Chapter Summaries

Darren reassured Hermione that he valued her, but said he would not pursue anyone until he had defeated the Dark Lord. As Christmas approached, Hagrid described Rita Skeeter's interest in Harry, Harry still lacked a dance partner, and Darren spent his classes discussing spells with Professor Flitwick.

• Darren told Hagrid that Hermione was the person he would choose as a dance partner, but he would not start a relationship while he might die fighting the Dark Lord.
• Hagrid said Rita Skeeter had asked about Harry and whether he deserved criticism, so Hagrid threw her out and regretted accepting her interview.
• Harry and Ron joked about Rita Skeeter, while Hermione worried about what she might write about Harry.
• Harry complained that girls seeking information about Darren kept trying to get his personal belongings, and he hid this from Darren.
• During the last week before Christmas, Professor Flitwick discussed Darren's modified spells with him and arranged to continue their conversation.
• Professor Binns, Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Snape kept their students working instead of letting them relax.

Harry and Ron struggled to find partners for the Christmas ball, and Harry secured dates by offering girls autographed photos of Darren. After Harry celebrated finding partners, he realized he could not dance and learned that Darren had already been taught by Fleur.

• Hermione criticized Harry for neglecting the Golden Egg and doing little to prepare for the next task.
• Harry and Ron waited until most girls had partners before trying to find dates for the ball.
• Harry invited Parvati, who agreed in exchange for an autographed photo of Darren.
• Harry offered Lavender another photo for Ron, and Parvati suggested her sister Padma as a possible partner.
• Harry and Ron celebrated finding partners until Ron asked whether Harry could dance.
• Harry asked Darren for help and learned that Fleur had taught Darren and Hermione to dance.

Harry and Ron discussed the girls choosing female dance partners, while Darren received Christmas presents and read Sirius's warning about the Triwizard Tournament. Darren revealed that he had solved the Golden Egg clue and told Harry how to uncover it.

• Hermione explained that Fleur had chosen a girl to dress as a boy for the Yule Ball, and she mentioned Cassandra practicing with Cho Chang.
• On Christmas Day, Darren opened a mountain of presents and decided to keep the Galleons he received.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione brought Darren Sirius's letter, which congratulated the boys on the first task and urged them to stay alert.
• Harry dismissed Sirius's warnings, but Hermione suggested that they examine the Golden Egg for clues to the next task.
• Darren told Harry to take the Golden Egg into the bathroom and listen to it underwater.

After discovering what was inside the Golden Egg, Darren spent Christmas with his friends before dressing for the Yule Ball. He arrived with Hermione and entered the Great Hall with the other champions, drawing attention and envy from the crowd.

• Hermione worried over Darren after he said he had fallen asleep in the bathroom while holding the Golden Egg, and Darren promised not to exhaust himself again.
• Darren, Harry, Hermione, and the others spent Christmas morning playing games and later had a snowball fight outside the castle.
• Darren dressed in dark green robes and Hermione's scarf, then attracted admiring looks from girls in the Slytherin common room and entrance hall.
• Hermione appeared in a pale green dress, and Darren met her before Professor McGonagall gathered the champions.
• Professor McGonagall led Darren and the other champions into the Great Hall, where Hermione proudly held Darren's arm as the crowd applauded.

Darren and Harry joined the Hogwarts head table, where Snape teased Harry and Percy shared news of his promotion. As the feast began, Dumbledore and Karkaroff argued over whether visiting each other’s schools was proper, leaving Darren unimpressed with Karkaroff’s secrecy.

• Dumbledore welcomed Darren and Hermione at the head table and reminisced with Snape, who then insulted Harry’s appearance.
• Percy told Darren and Harry that he had become Mr. Crouch’s personal assistant and that Crouch was ill.
• Dumbledore demonstrated how to order food from the menu, and the students followed his example.
• Dumbledore and Karkaroff argued over school visits and whether Hogwarts’ location should be kept secret.

Darren enjoyed the Yule Ball, dancing with Hermione, Fleur, Cassandra, and many others. After the ball, he and Harry and Ron overheard Hagrid argue with Madame Maxime about being a Half-giant, and Harry later told Hermione what they had heard.

• Dumbledore cleared the hall and conjured instruments for the Weird Sisters, then sent the Champions and their partners onto the dance floor.
• Darren danced with Hermione, Fleur, Cassandra, and several other girls while Harry and Ron watched enviously.
• After midnight, Harry and Ron took Darren to the garden, where they overheard Hagrid ask Madame Maxime if she was a Half-giant.
• Madame Maxime denied Hagrid's claim and insisted that she merely had large bones.
• After the ball, Hermione returned to her usual appearance and told Harry and Ron that she still needed to study.
• Harry told Hermione that he and Ron had overheard Hagrid being a Half-giant and explained that giants were disliked in the wizarding world.

Darren worried when Professor Grubbly-Plank announced that Hagrid was unwell and had to miss Care of Magical Creatures. At the Forbidden Forest, the unicorn Alicorn recognized Darren and thanked him for saving its life, while Darren asked for one hair from its tail as repayment.

• Darren and Hermione rejected Ron's belief that Hagrid was dangerous, though Ron worried the Malfoys might use Hagrid's past to get him expelled.
• On the first day of term, Darren found Professor Grubbly-Plank substituting for Hagrid and tried to look into Hagrid's hut to check on him.
• Professor Grubbly-Plank led the class to the Forbidden Forest, where a unicorn named Alicorn approached Darren and recognized him.
• Alicorn told Darren that his newest antidote had cured the toxin that had threatened its life and offered him any reward.
• Darren asked Alicorn for one tail hair, and Alicorn was surprised that he wanted so little.

Darren reassured Alicorn that he had saved it without wanting anything from it, and Alicorn promised to return with a gift. Malfoy then used Rita Skeeter’s article attacking Hagrid to claim Hagrid would be driven out of Hogwarts, leaving Harry, Ron, and Darren angry as they read the accusations.

• Darren told Alicorn he wanted nothing from its body, and Alicorn promised to return with a gift after agreeing to be teaching material.
• Professor Grubbly-Plank told the boys to step back while the girls gathered around Alicorn.
• Harry and Ron said they still wanted Hagrid to return to teaching, but Malfoy claimed Hagrid would soon be driven out of Hogwarts.
• Darren challenged Malfoy for badmouthing Hagrid, and Ron accused Malfoy of being angry because Hagrid had threatened to have Moody turn him into a ferret.
• Harry and Ron read Rita Skeeter’s newspaper article, which portrayed Hagrid as dangerous and accused Dumbledore of making a grave mistake by appointing him professor.

After Rita Skeeter’s article exposed Hagrid as a half-giant, Darren blamed himself and rushed to comfort him. Hagrid stayed silent behind his locked door, leaving Darren to return to the castle still distressed.

• Darren read Rita Skeeter’s article and pretended to blame himself, earning Paternal Points as Harry and Ron defended him.
• Darren left Professor Grubbly-Plank’s lesson to find Hagrid, and Harry and Ron soon followed.
• Darren, Harry, and Ron knocked and called to Hagrid, but he neither answered nor opened the door.
• Hermione arrived and dragged Darren back to the castle, where he said he should have warned Hagrid more carefully.
• Parvati said Professor Grubbly-Plank should keep teaching and that Hagrid would be better suited to returning to his gamekeeper position.

Harry spotted Barty Crouch’s name in Snape’s office on the Marauder’s Map and went to investigate, but became trapped beneath the stairs as Snape searched for him. Moody arrived and challenged Snape about what he might be hiding in his office.

• Parvati and other students criticized Hagrid for causing trouble, while Darren defended him and gained Paternal Points.
• A week later, Hagrid still had not appeared, and Hermione took Darren to Hogsmeade while making Harry stay behind to study the Golden Egg clues.
• Harry found the Marauder’s Map among his schoolbooks and saw Barty Crouch’s name in Snape’s office, so he fetched his Invisibility Cloak and headed there.
• Harry fell into a gap in the stairs and dropped the map as Snape approached and searched for him.
• Moody saw Harry but did not expose him, then confronted Snape about the suspected break-in and questioned what Snape kept in his office.

Harry got trapped while investigating Snape’s office and Moody rescued him, then took the Marauder’s Map to track down people. Moody asked whether Harry had solved the Golden Egg’s secret, and Harry claimed he had.

• Moody confronted Snape about protecting Harry and Darren, then picked up Harry’s Marauder’s Map before Snape stormed away.
• Moody pulled Harry free from the stairwell gap and asked who had broken into Snape’s office; Harry identified Mr. Barty Crouch.
• Moody noticed Crouch was no longer shown on the map and speculated that he had discovered something while investigating Snape.
• Moody asked to borrow the Marauder’s Map, and Harry agreed without explaining how he had obtained it.
• Moody asked whether Harry had figured out the Golden Egg’s secret, and Harry nodded despite not yet acting on Darren’s hint.

Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Darren that Moody had searched Snape’s office and suspected him of something, while Darren defended Snape as having been worried about the Champions. Darren later revealed that the Golden Egg’s clue pointed to the Black Lake and merpeople, leaving Harry anxious about how he would manage the underwater task.

• Moody asked Harry whether Darren had solved the Golden Egg’s clue, then sent Harry back to the library while he studied his map.
• Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Darren that Moody had searched Snape’s office and called him someone covered in stains.
• Darren defended Snape, saying he had been angry because he feared someone had plotted against Harry and Darren.
• Harry secretly asked Darren about the egg and learned that the second task involved the Black Lake and merpeople.
• Harry worried that he could not swim, and Darren suggested using a Bubble-Head Charm, but Harry struggled to learn it and feared it would not last long enough.

Harry struggled to master underwater spells for the Triwizard Tournament while Darren searched for Gillyweed, and the friends went to Hagrid's hut to confront him after he shut them out. Darren reassured Hagrid that they did not hate him for being a Half-giant and urged him to stop feeling ashamed of his bloodline.

• Harry sent Black what he had overheard about Moody and Snape, then struggled to keep a Bubble-Head Charm working underwater while Darren searched apothecaries for Gillyweed.
• Hermione urged Harry to ask Snape for Gillyweed or practice his spells, but Harry avoided both and suggested visiting Hagrid.
• Darren and the others went to Hagrid's hut, where Hermione angrily pounded on the door until Dumbledore opened it.
• Dumbledore explained that Hagrid feared his friends hated him because of his giant blood and encouraged him to speak with them.
• Darren told Hagrid he had suspected his heritage all along and said he would have broken down the door if Hagrid had not opened it.
• Darren reminded Hagrid that his family and Hermione were called Mudbloods, then urged him to raise his head and look at him.

Darren comforted Hagrid over his painful past, and Hagrid urged Darren and Harry to prove themselves in the Triwizard Tournament. As the February 24 underwater task approached, Harry still lacked both a reliable Bubble-Head Charm and Gillyweed.

• Darren reassured Hagrid that he loved his appearance and embraced him, cheering him up.
• Hagrid praised Darren and urged him to win the Triwizard Tournament, while Darren insisted he had not suffered at Hogwarts.
• Harry left Hagrid's hut discouraged after Hagrid told him to take second place, and worried that he had not mastered Darren's spells or secured Gillyweed.
• As the underwater task neared, Harry could maintain the Bubble-Head Charm for only about forty minutes, short of the required hour.
• Darren found that apothecaries would not obtain Gillyweed until after the tournament, and Snape told Harry he had used up his own supply.

The night before Harry’s competition, Moody secretly gave Darren Gillyweed to help Harry with the underwater task. Darren brought it to Harry, who had been struggling to master the Bubble-Head Charm, and earned Paternal Points by presenting Moody as generous and himself as grateful.

• Moody visited Darren and gave him Gillyweed he had secretly obtained from Snape for Harry and Darren.
• Darren offered to try to restore Moody’s leg, but Moody refused and called it a badge of honor.
• Darren left Moody and hurried to Gryffindor’s Common Room, where Harry was practicing the Bubble-Head Charm with Hermione and Ron.
• Darren gave Harry the Gillyweed and explained that Moody had supplied it out of kindness.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron were deeply moved by Darren’s account, and Darren gained Paternal Points.

Darren and Harry feared Ron and Hermione would be punished for helping with the Triwizard Tournament, but Darren secretly followed them to Professor McGonagall’s office. Hearing that the Champions’ loved ones would be placed underwater as the second task’s “treasures,” Darren objected and offered to take their place.

• Hermione tearfully thanked Darren for getting Gillyweed, while Harry felt guilty about how much Darren had supposedly sacrificed to help him.
• Fred and George summoned Ron and Hermione to Professor McGonagall, and Darren and Harry worried they were being punished for helping the Champions.
• After Ron and Hermione reassured Darren, he followed them to McGonagall’s office, with Harry staying behind.
• Darren overheard that the Champions’ loved ones would drink Draught of Living Death and wait underwater until the Champions found them.
• Darren objected that the plan could leave someone to drown and offered to take the potion instead, insisting the Champions’ loved ones should not risk their lives.

Darren mistook the Triwizard Tournament’s second task for a lethal threat and learned that the Champions’ loved ones were safely asleep underwater. Dumbledore erased Darren’s memories, but the next morning Harry was still exhausted, and the task began with the hostages revealed.

• Dumbledore explained that the merpeople would rescue the sleeping hostages and that a Draught of Living Death kept them safe underwater.
• Darren apologized and offered to withdraw, then agreed to let Dumbledore erase his memories.
• Darren returned to his dormitory with fabricated memories and went to sleep, forgetting to notify Harry.
• Darren saw Harry’s dark circles the next morning but pretended not to know why he had not slept.
• Ludo Bagman announced the task’s rules and showed the Champions’ sleeping hostages on the lakebed, including Ron, Hermione, another boy, and a little girl.

Darren entered the Black Lake for the second task and captured two merpeople while trying to learn where the hostages were. Unable to understand their speech and having tied their pointing hands, he left them helpless as he continued pleading for directions.

• Darren, Harry, Krum, and Fleur entered the Black Lake to rescue their hostages, with Darren using a spell that formed a transparent membrane around him.
• Ludo Bagman projected the Champions’ underwater images and began commentating on Darren, while Percy criticized his performance.
• Darren asked a merman to lead him to the hostages, but knocked the merman down when it attacked him.
• Darren captured a second merperson and tied both captives up, then repeatedly asked them to reveal the hostages’ location.
• The merman and mermaid could not answer because Darren had tied their hands, and they mistook his anxious pleas and apologies for the actions of a mad child.

Darren captured merpeople while pretending to plead with them for directions, unaware that their gestures were meant to guide the Champions to the hostages. He rescued Fleur and Krum, then continued onward with Krum and a line of bound merpeople in tow.

• Darren bound merpeople who refused to answer his questions, while viewers mistook his anxious performance for genuine distress.
• Madame Maxime and Karkaroff complained to Dumbledore about the merpeople, but Dumbledore refused to stop the competition and explained that they were indicating the route with their arms.
• Darren found Fleur tangled in waterweed and healed her, and Fleur pleaded with him to help find her sister.
• Darren promised to find the hostages, captured more merpeople, and dragged them along as he moved through the lake.
• Darren rescued Krum from the merpeople and healed his injuries, and Krum followed him onward.

Darren freed the merpeople he had captured and persuaded them to lead him and the other Champions to the hostages. He found Hermione and the others asleep in a merpeople village square, with nineteen minutes left in the task.

• Darren threatened the merpeople but used a Weakening Charm to free them instead of attacking them.
• Darren told the others he would keep searching for the hostages, even if it took longer than an hour.
• A group of merpeople led Darren, Krum, and Fleur toward the village where the hostages were held.
• Darren and the Champions reached the village square and saw Hermione and the others sleeping in the water.