Chapter Summaries

The Yule Ball announcement sent Hogwarts students scrambling to find dates, and William became a target of eager witches. After rejecting Mormont’s invitation and being tricked into signing autographs, he fled with Cedric, who tried to redirect the pursuing crowd toward him.

• Professor McGonagall’s Yule Ball announcement stirred up Hogwarts, while Cedric and Harry viewed the ball as a chance to compete for Cho.
• Witches crowded around William in the corridors, and Mormont asked him to be her date.
• William rejected Mormont, but she used the exchange to collect autographs from him and sell them to her friends.
• William ran into Cedric, who shouted that William had no date and drew the pursuing students after them.
• William and Cedric argued over who would act as a decoy, then William shoved Cedric behind a pillar and announced his hiding place to the crowd.

At the Yule Ball, Cedric sought advice about asking Cho, while Ron’s comments about choosing a pretty date upset Hermione. William followed Hermione out of the Great Hall, but Anne caught up with him and asked whether he had a date.

• Cedric took William to the Gryffindor table and admitted he planned to invite Cho to the ball.
• Fred demonstrated his approach by asking Angelina to the ball, and she accepted.
• Ron said he wanted a pretty date and insulted Eloise Midgen, prompting Hermione to criticize him and leave the Great Hall.
• William got up to follow Hermione, but Anne caught up with him and asked, “Brother, do you have a date?”

William considered whom to invite to the Yule Ball while Anne urged him to ask Hermione. He finally invited Hermione in the Room of Requirement, and she accepted.

• Anne asked William to invite Gabrielle to the ball, but he refused and joked about inviting Phoebe instead.
• Anne insisted Hermione would be William’s future sister-in-law and urged him to invite her to the ball.
• A fourth-year boy asked Anne to be his date, but she turned him down because he had not earned his O.W.L. certificates.
• Hermione complained that William had ignored her while other girls surrounded him and called him a lecher.
• William invited Hermione to the Yule Ball, and she accepted.

As Christmas approached, William and Lee launched the Lily Network to match students with dance partners, while Hogwarts students and professors scrambled for invitations. Harry still hoped Cho would ask him, unaware Cedric had already invited her, and Snape planned to spend the Yule Ball grading mock exams.

• William invested in Lee's new Lily Network, which sold information about students and their potential dance partners.
• Malfoy bought a diamond premium membership, discovered his listed partner was Pansy Parkinson, and felt relieved that Harry had no partner listed.
• Harry waited for Cho to invite him, unaware that Cedric had already asked her and that she had readily agreed.
• Ron struggled to find a girl to invite because students suspected him of studying Dark Magic, while Trelawney and Binns tried unsuccessfully to get attention from their colleagues.
• Snape announced a final-term O.W.L.s mock exam and said the results would be sent to students' parents on Christmas, leaving everyone convinced he would spend the Yule Ball grading papers.

William avoided invitations by hiding in the Room of Requirement, but his crowded Ancient Runes classes and rumors about his luck made him the focus of students’ attention. After Phoebe pulled him away from a crowd of Beauxbatons girls, Ron asked her to be his dance partner, and she ignored him.

• William turned his overcrowded Ancient Runes class into a badge-making contest and offered the first successful student a permanent fifty-percent-off voucher for Akali's Mystery Shop.
• William ran into Luna, who carried a withered Devil's Snare, and learned that Anne and Gabrielle were hiding together with a secret surprise.
• Luna told William that girls believed inviting him to the dance would bring them good luck next year, though William already had Hermione as his partner.
• Beauxbatons girls crowded around William to invite him, and Phoebe pulled him away from them.
• Ron asked Phoebe to be his dance partner, but she turned away from him.

After Ron and Harry were rejected by Fleur and Cho, Ron tried to persuade Hermione to be his Yule Ball partner. Hermione declared that William was her boyfriend and left the common room, while Ginny confirmed they had become a couple in Paris.

• Ron learned that the Gryffindor password had changed to “toad” and found Ginny comforting him after Fleur ignored his invitation to the ball.
• Harry arrived and told Ron that Cho had already agreed to go with Cedric.
• Hermione came in looking for news of Anne, then argued with Ron after he suggested she become his ball partner.
• Hermione announced that she and William had shared dangerous adventures and that William was her boyfriend, then stormed out.
• Ginny confirmed that William and Hermione had become a couple in Paris and said William had asked Hermione out long ago.
• Ginny revealed that she had agreed to go to the ball with Neville, while Ron and Harry remained without partners.

Phoebe invited William to the Yule Ball, but he declined because he had already asked Hermione. When Krum staged a rescue to invite Hermione, William publicly declared that Hermione was his girlfriend and dance partner, leaving Daphne heartbroken.

• Phoebe asked William to be her dance partner, and he declined while explaining how much Hermione meant to him.
• Hermione found William and confronted him about Phoebe, then secretly pinched him when he refused to reveal the dance partner he had recommended for Phoebe.
• Elena Kaslana, Evan Mason, and Maca McLean approached William and Hermione while acting as thugs.
• Krum used Wandless Magic to knock Mason and Maca down and send Elena flying, hoping to create a dramatic moment to invite Hermione.
• William announced that Hermione was his girlfriend and dance partner and told everyone not to invite either of them.
• Daphne arrived to invite William, broke down in tears after hearing his announcement, and Krum was met with Hermione's icy order to get lost.

William celebrated Christmas at Hogwarts, opening gifts that included a Pensieve from Dumbledore and an ancient magic book from Sirius. After finding no present from Hermione, he put his gifts away and headed toward Gryffindor.

• The professors and Prefects decorated Hogwarts for Christmas, while rumors about extravagant school purchases boosted Akali's Mystery Shop's sales.
• William woke up to a mountain of Christmas presents, but Bobocha refused to get out of bed.
• William opened his gifts and received an exquisite Pensieve from Dumbledore and a three-drop Gillywater Potion from Snape.
• William received an ancient Latin magic book from Sirius, a photo album from Phoebe, and a wooden model of St Mark's Basilica from Trene.
• William gave friends and professors gifts, including scented shampoo, a sapphire necklace for Phoebe, and an alchemical sword for Trene.
• William found no Christmas present from Hermione, put his gifts away, and headed toward Gryffindor.

As Hogwarts students prepared for the Yule Ball, Ron’s invitation to Lavender sparked a fight with Seamus and a schoolwide rumor. William and Hermione spent the afternoon together before she sent him away to get ready, telling him to come find her before the ball.

• The Fat Lady told William that Professor McGonagall had threatened to break his legs if he brought Hermione back late again.
• Fred and George teased Ron about asking Lavender to the ball, and Ron said she had accepted his invitation.
• Seamus confronted Ron over Lavender, punched him, and chased him toward the dormitory; Harry followed to stop the fight.
• A rumor spread that Ron, Seamus, and Harry had fought over Lavender, who delighted in the attention.
• William and Hermione studied the Golden Egg in the Room of Requirement until Hermione sent William away to get ready for the ball.

William and Hermione dressed for the Yule Ball and arrived together, drawing attention from the students. After they entered, William returned to the entrance and got Gabrielle inside as a second date, while Anne disguised them with masks and warned her not to let Hermione find out.

• William found Hermione dressed in a blue gown and jewels in the Room of Requirement, and he told her she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.
• Hermione promised to follow William wherever he went, and they walked arm in arm to the Great Hall.
• Harry waited for Cho while standing with Parvati, then greeted Ron and Lavender as they arrived.
• William and Hermione entered the Great Hall, stunning the crowd as they passed Ron without acknowledging him.
• William returned to the entrance with Gabrielle and persuaded Filch to let them in as his second date.
• Anne gave masks to herself and Gabrielle, then warned Gabrielle to keep Hermione from discovering their plan.

William and Hermione attended the Yule Ball as Champions, while William learned that Ludo Bagman had disappeared and Percy had come in Crouch’s place. The chapter ended with William wondering whether Bagman could simply abandon his role in the Triwizard Tournament.

• William reassured Hermione that Anne had probably found a way into the ball and then joined the other Champions with her.
• William saw Trene arrive as Phoebe’s partner, while Cedric and Cho wrestled, Malfoy arrived with Pansy, and Ron and Lavender discussed renting jewelry and dress robes.
• McGonagall led the Champions into the decorated Great Hall, where William comforted a nervous Hermione before they sat down.
• Percy thanked William for giving him Fudge’s signed books and said he had been promoted to Crouch’s personal assistant.
• Percy told William that Bagman had disappeared after apparently owing money to Goblins and wizards, and William wondered whether Bagman had fled over his lost bet.

At the Yule Ball, William and Hermione enjoyed the feast, then danced together as the Weird Sisters played. Hermione grew increasingly absorbed in dancing with William, and the night was just beginning for them.

• Dumbledore introduced individual dish orders, and William and Hermione discovered that several fancifully named dishes were disappointing.
• The students learned to choose plainly named food and ate lightly before the dancing began.
• Dumbledore cleared the Great Hall for a dance floor, and the Weird Sisters took the stage.
• William asked Hermione to dance, while Cedric led Cho onto the floor and Ron reluctantly joined Lavender.
• William and Hermione danced together, and Hermione relaxed into their familiar steps until she became absorbed in the moment with him.

At the Yule Ball, Harry grew jealous of Cho and Cedric while Ron's disastrous dance with Lavender ended with her slapping him. William and Hermione enjoyed the evening together, and they left the Great Hall after Hermione turned down Ron's invitation to dance.

• Harry refused to dance again and grew distressed when Parvati told him Cho and Cedric planned to go on a date.
• Ron stepped on Lavender repeatedly, tore her sleeve, and was slapped after suggesting he mend her dress in his dormitory.
• William carried the exhausted Hermione off the dance floor, and she drank eggnog until she became tipsy.
• Ron asked Krum for an autograph, then asked Hermione to dance, but she declined.
• William and Hermione left the Great Hall together, and William told Ron to mind his own business.
• Krum asked Ron why William and Hermione had left, and Ron told him to ask them himself.

William and Hermione left the Yule Ball for a walk, where they overheard Snape and Karkaroff discussing Karkaroff’s fear of Voldemort’s return. Hermione proposed replacing Karkaroff with an obedient fake headmaster, and the chapter ended with her and William alone on the Hogwarts roof, agreeing to go home together for Christmas.

• Anne and Gabrielle removed their plague masks after William and Hermione left the ball, and Anne planned to invite other students to dance.
• William and Hermione overheard Snape telling Karkaroff he could flee while Snape intended to stay at Hogwarts.
• Snape caught several students hiding in the rose bushes and took points from them and from William and Hermione.
• William explained that Karkaroff feared Voldemort because he had betrayed Death Eaters, and Hermione suggested installing their own headmaster at Durmstrang if Karkaroff fled.
• William carried Hermione to the Hogwarts roof, where they embraced and kissed beneath the moonlight.
• Hermione asked William to go home with her for Christmas, back to their little house.

Hermione feared William had left her behind, but he returned from buying food and spent the day with her at the cottage. While bathing, Hermione discovered the Golden Egg’s clue and pulled William into the tub with her.

• Hermione woke late at William’s cottage, found he was gone, and worried he had returned to school without her.
• William came back with groceries, explained he had tried to wake her, and warmed her hands before they went inside.
• William cooked lunch while Hermione built two snowmen in the yard.
• Hermione took the Golden Egg into the bath and discovered that its secret could only be heard underwater.
• Hermione and William submerged themselves as the egg sang a clue about searching underwater within one hour, and Hermione dragged William into the tub.

William and Hermione spent Christmas at the cottage, where Hermione deduced that the Second Task would require the Champions to retrieve people from the Merpeople’s village. Meanwhile, Tom failed to recover his locket, and Harry suffered another bout of pain in the Gryffindor common room.

• William and Hermione relaxed together at the cottage, watching a movie after dinner.
• Hermione worked out that the Second Task would take place underwater and that the Champions’ treasures were likely people; she and William suspected they would need a potion to breathe underwater.
• Tom returned to the cave with a Muggle sacrifice, but the locket did not appear after the Muggle drank the potion.
• Tom forced his host to drink the potion, still found no locket, and was dragged into the lake by the Inferi.
• Ron was blamed when Harry collapsed in pain in the Gryffindor common room, while Harry wondered how to make the pain stop.

William and Hermione welcomed Nicolas to their cottage, where he gave them Flying Cloaks and used the Holy Grail to unlock the Book of Alchemy’s third volume. The book revealed Azoth, a substance capable of restoring youth, but William and Nicolas discovered they lacked the instructions needed to brew it, leaving them caught in Death’s trap.

• William showed Nicolas the cottage and received two Flying Cloaks made from a Dementor and a Lethifold.
• William placed the Holy Grail on the Book of Alchemy, unlocking its third volume and revealing new alchemical knowledge.
• Nicolas found the method for making Azoth, which could restore youth and heal injuries.
• William realized the Book of Alchemy did not explain how to brew the Elixir of Life or a potion that used Azoth to restore youth.

After Nicolas left for Moscow, William and Hermione studied the Book of Alchemy and built a Portkey linking their home to Godric's Hollow. As the Christmas holiday drew to a close, William wondered whether eternal life was possible, and Hermione reassured him that he would rather share a short life with her than live forever alone.

• Nicolas left the cottage for Moscow, leaving the Book of Alchemy with William so he could study it.
• William and Hermione used the Book of Alchemy to learn how to make a Portkey, then spent two days preparing a door that could connect their home to Godric's Hollow, Paris, or Venice.
• William and Hermione successfully activated the Portkey and explored Godric's Hollow, where they saw Dumbledore's old home before returning.
• While playing Wizard's Chess, William told Hermione he wondered whether eternal life was possible and said he wanted to brew the Youth Elixir of Life.
• Hermione asked whether William would want eternal life if she could not share it, and he said he would rather spend a short life with her.
• Hermione offered to wear a maid outfit if William lost their chess game, so William threw her pieces into the box and declared that he had lost.

William returned to Hogwarts after Christmas and learned that a Polyjuice impostor had sparked rumors about his time with Madame Maxime; he identified Anne as the culprit. He also read Rita Skeeter’s articles attacking Ron and exposing Hagrid as a Half-blood Giant, and learned Hagrid had disappeared from his hut.

• William returned to the Ravenclaw common room and found students gossiping that he had spent the holidays with Madame Maxime.
• Cedric and Cho told William that someone resembling him had stayed in the Beauxbatons carriage after the Yule Ball, and William realized Anne had used Polyjuice Potion.
• William asked Cedric and Cho whether they had solved the Golden Egg, but they had made no progress.
• Cho showed William Rita Skeeter’s articles accusing Ron of attacking Harry and Lavender and exposing Hagrid as a Half-blood Giant.
• Cho and Cedric told William that Hagrid had left his hut and would not see them, while Fluffy was gone too.

Hermione punished Anne for helping Gabrielle hide, while the fifth-years returned to intense exam preparation and welcomed Professor Grubbly-Plank as Hagrid’s temporary replacement. William revealed that Cedric needed to visit the Merpeople at the Black Lake to solve the Golden Egg’s clue, leaving Cedric’s plans for a surprise awkwardly exposed.

• Hermione found Anne and Gabrielle hiding on Trene’s ship, suspended Anne’s allowance, and made her work as an assistant.
• Snape’s strict Potions exam results drove students to study harder, while rumors spread that their textbooks caused nausea.
• Professor Grubbly-Plank taught the class about a unicorn, impressing the students with her expertise and winning their approval.
• Cedric invited Cho to the Prefects’ Bathroom to show her a surprise, but she stormed off after misunderstanding him.
• Cedric invited William to bathe with him, and William revealed that the Golden Egg’s clue meant Cedric should find the Merpeople at the Black Lake.