Chapter Summaries

Veratia reunited with her brother Gellert at Nurmengard after Harry and Newt helped her reach the castle. Gellert’s anger over her long disappearance gave way to a fight when Veratia revealed she still had magic, and she began punishing him for squandering her money and ending up imprisoned.

• Dumbledore agreed to visit Nurmengard after McGonagall raised concerns about Veratia’s Grindelwald name.
• In a dream, Gellert imagined Veratia catching him stealing millions of Galleons from her vault and attacking him; he woke wondering whether she was returning.
• Veratia’s hair turned silver again, and she, Harry, and Newt discussed her bid to join Hogwarts’ school board before setting out for Nurmengard.
• Harry and Veratia traveled by Newt’s Thestral carriage, disarmed the castle guards, and found Gellert in the third-floor hall.
• Gellert accused Veratia of abandoning him for Harry, while Veratia admitted she had lost her magic and let Gellert believe he could overpower her.
• Veratia disarmed Gellert, revealed she had fooled him about her magic, and began hurling him around the room for stealing her money and disgracing the Grindelwald family.

Veratia questioned Gellert about his defeat and learned that his ambition to rule over Muggles had alienated potential allies. After Gellert admitted he had voluntarily remained imprisoned in Nurmengard because of a promise to Dumbledore, Veratia realized the two had been lovers and erupted in fury over their broken relationship.

• Veratia called Gellert a failure and asked why his campaign had collapsed, and he described his opposition to the Wizarding Secrecy Law.
• Veratia challenged Gellert's plan to make Muggles servants and slaves, concluding that his arrogance and extreme ideology had cost him support.
• Gellert apologized for Veratia's absence and welcomed her home, but refused to leave Nurmengard because he had promised to stay after losing a Wizard's Duel.
• Gellert hinted that his connection to Dumbledore had been romantic, and Veratia realized they had been lovers who had broken up.
• Veratia grew furious at the thought that Dumbledore had hurt Gellert, while Harry snatched her wand before she could attack.

Veratia confronted Dumbledore over his past relationship with Gellert, dueled him, and reviewed Dumbledore’s memories to learn what had happened between them. After discovering Gellert’s role in Ariana’s death and his misuse of Veratia’s possessions, she turned to the question of compensation.

• Veratia roasted Gellert’s feet while Harry watched, then confronted Dumbledore when he arrived at Nurmengard and learned he had once been Gellert’s boyfriend.
• Veratia challenged Dumbledore to a duel; they fought with Transfiguration, Ancient Magic, and other spells until she used his enchanted pajamas to disarm and restrain him.
• Veratia and Harry viewed Dumbledore’s memories and learned that Gellert had used the Cruciatus Curse on Abufosi, triggering the duel in which Ariana died.
• Veratia questioned Gellert about the belongings he had given Dumbledore, and Gellert revealed he had meant to give Harry an enchanted dressing gown.
• Dumbledore asked how Harry had traveled from a hundred years earlier, and Veratia explained Lily’s sacrifice and Harry’s connection to the Map Chamber.
• After Veratia and Harry bonded with Dumbledore over disliking Phineas Black, Veratia said they needed to discuss compensation.

Veratia negotiated to return to Hogwarts, secure a school board seat for Pabbie Sweeting, and make Gellert repay his stolen fortune by working under Newt Scamander. She then pressed Gellert for a prophecy about Cassandra Malfoy, and he claimed he had seen her future.

• Veratia asked Dumbledore to let her finish her studies at Hogwarts and support Pabbie Sweeting's bid for a school board seat, and Dumbledore agreed.
• Veratia proposed that Gellert leave Nurmengard and repay the money and valuables he stole by working as Newt Scamander's assistant; Dumbledore accepted the arrangement in principle.
• Veratia asked Gellert for information about Cassandra Malfoy, and after she shocked him, Gellert agreed to help find her while secretly hoping to separate Veratia and Harry.
• Harry insulted Gellert by saying the Potter family would not die out, prompting Veratia to give Gellert and Dumbledore a sharp look.
• Gellert said he thought he had seen Cassandra Malfoy's future.

Veratia secured Dumbledore’s support for her plans, learned Cassandra would return by Christmas next year, and brought Harry and Gellert to the LeMay family. Gellert became Newt’s teaching assistant, while secretly considering teaming up with him against Veratia.

• Gellert predicted that Cassandra would return by Christmas next year, and Veratia reached an agreement with Dumbledore for permission to pursue studies at a Muggle university.
• Veratia refused the Elder Wand, secretly marked it with Ancient Magic, and learned that Harry’s Invisibility Cloak was one of the Deathly Hallows.
• Dumbledore left Nurmengard, and Veratia told Harry that she could see souls when they were in physical contact; she described Dumbledore’s as nearly spotless and Gellert’s as black.
• Gellert revealed that Wilhelmine and two others were in the dungeon, then claimed he had killed all three before Veratia took him, Harry, and Lockhart to the LeMay family’s home.
• Newt and Theseus reacted angrily to Gellert’s arrival, but Veratia explained the arrangement, and Gellert agreed to work as Newt’s teaching assistant while thinking of a possible alliance against his sister.

Harry and his friends opened Christmas presents while discussing Hermione’s gifts, a possible Acromantula infestation in the Forbidden Forest, and how to handle Harry’s Basilisk. Veratia grew wary when Harry mentioned a present from Miss Farley, leaving her curious about the Slytherin Prefect.

• Gellert recognized Pabbie as the Hufflepuff maiden he had seen and privately plotted to ruin her feelings for Harry, while Newt explained that Mr. LeMay was working on improving computers for wizards.
• Tina decided to accompany Newt to Hogwarts to watch over Gellert, and Harry opened Hermione’s present, which included old newspapers and magazines for Veratia.
• Harry and Veratia suspected that Hagrid’s Acromantula might have bred a large population in the Forbidden Forest, and Newt agreed that the spiders should be controlled and relocated without harm.
• Harry told Newt that his Basilisk, Alfonso, preferred eating Acromantulas, but Newt and Mr. LeMay had no solution for safely handling the Basilisk’s dangerous gaze.
• Harry read Ron’s note about entering a national Wizard Chess competition, then opened a present from Miss Farley, prompting Veratia to ask about her.

Harry returned to Hogwarts after Christmas, where students learned about new staff and the arrival of Verathea Grindelwald as a sixth-year transfer student. The chapter ended as McGonagall called Verathea forward to be Sorted and the Great Hall reacted in shock to her surname.

• Harry bought Christmas presents for the Scamanders and Gellert, and spent Christmas Eve with their family.
• Harry returned to Hogwarts and learned Ron had lost sixteen Wizard Chess matches after winning only two.
• At dinner, Harry told Hermione that Veratia had liked her Christmas present and that the LeMay home was protected by the Fidelius Charm.
• Dumbledore announced that Vida Rosier would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, Newt Scamander would teach Magical Creatures, and Hagrid would serve as a teaching assistant.
• Dumbledore announced that a sixth-year transfer student would be Sorted, and McGonagall called out Verathea Grindelwald's name.

Veratia was Sorted into Slytherin but chose to sit and study with Harry and the Gryffindors, while telling Gemma Phally that she wanted to reform Slytherin. After rumors spread that Veratia was not related to Grindelwald, several older Slytherins planned to teach her a lesson.

• Veratia spoke with the Sorting Hat, which placed her in Slytherin, and she returned to sit beside Harry at the Gryffindor table.
• Gemma Phally took Veratia to the Slytherin common room, where Veratia denied being Grindelwald's descendant and questioned how Slytherin had abandoned its other values.
• Veratia asked Gemma about her history with Harry, and Gemma recounted their duel and the Christmas present.
• Veratia continued eating and studying with Gryffindors for several days, angering Slytherins who disapproved of her closeness to them.
• After a rumor claimed Veratia only shared Grindelwald's surname, several Sixth- and Seventh-year Slytherins joined together to teach her a lesson.

At Care of Magical Creatures, students debated whether Grindelwald or Voldemort was the stronger Dark Wizard while Gellert endured their jokes about losing to a Niffler. After class, Veratia received an apparent signal from Miss Farley and found more than a dozen older students waiting in the Slytherin Common Room.

• Draco asked Harry whether Miss Grindelwald was related to the famous Grindelwald, then argued with Ron about a number.
• Students from Hufflepuff and Slytherin argued over whether Grindelwald or Voldemort was stronger, and Harry teased Gellert about the rumors that a Niffler helped capture him.
• Gellert accidentally let a Niffler crawl into his clothes, and Tina and Newt stopped the argument before Newt began teaching about Nifflers.
• Newt confirmed that a Niffler had stolen something from Grindelwald and gave every student, including Gale, a shiny Niffler badge.
• Harry told Veratia about Gellert's embarrassment at dinner, and Veratia went to the Slytherin Common Room after Miss Farley signaled her, where more than a dozen older students awaited her.

Veratia punished Slytherin students who attacked her, then faced Snape and Dumbledore, revealing her history with Lily Evans and confronting Snape over his broken friendship with Lily. The chapter ended with Dumbledore asking Veratia how she truly felt about Harry.

• Sylvia Melville and other Slytherins confronted Veratia for befriending Gryffindors and reading Muggle books, and Diana Blatch's curse rebounded.
• Veratia used a mass Confundus Charm to make the Slytherins attack one another, disarmed them, and exposed their families' hidden histories.
• Snape brought Veratia to Dumbledore, where Phineas confirmed that she had attended Hogwarts in 1891 and had once been a portrait.
• Veratia recounted Lily Evans's friendship with Sev and how Snape's blood-purity beliefs and insult had ended it, prompting Snape to leave.
• Veratia told Dumbledore about Gellert being mocked as “Niffler-Gellert,” and Dumbledore asked what attitude she truly had toward Harry.

Veratia told Dumbledore she would wait for Cassandra to return before competing for Harry, while Dumbledore worried over the rival factions forming around them. Gellert persuaded Newt to consider joining forces to help Pabbie win Harry, and left Newt wavering after recounting Harry and Cassandra’s tangled past.

• Veratia told Dumbledore she was confident she could defeat Cassandra again, and Dumbledore worried that Gellert and other allies might undermine her plans with Harry.
• Harry delivered the Malfoy family's letter to Newt, announcing that the Board of Governors would meet the next morning to add a new member.
• Harry learned that Mr. LeMay's cottage was protected by the Fidelius Charm and that Pabbie was walking in the Forbidden Forest with Mr. LeMay.
• Gellert tried to recruit Newt to help separate Veratia from Harry and promote Pabbie as a rival, and Newt agreed to put him on probation.
• Gellert told Newt Cassandra would return next Christmas and recounted Harry and Cassandra's past, leaving Newt questioning whether Harry could understand Pabbie's feelings.

Harry helped Hermione consider what pet to keep while Pabbie became Hogwarts’s newest Board of Governors member. The board accepted Pabbie after learning she was a magical Margus temporarily trapped in Unicorn form, and Old Parkinson offered Harry his help.

• Harry, Hermione, and Pabbie returned to Hagrid’s Hut, where Hermione asked Ron for advice about keeping a pet and Newt warned her that a cat might hunt Scabbers.
• Harry told Hermione that Veratia was studying at the London School of Economics and had a Time-Turner, and Pabbie revealed that Fiona belonged to both Harry and Veratia.
• Lucius chaired the Board of Governors meeting, where nine members approved Pabbie’s appointment and three abstained.
• Harry brought Pabbie into the meeting, and Dumbledore explained that she was a magical Margus temporarily trapped in Unicorn form and was Newt Scamander’s little aunt.
• The board members who had objected accepted Pabbie as a new member, and Old Parkinson thanked Harry for saving his daughter and offered to help him in the future.

Pabbie impressed Professor Sprout in Herbology, while Gellert substituted for Defense Against the Dark Arts and decided Ron had potential. The chapter ended with Ron challenging Draco to a Wizard Chess wager that could make the loser declare love for Snape during Potions Class.

• Pabbie explained Jumping Mushrooms’ growing conditions and uses, and Professor Sprout praised her answer.
• Seamus caused a flowerpot to explode, while Ron earned five Gryffindor points for choosing fallen leaves as growing material.
• Gellert taught Defense Against the Dark Arts in Professor Vida Rosier’s absence, asked who Dumbledore’s favorite student was, and gave Ron spellcasting advice.
• Ron praised Gellert at dinner, but Draco mocked Ron’s Wizard Chess record, prompting Hermione to challenge Draco to a match.
• Ron wagered that the loser would shout “Old Bat, I love you” during Potions Class, and Draco hesitated as other Slytherins egged him on.

Ron defeated Draco in Wizard Chess, but Draco delayed paying their wager until Potions Class. After Veratia visited Harry, Pabbie noticed her scent on him and followed him into Snape’s classroom, where Snape objected to having a Unicorn in class.

• Draco wagered that the loser of a Wizard Chess match would shout, “Old Bat, I want to wash your hair!” and accepted Ron’s challenge after Marcus Flint promised him a place on the Quidditch team if he won.
• Ron beat Draco twice, and Draco swore he would honor the wager before running off; Harry worried that Draco’s oath might involve Cassandra, his ancestor.
• Ron defeated several more challengers, earning respect for his chess skill even as students continued joking about his 2–16 record.
• Veratia told Harry that Snape’s greasy hair would be less embarrassing than the time Harry’s father had exposed Snape’s underwear, then left with Fiona to attend a lecture using a Time-Turner.
• Pabbie detected Veratia’s scent on Harry and followed him into Potions Class, where Snape scolded him for bringing a Unicorn into the classroom.

Pabbie used her authority as a Hogwarts school board member to curb Snape’s unfair point deductions and docked fifty Galleons from his funding. Meanwhile, Newt and Tina considered reports of blood-drained magical creatures in America, and Draco finally fulfilled his wager by insulting Snape before fleeing.

• Pabbie challenged Snape’s attempted point deductions, protected students from unfair penalties, and docked him fifty Galleons for insulting a school board member.
• Ron and Marcus pressured Draco to honor his wager, while Miss Farley asked Harry to encourage Veratia to attend more classes.
• Wood brought Gryffindor’s Quidditch team back from the pitch after Marcus presented Snape’s authorization, and Pabbie agreed to grant Gryffindor permission to practice the next day.
• Newt and Tina examined reports of magical creatures drained of blood across America, and Newt sent the matter to Dumbledore, who decided not to intervene.
• Draco shouted, “Greasy Old Bat! I want to wash your hair!” at Snape after Potions Class, then ran as Snape called his name in fury.

After Colin recovered and Hermione introduced her new cockatoo, the students realized Jack resembled Assistant Gale and began teasing Gellert about feathers and supplements. Ron brought Gellert to see the bird, and the chapter ended with Gellert and Jack raising their crests in unison, making them look even more alike.

• Snape docked Slytherin one hundred points over Draco and Gryffindor one hundred and fifty over Ron and Harry after their chess match was exposed.
• Colin woke from his petrification and recalled seeing enormous yellow eyes before he blacked out.
• Hermione brought Jack, a sulphur-crested cockatoo, to Hogwarts, and Newt gave her supplements after noticing the bird's stress bars.
• Veratia pointed out that Jack resembled Assistant Gale, prompting students to mock Gellert with questions about feather dust and supplements.
• Gellert asked Ron what the students' teasing meant, and Ron led him to Hermione's table to see Jack.
• Gellert's hair stood on end when he saw Jack, who spread her crest in response, making the pair look even more alike.

Harry used Gellert’s prophecy to search for Cassandra Malfoy and learned that her disappearance was connected to Merlin and her attempt to travel through time. When Jack tore Cassandra’s Notebook, the damage revealed a Gringotts deposit slip that gave Harry a new lead, while Draco urged him to consider it a Valentine’s Day gift from Cassandra.

• Harry asked Gellert to use prophecy to find Cassandra, and Gellert saw that the search was linked to Merlin and Cassandra’s attempt to cross through time.
• Harry told Dumbledore he planned to search for Merlin’s trial sites, and Dumbledore suggested that Veratia accompany him, but Harry declined because she was occupied with Muggle studies.
• Jack tore the cover from Cassandra’s Notebook, and Hermione’s and Harry’s Repairing Charms failed to mend it.
• Harry found Cassandra’s Gringotts deposit slip hidden inside the Notebook cover and decided to visit the bank.
• Draco suggested that the deposit slip’s discovery on the eve of Valentine’s Day was Cassandra’s gift to Harry, then challenged Harry to reconsider what Cassandra had risked to find him.

Harry visited vault 831 at Gringotts and found the belongings Cassandra had left for him, including a letter and two magically preserved flowers. The chapter revealed that Cassandra had prepared the vault and traveled through time to search for Harry after he disappeared.

• Harry gave Griphook Cassandra Malfoy's deposit slip, and Griphook led him to her vault 831.
• Harry found furniture, clothes, a letter from Cassandra, and a vase holding blooming hyacinth and camellia flowers; he stored the vase and searched the vault for more clues.
• A flashback showed Septimus Malfoy learning that Cassandra had gone to Gringotts six years after Harry vanished to leave him gifts and a letter.
• Cassandra arranged the flowers and a pair of shoes according to Valentine's Day customs, then left a potion in the vault for Harry and went to The Leaky Cauldron.
• Cassandra used Merlin's Treasure to reach a sealed Chamber of Secrets and drank the emerald potion she had prepared to travel through time and find Harry.

Harry searched Cassandra's Gringotts vault, found her robes and wore one, provoking Veratia into a jealous embrace before she mistakenly beat Gellert. Harry admitted Draco to the Dueling Club and put its members through dangerous combat practice with Farina; the chapter ended as Cedric and Megan discussed buying Assistant Gale a parrot, causing Abufosi to drop a glass.

• Harry found Cassandra's robes in her Gringotts vault and returned to Hogwarts wearing one, while Veratia gave him a digital watch that did not work inside the school.
• Veratia recognized Cassandra's scent on Harry and, after hearing about the torn Notebook and Cassandra's clothes, pulled him into a forceful embrace; the next day she beat Gellert, mistaking him for the one who had torn the Notebook.
• Harry admitted Draco to the Dueling Club, where Ron defeated him repeatedly with the Disarming Charm before Farina challenged the students with dangerous spells and Ron impressed her by lasting the longest.
• Harry praised Ron, Seamus, and Neville for their performances, and Gellert began giving Ron and later Cedric dueling advice.
• Hermione explained that Veratia's phrase referred to the Habsburg motto and that Veratia had met Otto von Habsburg; later, Cedric and Megan visited the Hog's Head Inn and discussed buying Assistant Gale a parrot, making Abufosi drop a glass.

Abufosi learned that Assistant Gale was Gale Scamander and grew alarmed about Albus allowing someone he considered dangerous into Hogwarts. Harry told Cedric and Megan that Voldemort had returned in separate forms and caused both years’ attacks, while Veratia gave Harry and Hermione repaired magical watches; Abufosi then used a secret passage into Hogwarts and headed for Dumbledore’s office.

• Abufosi questioned Cedric and Megan about Assistant Gale, learned his name was Gale Scamander, and privately worried about Albus’s judgment.
• Cedric told Ron, Hermione, and Harry about Abufosi’s cooking and The Hog’s Head Inn, prompting Harry to explain that Voldemort had been attached to Quirrell and had orchestrated the Chamber of Secrets attacks through a lingering soul.
• Harry said Voldemort had used a Notebook-bound soul to disguise himself as a woman and drain students, and Megan and Ron discussed whether they would follow Voldemort or Grindelwald.
• Veratia arrived, gave Harry and Hermione magical watches modified by Mr. LeMay, and said she planned to return to Austria after graduating and begin as a low-ranking Ministry of Magic employee.
• After Cedric and Megan left, Abufosi cleared The Hog’s Head Inn, entered a secret passage to Hogwarts, and reached the gargoyle outside Dumbledore’s office.