Chapter Summaries

Dumbledore, Li Weide, and Tom watched as President Picquery put Grindelwald on trial, but the memories presented offered no direct proof of his guilt. Picquery brought in a line of witnesses and claimed their memories had been restored, while Grindelwald remained calm and hinted that Abernathy’s disappearance mattered.

• President Picquery presided over Grindelwald’s trial before a packed Great Court, while Dumbledore, Li Weide, and Tom watched from the front row.
• Grindelwald entered in handcuffs, exchanged a knowing look with Li Weide, and calmly faced more than seventy charges.
• The court projected memories showing crimes committed by Grindelwald’s followers, but Li Weide noticed they did not directly implicate Grindelwald.
• Grindelwald denied responsibility for his followers’ crimes and said he might write a book to clarify his ideas, unsettling Picquery and the audience.
• Picquery summoned a line of witnesses and privately told Grindelwald that Abernathy had been discovered and the witnesses’ memories restored.
• Grindelwald stayed composed and said he hoped Abernathy would live a long life, prompting Picquery to recall that Abernathy had vanished before his capture.

At Grindelwald’s public trial, witnesses under Veritaserum gave testimony that mostly cleared him and portrayed him as a leader who had tried to stop his followers’ violence, while President Picquery’s case faltered. Tom watched Grindelwald control the courtroom through restraint, and the chapter ended with Grindelwald agreeing to examine the witnesses’ memories.

• President Picquery began the testimony, and Morton Weber said Grindelwald had been present when Weber’s younger brother was killed by a Wizarding Supremacist.
• Weber testified that he had not seen Grindelwald order the murder and that Grindelwald had tried to stop his follower before the Aurors intervened.
• Grindelwald apologized to Weber and offered compensation, while Picquery silenced him and continued calling witnesses.
• Most of the remaining witnesses failed to implicate Grindelwald, leaving only Cyber Light’s accusation that Grindelwald had harmed his Muggle wife.
• Tom told Li Weide that he had learned from Grindelwald’s ability to control the trial without relying on force.
• Picquery proposed examining the witnesses’ memories, and Grindelwald agreed, saying a rigorous process would help clear his name.

Li Weide warned Tom that Grindelwald had infiltrated the Wizarding Congress and was turning Dumbledore’s witness examination against President Picquery. After Wright’s restored memories exposed Picquery’s attempt to frame Grindelwald, the court found Grindelwald not guilty and released him.

• Li Weide told Tom that Grindelwald might have replaced Congress members who had never disappeared and arranged the witness examination to undermine Picquery while making Dumbledore a potential scapegoat.
• Dumbledore found that Mr. Weber’s memory had not been altered, while Mr. Wright’s memory had been altered, and Picquery reluctantly ordered Wright’s memories restored.
• After waking, Wright accused Picquery of threatening him to blame Grindelwald for his wife’s injuries and of altering his memories to keep him from revealing the truth.
• Grindelwald invited the crowd to examine the witnesses, and other wizards confirmed that Dumbledore’s results were correct and only Wright’s memories had been altered.
• The court declared Grindelwald not guilty and ordered his immediate release as cheering wizards surrounded him and Picquery watched from the platform.

Grindelwald won his trial and revealed that he had secretly imprisoned Newt and Jacob in the Magical Congress dungeons. Dumbledore, Li Weide, and Tom freed them, but Grindelwald remained in control and unafraid of their accusations.

• Grindelwald left the trial victorious, and Tom said President Picquery deserved her downfall for betraying her ally.
• A disguised messenger delivered Grindelwald's note to Dumbledore, revealing that Newt and Jacob were imprisoned in the Magical Congress dungeons.
• Dumbledore led Li Weide and Tom through the guards to Newt and Jacob, who learned that Grindelwald had been acquitted.
• A guard released Newt's Bowtruckle, and Newt climbed into his suitcase to check on his animals after realizing they had gone unfed.
• Dumbledore urged the group to leave, while Jacob introduced himself to Tom and explained that he was a Muggle.

Dumbledore and his allies watched Grindelwald clear his name and gain influence through debates and a lawful Ministry appointment, while Li Weide and Tom returned to Britain. Grindelwald challenged Dumbledore to take up political power if he hoped to stop him, leaving Dumbledore silent.

• Dumbledore, Newt, and Jacob discussed getting Jacob out of the United States, and Li Weide and Tom returned to the United Kingdom.
• The Daily Prophet reported that President Picquery had stepped down and that Grindelwald had cleared his name; Grindelwald then won public support through debates rather than violence.
• After disappearing for half a month, Grindelwald resurfaced beside Minister Fawley and secured the post of Senior Advisor at the British Ministry of Magic.
• Dumbledore failed to persuade Minister Fawley to limit Grindelwald's influence, as Grindelwald's actions remained lawful and his followers made opposing him dangerous.
• Grindelwald told Dumbledore that the only way to stop him was to take up the weapon of power, then asked whether Dumbledore dared to seek power.

Dumbledore saw Grindelwald’s growing control over the Ministry and resolved to stop him himself if necessary, even at the cost of Azkaban. At the safe house, Li Weide harvested his Biting Cabbages and learned that the senior female student had devised a way for him to safely absorb the dangerous Residue in her body.

• Minister Fawley admitted that the Ministry feared Grindelwald and lacked the ability to oppose him, while Dumbledore rejected the idea of letting Grindelwald’s influence grow unchecked.
• Dumbledore told Fawley that if Grindelwald could not be stopped, he would deal with him himself, accepting that he might pay the price.
• Li Weide harvested his rapidly growing Biting Cabbages and stored them in his modified suitcase, while reflecting on his time learning the Undetectable Extension Charm from Newt.
• Li Weide saw Tom Cat awaken and speak with the senior female student, who explained that she had built a regulator to turn the dangerous Residue inside her into harmless Residue.
• The senior female student told Li Weide that the converted Residue would eventually be assimilated again unless released, so she planned to let him absorb it a little at a time.

Li Weide learned that absorbing the senior female student’s converted “Residue” could greatly increase his magical power, while she remained sealed until the conversion was complete. Meanwhile, Grindelwald proposed reforming Ministry recruitment, putting Minister Fawley in a difficult position; Li Weide welcomed the proposal because it could earn him Merit Points.

• The senior female student told Li Weide she would stay sealed until the “Residue” inside her had been fully converted, and asked him to meet her that night where they had first met.
• Grindelwald stopped holding speeches and gave Abernathy proposals to reform Ministry recruitment, ordering him to publish them in The Global Observer.
• Minister Fawley worried Grindelwald’s recruitment reform could place his followers inside the Ministry, so he stalled and wrote to Dumbledore for advice.
• At the Safe House, Tom showed Li Weide Grindelwald’s proposal, and Li Weide revealed that absorbing converted “Residue” had raised his magical power to about one and a half Snapes.
• Li Weide welcomed Grindelwald’s proposal because he expected the good deed to earn him a large reward in Merit Points.

Li Weide explained how Grindelwald’s public proposal had improved his reputation, while Dumbledore urged the Ministry to judge the proposal on its merits and accept the useful reform. The Ministry’s decision earned Li Weide a large Merit Points increase, and the refreshed System Shop offered him mutated Venomous Tentacula seeds whose high price puzzled him.

• Li Weide told Tom that Grindelwald had already gained public support by making his proposal public, whether or not the Ministry adopted it.
• Dumbledore asked Minister Fawley and the Ministry officials to accept Grindelwald’s proposal if it was beneficial and reject future proposals only when they had clear drawbacks.
• Dumbledore decided to put away the Elder Wand and observe Grindelwald while waiting for him to expose a weakness.
• Li Weide saw his Merit Points rise from a little over forty-two thousand to more than fifty thousand after the Ministry accepted the proposal.
• The System Shop refreshed with Mutated Venomous Tentacula seeds priced at 2,000 Merit Points, and Li Weide wondered why they cost so much.

Li Weide bought rare Whomping Willow seeds and a mutated Venomous Tentacula seed, while Grindelwald maneuvered into the Department of Education after Minister Fawley struggled to enact reforms. The Ministry’s recruitment reforms resumed under Grindelwald’s appointment, and his reputation began to improve.

• Li Weide bought Whomping Willow seeds and a mutated Venomous Tentacula seed, hoping the specimen would inspire his research into magical plants.
• Grindelwald learned that the Ministry of Magic had accepted his reform proposal, but he refused to write its implementation plan and left the work to Minister Fawley.
• Fawley completed a reform plan with Dumbledore’s help, but Ministry staff obstructed its rollout and the recruitment assessments faltered.
• Dumbledore advised Fawley to give Grindelwald a position of authority so Grindelwald might reveal his weaknesses, and Fawley appointed him Director of the Department of Education.
• Grindelwald accepted the appointment, Ministry staff resumed cooperating with Fawley, and crowds of wizards began taking the new recruitment assessments as Grindelwald’s reputation improved.

Li Weide focused on cultivating plants and strengthening himself while Grindelwald pursued his changed methods, reasoning that the system would not reward him until the future became clearer. When Tom investigated Li Weide’s greenhouse, a miswatered plant fired its sharp seeds and shaved off half of Tom’s hair.

• Li Weide reasoned that Grindelwald’s changed methods might lead to a better future, but the system would not award Merit Points until a pivotal event clarified the outcome.
• Li Weide planted a Mutated Venomous Tentacula seed in the garden greenhouse and had Toby build another greenhouse at the Wizard Tower for dangerous plants.
• Li Weide spent the following week tending plants and studying while Tom mistook his gardening and reading for slacking off.
• Li Weide and Tom Cat rushed to water the garden, and spilled Nutrient Solution drenched Tom before Li Weide silenced him with a faulty Cleaning Charm.
• Tom followed Li Weide to the greenhouse and saw a plant firing sharp seeds; one shot shaved off half his hair as Li Weide stopped the plant with a spell.
• Tom saw his half-shaved head reflected in a water vat and threatened to kill Li Weide.

After a mutated Venomous Tentacula’s venom ruined Tom’s hair, Li Weide promised to cure him and traded Dark Magic lessons for Tom’s silence. Li Weide began studying the dangerous plant while Grindelwald called Dumbledore to discuss reforming Hogwarts’s educational policy.

• Tom blamed Li Weide after a potion meant for magical animals made the Venomous Tentacula grow rapidly and corrode his hair and scalp.
• Li Weide assured Tom he could restore his hair, then agreed to teach him a Dark Magic spell in exchange for not complaining to Dumbledore.
• Li Weide moved the mutated Venomous Tentacula to the Wizard Tower and began planning experiments into its venom, properties, and possible consciousness.
• Grindelwald criticized Hogwarts’s outdated textbooks and teaching policies, declaring that education needed thorough reform.
• Dumbledore visited Grindelwald, explained that he was handling Hogwarts’s affairs while Headmaster Dippet recovered, and challenged Grindelwald’s blunt criticism.

Grindelwald defended his educational reform plans to Dumbledore, arguing that Hogwarts should impose stricter discipline and teach students about Dark Magic so they could survive danger. Dumbledore warned that Grindelwald’s political role bound him to follow the rules, leaving Grindelwald to reconsider how quickly he was pursuing reform.

• Grindelwald cited the careers of Hogwarts graduates to argue that the school’s education failed to prepare students for success and survival.
• Grindelwald proposed stricter management and Dark Magic instruction, while Dumbledore objected that students were too young and at risk of corruption.
• Grindelwald argued that young wizards needed to become capable of defending themselves, prompting Dumbledore to accuse him of training an army against Muggles.
• Dumbledore warned that parents could reject Grindelwald’s reforms and that political life forced him to follow rules and risk exposure if he resorted to crimes.
• Dumbledore left after saying he would review the reform plan if it was reasonable, and Grindelwald admitted to himself that he needed to proceed more patiently.

Grindelwald abandoned his aggressive reform plan and began looking for a way to pursue his goals within the rules, while Li Weide trained a conscious Mutated Venomous Tentacula and teased Tom at the Safe House. Dumbledore announced that the boys could leave freely because Grindelwald had bound himself with restrictions, but Li Weide suspected the freedom might be part of a plan to lure Grindelwald into breaking them.

• Grindelwald burned his Educational Reform proposal and started drafting a less aggressive plan.
• Li Weide tried to tame the conscious Mutated Venomous Tentacula by withholding its preferred Nutrient Solution, then returned to the Safe House and showed Tom a photograph of his bald head.
• Dumbledore visited the Safe House, asked about the boys' summer homework, and announced that they could go out whenever they wanted because Grindelwald had placed restrictions on himself.
• Li Weide planned to visit Newt, while Tom wanted to see his grandfather and obtain resources for a laboratory.
• Dumbledore gave Li Weide and Tom Phoenix-feather Portkeys for emergencies, and Li Weide suspected Dumbledore intended to use them as bait for Grindelwald.

Tom left the Safe House and moved into a secluded house his grandfather had built for him on the Riddle estate. He learned that his absent father, Old Tom, had helped design it, stirring complicated feelings and a hidden hope in him.

• Li Weide teased Tom about his bald head, then planned to tame a Mutated Venomous Tentacula and visit Newt Scamander.
• After his hair grew back, Tom left the Safe House and met Mr. Augustus, who took him to Riddle Manor.
• Senior Riddle and his wife welcomed Tom, and Senior Riddle arranged for him to live in a quiet house in the Woods behind the manor.
• Tom accepted the house and told Senior Riddle that he could protect its privacy with magic.
• Senior Riddle revealed that Old Tom had helped plan the house, leaving Tom emotionally stirred.

Tom visited the hidden home he had prepared for his father, Senior Riddle, and left him an owl so they could keep in touch. Meanwhile, Li Weide and Tom Cat finally subdued the Venomous Tentacula with Nutrient Solution, and Li Weide named it Fang.

• Tom told Senior Riddle he understood why his father had been scarred by Tom's mother, then gave him a Snowy Owl so he could send letters.
• Tom moved his belongings to the Woods and cast spells to hide the place and repel Muggles.
• Li Weide and Tom Cat exhausted the Venomous Tentacula by repeatedly blocking its attacks and taunting it with Nutrient Solution.
• The Venomous Tentacula surrendered, and Tom Cat poured several bottles of Nutrient Solution into its flowerpot.
• Li Weide named the now-tamed Venomous Tentacula Fang, which accepted the name as it enjoyed its meal.

Li Weide left home to visit Tom and Mr. Scamander, while Tom practiced Sectumsempra at Riddle Manor. After a warning note arrived, Tom investigated the gunfire and discovered the Riddle Family’s guards had been slaughtered; he reached a lit second-floor window and peered inside.

• Li Weide left Tom Cat and Toby in charge of the house before departing with Nagini to visit Tom and Mr. Scamander.
• Tom practiced Sectumsempra at Riddle Manor and wondered why Li Weide’s magic was so much stronger than his own.
• A Snowy Owl delivered Tom a hurried warning to be careful and run, prompting him to investigate the gunfire instead of using Dumbledore’s Phoenix Feather Portkey to escape.
• Tom put on an Invisibility Cloak and found a Riddle Family guard brutally killed, with a rifle twisted nearby.
• Tom passed more bodies and climbed to a lit second-floor window, where he heard voices and looked inside.

Tom discovered Morfin Gaunt and several Dark Wizards torturing his father, Old Tom, and searching the family home for a vault. He rescued Old Tom, killed one attacker, and escaped the others, who were left stunned that an eleven-year-old could cast the Killing Curse.

• Tom flew to the second-floor window and saw Morfin Gaunt torturing Old Tom while other Dark Wizards searched the house for the family vault.
• Morfin demanded to know where Tom was, and Old Tom cursed him rather than answer.
• As Morfin prepared to kill Old Tom, Tom flew inside and cut off Morfin's wand arm with Sectumsempra.
• Tom collapsed the staircase, then escaped under the Invisibility Cloak as the Dark Wizards Apparated upstairs and attacked the empty room.
• Tom flew to the first floor, blasted a hole through the ceiling, and killed one Dark Wizard with Avada Kedavra before another escaped.
• The surviving Dark Wizard struck Morfin and demanded to know how an eleven-year-old could cast the Killing Curse.

Tom stopped the Dark Wizards who attacked the Riddle Family and tried to save his relatives, but Morfin Gaunt fatally wounded Old Tom. As Old Tom grew more alert, he told Tom he had thought of naming his owl Newborn.

• The Dark Wizards used the Riddle Family as hostages and escaped the ruined manor, but Tom knocked them unconscious with sleeping gas.
• Tom checked that his relatives were alive and woke Old Tom, then said he planned to leave because he blamed himself for the attack.
• Old Tom told Tom that the family would not blame him for being another victim, and Tom helped him stand.
• Morfin Gaunt shot Old Tom from the broken window, and Tom killed Morfin with a powerful Severing Charm.
• Tom tried to treat Old Tom's terrible wounds, and Old Tom suggested naming Tom's owl Newborn.

Tom struggled to save Old Tom after Morfin Gaunt’s attack, but Li Weide arrived and treated him and the other wounded Riddles. After Dumbledore and the Ministry took over the crime scene, Tom reflected on the power of his spell and Li Weide asked what he had been fighting for.

• Tom exhausted his healing supplies trying to save Old Tom, until Li Weide arrived and used potions and spells to stop the bleeding and heal him.
• Li Weide treated Senior Riddle, his wife, and Mr. Augustus, then summoned Toby to find Dumbledore instead of alerting the Aurors immediately.
• Dumbledore arrived, heard Tom’s account of Morfin Gaunt’s revenge attack, and took charge while Li Weide prepared stretchers for the Riddle family.
• Aurors sealed Riddle Manor, the Riddle family was taken to St. Mungo’s, and Minister Fawley came to offer condolences to Tom, whom authorities treated as a victim.
• Li Weide praised Tom’s improved spellwork, and Tom asked why his Sectumsempra had been so powerful; Li Weide asked who Tom’s wand had danced for.

Tom reflected on his encounter with magic and, prompted by Li Weide’s explanation of love, discovered a new power in his Transfiguration. Dumbledore and Grindelwald arrived, and Grindelwald proposed bringing the study of Dark Magic into Hogwarts’ regular curriculum.

• Tom asked Li Weide whether the change he felt while casting magic was the Magic of Love, and Li Weide offered his thoughts on what love meant.
• Tom realized he cared deeply about family and transformed a dead branch into a flower without a wand, astonishing Li Weide.
• Tom thanked Li Weide, and Dumbledore appeared, praising Li Weide’s teaching talent and suggesting he teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.
• Grindelwald arrived, took the flower, and argued that his role as Director of the Department of Education gave him reason to check on the students.
• After Li Weide changed the subject to Grindelwald’s Educational Reform, Grindelwald announced plans to include Dark Magic in Hogwarts’ regular education system.