Chapter Summaries

Darren received Lily’s photographs from Dobby and visited Hagrid before the summer holiday. At the final feast, Dumbledore honored Harry and Darren for bringing back Cedric’s body, and Darren’s toast left many students in tears.

• Harry told Darren that Crouch had died before they could learn more from him, and Darren said he was used to being hurt.
• Dobby gave Darren repaired gifts and photo albums filled with pictures of Lily and the family holding Harry.
• Darren visited Hagrid with Harry and the others, then changed the subject when they questioned his calm mood.
• Darren attended the final feast, where Dumbledore spoke about Voldemort’s return and praised Harry and Darren for bringing back Cedric’s body.
• Dumbledore raised a toast first to Harry and then to Darren, and Darren saw many students crying.

On the train home, Darren tried to reassure his friends that he was fine, while Hermione revealed she had captured Rita Skeeter and forced her to stop writing defamatory articles. Malfoy mocked Darren over Cedric Diggory’s death, prompting the others to attack him, and the chapter ended with Fred explaining how Ludo Bagman had bet against Darren to repay his debts.

• Ron told Darren that Dumbledore had refused to let him stay with the Weasleys over the summer, so he would stay at Mr. Flamel’s house instead.
• Hermione showed Darren Rita Skeeter trapped as a beetle and said she had made Rita promise not to publish defamatory articles for a year.
• Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle entered the compartment, and Malfoy taunted Darren about risking his life for Harry and witnessing Cedric Diggory’s death.
• Fred, George, Ron, Harry, and the others attacked Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, and Fred and George pulled Darren back before he could try to heal them.
• Fred told the group that Ludo Bagman had lost his money to the goblins and had bet that Darren would win completely in order to repay his debts.

Darren gave his Triwizard winnings to Fred and George, then reassured Harry that he admired him as a brother. During the summer, Darren’s family worried that he was grieving, while a visit to China brought him a lucky blessing that doubled his Paternal Points; the chapter ended with news from Harry arriving at Dumbledore’s home.

• Darren gave Fred and George his thousand Galleons as startup capital for their joke shop, insisting they keep the money despite their concern for him.
• Darren gave Harry a Ton-Tongue Toffee, and Harry admitted he wanted Darren’s admiration; Darren reassured him that he would always admire him for standing up to Voldemort.
• Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle took Darren to therapists, but they remained convinced he was hiding his grief even after the therapists said he was mentally healthy.
• Darren stayed with Dumbledore for part of the summer, then visited China, where Mr. Kirin gave him auspicious light that doubled his Paternal Points.
• After Darren returned to Dumbledore’s home, a message from Mr. Weasley arrived while Darren, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald were having dinner.

After hearing that Harry might have his wand snapped for using magic before Muggles, Darren insisted on going to his brother and refused to be left behind. Dumbledore restrained him and brought him to Grimmauld Place, where Mrs. Weasley agreed to let him rest while the adults discussed what to do.

• Darren received letters reporting that Harry had used magic before Muggles and declared that he would go to his brother.
• Dumbledore promised Harry would not be expelled, but magically immobilized Darren when he tried to leave.
• Grindelwald argued that Darren should not be involved, while Dumbledore said Darren could not be stopped from returning.
• Dumbledore took Darren to Grimmauld Place, where Mrs. Weasley welcomed him and helped him inside.
• Mrs. Weasley told Darren to lie down until they finished discussing whether to take him with them.

Darren remained tied up at Grimmauld Place while he waited for news about Harry, who faced a trial after using magic to save his cousin from two Obscuruses. When Dumbledore freed him, Darren refused to stay behind and rushed out, prompting the others to pursue him under Plan B.

• Mrs. Weasley kissed Darren and left, while Ron and Hermione refused to untie him and urged him to rest.
• Darren fell asleep as Hermione covered him with a blanket, and Ron worried aloud about Harry.
• Fred told the others that Harry would likely face a trial rather than be expelled after using magic to protect his cousin from two Obscuruses.
• Dumbledore freed Darren and tried to talk with him, but Darren insisted he would rather die with Harry than leave him alone.
• Darren grabbed his wand and rushed out, so Dumbledore ordered Alastor, Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley to follow him under Plan B.

Dumbledore and the others let Darren leave, hoping Alastor and the others would catch up with him, while Harry worried about his brother and the Wizarding World’s denial of Voldemort’s return. After Harry used a Patronus to drive off an Obscurus near Dudley, the Ministry ordered him to stay home until someone came to snap his wand.

• Dumbledore reassured Mrs. Weasley that Darren was strong, but admitted he could not keep him confined and hoped Alastor and the others would catch up with him.
• Harry reflected on Darren’s trauma, the long summer apart from him, and the Daily Prophet’s silence about Voldemort’s return.
• Harry secretly listened to Muggle news from the lawn because Uncle Vernon forbade him from using the television.
• Harry encountered Dudley, threatened him with his wand, and saw an Obscurus appear and try to kiss Dudley.
• Harry cast the Patronus Charm, then received an owl ordering him to stay home until the Ministry sent someone to snap his wand.

After the Ministry changed Harry's punishment to a court hearing, Darren arrived at the Dursleys' home and prepared to take Harry away, convinced the Ministry could not be trusted. As Darren began his escape plan, an angry voice pointed out that it had flaws.

• Mrs. Figg stopped Harry from leaving and made him take Dudley back, where the Dursleys demanded an explanation for the attack.
• The Ministry changed Harry's punishment to a court hearing, while Uncle Vernon insisted Harry leave the house; a Howler then frightened Petunia into letting Harry stay.
• Darren arrived and told Harry to pack, explaining that he feared the Ministry and would protect his brother from being sent to Azkaban.
• Darren gave the Dursleys protective necklaces and told Harry to use Polyjuice Potion before they rode to Knockturn Alley to steal a wand and flee.
• An angry voice interrupted Darren and said his plan had several flaws.

Harry fled the wizards surrounding Darren, but Moody and Tonks caught him and took him back to Number Four, Privet Drive. Harry remained convinced they were abducting him to threaten Darren, though Tonks identified herself as an Auror and a disguise-changing Animagus.

• Darren gave Harry Polyjuice Potion and told him to escape on his broomstick while Darren dealt with the wizards.
• Harry transformed into an unfamiliar man, slipped out the window, and flew away on his Firebolt.
• Moody and two witches confronted Harry, and Harry tried to outrun them rather than surrender.
• A spell immobilized Harry, and Moody caught him as the broom descended near the ground.
• Tonks used a Muggle-Repelling Charm to keep bystanders from noticing Harry and told him her name and that she was a disguise-changing Animagus.
• Moody carried Harry back toward Number Four, Privet Drive, while Harry suspected the group intended to use him against Darren.

Moody and the other Aurors took Darren and Harry from the Dursleys, while Darren mistook them for enemies and earned Paternal Points by pretending to surrender for Harry’s sake. As they prepared to leave for 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry remained unsure whether the rescuers were really on his side.

• Darren resisted Moody and the others, then surrendered when Moody threatened Harry, earning repeated Paternal Points.
• Darren drank the Draught of Living Death, discovered he was immune, and pretended to collapse into Tonks’s arms.
• Tonks showed the Dursleys Dumbledore’s letter explaining that Aurors had come to collect Darren and Harry.
• Moody carried Harry while explaining that they had used force because they feared the boys would run away.
• The Dursleys agreed to let the group leave, and Harry tested Lupin’s identity by asking about the Marauder’s Map.

Darren and Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place with Moody, Tonks, and the other decoys, and Mrs. Weasley confronted Darren for trying to leave. Darren admitted he was frightened and felt powerless to protect Harry, then fell silent as he remembered Mr. Diggory’s death.

• Moody led Harry, Darren, Tonks, and the Harry decoys away on brooms after they used Polyjuice Potion.
• The group reached Grimmauld Place, where Moody gave Harry the address and Tonks brought Darren inside.
• Mrs. Weasley scolded Darren for trying to take Harry away, then checked on him when she saw he seemed dazed.
• Darren told Mrs. Weasley he feared what would happen to Harry in court and admitted he felt unable to protect his brother from Voldemort.
• Darren recalled watching Mr. Diggory die, then fell silent and blanked out.

Darren pretended to threaten Voldemort so the others would believe he was still unstable, and Snape had him stunned. After Harry returned from his trial with a certificate of innocence, Darren kept up the act, while the household watched him closely; the chapter ended with Darren silencing himself while Mrs. Black’s portrait screamed.

• Darren told Snape and the others he wanted to leave with Harry or kill Voldemort, then raised his wand.
• Snape and the others stunned Darren, and the group discussed keeping him asleep until a psychologist could help him.
• Harry returned from the Court of Law with his certificate of innocence, and Darren pretended to be happy for him.
• Darren noticed the household watching him and found that spells had been placed on the front door to keep him from leaving.
• Mrs. Black’s portrait screamed at Darren, so he used a Silencing Charm on himself and missed Harry’s words until Sirius closed the portrait’s curtain.

Darren tried to convince the Order that he was fine after his earlier distress, while their concern made him suspect they were discussing his condition. Dumbledore arrived with Luna Lovegood as Darren’s psychologist, but Luna declared that Wrackspurts surrounded him.

• Harry and Sirius invited Darren to dinner, though both reacted uneasily to his responses.
• Darren joined the Weasleys and Fleur for dinner and overheard Harry, Hermione, and Ron discussing how worried they were about him.
• Tonks checked on Darren when he stopped eating, and he reassured everyone that he was fine.
• Dumbledore brought Luna Lovegood to the house and introduced her as Darren’s psychologist.
• Darren denied needing treatment, but Luna said many Wrackspurts were surrounding him.

Darren received emotional guidance from Luna, who helped him cry and feel more at ease. Afterward, Dumbledore and Moody emphasized how much the Order depended on him, and Darren apologized for acting recklessly and trying to take Harry away.

• Hermione objected to Luna treating Darren, but Dumbledore insisted that Luna try the method she had used on a unicorn.
• Luna guided Darren into expressing grief, and the system warned him that he was being hypnotized as he began to cry.
• Luna explained that she had helped Darren release his pain, while Hermione and the others were astonished by her success.
• Darren regained his composure and asked Dumbledore whether he had caused trouble again.
• Moody told Darren that the Order relied on him, while Mrs. Weasley defended him as a child.
• Dumbledore warned Darren about the consequences of leaving with Harry, and Darren admitted that he had been selfish and reckless.

Darren refused to let Luna join the Order of the Phoenix just to counsel him, then agreed to join himself. After the others were sent away, Dumbledore gave Darren his first assignment: investigate Dean Thomas’s disappearance.

• Darren argued that Luna was too young to join the Order of the Phoenix and face danger for his sake.
• Remus explained that Luna would only provide psychological counseling, and Darren agreed to her joining before asking to join as well.
• Dumbledore welcomed Darren into the Order but told him to focus on school until he graduated.
• Dumbledore sent Fred, George, Harry, and the other younger wizards away, leaving Darren with the adult members for a meeting.
• Dumbledore told Darren that Dean Thomas had gone missing and assigned him to visit an address and search for clues.

Darren analyzed Voldemort’s motives for ordering Snape to brainwash him and proposed a way for Snape to pass the test by letting Harry glimpse staged memories. The Order approved the plan but struggled to figure out how Darren could convincingly pretend to fall out with Snape.

• Dumbledore warned Darren to prioritize his own survival on missions, even if that meant abandoning others, and Moody agreed.
• Darren used Paternal Points to learn that the Order was discussing Snape’s assignment to brainwash him, then explained Voldemort’s possible motives for it.
• Darren proposed that Snape give him detention and teach Harry Legilimency so Harry could glimpse staged memories of Snape trying to turn Darren against Dumbledore.
• Snape agreed to the plan and challenged Darren to act out a falling-out, but the Order doubted Darren could convincingly perform the role.
• Tonks suggested having someone else play Darren.

Dumbledore assigned Darren a mission and planned for Severus to teach Harry Legilimency, while Darren was told to study it himself. Darren went to rescue Dean Thomas but used an Execution Card to lure Voldemort to the manor, leaving them face to face.

• Dumbledore decided that Severus should teach Harry Legilimency and told Darren to try learning it himself.
• Dumbledore gave Darren an address for his first mission, checked his wand, and warned him to use his Patronus if he was in danger.
• Darren traveled to the manor, where two Death Eaters had tied up Mr. Dean Thomas and taken over his home.
• Darren used an Execution Card to make Voldemort believe he wanted to inspect the manor, then waited outside for him to arrive.
• Darren returned to the manor and found Voldemort near Dean Thomas's doorway.

Darren fought Voldemort at Dean Thomas's house and staged an explosion that left both of them apparently dying, prompting the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry to find what they believed were their remains. Voldemort took Darren away and protected him, while Snape demanded to know whether Darren had died with the Dark Lord.

• Voldemort confronted Darren at Dean Thomas's house, and Darren attacked him while suspecting Voldemort was trying to make him distrust Snape.
• Darren and Voldemort traded spells until Voldemort killed the two Death Eaters and Dean Thomas.
• Darren grabbed Voldemort and cast a powerful Explosion Curse, then disguised himself to look as badly injured as Voldemort.
• Voldemort Apparated away with Darren, and Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, and Ministry Aurors arrived to find pieces of flesh they identified as belonging to both men.
• Voldemort restrained Darren, then cast Muggle-Repelling and Protective Charms around him before leaving again.
• Snape confronted Dumbledore and demanded to know whether Darren had died alongside Voldemort.

Darren returned alive after Voldemort had left him badly wounded, stopping Snape from attacking Black and the others. Snape brewed a healing potion for him, and Darren drank it as his wounds began to mend.

• Snape blamed Dumbledore for Darren's apparent death and threatened Black and the others, but Darren returned and grabbed Snape's hand.
• Darren explained that Voldemort had given him a potion and altered his memories, and that he had taken the potion before Voldemort escaped.
• Snape and Dumbledore feared touching Darren as he coughed up blood, while Darren said Voldemort was also badly injured and told them Dean Thomas had died.
• Darren asked Dumbledore to keep his condition from his brothers, and the gathered wizards agreed to wait until he was safe.
• Snape levitated a healing potion to Darren, who drank it and watched his fabricated wounds begin to move.

Darren recovered enough to speak with Dumbledore and the others, though his body remained dangerously fragile. After learning that a prophecy said only Harry could kill Voldemort, he promised to stay alive, grow stronger, and help his brother.

• Dumbledore wrapped Darren in a robe and conjured a mirror, while Snape warned that using magic to improve his appearance could make him shatter.
• Darren asked to recount what happened, and Moody concluded that Voldemort had realized they were clearing obstacles for Darren.
• Darren explained that he had wanted to die fighting Voldemort but changed his mind when he saw Voldemort was still alive.
• Dumbledore revealed the prophecy that only Harry could kill Voldemort, and Darren asked whether he could give Harry his Obscurus.
• Dumbledore warned that removing the Obscurus would kill Darren and would not help Harry, so Darren vowed to live and become stronger.
• Dumbledore thanked Darren for surviving and urged him to think of the people who would grieve if he risked his life again.

After Darren returned from his first mission, his body came apart when Fred bumped into him, terrifying Harry and the others. Five days later, Darren woke at Grimmauld Place, where Black and Snape checked on him and traded insults, leaving Darren recovered but worried about how badly he had frightened his friends.

• Mrs. Weasley told Darren that everyone had agreed to let him rest, and Darren hugged her before greeting Harry, Ron, and the others.
• Darren showed off his mission robe, but Fred accidentally bumped him and his body fell apart, horrifying everyone.
• Dumbledore and the others sent Harry and the others away, and Snape gave Darren the Draught of Living Death; Darren woke five days later.
• Kreacher complained while cleaning Darren's room until Black kicked it out and helped Darren get up.
• Black told Darren that Snape had said he was nearly recovered, and Darren teased Black about caring for Snape.
• Snape examined Darren, confirmed he had recovered, and left after Darren admitted he hoped he had not frightened Harry and the others too badly.