Chapter Summaries

Albert struggled to teach Nia to ski, but Daisy succeeded in half an hour, and the family celebrated at a French restaurant. There, Albert met Louise and her father, Mr. Delacour, who discussed Albert’s reputation and a wager involving Hertok and Mr. Damocles.

• Albert tried for several days to teach Nia to ski, but the two kept falling together.
• Daisy taught Nia to ski in half an hour, and Herb took the family to a French restaurant to celebrate.
• Louise greeted Albert at the restaurant, and Mr. Delacour came over to meet him.
• Mr. Delacour said he had read Albert’s papers and heard that people thought he might become the next Dumbledore.
• Mr. Delacour asked Albert about Hertok’s research into a werewolf potion and a wager between Hertok and Mr. Damocles.
• Albert guessed that Mr. Dagworth had agreed to the wager to help Mr. Damocles earn an Order of Merlin.

Albert received a request from Mr. Dagworth to help improve the Wolfsbane Potion, but he could not leave his family during their vacation. After Mr. Dagworth contacted him through a Two-Way Mirror, Albert learned more about the potion’s purpose and Damocles’s work, and agreed they could communicate remotely.

• Adrian Delacour gave Albert a note from Mr. Dagworth and explained that Hertok would contact him about helping with something.
• Albert’s family asked him about werewolves and Beauty Potion, and he explained what he knew.
• Mr. Dagworth sent Albert a Two-Way Mirror and used it to ask him to help improve the Wolfsbane Potion with Damocles.
• Albert declined to travel because his family was with him, but Mr. Dagworth offered to discuss the potion through the mirror.
• Damocles doubted Albert because of his youth, while Mr. Dagworth defended Albert’s talent for improving potions.

Albert tried to ease Nia’s anxiety about Hogwarts by asking Professor McGonagall whether she had been accepted. The reply confirmed that Nia had no magical talent, and she ended the chapter grieving the loss of her hope to attend Hogwarts.

• The Andersons returned to Britain at the end of July, and Nia grew increasingly anxious as she waited for Hogwarts’s decision.
• Albert offered to ask Professor McGonagall about Nia’s admission and sent her a letter with Nia’s help.
• Professor McGonagall’s reply arrived enclosed with Albert’s Hogwarts letter, and Nia learned she had not been accepted.
• Daisy comforted Nia as she cried, while Albert reminded her of their agreement that she would help him manage things in the future.

Quirrell disguised himself as his former roommate and broke into Gringotts to steal the Philosopher's Stone, but found Vault 713 empty. After burning through the vault door and killing a goblin, he fled toward the upper levels, fearing the Dark Lord's punishment.

• Quirrell met Harry Potter at the Leaky Cauldron, then bought a vampire book and visited the travel agency to maintain his cover.
• Quirrell used Polyjuice Potion to take his former roommate's appearance and entered Gringotts with the man's key.
• Quirrell controlled the goblins with the Imperius Curse and reached Vault 713, intending to take the Philosopher's Stone.
• Quirrell discovered that opening the vault required Goblin Magic, then burned through its door with Fiendfyre, killing the goblin trapped inside.
• Quirrell found Vault 713 empty and rushed back toward the upper levels to escape Gringotts.

Albert reflected on Quirrell’s failed attempt to steal the Philosopher’s Stone and weighed the dangers of Hogwarts while receiving several invitations and letters. Nia returned in her new school uniform, but Isobel’s letter made her smile disappear.

• Albert read that Quirrell had failed to steal the Philosopher’s Stone and considered how events from his notes were unfolding despite his presence.
• Albert received invitations from Fred and George and Professor Broad, then read Sella Harrises’s offer to introduce him to several Alchemy Masters.
• Tom chased off an owl that had flown into Albert’s room, and Albert stopped him from attacking it.
• Nia returned in her Casterton Middle School uniform, and Albert took photographs of her.
• Nia picked up Isobel McDougal’s letter, asked who Isobel was, and read Albert’s explanation that she had asked about a guide to Ancient Runes.

Albert traveled to Diagon Alley with Herb, met the Weasley family, and shopped for his third year at Hogwarts. He bought a spare wand out of interest in Wand Lore and left the chapter with his preparations underway.

• Albert left home with Herb after Nia went to stay with the Andersons.
• At Gringotts, Albert and Herb exchanged pounds for Galleons and saw the goblins’ wanted notice for the thief.
• Albert introduced Herb to the Weasley family, and Mr. Weasley took Herb to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.
• Albert gave Mrs. Weasley his book list and Galleons, then went shopping in Diagon Alley with Fred and George.
• Albert bought fireworks for Nia, ordered robes, replenished potion ingredients, and purchased a crystal ball.
• Albert bought an old wand for one Galleon because he was interested in Wand Lore.

Albert returned to the Leaky Cauldron with Fred and George, then traveled with the Weasleys to The Burrow, where he met Ginny and learned Charlie was studying dragons in Romania. Fred and George showed Albert their unfinished magic toffee and asked him to help improve it, leaving him to suggest testing its effects on the gnomes.

• Albert gave Herb gifts for everyone and told Mr. Weasley that the Gringotts thief must have known which vault held the valuable item.
• Albert, Mr. Weasley, Fred, and George discussed how the item’s owner might know who had broken into Gringotts before Mrs. Weasley returned with Ron and Percy.
• The Weasleys and Albert used Floo Powder to travel to The Burrow, where Albert met Ginny and learned Charlie had gone to Romania to study dragons.
• Fred and George showed Albert their unfinished toffee made with Swelling Solution and asked him to help improve it.
• Albert suggested testing the candy’s effects first and asked where the gnomes were.

Albert spent the day at the Weasley home, exploring the yard, talking about wizarding life, and playing Wizard Card with the family. When Mr. Brood’s letter said he would send someone before dinner, Albert asked to be picked up afterward, eager to see Isobel’s surprise and learn about becoming the heir.

• Fred, George, and Albert experimented on a gnome with toffee and Swelling Solution, and Albert restored it with magic.
• Albert spoke with Mr. Weasley and Percy about Muggles, wizarding inventions, and Divination, then played Wizard Card with Ron and Ginny.
• Fred and George took Ron and Ginny to play Quidditch in the woods while Albert discussed school and their families with them.
• Mr. Brood’s letter told Albert that someone would collect him before dinner, so Albert sent word to come after dinner instead.

Albert reunited with Isobel and Katrina at the manor and discussed their studies before Mr. Brood revealed that Albert and Isobel were candidates to inherit the Wildsmith surname. Albert learned that the selection was still under observation and was offered the full story if he agreed to inherit it.

• Mrs. Weasley served Albert extra helpings before Noel the House-elf took him to Mr. Brood’s manor.
• Albert found Isobel and Katrina at the manor, where Katrina was surprised to see him and questioned why he had been invited.
• Albert discussed a book on Charm Theory with Isobel, then they talked about managing their Twelve courses for the coming term.
• Mr. Brood told Albert that he and Isobel were suitable candidates to inherit the Wildsmith surname, though the observation period was not over.
• Mr. Brood offered to explain the surname’s history and private details if Albert agreed, and Albert questioned how carefully the candidates had really been selected.

Albert agreed to inherit the Wildsmith surname after learning he would gain access to centuries of accumulated knowledge in exchange for keeping the matter secret, helping train future heirs, and leaving his own knowledge behind. Mr. Brood gave him a gold-and-silver book containing the life’s work of Brael Boster, and Albert began examining it.

• Mr. Brood explained the benefits and responsibilities of inheriting the Wildsmith surname, and Albert agreed to the arrangement.
• Mr. Brood told Albert that the Wildsmith Castle was hidden by the Fidelius Charm and explained the family’s connection to Ignatia Wildsmith and Will de Smith.
• Mr. Brood said Rowena Smith and Brell had been rejected as heirs because the family judged them unsuitable, despite their bloodlines and abilities.
• Mr. Brood gave Albert a metal book made mostly of gold, and Albert found instructions for making Two-Way Mirrors and Brael Boster’s message inside it.

Albert spent the morning at the estate discussing the Gold Book and Isobel’s decision to let him inherit it. Morg then delivered Albert a letter from Sella Harishis, leaving its contents unknown.

• Albert woke after studying Brell's Gold Book and reflected on the estate he might inherit.
• Albert joined Isobel for breakfast and asked why she had refused the Gold Book, while Isobel said he was more suited to inherit it.
• Albert and Isobel discussed the difficulty of making Two-Way Mirrors and later talked about improving the Beauty Potion with Katrina.
• Morg visited and gave Albert a letter from Sella Harishis, prompting Katrina to question his reaction.

Dumbledore approved Albert Anderson and Katrina McDougal’s Time-Turner application while Professor McGonagall questioned his decision to keep the Philosopher’s Stone at Hogwarts. Quirrell and Voldemort recognized that Dumbledore’s safeguards were bait and that Quirrell would need to learn how the professors had designed them.

• Professor McGonagall delivered the approved Time-Turner application, and Dumbledore signed it.
• Professor McGonagall warned Dumbledore that keeping the Philosopher’s Stone at Hogwarts could endanger the students, especially with Harry Potter arriving.
• Snape reported that he had set up his safeguard and criticized Quirrell’s plan to hire a troll to guard the protections.
• Dumbledore insisted that Hogwarts was safe and privately wondered what Tom was planning.
• Voldemort told Quirrell to wait for an opportunity, explaining that Dumbledore’s safeguards were bait and his own strength was the real protection.
• Quirrell, fearing that his weakening body would soon die without the Philosopher’s Stone, decided to find out what safeguards the other professors had set.

Dumbledore and Sella Harrises brought Albert through a Vanishing Cabinet and a Fidelius-protected entrance to visit Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. They discussed the Flamels’ recent danger, and Perenelle compared Albert’s talent to Dumbledore’s when he was young.

• Dumbledore visited Sella Harrises and confirmed that Nicolas Flamel was alive but had encountered trouble.
• Sella led Dumbledore and Albert through a Vanishing Cabinet, and the three Apparated from an underground room.
• Dumbledore took Albert and Sella to Twelve, Tulip Street Apartment, revealing its secret entrance through the Fidelius Charm.
• Nicolas and Perenelle welcomed the visitors, and Dumbledore said the Flamels’ location was no longer being watched.
• Perenelle praised Albert’s talent and recalled how Dumbledore had impressed them after graduating from school.

Albert visited Nicolas and Perenelle LeMay, shared tea and stories about Dumbledore, and discussed the history of magic and alchemy. Nicolas recognized Albert’s extraordinary talent, and Albert stayed with the LeMays after Harishis quietly left.

• Albert praised Perenelle’s tea and listened as the LeMays recalled meeting Dumbledore and discussing magic with him.
• Nicolas explained that Dumbledore’s reputation for discovering the twelve uses of Dragon Blood had grown from a paper that popularized knowledge other wizards had already uncovered.
• Nicolas described the fourteenth century as an ignorant age when wizards concealed knowledge, and said much old magic had become unsuitable rather than vanished.
• Albert asked Nicolas about alchemy, showed him his Protective Bracelet, and exchanged ideas across several fields.
• Nicolas recognized Albert’s extraordinary talent as their conversation continued for hours, and Harishis quietly left before lunch.
• Perenelle told Albert he could stay with the LeMays until Mr. Harishis returned to take him back in a few days.

Albert considered whether to inherit Nicolas Flamel’s knowledge, then spent another day with Nicolas discussing amulets and the damaged Ravenclaw’s Diadem. Nicolas could not repair the Diadem and described Dumbledore as possibly the most powerful wizard in history.

• Albert found the new Heir task but decided to let his relationship with Nicolas Flamel develop naturally rather than pursue an inheritance.
• Albert dreamed of creating the Philosopher’s Stone and living for centuries, then reflected that he studied mainly for self-preservation while Hogwarts remained dangerous.
• Albert joined Nicolas and Perenelle LeMay for breakfast and spent the day talking with Nicolas about amulets and garnets.
• Nicolas showed Albert Ravenclaw’s Diadem and explained that Dumbledore had asked him to repair it, but he had failed because the Diadem’s enchantment had been damaged.
• Albert asked Nicolas about Dumbledore’s strength, and Nicolas said he knew of no wizard who could surpass him and suspected even Merlin might not have matched him.

Albert studied Crystal Ball Divination at home while enjoying pearl milk tea with his family, and he finally unlocked the skill after the crystal ball’s mist began to swirl. The mist thinned, and he glimpsed a hand writing a string of numbers.

• Albert served Nia pearl milk tea and put Tom on a diet because the cat had grown to twenty pounds.
• Albert showed Nia a tracking tag Nicolas had made for Tom and explained that a compass could locate it.
• Albert told Nia he was teaching himself Crystal Ball Divination, while Daisy questioned whether it could really make money.
• Albert noticed the crystal ball’s mist swirling, unlocked Crystal Ball Divination, and raised the skill to level two.
• Albert saw the mist thin and glimpsed a hand writing a string of numbers on parchment.

Albert prepared to leave for Hogwarts, giving Nia a protective garnet amulet and saying goodbye to his family before boarding the Hogwarts Express with Tom and Shera. On the train, the pets’ feud escalated when Shera escaped her cage and pecked Tom.

• Albert gave Nia a garnet amulet he had made with Nicolas Flamel and warned her to keep magic secret and protect herself.
• Albert left home with Tom and Shera and said goodbye to his family at King's Cross Station.
• Albert boarded the Hogwarts Express, let Tom out of his cage, and tried to keep him and Shera from fighting.
• Albert watched the platform for Harry Potter while Tom provoked Shera at her cage.
• Shera lifted the cage latch, escaped, and pecked Tom, setting off chaos in the compartment.

On the Hogwarts Express, Albert and Lee Jordan discussed their pets and speculated about Harry Potter after Albert spotted a black-haired boy at the station. Fred and George went to confirm the boy’s identity, while Albert told Lee he would see Harry at the Sorting.

• Lee Jordan showed Albert his venomous Bag Spider, and Albert warned him to keep it from biting anyone and pointed out he had brought no food for it.
• Albert explained that he had brought Tom and Shera because nobody was home to care for them, then claimed he had seen Fred and George at the station.
• Albert changed the subject by suggesting that a black-haired boy he had seen might have been Harry Potter, and Lee Jordan accused him of making it up.
• Fred and George entered the compartment, and George confirmed that a black-haired boy had been beside them and asking for directions.
• George and Fred hurried off to find the boy, while Albert told Lee Jordan he would see Harry during the Sorting.

On the Hogwarts Express, Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan discussed Harry Potter, pets, and the cost of feeding Lee Jordan’s Bag Spider. After Fred’s Fat Tongue Toffee prank, Albert advised the twins to develop more products before trying to sell them at school.

• Fred and George returned to the compartment and told Albert and Lee Jordan that Harry Potter was on the train.
• Lee Jordan considered releasing his Bag Spider because he could not afford to feed it, while Fred and George examined it and teased Albert’s cat, Tom.
• Albert fed dried fish to Tom and the Bag Spider, showing Lee Jordan that the spider would eat it, then explained that pet food cost money.
• Fred gave Lee Jordan a Fat Tongue Toffee, which made his tongue swell until Albert restored it with his wand.
• Albert tasted a Fat Tongue Toffee and advised Fred and George to invent more products before selling them and building a future shop.

On the Hogwarts Express, Albert and his friends shared food, discussed the new students’ likely houses, and read about the Ministry in the Daily Prophet. When Neville and Hermione returned asking for help, Albert summoned Neville’s lost toad and advised him to keep it in a cage.

• Albert told Fred and George that their fireworks research exceeded their current knowledge, then bought snacks for the group.
• Neville came looking for his missing toad, and Albert suggested asking the Student Council President for help; Hermione later came with him to ask again.
• Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan guessed which houses Neville and Hermione would join, and Albert explained why people might favor Gryffindor or avoid Slytherin.
• Albert read a Daily Prophet article mocking the Ministry for letting a smuggler escape and noted that the paper had stopped offering a reward for information on Rowena Smith.
• Neville and Hermione returned when they could not find the toad, so Albert summoned it through the compartment window and told Neville to keep it in a cage.