Chapter Summaries

James and Lily learned how Snape and Peter betrayed them, and how Peter’s actions led to Sirius’s wrongful imprisonment. The story left off with James confronting Snape after Snape insulted Sirius.

• Snape saw James and Lily in the LeMay home but turned and left without speaking to them.
• Dumbledore confirmed that Snape had passed Trelawney’s prophecy to Voldemort, then later became a double agent to protect Harry and Lily.
• Dumbledore revealed that Peter had betrayed James and Lily and joined Voldemort in 1980, leaving James stunned.
• Cassandra explained that Peter had also framed Sirius, who spent twelve years in Azkaban while Peter hid as a rat.
• Snape mocked Sirius for not clearing his name sooner, and James drew his wand and threatened him with Levicorpus.

Dumbledore showed the Potters, Harry, and their friends memories revealing Snape’s remorse over Lily’s death and his vow to protect Harry, prompting them to thank him and reconcile. Before they could leave for a meal, Perenelle warned that summoning the Potters had changed the timeline, and a Daily Prophet headline revealed that Tom Riddle was hailed as a resistance fighter opposing Empress Grindelwald.

• Snape stayed to watch Dumbledore’s memories after Lily and Lupin asked him to remain.
• Dumbledore’s memory showed Snape grieving Lily’s death and agreeing to protect her son while keeping his role secret.
• James, Harry, and Lily thanked Snape for protecting Harry, and Snape replied that it had been his duty.
• Perenelle warned the group that summoning the Potters had altered the timeline and that leaving the Alchemy Room could expose them to unknown effects.
• Harry read a Daily Prophet headline portraying Tom Riddle as a resistance fighter who might save Britain from Empress Grindelwald.

The residents of the cottage learned that the alternate timeline’s Magic Empress Verathea Grindelwald threatened their existence, and James and Lily prepared to return to their original fate to restore history. The apparent Lady Death revealed herself as Verathea, who bound Veratia, overpowered Harry’s Ancient Magic, and declared herself God.

• Mr. LeMay explained that the Alchemy Room temporarily shielded its occupants from timeline changes, while Perenelle warned that the cottage would eventually merge with the altered timeline and everyone inside would disappear.
• James and Lily agreed to return to their original timeline and die as they had before, ensuring Harry traveled back a century and met Veratia; the group shared a meal before they left.
• Veratia recognized that the woman posing as Lady Death was the Magic Empress from the newspaper, and the disguised woman transformed into Verathea Grindelwald.
• Verathea revealed that Ariana survived in her timeline and became her assistant, Raphael, then restrained Veratia and dispersed Harry’s Ancient Magic.
• Verathea told Harry she was Merlin and preferred to be known as God.

Ms. Grindelwald confronted Harry and his allies, but Mr. LeMay’s magic array forced her to vanish before she could take Veratia. After dinner, Sirius used the Gem of Desire to send James and Lily back to 1981, where James woke and called Sirius.

• Ms. Grindelwald revealed that she ruled through conquest and wanted Albus and Anna to suppress Tom Riddle, while Harry argued that they resisted for freedom.
• Harry rejected Ms. Grindelwald’s offer to trade Veratia for protection and declared that he would protect Veratia and loved her.
• Mr. LeMay activated a magic array that restricted Ms. Grindelwald’s magic, and she vanished after promising to meet them again.
• Harry and Veratia thanked each other, then the group shared dinner with James, Lily, Sirius, Cassandra, and the others.
• Cassandra asked James and Lily to stay, but Sirius placed the Gem of Desire on the table, and Harry smashed it to send the couple back to their time.
• In 1981, James answered Sirius’s phone call and told him that he had just had a dream.

Pabbie returned to Hogwarts and was sorted into Hufflepuff, while Snape relentlessly took points from Gryffindor. That evening, Cassandra summoned Harry to practice Occlumency and prepared to begin their first lesson.

• Dumbledore held a Sorting ceremony for Pabbie Sweeting, and the Sorting Hat placed her in Hufflepuff.
• Pabbie reunited with Hufflepuff students and visited the Hogwarts Kitchens, where the House Elves did not recognize her.
• Snape deducted more than a hundred points from Gryffindor during the first four days of the week, then took another twenty in Potions Class, including thirteen from Harry.
• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Pabbie discussed Snape's harsh treatment of Gryffindor, and Harry stopped Ron from insulting him aloud.
• Cassandra led Harry to an empty classroom and explained Occlumency before raising her wand and asking if he was ready.

Cassandra used Legilimency on Harry and uncovered his memories of growing up under Dudley’s bullying, meeting Cassandra and Veratia, and his attraction to Veratia. The memory ended with Cassandra confronting Harry about whether Voldemort had seen the intimate moment and scolding him for his lack of shame.

• Harry remembered Dudley chasing him into a dead end, where he unexpectedly vanished and reappeared on a rooftop.
• Harry recalled meeting Cassandra on the train, then serving as her sparring partner as she taught him to dodge and fight back.
• Cassandra praised Harry’s dueling, warned him about the Forbidden Forest, and later arranged for him to attend a Ministry banquet with Mr. Malfoy.
• Harry remembered Veratia arriving at Hogwarts, being Sorted into Slytherin, and sitting beside him after they recognized each other.
• In Harry’s memory, Veratia kissed him at his godfather’s house, but Cassandra interrupted and pulled him out of the memory.
• Cassandra asked whether Voldemort could see the memory, then accused Harry of having no shame; Harry answered that he had none.

Cassandra trained Harry to resist Legilimency, and he learned to shield his memories with a magical barrier. After practice, Harry suggested replenishing Cassandra’s Life Force, and they stood awkwardly embracing as the chapter ended.

• Cassandra entered Harry’s memories during Legilimency practice and saw him encounter Veratia, whose hair had turned silver and whose clothes crumbled when he touched them.
• Harry explained what had happened to Veratia’s clothes, and Cassandra continued training him in Occlumency.
• Harry struggled to block Cassandra’s Legilimency but eventually used magic power to form a protective barrier around his mind.
• Cassandra warned Harry that the Dark Lord could exploit his memories and told him to strengthen the barrier before their next practice.
• Harry asked Cassandra about replenishing her Life Force, and she pretended to leave before reluctantly agreeing to his embrace.

Harry continued following Sirius's advice as his relationship with Cassandra grew closer, while the students approached the end of the school year. After Veratia tested Harry's Occlumency and said he had learned enough, he secretly decided to ask Snape to teach him how to weave false memories.

• Harry returned to the dormitory, teased Ron about Snape appearing behind him, and learned that Seamus and Neville had gone to practise spells taught by Lupin.
• Harry described the approaching O.W.L.s and his meetings with Cassandra, whose boundaries had gradually loosened under Sirius's advice.
• Veratia returned from the Muggle world with two doctoral degrees, and she and Cassandra exchanged taunts about their ages and chests.
• Pabbie woke after falling asleep while standing, and Harry learned that she had been eating grass in Unicorn form to avoid gaining weight.
• Veratia tested Harry with Legilimency and found his mind blank; she and Cassandra advised him to focus on Charms instead of advancing his Occlumency.
• Harry resolved to seek Snape's help in learning to weave false memories.

Harry sought advanced Occlumency training, but Snape agreed only if Sirius persuaded him, so Harry asked Sirius for help and advice. Sirius explained why Veratia and Cassandra might oppose Harry’s studies, then Harry suggested Snape as a teacher, leaving Sirius stunned.

• Harry asked Snape to teach him advanced Occlumency, and Snape told him to bring Sirius to persuade him.
• Harry found Sirius hosting several female students in Lupin’s office and explained that he wanted to deepen his Occlumency studies.
• Sirius tested Harry’s resistance to Legilimency and said he lacked expertise in advanced memory alteration.
• Harry asked why Veratia and Cassandra discouraged him from learning more, and Sirius said they wanted to know what he was thinking because they loved him and were controlling.
• Harry proposed asking Snape for advanced Occlumency lessons, and Sirius froze at the suggestion.

Sirius secured Snape’s agreement to teach Harry advanced Occlumency, and Harry went to Snape for a lesson. Snape tested Harry’s abilities, then suggested he consult Miss Grindelwald about using Ancient Magic rather than learning low-level Charm applications from him.

• Sirius overcame his reluctance and asked Snape to teach Harry advanced Occlumency, then returned saying Snape had agreed without demands.
• Sirius explained that he looked exhausted because Hagrid had tried to give him over a hundred pounds of Rock Cakes, and he planned to get some for Lupin.
• Harry saw Sirius writing a letter beginning “My dear...” and concluded that Sirius was writing to a woman before heading to Snape’s office.
• Snape used Legilimens on Harry, found only an empty mind, and said Harry’s basic Occlumency was already good.
• Harry brewed Skele-Gro twice at Snape’s instruction, completing the second batch in fifty seconds with Ancient Magic.
• Snape told Harry to ask Miss Grindelwald how to apply Ancient Magic to Occlumency instead of pestering him about low-level Charm applications.

Harry sought the Map Chamber professors’ help combining Ancient Magic with Occlumency, and their experiments left him exhausted. He encountered Veratia outside, concealed what he had been doing, and persuaded her to make an exception to her rule about touching him at school.

• Harry visited the Map Chamber and asked the professors for help developing advanced Occlumency applications with Ancient Magic.
• Professor Sen Bakar and Professor Rackham proposed their own methods, and Headmaster Fitzgerald suggested Harry test them all.
• Harry tried the professors’ approaches, suffered intense exhaustion, and learned Professor Rackham’s method before leaving to rest.
• Harry met Veratia outside the Map Chamber, cleared his mind, and claimed he had only asked the professors about Ancient Magic.
• Harry distracted Veratia by mentioning Cassandra and feigned exhaustion as he put an arm around her waist.
• Veratia told Harry they could be intimate at her rented house that night, then relented when he looked disappointed and whispered, “Just this once.”

Harry sought help practicing advanced Occlumency after Veratia removed the professors’ portraits from the Map Chamber. With Pabbie and Mr. LeMay supervising and a gemstone boosting his Mental Power, Harry combined the professors’ methods and discovered he could build and alter a vast mental model, leaving him startled by the scale of his new ability.

• Harry found the professors’ portraits missing from the Map Chamber and learned from Veratia that she had moved them elsewhere.
• Harry asked Pabbie to supervise his Occlumency practice, and she took him to Mr. LeMay’s Alchemy Room.
• Mr. LeMay gave Harry a blue gemstone that converted magical power into Mental Power and arranged for Pabbie and Newt to watch over him.
• Harry tried Professor Rackham’s method, then combined all three professors’ approaches when the first attempt failed.
• Harry used the gemstone to construct the Map Chamber, Hogwarts Castle, and the Hogwarts Basin in his mind, then discovered he could make the castle collapse and restore it by thought.

Harry tested the Consciousness World he had created with Ancient Magic, and Pabbie experienced its realism and his control over it. After Mr. LeMay gave Harry the Transformation Gem to swallow, Harry planned to put his new abilities to use by surprising Veratia.

• Harry explained to Pabbie that he had built a realistic Consciousness World and could draw intruders into it when they used Legilimency on him.
• Pabbie tried Legilimency on Harry and found herself inside his Consciousness World, where Harry changed the scenery, shook the ground, and used mind control on her.
• Back in Mr. LeMay's Alchemy Room, Pabbie teased Harry, and Harry became determined to make Cassandra wear a Maid Outfit.
• Mr. LeMay shoved the Transformation Gem into Harry's mouth, and it dissolved so Harry could convert magical power into Mental Power anytime.
• Harry said he would practice his new abilities by surprising Veratia, while Pabbie speculated about what he might do.

Harry received Veratia’s letter saying she would interview at the Austrian Ministry of Magic, while Hogwarts students looked forward to the Quidditch World Cup. Sirius announced that he and Lupin would leave their teaching posts after the holiday, and Dumbledore entered the Great Hall carrying two strange objects.

• Ron told the students that the Quidditch World Cup final would be held in Britain, and Draco said his father planned to book a premium box.
• Hedwig delivered Veratia’s letter to Harry, who learned she was returning to the Black family home and had an interview at the Austrian Ministry of Magic.
• Ron, Draco, and the others discussed the World Cup, Viktor Krum, and their hopes for the tournament.
• Sirius told the students that he would work at the Ministry of Magic and Lupin would resign after a parent reported him for being a werewolf.
• Hermione protested Lupin’s departure as the Ravenclaw girls pleaded with Sirius to stay.
• Dumbledore entered the Great Hall carrying two strange-looking objects.

Harry and his friends celebrated the end of the school year on the train home, where he learned that Veratia and Miss Farley had joined the Austrian Ministry of Magic. Near King's Cross, Cassandra reminded Harry of their agreement that he would return to Malfoy Manor with her, and ended by asking whether he still remembered his place.

• Dumbledore announced Gryffindor had won the House Cup, and the students boarded the train home after celebrating.
• Harry and his friends discussed their exam results, and a tiny owl delivered Veratia's letter saying she and Miss Farley had joined the Austrian Ministry of Magic.
• Harry agreed that the Weasley twins could join him at the Black family home and discussed the Quidditch World Cup and Muggle inventions with his friends.
• Cassandra met Harry outside the compartment and told him to return to Malfoy Manor with her as they had agreed.
• Harry agreed to go with Cassandra after notifying his godfather, and she asked, "You still remember your place, Potter?"

Harry teased Cassandra into agreeing to visit Malfoy Manor with him, where Sirius and the Malfoys joined them. They accidentally left Draco at the station, so he stayed with the Weasleys and planned to explore Muggle technology while his parents arranged to collect him the next day.

• Harry invited Cassandra to the Black family home, and she agreed to go with him to Malfoy Manor instead.
• Harry joined Cassandra in the Slytherin compartment, where she teased him about his first-year exploits before they arrived at the station.
• Harry, Cassandra, Sirius, and the Malfoys boarded a carriage to Malfoy Manor without noticing Draco was still at the station.
• Draco accepted Ron's invitation to stay with the Weasleys, and Hermione showed him how she used a mobile phone to contact Harry.
• Harry told the Malfoys that Draco was safe with the Weasleys, and they agreed to collect him the next day.

Harry and Cassandra returned to Malfoy Manor, where they revisited Harry’s restored room and discussed his successful advanced Occlumency practice. When Cassandra tested his defenses, Harry’s altered Occlumency drew her into a vivid world where he welcomed her.

• Lucius discussed returning the Black family assets to Sirius, while noting that some Pure-blood families refused to give them back.
• Cassandra told Harry that her father had turned his old room into House Elf quarters and reminded him of his agreement with the Malfoy family.
• Harry reassured Dobby after he blamed himself for failing to clean the room, and Dobby restored it to match how it had looked a hundred years earlier.
• Cassandra showed Harry an old photograph of them together, then questioned him about his advanced Occlumency work with Mr. LeMay.
• Harry told Cassandra he had succeeded and got her to promise not to get angry before she tested his Occlumency with Legilimency.
• Harry’s Ancient Magic-altered Occlumency transported Cassandra into a realistic snowy world, where Harry welcomed her and a voice urged her to submit to him.

Harry used Mind Control on Cassandra and ordered her to act as his maid, but Merlin’s Treasure dispelled the spell after a few seconds. Cassandra chose to play along and went to warm Harry’s bed, then worried about what he might ask when he returned.

• Harry broke through Cassandra’s mental defenses and made her believe she was his maid.
• Cassandra changed into a maid outfit, fed Harry fruit, and sat on his lap while following his orders.
• Harry realized Cassandra’s attitude seemed unchanged and tried to end his control over her.
• Cassandra continued playing along, agreed to warm Harry’s bed, and waited for him in his room.
• Cassandra’s Merlin’s Treasure had dispelled the Mind Control, and she wondered what Harry would do when he returned from his bath.
• Harry returned and called out to Cassandra.

Cassandra served Harry breakfast before he joined the Malfoys on a visit to the Weasleys to collect Draco. At The Burrow, the families reunited and discussed Percy’s new Ministry job and the upcoming Quidditch World Cup.

• Cassandra prepared the Malfoy family's standard breakfast for Harry, then fled after accidentally seeing him under the covers.
• Lucius, Narcissa, Harry, Cassandra, and Sirius traveled to The Burrow to pick up Draco and found him happily playing with Ron, Fred, and George.
• Molly welcomed the visitors, while Narcissa told Draco to wash his hands and he rushed away in relief.
• Lucius and the Weasleys discussed inviting Mr. Granger to the Quidditch World Cup and his friendship with Lucius.
• Molly explained that Percy had joined Barty Crouch Sr.'s department, and Lucius warned that Percy would be busy while Sirius said the post could train him.

After returning to the Black family home with Draco and the Weasley twins, Sirius encouraged Fred and George to turn their prank-making into a business. The twins decided to save startup capital and promote their products at the Quidditch World Cup.

• Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy left The Burrow, and Arthur returned with a dejected Percy after Barty Crouch Sr. reacted coolly to him.
• Arthur invited Sirius to join the Weasleys and Mr. Granger at the Quidditch World Cup, and Sirius suggested they get a private box.
• Arthur warned the children about the dangers of unlicensed Apparition, then the group returned to the Black family home with Draco, Fred, and George.
• Walburga Black recognized Draco as a Malfoy, and Fred, George, and Draco ran to choose unoccupied rooms.
• Fred and George showed Sirius their Tongue-Tying Toffee, and Sirius tried one before praising their prank products.
• Sirius encouraged the twins to open a joke shop, and Fred and George decided to save startup money and promote their creations at the World Cup.