Chapter Summaries

After completing the ancient magic trial, Draco and Hermione returned to Hogwarts and spent the night together. The next morning, Hermione woke first and pranked Draco while he slept, waking him with his nose and mouth covered.

• Draco and his companions left the Map Chamber after the Keepers invited him to return with questions about ancient magic.
• Draco, Hermione, and Professor Babbling ate a late-night meal in the Great Hall, where Hermione promised to bring Draco along if another dangerous problem arose.
• Draco teased Hermione for volunteering him and carried her to bed, where they fell asleep together.
• Hermione woke at dawn, watched Draco sleeping, and pinched his nose before covering his mouth.
• Draco woke to find Hermione grinning mischievously at him.

Draco playfully punished Hermione for waking him, then teased her about their household roles and their future family. The chapter ended with Hermione stopping his hand as he tried to check her “milk reserves.”

• Draco pulled Hermione over his lap and spanked her for pestering him first thing in the morning.
• Hermione admitted she had woken Draco because she was hungry and wanted him to cook.
• Draco challenged Hermione’s claim that she was a competent wife, and she defended their division of household and outside responsibilities.
• Draco teased Hermione about becoming Minister for Magic and eventually abandoning him for someone more suitable.
• Hermione blurted that Draco needed to feed her so she could feed their future children, then stopped him from touching her as he teased her about her “milk reserves.”

Draco teased Hermione over their future child while making her breakfast, feeding her papaya after she reluctantly gave in. After breakfast, Hermione moved to an open spot in the room and turned to face him.

• Hermione stopped Draco from teasing her further, but he joked that she had started their talk about feeding their future child.
• Draco got up and conjured breakfast, including bowls of papaya, then teased Hermione about its supposed effects.
• Draco coaxed and threatened to feed Hermione the papaya intimately until she reluctantly opened her mouth and ate a piece.
• After breakfast, Draco cleared the dishes while Hermione regained her composure, then stood in the middle of the room and faced him.

Hermione asked Draco to duel her as a true opponent, and they fought in an arena created in the Room of Requirement. She realized Draco was deliberately holding back and stopped the duel, accusing him of humoring her.

• Hermione demanded that Draco spar with her and asked him not to hold back.
• Draco transformed the Room of Requirement into a dueling arena, and Hermione and Draco took their positions.
• Hermione and Draco exchanged spells, with Hermione defending herself and attacking while Draco dodged and countered.
• Hermione noticed Draco repeatedly weakened or redirected spells to leave her openings, then stopped fighting.
• Hermione told Draco he was holding back and asked whether he thought she was too fragile for a real duel.

Hermione demanded that Draco treat her as a real dueling opponent, and they fought with both spells and skill. The duel ended when Draco distracted her with talk of tying her up, then bound her with Incarcerous.

• Hermione told Draco she wanted a serious duel, and he agreed to stop holding back.
• Hermione read Draco's movements and nearly disarmed him with Expelliarmus.
• Draco raised stone spikes around Hermione and nearly trapped her with Incarcerous, but stopped before casting the final syllable.
• Hermione accused Draco of holding back, and he teased her by asking what he should do after tying her up.
• While Hermione protested, Draco cast Incarcerous and bound her wrists, ankles, and waist.
• Hermione struggled against the ropes and glared at Draco as he admired his handiwork.

Draco taunted the bound Hermione and appraised her body, but she seized his distraction to disarm and bind him. After mocking his scrawny build, Hermione lifted the hem of his clothes to check his claim that he had abs.

• Draco examined Hermione while she was bound and insulted her by commenting on her figure and childbearing.
• Hermione secretly cast Expelliarmus, knocking Draco's wand from his hand, then bound him with Incarcerous.
• Hermione freed herself, approached the bound Draco, and mocked his appearance and ability to protect a future wife.
• Draco claimed that he had abs, and Hermione lifted the hem of his clothes to find out.

Hermione briefly gained the upper hand over Draco, but he used a second wand to disarm and bind her, turning the duel around. He reminded her that she had refused to untie him without a favor, and Hermione realized he might use his victory to make her owe him another.

• Hermione teased Draco about his abs, and he embarrassed her with suggestive remarks.
• Hermione proposed canceling one of the three favors she owed Draco as punishment for his defeat, but Draco refused until he seemed to accept.
• As Hermione stepped forward to free him, Draco drew an ancient second wand and disarmed her with Expelliarmus.
• Draco used Incarcerous to bind Hermione, caught her as she fell, and laid her across his lap.
• Hermione accused Draco of cheating by using two wands, but he argued that no rule limited a duelist to one wand.
• Draco asked whether Hermione still refused to untie him unless he was owed a favor, and she realized he might demand a new one.

Draco punished Hermione for refusing to accept her defeat by spanking her while she was bound, then freed her when she threatened to never see him again. Hermione retaliated by biting his shoulder, and Draco ended by teasing her about it.

• Hermione objected to owing Draco four favors, so Draco declared that he would personally carry out her punishment.
• Draco held Hermione across his lap and playfully swatted her while teasing her, despite her protests and accusations.
• Draco stopped when Hermione threatened never to see him again, then helped her up and untied her.
• Hermione sprang free and bit Draco's shoulder until she felt she had gotten her revenge.
• Draco showed her the tooth marks and asked whether she had been born in the Year of the Dog.

After their sparring match, Hermione agreed to keep practicing with Draco but tried to forbid him from using improper rewards. She set the rules of the house, then worried about the bite she had left on his shoulder, while Draco continued teasing her.

• Hermione agreed to spar with Draco again but warned him not to ambush her with two wands or punish her indecently.
• Draco suggested several rewards, prompting Hermione to forbid him from asking for anything and declare that she made the rules.
• Draco accepted Hermione's terms and pulled her into an embrace, easing her embarrassment and anger.
• Hermione noticed the bite mark on Draco's shoulder and asked whether it hurt.
• Draco admitted that it hurt a little, then teased Hermione by mentioning other marks she had left on him.

Draco and Hermione spent a playful day together after their duel, then visited Hagrid and learned that the Ministry had arrested the Forbidden Forest poachers. The chapter ended with Hermione noticing a Daily Prophet report about dark wizards helping capture goblin rebels, while Draco and Hermione continued spending the holidays together.

• Draco joked with Hermione about her bite, easing her guilt, and they went to the library together.
• Hermione ambushed Draco with Expelliarmus by the Black Lake, and they ran along the shore until Fang found them.
• Draco and Hermione visited Hagrid, who told them the Ministry had arrested the poachers but learned their leader belonged to a wider gang.
• Hermione reassured Hagrid that the Ministry would pursue the larger poaching operation.
• Hermione noticed a Daily Prophet report claiming Rookwood and his dark wizards had helped arrest goblin rebels on orders from above.

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.