Chapter Summaries

After Snape took Malfoy away for calling Hermione a Mudblood, McGonagall punished Hermione and Anne but also awarded Gryffindor points for their actions. William and Hermione left together, agreeing to continue their nightly training.

• William admitted that Anne and Hermione had hit Malfoy, explaining that they had acted after he insulted Hermione and attacked Anne.
• Snape learned that Malfoy had used the word “Mudblood,” then dragged him away while rebuking him.
• McGonagall deducted sixty points from Gryffindor and assigned Hermione and Anne detention, but awarded Gryffindor thirty points for each girl’s defense of her classmates.
• Anne apologized to William and left to apologize to Dumbledore; William warned her to avoid getting caught when breaking school rules.
• Hermione told William that the Slytherins had seemed weak, and they agreed to continue their nightly training before walking hand in hand.

William, Hermione, and Anne served detention by cleaning the Hogwarts Kitchen after Harry and Ron received easier punishments. They found the kitchen and examined a painting of the Four Founders’ last meal, which ended with seven eggs on a plate.

• William took Hermione and Anne to clean the kitchen, while Harry went with Lockhart and Ron polished silver in the Trophy Room.
• William led Hermione and Anne past the Hufflepuff common room entrance, where Hermione triggered a torrent of aged vinegar by tapping a barrel incorrectly.
• William cleared the vinegar and opened the way to the Hufflepuff common room, but the three continued toward the kitchen.
• William tickled the pear on a painting to reveal the kitchen entrance, then led Hermione and Anne inside.
• The three saw a painting of the Founders’ last meal, including Slytherin with a young Basilisk and a plate holding seven eggs.

William, Hermione, and Anne served their punishment by clearing rotten food the ghosts had left in the Hogwarts kitchen for Nearly Headless Nick’s Deathday Party. Hermione suggested dumping it in Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom, but Myrtle appeared after hearing her name and confronted them.

• William and Hermione watched House-elves feed Bobocha and Mrs. Norris, and William wondered whether Mrs. Norris was pregnant.
• The House-elves welcomed William, Hermione, and Anne with tea and pastries, then Winnie showed them the rotten food left for the ghosts’ Halloween Deathday Party.
• William cast the Bubble-Head Charm on the three of them, and they began removing the decaying food.
• Anne asked where they could put the food, and Hermione suggested Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom.
• Moaning Myrtle emerged from the wall, upset that she had heard the students say her name.

William, Hermione, and Anne arranged to hide rotting food in Moaning Myrtle’s abandoned bathroom, where Myrtle tried to recruit William as her Deathday Party date. The chapter ended with William learning that Dobby belonged to the Malfoy family and Hermione questioning him about Phoebe.

• Hermione suggested putting the rotting food in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, and Myrtle demanded William accompany her to the Deathday Party after mentioning that Charlie I and Louis XVI would attend.
• William persuaded Myrtle to ask Cedric to be her date, and she left to find him.
• Winnie and Duoduo told William that Dobby was the Malfoy family’s House-elf.
• William, Hermione, and Anne dumped the rotting food into the sinks in Moaning Myrtle’s abandoned bathroom.
• William wondered whether Malfoy had sent Dobby to stop Harry, while Hermione asked whether Phoebe was pretty; William said Hermione was prettier.

An October cold front sickened Hogwarts, while William attended Professor Vector’s Arithmancy class and received an ominous reading of 777. As Halloween approached, William feared the reading foretold danger and considered preparing Felix Felicis.

• A cold front spread illness through Hogwarts, and Madam Pomfrey had Professor Snape and William brew Pepperup Potion while William sold his warming badges.
• Professor Snape’s potion cured Lockhart’s cold but caused severe stomach symptoms, and Professor Trelawney’s voice returned before she drank a similar dose.
• Heavy rain flooded the grounds and swelled Hagrid’s pumpkins, which he carved into lanterns for Halloween decorations in the Great Hall.
• William skipped Professor Trelawney’s class to attend Professor Vector’s Arithmancy lesson and calculated his number as 777.
• Professor Vector interpreted William’s 777 as approaching danger, a quantity of seven, and failure, leaving William worried about what might happen before Christmas.

William and his friends prepared for Hogwarts’ Halloween Feast while Nearly Headless Nick investigated missing food in Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom and tried to recruit guests for his Deathday Party. The feast ended with a lively celebration in giant pumpkins, and William enjoyed a quiet, happy moment with Hermione.

• Nearly Headless Nick told William that rotten food and maggots had vanished from Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom, then decided to ask Hagrid for caterpillars to replace them.
• Nick invited William, Cedric, and Cho to his Deathday Party, but William said he would attend the Halloween party, and Cedric denied being Moaning Myrtle’s date.
• Harry told William and Hermione that Ron had been missing for nearly an hour, and Fred reported that Filch had taken the soaking-wet Ron away.
• Anne, Luna, and Ginny welcomed William into a giant pumpkin, and the students gathered in pumpkins for the Halloween Eve Feast.
• Dumbledore began the feast, Professor Kettleburn released a Fire Salamander, and Hermione shared an orange segment with William.

After the Red Skull Dance Troupe performed an altered Hamlet at Hogwarts, Dumbledore sensed something was wrong, and Mrs. Norris led William to a message announcing that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. Filch lay wounded nearby with a blood-drawn design on his hand, while Harry stood terrified by the warning.

• The Red Skull Dance Troupe performed a comic version of Hamlet, and Dumbledore explained that Laertes's pain had moved him.
• Dumbledore listened intently, and the feast ended before Mrs. Norris and Bobocha rushed to William in alarm.
• Mrs. Norris led William and Hermione to a corridor where a message warned that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened.
• Harry denied responsibility, while Malfoy taunted Hermione until William magically silenced him and warned him not to use the slur again.
• William found Filch sprawled unconscious beside a broom and rotten tripe, with a small wound and a blood-drawn design on his palm.

Dumbledore examined Filch after an apparent attack and confirmed that he was unconscious rather than dead. Harry became the prime suspect, and Dumbledore’s questions about Ron left the group wondering what had happened to him.

• Dumbledore took Filch to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey and several professors examined him.
• Dumbledore found that Filch’s wound had healed and announced that Filch was only unconscious.
• Lockhart accused Harry of attacking Filch, and Harry explained that Filch had confronted him after the Vanishing Cabinet was smashed.
• Snape questioned why Harry had been in the upstairs corridor and suggested using Veritaserum, but Dumbledore rejected the idea.
• Dumbledore asked Harry where Ron was, and Harry realized Ron had been taken away by Filch.

After Filch identified Harry as his attacker, Dumbledore and William considered the suspicious events and the threat from the Chamber of Secrets. William questioned why the attacker had left Filch alive, and Dumbledore said he needed to investigate.

• Dumbledore had McGonagall bring Ron from Filch's office and asked Pomfrey to prepare a potion for Filch.
• Ron explained that he had fallen into the Black Lake while trying to catch a merperson as a Halloween present for Harry, then Filch had sent him to his office.
• Filch woke up and identified Harry as the person who attacked him, leaving Harry stunned.
• Dumbledore told William that the danger came from people rather than the Basilisk or the Chamber itself.
• William asked why the attacker had spared Filch if the goal was to spread fear, and Dumbledore said he had seen something similar before and would investigate.

William and Dumbledore deduced that the attacker had struck Filch as the second of a planned series, using the attacks to frame Harry rather than kill his victims. They suspected Harry was the ultimate target and that the seventh attack could leave the students ready to turn against him.

• William questioned why the attacker had spared Filch, and Dumbledore concluded the attacker had a reason tied to a larger goal.
• Dumbledore and William interpreted the Graphorn drawn in blood on Filch's hand as the number two, suggesting Filch was the second victim.
• Dumbledore reasoned that the attacker had already chosen a fixed number of attacks, and William linked that number to Professor Vector's prediction of seven dangers.
• William and Dumbledore concluded that Harry had been the attacker's target from the start and that the victims would identify Harry after each attack.
• William realized the attacker could use the seventh attack to turn the students against Harry after destroying his reputation.

After Dumbledore warned William that the attacks would continue, William escorted Hermione back to Gryffindor Tower and comforted her about the danger facing Muggle-born students. The chapter ended with Hermione feeling safe in William’s arms.

• William left Dumbledore’s office and found Hermione waiting for him outside, so he helped her up and walked her back.
• William told Hermione that Dumbledore expected the attacks to continue, while keeping Harry’s role as the attacker’s intended target secret.
• William explained that Slytherin had not built the Chamber of Secrets to purge Hogwarts and that later generations had distorted its purpose.
• At the girls’ dormitory entrance, Hermione confessed her fear that Pure-blood families hated Muggle-born wizards, and William promised to protect her.
• William wiped Hermione’s tears and held her until she felt warm and calm.

William and Cedric, Fred, and George searched the underground passage for the Chamber of Secrets and found that the Basilisk traveled through Hogwarts’ plumbing. They entered the sewer system, where Fred brought out a Niffler to help them navigate.

• William prepared a bed and food for Mrs. Norris, who had been frightened away from Filch since the attack.
• William led Cedric, Fred, and George through the secret passage beneath Hogwarts, where William read protective Ancient Runes on the columns.
• The group found a lake with a granite pyramid on an island, then continued to the corridor where the Basilisk had left its shed skin and prey bones.
• George revealed that he had stolen a rooster from Hagrid and brought it as protection against a Basilisk; William explained how magic eggs could hatch Basilisks or Cockatrices.
• The four found a broken wall opening into Hogwarts’ sewer system and realized the Basilisk could use the pipes to move around the school.
• Cedric warned that the pipes were difficult to search, so Fred produced a Niffler to help them find their way.

The Ravenclaw team faced Slytherin in the first Quidditch match of the school year, with William and Cho preparing to exploit Slytherin’s new brooms and Malfoy’s inexperience. The match began with all fourteen players taking flight.

• As November arrived, Slytherin’s Nimbus 2001 brooms made the other house teams jealous, and Wood joked about burning them.
• Before the match, Hermione and Anne encouraged William, while Cedric fussed over Cho; Fred and George were searching the sewers with the Niffler for the Chamber of Secrets.
• Ravenclaw and Slytherin entered the pitch as Lee Jordan gave an eccentric commentary and fans cheered for William.
• William explained that Cho could fake losing control of her broom to lure Malfoy into a crash, then encouraged her to take down Slytherin.
• Madam Hooch blew the whistle, and the Ravenclaw and Slytherin players launched into the match.

William dominated Ravenclaw’s Quidditch match against Slytherin, while Cho outmaneuvered Malfoy in a dive for the Snitch. Malfoy crashed, leaving Slytherin without its Seeker as the match continued.

• William scored an early goal and widened Ravenclaw’s lead with daring shots and passes.
• Sterling sent Pucey toward William, while Slytherin’s Beaters Bole and Derrick tried to take him out; William dodged them and redirected a Bludger into Derrick’s broom, and both Beaters fell.
• Madam Hooch awarded Ravenclaw two penalty shots after Slytherin’s fouls, despite Snape’s protest.
• Cho faked a dive toward the Snitch, and Malfoy followed her too fast to pull out of his dive before crashing into the ground.
• Cho taunted Malfoy as he lay injured, and Slytherin was left without its Seeker.

During a Quidditch match, Lockhart tried to treat Malfoy's broken leg, but Madam Pomfrey announced another attack and the match was canceled. Colin Creevey was found unconscious with a Runespoor symbol on his hand, and the students suspected Harry of opening the Chamber of Secrets.

• Malfoy crashed to the ground with a broken leg, and Lockhart used a spell to mend the bone, though Malfoy fell again when he tried to stand.
• Cedric threw Dungbombs into the Slytherin stands after Pansy blamed Cho for Malfoy's injury.
• Madam Pomfrey reported another attack, and McGonagall canceled the match and sent everyone back to their common rooms.
• The students learned Colin Creevey had been found unconscious in a corridor, and his camera film contained numerous photographs of Harry, including one taken in a bathroom.
• Colin woke murmuring Harry's name, and Dumbledore confirmed that a Runespoor design had appeared on Colin's palm.
• Students began carrying Clabberts as warning creatures, filling the school with their hawthorn-scented fluid.

William and Hermione brewed a Brain Elixir in the Room of Requirement while William taught her advanced ingredient-preparation methods. Hermione planned to use Polyjuice Potion to question Malfoy about the Chamber of Secrets, and William continued developing a powerful shampoo for her unruly hair.

• Hermione prepared Sopophorous Beans for the Brain Elixir, and William showed her how to slice them thinly for a better result.
• Hermione bottled the finished Brain Elixir for delivery to Diagon Alley.
• Hermione told William that she and Harry and Ron planned to use Polyjuice Potion to question Malfoy about the Chamber of Secrets.
• Hermione insisted on brewing her own Polyjuice Potion so she could gain more practice and help William with brewing.
• William explained that Lockhart's shampoo worked well but needed a neutralizing ingredient, and he hoped to make it effective with only a small amount.

After another student was attacked, Harry was blamed, while William and the twins profited from making protective alchemical gear. At the Duelling Club, Snape challenged William to demonstrate a real duel, leaving William ready to face him.

• Eloise was found attacked outside Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, and Trelawney claimed Harry had done it, but Cho challenged her reasoning.
• Harry became convinced Malfoy was responsible, while an Anti-Harry Alliance formed at school.
• William and the twins made Shield Hats, cloaks, and gloves that students eagerly bought, inspiring plans to expand Akali's Mystery Shop.
• William predicted Lockhart would lead the Duelling Club, and Snape knocked Lockhart off the stage during their demonstration.
• Snape stopped Lockhart's lesson and challenged William to duel, and William accepted with confidence from their time-loop fights.

William dueled Snape in the Great Hall, demonstrating overwhelming skill and forcing Snape to concede. Afterward, Snape asked about William’s powerful spell, and William offered to teach him.

• William and Snape began their duel, and William knocked Goyle and Crabbe out of the fight with redirected spells.
• Malfoy broke down and apologized to Hermione for calling her a Mudblood.
• Snape and William exchanged fast spells as the students cleared back from the stage.
• William used a powerful Water Tornado and transformed candle flames into a blue fire dragon that battled Snape’s black-mist scorpion.
• William found Snape through the smoke and pressed his wand to Snape’s back, ending the duel.
• Snape asked what William’s spell was called, and William offered to teach him.

William defeated Snape in a public duel, then Lockhart’s practice session descended into chaos. When Ron fought Malfoy, Ron unexpectedly cast a dark spell that pierced a conjured snake and left Malfoy badly wounded, and Snape stared at Ron in shock.

• William used his knowledge of Snape’s fighting habits to defeat him, impressing the students.
• Lockhart began pairing students for practice while Hermione approached a Slytherin girl to obtain hair for Polyjuice Potion.
• Snape paired Harry with Malfoy, but Ron volunteered to take Harry’s place.
• Malfoy insulted Ron’s family, and Ron’s spell missed before Malfoy conjured a snake with Serpensortia.
• Ron cast Dark Light Crossbow Bolt, which killed the snake and struck Malfoy in the chest.
• Snape treated Malfoy’s wound and then stared at Ron as the Great Hall fell silent.

Snape confronted Ron after Ron used Dark Magic on Malfoy, and William helped Ron reveal that Tom Riddle's Diary had taught him spells. The group found Ron's trunk ransacked, with the diary, his old wand, and Scabbers missing, and Ron believed Scabbers had been killed by whoever took them.

• Snape accused Ron of using Dark Magic on Malfoy and threatened to have him expelled.
• Harry led Ron to the Gryffindor Common Room, where the Weasley twins and Percy questioned him.
• William persuaded Ron to explain that Tom Riddle's Diary had been doing his homework and teaching him magic.
• Ron said he had hidden the diary under his trunk, and the group found his dormitory ransacked.
• Ron discovered that the diary, his old wand, and Scabbers were gone, and he grieved over Scabbers's bloodied bedding.