Chapter Summaries

Filch led Aaron, Draco, Harry, and Ron to the Forbidden Forest for detention, where they were to accompany Hagrid on a nighttime task. Before entering, Aaron bought Filch’s lantern for ten Galleons, leaving the group with extra light for the dangerous forest.

• Filch escorted the students from the castle and warned them about the harsh punishments he once used.
• At the forest’s edge, Filch explained that the students’ detention was to follow Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest.
• Hagrid mourned Norbert’s departure to Romania, while Aaron tried to comfort him.
• Aaron asked Filch for his lantern, and Filch refused until Aaron offered ten Gold Galleons.
• Aaron paid Filch with coins taken from Abei’s pocket and kept the lantern as Filch returned to the castle.

Hagrid led the students into the Forbidden Forest to find and protect a gravely injured Unicorn, while Aaron warned that an unknown enemy might be hunting Unicorns. The group split up, leaving Aaron, Hermione, and Draco to follow the blood trail as Aaron prepared them to run if danger appeared.

• Hagrid found fresh Unicorn blood, and Aaron warned that the repeated attacks suggested a powerful outsider was in the forest.
• Hagrid refused to call off the search and divided the students into two groups, assigning Hermione and Draco to Aaron's group.
• Aaron objected to being paired with Hermione, but Hagrid overruled him and offered to add another person; Aaron chose Draco over Harry and Ron.
• Hagrid took Harry and Ron along the left path while Aaron, Hermione, and Draco went right, with instructions to use green sparks to signal a Unicorn and red sparks for trouble.
• Aaron told Hermione and Draco to tie their shoelaces tightly so they could run, and Draco asked why.

Aaron, Hermione, and Draco followed the wounded Unicorn’s trail through the Forbidden Forest and found a hooded figure drinking its blood. When the figure attacked, Aaron sent up warning flares, but Hermione was too terrified to flee, leaving Aaron facing the creature alone.

• Aaron accepted Hermione’s apology for exposing Abei, while explaining that forgiveness did not mean forgetting what she had done.
• Abei and Fang sensed danger near the Unicorn’s blood trail, and Aaron urged the others to send a signal and keep their distance.
• Fang’s bark alerted the hooded figure in the clearing, so Aaron fired warning flares and ordered Hermione and Draco to run.
• Draco and Fang fled, but Hermione froze in fear, and Aaron stayed behind to protect her.
• Aaron’s Expelliarmus spells failed to stop the hooded figure, which dodged one spell and mocked his weakness.

Aaron and Hermione faced a weakened Dark Wizard in the Forbidden Forest, and Aaron used Abei to strike him so they could flee. When the Dark Wizard caught up and threatened them, Aaron challenged him to a duel, preparing to use a hidden trump card.

• Aaron distracted the Dark Wizard while Abei ran off to circle behind him, and the Dark Wizard offered to spare Aaron if he abandoned Hermione.
• The Dark Wizard advanced on Hermione, so Aaron insulted him and commanded Abei to attack; Aaron followed with a barrage of spells.
• Aaron grabbed Hermione and fled, but the Dark Wizard flew after them and blocked their path.
• Aaron told Hermione to escape, but she refused to leave him; Abei avoided her and crouched beneath a tree.
• Aaron challenged the Dark Wizard to a duel, staking his life and promising that victory would earn their freedom.

Aaron used Felix Felicis before dueling the black-robed man, then struck him with Sectumsempra when Hagrid’s arrival distracted him. The group regrouped, and Hermione revealed that the Unicorn appeared to be dead.

• Aaron drank Felix Felicis and challenged the black-robed man to a wizard’s duel, pretending the potion restored magical power.
• Aaron removed his ring and prepared to ambush the black-robed man, but Hagrid arrived with Harry, Ron, and Draco.
• Aaron hit the black-robed man with Sectumsempra, and the injured man fled into the night.
• Hagrid apologized for splitting up the group, while Aaron blamed him for bringing everyone into danger.
• Hermione told Hagrid that the Unicorn had apparently lost all signs of life.

After finding a mortally wounded Unicorn, Aaron and the others learned that someone had been killing Unicorns for their blood, leading Harry to suspect Voldemort was at Hogwarts. As Ronan prepared to return the Unicorn’s body to its herd, Abei urged Aaron to save it, and Ronan confirmed that Aaron could.

• Aaron discovered the Unicorn was barely alive, but Hagrid realized it had only seconds left to live.
• Hagrid called Ronan, who arrived and agreed to take the Unicorn’s body back to its herd.
• Ronan warned Harry that Unicorn blood could prolong life but cursed anyone who killed a Unicorn, and Harry concluded Voldemort was hiding at Hogwarts.
• Abei clung to Aaron’s trouser leg and pointed at the Unicorn, prompting Ronan to sense Abei’s holy aura and declare that Aaron could save it.

Aaron and the others found a dead Unicorn in the Forbidden Forest, and Hagrid pressed him to save it based on Ronan’s prophecy and Abei’s behavior. Aaron revealed that he had a final bottle of his family’s Resurrection Potion but refused to spend it on a creature he did not know, leaving the group arguing over his choice.

• Ronan’s prophecy and Abei’s distress led Hagrid and Ron to suspect that Aaron could revive the dead Unicorn, but Aaron denied having that ability.
• Aaron threatened Abei with reduced meals, and the creature stopped tugging at him despite its sorrow for the Unicorn.
• Hagrid urged Aaron to help the Unicorn, while Aaron reminded Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid that they had deceived him the previous night and he did not trust them.
• After Hagrid tearfully pleaded that the young Unicorn had a family waiting for it, Aaron admitted he could revive it but did not intend to do so.
• Aaron showed the group his last bottle of Resurrection Potion and explained that it was a priceless family heirloom reserved for saving his own life.
• Harry accepted that he would not donate everything he owned to a stranger, while Ron objected that the dead creature was a Unicorn and Draco defended Aaron’s right to choose whom to save.

Aaron learned that his ancestor had fought alongside the Centaurs, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione concluded that Voldemort was using Unicorn blood to survive and planned to steal the Philosopher’s Stone. The next day, Snape summoned Aaron to his office for a reason unrelated to Quidditch.

• Ronan told Aaron that a Gaius ancestor had fought alongside the Centaurs and urged him to protect Abei, whose potential was great.
• Aaron warned the others not to reveal that he possessed a Resurrection Potion, and Hagrid avoided his gaze.
• In the Gryffindor common room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussed Voldemort’s weakened state and suspected he wanted the Philosopher’s Stone to regain his strength.
• Hermione reassured Harry that Dumbledore could protect him if Voldemort returned.
• During Potions class, Snape watched Aaron with unusual apprehension and ingratiation, then asked him to come to his office that afternoon.

Aaron met with Snape, who tried to persuade him to hand over a Resurrection Potion after hearing about it from Hagrid. Snape learned the potion could not revive someone dead for more than an hour, and Aaron hinted it could help the creature drinking Unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest.

• Aaron refused Snape’s offers of Butterbeer, snacks, and Gold Galleons until Snape explained that he wanted Aaron’s Resurrection Potion.
• Snape admitted someone important to him had died, and Aaron warned that the potion only worked within an hour of death.
• Snape pressured Aaron to show him the potion by revealing that other people knew about it, and Aaron reluctantly let him inspect it while keeping it close.
• Snape confirmed the potion’s powerful life force but learned it could not revive someone long dead; Aaron described its other healing and life-extending uses.
• Aaron suggested someone at Hogwarts needed the potion and pointed out that a monster in the Forbidden Forest was drinking Unicorn blood to prolong its life.

Aaron learned that Dumbledore knew about the attack in the Forbidden Forest and summoned him to the Headmaster’s Office. Dumbledore asked Aaron to hand over the Resurrection Potion for safekeeping, but Aaron demanded a reason and refused to yield.

• Snape told Aaron that Dumbledore had learned what happened after Hagrid reported the events in the Forbidden Forest.
• Aaron and Snape went to Dumbledore’s Office, where Aaron confronted Hagrid for revealing details of the previous night.
• Dumbledore asked Aaron to show him the Resurrection Potion, and Snape described its ability to restore the nearly dead and revive someone recently deceased.
• Aaron refused to let Dumbledore examine the potion, explaining that some of it had already evaporated.
• Dumbledore asked Aaron to leave the Resurrection Potion in his care until after the holidays, citing the dangerous man hiding at Hogwarts, and Aaron challenged his right to take it.

Aaron refused to hand over the Resurrection Potion until Dumbledore assured him Hogwarts would protect its students. Satisfied with Dumbledore’s answer, Aaron lent him the potion in exchange for extra protection and the right to command a professor once if necessary.

• Aaron refused Dumbledore’s request to keep the Resurrection Potion, citing his distrust and the risk of someone leaking the secret.
• Dumbledore warned Aaron that the black-robed man might already be targeting him, and Aaron challenged him to guarantee Hogwarts students’ safety.
• Dumbledore affirmed that Hogwarts protected its students while admitting he could not watch every person or prevent every hidden threat.
• Aaron handed Dumbledore the Resurrection Potion after accepting his answer, but asked the school to prioritize his safety and let him command a professor once if needed.
• Dumbledore agreed to Aaron’s condition and accepted the potion.

Aaron negotiated with Dumbledore for protection in exchange for surrendering his life-saving potion, securing one summons each for Snape and McGonagall. After Aaron left, Dumbledore and Snape discussed his unusual shrewdness and talent.

• Aaron bargained with Dumbledore until he agreed that Snape and McGonagall would each answer one summons before the holidays.
• Dumbledore noticed Abei drooling at Fawkes and the gilded branch, and Aaron claimed his cat was collecting shiny objects.
• Snape escorted Aaron out, and Aaron explained that he had traded the potion for protection from the black-robed man and Dumbledore’s scrutiny.
• Aaron learned that Snape had identified his Christmas gift as an ingredient for an appetite-stimulating potion.
• Dumbledore told Snape that several Heads of House wanted Aaron in their houses and praised Aaron’s ability to protect himself and negotiate for his interests.

Dumbledore and Snape discussed Aaron Gaius’s suspicions about Voldemort and Dumbledore urged Snape to guide him, while Aaron checked his and Abei’s progress. Aaron then tried to settle into ordinary classes, but Professor Quirrell summoned him to his office after watching him throughout Defense Against the Dark Arts.

• Dumbledore reasoned that Aaron suspected other Hogwarts staff might be aiding Voldemort, and Snape agreed to pay attention to his student without directing his future.
• Dumbledore admitted he had hoped Aaron would transfer to Gryffindor, but Hagrid thought that would be difficult.
• Aaron found that the Resurrection Potion had vanished from his inventory and learned that Abei would grow only one meter during its upcoming evolution.
• Aaron attended Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Professor Quirrell repeatedly watched him and Aaron pretended to listen calmly.
• After class, Professor Quirrell asked Aaron to wait and meet him in his office.

Aaron avoided meeting Professor Quirrell by claiming he had appointments with Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore, while Voldemort decided to postpone his plans until he could obtain the Philosopher's Stone without attracting attention. On the eve of the final exams, Aaron relaxed in the library as Draco and the others studied, until Hermione approached him with something she said was more important than the exam.

• Aaron refused Quirrell's invitation by citing scheduled meetings with Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore, then left the classroom without revealing his fear.
• After the students left, Quirrell spoke with Voldemort, who ordered him to teach Aaron a few spells if he visited and to delay plans until they obtained the Philosopher's Stone.
• In the library, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle studied for the final exams while Aaron relaxed with a book and juice, claiming his memory and abilities made studying unnecessary.
• Draco asked how Aaron could bring juice into the library, and Aaron explained that Madam Pince had approved it after he gave her gifts.
• Hermione approached Aaron and said she needed to discuss something more important than the next day's exam, despite Draco's objections.

Hermione told Aaron that Harry's scar had begun aching, which they feared meant Voldemort was about to act, and asked him to help monitor Snape. Aaron agreed to join their plan while warning Hermione to keep watching Hagrid, and the chapter ended as he considered looking to Dumbledore's office.

• Hermione told Aaron that Harry's scar had been aching and that Harry and Ron wanted to focus on Snape rather than Hagrid.
• Aaron advised Hermione to keep watch on Hagrid and proposed a careful explanation that would let him help monitor Snape without losing credibility.
• Hermione rejected Aaron's idea of inventing evidence against Snape, so they settled on telling Harry and Ron a partial truth.
• Hermione returned with Harry and Ron's thanks and joined Aaron as his partner in the supposed surveillance of Snape.
• Aaron assigned Hermione to watch Hagrid and looked toward Dumbledore's office.

Aaron reasoned that Voldemort would wait for Dumbledore to leave Hogwarts before going after the Philosopher’s Stone, while Harry’s growing suspicions focused on Snape. After the exams, Harry’s anxiety over his scar intensified, and Aaron used a Sleeping Spell to make him rest.

• Aaron concluded that Voldemort would avoid attacking Fluffy while Dumbledore was at Hogwarts and would watch for Dumbledore to leave.
• Hogwarts students completed their written and practical final exams, and Aaron warned Draco that House Elves could be formidable fighters.
• Draco, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Aaron exchanged information and concluded that Voldemort was at Hogwarts and that Snape might be helping him pursue the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Harry told Aaron that his scar had been hurting and that he feared danger was near, while Ron said Harry had been anxious and plagued by nightmares.
• Aaron cast a Sleeping Spell on Harry, who fell asleep on a desk as Ron and Hermione stared in shock.

Harry recovered after Aaron calmed him and proposed that the group watch Hagrid, Snape, and the trapdoor for signs of Voldemort. Aaron largely ignored the plan and continued his daily potion practice with Snape, whose complaints about wasted ingredients were met with Aaron’s defenses of his talent and wealth.

• Harry woke feeling better, and Aaron explained that he had used a calming method because Harry had been too anxious to listen.
• Harry organized a plan for himself and Ron to watch Hagrid while Hermione and Aaron watched Snape, with the group also taking turns guarding the trapdoor.
• Harry and Ron diligently followed the plan, Hermione only halfheartedly watched Snape, and Aaron focused instead on his own concerns.
• Aaron visited Snape’s office to brew potions, and Snape complained that Aaron had wasted rare ingredients worth over three hundred Galleons.
• Aaron defended his practice by pointing to his success rate, his family treasury, and his personal savings, prompting Snape to sarcastically tell him to get out.

Aaron asked Snape to teach him to brew Felix Felicis, but delayed the attempt until his skills improved. After learning that Dumbledore had left Hogwarts on Ministry business, Aaron realized trouble was approaching.

• Aaron asked Snape to teach him how to brew Felix Felicis, and Snape warned that Aaron's chances of succeeding were poor and the ingredients were rare.
• Aaron said his family had at least three sets of the required ingredients and revealed that it also had several large bottles of Felix Felicis in storage.
• Aaron refused to sell Snape his own small bottle of Felix Felicis and said he would wait until his brewing success rate was above ninety-nine percent before attempting the potion.
• Snape taught Aaron to brew a Calming Draught, then gave him the finished potion as a reward despite its imperfect quality.
• Aaron asked whether Dumbledore was still at Hogwarts, and Snape said Dumbledore had left that morning and would not return until at least the next afternoon.

Aaron learned that Hagrid had revealed to a suspicious stranger how to calm Fluffy with music, giving Voldemort a way past the Three-headed Dog. As Harry and Ron sought Professor McGonagall and Hagrid rode off to bring back Dumbledore, Aaron went to inspect the trapdoor with Hermione and found Fluffy awake.

• Aaron warned Harry, Ron, and Hagrid that Dumbledore had left Hogwarts and asked Hagrid whether strangers had questioned him about Fluffy.
• Hagrid recalled telling a heavily wrapped stranger that music would make Fluffy fall asleep, after winning the dragon Norbert from him.
• Harry and Ron hurried off to find Professor McGonagall, while Aaron told Hagrid to fly after Dumbledore and bring him back.
• Aaron went to check the trapdoor, and Hermione followed him from her watch outside the corridor.
• Aaron unlocked the door and found Fluffy awake, then reassured Abei that the creature would grow even larger.

Aaron warned Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Voldemort might target the Philosopher’s Stone while Dumbledore was away, but mocked their unprepared plan to reach it. He claimed he could stop Voldemort himself, while Harry and his friends decided to attempt the obstacles that night.

• Aaron and Hermione fled from Fluffy, and Aaron explained that Hagrid had revealed how to calm the dog to a stranger.
• Harry and Ron reported that Professor McGonagall had dismissed their warning, and Aaron explained why the professors might not trust them or inspect the traps.
• Aaron ridiculed Harry’s plan to reach the Philosopher’s Stone without preparing for Fluffy or the challenges beyond the trapdoor.
• Aaron said he was about sixty percent confident he could stop Voldemort, then left the three Gryffindors to decide what to do.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione chose to enter the trapdoor that night after resting and preparing spells, a flute, and the Invisibility Cloak.