Chapter Summaries

Rita Skeeter brought an application to establish Wayne Media to the Ministry of Magic, using the law to resist an attempted arrest. Fudge approved the application, leaving Rita free to pursue her goal of becoming the media queen while she wondered about Vincent and Fudge’s hidden connection.

• Rita Skeeter arrived at the Ministry with Chief Editor Gufei, Bozo, and John Hollingworth, and challenged the enforcement squad to name a law she had broken.
• Umbridge threatened to arrest Rita under Article 233, but Fudge arrived before the arrest could proceed.
• John presented Rita’s application to establish Wayne Media, and Fudge recognized Wayne Enterprises’ involvement.
• Fudge signed the application and told Rita he looked forward to Wayne Media’s development.
• Rita accepted the approval and decided to pursue her new ambition while keeping her curiosity about Vincent and Fudge’s secret in check.

Harry’s attempt to approach the hostages turned into an attack by the merpeople, whose leader appeared to be under the Imperius Curse. Hermione realized the Death Eaters were not hiding in the Black Lake or at Hogwarts, but inside the Ministry of Magic.

• Viktor Krum and Harry approached the hostages while the merpeople’s leader remained unresponsive.
• The leader ordered the merpeople to attack Harry, who dodged their spears and retreated as Vincent secretly deflected them.
• The merpeople armed themselves and pursued Harry until hidden Aurors stopped them with an invisible barrier.
• The merpeople’s leader ordered its people to search the village, while Viktor tried to free Charlotte and the judges grew alarmed.
• Dumbledore and Hermione received a message identifying the Imperius Curse, and Hermione deduced that the Death Eaters were hiding within the Ministry of Magic.

After Vincent and Eric were cleared following a bar fight in Modena, Evelyn scolded Eric while Hermione checked on Vincent and cared for him. The next day, Hermione and Vincent shared a warm moment, and Vincent suspected the night’s events had also brought Eric and Evelyn closer.

• Vincent and Eric paid a fine at the Modena police station and were escorted back to their hotel by two officers.
• Evelyn berated Eric for taking Vincent to a bar and getting into a fight, then checked that Vincent was unharmed.
• Hermione visited Vincent’s room, gave him honey water, and revealed she had used Wandless Magic to unlock the door.
• Hermione and Vincent praised each other’s teaching and learning before she offered to make lunch while he rested.
• Vincent wondered whether Hermione’s cheerful mood meant Eric and Evelyn had made up.

After the Hungarian Horntail’s rampage, Lucius confronted Fudge while Umbridge helped broker compensation and turn the Ministry’s response into a public display. Vincent and Hermione returned to the castle and identified the forbidden curse behind the dragon’s frenzy, pointing to a conspiracy by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

• Lucius confronted Fudge over Draco’s injuries and threatened political consequences, while Umbridge promised an explanation and proposed restitution.
• Fudge offered to promote Draco’s heroic battle and the Nobili brand, and Umbridge won his approval by helping calm Lucius.
• Vincent and Hermione watched the Ministry’s officials stage a public show of concern, then returned to the castle as Hermione struggled with guilt over the tragedy.
• Vincent reassured Hermione that she did not bear responsibility and said the dragon’s rampage might have been caused by forbidden magic.
• Vincent and Hermione found the Devouring Feast curse in Grindelwald’s Spellbook and recognized it as the likely cause of the Hungarian Horntail’s rampage.

Rita interviewed Fudge for the Daily Prophet while Vincent and his parents built magical assembly-line arms in Italy. Fudge’s good mood ended when he learned Sirius Black had vanished from Azkaban, and officials arrived to investigate.

• Rita brought photographer Bo Zuo to interview Fudge, promising to resume her coverage of the Wizard Cards scam in exchange.
• Vincent used Memory Alloy and Magical Circuits to build a metal arm that copied his movements, then made two smaller arms for assembly and fine finishing.
• Gu Gu pointed at the room-service menu, prompting Evelyn to order lunch and Eric to worry about the cost.
• Fudge and Scrimgeour rushed to Azkaban after Sirius Black was reported missing.
• Barton told Umbridge and the officials how he discovered Black's cell was silent despite the commotion on the prison floor.

Vincent and Hermione demonstrated a magical communicator that projected images and could transmit voices, while Vincent kept working to perfect it. As Fred and George planned to reach Godric’s Hollow, Hermione offered to Apparate them there, surprising their friends.

• Harry returned to the Hog’s Head with Lupin and Sirius, where the students gathered for dinner and Peter Pettigrew remained covered in filth at the monument.
• Hermione showed Harry and the others Vincent’s magical communicator, a bracelet that projected a screen and could transmit voice and video through a base station.
• Lupin suggested Sirius take the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, but Sirius refused to commit because he feared Voldemort’s curse on the position.
• Vincent continued developing the communicator with help from the Time-Turner, while the Ministry delayed Peter Pettigrew’s execution until late July.
• Fred and George asked Vincent to help them sneak to Godric’s Hollow, but he refused, and Rolf admitted he had not learned Side-Along Apparition.
• Hermione offered to take Fred and George by Side-Along Apparition, astonishing the twins and their friends.

Vincent recruited Erich’s Middle East Branch into the Succession Society by advocating coexistence between wizards and Muggles, then traveled to Hong Kong to meet Sheng Bai, head of the Wizards' Purity Party's Asia Branch. Sheng Bai welcomed him and began explaining Hong Kong’s hidden Wizarding World.

• Vincent learned that Erich was a cardinal and that the Wizards' Purity Party's Middle East Branch had hidden within Muggle religious institutions.
• Vincent explained the Succession Society’s vision of cooperation and peace between wizards and Muggles, and Erich hailed him as the awaited Messiah.
• Vincent left Jerusalem and flew La Voiture Noire to Kowloon, where Sheng Bai greeted him.
• Sheng Bai took Vincent to an unopened park, and Vincent asked whether Hong Kong’s Wizarding World had once been hidden in Kowloon Walled City.
• Sheng Bai described the differences between Eastern and Western magic and the older generation’s resistance to wands.

Vincent and Hermione traveled from Hogsmeade toward London, pausing in the Scottish Highlands as his account of hiring the dark wizard group Fallen Paradise left Hermione questioning his connections and sensing he was hiding something. The chapter ended with Vincent preparing to introduce his new employees while keeping his relationship with Grindelwald secret.

• Vincent struggled to Apparate with Hermione and stopped in the Scottish Highlands when Dementors found them.
• Vincent cast his Suanni Patronus, then shared tea and pastries with Hermione while they waited.
• Vincent told Hermione that Fallen Paradise had uncovered his connection to Yamamoto Tsukumo and that he had hired the group after confronting them in Knockturn Alley.
• Hermione asked whether Viktor was one of Vincent's teacher's people, and Vincent confirmed that his teacher had sent Viktor to protect him.
• Vincent withheld that his teacher was Grindelwald, and Hermione agreed to wait while he gathered his thoughts about the new employees.

Vincent learned that he had to attend the Ministry’s globally broadcast award ceremony while Dumbledore investigated Slytherin’s Locket and suspected it was a Horcrux. Dumbledore traced the locket and Hufflepuff’s Cup to Hepzibah Smith’s murder, then found a clue pointing to a coastal sea cave as a possible hiding place for one of Tom’s Horcruxes.

• Vincent called Dumbledore and learned that the locket might have been turned into a Horcrux, but Dumbledore had not found it yet.
• Dumbledore told Vincent that the Ministry was staging the award ceremony to delay the International Confederation of Wizards from intervening in the attack investigation.
• Vincent accepted that he could not refuse the ceremony and told Dumbledore he would find a way to break free from the rules.
• Dumbledore discovered that Borgin had sold Merope Gaunt’s locket to Hepzibah Smith, whose locket and Hufflepuff’s Cup had disappeared after her murder.
• Dumbledore reviewed his memories of Tom and noticed that a photograph of sea caves matched the place where Tom had collected trinkets, suggesting a possible Horcrux hiding place.

Dumbledore and Madame Maxime agreed that Hogwarts could create a special training plan for the Champions, while Dumbledore and Moody considered Karkaroff a possible threat to Harry. Dumbledore asked Vincent to train Harry and Draco physically for the Triwizard Tournament, and Vincent agreed on the condition that the Champions cooperate.

• Dumbledore explained to Madame Maxime that Hogwarts's two Champions were not the Goblet of Fire's original choices, and she agreed to a special training plan.
• Madame Maxime thanked Dumbledore for the juice and left the Great Hall with two pitchers.
• Dumbledore and Moody discussed whether Karkaroff had reconnected with Voldemort, and they decided Moody should watch him closely.
• Dumbledore praised Vincent's training of Neville and asked him to create a physical training class for Harry and Draco.
• Vincent agreed to train the Champions but warned that they might not follow his regimen, and Snape promised to make Draco cooperate.

Vincent spent a leisurely afternoon with Gabrielle, Pheobe, Daphne, and Hermione before inviting their friends to gather in the Forbidden Forest. Meanwhile, Madame Maxime, Dumbledore, and Karkaroff brought Europe’s three great wandmakers together at Hogwarts for the Champions’ wand inspection ceremony.

• Gabrielle fed snacks to Gu Gu during the picnic, while Daphne complained about Draco’s smug behavior and Vincent promised to give him extra training.
• Daphne and Pheobe discussed Hogwarts and Beauxbatons rules, then the girls chatted about clothes while Vincent played Gwent.
• Vincent messaged George and the others to meet in the Forbidden Forest, and they arrived with ingredients as Pheobe agreed to stay longer.
• Madame Maxime returned to Hogwarts with Merovingian, and Dumbledore welcomed them before they headed to prepare for the wand inspection.
• Ollivander and Merovingian exchanged compliments that turned competitive, then Karkaroff arrived with Gregorovitch, completing the gathering of Europe’s three great wandmakers.

Vincent, Hermione, and Neville practiced Transfiguration and worked together in Lupin’s Red Cap maze exercise. Neville’s combat training proved effective, and Vincent agreed to take him on as an apprentice.

• Trelawney gave Vincent and Harry a cryptic prophecy about terrible things they would soon experience.
• McGonagall taught hair Transfiguration, and the students gave one another extravagant hairstyles as she awarded points to Neville and Hermione.
• Lupin divided the students into four groups for a Red Cap maze exercise, assigning Hermione, Neville, James, and Alfred to Vincent’s group.
• Vincent’s group advanced through the maze while Hermione deflected a Red Cap’s club and Neville attacked it with moves Vincent had taught him.
• Hermione discussed her mentor-apprentice relationship with Vincent, and Neville fought off a returning Red Cap with a flurry of punches.

Vincent visited Bugatti’s factory in Italy with the Wayne and Granger families to see the Veyron prototype he had designed, then sought permission to test his driving skills. He left the research team amazed after posting exceptional results in an EB110SS, but the Veyron itself had not yet been track-tested.

• Eric and Vincent greeted Bugatti chief engineer Luca Schreiber at the Modena airport, and the families traveled to the factory.
• Luca showed the group the carbon-fiber Veyron prototype and shared its engine specifications and laboratory performance figures.
• Vincent decided he wanted to be the first to test the Veyron, and he persuaded Luca to let him demonstrate his ability on the track.
• Vincent drove a silver EB110SS, recording a zero-to-one-hundred time of 3.1 seconds, taking a turn at 192 km/h, and reaching 355 km/h on the straight.
• Luca called Vincent a genius test driver, while the Wayne and Granger families were unsurprised by his performance.

Vincent returned from the Forbidden Forest and noticed Hermione’s refreshed appearance before attending Charms with her. Hermione excelled in class and reassured Lavender and Parvati that her new habits were about more than a romantic interest, as she prepared to keep up with her demanding schedule.

• Vincent beat Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle in a grove, then brought the injured students to Madam Pomfrey and said they had been hurt by accident.
• After returning from the Forbidden Forest, Vincent noticed Hermione’s carefully styled hair, improved appearance, and orange-scented shampoo.
• Hermione explained the difference between the Full Body-Bind Curse and the Freezing Charm, earning Gryffindor two points.
• Hermione answered questions throughout Charms class and earned Gryffindor twelve points in total.
• Lavender and Parvati questioned Hermione about her new look and suspected she had a crush, but Hermione denied it and said she was simply making more time for herself.
• Hermione ate a hearty meal before facing her next five classes, while Lavender and Parvati concluded she had no time for romance.

Vincent and Hermione used their Time-Turners to watch Umbridge investigate the Dementors’ arrival, but her interrogation produced no useful answers. They concluded the Dementors had likely come because of Sirius Black and returned toward Hogwarts, leaving the mystery unresolved.

• Vincent and Hermione secretly traveled back in time to observe Umbridge’s investigation.
• Umbridge accused Captain Toby and the Magical Law Enforcement Squad of dereliction, then questioned Madam Rosmerta and Aberforth without making progress.
• Umbridge questioned Nagini and Surya at the Sundara Perumpan Magical Item Shop, accepted their suggestion that the Dementors were merely passing through, and ended her investigation.
• Vincent and Hermione lifted their Disillusionment Charm and agreed they could not investigate the Dementors’ arrival any further for now.
• Vincent reasoned that the Dementors had probably come because of Sirius Black, and he and Hermione planned to use the Time-Turner to return to the past before their departure.

Vincent and Hermione blamed Snape for weakening Lupin’s Wolfsbane Potion and planned to keep their anger toward him. Hermione resolved to become someone who could stand beside Vincent, while Snape took over Lupin’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

• Vincent and Hermione concluded that Snape had weakened Lupin’s Wolfsbane Potion, making him responsible for the danger they faced during the full moon.
• Vincent vented his anger by knocking down punching bags while Daphne questioned Hermione about her feelings for him.
• Hermione admitted she might have liked Vincent since their nighttime stroll, and Daphne urged her to stand beside him rather than chase after him.
• On Monday, Hermione studied Advanced Potion-Making and showed greater confidence in McGonagall’s Transfiguration class.
• Vincent left Transfiguration early and found Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in Lupin’s place because Lupin had taken leave.

Vincent and Hermione went shopping on Milan’s Via Monte Napoleone, where Hermione bought the outfits she had tried on and Vincent accepted a formal outfit as her gift. They left with plans to wear their matching black formalwear to future gatherings.

• Vincent and the two dads accompanied Hermione and the two moms as they browsed the luxury stores on Via Monte Napoleone.
• Hermione tried on an evening gown at Chanel, and Vincent bought it for her as a gift.
• Hermione bought every outfit she had tried on and used her makeup case to hide the shopping bags from the surrounding Muggles.
• Hermione took Vincent to Hermès and chose black formalwear for him as her gift.
• Vincent imagined holding more Owl Court Club events and banning Black Swan from them.

Peeves’s attempt to take revenge was foiled by Vincent’s magical trap, while students discussed the Triwizard Tournament and the twins’ plans to enter it. Vincent read The Quibbler’s article predicting he would drive change in the Wizarding World and hinting at a reconciliation with influential Pure-bloods, leaving Hermione eager to see what came next.

• Peeves tried to break into the Gryffindor boys' dormitory with a sack, but stone hands trapped him in the floor until daylight.
• Fred and George asked Vincent whether he would compete to become a Triwizard Champion, and he said he would not enter.
• Neville said his grandmother had sent his homework book, saving him from being unprepared for Potions Class.
• Vincent read The Quibbler’s profile, which listed his achievements and predicted he would become central to a transformation of the Wizarding World.
• The Quibbler reported that influential people had reconciled with Vincent and planned to launch Wayne Enterprises products, including mass-produced Magical Projection, prompting Hermione to look toward the Slytherin table.

Vincent and Hermione explored Black Lake while mapping it and encountered Viktor Krum, who had gone underwater to scout the environment. Hermione praised and teased Vincent before he turned the moment around by pretending something was in her eye.

• Vincent and Hermione arrived at Black Lake to map its depths and discussed waiting for the Death Eater who had infiltrated Hogwarts.
• They used protective charms and a Magical Communicator before diving into the lake together.
• Vincent and Hermione spotted Viktor Krum rising toward the surface and guessed he was familiarizing himself with the lake for the competition.
• Hermione praised Vincent's many accomplishments, making him visibly embarrassed, then recorded his reaction with the Magical Communicator.
• Vincent made a bubble around them and told Hermione not to move because there was something in her eye.

Vincent and Dumbledore searched Voldemort’s black lake for a Horcrux while Vincent battled the Inferi guarding it. Dumbledore emerged with a preserved corpse, and Vincent’s fury at Voldemort’s atrocities intensified as his Fiendfyre engulfed the lake.

• Dumbledore led Vincent, Harry, and Sirius Black through the archway to a vast black lake, where Vincent used his Flying Boots to avoid its traps.
• Vincent guessed the Horcrux was by the green light and challenged Dumbledore to a contest, then flew across the lake while Dumbledore disappeared beneath its surface.
• Inferi rose from the lake, and Vincent summoned Fiendfyre with the Serpent Staff to burn them as Harry and Sirius watched from shore.
• Dumbledore found the lakebed crowded with hundreds or thousands of Inferi and carried a preserved corpse to the shore.
• Vincent’s golden Fiendfyre dragons plunged into the lake, boiling its surface as he struggled to bear the horror of Voldemort’s victims.