Ch. 701A Good Reputation

Key plot points and events

  • After a year in Australia, Bill sees how the Dream System and other reforms are transforming the Wizarding World. He envies the Hogwarts Moon Branch, where Professor Taylor and students are building a magical community and conducting research.
  • Bill worries that he has made little progress on his work with Tom, but reminds himself that he owes Tom for inviting him into an important project and paying him well.
  • Tom readily grants Bill thirty days off for Christmas, pleased that his assistant will be away: Tom has been conducting experiments in secret because Bill objects to testing on animals and to Muggle-modification experiments.
  • Back home, Bill learns that Professor Taylor will return to officiate Percy’s wedding. Bill hopes to consult Taylor about Tom’s research, believing Taylor will offer useful advice and refuse credit.
  • Bill decides to help Tom, while intending to approach Taylor privately and keep the conversation from Tom.

Character developments

  • Bill admires Tom’s persistence and ambition, but also compares him unfavorably with Taylor. His unease reveals both his ethical reluctance toward Tom’s experiments and his growing tendency to rationalize his loyalty to Tom.
  • Tom presents himself as supportive and generous, but privately views Bill’s Christmas leave as a chance to experiment without interference. He values Bill’s abilities and bloodline, while concealing the full nature of his work.
  • Taylor is described through others as selfless, collaborative, and uninterested in recognition, making him a trusted contrast to Tom.
  • Percy is excited about his wedding and wants to announce Taylor’s role himself; his embarrassment at being teased shows a more personal, family-focused side.

Significant themes

  • Progress and ambition: The Wizarding World is rapidly changing, from everyday services to lunar settlement and research.
  • Ethics and scientific experimentation: Bill’s discomfort with Tom’s planned experiments conflicts with his commitment to the project.
  • Reputation and trust: Taylor’s reputation for generosity shapes Bill’s decisions, while Tom’s outward kindness masks motives Bill does not know.
  • Recognition versus service: Taylor consistently gives others credit, a quality Bill admires and hopes to draw upon.

Character interactions

  • Bill’s admiration for Tom is mixed with comparisons to Taylor, whom he regards as a better collaborator.
  • Tom reassures Bill and grants him leave, while privately welcoming the opportunity to work without him.
  • Ron, Fred, and George tease Percy about his wedding announcement, prompting Percy to protest.
  • Bill plans to seek Taylor’s guidance without telling Tom, creating a quiet tension between his loyalty to his employer and his faith in Taylor.

Ch. 702The Ending Isn't Good Enough, So I'm Taking Today Off

  • Key events: The author says the ending still feels insufficiently exciting and plans to improve it. They acknowledge having rushed through much of the plot, then sign off for the night.
  • Character development: No story characters appear or change in this excerpt.
  • Themes: Creative dissatisfaction, revision, and the tension between rushing a story and wanting its ending to land well.
  • Character interactions: None; this is an author’s note rather than a narrative scene.

Ch. 703He Was There

Key plot points and events

  • After a year and a half developing Hogwarts’s lunar branch, Andrew returns to Earth. He gives his students leave, hands the spacecraft and lunar samples over to Ministry staff, and decides to visit the Leaky Cauldron rather than immediately face Dumbledore.
  • Andrew meets Percy before Percy’s wedding. He plans to officiate, with Dumbledore also invited, and offers Percy a two-week honeymoon before a likely reassignment to the increasingly understaffed lunar project.
  • Bill Weasley approaches Andrew with research into the biological distinctions and connections among Muggles, Squibs, and wizards. The work includes advanced instruments and chromosome testing, but Andrew suspects the research is a cover for unethical human experiments.
  • Bill says the project’s purpose was presented as helping Squibs and wizards reintegrate into wizarding society—and credits its guidance to “Mr. Tom.” Recognizing the name, Andrew realizes Tom is involved and resolves to bring Dumbledore into the matter.

Character developments

  • Andrew is excited by the freedom and progress of lunar development, but reluctant to return to school life. He remains ambitious about recruiting capable staff for the moon and is quick to recognize the danger behind Bill’s account.
  • Percy is resigned to the chaos likely to surround his wedding, especially with Fred and George involved. He also faces the prospect of a future lunar posting, though Andrew lets him enjoy his honeymoon before revealing the full implications.
  • Bill appears earnest and proud of the research, but has only partial knowledge of what is happening and may have been misled about its real methods or purpose.
  • Hal voices practical concerns about the moon project’s dependence on spacecraft and water supplies, while sharing Andrew’s patience about its gradual development.

Significant themes

  • Ambition and exploration: The lunar campus represents a bold, collaborative effort to build a new world.
  • Progress versus practical limits: Magical ingenuity is powerful, but shortages of people, materials, water, and transport constrain development.
  • Ethics and exploitation: Scientific advances can be turned toward hidden, abusive experiments.
  • Responsibility and recruitment: Andrew treats Percy and Bill as potential contributors to the lunar effort, blending personal relationships with institutional needs.

Character interactions

  • Andrew gives Hal and the students instructions, then exchanges lighthearted but practical remarks with Hal about lunar logistics.
  • He teases Percy about the wedding and uses the prospect of Dumbledore’s presence and a Ministry reassignment to recruit him for the moon.
  • Bill’s conversation with Andrew shifts from scientific discussion to suspicion when he mentions Tom, prompting Andrew to recognize a larger threat.

Ch. 704The Siege

Plot and key events

  • Andrew identifies the Australian wizard Tom as a serious threat after learning of his plans to unite wizards and conduct human experimentation. He alerts Dumbledore and arranges to find Tom’s laboratory.
  • Tom, meanwhile, develops a project to identify and manipulate the genes responsible for magical ability. He hopes to create greater power through what he calls “Bloodline Transfiguration” and use it to attract followers.
  • When Tom senses that the area around his laboratory has been sealed, he tries to escape. Dumbledore and Andrew’s assembled force—hundreds of Aurors and Hit Wizards, supported by 800 trained combat wizards—overwhelms him with Sleeping Curses.
  • Andrew confirms Tom’s identity and finds an enchanted bag that may contain his research records. Dumbledore takes Tom away to deal with him, while Andrew turns to thanking the international Aurors and recruiting help for lunar construction.

Character developments and interactions

  • Andrew shows himself to be strategic and pragmatic: instead of challenging Tom personally, he gathers a massive coalition and relies on overwhelming force. He treats the capture as a practical obstacle removed and is eager to return to his plans on the moon.
  • Tom is revealed as an ambitious, capable researcher who intends to exploit magical biology for power and control. His confidence falters when his escape is blocked, and his formidable shield proves no match for the coordinated attack.
  • Dumbledore supports Andrew’s operation, confirms Tom’s identity, and takes responsibility for questioning him. His unusually cheerful reaction suggests personal satisfaction at capturing the wizard.
  • The international Aurors recognize Tom’s skill and strength, while Andrew’s request for an additional wave of curses shows his distrust of leaving the capture to chance.

Significant themes

  • Power through knowledge: Tom seeks to transform magical research into a means of controlling and empowering others.
  • Collective action versus individual strength: Tom is formidable, but coordination and overwhelming numbers defeat him.
  • Pragmatism and moral boundaries: Andrew prioritizes efficient capture and political stability, leaving the darker interrogation to Dumbledore.
  • Ambition and competing priorities: Tom dreams of reshaping wizarding society; Andrew is more focused on lunar development and moving forward.

Ch. 705Graduation and New Beginnings

Key events

  • Andrew returns from the Moon with the seventh-year students, joking about their compulsory colonization agreement and urging the Ministry to improve slow transport between Hogwarts and the lunar campus.
  • Back at school, the students discuss their plans after graduation. Hermione intends to join the Ministry of Magic, having completed her lunar evaluation and NEWT exams. Harry and Ron will play Quidditch professionally, while Neville plans to travel with his parents for Herbology research before likely returning to Hogwarts.
  • Andrew presses Dumbledore to turn to research after two years of building the Moon campus. Dumbledore explains that he and Gellert Grindelwald have reconciled with Tom Riddle over the future of wizarding expansion into space, and they are preparing an experiment to address past regrets. Andrew agrees to oversee construction for one more year while Dumbledore and Grindelwald work on Floo Network improvements.
  • After a comic interruption involving the Sorting Hat and the sleeping Headmaster Black, Andrew leaves to prepare for graduation.
  • The Board of Governors formally appoints Andrew Vice Principal of the Hogwarts Moon Branch and allocates three million Galleons for further housing and campus construction. At the graduation ceremony, Andrew encourages students to consider the Moon.

Character developments and interactions

  • Andrew is weary of lunar work and its logistical problems, but remains committed to building the campus. Though eager to move on to research, he accepts another year of construction and earns the permanent title of Vice Principal.
  • Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Neville each choose a distinct path, reflecting the opportunities created by the expanded wizarding world.
  • Dumbledore and Grindelwald appear to have reconciled with Tom and now share a vision of space as the future for wizards. Dumbledore persuades Andrew to keep the lunar project going a little longer.
  • Andrew and the graduating students trade affectionate jokes, while his exchange with Dumbledore is earnest beneath its humor. The Sorting Hat and Headmaster Black add a farcical note to the otherwise forward-looking graduation.

Significant themes

  • New beginnings and exploration: Graduation, professional choices, and the Moon campus all point toward a wider future.
  • Work and sacrifice: Andrew’s ambitious construction project requires one more year of effort, even as he hopes to pursue other interests.
  • Reconciliation and moving beyond old conflicts: Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Tom’s new accord contrasts with earlier divisions.
  • Progress versus practical limits: Lunar expansion is promising, but poor transport and unfinished infrastructure remain obstacles.

Ch. 706Author's Note on Completion

Summary

This is the author’s completion note rather than a story chapter. The author reflects on the novel’s development, acknowledges problems with the original plan, and thanks readers.

  • Key events and revisions: The story diverged from its outline early, beginning with an overly intense conflict within Ravenclaw. The author later softened that conflict, skipped some planned scenes about meeting friends, and moved forward plots originally intended for later years—including an internship and the Grass Bread plan. These changes disrupted the planned fourth-year Goblet of Fire storyline.
  • Character development: Taylor gained prominence and a stronger reputation earlier than intended. Because the author wanted to preserve Taylor’s characterization, later scenes were written cautiously, with the plot moving quickly to avoid mishandling the character.
  • Themes: The author discusses the challenges of adapting an outline, balancing character consistency with plot changes, and combining technology with magic. They note that slice-of-life writing is a personal strength, while innovation and magic–technology fusion proved more difficult.
  • Character interactions: The note highlights the intended influence of Professor Flitwick in keeping Ravenclaw’s internal tensions from becoming too severe. It also mentions that some planned relationship-building scenes were cut, though no specific interactions are described.
    The author concludes that the story ultimately stayed on track, expresses a desire to improve through further reading and research, and thanks readers for their support.
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