Chapter Summaries

Herman visited George and Fred in the Hospital Wing, where McGonagall reprimanded the twins and warned Herman to stay inside the castle during the professors’ patrols. He returned to the Slytherin common room, only to find Snape waiting by the fireplace.

• George told Herman that McGonagall had confiscated the twins’ stolen item, and the twins began planning a beauty-treatment business using Madam Pomfrey’s formula.
• McGonagall confronted George and Fred about breaking school rules, told them their parents would visit that evening, and warned Herman that the castle was safest during the patrols.
• Herman left the Hospital Wing and returned to the Slytherin common room, carefully watching for Snape along the way.
• Herman found Snape sitting alone in the common room, watching the corridor to the student dormitories.

Herman joined Harry and Draco for lunch after Snape ordered him to keep track of Harry. At the Great Hall, Herman worried about the vampires and wondered whether Dumbledore knew the danger he faced.

• Herman greeted Snape in the empty common room, and Snape told him to keep an eye on Harry and report where she went.
• After Snape left, the students and couples returned to the common room.
• Draco emerged with Harry and invited Herman to lunch, and he followed them to the Great Hall.
• Herman saw that most professors were gathered at the high table but Dumbledore was absent.
• Herman worried about the vampires, his lack of protection, and whether to tell Dumbledore what he knew.

Draco, Herman, Harry, Crabbe, and Goyle set out to visit Hagrid after lunch, but Filch stopped them at the castle entrance. Professor Quirrell offered to escort them, while three figures secretly watched from a nearby corridor.

• Draco greeted Hagrid across the Great Hall and invited Herman to visit him that afternoon.
• Draco insisted Harry come along and promised Crabbe and Goyle more of Hagrid’s rock cakes; Herman suggested bringing them to spare himself another taste.
• After lunch, Filch challenged the five students as they tried to leave the castle without permission.
• Quirrell agreed to escort them to Hagrid’s hut because he was heading toward the Forbidden Forest.
• Filch watched the group leave without noticing three people spying from around a corridor corner.

Neville, Hugo, and Ron searched for a secret passage so they could follow Quirrell, while Quirrell took Herman and the others to Hagrid before heading into the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid revealed that vampires had tried to kill his pet, then welcomed Harry into his hut.

• Neville, Hugo, and Ron decided to look for a secret passage near the garden after Filch blocked the castle entrance and the other doors were guarded.
• Quirrell led Herman and the others toward Hagrid's Hut without explaining his urgent trip to the Forbidden Forest.
• Hagrid told Quirrell that the Forbidden Forest had returned to normal and that Professor Malin was keeping watch.
• Quirrell left to relieve Professor Malin, asking Hagrid to escort the youngsters back to the castle.
• Hagrid told Herman that vampires had tried to kill his pet, then invited the group inside and greeted Harry warmly.

Herman and the others visited Hagrid's Hut, where Crabbe and Goyle eagerly ate Rock Cakes while Draco asked Hagrid about his absence the previous day. Hagrid hesitated before answering, leaving the group waiting to hear what he would reveal about the Forbidden Forest.

• Hagrid welcomed Herman and the others into his hut and reminisced about James visiting him years earlier.
• Draco hurried Crabbe and Goyle inside after finding them distracted by Hagrid's giant pumpkins.
• Herman noticed Draco disliked Hagrid's strong tea, while Crabbe and Goyle eagerly focused on the Rock Cakes.
• Hagrid explained that the Rock Cakes tasted better the more they chewed, and Crabbe and Goyle began eating them enthusiastically.
• Draco asked Hagrid what he had been doing the previous day and whether he knew Neville and the others had come looking for him.
• Hagrid hesitated, weighing what he could tell them about the previous night's events in the Forbidden Forest.

Herman realized that Hagrid’s new pets were the vampires Dumbledore had captured, and suspected an internal conflict had led someone to target their leader. After Harry convinced Hagrid that they already knew the truth, Hagrid agreed to tell them more.

• Harry asked Hagrid whether the vampires and werewolves in Hogsmeade were connected to what had happened.
• Hagrid said vampires and werewolves had come to the Forbidden Forest to attack his new pets, which Dumbledore had entrusted to him.
• Draco asked what the pets were, and Hagrid described them as a group of unusually large bats.
• Herman concluded that Hagrid was keeping the captured vampires and suspected someone among them wanted to kill their leader.
• Harry told Hagrid that they knew the bats were vampires and that Dumbledore had given them to him.
• Hagrid relaxed and prepared to explain the situation to Harry, Draco, and Herman.

Hagrid told Harry, Draco, and Herman that vampire elder Gori had survived an attack and was being guarded while Dumbledore was away. After Gori suggested the castle dungeons as a safe place, Herman strongly objected, and the group discussed Hogsmeade’s closure and a possible trip there.

• Hagrid explained that Gori had killed the vampire and werewolf who attacked him and claimed another vampire wanted to become king of the vampires.
• Hagrid said he, Professor Malin, and Professor Quirrell were taking turns guarding Gori until Dumbledore returned.
• Hagrid revealed that Gori had offered to be locked in the castle dungeons and promised to share the contents of a prophecy with Dumbledore.
• Herman objected to letting Gori into the castle, while Harry agreed that he should remain alive under guard until Dumbledore decided what to do.
• Harry offered to take Draco to Hogsmeade by a back route, and Hagrid said he would take them himself when they wanted to go.
• Hagrid mentioned seeing a big black dog in Hogsmeade that looked like the one James used to keep, prompting Herman to reconsider what he knew.

Herman realized Harry knew Sirius Black was hiding near Hogsmeade, then watched Fang bite Crabbe and Harry stop the bleeding with her wand. Hagrid treated Crabbe with a potion made for ordinary animal injuries, leaving Herman to recognize it as veterinary medicine.

• Herman inferred that the big black dog was Sirius Black and that Harry knew her godfather was nearby.
• Fang bit Crabbe's arm, and Goyle failed to pull the dog off him.
• Hagrid ordered Fang to release Crabbe, and Goyle fainted when blood spurted onto him.
• Harry cauterized Crabbe's wound with her wand to stop the bleeding.
• Hagrid gave Crabbe a potion made by Professor Kettleburn, and Crabbe quickly recovered.
• Herman learned the potion treated ordinary injuries in animals and concluded it was veterinary medicine.

After Crabbe and Goyle recovered from their encounter with Fang, Draco took a bag of Hagrid’s rock cakes and kept her plans secret from Herman. The group then discovered several people hiding in bushes beside the path, watching something ahead.

• Hagrid explained that Fang had attacked Crabbe and Goyle because they tried to take the bone from his pot, and the two recovered after drinking his tea.
• Draco asked Hagrid for another bag of rock cakes before leaving with Herman, Harry, Crabbe, and Goyle.
• Herman questioned Draco about the rock cakes, but she kept smiling and refused to reveal what she planned to do with them.
• Harry noticed movement in the bushes, and Herman spotted three people hiding there, including someone with messy black hair, someone with dark brown hair, and someone with red hair.

Herman discovered Neville, Ron, and Hugo returning filthy from a secret passage, which Harry identified as an old dog hole. Draco comforted Ron with a bundle of Rock Cakes, leaving Herman stunned as she opened it.

• Herman recognized Neville, Ron, and Hugo emerging from the bushes covered in dirt and asked what they had been doing.
• Hugo admitted that they had sneaked through a tunnel in the garden without a professor’s permission.
• Harry identified the passage as the dog hole Professor Kettleburn had dug, embarrassing the three students.
• Draco put an arm around Ron, comforted her, and offered her something to eat.
• Draco opened her bundle of Rock Cakes while Herman realized too late that he could not stop her.

Draco tricked Ron into taking a Rock Cake despite her missing teeth, making her cry and run off. Herman felt guilty about the prank and went after Ron, while Draco insisted she had done nothing wrong.

• Draco offered Ron a Rock Cake, then apologized for forgetting Ron had lost her teeth; Ron threw the cake down and ran away as Neville and Hugo chased after her.
• Draco laughed at Ron’s reaction while Crabbe and Goyle retrieved the Rock Cake and argued over how to divide it.
• Herman questioned whether Draco had gone too far, but Draco and Harry claimed Ron had cried because she was touched.
• Herman decided to check on Ron, thinking the prank had amounted to bullying and that he should build a good relationship with her.
• Draco called after Herman, protesting that she had not actually done anything to Ron.

Herman followed Neville and Hugo to the Black Lake, where Ron was crying after Draco’s prank, and his awkward apology helped calm her. Neville then revealed that they had followed Professor Quirrell, and Herman told them Quirrell had gone to the Forbidden Forest.

• Herman left Draco and Harry and hurried after Neville, Hugo, and Ron.
• Herman found Ron crying by the Black Lake while Neville and Hugo tried to comfort her.
• Herman awkwardly apologized for Draco’s prank, and Ron eventually calmed down.
• Neville told Herman that he, Hugo, and Ron had followed Professor Quirrell after he rushed out of the castle.
• Herman told them Professor Quirrell had gone to the Forbidden Forest, and Neville’s expression changed.

Herman covered for Neville, Hugo, and Ron when Professor Malin caught them outside the castle, claiming they were visiting Hagrid. When Malin told them to return with her, the three realized Filch might discover they had sneaked out and hurried back toward Hagrid’s Hut instead.

• Hugo and Neville suspected Quirrell was plotting something in the Forbidden Forest, while Herman kept quiet about the secret vampire elder there.
• Professor Malin arrived from the Forbidden Forest and asked Herman, Neville, Hugo, and Ron why they were outside the castle.
• Herman claimed the three had gone to see Hagrid, and Neville, Hugo, and Ron backed up his explanation.
• Malin told everyone to return to the castle, but Neville realized Filch might expose their sneaking out.
• Neville said he had left something at Hagrid’s, then pulled Hugo and Ron toward Hagrid’s Hut.

Herman asked Professor Malin for advice about the Dissilio spell, and she explained how to cast it more precisely. She agreed that he could visit her on Wednesday afternoons to ask future questions.

• Marlene briefly looked pale and uncomfortable, but continued her patrol toward the castle with Herman.
• Herman asked Marlene about his inconsistent results with Dissilio, which he had found in a library book.
• Marlene explained that Dissilio worked by guiding magic backward through an object's structure and advised Herman to study its materials and construction before casting.
• Marlene praised Herman's magical control and said that experience and observation would improve his results.
• Herman asked whether he could visit Marlene with future questions, and she suggested Wednesday afternoons.

Herman arranged to ask Professor Malin about alchemy on Wednesday, while Hogwarts grew unusually quiet amid concern about Hogsmeade. Draco took Herman to watch Slytherin Quidditch practice for Harry’s first session, but Harry had not appeared by the time the sun began to set.

• Herman agreed to meet Professor Malin on Wednesday afternoon to ask her alchemy questions, and they entered the castle together.
• The next day, the professors and students acted unusually watchful as attention turned toward Hogsmeade, while Herman continued his lessons and magical practice.
• Draco excitedly talked about Harry joining the Quidditch team and dragged Herman to the top row of the stands to watch practice.
• Draco and Herman watched the Slytherin players warm up and train, but Harry was nowhere on the pitch.
• As the afternoon wore on, Draco wondered whether Harry had stood them up again.

Harry arrived for her first Slytherin Quidditch practice carrying a parcel, where Marcus and Terence insulted her and challenged her place as Seeker. A Prefect sent by Snape stopped the confrontation and supervised practice, while Draco vowed to have the players replaced.

• Herman dismissed the idea that Harry would break a promise, and Draco guessed that Harry might have gone to Hogsmeade without her.
• Harry entered the pitch carrying a long parcel, and the Slytherin players flew over to confront her.
• Marcus mocked Harry for being late and questioned how she had become Seeker, while Terence ridiculed her and her appearance.
• A Prefect sent by Snape intervened, ordered the players to begin warming up, and stayed to supervise practice.
• Draco met Harry and promised to ask Professor Snape to replace the players who had insulted her.

Harry received a Nimbus 2000 from her godfather Sirius and joined Slytherin Quidditch practice, where the players targeted her with Bludgers. She evaded the attack and raced toward the goal hoops.

• Harry unwrapped a new Nimbus 2000 and told Herman that her godfather had brought it to her.
• Draco offered Herman one of the broomsticks her father planned to give the Slytherin team, and Herman accepted.
• Marcus began a practice match without giving Harry instructions, while Herman and Draco watched from the stands.
• Herman noticed that Harry's Beaters neglected their duties and Terence's Beater repeatedly directed Bludgers at her.
• Harry dodged the Bludgers with a steep dive, made the pursuing balls collide, and charged toward the goal hoops.

Harry caught the Golden Snitch after evading Terence, then used her wand to conjure two black dogs that attacked him when he reached for his wand. She stopped the dogs at the Prefect’s command, leaving Terence injured and the match’s outcome unsettled.

• Harry dodged Terence’s attempts to block her and spotted the Golden Snitch behind the goalpost.
• Harry pursued the Snitch through the players and caught it at the edge of the pitch as Draco cheered.
• Terence rushed at Harry and reached for his wand, but Harry released the Snitch and conjured two black dogs that attacked him.
• The dogs dragged Terence and his broom to the ground while the players and Marcus kept their distance.
• Harry dismissed the dogs when the Prefect ordered her to stop, and Terence lay injured, glaring at her.

Harry left the Quidditch pitch after injuring Terence, then later Herman visited Professor Malin and found her adjusting a powerful humanoid magic puppet. The chapter ended with Herman waiting while Professor Malin finished her work.

• Harry picked up her broom and left the pitch with Draco and Herman, while Terence remained surrounded by the other players.
• Harry told the players to notify her about the next practice and questioned whether the unnamed student would be able to attend.
• On Wednesday, Herman gathered his alchemy questions and went to Professor Malin's workshop after lunch.
• Professor Malin welcomed Herman in and continued making precise adjustments to the magic circuits inside a humanoid puppet.
• Professor Malin told Herman to look through the books on the lower shelves while she finished working.

Herman studied Professor Malin’s alchemy books while watching her work on a lifelike humanoid magical puppet, and he decided he wanted to learn alchemy well enough to build one himself. Professor Malin activated the puppet’s circuits for a pre-startup check, leaving its next step unclear.

• Herman examined the magical puppet and recognized that Professor Malin’s research focused on alchemical puppets.
• Herman read Professor Malin’s detailed books on alchemical materials and magical conductors while observing her adjust the puppet’s circuits.
• Herman imagined what the puppet might be capable of and set himself the long-term goal of learning alchemy to build a robot maid.
• Herman became absorbed in his reading as Professor Malin continued working on the puppet.
• Professor Malin tapped the puppet’s chest with her wand, and its circuits lit up in sequence as it began a self-check.