Chapter Summaries

Li Weide discovered the Somnolun Family’s hidden collection of dark magic books and learned how the family began while exploring the old tower. He left the books there and returned to Hog’s Head, where Tom recovered from the potion Li Weide had secretly given him.

• Toby told Li Weide that Master Sophiek had died before selling the books, and Li Weide hurried to explore the tower’s third and fourth floors.
• Li Weide read the Somnolun Family’s history and learned that its founder, Letitia Somnolun, had stolen the child of a princess and a wizard.
• Li Weide found that the tower contained a large collection of dark magic books, including Advanced Dark Magic Unveiled, and secretly memorized what he could.
• Li Weide told Toby to keep the tower and its books secret, then returned with him to Hog’s Head at five in the morning.
• Tom complained of feeling unwell, and Li Weide gave him Cheering Potion while concealing that Toby’s excessive dose of Living Death Potion had caused his symptoms.

While waiting for Dumbledore to find them a suitable house, Li Weide and Tom received books and revealed their different approaches to knowledge and strength. They went to Diagon Alley to buy second-hand wands, and Li Weide considered how he might safely learn Apparation.

• Tom let Li Weide choose a book first because he recognized Li Weide’s greater strength, then selected several books about defensive magic.
• Li Weide told Tom that he wanted second-hand wands so others could not use the Flashback Curse to discover what magic his wand had cast.
• Tom joined Li Weide, explaining that he also wanted a backup wand and disliked the Ministry of Magic’s Trace monitoring young wizards during the holidays.
• Toby Apparated with Li Weide and Tom to Diagon Alley in two trips, then left to buy items from Li Weide’s list.
• Li Weide and Tom entered the Junk Shop, where Li Weide thought about finding an experienced wizard to supervise him if he learned Apparation.

Li Weide and Tom searched a rundown second-hand shop for usable wands and hidden valuables. Li Weide found a glowing golden lighter that Tom could neither see glowing nor open, leaving its connection to Li Weide unexplained.

• Li Weide and Tom entered the shop and found piles of worn robes, books, and damaged wands.
• Li Weide picked a nearly new wand for Tom, then bought five battered wands for himself.
• Tom and Li Weide searched the old books for valuable manuscripts.
• Li Weide discovered a golden lighter glowing blue among broken alchemical devices and tested it before picking it up.
• Li Weide opened the lighter and revealed a small blue flame, but Tom could neither see its glow nor open it.

Li Weide took his newly acquired wands to the Wizard Tower to practice Dark Magic and asked Toby to help him learn Apparition. Encouraged by Toby’s promise to assist if he was Splinched, Li Weide decided to try Apparition immediately.

• Li Weide learned that Aberforth could not see the lighter’s blue glow and decided to show it to Dumbledore later.
• Tom returned to his room and resumed reading while Li Weide took his five old wands to the Wizard Tower.
• Toby prepared sturdy Humanoid Targets for Li Weide’s Dark Magic practice.
• Li Weide asked Toby about learning Apparition, and Toby warned him about the dangers of Splinching.
• Li Weide trusted Toby to help him and agreed to begin practicing Apparition at once.

Li Weide learned Apparation with remarkable ease and decided to keep the skill secret rather than take the Ministry examination. He then prepared to study Nightmare Magic, a powerful Dark Magic spell that required exceptional soul strength.

• Toby taught Li Weide the three Ds of Apparation, and Li Weide succeeded on his first attempt without being splinched.
• Toby began punishing himself after speaking about his former master, but Li Weide stopped him and reminded him that he was now Toby’s master.
• Li Weide quickly mastered Apparation, traveled to Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and London, and chose not to take the Magical Transportation Department’s examination so he could conceal the ability.
• Li Weide selected Nightmare Magic from a Somlunno Family manuscript because it could manipulate dreams and secretly expose a person’s fears and secrets.
• Li Weide decided to practice Nightmare Magic, believing his unusually strong soul might let him master the difficult spell and gain a secret weapon.

Li Weide struggled to achieve lucid dreaming while practicing Nightmare Magic, but eventually learned to control his dreamscape and conjured a London street before waking exhausted. He discovered that the magic had slightly strengthened his soul, leaving him eager to understand how a supposedly Dark Magic could benefit its caster.

• Li Weide repeatedly used Soundly Asleep and woke from dreams before he could remain conscious long enough to control them.
• In a garden dream, Li Weide realized he was dreaming as white mist spread toward him and the dreamscape began to collapse.
• Li Weide found a wand in his dream and cast Reducto to break through the garden wall, then wished for a path across the surrounding void.
• Li Weide remembered that he was meant to control the dreamscape, dispelled the mist, and transformed his surroundings into a short stretch of London street.
• Li Weide woke with a headache and severe drowsiness, drank a Cheering Potion, and discovered that his soul strength had increased slightly.

Li Weide practiced Nightmare Magic until exhaustion, then encountered the same mysterious figure in a dream, which directed him to follow a blue flame. He followed the flame into the deserted streets of Hogsmeade, leaving the identity of the figure and its destination unknown.

• Li Weide learned that advancing Nightmare Magic required expanding his dream space and eventually bringing dream power into reality while awake.
• Li Weide returned to the Hog's Head and slept for a long time while Toby watched over him, and Tom failed to learn why he was exhausted.
• Li Weide dreamed again of a black figure in white mist and, unable to control the dream, approached it and heard it say, "Follow it. Come find me."
• Li Weide woke to find a blue flame rising from the lighter, followed it out the window, and stunned the sleeping Tom before Apparating outside.
• The blue flame waited for Li Weide in Hogsmeade, then floated onward as he followed it through the empty streets.

Li Weide followed a blue flame from Hogsmeade into the Forbidden Forest and was transported through a giant stone toad to a hidden chamber. There, he met a strange man surrounded by black energy, who claimed that only Li Weide could save his life.

• Li Weide followed the flame into the Forbidden Forest, protected himself with a Shield Charm, and was swallowed by a stone toad portal.
• Li Weide emerged in a huge underground chamber and heard the mysterious voice call him upstairs, extending the staircase when he complained about climbing.
• Li Weide climbed to another chamber, where the voice used powerful Nightmare Magic to transform the room into a garden.
• Li Weide met the black-energy-wreathed man, who said he had been looking for him because only Li Weide could save his life.
• The strange man took Li Weide's blue-lit lighter and asked whether Li Weide was the only one who could see its light.

Li Weide met the strange man in a Dreamscape and learned that they both possessed the trait for Ancient Magic. The man explained how he had contacted Li Weide through Nightmare Magic and asked him to absorb some of the Ancient Magic Power trapping him.

• The strange man revealed that he had created Nightmare Magic and had taught it to someone from the Somlunno Family decades earlier.
• He explained that he had guided Li Weide toward the Nightmare Magic manuscript and used the lighter carrying the aura of Ancient Magic to bring him into the Dreamscape.
• The strange man said he had absorbed too much Ancient Magic Power, forcing his friends to freeze him in a cloak and keep him isolated for decades.
• He revealed that Nightmare Magic let him observe the world through dreams, which was how he discovered Li Weide and learned about him.
• The strange man asked Li Weide to absorb some of his Ancient Magic Power so he could regain his freedom.

Li Weide met a strange person in a dream who offered to teach him Nightmare Magic and share Ancient Magic Power, but Li Weide refused to absorb the power because he feared becoming like him. After returning to the Forbidden Forest with a sample of the power, Li Weide heard a crash nearby and disappeared under a Disillusionment Charm to investigate.

• The strange person showed Li Weide that he controlled the dream, then promised to let him leave even if he refused the request.
• Li Weide refused to absorb the strange person's power because he feared that he might end up like him.
• The strange person told Li Weide he had about two years left and offered to teach him Nightmare Magic through dreams.
• Li Weide accepted a vial of Ancient Magic Power, learned he could call the stranger the Dream Maker, and left the stone chamber through the staircase.
• Back in the Forbidden Forest, Li Weide considered the possible dangers of Ancient Magic and kept the vial without absorbing it.
• After hearing a crash and startled cries nearby, Li Weide cast a Disillusionment Charm and vanished into the darkness.

Li Weide rescued Aurelius from Nagini and moved him to the Forbidden Forest, where Aurelius lost control of his Obscurus. When Nagini attacked Li Weide, he accidentally absorbed the bottle’s Ancient Magic Power and awakened the Ancient Magic within himself.

• Li Weide found Nagini attacking Aurelius and Apparated him to the Hog's Head.
• Aurelius said he had gone to see an old acquaintance and warned Li Weide he was about to lose control of his Obscurus.
• Li Weide took Aurelius to the Forbidden Forest and left as black fog erupted, devastating the surrounding area.
• Nagini attacked Li Weide, who defended himself with a Shield Charm and vines before she struck him into a tree.
• Li Weide discovered the Ancient Magic Power in his glass bottle had vanished and realized it had awakened the Ancient Magic within him.
• Li Weide's wand movement made Nagini's enormous body rapidly shrink.

Li Weide used Ancient Magic to shrink and capture Nagini, then returned to the Hog's Head and alerted Aberforth that Aurelius had lost control in the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore arrived and sent Li Weide back to the tavern while he went to find Aurelius and Aberforth.

• Li Weide poured his Ancient Magic into Transfiguration and shrank Nagini to a tiny, weakened state.
• Li Weide stunned Nagini, locked her in a vine cage, and resolved to hand her over to Dumbledore.
• Li Weide returned to the Hog's Head and told Aberforth that Aurelius had lost control in the Forbidden Forest.
• Aberforth sent his goat Patronus toward Hogwarts, then flew into the Forbidden Forest with Li Weide pointing out the direction.
• Dumbledore Apparated to Li Weide, told him to wait at the tavern, and went to find Aurelius and Aberforth.

Li Weide explained to Dumbledore how he encountered Nagini in the Forbidden Forest and used a mysterious power to shrink her. Dumbledore recognized traces of Ancient Magic and concluded that Li Weide might share the ability of a remarkable former Hogwarts student.

• Aberforth carried the unconscious Aurelius back to the Hog's Head while Dumbledore questioned Li Weide downstairs.
• Li Weide told Dumbledore that he had subdued Nagini alone, and Dumbledore confirmed the snake was Nagini after examining her.
• Li Weide explained that a lighter’s blue flame had led him to a bottle of strange mist in the Forbidden Forest, which shattered during his fight with Nagini.
• Li Weide claimed the mist entered his body and gave him the power to shrink Nagini, while concealing parts of the truth behind his Occlumency.
• Dumbledore found that the bottle shards and lighter bore traces of the same ancient magic and said Li Weide might have the qualities needed to wield Ancient Magic, like a former senior female student.

Li Weide worried that Ancient Magic might intensify his desire for power and asked Dumbledore how to keep that desire in check. Dumbledore reassured him that his self-awareness showed he could wield the power responsibly, leaving Li Weide both relieved and faintly guilty about how his confession had affected Dumbledore.

• Dumbledore told Li Weide that a legendary Hogwarts student had also wielded Ancient Magic and that he saw the ability as a remarkable talent.
• Li Weide confessed that using Ancient Magic made him want to grow stronger and asked Dumbledore how to avoid becoming a slave to power.
• Dumbledore praised Li Weide for examining his own desires and said that asking for guidance proved he had already kept them under control.
• Dumbledore explained that wanting to improve was natural and urged Li Weide to use Ancient Magic while holding fast to his moral boundaries.
• Li Weide asked whether Ancient Magic could harm its user like Dark Magic, and Dumbledore said he believed Li Weide could use it without worry.

Li Weide discussed Ancient Magic and his self-control with Dumbledore, then sought out the mysterious senior in a dream. The senior agreed that he could call her that, and Li Weide asked her to reveal her name.

• Dumbledore reassured Li Weide that Ancient Magic had no harmful side effects and advised him to use it while learning to control how much he used.
• Li Weide guided Dumbledore through an account of the night’s events, and Dumbledore left with Nagini while Aberforth avoided questioning the unconscious Aurelius.
• Li Weide returned to his room, woke Toby, and told him that magic had put him to sleep so he would not learn about Li Weide’s secret business.
• Li Weide used Nightmare Magic to enter a garden dream and called for the senior.
• The senior appeared in the pavilion, thanked Li Weide for keeping her secret, and agreed that he could call her senior.
• Li Weide asked the senior to tell him her name.

Li Weide discovered that the senior female student believed her name had been erased from existence, and she asked him to find out whether Dumbledore remembered it. After waking, Li Weide sent Dumbledore a tactful letter asking about records of the student, then faced Tom’s accusation that he had stunned him.

• Li Weide asked the senior female student for her name, causing her to realize she could not remember ever having one.
• The senior female student noticed that neither Dumbledore nor Li Weide had thought to ask her name and asked Li Weide to find out whether Dumbledore knew it.
• Li Weide woke after ten in the morning and reasoned that the student’s name might have vanished from records as well as memories.
• Toby told Li Weide that Dumbledore had left on a long journey, so Li Weide wrote him a letter asking about the senior female student and her records.
• Tom woke with a headache, suspected Li Weide had stunned him, and challenged him to fight.

Dumbledore and Newt discovered that Ancient Magic-enhanced Transfiguration temporarily restored Nagini’s human consciousness by weakening the Beast Soul, and Dumbledore took her to seek a way to suppress the Blood Curse. At the Hog’s Head, Li Weide received Aurelius’s thanks and earned 5,000 Merit Points for saving Nagini and preventing future deaths.

• Newt examined the shrunken Nagini with Dumbledore and agreed to assess her after she woke.
• Nagini regained consciousness, used Parseltongue and writing to explain that she could stay conscious while shrunken, and Dumbledore deduced that Ancient Magic Transfiguration had weakened her Beast Soul.
• Dumbledore took Nagini in a cage after telling her he had found a way to temporarily suppress the Blood Curse.
• Li Weide sent Dumbledore a letter requesting materials and the name of a senior female student, then read Aurelius’s note thanking him for keeping a secret and saving Nagini.
• Li Weide questioned Tom about his defeat, and Tom angrily blamed Li Weide for going too far.
• The system awarded Li Weide 5,000 Merit Points for saving Nagini and preventing deaths she would have caused in the future.

Li Weide wondered how he had earned Merit Points for stopping Nagini from falling into darkness, then found Dumbledore waiting with Nagini’s cage and learned that a former Hogwarts student’s name had vanished from memories and records. Dumbledore warned Li Weide to stop investigating her and conceal his Ancient Magic, fearing he could be targeted too.

• Li Weide stopped questioning Nagini’s fate, let Tom go, and scolded him for sleeping late instead of studying other subjects.
• Dumbledore arrived carrying Nagini’s cage and privately told Li Weide not to ask about the senior female student or check her records.
• Li Weide explained that he had noticed Dumbledore never named the student and had written to him about it.
• Dumbledore confirmed that the student’s name had vanished from everyone’s memories and Hogwarts records, including the Book of Admittance, though other details remained.
• Dumbledore warned Li Weide to conceal his Ancient Magic and leave the student’s disappearance alone because he might be in danger.

Li Weide and Dumbledore discussed the danger of a mysterious magic that erased a senior female student's name and agreed to keep Li Weide's Ancient Magic secret. Dumbledore then showed Li Weide how to use Ancient Magic to extend Nagini's Transfiguration, leaving Nagini in Li Weide's care for ongoing treatment.

• Dumbledore warned that the unknown magic might have been intended to erase the senior female student completely, and Li Weide agreed to stop investigating her records while Dumbledore looked into the magic privately.
• Li Weide urged Dumbledore to put his safety first, and Dumbledore promised to investigate discreetly without revealing Li Weide's Ancient Magic.
• Dumbledore opened Nagini's cage and explained that Li Weide's Ancient Magic had helped keep her conscious and could suppress her Beast Soul through repeated Transfiguration extensions.
• Dumbledore taught Li Weide to extend Nagini's Transfiguration with Ancient Magic, and Li Weide succeeded while using little power.
• Dumbledore gave Li Weide a Nutrient Potion and placed Nagini in his care, explaining that the extension would last about three days and that he had concealed Li Weide's magic on her.

Li Weide asked Tom to translate for Nagini, who had regained her lucidity but could only speak Parseltongue. After feeding her boiled eggs, Li Weide decided to learn snake writing from her instead, leaving Tom helpless as his one advantage over Li Weide seemed likely to disappear.

• Li Weide brought Nagini to Tom and asked him to translate her Parseltongue.
• Tom recognized Nagini and learned that Dumbledore had placed her with Li Weide, who could keep her lucid.
• Tom translated Nagini’s wish to avoid raw food, and Li Weide offered her boiled eggs.
• Li Weide asked Tom to teach him Parseltongue, but Tom refused, saying it was an innate ability.
• Li Weide learned that Nagini could write with her tail and asked her to teach him snake writing, leaving Tom stunned.