Chapter Summaries

Herpo resolved to exile Vizet into the chaotic currents of time before “The Master” descended. At Hogwarts, Hermione pushed Ron and Harry to study for their exams, while a flock of owls arrived with packages.

• Herpo focused on exiling Vizet, believing it would clear the way for “The Master” to descend.
• A week of the Christmas holiday passed, and fifth- and seventh-year students began preparing for their O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams.
• Hermione quizzed Ron and Harry on Transfiguration and History of Magic while they ate breakfast.
• Hermione challenged Ron to name the ingredients for Polyjuice Potion and insisted that he revise Potions.
• A flock of owls flew into the Great Hall and dropped packages.

Anthony and his friends read a Daily Prophet report about Dolores Umbridge resigning after the Anti-Werewolf Act became a political liability. The report described her tearful apologies, and the students recognized them as excuses.

• Luna read a reply from Xenophilius Lovegood while Vizet’s dormmates opened their morning post.
• Michael recognized Dolores Umbridge in The Daily Prophet’s cover photo and recalled seeing her at Vizet’s award ceremony.
• Anthony read the headline announcing Umbridge’s resignation and discussed the Misinformation Office with Michael and Terry.
• Anthony read that Umbridge blamed her legislation on limited understanding and expressed regret for the harm it caused.
• Terry concluded that the quotation-marked apologies were excuses.

Anthony Goldstein and Michael Corner read Rita Skeeter’s scathing report on Dolores Umbridge’s resignation, while Chris Moen revealed that his uncle had returned home after the cure for Lycanthropy Disease was announced. Chris thanked Vizet before Dumbledore rose and tapped his goblet to get everyone’s attention.

• Michael Corner read The Daily Prophet’s account of Dolores Umbridge’s tearful resignation and covered her Magical Photo with a History of Magic book.
• Anthony Goldstein read Rita Skeeter’s criticism, which portrayed Umbridge’s resignation as an attempt to escape the consequences of her actions rather than genuine repentance.
• Chris Moen asked whether Umbridge had really resigned, then revealed that his uncle, a former “Werewolf Wizard,” had returned home after learning Lycanthropy Disease had been cured.
• Chris thanked Vizet emotionally for the cure, and Dumbledore stood up and tapped his goblet with his Wand.

Dumbledore announced a public class on the Charm to Repel Weapons, explaining that the Ministry would award extra marks for demonstrating it in O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams. Students reacted to the news, and the class was set for Friday morning in the Great Hall.

• Dumbledore reflected on the Paris Region Incident and said the students were entering an era when magic might no longer be secret.
• Dumbledore announced a Friday morning public class in the Great Hall to teach practical magic.
• Ron was excited that the class would replace Potions, while Hermione adjusted her revision plans and guessed they would learn the Charm to Repel Weapons.
• Dumbledore confirmed that the class would teach the Charm to Repel Weapons and that exam candidates could earn extra marks by reciting its incantation and completing the practical exam.
• Ron realized that Malfoy's earlier claim about the spell appearing on the O.W.L. Exam was true.

Dumbledore announced that Vizet Lovegood, the inventor of the Charm to Repel Weapons, would teach Friday’s open class, prompting students to consider the spell’s potential exam benefits. On the way to Potions, Harry and his friends discussed the class and whether they could master the new spell before their exams.

• Students wondered who would teach the Charm to Repel Weapons open class and whether it could earn them extra exam points.
• Hermione reminded Harry that becoming an Auror required N.E.W.T. certificates in Potions and other subjects.
• Dumbledore announced that Vizet Lovegood would teach the open class on Friday.
• Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas discussed the spell’s potential to raise their grades and worried it might be difficult to learn before the O.W.L. Exam.
• Ron joked that Potions lessons might calm Seamus down, and Seamus complained about Professor Snape’s increasingly difficult potions.
• Seamus noticed Neville muttering to himself and asked what he was doing.

Neville told Seamus that Vizet and the others were still searching for an efficient way to master the Charm to Repel Weapons. In Potions, Snape unexpectedly called Ron to the lectern to brew a Calming Draught and questioned him about its color.

• Neville recited a passage about the Giant Wars and told Seamus that they had not yet found a method for mastering the Charm to Repel Weapons.
• Snape asked Harry about the Calming Draught, and Harry answered without losing house points.
• Snape unexpectedly ordered Ron to come to the lectern while Harry and Ron prepared their potions.
• Hermione wondered whether Snape had recognized Ron and Harry through Polyjuice Potion, but Harry said he did not know what was happening.
• Snape watched Ron brew the Calming Draught and asked why the potion had turned that color.

Snape used Ron’s botched potion to quiz him on mistakes and remedies, deducting Gryffindor points while adding explanations to the blackboard. The class continued with Ron struggling under Snape’s questions as Hermione tried to learn from the extra notes.

• Snape revealed that Ron’s potion had turned green because Ron had added twice the amount of White Lilac Petals, and deducted five points from Gryffindor.
• Snape asked Ron how to fix the potion, and Ron suggested adding water and replenishing dew without knowing why.
• Snape deducted three points, explained that dew’s magical property of purification would restore the potion, and added the principle to the blackboard.
• Snape asked Ron why the potion smelled bad, and Ron leaned over the cauldron and recognized a stench like troll bogeys.
• Snape deducted five points and explained that the pungent odor came from too much Hellebore Tincture, then began demonstrating the remedy by stirring counterclockwise.

Snape relentlessly questioned Ron during Potions class until Ron nearly collapsed, while Hermione recorded the lesson and Harry helped Ron recover afterward. The Gryffindors realized Snape had treated Ron much as he had once treated Vizet.

• Snape deducted points from Gryffindor as he quizzed Ron about potion ingredients, methods, and mistakes.
• Snape's final questions left Ron sweating, dizzy, and barely able to stand before the bell ended the class.
• Snape warned the students to remember their mistakes and left the classroom, taking another ten points from Gryffindor for wasting his time.
• Hermione and Harry helped Ron to his seat, and Hermione used a warming charm to dry his robes.
• Seamus and Dean recalled that Snape had subjected Vizet to similarly harsh Potions lessons, and Seamus told Ron he was the second student to receive that treatment.

Ron and his friends tried to understand why Snape had singled him out during Potions, recalling his pranks and Quidditch clash with Slytherin. Harry and Hermione realized Snape might have read Ron’s thoughts through Legilimency after their eye contact, leaving the group wary of looking Snape in the eye.

• Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan teased Ron about Snape treating him as important, and Ron said he never wanted to repeat the Paris Region Incident.
• Hermione questioned Ron about his recent actions, and Ron admitted he had let a little spider tamper with Theodore Nott’s Shrinking Potion.
• Ron recalled sweeping Montague’s face with his broom during Quidditch practice, while Harry had knocked Montague flying and lost twenty points to Snape.
• Ron complained that Snape had spent Potions criticizing his interest in dueling, prompting Seamus Finnigan to joke about Ron dueling Snape.
• Harry and Hermione connected Ron’s eye contact with Snape in the Great Hall to Snape’s behavior and suspected Snape had used Legilimency to read Ron’s thoughts.
• Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas vowed not to look Snape in the eye, while Neville suggested learning Occlumency to block Legilimency.

After Ron described his frightening Potions Class encounter with Snape, Fred and George recognized an opportunity and carried him away to ask for his help. Hermione left to confront the twins about distracting Ron before exams.

• Neville recounted what had happened to Ron in Potions Class, and Ron complained about Snape singling him out.
• Ron tested Fred and George’s identities by asking what they had done to his Teddy Bear Plush, and they answered that they had turned it into a spider.
• Fred and George asked Ron how it had felt to face Snape, then said they needed his help with something related to the experience.
• Fred and George lifted Ron away from the Great Hall after he agreed to help, and he managed to grab a few drumsticks as they carried him off.
• Hermione learned that the twins had taken Ron and left the Great Hall to tell them he should be studying for exams.

Neville explained that he and the M.S.C. were seeking ways to make understanding Survival Instinct easier so students could master the Charm to Repel Weapons. As the Open Academic Seminar began, Ravenclaw students discussed its notable visitors and the mysterious champion known as the Blue Mirror Transcender.

• Neville told Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Harry that he was trying to find ways to lower the difficulty of learning the Charm to Repel Weapons.
• Students gathered for Friday’s public class and discussed the notice announcing that it had become an Open Academic Seminar.
• Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Chris Moen, and Anthony Goldstein saw Ministry of Magic staff preparing the Great Hall and discussed the seminar’s importance.
• Anthony identified Greenbeard among the wizards greeting Professor Flitwick and recalled that Flitwick had been an All-England Wizard Duelling Competition champion.
• Chris asked who had won the most recent competition, and Anthony recalled the champion’s nickname: Blue Mirror Transcender.

Anthony Goldstein and his friends discussed how the mysterious Blue Mirror Transcender became the All-England Wizard Duelling Champion after a werewolf attack ended the final, and debated whether Vizet could defeat him. Their conversation stopped as Amelia Bones, Dumbledore, French Ministry officials, and a former Five Champions Tournament participant entered the Great Hall.

• Anthony explained that werewolves attacked the duelling competition's final before either duellist won, and the opponent forfeited afterward.
• Chris and Terry recalled that the attack led to a North American Quidditch player contracting Lycanthropy Disease and later taking his own life, after which Vizet replaced him and won the Quidditch World Cup.
• Terry and Anthony speculated that the Blue Mirror Transcender might have been bitten and had his identity hidden, while Chris wondered if he would someday thank Vizet for curing Lycanthropy Disease.
• Michael asked whether Vizet could beat the Blue Mirror Transcender, and Anthony, Chris, and Terry insisted Vizet was stronger because of his fight against Dark Wizards in the Paris Region Incident.
• Anthony noticed Amelia Bones and Dumbledore entering with Ministry staff, followed by French Ministry wizards and a former Ilvermorny champion from the Graves Family, whom Anthony identified as an Auror.

Sirius Black visited Harry at Hogwarts while Ministry staff prepared to record Vizet’s open class on the Charm to Repel Weapons. Ron, anxious about demonstrating the charm before the enormous audience, returned confident after speaking with Vizet and Luna, and the open class began with Vizet addressing the crowd.

• Sirius Black greeted Harry and explained that the Ministry was recording the open class for future sale with an instruction manual.
• Hermione told Harry that Ron was expected to demonstrate the charm, and Ron panicked at the size of the audience before rushing out to find Vizet.
• Ron returned shortly before the class began, confident after receiving help from Vizet and Luna, and demonstrated Averte Telum for Harry and Hermione.
• Professor McGonagall reassured Ron and led the trio into the Great Hall, where Aurors from across the magical world had gathered.
• The Ministry staff cleared the tables and set up Image Projection Screens as Vizet appeared before the assembled crowd to begin the open class.

Vizet opened his class by explaining that rapid changes and new threats made magical protection essential, then introduced fear and emotion-based spells. He demonstrated how a Boggart became a balloon before it transformed into a Dementor, leaving the lesson focused on the danger of creatures that feed on positive emotions.

• Vizet welcomed the crowd and said the changing world, firearms, and flaws in the Shield Charm had made safety a shared concern.
• Vizet explained that the Charm to Repel Weapons had been created to protect people, earning applause from the audience and praise from Flitwick and McGonagall.
• Vizet asked the audience to consider which spells depended on mastering emotion and wrote four examples on the blackboard.
• Vizet narrowed the lesson to the Boggart Banishing Charm and Patronus Charm, linking them to Boggarts and Dementors.
• Vizet opened an old cabinet, and a Boggart emerged disguised as a brightly colored balloon, leading the guests to recognize his advanced Occlumency.
• Vizet explained that the Boggart transformed into a Dementor, a dangerous creature that fed on positive emotions and drove people toward despair.

Vizet used the Boggart lesson to explain how positive emotions could counter fear and despair, then argued that people should first heed their fear and escape danger. He left the class considering how difficult it could be to suppress fear and summon happiness in a crisis.

• Vizet explained how the Boggart Banishing Charm and Patronus Charm used imagination and positive emotions to repel Boggarts and Dementors.
• The Boggart’s Dementor form seemed like an eager black pet to the students near Vizet, while the guests recognized it as a safe teaching aid.
• Vizet asked what people should do when danger struck and taught the students to run away first, resisting only when escape was impossible.
• Dumbledore told Amelia Bones that he had taught Vizet to trace problems back to their source, and she noticed his pride.
• Vizet questioned whether overcoming or replacing fear with happiness was realistic when it went against people’s natural reactions.

Vizet explained that fear could be acknowledged and harnessed as a path to survival instinct, using a library metaphor to make the principles behind the Charm to Repel Weapons accessible. He began describing how the spell’s incantation and casting guide a witch or wizard to draw on the desire to survive.

• Vizet proposed accepting fear and using its bodily reactions, such as heightened focus, to reach survival instinct.
• Vizet compared the soul to a library of emotions and showed a Boggart transformed into a book amid conjured bookshelves.
• Vizet argued that survival instinct was a powerful tool already in hand, prompting Gryffindor cheers until Professor McGonagall silenced them with a glare.
• Old Barty Crouch asked Percy Weasley whether Fred and George were his younger brothers and praised Percy for arranging clear recordings of the public lesson.
• Vizet explained that the Charm to Repel Weapons, invoked with “Averte Telum,” was designed to guide casters through fear toward their deepest desire to survive.

Vizet used Ron to demonstrate Survival Instinct during his open class, while Harry and Hermione suspected Ron’s confidence came from Felix Felicis. Ron dodged Vizet’s sudden attack, showing how instinct could guide a quick defensive response.

• Vizet invited Ron to help with the demonstration, and Ron confidently joined him while Hermione and Harry worried about him.
• Harry and Hermione suspected Vizet had given Ron Felix Felicis, and Hermione explained the potion’s effects and dangers.
• Ron introduced himself to the assembled students, then waved to Harry and Hermione.
• Vizet suddenly swung a book at Ron, and Ron instinctively dodged the blow.
• Ron described feeling fear and moving before he could think, and Vizet connected the reaction to Survival Instinct and the Charm to Repel Weapons.

Vizet demonstrated the Charm to Repel Weapons with Ron, showing how it deflected both a paper ball and a storm of gravel. The chapter ended with Amelia Bones and Dumbledore reflecting on how much knowledge Vizet must have combined to create the spell.

• Vizet asked Ron to demonstrate the Charm to Repel Weapons, and Ron cast it to form a golden halo around himself.
• A Gryffindor student threw a paper ball at Ron, but the charm redirected it and it struck Natalie McDonald.
• Vizet opened the Great Hall windows and transformed the incoming winter wind into warm air, surprising the visiting Aurors.
• A swarm of gravel swept into the Great Hall, but Ron's charm bounced it away while another Magical Energy Field stopped the ricochets.
• The crowd applauded Ron, who said the spell had felt almost unremarkable, and Vizet explained that it manifested the caster's Survival Instinct.
• Amelia Bones and Dumbledore discussed how Vizet had absorbed and combined knowledge to create the Charm to Repel Weapons.

Dumbledore and Amelia Bones discussed the naming of Vizet’s magic and why the International Confederation of Wizards had accepted it so quickly. The public class ended with Dumbledore relieved that his past mistakes had not undermined trust in Vizet, and he and Amelia turned their attention back to the students.

• Amelia Bones and Dumbledore agreed that “Charm to Repel Weapons” was a suitable name because other names would reveal its magical origins.
• Amelia reflected on the difficult compromises of her new role as Minister of Magic and sought Dumbledore’s advice.
• Dumbledore explained that his past mistakes had damaged others’ trust in him, while Vizet’s habit of sharing his discoveries had earned the Ministers’ confidence.
• Dumbledore realized that his fears had not affected the vote on Vizet’s magic, and he and Amelia listened as the public class concluded.

Vizet explained how students could learn the Charm to Repel Weapons by training its movements and linking them to their Survival Instinct. He invited students to share their own methods for M’s practice handbook, then began comparing the process to brewing a potion as the Boggart transformed into a crucible.

• Vizet reassured the students that anyone could learn the Charm to Repel Weapons and apologized to Mr. Abercrombie for making it sound as difficult as the Patronus Charm.
• Vizet explained that students should first practice the incantation and casting movements until they became instinctive, then connect those movements to their Survival Instinct.
• Vizet used a Boggart transformed into a lion to demonstrate how students could recognize fear and focus in a controlled crisis.
• Vizet invited students to share techniques for M’s future practice handbook, encouraging them by noting that contributors would be credited.
• Vizet compared the Charm’s practice process to brewing a potion, and the lion-shaped Boggart transformed into a steaming crucible.