Chapter Summaries

Dobby feared that Voldemort had returned and tried to keep Harry from going to Hogwarts by cutting off his contact with the outside world. Ryan realized Harry’s protective charm blocked malicious intent, so Dobby’s well-meaning interference could reach him, leaving Harry isolated.

• Ryan reflected on Lucius Malfoy’s quick deduction that the young Tom Riddle was connected to the Horcrux he had given away, while Dobby ran off before learning the Malfoys had changed sides.
• Dobby recalled how Harry Potter’s survival inspired his longing for freedom, and how Harry’s friendship had helped guide the young Malfoy onto a better path.
• After hearing that Voldemort had appeared at Hogwarts and might become a professor, Dobby decided Harry must not go there.
• Dobby reached Harry’s home and intercepted Ron’s letter, hoping to make Harry feel friendless and abandon school.
• Ryan recognized that Lily Evans’s protective charm blocked malicious intent rather than all contact, allowing Dobby to reach Harry and leave him isolated.

Harry grew lonely during the summer and convinced himself that Sirius and his friends had stopped contacting him as part of a birthday prank. By July 18, he was hiding from Dudley’s sudden, overbearing attention, while Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia allowed Dudley to fuss over him.

• Harry noticed that letters, gifts, and copies of The Daily Prophet had stopped arriving, and suspected Sirius had arranged a surprise for his birthday.
• Harry reasoned that Ron, Hedwig, and the missing automatic replies supported his belief that his friends were keeping him isolated as part of the prank.
• The summer reached July 18, three days before the date Harry thought his friends might come to collect him.
• Dudley tried to comfort Harry with food, offers from his room, and a suggestion that he beat up Piers, so Harry hid in the flower bed outside 4 Privet Drive.
• Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia accepted Dudley’s attention, leaving Harry puzzled by their change in attitude.

Draco and Ron worried that Harry had stopped writing to them, then realized the Dursleys might be preventing him from contacting the wizarding world. Harry encountered a House-elf outside 4 Privet Drive and wondered whether Sirius had sent it.

• Draco worried that his home had become too clean because Dobby was working so diligently, and wondered whether Harry still considered him a friend.
• Ron felt just as insecure about his friendship with Harry, but Fred and George suggested that the Dursleys might have cut off Harry's contact with the wizarding world.
• Ron sent Draco a letter asking whether Harry had written to him and proposing that they contact Sirius if neither had heard from him.
• Draco was relieved to learn Ron had not received any letters from Harry and began writing a reply.
• Harry heard a faint crack while lying in the flower bed outside 4 Privet Drive, saw a House-elf, and asked whether Sirius had sent it.

Harry met Dobby, a House-elf who warned him that a dangerous person would be at Hogwarts and urged him not to return. Dobby revealed that he had intercepted Harry’s letters and hidden his gifts, but Harry remained determined to go back for his friends.

• Harry asked the sobbing House-elf to sit, and the elf introduced himself as Dobby.
• Dobby warned Harry that a dangerous person would be at Hogwarts and said Harry should not return.
• Harry dismissed the warning, trusting Dumbledore and insisting that his friends needed him.
• Dobby admitted he had intercepted Harry’s letters and hidden his gifts to try to keep him away from Hogwarts.
• Harry told Dobby that the letters and gifts would not change his decision to return to Hogwarts.

Harry comforted Dobby, who warned him about strangers before disappearing, while Ryan secretly intervened during Dobby’s Apparition. Sirius, Ron, and Draco arrived to collect Harry, who met Kreacher and heard the elf insult Sirius.

• Harry reassured Dobby that he did not need to finish his punishment all at once, and Dobby gave Harry his hidden letters before warning him to beware of strangers and Apparating away.
• Ryan appeared to Dobby within the Apparition void and asked why he had stopped trying to persuade Harry not to go to Hogwarts.
• Dobby told Ryan that Harry had understood his warning about the dangerous teacher, then returned to Malfoy Manor without realizing Ryan had intervened.
• Sirius, Ron, and Draco arrived in an invisible car, and Harry greeted Ron while explaining that the Dursleys were not responsible for his silence.
• Harry noticed Kreacher in the car, and Kreacher insulted Sirius until Draco told him not to speak that way about Harry's friend.

Harry learned that Dobby belonged to Draco’s family and had been intercepting his letters, though Draco denied sending him to stop Harry from returning to Hogwarts. Sirius suspected Lucius had ordered Dobby to isolate Draco from Harry, leaving the friends to question who had arranged the interception.

• Sirius told Harry that Kreacher had come with them because Molly trusted House-elves more than an untested flying car.
• Harry explained that Dobby had tried to stop him returning to Hogwarts because Dobby’s young master feared the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
• Kreacher described Dobby’s wish for freedom, and Harry challenged the idea that House-elves had no right to reject their treatment.
• Harry learned from Draco that Dobby belonged to the Malfoy family and that Draco had sent him to intercept Harry’s letters, but not to stop him returning to Hogwarts.
• Sirius blamed Lucius for cutting off contact between Draco and Harry, and Draco said Lucius had been urging him to contact Pansy.

Draco and the others questioned Dobby about why he had intercepted Harry’s letters, and Dobby revealed that he had acted to protect Harry from a dangerous person. Dobby identified that person as Voldemort, who Lucius said had been a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher when he was young.

• Draco explained why his father would act to protect the Malfoy line, then called Dobby to ask why he had come to Harry.
• Dobby said he had come without permission to protect Harry and had intercepted only Harry’s letters because he feared someone dangerous.
• Kreacher insulted Dobby, and the two House-elves fought until Dobby knocked out half of Kreacher’s teeth.
• Draco ordered Dobby and Kreacher to stop fighting, then asked Dobby who the dangerous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was.
• Dobby said Lucius had identified the person as the man Harry defeated, whose name had once been Tom Riddle before he changed it.
• Kreacher looked at Harry as if he wanted to say something, but nobody noticed.

Sirius sent Harry to stay with the Weasleys rather than take him home, while Draco and Ron went with him. Before they left the Dursleys’ house, Draco gave Dobby a sock, freeing him from the Malfoys.

• Sirius arranged for Harry to stay with Arthur and the Weasleys, and ordered Kreacher to obey Harry while he was there.
• Sirius, Harry, Ron, Draco, and the two House-elves went to the Dursleys’ home to collect Harry’s belongings.
• The Dursleys awkwardly said goodbye to Harry, and Dudley surprised everyone by hugging him.
• Draco stopped Dobby from leaving and gave him a sock, freeing him; Dobby accepted it and celebrated his freedom.

After Dobby gained his freedom, he decided to go to Hogwarts, despite Harry and Draco warning him to stay safe. Harry left the Dursleys’ home with Sirius, Ron, and Draco, while the others teased Ron about Rita Skeeter’s stories.

• Draco suggested that Dobby work at Hogwarts and warned him to avoid the younger Voldemort, but Dobby insisted he was free to make his own choices and vanished.
• Harry, Sirius, Ron, Draco, and Kreacher flew away from Privet Drive in a car, and Harry celebrated leaving the Dursleys’ home as Hedwig flew beside them.
• Draco explained that his father would accept Dobby’s freedom because preserving his friendship with Harry mattered more than keeping an elf.
• Sirius joked that Lucius might misunderstand Draco and Harry’s friendship, and Ron complained about Rita Skeeter forgetting his name.
• Draco and Harry teased Ron about wanting magical fame, leaving everyone but Ron laughing.

Harry, Ron, and Draco arrived at the Weasley home with Sirius, who abruptly left after telling Arthur he would return in a few days. Arthur explained that Sirius had gone to Hogwarts to pursue the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and Molly arrived to hurry everyone in for dinner.

• Sirius flew Harry, Ron, and Draco to the Burrow, and Harry told Ron he liked the house.
• Arthur greeted the children and asked Sirius about the car, but Sirius said he had to leave and vanished.
• Harry told Arthur that Sirius had probably gone to Hogwarts to pursue the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.
• Arthur recalled that Sirius and Lupin had previously sought to share the cursed teaching post, but Dumbledore had refused.
• Molly found Arthur and the children outside, noted that Sirius had legalized Arthur's car, and scolded them for delaying dinner.

Harry and Draco arrived at the Weasleys' home, where Mrs. Weasley welcomed Harry warmly and served a huge dinner. After the meal, Ron brought them to his room, where the three boys were to sleep.

• Mr. Weasley explained that Sirius had suddenly left Harry and Draco with the Weasleys, and Mrs. Weasley welcomed Harry inside despite remaining angry at her husband.
• Harry met Percy, Fred, George, and Ginny, while Draco noticed that the family paid Harry more attention than him.
• Mrs. Weasley sent the family to eat in the garden and insisted Harry and Draco wait while she prepared more food for Harry.
• Harry awkwardly called Kreacher to dinner, but Kreacher refused to eat with the master's family.
• The Weasleys, Harry, and Draco ate a large dinner, during which Mrs. Weasley fussed over Harry and Ginny acted shy around him.
• After dinner, Ron led Harry and Draco to his room and said the three of them would sleep there.

At Smith Castle, Kate learned through Ryan’s rune vision that Sirius had confronted Dumbledore over Tom Riddle becoming Hogwarts’ Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and that Lupin would assist him. Meanwhile, Harry faced a choice between spending time with Draco or Ron at the Burrow.

• Ryan showed Kate a vision of the damaged Headmaster’s Office, where Sirius confronted Dumbledore about Tom Riddle’s appointment.
• Dumbledore explained that Tom had agreed to a contract and that Sirius had refused the teaching position because he was not ready to live publicly as a hero.
• Sirius agreed that Lupin could become the Defense Against the Dark Arts assistant, and Dumbledore said Tom needed remedial lessons, including Muggle Studies.
• Kate realized Voldemort had missed Muggle Studies, and Ryan confirmed that was the subject he needed to learn.
• At the Burrow, Draco urged Harry to share his tent, leaving Harry unsure how to balance his time with Draco and Ron.

Harry, Ron, and Draco set up a luxurious tent in Ron’s room while deciding where Harry would sleep, but Draco’s careless remark made Ginny and the other Weasleys think the boys were romantically involved. Ron returned after trying to explain the misunderstanding to his family, leaving him mortified.

• Draco pulled a tent from his bag and used magic to assemble it in Ron’s room.
• Harry crawled inside and discovered the tent contained a luxurious three-bedroom suite, a bathroom, and a games room.
• While the boys discussed where Harry would sleep, Draco said something that made Ginny run off in alarm.
• Ron rushed upstairs to explain to Ginny, while Fred, George, and Percy also came in and left after seeing Harry and Draco.
• Draco suggested Percy had been trying to get their attention because they had not congratulated him on becoming a prefect.
• Ron returned and said Ginny, Fred, George, Percy, and their parents had all misunderstood Draco’s remark.

Harry settled into the Weasleys’ lively home, where he enjoyed being welcomed as family while Ginny secretly watched him. In the garden, Ron introduced Harry and Draco to Gnome Tossing, and all three joined the Weasley brothers in the game.

• The three boys went to Draco’s room after Harry suggested that they could all share the tent.
• Harry grew fond of the Weasleys’ warm home, while Mrs. Weasley kept him and Draco company and Ginny watched Harry from hiding.
• Fred and George brought Harry and Draco into the Weasley garden for a game of Gnome Tossing.
• Ron explained that he had asked Mr. Weasley about differences between magical and Muggle-world Goblins, surprising Fred and George.
• Ron showed Harry and Draco how to swing the captured creature around, and Harry joined in despite his initial reluctance.

Harry received Sirius’s letter saying he would pick up Harry, Ron, and Draco that afternoon and introduce them to a new friend. Harry told the Weasleys, leaving Mrs. Weasley upset at his departure, while the children went outside to wait for Sirius.

• Harry discovered that Kreacher had hidden nearby, avoided orders, and survived on rats, frogs, and bugs after first eating the Weasleys’ food.
• Harry read Sirius’s letter, which said Dobby had found work with Dumbledore and Sirius would collect the three boys that afternoon.
• Ron guessed the new friend was Dobby, but Harry and Draco pointed out that the letter had already mentioned Dobby and suggested it might be Lupin.
• Harry told Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that Sirius was coming to take them, and Mrs. Weasley reacted sadly while Mr. Weasley tried to reassure her.
• Ron, Harry, Draco, and Ginny slipped outside, where Ron and Draco discussed how they would simply keep playing at Sirius’s house.

Sirius arrived at The Burrow to take Harry and the others to his home, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley tried to persuade him to drink before travelling by Floo Network. At four in the afternoon, Sirius demonstrated the journey and disappeared into the flames for Grimmauld Place, Number 12.

• The Weasleys and their guests waited tensely in the garden until Sirius walked out of The Burrow and joined them for lunch.
• Mr. Weasley tried to get Sirius to drink before travelling, but Sirius refused and warned that using the Floo Network while intoxicated could send someone to the wrong place.
• Mrs. Weasley countered Sirius's story about Violet Dilliman by revealing that Violet had been sent to Myron Ozerhaus and later reunited with her family.
• Sirius warned Harry that wizarding families might try to adopt him, separating him from his godfather.
• At four in the afternoon, Sirius threw Floo powder into the kitchen fireplace, called out Grimmauld Place, Number 12, and vanished into the flames.

Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place and met Remus Lupin, who revealed that he was a werewolf and recounted how James, Sirius, and Peter became Animagi to keep him company. The conversation ended with Harry learning that James’s Animagus form was a moose.

• Harry said goodbye to the Weasleys and traveled by Floo powder to Grimmauld Place, where Sirius, Ron, Draco, and Remus Lupin welcomed him.
• Lupin introduced himself as a werewolf, and Harry accepted him while Ron and Draco instinctively moved between Lupin and Harry.
• Lupin described how Dumbledore helped him attend Hogwarts and how the Shrieking Shack’s ghost stories concealed his painful monthly transformations.
• Lupin explained that James, Sirius, and Peter became Animagi so they could accompany him in werewolf form, and Harry recognized Peter’s rat form from Scabbers.
• Lupin identified James as Prongs and Sirius as Padfoot, and Sirius told Harry that James’s Animagus form was a moose.

Harry, Ron, Draco, Sirius, and Lupin explored Black House and learned about the Black family's twisted history and treatment of House-elves. Sirius showed them the family tapestry, which had begun repairing itself since he inherited the house.

• Harry reconsidered James Potter's character, thinking of him as kind and willing to risk himself for his friends.
• Sirius showed Harry and the others the dark decorations in Black House and explained that his ancestors had enchanted the house to resist changes.
• Sirius described how Aunt Elladora had preserved House-elf heads as decorations, claiming she loved them as members of the Black family.
• Draco reacted with shock at the family's values and noted that his mother had grown up in Black House.
• Sirius showed the group the Black family tapestry and explained that it was repairing itself, though it did not restore relatives deliberately removed from it.

Harry, Ron, and Draco discovered the dark history behind the portraits in Black House and learned that Kreacher had not appeared for some time. They found his nest beneath the kitchen boiler, leaving Harry to wonder what had happened to him.

• Harry, Ron, and Draco accidentally revealed a life-sized portrait of Sirius's mother, whose screams stopped when Sirius ordered her to be quiet.
• Sirius told Harry that his mother hated anyone who did not fit her pure-blood ideals and that her cruelty had affected Regulus and Kreacher.
• Ron noticed Kreacher had not appeared in a long time, and Sirius said he might be hiding among the Black family antiques.
• Harry, Ron, and Draco searched the Boiler Room and found a cramped nest of rags, blankets, crumbs, and moldy cheese beneath the boiler.

Harry, Ron, and Draco found Slytherin’s Locket in Kreacher’s room, and Harry felt the same strange reaction to it that he felt around Voldemort. After Harry opened the locket, its Horcrux tried to tempt Ron, Draco, and Kreacher with their deepest desires.

• Ron mistook a photograph of Bellatrix Lestrange for Draco’s mother, and Draco corrected him.
• Harry recognized the golden locket as the one Sirius had tried to throw away, and he felt a chilling sensation from his scar and heat from his heart.
• Kreacher appeared and warned them away from the locket, then told Harry he could stay because of Master Regulus’s orders.
• Harry refused to leave, spoke Parseltongue, and opened the locket, revealing two living eyes.
• The Horcrux offered to grant Ron’s, Draco’s, and Kreacher’s wishes if they stopped Harry, and Ron and Draco drew their wands while Kreacher watched in tears.