Chapter Summaries

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.

Krum, Corvinus, Meng, and Shen Yalan reached the Merpeople Village and rescued their assigned treasures as they raced to the surface. Meng's killer whale form carried Corvinus and the two rescued siblings ahead, while Shen Yalan followed and they began catching up to Yi Qianqian.

• Krum arrived at the village and started cutting through Hermione's cage while Corvinus freed his brother and prepared to leave Hermione behind.
• Shen Yalan reached the village, used a Water Blade to open her treasure's cage, and took the lead among the Champions still there.
• Meng transformed into a killer whale, and Corvinus secured the rescued siblings before climbing onto her back.
• Meng sped toward the surface with Corvinus and the siblings, while Shen Yalan followed using her Arrow-Shaped Water Shield.
• Meng and Shen Yalan caught up with Yi Qianqian, whose progress was slowed by bringing Cedric along.

Harry and Ron reached the finish line ahead of Meng and Corvinus, then watched the other champions return from the lake. The Beauxbatons pair fought off Grindylows and entered the Merpeople Village as Horton neared the finish, while several champions were still behind.

• Harry spotted Meng and Corvinus catching up, sped up, and reached the finish line before them with Ron and Qiu.
• Meng asked how Harry had pulled ahead, and Harry teased her about being slow.
• Harry watched the Beauxbatons pair fighting Grindylows, then tried to convince Qiu he had only been judging their defensive skills.
• Shen Yalan returned ahead of Yi Qianqian, while Horton reached shore just before Krum, who had rescued Hermione.
• The Beauxbatons pair fought off the Grindylows, entered the Merpeople Village, and quickly identified the treasures they needed to rescue.

After the Third Task, Ron remained at the top of the standings while the Champions prepared for a six-week break before the next task. The morning after the full moon, Harry, Ron, and Hermione visited Lupin and found Professor Moody with him.

• Ron kept first place with 158 points, while Elizabeth, Ryan Moning Meng, and Harry followed in the standings.
• Markov Horton climbed to ninth, while Lei Kaiming and Jean Gardner fell to tenth and eleventh, and Carlos Blanco remained last.
• The Champions learned that the next task would not take place until six weeks later and would involve no clues to research.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione met before dawn on March 16 to visit Lupin after the full moon.
• Harry remained puzzled by Lupin’s improving recovery and suspected Sirius knew the reason, though Sirius denied it.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts office and found Lupin and the watchful Professor Moody there.

Lupin discovered that he had completed purification and become a true werewolf, leaving him shaken despite his friends’ reassurance. Harry suspected Sirius had somehow caused the change, but the mystery remained unresolved as Hogwarts settled into a quieter month.

• Lupin told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that he had transformed into a true werewolf and could change at will without losing his reason.
• Moody explained that Lupin’s symptoms had been easing for months and said the purification was a good thing.
• Lupin asked to be left alone, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione departed.
• Hermione eagerly discussed what she had learned about purification, while Harry wondered whether Sirius was responsible for Lupin’s change.
• Harry, Ron, and the others returned to breakfast and classes, and Hogwarts remained peaceful over the following month.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione discovered that a tabloid had turned Hermione’s supposed romances with Krum and Corvinus into a fabricated serial, though Hermione noticed it contained private details no one nearby should have heard. Harry then asked Hermione and Lavender whether they knew anything about the approaching fourth task, leaving them waiting for their answer.

• Harry learned from Megan Jones that a tabloid had published a story about Hermione, Krum, and Corvinus, and Hermione read a copy.
• Hermione pointed out that the tabloid accurately reported Corvinus’s ball invitation and Krum’s offer to invite her to his Quidditch club, though Harry, Ron, and Lavender had not heard Krum’s invitation.
• Ron got excited about the prospect of visiting Krum’s club, but Hermione said she had turned the invitation down and kicked Ron when he kept grumbling.
• Hermione questioned how the writer, who called himself Gliding Black Knight, had learned details spoken when no one else was nearby.
• Harry changed the subject and asked Hermione and Lavender whether they had any clues about the fourth task, and Ron turned to hear their answer.