy told Darren that he had stopped Ginny from revealing that Penelope had seen the attack and run away.
• Darren told Percy that he understood Penelope's fear and did not blame her.
• Ron angrily confronted Percy, but Darren defended Percy and urged Ron to apologize.
• Darren suspected Ginny had wanted to tell him something else and went to find her, starting by asking Madam Pomfrey.

After Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber of Secrets, the professors forced Lockhart to agree to face the danger while preparing to send the students home. Snape stopped Darren from trying to rescue Ginny and warned him against acting beyond his abilities.

• Harry, Ron, and Darren went to Madam Pomfrey's and learned that Ginny had not arrived, then found the Staff Room empty.
• Professor McGonagall announced that Ginny Weasley had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets and ordered the students back to their Common Rooms.
• The professors confronted Lockhart about his claims that he knew the Chamber and pressured him into going there the next day.
• Snape dragged Darren back to the Slytherin Common Room and mocked his plan to enter the Chamber of Secrets.

Darren was kept from joining the search for the Chamber of Secrets, but Lockhart threatened him into helping locate its entrance. The students were sent away by train, and Darren agreed to meet Lockhart afterward while Snape watched him leave in distress.

• Darren begged Snape to let him search for Ginny, but Snape refused and said the professors would search the castle the next day.
• Harry and Ron had not snuck out because Professor McGonagall had stopped them, and McGonagall ordered the students to board the train.
• Lockhart threatened to expose Darren for using the Fiendfyre Curse unless he returned to find the Chamber of Secrets and help save Ginny.
• Darren pretended to be frightened and agreed to meet Lockhart, while Lockhart planned to take credit for the discovery and erase Darren's memory.
• Snape saw Darren looking distressed as he left and wondered why Dumbledore had not intervened.

Darren left the train under Lockhart’s watch and led him to the girls’ washroom to search for the Chamber of Secrets. He questioned Moaning Myrtle about her death while Lockhart concealed his plans to steal Darren’s discovery and erase his memory.

• Snape left the train after ensuring Darren had boarded, while Harry and Ron slipped away to deal with the Chamber of Secrets without him.
• Darren pretended to agree to stay on the train, then used his ghost form and the Invisibility Cloak to meet Lockhart.
• Darren led Lockhart toward the basement washroom and accused him of stealing other people’s experiences with Obliviate; Lockhart admitted he had used the spell to feel powerful.
• Darren begged Lockhart to make an Unbreakable Vow after they found the Chamber and saved Ginny, while Lockhart secretly planned to erase Darren’s memory afterward.
• Darren reached the girls’ washroom and asked Moaning Myrtle where she had died; after she pointed to a sink, he ordered her to explain exactly how it happened.

Darren defended Moaning Myrtle while Lockhart threatened to expose Darren’s false accusation with a recording. Lockhart pressured Darren to question Myrtle about her death and the Chamber of Secrets, but Myrtle became more concerned about Darren than about Lockhart’s rudeness.

• Darren demanded that Lockhart apologize to Moaning Myrtle and treat her respectfully.
• Lockhart accused Darren of pretending to be kind and revealed that he had recorded Darren admitting to a false accusation.
• Darren offered to confess publicly and even kneel to apologize if Lockhart kept quiet about his use of the Fiendfyre Curse and spared his brother’s reputation.
• Lockhart ordered Darren to ask Myrtle how she died and where the Chamber of Secrets was.
• Darren apologized to Myrtle on Lockhart’s behalf, and Myrtle asked whether Lockhart had threatened him.

Darren questioned Moaning Myrtle about her death and learned that the snake had emerged from the sink, then opened the Chamber of Secrets with Parseltongue while Lockhart recorded himself taking credit. The chapter ended with Lockhart still boasting beside the passage as Darren considered how to make him fall in.

• Darren asked Moaning Myrtle whether she had seen a snake before she died, and she said it had come out from beneath the sink.
• Moaning Myrtle warned Darren to bring a professor and disparaged Lockhart before plunging into the toilet.
• Darren urged Lockhart to seek help and explained the danger of the snake's eyes, but Lockhart insisted they open the Chamber of Secrets.
• Darren spoke Parseltongue, causing the sink to vanish and a large passage to appear.
• Lockhart recorded himself claiming credit for finding the Chamber of Secrets while Darren considered how to push him inside.

Darren followed the System’s mission, and Lockhart shoved him into the Chamber of Secrets pipe before disappearing from sight. Darren found Lockhart below and received a new mission to lead him toward the Basilisk, leaving the two of them in the passage.

• Darren accepted the mission and exposed his back to Lockhart while pretending to inspect the pipe.
• Lockhart shoved Darren, then vanished into the passage; Darren completed the mission and gained twenty favorability with Sirius.
• Lockhart threatened Harry from below, and Darren jumped down after him while using Ghost State to avoid the mud.
• Darren found Lockhart filthy and injured, helped him up, and heard him complain that the Remembrall was missing.
• The System issued Darren a mission to lead Lockhart toward the Basilisk and heal him after he saw its eyes, offering a Shrinking Basilisk as the reward.

Darren pretended to fear the Basilisk while Lockhart forced him to lead the way through danger. After the Basilisk passed, Lockhart collapsed, and Darren completed his task to obtain the Shrinking Basilisk reward.

• Darren accepted the task to treat Lockhart but secretly planned to keep him from fully recovering.
• Lockhart threatened Darren with exposing his use of the Fiendfyre Curse and ordered him to walk ahead.
• Darren warned Lockhart to close his eyes when he heard the Basilisk, then stepped in front of him as it slithered past.
• Darren turned to find Lockhart collapsed and pretended to revive him by placing a hand on his head.
• Darren received the Shrinking Basilisk reward, then pretended to grow dizzy and crawled back beside Lockhart.

Darren secretly made Lockhart permanently incapacitated, then pretended his attempts to heal him had failed while Lockhart glared at him in rage. Harry and Ron eventually revealed themselves after delaying their arrival so Lockhart would not receive prompt treatment, and Harry found Darren exhausted and distressed.

• Darren used the system to make Lockhart remain incurably incapacitated, spending 2,000 Paternal Points.
• Darren pretended he could not heal Lockhart and acted exhausted while Lockhart glared at him, earning more Paternal Points.
• Darren finally stood and prepared to take Lockhart outside, but Harry and Ron appeared.
• Harry and Ron admitted they had waited nearby under the Invisibility Cloak to delay Lockhart's treatment.
• Harry asked Darren how he was, and Darren's eyes reddened when he saw his brother.

Darren pretended to fight the Basilisk while Harry and Ron tried to escape with Lockhart, then Harry made it back through the falling rubble. The Basilisk was called away by a smug voice, leaving Darren and Harry together in the Chamber.

• Darren threw Lockhart to Harry and charged toward the Basilisk, telling Harry and Ron to run.
• Harry and Ron found the pipe too high to climb, so they decided to return and help Darren.
• Ron tried to leave Lockhart behind, but Harry ran through the falling rubble while Ron was trapped by the collapsed passage.
• Lockhart stayed with Ron, hoping St. Mungo's would heal him and planning to expose Darren for using the Fiendfyre Curse.
• Darren and the Basilisk staged a flashy fight, and Darren realized Harry had made it back into the Chamber.
• A smug voice called the Basilisk back, and the snake glanced at Darren with a look of grievance.