Chapter Summaries

Andrew proposed using the Floo Network as a model or carrier for a protected energy system, then left the Electricity Laboratory to its researchers. As spring brought rapid progress in Herbology and potion-making, Andrew noticed Fred and George’s unexpectedly improved homework and Percy suspected they had been cursed or jinxed.

• Andrew proposed adapting the Floo Network to create a secure energy system, and the laboratory team praised the idea.
• Andrew declined to join the experiments, told the researchers to seek Ministry funding if needed, and left to focus on Charms.
• Herbology researchers prepared fast-growing herbs for sale, and Snape and another Potions professor confirmed that their accelerated growth did not affect potion-making.
• Andrew collected his bonus while Percy marveled at the changes in Herbology.
• Andrew pointed out that Fred and George’s marks had risen sharply and that their Transfiguration work used an unconventional method.
• Percy decided to ask around because he suspected Fred and George had been cursed or jinxed.

Percy discussed the greenhouse experts' work with Andrew, while Lockhart fumed over being excluded from the greenhouse and Hal told Andrew about students' profits from reselling potion ingredients. Sirius recorded the greenhouse upheaval for Professor Binns, who approved his work and told him to study over Easter so he could teach upper-year classes next school year.

• Percy told Andrew that his brothers had resented his investigation and that the greenhouse experts were leaving after successful experiments.
• Lockhart cursed the greenhouse experts for refusing him entry and complained that A Legend had stopped publishing again.
• Hal told Andrew that Eddie Carmichael had earned a hundred Galleons reselling potion ingredients, while other students had quietly profited too.
• Andrew denied making money from the trade and challenged Hal to a duel after Hal called him a stickler.
• Sirius recorded the greenhouse upheaval for Professor Binns, who praised his attitude and approved him to teach upper-year classes the following school year.

Harry and Ron discussed the holiday, and Harry revealed he would stay at Hogwarts with Sirius, who had been assigned extra Magical History study. After Wood’s punishing practice, Ron learned from Ginny that Percy had been dating someone and that his family had kept it from him.

• Hermione hurried to the library, while Harry told Ron he would stay at Hogwarts to keep Sirius company during the holiday.
• Wood drove the team through an especially punishing final practice before the break.
• Fred and George teased Ron about Percy’s secret relationship, and Ron insisted on asking Ginny himself.
• Ginny confirmed that she had seen Percy with someone and had kept quiet at Percy’s request, leaving Ron furious that he had been the last to know.

Andrew left Hogwarts for a weeklong Easter holiday with the Weasleys, while Ron struggled to accept that Percy had invited him to stay. The students boarded the train with Andrew and Penelope Clearwater among their passengers, leaving Ron dreading the visit home.

• Ron decided not to confront Percy about his date and enjoyed Harry seeing him off for the holiday.
• Andrew packed to leave Hogwarts for a week and promised his roommates he would work extra hours over the summer.
• Ron led Ginny and his brothers toward the train while Harry saw them off, and he spotted Andrew leaving school.
• Ron invited Hermione to share a train compartment, hoping she could ask Percy questions when he arrived.
• Ron returned to the compartment and found Andrew and Penelope Clearwater there with Percy, who explained that he had invited them both to stay with the Weasleys over Easter.
• Ron panicked at the thought of Andrew visiting his home and wondered if he could stay at school instead.

Andrew, Percy, and the others passed the long train journey discussing Transfiguration, playing Exploding Snap, and talking about next year’s courses. The conversation ended with Percy explaining that the Hogwarts Express was a magical alchemical machine, while Andrew remained more interested in studying traditional wizarding life.

• Andrew and Percy discussed advanced Transfiguration techniques until Penelope interrupted them and suggested playing Exploding Snap.
• Percy and Penelope advised Ron and Hermione about elective courses, including Ancient Runes and Divination.
• Andrew said he planned to take Ancient Runes but would not take every elective because he needed time for Wagadu Magic and advanced Transfiguration.
• Percy explained that the Hogwarts Express was an alchemical machine powered by magic, disguised as an ordinary steam train.

Andrew traveled with Percy and the others to the Weasley home for the holidays, where he listened to Ginny’s stories about Hogwarts and admired the magic in the house. He gave Arthur a Muggle flashlight and Molly a signed book from Professor Lockhart, leaving Fred and George worried that their mother would suspect them of pranks again.

• Andrew said goodbye to Penelope and Hermione at the station and learned that Professor Black had stayed at Hogwarts to study with Professor Binns.
• Percy introduced Andrew to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and the family drove home together while Ginny told Andrew more about Hogwarts.
• Mrs. Weasley searched the car for signs of the twins’ pranks, but Fred and George insisted they had behaved themselves.
• Percy told Andrew that his room had an Untraceable Extension Charm and an extra bed, and Andrew admired the magic in the Weasley home.
• Andrew gave Mr. Weasley a Muggle flashlight and presented Mrs. Weasley with a signed book and bookmark from Professor Lockhart.
• Fred and George feared that Mrs. Weasley’s delight in the gift would lead her to suspect them of another prank.

Andrew woke at the Burrow unable to cast spells and explored the overgrown garden with Percy, who identified a Gabbana Beetle. Andrew also explained that Professor Flitwick had rejected his Shield Charm thesis twice, and he was still struggling to revise it.

• Andrew realized he could not cast spells and discussed wandless magic with Percy.
• Andrew and Percy visited the Burrow’s abandoned garden and searched among its insects and weeds.
• Percy identified a Gabbana Beetle and described its limited magical properties.
• Andrew told Percy that Professor Flitwick had rejected his Shield Charm thesis twice and that he was working on a third draft.
• Andrew considered the beetle as a possible shield but concluded it would be less effective than the Shield Charm.

Andrew and Percy investigated the gnomes in the Weasley garden and asked Mr. Weasley how they lived. Mr. Weasley explained that gnomes were a clever people with hidden magic, leaving Andrew intrigued by what their abilities could teach him.

• Andrew and Percy discussed the pond and the magic used to keep mosquitoes away before Andrew noticed a gnome in the garden.
• Percy explained that gnomes could speak, were aggressive, and repeatedly returned after being driven off, while he and Andrew wondered how they survived unseen.
• Percy suggested asking Mr. Weasley about the gnomes, and Mr. Weasley led them outside to explain that gnomes were a distinct, stubborn people.
• Mr. Weasley revealed that gnomes could use witchcraft to hide themselves and assess nearby wizarding families, and that he had based some of his car's concealment magic on their abilities.
• Andrew wondered whether imitating creatures had inspired some charms and questioned whether he was taking on too many interests.

Andrew spent several days visiting the Weasleys, talking with Mr. Weasley and enjoying games with the family. When the Twins noticed Ron had been studying and taking notes, they worried he had changed and might surpass them.

• Andrew discussed Alchemy, Charms, and the Ministry's growing interest in Muggle technology with Mr. Weasley.
• Andrew played Quidditch and cards with the Weasley children, then read with Percy after the Twins ran out of games.
• Andrew and Percy followed the Twins as they drove Gnomes from the garden and watched the creatures vanish near the hedge.
• George pointed out that Ron had mostly stayed indoors instead of joining the others.
• The Twins discovered Ron had read most of a book and taken extensive notes, and feared he might soon beat them.

On his day off, Mr. Weasley told Andrew about fraudulent magical imitations and invited him to see his collection. Andrew toured Mr. Weasley’s enchanted Muggle appliances and learned that his greatest creation was a living alchemical car he still could not reproduce.

• Mr. Weasley described scams involving counterfeit magical products, including a height-boosting lamp and substandard Liquid Luck, and explained how one seller had hidden a Muggle battery inside an enchanted appliance.
• Mr. Weasley invited Andrew to see his collection while Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were out shopping.
• The next day, Mr. Weasley took Andrew to his enlarged garage, where he kept his modifications hidden from Mrs. Weasley.
• Mr. Weasley showed Andrew enchanted electric razors, fans, and other devices that ran on Alchemy Oil.
• Mr. Weasley said he still could not reproduce his greatest creation, a living alchemical car.

After visiting the Weasley workshop, Andrew returned toward Hogwarts and was attacked by a Wizard who tried to bind and overpower him. Andrew used a dangerous, wandless Wagadu technique to strangle the attacker with his own hair, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

• Mr. Weasley lamented that he could not reproduce the living car, and Andrew suggested he build a typewriter or printer.
• Andrew left the Weasley home through the Floo Network and traveled from Hogsmeade toward Hogwarts.
• A short, stout man used a rope and spells to attack Andrew, who defended himself with a Shield Charm and Transfiguration.
• The attacker broke Andrew’s control over the sand and pinned him down with a barrage of spells.
• Andrew used a wandless Wagadu technique to make the attacker’s hair coil around his neck and choke him unconscious.

Andrew defeated and restrained a violent thief in Hogsmeade, then persuaded a Hit Wizard that the use of magic was permitted because the area belonged to Hogwarts. The Hit Wizard arrested the thief and left Andrew behind, surprised that the matter was settled so easily.

• Andrew bound the thief after defeating him and tried to learn who had hired him, but the thief threatened to report Andrew for underage magic.
• The thief broke free of one restraint, so Andrew added more bindings and waited for the patrolling Hit Wizards to arrive.
• A Hit Wizard arrived, and the thief accused Andrew of using magic illegally while claiming he was a good citizen.
• Andrew said Hogsmeade was Hogwarts property, that he had permission to leave, and that the school was investigating thefts in the area.
• The Hit Wizard accepted Andrew's explanation, arrested the thief, and left Andrew wondering why the matter had ended so quickly.

Andrew pursued charges against the thief who attacked him in Hogsmeade, and Professor McGonagall turned the case into an official Hogwarts investigation. Mundungus Fletcher realized the resulting evidence and publicity could send him to Azkaban.

• Andrew told Professor McGonagall that he had subdued a thief who attacked him in Hogsmeade and explained what had happened.
• Professor McGonagall instructed Andrew to file travel paperwork, open a theft investigation, and thank the Hit Wizard.
• Mundungus Fletcher told the Hit Wizard that he had only tried to steal Andrew’s wallet and expected to serve a short time in custody.
• A Hit Wizard received Hogwarts’s letter confirming Andrew’s investigation assignment, making Mundungus’s case a high-profile example of cooperation.
• Mundungus realized the evidence and accumulated theft reports could lead to Azkaban.

Andrew reviewed his duel with Professor McGonagall, then studied the weaknesses in his Shield Charm. Mundungus chose to serve a year in Azkaban, while Sirius told Andrew he had passed Professor Binns's assessment and earned a place teaching Magical History.

• Andrew described lessons from his fight to Professor McGonagall, including the value of animated items, defensive magic, and controlling the pace of combat.
• Professor McGonagall advised Andrew to study Wagadu's Transfiguration and refine his Shield Charm before pursuing more combat experience.
• Mundungus weighed asking Mad-Eye for help against serving his sentence, then decided to go to Azkaban and apologize to Dumbledore afterward.
• Andrew examined books on Charms and noted weaknesses in how his Shield Charm distributed its protective effect.
• Sirius told Andrew that he had passed Professor Binns's assessment without help and had been assigned to teach two upper-year classes.

Andrew congratulated Sirius Black on his appointment and discussed his agile, short-lived Shield Charm technique with him. Andrew later submitted his revised Charms thesis, which Professor Flitwick approved and praised, then began writing him a recommendation letter.

• Andrew congratulated Professor Black and asked him about his approach to the Shield Charm.
• Sirius explained that he favored brief Shield Charms because they protected well without hindering agility, and mentioned that Mundungus could find obscure books.
• Andrew reflected on his plans to study Horcruxes and prepare for the possibility of Voldemort's return.
• Andrew submitted his final Charms thesis to Professor Flitwick, who praised its fundamentals and distinctive proposed improvements.
• Professor Flitwick approved Andrew's thesis, gave him snacks, and began writing him a recommendation letter.

Andrew struggled to understand why the Mending Charm could not permanently repair some objects, then chose Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy for the next semester. After his dormmates returned and compared their courses, he learned that the Care of Magical Creatures professor was expected to retire and heard why students considered Divination an easy course to pass.

• Andrew tested the Mending Charm on a broken table leg, which snapped again, and concluded that wizarding theory could not explain why some objects resisted repair.
• Andrew filled out his course selection form, choosing Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy.
• Hal returned to the dormitory and told Andrew he had chosen Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies.
• Hughes, Kevin, and Bell shared their course choices, and Bell said students expected the Care of Magical Creatures professor to change.
• Andrew recalled that the current professor was nearing retirement and realized students were treating Divination as an easy way to earn a certificate.

Andrew and Percy delivered the new school year's elective enrollment figures to Professor Kettleburn, who insisted he was retiring and gave them gifts in exchange for writing his retirement and celebration reports. They left the Staff Room loaded with supplies and planned to write the reports and help arrange his farewell party.

• Andrew and Percy delivered the elective enrollment list to Professor Kettleburn, who again declared that he would retire and refuse to return.
• Professor Kettleburn asked Andrew which electives he had chosen, and Andrew named Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy.
• Professor Kettleburn gave Andrew and Percy assorted books and tools, then asked them to draft his retirement and celebration reports as payment.
• The other professors teased Professor Kettleburn and demanded reports of their own while Andrew and Percy hurried out carrying their gifts.
• Andrew and Percy agreed to write the reports and help come up with ideas for Professor Kettleburn's farewell party.

As exams approached, Andrew, Nash, Ron, Hermione, and Harry focused on studying, while Lockhart grew increasingly anxious about Sirius’s acceptance at Hogwarts and the worsening quality of his potions. Lockhart searched for a way to recover his standing and kept taking more potion.

• After sparring, Nash asked Andrew about his progress, and Andrew said he was reviewing fundamentals while warning that Ron was working hard.
• Andrew and Nash ended their practical training and decided to focus on exam theory, while Andrew planned to review Transfiguration.
• Hermione worried that she could not keep up with Ron and maintain first place, while Harry concentrated on Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
• Harry asked Ron why Fred and George had stopped causing trouble, and Ron said Ginny had told him the twins were studying.
• Lockhart worried that Sirius had been accepted by the Hogwarts staff and might receive an award, then complained that Mundungus’s arrest had left him with inferior potions.
• Lockhart drank more potion as he searched for a way to finish his book and turn things around.

Andrew and Professor Snape found Professor Lockhart unconscious in his locked Office after he failed to arrive for class. Snape identified the poison as badly made Liquid Luck, and Lockhart remained in grave danger as they began treating him.

• Andrew went to find Professor Lockhart when he failed to arrive for Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
• Professor Snape joined Andrew in searching Lockhart's Office and magically opened the door, which was locked from the inside.
• Andrew and Snape found Lockhart unconscious and vomiting in the Living Room, and Snape left to fetch medicine while Andrew summoned a House-elf to notify Madam Pomfrey.
• Madam Pomfrey examined Lockhart as Snape gave him a Bezoar and began trying to keep him alive.
• Andrew pointed out an empty Potions bottle, and Snape identified its contents as toxic, poorly made Liquid Luck.

Andrew discovered that Professor Lockhart had suffered Liquid Luck poisoning, leaving him unconscious and likely to remain mindless. After Lockhart was transferred to St Mungo's, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore agreed to conceal the truth by announcing that an experiment had caused his injury.

• Andrew learned that Professor Lockhart's condition was caused by Liquid Luck poisoning and suspected the potion's scarcity and rising cost had contributed to his use of an inferior batch.
• Andrew reported Snape's diagnosis to Professor McGonagall and suggested a cover story to protect Hogwarts's reputation.
• St Mungo's healers concluded that Lockhart would probably remain mindless because the poisoning had catastrophically damaged his soul, and McGonagall arranged for him to receive the best care.
• Professor McGonagall told Dumbledore that another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had been lost, and Andrew explained the poisoning.
• Dumbledore approved announcing that Lockhart had suffered an accident during an experiment and had been sent away for treatment.