Chapter Summaries

After rumors spread that Ron had tried to pull off Fleur’s skirt, Harry asked Ginny to be his Yule Ball partner, leaving Ron feeling betrayed and mocked. Ron left the Great Hall, considering Kyle’s reminder that he was still a Triwizard Champion and might yet find a partner.

• Colin Creevey’s photographs of Ron’s library incident spread through Hogwarts, and girls kept their distance from him.
• Harry asked Ginny to be his Yule Ball partner, and she accepted.
• Ron accused Harry of betraying their promise to grow old alone, then praised Fleur and lamented missing her first-task performance.
• Harry, Ginny, the Weasley Twins, Kyle, Hermione, and Konan laughed at Ron, who accused Harry of never stopping and stormed out.
• Kyle reminded Ron that he was still the fifteenth-ranked Champion, and Ron considered the advice as he left the Great Hall.

Kyle faced pressure from Hermione and Konan over choosing a dance partner for the Christmas Ball, while the Weasley twins teased him and George paid for a spell duel. Meanwhile, Barty Crouch secretly reached Karkaroff’s room aboard the Durmstrang ship and knocked on the door.

• After Ron left, Fred and George discussed which of them would ask Kyle about his Christmas Ball plans.
• George asked Kyle who he would choose as his dance partner, and Hermione insisted Kyle open the ball with her while Konan offered to take over later.
• Kyle promised to find a solution and secretly attacked George with a modified Entrail-Expelling Curse, but George blocked it with Protego.
• Kyle and George exchanged silent spells beneath the table, and George later hopped back toward the Gryffindor Common Room in pain with Fred supporting him.
• Barty Crouch emerged from the Forbidden Forest under a Disillusionment Charm and sent an invisible, controlled figure toward the Durmstrang ship.
• Barty Crouch slipped aboard the ship, went to Karkaroff’s room, and knocked.

Barty Crouch Jr. and his Imperius-controlled father confronted Igor Karkaroff aboard the Durmstrang ship and secured his renewed loyalty to Voldemort. After reporting back to Voldemort, Barty learned that Snape would not be told about the mission.

• Barty Crouch visited Karkaroff and exposed that the Dark Mark on Karkaroff's arm was growing clearer.
• Barty Crouch Jr. appeared and used the Imperius Curse to control his father while confronting Karkaroff.
• Karkaroff declared loyalty to Voldemort, and Barty Crouch Jr. told him the Dark Lord had a task for him.
• Barty Crouch Jr. left the ship with his controlled father, returned him home, and reported to Voldemort at Malfoy Manor.
• Voldemort refused to tell Snape about the mission because he would not entrust the entire plan to one person.

As Hogwarts prepared for the Christmas Yule Ball, Kyle complained about Dumbledore’s extravagant decorations and struggled with homework after Hannah and Hermione were excused from theirs. With the Great Hall being converted for the ball, Kyle waited outside and found other boys in the same predicament.

• Hogwarts decorated the whole castle for Christmas, and Kyle grumbled that Dumbledore had wasted money on areas the visiting students would never see.
• Kyle learned that the Board of Governors had been abolished and that the Grindelwald family was now essentially funding Hogwarts.
• Hannah and Hermione were excused from homework as Champions, leaving Kyle to find someone else’s work to copy.
• Filch began clearing students from the Great Hall so it could be turned into a ballroom.
• Konan took Hermione to the Gryffindor girls’ dormitory to prepare for the ball, while Kyle wandered outside and encountered Cedric, George, Fred, and Harry.

Ron told Harry and the Four Troublemakers how he had abandoned Eloise Midgen to pursue Lavender Brown, prompting Seamus Finnigan to punch him and Eloise to scratch his face. After Kyle healed Ron, the group spent two hours fishing on the frozen Black Lake before heading back to the castle.

• Harry and Ron approached the Four Troublemakers by the Black Lake, and Kyle healed Ron's bruised and scratched face with his magical techniques.
• Ron explained that he had dropped his plan to ask Fleur to the Yule Ball, then chosen Eloise Midgen because he had run out of options.
• After Ginny told Ron that Lavender Brown liked him, Ron abandoned Eloise and tried to take Lavender from Seamus Finnigan.
• Seamus punched Ron, and Eloise scratched his face after Ron's behavior hurt them both.
• The Four Troublemakers criticized Ron, then they spent two hours fishing on the frozen Black Lake before Kyle suggested returning to the castle.

Kyle and Cedric prepared for the Christmas ball, then Kyle met Hermione and Konan in formal dress robes. The chapter ended with a second Kyle arriving, apparently solving the problem of attending with both women.

• Kyle and Cedric returned to the Hufflepuff common room, where Cedric tried to bribe Kyle into keeping quiet about his admiration for other girls.
• Cedric asked how Kyle planned to attend the ball with both Hermione and Konan, and Kyle promised he would find out soon.
• Kyle and Cedric changed into their formal clothes and used unusual methods to reach Ravenclaw tower and Gryffindor tower.
• Hermione and Konan emerged in formal dresses, each wearing a Deathly Hallows badge, and joined Kyle.
• Kyle hinted that his solution was about to arrive, and another Kyle jumped through the window.

Kyle Two used the Hour-Reversal Charm to arrive from the future, while Kyle learned that Fleur had invited George to the Yule Ball. The Champions and their dates assembled in the Entrance Hall, where Ron saw George beside Fleur and decided to confront him after the ball.

• Kyle Two explained that he had used the Hour-Reversal Charm, and Kyle One tried unsuccessfully to stop him from revealing George's date.
• Kyle Two told Kyle One that Fleur had invited George, and Kyle One took Little Beaver to the Great Hall to watch Ron's reaction.
• Professor McGonagall gathered the Champions and their dates on the marble staircase in the order of the first task's rankings.
• Ron saw George standing beside Fleur, glared at them, and grew angrier when George turned and winked at him.
• Ron held back from attacking George in front of Professor McGonagall but resolved to fight him after the ball.

At the Hogwarts Yule Ball, Kyle and Hermione drew attention when another Kyle appeared, while Dumbledore recognized Grindelwald arriving in disguise. The ball began with an unexpected menu service, and Kyle ordered so much food that Hermione worried he would be unable to dance.

• McGonagall led the Champions into the Great Hall, where students noticed Kyle appearing alongside another version of himself.
• Dumbledore sensed Grindelwald crossing Hogwarts's protective barrier and realized Kyle's Christmas gift had hinted at his arrival.
• Percy saw Penelope arrive with Roger Davies and bent a fork in jealousy.
• Grindelwald sat beside Dumbledore, and Dumbledore ordered Bavarian roasted pork knuckle before passing it to him.
• Dumbledore announced the ball's start, and the students ordered food from menus instead of receiving a buffet.
• Kyle ordered nearly every meat dish, while Hermione worried that his overeating would stop him from dancing.

At the Hogwarts Christmas Ball, Kyle and Hermione captivated the Great Hall with their dance before sharing a private moment on the sidelines. Kyle then showed Hermione Dumbledore and Grindelwald holding hands and said he planned to give them a push.

• Dumbledore transformed the Great Hall into a dance floor and introduced the band, the Odd Sisters.
• Kyle and Hermione began the Champions' opening dance while Kyle Two and Konan also joined the dancing.
• Kyle and Hermione drew the crowd's attention with their graceful dancing, and Dumbledore illuminated them with a single beam of light.
• Kyle dipped Hermione and kissed her forehead, prompting applause from the watching students.
• Kyle showed Hermione Dumbledore and Grindelwald holding hands in the darkness and said he intended to give them a push.

Kyle secretly maneuvered Dumbledore and Grindelwald onto the dance floor, then arranged for Konan to sing “Love Story,” prompting the pair to reminisce about Godric’s Hollow and dance together. The ball continued with professors and students dancing, while Ron and Percy both ended the evening disappointed over their romantic prospects.

• Kyle used Kyle Two as a distraction, opened two of the Eight Gates, and pulled Dumbledore and Grindelwald into the middle of the dance floor.
• Kyle Two led the crowd in applause, and Dumbledore and Grindelwald began dancing together as Krum glared at Grindelwald.
• Kyle One dimmed the Great Hall’s lights while Kyle Two arranged for Konan and the Odd Sisters to perform “Love Story.”
• Dumbledore and Grindelwald recalled their summer in Godric’s Hollow as professors from all three schools joined the dancing.
• Lavender left Ron to dance with a Beauxbatons boy, while Penelope rejected Percy after deciding that Kyle was the only man who met her standards.

Harry became captivated by Ginny while Kyle and Hermione left the Yule Ball for a walk, where they overheard Snape and Karkaroff discussing a returned threat. Snape tried to deduct points from Kyle, but instead awarded Hufflepuff fifty points to keep Kyle from spreading rumors about his meeting with Karkaroff.

• Harry stopped paying attention to Cho and became fascinated by Ginny as she danced with Cedric.
• Kyle and Hermione left the ball, kissed in the rose garden, and agreed to go home together.
• Snape and Karkaroff met privately among the roses and discussed a dangerous person who had returned and sent for Karkaroff.
• Snape caught students sneaking around the hedges and deducted fifty points each from Ravenclaw's Fawcett and Hufflepuff's Stebbins.
• Kyle and Hermione revealed themselves, and Kyle teased Snape about his date with Karkaroff.
• Snape awarded Hufflepuff fifty points and let Kyle and Hermione leave to prevent rumors about his meeting.

Kyle and Hermione discussed replacing Karkaroff with Grindelwald as headmaster of Durmstrang to weaken Voldemort’s side. Kyle Two interrupted their romantic moment and fought with Kyle One over Hermione before Dumbledore and Grindelwald separated them, and Kyle One prepared to return to the past.

• Hermione realized Kyle and Grindelwald planned to take control of Durmstrang if Karkaroff fled.
• Kyle pulled Hermione close, but Kyle Two appeared and reminded Kyle One to use the Hour-Reversal Charm before midnight.
• Kyle One and Kyle Two argued over whether Hermione was each one’s wife, then summoned enormous Fiendfyre giants in the Rose Garden.
• Students fled as Dumbledore and Grindelwald arrived and separated the two Kyles.
• Hermione and Konan kissed Kyle One to cheer him up as he went to cast the Hour-Reversal Charm.

Kyle spent Christmas in his suitcase with Konan and Hermione, cooking for them and joining them in a snowball fight while Hermione investigated her Golden Egg. The chapter ended with Hermione announcing that she had discovered the egg’s secret.

• Kyle woke late after dancing through the night with Konan and Hermione, then cooked a meal for them with help from the house-elf Kitty.
• Kyle returned to find Konan teasing Hermione behind a sound-blocking magical barrier, and he joined them before they ate the food he had prepared.
• The three decided to spend Christmas inside Kyle’s suitcase, while Hermione began analyzing the Golden Egg from the Triwizard Tournament.
• Kyle and Konan started a magical snowball fight as Hermione studied the egg, then Hermione called out that she had figured out its secret.

Hermione opened the Golden Egg underwater, revealing a song that hinted the second task would involve retrieving someone from the Black Lake. Kyle worried about the mermaids’ grudges and Cedric’s safety, then planned a live-broadcasting system before Hermione pulled him away to train for the task.

• Hermione used a water ball to open the Golden Egg, and Kyle heard its song instructing the Champions to find what had been taken within an hour.
• Kyle recalled the mermaids’ resentment toward him and the other troublemakers, then suspected the Champions would have to rescue loved ones from the lake.
• Kyle worried the mermaids might target him or Konan, and considered having Gellert impersonate Dumbledore in his place.
• Kyle realized Cedric would face danger on the mermaids’ turf and planned to build alchemical devices to track and broadcast the competition.
• Hermione dragged Kyle away to serve as her coach for underwater training.

Kyle visited Hagrid after hearing that Hagrid and Madam Maxime had fallen out at the Yule Ball, finding him drunk and heartbroken. Hagrid claimed they had dumped each other as Kyle prepared teppanyaki with him.

• Hermione planned to investigate the Black Lake and learn water-based spells from Kyle, but the holiday break ended before she began.
• Kyle heard from Harry that Hagrid and Madam Maxime had fallen out and brought Harry and Ron to visit Hagrid.
• Kyle, Harry, and Ron found Hagrid passed out among piles of liquor bottles, and Kyle cleaned the hut and gave him a strong sobering potion.
• Kyle set up a stove and griddle to make teppanyaki with Hagrid, who insisted he had dumped Madam Maxime before admitting they had dumped each other.

Hagrid told Kyle, Harry, and Ron how his questions about Madam Maxime’s family background had angered her and feared their relationship was over. Kyle encouraged him to write an apology, then sent the heartfelt letter to Madam Maxime through Konan, leaving Hagrid hopeful of reconciliation.

• Hagrid explained that Madam Maxime had become angry when he asked about her family background and that she insisted she merely had a large frame.
• Harry asked why Madam Maxime cared about her bloodline, and Ron explained the prejudice against giants and half-giants.
• Kyle stopped Hagrid from drinking and insisted that the relationship might still be repaired if Madam Maxime had not formally ended it.
• Kyle advised Hagrid to write Madam Maxime an apology and offered to review the letter.
• Under Kyle’s supervision, Hagrid wrote a tear-stained apology, which Kyle gave to Konan to deliver to her Headmaster.

Kyle watched Madam Maxime happily reunite with Hagrid, then trained Hermione to use water-based magic and introduced her to Magical Programming ahead of the second task. As Hogwarts’ Champions prepared for the underwater challenge, Draco discovered that Snape had left the school with no certain return date.

• Kyle and Konan watched Madam Maxime leave the carriage to visit Hagrid, and later Kyle saw them chatting affectionately at the staff table.
• Kyle took Hermione to the lake inside his suitcase and demonstrated how he used Transfiguration, Alchemy, and Charms to create and control a school of sharks.
• Hermione managed to control only five sharks, so Kyle gave her a manuscript explaining his new field of study, Magical Programming.
• Hermione studied Kyle’s manuscript and learned water-based spells from him as she prepared for underwater combat.
• Cedric and Hannah sought out Penelope for help, while Harry and Ron went to Moody and Draco went to Snape’s office.
• Draco learned from a note at Snape’s door that Snape had left the school and had no definite return date.

Snape stole some of the poison mixed into Old Tom Riddle’s ashes so he could develop an antidote and keep Voldemort alive. At Hogwarts, Draco had no one he trusted to help with the approaching second task, and his increasingly frantic letters to Snape never reached him.

• Snape took a sample of Kyle’s poison from Old Tom Riddle’s remains, intending to prepare an antidote without alerting Kyle that he knew about the scheme.
• Snape returned to Spinner’s End and began analyzing the poison while Dumbledore believed he was dealing with trouble at Malfoy Manor.
• Draco ruled out asking Dumbledore, the professors, the other Champions, or Kyle for help because he feared being exposed or rejected.
• As the second task approached, Draco began sending Snape more and more letters, eventually reaching 128 a day.
• Snape’s home was protected by the Fidelius Charm, so none of Draco’s thousands of letters reached him, leaving Draco panicking without a reply.

The Champions began the Triwizard Tournament’s second task in the Black Lake, where they had to reach the merpeople village and rescue their hostages. As the Champions swam toward the lakebed, Hermione and Hannah searched for trained Kelpies, Cedric headed for his hidden Basilisk, and Penelope sped ahead through the water.

• The tournament committee asked Kyle to choose Hermione’s hostage, and Kyle supplied transformed White Zetsu doubles for Hermione and Ron.
• The students gathered beside the Black Lake as Percy replaced Barty Crouch at the judges’ table and George and Fred prepared to direct the broadcast.
• Bagman started the task, and the Champions plunged into the lake while magical cameras filmed them.
• Hermione and Hannah used modified Bubble-Head Charms and swam toward the Kelpies they planned to tame.
• Cedric swam toward the cave where he had hidden Xin Ya, hoping to use his Basilisk to pass the merpeople.
• Penelope propelled herself through the water at high speed, leaving the other Champions and the Grindylows behind.

Draco Malfoy entered a patch of aquatic plants unprepared and was overwhelmed by Grindylows during the second task. Kyle rescued him with the Thousand Sunny, accidentally knocking him unconscious, then erased his memory of the collision.

• Draco entered the Black Lake with a Bubble-Head Charm but no preparation for underwater combat.
• Draco encountered a Grindylow and was swarmed by water monkeys until they tore apart his Bubble-Head Charm.
• Kyle rushed to rescue Draco aboard the Thousand Sunny but accidentally struck him with the ship's figurehead.
• Kyle pulled Draco onto the deck, revived him, and used a Memory Charm to hide the collision.
• Draco woke to Kyle telling him, "You're out."