Recaps

After a Bludger hit Harry during the Quidditch match, Madam Pomfrey treated his face while the Gryffindor players kept Lockhart from interfering. Harry’s wounds healed completely, and he remained asleep.

• Madam Hooch ended the match after Harry was struck by a Bludger, leaving Gryffindor a hundred points behind.
• The Gryffindors rushed to Harry and saw that broken fragments from his glasses had cut his face and struck his eyes.
• Lockhart tried to treat Harry, but Oliver Wood and the other Gryffindor players blocked him until Madam Pomfrey arrived.
• Madam Pomfrey checked Harry for a jinx, cast a Sleeping Charm, and removed the fragments of his glasses.
• Madam Pomfrey healed the wounds on Harry’s face, and Harry began snoring softly while still asleep.

In the Hospital Wing, Harry and his friends discussed wizards’ eyesight and wondered whether Dobby had caused the Bludger attack. Hermione explained that Hufflepuff Beater Horace Antonio had apologized, and the group concluded that his accurate shot had been deliberate play rather than another plot by Dobby.

• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville discussed which wizards wore glasses and recalled that Harry’s father had worn them in photographs.
• Hermione wondered whether Dobby had controlled the Bludger that hit Harry, but Harry said he had not seen Dobby since the basilisk was killed and had watched Horace Antonio hit the Bludger.
• Hermione told Harry that Horace had asked her to apologize for him and described his accurate hitting and Quidditch experience.
• Harry and the others agreed that Horace’s shot was skillful and that George and Fred were more agile but less experienced Beaters.

Harry became preoccupied with Cho Chang and dreamed about attending class with her before Valentine's Day. He and Ron arrived at Hogwarts's Great Hall to find it covered in magical roses, with Percy confirming the decorations were unprecedented.

• Harry thought about Cho Chang before falling asleep and dreamed that they attended class together.
• Harry woke up smiling, and Ron asked him why he seemed so cheerful.
• Harry and Ron reached the Great Hall and found it lavishly decorated with pink flowers and magical rose petals.
• Harry asked Percy whether the decorations were a Hogwarts tradition, and Percy said he had never seen them before.
• Ron tried to brush away the petals, but they turned into roses and vanished when they touched him.

On Valentine's Day in 1992, Harry received several cards at Hogwarts and enjoyed the attention while trying to act embarrassed and indifferent. The day ended with him realizing that all the cards seemed to come from younger students, while the Cupid deliveries disrupted classes and caused a record number of Potions accidents.

• Wizarding Cupids repeatedly interrupted Hogwarts classes with Valentine deliveries, distracting students and irritating professors.
• Several cauldrons exploded during Potions lessons, and Seamus and Ron laughed at the misfortune of the students involved.
• Harry received three cards, including one from Monet Heli, a Hufflepuff first-year who admired him.
• Hermione identified Monet Heli, while Ron admitted that Harry's popularity made him jealous.
• Harry enjoyed receiving the cards but pretended to be unconcerned, and he noted that they appeared to come only from first-years.

On Valentine’s Day, Harry learned that Gemma Farley had received the most love letters at Hogwarts, then turned his attention to Gryffindor’s crucial Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Gryffindor built a commanding lead, but the chapter ended while the match was still underway.

• Fred and George, with Lee Jordan, counted the Valentine’s Day cards and named Gemma Farley, Angelina Johnson, and Penelope Clearwater the three most popular girls.
• Harry returned to Quidditch training and prepared for Gryffindor’s match against Hufflepuff.
• Oliver encouraged the Gryffindor team before Madam Hooch started the match, and Harry reached the highest point before Cedric.
• Ron played Keeper for Gryffindor and stopped enough shots to help the team take a five-goal lead in the first ten minutes.
• Gryffindor supporters sang a song written by Fred and George as the match continued.

Harry outmaneuvered Cedric and caught the Golden Snitch, winning the match for Gryffindor. When a Hufflepuff player fell from the sky on a shattered broom, Harry and Madam Hooch slowed the player’s descent with Levitation Charms.

• Harry spotted the Snitch near the stands and tricked Cedric into following him upward before diving toward it.
• Harry reached the Snitch first and caught it, putting Gryffindor on the verge of victory.
• Harry noticed a Hufflepuff player falling from the sky beside a smashed broom and jumped off his Firebolt to help.
• Harry cast a Levitation Charm to slow the fall, and Madam Hooch cast another that stopped the player in midair.
• Madam Hooch praised Harry for coming to the falling player’s aid.

Professor McGonagall brought Harry to Dumbledore’s office, where he learned that Hufflepuff Beater Horace Antonio had been struck by a Jinxed Bludger during a match and remained unconscious. The staff had not yet identified who Jinxed it.

• Professor McGonagall found Harry in the Library and escorted him to Dumbledore’s office.
• Harry entered the office and saw Dumbledore, the Heads of House, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, Lockhart, and Fawkes gathered there.
• Snape silenced Lockhart after Lockhart recounted a story about a similar incident involving a Dark Wizard.
• Dumbledore told Harry that Horace Antonio had been hit by a Jinxed Bludger during the morning’s match and had not woken up.

After the Bludger attack, Professor McGonagall told Harry that Horace Antonio would remain in the Hospital Wing until at least Easter. Harry suggested investigating whether Antonio had been deliberately targeted, then realized his own grudge against Antonio could make him a suspect.

• Dumbledore concluded that the attacker had deep knowledge of Dark Magic despite using magic that did not seem especially powerful.
• Professor McGonagall told Harry that a jinx had entered Antonio’s body and that he would need to stay in the Hospital Wing until at least Easter.
• Harry asked whether Antonio had been the intended target, and Professor McGonagall began considering the possibility of an indiscriminate attack.
• Harry suggested examining the attacker’s motive if Antonio had been targeted, then stopped when he remembered Antonio had injured him in their previous match.
• Harry admitted that he himself might have a motive against Antonio, and Professor McGonagall laughed softly.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville considered who might be behind the new attacks, while Ginny secretly discussed her own dark magic with Black Ginny. Black Ginny persuaded Ginny to go to Knockturn Alley during the Easter holidays, leaving their plans uncertain.

• Neville's knowledge of Horace Antonio's Muggle background made Hermione suspect he was the new Heir of Slytherin, and Ron began to agree.
• Hermione theorized that the new heir had resumed attacking because he had only recently gained enough magical power, but Harry doubted her unsupported theory.
• Ginny asked Black Ginny whether Antonio would suffer lasting harm from her jinx, and Black Ginny said he would recover within one or two months.
• Black Ginny was pleased that Ginny had become more willing to hurt people, while Ginny was satisfied that she had punished someone who hurt Harry.
• Black Ginny proposed that they go home for Easter and visit Knockturn Alley to sell and buy things, and Ginny agreed to consider it after Black Ginny promised not to hurt anyone.

Harry considered which third-year electives to take, weighing their difficulty and usefulness against his interests. He had settled on Care of Magical Creatures but remained uncertain about Divination and Ancient Runes.

• Professor McGonagall explained the five electives and said students had to take at least two while continuing their compulsory subjects.
• Harry decided to take Care of Magical Creatures because he liked Professor Kettleburn and was fascinated by magical beasts.
• Harry ruled out Muggle Studies and Protection, while Hermione showed interest in Muggle Studies.
• Harry judged Divination to require natural talent and decided Arithmancy did not suit him because its calculations overwhelmed him.
• Harry reconsidered Ancient Runes after learning it was valuable for magical research but exceptionally difficult, with most students dropping the course.

Harry went to Knockturn Alley in disguise to find the magical death's-head hawkmoth pupae needed for the Animagus potion, after failing to make progress with the transformation. He entered the alley knowing the moths and their body parts were tied to several banned potions.

• Harry recalled that the Animagus transformation could improve his Transfiguration and decided to pursue it after Ron surpassed him in the subject.
• Harry concluded that he had enough magic to attempt the transformation but needed a death's-head hawkmoth pupa for the potion.
• Harry disguised himself with a black cloak and mask and entered Knockturn Alley to seek the ingredient.
• Harry considered that magical death's-head hawkmoths were scarce and that their eyes, blood, and wing scales were used in banned potions.

Harry visited a Knockturn Alley shop under a disguised voice to buy rare magical death's-head hawkmoth pupae. He paid a deposit and planned to return in a week to collect them.

• Harry entered the shop and met its owner, a tall man who offered access to hard-to-find goods.
• Harry asked for two portions of magical death's-head hawkmoth pupae, and the owner offered to obtain three for five Galleons.
• Harry accepted the price and agreed to wait a week while the pupae were brought through other channels.
• Harry left a Galleon as a deposit and said he would return to collect the pupae.

Harry, Fred, and George counted the profits from selling their joke products to Zonko’s and discussed how to grow their business. With the Magic Quill finished, their work easier, and a steady income ahead, Harry imagined his future and wondered about finding a girlfriend.

• Harry was surprised by the large Gringotts cheque the twins brought back from Zonko’s, and he calculated that their net earnings exceeded eight hundred Galleons before the unsold potions were counted.
• Fred and George celebrated the profit and urged everyone to prepare materials for another production batch.
• Harry advised Fred and George to prioritize developing new joke products while they worked on finding a sales channel for their potions.
• Harry said he would ask his uncle for business advice during the summer holidays.
• Harry reflected on his brighter prospects, imagined reopening the Potter family home with a Quidditch pitch, and realized he had not yet found a girlfriend.

Black Ginny explained that she planned to use banned items to sever her and Ginny’s connection to the Diary. She intended to target the Acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest, and the chapter left her preparing for the dangerous plan.

• Black Ginny showed Ginny the banned items she had bought, including a Wizard’s Egg, and said she wanted to try something.
• Black Ginny brought up Ron’s fear of spiders and told Ginny that Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest had eaten people in a nearby Muggle town.
• Black Ginny said she planned to kill the pure-blood Acromantula and as many of the colony’s half-blood spiders as she could, reducing the danger to Ron, Harry, and other students.
• Black Ginny explained that she wanted to sever her and Ginny’s connection to the Diary, since damage to it would injure them both, and said the banned items would help her do so.

Harry secretly began another attempt at becoming an Animagus by keeping a Mandrake leaf in his mouth, while Ginny, controlled by another presence, slipped out of the Castle and headed into the Forbidden Forest. The chapter ended with Black Ginny taking human form inside the forest.

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione resumed studying after the Easter holidays as students discussed the Quidditch Cup and House Cup races.
• Harry explained that he had swallowed his first Mandrake leaf during the holidays and had to wait for the next full moon to try again.
• Harry secretly left the Common Room under invisibility to begin his Animagus attempt with a new Mandrake leaf.
• Black Ginny used the Disillusionment Charm to leave the Castle, transformed into black smoke, and sped toward the Forbidden Forest.
• Black Ginny entered the Forbidden Forest and took human form.

Black Ginny attacked the giant spiders in their nest and subdued the blind Aragog. She produced a rune-covered egg from a magical storage item, leaving its purpose unclear.

• Black Ginny recognized the spiders’ nest and watched Aragog emerge to ask what had happened.
• After the spiders charged at her, Black Ginny used a black whirlwind to shred dozens of them.
• Black Ginny transformed into fiery black smoke and burned more than fifty spiders to ash as the rest fled.
• Black Ginny struck Aragog from above, flattened him against the ground, and mocked how feeble he had become.
• Black Ginny pulled a basketball-sized egg covered in blood-colored runes from inside her clothes.

Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw in a brief Quidditch match, putting the Quidditch Cup nearly out of reach for the other Houses. As Ravenclaw faced Hufflepuff and Dumbledore left Hogwarts for a farewell reception, Ginny reacted with alarm to learning he was away and hurried off.

• Harry caught the Golden Snitch ahead of Cho Chang, giving Gryffindor its fourth win and leaving Ravenclaw out of the Cup race.
• Hufflepuff prepared to face Ravenclaw, hoping to score enough points to keep its Cup chances alive.
• Dumbledore traveled to London to attend the farewell reception for the visiting United States delegation.
• Ginny heard that Dumbledore was absent, became flustered, and hurried away before finishing breakfast.
• The girls turned their attention to the match between Cedric Diggory and Roger Davies.

A monstrous spider-woman burst through the wall beside the Quidditch Pitch during the match, terrifying the spectators and staff. Luna collapsed in the Ravenclaw stands, and the chapter ended as the creature stood revealed.

• Cho Chang spotted something near the Forbidden Forest, and Cedric Diggory turned and cried out that a monster was there.
• A powerful force smashed through the wall beside the pitch, damaging the Ravenclaw stands and sending spectators into panic.
• Sprout, Snape, and Flitwick reacted as a huge, frightening silhouette emerged through the dust.
• The monster was revealed as a towering creature with a spider’s lower body and a beautiful, horned woman’s upper body, along with pincers, wings, and writhing tentacles.
• Luna cried out, trembled, and crouched on the ground clutching her head.

Snape fought a bizarre monster at the Quidditch Pitch, discovering that it could recover quickly from Dark Magic and withstand powerful spells. As the students remained incapacitated and staff tried to evacuate them, Snape continued battling the creature alone.

• Snape realized that Sectumsempra's wounds had healed within moments and that the monster was difficult to handle without help.
• The monster charged Snape and cracked his Protego Totalum shield with its pincers.
• Snape dodged the next attack and blasted the monster through a wall with a Stunning Spell, but it remained conscious.
• The monster trapped Snape in a spiderweb, which he burned away with green flames.
• Professor Sprout returned and saw Snape caught, while Snape told her to protect and evacuate the students.
• Snape rolled clear of the monster's pincers and fired another Sectumsempra.

Professor McGonagall arrived at the Quidditch pitch and attacked the monster, but it healed rapidly and resisted her spells. As house-elves evacuated the students, the other Heads of House took positions around the creature, and Flitwick asked McGonagall whether she could handle it.

• Professor McGonagall flew to the pitch with enormous wings and impaled the monster with stone spikes, but it absorbed the stone and healed its wounds.
• Professor McGonagall ordered Bickley to summon the house-elves and evacuate the students while she transformed the monster's green spray into hornets that flew back at it.
• The monster swallowed the hornets and spat corrosive black venom, which Professor McGonagall blocked with a shield transfigured from a chair.
• Harry and Neville refused evacuation, while a house-elf took Ron and Hermione back to the Castle.
• Professor Flitwick returned to the stands and asked Professor McGonagall if she could manage the monster as Professor Sprout and the other Heads of House surrounded it.

Harry watched the professors battle a monster that rapidly healed from their attacks. While Snape searched for the source of its summoning, Neville explained the dark magic behind Snape’s destroyed Smoke Sparrow, and Flitwick prepared a stronger spell.

• McGonagall changed tactics after the monster recovered from her injuries and sent Snape to find and destroy the ritual site.
• Harry asked Neville why Snape was running instead of using the black-smoke spell, and Neville explained that the Smoke Sparrow had been destroyed by the monster.
• Neville told Harry that creating a Smoke Sparrow required a difficult spell and a sacrifice, which could be either an intelligent fantastic beast or a person.
• Flitwick began preparing a longer, more powerful spell as McGonagall and Sprout kept the monster occupied.

Harry and Neville realized that their Occlumency and Meditation practice had helped them withstand the monster’s soul attack, while Professor Flitwick’s Lightning Storm had blasted the grounds. When the dust cleared, the monster had vanished, and Professor McGonagall flew down to inspect the crater.

• Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout praised Professor Flitwick for controlling ninety-nine lightning bolts.
• Harry and Neville wondered why they alone remained conscious and suspected their Occlumency and Meditation Method had protected them from the monster’s soul attack.
• Harry recalled that Neville’s Soul Projection was unusually advanced and concluded his own soul was likely stronger than Neville’s.
• The lightning storm left a scorched crater and a deep hole, but the monster was nowhere to be seen.
• Professor McGonagall transformed her robes into wings and flew over the hole to investigate.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick discovered that the monster adapted to their magic, while Snape followed its trail into the Forbidden Forest. Snape confronted Hagrid on the way and continued deeper into the forest, leaving Hagrid behind, shaken by his warning.

• Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick found that their attacks wounded the monster less and less as it rapidly healed and adapted.
• Snape followed the monster's trail through the Forbidden Forest and saw that its passage had killed trees and ruined shrubs.
• Snape caught up with Hagrid, who was heading deeper into the forest with a crossbow.
• Snape accused Hagrid of hiding something and warned that he could use Legilimency to read his memories.
• Snape warned Hagrid that a serious incident had happened at Hogwarts and that he could end up in Azkaban if it involved him, then continued into the forest.

Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall devised a way to exploit the monster’s weaker resistance to physical attacks. As the Thorn Vines wrapped around it, McGonagall transformed them into metal, leaving Harry and Neville to watch the professors’ plan unfold.

• Professor Sprout judged that the monster’s evil-god protection made it resistant to magic but less resistant to physical attacks, and suggested using plants against it.
• Harry and Neville watched as the monster devoured Professor McGonagall’s Fire Elemental Giant and grew flaming wings.
• Professor Sprout summoned Thorn Vines, which failed to pierce the monster and began to buckle as it struggled.
• Professor McGonagall used advanced Transfiguration to thicken the Thorn Vines and turn them metallic.

Snape discovered that Hagrid had been sheltering Aragog and an entire Acromantula colony, then found a long red hair caught on a tree. On the Quidditch pitch, the monster dissolved through Sprout’s Thorn Vines and fell to the ground as a bloody mass.

• Hagrid called for Aragog, and Snape confronted him about what he knew of the monster.
• Hagrid admitted that Aragog and his Acromantula colony had been staying in the hollow after the Wolf Demon destroyed their nest.
• Snape warned Hagrid that keeping Acromantulas was dangerous and could send him to Azkaban, then searched the area for signs of a ritual.
• Snape found a long, fiery-red hair hanging from a small tree.
• Professor Sprout noticed the monster corroding through the metalized Thorn Vines, and it fell to the ground as a bloody puddle while Harry and Neville retched.