Recaps

Douglas told Voldemort that he was Tom Riddle’s enemy and revealed that he knew about several of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Voldemort was left stunned by Douglas’s knowledge of his deepest secrets.

• Voldemort regained his composure and demanded to know how Douglas’s blood had resurrected him.
• Wormtail panicked and blamed Barty Crouch Jr. for sending Douglas to the graveyard.
• Voldemort told Wormtail he trusted him and Barty Crouch Jr., then questioned Douglas again.
• Douglas declared that he was Tom Riddle’s enemy and named the diary and the Gaunt family’s ring as Horcruxes.
• Douglas named Slytherin’s Locket and said he had personally dealt with the unclean parts inside those objects.

Douglas revealed that Voldemort’s Horcruxes had been found and used a silver-wire mousetrap to expose Wormtail’s fear, before the enchanted cage flew past him and trapped Nagini. Voldemort and the Death Eaters watched in shock as the cage’s true target was revealed.

• Douglas named Ravenclaw's Diadem and Hufflepuff Holy Grail among Voldemort’s compromised Horcruxes and warned him not to abandon his body.
• Douglas opened a silver-wire mousetrap, prompting Wormtail to panic and ask whether Douglas had come specifically to catch him.
• Wormtail transformed into a rat and fled past the Death Eaters, while Douglas made no attempt to chase him.
• The mousetrap burst into light, flew from Douglas’s hand, and expanded into a giant cage aimed at Nagini.
• Nagini tried to escape the cage’s powerful suction and Ancient Runes net, but it was too late.

Douglas captured Nagini in a shrinking cage, prompting Lucius Malfoy to convince Voldemort that the capture was part of a trap and help him escape. After the Death Eaters fled, Douglas went to a hidden cavern, where the real Barty Crouch Sr. waited for him.

• Douglas caught Nagini in the Silver Wire Cage, shaking Voldemort with fear and fury.
• Lucius Malfoy seized Voldemort and warned him that Douglas was trying to trap him, so Voldemort Disapparated with Lucius.
• The remaining Death Eaters and Wormtail fled the ruined village, and Douglas left with Nagini.
• Douglas opened a hidden passage in a seaside cliff and made a kneeling statue of Tom Riddle and a bowing statue of the new Voldemort outside it.
• Douglas entered the cavern and met the real Barty Crouch Sr., whose eyes showed anxiety and anticipation.

Douglas told Old Crouch that Voldemort had returned but had been humiliated, lost his wand, and fled, leaving him unable to act freely. At the Hero Altar, Old Crouch remembered the fallen from the last war and asked whether they could win the coming one.

• Douglas told Old Crouch that Voldemort had returned and described how he had been forced to bow, lost his wand, and fled after his servants scattered.
• Old Crouch began to ask about his son, Barty Crouch Jr., but stopped, believing that his son had chosen Voldemort again.
• Old Crouch walked through the Hero Altar and recited the names and memorials of the fallen heroes, including Regulus Arcturus Black, Lily Potter, James Potter, and Frank and Alice Longbottom.
• At the altar’s sea-facing passage, Old Crouch asked Douglas whether they could win, and Douglas said the real danger was forgetting those who had fought Voldemort before.

Douglas Holmes brought Barty Crouch Jr. from the anti-magic chamber to a sea cave, where Barty recognized his father and a humiliating statue of Voldemort. Douglas beat Barty unconscious and forced a potion down his throat while Barty Crouch Sr. watched.

• A door of light appeared in Barty Crouch Jr.'s prison, and he rushed through it, desperate to escape.
• Barty emerged in a sea cave and saw Douglas Holmes, his father, and a statue of Voldemort bowing beside Tom Riddle's statue.
• Barty charged at Douglas in rage, but Douglas dodged him and knocked him down with a series of unarmed blows.
• Douglas lifted the unconscious Barty and poured a prepared potion down his throat as Barty Crouch Sr. watched.

Douglas confronted Barty Crouch Sr. with his son’s loyalty to Voldemort and forced the father and son to face their painful past. He then offered Crouch a chance to judge Barty Jr. as a Death Eater, with the heroes as witnesses.

• Douglas subdued Barty Crouch Jr. with an enhanced magic suppressant and began questioning Barty Crouch Sr.
• Douglas told Barty Jr. that Voldemort had planned to blame him for the failed plan, making Barty Jr. doubt his master’s loyalty.
• Douglas challenged Barty Sr. over his neglect and his decision to send his son to Azkaban, and Barty Sr. admitted that he had failed as a father.
• Barty Jr. rejected his father’s pride and said he had wanted a father, while claiming Voldemort understood him.
• Douglas offered Barty Sr. the chance to judge his son as a Death Eater in the name of the Ministry of Magic, with the heroes as witnesses.

Douglas proposed turning Voldemort’s former Horcrux cavern into a labor and research center where Death Eaters would study Muggle knowledge and contribute to magical research, with Barty Crouch Sr. as warden and Barty Crouch Jr. as the first researcher. Earlier, Douglas argued to Dumbledore that the widening gap between the stagnant Wizarding World and rapidly advancing Muggles made integration necessary, while Dumbledore warned that attempts to bridge the two worlds could lead to disaster.

• Douglas rejected Barty Crouch Sr.’s claim that he had no right to judge his son and offered him the role of warden instead.
• Douglas explained that prisoners would be humiliated by Voldemort’s statues, made to study Muggle subjects, and assigned research projects combining magic and technology.
• Douglas said students would train against unarmed Death Eaters under supervision, and he named Barty Crouch Jr. as the first researcher.
• Barty Crouch Sr. accepted the opportunity and picked up a copy of A Brief History of Time.
• Earlier, Douglas told Dumbledore that he wanted to turn the cavern into a laboratory and argued that Muggle technological progress threatened the long-term separation between the worlds.
• Dumbledore recalled Grindelwald’s failed attempt to unite the worlds and warned that unequal power and social progress remained dangerous problems.

Douglas explained to Dumbledore his plan to turn the cave into a prison and research institute where captured pure-blood wizards would study Muggle knowledge and explore combining magic with technology. In the present, he reassured Old Crouch that Voldemort was isolated, then forced Barty Crouch Jr. toward a humiliating entrance ritual for the new Azkaban.

• Douglas argued that controlled cooperation between the magical and Muggle worlds could prevent future conflict, and Dumbledore agreed to begin with the cave.
• Douglas revealed that he planned to make the cave an institute for studying Muggle sciences and combining them with magic.
• Barty Crouch Jr. demanded to know what had happened to Voldemort, and Douglas said Voldemort had fled and left him behind.
• Douglas assured Old Crouch that Voldemort was wounded, isolated from his followers, and unlikely to risk drawing attention by attacking Muggles.
• Douglas led the Crouches to the real entrance of Azkaban V2.0 and ordered Barty Crouch Jr. to spit on statues of Voldemort as a pledge of allegiance.
• When Barty Crouch Jr. refused, Douglas used magic to force him to face the statues.

Douglas opened the cavern and revealed Tom Riddle’s hidden treasure cave, then challenged Barty Crouch Jr. to escape his master’s defenses. Barty crossed the lake toward the island and discovered that Inferi guarded it, shaking his faith in Tom.

• Douglas opened the rock wall and revealed a vast underground lake with a small island and boat.
• Douglas told Barty Crouch Jr. that Tom Riddle had designed the cave and challenged him to reach the island and escape.
• Barty Crouch Jr. boarded the boat after Douglas said books waited for him on the island.
• As the boat crossed the lake, Barty Crouch Jr. saw thousands of Inferi beneath the water.
• Barty Crouch Jr. realized the cave was a deadly trap, and his faith in Tom Riddle began to crack.

After Holmes seized Nagini and Voldemort’s wand, Lucius Malfoy brought the furious Dark Lord to a hidden Malfoy castle to use as a refuge and command post. Voldemort entered the castle alone with his thoughts fixed on the danger of being exposed.

• Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort were forced to flee after Holmes targeted Nagini, and Voldemort unleashed his rage over losing his wand and Horcrux.
• Lucius told Voldemort they had arrived at a secret Malfoy property and explained its history as a grant from Elizabeth I to Lucius Malfoy I.
• Lucius offered the ancient castle as a safe hiding place, and Voldemort accepted it as a temporary base.
• Lucius offered to have the castle cleaned, but Voldemort ordered him to keep everyone away.
• Voldemort looked out from the castle window at the Muggle towns below, feeling humiliated, angry, and afraid that Holmes had seen through him.

Voldemort questioned Lucius’s loyalty after learning that his Horcruxes had been exposed and destroyed. Lucius offered his family’s cane and pledged their loyalty, but Voldemort recalled that Lucius had abandoned him thirteen years earlier.

• Voldemort realized Douglas Holmes had exposed his Horcruxes and questioned why Barty Crouch Jr. had not appeared and what role Snape played.
• Voldemort praised Lucius for rescuing him, then demanded that Lucius give him his wand.
• Lucius hesitated briefly before kneeling and offering Voldemort his snake-headed cane and the Malfoy family’s loyalty.
• Voldemort questioned Lucius’s unusual act of kneeling and reminded him that he had hidden from Voldemort thirteen years earlier.

Voldemort used Legilimency on Lucius Malfoy to uncover his hatred of Douglas Holmes and set aside his suspicions about Lucius's loyalty. He took Lucius's wand and focused on understanding and breaking the blood-based magic Holmes had placed on him.

• Voldemort accused Lucius of hesitating before rescuing him and ordered him to meet his gaze.
• Voldemort invaded Lucius's memories and saw his humiliations at the hands of Douglas Holmes, Sirius Black, the Ministry, and others.
• Voldemort concluded that Lucius's hatred of Holmes made him a useful ally despite his uncertain loyalty.
• Voldemort called Lucius useless, ordered him to stand, and took his elm wand.
• Voldemort examined the glowing Riddle family words and recognized that Holmes's blood-based magic could control his body, then resolved to study and break it.

Douglas sent Barty Crouch Jr. to the island in the middle of the lake as part of his reform plan, where Barty expected to find Voldemort’s Horcrux. Instead, he found a box of Douglas’s novels and a note welcoming him to the Hogwarts Special Talent Reform Center.

• Douglas told Barty Crouch Jr. to board the boat for the island, warning that the Inferi in the lake would take him if he refused.
• Barty Crouch Jr. crossed the lake and spotted a Stone Basin filled with glowing green liquid, which he believed held Voldemort’s Horcrux.
• Barty noticed a wooden box beside the basin and found it filled with novels written by Douglas Holmes.
• Barty Crouch Jr. raged at Douglas for forcing his own books on him, then picked up a note addressed to him as a researcher at the Hogwarts Special Talent Reform Center.

Douglas sent Barty Crouch Jr. to an island prison where he had to write academic papers to earn food, while Old Crouch decided the Hero Altar should preserve the memory of those who fought Voldemort. Bill, Percy, and Dumbledore arrived after the competition ended, and Old Crouch bowed to Dumbledore, realizing he had helped spare him.

• Douglas assigned Barty Crouch Jr. to study his novels and exchange acceptable papers for food on the island.
• Old Crouch watched his son break down and listened as Douglas explained how the paper-for-rations system would work.
• Old Crouch said the Hero Altar should become a sacred place where future generations remembered the fallen.
• Bill, Percy, and Dumbledore arrived at the Hero Altar after the competition ended.
• Old Crouch bowed to Dumbledore and began to say that he did not deserve the mercy he had received.

Douglas outlined a strategy for opposing Voldemort without publicly announcing his return, assigning the group roles inside the Ministry and beyond. Percy accepted a covert Ministry position, while Dumbledore agreed to support Douglas’s plan from the sidelines.

• Douglas argued against relying on the Order of the Phoenix and said the group should let Voldemort expose himself through his own mistakes.
• Douglas instructed Old Crouch to return to the Ministry and use his influence to secure Percy a key position.
• Douglas told Percy to publicly oppose Voldemort’s return and distance himself from his family and allies, and Percy accepted the assignment.
• Bill agreed to prepare for the next Egypt competition and advance the Hogwarts Egypt Training Ground project.
• Douglas assigned Crouch, Percy, Bill, and Dumbledore their respective roles, and Dumbledore agreed to watch and offer help when needed.

After Igor Karkaroff abandoned Durmstrang during the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore and Douglas arranged for Hogwarts to temporarily care for the delegation, while Percy drafted Ministry documents. At the champions’ feast, Bill charmed Pheobe, and Viktor remained isolated as Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched the celebrations.

• Madame Maxime, Pheobe, and Viktor condemned Karkaroff for abandoning his students, and Dumbledore returned with Douglas, Percy, and Bill.
• Douglas congratulated Cedric, while Percy proposed diplomatic action and Douglas explained that Karkaroff had run away.
• Douglas and Dumbledore invited Viktor and the Durmstrang delegation to stay at Hogwarts as honorary exchange students, and Viktor accepted.
• Pheobe approached Bill, learned he was a Gringotts Curse-Breaker, and laughed as he described himself as a Tomb Raider Captain.
• At the feast, Bill entertained Fleur, Percy occupied Crouch’s former place, and Viktor sat alone while Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussed the champions’ prize.

At Hogwarts’ award ceremony, Cedric Diggory won the Triwizard Tournament and celebrated friendship with the other champions. In the corridor afterward, Moody confronted Douglas about the plan that had used him as bait, then chose to support his former Auror comrades as Voldemort returned.

• Dumbledore welcomed the visiting Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations and praised the champions’ courage, wisdom, and cooperation.
• McGonagall announced Pheobe in third place and Viktor Krum in second; Pheobe received a medal and rune catalogue, while Dumbledore honored Krum and apologized for Durmstrang’s betrayal.
• McGonagall named Cedric Diggory the winner, and Cedric accepted the Triwizard Cup before thanking his house, honoring his rivals, and proposing a toast to friendship.
• Moody confronted Douglas in the corridor, accusing him and Dumbledore of knowingly letting Barty Crouch Jr. impersonate him and of endangering Harry.
• Douglas admitted Moody had served as bait and said Harry had remained safe, then asked whether Moody would continue as Hogwarts’ Academic Affairs Office Deputy Director.
• Moody declined the post, said he would stand with his former Auror comrades against Voldemort, and offered Douglas his help when a fighting wand was needed.

After Voldemort returned, Severus Snape confronted Douglas Holmes over letting him come back and rejected Douglas’s plan to keep him out of the war. Snape insisted he had to face Voldemort and help end his life himself.

• Snape waited in his office, staring at the Ouroboros ring Douglas Holmes had given him and wondering whether to remove it.
• Snape recalled that Igor Karkaroff had shown him a warming Dark Mark during the Triwizard Tournament, while Snape’s own arm remained cold.
• Douglas arrived, and Snape demanded to know whether he had failed to prevent Voldemort’s return.
• Douglas admitted Voldemort was back and said he wanted Snape to stay uninvolved so he would appear to Voldemort to be a traitor and remain clear of the war.
• Snape rejected Douglas’s plan, declaring that he would return to Voldemort and help bring his life to an end as a debt he owed himself.

Douglas persuaded Snape to remain at Hogwarts until the moment was right to return to Voldemort as a spy. After the feast, Harry hurried to Douglas’s office, while Bill stopped Ron and the twins to reunite with his family, and Percy warned the twins about their association with Mr. Black.

• Douglas told Snape that approaching Voldemort now would arouse suspicion, and instructed him to keep teaching while appearing unaffiliated with their side.
• Douglas promised to arrange Snape’s return to Voldemort when the time was right, so Snape could act as a deadly spy.
• Harry left the Great Hall for Douglas’s office to retrieve his wand and find out how far the plan had progressed.
• Bill stopped Ron from following Harry and called Fred and George back, while Ginny teased Bill about his hair and fang earring.
• Percy joined the Weasley siblings, praised Fred and George’s products, and warned them against associating with Mr. Black.

Percy broke with his siblings over his loyalty to the Ministry, while Bill let him leave without stopping him. Harry went to Douglas seeking answers about the plan and the enemy, and found Douglas examining Harry’s recovered wand alongside another.

• Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, and Bill challenged Percy over his Ministry loyalty and his rejection of the family.
• Percy said that people on different paths could not work together, then walked away without looking back.
• Bill reflected that Percy had chosen his position himself and that it was currently the safest one.
• Harry hurried to Douglas’s office, wondering about the plan and the enemy, while Wangcai poked its head from his pocket.
• Harry entered the office and found Douglas holding Harry’s missing holly wand and another wand as he studied them.

Douglas told Harry that Voldemort had returned to life and stopped him from rushing off to fight, warning him that he was not ready. He sent Harry back to focus on Hogwarts’ final exams, which began the next day.

• Wangcai returned to Douglas, who rewarded him with a Silver Sickle.
• Harry learned from Douglas that Voldemort had returned to life and demanded that they go after him.
• Douglas rebuked Harry for wanting to fight Voldemort before he was prepared, and Harry gave up his plan to rush out.
• Harry told Douglas that Moody had acted differently toward him and asked him strange questions, and Douglas recognized the difference between the real Moody and Barty Crouch Jr.
• Douglas returned Harry’s wand and told him to focus on his exams, which began the next day.

Douglas sent Harry away with a challenge to beat fifteen-year-old Tom Riddle in his exams, then used Voldemort’s captured wand and a tracking device to locate him. Douglas, Bill, Sirius, and Remus gathered at Holmes Manor, where Sirius reported that European officials were urgently seeking defensive products after Karkaroff fled.

• Douglas told Harry he would reveal more if Harry earned excellent exam results and urged him to surpass Tom Riddle academically.
• Harry accepted Douglas’s challenge and left the office determined to defeat Riddle through his grades.
• Douglas used Voldemort’s captured wand and a drop of his blood to locate him with an upgraded Magic Radar.
• Douglas and Bill traveled by Floo Powder to Holmes Manor, where Sirius and Remus joined them.
• Sirius told the others that European officials were asking about advanced defensive products and suggested Voldemort’s return had reached powerful pure-blood families.

Douglas revealed that the enormous snake he had brought back from his fight with Voldemort might once have been human and explained the irreversible Blood Charm that transforms its victims into beasts. He left the snake’s current condition uncertain, but said Voldemort valued the unusual state of its soul.

• Douglas told Sirius to strengthen security for the Marauders Power Company's core staff, especially the Twins, and Sirius promised to protect them.
• Lupin reported that werewolf leaders across Europe were interested in Silvermane Academy after Greyback’s exposure and the academy’s students helped with the Triwizard Tournament.
• Bill asked Douglas about his fight with Voldemort, and Douglas revealed a huge sleeping snake in a cage.
• Dobby told Douglas that Winky had returned to Mr. Crouch and that he felt lonely as the House-elf Rights Protection Association’s only remaining member; Douglas reassured him.
• Douglas explained that the snake, Nagini, might have been a person afflicted by a Blood Charm that eventually erases a victim’s humanity, and said Voldemort valued its soul’s unusual condition.

As the visiting schools departed Hogwarts after the Triwizard Tournament, Neville received an invitation to study at Durmstrang, while Hagrid and Madame Maxime arranged to stay in touch. Viktor Krum remained behind, and Madame Maxime hinted that Pheobe should also remain to learn about British magical graduation examinations.

• Durmstrang students invited Neville to spend a month at their school next year, and Neville gratefully accepted while noting he might not be able to leave Hogwarts.
• Madame Maxime promised to write to Hagrid and said she might visit Hogwarts for next year's competition in Egypt.
• Viktor Krum stayed behind as Durmstrang's ship departed, and the new headmaster told him to bring honor to the school.
• Madame Maxime noticed Krum had stayed and suggested that Pheobe needed a deeper understanding of British magical graduation examinations.

Pheobe accepted Madame Maxime’s offer to remain at Hogwarts for final exams and hurried to tell Bill Weasley. The chapter ended with Bill inviting her on a dangerous-area investigation of the Castle while Douglas teased them.

• Madame Maxime offered Pheobe the chance to stay at Hogwarts as an exchange student and take the final exams, and Pheobe eagerly accepted.
• Pheobe found Bill beneath the Castle’s portico and told him she was staying; Bill welcomed the news and offered to show her around Hogwarts.
• Douglas joined Bill and Pheobe, mocking Bill’s claims of expertise and describing the Castle’s traps, ghosts, and secret passages.
• Bill proposed investigating Hogwarts’ dangerous areas, and Pheobe challenged him to lead the way.
• Douglas teased Bill about finding Pheobe attractive, and Bill insisted that wisdom and necessary violence helped him survive ancient tombs.