Chapter Summaries

Dumbledore and Snape discussed Hogwarts’s Potions Tournament candidates and Professor Lupin’s safety, while Dumbledore continued investigating Sirius Black’s escape and the mystery of whom he sought. The Ministry prepared to station Dementors outside Hogwarts, but Dumbledore refused to let them enter the school grounds.

• Dumbledore asked Snape to recommend candidates for the Magical School Potions Tournament, and Snape discussed Isobel McDougal and Anderson, whom Hertok Dagworth had recommended.
• Snape agreed to teach tournament candidates how to handle potion ingredients, then objected to Lupin’s appointment and warned that he was dangerous.
• Dumbledore reviewed memories of Black’s escape and the Potters, questioning whether Black had truly betrayed James and what he had seen in the newspaper.
• Snape returned with Auror Dawlish, who said Dementors would be stationed around Hogwarts starting the next day.
• Dumbledore refused to let the Dementors enter Hogwarts, citing the threat they posed to his students.

Albert traveled to King's Cross with his family and boarded the Hogwarts Express, where he met the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. He discussed plans to capture Black for the reward and learned about Lee Jordan's supposed Dream Messenger token, while the group shared gifts and macarons.

• Herb drove Albert and Nia through a traffic jam, and Albert spotted two Ministry of Magic cars speeding through traffic.
• Albert reached King's Cross, passed Ministry employees guarding Platform 9 3/4, and met Fred, George, Ginny, and Percy as the Weasleys said goodbye.
• Fred and George asked Albert about his plan to capture Black, and Albert said Black was likely hiding near Hogwarts and could be caught if they waited for the right opportunity.
• Lee Jordan gave Albert a carved stone as a supposed Dream Messenger token, but Albert doubted its authenticity and Lee admitted his first stone had been a tourist trinket.
• Fred and George gave Albert an alchemy book and Lee Jordan a bottle of ordinary honey, then the group sampled macarons Albert had brought.

Albert joined the Prefects on the Hogwarts Express and warned his friends that Dementors might board the train. As the train slowed in the darkness, a Dementor appeared outside the Prefects’ compartment.

• Albert gave Fred a bottle of Cheering Draught and warned the twins and Lee Jordan that the Dementors might search the train.
• Albert joined the Prefects’ orientation, then stayed with Isobel instead of patrolling and showed her a photograph of Tom’s kittens.
• Albert and Isobel shared food and milk tea with the other Prefects and discussed their plans after graduation.
• The train slowed as frost spread across the windows, and Albert guessed that Dementors had boarded to search for Black.
• Percy opened the compartment door and froze when he saw a cloaked Dementor standing outside.

When Dementors searched the Hogwarts Express, Albert drove one away with his corporeal Patronus and helped the shaken students recover. As the train neared Hogsmeade, he warned Fred and George that Ginny might also have been affected.

• Albert summoned a Griffin Patronus, knocked a Dementor out of the Prefects' compartment, and drove it away.
• Albert comforted Isobel with Cheering Draught and chocolate, then helped Percy and the other Prefects recover and encouraged them to keep order.
• Professor Lupin introduced himself as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor and left with Percy to speak to the driver.
• Albert returned to Fred and George's compartment, explained that only a corporeal Patronus could drive away Dementors, and learned that their weak Patronuses had kept one from entering.
• Albert warned Fred and George that Ginny might have been badly affected by the Dementor, so they hurried off to check on her.

Albert arrived at Hogwarts in cold rain, saw the Dementors guarding the school, and heard Dumbledore warn that they would be carrying out Ministry business on the grounds. After the feast, Albert led the Gryffindor first-years to their common room and returned to find his cat waiting hungrily in his dormitory.

• Albert met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan at Hogsmeade Station and dried their wet robes with a spell before they rode to Hogwarts.
• At the feast, Albert noticed Snape glaring at the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Lupin, while Harry was absent until the Sorting Ceremony ended.
• Dumbledore announced that Dementors would remain at Hogwarts and warned students not to leave without permission or provoke them.
• Dumbledore introduced Lupin as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor and Hagrid as a teacher, prompting Albert to question Hagrid’s fitness for the role.
• Nearly Headless Nick gave Albert the Gryffindor common-room password, and Albert led the first-years there with Shanna.
• Albert returned to his dormitory and found his cat staring at him as if it were hungry.

Professor McGonagall asked Albert to represent Hogwarts in the Magical School Potions Tournament and arranged weekend tutoring with Snape. At breakfast, Harry considered learning the Patronus Charm, while Hermione kept the secret of how she would attend overlapping classes.

• Albert woke from a nightmare, scolded Tom for being overweight, and showed Fred, George, and Lee Jordan the enlarged space he had made for the cat.
• Professor McGonagall told Albert that Magical Garden was holding the Potions Tournament and that Snape would tutor him starting that weekend.
• Albert told his friends about the tournament and complained that Snape's tutoring felt like detention.
• George gave Harry his timetable, and the group discussed the Patronus Charm after Harry asked about driving off Dementors.
• Hermione told Ron that Professor McGonagall had arranged her overlapping classes, but she did not explain how she would attend them.

Albert and his classmates began their Fourth Year lessons with Snape stressing the importance of O.W.L.s and assigning them a Calming Draught, while Lupin assessed their Defense Against the Dark Arts knowledge and demonstrated the Shield Charm. Lupin left the class focused on O.W.L. preparation rather than learning new defensive spells.

• Snape announced that students would need high O.W.L. marks to enter his N.E.W.T. Potions class and assigned the class to brew a Calming Draught.
• Snape told Albert to attend Potions Championship training every weekend, and Albert successfully brewed the potion despite Snape interrupting him.
• Fred, George, and Lee Jordan discussed their poor Potions prospects and whether they could leave Hogwarts early, while Albert warned them about failing their O.W.L.s.
• Professor Binns lectured about the giant wars as most of the class dozed or occupied themselves.
• Lupin reviewed the class's Defense Against the Dark Arts preparation, asked Albert to demonstrate the Disarming Charm, and blocked it with a Shield Charm.
• Lupin explained Protego but declined to teach the Shield Charm until the class had covered the remaining O.W.L. material.

After Lupin’s lesson, Albert and his friends discussed his teaching, the possibility that he was a werewolf, and their plans to profit from protective magic if the wizarding world became dangerous. They then learned that Draco Malfoy had been injured by a Hippogriff and debated the likely consequences for Hagrid, before discussing which subjects they would keep next year.

• Lee Jordan said Lupin seemed likely to focus on the textbook and O.W.L. preparation, and Albert hinted that he knew a secret about the professor but would not share it.
• Lee Jordan reported that Draco Malfoy was in the School Hospital after insulting a Hippogriff, which scratched his arm during Hagrid’s class.
• Albert said he had warned Hagrid against bringing dangerous creatures to class, but argued that Hagrid had to take responsibility for his own choices.
• Albert predicted that Dumbledore and the Ministry’s poor treatment of Hagrid would protect him from the Malfoy family’s influence, though he expected Hagrid’s lessons to become less exciting.
• Albert said he planned to drop several subjects next year, and he told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that students needed at least an E to continue Transfiguration into sixth year.

Albert explained Divination and Professor Trelawney’s gift to Hermione, then warned Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Hagrid would not be expelled but Buckbeak would likely be condemned. He offered to help Hagrid as the trio went to visit him.

• Albert worked with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan on their Potions essay while Hermione approached with Crookshanks, and Tom jealously guarded Albert’s treats.
• Hermione questioned the value of Divination, and Albert explained that Trelawney possessed prophetic talent but could not use it, so she played the mystic to gain trust.
• Albert told Hermione that he sought recognition as a seer because a seer’s words carried more weight than those of an underage wizard.
• Albert assured Hermione that Dumbledore would protect Hagrid from expulsion but predicted that Lucius Malfoy would target the Hippogriff instead.
• Albert warned Harry that Buckbeak could be executed and suggested a donation to Fudge might save it; he then promised to help Hagrid as Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to visit him.

Albert reassured Hagrid after Malfoy was injured in Care of Magical Creatures and coached him on how to answer the Ministry’s investigation. On the way back to the castle, Albert urged his friends to practise the Patronus Charm, while Fred, George, and Lee discussed ways to prank Malfoy.

• Albert told Hagrid that Dumbledore would support him and advised him to blame Malfoy for ignoring the rules and injuring himself.
• Albert gave Hagrid a calming draught and coached him to repeat two concise answers if questioned by the Ministry.
• Albert explained the Patronus Charm’s importance to Fred, George, and Lee, encouraging them to practise for their O.W.L.s.
• Fred and George described their thirteen experimental Magical Candies and debated using one to prank Malfoy.
• Albert warned the group to avoid leaving evidence or getting caught if they went ahead with the prank.

Albert and the others laughed over Neville’s memory of Snape dressed as his grandmother, while Wood discussed choosing a successor as Quidditch captain. As rain fell over Hogwarts, Black evaded the Dementors in dog form and reached the passage beneath the Whomping Willow.

• Albert showed Neville’s memory of Snape in his grandmother’s clothes through a crystal ball, making Fred, George, and Lee Jordan laugh.
• Wood told Fred and George that Quidditch training would begin tomorrow and asked who should succeed him as captain.
• Albert predicted Professor McGonagall would choose Angelina, while Lee Jordan worried that Angelina liked someone else.
• The Ministry’s diminishing supply of prisoners left the Dementors increasingly short of food, and their searches drove residents from Hogsmeade.
• Black slipped past the Dementors as a black dog, entered the passage beneath the Whomping Willow, and changed back into human form.

As O.W.L. homework overwhelmed the students, Albert attended Snape’s Potions Championship tutoring and impressed him by quickly mastering ingredient-identification lessons. Albert and Isobel discussed Lupin’s lycanthropy and a spell to restrain werewolves, while their friends struggled with homework; the chapter ended with Albert receiving house photographs marked with the price 2000.

• Fred complained that the O.W.L.s and endless homework were driving him mad, while George reminded him to practise the Vanishing Spell.
• Snape explained the Potions Championship and challenged Albert’s limited experience, but Albert said he had memorised every recipe in Advanced Potion-Making and urged Snape to begin the lesson.
• Albert and Isobel rapidly learned Snape’s lessons on identifying, gathering, and preserving potion ingredients, prompting Snape to move them to ingredient handling the following week.
• Isobel asked Albert about Lupin’s lycanthropy, and Albert reassured her that Dumbledore likely had arrangements for Wolfsbane Potion and offered to teach her the Human-Shape Restoration Charm.
• Fred, George, Jordan, Ron, Harry, and Hermione complained about their homework, while Albert advised Hermione to seek Percy’s advice or drop courses if needed.
• Albert received photographs of houses with the number 2000 written on them and considered the price cheap.

Albert explained his plans for a concealed safe house as he prepared for the Second Wizarding War, then received a large pile of birthday gifts from friends and family. Daisy and Herb were considering an overseas inspection, with Uncle Charlie investing in their colonial venture, leaving Albert hopeful that his family could temporarily leave Britain.

• Albert told Fred and George that a safe house needed concealment and magical protections, and said he was preparing for Voldemort's return.
• Lee Jordan told Albert, Fred, and George that birthday gifts had arrived, so they returned to the dormitory to open them.
• Fred and George checked the packages with an Honesty Detector, and Albert received books, candy, a quill, a scarf, and other gifts from friends.
• Albert read Daisy's letter saying Herb planned to inspect the colonies and Uncle Charlie had invested in their venture.
• Albert marveled that money had persuaded them and hoped his family could temporarily leave Britain for the colonies.

After Snape ended their tutoring, Albert told Isobel his theory about Snape’s history with Lily Evans and explained that he had bought a house in Hogsmeade. The chapter ended with Albert revealing that a Vanishing Cabinet would let them keep meeting after Isobel graduated.

• Snape dismissed Albert and Isobel from tutoring after they completed a Potions assessment, and they celebrated with dinner in the Room of Requirement.
• Albert told Isobel that Lupin was a werewolf and shared his theory that Snape had loved Lily Evans, whose death led him to betray Voldemort and serve as Dumbledore’s spy.
• Albert and Isobel joked about whether he would steal someone’s girl, then watched the rain together.
• Albert told Isobel he had bought a house in Hogsmeade for two thousand Galleons and planned to renovate it.
• Albert revealed that he had also found a Vanishing Cabinet so he and Isobel could meet after her graduation.

Albert prepared to win the Magical School Potions Tournament and divined that its first task would involve brewing a Cheering Draught. At Hogwarts, Malfoy was sent to the hospital after a prank left him suffering symptoms of a Murtlap bite, while Albert urged his friends to practice the Patronus Charm.

• Albert focused on preparing for the Potions Tournament, using divination to confirm that contestants would brew a Cheering Draught in the first round.
• Albert planned backup potion recipes, including a Beauty Potion, and asked Hagrid about finding unicorns and collecting Unicorn Tail Hair.
• Malfoy began trembling and clutching his backside in the Great Hall, and Percy sent Goyle and Crabbe to take him to the School Hospital.
• Lee Jordan spread a story that sparks had shot from Malfoy's anus, while Madam Pomfrey diagnosed symptoms consistent with a Murtlap bite.
• Albert warned his friends that the Dementors might become dangerous as their food supplies ran low and urged them to keep practicing the Patronus Charm.
• Harry and Hermione asked to join Fred, George, and Lee Jordan in learning the Patronus Charm from Albert.

Albert taught Harry, Hermione, and Ron the basics of the Patronus Charm and demonstrated his corporeal Griffin Patronus. He advised Harry to seek Professor Lupin’s help in facing a substitute for Dementors so he could overcome their effects.

• Fred brought Harry, Hermione, and Ron to Albert’s dormitory to learn the Patronus Charm.
• Albert explained the spell and showed them the wand movement, while Fred demonstrated a non-corporeal Patronus.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron each produced silver wisps after practising the incantation, and Albert explained that a corporeal Patronus required much more practice.
• Albert described the Patronus Charm’s difficulty, revealed that his own Patronus was a Griffin, and demonstrated it for the group.
• Albert told Harry that mastering the spell would not necessarily protect him from Dementors and recommended that he ask Professor Lupin for help facing a similar substitute.

Harry asked Hagrid about Professor Lupin’s friendship with James Potter, but Hagrid told him to ask Lupin directly. Hagrid also explained Albert’s preparations for the Magical School Potions Tournament and warned Harry that Albert doubted the Dementors could keep Sirius Black away from Hogwarts.

• Harry asked Hagrid whether Lupin had been close friends with his father, and Hagrid confirmed they had been inseparable at school but declined to explain why Lupin had not visited Harry.
• Hermione asked why Albert had visited Hagrid, and Hagrid said Albert had asked about magical creatures and the forest for the Magical School Potions Tournament.
• Hagrid explained that contestants would gather ingredients in the Magical Garden and said he believed Albert could win the tournament for Hogwarts.
• Ron told Harry and Hermione that Albert expected Sirius Black to appear at Hogwarts and wanted to catch him for the reward; Hagrid said Albert thought the chance was low and the timing was not right.
• Hagrid insisted on escorting Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to the castle and told Harry not to wander after dark because Albert believed Dementors were unreliable.

Albert discussed Sirius Black’s reported sighting, the Venomous Tentacula seeds, and preparations for the Magical School Potions Tournament. After Crookshanks chased Scabbers in the Gryffindor common room, Albert suggested that the unusually old rat might be worth a fortune to Muggle researchers.

• Albert read that Sirius Black had been spotted far away, and he guessed Black was trying to divert attention.
• Fred and George discussed buying Venomous Tentacula seeds from Mundungus, and Albert advised them to negotiate for half the asking price.
• Professor McGonagall gave Albert a notice about the Potions Tournament, and he warned her that cheating was common in competitions.
• Lee Jordan announced that the first Hogsmeade weekend would fall on Halloween Eve, while Albert declined to go and arranged to meet Mundungus another time.
• Crookshanks chased Scabbers around the common room, and Albert stopped the cat before Ron retrieved his rat.
• Albert pointed out that Scabbers had lived far longer than an ordinary rat and said Muggle researchers might pay a great deal for him.

Fred and George convinced Ron that Scabbers might be worth a fortune, though Hermione pointed out that selling him would not make Ron rich. Harry and Ron wanted to help catch Black, but the twins said they would need to master the Corporeal Patronus first.

• Fred and George told Ron that Scabbers could be worth tens of thousands of Galleons because he had lived unusually long, and Ron briefly believed them.
• Hermione challenged the twins’ claim, while Lee Jordan confirmed Albert had said Muggle biologists might pay a great deal for Scabbers.
• Lee explained that exchanging Muggle money for Galleons would be difficult, leaving Ron disappointed that Scabbers would not make him rich.
• Harry told the group his permission form was unsigned, and Fred and George offered to help him sneak into Hogsmeade despite Hermione’s warning about Black and the Dementors.
• Ron asked when they would catch Black, and George said they would have to master the Corporeal Patronus before Albert would take them.
• Hermione warned Harry and Ron not to underestimate Black or clash with Dementors, and the twins replied that Albert had already struck a Dementor with his Patronus.

Albert and Isobel visited the secluded Hogsmeade house he had bought and discussed turning it into a hidden laboratory and safe retreat. The chapter ended with them planning renovations and Albert intending to protect the house with a Fidelius Charm.

• Albert met Isobel after breakfast and used his Patronus to shield them from the Dementors guarding Hogwarts.
• Albert and Isobel concealed themselves and Apparated to Hogsmeade, then went to the secluded house that Bit had prepared.
• Albert showed Isobel the expanded suitcase containing two Vanishing Cabinets and explained that it could provide access to the house.
• Albert told Isobel he planned to use the house as a laboratory and Secret Base, and she warned him to leave Britain if the situation became dangerous.
• Albert and Isobel planned to renovate and expand the house, while Albert said he would cast a Fidelius Charm to keep it hidden.