Chapter Summaries

Nelson organized the graduates aboard the attacked Hogwarts Express, then fought through burning carriages to rescue Moaning Myrtle. He confronted a man wearing Ludwig Kant’s face, and the chapter ended as Nelson revealed an apparent duplicate and unleashed fine sand.

• Nelson and Howard gathered the wounded students, sent noncombatants away, and prepared to hold off the attackers while Tom struck their rear.
• When the attackers blocked the route to the rear carriages, Nelson’s classmates returned to help, but the Anti-Apparition Jinx trapped them together.
• Nelson transformed into a white cat and moved along the train, incapacitating Wizards and breaking barriers to lead stranded students toward safety.
• Nelson found Moaning Myrtle bound inside a burning carriage and was confronted by a man wearing Ludwig Kant’s face, who held him at wandpoint.
• The attacker weakened the train’s protective magic and demanded something precious, but Nelson revealed a second version of himself and released fine sand.

Nelson survived the ambush on the Hogwarts Express and chose to save Moaning Myrtle rather than protect the Time-Turner, though he recovered it after defeating the attackers. He buried the wizard who had possessed Ludwig’s corpse, then affirmed that he would never regret his choice.

• A future version of Nelson appeared, extinguished the carriage fire, and transformed the Hogwarts Express into a crystal fortress that shielded its passengers.
• Nelson rescued Moaning Myrtle from the wreckage and checked that she was alive as the train’s magical protection collapsed.
• The attackers revealed their ambush was meant to seize the Time-Turner, and a disguised Inferius wearing Ludwig’s body grabbed it while Nelson fought to protect Moaning Myrtle.
• Nelson summoned a Thunder Dragon to destroy the Killing Curses, severed the Inferius’s fingers with a Wind Blade, and recovered the Time-Turner before striking the area with lightning.
• Nelson trapped the surviving enemy in a pit, condemned his abuse of Ludwig’s corpse, and buried him in a steel coffin inscribed with Ludwig Kant’s name.
• Nelson erased the battlefield and declared that he would never regret choosing to save Moaning Myrtle.

Nelson and the reinforcements routed the attackers of the Hogwarts Express, and Aberforth reunited with Nelson and Tom at the scene. Later, Nelson explained why the stolen Time-Turner might be part of a larger plan, then discovered it was somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea.

• Nelson watched the attackers' formation collapse after Tom struck from behind, allowing the graduates and arriving reinforcements to rout them.
• Aberforth reunited with Nelson, reported that Dumbledore had pursued two fleeing enemies, and joked with Nelson and Tom as the attackers were captured.
• At home, Tom learned that the Time-Turner had been stolen and challenged Nelson's calm response.
• Nelson explained that others had struggled to use the Time-Turner and said he had wanted to see whether the thieves could make progress with it.
• Nelson tracked the Time-Turner and found that it was not in Nurmengard but somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea.

On his first morning after graduating, Nelson left Tom’s house to visit the Ministry of Magic and see how magical commerce had changed London. A Ministry driver showed him the crowded Diagon Alley Commercial Street and its popular wizarding products as they headed toward the area where wizards shopped.

• Nelson woke Tom with his alarm, then told him he was going to the Ministry of Magic to look for a job.
• Nelson left Tom at home and accepted a Ministry car sent by Minister Leach, asking the driver to show him London first.
• The driver explained that the Ministry’s Diagon Alley Commercial Street sold approved wizarding goods and Muggle products to both communities.
• Nelson saw crowds lining up for magical goods, including Chocolate Frogs, and learned that his Chocolate Frog card was highly sought after.
• The driver floated the car above the traffic and began taking Nelson toward the area where wizards preferred to shop.

Nelson toured Oblique Alley and saw how its shops and new employment arrangements connected Muggles and wizards, while the wizard driver described the Ministry’s efforts and obstacles. After Nelson bought cola and magically altered its can to resemble a rival product, he reflected on Muggles’ growing attempts to reach beyond the secrecy that surrounded them, then asked where they were going next.

• The wizard driver explained that a Floo Network Hub occupied a vacant shop and discussed the Ministry’s financial and political difficulties.
• Nelson learned that some Muggles hired wizards to bring their ideas to life, and he considered the significance of Muggles paying for wizard labor.
• Nelson stopped at a cola shop, where a clerk offered wizards a discount for leaving magic on a can.
• Nelson transformed the can to resemble the rival shop’s product, paid for his cola, and left it behind.
• Nelson asked whether the Ministry knew what happened in the shops, then wondered where the tour would go next.

Nelson toured London’s expanding Wizard factories and learned how Muggles had become their workforce and customers. Meanwhile, Pollux delivered Penguin’s dangerous package to the Department of Mysteries just as Nelson arrived at the Ministry.

• Nelson inspected the industrial district and heard that factory owners employed Muggles at higher wages, while the Muggle government and Minister Leach helped settle early fears.
• The driver explained that Muggle workers often chose Galleon wages, whose black-market value far exceeded Gringotts’ exchange rate, and revealed that he was a Muggle.
• Pollux recalled opening Penguin’s package out of curiosity, triggering an explosion that damaged Grimmauld Place and left him sleeping on Alphard’s hard bed.
• Pollux and his subordinates used Levitation Charms to move the package to a black door in the Department of Mysteries, where Pollux warned them not to touch anything.
• Nobby Leach waited outside the Ministry and greeted Nelson’s arriving car.

Nelson met Minister Leach and signed an agreement to become an Unspeakable, gaining access to the Department of Mysteries and its secrets. He brought The Veil into the department, where he opened the wrapped stone doorway and made room for it to enter.

• Leach welcomed Nelson to the Ministry, explained why the Ministry and Dumbledore had chosen him for the Department of Mysteries, and warned him against using a private force in Britain.
• Nelson signed his employment agreement, then had a key enchanted by Leach fitted into his Wand at Ollivander's shop.
• Nelson returned to Level Nine and found Pollux and several Aurors unable to move the immense, magic-resistant package containing the stone door and The Veil.
• Nelson sent the onlookers away and used his Wand and the key to open the wrapped doorway.
• Nelson expanded the walls and floor, then guided the stone door into the Department of Mysteries.

Nelson Williams explored and renovated his neglected Department of Mysteries office, then began secretly extending a network of silver threads through the building. He met Boggart in the hall and asked where the Unspeakables ate.

• Nelson searched the Department of Mysteries hall and found his dusty, long-abandoned office.
• Nelson cleared and expanded the office with Mayflies and Alchemical Automatons, then arranged its furniture and reference books.
• Nelson sealed his office door with the Department’s parchment and sent silver threads through the walls to inspect the building.
• Nelson conjured a large Goblet of Fire in the hall and encountered Boggart leaving the Hall of Prophecy.
• Boggart tried to avoid Nelson, but Nelson stopped him and asked where they were supposed to eat.

Nelson met Pollux Black and learned that Alphard had not returned home after being injured in the attack, so they went to St. Mungo's. After discovering Alphard was recovering and loudly bragging to his visitors, Nelson slipped away, only to find Mr. Boggart at a restaurant and remind him that they would meet again.

• Nelson questioned Boggart about the Department of Mysteries before Pollux invited him to dinner and took the photographs Nelson had gathered of unfamiliar attackers.
• Pollux realized Alphard had not come home, and he and Nelson hurried to St. Mungo's after learning Alphard had been injured and escaped to Hogsmeade with two classmates.
• Nelson and Pollux eavesdropped outside Alphard's ward as Alphard boasted about his fighting prowess, while Phineas Black joined them through a portrait.
• Pollux confronted Alphard when he opened the ward door, and Nelson left the fruit basket with an Auror before escaping the awkward scene.
• Nelson found Boggart eating at a small restaurant and joined him, saying they had met again as he had predicted.

Nelson traveled to Azkaban to identify the prisoners who had attacked the Hogwarts Express, then confronted former Chief Warlock Shafiq in his cell. Shafiq hinted that he knew what the newcomers wanted and that the people who had replaced him were driven by their own schemes.

• Nelson flew to Azkaban with Minister Leach and a group of Aurors, using a silver board instead of a broomstick.
• Nelson entered the prison and identified the prisoners who had attacked the Hogwarts Express using photographs he had taken.
• An Auror told Nelson that the former Chief Warlock, Grand Justice Shafiq, was imprisoned on a separate floor.
• Nelson visited Shafiq, who defended the Shafiq Family's legacy and dismissed the idea that he regretted his fall from power.
• Shafiq told Nelson that the people who had taken power after him harbored private schemes and offered to tell him about the newcomers.

Nelson confronted Chief Justice Shafiq in Azkaban, exposing his crimes and revealing the immense power watching from the sky. Shafiq claimed Nelson’s bloodline had protected and elevated him, then killed himself to make Nelson the man who ended the wizarding era; Leach arrived as Nelson said Shafiq had tried to frame him.

• Nelson revealed how much he knew about Shafiq’s bribes, political schemes, and efforts to leak information from Azkaban.
• Nelson showed Shafiq a giant eye in the sky and made clear that Shafiq could not hide from his scrutiny.
• Shafiq admitted he had accepted his defeat, then argued that Nelson’s achievements and protection came from his Shafiq blood.
• Shafiq said he wanted Nelson to end the old wizarding era and be remembered as the Shafiq who killed another Shafiq.
• Shafiq cut his own throat, and Nelson told the arriving Leach that Shafiq had killed himself and tried to frame him.

Nelson accompanied Richie to Azkaban, where Shafiq died by suicide, then returned home to talk with Tom about the Ministry, Alphard, and a possible visit to Oblique Alley. The chapter ended with Nelson telling Tom that Shafiq was dead.

• Richie found Shafiq dead in his cell and questioned Nelson, who drove back the Dementors with a Silver Falcon Patronus.
• Nelson showed Richie the sharpened piece of the Shafiq Family crest that Shafiq had used to kill himself, but Richie suspected the death would benefit whoever had murdered him.
• Nelson returned to the Nicklaus Residence and found Tom waiting in a house cleaned by Alchemical Automatons.
• Tom told Nelson that Dumbledore had sent word that Alphard was injured and at St. Mungo's, and Nelson said he was likely in bad shape after Mr. Black visited him.
• Nelson discussed his Ministry surveillance and his plans with Tom, then proposed that they visit Oblique Alley over the weekend.
• As dusk fell, Nelson told Tom that Shafiq was dead.

Nelson visited the Hall of Prophecy, where an ancient orb broke and delivered a fragmentary prophecy before he found the orb containing his own prediction. Grindelwald appeared with official permission and placed his own Prophecy Orb beside Nelson’s.

• Nelson gave Mr. Boggart a pouch of ice and asked to see the Hall of Prophecy, and Boggart agreed.
• Boggart explained how prophecies were recorded and how old orbs remained on the shelves when their prophecies could no longer be retrieved.
• Nelson accidentally broke an ancient Prophecy Orb, whose voice said, “He will be with me forever.”
• Boggart went to receive new prophecies, and Nelson found the orb labeled with his name and the year 1945.
• Grindelwald arrived with Nobby Leach’s signed permission, placed his own Prophecy Orb beside Nelson’s, and said Nelson had already made him bleed.

Nelson confronted Grindelwald about his lost Time-Turner, the prophecy, and the magic that had scarred him, then challenged him to a duel. As black magic swallowed the Hall of Prophecy, Ludwig saw darkness instead of the endless white sea and wondered whether his journey had ended.

• Grindelwald offered to let Nelson hear the prophecy, but Nelson refused because he did not believe in prophecies.
• Nelson and Grindelwald discussed the Time-Turner and the lasting wound Nelson had inflicted with Sakes Restoration.
• Grindelwald revealed that his group had abandoned Dr. Sakes, that Riddle had killed the wizard who studied life, and that he had taken Nelson's Time-Turner.
• Nelson said Ludwig had been one of his few friends and challenged Grindelwald to a duel.
• Grindelwald accepted, and a flash of black light plunged the Hall of Prophecy into darkness.
• Ludwig saw the blackness replace the white sea and wondered if it marked the end of his journey.

Nelson and Grindelwald fought a formal duel in a darkness Nelson had created, with Grindelwald unleashing powerful Fiendfyre and Nelson answering with Alexander. After Alexander’s attack drove Grindelwald into Limbo, Grindelwald broke through the darkness with fire and challenged Nelson to fight him with a wand.

• Grindelwald tested the endless darkness with light and a spell, then learned Nelson had transfigured his attack into fragments.
• Grindelwald accepted Nelson’s request for a formal duel and summoned powerful blue Fiendfyre.
• Nelson sent Alexander crashing down on Grindelwald, whose Fiendfyre melted the giant’s armor and burned its body.
• Nelson’s runes and Mayflies surrounded Grindelwald and unleashed a barrage of spells, while Nelson withdrew into Limbo as Alexander disintegrated.
• Grindelwald found himself in Limbo, ignited a ring of fire to break the darkness, and challenged Nelson to duel with their wands.

Nelson and Grindelwald fought in Limbo, where Nelson briefly gained the upper hand before Grindelwald recognized Alexander’s role in the darkness. Grindelwald returned the Elder Wand and left, promising Nelson a real duel someday.

• Nelson used the Elder Wand, stored magic, and a series of traps to attack Grindelwald, but Grindelwald countered and eventually broke his wand.
• Grindelwald deduced that Alexander’s power enabled Nelson to obscure his perception, and Alexander destroyed Grindelwald’s fire Dragon as daylight returned.
• Nelson restored the Elder Wand to Grindelwald and challenged him again, and Grindelwald accepted him as a worthy opponent before their duel resumed.
• Grindelwald anticipated Nelson’s movements and countered his powerful Transfiguration until a Boggart called Nelson and interrupted them.
• Grindelwald stopped the fight, returned the Elder Wand to Nelson, and said they would have a real duel in the future.

Nelson and Boggart discussed the Ministry rumors surrounding Nelson and Grindelwald, and Nelson reassured Boggart after hearing about the family he had lost to Grindelwald’s followers. Nelson then asked Boggart to help obtain research materials and invited Boggart’s nephew, Alastor Moody, to assist with his combat training.

• Boggart told Nelson that Ministry officials had spread conflicting rumors about Nelson’s loyalties, power, and connection to Grindelwald.
• Boggart explained that Grindelwald’s followers had killed his cousin, leaving the cousin’s wife and son, Alastor Moody, to live with the loss.
• Nelson comforted Boggart, revealed that he had defeated Grindelwald in a duel, and asked him to keep that secret.
• Nelson asked Boggart to help request research materials, including some from Ilvermorny, and take a personal letter to his office.
• Nelson identified Boggart’s nephew as Alastor Moody and invited him to help with combat training during the holidays.

Lorian visited Nelson at the Department of Mysteries, bringing him research materials to help with their stalled Time-Turner work. After she left, Nelson returned to his studies and later found the department seemingly empty.

• Lorian brought Nelson yellow daffodils and explained that Professor Sakes had been living and working as a gardener at Ilvermorny under the name Meimei.
• Nelson warned Lorian to be cautious around Professor Sakes and gave her a modified Walther P38 for protection.
• Lorian delivered her time-research records and a telescope, saying she and Nelson both needed their work to succeed.
• Nelson told Lorian that the previous Time-Turner was in someone else's hands and that he had found some clues of his own.
• After Lorian departed, Nelson organized the research materials and studied until his alarm rang.
• Nelson left his office and found the Department of Mysteries apparently empty.

Nelson and Tom picked up Christian and Adele from Hogwarts and brought them to dinner, where Christian gave Nelson a handmade tie. Nelson told Christian he had found Professor Sakes and that she would likely see her again soon.

• Nelson and Tom waited at Platform 9 3/4 and discussed who would look after Christian and Adele during the holiday.
• A new train overshot the platform, then returned with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick aboard to explain that the Hogwarts Express was under maintenance.
• Nelson and Tom met Christian and Adele, collected their trunks, and took them to a Chinese restaurant.
• Christian gave Nelson a handmade gray tie, which he admired and said he would wear to work.
• Nelson asked Christian about Professor Sakes, then told her he had found her and that she would likely see her again soon.

Nelson confronted Christian about her secret correspondence with Melissa Sakes and pressed her to explain why she was protecting her. When Christian could not bring herself to talk, Nelson took her with him to catch Sakes.

• Tom lured Adele to Oblique Alley with her wand, then returned it to her before leaving to shop.
• Nelson questioned Christian about Melissa Sakes and revealed that he knew she was hiding at Ilvermorny and had been exchanging letters with Christian.
• Nelson explained that Christian’s school records showed she had received help from Sakes, and Christian denied sharing Hogwarts information with her.
• Tom urged Christian to answer Nelson honestly before leaving the restaurant.
• Christian admitted she had kept in contact with Sakes to ask about magic, but broke down when Nelson challenged her reasons for protecting Sakes.
• Nelson told Christian that Sakes had infiltrated Ilvermorny to contact the inventor of powerful magic and had colluded with the Second Salemers, then pulled Christian up to go catch her.