Chapter Summaries

Charles stayed hidden in Geneva while the wizarding world waited for news, and Jack’s nighttime searches alarmed the Dursleys and Hogwarts staff. When McGonagall arrived to reassure Jack, she found him preparing to leave with Grindelwald after Rita Skeeter had interviewed him.

• Charles told Jack that he would remain missing until the goblins made an official public statement, then planned to research spells in the Alps.
• Jack began searching through Privet Drive’s trash cans at night, worrying Vernon and Petunia about Charles’s disappearance.
• Petunia wrote to Harry, and Dumbledore and McGonagall realized Jack knew about Charles’s attack after Rita Skeeter told him.
• Dumbledore asked McGonagall to reassure Jack that Charles was hiding and had likely been taken away by Ruby, while he struggled to keep Grindelwald from leading an international investigation into the goblins.
• McGonagall arrived at 3 Privet Drive and found Jack preparing to Apparate with Grindelwald just after Rita Skeeter had interviewed him.

Charles successfully developed an X-ray Charm, measured its dangerous radiation, and considered how to shield against and treat its effects. He planned further tests before an unexpected visit from Gabrielle, who had come to check on him after hearing goblins had captured him.

• Charles used a Geiger Counter to confirm that he could control the X-ray Charm’s direction and then increased its power, producing a dangerous radiation dose.
• Charles measured the spell’s radiation field and found that its cone-shaped beam spread out and weakened with distance while striking allies and enemies alike.
• Charles worried that Potions could treat radiation symptoms but might not repair the underlying damage, and he planned to test shields and metal barriers the next day.
• Charles remembered that information about the Chernobyl accident might help him and decided to find an excuse to ask about it.
• Ruby brought Gabrielle to Charles’s cabin, where Gabrielle explained she had come after hearing goblins had captured him.
• Charles told Gabrielle he was fine and urged her to return soon so he would not actually end up locked in an iron cage.

Charles stayed in hiding with Ruby while the Old Man publicly denounced the goblins’ attack on him and declared a political fight against Gringotts. After hearing the speech, Charles decided to play the victim strategically and formed a plan to recruit others against the goblins.

• Charles stayed with Ruby, practicing spells and keeping his presence secret.
• The Old Man gave a speech before the International Confederation of Wizards, describing Charles’s life and condemning the goblins for burning his businesses and threatening him.
• Charles listened to the speech while eating fondue with Ruby and felt uneasy that others were using his story while he stayed safely away.
• Charles considered the risks and rewards of joining the campaign, including how to coordinate with the Old Man and avoid being imprisoned by the goblins.
• After drinking Happy Water, Charles devised a plan to get captured alongside others and stir up their hatred of the goblins.

Charles prepared a fake goblin-capture scene with a hanging cage, but Ruby accidentally locked him inside after eating his acting potions. He then checked the hidden passage at the Seaside Villa and opened Jack's vault, triggering an alarm that sent Jack into a murderous rage.

• Charles inspected the hanging cage he had bought and planned how to stage his capture by goblins.
• Ruby kicked Charles into the cage, shut the door, and ate the potions he had planned to use as props.
• Charles and Ruby fought until they were exhausted, then called a temporary truce.
• Charles Apparated to the Seaside Villa, checked Harry's blood, and confirmed the hidden passage had not been discovered.
• Charles opened Jack's vault using Professor McGonagall's birthday, triggering a hidden magical alarm.
• Jack sensed that someone had opened his vault and prepared to kill the intruder, while Grindelwald realized the vault held their spoils.

Charles stole valuable Lestrange Family treasures from Jack and Grindelwald’s vaults, unaware that their alarms had alerted the two wizards. After watching the surveillance footage, Jack and Grindelwald discovered the thief was Charles, whom Jack dismissed as “picked up.”

• Grindelwald detected an alarm from his vault and joined Jack in preparing to catch the thief.
• Charles entered the Lestrange vault, selected valuable crest-marked objects and documents, and stored them in his Bag of Holding.
• Charles Apparated away with Ruby just before Jack and Grindelwald arrived at the Seaside Villa.
• Jack and Grindelwald found that several treasured items had been stolen from their vaults.
• Jack retrieved the surveillance footage, and Grindelwald identified the thief as Charles.
• Jack responded to the revelation that Charles had robbed them by saying, “Picked up.”

Jack and Grindelwald attacked Charles after Ruby brought him to Seaside Villa, and the three fought fiercely until Aurors arrived. Jack finally revealed that he was furious because Charles had stolen his retirement money to frame the goblins and provoke a conflict with Voldemort.

• Jack sent Ruby to retrieve Charles, and Ruby dragged him from his bathroom to Seaside Villa, where Jack and Grindelwald ambushed him with spells.
• Charles defended himself and traded powerful spells with Jack and Grindelwald, escaping Grindelwald’s blue-flame dome through a crack in the ground before returning with his Guardian Wand.
• Charles fought both older wizards for half an hour until their battle attracted Aurors, whom Grindelwald knocked unconscious and gave false memories.
• Jack confronted Charles about stealing his retirement money, and Charles explained that he had taken it to forge evidence that the goblins had broken into the Lestrange vault.
• Jack demanded to know why Charles had not told him, and Grindelwald remarked that dating was expensive.

Charles and Zeta staged photographs of Goblins torturing him beneath Gringotts to create evidence of a scandal. Rita received the pictures and recognized a major scoop, while the Goblins’ message pointed to treasure-filled vaults beneath the bank.

• Zeta and the Goblins dressed Charles in rags, suspended him in a spiked cage, and arranged a staged interrogation in an abandoned Gringotts vault.
• Charles cooperated as the Goblins photographed him being doused with hot water and subjected to staged tortures, while Zeta’s companions captured the scene.
• Zeta delivered the developed photographs and a letter reading “Beneath Gringotts—the conscientious Goblins” to Rita Skeeter’s home.
• Rita inspected the photographs, saw Charles imprisoned and two treasure-filled storage rooms, and realized she had found a major scoop.

After the Daily Prophet accused Gringotts of capturing and torturing Charles Smith, Fudge and Dumbledore confronted the goblins as foreign Ministries of Magic joined the protests. Gringotts promised to reveal Charles’s whereabouts within twenty-four hours, while a nighttime attack on the newspaper office and Rita Skeeter’s home left goblin weapons behind as evidence; Jack was also taking action.

• The Daily Prophet published Rita Skeeter’s report alleging that Gringotts had secretly imprisoned and tortured Charles Smith, prompting Fudge to summon the Aurors.
• Fudge and Dumbledore led the Aurors to Gringotts, where Gripfang denied holding Charles and refused entry without a search warrant.
• Mr. Mantz delivered a formal protest from the French Ministry of Magic, and representatives from other countries soon arrived to protest Gringotts as well.
• Krolan ordered a secret investigation to find Charles and identify who had acted without his approval, then instructed Gripfang to promise answers within twenty-four hours.
• Dumbledore accepted the twenty-four-hour deadline and warned Fudge that pushing Gringotts too hard might leave Charles dead.
• Attackers raided the Daily Prophet offices and Rita Skeeter’s home, but their security puppets and responding Aurors drove them off and recovered goblin weapons; Jack began taking action.

Voldemort and the Death Eaters learned that goblins had stolen treasures from the Lestrange and Malfoy families, prompting the families to swear an alliance against them. Jack then asked Voldemort to rescue Charles from Gringotts, offering him Harry's blood as a reward, and Voldemort accepted.

• Rodolphus recognized a Lestrange family cup in the Daily Prophet, while Lucius recognized stolen Malfoy treasures in another photograph, and the two families swore an alliance against the goblins.
• Draco's wand flared during Potions class, ruining his potion, and the students realized that the Malfoy family had allied with another family as the war seemed imminent.
• Jack met Voldemort by the Thames, gave him a trench coat, and explained that Charles was being held underground in Gringotts.
• Jack offered Voldemort Harry's blood, prepared by Charles, if Voldemort rescued Charles from the goblins.
• Voldemort agreed to Jack's deal.

After goblins attacked the Daily Prophet, Krolan ordered an urgent search for Charles Smith and blamed the attack on rogue radicals. Voldemort and the Death Eaters entered Gringotts, where Bellatrix raised a Dark Mark and the group began killing goblins as an alarm sounded.

• Barnabas Cuffe told the Diagon Alley shopkeepers that goblins had attacked his office to destroy the Daily Prophet’s original photographs, but the newspaper’s golems had protected them.
• Krolan ordered the goblin leaders to identify the attackers and find Charles Smith within ten hours so Gringotts could appease the Ministry and Dumbledore.
• Mrs. Finnigan repaired the damaged newspaper building, then recognized the approaching Voldemort and cried out that the Dark Lord had arrived.
• Voldemort and the Death Eaters ignored the crowd and walked into Gringotts as it opened for business.
• Bellatrix cast Skele-Gro to form a giant green Dark Mark over Gringotts, and the attackers killed goblins as the bank’s alarm rang.
• After Bellatrix entered and the doors closed, a figure appeared between them and cast a spell at the bronze doors.

Dumbledore confronted the powerful shield blocking Gringotts’ doors while Grindelwald held it from within, and the two began a magical contest. Underground, Voldemort’s Death Eaters fought past goblin guards and dragons, then used Lucius and the map Jack Smith provided to open a hidden passage toward their destination.

• Dumbledore arrived in Diagon Alley, found Gringotts sealed, and failed to break its shield with an impact spell.
• Dumbledore examined the shield, recognized Grindelwald’s magic, and began working to dismantle it as Grindelwald challenged him from inside.
• The Lestrange couple, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa, and the Death Eaters battled through goblin defenses and blinded the guarding dragons with Eye Curses.
• Voldemort led the group to a hidden stone wall using a map supplied by Jack Smith, with Grindelwald’s signature.
• Lucius poured goblin blood over his wand and used Goblin Language spells on concealed nodes, opening a passage into the deeper underground.

Voldemort and the Death Eaters broke into Gringotts, found Charles imprisoned, and recovered stolen Lestrange and Malfoy family treasures, but not Hufflepuff’s Cup. Dumbledore let Voldemort leave with Charles, while Lucius and Rodolphus reported Gringotts to the Ministry.

• Mechanical Goblin guards attacked Voldemort’s group at the newly opened passage, but the Death Eaters destroyed them and continued inside.
• Krolan saw the entrance revealed on the Crystal Ball and angrily realized the goblins’ hidden secrets were exposed.
• Voldemort’s group found stolen Lestrange and Malfoy treasures in the underground storeroom, but Hufflepuff’s Cup was missing.
• Narcissa found Charles unconscious in a hanging cage, and Lucius protected him when the cage erupted into flames.
• Dumbledore and Fudge let Voldemort leave with Charles, and Lucius and Rodolphus reported Gringotts’ thefts to Fudge.
• Voldemort and the Death Eaters Disapparated after leaving Gringotts with Charles.

Slytherin students concluded that Charles was special and probably had family ties to Slytherin, while Voldemort recruited him to find Hufflepuff’s Cup in exchange for a vow protecting his family. After Jack exchanged blood for Charles at the Thames, Voldemort unexpectedly asked Charles to join the Death Eaters and learned that he wanted a little sister.

• Derrick told the Slytherins that the Sorting Hat had called Charles special, leading them to suspect his family tradition was Slytherin rather than Gryffindor.
• Jack and Grindelwald collected bags of blood from the Seaside Villa to exchange with Voldemort for Charles.
• Voldemort questioned Charles about entering Gringotts, and Charles explained his innate talent for sensing gaps in space and agreed to retrieve Hufflepuff’s Cup.
• Charles demanded that Voldemort and the Death Eaters never harm his family, and Voldemort swore an oath protecting their lives and health.
• At the Thames, Jack handed Voldemort the blood, and Voldemort mistook it for Harry Potter’s because of their blood connection.
• Voldemort offered Charles a place among the Death Eaters, but Charles refused and was surprised when Voldemort asked whether he wanted a little sister.

Grindelwald met Albus Dumbledore and Aberforth at the Hog’s Head Inn, where he revealed that he had recovered Charles from Voldemort and warned that Voldemort might target Dumbledore for the Elder Wand. After Grindelwald disclosed a prophecy involving Snape, Dumbledore ordered the matter kept secret and asked Grindelwald to protect Charles.

• Grindelwald teased Aberforth about his rumored romance with Madam Puddifoot, prompting Aberforth to threaten him with his wand.
• Albus Dumbledore arrived and offered to help Aberforth restrain Grindelwald before Grindelwald told them he had recovered Charles from Voldemort in exchange for a minor condition.
• Grindelwald warned that Voldemort still wanted the Elder Wand and might send someone to kill Dumbledore to claim it.
• Grindelwald revealed a prophecy about “the one who kills Dumbledore, Snape as well,” shocking Dumbledore and enraging Aberforth.
• Sirius Black overheard the prophecy while listening upstairs in his Animagus form.
• Dumbledore demanded to know who had told Grindelwald, but Grindelwald refused to say; Dumbledore then ordered everyone to keep the matter secret and told Grindelwald to protect Charles.

Dumbledore told McGonagall that Gellert had rescued Charles and asked her to take over preparations for the Triwizard Tournament and Hogwarts’s budget allocations. With the Ministry paralyzed and no Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in sight, Dumbledore considered asking Charles to teach the subject as a fallback, while worrying about the boy’s possible connection to Voldemort.

• Dumbledore told McGonagall that Gellert had rescued Charles and that Ruby had escaped with him to a safe hiding place.
• Dumbledore asked McGonagall to inform Harry and the others, oversee the final Triwizard Tournament preparations, and handle next year’s budget allocations.
• Dumbledore explained that Fudge had issued no reliable orders as the Ministry focused on the goblin crisis, and he worried Hogwarts would lack a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
• Dumbledore told McGonagall how Charles had learned to act like an adult after fearing Jack would abandon him, and argued that Charles had the practical skills to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.
• McGonagall recognized that Dumbledore was seriously considering Charles as a fallback teacher, while Dumbledore wondered whether Charles might also have ties to Voldemort.

Charles stayed hidden in the Luxembourg Forest and sent letters to Dumbledore and Madame Delacour, explaining how the goblins’ spatial-blocking spell had stopped Ruby from finding him. He made no compensation demands, saying he would return if the goblins showed sufficient sincerity.

• Charles shared dinner with Gabrielle, then gave her a letter for Madame Delacour to deliver to Dumbledore.
• Ruby carried Charles’s letter to Dumbledore at Hogwarts, where he learned a goblin spatial-blocking spell had prevented her from locating Charles.
• Fudge hurried to Hogwarts to ask what Charles wanted from the goblins.
• Dumbledore told Fudge that Charles had made no demands and would return if the goblins showed sufficient sincerity.

Charles read Percy Weasley's report on the stalled Gringotts negotiations and rejected the goblins’ offer of 3 million Galleons. He proposed that Draco Malfoy lead Farbaton Castle’s compensation negotiations for a commission, intending to draw other hesitant families into the conflict.

• Gabrielle brought Percy Weasley's letter to Charles while visiting his forest cabin for apple cake.
• Percy reported that Gringotts had conceded on several issues but offered only 3 million Galleons for damages that had been verified at 2.86 million.
• Charles decided the goblins had not reached their limit and wrote back telling Percy to reject the offer.
• Charles proposed hiring Draco Malfoy to negotiate compensation for Farbaton Castle, with a 5% commission on any amount above 3 million Galleons.
• Charles wrote to Black about further plans to involve families still standing aside, while Gabrielle and Ruby quietly ate the cake.

Neville defeated Harry in a Defense Against the Dark Arts duel by summoning away his glasses and trapping him in grass, while news spread that Charles had chosen Draco Malfoy to negotiate goblin compensation. Harry ended the chapter by sending Percy an urgent letter asking him to contact Charles.

• Moody selected Harry to duel the class, and Neville used a sticking charm on his wand before summoning Harry’s glasses and binding him in grass.
• Hermione fought Harry to a draw, while Ron also tried summoning Harry’s glasses and revealed he had learned the trick with toffee pudding as tuition.
• At dinner, Neville explained that his father’s wrapping tape had kept his wand in his hand, and Harry wished he could contact Charles to ask him to buy something.
• Ron reported that Percy’s letter said he had been writing to Charles about the goblin matter, and the students learned Charles had assigned Malfoy to negotiate compensation for a large commission.
• Harry wrote Percy an urgent letter asking him to deliver a message to Charles and sent it with Hedwig.

Charles read Harry’s request for help buying things and took Gabrielle to Paris, while Draco Malfoy gathered old pure-blood family leaders to organize negotiations with Gringotts over compensation for Charles. The gathering agreed to share the commission, and Draco declared that he could speak for the Malfoy family.

• Charles told Gabrielle that Harry had asked him for help, and she eagerly agreed to go shopping in Paris with him.
• Draco Malfoy sent invitations to old British pure-blood families and gathered their representatives at the Hog’s Head Inn.
• Mr. Greengrass warned Draco about the responsibility of representing the Malfoy family, and Draco affirmed that his word could represent it.
• Draco explained that Charles Smith had authorized him to negotiate Gringotts compensation and proposed sharing the commission among participating families.
• The family representatives accepted Draco’s proposal without objection, each pursuing their own interests in the joint operation.

Krolan tried to secure help from goblin strongholds around the world as Gringotts faced a huge compensation demand from British wizards. The foreign envoys refused to unite and instead imposed harsh terms, leaving Krolan to accept a costly loan and collateral.

• Krolan ordered Gripfang to represent Gringotts and delay negotiations over the compensation for as long as possible.
• Krolan sent encrypted letters seeking aid, and the Siberia Goblin Internal Affairs Commission responded with ten tons of potatoes.
• Goldbag, Copperring, Anvil, and Sylvan arrived at Gringotts, but each pursued their own interests rather than offering unconditional support.
• Goldbag demanded 25% annual interest and collateral, Copperring proposed repayment through goblin labor, Anvil demanded heirlooms, and Sylvan refused to lend money.
• Krolan agreed to Goldbag's 25% interest and collateral terms, accepted labor repayment beginning in three years, and promised to provide suitable treasures.