Chapter Summaries

Li Weide returned to Hogwarts with Tom and Dumbledore after completing his work outside the school, and he explained how he planned to free Senior Sister while keeping her power in check. Back at the castle, he chose some elective classes and told Tom to gather Hydra’s core members so they could finally begin their plan.

• Li Weide admitted he could not be sure Senior Sister was trustworthy, but said he owed her and accepted Dumbledore’s offer to help watch over her.
• Li Weide, Tom, and Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts through the Floo Network, where Li Weide explained that the Nightmare Magic would automatically end when he came back within the castle grounds.
• Li Weide chose several elective classes and refused Dumbledore’s offer to use time magic to attend every course, saying he did not want to risk being played by time.
• Li Weide warned Tom not to meddle with time magic, then told him that he had learned he could not handle everything alone.
• Li Weide ordered Tom to notify Hydra’s core members and announced that they would begin the plan to form Hydra that night.

Li Weide trained Tom and the club’s core members while preparing to free Senior Sister. He visited the Goblin Workshop to commission a prototype, then told Senior Sister he was arranging his affairs in case the rescue cost him his life.

• Li Weide explained that the organization needed strong first members and gave Tom advice on broadening his combat style.
• Li Weide stressed Andre’s importance to the organization and the Shafiq Family’s future.
• Li Weide told Tom to prepare separate nonlethal and lethal spell sets, and Tom realized how much magical guidance he had received from Slytherin and Dumbledore.
• Li Weide used the Vanishing Cabinet to reach the Goblin Workshop and commissioned a prototype from his blueprint.
• Li Weide told Senior Sister he trusted her and would free her soon, then said he was arranging his affairs in case he died during the attempt.

Grindelwald returned to Hogwarts and announced a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum centered on Dark Arts, while appointing Helora Paris as Castle Administrator. Dumbledore accepted the decree and learned from Headmaster Dippet that Paris would not harm Hogwarts and was not allied with Grindelwald, but her purpose remained secret.

• Li Weide and Tom recognized Helora Paris, the witch who had protected students on the Hogwarts Express, when she returned with Grindelwald.
• Grindelwald announced that Defense Against the Dark Arts would focus on practical combat and Dark Arts would become a major subject under a Ministry of Magic decree.
• Grindelwald appointed Helora Paris as Castle Administrator, and students welcomed her as the witch who had saved them.
• Li Weide speculated that Paris might have a reason to seek access to the castle, while Tom wondered if she had made a deal with Grindelwald.
• Dumbledore confronted Grindelwald about the curriculum change, but agreed to teach Dark Arts and considered emphasizing their harmful effects.
• Headmaster Dippet told Dumbledore that he had approved Paris's appointment, that she would not harm anyone at Hogwarts, and that she was not on Grindelwald's side, while withholding the reason.

Li Weide expanded the Hydra organization by selecting empathetic students, planning its structure, and designing rings and defensive equipment. As he headed to the Room of Requirement, Helora Paris hinted that she recognized his unusual talent and had buried someone who possessed it, leaving Li Weide questioning who she really was.

• Dumbledore consulted Slytherin about the Dark Arts curriculum, then compiled a revised course plan using Grindelwald’s textbooks while delaying Grindelwald’s demands.
• Professor Slughorn used Li Weide’s lessons to identify empathetic students as potential Hydra recruits, and Li Weide explained to Tom that the organization needed people with many kinds of abilities.
• Li Weide gave Tom a Hydra ring prototype and outlined plans for its messaging, concealment, and owner-binding features, then explained the organization’s future structure.
• Li Weide headed to the Goblin Workshop to plan equipment that could protect Hydra members from deadly curses.
• Helora Paris stopped Li Weide in a corridor, said she had buried someone with his kind of talent, and prompted him to ask who she was.

Li Weide learned from Helora Paris why Senior Sister’s friends had disappeared and tested whether Helora was still loyal to her. He left believing Helora might be an ally, though he planned to confirm the truth with Senior Sister before trusting her.

• Li Weide visited Helora Paris in her office, tried her homemade fruit drink, and asked why she recognized his connection to Senior Sister.
• Helora said she and Ominis had helped make Senior Sister’s cloak and explained that her friends had visited until she fell asleep, after which Sebastian searched for a cure for his sister, Ominis died, and the others scattered or passed away.
• Li Weide realized Senior Sister’s long sleep had made her friends seem to vanish, and Helora said she had come to Hogwarts because she liked the school and wanted to learn how Senior Sister was doing.
• Li Weide told Helora that Senior Sister was desperate for freedom and had at most a year left, then claimed he had prepared a way to save her and let her out.
• Helora reacted with delight and asked about the method, while Li Weide withheld the details and considered whether Helora could become an ally.

Li Weide learned that Helora Paris had long looked the same and that Senior Sister wanted to meet her, then commissioned a Goblin Workshop ring with new functions. At Hogwarts, Tom's warming charm proved incomplete, and Li Weide warned his friends that Dark Arts lessons would likely begin soon.

• Senior Sister recognized Helora Paris's Golden Box, learned Helora worked as Hogwarts's Castle Administrator, and decided to wait for her rather than let Li Weide arrange their reunion.
• Li Weide asked a Goblin Craftsman to combine several functions into a ring and requested a sample, blueprint, and materials list.
• Tom taught Annie, Flitwick, and Hagrid a warming charm, but Li Weide showed them it only hid the sensation of cold, and Annie had to put her winter clothes back on.
• Li Weide told Tom and the others that Headmaster Dippet trusted Ms. Paris but would not explain her identity, then shared her pastries from the Golden Box.
• Li Weide said Professor Dumbledore could not hold on much longer and that they would probably begin studying Dark Arts in Defense Against the Dark Arts that week.

Dumbledore taught students about the dangers of Dark Magic, using Li Weide’s slides to undermine Grindelwald’s educational reforms. Later, Li Weide showed Hora his powerful Ancient Magic, convincing her that they could rescue her friend.

• Dumbledore explained the Unforgivable Curses and the physical and mental dangers of Dark Magic, while Li Weide watched the students recoil at his slides.
• Grindelwald saw Dumbledore’s lesson and left in anger, as Tom realized the ugly wizard shown on a slide was a possible future version of himself.
• Li Weide continued visiting Hora, learned more about Senior Sister and her friends, and agreed to attempt a risky rescue using the method Hora had learned.
• Li Weide demonstrated his Ancient Magic by transforming a phoenix into an owl and then into a Hungarian Horntail without a wand.
• Hora concluded that Li Weide had a strong chance of rescuing her friend and said that her help could soon free her.

Li Weide used a system rune to awaken and contract a Gubraithian Fire, hoping it could power and operate his planned Moving Castle. The sentient flame introduced itself as Lucifer Morningstar, leaving Li Weide stunned by its name and unusual personality.

• Li Weide bought Probability Glasses and a Magic Fire Enlightenment Rune from the system shop.
• Li Weide realized an intelligent Gubraithian Fire could serve as the Moving Castle’s living energy core and operate it for him.
• Li Weide went to his laboratory, summoned Gubraithian Fire, and burned the rune to awaken and contract it.
• The fire gained a face, spoke to Li Weide, and asked whether he was its master.
• The fire called itself Lucifer Morningstar, and Li Weide asked whether it was a demon from hell.

Li Weide studied Senior Sister’s weaknesses and agreed to free her in three days, while struggling with guilt over his caution. The next morning, he reviewed her manuscripts in the club activity room and asked Annie to attack Tom with a pair of glasses.

• Li Weide failed to copy the Enlightenment Rune, then trapped the boastful Lucifer in a jar after Senior Sister subdued it.
• Senior Sister gave Li Weide manuscripts listing her weaknesses and plans to harm her, pleading to be released sooner, and Li Weide agreed to free her in three days.
• On his way back to Hogwarts, Li Weide felt guilty, and Ms. Paris reassured him that his caution was justified; Tom emerged from the shadows and teased him.
• The next morning, Li Weide examined Senior Sister’s manuscripts instead of eating breakfast, and Annie brought him bread and milk.
• Li Weide asked Annie to beat up Tom and gave her a pair of glasses, while Tom mocked her challenge.

Li Weide tested his Probability Glasses in a duel between Annie and Tom, then prepared to release Senior Sister from her hidden body. He left with Dumbledore and Ms. Paris for the hillside where she was concealed, while Senior Sister kept her magic restrained so Li Weide could finish setting his precautions.

• Annie used Li Weide’s glasses to predict Tom’s attacks and briefly pressure him, but Tom adapted, knocked off the glasses, and disarmed her.
• Li Weide explained that the Tactical Glasses required strong fundamentals and said he would improve their usability and make them harder to knock off.
• Li Weide returned after skipping classes and told Slytherin and Dumbledore that he would release Senior Sister the next morning.
• Dumbledore arranged to use his Floo Network to avoid attracting Grindelwald’s attention, while Slytherin went ahead to make preparations.
• Ms. Paris joined Li Weide and Dumbledore, and they climbed the hillside where Senior Sister’s body was hidden; Li Weide explained that she had restrained her magic since the previous day.

Li Weide began drawing Residue from Senior Sister, using the Hogyoku to contain what he could while fighting its addictive pleasure and the pain of removing it. Ms. Paris helped him regain control, and Senior Sister began to wake as he urged her to embrace freedom.

• Ms. Paris revealed the hidden garden and stone house, where Lucifer confessed he could no longer bear staying near Senior Sister.
• Li Weide prepared seven mental restraints, gave Dumbledore his wands, and used Ravenclaw's Diadem and Felix Felicis before opening the stone house.
• The stone house dissolved to reveal Senior Sister awake in a Crystal Coffin, and Li Weide began drawing Residue from her into himself.
• The Residue shattered Li Weide's restraints and threatened to overwhelm him, so he used the Hogyoku to transfer some of it while enduring intense pain.
• Ms. Paris calmed Li Weide as the Diadem helped him resist the Residue's effects, and he urged Senior Sister to wake and embrace freedom.
• Senior Sister slowly reached a pale hand out of the coffin.

Senior Sister emerged from the Crystal Coffin and began adjusting to her body with Ms. Paris's help, while Slytherin recognized Ms. Paris as an old friend. Li Weide briefly trusted Senior Sister and lowered his defenses, but she borrowed his wand and flew away, leaving Ms. Paris willing to answer only one question.

• Senior Sister climbed from the Crystal Coffin but struggled to control her body, so Ms. Paris used Soul Magic to help her soul and flesh fuse.
• Slytherin appeared and recognized Ms. Paris, who revealed that she was the woman he had known as Salazar.
• Senior Sister ran barefoot into a flowerbed, and Li Weide gave her his Probability Glasses and healed her injured toe.
• Li Weide withdrew his defenses and told Senior Sister he trusted her, then lent her his Beechwood Wand when she asked.
• Senior Sister used the wand to fly away, and Ms. Paris told Li Weide she could answer only one question because more could have serious consequences.

Dumbledore asked Ms. Paris to reveal who she was, and she transformed into Helga Hufflepuff, who explained how she had returned to Hogwarts and learned about Slytherin. After Senior Sister returned from flying, Hufflepuff offered to help her find old friends, and Li Weide gave Senior Sister a new favor to repay when she realized she could choose a new name.

• Dumbledore used the group’s one question to ask Ms. Paris who she was, and she revealed that she was Helga Hufflepuff.
• Hufflepuff told Slytherin that his disciple had found him dead, but his remains had vanished, and explained how she had met Li Weide and become Hogwarts’s Castle Administrator.
• Hufflepuff discovered that Slytherin had left a Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, scolded him, and heard him defend his belief that pure-blood wizards were more gifted.
• Senior Sister arrived after escaping confinement and flying, and Hufflepuff promised to take her to see her old friends and their graves.
• Senior Sister gave Li Weide a badge granting him command of her people, then froze when he suggested she choose herself a new name.

Li Weide named the freed Senior Sister Miravia before returning to Hogwarts with Dumbledore. Dumbledore urged Li Weide to trust the friends around him, and Grindelwald arrived as their conversation ended.

• Miravia accepted the name Li Weide chose for her and said she would later visit Ms. Paris and reunite with her friends.
• Li Weide and Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts, while Ms. Paris stayed with Miravia and Slytherin remained with Hufflepuff.
• Dumbledore encouraged Li Weide to trust his friends instead of letting fear of betrayal isolate him, and explained that Miravia wanted him to name her because he had freed her and given her a second chance at life.
• Grindelwald entered Dumbledore's office as Li Weide and Dumbledore finished talking.

Grindelwald told Dumbledore and Li Weide that the people who attacked the Hogwarts Express were Purifiers, a secretive group descended from wizard mercenaries who hated magic. Li Weide questioned the evidence and Grindelwald’s capture of a supposed Purifier, leaving Dumbledore and Grindelwald unable to rule out an elaborate deception.

• Grindelwald told Dumbledore and Li Weide that anonymous tips had narrowed his suspicions to ten Pure-blood Families and helped him identify the attackers as Purifiers.
• Dumbledore and Grindelwald explained that the Purifiers originated as wizard mercenaries, hid among Muggles, and passed their hatred of magic to some magical descendants.
• Grindelwald said he had secretly trapped and interrogated a Purifier, learning that some descendants had regrouped into an anti-magic organization.
• Li Weide challenged the Purifiers’ numbers, motives, alliance with Pure-blood Families, and sudden return, and suggested the captured man could have been a deliberate sacrifice.
• Grindelwald insisted the captive’s memories had not been altered, but Li Weide argued that an undetectable method might exist, leaving Grindelwald at a loss for words.

Li Weide delayed visiting Azkaban until he could remove the dangerous Residue, then helped Dumbledore and Grindelwald reach a compromise over Hogwarts’ practical education. A week later, he invited Tom to visit Azkaban, alarming him into protesting that the club could not send him there.

• Li Weide agreed to investigate the captured Purifier but postponed going to Azkaban until he had purged the Residue from his body.
• Dumbledore and Grindelwald argued over teaching the Dark Arts until Li Weide suggested strengthening students with powerful spells that did not rely on them.
• Grindelwald agreed to assess Dumbledore’s teaching during monthly practical exams and trial challenges before deciding whether the reform succeeded.
• Over the next week, Li Weide drew out the Residue and reabsorbed the harmless Pure Magic Power purified by the Hogyoku.
• Li Weide asked Tom whether he wanted to visit Azkaban, and Tom jumped up to protest that his service to the club did not deserve a prison sentence.

Li Weide arranged a visit to Azkaban and advised Grindelwald to pursue educational reform in Dumbledore’s style instead of emphasizing the Dark Arts. Grindelwald accepted the advice and allowed Li Weide to bring one more person, leaving Li Weide amused by the possibility that Grindelwald might truly become like Dumbledore.

• Li Weide invited Tom, Henry, and Alphard to visit Azkaban, but Henry and Alphard refused while Tom agreed after learning the trip was not a plan to imprison him.
• Lucifer burned Henry’s Potions essay and quickly wrote him a replacement that was better than Henry’s own work.
• Li Weide submitted a long list of students who wanted to visit Azkaban, and Grindelwald limited the group to Li Weide and two classmates.
• Li Weide suggested that Grindelwald teach stronger spells and practical combat skills for students’ protection rather than promoting the Dark Arts, so Dumbledore would be less likely to oppose the reforms.
• Grindelwald embraced the idea of using Dumbledore’s methods to achieve his own goals and allowed Li Weide to bring one additional person to Azkaban.

Li Weide brought Tom, Annie, and Andre to visit Azkaban while checking on the Goblin Workshop’s progress and receiving new tools and research from Miravia’s former enslaved craftsmen. The chapter ended with Grindelwald persuading Dumbledore that the Azkaban visit was a proper educational exercise, leaving Dumbledore baffled by his sudden righteousness.

• Li Weide chose Tom, Annie, and Andre to accompany him to Azkaban so they could witness the consequences of failure.
• At the Goblin Workshop, Miravia’s token gave Li Weide authority over the goblins and Dark Wizards, and he learned that the ring improvements were eighty percent complete.
• The goblins gave Li Weide fifty Enslavement Puppet Worms, tested weapons and bullets, and Miravia’s letter and improved Probability Glasses blueprints.
• Li Weide brought Tom, Annie, and Andre to Dumbledore’s office, where Grindelwald was waiting to take them to Azkaban.
• Grindelwald argued that the visit would teach students to avoid crime and proposed sharing their memories through Dumbledore’s Pensieve, leaving Dumbledore and Li Weide surprised by his serious, upright manner.

Li Weide, Grindelwald, and Dumbledore visited Azkaban, where Li Weide recognized one of the prisoners as a powerful Purifier who had led the attackers on the Hogwarts Express. After examining him, Li Weide found that his memories appeared intact, but his magic had weakened drastically and his body was failing.

• Grindelwald persuaded Dumbledore to let the student representatives visit Azkaban and insisted that Dumbledore accompany them.
• An old hit wizard greeted Li Weide, Tom, Annie, and Andre in Azkaban, while Grindelwald and Dumbledore stayed with Li Weide to visit a prisoner.
• The Dementors fled from Li Weide, who had drained nearly all of them in Azkaban over time.
• Grindelwald opened a cell holding a man Li Weide recognized as the leader of a group that had fought him during the Hogwarts Express attack.
• Li Weide questioned Grindelwald's claim that the prisoner was an insignificant Purifier and examined him, finding no evident memory alteration but severely diminished magic and failing bodily functions.

Li Weide uncovered that the Purifier had concealed a brief fragment of memory, confirming that someone had planted him as a scapegoat to steer Grindelwald’s investigation. After leaving the interrogation, the group crossed Azkaban’s Dementor-filled corridors and discovered that the Dementors fled because they sensed Li Weide’s captured Dementor nearby.

• Li Weide provoked the Purifier into revealing that he could still react, and Grindelwald realized the man had hidden memories from his Legilimency.
• Li Weide used Nightmare Magic to uncover that a fragment of the Purifier’s memory had been removed, while Grindelwald vowed to pursue both the Purifiers and whoever had manipulated him.
• Li Weide, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald returned to Tom, Annie, and Andre, who had been shaken by their encounter with Azkaban’s Dementors.
• Tom successfully cast a small Hydra Patronus, and Dumbledore used a phoenix Patronus to comfort the group as they crossed the corridor.
• The Dementors fled after calling out that a terrifying devil had returned, and Tom suspected they meant Li Weide’s captured Dementor.