Chapter Summaries

Andrew wrote an instalment about Dumbledore’s studies of Alchemy, his meeting with Nicolas Flamel, and how the Prophecy led him to abandon the hope of using Alchemy to save the Wizarding world. He finished the setup for the next instalment, which would cover Dumbledore’s breakthrough and departure.

• Percy faced the paperwork for Lockhart’s Duelling Club while Bob focused on his O.W.L. preparations, so Andrew left Percy to handle it and went to his laboratory.
• Andrew discarded a passage portraying young Dumbledore as a prankster and instead wrote about Nicolas Flamel criticising Dumbledore’s rigid sense of responsibility.
• Andrew described Alchemy as dangerous magic and wrote about Dumbledore’s studies, his aptitude for languages, and his learning methods.
• Andrew wrote that Flamel recognised Dumbledore’s talent but warned that he would never devote himself wholly to Alchemy.
• Andrew wrote that the Prophecy had taken effect and Dumbledore had given up on using Alchemy to save the Wizarding world, believing breakthroughs required many practitioners.
• Andrew finished the instalment and planned for the next one to cover Dumbledore’s breakthrough and departure.

Andrew learned about Ravenclaw’s newly organized reading club and agreed to join, while Dumbledore’s study of metallurgy opened a new path for advancing alchemy and transfiguration. Dumbledore put aside his investigation into Tom’s contingencies, convinced he had found a way to prepare for change.

• Hal told Andrew that Ravenclaw had formed a reading club to help students compete for top marks and scholarships.
• Andrew learned he had not been invited because students already considered him a reliable first-place student, but he agreed to attend the club.
• Dumbledore studied metallurgy and realized that combining alchemy, transfiguration, and Muggle knowledge could help him break through the limits of his magic.
• Dumbledore set aside his investigation into Tom’s contingencies and looked forward to surprising Tom with the changes he had discovered.

Andrew read Nicolas Flamel’s notes and learned how Alchemy developed from attempts to make gold into a discipline encompassing many branches of magic. After considering the Philosopher’s Stone’s possible uniqueness, he feared that sharing his theory about it could provoke deadly conflict.

• Andrew read Nick’s notes, which traced Alchemy’s origins to wizards’ efforts to turn cheap metals into gold.
• Andrew learned about Alchemy’s expansions through the Panacea, Homunculus, Philosopher’s Stone, magical items, and alchemical machines.
• Andrew struggled with the first chapter on Alchemy Arrays and realized he lacked the strength across subjects needed to study them properly.
• Andrew considered that magical effects could be imitated through different branches of magic and wondered what else the Philosopher’s Stone could do.
• Andrew guessed that the Philosopher’s Stone embodied Alchemy itself, feared that the idea could lead to deaths or war, and stopped reading.

Lockhart planned to launch his Duelling Club with a public victory over Snape, while Harry and Andrew attended the packed first meeting. Lockhart prepared to begin, but Sirius and Snape also appeared, leaving Andrew curious about Snape’s abilities.

• Lockhart chose Snape as his dueling opponent, believing the students’ dislike of Snape would make a victory especially popular.
• Sirius encouraged Harry to attend the club and decided to contact an old friend and Remus.
• Andrew went to the crowded Great Hall to learn dueling spells and noticed the lights following Lockhart into the room.
• Sirius arrived and drew the students’ attention toward Harry, while Andrew spotted Snape watching from the shadows.

Professor Snape defeated Professor Lockhart in a demonstration duel, then turned the students’ practice into inter-house matches that left Slytherin trailing Gryffindor six to zero. He called up Malfoy to face Potter, but Potter disarmed and immobilized him, making the score seven to zero.

• Professor Snape blasted Professor Lockhart off the platform with Expelliarmus, but Lockhart quickly recovered and redirected the students’ attention.
• Professor Snape changed the practice duels into Gryffindor-versus-Slytherin matches, and Gryffindor won the first six.
• Professor Snape called up Malfoy to fight Potter and taught Malfoy a jinx before the match.
• Malfoy cast Serpensortia as Potter disarmed him, sent the snake flying toward the crowd, and pinned him in place.

After Gryffindor defeated Slytherin in the dueling practice, Hogwarts moved on to discussing the latest issue of A Legend, which focused on Dumbledore and Alchemy. Elsewhere, Grindelwald’s followers lamented how little the issue said about him and prepared to send it to him anyway.

• Snape lifted Malfoy’s Petrifying Charm and left after Slytherin’s humiliating defeat, while the Slytherins and other students reacted to the loss.
• The new issue of A Legend appeared, and students complained that Grindelwald had taken too much attention from Dumbledore in earlier installments.
• Andrew’s latest issue returned to Dumbledore’s story and featured Nicolas Flamel, drawing praise from readers and renewed interest in Alchemy.
• Percy admired Professor Sinjide’s self-funded Alchemy work, while Andrew warned him about the costs and risks of pursuing Alchemy.
• Professor McGonagall rejected Professor Sinjide’s request for an Alchemy popular science class, though students continued attending his lessons.
• Grindelwald’s followers discovered that the issue barely mentioned him and decided to send it to him despite their disappointment and their delay.

Andrew experimented with recreating Malfoy’s snake spell and learned that it drew on the wandless magic system of Wagadu in Uganda. He failed to form a smoke snake but identified a possible method and planned to keep working once he had enough magic.

• Kevin noticed Andrew shaping smoke in the dormitory and recognized the spell as the one Malfoy had used.
• Andrew explained that Malfoy’s spell summoned a snake spirit and gave it a body of smoke rather than creating a snake through ordinary Transfiguration.
• Andrew recalled that Professor McGonagall had identified the spell as an adaptation of Wagadu’s gesture-based magic, which Professor Snape had taught and developed.
• Andrew told Kevin that he was trying to combine Transfiguration with the vibrations of his magic to create a spirit, but he lacked enough magic to use his simplest approach.
• Andrew gathered the failed smoke back together and decided to continue experimenting, expecting to have enough magic to study the method next year.

The Saints delivered Grindelwald books and a lamp from Durmstrang, and he reacted angrily to a magazine account of his past with Dumbledore before continuing to read. He reconsidered his own choices and asked for Muggle books so he could learn about weapons, daily life, and technology.

• The Saints sent Grindelwald books and a working lamp based on a Hogwarts design.
• Grindelwald criticized Durmstrang’s headmaster and mourned the person who had once handled the magazines.
• Grindelwald opened the first issue, grew furious at its claim that Dumbledore had sought answers from the future to defeat him, then kept reading.
• Grindelwald judged the magazine’s account of his relationship with Dumbledore and reflected on his gamble and the Muggles’ rapid progress.
• Grindelwald asked a Saint to bring him Muggle books on weapons, everyday life, and technology.

Andrew joined Ravenclaw’s study group and found that he could use Transfiguration to understand principles behind Charms. His Head of House encouraged him to pursue the connection while warning that the branches of magic remained distinct.

• Hal invited Andrew to Ravenclaw’s study group, and Andrew agreed to attend on weekends.
• In the Library, Andrew studied Wagadu’s advanced Transfiguration research and considered its unusual methods.
• At the study group, Andrew listened to older students discuss Aguamenti and Transfiguration, then advised a student to practice group Transfiguration with ants.
• Andrew asked the older students several questions and discovered that their explanations helped him analyze Charms through Transfiguration.
• Andrew told his Head of House about his new approach, and the professor encouraged him to study the connection without treating Charms as Transfiguration.

Andrew’s boast about Ravenclaw students spread as a joke while he prepared the next issue of A Legend. Reading the story’s account of Dumbledore returning to Hogwarts to teach, Sirius questioned whether he was doing enough as a professor.

• Kevin asked Andrew why he had been spending more time in the Library and Dormitory, and Andrew denied that he had mastered Transfiguration.
• Kevin mimicked Andrew’s claim that every Ravenclaw student would fail his Transfiguration test, and the line spread as a joke about Grindelwald and Dumbledore.
• Andrew released a new issue of A Legend, describing Dumbledore’s doubts about Alchemy and his decision to return to Hogwarts to pass on knowledge.
• Sirius read the issue and wondered whether teaching young wizards was Hogwarts’ purpose and whether he was doing enough as a professor.

Professor McGonagall sent Andrew and Percy with Hagrid to repair damage caused by fighting between centaurs and Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest. Andrew examined the magically compressed ground and discovered he could make contact with the fallen trees, giving him a promising start on restoring them.

• Hagrid told Professor McGonagall that creatures had been fighting, so she ordered Andrew and Percy to accompany him into the Forbidden Forest and repair the damage.
• Percy explained that the centaurs and Aragog's offspring had been fighting over territory and destroying paths.
• Hagrid revealed that Aragog was an Acromantula and that he had bred a whole group of them, alarming Percy.
• Andrew and Percy found vast sunken patches of ground and fallen trees in the forest.
• Andrew used his knowledge of Area Spells to examine the compressed soil and realized he could make contact with the fallen trees.

Andrew, Percy, and Hagrid repaired dangerous pits in the Forbidden Forest as Andrew reflected on magic and his own lack of defensive skills. A Centaur objected to their repairs, and Andrew decided to report the territorial dispute to a professor.

• Andrew used Transfiguration to loosen the earth in a pit, then asked Percy to pack it down with snow.
• Andrew told Percy and Hagrid that he valued creative magic, then reconsidered his belief that creation mattered more than destruction and recognized his weak defensive skills.
• Andrew, Percy, and Hagrid continued repairing pits until a Centaur confronted them, insisting that one marked the boundary of the Centaurs’ territory.
• The Centaur abandoned his argument, and Andrew planned to report the dispute to a professor and keep Hagrid nearby when they later worked on the wood.

Andrew asked Professor McGonagall about imitating the Shield Charm with Transfiguration, then began experimenting with the spell using Nelly as a test subject. His first attempt disrupted Nelly’s shield until it shattered, and Andrew asked him to cast it again.

• Professor McGonagall explained that the Centaurs and spiders were fighting over dwindling resources in the Forbidden Forest and warned Andrew not to experiment with Wagadu Magic alone.
• Andrew decided that defense was his greatest weakness and considered using Transfiguration to manipulate opponents’ shields and clothing.
• Andrew arranged to study Nelly’s Shield Charm over a weekend, while Professor Flitwick gave him theory and asked him to write up his findings.
• Andrew used Transfiguration to connect with and move the power of Nelly’s Shield Charm, hoping to learn how to deflect attacks.
• Nelly’s Shield Charm weakened and shattered under Andrew’s influence, and Andrew asked him to cast it again.

Andrew discussed his missed shifts, upcoming course choices, and Ron’s copied Transfiguration homework with Percy before returning to his Shield Charm research. By Saturday, Andrew had grasped how the charm’s rules worked and began experimenting with controlling the air around him.

• Percy asked Andrew why he had taken last weekend off, and Andrew offered to cover three shifts in exchange for another weekend off.
• Percy told Andrew that Hagrid had said centaurs were talking about Andrew after seeing him use magic in the Forbidden Forest.
• Andrew and Percy discussed their future subjects, and Percy complained that Ron had copied his Transfiguration homework.
• Andrew suggested Ron might still pass and advised Percy to send him home for a beating, then agreed to cover shifts on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
• Andrew resumed testing the Shield Charm and worked out how its magic flowed and how the charm operated.
• Andrew used his Wand to draw the air around him into motion, imitating the way he had felt the Shield Charm move.

Andrew refined the Shield Charm through repeated testing with Nelly, while Percy prepared to punish Ron for going too far. The chapter ended with Andrew agreeing to get Percy Essence of Dittany for the planned confrontation.

• Nelly tested Andrew's Shield Charm with Jinxes, and Andrew adjusted it until it reliably blocked spells.
• Over the following days, Andrew further refined the Shield Charm, paid Nelly, and thanked him for two weeks of help.
• Andrew planned to ask his Head of House to analyze the spell and continue making changes in the meantime.
• Percy told Andrew that his parents had approved a punishment for Ron and that Fred and George would help lure Ron into an Empty Classroom.
• Andrew agreed to fetch fresh Essence of Dittany for Percy, who planned to conceal how he obtained it.

Professor McGonagall worried that Ron’s diligent studying and Quidditch training were still causing trouble, while Fred and George invited Ron to watch Percy on a date. Ron eagerly hurried off with his brothers, hoping to see Percy embarrassed.

• Professor McGonagall reflected on Ron’s frustrating mix of hard work, Quidditch, and rule-bending.
• Fred and George decided to take Ron to see Percy on a date.
• Ron celebrated earning ten points for Gryffindor while Harry worried about how Hermione felt.
• Fred told Ron and Harry that they had caught Percy on a date, but Harry declined to join them.
• Ron rushed off with Fred and George, eager to see Percy lose his composure.

Ron went with Fred and George to ambush Percy, but the twins’ prank turned into a fight between Ron and Fred before Percy intervened and beat Ron for disrespecting his Head of House and neglecting his homework. Percy let Ron go after about ten minutes, and Ron blamed Fred for tricking him while wondering if he had gone too far.

• Hermione told Harry she suspected Fred and George were planning a prank, and Harry hoped the Weasley brothers would treat one another kindly.
• Ron and Fred entered an empty classroom to ambush Percy while George guarded the entrance, but Ron found Fred waiting and attacked him with spells.
• Percy entered, petrified Ron, and bound and whipped him before striking him with a stick as he scolded him for defying his Head of House and neglecting his homework.
• Percy ended the beating after about ten minutes and told Fred to help Ron apply ointment.
• George found Ron tearful but uninjured, and Ron blamed Fred for tricking him before wondering whether he had gone too far.

Andrew enjoyed a break from magazine work while studying charms and considering ways to grow vegetables in Hogwarts' winter. He asked Professor Adams about using lamps for plant growth and learned that wizarding Herbology had already studied photosynthesis and developed spells from it.

• Andrew discovered that the magazine's editors had paused publication while they gathered memories and a roster from Dumbledore's former students.
• Andrew spent his free time studying Wagadu's magical texts and catching up on first-year charms, though he found charms much harder than Transfiguration.
• Andrew realized he could use lamps to supplement light for a greenhouse and decided to discuss the idea with Professor Adams.
• Professor Adams explained that magical plants spread widely and that some Herbology students planned to study Muggle Studies before removing stray magical plants from the Muggle world.
• Professor Adams said wizards had extensively studied photosynthesis and developed spells based on it, then stared at Andrew when he asked about lamps.

Andrew’s suggestion to use lamps for plant growth sparked a rapid expansion of Herbology research at Hogwarts, drawing experts and funding. McGonagall told him he could keep his role in the breakthrough quiet, and Andrew accepted a three-thousand-Galleon reward while hoping to focus on Transfiguration.

• Andrew suggested that lamps could supplement sunlight, prompting Professor Adams to redirect the Laboratory’s research toward greenhouse lighting.
• The Herbology Association and other visitors flocked to Hogwarts, and Percy handled their replies as funding and interest surged.
• Herbologists expanded a greenhouse with an Undetectable Extension Charm, advanced hydroponics, and explored low-cost inter-season crops.
• Professor McGonagall advised Andrew to keep his involvement quiet and offered him a three-thousand-Galleon reward from Professor Adams.
• Andrew accepted the money and said he wanted to focus on Transfiguration rather than seek recognition.

Andrew and the Hogwarts Herbology experts advanced greenhouse cultivation and developed a powerful new lamp, while Percy profited from Andrew’s prediction about ingredient prices. The lamp’s dependence on electricity remained a problem until Andrew realized the Floo Network might serve as an energy conduit.

• Hogwarts students struggled to make a plant-growing lamp because the school’s protective enchantments disrupted electricity, while Herbology experts and students gathered to work in the greenhouses.
• Andrew told Percy that rapid herb cultivation could raise the prices of animal-derived potion ingredients, and Percy bought some before selling them for over three hundred Galleons.
• News spread that Hogwarts had created a Rapid Cultivation Technique capable of producing rare herbs out of season in a working greenhouse.
• The laboratory developed a Transfiguration-modified halogen lamp that was powerful and repairable with a Mending Charm, though it used much energy and often failed.
• When the researchers identified electricity distribution as the lamp’s remaining obstacle, Andrew realized the Floo Network might serve as an energy conduit.