Chapter Summaries

Harry and Cedric battled for the Golden Snitch until Harry spotted the Grim in the stands and lost focus. A swarm of Dementors then attacked the Seekers, leaving Cedric unconscious and hanging dangerously from his broom.

• Harry and Cedric raced neck and neck after the Golden Snitch, jostling each other as it repeatedly dodged their grasp.
• Harry saw a large black dog in the stands and briefly froze, allowing Cedric to pull ahead.
• Harry spotted more than a hundred Dementors in their path as a chilling silence fell over the pitch.
• Several Dementors swooped at the Seekers, and Cedric stiffened and fell from his broom.
• Cedric's feet caught on the broom's hooks, keeping him from falling immediately, while Dementors continued to surround his unconscious body.

Harry thanked Cedric for his help during the match and learned that the Dementors had triggered memories of Cedric’s mother’s death. At Gryffindor’s celebration, Harry heard that Dumbledore had driven the Dementors away and began wondering whether he could capture one to study.

• Harry thanked Cedric for helping him during the match, then asked why Cedric had passed out near the Dementors.
• Cedric explained that their presence had brought back memories of his mother’s fatal magical experiment, and Harry apologized for bringing up the painful subject.
• After the players recovered in the Hospital Wing, Harry returned to the Gryffindor Common Room for the team’s celebration.
• Harry heard that Dumbledore had threatened the Dementors after they protested his powerful Patronus, and they stayed away from Hogwarts Castle’s grounds.
• Harry wondered how Dementors communicated and considered capturing one to study, though he did not want to openly oppose the Ministry of Magic.

Ravenclaw crushed Slytherin 390–60, leaving Gryffindor’s team alarmed by the strength of Ravenclaw’s new Chasers and Beaters. After the match, Gryffindor’s players debated whether Ravenclaw’s performance came from skill, luck, or both.

• Ravenclaw defeated Slytherin by 330 points, with Cho Chang catching the Golden Snitch before Draco.
• Angelina admitted Ravenclaw’s Chasers were stronger than she had expected.
• The Twins praised Ravenclaw’s Beaters for disrupting Slytherin’s formations with well-timed Bludger hits.
• Hermione said calculating every Bludger’s path was impossible, while Ron observed that the Bludgers had seemed normal.
• Oliver and Seamus wondered whether Ravenclaw had simply been unusually lucky.

Harry went to Hogsmeade with Ron, Hermione, and Neville, hoping to visit the Three Broomsticks and see Cho Chang, but found the pub closed. As the Ravenclaw students left to celebrate elsewhere, Harry spotted Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.

• Harry insisted on going to Hogsmeade despite Ron's worries about the Grim and Dementors.
• Harry hurried Ron, Hermione, and Neville toward the Three Broomsticks, hoping to see Cho Chang and enjoy its drinks.
• Harry found the Three Broomsticks closed and saw Cho Chang among the disappointed Ravenclaw students outside.
• Ron recognized Cornelius Fudge, and Harry remembered him as the Minister for Magic from the Daily Prophet.

Harry returned to Hogwarts after failing to find the Ravenclaws’ gathering and overhearing that Fudge planned to visit Slughorn again. After several peaceful days, he watched Ravenclaw face Hufflepuff in a Quidditch match that proved more competitive than expected.

• Harry failed to find where the Ravenclaws were gathering and continued to hesitate over confessing his feelings to Cho Chang.
• Harry and his friends overheard Fudge tell Slughorn that he would return on the twelfth of the next month, while Madam Rosmerta refused to close the Three Broomsticks again.
• Harry told Ron he wanted to use the Invisibility Cloak to eavesdrop on Fudge, then showed him how to pick a simple lock.
• Harry watched Ravenclaw’s Chasers dominate Hufflepuff during their Quidditch match.
• Cedric caught the Golden Snitch before Cho Chang, but Cho’s strong flying made his victory hard-earned.

Fred and George showed Harry and Ron the Marauder's Map, a magical parchment that displayed Hogwarts and everyone inside it. Harry recognized Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs as names connected to the Marauders' Notebook and wondered whether Wormtail had been its unknown fourth author.

• Fred and George teased Harry about finally asking for their pranking secret and warned Ron to mind his manners by threatening his pocket money.
• The twins explained that they had stolen something from Filch's office after being caught during their first year.
• Fred and George tapped the parchment and activated it with the words, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
• Harry examined the Marauder's Map and saw that it showed Hogwarts's layout, changing corridors, and the people inside the castle.
• Harry recognized Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs from the Marauders' Notebook and wondered whether Wormtail was its mysterious fourth author.

Gryffindor celebrated its Quidditch victories but found itself trailing Ravenclaw in the standings by 110 points. The chapter left Gryffindor needing to win both upcoming matches against Ravenclaw to control its chances of claiming the Cup.

• The rain stopped, and students across Hogwarts welcomed the clear weather as Gryffindor celebrated beating Slytherin.
• Slytherin players accepted using Muggle-made heat patches because they needed them to compete in the rain.
• Gryffindor beat Slytherin by 190 points, adding to its earlier 300-point victory over Hufflepuff.
• Ravenclaw's two large victories gave it a 600-point difference, putting it 110 points ahead of Gryffindor.
• Gryffindor recognized that it needed to win both matches against Ravenclaw before Easter to secure the Quidditch Cup.

Ron searched for Scabbers after noticing that his rat had been missing for over a week, then accused Hermione’s cat, Crookshanks, of eating him. The argument left Ron and Hermione refusing to speak to each other as Harry and Neville prepared for the Hogsmeade visit.

• With the season’s matches over, Hermione made Harry and Neville finish most of their homework before they went to Hogsmeade.
• Ron realized Scabbers had been missing for more than a week and had not touched the food and water he left out.
• Ron searched the dormitory and found a ginger hair beneath his bed that matched Crookshanks’s fur.
• Ron accused Crookshanks of eating Scabbers, while Hermione insisted her cat obeyed her instructions not to attack other students’ pets.
• Ron and Hermione argued and stopped speaking to each other; Harry thought it unlikely that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers.

Harry, Ron, and Neville ran into Cedric outside the Three Broomsticks and learned he was mailing a letter to a foreign pen pal. Cedric revealed that she was a student at Nanyang Magic Academy in Singapore, while insisting they were only friends.

• Hermione left Harry, Ron, and Neville to visit a bookshop in Hogsmeade.
• Harry, Ron, and Neville encountered Cedric on his way to the Owl Post with a letter.
• Cedric explained that his own owl could not deliver mail outside the United Kingdom.
• Ron teased Cedric about his international pen pal, and Cedric admitted she was pretty but said they were just friends.
• Cedric told Harry, Ron, and Neville that his pen pal was from Singapore and attended Nanyang Magic Academy.

Harry overheard that Sirius Black had been his parents’ Secret Keeper and had betrayed them to Voldemort, making Harry’s parents’ deaths feel deliberate. He struggled to control his fury as he returned to Hogwarts, then told Ron and Neville what he had learned.

• Harry went invisibly to the Three Broomsticks’ second floor to eavesdrop on Hagrid, Fudge, and Professor McGonagall.
• Harry learned that Sirius Black had served as the Potters’ Secret Keeper and that Peter Pettigrew had been killed while pursuing him.
• Harry realized Black’s betrayal had led to his parents’ deaths and understood why the Weasleys had warned him not to seek Black out.
• Harry’s anger surged, but his meditation practice helped him regain control of himself.
• Harry told Ron and Neville what he had overheard.

Harry learned that Draco knew almost nothing about Black and had only mentioned what he overheard from Lucius to provoke him. After Harry eased Draco’s pain, he left with Ron and Neville, planning to ask Professor Lupin about the past during their Christmas Patronus lesson.

• Harry sensed that Draco was telling the truth and realized Draco knew little beyond a few snippets from Lucius.
• Harry cast a Pain-Relief Charm on Draco and let him leave the basement.
• Harry, Ron, and Neville left the basement and Harry considered using his Christmas lesson with Lupin to get answers.
• Harry and his friends met Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass on the stairs, and Harry concealed what had happened to Draco.
• Daphne greeted Harry, Ron, and Neville before Pansy hurried her away.

Harry spent the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts, worrying about Ron and Hermione’s falling-out and learning about the dangerous Lethifold Professor Lupin planned to use for Patronus practice. He went to train for the Ravenclaw match and found Cho Chang already flying on the Quidditch pitch.

• Harry woke to find the dormitory empty and thought about Ron’s missing rat and his quarrel with Hermione.
• Harry visited Professor Lupin’s office, found a note saying Lupin had gone to Hogsmeade, and wondered if he was collecting a Lethifold.
• Harry recalled that the Patronus Charm was the most effective way to drive off a Lethifold.
• Harry took his Firebolt to the Quidditch pitch to train for the match against Ravenclaw.
• Harry recognized Cho Chang as the person already practicing on the pitch.

Harry spent Christmas Eve with Cho Chang, sharing dinner and studying before escorting her back to Ravenclaw Tower. He then received a letter from Fred and George about preliminary talks with the Xilieikesi family, which the twins planned to attend with help from a Muggle relative.

• Harry and Cho Chang ate dinner together in the nearly empty Great Hall and discussed the Tutshill Tornados.
• Harry noticed Professor McGonagall was missing from the feast, then went with Cho to the Library to work on holiday homework.
• Harry escorted Cho back to the Ravenclaw Common Room before returning to Gryffindor Tower.
• Hedwig delivered a letter from Fred and George about their planned meeting with the Xilieikesi family at the Leaky Cauldron.
• Fred and George sought help with the talks from their mother's Muggle cousin, a stockbroker whose husband had a wizard brother.

Harry celebrated Christmas by opening presents and preparing gifts for his friends. After realizing he had forgotten Cho Chang, he copied notes on the Patronus Charm to give her and watched her head to breakfast on the Marauder's Map.

• Harry opened his Christmas presents and recalled the gifts he had chosen for his friends, including books for Hermione, robes for Professor Lupin, and wool socks for Dumbledore.
• Harry opened the Marauder's Map and saw Cho Chang unwrapping presents in Ravenclaw Tower.
• Harry realized he had forgotten to prepare a gift for Cho and decided to copy the Marauders' notes on the Patronus Charm for her.
• Harry used his Enchanted Quill to produce a neat copy of the Patronus notes.
• Harry watched Cho leave her dormitory and head toward breakfast on the Marauder's Map.

Harry gave Cho Chang notes on the Patronus Charm, and the two spent time together in the Library as he hoped to get closer to her. The chapter ended with Cho inviting Harry to practice the spell with her.

• Cho Chang was delighted when Harry gave her instructions on the Patronus Charm, which she hoped would help her feel safer around Dementors in Hogsmeade.
• Harry reassured Cho that she could give him a present the following Christmas, and she promised to choose one carefully.
• Harry and Cho went to the Library together, where Cho asked him about the Patronus Charm while he worked on his homework.
• Cho checked Harry's Charms homework and confirmed his approach was correct.
• Cho invited Harry to find somewhere to practice the Patronus Charm with her.

Harry spent the Christmas holidays happily with Cho, but Professor Lupin’s note reminded him that he had agreed to study the Corporeal Patronus. As Harry prepared to visit Lupin, he debated whether to share the secret Meditation Method with Cho, unsure whether she would keep it private.

• Harry’s time with Cho left him unusually happy and strengthened his Patronus, while making him forget his lessons with Professor Lupin.
• Professor Lupin wrote to Harry that he had prepared a Lethifold and asked whether Harry still wanted to study the Corporeal Patronus.
• Harry replied that he still wanted Lupin’s help, then invited Cho to visit Lupin with him the next morning.
• Harry explained that he had reached a bottleneck in his Patronus practice, while Cho’s own spell remained weak despite a week of practice.
• Harry considered whether to teach Cho the Meditation Method, but remembered that Hermione had respected his request to keep the method secret and wondered if Cho would do the same.

Professor Lupin coached Cho Chang in the Patronus Charm, helping her improve her casting and explaining how Dementors make the spell harder to perform. The morning ended with Harry’s mastery and willpower earning Lupin’s praise, while Harry once again forgot to study the Corporeal Patronus.

• Harry cast a strong Patronus that frightened the caged Lethifold, while Cho Chang’s spell barely affected it.
• Professor Lupin identified flaws in Cho Chang’s casting and helped her produce a brighter Patronus that could make the Lethifold react.
• Cho Chang recalled her encounter with a Dementor on the train, and Lupin explained how Dementors intensify negative emotions and hinder Patronus casting.
• Lupin praised Harry for casting an almost normally effective Patronus while surrounded by dozens of Dementors, impressing Cho Chang.
• Harry enjoyed Lupin’s praise, and the group spent the rest of the morning practicing Cho Chang’s Patronus while Harry forgot his plan to study the Corporeal Patronus.

Harry went alone to Professor Lupin’s office for an advanced Patronus lesson after Qiu returned to her dormitory to rest. Lupin explained that Harry needed an intention to protect before his Patronus could take corporeal form, leaving Harry considering whether he wanted to protect his friends.

• Qiu told Harry she was tired and went back to her dormitory, so Harry visited Professor Lupin alone.
• Harry explained that Qiu might be tired from using her Patronus repeatedly that morning.
• Professor Lupin told Harry that he understood the Patronus Charm but lacked the intention to protect needed to make his Patronus corporeal.
• Harry recalled a note in the Marauders' Notebook saying Padfoot did not know what he wanted to protect.
• Harry considered protecting his friends Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

Harry continued trying to master a Corporeal Patronus while helping Cho Chang practice the Patronus Charm and Occlumency over the Christmas holidays. The holidays ended, and Harry and Cho returned to Hogwarts as the students came back.

• Harry failed to produce a Corporeal Patronus, though he had hoped to impress Hermione when she returned.
• Cho Chang asked Harry to help her practice the Patronus Charm, and Harry suggested Occlumency to help strengthen her mental power.
• After three days of practicing Occlumency, Cho Chang felt calmer and thought her memory and thinking had improved, and she thanked Harry.
• Harry considered opening the Potter family manor to search for his ancestors' notes but decided to wait until after graduation.
• Harry and Cho Chang returned from the Quidditch Pitch and discovered that the Great Hall was filling with students returning from the Christmas holidays.

Harry and Cho Chang’s friendship fueled rumors that they were dating as Gryffindor prepared to face Ravenclaw in the first Quidditch match of term. On match day, the teams gathered on the pitch in clear weather, with Angelina Johnson standing in for Oliver Wood at the captains’ handshake.

• Cho Chang invited Harry and his friends to visit Hogsmeade with her group, saying they would feel safer with his Patronus to protect them from Dementors.
• Harry and Cho Chang walked to Hogsmeade with their friends, intensifying rumors that they were a couple.
• Oliver Wood warned Harry not to go easy on Cho Chang during the Ravenclaw match, while Angelina Johnson and Ron Weasley backed Gryffindor’s preparations.
• Ron showed off the Nimbus 2002 that the twins had given him for Christmas.
• On match day, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw came to the pitch, where Angelina Johnson took Oliver Wood’s place to shake hands with Ravenclaw captain Roger Davies.