Chapter Summaries

Snape brought Herman to a secluded underground corridor and told him to clean it. When Herman tried using Scourgify, the spell misfired and blasted his hair upright, while Snape watched with amusement.

• Snape summoned Herman and led him through a hidden route to a deserted underground corridor.
• Snape pointed out a broom and ordered Herman to clean the dusty floor.
• Herman asked to use Scourgify instead, and Snape told him he could try.
• Herman cast Scourgify, but sparks burst into black smoke and scorched his hair upright.
• Herman aimed his wand at the floor again, refusing to accept the failed spell.

Herman’s attempts to cast spells keep exploding, and Snape reveals that magic is suppressed inside a hidden dungeon beneath Hogwarts. The passage opens onto a dark staircase, leaving Herman facing the entrance to Slytherin’s Secret Prison.

• Herman tries casting a spell again, but it explodes and leaves his hair even puffier.
• Snape traces a design on the corridor wall with his wand, revealing a snake that triggers the wall to retract.
• Herman sees a dark passage and descending stairs beyond the opened wall.
• Snape tells Herman that the hidden place is Slytherin’s Secret Prison, now called Hogwarts’s Dungeon.
• Snape explains that the dungeon suppresses magic and warns that Herman might have ruined his wand if he had tried casting inside.

Herman waited with Snape for Quirrell and Gori to arrive at the room, where Snape greeted them with open hostility. Gori praised Snape’s potion-making and asked about his improved Wolfsbane Potion formula.

• Herman stopped cleaning the entrance and waited with Snape when footsteps approached.
• Quirrell arrived with Gori, and Herman recognized the vampire and moved behind Snape for protection.
• Snape mocked Quirrell for showing Gori around the school instead of bringing him directly to the room.
• Gori stepped forward, praised Snape’s reputation and Wolfsbane Potion, and asked about the formula’s principles.

Snape escorted Herman and Quirrell to the former Slytherin laboratory, where Gori was to stay under restrictions. After securing the guardian serpents and warning Gori not to harm Slytherin students, Snape left with Herman while Gori watched them go, believing his plans were progressing smoothly.

• Gori praised Snape's research, easing some of Snape's hostility.
• Gori recognized Herman and teased him as an outstanding young wizard, while Snape dismissed him as barely more than an idiot.
• Snape explained that Dumbledore had assigned Gori the former Slytherin laboratory and handed Quirrell its key.
• Gori sensed old blood in the laboratory, and Quirrell tacitly accepted that Gori would be confined there at night and accompanied during the day.
• Snape awakened the guardian serpent statues so they recognized Quirrell, then warned Gori not to harm any Slytherin student, especially a female student.
• Snape left with Herman, while Gori watched them go and Quirrell offered to show him around the laboratory.

Quirrell showed Gori the sealed dungeon, where Gori recognized medieval torture devices and detected fresh blood in a distant cell. After leaving with Snape, Herman resolved to grow stronger and pursue both magical study and a magical arm.

• Quirrell led Gori through the dungeon and explained that its safeguards made magic ineffective there, supposedly keeping Gori safe.
• Gori recognized the rusted implements as torture devices from the Middle Ages and recalled owning similar ones as a nobleman.
• Quirrell explained that the dungeon had been sealed after Salazar Slytherin left Hogwarts, and that the other Founders had rejected using it as a prison.
• Gori detected a faint scent of blood in the deepest cell, realized it was less than fifty years old, and kept his discovery to himself.
• Herman left the dungeon with Snape and resolved to read Dumbledore’s book, meet Professor Malin, and advance his magical arm to become stronger.

Herman realized Snape wanted him to warn Harry about the vampire Gori living underground, then returned to the Slytherin common room and found Draco and Harry spending time together. Draco immediately asked where he had been and why Dumbledore had summoned him.

• Snape told Herman to warn his classmates about the vampire in the underground area, and Herman understood that Snape especially wanted Harry to be careful.
• Herman promised Snape he would tell Harry, then hurried to the Slytherin common room.
• Herman found Draco and Harry sitting together by the fireplace and reflected that they had grown closer lately.
• Draco greeted Herman and asked where he had been and what had happened when Dumbledore called him in.

Herman told Draco and Harry that Gori, the vampire teaching assistant, was staying in a dungeon beneath Slytherin and that students should avoid it at night. Harry suspected Snape had given Herman more than a simple warning, while Draco became curious about the dungeon before the conversation turned to her new cauldron.

• Herman explained that Dumbledore had given him extra guidance about his innate magic, and Draco took it as proof of his talent.
• Herman told Draco and Harry that Snape had shown him an old dungeon beneath Slytherin where Gori stayed at night.
• Draco worried that Gori might bite students, while Herman said Snape had asked him to warn everyone not to approach the dungeon at night.
• Harry questioned Herman about whether Snape had said anything else, and Herman denied there was any further warning.
• Draco asked Herman to take her to see the dungeon, then showed him a self-stirring cauldron in a mail-order catalog.
• Harry noticed it was late and went to bed.

Herman studied Dumbledore’s old book on the essence of magic until two in the morning, then found himself unable to sleep. Meanwhile, Gori stayed awake in the dungeons and extended his consciousness through Slytherin’s restrictive magical protections.

• Draco reminded Harry and Herman to meet her for breakfast before going to bed.
• Herman examined Dumbledore’s book and read that magical power existed between consciousness and matter, helping him understand why he could use magic without a wand.
• Herman took notes late into the night, then went to bed worried about being late for Transfiguration but could not fall asleep.
• Gori remained awake in the dungeons and pushed his magical power outward despite the castle’s protections draining it.

Gori tried to contact the Child of Prophecy through his dreams, but an impenetrable barrier blocked him and left him magically exhausted. Unable to do anything else in his dungeon lodgings, he considered cleaning.

• Gori found a way through the dungeon's magical suppression and located Herman's room in the Slytherin Common Room.
• Gori attempted three times to establish a channel into the Child of Prophecy's dreams, but each attempt struck a smooth barrier and broke apart.
• Gori collapsed from magical exhaustion and wondered whether the Child of Prophecy ever slept or dreamed.
• Gori examined the dusty stone room, complained that it had no bed, and considered cleaning the dungeon.

In the dungeon, Gori discovered a hidden secret behind a wall of black snake statues and considered it an opportunity. After staying awake all night, Herman dragged a sleepy Draco to the Great Hall before breakfast, where she saw through his excuses for coming early.

• Gori followed the scent of blood to a wall decorated with black snake statues and realized a secret was hidden there.
• Gori said Quirrell and Dumbledore knew nothing about the dungeon’s secret and considered it a good opportunity.
• Herman, unable to sleep after reading Dumbledore’s book, found Harry’s room empty and woke Draco instead.
• Herman led Draco to the Great Hall before breakfast had begun and claimed they wanted to impress Professor McGonagall.
• Draco pointed out that McGonagall usually arrived just before class and asked whether Herman was trying to impress someone from Gryffindor.

After a sleepless night, Herman struggled through breakfast, Transfiguration, and Flying Class before finally recovering with a nap. That evening, he left the Great Hall to study Dumbledore’s book, practice magic, and find Professor Malin for lessons in quick-fix demonic cultivation spells.

• Herman arrived at breakfast exhausted and barely responded while Harry and Draco chatted beside him.
• Herman sleepwalked through Transfiguration, where Professor McGonagall inspected his silver needle and moved on without comment.
• During Flying Class, Herman rested while Madam Hooch gave Harry and Neville special broom-flying coaching.
• After regaining his energy with a nap, Herman ate dinner and quietly told Draco not to wait for him.
• Herman left the Great Hall with plans to study in the Room of Requirement, practice magic, and seek out Professor Malin.

Herman could not enter the Room of Requirement because someone else seemed to be using it, so he went to seek Professor Malin instead. After finding her office empty, he waited and finally saw Marlene approaching.

• Herman tried twice to open the Room of Requirement, but the wall remained bare.
• Herman hid near the entrance and waited for an hour, then gave up on practicing magic there.
• Herman went to Professor Malin's office, knocked, and found no one inside.
• Marlene returned to the corridor, and Herman greeted her.

Herman visited Marlene to ask about magical modification, but she urged him to build his alchemy skills first. She then directed him to a book with notes about his arm and asked him to return next Friday, leaving him heading to the library to find it.

• Herman asked Marlene about magical modification, and she warned him that attempting it without a strong alchemy foundation was dangerous.
• Herman agreed to focus on making simple magical items once his materials arrived.
• As Herman was leaving, Marlene stopped him and told him a library book contained notes relevant to his arm and could help strengthen it.
• Marlene directed Herman to bookshelf number 97 and asked him to return next Friday evening after reading her notes.
• Herman hurried to the library and arrived at its quiet, ajar entrance.

Herman searched the Hogwarts library for shelf 97, following the numbered rows into a dim, dusty aisle. He found an iron gate blocking the way and was confronted by Madam Pince, who accused him of trying to enter the Restricted Section.

• Herman entered the library and told Madam Pince he was looking for books.
• Herman discovered that the shelves were numbered in sequence and followed them toward shelf 97.
• Herman noticed the deeper aisles were dusty, dimly lit, and filled with old shelves.
• Herman reached an iron-barred gate and tried to shake it open.
• Madam Pince appeared behind Herman and accused him of sneaking into the Restricted Section.

Herman tried to enter the Restricted Section to find a book Professor Malin had mentioned, but Madam Pince caught him and sent him to the fantastic beasts shelves. After escaping with a borrowed snake encyclopedia, he decided he would need professional help getting into the Restricted Section, then joined Harry and Draco at breakfast.

• Madam Pince found Herman at the Restricted Section gate, and he claimed he was looking for books about Ashwinders.
• Herman borrowed an encyclopedia of snakes while Madam Pince watched him, then left the library without being caught entering the Restricted Section.
• Herman realized the Restricted Section would be difficult to enter and decided to find a professional to help him.
• Harry questioned Herman about his frequent library visits, and Herman changed the subject by teasing Draco about her late-night snack.
• Draco denied sneaking food, while Harry accused Herman of spying on her.

Herman planned to enter the library’s Restricted Section with Harry and Draco to find a notebook Professor Malin had recommended for his arm. After receiving materials from Kramer, he drafted a proposal for a Muggle investment company and outlined their partnership.

• Herman asked Harry to help him get into the Restricted Section, and she agreed to go that night.
• Draco insisted on joining them, and Harry set the meeting for eleven thirty.
• Herman found a parcel of materials from Kramer in the common room, along with a note asking about the Muggle business.
• Herman wrote Kramer a proposal for a London investment company, offering him a salary and share of profits while setting out his duties and responsibilities.

Herman prepared a letter and met Harry and Draco late at night to enter the library’s Restricted Section. The three passed through the gate and entered the darkened area, where Harry warned Herman not to touch the enchanted books.

• Herman finished a private letter and added a note about a future business opportunity, then sealed it to send by owl.
• At 11:20 p.m., Herman, Harry, and Draco met in the Slytherin Common Room and left quietly with Harry carrying a ghostly blue lamp.
• Harry checked her makeshift Marauder’s Map and found two people in Madam Pince’s room, then led the others toward the library.
• Harry used a slender metal wire to pick the library lock and guided Herman and Draco to the Restricted Section.
• Harry tried spells until she opened the enchanted iron gate, then warned Herman that the books could be dangerous.
• Herman, Harry, and Draco passed through the gate into the darkened Restricted Section.

Herman searched the Restricted Section for Marlene’s notebook while Harry warned Draco about the dangerous books. Harry found the inconspicuous book Professor Malin had directed Herman to seek and tossed it to him.

• Draco touched a book that sprang from the shelf and nicked her finger, and Harry stopped it with a spell.
• Harry frightened Draco by describing possible curses, then told her that obeying her would make the curse fade.
• Herman searched the ninety-seventh row but found that the books growled and felt disturbingly alive when touched.
• Harry pulled an unmarked dark-brown book from the top shelf and tossed it toward Herman.

Herman found Marlene’s recent annotations in the potion notebook Harry had recognized from the Restricted Section. Draco proposed selling potions, but Herman refused, and Harry suggested that minors could not legally run businesses.

• Herman found a recently written commentary on a potion formula in the book Harry had retrieved from shelf ninety-seven.
• Harry explained that she recognized the book because its formula had been used to brew the potion that healed Herman’s arm.
• Draco realized the book contained the formula and proposed that Harry brew potions for sale while she funded the ingredients and Herman handled deliveries.
• Herman took the book back and refused to sell potions because he feared being sent to Azkaban.
• Harry suggested that minors were not allowed to run businesses.

Herman, Harry, and Draco escaped the Restricted Section with the book and returned to the Slytherin Common Room after evading Filch. Herman began examining the book in his room but, exhausted, decided to sleep and study it later.

• Herman, Harry, and Draco left the Restricted Section and reset its gate behind them.
• Harry stopped the group when Filch and his cat appeared in the corridor, and they waited in hiding until he passed.
• The three reached the Slytherin Common Room, where Draco joked about nearly being caught and then asked Harry if the curse would make her lose her hair.
• Harry gave Draco a Muggle tongue twister and told her to recite it a hundred times, explaining to Herman that she wanted Draco to fall asleep early.
• Harry warned Herman against reading notes of unknown origin, but he thanked her and said he knew what he was doing.
• Herman examined the book in his room, grew drowsy, and put it away before going to bed.