Chapter Summaries

Grindelwald and Dumbledore left their confrontation in Nurmengard unresolved, and Roger encouraged Dumbledore to turn to magical research instead. Dumbledore warned Roger that teaching Harry Time Magic had intensified public attention, and Roger learned that the Ministry was considering changing the law.

• Grindelwald tested whether Dumbledore trusted Roger by making his response to Voldemort's pursuit of the diary a measure of whether he needed Grindelwald; Dumbledore left Nurmengard without freeing him.
• Roger noticed Dumbledore's troubled mood and urged him to pursue greater magical power, then invited him to resume developing Three-Dimensional Theory.
• Dumbledore asked whether Roger had taught Harry Time Magic, and Roger confirmed that he had taken precautions to monitor Harry's use of it.
• Dumbledore explained that Harry's achievements and Roger's power had made them objects of intense public attention beyond Hogwarts.
• Dumbledore told Roger that reports of Harry learning Time Magic had reached the public and prompted Ministry officials to propose amendments to the law.
• Roger, surprised by the news, asked Dumbledore to explain the situation.

Roger and Dumbledore worked on dimensional theory while public faith in Roger and Harry fueled a push to loosen restrictions on Time Magic. In early February, Hermione approached Roger in distress, asking him for help.

• Wizards unsettled by the Soviet Union’s collapse placed their hopes in Roger and Harry, and public discussion of Time Magic restrictions led someone to propose changing the laws.
• Roger told Dumbledore he would intervene if the growing admiration for him escalated, since he needed critical collaborators rather than followers.
• Roger and Dumbledore continued refining Three-Dimensional Theory, and Roger considered how public spectacle and Muggle belief might affect magic.
• Roger recognized that his mastery of Body-as-Magic could enable dangerous biological creations, but chose to pursue progress in the Way instead of developing techniques for that purpose.
• In early February, Hermione stopped Roger after class and asked him for help, looking confused and troubled.

Roger realized Hermione’s fading confidence was slowing her magic and helped her identify a dream to restore her sense of purpose. He promised she could become a remarkable witch and offered to show her the latest research he and Dumbledore had developed.

• Hermione told Roger that she was learning magic more slowly and feared something was wrong with her.
• Roger explained that Hermione’s unusually strong memory and growing self-doubt had created a cycle that hindered her magic.
• Roger asked Hermione to name her dream, and she said she wanted to become a remarkable witch who was embraced by everyone and could help others.
• Roger told Hermione that she would become a respected leader and regain her confidence as she pursued that future.
• Roger offered to share the latest research results he had developed with Headmaster Dumbledore, and Hermione recognized them as the work he had written about before.

Roger brought Hermione to Dumbledore and began teaching her the Three-Dimensional Theory to help her regain confidence and pursue a new goal. After showing her the scale of his dimensional magic through a Pensieve, he told her she could eventually develop powers of her own, then invited Dumbledore to demonstrate his research.

• Roger explained Hermione’s condition to Dumbledore and proposed teaching her the Three-Dimensional Theory, and Dumbledore agreed once Hermione accepted.
• Roger used a Pensieve to show Hermione the effects of his dimensional magic, including reversing rain, creating a second sun, and boiling the ocean.
• Hermione was overwhelmed by the demonstration and asked Roger whether he was a god, but Roger said he was only using magic.
• Roger told Hermione that studying the Three-Dimensional Theory could help her develop her own unique abilities.
• Roger asked Dumbledore to demonstrate the results of his research for Hermione.

Dumbledore showed Hermione his restorative Nirvana Fire, while Roger began formally teaching her the revised Three-Dimensional Theory. After Snape’s class made Hermione realize she needed to rest, news that Grindelwald had escaped prison stunned the Great Hall and drew attention to Dumbledore and Roger.

• Dumbledore demonstrated Nirvana Fire, which could restore a person’s condition and potentially revive someone who had just died.
• Roger duplicated the Three-Dimensional Theory and began Hermione’s formal lessons.
• Snape questioned Hermione about banshees, deducted a point from Gryffindor for her dozing, and left Hermione worried that she was overworking herself.
• Hermione planned to eat and return to her dormitory to sleep, but Carey Di Bubaj announced that Grindelwald had escaped from prison.
• The Great Hall fell silent as the students and professors looked toward Dumbledore and Roger, who continued eating.

After Grindelwald escaped from Nurmengard, Roger learned that Voldemort had likely freed him and worried that Dumbledore might face scrutiny. Voldemort and Grindelwald made a deal, and the next day the Department of Mysteries was attacked and its Time-Turners stolen, turning suspicion toward Hogwarts.

• Newspapers reported that Nurmengard Castle had been destroyed and Grindelwald had escaped, while Dumbledore remained composed at breakfast.
• Roger asked Dumbledore whether he had released Grindelwald, and Dumbledore said Voldemort was the most likely culprit.
• Dumbledore explained Grindelwald's earlier scheme, and Roger concluded that he had not been the intended recipient of Grindelwald's seer's riddle.
• Voldemort negotiated with Grindelwald, who agreed not to observe Voldemort's future again, and Voldemort said he would first eliminate one of his weaknesses.
• An unknown powerful wizard attacked the Department of Mysteries, stole a large amount of information and every Time-Turner, and led the wizarding world to look toward Hogwarts.

Roger considered how to make his soul and mind ageless while assessing the fallout from the Department of Mysteries attack. His sense of danger then alerted him to Voldemort trying a new approach to immortality.

• Roger told Harry that Voldemort was unlikely to risk changing history, and assured him Dumbledore would be safe from the public backlash.
• Roger concluded he could eventually rebuild his soul through Dimensional Magic but could not use the same method to stop his mind from aging.
• Roger rejected Voldemort’s Mind Imprint approach because it could undermine the continuity of the self.
• Roger sensed danger, looked into the future, and saw Voldemort attempting a new path to immortality.

Voldemort rejected the idea of hiding a Horcrux in the future and decided to use Time-Turners and Horcruxes to create stronger versions of himself. Roger foresaw Voldemort’s new path to immortality and brought Dumbledore a book called “Second Reality” to discuss a new idea.

• Voldemort learned that Time Amber could only suspend a target’s time and could not send a Horcrux into the future.
• Voldemort decided not to summon his former Death Eaters while Grindelwald held greater power and influence.
• Voldemort resolved to merge with the Diary Horcrux and use a Time-Turner to create multiple versions of himself to fight and surpass one another.
• Roger foresaw Voldemort’s new path to immortality and decided to push his own plans forward.
• Roger visited Dumbledore with a book titled “Second Reality” and asked what he thought of a new idea.

Roger presented Dumbledore with a plan for Second Reality, a magical virtual reality system that could support research and eventually bridge wizarding and Muggle society. He revealed that his real goal was to study mental aging as the next step toward immortality, and Dumbledore remained wary as Roger proposed beginning with thirty prototypes.

• Dumbledore read Roger's proposal for combining accelerated thinking, the Pensieve, and intermediary dimensions to create Virtual Reality, but worried it would violate the International Statute of Secrecy.
• Roger argued that the Statute would not last and said Second Reality could advance magical research and prepare for the eventual merging of wizarding and Muggle civilization.
• Dumbledore warned that worldwide adoption would exceed the wizarding world's supply of alchemical materials, and Roger suggested starting with small trials before trying to convert the technology into Muggle technology.
• When Dumbledore asked what Roger stood to gain, Roger explained that he needed data on mental aging and hoped accelerated thinking could let people experience a century within a year.
• Dumbledore called the plan dangerous, and Roger promised not to force anyone and proposed testing thirty prototypes without mental acceleration at first.

Roger secured Dumbledore’s approval for a small trial of Second Reality and learned that British wizarding debate had shifted from Dumbledore to the Ministry’s laws after Grindelwald’s raid. Dumbledore then asked Roger what he thought of Hogwarts’ Muggle Studies course.

• Roger explained Second Reality and its potential benefits, and Dumbledore approved a small-scale trial and agreed to visit the Ministry with him to register it.
• Roger asked Dumbledore whether he could help with the controversy surrounding him, and Dumbledore said that staying out of it was already helping.
• Dumbledore explained that European wizards wanted him to stop Grindelwald, while British wizards were questioning why the Ministry’s laws restricted Time Magic research and whom those laws protected.
• Roger guessed that Ministry officials were using public opinion to push judicial reform, and Dumbledore said some rules needed to change.
• Dumbledore asked Roger for his opinion of Hogwarts’ Muggle Studies course.

Dumbledore asked Roger to advise him on making Muggle Studies a required course to prepare Hogwarts students for eventual contact between wizarding and Muggle society. Roger supported the change but urged the course to teach ethics and understanding, and the chapter ended as he began explaining why Professor Carey Di Bubaj’s concept of equality was insufficient.

• Dumbledore explained that Roger’s work on Dimensional Magic and Second Reality could bring wizarding and Muggle society into contact within decades.
• Dumbledore proposed making Muggle Studies required and expanding it to teach students how to understand and interact with Muggles.
• Roger questioned whether the Board of Directors would approve, and Dumbledore said Ministry officials would help pressure them in return for his support of judicial reform.
• Roger approved the curriculum change and recommended adding ethics and proper understanding to address the danger of wizards’ growing power and prejudice against Muggles.
• Roger said Professor Carey Di Bubaj’s concept of equality was not good enough and began explaining his own views.

Roger discussed Muggle-wizard integration with Dumbledore, who considered how to reshape Muggle Studies, then focused on developing his Second Reality project. After refining a first-generation virtual-reality device, Roger brought it to Dumbledore and invited him to duel in a virtual world.

• Roger argued that Muggles and wizards shared a common origin and that greater understanding could prepare them to become one people again, prompting Dumbledore to reconsider Muggle Studies.
• Roger decided not to publish Three-Dimensional Theory yet, reasoning that the wizarding world was unsettled and powerful wizards could rapidly grow stronger by learning Dimensional Magic.
• Roger developed a first-version Second Reality Client, but its network was limited to a single building and its NPCs lacked convincing personalities.
• Roger perfected accelerated thought enough for a healthy user to experience sevenfold thought acceleration for twelve real-world hours without side effects.
• Roger visited Dumbledore's office and invited him to try a duel in the virtual world.

Roger showed Dumbledore his Virtual Reality games and grand library, and Dumbledore saw how the technology could help make Muggle Studies compulsory. At the Ministry, Roger wondered aloud about relations between wizards and other intelligent races, prompting Dumbledore to suspect he had foreseen a future threat.

• Roger introduced Dumbledore to his Virtual Reality games and library, and Dumbledore lost to Roger's ordinary deck while using a powerful Tearlaments deck.
• Dumbledore said the technology could help address the strain of adding compulsory Muggle Studies, so he and Roger went to the Ministry to complete the relevant procedures.
• Roger noticed the Ministry statue of magical intelligent races and wondered whether advancing powers might lead to another racial conflict.
• Roger told Dumbledore that he had only asked casually and warned him not to treat every remark as a prophecy, but Dumbledore remained suspicious.
• Dumbledore connected Roger's question about other races with his earlier remarks and urgency, then wondered whether something might one day fall from the sky.

Roger and Dumbledore secured Ministry approval to handle Roger’s Virtual Reality machine, while Cornelius Fudge worried about its dangers and the political upheaval it could bring. At Hogwarts, the young wizards quickly became engrossed in the games, leaving Roger to consider adding an anti-addiction system.

• Roger and Dumbledore drew attention in the Ministry’s main hall before taking the elevator to Cornelius Fudge’s office.
• Fudge approved their request, and the official responsible for high-risk alchemical items arranged the necessary handling.
• Dolores Umbridge warned Fudge that Roger’s Virtual Reality machine was dangerous, but Fudge refused to challenge Dumbledore and Roger.
• Roger turned an abandoned Hogwarts classroom into a Virtual Reality experience room after receiving permission.
• Harry, Ron, and other students eagerly played the games, prompting Roger to consider an anti-addiction system.

Wizards flocked to Roger’s Virtual Reality, first for games and then to study, prompting him to add an anti-addiction system. Roger introduced Harry to his new Creation Mode Plugin and asked him to test it as the first step toward recruiting a team to build an open virtual world.

• Young wizards immersed themselves in Virtual Reality games, while Hermione used the virtual library to read at accelerated speed.
• Roger added an anti-addiction system, and students rushed to use the virtual library for last-minute exam preparation.
• Roger reflected on how Virtual Reality might reshape work and society, then revealed his Creation Mode Plugin to Harry.
• Harry agreed to test the plugin as Roger evaluated whether ordinary wizards could help create virtual worlds.

Harry tested Roger’s Creation Mode and realized that its realism and complexity made the virtual world’s development a huge undertaking. Roger then proposed creating a training program to teach wizards programming and Muggle sciences, leaving Dumbledore to consider whether it should be attached to Hogwarts.

• Harry rode a dragon through Creation Mode and discovered that its mountains relied on a small set of repeated models.
• Roger explained that the public version would retain flaws, while future worlds for dying users would aim to replicate reality closely.
• Harry suggested finding a programmer, and Roger considered how the International Statute of Secrecy and the wizarding government complicated recruiting Muggles.
• Roger visited Dumbledore, who said legal reforms were facing unfavorable developments, then heard Roger’s plan to train wizards in programming and sciences.
• Dumbledore was startled when Roger asked about opening a training school and becoming a professor, and said he needed time to think.

Roger proposed training wizards to build the foundations of his virtual world and discussed setting up a program near Hogwarts with Dumbledore. He suggested recruiting graduating students to ease approval and provide them with work, leaving Dumbledore asking what the job involved and what it paid.

• Roger told Dumbledore he wanted to establish a training program in Hogsmeade for adult wizards, but Dumbledore warned that the Hogwarts Board of Directors might object.
• Roger considered recruiting Hogwarts students instead, then realized graduating students could be a better source of workers.
• Roger argued that Half-blood and Muggle-born graduates often struggled to find secure employment, unlike many Pureblood students.
• Roger proposed recruiting willing seventh-years and training them through small classes at Hogwarts or in Hogsmeade.
• Dumbledore thought the proposal could work but asked Roger to explain the job, salary, and benefits.

Roger established Subspace Magic Technology Co., Ltd. to employ Hogwarts graduates and provide training, then met with the Board of Directors to discuss recruiting students and launching on-campus training. The story left Roger beginning that discussion at Hogwarts.

• Roger offered high pay and bonuses for demanding work in his proposed company, and Dumbledore agreed to arrange talks with the Board of Directors.
• Roger told Dumbledore he would register the company and asked for permission to leave Hogwarts to handle the paperwork.
• Roger visited the Ministry of Magic, where he noticed political tensions over stalled legal reforms but did not get involved.
• Roger struggled to find an available company name before registering Subspace Magic Technology Co., Ltd. in mid-April 1992.
• Dumbledore arranged a meeting with the Board of Directors, and Roger introduced himself as the head of Subspace Magic Technology Co., Ltd.

Roger presented Virtual Reality Technology to Hogwarts’ Board of Directors, who saw its potential to greatly increase wizards’ mental power and approved cooperation with his company. They then began negotiating further investments, each with different motives.

• Roger explained Virtual Reality Technology, its future prospects, and his research goals to the twelve directors.
• Lucius Malfoy offered to support Roger and invest on behalf of the Malfoy family, while another director also pledged support.
• The directors concluded that Virtual Reality could cultivate extraordinarily powerful wizards and perhaps change the balance between wizarding and Muggle civilization.
• The Board of Directors unanimously approved on-campus recruitment and cooperation with the Subspace Magic Technology Company.
• The directors sought to invest more in Roger, and Roger considered whether to let them join in.

Roger began recruiting for his Virtual Reality company, let Fred Weasley and George Weasley experiment with a developer tool, and learned that Ministry power brokers had created a new office granting him control over the industry. The chapter ended with Roger questioning whether his appointment as Director of the Virtual Reality Industry Office was reasonable.

• Roger opened his recruitment fair, but many seventh-year students were put off by the demanding work schedule while some top students showed interest.
• Fred Weasley and George Weasley asked to join Roger’s enterprise, and Roger gave them a Creation Mode plugin to explore the virtual world as developers.
• Dumbledore told Roger that the Ministry of Magic judicial reform had largely failed and become a struggle for power among departments and Pure-blood families.
• Dumbledore explained that influential families had established the Virtual Reality Industry Office and secured Roger authority over Virtual Reality, answerable only to the Minister for Magic and the Wizengamot.
• Roger read his appointment letter naming him Director of the Virtual Reality Industry Office and asked Dumbledore whether it was reasonable.