Recaps

The Sorting Ceremony began as Brian discussed Hufflepuff with Professor Sprout and discovered The Quibbler’s sensational headlines. Meanwhile, Dumbledore confronted Fudge about Umbridge’s death and the Dementor attack, leaving Fudge alarmed after learning that Umbridge had been killed by the Killing Curse.

• Professor Sprout explained that Hufflepuff valued every student and hoped her house would receive twenty-eight of the new students.
• Ginny Weasley and Colin Creevey were sorted into Gryffindor, while Luna Lovegood went to Ravenclaw.
• Professor Sprout gave Brian a copy of The Quibbler, and its outlandish headlines persuaded him to subscribe.
• Dumbledore told Fudge that Umbridge had died and that Dementors had attacked the Hogwarts Express, while Fudge blamed Umbridge and denied knowing about her actions.
• Dumbledore revealed that Umbridge had been killed by the Killing Curse, shocking Fudge, and invited him to Hogwarts for a face-to-face conversation.

Brian agreed to help Dumbledore keep Dolores Umbridge’s ghost at Hogwarts by capturing her in a special Poké Ball before the Ministry’s team could take her away. As the feast ended, Brian recruited the Hogwarts house-elves to help locate her.

• Fred Weasley and George Weasley tricked Colin Creevey into trying to finish an ever-refilling communal platter, and Angelina exposed their prank.
• Dumbledore told Brian that Fudge had revoked Umbridge’s position and might send Ministry staff to capture her, but Dumbledore wanted her kept at Hogwarts for further investigation.
• Dumbledore gave Brian a ghost-catching Poké Ball and explained how it would capture Umbridge if it touched her.
• McGonagall announced that Peeves had set traps along the students’ routes back to their dormitories.
• Brian decided to use the house-elves’ communication network to find Umbridge, and he spotted Dobby among them.

Brian used Dobby’s House-elf Magical Power Network to listen across Hogwarts while searching for Dolores Umbridge. He heard snippets of castle life and thought he had found Umbridge when he heard Peeves carrying something that spoke in a woman’s voice.

• Dobby explained the House-elf Magical Power Network and said Brian could join if they regarded each other as equals; they shook hands, and Dobby lent Brian his ears.
• Brian listened to the kitchens and heard elves discuss peppermints, ice cream, and students who had been sent to the Hospital Wing after overeating.
• Brian overheard elves gossiping about Percy Weasley’s argument with Penny and Ron promising to stay with Hermione throughout the school year.
• Dobby explained that the elves had connected to the network to help search for Umbridge, and Brian expanded his listening range across the castle.
• Brian heard activity in Professor Lupin’s office, near the Hufflepuff bathroom and dormitories, and outside the library, where Peeves had something in his mouth that spoke with a woman’s voice.

Brian found Dolores Umbridge hiding inside Peeves's mouth and learned that a special tooth was causing Peeves pain. He used a Poké Ball to try to capture her, but the ball shrank and flew toward Peeves's rainbow-glowing tooth.

• Brian discovered that Umbridge had crawled into Peeves's mouth and that Peeves could communicate through Quiet Ghost, who lived in his belly.
• Quiet Ghost explained that Peeves's enchanted tooth was stuffed with objects and Umbridge, leaving him with a painful toothache.
• Peeves asked Brian to fetch the Sword of Gryffindor to pull the tooth, but Brian instead showed him the Poké Ball Dumbledore had given him.
• Quiet Ghost made Peeves's tooth glow, revealing Umbridge inside, and Brian pushed the Poké Ball into Peeves's mouth.
• The Poké Ball shrank to the size of a marble and flew toward Peeves's rainbow-colored tooth.

The Ghost Office Task Force arrived at Hogwarts to capture Dolores Umbridge’s ghost, but Peeves outwitted them by revealing and recapturing her with a Poké Ball. After Peeves challenged them to chase him to the Astronomy Tower, the frustrated task force turned to Moaning Myrtle, while Brian heard Cedric Diggory protesting.

• The Ghost Office Director led five employees into Hogwarts to capture Umbridge, and Peeves blocked their way while exposing their secret mission.
• Peeves released Umbridge from the Poké Ball in his tooth, but the task force’s ghost-catching gadgets failed to capture her.
• When Umbridge fled, Peeves recalled her into the Poké Ball and swallowed it again, then taunted the task force and flew toward the Astronomy Tower.
• The Ghost Office Director decided to target Moaning Myrtle instead of chasing Peeves, while Brian heard Cedric Diggory protesting as he walked back toward the library.

Cedric Diggory’s attempt to confront Moaning Myrtle about spying on him turned into a chance to repay her for once saving him, while he reflected on his feelings for Cho Chang. The Ghost Office Director left Cedric alone with Myrtle, and Brian arrived just as Cedric’s towel flew away.

• Cedric rushed out of the bathroom when he heard Ministry employees arresting Moaning Myrtle, and the Ghost Office Director explained they had legal authority to take her away.
• Moaning Myrtle praised Cedric’s appearance, prompting him to recall how he had fallen for Cho Chang and how his evasive reply had led her to stop seeing him.
• Cedric remembered that Myrtle had once kept him conscious with her ghostly chill before Quidditch tryouts, and decided he needed to speak with her before she was taken away.
• Cedric asked the director for a private moment with Myrtle, and the director handed him the jar before leaving with Number One Employee.
• Brian arrived by the other staircase and saw Myrtle wailing as she swept Cedric’s towel off into the blue.

Tom Riddle manipulated Percy Weasley into breaking up with Penelope Clearwater, then took control of Percy and entered the Chamber of Secrets to unleash the basilisk. Instead, the basilisk swallowed Percy, and its marked tail signaled that the trap had worked.

• Cedric Diggory was caught naked with Moaning Myrtle, and Professor McGonagall arrived as the scene escalated.
• Penelope Clearwater confronted Percy Weasley over his growing prejudice against Muggles and ended their relationship.
• Percy struck Penelope’s hand away and insulted her, then Tom Riddle took control of his body after she left.
• Tom Riddle explained how he had influenced Percy and planned to use the basilisk to attack Hogwarts students.
• Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets, but the toothless basilisk swallowed Percy and activated the magic circle on its tail.

Brian discovered that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and hurried to investigate as Dumbledore confronted Fudge with evidence that Voldemort was returning. The chapter left Dumbledore and Fudge responding to the Chamber’s warning while Voldemort ordered Lucius Malfoy to use his son to obtain Harry Potter’s blood.

• Brian advised Cedric on how to express his feelings to Cho Chang, and McGonagall punished Cedric for wandering at night.
• Brian’s warning spell revealed that the Chamber of Secrets had opened and the Basilisk had caught someone inside.
• Fudge accidentally tried to kill Dumbledore with the Killing Curse while wearing Ravenclaw’s Diadem, and Dumbledore explained that it was Voldemort’s Horcrux.
• Dumbledore urged Fudge to prepare to fight Voldemort, but Fudge remained uncertain about the Horcrux’s identity.
• Dumbledore received a warning from the Chamber and ordered Fudge to come with him.
• At the Malfoy manor, Voldemort ordered Lucius to have Young Malfoy bring him Harry Potter’s blood.

Brian examined Voldemort’s Diary after Dumbledore brought the unconscious Cornelius Fudge and Percy Weasley to the Hospital Wing, discovering that the Horcrux could control people and that its soul fragment reacted to insults. Dumbledore learned Percy would need months to recover, but a message from Madam Pomfrey sent him back to the Hospital Wing, where Fudge was terrified by the Ghost Office Director and insisted Voldemort was dead.

• Dumbledore knocked Cornelius Fudge unconscious and took him and Percy Weasley to the Hospital Wing after retrieving the Diary from the Basilisk.
• Brian identified the Diary as a Horcrux, tested its resistance to damage, and provoked its soul fragment into attacking him.
• Dumbledore told Brian that Percy and Fudge had been mentally influenced and that Percy would need at least three months in the Hospital Wing.
• Brian warned Dumbledore that dark wizards might be active in the Ministry and suggested investigating how the Diary had reached Percy.
• Madam Pomfrey sent an urgent message that Fudge was in a very bad state, and Dumbledore returned to the Hospital Wing.
• The Ghost Office Director entered Fudge’s room, and Fudge recoiled in terror, crying that he was not Voldemort and that Voldemort was dead.

Brian and Dumbledore dealt with the aftermath of Voldemort’s Diary: Cornelius Fudge was left terrified and mentally broken, while Ghost Office staff drank a memory potion to avoid involvement. Dumbledore planned investigations into Percy’s Diary and Hufflepuff’s Cup, and the chapter ended with Hogwarts students gossiping about Peeves and noticing Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang sharing lunch.

• Madam Pomfrey said the Ghost Office staff had swallowed Life in a Dream potion and would sleep through the night, while Fudge and Percy remained hospitalized.
• Madam Pomfrey concluded Fudge had gone mad after Voldemort’s soul fragment terrified him, and Dumbledore asked her to keep his condition secret while he sought a cure.
• Dumbledore told Brian he suspected Voldemort had returned and might be planning to infiltrate the Ministry, and he planned to investigate the wizard who had given Percy the Diary.
• Dumbledore said he had a lead on Hufflepuff’s Cup and asked Brian to help protect Hogwarts while he visited the Ministry and Arthur.
• On September second, Ron told Harry that Peeves had been using the toad ghost as a prank, and Harry noticed Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang eating together.

Oliver Wood tried to lift Harry Potter’s spirits after learning that Harry was lovesick over Cho Chang, while Ron and Hermione tested a hand-holding ritual meant to calm him. Harry arrived at the library and revealed that he had a date for the next evening.

• Oliver Wood confronted Harry about his poor Quidditch practice and offered to introduce him to a girl to help him move on from Cho Chang.
• Ron and Hermione tested a ritual by holding hands and sharing small amounts of magical power, and they found it made them feel better.
• Harry came to the library early, distracted and unaware that Ron and Hermione had been holding hands.
• Hermione suggested that Harry try their ritual, and Harry said he had a date for the next evening.

Draco Malfoy planned to use Harry Potter’s date at the Astronomy Tower to obtain his blood for Lucius, but Lucius suspected Chet Brian had been watching Draco and removed him from the mission. Chet Brian secretly listened from the Black Lake as Draco was ordered to attend Quidditch practice instead.

• Marcus Flint told Draco Malfoy that Harry Potter was upset over a girl and would have a date at the Astronomy Tower the next evening.
• Draco opened the Viper Box and told Lucius Malfoy he planned to use Love Potion Incense to lower Harry Potter’s guard and take his blood.
• Draco reported that Percy Weasley remained unconscious in the Hospital Wing and that Chet Brian had appeared at the Quidditch pitch during a confrontation.
• Lucius warned Draco that Chet Brian might be following him, ordered him to throw the Viper Box into the Black Lake, and assigned someone else to take over the mission.
• Lucius ordered Draco to attend Quidditch practice, while Chet Brian secretly listened from the Black Lake beside the Giant Squid.

After Dumbledore warned Brian that Voldemort might seek Harry Potter’s blood to rebuild his body, Brian discovered that Draco Malfoy had received a dark magical object by owl. Brian followed Draco’s disposal of the box into the Black Lake and saw a snake’s head emerge from it.

• Dumbledore told Brian that someone had taken a ring from the Gaunt house and dug up Tom Riddle’s bones, and warned that Voldemort might target Harry Potter’s blood for a body-reconstruction ritual.
• Dumbledore asked Brian to watch for anyone at Hogwarts showing unusual interest in Harry, while Kingsley investigated a missing employee linked to the Malfoy family.
• Brian saw a magically shielded owl deliver a parcel to a Slytherin dormitory, then identified Draco Malfoy as the student who opened it.
• Brian learned that Book had become Hogwarts’ Librarian and had secretly signed an employment contract with Dumbledore.
• Brian watched Draco cast a Water-Repelling Charm and throw the dark magical box into the Black Lake, then followed it as it floated upward.
• A snake’s head suddenly poked out of the box while Brian was following it.

Brian secretly tracked Nagini after she entered Hogwarts through a Transport Box, planning to capture the living Horcrux after observing her. At Malfoy Manor, Lucius prepared to oversee Nagini’s attempt to obtain Harry Potter’s blood and keep Draco out of the operation.

• Brian identified Nagini as a living Horcrux and followed her through Hogwarts while placing a Tracking Charm on her.
• Brian detected traces of a recent dark ritual on Nagini and considered how many Horcruxes Voldemort might have made.
• Brian saw Draco Malfoy’s dormitory light go out and suspected Lucius Malfoy had renewed contact with Voldemort.
• Lucius reflected on Voldemort’s trust in Nagini, his own lost hand, and his urgent need to prove loyalty.
• Lucius planned to use a staff meeting and a potion to reach the Astronomy Tower, watch Nagini attack Harry Potter, and keep Draco away from the operation.

Harry struggled with whether to attend a date arranged by Wood, but Neville helped his and Ron’s group brew a working Swelling Solution despite Snape shrinking their fingers. After Harry decided to attend and explain his doubts honestly, Fred and George drugged him and prepared to handle the date themselves.

• Harry’s distraction ruined his potion ingredients, so Snape docked Gryffindor points and threatened to shrink students’ fingers unless they brewed a satisfactory Swelling Solution.
• Neville gave Hermione salamander grass, which helped Harry and Ron restore their spoiled ingredients and brew the potion.
• Snape shrank Harry’s and Ron’s fingers, but Hermione applied their Swelling Solution and returned them to normal; she realized Harry had hoped the spell would let him avoid the date.
• Harry decided to attend the date and explain honestly that agreeing to it had been a mistake, while Ron and Hermione urged him not to torment himself.
• Fred and George told Harry that Ginny had cried over his date, sprayed him with instant sleep spray, and used his hair in a potion as they promised to handle the situation.

Brian created a memory-based double to attend Lucius Malfoy’s mandatory staff meeting while he secretly watched Harry, whom Lucius and Voldemort’s Horcrux were targeting. After seeing Harry head toward the Astronomy Tower, Brian wondered whether Harry’s date was meant to provoke Ginny.

• Brian prepared colleagues’ memories and used Ancient Magic to create a convincing double who could attend the staff meeting in his place.
• Brian’s Clone drank the artificial personality, gained a stable appearance and intelligence, and agreed to go to the meeting.
• Brian and his Clone discussed whether the Clone could preserve his personality and memories to help create future doubles.
• Brian sensed that the viper remained in the Astronomy Tower and went invisibly to check on Harry.
• Brian saw Harry leave with George Weasley, then heard Harry say he was heading to the Astronomy Tower while George agreed to handle other matters.
• Brian suspected that Harry’s date might be intended to provoke Ginny.

Lucius Malfoy secretly left the Great Hall while Sirius Black and Dobby tried to track him, believing Harry Potter might be his target. At the Astronomy Tower, Fred Weasley disguised as Harry was caught in a trap that tore out his eye, and Professor Brian arrived as Fred lost consciousness.

• Lucius Malfoy slipped out of the Great Hall, drank a Mist Form potion, and escaped through a bathroom window.
• Sirius Black found Lucius's clothes and asked Dobby to locate Harry, learning that Harry was asleep in his dormitory.
• Fred Weasley, disguised as Harry Potter, went to the Astronomy Tower and found Marietta Edgecombe instead of Chelsea Bradley.
• Fred looked into a sabotaged Moon-Gazing Mirror, which tore out his right eye as Marietta revealed her allegiance to the Dark Lord.
• Professor Brian unleashed his magical power, silenced Marietta, and destroyed most of the mirror before promising to take Fred to the Hospital Wing.

Brian brought Fred Weasley, who had been disguised as Harry Potter, to the Hospital Wing after Voldemort’s scheme to steal Harry’s blood was interrupted. Voldemort’s ritual produced a grotesque, weakened body because the blood he obtained was actually Fred’s, and Fred explained that he hated Voldemort for killing his uncles.

• Professor Brian carried an unconscious, badly injured Fred into the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey began treating him and Brian assured the Weasleys that Fred would recover.
• Brian recalled stopping Voldemort’s attempt to take Harry’s blood and discovering that the apparent Harry was Fred under Polyjuice Potion, though some blood had already been transported away.
• Voldemort prepared a resurrection ritual with the stolen blood, believing it belonged to Harry, after recounting how Grindelwald’s poisoned organs had damaged his previous body.
• The ritual created a misshapen, tiny body, and Voldemort realized the blood was not Harry’s because its magical power was weak and it contained potion ingredients.
• After Madam Pomfrey repaired Fred’s eye, Brian asked whether he hated Voldemort, and Fred said Voldemort had killed two of his uncles.

Brian interrogated Lucius Malfoy, rescued a bullied Luna Lovegood, and found no useful clues about Voldemort’s location. Meanwhile, Tonks infiltrated the Lestrange Vault to retrieve Hufflepuff’s Cup, but its defenses exposed her as an impostor.

• Brian used Legilimency on Lucius Malfoy, learned Voldemort had kept his whereabouts secret, and knocked Lucius unconscious after he pleaded for his family.
• Brian found Luna Lovegood barefoot after Ravenclaw girls hid her belongings, gave her shoes, and promised to share any news about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack.
• Tonks disguised herself as a member of the Lestrange family and persuaded Griphook to take her to the Lestrange Vault without verifying her identity.
• Tonks found a golden cup engraved with a badger and reached for it after making herself taller.
• The cup burned Tonks’s hand, and Griphook accused her of being an impostor after she triggered the vault’s defensive magic.

Tonks stole Hufflepuff's Cup from Gringotts with Moody's help, while Brian's Clone learned that Brian had caught Lucius Malfoy at the Astronomy Tower. The chapter left Dobby confused by the two Brians and how one had apparently teleported from Hogwarts.

• Tonks took Hufflepuff's Cup in the Silver Box, but Griphook confronted her with a dragon after disabling the vault alarm.
• Moody knocked Griphook unconscious and helped Tonks evade the dragon, then warned her about a deadly trap hidden in the wall.
• Moody brought Tonks to Fawkes and explained a secret route into Gringotts that depended on knowing the vaults' hidden weaknesses.
• At Hogwarts, Sirius told Brian's Clone that Lucius had disappeared from the Bathroom and that Dobby had gone to find him.
• Dobby returned and reported that Chet Brian had caught Lucius at the Astronomy Tower, leaving Sirius and Dobby puzzled when Brian's Clone stood before them.

The chapter recounted Hogwarts gossip after Gryffindor defeated Ravenclaw, Draco Malfoy’s forced rehabilitation, and Brian’s work on evolving his duplicate into a lasting super-duplicate. It also revealed that Brian and Moody had captured Voldemort’s spy at Gringotts, and left Brian preparing to seek Professor Sprout’s advice about his unstable “Brian Egg.”

• Gryffindor won the Quidditch match despite Cho Chang catching the Golden Snitch, and Professor Flitwick punished two Ravenclaw students for spreading elaborate rumors about the game and Marietta Edgecombe.
• Professor McGonagall made Draco Malfoy continue his cleaning duties, while she reflected on Lucius Malfoy’s plea to keep Draco safe at Hogwarts during his Ministry investigation.
• McGonagall realized she had not seen Chet for several days, while Brian stayed busy trying to evolve his duplicate’s personality fragment into a stable version that could retain memories.
• The theft of a treasure from the Lestrange vault sparked panic among Gringotts customers, and the bank worked overtime to reassure them with new security measures.
• Brian and Professor Moody captured the black-smoke spy Voldemort had sent to check whether the Hufflepuff’s Cup Horcrux was missing, and Moody sent the Dark Wizard to Azkaban.
• Brian decided to ask Professor Sprout for help understanding why his growing “Brian Egg” kept splitting apart.

Brian continued teaching Muggle Studies while struggling to make the Brian Egg grow, and Dumbledore sent for him with news of a workable solution for Azkaban’s guards. The chapter ended with Dumbledore taking Brian to Devon to meet Nicolas and Brian’s three children.

• Brian explained that a hidden American bar during Prohibition was behind the stone door in his Muggle Studies question, while Angelina, Fred, and George discussed how they had chosen their answers.
• Brian visited Book in the library, invited it to lunch, and relayed a student’s request that Book stop appearing silently behind him.
• Brian reflected that his attempts to cultivate the Brian Egg had failed and that he would soon need to collect more raw memory material.
• Brian read Dumbledore’s letter announcing a workable solution for Azkaban’s guards and went to the Headmaster’s Office.
• Dumbledore told Brian they were going to Devon, where Nicolas and Brian’s three children were waiting.

Brian visited the Flamels with Dumbledore and discovered that his three magical children had grown enormous after drawing power from the Philosopher’s Stone. The trio were being considered as Azkaban’s new guards, and the chapter ended with Brian tasting a Kneazle cookie that made him hiss.

• Brian questioned whether the Flamels were safe after publicly faking their deaths, and Dumbledore showed him their new house, hidden under the Fidelius Charm next door.
• Perenelle welcomed Brian, while his giant dragon, Stone Soldier, and Whomping Willow squeezed through the doorway to greet him.
• Nicolas explained that the three children had grown rapidly after resonating with the Philosopher’s Stone, and Dumbledore proposed they serve as Azkaban’s guards.
• Brian agreed that the trio could work at Azkaban and asked whether they could eventually shrink back to their original sizes.
• Brian and Dumbledore sampled Perenelle’s magical Kneazle cookies, and Brian discovered that his cookie made him hiss.

Brian consulted Nicolas Flamel about his stalled Brian Egg experiments, then gained his Clone’s consent to resume the dangerous memory experiment. Meanwhile, Dumbledore warned acting Minister Scrimgeour that Voldemort was targeting Azkaban and offered the Order of the Phoenix’s help, leaving Scrimgeour wondering whether Dumbledore had already reassembled it.

• Nicolas Flamel suggested that Brian let his conscious duplicate absorb memories, and Brian explained that earlier attempts had produced grotesque forms.
• Nicolas encouraged Brian to pursue the experiment while remaining respectful of its dangers, prompting Brian to discuss the risks with his Clone.
• Brian’s Clone agreed to endure the experiment, arguing that the sacrifice could help them trace Voldemort’s original body and prevent further deaths.
• Fawkes arrived as Brian and his Clone prepared to restart the experiment.
• Scrimgeour told Dumbledore that the Ministry lacked the staff to relocate the Dementors, while explaining his efforts to prepare for Voldemort’s return.
• Dumbledore revealed that Voldemort had set his sights on Azkaban and offered the Order of the Phoenix’s help, making Scrimgeour question whether the organization had already been reassembled.

Brian and the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix contained Azkaban’s Dementors and sent them away from populated areas. As Brian returned to Hogwarts, Peter Pettigrew suffered in Nurmengard until a cloud of black smoke entered his cell and began reshaping his body.

• Brian and the Giant Squid subdued the last Dementor, and the new guards took over protecting Azkaban’s prisoners.
• Brian reflected on the Order of the Phoenix’s reformation and its first mission to isolate the Dementors, while Moody, Tonks, Sirius, Lupin, and the Weasleys transported them away.
• The Longbottoms prepared to travel to Ethiopia with a sack of Dementor Balls, and Brian reminded them to use the country’s preferred name.
• Brian noticed that Scrimgeour had sent an Auror to monitor the Order, then left Azkaban to return to Hogwarts.
• Peter Pettigrew endured renewed phantom pain in Nurmengard as black smoke entered his cell and began reshaping his body.