Chapter Summaries

Harry and the Weasleys arrived at their spacious ancestral manor, where they reunited with Dobby and met a second house-elf. The family prepared to explore and settle into their new home.

• Harry and Ron arrived by Portkey, and Ginny fell into Harry's arms before Ron teased her and she kicked him in the shin.
• Mr. Weasley showed the family the untidy grounds and elegant white manor, while Ron marveled at the Weasley family's ancestral wealth.
• Mr. Weasley avoided Ron's question about how the family had lost its wealth, and the family continued toward the house.
• Dobby welcomed the family at the entrance and introduced a young house-elf he had found to serve them.

Harry and his friends discovered that the fugitive Sirius Black was the handsome man in Harry’s family photo, a close friend of Harry’s parents. After Hermione read that Black had been repeating that someone was at Hogwarts, Neville suspected Black was coming after Harry.

• Harry asked Dobby to bring him a Daily Prophet so he could examine Sirius Black’s picture.
• Harry retrieved his photo album from his trunk and found a group photograph of himself, his parents, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin.
• Harry and his friends compared the photograph with the newspaper and recognized the disheveled fugitive as the same Sirius Black.
• Hermione read that Black had gone mad before escaping and repeatedly said, “He’s at Hogwarts, he’s at Hogwarts.”
• Neville told Harry that Sirius Black was probably coming after him.

Harry, Ron, and Neville discussed their shopping plans and what Ron could afford before Harry, Hermione, Neville, and the Weasleys traveled safely to Diagon Alley. The group began its school-year shopping at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.

• Harry, Ron, and Neville weighed whether the Weasley twins could afford to buy Ron a new broomstick.
• Harry suggested Ron could use Harry’s spare Nimbus 2000, and the boys guessed Hermione would buy an owl rather than a toad.
• Ron said he planned to take Scabbers to the Pet Hospital because the rat had seemed listless.
• Neville assured Hermione that he would not buy a toad when she asked for his advice about choosing a pet.
• Harry, Hermione, Neville, and the Weasley family arrived safely in Diagon Alley and went together to Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley visited the Magical Menagerie, where Ron sought help for Scabbers and Hermione looked over the animals. When a large ginger cat attacked Scabbers, the rat fled the shop and Ron chased after him.

• The Weasley twins gave Ron five Galleons after he missed out on buying a broomstick.
• Harry noticed Ginny had disappeared, and Hermione said she had gone back to find Percy and buy a book.
• Ron asked the shop assistant to examine Scabbers, who she said was unusually old but had been well cared for.
• The shop assistant offered Ron Rat-Strengthening Potion for five Knuts, and Mrs. Weasley prepared to pay.
• A large ginger cat named Crookshanks lunged at Scabbers, who escaped through the doorway, and Ron ran after him.

Harry considered Hermione’s new cat and the rising reward for Sirius Black as the summer holiday neared its end. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord bought a rare object from Borgin and Burkes, leaving Caractacus Burke worried about what might happen next.

• Mr. Weasley took Hermione and Neville home after they finished shopping, while Ron complained that Crookshanks had nearly eaten Scabbers.
• Harry saw that the reward for Sirius Black had risen to three thousand Galleons and learned from Mr. Weasley that the Ministry had no leads.
• Harry privately criticized Hermione’s clothes and her choice of Crookshanks, though he kept his opinions to himself.
• The Dark Lord visited Borgin and Burkes in disguise and asked Caractacus Burke for a rare object he had acquired about a year earlier.
• The Dark Lord paid fifty Galleons for the object, and Burke wondered whether he should lie low in case it caused trouble.

Dumbledore visited Weasley Manor, then took Harry to Budleigh Babberton after dinner. He told Harry that Severus still had not woken up, leaving his reason for bringing Harry there unresolved.

• Dumbledore arrived at Weasley Manor and joined the Weasleys and Harry for dinner.
• After dinner, Dumbledore promised Mrs. Weasley he would bring Harry back before half past ten and took him away by Apparition.
• Harry tried to steer Dumbledore away from an embarrassing memory by asking about the rules for Apparition and where they had gone.
• Dumbledore told Harry they were in Budleigh Babberton, then said Severus still had not woken up.

Dumbledore brought Harry to visit the reluctant Horace Slughorn, a renowned Potions Master, and Slughorn let them into his home after recognizing Harry. The chapter ended with Harry observing Slughorn's home and comparing his potions work to Snape's.

• Dumbledore and Harry arrived at Horace Slughorn's home, where Slughorn delayed answering the door and complained that they had brought no pie.
• Dumbledore introduced Harry to Slughorn as a celebrated Potions Master, and Harry politely greeted him.
• Slughorn recognized Harry Potter and remarked on his resemblance to Lily Evans and his father.
• Slughorn invited Harry and Dumbledore inside, admitting he might not have welcomed Dumbledore without Harry.
• Harry compared Slughorn's potions work with Snape's and recalled how few students dared ask Snape for help.

Harry and his friends boarded the Hogwarts Express amid the excitement of returning to school, while Harry remained uneasy about the Weasleys’ warnings concerning Sirius Black. Neville found a compartment occupied by an unfamiliar, shabby wizard, and Ron asked Hermione who he was.

• Mrs. Weasley made Harry promise not to look for Sirius Black, but Harry remained puzzled by the Weasleys’ secrecy.
• Harry and Ron boarded late and joined Ginny and her friends, who were eager to spend time with Harry.
• Harry spotted Cho Chang but received no invitation to join her compartment.
• Neville led Harry and the others to a compartment where a seemingly young, gray-haired wizard was sleeping.
• Ron quietly asked Hermione who the unfamiliar wizard was.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville discussed why the Weasleys feared Harry might seek out Sirius Black, then turned to their plans for the coming school year. They left the subject unresolved as the train sped through the rain and they considered their electives, especially Divination.

• Harry argued that dangerous trouble had always found him, even though he had not gone looking for it.
• Neville suggested that the Weasleys feared Harry might seek Sirius Black because of Sirius's friendship with Harry's parents, and Hermione agreed.
• Hermione told Harry not to seek out Sirius and said Hogwarts would keep him safe, while Ron doubted that safety based on their past experiences.
• As the train gathered speed in the rain, the four friends shifted their conversation to the coming school year and their electives.
• Harry wondered whether Divination could help him understand his unreliable visions and considered whether Dumbledore might also be able to foresee events.

The Hogwarts Express stopped abruptly, and Harry and the other students investigated as the lights went out. Harry caught Ginny when she stumbled into him, and Professor Lupin emerged to calm the students, leaving the cause of the stop unknown.

• Harry and the others noticed the Hogwarts Express slowing down, then watched it stop completely.
• Harry and Neville went to investigate as the carriage lights went out and students illuminated the corridor with Lumos.
• Ginny ran into Harry and he caught her; she blushed and moved away after asking what had happened.
• Professor Lupin came out of his compartment, cast a powerful Lumos, and told everyone to return to their compartments and sit down.

Harry killed a Dementor instantly with the Left Hand of Chaos and Calamity, leaving Lupin stunned by Harry’s power. Harry realized the hand strongly damaged evil creatures, and another thought surfaced as he prepared to use the Patronus Charm.

• Harry’s Left Hand of Chaos and Calamity killed the Dementor and left behind a Dementor Finger Bone.
• Lupin recognized the bone and marveled that Harry had killed the Dementor without using a Patronus Charm.
• Harry realized the Left Hand could suppress and damage evil creatures, as it had broken invisibility magic and blocked simple spells before.
• Harry recalled that he had only mastered a weak, shield-like Patronus Charm and raised his wand to use it.
• A thought suddenly surfaced in Harry’s mind as he was about to cast the Patronus Charm.

Harry hesitated to tell Hermione how he had destroyed a Dementor, but Ron suddenly began convulsing. As the group tried to help Ron, Crookshanks climbed onto his chest and unexpectedly showed him affection.

• Hermione pulled Harry into their compartment and urgently asked how he had destroyed the Dementor.
• Ron convulsed and collapsed, leaving Harry, Hermione, and the others struggling to hold him still.
• Crookshanks jumped onto Ron's chest, and Hermione feared he was trying to reach Scabbers in Ron's enchanted pouch.
• Crookshanks rubbed Ron's chin and meowed affectionately, astonishing Hermione and Ginny.

Harry and his friends traveled to Hogwarts, where Ron woke from a strange episode with unsettling thoughts about Harry. The chapter ended with Ron denying that he could be attracted to boys while noticing that Harry matched the sort of person he liked.

• Lupin left the compartment, and Crookshanks briefly stopped Ron’s convulsions by lying on his chest before losing interest in him.
• Oliver Wood told Harry that Gryffindor’s Quidditch team would begin intensive training in the first week of term.
• Ron woke exhausted and could not remember what had happened, so Hermione suggested Madam Pomfrey examine him at school.
• Ron recalled a strange dream in which Harry had been central to everything and wondered if he might be attracted to him.
• Ron insisted to himself that he liked girls, then realized Harry also had long hair, big eyes, and fair skin.

Hogwarts students returned for the new school year and spent the days before classes discussing their professors, Sirius Black, and the Dementors. Harry learned that Remus Lupin had been close to his parents and Sirius, but the Lupin in his old photographs looked very different from the professor at Hogwarts.

• The Weasley twins used Dobby's help and their family connections to expand their joke-product business while most students prepared for the year.
• At the Welcome Feast, Harry learned that Rubeus Hagrid was the new Care of Magical Creatures professor and was glad he had chosen Hagrid's class.
• Harry found that his three electives did not conflict with one another, while Hermione had chosen five subjects despite overlapping timetables and brushed off his questions.
• Harry recognized Remus Lupin's name from a group photograph in his Photo Album and saw that Lupin had been close to his father and Sirius Black.
• Harry noticed that the young Lupin in the photographs looked very different from the professor now at Hogwarts.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron visited Hagrid to check on his preparations for teaching Care of Magical Creatures and learned that he had planned lessons featuring several dangerous beasts. The chapter ended with Hagrid's list reaching Graphorns for sixth year.

• Hermione persuaded Harry and Ron to visit Hagrid's Hut and check on his lesson preparations.
• Harry noticed that Ron had recovered his usual mood after secretly watching the older girls in the Common Room.
• Hagrid explained that he had prepared lessons for five different years and described Hippogriffs for third year.
• Hagrid planned to teach fourth-years about Kelpies, including the creature behind the Muggle legend of the Loch Ness Monster.
• Hagrid chose Fire Crabs for fifth year and Graphorns for sixth year, and Harry and his friends recognized the dangers posed by the creatures.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione attended their first Divination lesson with Professor Sybill Trelawney in the North Tower. Harry found Trelawney’s mystical manner unconvincing, but sat down with Ron and Hermione as the lesson began.

• Hermione had led Harry, Ron, and Neville to the Divination Classroom before the school year’s lessons began.
• Harry and Ron arrived late, and Hermione glared at them as they entered the classroom.
• Harry observed the cramped, stuffy classroom and the strange objects lining its shelves.
• Professor Sybill Trelawney introduced herself as a Seer and said she rarely appeared around the Castle.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together at a small table.

Harry was frightened when Professor Trelawney predicted that the Grim haunted him, but Professor McGonagall reassured him that Trelawney’s yearly death predictions had never come true. The students left Transfiguration calmer, though Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil remained worried about their own predictions.

• Professor Trelawney dismissed Hermione’s ability, warned Ron of bad luck, unsettled Neville, and read the Grim in Harry’s tea leaves.
• Harry connected the Grim with the black dog rumored to have appeared near Privet Drive and worried that Sirius Black might be coming for him.
• Professor McGonagall discussed Animagi in Transfiguration, and Harry worried that the lesson might expose the transformation he had learned over the summer.
• After Hermione described the Divination lesson, Professor McGonagall explained that Trelawney had predicted a student’s death every year without anyone dying.
• Professor McGonagall assured Harry that he appeared healthy and would not die, easing his fears, while Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil remained concerned about their predictions.

Ron and Hermione argued over Divination and wizarding traditions, while Harry noticed Draco acting unusually wary of him at Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class. The chapter left Harry wondering whether Draco’s behavior was connected to Harry killing a Dementor on the train.

• Ron called Hermione ignorant and criticized her for rejecting wizarding traditions, and Hermione argued that Divination was rubbish before leaving.
• Harry suggested Ron apologize, but Ron refused, and Neville noticed Hermione had claimed to take Arithmancy despite not attending it that morning.
• Harry, Ron, and Neville went to Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class, where Ron and Hermione continued to avoid speaking to each other.
• Harry saw Draco with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, and noticed Draco avert his gaze instead of provoking him.
• Harry wondered whether Draco was acting strangely because Harry had killed a Dementor on the train.

Hagrid taught the students about Fantastic Beasts, bringing twenty-four Hippogriffs to fly over the class before two landed nearby. The lesson continued with questions about Hippogriffs, and the chapter ended as Hagrid waited for an answer to a difficult comparison question.

• Hagrid blew a silent whistle, and twenty-four Hippogriffs flew over the students before most departed for the Forbidden Forest.
• Two Hippogriffs landed beside Hagrid, thrilling the class as the students saw how large they were.
• Mandy Brocklehurst identified the creatures as Hippogriffs, earning Ravenclaw two points.
• Hagrid explained Hippogriffs and asked the students to distinguish them from Hippogriffs and Cockatrices.
• Harry, Ron, and Neville hesitated while Hermione and Ron were having a minor disagreement, leaving Hagrid briefly flustered.

During Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures lesson, several students rode Hippogriffs, encouraging others to try. Draco approached one without showing proper respect, and it reared up with its talons poised above him.

• Hagrid explained how to approach a Hippogriff, and Seamus followed the instructions before riding Buckbeak.
• Hagrid let Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil take turns riding Hippogriffs after Hermione signaled her approval.
• Draco decided the Hippogriffs were harmless and approached Fidebabi without respecting it.
• Fidebabi reared up and raised its sharp talons over Draco.