Chapter Summaries

Su Er watched Lockhart transform Hogwarts’ Great Hall into an extravagant Valentine’s Day display and announce a surprise for the students. The chapter ended before Lockhart revealed what he had prepared.

• Ernie Macmillan continued to warn students that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin, while news that the mandrakes were nearing maturity reassured them that the petrified students would soon recover.
• Lockhart announced that house-elves would deliver Valentine’s Day surprises, and Su Er considered giving Hermione a gift as she slowly softened toward him.
• On Valentine’s Day, Su Er found the Great Hall covered in pink flowers, scented confetti, and heart decorations, while students and professors reacted with distaste.
• Lockhart celebrated Valentine’s Day, thanked the students who had sent him cards, and announced that he had prepared a surprise for everyone.

Valentine’s Day chaos reached its peak when a dwarf publicly humiliated Snape with a mocking card and later sang an embarrassing message to Harry in the Great Hall. Harry finally lashed out with a spell, sending the dwarf crashing into the Gryffindor table.

• A Cupid dwarf recited a mocking Valentine’s card to Snape in Potions class, and Snape blasted it into the corridor before dragging it away to interrogate it.
• Su Er suspected the Weasley twins had sent Snape the card, but they denied it while exchanging suspicious glances.
• At dinner, Hermione told Su Er she would teach anyone who sent her a Valentine’s card a harsh lesson, and Su Er noticed Neville awkwardly agreeing.
• Three Cupid dwarfs cornered Harry in the Great Hall, tore open his schoolbag, and sang a humiliating love song while one sat on him.
• As the Great Hall erupted in laughter, Harry cast Expelliarmus and sent the singing dwarf flying into the Gryffindor table.

After Harry was punished for using harmful magic in the Great Hall, Su Er secretly entered Gryffindor Tower as a badger to give Hermione a rose. Hermione accepted the gift warmly and held him up, leaving Su Er worried that she had recognized him.

• Professor McGonagall arrived, and Harry lost fifteen points for using harmful magic in the Great Hall.
• Ginny hurried away looking pale and panicked, while Su Er suspected she had seen the notebook.
• Su Er used his Animagus form and Neville’s copied password to enter Gryffindor Tower before curfew.
• Su Er overheard Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussing whether Hagrid had caused the attacks fifty years earlier.
• Su Er presented Hermione with a rose, and she picked him up with a shy look that made him wonder if she had discovered his identity.

Su Er struggled to hide that he was the badger Hermione had carried into the girls' dormitory, while Hermione grew increasingly suspicious. As Easter began, the second-years chose third-year courses, and Hermione went to ask Professor McGonagall how she could take every class.

• Hermione carried the exhausted Su Er, still in badger form, into the Gryffindor girls' dormitory, where its enchantment did not detect him; she began to suspect he was Su Er.
• Su Er escaped before Hermione could catch him, while attacks remained absent and Harry's schoolwork improved dramatically with help from the diary.
• Su Er noticed Hermione watching him closely and rubbing his badger form's head harder, but he pretended not to realize she suspected him.
• Su Er chose Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes for his third-year courses, while Harry and Ron chose the same subjects.
• Hermione struggled to fit every course around the conflicting timetables, and Su Er advised her to consult Professor McGonagall; Hermione hurried off to find her.

Su Er studied Occlumency and received a secret summons from Dumbledore to meet Snape near the Library when the Quidditch match began. As Hufflepuff prepared to face Gryffindor, Cedric worried about the pressure of being his team’s Seeker.

• Su Er learned that practicing Occlumency involved controlling his emotions and resisting Legilimency, and considered asking Snape for help.
• Dumbledore sent Su Er a phoenix feather and instructed him to meet Snape near the Library on the day of the match, then burn the letter after reading it.
• Morn returned after losing color-changing chocolates at wizard’s chess, and Su Er encouraged him to try again.
• The Hufflepuff-Gryffindor match began on a clear day, with Cedric facing pressure to catch the Golden Snitch for his laid-back team.
• Cedric told Su Er that Hufflepuff planned to defend and hold out until he caught the Snitch, while Harry seemed distracted at the Gryffindor table.

Su Er met Snape on the second floor while a bushy-haired girl discovered something alarming in a secluded corridor. The Gryffindor–Hufflepuff Quidditch match was canceled, and Professor McGonagall summoned Harry and Ron to the Castle.

• Su Er slipped away from the crowd and met Snape, who told him to come along.
• A bushy-haired girl found a wet trail in a dark corridor and dropped her wand after seeing what lay at its end.
• Harry spotted the Golden Snitch during the Quidditch match, but Professor McGonagall arrived and ordered the match canceled.
• Professor McGonagall directed students back to their common rooms and summoned Harry from the pitch.
• Ron joined Harry and Professor McGonagall as they headed toward the Castle.

Harry and Ron learned that Su Er had been attacked and found motionless near the Library, while Hermione stood beside him holding a note. Professor McGonagall imposed strict safety rules and warned that Hogwarts might close if the culprit was not caught, leaving the students fearful and suspicious of Slytherin.

• Professor McGonagall led Harry and Ron to the Hospital Wing, where they found Su Er motionless after Hermione had discovered him near the Library.
• Hermione returned to Gryffindor Tower with Harry and Ron, carrying a note and visibly shaken by Su Er's condition.
• Professor McGonagall ordered students to remain in their common rooms after six, suspended evening classes and outdoor activities, and required teachers to escort them.
• Gryffindor students speculated about the attacks and blamed Slytherin without offering evidence.
• Hermione withdrew to the girls' dormitory, while Ron told Harry he suspected Slytherin and Harry worried that he might be sent back to the Dursleys.

After Snape brutally tested Su Er’s dueling skills, Dumbledore urged him to learn Occlumency and stay hidden in his Animagus form. The next morning, Fred and George were caught exploring the Castle, while Harry began telling Hermione about a plan.

• Snape overwhelmed Su Er in a duel, mocked him, and forced him to drink a bitter potion.
• Dumbledore praised Su Er’s magical talent, told him to learn Occlumency from Severus, and advised him to avoid appearing in the Castle.
• Su Er left the Headmaster’s Office in his Animagus form and settled into a bed conjured by the Room of Requirement.
• Fred and George were caught using a secret passage, and Snape deducted twenty points from each of them.
• Harry told Hermione that he had thought of a plan.

Harry and Ron concluded that a basilisk might be the monster in the Chamber of Secrets and tried to reach Hagrid, but Snape blocked their way. Su Er left the Room of Requirement for a meeting with Snape, only for Hermione to catch him in badger form and recognize him.

• Hermione told Harry and Ron that she suspected the Chamber’s monster was a basilisk, and Harry kept his doubts about what he had seen to himself.
• Harry and Ron tried to leave under the Invisibility Cloak but turned back when they found Snape guarding the entrance.
• Su Er discovered he was late for his meeting with Snape, transformed into a badger, and left the Room of Requirement.
• Hermione grabbed Su Er in the corridor and ran with him into the Room of Requirement when an old man approached.
• Hermione accidentally squeezed Su Er nearly unconscious, then recognized him as he recovered.

Su Er revealed his Animagus secret to Hermione, who explained how she had uncovered it and forgave him while insisting on punishment. She decided to learn the transformation, and Su Er began explaining its difficult preparation as they planned to borrow a book from the Restricted Section.

• Su Er ended his Animagus Transformation, and Hermione told him how she had deduced that he and the badger were the same person.
• Hermione forgave Su Er for lying but punished him by demanding that he teach her to become an Animagus.
• Su Er warned Hermione that the process was lengthy, complicated, and extremely painful, but she still chose to learn it.
• Hermione realized Su Er had gone into the Forbidden Forest over Christmas to become an Animagus, and he said Fang's arrival had saved him.
• Su Er began explaining the Animagus process and offered to help Hermione borrow a book about it from the Restricted Section.

Su Er explored the Room of Requirement’s cluttered storage space after realizing he had forgotten his Occlumency lesson with Snape. He and Hermione narrowly escaped sword-wielding stone guardians, leaving Hermione flustered beneath him in the dark.

• Su Er brought Hermione a book about Animagi from the Library and remembered he had missed his planned Occlumency lesson with Snape.
• Su Er explored the Room of Requirement’s dusty piles and discovered shelves of old magical books.
• Su Er accidentally activated a spinning black object and a stone guardian swung its sword at him, but he escaped by transforming into a badger.
• Hermione followed the noise, triggered another stone guardian, and Su Er tackled her out of the sword’s path.
• After the danger passed, Hermione blushed and asked Su Er whether he was going to get up.

Su Er left the Room of Requirement after Hermione guessed that Dumbledore was using him to lure out the Basilisk, though he kept the truth about the Basilisk's death secret. Harry and Ron failed to leave the Castle to visit Hagrid, while Su Er ate in the Kitchen and went to Snape's office for another lesson.

• Hermione asked Su Er about his petrification and concluded that Dumbledore had placed him in the Room of Requirement to lure out the Basilisk; Su Er asked her to keep his survival secret.
• Hermione left, and Su Er considered what to ask from Dumbledore before leaving the Room of Requirement in his Animagus form.
• Harry and Ron tried to get past the Castle doors to visit Hagrid but returned to the Gryffindor Common Room for attendance.
• Su Er ate in the Kitchen and noticed that his Animagus form dulled his human judgment and changed his appetite.
• Su Er returned to human form outside Snape's office and went inside.

Su Er arrived late for Snape’s Occlumency lesson and endured a brutal first session in the hidden room beneath Snape’s office. He left shaken but recognized that he needed to build defenses in his mind before Snape’s future lessons reached his memories.

• Snape waited all day for Su Er, then led him through a hidden doorway in his office to a room filled with potions and preserved creature parts.
• Snape opened the lesson with a powerful Legilimency attack that left Su Er in severe pain, then berated him for failing to resist.
• Snape repeatedly attacked Su Er’s mind while holding back after the first blast, and Su Er sometimes managed to stay calm and weave false memories.
• Su Er realized he needed to master Occlumency quickly and build protective walls in his mind, then noticed a small door behind the potion workbench.

Su Er escaped Snape after discovering a photo of Snape with Harry’s mother, then discussed Dumbledore’s departure and cryptic words with Hermione. He returned to the Hufflepuff dormitory to retrieve his Occlumency books and slipped away after Morn mistook him for a pet badger.

• Su Er fled Snape’s office after seeing Snape’s photo with a girl and guessed the girl was Harry’s mother.
• Su Er slept in the Room of Requirement while an unseen, rippling presence moved toward the Castle.
• Hermione brought Su Er food and told him Dumbledore had been driven out of the Castle; Su Er reassured her and speculated about Dumbledore’s cryptic words.
• Hermione asked whether Snape was among the people Dumbledore meant, but Su Er avoided giving her a clear answer.
• Su Er returned to the Hufflepuff common room to retrieve Dumbledore’s Occlumency books and escaped the dormitory after Morn tried to shoo him away.

Su Er endured Snape’s nightly magical duels and continued studying magic as Dumbledore vanished from Hogwarts and Hagrid remained away. The chapter ended with Hermione warning Su Er that Harry planned to follow the spiders into the Forbidden Forest, where Acromantulas lived.

• Snape added magical duels to Su Er’s nightly Occlumency practice, and Su Er improved while planning a Christmas gift for him.
• Hermione studied how to become an Animagus, while Su Er wondered whether Ariana could be his Patronus.
• Dumbledore disappeared from Hogwarts, leaving students uneasy, and Su Er visited Fang to reassure the dog that Hagrid would return.
• Hermione told Su Er that Draco expected his father to replace Dumbledore and complained that Lockhart had insulted Dumbledore and Hagrid.
• Hermione warned Su Er that Harry planned to follow the spiders into the Forbidden Forest, and Su Er noted that Acromantulas lived there.

Su Er followed Harry and Ron into the Forbidden Forest to protect them and track the spiders, carrying Fawkes’s feather and stolen Fireleaf powder for an attack. He heard Mr. Weasley’s car approaching and recognized the clicking of the giant spiders as his enemies drew near.

• Su Er left the Room of Requirement after Hermione chose to wait rather than alert a professor.
• Su Er recalled how Dumbledore had asked him to help before leaving, with Fawkes present in the Room of Requirement.
• Su Er hid near Hagrid’s Hut and watched Harry and Ron lead Fang toward the Forbidden Forest.
• Fang caught Su Er’s scent and excitedly pawed at the tree, but Harry and Ron continued into the woods without noticing him.
• Su Er used his heightened sense of smell to track Harry and Ron through the forest while keeping close behind them.
• Fang barked as Mr. Weasley’s car approached, and Su Er heard the giant spiders’ clicking and checked the stolen Fireleaf powder in his pouch.

Su Er followed Harry, Ron, and Fang to Aragog’s hollow, where the Acromantulas threatened them until the Weasley car charged in and rescued them. After the car carried the group away, Su Er transformed back into a human and blocked the spiders’ pursuit.

• Su Er tracked the spiders to Aragog’s hollow while avoiding their silk and watched Harry question the old spider about the Chamber of Secrets.
• Aragog grew furious, and his descendants surrounded Harry, Ron, and Fang as they tried to retreat.
• The Weasley car burst into the hollow, crushed a path through the spiders, and rescued Harry, Ron, and Fang.
• Su Er transformed from his badger Animagus form and greeted the Acromantulas blocking the chase, drawing their attention to himself.

Su Er escaped Aragog's spider colony by setting off an explosion in the Forbidden Forest, only to discover the blast had devastated part of the forest. Hermione confronted him at the Room of Requirement, and he admitted he had caused the fire.

• Su Er fought off the Acromantulas with Knockback Jinxes until he ran low on magic, then claimed he had come to find Aragog on Hagrid's behalf.
• Su Er scattered Fireleaf fluff and used Confringo before escaping with Fawkes's feather as the spiders attacked.
• The spell ignited flammable gas beneath the colony's leaves, causing a chain of explosions that shook the Castle and alarmed the centaurs.
• Hermione showed Su Er the scorched section of the Forbidden Forest and demanded to know what he had done.
• Su Er confessed that he had started the fire, and Hermione noted that his Exploding Charm had been powerful.

As the basilisk crisis unfolded, Su Er remained in the Room of Requirement until Dumbledore brought him to the passage where the creature had been defeated. Dumbledore revealed that he had seen some of Su Er’s memories and urged him to learn Occlumency, just as the others arrived.

• Hermione told Su Er the mandrakes were nearly mature and that the petrified students would soon return, then said Harry and the others had identified the monster as a basilisk.
• Hermione said she was prioritizing her final exams over helping Harry search for the basilisk, and later warned Su Er that the basilisk had appeared and students had been ordered back to their common rooms.
• Su Er stayed in the Room of Requirement, fell asleep while studying, and ate food the room provided.
• Fawkes carried Su Er to Dumbledore, who brought him to the passage where the basilisk had been defeated and assured him he would not have to pay for the Forbidden Forest damage.
• Dumbledore told Su Er he had seen some of his memories, explained the limitations of Legilimency, and urged him to learn Occlumency as soon as possible.

Dumbledore and Su Er staged the Chamber of Secrets confrontation, leaving Ginny alive beneath the Slytherin statue and Tom Riddle free to face Harry. As Tom revealed his past and declared himself Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore urged Su Er to choose a different path.

• Snape gave Dumbledore the notebook and left after telling Su Er to visit his office the next evening.
• Dumbledore placed the fake basilisk inside the Slytherin statue and explained that Ginny’s lost life force had to be restored by whoever caused her condition.
• The notebook released Tom Riddle, and Dumbledore told Su Er that fate offered choices rather than fixed outcomes.
• Harry arrived, found Ginny, and confronted Tom, who took Harry’s wand and admitted to controlling the basilisk and altering Su Er’s memory.
• Tom revealed his name as Lord Voldemort and described his hatred of his Muggle father, while Dumbledore urged Su Er not to follow a similar path.