Chapter Summaries

Deodat Lawson returned to Salem as Martha Corey faced arrest and found the town consumed by anger and witchcraft accusations. After Mary Walcott warned him about Paris’s exhaustion and challenged his decision to return, Lawson left with Mrs. Ingram to visit Paris.

• Deodat Lawson arrived at Neil Ingram's tavern and learned from Benjamin Hutchinson that Martha Corey had been arrested.
• Lawson reflected on Salem’s hostility toward Martha and feared that the enraged townspeople might turn violent.
• Mary Walcott visited Lawson and said she was frightened to stay home alone, then asked him to help her.
• Mary told Lawson that Paris was exhausted and had not received his pay, and she challenged Lawson to explain why he had returned instead of speaking up for Martha.
• Mrs. Ingram arrived to take Lawson to Paris's house, and Mary quietly left.

Martha Corey faced hostile questioning at the Salem witch trial, where the accusers and villagers attacked her despite her calm, logical answers. Hassan confined her in shackles for six months while awaiting trial, leaving him to decide whether to pursue the woman from Boston or the tall, white-haired man.

• Hassan questioned Martha about stopping her husband from attending the March 1 witch trial, and the crowd accused her of protecting witches.
• The girls and townspeople hurled objects at Martha, then questioned her about witchcraft and the Devil while she refused to confess.
• Hassan stopped the questioning and tested Martha with catechism, but Reverend Noyes declared her guilty after the girls claimed needles in their hair came from Martha's hands.
• Martha told the judges they had already decided she was guilty, and Hassan sentenced her to six months in shackles awaiting trial.
• The accusers remained dissatisfied, while Hassan faced a choice between pursuing a woman from Boston and searching for the tall man with white hair.

The chapter examined how social pressure, anxiety, and personality disorders could shape behavior and fuel the Salem witch accusations. At Paris's home, Abigail acted possessed before Reverend Lawson, who witnessed her handle burning logs without being burned.

• The narrator explained how people adopted personality masks for approval and described dissociation and several personality disorders.
• The narrator considered Mrs. Pope's physical complaints and the girls' accusations against Martha Corey, questioning whether the girls were ill or deliberately seeking Martha's death.
• At dusk, Reverend Lawson arrived at Paris's home with Hannah Ingersoll while Sabbath prayers were underway.
• Abigail ran around the upstairs room pretending to fly, then pointed to an invisible Rebecca Nurse and claimed she offered her a Devil's book.
• Abigail grabbed burning logs from the fireplace and threw them around the house, but her hands remained unburned.
• Lawson recovered from the display and discussed the next day's sermon with Paris.

The chapter recounts the history of King Philip's War and the lives of Rebecca Nurse, George Burroughs, and Mercy Lewis to explain Salem's divisions and the danger of the girls' accusations. It leaves Paris trapped between an unpopular minister's position and a growing witchcraft panic that depends on testimony no one can verify.

• The chapter described how land disputes between New England settlers and Native Americans led to King Philip's War and the enslavement of people on both sides.
• The chapter introduced Rebecca Nurse and Francis Nurse as prosperous, respected Salem residents whose local ties and parish role put them at odds with Paris.
• George Burroughs led civilians, including Mercy Lewis, to safety during attacks on Falmouth, later returned there, and eventually lost his wife and took in Lewis after another siege.
• Burroughs's secretive dispute with his first wife and the presence of his second wife, Sarah Luke, were contrasted with Paris's precarious position in Salem.
• The chapter questioned whether Abigail had truly seen Rebecca Nurse's ghost or had been taught what to say, and compared the accusations to a Swedish witch hunt that escalated through children's testimony.

The chapter examined the Salem families’ disputes, the wartime threat, and the women accused or endangered amid the witch trials. It ended with Elizabeth Proctor imagining escape from an unhappy marriage rather than poisoning her husband.

• Sarah Ruck’s unhappy marriages and fear of George Burroughs were recounted against the violence of King William’s War.
• The chapter described the resistance to Andros, the Boston uprising, and the fragile self-rule of Massachusetts.
• Father Lawson advised Paris to keep Abigail from accusing Rebecca Nurse directly and to have someone in Putnam’s household bring the accusation instead.
• Paris and Lawson discussed the arrests of Bridget Bishop and Mary Warren, while the chapter recounted Bishop’s troubled history and Mary’s vulnerable position as a maid.
• Mary Warren suffered convulsions in the Proctor household, and Mr. Proctor threatened to punish her with violence.
• Elizabeth Proctor considered leaving Salem and her marriage rather than remaining with a husband she despised.

The chapter examined the Salem witch trials, focusing on signs that Martha was nervous and on the differences between the accused women and their accusers. It also explored New England’s politics, ministers’ influence, and the conflict between religious authority and witchcraft, ending with a reflection on humanity’s power and the Cornucopia.

• The narrator described how White Snakeroot poisoning could kill a husband while leaving a plausible explanation for his death.
• The court clerk noticed that Martha’s clenched hands and bitten lips were mirrored by the girls’ movements and injuries, suggesting her nervousness and possible deception.
• The narrator contrasted Ann Putnam Jr. and Mary Warren, noting that Mary’s literacy and appearance helped spare her from imprisonment.
• The chapter explained that Bishop’s former husband’s death fueled suspicion, while Mary Walcott accused Bishop’s specter despite Bishop having no ties to Salem Village.
• Increase Mather brought a royal charter that offered New England a political concession, while ministers used sermons about Native American threats to stir people toward war.
• The narrator linked ministers’ theology with witchcraft and imagined humanity’s growing power provoking divine destruction, before recalling the Cornucopia’s origin.

Severus and Lucius discussed political power, class, and the Black family’s future, while Lucius explained how Severus had disrupted Dumbledore’s plan to use Sirius and a Hogwarts student to control the British Wizarding World. The chapter left the Black family’s leadership dependent on the duel between Severus and Sirius.

• Severus considered Lucius’s arguments about American power, economic inequality, and the pressure facing France.
• Severus reflected on the Black family’s inheritance, noting that Harry Potter had inherited its ancestral home and Sirius’s appointment as head depended on Severus.
• Lucius contrasted Sirius’s survival and return to society with Bella’s continued loyalty to the Dark Lord after imprisonment.
• Lucius explained that Dumbledore had planned to use Sirius and a half-blood Veela student to influence pure-blood families, but Fudge and Severus had undermined that plan.
• Lucius took pride in having drawn Severus into the conflict, as the Black family’s collateral branches gathered around Narcissa and awaited the outcome of Severus and Sirius’s duel.

Gong Saiyi and Susan investigated a mysterious wax figure linked to Napoleon and the Egyptian goddess Hathor, while Severus reflected on Salem’s witch trials and asked Susan about freedom. The chapter left them with the meaning of the child figure’s inscription unresolved.

• The narrative described how Salem’s witch trials destroyed families, beginning with Sarah Osborne’s death in prison and including George Burroughs’s execution.
• Gong Saiyi recognized Susan’s false identity and questioned her suspicious ties to the Napoleon Foundation and Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Susan stopped Gong Saiyi from destroying a wax figure of Napoleon and directed him to assemble its wax organs into a child-shaped figure.
• Gong Saiyi and Susan found a circular indentation and the inscription “Hathor’s Beloved” on the child figure, but could not determine what had been removed or why it was there.
• Severus asked Susan whether Athens or George Washington was freer, then said he wanted to know what women were thinking.

Susanna questioned Severus and Lucius about their search in France, then learned they sought sheet music to open the Richelieu Library and a silver coin linked to Judas. Severus revealed that he intended to recover his wife's stolen soul, and the chapter ended with his bitter reflection on the man he had killed and trusted.

• Susanna challenged Severus's account of the Salem witch trials, arguing that Deodat Lawson used hypnosis and George Burroughs's dental model to create false bite marks.
• Susanna asked why Severus had come to France, and he said Napoleon Bonaparte had taken his wife's soul and he planned to get it back.
• Susanna suggested Severus feared his wife would choose Napoleon, while Severus explained that she seemed drawn to the French society Napoleon had introduced her to.
• Lucius told Susanna they needed sheet music to operate the Richelieu Library's pneumatic mechanism, and Susanna revealed she had heard of a Judas silver coin that might have fit a hollow in a child's wax figure.
• Lucius showed Susanna the silver coin and speculated that it was connected to a New York blackout and an aurora over Paris, while Severus connected the wax figure to the Holy Innocents.
• Severus said he had killed the old man as the man wished, but believed the man had dragged him down to hell with him.

Hassan watched Rebecca Nurse face a witchcraft accusation after the girls convulsed and displayed injuries, while Lawson preached that Satan was attacking Salem. The chapter ended with Sarah Cloyce storming out after Paris declared that one person in the congregation was a devil.

• Hassan observed the girls’ strange reactions during Rebecca Nurse’s interrogation, and villagers restored Elizabeth Hubbard’s posture when Rebecca lowered her head.
• Rebecca recalled family memories under hypnosis, then woke in the dock as villagers treated the girls’ apparent injuries as evidence of witchcraft.
• Lawson urged the congregation to pray, examine themselves, and avoid false accusations, then called for the investigation to continue.
• Giles admitted that he suspected his wife, Martha Corey, of witchcraft, becoming the third Salem man to accuse his own wife.
• On March 27, Paris declared that one person in the church was a devil, and Sarah Cloyce, Rebecca Nurse’s sister, rushed out as the meetinghouse door slammed shut.

Severus and Susanna left the library after Lawrence reported that his home had been attacked and Filch was injured. They found Garcia had contacted the attackers, treated Filch, and prepared to move everyone somewhere safer.

• Elizabeth Hubbard recalled seeing an animal-like figure near the forest in 1692 and suspected it might have been a Native American in animal skins.
• Lawrence called Severus to report that his home had been attacked, Filch had been shot, and he and his wife were outside.
• Severus and Susanna went to Lawrence's apartment, where they found Filch bleeding and Garcia hiding in the bathroom with a telephone.
• Garcia admitted she had contacted outsiders to drive Severus's group away, and Susanna knocked her unconscious.
• Severus treated Filch with Dittany and a Blood-Replenishing Potion, then told Lawrence they needed to leave for a safer place.

Severus discussed Lawrence’s family, clients, and plans to leave France, then revealed the underworld war and his mission to destroy Napoleon Bonaparte’s soul. After Lawrence returned to his room, Severus changed his hair to white and remained poised to face what lay ahead.

• Lawrence told Severus he wanted to leave France with his wife and offered to sell him the house for one Euro.
• Lawrence refused to reveal information about his clients and advised Severus to change his hairstyle.
• Severus threatened Lawrence with poison and promised to withdraw the guards if Lawrence drank it.
• Severus explained that Kamose I was fighting Napoleon Bonaparte in the underworld and that he planned to destroy Napoleon’s soul with the pharaoh’s dagger.
• Lawrence advised Severus to persevere and then returned to his hotel room.
• Severus used his wand to turn his greasy black hair white.

In Salem, accusations and fits continued to disrupt the town as Deodat Lawson prepared to leave and the afflicted girls began publicly targeting others. The chapter ended by turning to the plight of homeless veterans without voting rights, while the game between the living and the dead remained unresolved.

• Old Ann Putnam screamed and twisted during Deodat Lawson’s visit, and warrants were issued for old Rebecca Nurse and Dorothy Good.
• Dorothy Good was caught stealing food after hiding in an abandoned barn, where Martha Corey's son had helped feed her.
• Mary Warren’s master, John Proctor, and Mary Sibley resisted the girls’ accusations, while Lawson planned to return to Boston.
• Betty told Mrs. Sewall that a black Giant had tempted her with a chance to leave Salem, and Mrs. Sewall ordered her to stay home.
• An afflicted girl called Elizabeth Proctor a witch outside Ingersoll Tavern, then admitted she and the others were only having fun.
• The chapter turned to homeless people, including former soldiers, who lacked fixed addresses and voting rights as the game between the living and the dead continued.

Severus and Susanna returned to the National Library of France, where Gong Saiyi connected Severus’s bow to Egyptian royal symbols and Sobek. Severus left to search for Lucius Malfoy with the bow, while Susanna stayed to study with Gong Saiyi.

• Severus asked Gong Saiyi about his research, and Gong Saiyi explained the history of Thebes, Avaris, Sobek, and Egyptian rulers.
• Gong Saiyi suggested that the bow and curved sword could symbolize royal power and urged Severus to investigate the bow’s connection to Sobek.
• Severus brought out the bow found in the Alps and the shield repaired by Lyall Mayer, while Gong Saiyi discussed Hyksos weapons and Egyptian history.
• Gong Saiyi presented a hymn to Ahhotep and discussed the importance of names, Hathor, and a lonely pharaoh’s love.
• Severus left with the bow to find Lucius Malfoy, while Susanna remained with Gong Saiyi to review the materials.

Voldemort taught Snape the first step toward flying with a cloak, while Snape weighed his loyalty against a prophecy about Voldemort’s defeat. Later, Lucius and Snape argued over their investigation, Snape’s relationship, and his leadership, leaving Lucius refusing to recognize him as the Serpent King until he stopped wavering.

• Voldemort explained to Snape why Muggles concealed magical attacks, then rewarded him by teaching him to practice flying with a cloak.
• Snape considered whether to remain loyal to Voldemort despite the prophecy about a boy born in July defeating him, and went to practice flying.
• Lucius told Severus that his conversation with a Muggle had produced a clue linking Mozart’s Requiem, Lacrimosa, and water to their investigation.
• Severus confronted Lucius over his objections to Bella’s role in Draco’s life and asserted his authority as Lucius’s superior.
• Severus admitted that he loved a woman and had no settled plan for handling the conflict over Muggles in the wizarding world.
• Lucius said he would respect Severus as he respected the headmaster but would not recognize him as the Serpent King while he remained indecisive.

Giles Corey and John Indian faced accusations of witchcraft as the Salem trials spread to more people and the girls’ claims went largely unchallenged. The chapter left the accusations escalating, with the witch trials only beginning.

• Giles Corey was accused after his son-in-law recalled Corey’s curse against his orchard, and John Proctor raised an old claim that Corey had used the Demon’s Hand to set a fire.
• Giles denied making a pact with the Devil and tried to refute the accusations, while neighbors offered suspicious accounts of his behavior and Martha Corey’s ointment.
• John Indian became a plaintiff after two specters attacked him in a church pew; one was Sarah Cloyce, who challenged him instead of keeping silent.
• Abigail Williams and the other girls continued gathering at taverns as Judge Hassan sent constables to arrest and imprison the accused.
• The accusations threatened families across Salem, and the chapter ended with the witch trials’ growing carnival still at its beginning.

Governor Phips sent judges and officials, including Thomas Danforth, to Salem, where the witchcraft trials moved to the town meetinghouse. John Proctor became the first male suspect after the girls accused him, while the chapter ended with Hassan preparing to prosecute Burroughs amid political and religious conflicts.

• Elizabeth Proctor struggled to care for her many children, while the chapter described the dangers of servants betraying household secrets.
• Phips appointed judges to fill vacancies left by Andros's officials, and Samuel Sewall, Thomas Danforth, and others traveled to Salem as reinforcements.
• Danforth questioned Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor, but the girls' fits and accusations against Elizabeth and John Proctor disrupted the proceedings.
• John Indian accused John Proctor of witchcraft, and Mary Allen later blamed Proctor for forcing her to sign the Devil's book, making him Salem's first accused male witch.
• Hassan interrogated Bridget Bishop, while the chapter connected the trials to the political motives behind prosecuting Burroughs.

Lucius gave Severus two Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products and discussed the occult patterns behind Washington and the dangers surrounding Pomona and the Dark Lord. Their conversation ended with Lucius teasing Severus about Lily, while the planned sculpture park at two Washington points had been canceled.

• Lucius gave Severus a hairstyle-changing comb and described how nineteen Washington landmarks aligned with the Kabbalah Tree of Life and an inverted pentagram.
• Lucius and Severus discussed Athens, Egyptian beliefs, the ointment guarded by Bes, and why their journey had so far presented little danger.
• Lucius gave Severus a climate bottle for observing danger from a distance, and Severus said he would not confront a Basilisk like Harry Potter.
• Severus warned Lucius that the Dark Lord might possess an animal or a god and use Sun Gold to make another Time-Turner; he also cautioned him about Lyall Mayer.
• Lucius teased Severus about Lily Evans and told him to attend more social gatherings, while Severus said he would never forget her but had repaid his debt to Mrs. Potter.
• The sculpture park at Washington Points Fourteen and Fifteen was canceled, leaving only the statues.

The chapter examined maternal devotion, romantic obsession, religious authority, the Salem witch trials, and the ways work and education reinforced social hierarchy. It ended by questioning whether people’s unequal fates could be blamed on a lack of effort.

• Narcissa Malfoy and Lily Potter were described as putting their children first, while Bella’s devotion to Voldemort led her to torture the Longbottoms and threaten members of her own family.
• The chapter traced how gods could fall from worship and how Job’s suffering raised questions about divine justice, freedom, and human responsibility.
• The Salem court rejected evidence supporting the Proctors and instead convicted them, while Daniel Wilkins identified John Willard as the person who had cursed him.
• Witchcraft accusations multiplied, and Governor Phips came to Salem as the panic spread.
• The chapter connected Puritan ideas about calling and salvation to hard work, capitalism, elitism, and unequal access to education.
• Harry’s preferences and relationships were contrasted with men who chose older women, before the chapter ended by asking whether people’s misfortunes meant they had not worked hard enough.

The chapter examined postwar American culture, hippies, consumerism, and social exclusion before comparing those forces with the choices and loyalties of Barty Crouch Jr., Kreacher, Sirius Black, and Winky. It ended by connecting homelessness and alcohol to escape through dreams, and warning that people pushed too far could become like the Joker.

• The chapter described how Golden Generation children rejected their parents’ anxiety and questioned the Vietnam War, while mass devotion to leaders and entertainers could turn them into idols.
• It linked hippie culture to Hanshan, Zen Buddhism, and resistance to consumerism, then described how hippies were stigmatized and eventually blended back into mainstream society.
• The chapter contrasted the values of Barty Crouch Jr. and Regulus Black, noting that Mrs. Crouch died in her son’s place while Kreacher remained devoted to Master Regulus.
• Sirius Black died protecting his godson at the Battle of the Ministry, while Snape did not go; Winky cared for Barty Crouch Jr. as he was taken away.
• The chapter described Winky’s drinking and homelessness, then warned that social exclusion and pressure could produce antisocial figures like the Joker.