Chapter Summaries

Albert prepared to face Voldemort, disguised as Avfje, in the Duelling Competition while Dumbledore arrived to protect him. After Avfje killed Pierre and Borsival surrendered under a deal with Albert, Albert refused the organisers’ pleas to withdraw and prepared for their final duel.

• Albert used Liquid Luck and asked Kara to confirm that Dumbledore had arrived to watch the competition.
• Dumbledore received Albert’s message identifying Avfje as Voldemort and tried to persuade Albert to withdraw.
• Avfje defeated Pierre in a single exchange, killing him with Dark magic despite Pierre’s attempt to surrender.
• Dumbledore became a special guest alongside the referees, and Borsival surrendered to Albert in exchange for a share of Albert’s prize money if he placed second.
• The organisers and Dumbledore urged Albert to withdraw, but Albert refused and said he would face Avfje.

Albert faced Voldemort in the dueling tournament final and used a prepared plan with Dumbledore to pressure the Dark Lord. Voldemort escaped the arena, leaving Albert to receive the crowd’s cheers while Dumbledore promised to handle what came next.

• Albert ignored advice to withdraw and entered the final arena to duel Voldemort.
• Albert attacked Voldemort with a barrage of spells, then matched and overpowered his magic while the spectators watched in shock.
• Albert and Voldemort traded dangerous attacks, and Aurors raised barriers to protect the crowd.
• Albert used the smoke and Liquid Luck to work with Dumbledore against Voldemort, who was forced to defend himself from both of them.
• Voldemort used Devil's Fire to break through the barrier and fled, while Albert extinguished the remaining flames and accepted the crowd's applause.

Albert reassured Isabelle and Katrina about his duel with Voldemort and explained why he had prepared to face the Dark Lord, while hoping Harry Potter would defeat him instead. Voldemort ordered Snape to gather information on Albert and pursue a plan to oust Dumbledore from Hogwarts, but Snape reported the plan to Dumbledore, who remained confident it would fail.

• Albert apologized to Isabelle for risking his life in the duel and promised to protect himself, then explained that he had used Liquid Luck and fought Voldemort partly to gauge his abilities.
• Albert told Isabelle and Katrina that he hoped Harry Potter would defeat Voldemort, explaining that Harry had no choice but to face him and that Dumbledore was guiding him.
• Voldemort blamed Dumbledore for the duel's outcome, recognized Albert's formidable abilities, and ordered Snape to investigate Albert and kill him if possible.
• Snape warned Voldemort that killing Albert would be extremely difficult, so Voldemort kept him undercover and agreed to a plan to use the Ministry to drive Dumbledore from Hogwarts.
• Snape reported Voldemort's plan to Dumbledore, who said Fudge's attempt to remove him would fail.

Sirius recounted Albert’s victory and discussed the Order’s response to Fudge’s efforts to discredit Dumbledore and protect suspected Death Eaters. After Defense Express exposed the Ministry’s claims, Fudge ordered Percy to limit the damage, while Umbridge decided to arrange a Dementor attack to provoke Harry into using magic.

• Sirius told the Weasleys and their friends how Albert saw through Voldemort’s disguise and won the duelling competition, and revealed his winnings and plans to fund the Order of the Phoenix.
• Sirius and the adults discussed publishing reports about Fudge, making suspected Death Eaters harmless, and keeping their plans from Snape.
• Arthur reported that Fudge had helped clear Goyle and others while stripping Dumbledore of positions and threatening his honours.
• Fudge told Umbridge to watch Harry for illegal magic and promised to secure her a Hogwarts teaching post.
• Percy brought Fudge Defense Express, which exposed the Ministry’s treatment of the suspected Death Eaters, and Fudge ordered him to contain its impact.
• Umbridge left the Minister’s office intending to have a Dementor chase Harry so the Ministry could expel him for using magic.

Umbridge sent two Dementors to force Harry Potter to use magic so the Ministry could expel him, but Harry drove them off with a Patronus and saved Dudley. Umbridge and Fudge prepared to rush Harry’s hearing before Dumbledore could present evidence that the Dementors had attacked him.

• Umbridge obtained Fudge’s transfer order and sent two Dementors from Azkaban to drive Harry Potter away.
• The Dementors fed on Muggles before attacking Harry near Privet Drive, where Harry struggled to summon his Patronus and protect Dudley.
• Albert watched the attack from afar and told Kara that Harry needed to overcome the Dementors himself.
• Umbridge instructed Mafalda to process Harry’s Patronus Charm as a violation of the International Statute of Secrecy, then informed Fudge.
• Percy told Fudge that Dumbledore would arrive with evidence that Dementors had attacked Harry and that his Patronus was self-defense.
• Umbridge persuaded Fudge to use a Wizengamot hearing and move it forward so Dumbledore might miss it.

Albert returned home with sweets, shared cream puffs and ice cream with Isabelle and Katrina, and asked Isabelle to help brew Liquid Luck and Polyjuice Potion. He also discussed the stalled Youth Potion research and the attacks on Dumbledore, then received a message from a house-elf.

• Isabelle confronted Albert about going out, and he gave her ice cream and sweets while reassuring her that he had used Polyjuice Potion.
• Isabelle told Albert that her Youth Potion research had stalled and considered contacting researchers in the United States to exchange results.
• Albert asked Isabelle to help brew Liquid Luck and Polyjuice Potion, explaining that he wanted to prepare for their wedding and had gathered enough ingredients for two batches.
• Albert and Isabelle discussed the Daily Prophet's attacks on Dumbledore while sharing cream puffs, and Katrina joined them for the Muggle desserts.
• A house-elf entered and told Albert that he had received a message.

After Dementors attacked Harry, Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix tried to protect him from expulsion while suspecting either Voldemort or the Ministry of Magic was behind the attack. Harry faced a Ministry hearing on August 12, and Sirius prepared to shelter him if he was expelled.

• Dumbledore learned that Mundungus had abandoned his watch, sent a Howler to Petunia to keep Harry at home, and went to confront Fudge.
• Sirius persuaded Mundungus to return to his duties by promising him a chance to make money, while the others suspected the Ministry or Voldemort had arranged the attack.
• Kingsley reported that Fudge planned to decide Harry's fate at a hearing on August 12 and had denied that Dementors had left Azkaban without permission.
• Hermione warned that the Ministry might ignore evidence and use the hearing to humiliate Harry, while Fred and George proposed reporting the attack on the radio.
• Sirius agreed to protect Mrs. Figg and said he would hide Harry at 12 Grimmauld Place if Fudge expelled him.

Dumbledore investigated the Dementor attack on Harry and considered the danger the Ministry and Voldemort posed to him. Snape reported that Voldemort had not ordered the attack, leaving Dumbledore and McGonagall uncertain who was responsible.

• Dumbledore reviewed Mrs. Figg's memories of the Dementors attacking Harry and Dudley, then arranged for Mrs. Figg's protection and tasked Alastor with moving Harry to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
• Dumbledore worried that Voldemort could exploit his connection with Harry and considered whether Fudge would try to expel Harry despite the evidence supporting him.
• Professor McGonagall joined Dumbledore and asked whether the Ministry intended to expel Harry.
• Phineas relayed Sirius Black's suspicion that someone from the Ministry had sent the Dementors, though Sirius had no evidence.
• Snape's Patronus reported that Voldemort had not sent the Dementors but that someone might have acted independently.
• Professor McGonagall suspected Fudge or someone around him, but Dumbledore said Fudge had seemed unaware of the attack.

Harry arrived safely at 12 Grimmauld Place and learned from his friends about Voldemort’s plans, Albert’s duel with him, and major events he had missed. The chapter left Harry overwhelmed and ready to ask Sirius for answers.

• Harry arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place and complained to Ron and Hermione about his summer.
• Fred and George explained that the Weasleys were staying at Sirius’s house, which served as the Order of the Phoenix’s headquarters.
• Fred and George shared Albert’s predictions that Voldemort was rebuilding his strength while Fudge distracted Dumbledore.
• Hermione, George, and Ginny told Harry that Voldemort had tried to kill Albert in Spain but had been driven away by Albert and Dumbledore.
• Hermione told Harry that Sirius had killed Peter Pettigrew, leaving Harry shocked by how much he had missed.

Albert received an invitation to attend Harry Potter’s hearing at the Ministry of Magic and arrived at the Wizengamot courtroom with several acquaintances. The hearing had not yet begun when the chapter ended, and Albert was eager to see what would happen.

• Isabelle woke Albert and made him exercise with her and Katrina before he read reports about the Ministry’s efforts to suppress Sirius’s publications and radio broadcasts.
• Kara delivered Albert an invitation to the Wizengamot hearing concerning Harry Potter, and Albert decided to attend.
• Albert traveled to the Ministry, where Bard and Sera welcomed him and discussed his status and communication bracelet.
• Albert met Hertok Dagworth in the lift, gave him a card for a possible wedding invitation, and warned him that next year might be dangerous.
• Albert entered the courtroom with his acquaintances, exchanged greetings with Mog, and waited as footsteps approached outside.

Harry Potter challenged Fudge’s attempt to prosecute him, presented evidence that Dementors had attacked him, and had the Wizengamot dismiss the charges. The hearing ended with Fudge humiliated and suspicion falling on him, while Albert handed out invitations to his wedding.

• Harry arrived late but calmly explained that the Ministry had changed the hearing time without properly notifying him.
• Harry disputed the charges about underage magic, explaining that a house-elf had cast the earlier spell and that Fudge had previously excused the incident with his aunt.
• Harry presented Mrs. Figg as a witness and photographs showing Dementors attacking him and Dudley, then suggested the attack had been ordered by someone in the Ministry.
• Harry accused the Ministry of failing to protect him and demanded an investigation into the Dementors, while Fudge and Umbridge tried to keep the hearing focused on his use of magic.
• Amelia Bones oversaw the vote, and the Wizengamot dismissed the charges against Harry.
• Dumbledore left the courtroom, while Albert handed silver wedding cards to members of the Wizengamot.

Harry returned to Grimmauld Place after clearing his Ministry hearing and told his friends how Fudge had tried to have him expelled. He warned that Fudge was still plotting against him, and Fred and George predicted that the Minister would soon target Dumbledore and Hogwarts.

• Harry told Arthur Weasley that the hearing had cleared him of every charge and said Sirius had prepared him for it.
• Harry mocked Lucius Malfoy about Voldemort, then told Arthur that Malfoy seemed to be plotting something and urged him to warn Dumbledore.
• At Grimmauld Place, Harry recounted the hearing and learned that Fred and George had supplied Sirius with the Liquid Luck he gave Harry.
• Harry explained that Fudge had changed the hearing time and tried to expel him, and he suspected Fudge had been involved in the Dementor attack.
• Fred and George told Hermione that Harry could have lost his wand and been sent to Azkaban if he had missed the hearing, and they predicted Fudge would send someone to Hogwarts to drive out Dumbledore.

On the eve of their return to Hogwarts, Albert, Isabelle, and Katrina discussed the dangers ahead, Umbridge’s appointment, and the school’s new Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum. Albert left them preparing for the year’s coming troubles while Isabelle pursued her beauty research and planned to open a shop.

• Katrina learned that Isabelle would move to a safe house in Hogsmeade while Albert prepared to take them out of England if the crisis worsened.
• Albert outlined precautions for traveling to Hogwarts and warned Katrina that Death Eaters might target students on the train.
• Albert told Isabelle and Katrina that Umbridge would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts from Magical Defense Theory, and he shared a detailed account of her past actions.
• Albert played Wizard Watchtower, where Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Fred, and George criticized Umbridge’s book and discussed the history of Hogwarts’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.
• Albert and Isabelle discussed how long the turmoil might last, Isabelle’s Beautification Potion research, and her plan with Katrina to open a beauty shop in England.

Albert warned the prefects that the Ministry’s new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Dolores Umbridge, would likely cause trouble at Hogwarts and advised students to avoid confronting her. Harry then sought advice from Fred and George, who revealed a new trick for escaping her classes.

• Albert briefed the prefects on their duties and warned them to avoid giving Dolores Umbridge an excuse to target them.
• Hermione told Harry that Albert believed Umbridge was meant to target Dumbledore and seize control of Hogwarts, and she passed on his warning to Harry.
• Harry used magic to send Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe out of the compartment after Malfoy taunted him about losing to a Weasley.
• Harry went to find Fred and George and asked how to get Umbridge removed, but George said that would be difficult.
• Fred and George showed Harry, Hermione, and Ron their Quick Escape Candy, which caused temporary illness symptoms and could help students escape Umbridge’s classes.

Albert returned to Hogwarts with Katrina and used Peeves to secretly tamper with Dolores Umbridge’s place setting. Umbridge’s repeated nosebleeds disrupted the feast, and her stomach growled loudly during her Ministry speech as the students laughed.

• Albert warned Katrina to stay close as they left the train, then gave a carriage to second-year students whom Malfoy had driven out.
• Albert tossed Peeves a bag, and Peeves accepted it with a grin before vanishing.
• At the feast, Albert told Angelina that the Ministry’s hostility toward Harry Potter meant she would likely face trouble as Quidditch captain, and he said he could not play this year.
• The Sorting Hat sang a warning that Hogwarts needed unity in the face of danger, prompting students to speculate about its message.
• Umbridge developed a persistent nosebleed, returned from the Hospital Wing, and began bleeding again after eating.
• Umbridge delivered a speech about changing Hogwarts traditions while her stomach growled loudly enough to make the students laugh.

After Umbridge’s speech, Albert enlisted Peeves to target her with pranks and supplied him with a modified Boggart. Peeves terrified Umbridge with an apparent giant, while the professors found no evidence and Dumbledore accepted the disturbance without intervening.

• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that Peeves would likely visit, then asked Peeves to focus his pranks on Umbridge and gave him a box containing a modified Boggart.
• Albert warned Peeves not to let anyone catch him and told his roommates to promote the Defense Express and Wizard Watchtower, sell some joke items, and prepare for Wizard Cards tournament registration.
• Peeves hid the box in Umbridge’s quarters, released the Boggart as a giant, and made Umbridge flee screaming before he put the Boggart away.
• Filch, Professor McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore, and other professors arrived, but they found no giant or Boggart and concluded Umbridge had probably suffered a nightmare.
• Madam Pomfrey gave Umbridge Dreamless Sleep Potion, while the professors suspected Peeves or a student had staged the prank and Dumbledore said he could not stop the Ministry’s interference at Hogwarts.

Albert helped Fred and George promote Brain-Boosting Candy and advised them on building their business, then discussed the Ministry’s plans for Hogwarts with Harry and Professor McGonagall. Harry left to face Umbridge’s detention after he and Albert considered ways to undermine her, while McGonagall was left holding a Calming Draught pill.

• Fred and George promoted Brain-Boosting Candy, received twenty-two paid orders, and asked Albert how to expand their business.
• Albert advised Fred and George to gather information about students’ preferences and discussed the Wizard Cards tournament’s future with Lee Jordan and Professor McGonagall.
• Harry brought Professor McGonagall Umbridge’s detention notice and explained that he had stayed calm while arguing with her about Voldemort’s return.
• Albert and Harry discussed tricking Umbridge into the Acromantulas’ nest and gave Harry an antidote to Veritaserum, while Professor McGonagall protested their plans.
• Harry left to face Umbridge’s detention after taking a Calming Draught pill from his pocket and giving it to Professor McGonagall.

Harry accepted that Umbridge had forced him into detention and warned Angelina that he might miss Quidditch, while Albert predicted Umbridge would undermine the team and advised trying Ginny as Seeker. In Umbridge’s first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Albert helped the students challenge her, then gave them N.E.W.T. revision points after she left the classroom.

• Harry told Hermione and Ron that he would serve Umbridge’s detention, and explained that Sirius had given him Calming Draught to help him stay composed.
• Harry told Angelina he might not be able to play Quidditch and suggested Albert as a replacement Seeker; Albert warned Angelina that Umbridge might ban Harry and recommended Ginny Weasley as a trial Seeker.
• Albert predicted Umbridge would favour Slytherin and discussed the poor prospects for Gryffindor’s Quidditch team with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.
• Albert asked Umbridge to provide the N.E.W.T. topics during her first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, prompting students to openly criticize her teaching.
• The students described the Defense Against the Dark Arts post’s curse, and Umbridge assigned textbook reading before leaving Albert to watch the class.
• Albert refused to teach the class but wrote N.E.W.T. key points on the blackboard for students to copy.

Umbridge summoned Albert to discuss the resistance in the advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts class, but he denied involvement and rejected her attempt to recruit him to the Ministry. She offered to excuse him from the class, and after he left, she raged while recognizing that she had little power over him.

• A younger student delivered Umbridge’s invitation to Albert, who met with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan before going to her office that evening.
• Umbridge raised the conflict over Defence Against the Dark Arts, but Albert denied having anything to do with it and said he wanted to finish school in peace.
• Umbridge offered Albert permission to stop attending advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts and take his N.E.W.T.s directly, and he accepted without concern.
• Albert warned Umbridge that the Dark Lord’s curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts post was dangerous, then left to return his books.
• Umbridge smashed items on her desk and considered how Albert’s influence and the students’ loyalty made him difficult to challenge.

Hogwarts students rebelled against Umbridge’s Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, with Albert and the seventh years leading the way. As more students considered teaching themselves, Hermione joined Fred and George’s plans to oppose Umbridge and prepare for the O.W.L.s.

• Rumours spread that Umbridge wanted prefects to spy on students, and students celebrated after hearing that Albert had angered her and secured permission to skip her class.
• Albert and Katrina stopped attending Defence Against the Dark Arts, prompting Gryffindor seventh years to consider dropping the subject; Fred, George, and Lee Jordan decided to do so and study independently.
• Professor McGonagall questioned the seventh years and asked Albert for help, but he argued that Umbridge’s poor teaching and the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse explained their discontent.
• Umbridge refrained from punishing the united students, while pupils from other Houses also began dropping her class and complaints about her teaching circulated through the Wizard Watchtower and the school.
• Hermione panicked about the O.W.L.s and proposed forming a Defence Against the Dark Arts study group, while Harry planned to seek Sirius Black’s advice.
• Fred and George invited Harry into their plan to give Umbridge surprises, and George offered Hermione Albert’s notes; Hermione joined them.