Recaps

Draco and Hermione spent the last day of the holidays teasing each other about their future married life before returning to Hogwarts on the Express. Back at school, Ron and Neville told their friends about their Christmas holidays.

• Draco and Hermione reflected on how quickly the holidays had passed, and Draco teased Hermione about sharing a bed with him after they married.
• Hermione tried to escape Draco's embrace and argued that married couples could sleep in separate rooms, but Draco held her and insisted they would share a bed.
• Draco and Hermione returned to Hogwarts aboard the Express as the students came back from their holidays.
• Ron described his Christmas misadventures at the Burrow, including getting hit with a Dungbomb hidden in a snowball by George.
• Neville showed a pot containing a wilted Mandrake and told nearby students about tending plants and learning fertilizing techniques over the holiday.

As Hogwarts students shared holiday stories, Draco nearly revealed an intimate detail about his sparring sessions with Hermione, but she covered his mouth and deflected their friends’ questions. The second term began peacefully, though Draco found the routine dull.

• Harry told Seamus that he had spent the holidays with his godfather, while the students around him shared their holiday stories.
• Cho Chang asked Draco and Hermione about their holidays, and Ron, Lavender, Parvati, and Luna speculated about how the couple had spent their time.
• Draco began describing his daily magical sparring sessions with Hermione, but Hermione clapped a hand over his mouth before he could reveal more.
• Hermione blushed and insisted that she and Draco had only practiced magic and discussed spells, while their friends teased them for sounding suspicious.
• After the Christmas holidays, Hogwarts began its peaceful second term, and Draco found the ordinary school routine dull.

Draco pulled Hermione away from her studies to practice dancing for the Yule Ball he said would accompany the Triwizard Tournament next school year. Hermione agreed to learn, and Draco began patiently guiding her through the steps.

• Draco led Hermione to the Room of Requirement and revealed a room set up for dancing.
• Draco told Hermione that the Triwizard Tournament would return next school year and that students in fourth year and above would attend its Yule Ball.
• Draco said Pheobe would compete for Beauxbatons and attend the ball, and Hermione agreed that she and Draco should practice.
• Draco and Hermione began reviewing basic dance steps, with Draco guiding her patiently.

Draco helped Hermione improve her dancing while upheaval at the Ministry grew, with Lucius Malfoy leading the move to impeach Fudge. On the students’ return from Hogsmeade, Ron noticed that the Harry beside him was acting strangely and gripping his wand.

• Draco taught Hermione to dance, and after a weekend of practice she learned to follow his lead and perform a simple waltz.
• The Dementors announced they would no longer obey Cornelius Fudge and would accept temporary direction from a Department of Special Operations task force.
• Lucius Malfoy submitted evidence that prompted the Wizards' Council to begin emergency impeachment proceedings against Fudge.
• Draco and Hermione visited Hogsmeade with their friends before the students headed back to Hogwarts.
• Ron noticed that the Harry walking beside him had been unusually quiet and was gripping his wand tightly.

Ron exposed a disguised wizard who had replaced Harry, but the impostor escaped before the students could capture him. With Harry missing and a dark wizard possibly nearby, Hermione led the group back toward Hogwarts to seek help, while Draco wondered whether Voldemort had somehow escaped his seal.

• Ron noticed that the person posing as Harry had unfamiliar eyes and exposed him as an impostor.
• Draco, Hermione, and the other students attacked the impostor with spells, but he unleashed a burst of magic and escaped by Apparition.
• Ron explained that he had last seen Harry in Hogsmeade, where they separated to visit different shops.
• Cho Chang and the others realized Harry might have been captured and replaced before the impostor joined them on the road.
• Hermione urged the students to return to Hogwarts together and report the attack to their Heads of House or Professor Dumbledore.
• Draco guarded the rear of the group and wondered whether Voldemort had escaped the Soul-Sealing Jar.

Draco and Hermione learned that Voldemort was being resurrected at the Riddle House graveyard and rushed there to save Harry. Voldemort completed the ritual and restored his body, leaving his enemies racing to respond as he gave Peter Pettigrew a silver hand.

• A tawny owl delivered Draco a note naming the Riddle House graveyard, and Draco realized Voldemort was returning.
• Draco and Hermione Apparated to Little Hangleton to rescue Harry without waiting for Dumbledore.
• Professor McGonagall alerted Dumbledore and ordered a count of the students, while Hogwarts professors strengthened security.
• Dumbledore summoned the Order of the Phoenix after hearing Harry had been abducted, and Sirius and Lupin hurried to respond.
• Voldemort completed his resurrection using his father's bone, Peter's arm, and Harry's blood.
• Voldemort conjured a silver right hand for Peter Pettigrew as Peter lay injured and terrified at his feet.

Voldemort gave Peter Pettigrew a magical silver hand and confronted Draco and Hermione after they Apparated into the graveyard. He revealed that Harry was alive but in his power, then accused Draco of trying to imprison him and prepared to settle the score.

• Voldemort attached a silver hand to Peter Pettigrew, binding him with dark magic and making him submit.
• Draco and Hermione Apparated into the graveyard and saw Voldemort and Peter.
• Hermione demanded to know what Voldemort had done to Harry, and Voldemort said Harry was still alive but would not remain so indefinitely.
• Voldemort accused Draco of using a strange power to seal him away and raised the Yew Wand to attack him.

Draco mocked Voldemort and revealed that he knew about the Dark Lord’s Horcruxes, claiming Dumbledore had destroyed them. Voldemort responded that he could make more Horcruxes and that his Death Eaters had escaped Azkaban, leaving Hermione realizing the threat was far greater than they expected.

• Draco taunted Voldemort about being sealed in a jar and insulted his talent, blood status, followers, and Horcruxes.
• Hermione stood ready to fight beside Draco while Peter Pettigrew cowered in fear.
• Voldemort demanded to know how Draco knew about Horcruxes and why he thought few remained.
• Draco listed the diary, Hufflepuff's Cup, Ravenclaw's Diadem, Slytherin's Locket, and the ring, and said Dumbledore may have destroyed them all.
• Voldemort claimed he could create more Horcruxes and said his Death Eaters had escaped Azkaban.
• Hermione realized Voldemort had returned with his followers and that the Wizarding World faced a catastrophe.

Voldemort revealed that Victor Young Rookwood had helped him escape the Soul-Sealing Jar and arrange his resurrection, then attacked Draco and Hermione. Draco blocked all three Unforgivable Curses with Protego Maxima, while Hermione fought Peter Pettigrew, and Voldemort turned his fury on Draco.

• Voldemort threatened Draco and Hermione, and Draco asked who had helped Voldemort escape and return to power.
• Voldemort named Victor Young Rookwood, and Hermione asked whether Rookwood had hidden Harry too.
• Voldemort attacked Draco with the three Unforgivable Curses, but Draco blocked them with Protego Maxima.
• Peter attacked Hermione under Voldemort's command, and she defended herself and countered his spells.
• Draco mocked Voldemort after his shield stopped the curses, and Voldemort roared that Draco was courting death.

Draco countered Voldemort’s spells and resisted his Legilimency while Hermione fought Peter Pettigrew in the graveyard. Voldemort summoned an army of Inferi, giving Peter a chance to escape Hermione’s attacks.

• Draco evaded Voldemort’s attacks, subdued the destructive magic, and repelled his attempt to invade Draco’s mind.
• Hermione used light, binding, and stunning spells against Peter, but his silver hand and evasive tactics kept him in the fight.
• Voldemort summoned Inferi from the graveyard to overwhelm Draco and Hermione.
• Hermione moved to avoid being surrounded and raised a shield as the Inferi approached.
• Peter slipped behind a gravestone and caught his breath while the Inferi swarmed toward Draco and Hermione.

Draco destroyed Voldemort’s Inferi and Peter nearly died when his silver hand punished him for considering escape. Voldemort then tried to seize Hermione as a hostage, but Draco countered with his own Summoning Charm, leaving her suspended between their magic.

• Draco unleashed a purifying firestorm that burned away the Inferi while Hermione defeated the last one attacking her.
• Peter’s silver hand choked him for entertaining thoughts of betrayal, but Voldemort stopped it before Peter died and warned him not to try again.
• Draco taunted Voldemort, who grew afraid after seeing his Inferi destroyed and his attacks countered.
• Voldemort cast Accio on Hermione to drag her toward him as a hostage, and Draco countered with an Ancient Magic-enhanced Summoning Charm.
• Hermione was caught between Draco’s and Voldemort’s opposing spells as Voldemort shouted at Peter to act.

Draco rescued Hermione from Voldemort’s killing curse and battled Voldemort with advanced Transfiguration while Hermione defended him from Peter Pettigrew. Draco still had the advantage, but his magic was visibly weakening as the fight continued.

• Peter Pettigrew attacked Draco with a Blasting Curse, but Draco blocked it and struck back at Voldemort with Sectumsempra.
• Voldemort released Hermione and fired Avada Kedavra at her, but Draco shielded her and pulled her into his arms.
• Draco warned Hermione to stay close, and she agreed to protect herself while Voldemort prepared a powerful attack.
• Voldemort transformed graveyard rubble and bones into monsters and weapons, while Draco reshaped them into defenses and counterattacks that suppressed him.
• Hermione intercepted Peter’s spells as Draco’s Transfiguration duel with Voldemort continued, but Draco’s magical light began to dim and his face grew pale.

Draco replenished his magic with a potion and faced Voldemort’s Fiendfyre by shielding Hermione, fighting the flames, and taking control of part of them. His fiery dragon struck Voldemort and Peter with devastating force, leaving a vast crater in the graveyard.

• Draco drank a mana-restoring potion after using Protego Maxima to stop Voldemort from destroying it.
• Voldemort unleashed Fiendfyre at Draco and Hermione, and Draco defended them with Protego Diabolica and his Lion Flame Spell.
• Draco seized part of Voldemort’s Fiendfyre and reshaped it into a fiery demonic dragon.
• Draco sent the dragon crashing into Voldemort and Peter, annihilating the graveyard’s remaining gravestones and leaving a huge crater.

Draco defeated Voldemort after trapping him inside an Anti-Apparition Jinx Array and a Fire Domain Barrier. With Hermione's help, he stopped Voldemort's final attack and killed him, though a fragment of Voldemort's soul emerged from the ashes.

• Draco revealed that he had secretly set up an Anti-Apparition Jinx Array, preventing Voldemort from escaping.
• Voldemort threw Peter Pettigrew toward Draco and Hermione, then transformed into black mist to try to break through Draco's Fire Domain Barrier.
• Draco and Hermione used Oppugno to hurl stones, bones, and metal debris at the black mist, forcing Voldemort back into his battered body.
• Draco stepped on Voldemort's Yew Wand and killed him with Avada Kedavra.
• Voldemort's body crumbled into ashes, and a fragment of his dark red soul struggled to drift away.

Draco sealed Voldemort’s surviving soul fragment and killed Peter Pettigrew after Peter tried to escape and begged for mercy. When the fragment weakened at Peter’s death, Draco suspected Voldemort had made Peter into a living Horcrux, leaving Hermione horrified by the possibility.

• Draco found that his soul-destroying methods could not erase Voldemort’s fragment and sealed it in a rune-engraved jar.
• Peter Pettigrew revealed himself as a rat and tried to flee underground, but Draco stopped him with magic.
• Peter returned to human form and begged Draco and Hermione to spare him, but Hermione rejected his excuses and Draco killed him with Avada Kedavra.
• Voldemort’s sealed soul fragment weakened when Peter died, prompting Draco to suspect Peter had been made into a living Horcrux.
• Hermione recoiled at the idea that Voldemort had torn apart a living person’s soul and bound it to another living creature.

Draco and Hermione defeated Voldemort at Little Hangleton and learned that Harry was being held in an abandoned Gringotts vault. At Hogwarts, Dumbledore relayed their news as Sirius and the others waited anxiously for Harry’s rescue.

• Draco summoned Young Rookwood, learned Harry was at Gringotts, and ordered him to lead the way.
• Sirius tried to rush out to search for Harry while McGonagall organized the students and increased patrols.
• Lucius, Narcissa, and the Weasley family arrived at Hogwarts after learning Draco and Hermione had vanished too.
• Dumbledore received Draco’s letter, reporting that Draco and Hermione had killed Voldemort and Peter and sealed Voldemort’s main soul.
• Dumbledore revealed that Harry was being held in an abandoned Gringotts vault and that Draco and Hermione were following Young Rookwood to rescue him.

Draco, Hermione, and Young Rookwood entered Gringotts to rescue Harry, only to be trapped in Vault 713 by the dark wizards from the Repository. Young Rookwood revealed he had used Voldemort as part of a scheme to lure Draco into the vault and seize the ancient wand.

• Hermione asked how Voldemort escaped Draco’s soul seal, and Young Rookwood confessed he had used an ancient summoning spell to resurrect him out of greed and revenge.
• Young Rookwood led Draco and Hermione through a hidden entrance to Vault 713, where they found Harry unconscious and bound.
• The vault door slammed shut, and the dark wizards from the Repository surrounded Draco, Hermione, and Harry.
• Young Rookwood dropped his fearful act and revealed that he had manipulated Voldemort, leaked the graveyard’s location, and lured Draco into a trap.
• Draco realized Young Rookwood’s elaborate scheme was likely an attempt to steal the ancient wand.

Young Rookwood trapped Draco and Hermione in a vault with a formation that suppressed Ancient Magic, but Draco revealed he could still protect them with a magical fire barrier. The dark wizards lost their nerve and began fleeing, leaving Young Rookwood isolated.

• Young Rookwood activated a suppression formation and an Anti-Apparition barrier in the vault, believing he had neutralized Draco’s Ancient Magic.
• Draco revealed that he had brought another wand, and his warning made the dark wizards hesitate.
• Draco cast Fire Domain Barrier, enclosing himself and Hermione in a wall of magical flames despite the suppression formation.
• Draco offered the dark wizards a chance to leave or capture Young Rookwood, but Young Rookwood urged them to attack.
• More than half the dark wizards ran for the vault door, abandoning Young Rookwood.

Draco defeated Young Rookwood’s ambush after the Dark wizards fled, then chose to send him to Azkaban rather than kill him. Dumbledore, the Malfoys, Sirius, and others arrived, Harry received treatment, and Young Rookwood was taken into custody.

• Young Rookwood killed a fleeing Dark wizard with a Killing Curse, but the remaining attackers panicked and fled the vault.
• Draco emerged with Hermione, confirmed Harry was unconscious and wounded, and confronted the defeated Young Rookwood.
• Draco admitted the flame barrier had been draining his magic and said he would send Young Rookwood to Azkaban instead of killing him.
• Draco revealed that he had already sent owls to his father and Dumbledore, and the rescuers arrived at the vault.
• Sirius rushed to Harry while Madam Pomfrey treated him, and Narcissa embraced Draco and Hermione after confirming they were safe.
• Lupin and the others disarmed Young Rookwood and took him into custody.

After Draco saved Harry, he revealed to Lucius that Voldemort’s main soul fragment still existed and urged him to seize the chance to replace Fudge as Minister. Draco then entrusted the fragment to Dumbledore and took the last remaining Horcrux, Voldemort’s ring, to destroy it and address Harry’s problem.

• The Aurors arrested Young Rookwood, and Sirius thanked Draco for saving Harry.
• Draco showed Lucius the jar containing Voldemort’s sealed soul fragment and explained that Voldemort was not quite dead.
• Draco urged Lucius to exploit Fudge’s weakened position and pursue the Minister’s seat, so Lucius and Narcissa hurried back to the Ministry.
• Draco slipped the jar to Dumbledore and warned him to keep it safe.
• Dumbledore admitted that Voldemort’s ring was the last Horcrux and gave it to Draco, who said he would end the threat for good.

Harry woke after Voldemort’s resurrection and learned that Draco and Hermione had defeated him and rescued Harry. Back at Hogwarts, the professors reprimanded Draco and Hermione, and Hermione blamed Draco for leading her into the mission.

• Harry awoke in a Gringotts vault and learned from Dumbledore that Voldemort had been resurrected using Harry’s blood.
• Dumbledore told Harry that Draco and Hermione had tracked down Voldemort, defeated him, and rescued Harry.
• Harry returned to Hogwarts, where Molly, Hagrid, and others welcomed him and celebrated his safe return.
• McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout reprimanded Draco and Hermione for confronting Voldemort and breaking into a Gringotts vault without telling a professor.
• Hermione claimed Draco had received a warning, rushed to save Harry, and forced her to accompany him, while Professor Babbling laughed at her performance.

Draco accepted responsibility for his reckless actions, then slipped away with Hermione before the professors and students could question them. They went to the Room of Requirement to rest, where Draco abruptly laid Hermione facedown on the bed, leaving her asking what he was doing.

• Draco admitted to McGonagall and the other professors that he had acted recklessly and endangered Hermione, and he accepted that he might face discipline.
• Draco quietly persuaded Hermione to leave with him, and Harry saw them disappear hand in hand while he remained behind.
• Near Gryffindor Tower, Draco convinced Hermione to avoid their curious housemates and spend the night resting in the Room of Requirement.
• Draco summoned a comfortable room and led Hermione inside, then scooped her up and laid her facedown on the bed.
• Hermione protested as Draco pressed a hand against her lower back and reached with his other hand.

Draco teased Hermione for blaming him for their decision to help Harry, then demanded that she scrub his back as punishment. Hermione reluctantly agreed and, as the chapter ended, prepared to help him bathe while trying not to look at him.

• Draco held Hermione down and playfully smacked her for shifting blame onto him in front of the professors.
• Hermione admitted fault and promised to coordinate their stories with Draco next time.
• Draco claimed he was too exhausted to bathe himself and persuaded Hermione to scrub only his back.
• Draco carried Hermione to the bathtub, undressed, and climbed into the water while she kept her eyes shut.
• Draco told Hermione where the towel and brush were, and she searched for them without looking into the tub.

Hermione finished Draco’s punishment by scrubbing his back, then resisted his teasing offer to help her bathe. After Draco left her alone in the bathroom, Hermione nearly fell asleep in the bath before his worried knock brought her out.

• Hermione reluctantly scrubbed Draco’s back while keeping her eyes closed, but glimpsed him through the steam and called him a pervert.
• Draco wrapped Hermione in a towel, ended her punishment, and teased that he would watch her bathe or scrub her back.
• Hermione ordered Draco out and threw a sponge at him, but he dodged it and closed the bathroom door.
• Hermione relaxed in the bath, recognized that Draco’s jokes hid genuine thoughtfulness, and nearly fell asleep.
• Draco knocked to check on Hermione, and she quickly dried herself, changed into pajamas, and opened the bathroom door.

After Hermione emerged from her bath, Draco dried her hair and teased her before serving her an unfamiliar Chinese dinner. Hermione enjoyed the food and coconut water, ending the chapter happily eating while Draco watched and joked with her.

• Draco dried Hermione’s hair and reminded her that she could have fallen asleep in the bath.
• Draco served Hermione rice, red-braised pork, steamed fish, water spinach, and coconut water.
• Draco shared Hermione’s coconut through the same straw, making her blush before she took another sip.
• Hermione tried the Chinese dishes, loved them, and finished a bowl of rice.
• Draco gave Hermione a second bowl and teased her about her appetite as she ate enthusiastically.