Recaps

At a professors’ gathering, Douglas’s donation of Nimbus 2001s to Hufflepuff raised concerns about the trouble it might bring him and questions about how he had earned so much money. Professor McGonagall warned him that parents were challenging his appointment as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, then began to explain what she had found in Dumbledore’s office.

• Douglas discussed holding a hot pot gathering in the Astronomy Tower with Professor Sinistra when the first snow fell.
• Professor Sprout revealed that Douglas had given Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team a full set of Nimbus 2001s, prompting Professors Flitwick and McGonagall to warn him about possible trouble.
• Professor Sprout defended Douglas and praised his support for Hufflepuff, while the professors toasted him.
• Professor McGonagall questioned how Douglas had obtained more than ten thousand Galleons, and Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick defended his character.
• Professor McGonagall told Douglas that parents were questioning his appointment over his lack of fame and teaching experience, then said she had noticed a book in Dumbledore’s office.

Douglas reflected on why he had hidden his identity and explained how fear and loneliness had driven him to build a life in the wizarding world. After the professors learned he had written popular books as a student and heard his story, he raised a toast to Hogwarts and Hufflepuff.

• Douglas reconsidered why he had concealed his identity and decided he had less reason to fear exposure now that he had a system.
• Madam Rosmerta recalled Douglas and Bill hiding a cauldron during a hot-pot picnic at the Shrieking Shack, prompting the professors to remember his rule-breaking school days.
• Professor McGonagall praised Douglas's book and revealed that his theories could have been published as academic papers, while Professor Sprout recognized him as the author of The Banana-Loving Honey Badger, God of Cooking Magic.
• Douglas told the professors that he had written books to build strength and wealth after arriving alone in an unfamiliar world, and the staff were moved by his account.
• Douglas held back his tears, drained his glass, and toasted Hogwarts and Hufflepuff.

Douglas revealed to the professors and Rosmerta that he was the author of the books published under The Banana-Loving Honey Badger, and agreed to announce his identity in the next day's Daily Prophet. Rosmerta celebrated by treating the tavern's customers to the bill, leaving them curious about Professor Holmes's news.

• Douglas said he would write to Slane so Slane could announce his identity in the next day's Daily Prophet.
• Rosmerta recognized Douglas as the author of The Banana-Loving Honey Badger and brought out sixty-three first editions for him to sign.
• Professor McGonagall explained that Douglas's Muggle editions contained detailed systems of magic, astonishing Professor Flitwick and the other professors.
• Douglas signed Rosmerta's books and said the announcement would help silence doubts about his abilities in Defense Against Dark Magic.
• Rosmerta told the tavern's customers that Professor Holmes was paying their bill and urged them to read tomorrow's Daily Prophet.

Percy learned that Professor Holmes’s identity was about to be revealed and hurried to find him, while students speculated about the news. The Daily Prophet identified Douglas Holmes as the bestselling author The Banana-Loving Honey Badger, shocking the Hogwarts students.

• Penelope Clearwater and her friends asked Percy whether Professor Holmes was getting married after hearing he had bought drinks at the Three Broomsticks.
• Percy learned that the landlady had promised news in the Daily Prophet and guessed that Professor Holmes’s identity was about to be exposed.
• Percy hurried to the Defense Against Dark Magic office, while Hermione scolded Harry and Ron for not studying and discussed George and Fred’s efforts to earn points.
• The Daily Prophet arrived, and Hermione read that Douglas Holmes was the bestselling author known as The Banana-Loving Honey Badger.
• Harry and the other students were stunned to discover that their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was also their favorite novelist.

Douglas used the Daily Prophet to reveal his identity under a sensational headline, while owls across Hogwarts brought students letters about the news. Percy visited Douglas to ask why he had changed his mind, then choked when he saw the headline.

• Draco Malfoy told Harry and the others that his father was holding a press conference for Professor Holmes and had sent him to deliver a letter.
• Errol crashed into Neville’s milk jug, and Ron and Neville said their families’ owls could not deliver letters to Professor Holmes.
• Ginny realized students were already heading to Professor Holmes for autographs, but Professor McGonagall sent them back to breakfast and class.
• George and Fred arrived late, joked about food, and asked Ron what had happened; Ron began telling them who “The Banana-Loving Honey Badger” was.
• Douglas watched owls fly toward Hogwarts and reflected that he had concealed his name and chosen “You-Know-Who” for the Daily Prophet headline.
• Percy asked Douglas why he had revealed his identity, then read the headline and choked; Douglas conjured soy milk for him.

Douglas explained to Percy that his famous pen name could help him avoid suspicion as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, then faced an enthusiastic class after his identity as an author became known. He confiscated his students’ novels and promised rewards for strong OWL results, leaving them eager to study.

• Percy reasoned that Douglas could win trust by revealing his better-known identity, and Douglas said Tom Riddle could have done the same by using the name Voldemort.
• Douglas moved the practical exam to Saturday and entered class to applause from students who had brought his books for autographs and interviews.
• Douglas reprimanded the fifth-years for chasing celebrities and reading novels instead of preparing for their OWLs.
• Douglas ordered Shirley to confiscate every novel and announced weekly assessments until the OWLs.
• Douglas told students he would return their books with autographs after ten consecutive Outstanding grades and reserve a character in his next book for anyone who earned an Outstanding on the OWLs, prompting cheers.

Douglas Holmes returned Ravenclaw’s fifth-year tests, scolded the students over basic mistakes, and taught them the Shield Charm before assigning more homework. As the Gryffindor second-years arrived for their lesson, Hermione eagerly prepared Professor Holmes’s books for autographs, but heard someone coming down the stairs before she could decide what to ask him.

• Douglas reviewed the fifth-years’ test answers, criticized their failure to distinguish curses from jinxes, and assigned textbook annotations for homework.
• Douglas taught the Shield Charm, praised the students who tried it, and demonstrated that their attempts could not stop his wandless Jelly-Legs Jinx.
• Douglas assigned an essay on the Shield Charm and told the students to learn the Jelly-Legs counter-jinx after seeing the class representatives and Prefects limp away.
• The Ravenclaw fifth-years left class relieved, while Gryffindor second-years looked forward to meeting Professor Holmes and getting their books signed.
• Hermione arranged her wizarding-world and Muggle-world editions of Holmes’s novels and considered what to ask him before hearing someone descend the stairs.

Douglas reprimanded Hermione, Harry, and the other students for bringing books to the lectern, then turned the incident into a lesson about verifying information before acting on it. He assigned them essays and confiscated their books, while Harry reflected on how close he had come to apologizing to Professor Snape.

• Hermione and the other students brought books to Douglas for signatures, and Douglas deducted points from Gryffindor for disrupting class.
• Harry blamed an older Ravenclaw student for the idea, then realized he had trusted incomplete information and apologized to Douglas.
• Douglas tried to teach the class to verify what they heard, but the students initially thought he was only addressing their classroom misconduct.
• Hermione explained that they should calmly check information before acting, and Harry added that they should not stubbornly ignore other evidence.
• Douglas awarded Gryffindor points for their answers, assigned the students essays, and kept their books until they demonstrated real insight.
• Harry realized he had nearly apologized to Professor Snape but had earned no points.

Douglas taught Gryffindor’s second-years the Impediment Jinx after praising their memorization progress, and Neville earned twenty points by accurately explaining the spell. The students left eager to practice, while Hermione planned to find out which house was ahead and help Gryffindor learn future spells first.

• Hermione told Douglas that the class had memorized section two but warned that students’ free time was limited because other professors also assigned material to memorize.
• Douglas agreed to discuss the workload with the other professors, then asked Neville to explain the Impediment Jinx.
• Neville recited the spell’s effects and limitations, earning Douglas’s praise and twenty points for Gryffindor.
• Douglas taught the class the Impediment Jinx; Harry and Hermione were the only students who could nearly cast it by the end of the lesson.
• Ron worried that Slytherin might be ahead, and Hermione said she would ask Douglas about the rankings and organize a meeting to help Gryffindor reach first place.

Douglas’s memorization rankings pushed Draco to pressure Slytherin students to study harder, while Hermione rallied Gryffindor’s second years to aim for first place. The chapter ended with Gryffindor students protesting that Ravenclaw was too strong to overtake in memorization.

• Douglas saw that Slytherin ranked fourth among second-year Houses in memorization and rebuked Draco Malfoy for the students’ slow progress.
• Draco forgot his reason for visiting Douglas, then scolded Goyle and Crabbe and ordered them to memorize before dawn.
• George and Fred gave Douglas Harry’s warning not to accept a Malfoy invitation, but Douglas said Draco had only reported memorization progress.
• Hermione told Gryffindor’s second years that Ravenclaw led the rankings, with Gryffindor second, Hufflepuff third, and Slytherin fourth.
• Hermione urged Gryffindor to aim for first place, while students argued that beating Slytherin was enough and Ravenclaw was too strong.

Douglas secured Professor McGonagall’s approval to establish four regulated magic practice rooms and began preparing rewards to encourage older students to supervise younger ones. Before the rooms opened, he led Gryffindor’s first-years into their first Defense Against Dark Magic practical challenge, which ended with him watching for a reaction that did not appear.

• Hermione rallied Gryffindor students to take their house ranking seriously, but Colin’s photo request for Harry undercut her speech and made the common room laugh.
• Ginny briefed the first-years, while students in other houses responded to the rankings in their own ways and Angelina suggested replacing the fourth-year class representatives.
• Douglas persuaded Professor McGonagall to provide four magic practice rooms and presented rules limiting who could enter, what spells they could practice, and when the rooms could be used.
• Douglas convinced Professor McGonagall to consider awarding house points to students who supervised younger pupils and recommendation letters to sixth- and seventh-years who helped the rooms succeed.
• Douglas gave Gryffindor’s first-years a practical challenge in which they had to cross a cave-like passage without seeing a strange creature’s eyes, offering signed novels to the first student who finished.

Douglas taught the first-years that survival and strategic retreats mattered more than reckless bravery, then sent Ginny into a dark obstacle course to test them. Ginny was struck by a weakened Full Body-Bind Curse after seeing the creature’s eyes reflected in a puddle, and the chapter left her marked inside the course.

• Douglas explained that the game was about getting through safely, not defeating the creature, and warned the students to protect themselves when facing danger.
• Douglas chose Ginny to enter the course first, while he used a map to track her position and the spells she cast.
• Ginny lit her wand, heard a rustling sound, and cast the Quieting Charm to avoid alerting the creature.
• Ginny spotted puddles and assumed they were traps, but she accidentally saw the creature’s green eyes reflected in the water.
• The creature’s weakened Full Body-Bind Curse froze Ginny, and it struck her before disappearing.

Ginny failed Douglas’s cave challenge but earned Gryffindor ten points after sharing what she had learned with her classmates. The Gryffindor first-years all failed, while four Ravenclaws found the hidden path and reached the second stage before failing; Douglas then began the Slytherin second-years’ lesson.

• Douglas dried Ginny with a spell, sent her to write a reflection, and praised her for warning the other students about the cave’s dangers, awarding Gryffindor ten points.
• A second student failed after stumbling into a deep puddle, looking at the monster’s green eyes, and being hit with a Full Body-Bind Curse.
• After five students failed at the puddles, the Gryffindor first-years discussed ways across without noticing Douglas’s narrow path along the wall.
• A student briefly turned a stone into a plank, but it reverted before he could cross; by the lesson’s end, every Gryffindor first-year had failed.
• Four Ravenclaws found the hidden path and reached the second stage, where they failed; the Ravenclaws who failed did not share their experiences.
• Douglas began the last lesson of the day with the Slytherin second-years.

Douglas’s Slytherin students began a practical lesson in a creature-filled passage, and Theodore Nott was immobilized after recklessly casting a Fire-Making Spell. Crabbe made it to the second stage by sprinting through the first, but the strange passage frightened him into turning around, where Douglas’s Full Body-Bind Curse stopped him.

• Draco chose Theodore Nott to enter first, and Theodore cast Incendio at a creature before Douglas extinguished the fire and brought him back under a Full Body-Bind Curse.
• Draco sent Crabbe into the passage, and Douglas warned him not to use Dark Magic.
• Crabbe ran through the puddles and around the first corner, reaching the second stage without noticing the creature following him.
• Crabbe saw the creature’s huge shadow, became disoriented by the passage, and turned to raise his wand.
• Douglas immobilized Crabbe with a Full Body-Bind Curse before Crabbe could choose a spell.

Douglas rewarded Crabbe for his performance and penalized Theodore for using advanced Dark Magic, then explained to the Slytherins how Dark Magic could damage their bodies and minds. He left them wary of its dangers and returned the class to the lesson.

• Douglas released Crabbe and Theodore from the Full Body-Bind Curse, offered them chocolate, awarded Crabbe five points, and deducted five points from Theodore.
• Douglas asked Theodore whether he understood the consequences of casually using advanced Dark Magic, but Theodore remained silent and resentful.
• Malfoy said his father believed Dark Magic could prevent bullying and earn respect, and Douglas acknowledged its destructive power before describing its harm to body and soul.
• Douglas joked that Voldemort had become a bald, noseless “braised egg,” and Theodore anxiously touched his hair and nose while the other Slytherins reconsidered Dark Magic.
• Douglas advised interested students to wait until their fourth year to study Dark Magic, then resumed the lesson.

Douglas’s practical lesson challenged Slytherin students with dangerous-looking passages, while Draco organized them to share what they learned. Daphne Greengrass deduced that the second passage tested stamina, and Douglas left the students to ponder the course as he continued his plans to investigate the diary and encourage exercise.

• Douglas told Theodore and Crabbe to write about the lesson, and Draco persuaded him to let students share information about the passages.
• Crabbe described running through a cave-like passage and seeing a huge shadow and gleaming green eyes; Theodore agreed, though he did not understand why the others were focused on Crabbe.
• Draco organized the Slytherins to compare their experiences, and Pansy reminded them to use the spells Douglas had taught them.
• Daphne Greengrass completed the second passage and explained that its backward-moving floor, resistance, and narrowing walls made it a test of physical stamina; Douglas awarded Slytherin five points for her deduction.
• Douglas reflected that he had designed the course to watch for signs of the diary and prepare students for the Chamber of Secrets, while also encouraging them to get more exercise.

Douglas received Slane’s letter about publishing plans and a mandatory interview, then agreed to the arrangements. He also appointed Angelina Johnson as deputy class representative while assigning Fred and George to check their classmates’ homework, leaving the twins regretting their attempt to hand off their duties.

• Percy delivered Slane’s letter to Douglas, who agreed to the proposed collector’s editions and book signing and accepted the Daily Prophet interview.
• Hermione brought in the students’ reflections, and Douglas told the class representatives he would decide who had genuinely recognized their mistakes before returning their books.
• Angelina Johnson came with Fred and George to request a deputy representative position, and Douglas appointed her to supervise the class’s homework.
• Douglas ordered Fred and George to check all fourth-year Gryffindor homework and return unsatisfactory work, so the twins realized they had been given even more responsibility.

Douglas patrolled Hogwarts at night, using the Marauder’s Map to catch students out after curfew while planning to expand detention into morning exercise. When he saw a third-year Hufflepuff heading toward the Forbidden Forest, he hurried after them and took flight beyond the castle.

• Douglas sent George and Fred to memorize and write out passages in the corridor, warning them not to cheat before leaving on patrol.
• George and Fred turned wooden sticks into stools and sat outside Douglas’s office while pretending to recite.
• Douglas fed Mrs. Norris a dried fish, then used the Marauder’s Map to find and send a Gryffindor girl and a Ravenclaw boy back to their houses.
• Douglas recalled his and Bill and Charlie’s past nighttime patrols and planned to use detentions to build support for morning exercises.
• Douglas spotted a third-year Hufflepuff heading toward the Forbidden Forest, raced to an open-air corridor, and launched himself into the air with a flying technique.

Douglas followed Hufflepuff student Partridge Quincy into the Forbidden Forest and discovered he had gone there to prove his courage after Zacharias Smith called him a coward. Douglas punished him for entering the forest but encouraged him to find better ways to stand up for Hufflepuff, then hurried back to his office after spotting George Weasley, Fred Weasley, Argus Filch, Mrs. Norris, and Peeves gathered there.

• Douglas transformed from his red-crowned crane Animagus form and followed Partridge Quincy into the Forbidden Forest.
• Douglas watched Partridge carve “Partridge Quincy is not a coward!” into a tree and then checked the area after the boy fled.
• Douglas caught up with Partridge and learned Zacharias Smith had pressured him to prove himself for Hufflepuff's honor.
• Douglas deducted twenty points from Hufflepuff, assigned Partridge detention through Head of House Sprout, and escorted him back to the castle.
• Douglas advised Partridge that restraint could also be bravery and that Hufflepuff did not need to care what other houses thought.
• Douglas saw George Weasley, Fred Weasley, Argus Filch, Mrs. Norris, and Peeves together on the Marauder's Map and hurried toward his office.

Douglas returned to his office and found Peeves splashing foul water at Filch and the Weasley Twins, with much of it hitting the door and damaging something he had specially cultivated. Douglas used his upgraded Immortal-Binding Rope Spell to capture Peeves, alarming the gathered Hogwarts ghosts and prompting the Fat Friar to ask him to release the poltergeist.

• Douglas approached his office under a Disillusionment Charm and saw Peeves splashing foul water at Filch and the Weasley Twins.
• Kian the House-elf arrived and protested that Peeves had damaged something Douglas had specially cultivated.
• Douglas cast the Immortal-Binding Rope Spell, and the lightning-laced rope bound Peeves and caused him pain.
• Kian collected Peeves's fallen hat and the remaining foul water while ghosts gathered and watched Douglas uneasily.
• Sir Nicholas and the Fat Friar reminded Peeves of his agreement with Douglas, and the Fat Friar asked Douglas to put away the rope.

Douglas confronted Peeves over ruining his stinky tofu brine and revealed that their agreement had expired when he graduated, reigniting the ghosts’ fear of his Peeves-Repelling Charm. He promised the ghosts that neither students nor professors would receive the charm and that he would use it only on Peeves, before an unseen newcomer silenced Peeves and criticized Douglas’s patrol.

• Douglas accused Peeves of ruining his stinky tofu brine and splashing it on his office door, while Peeves claimed he had not deliberately provoked him.
• Filch urged Douglas to use the Peeves-Repelling Charm, alarming the ghosts and prompting the Weasley Twins to listen more closely.
• Douglas explained that their agreement had barred him from making or distributing the charm only while he was a student, so it had expired when he graduated.
• The ghosts recalled how Douglas’s charms had harmed Moaning Myrtle and Professor Binns, and they feared he might use them again.
• Douglas promised the Fat Friar and the other ghosts that he would not give the charm to students or professors and would use it only on Peeves.
• An unseen newcomer cast Langlock at Peeves to stop his howling, then rebuked Douglas for gathering over a hundred ghosts during his patrol.

Professor Sprout, Snape, and Douglas argued over the mess Peeves had caused while the Weasley twins and Filch watched. Peeves escaped, and as the twins finally left, Snape taunted Douglas over his foul-smelling water, prompting the twins to slow down and listen for more gossip.

• Professor Sprout found George and Fred beneath a sheet and ended their detention, but they insisted on staying to see what happened to Peeves.
• Snape repeatedly deducted points from the Weasley twins, and Douglas awarded the points back, leaving them caught in their argument.
• Peeves's ropes vanished, and he escaped after crying out in relief.
• Professor Sprout told the ghosts, Filch, and the Weasley twins to leave, while Snape took points from the twins for failing to greet him.
• Snape mocked Douglas's foul-smelling water and cooking, and George and Fred slowed down to hear more.

Douglas endured Snape and Sprout teasing him about his past plant-identification mistakes while defending his cooking and his Potions OWL result. After learning that Dumbledore had summoned McGonagall and Flitwick away, Douglas reflected on Snape’s interest in his cooking notes and on how his ideas could benefit Potions classes and Hufflepuff.

• Douglas told Snape that he had earned an O on his Potions OWL, but Snape and Sprout mocked his past mistakes with Horklumps, horseradish, and wolfsbane.
• Snape said he had reported the Peeves incident to Dumbledore and hoped Douglas would be dismissed, then chased the Weasley Twins back toward Gryffindor Tower.
• Sprout reassured Douglas that the damage to his work was not his fault and said she would speak to Dumbledore on his behalf.
• Sprout told Douglas that Dumbledore had been away for over a week and had summoned McGonagall and Flitwick that afternoon, though she did not know why.
• Sprout revealed that Snape had been watching kitchen staff use Douglas’s ingredient-preparation methods, and Douglas realized Snape had noticed the ideas he had added to his book.
• Douglas considered how food-based practice in Potions classes could reduce wasted ingredients and bring more funding to Hufflepuff, recalling Sprout’s support for struggling graduates.

The Weasley twins told Gryffindor students about Professor Holmes’s confrontation with Peeves and the ghosts, sparking excitement over his spell that could bind Peeves into a peach. Their classmates questioned Nearly Headless Nick about what had happened, leaving him facing a crowd of curious students.

• The Weasley twins returned to the Gryffindor common room and drew attention by boasting about their encounter with Peeves and Professor Holmes.
• Ginny admitted that the twins had startled her into accidentally blowing up a teapot, then joined the others in questioning them.
• The twins described Professor Holmes’s stinky tofu and his agreement with the ghosts, while Hermione wondered why the incident was absent from Hogwarts, A History.
• Gryffindor students grew excited at the possibility of learning the spell that could turn Peeves into a peach.
• Nearly Headless Nick entered the common room, and the students immediately pressed him for details about Professor Holmes, the ghosts, and the Peeves-Repelling Charm.

Sir Nicholas persuaded Harry to attend the ghosts’ Halloween banquet, which he said might be canceled without living guests. The next morning, Douglas headed to Hogsmeade for an interview, but Slane hurried him into the Three Broomsticks to meet the reporter he had invited.

• Sir Nicholas answered students’ questions and invited them to the ghosts’ banquet for the five hundredth anniversary of his death, but they lost interest when they learned there would be no food.
• Harry agreed to attend after Sir Nicholas pleaded with him, and Sir Nicholas left excited to tell the other ghosts that the banquet could go ahead.
• Douglas dressed formally and went to Hogsmeade for an interview, while students followed, hoping he would treat them.
• Ambrosius Flume announced a one-percent discount at Honeydukes to celebrate Douglas becoming a famous author and promoted sweets Douglas had invented.
• Slane grabbed Douglas outside the Three Broomsticks and rushed him inside, warning that the special reporter he had invited should not be kept waiting.