Chapter Summaries

Harry and the Weasley children left Hogwarts for the holidays, but Mrs. Weasley was absent, so Sirius and the others took them to the Black Mansion before bringing them to St. Mungo's to see Arthur. On the drive, Lupin explained that the morning's Daily Prophet had reported something that made them avoid Floo Powder.

• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lavender boarded the Hogwarts Express, and Hermione said she would spend Christmas with her parents and Jacob.
• Sirius, Lupin, Moody, and members of Phoenix House collected Harry and the Weasley children and took them to the Black Mansion instead of Weasley Manor.
• Lupin reassured Ron, Ginny, and the others that they would visit Arthur at St. Mungo's after lunch.
• Sirius drove the group to St. Mungo's, and Lupin said they had missed the Daily Prophet report that explained why they were not using Floo Powder.

Harry learned that Mr. Weasley's wounds were healing slowly because of the Demon Serpent's unusual venom, while Mr. Weasley and trainee healer Augustus Pye had tried stitches as a Muggle method. Healer Smethwyck said the venom had mostly been removed and Mr. Weasley should recover within a day, and Mrs. Weasley told Harry and the others that Neville was upstairs.

• Mr. Weasley and Augustus Pye tried stitching his wounds, but the method made little difference.
• Harry explained that the Demon Serpent's magic or venom likely caused the slow healing and that stitches would not resolve it.
• Mrs. Weasley scolded Mr. Weasley, and Healer Smethwyck examined his wounds.
• Healer Smethwyck said the venom was unusual but that Mr. Weasley's magic would expel what remained within a day.
• Mrs. Weasley told Harry and the others that Neville was upstairs, where they could visit him.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny visited Gilderoy Lockhart in the hospital and found him writing a new book despite his worsening condition. Their visit was interrupted by Gladys, whose tea made all three of them frown.

• Harry, Ron, and Ginny visited Lockhart and found him writing a manuscript called A Year at Hogwarts.
• Lockhart told them that other students had visited and said his time at Hogwarts had inspired his new book.
• Gladys entered carrying a teapot and Lockhart introduced her as his guest.
• Gladys poured tea, and Harry, Ron, and Ginny all frowned at what was in the cup.

Harry spoke with Lockhart, who warned him about a dangerous statue and hinted that a surprise might come in the second half of the school year. During the peaceful Christmas holidays, Mr. Weasley left the hospital and was ordered to recover at home before returning to work.

• Lockhart revealed that his soul was separating from his dying body and said he could sense that Harry had encountered multiple deities.
• Lockhart asked whether Harry had obtained a strange statue, but Harry hid his reaction with Occlumency and denied knowing what Lockhart meant.
• Lockhart warned Harry that the statue could help him but was extremely dangerous, then mentioned a possible surprise later in the school year.
• Harry left the ward and told Ron that Lockhart had talked rubbish, letting Ron assume the conversation concerned book signings.
• Mr. Weasley was discharged from the hospital, and Sirius, Moody, and the others insisted that he recover at home before returning to the Ministry.

Jacob Covenas visited Hermione Granger and her parents during the Christmas holidays, making a nervous but respectful first impression. The Grangers began questioning him about his education and work as they considered whether he might be a suitable partner for Hermione.

• Jacob greeted Hermione and her parents at their home, and Hermione admitted she had thought his promised visit might be a joke.
• Jacob told Mr. and Mrs. Granger that he had graduated from Ilvermorny after serving as its Champion, while modestly describing his magical abilities.
• Mrs. Granger asked what Jacob had been doing since graduation and what work wizards did in the New Continent.
• The Grangers weighed Jacob's prospects against those of Hermione's friends Harry, Ron, and Neville, whose families they viewed as unsuitable for different reasons.

Jacob and Hermione left her parents and walked through London, where Jacob revealed his feelings for her and discussed his official visit to Britain. He reassured Hermione that his Occlumency protected him from Voldemort’s name-based detection.

• Hermione apologized to Jacob for her parents’ questions, and Jacob recognized their interest in him.
• Jacob recalled that he had fallen for Hermione at first sight and had returned to school partly to see her again.
• Jacob blushed and told Hermione that she was beautiful, leaving her briefly dazzled.
• Hermione asked about Jacob’s official business, and he explained that the Magical Congress of the New Continent wanted to speak with Britain’s Ministry about the International Confederation of Wizards’ leadership change.
• Hermione asked Jacob what he thought about Voldemort’s return, and Jacob said his Occlumency could resist Voldemort’s detection of the name.

Healer Smeeks cured Mr. Weasley and developed an antidote for snake venom, prompting Harry to negotiate for her potion formula. Before returning to Hogwarts, Harry dreamed through a snake’s eyes of the Department of Mysteries and realized it was connected to the Order of the Phoenix’s attempted break-in.

• Healer Smeeks used an antidote made from Mr. Weasley’s venom-tainted blood to cure his lingering wound.
• At dinner, Healer Smeeks discussed the limits of her new antidote, and Harry offered to buy the formula for his potion business.
• Healer Smeeks agreed to discuss the formula trade after dinner.
• After finishing their homework, Harry and Ron talked about spells to practice at Hogwarts and fell asleep.
• Harry dreamed through a snake’s eyes in the Ministry of Magic and saw a sign for the Department of Mysteries.
• Harry connected the dream to the Order of the Phoenix members who had been arrested while trying to enter the Department.

Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Lavender that his dreams pointed to the Department of Mysteries, where both the Order of the Phoenix and Voldemort seemed to have an interest. The group considered what might be hidden there, and Harry suggested it could be Voldemort’s Horcrux.

• Harry bought snacks and, back in Qiu's compartment, raised a magical barrier before telling Ron, Hermione, and Lavender about his latest dream.
• Harry revealed that he had recognized the place in his dreams as the Department of Mysteries, and Hermione connected it to Sturgis's attempted break-in.
• Harry said the snake had appeared in the Department of Mysteries during his dream of Mr. Weasley being attacked, and Ron suggested both the Order and Voldemort wanted to enter it.
• Ron proposed that the Department might contain a powerful weapon, while Harry suggested it could hold Voldemort's Horcrux.
• Lavender questioned how Voldemort's Horcrux could have ended up in the Ministry of Magic, which had opposed him even at the height of his power.

Harry and the others learned why Cedric had been nervous, then noticed Hagrid had been getting injured since his return. The chapter left them wondering what was happening to Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest.

• Harry and the others teased Cedric after learning that Yi Qianqian had come to the United Kingdom to spend time with him.
• Harry greeted Hagrid at the Hogsmeade station and noticed bruises on his face and damage to his coat.
• Harry rode to Hogwarts with Ron, Lavender, and Qiu while Hermione left with Ginny, Neville, and Luna after Qiu teased her about Corvinus.
• Harry told the others that Hagrid had begun getting injured often since returning, and Lavender noted that he was usually popular with the creatures in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry and his friends read about ten Death Eaters escaping from Azkaban and learned that Bellatrix Lestrange, Neville's parents' torturer and Sirius's older sister, was among them. The Ministry's article implied Sirius was involved, and the chapter ended when Lavender spotted something about Mr. Bode on the second page.

• Harry and his friends saw a newspaper report announcing that ten Death Eaters had escaped from Azkaban, including Bellatrix Lestrange.
• Neville struggled to control his anger after seeing that Bellatrix had tortured his parents, then told Hermione, Harry, and the others that he was fine.
• Harry and Ron noticed that the Ministry's headline and article repeatedly linked the breakout to Sirius, and Harry angrily objected to the implication.
• Hermione agreed that the article was insinuating Sirius's involvement, while Fred criticized the Ministry's conduct.
• Qiu suggested that Voldemort's escape might have caused the sudden pain in Harry's scar, and Hermione said the idea could be right.
• Lavender turned to the second page, saw something about Mr. Bode, and cried out in disbelief.

After the Azkaban breakout, Umbridge imposed new restrictions on what teachers could tell students, then amended them after Ancient Runes students protested. She also scrutinized Trelawney and Hagrid, leaving Trelawney increasingly rattled while Hagrid’s classes gave her little to criticize.

• Hermione overheard McGonagall and Flitwick discussing how Umbridge’s presence in the staffroom kept them from speaking freely.
• Umbridge issued a decree restricting teachers from discussing topics outside their subjects, then broadened it after three influential prefects joined a protest by Ancient Runes students.
• Umbridge punished Lee Jordan for playing Exploding Snap, but Lee deliberately acted terrified and disruptive during his detention to conceal his resistance.
• Ron and Lavender told Harry and Hermione that Umbridge had placed Trelawney on probation and repeatedly disrupted her Divination lessons.
• Umbridge found little fault with Hagrid’s classes, where he answered her questions and challenged her mistakes, so she visited less often while Trelawney struggled under her scrutiny.

Harry gave Qiu a magical necklace for Valentine's Day, and the two spent a happy morning and afternoon together. Their tea date at Madam Puddifoot's was interrupted when Hermione arrived to find Harry.

• Sirius remembered Qiu's birthday and Valentine's Day while preparing gifts for Harry and Professor Babbling.
• Harry chose Sirius's enchanted gemstone necklace for Qiu, which could block several spells and transport her and another person to a prearranged location.
• Qiu hesitated to accept the valuable necklace, but Harry's sweet talk persuaded her, and she kissed him.
• Harry and Qiu spent Valentine's Day together until Hermione hurried into Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop at three o'clock to look for him.

Harry met Rita Skeeter at a pub with Cho and Hermione, then Luna arrived as Hermione arranged for Skeeter to write about the graveyard events and the Death Eaters’ escape from Azkaban. The article was intended for The Quibbler, and Harry discovered that Skeeter was the mysterious Gliding Black Knight.

• Harry reflected on the strange troubles he had faced on Valentine's Day in previous years.
• Luna joined Harry, Cho, Hermione, and Rita Skeeter at the pub and ordered Butterbeer.
• Hermione revealed that she expected Skeeter to write an article and placed a small transparent bottle on the table, unsettling Skeeter.
• Hermione proposed publishing the truth about the graveyard and the Death Eaters’ escape from Azkaban in The Quibbler, whose editor-in-chief was Luna’s father.
• Harry recognized Rita Skeeter as the Gliding Black Knight, while Skeeter recalled how badly her interactions with Harry and Ron had gone.

After Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw, Harry and Qiu discussed Ron’s improving Quidditch skills, the league’s suspension, and the need for more Patronus practice. Their talk ended when Harry spotted a scruffy middle-aged man approaching in Hogsmeade.

• Gryffindor defeated Ravenclaw by a large margin, and Harry caught the Snitch before Qiu could.
• Harry comforted Qiu after the match, and she asked whether Ron had improved enough to try out for the Chudley Cannons.
• Harry told Qiu that the escaped Death Eaters had disrupted the league and that Ron’s summer trial might be affected.
• Qiu suggested that the R.B. group practice the Patronus Charm more because they might face Dementors.
• Harry wished they could capture a Dementor for practice, then noticed a scruffy middle-aged man walking toward them from Hogsmeade’s entrance.

Harry bought two live Dementors from the Shabby Boss for twenty-five hundred Galleons and arranged to collect them the following week. After Harry left, the Shabby Boss went upstairs to keep watch beside a coffin, from which a white-haired man with scarlet eyes emerged.

• The Shabby Boss quoted Harry a price of twenty-five hundred Galleons for two Dementors, and Harry agreed without hesitation.
• Harry paid a thousand Galleons as a deposit and arranged to collect the two live Dementors from the shop the following week.
• Harry left the shop hand in hand with Qiu, while the Shabby Boss berated himself for being outdone by a kid.
• The Shabby Boss went upstairs and sat reading beside a dark red coffin.
• The coffin opened, and a white-haired man with scarlet eyes rose from inside.

Harry led the R.B. in Patronus practice as fear of the Dementors grew after Azkaban’s breach. Cedric unexpectedly summoned a corporeal oryx Patronus and began explaining what had helped him improve.

• Harry continued teaching the young wizards the Patronus Charm amid growing doubts that the Ministry still controlled the Dementors.
• Cedric’s Patronus grew powerful enough to take the corporeal form of an East African oryx, surprising the group.
• Hermione identified the animal and described its traits, while Harry recognized how its nature suited Cedric.
• Harry asked Cedric to explain his sudden progress, and Cedric said he had begun to understand the Patronus Charm’s need for a desire to protect.

Fred and George explained that their devotion to pranks had helped them produce Corporeal Patronuses, and Harry ended the practice meeting by encouraging everyone to keep thinking about what they wanted to protect. While practicing magic with Qiu in the Room of Requirement, Harry realized her words about using the room the right way had sparked an important idea.

• Fred and George said they had produced Corporeal Patronuses to safeguard their lifelong pranking career, leaving the group stunned but unsurprised.
• Harry ended the meeting and told everyone to consider protection as another way to understand safeguarding, hinting that their next practice would include a surprise.
• Harry met Qiu on Sunday to practice magic in the Room of Requirement, where he coached her before they sat together and kissed.
• Qiu praised Harry for using the Room of Requirement so adeptly, and her words prompted Harry to recall a useful idea about the room.

Harry and Qiu realized that the Room of Requirement could be a place to hide Voldemort’s Horcruxes, including Ravenclaw’s Diadem. They left the room to avoid being seen, with Harry newly convinced it might hold the Diadem.

• Harry asked Qiu what she would use the Room of Requirement for, and she suggested it could hide things.
• Qiu’s suggestion reminded Harry that Sirius had asked him to help find Voldemort’s Horcrux, Ravenclaw’s Diadem.
• Harry reasoned that the Diadem might be hidden at Hogwarts, where the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement were possible locations.
• Harry and Qiu agreed that the Room of Requirement seemed like a likely hiding place because it stayed hidden and did not appear in records.
• Harry took Qiu out through a secluded corner of the Castle to avoid meeting anyone.

Harry and Qiu searched the Room of Requirement for Ravenclaw’s diadem, but Harry’s scar did not react and Qiu’s Summoning Charm failed. Harry realized his active Occlumency might be blocking his connection to the Horcrux, leaving Qiu hesitant about him lowering his defenses.

• Harry and Qiu searched the Room of Requirement thoroughly but found no sign of the diadem.
• Qiu tried to summon Ravenclaw’s golden diadem, but it did not appear.
• Qiu suggested asking the members of R.B. to help search for the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry agreed.
• When Qiu straightened Harry’s headband, Harry realized his active Occlumency might be preventing him from sensing the Horcrux.
• Qiu agreed that Harry’s explanation made sense but hesitated to let him drop both forms of Occlumency.

Harry tried to take the Horcrux Diadem but was struck by a soul-affecting spell and fell unconscious. After waking, he told Qiu that he had seen Voldemort again and turned his attention back to destroying the Horcrux.

• Harry touched the Diadem, and a powerful force knocked him unconscious as Qiu guided their broomstick safely to the ground.
• While Harry was unconscious, he witnessed Voldemort threaten Rookwood and Avery over their failure to obtain something from Bode, then cast the Cruciatus Curse.
• Harry woke with his scar burning, and Qiu told him she had been unable to open the Room of Requirement to find help.
• Harry told Qiu that he had seen Voldemort and recalled that Voldemort's people were searching for something beneath the Ministry of Magic.
• Harry concluded that Voldemort had enchanted the Diadem with a spell that acted on the soul, but that the spell had not harmed him.