Recaps

The Nagudinnaf pair finished the Second Task last, while the judges debated and then scored the champions individually. Ron scored higher than Harry, and both boys celebrated with kisses from their partners as the crowd cheered.

• Horton and his Nagudinnaf teammate finished the task after threatening Castelobruxo for the final parts and arrived last.
• The judges argued over the champions’ performances before reaching a scoring consensus.
• Harry received forty-two points, with several judges penalizing him for helping Ron assemble the Magical Automata.
• Ron received fifty-three points, and Lavender kissed him as the Viewing Screen broadcast their embrace.
• Harry pulled Qiu close and kissed her while the crowd cheered.

Harry and Ron struggled to decode the Seashell clue from the Second Task while Champions from Nagudinnaf and Castelobruxo appeared to have solved theirs. As Valentine’s Day approached, Harry considered buying flowers for Qiu, whose relationship with him was now public.

• Harry, Ron, and their friends tried soaking, burning, and prying open the Seashell, but it stayed sealed.
• Harry and Ron noticed that Nagudinnaf and Castelobruxo’s Champions seemed to have deciphered their clues and begun preparing.
• Anthony Goldstein warned Harry not to lose to the Australian schools, while Harry admitted they had no leads.
• Harry considered buying flowers for Qiu for Valentine’s Day after their kiss following the Second Task had been seen by the spectators.

Harry recognized Allen Dismask’s distinctive voice as belonging to the silver-masked Club King from the deadly battle he had witnessed in his third year. Dismask noticed Harry’s recognition and the group’s Occlumency, while remaining unaware of exactly what Harry knew.

• Allen Dismask introduced himself to Harry and Ron as a fan of their Triwizard Tournament performances.
• Ron questioned Dismask, while Harry and Qiu reacted with alarm and suspicion.
• Harry recognized Dismask’s voice as that of the silver-masked Club King who had led the Wizards that killed the Australia Wizards.
• Harry used Occlumency to regain his composure as Dismask tried to probe his mind with Legilimency.
• Dismask noticed that Harry, Ron, and Qiu had Occlumency protections, while the girl beside Ron did not.

Harry and Ron told Qiu and Lavender what they knew about Sirius and Professor Babbling, prompting the girls to speculate that they had once planned to elope. Harry pointed out that Sirius had stayed in Britain, then recalled that he joined Dumbledore's resistance after graduating.

• Harry and Ron turned their dates with Qiu and Lavender into a group conversation about Sirius and Professor Babbling.
• Harry and Ron explained that the professor and Sirius had known each other as students and seemed to have made some kind of agreement.
• Qiu theorized that the Black family would have opposed Sirius marrying Professor Babbling, so the pair must have planned to elope; Lavender and Ron agreed.
• Harry objected that Sirius had not left Britain and remembered that Sirius joined Dumbledore's resistance against Voldemort after graduating.

Harry met Sirius by fireplace at midnight to ask about Allen Dismask. Sirius revealed Allen’s ties to Harry’s family and his dangerous past, leaving Harry to keep his own knowledge of evil gods secret.

• Hermione told Harry and Ron that she, Ginny, and others had found no leads on the Triwizard Tournament.
• Harry waited in the Gryffindor Common Room at midnight, and Sirius appeared in the fireplace.
• Harry asked Sirius about Allen Dismask, and Sirius asked why Allen had approached him.
• Harry explained that Allen had sent him a message through Elizabeth Xilieikesi during the Yule Ball.
• Sirius said Allen was dangerous and described his family’s friendship with the Potters, his teaching at Durmstrang, and the Diessmask family’s mysterious disappearance.
• Sirius avoided explaining evil gods to Harry and recalled that Harry had continued studying Runes, unlike Lily and Lupin.

Sirius told Harry that Professor Babbling had clashed with Dismask and had learned ways to counter people who pursued deity powers. The next day, Cedric privately approached Harry and Ron, saying he had something serious to discuss about the Triwizard Tournament.

• Sirius explained that Babbling and Dismask had come into conflict while researching deities, and that Babbling had mastered techniques effective against deity-power seekers.
• Sirius warned Harry to be careful because Dismask had set his sights on him, and Harry agreed.
• Harry and Ron attended lessons despite being champions, then encountered Cedric waiting outside a classroom.
• Cedric led Harry and Ron to a deserted corner and said he wanted to discuss the Triwizard Tournament.
• Ron asked whether Cedric had wheedled information out of Yi Qianqian.

Harry and Ron copied the unfamiliar writing from the seashell but could not decipher it, and the other schools’ champions and professors were equally stumped. Lei Kaiming thought he had seen similar writing and sent a copy to his family, while Harry and Ron turned to Hermione for help.

• Harry and Ron copied the writing on the seashell and confirmed that neither they nor the prefect could read it.
• The Ilvermorny and Nanyang Magic School champions and their professors examined the writing but could not identify it.
• Professor Hohenheim said he knew many scripts but had never seen anything like the writing.
• Lei Kaiming thought the writing looked familiar, copied it, and sent it by owl to family members in the United Kingdom.
• Harry and Ron sought Hermione’s help, but she disappointed them.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron searched the Library for clues about unfamiliar writing, but found nothing before it closed. That night Harry touched another silver star in his mental world, suffered a violent episode, and realized the stars were likely remnants of Neil’s shattered soul that could strengthen him.

• Hermione searched the Library with Harry and Ron for clues about the writing, but none of them found anything.
• Harry entered deep meditation and touched a silver star for the third time.
• Harry was thrown from his mental world and convulsed on his bed, waking his dormmates.
• Ron and the other boys rushed to Harry, and Ron checked on him as he recovered.
• Harry concluded that the stars were remnants of Neil’s shattered soul and that absorbing them increased his soul and mental power.
• Harry reflected that he seemed to keep getting caught up in bizarre trouble.

Hermione recognized the Merpeople script on the clue platform beneath the Giant Squid, explaining why she had a faint memory of it from the Second Task. Hagrid identified the writing and described Merpeople languages, while the chapter explained how Harry’s actions had caused the Champions to overlook the platform and why Ron called Merpeople “Fish-Folk.”

• Hermione remembered seeing the writing on the platform beneath the Giant Squid during the Second Task.
• The chapter explained that Harry’s repeated actions had driven the Champions and spectators away from paying attention to the underwater scenery, so they missed the platform’s clue.
• Hagrid explained that different Merpeople groups used different kinds of writing.
• Hermione reminded Ron that she had previously told him Merpeople had their own civilization, and Ron vaguely remembered.
• The chapter explained that Ron’s use of “Fish-Folk” reflected his upbringing in an old wizarding family, while “Merpeople” had grown more common among wizards.

Hermione deciphered the Seashell’s Mermish clue, and Harry, Ron, and their fellow Gryffindors discovered that it played a song underwater. The song suggested the third task would involve searching underwater for something taken from them, and Hermione began interpreting its rules.

• Hermione deciphered the Mermish phrase and opened the Seashell, which released a piercing screech that left the Gryffindors reeling.
• Dennis Creevey tried Hermione’s pronunciation of the phrase and toppled over when the Seashell screeched again.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione put the Seashell in water and heard its screech become a song describing an underwater search with a one-hour time limit.
• Hermione concluded that the third task would involve going underwater to find something the Fish-Folk had taken and hidden.

Harry, Ron, and their professors discussed spells that could help them complete the upcoming underwater Triwizard task, weighing the risks of Transfiguration against simpler magic. The discussion ended when Professor Flitwick questioned whether an Ilvermorny contestant had used an unfamiliar kind of Transfiguration.

• Professor Moody and the other Hogwarts professors openly helped Harry and Ron prepare for the underwater task.
• Professor Slughorn warned that the Bubble-Head Charm would not make searching the Black Lake easy, and Professor Flitwick suggested Transfiguration.
• Professor Lupin explained the dangers of human Transfiguration, while Professor Flitwick noted its continuing magical cost.
• Harry considered mentioning that his Animagus form might help underwater but chose not to speak up.
• Professor Flitwick recalled the Ilvermorny girl's unusual Transfiguration and asked whether it differed from ordinary self-Transfiguration.

The professors discussed ways for Harry and the other Champions to breathe and move underwater, settling on Gillyweed as one possibility and Regional Transfiguration as another. Harry, Ron, and Hermione then speculated about whether the Nanyang Magic School Champions knew the technique before returning to their usual plans.

• Professor Slughorn and Professor Sprout explained that Gillyweed could help with underwater breathing and movement, though its effects varied.
• Harry offered to pay for Gillyweed, and Professor Sprout said she could obtain some from a herbologist in Spain.
• Professor Flitwick raised Regional Transfiguration, and the professors agreed to wait for Professor McGonagall to teach it.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione wondered whether the Nanyang Magic School Champions already knew Regional Transfiguration.
• Lavender greeted Ron in the Common Room, while Hermione went to the Library and Harry planned to watch Quidditch practice with Qiu.

Elizabeth Xilieikesi approached Harry with news from her family about Dismask, while Harry worried that Qiu would misread their conversation. Elizabeth told him Dismask had returned to the Czech Republic and expected to meet him again, leaving Harry puzzled because he thought Dismask was Italian.

• Elizabeth Xilieikesi sat beside Harry at the Quidditch practice match, and Harry complained that her admirers were glaring at him.
• Harry told Elizabeth he was worried his girlfriend might get the wrong idea, and Qiu watched them from the air while searching for the Golden Snitch.
• Elizabeth asked whether Harry wanted news about Dismask, and Harry reflexively said no before realizing who she meant.
• Harry apologized for snapping at Elizabeth, and she told him Dismask had returned to the Czech Republic and hoped their next meeting would be under different circumstances.
• Harry asked Elizabeth whether Dismask was Italian, surprising her.

Harry reassured Qiu that he had only been chatting with Elizabeth, then kissed her on the Quidditch pitch. In a concealed manor near Berlin, several powerful figures gathered and waited for Joker’s explanation.

• Qiu confronted Harry about his conversation with Elizabeth, and Harry denied that anything was going on.
• Elizabeth told Harry he could approach her about her proposal and left.
• Harry pulled Qiu into his arms and kissed her, and she eventually stopped resisting.
• At a concealed manor near Berlin, Ulysses, Yasen, Allen, Nalan, Gesi, and others gathered while Saklan was absent.
• Nalan stopped Yasen and Allen from bickering and reminded them that Joker had summoned them.

Harry and Ron prepared for the third task by testing gillyweed and rapidly mastering Human Transfiguration, while rumors spread that several schools had secretly shared information. The chapter left Nagudinnaf’s accusations largely dismissed as the seven schools’ preparations continued.

• Harry and Ron tested Professor Sprout’s gillyweed three times, staying underwater for more than an hour on each attempt.
• With Professor McGonagall’s help, Harry and Ron quickly learned Human Transfiguration, though McGonagall advised them against practicing partial Transfiguration.
• Professor Moody and Professor Lupin marveled at how quickly Ron mastered the spell, while Professor Slughorn compared their progress to Professor McGonagall’s.
• Hogwarts, Ilvermorny, Durmstrang, and Nanyang Magic School appeared confident about the third task, while Beauxbatons, Castelobruxo, and Nagudinnaf seemed dissatisfied.
• Nagudinnaf students and professors accused the other four schools of sharing information, but most people dismissed the claim.

Valentine’s Day brought Harry and Ron’s girlfriends a flood of love letters, and Harry challenged an Ilvermorny student who pursued Qiu. Harry defeated Malcolm in their duel and stunned the visiting students by winning without Dark Magic and producing a Patronus.

• Harry and Ron received love letters but put them away because they already had girlfriends.
• Lavender rejected four suitors in front of Ron, discarded an unknown admirer’s letter, and kissed Ron publicly.
• Harry drove away boys who pursued Qiu, then challenged Malcolm after Malcolm refused to give up on becoming Qiu’s pen pal.
• Meng predicted Malcolm would lose while Corvinus watched Hermione remind Harry of something.
• Harry defeated Malcolm in under half a minute without using Dark Magic, astonishing the visiting students with his skill and Patronus.

On March 4, Harry and Ron prepared for the champions’ third task, an underwater challenge at the Black Lake, while the tournament’s competitors distrusted one another. As the start approached, they noticed Qiu, Lavender, and Hermione were missing from the stands, and Ron was named the first champion to set off.

• The champions and headmasters concealed what they knew about the task, though Harry and Ron knew the other schools had found the clue.
• Barty Crouch told the fourteen champions they had one hour and would start in groups according to their previous scores, with thirty seconds between groups.
• Harry searched the stands for Qiu, while Ron looked for Lavender, but neither found his girlfriend.
• Krum and Corvinus asked Harry and Ron where Hermione was, and the boys realized she was missing too.
• Crouch announced that Ron would start first, followed by Elizabeth Xilieikesi and Lei Kaiming.

The underwater race began, and the Viewing Screens showed Viktor Krum in the lead thanks to his shark-like transformation. Ron and the Ilvermorny champions were also moving quickly, with Meng towing Corvinus as a killer whale.

• The spectators waited anxiously until Shen Yalan entered the water, causing the fourteen Viewing Screens to light up.
• Bagman announced that Viktor Krum was leading, prompting cheers from Durmstrang and Karkaroff.
• Krum raced underwater with a shark's head and tail that let him breathe and move quickly.
• Ron swam with gills and webbed fingers and toes after using gillyweed, but the Ilvermorny pair passed him.
• Meng transformed into a killer whale and carried Corvinus, who clung to her without swimming.

The Champions raced underwater using different forms of magic, while their lack of a clear destination caused their search paths to spread out and curve. Harry found Ron and sped up with him, but they still had no clues about what they were seeking.

• Horton and Shen Yalan surged ahead with ingenious water magic, while Ryan Moning Meng in killer-whale form was the only Champion faster than Horton.
• Carlos Blanco improved on his earlier performances, but Shen Yalan overtook him; the Nanyang and Beauxbatons Champions had mixed or disappointing results.
• The Champions struggled to find their destination in the vast Black Lake and began following widely diverging, curved routes.
• Harry overtook Elizabeth and Delacour, then found Ron, who climbed onto his dolphin form.
• Harry and Ron searched together at greater speed, while other Champions, including Yi Qianqian, Meng, and Corvinus, lost ground by swimming in circles.

Gardner encountered a colony of Grindylows while searching underwater, and their attack burst her water shield and left her unable to breathe. As spectators watched anxiously, her fate remained uncertain.

• Gardner searched underwater behind a water shield when a dozen Grindylows darted out of nearby weeds.
• The Grindylows swarmed over Gardner, clinging to her and biting her.
• The attack burst Gardner's water shield and left her unable to breathe as she flailed in the water.
• The Castelobruxo students watched anxiously as Gardner struggled, worried about their schoolmate and their team's poor standing.

Lei Kaiming encountered a dangerous Two-Headed Sea Snake while racing underwater in the Black Lake. The snake charged him, but an invisible barrier stopped it just before it could bite him.

• Lei Kaiming spotted a disturbance in the water and wondered whether it was another Champion or a magical creature.
• Lei Kaiming recognized the approaching creature as a Two-Headed Sea Snake and realized it was dangerous.
• The Two-Headed Sea Snake spotted Lei Kaiming, decided he was edible, and lunged at him.
• An invisible wall halted the Two-Headed Sea Snake before it reached Lei Kaiming, startling the spectators.
• Bagman praised Lei Kaiming's underwater defensive spell and commented on Nanyang Magic School's combat preparation.

Ron enjoyed riding dolphin-transformed Harry until a Kelpie emerged from the water and changed into a large horse. The spectators recognized the dangerous creature, leaving Harry and Ron to face it underwater.

• Ron happily rode Harry, who had transformed into a dolphin, as they searched underwater.
• A huge, apparently invisible mass of water surged toward Harry and Ron, alarming the spectators.
• Seamus asked Dean whether the creature was a Kelpie, while Ginny watched Harry and wondered why a girl she was looking for was absent.
• The Kelpie revealed itself as a water snake before transforming into a complete, powerfully built horse.
• The spectators recognized the Kelpie as a four-star danger that could merge with water and attack wizards.

Harry and Ron rode a tamed Kelpie toward the Fish-Folk’s territory, following the clue about singing. They reached the settlement and were surprised that the Fish-Folk looked very different from the beautiful mermaids Harry had imagined.

• Harry climbed onto the Kelpie and conjured reins, making it docile before Ron joined him.
• Harry asked the Kelpie to take them to the Fish-Folk, and it ran swiftly toward their territory.
• The spectators watched Harry and Ron outpace the other Champions while several competitors also headed in roughly the right direction.
• Harry and Ron heard the Fish-Folk singing and followed the sound to a settlement of stone houses.
• Harry saw the Fish-Folk waiting with stone forks and spears and frowned at their appearance.

Harry and Ron reached the Merpeople Village square and freed Qiu and Lavender from their cage. Harry's precise Sword Beam Charm opened the cage without injuring either girl, while the other Champions were still far behind.

• Harry and Ron noticed Hermione in a cage beside Krum's, and Ron joked that he might get Krum's autograph after all.
• The Kelpie transformed into a water snake and hurried away after Harry and Ron dismounted.
• Harry reasoned that the captives were unconscious from a potion and that Dumbledore would not allow them to be in real danger.
• Harry used the Sword Beam Charm to cut open Qiu's and Lavender's cage without harming them.

Yi Qianqian used her transformation into a merperson to find her way to Merpeople Village and reach Cedric, where she struggled to open his cage. She began cutting through it with a Severing Charm.

• Yi Qianqian suddenly swam in a straight line through the Black Lake, overtaking Krum and the Ilvermorny pair to become the second champion to reach Merpeople Village.
• Crouch explained that Yi Qianqian had transformed into a merperson and could follow the Fish-Folk's distant songs.
• Yi Qianqian passed through the village as the Fish-Folk stared at her, then reached the square and found Cedric.
• Yi Qianqian called Cedric a treasure, unaware that the Viewing Screen broadcast her words to the spectators.
• Yi Qianqian tried several underwater spells on Cedric's cage, then began cutting through it bit by bit with a Severing Charm.