Recaps

Harry Potter examined the Ministry of Magic’s Fountain of Magical Brethren and the enormous basilisk specimen in amber that had drawn visitors’ attention. A young witch questioned Professor Fontana about how anyone could defeat such a powerful creature.

• Harry doubted the fountain’s depiction of magical creatures revering wizards.
• Harry saw the basilisk specimen in amber, whose magical runes revealed its extraordinary age and power.
• A group of two adult wizards and several young wizards gathered around the specimen in amazement.
• A young witch pointed out the runes on the basilisk’s scales and asked Professor Fontana how it had been defeated.

Headmistress Stuart explained how Professor Flitwick may have removed the basilisk’s eyes and brain with precise enlarging and shrinking charms, and Professor Fontana praised her observations. Harry, who had come to the Ministry to handle inheritance paperwork, reflected on the Potter Family’s long lineage and accomplished members.

• Professor Fontana asked Headmistress Stuart how Professor Flitwick had killed the thousand-year-old basilisk.
• Headmistress Stuart theorized that Flitwick had enlarged the basilisk’s skull and outer skin, removed its eyes, and taken out its brain through the eye sockets.
• Headmistress Stuart pointed out subtle distortions in the scales that revealed the precise magic, though her students could not see them.
• Professor Fontana praised Headmistress Stuart’s runic knowledge and suggested arranging an exchange with Hogwarts, which she agreed to pursue.
• Harry watched the conversation and revealed that he had come to the Ministry to handle paperwork for inheriting and transferring assets as the Potter Family’s sole remaining member.

Harry, using the alias Dudley Dursley, met Ilvermorny student Rhiannon Morning Meng and agreed to a magic exchange, where he quickly disarmed her before leaving. Professor Fontana recognized Harry’s skill, while Meng insisted she had only lost because she was careless.

• Rhiannon Morning Meng introduced herself to Harry and asked how the basilisk had been captured.
• Harry, pretending to be Dudley Dursley, said only Weasley and Potter had seen Professor Flitwick handle the basilisk.
• Meng challenged Harry to an exchange of magic, and he dodged her spell and disarmed her in two exchanges.
• Harry thanked Meng for the lesson and left before the Ilvermorny group could question him further.
• Professor Fontana told Meng she had lost because she was careless and noted that Harry had controlled his magical power.
• Meng gave Fontana Harry’s alias, and Fontana wondered whether any British wizarding family had the name Dursley.

Harry met Fred and George after leaving the Ministry, then traveled with them by Floo Powder to Godric's Hollow. Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley and Ron struggled to choose a pet in Diagon Alley, where Mr. Weasley revealed that Ginny had gone off alone.

• Harry met Fred and George at a café and showed them the paper he had obtained from the Ministry.
• Fred, Harry, and George traveled by Floo Powder to Godric's Hollow.
• Mrs. Weasley and Ron debated whether to buy an owl or a raven for the family.
• Mr. Weasley told Mrs. Weasley that Ginny had left to find her, and Mrs. Weasley complained that he had failed to keep an eye on her.

Tom Riddle, possessing Ginny Weasley, traveled to Godric's Hollow and found Harry and the Weasley twins at the Potter family ruins. Before he could approach them, he was pulled into a grayscale version of the town, where a mysterious Black Man appeared.

• Tom Riddle emerged from the fireplace in the church and used a Disillusionment Charm to hide himself from the Muggles.
• Tom Riddle searched Godric's Hollow and found Harry and the Weasley twins among the ruins of a dilapidated building.
• Tom Riddle planned to gain the three wizards' trust, then use the Imperius Curse to absorb their power.
• Tom Riddle's surroundings blurred and changed into a grayscale version of the town.
• A mysterious Black Man appeared and commented on Tom Riddle's soul fragment, and Tom demanded to know who he was.

Ginny learned that Tom Riddle had used her body while she slept and planned to attack Harry, and that he had opened the Chamber of Secrets and attacked Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey. The Black Man, amused by the one-sided deception, hinted that he planned to make things more interesting for Tom.

• Ginny feared she was dead, but the Black Man told her she was alive and would die only decades later.
• The Black Man showed Ginny and Tom Harry, Fred, and George, explaining that they were in a separate space and could not be seen or heard.
• Ginny accused Tom of planning to hurt Harry, and Tom admitted he wanted to become more complete and powerful.
• Ginny pressed Tom about the Chamber of Secrets attacks, and he admitted opening the Chamber and attacking Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey.
• The Black Man teased Tom about deceiving Ginny and hinted that he would make their situation more balanced, alarming Tom.

The Black Man transformed Tom Riddle’s soul into a female form called Black Ginny and bound her to Ginny. Ginny and Black Ginny returned to Ginny’s body with rules forcing them to share power and agree on actions, while the Black Man vanished.

• The Black Man changed Tom Riddle’s soul into a girl resembling Ginny, whom the narration called Black Ginny.
• Black Ginny recognized the Black Man as connected to a forbidden name, but speaking it twisted her soul and left her exhausted.
• The Black Man said Ginny and Black Ginny would share any strength gained and would need each other’s consent to act while controlling the body.
• The Black Man sent both souls back into Ginny’s body, leaving her with one light-brown eye and one eye flecked with black.
• The Black Man advised them to agree on who would control the body when going out, then disappeared as Ginny returned to the town street.

On Christmas, Harry and the Weasley family visited Neville’s home, where the young wizards read about Ilvermorny’s headmistress praising Hogwarts and a Hogwarts student defeating an American top student. The chapter ended with Harry asking Hermione whether Rhiannon Morning Meng was the top student in her house or across her whole year.

• The Weasley family, Harry, and the Grangers arrived at Neville’s home for Christmas lunch after Britney Longbottom invited them.
• Mr. Weasley eagerly began discussing Muggle wine with Mr. Granger while Mrs. Weasley and Britney Longbottom chatted with Mrs. Granger.
• Harry, Ron, and the others read a Daily Prophet article about Ilvermorny headmistress Ms. Stuart praising Hogwarts and Professor Flitwick’s skill.
• Professor Egbert Fontana said Dudley Dursley had easily disarmed Ilvermorny top student Rhiannon Morning Meng and could compete with older students.
• Harry asked Hermione whether Rhiannon was the top student in her house or in her whole year.

Harry spent the Christmas holidays helping the Weasley twins develop and produce Canary Creams, then returned to Hogwarts and gave protective necklaces to Padma, Parvati, and Turpin. The chapter ended with professors assigning students a mountain of homework after the holidays.

• The Weasley twins modified their production line in Godric's Hollow and began producing Canary Creams, hoping to help their family finances and reopen their ancestral home.
• Harry agreed to keep the twins' business secret and reminded them to research the Magic Quill.
• The twins brought more than a thousand Canary Creams to Hogwarts and consigned them to Zonko's Joke Shop, but refused Zonko's offer to buy their production method.
• Harry let the twins invest his share of the payment in research and gave Padma, Parvati, and Turpin gemstone necklaces enchanted with the Holy Spirit Barrier.
• The professors returned to work and assigned the students mountains of homework.

Ginny and Black Ginny traveled to the Chamber of Secrets, where Ginny used blood magic and Parseltongue to absorb the basilisk’s lingering soul and strengthen herself. The soul-sharing between them caused their soul projections to equalize, leaving Black Ginny surprised and subdued.

• Lockhart watched Ginny and Black Ginny enter the pipe, then left without alerting Dumbledore.
• Ginny and Black Ginny reached the Chamber of Secrets, where Black Ginny explained that she needed to strengthen her weakened soul.
• Ginny used blood magic and Parseltongue to summon the basilisk’s lingering soul from the palace around Salazar Slytherin’s statue.
• Ginny sucked the spectral basilisk into herself and felt her soul grow stronger.
• The soul-sharing caused both soul projections to become the same size, leaving Black Ginny bewildered.

After Christmas, Gryffindor trained hard for its upcoming matches against Hufflepuff while Harry and Ron joined Hermione in preparing to investigate the Chamber of Secrets using Polyjuice Potion. At the reopened Duelling Club, Professor Flitwick demonstrated how a quick, simple spell could interrupt powerful Dark Magic.

• Gryffindor's team resumed intensive Quidditch practice ahead of two matches against Hufflepuff's new Seeker, Cedric.
• Hermione continued investigating the heir of Salazar Slytherin, and Harry and Ron agreed to help now that the Polyjuice Potion was ready.
• The Duelling Club reopened, with Professor Flitwick hosting alongside Lockhart.
• Professor Flitwick explained that simple, fast spells could counter stronger magic and introduced a dueling Magical Automata made by Professor McGonagall.
• Professor Flitwick disarmed the automaton before it could cast its Dark Magic spells.

Lockhart praised Harry’s skill by reminding Flitwick that Harry had easily defeated Malfoy, prompting Draco to take offense. Flitwick warned Harry about the dangers of two dark spells, but Harry agreed to face them rather than lose face in front of his classmates.

• Lockhart told Flitwick that Harry had easily defeated Malfoy and credited his own teaching for Harry’s talent.
• Pansy laughed at Draco’s reaction, and Crabbe and Goyle copied her, mistakenly thinking they were joining in with a joke.
• Draco accused Crabbe and Goyle of mocking him and chased them as they begged for mercy.
• Flitwick explained the poisonous sand of Dark Storm and the poisonous, corrosive flame of Corrosive Poison Flame, advising Harry to dodge both.
• Harry reluctantly agreed to face the spells and promised Flitwick he would be careful.

Harry reunited with Luna Lovegood, who warned him that an evil aura had appeared on his left hand and eyes. Luna could not explain how to remove it, and Harry dismissed her uncertain memory of seeing the aura on a red-haired girl as a mistake.

• Luna approached Harry in the Great Hall and told him that she sensed an evil aura on him.
• Luna explained that the aura had grown on Harry’s left hand and had recently appeared on his eyes.
• Harry connected the aura on his left hand to the Left Hand of Chaos and Calamity given to him by the Black Man, and suspected the aura on his eyes might relate to his recent vision.
• Luna told Harry that she had seen a similar aura on her mother before she died in a magical accident, but she did not know how to remove it.
• Luna recalled possibly seeing the aura on a red-haired girl whom she had thought was Ginny Weasley, but Harry insisted she must have been mistaken.

Harry and the twins discussed using Magical Automata to speed up production and confirmed their products were selling well. Far away, a woman studying star charts struggled with the blizzard before a blue-haired wizard arrived at her igloo.

• Harry and the twins agreed to research Magical Automata that could load materials into their device.
• The twins said Zonko's was eager for more products and promised to finish Harry's requested item before Easter.
• A woman in an igloo on the Far Northern Icefield compared star charts and cursed the blizzard for disrupting her observations.
• The blue-haired wizard appeared, admired the smell of the broth, and sat down to eat while the woman told him to be quiet.

Hermione drugged Draco Malfoy to keep him away from the Quidditch match, creating a chance for Harry, Ron, and Neville to investigate the Chamber of Secrets. She laid out the next step of their plan: Harry would find the Slytherin Common Room password.

• Harry and Ron worried that Hermione would insist they pursue their investigation into the Chamber of Secrets and the heir.
• Hermione revealed that she had drugged Draco so he would feel slightly feverish and dizzy during Slytherin’s Quidditch match.
• Harry explained that Draco’s pride would make him pretend to be too ill to attend the match, and Hermione confirmed his guess.
• Hermione assigned Harry to find out the Slytherin Common Room password the following morning, and Harry agreed.

Harry, Ron, and Neville infiltrated the Slytherin Common Room to reach Draco Malfoy, with Ron and Neville disguised as Crabbe and Goyle and Harry invisible. They sat down with Draco and Pansy, who began to suspect their behavior was unusual.

• Hermione hid in a nearby classroom while Ron and Neville approached the Slytherin entrance with the invisible Harry.
• Ron said the password, "pureblood," and led Neville into the Common Room as Harry followed unseen.
• Draco and Pansy were alone in the Common Room when the disguised boys arrived.
• Draco asked where they had been, and Ron claimed they had gone to the Library before Neville said they had wandered there by accident.
• Pansy wondered whether Ron and Neville were acting strangely, but Draco dismissed them as dopey.

Harry, Ron, and Neville escaped the Slytherin Common Room when Hermione’s Polyjuice Potion wore off early, then concluded that Draco was not the heir. With the investigation stalled until Colin Creevey might recover, they headed toward the Library before a crowd returning from the Quidditch match arrived.

• Harry warned Ron that the Polyjuice Potion was wearing off, and Ron and Neville hurried out of the Slytherin Common Room with Harry following invisibly.
• Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione met on the way to Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, where Ron and Neville changed back and Harry returned the borrowed Slytherin robes.
• The four discussed Ron’s conversation with Draco and decided that Draco was not the heir, leaving them without a current suspect.
• Hermione explained that they would have to wait until June for mature mandrakes to restore Colin Creevey and possibly learn what he had seen.
• As the four headed toward the Library, the Twins and Lee Jordan led a crowd into the Entrance Hall and complained about Ravenclaw's Seeker.

Harry ordered an extra dessert portion for Luna and greeted Ginny, whose shy manner changed once she was out of sight. At Slytherin and Ravenclaw’s Quidditch match, Ravenclaw took an early lead with skilled teamwork while Draco played Seeker.

• Harry ordered six portions of dessert, including an extra one for Luna because she had helped him before.
• Ron teased Harry about ordering dessert for a girl, and Hermione recognized Luna as “Loony Luna.”
• Ginny greeted Harry shyly, then left with a gloomy expression after he and the others looked at her.
• Harry and his friends watched the Slytherin-Ravenclaw match, where Draco played despite having considered feigning illness.
• Ravenclaw fielded a different Seeker, and its Chasers quickly took the lead through precise passing that frustrated Slytherin’s rough style of play.

After watching Ravenclaw’s new Seeker play, Harry encountered her again outside the Castle and was struck by her smile. Hermione noticed his reaction and teased him about the girl as Ron and Neville joined in.

• Harry and the Gryffindor Quidditch Team discussed Ravenclaw’s new Seeker and agreed that Cedric Diggory was the bigger concern before their upcoming Hufflepuff matches.
• Harry froze at the Castle entrance when he spotted the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team and recognized the black-haired girl among them.
• The girl met Harry’s gaze, smiled at him, and went into the Castle, leaving him staring after her with his heart pounding.
• Ron brought Harry back to his senses, and Harry blushed as he realized he had not heard what Ron was saying.
• Hermione teased Harry about looking at a girl, and she reminded Ron that Ravenclaw had a new, younger team member.

Hagrid told Harry, Hermione, and Ron that Fluffy and a tribe of wolf demons had devastated Aragog’s spider colony in the Forbidden Forest. The surviving spiders had been driven away, and Hagrid feared their Acromantula bloodline would eventually disappear.

• Harry asked Hagrid why he looked down, and Hagrid said Aragog was badly injured.
• Hagrid explained that Fluffy had joined a wolf demon tribe, which attacked Aragog’s descendants after they provoked the wolves.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron asked Hagrid what wolf demons were, and he described them as intelligent, wolf-shaped offspring of two low-rank werewolves.
• Hagrid said Fluffy and the wolf demons had killed many of the colony’s purer-blooded spiders and driven the rest to the forest’s outskirts.
• Hagrid stopped Fluffy from attacking further but feared the spider colony would lose its Acromantula bloodline and become ordinary large spiders.

Harry learned that Luna had been struck by a powerful curse and reasoned that the attacker must be inside Hogwarts. He left Padma and Sally waiting for him to explain what he had suspected.

• Padma told Harry that Luna had fainted after Flying Class and was being kept isolated in the Hospital Wing while staff investigated the curse.
• Sally suggested Luna might have brought the curse on herself through research into dangerous magic, but Padma disagreed.
• Padma said Madam Pomfrey and Flitwick believed someone had cursed Luna, and Harry realized Hogwarts's barrier meant the attacker had to be inside the Castle.
• Padma pressed Harry to share what he had thought of, but the chapter ended before he answered.

Ginny argued with Black Ginny about the spell that had harmed Luna and learned they needed to grow stronger to escape their predicament. Later, Luna returned to the Great Hall unharmed, and Madam Pomfrey and Professor Flitwick identified the curse as Evil Spirit Convergence.

• Ginny confronted Black Ginny over the spell that had caused Luna nightmares, and Black Ginny apologized for misjudging Luna as a natural medium.
• Black Ginny told Ginny that they needed to cooperate and strengthen their magic to escape the situation created by Him.
• Ginny left the classroom with the Mirror and black notebook, while Lockhart revealed himself as a ghost and decided to keep watching without telling Dumbledore.
• Luna returned to the Great Hall on Tuesday and said she had felt nothing during the incident and felt well afterward.
• Madam Pomfrey and Professor Flitwick concluded that the curse on Luna was a form of Dark Sorcery called Evil Spirit Convergence.

Harry learned that Cho Chang was Ravenclaw’s third-year Seeker and found himself daydreaming about her, while Luna’s unusual ideas about romance left him flustered. He returned to his Transfiguration essay, which he and Ron were struggling to complete safely.

• Luna asked Harry about the girl he liked and said he should want to learn more about her, then pointed out that he was supposed to call her back and ask questions.
• Harry learned from Luna that the girl was Cho Chang, Ravenclaw’s third-year Seeker, and that several boys in her year were pursuing her.
• Harry reflected on Cho’s Chinese heritage and the meaning of her name, then daydreamed about her in the Common Room.
• Ron interrupted Harry and reminded him to finish the essay Professor McGonagall would check the next day.
• Harry worked on the essay about turning vertebrates into inanimate objects and recalled that Ron’s practice had once killed a frog.

Harry learned that Hogwarts girls viewed his upcoming Seeker duel with Cedric Diggory as a contest over who was the school's best and most popular boy. The Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match began with Harry and Cedric climbing above the pitch, and Harry's faster Firebolt gave him an early advantage.

• Hogwarts girls ranked Cedric Diggory and Roger Davies among the school's handsomest boys, while Harry's achievements made him more popular.
• Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell urged Harry to beat Cedric, then Angelina explained the girls' private rivalry to him.
• Harry promised his teammates he would give the match his all as both teams took to the pitch.
• Madam Hooch started the match, and Harry and Cedric climbed high to search for the Golden Snitch.
• Harry noticed that Cedric's Nimbus 2000 and One was slower than his Firebolt.

Harry used a Wronski Feint to shake Cedric during the Quidditch match, then spotted the Golden Snitch and raced after it. Cedric gave chase, but Harry’s Firebolt kept him ahead.

• Harry dived toward the ground with Cedric following, then pulled up at the last moment and performed a Wronski Feint.
• Lee Jordan announced Harry’s move as the students and professors watched in amazement.
• Cho Chang admired Harry’s flying, while Cedric, Draco, and Terence recognized how risky the maneuver was.
• Harry spotted the Golden Snitch and accelerated toward it, with Cedric reacting a moment later and pursuing him.
• Cedric’s greater experience and physical strength showed in his flying, but Harry’s Firebolt kept him ahead.