Chapter Summaries

After Professor Lupin fell ill, Shanna and the others worried about the Defense Against the Dark Arts curse and proposed forming a study group to prepare for their exams. Albert agreed to establish the Defense Association after a new task appeared, though the group had few members and no meeting place yet.

• Students worried about Professor Lupin's illness and their upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts exams, while Albert reassured them that the test should be manageable.
• Shanna asked Albert to visit Lupin with her and warn him about the professor's curse, and Albert agreed to go the next day.
• Lee Jordan proposed borrowing a Boggart to practice the Patronus Charm, and Fred and George revealed that their Patronuses were magpies while Lee's was a gorilla.
• Shanna and the others proposed a Defense Against the Dark Arts study group, and after Albert's new task prompted him to reconsider, they established the Defense Association.
• The Defense Association set its goal as helping members prepare for the June exam, but it had only a few Gryffindor fifth-year members and no meeting place.

Albert and Shanna visited Professor Lupin and warned him that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position seemed cursed, urging him to consider resigning. Afterward, Albert told Shanna he had chosen a secret meeting place for the Defense Association and set its meetings for Saturday nights from eight to nine.

• Shanna told Albert that many students wanted to join the Defense Association, but they still lacked a place to meet.
• Albert and Shanna visited Lupin, who promised to devote upcoming lessons to exam revision.
• Shanna asked Lupin to consider resigning because the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors seemed cursed.
• Albert recounted what had happened to the previous professors, and Lupin said he would consider their warning.
• Albert told Shanna he had chosen a secret meeting place and set the Defense Association meetings for Saturday nights from eight to nine.

Albert discussed the future of the Wizard Cards Club with Lee Jordan, Fred, and George, then used a Crystal Ball to predict that Professor Lupin would transform into a Werewolf and be subdued by Albert. The group prepared to intervene and prevent anyone from being harmed.

• Albert and Lee Jordan discussed Luna Lovegood winning the Wizard Cards match and planned to find successors and seek Professor McGonagall's support for the club.
• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that Professor Lupin had refused to resign, and predicted that he might be exposed or lose control as a Werewolf.
• Albert used a Crystal Ball, which showed Professor Lupin packing before transforming into a Werewolf and being subdued by Albert.
• Lee Jordan suggested warning Dumbledore, but Albert said people would not believe the prediction until they faced reality.
• Fred and George promised to help Albert stop Professor Lupin, and Albert urged them to train for the coming battle.

Albert and his friends discussed their plans for work after graduation, including Shanna’s interest in becoming a Muggle Liaison and Albert’s idea to publish books. The conversation turned to the joke shop they planned to open and the bounty on Sirius Black, but Albert reminded them that they had gotten off track.

• Albert replied to Hagrid’s note and agreed to have tea with him at seven that evening.
• Albert’s friends discussed possible careers, and Angelina said she was considering becoming a professional Quidditch player.
• Shanna considered becoming a Muggle Liaison, and Albert explained why the role mattered and invited her to help with his future books.
• Albert said he and his three roommates were preparing to open a joke shop, while he would mainly provide technical and financial support.
• Shanna suggested they might capture Sirius Black for his bounty, and George said the ten thousand Galleons would be a windfall.
• Albert said Black would not be easy to catch and redirected the group after their discussion strayed off topic.

Albert discovered Peter Pettigrew hiding in Hagrid’s cabin and helped Hagrid plan how to pressure the Malfoys over Buckbeak’s case. He then met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan to plan a concealed room for their gatherings, leaving them considering a secret passage behind a seventh-floor portrait.

• Albert spotted Sirius Black and Crookshanks near the Forbidden Forest, then used his map to discover Peter Pettigrew hiding in Hagrid’s cabin.
• Albert silenced Peter and advised Hagrid to hire a legal adviser, using the case to threaten the Malfoys with damaging publicity.
• Albert told Hagrid to keep his plan to save Buckbeak secret, then returned to Hogwarts under a Disillusionment Charm.
• Albert proposed using the Undetectable Extension Charm to create a hidden gathering room instead of relying on the Room of Requirement.
• Fred suggested the secret passage behind a seventh-floor portrait as a secluded place for the new room.

Albert and his friends opened their secret Fairy Tale House and held their first Defense Against the Dark Arts study gathering, where Albert reviewed O.W.L. exam topics. The students left with revision questions, and Albert hinted that his friends would learn something next term.

• Albert opened the Fairy Tale House behind Edgar Straugh's portrait and helped his friends furnish it for the gathering.
• Shanna, Angelina, Cedric, and other students arrived, and Albert explained the magical practice dummies and lighting.
• Albert taught the students about O.W.L. exam topics, especially Werewolves, and handed Cedric and Katrina parchment with practice questions.
• Albert told the group to study Dark Forces: A Defensive Guide and said the next gathering would cover defensive spells and counter-spells.
• After the students left, Katrina praised Albert's teaching, and Albert refused to consider becoming a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.
• Albert's friends teased him about his age, and he hinted that they would find out what he had predicted next term.

As O.W.L. pressure and holiday homework overwhelmed Hogwarts students, Albert discussed restarting his Defense Association gatherings during Easter. The chapter ended when Kenneth Troller delivered Albert a violently shaking package whose contents were unknown.

• Patrizia Stinson fainted in the library, while Lee Jordan told Fred and George that Kenneth Troller was selling Dragon Claw Powder.
• Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Shanna discussed O.W.L. preparation, holiday homework, and Albert’s magical study aids.
• Albert arrived at the library and invited the students to finish their homework so they could attend the Easter gatherings.
• Fred explained the Defense Association to Ron, and Hermione and Harry asked about joining and whether Slytherins were welcome.
• Kenneth Troller brought Albert a letter and a package that trembled violently, leaving everyone curious about what was inside.

Albert received a Boggart from Mundungus Fletcher and subdued it after Fred opened the box in the library. He planned to use the Boggart to train the Defense Association for the O.W.L.s and practice the Patronus Charm.

• Albert read Mundungus Fletcher's letter and decided he would pay only ten Galleons for the Boggart.
• Fred opened the package in the library, releasing a Boggart that first impersonated Albert and then became a giant spider that attacked Ron.
• Albert distracted the Boggart and defeated it with Riddikulus, then hurried out of the library with the box.
• Madam Pince drove Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Kenneth Troller, and the others out of the library, while Albert stopped the objects she had enchanted to chase them.
• Albert told Shanna and the others he had bought the Boggart for Defense Association training and asked them to keep it secret.

A Boggart prank left Ron terrified of spiders, and Professor McGonagall reprimanded Albert and his friends for the incident. Albert visited Ron with sweets, while Malfoy taunted Ron and left him a suspicious gift, prompting Harry and the others to consider a prank in return.

• Harry and Hermione found Ron pale and trembling after the Boggart became a giant spider, and Madam Pince arranged for him to be taken to the Hospital Wing.
• Professor McGonagall questioned Albert, Fred, George, and Lee about the Boggart incident, then deducted twenty points from Gryffindor.
• Albert and his friends visited Ron with sweets, and Albert warned him that giant Acromantulas lived in the Forbidden Forest.
• Hermione asked to join Albert's Defense Association, and Albert agreed while warning that its O.W.L. practice might be beyond her level.
• Malfoy mocked Ron and left him a gift that Fred suspected contained a spider, so Harry and the others discussed sending Malfoy a retaliatory surprise.

On the first morning of Easter holiday, Albert invited Hermione to breakfast and gave her a bottle of experimental candies made with ingredients from Brain Elixir to help with fatigue and concentration. He left her curious about the improved potion behind them as he prepared to meet Isabelle in Hogsmeade.

• Albert woke after Fred, George, and Lee Jordan returned from the Room of Requirement at five in the morning and disturbed his sleep.
• Albert found Hermione doing holiday homework in the Common Room and invited her to breakfast.
• Hermione admitted that taking twelve electives left her short of time, and Albert explained how he managed his workload and used Brain Elixir.
• Albert gave Hermione his remaining test candies and said they contained ingredients from an improved version of Brain Elixir he had developed during the Potions Tournament.
• Hermione examined a candy and agreed to keep the recipe secret as Albert headed to meet Isabelle in Hogsmeade.

At breakfast, Albert, Percy, Hermione, and Isabelle discussed O.W.L. tutoring, careers, and the value of exam results. After Albert received a mysterious purple invitation, Percy admitted he envied Albert and Isabelle’s freedom and urged Hermione to plan her future.

• Hermione asked Albert about the next Defense Against the Dark Arts tutoring gathering, and Percy learned that Albert had organized the group for worried O.W.L. students.
• Percy questioned whether Hogwarts’ Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching was poor, and Albert described being attacked by a foreign contestant during the Potions Tournament and knocking them out.
• Percy explained that grades mainly served as entry tickets for careers, while Isabelle said she planned to write a book or open a potion shop instead of joining the Ministry of Magic.
• An owl delivered a purple invitation to Albert, who pocketed it before telling Hermione and Percy that people had to work for the futures they wanted.
• Percy watched Albert and Isabelle move away together and told Hermione he envied their freedom, then advised her to plan for her future and build an impressive résumé if she wanted to join the Ministry of Magic.

Albert and Isabelle discussed his motives for befriending Hermione, and he admitted that he had glimpsed Harry Potter’s future and saw Hermione becoming Minister for Magic. After Isabelle traveled through the Vanishing Cabinet to their Hogsmeade house, they discussed attending the Quidditch World Cup and worked on a modification plan.

• Isabelle accused Albert of being unusually kind to Hermione because he saw promise in her future, and Albert joked that his purpose in approaching Isabelle had been to win a pretty girlfriend.
• Albert revealed that he had once glimpsed Harry Potter’s future and saw Hermione beside him as a possible future Minister for Magic.
• Albert admitted that befriending Hermione was both a sincere choice and a worthwhile investment, while explaining that he avoided looking into his own future.
• Isabelle traveled through the Vanishing Cabinet, and Albert followed her to their secluded house near Hogsmeade.
• Albert and Isabelle discussed going to the Quidditch World Cup together and planned to ask Isabelle’s family for tickets to the final.
• Albert and Isabelle began refining their modification plan using the notebook.

Albert attended an Easter gathering with Mog, Tiberius, Bard, and Gerber, where they celebrated his Potions Tournament victory and discussed his prospects, the Ministry, and upcoming competitions. The banquet ended with Albert returning to Hogwarts with magical desserts for Hermione, Isabelle, and his friends.

• Mog brought Albert to a secluded manor in southern Wales, where Bard and Gerber were waiting for the Easter banquet.
• Tiberius arrived as dinner began, and the group congratulated Albert on winning the Magical School Potion Championship and explained the history of the Golden Cauldron.
• Mog and Bard proposed testing Albert's Werewolf Restoration Spell on Remus Lupin after he left Hogwarts, while the group discussed Dolores Umbridge and her opposition to Albert's Wizengamot title.
• Gerber and Tiberius encouraged Albert to enter upcoming competitions, and the group arranged tickets for the Quidditch World Cup final.
• When asked about his future best man, Albert said Nicholas had agreed to the role, and the banquet continued late into the evening.
• Albert returned to Hogwarts with desserts, gave one to Hermione, and prepared to share the rest with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.

Malfoy mocked Ron with a spider, but Harry and the Weasley twins turned the taunts back on him. The next evening, Harry, Ron, and Hermione attended Albert’s Defense Association, where he began a practical lesson on confronting a Boggart for O.W.L. preparation.

• Malfoy frightened Ron with a spider and mocked his fear, but Harry stepped in to defend him.
• George and Fred teased Malfoy about his breath, and Harry and Ron joined in, leaving Malfoy furious.
• Hermione told Harry and Ron about Albert’s Defense Association and invited them to its next gathering.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined the gathering on the seventh floor, where Fred opened the secret passage for the attendees.
• Albert introduced a Boggart as the focus of the practical lesson and told everyone to line up and face it one at a time.

Albert led a Boggart practice session, where students faced their fears and learned how to counter the creature. Harry’s Boggart became Voldemort, frightening the group before Harry turned it into a dancing figure; the session ended with Albert giving advice and sending everyone away.

• Angelina, Aaliyah, and Shanna faced Boggarts that became their fears, and each used Riddikulus to transform them.
• Cedric’s Boggart became Cho Chang rejecting him and professing that she liked Albert, while Katrina’s revealed her feelings for Albert.
• Ron made his giant spider Boggart fall in roller skates, and Hermione turned Professor McGonagall’s exam-failure verdict into a joke.
• Harry’s Boggart became Voldemort, and Albert photographed him while Harry made him wear an Irish kilt and tap-dance.
• Albert explained how to handle Boggarts, shut the creature back in its trunk, and offered calming draughts to anyone who had been frightened.

After the Dark Lord’s skirt photograph spread through Hogwarts, Albert explained the risks and profits to Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Hermione then told him that the Ministry had moved Buckbeak’s appeal hearing to Hogwarts, while Harry’s careless talk had let Malfoy learn about it; Albert promised to handle the problem, and Hermione reflected that he seemed almost superhuman.

• Kenneth sold rare viewings of the Dark Lord’s Irish-skirt photograph, while Fred denied putting Bulbadox Powder in Kenneth’s pajamas.
• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that Kenneth’s photograph business could anger the Dark Lord, but said he was prepared to hide if Voldemort returned.
• Albert reminded the others to finish their Easter homework before Hermione arrived with news that Buckbeak’s appeal hearing had been moved to Hogwarts for the day after tomorrow.
• Hermione told Albert that Harry had spoken about Buckbeak in front of Malfoy, and Albert said he would handle it.
• Hermione suggested Albert might use Obliviate on Malfoy and described him as unnervingly capable, prompting Ron to ask if he could still join Albert’s plans.

Albert prepared to save Buckbeak after the Ministry moved up the appeal and ordered an executioner to attend. He left his friends with a possible role in the rescue and revealed that his enchanted suitcase contained a small world.

• Albert secretly erased part of Draco Malfoy's memory and cast a Confundus Charm on him, causing Malfoy to fall down the stairs.
• Albert told Hagrid that Lucius Malfoy had likely bribed Hagrid's legal adviser and explained how Hagrid should behave when Buckbeak escaped.
• Hermione punched and threatened Malfoy after he mocked Hagrid and Buckbeak, while Fred, George, and Lee Jordan helped drive Malfoy and his lackeys away.
• Harry gave Albert Malfoy's letter, which confirmed that an executioner would attend Buckbeak's appeal the day after tomorrow.
• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan to prepare to help with a possible rescue, then used Divination to see a suitcase.
• Albert showed his friends that the suitcase contained a small world and said he planned to leave a secret room for the Wizard Cards Club after graduation.

Albert warned Rita Skeeter that Hagrid had little chance of winning the Hippogriff appeal, while hinting that the Ministry of Magic was unfair. As the appeal began in Dumbledore's office, Hagrid accepted that Buckbeak was guilty and sought to change the death sentence to compensation.

• Albert refused Rita Skeeter's attempts to interview him and dismissed the rumored Wizengamot British Youth Representative title as unimportant.
• Lucius Malfoy arrived with Draco, Rita Skeeter, and two Ministry representatives to attend the appeal, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched them with hostility.
• Hagrid prepared cue cards and drank Calming Draught before the hearing, while Dumbledore and the portraits discussed Albert's Smith family ancestry and his Squib grandfather.
• Dumbledore opened the appeal, and the elderly representative asked Hagrid whether he admitted Buckbeak's guilt and sought to replace the death sentence with compensation for the victim's medical expenses.

Hagrid argued that Buckbeak should not be executed for injuring Draco Malfoy, but the hearing’s corrupt official declared the Hippogriff guilty and scheduled its execution for sunset. Hagrid revealed that he had recorded the hearing, while Dumbledore and Hagrid discussed Albert’s warning and the Ministry’s corruption; Phineas asked Hagrid to invite Albert to divine something for him.

• Hagrid offered Lucius Malfoy fifty Galleons and argued that Draco had provoked Buckbeak, but Lucius rejected the settlement and demanded the Hippogriff’s execution.
• Hagrid cited expert witnesses, Draco’s recovery, and the law to challenge the accusation, then accused the hearing official of taking two hundred Galleons from Lucius and revealed that he had recorded the hearing.
• The official declared Buckbeak guilty and ordered its beheading at sunset, while Dumbledore arranged to keep the Hippogriff from escaping until then.
• After Lucius left, Hagrid told Dumbledore that Albert had instructed him to record the hearing and suggested the official might later face dismissal or Azkaban.
• Dumbledore said he could not fix the Ministry merely by becoming Minister, and Phineas asked Hagrid to invite Albert to divine something for him.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione learned that Hagrid had lost Buckbeak’s appeal, but Hagrid followed Albert’s instructions and Buckbeak escaped the execution. Lucius Malfoy blamed Harry and demanded a search of Hogwarts, while Hagrid celebrated with Dumbledore.

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the library to learn how Buckbeak’s appeal had gone, despite Hermione warning them not to interfere.
• Hagrid told them that Lucius Malfoy had bribed the committee and that Buckbeak had been sentenced to death; he gave them Calming Draught and urged them to accept the outcome.
• Hagrid spent the afternoon with Buckbeak in the pumpkin patch and followed Albert’s instructions for what to do after the appeal failed.
• Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy, the committee member, and executioner McNeil arrived at Hagrid’s Hut to carry out Buckbeak’s execution.
• After the officials signed the execution notice, Buckbeak vanished, and Hagrid celebrated while Malfoy accused Harry of hiding him.
• Dumbledore told Malfoy that Dementors guarded the grounds, while Malfoy insisted that Hogwarts Castle be searched.