Chapter Summaries

Vincent, Hermione, Neville, Harry, and Ron entered the Great Hall for Hogwarts’ Sorting Ceremony, where the Sorting Hat assigned the new students to their houses. Hermione and Neville joined Gryffindor, while Draco Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin.

• Ghosts burst into the room, and the Fat Friar wished Vincent and the other students luck before leaving with them.
• Professor McGonagall led the new students into the Great Hall and placed Gu Gu at her seat.
• The Sorting Hat sang about the four houses before McGonagall began calling names.
• Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones joined Hufflepuff, Terry Boot joined Ravenclaw, and Lavender Brown joined Gryffindor.
• Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom were sorted into Gryffindor, and Neville thanked Vincent for encouraging him.
• Draco Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin as soon as the Sorting Hat touched his head.

Hermione sneaked out at night to stop a duel between Vincent and Draco, but Vincent never appeared. When Filch discovered the students, a strangely fast suit of armor distracted him and let Hermione escape.

• After a failed afternoon of research in a smoky secret passage, Vincent and the twins decided to work at the Astronomy Tower at night.
• Hermione left the Gryffindor dormitory and went to the Trophy Room, expecting to find Vincent and Draco dueling.
• Hermione overheard Draco complain that Vincent had stood him up, then watched Draco and his companions leave.
• Goyle knocked over a trophy, alerting Filch and Mrs. Norris to Hermione's presence.
• A headless suit of armor ran past Filch and distracted him, allowing Hermione to hurry back toward her dormitory.
• Filch caught up with Draco and his two companions.

Draco planned to sabotage a broomstick for Vincent during the flying lesson while Vincent and the Weasley twins worried about Hermione being kept out of her dormitory. At breakfast, Neville received a Remembrall, and the Gryffindors dreaded their Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Quirrell.

• Draco decided to tamper with Vincent's broomstick to humiliate him during flying lessons.
• Vincent learned that the Gryffindor girls considered him their new heartthrob, and the twins urged him to resolve Hermione's roommate problem.
• Neville received a Remembrall from his grandmother, but he could not figure out what he had forgotten.
• Vincent suggested Neville might have forgotten Leif, but Neville found Leif tucked inside his robes.
• Vincent, Neville, Alfred, and James headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts and hesitated outside Quirrell's garlic-scented classroom.

Vincent worried about his first Potions class with Snape after the twins warned him that the professor would find excuses to deduct points. He entered the gloomy dungeon with Harry and Ron, all three expecting trouble, while Gryffindor held a large lead over Slytherin.

• Vincent tried the Disillusionment Charm on his arm, then joined Fred and George in joking about Snape and his point deductions.
• The twins warned Vincent that Snape would interfere in class and make students lose points, and Vincent dreamed of the professor kicking him toward the Forbidden Forest.
• Vincent woke from his nightmare, blamed his terrible roommates for disturbing his sleep, and went to breakfast in a bad mood.
• Vincent followed Harry after breakfast and admitted he was worried about Potions; Ron feared Snape would target him too.
• Harry tried to reassure Vincent and Ron, but they resolved to compete for House points as they entered Snape's dungeon classroom.

The Dursleys hosted Harry’s birthday party with the Weasley and Wayne families while the Wayne family realized wizards were secretly guarding Harry from Sirius Black. Eric and Arthur confirmed that the Ministry had ordered the protection kept confidential, and the families continued celebrating as the children talked about their work and future plans.

• The Dursleys welcomed the Weasley family and the Wayne family to Harry’s birthday party, while Dudley nervously greeted the Waynes.
• Vincent and Eric noticed hidden wizards and suspected Sirius Black’s escape was connected to a threat against Harry.
• Eric asked Vernon and Arthur about suspicious activity, and both families’ awkward answers revealed that Harry was under secret protection.
• Eric and Arthur went outside, where Arthur confirmed that the Ministry had ordered him to keep the protection confidential.
• Bill and Charlie discussed their careers with Vincent, while Charlie explained why he had chosen dragonology over professional Quidditch.
• Ginny took over inflating balloons from Ron as Vincent reflected on the Weasley family’s success and the possibility of Ron getting a new wand.

Dumbledore went to the Alps to seek answers about Trelawney’s prophecy while a massive gathering of Dementors threatened Hogwarts during the Halloween feast. The chapter left him recalling his long-ago conversation with Gellert Grindelwald, whom he had not seen in forty-eight years.

• McGonagall told Dumbledore and Snape that Trelawney had prophesied an unprecedented challenge, a hunger for power, and the destruction of the Wizarding World’s established order.
• Dumbledore left on Fawkes to visit an old friend, while Snape and McGonagall stayed behind and saw a vast number of Dementors approaching Hogwarts.
• Vincent, Cedric, Sprout, Flitwick, and McGonagall cast Patronus Charms as the professors prepared to protect the students in the Great Hall.
• The Weasley twins speculated that Snape could not cast a Patronus, and Vincent suggested that his Patronus might be a snake.
• Dumbledore reached a ruined fortress in the Alps and remembered a conversation with Gellert Grindelwald from their youth.

Vincent returned to Hunter after causing an uproar with the Gringotts dragon incident and said he planned to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic to investigate the cursed-item killer. He then broke into Scrimgeour’s home, where the two argued over Vincent’s actions and the chaos facing the Wizarding World.

• Vincent returned to Hunter’s room in London and described riding the fire dragon while Hunter asked where he had hidden it.
• Vincent told Hunter that he had found no valuable leads on the cursed-item killer, and they reviewed the suspect’s known characteristics.
• Vincent said he would use infiltration to obtain the Ministry of Magic’s files, alarming Hunter.
• Percy delivered Fudge’s urgent request for Scrimgeour to return from leave, but Scrimgeour mocked Fudge and refused to go back.
• Vincent appeared inside Scrimgeour’s home despite its defenses and warned him that powerful wizards could bypass them.
• Scrimgeour accused Vincent of creating chaos, and Vincent argued that Voldemort and those who preyed on the weak were the real enemies.

After Hermione treated Vincent’s injuries, she left him to finish changing, and he recovered without lasting effects. In the wake of the attack, Fudge and Umbridge agreed to promote Vincent as a hero and award him the Order of Merlin, First Class, to divert international attention.

• Hermione examined and treated Vincent’s injuries, then hurried back to her room after he said he could handle the rest himself.
• Vincent’s Flamel Ring had blocked most of the Reductor Curse’s force, and he suffered no lasting aftereffects.
• Newspapers around the world reported on the Dark Mark and the attack at the Quidditch World Cup camp.
• Umbridge proposed using Vincent’s role in the attack to shift public attention away from Britain’s security failures.
• Fudge approved awarding Vincent the Order of Merlin, First Class, and the officials applauded the decision.

During Defense Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge insisted that students should study Ministry-approved theory instead of practising spells, provoking Hermione and several classmates to challenge her. Hermione openly confronted Umbridge and accepted detention immediately, leaving Umbridge furious as she went to deal with her.

• Umbridge told Hermione that Wayne would be imprisoned in Azkaban and that the Ministry would handle any danger.
• Neville, Harry, Ron, James, Alfred, Parvati, and other students questioned Umbridge about the lack of practical Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons.
• Umbridge claimed that theory was enough to prepare students for examinations, while Harry argued that school lessons had to be useful in the real world.
• Hermione accused Umbridge of damaging the Ministry's reputation and warned her that Hogwarts was dangerous territory.
• Umbridge assigned Hermione detention, and Hermione challenged her to begin it immediately.
• Umbridge ordered the students to read Magical Defence Theory and left the classroom, visibly enraged.

Vincent and MI6 concluded that a wizard was planting cursed necklaces to torment random young people for pleasure, and Vincent recruited MAST-MA to help stop him. Hunter mapped likely drop-off sites across London and planned targeted patrols at high-risk places and times.

• Carlton and Vincent assessed the necklace deaths as the work of a patient thrill killer who chose young victims at random and enjoyed making them suffer.
• Vincent warned that the killer would strike again while the Ministry of Magic stayed out of the investigation.
• Vincent told Hunter about MI6’s assessment, and Hunter agreed to involve MAST-MA despite the risk of a court-martial.
• Hunter marked likely drop-off locations across London and proposed having MAST-MA patrol high-risk areas at specific times instead of trying to cover the entire city.

Umbridge began her theory-only Magical Defence course, prompting Hermione, Ron, and Harry to challenge the lack of practical spell training. Hermione questioned the Ministry’s ability to protect students and invoked Vincent Wayne’s persecution, leaving Umbridge visibly angered.

• Umbridge introduced her Ministry-approved Magical Defence course objectives and instructed the students to read Wilbert Slinkhard's textbook.
• Hermione raised her hand and challenged the course objectives for not teaching students how to use defensive spells.
• Hermione cited the Death Eaters’ infiltration of Hogwarts, and Ron asked whether students were forbidden from using magic.
• Harry asked how students would protect themselves, while Hermione said she would rather trust herself than rely on theory and the Ministry.
• Hermione reminded Umbridge that Vincent Wayne had evaded the Ministry and was regarded by Hogwarts students as a respected schoolmate, angering Umbridge.

Hermione went to Umbridge’s office for detention and discovered that Umbridge’s Dark quill carved its writing into the user’s skin. Hermione used the enchanted ink to write insults onto Umbridge instead, leaving Umbridge unconscious while Hermione continued writing.

• Umbridge took Hermione to her office and ordered her to write “I am a good student” with a black Dark Magic quill.
• Hermione recognized that the quill carved its words into her hand and used Yin-Yang Ink, which wrote insults, instead of ordinary ink.
• The quill transferred Hermione’s insulting words onto Umbridge’s skin as Hermione kept writing.
• Umbridge lost consciousness, and Hermione continued filling sheets with insults in the office.

Kenny investigated a magical cause behind a bizarre helicopter crash and reported to Viktor, who had sent him to test his abilities. Meanwhile, Hermione teased Vincent awake before they prepared for the evening awards ceremony.

• Kenny traced the magical signature from the helicopter crash to Wall Street and suspected Wayne had cast the spell.
• Sam asked Graves to end his leave, but Graves refused and chased him out of the office with a stack of documents.
• Kenny reported that magic had been involved in the shooting incident but kept his suspicion about Vincent to himself.
• Viktor revealed that he had sent Kenny to investigate as a test and planned to test him further.
• Hermione teased Vincent in their hotel bed, and Vincent pinned her down to punish the naughty kitten before they got ready for the awards ceremony.

During detention, Hermione used the cursed black quill against Umbridge, redirecting its pain onto her and leaving her unconscious. Hermione left Umbridge’s office to find students celebrating in the corridor.

• Hermione secretly used magic to break the quill’s curse and protect her hand while writing with it.
• Hermione made the quill’s injuries appear on Umbridge, then continued writing until Umbridge collapsed unconscious.
• Hermione filled seven sheets of parchment, checked that Umbridge was alive, and left the pages on her desk.
• Hermione told Umbridge that the first Defense Against the Dark Arts practical lesson was over and walked out to a corridor full of concerned students.
• Hermione reassured the students, and Fred and George set off Weasley Whiz-Bang Fireworks as everyone cheered.

Hermione excelled in Transfiguration before Umbridge interrupted class and tried to take her to the Ministry for investigation. McGonagall challenged Umbridge’s lack of evidence, and Hermione warned her that the Ministry should investigate the Dark Magic quill Umbridge had used on her.

• Hermione watched videos about Vincent and the Succession Society before heading to Transfiguration.
• Hermione mastered the Vanishment Charm on her first try, earning praise and five points from McGonagall.
• Umbridge interrupted McGonagall’s class and accused Hermione of attacking her and associating with Vincent Wayne.
• McGonagall demanded conclusive evidence and told Umbridge that Hogwarts was not a Wizarding Court.
• Umbridge tried to take Hermione to the Ministry for investigation, but Hermione pointed out that Umbridge’s line-writing quill was non-compliant.
• Umbridge backed down from investigating the quill and warned Hermione that she would watch her closely.

Vincent punished Pucey for his behavior at the student performance, while Harry investigated the mysterious shadow alone under his Invisibility Cloak. Harry encountered a familiar figure whose black eyes seemed to see through the cloak.

• Vincent watched Pucey’s puppet show and left the audience after praising the little letter D figure.
• Vincent beat Pucey in the toilet tent, and Fred and George beat him again afterward.
• McGonagall checked on Pucey and the students, then glanced toward the place where the mysterious black shadow had appeared.
• Harry took his Invisibility Cloak and went alone to investigate the shadow’s location while a blue-eyed figure secretly watched him.
• Harry found a person whose cold black eyes saw through his cloak and who addressed him by name.

Hermione celebrated after making Umbridge suffer through the copied sentences, then began the second day of school with her usual morning routine. The chapter ended as she read Umbridge’s newspaper article attacking Hogwarts’s management.

• Umbridge woke in pain, found seven sheets of insulting sentences, and cursed Hermione while suffering strange colored lights in her office.
• The Owl Court Club celebrated Hermione, and Fred and George gave her a crown, cloak, scepter, and ring before she explained Umbridge’s punishment as an accident.
• Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati exercised before breakfast on the second day of school.
• Hermione read The Daily Prophet and saw Umbridge’s article claiming to have found serious problems in Hogwarts’s management system.

Vincent amended Peeves’s treaty to let him prank Dolores Jane Umbridge without restrictions while she was at Hogwarts, then traveled with Hermione to New York. Their plan to visit Fifth Avenue changed after they arrived in Manhattan and heard gunfire.

• Vincent questioned Peeves about entering the Slytherin common room, and Peeves claimed he had been preparing a gift for the new professor.
• Vincent added a treaty clause lifting Peeves’s restrictions when Umbridge was at Hogwarts, limiting his pranks to her, and Peeves agreed to it.
• Vincent gave Peeves a Type-A Sphere for emergencies and disappeared from the tower.
• Vincent and Hermione flew to Manhattan in La Voiture Noire and agreed to stroll along Fifth Avenue.
• After hearing gunfire soon after landing, Vincent and Hermione decided to head for Broadway instead, passing through Wall Street.

Vincent learned the basics of Apparition from Sam and attempted the dangerous spell in the Sahara Desert. After successfully Apparating, he studied the mysterious void he had passed through and considered what could make him travel farther.

• Sam explained the three essentials of Apparition, then Side-Along Apparated with Vincent to the northern Sahara to avoid the Ministry's Trace.
• Vincent Apparated on his first attempt, leaving his head behind in the sand and frightening Sam until he realized Vincent's body had also vanished.
• Vincent experienced the Apparition void and speculated about how magic, destination, determination, and composure affected the spell.
• Vincent Apparated above Sam and crashed into him, while Sam warned him not to overestimate how far he could travel.

Vincent apologized to Ron after Gu Gu frightened Scabbers, and Hermione bought Crookshanks as her pet. The group discussed the costly Firebolt before heading back to the Leaky Cauldron, while Crookshanks noticed something in an alley behind them.

• Vincent scolded Gu Gu for frightening Scabbers, and Crookshanks insisted that something was wrong with the rat despite having no evidence.
• Hermione bought Crookshanks from the shop clerk, and Vincent apologized to the clerk for Gu Gu's behavior.
• When Ron returned with Scabbers, Vincent gave him rat-strengthening tonic as an apology for Gu Gu's actions.
• Harry and Ron described the Firebolt to Vincent and the others, who were stunned by its likely price.
• The group headed toward the Leaky Cauldron, and Crookshanks looked back toward a small alley in confusion.