Chapter Summaries

Albert and his family shared an Eastern dumpling feast while discussing plans for a holiday in the Eastern colony with Luke and Sansa. After walking Isobel home, he left her considering when the trip might happen in relation to her marriage.

• Nia and Daisy made dumplings for the family, and Albert prepared dipping sauce before everyone tried several kinds.
• Albert helped Luke and Sansa agree to visit the Eastern colony in two years and suggested hiring an overseas student to teach them the language.
• Nia asked Albert whether he already knew the language, and he confirmed that he did.
• Albert escorted Isobel to a nearby park, where she Apparated home after he had walked away.
• Isobel told Mrs. McDougal about Albert's family and their travel plans, then brought the dumplings upstairs for Katrina.

Sirius Black enlisted Crookshanks to buy Harry Potter an owl and then arranged for Kreacher to purchase Harry a Firebolt. The gifts were set to reach Harry before Christmas, though their sender remained a secret.

• Sirius Black asked Crookshanks to get the Gryffindor Common Room password and deliver a note ordering an owl for Harry.
• Crookshanks took the note to the Hogsmeade post office, where the wizard behind the counter sold him a Little Owl on Harry's credit.
• Crookshanks brought the owl back to the Shrieking Shack, and Sirius gave it another note for Kreacher.
• Kreacher used Sirius's authority as the Black family's heir to withdraw gold from the family vault and pay for a Firebolt and the owl.
• Quidditch Quality Supplies recorded a confidential order to send Harry a Firebolt as a Christmas gift before Christmas Eve.

On the train back to Hogwarts, Albert helped Fred summon a Corporeal Patronus, while George revealed he had already mastered the spell. After they saw how easily Dementors disrupted their Patronuses, Albert suggested practicing against a Boggart.

• Albert guided Fred through the Patronus Charm by urging him to focus on happy memories and the reward of Galleons.
• Fred summoned a silver magpie Patronus, and George revealed that he had summoned the same kind of Patronus days earlier.
• Lee Jordan practiced harder after the twins succeeded and saw his Patronus take shape like a gorilla.
• Albert wondered whether Patronuses could be stored and considered asking Dumbledore for help researching the idea.
• At Hogwarts, Fred and George found their Patronuses too fragile to withstand nearby Dementors, so Albert suggested using a Boggart for practice.

After returning from the Christmas holiday, Albert learned that Professor McGonagall had confiscated Harry’s anonymous Firebolt for inspection. Hermione privately told Albert she suspected Professor Lupin was a werewolf, and he agreed to keep the secret while reassuring her about Lupin’s precautions.

• Albert and Lee Jordan played Wizard Card in the Gryffindor Common Room while Fred and George hurried to copy their homework.
• Wood learned Harry had received an anonymous Firebolt and rushed off to challenge Professor McGonagall’s decision to inspect it.
• Lee Jordan told Albert and the others that Professor McGonagall had taken the broom because she feared it might be cursed, and Albert explained how a buyer could order it anonymously.
• Hermione told Albert she had deduced Professor Lupin was a werewolf from his absences during the Full Moon and his Boggart, and Albert admitted he had guessed as well.
• Albert reassured Hermione that Lupin was likely taking Wolfsbane Potion, warned her that the Defence Against the Dark Arts post was dangerous, and asked her to keep Lupin’s secret.
• Hermione said Harry and Ron were upset with her over the Firebolt, and Albert comforted her before advising her to consider dropping some of her twelve courses.

Hermione persuaded Professor McGonagall to verify the Firebolt’s safety with its seller, and the investigation found no Dark Curses on it. Professor McGonagall returned the broom to the Gryffindor Common Room for Harry, where Albert protected it from the curious students while Hermione worried about Harry learning the Patronus Charm.

• Hermione told Professor McGonagall that Quidditch Quality Supplies could confirm the Firebolt’s history, and McGonagall agreed to investigate.
• A few days later, Professor McGonagall brought the Firebolt to the Gryffindor Common Room and confirmed it had no Dark Curses; she asked Albert to deliver it to Harry.
• Albert displayed the broom behind a magical barrier so students could admire it without touching it, while Harry was away learning to resist Dementors from Professor Lupin.
• Hermione thanked Albert for helping get the Firebolt cleared, and Ron argued with her about Crookshanks targeting Scabbers before storming off.
• Hermione worried that Harry might not learn the Patronus Charm in time, and Albert reassured her that Dumbledore would prevent Dementors from endangering the Quidditch match.

After Harry’s Firebolt became public, the Quidditch results left Gryffindor a chance to compete for the championship. Albert then received Hagrid’s letter about Buckbeak’s hearing and considered how to help, while Isobel teased him for predicting trouble.

• News of Harry Potter’s Firebolt spread through Hogwarts, and students from the other Houses reacted to the broom and congratulated Harry.
• The Ravenclaw Team lost narrowly to the Slytherin Team after Cho Chang caught the Golden Snitch, leaving Gryffindor a possible path to the championship.
• Albert spent much of his time revising with Isobel for her exams.
• Albert received Hagrid’s letters stating that Buckbeak had to attend a hearing on April twentieth and that Hagrid feared the case was hopeless.
• Albert and Isobel discussed his predictions about Buckbeak’s troubles, then watched Cedric Diggory walk and talk with Cho Chang.

Albert sought Professor McGonagall’s help with making a moving magical model of Buckbeak as a gift for Hagrid, then demonstrated a lifelike dragon model to Lee Jordan and the Weasley Twins. As Gryffindor prepared to face Ravenclaw, Albert reassured his friends that Slytherin was unlikely to sabotage Harry’s Firebolt.

• Albert failed to transfigure wood into a convincing Hippogriff and asked Professor McGonagall for advice.
• Professor McGonagall explained how to make a Magical Model and warned Albert that transfiguring a dragon was practically impossible.
• Albert practiced making Magical Models and turned Lee Jordan’s book into a lifelike Norwegian Ridgeback that breathed sparks before changing it back.
• Fred and George told Albert and Lee Jordan that the Slytherin Team had watched Gryffindor practice and discussed the upcoming matches and their Dungbomb supply.
• Albert said Slytherin could not easily harm Harry or his Firebolt, and explained why disguising themselves as Dementors would be foolish.

Scabbers was revealed as Peter Pettigrew, who recalled how fear and self-preservation led him to betray the Order of the Phoenix and the Potters. With Sirius Black still hunting him, Peter prepared to fake his death again and fled the dormitory.

• Peter recognized that Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban and was searching for him at Hogwarts.
• Peter remembered joining the Order of the Phoenix reluctantly, then submitting to Voldemort after Voldemort threatened him and his mother.
• Peter recalled betraying the Order by becoming the Potters’ Secret-Keeper, after James agreed to the plan and apologized to him.
• Peter returned to human form, decided he could not turn back, and planted cat hairs and blood on Ron’s bed to stage his death.
• Peter turned back into a rat and slipped away before Black could find him.

Albert reassured Hermione about the O.W.L. exams, helped Neville solve his forgetfulness and password problems, and explained why Ron was furious after Hermione’s cat ate Scabbers. The chapter left Fred, George, and Lee understanding that pets could be family and that Filch regarded Mrs. Norris as emotional support.

• Albert told Hermione that mastering the professors’ key points should make the O.W.L. exams manageable, and suggested she ask Percy for advice.
• Albert helped Neville get past Sir Cadogan and recommended carrying a notebook to record passwords and other details.
• Albert found Ron rushing downstairs in a bedsheet after Hermione’s cat had apparently eaten Scabbers.
• Albert explained to Fred, George, and Lee that Ron saw Scabbers as family, prompting Lee to realize Mrs. Norris was family to Filch.
• Lee recalled that Filch had acted like a mad dog after Mrs. Norris was petrified, and the others understood why Albert had warned them not to hurt her.

Harry's Firebolt drew attention before Gryffindor's match against Ravenclaw, and Malfoy taunted Harry by claiming Buckbeak would likely be sentenced to death. Albert predicted Gryffindor had the advantage, while Percy worried about a bet he had made with Penelope.

• Malfoy told Harry that his father had heard Buckbeak was likely to be sentenced to death, then mocked Harry about his Firebolt and his previous match.
• Harry, Ron, George, and other Gryffindors reminded Malfoy that his mistake had helped Ravenclaw beat Slytherin, and Malfoy stormed out as they laughed.
• Wood encouraged Harry to focus on winning the match, though Harry remained troubled by Buckbeak's possible fate.
• Albert told Isobel, Penelope, and Percy that Harry's Firebolt gave Gryffindor a strong advantage, while they discussed whether Quidditch should allow unequal brooms.
• Percy privately asked Albert to predict the match because he had bet ten Galleons with Penelope, and Albert suggested they should have wagered a date instead.

Albert and Isobel watched Gryffindor play Ravenclaw, discussing the match and helping a stressed Katrina with her O.W.L. preparations. The game ended with Gryffindor’s victory after Malfoy and his companions tried to frighten Harry by pretending to be Dementors, only to be scared off by his Patronus.

• Albert told Isobel about Percy and Penelope’s bet as they walked to the Quidditch Pitch.
• Albert and Isobel joined Katrina and Hermione to watch Ravenclaw fall far behind Gryffindor, and Albert offered Katrina old O.W.L. exam papers.
• Albert explained that Gryffindor’s intense training and Ravenclaw’s shaken confidence had caused the early score gap; Ravenclaw adjusted its play and began to recover.
• Albert spotted Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint dressing as Dementors to scare Harry.
• Harry conjured a Silver Stag Patronus that frightened Malfoy and the others, and Madam Hooch ended the match with Gryffindor victorious.

After Gryffindor won the match, Albert watched Professor McGonagall punish Malfoy and his group, then helped Truman consider his prospects after graduation. The chapter ended with Albert warning Truman to leave if circumstances turned bad, while Percy and Penelope headed toward the castle together.

• Albert watched Professor McGonagall reprimand Malfoy and his group for conspiring against Gryffindor's Seeker, and she took fifty points from Slytherin.
• Albert and Truman discussed the difficulties Muggle-born wizards faced in the Ministry of Magic and considered jobs that might suit Truman.
• Albert offered to recommend Truman to the Muggle Problem Mediation Committee, the Muggle Liaison Office, and the Muggle Studies Society, and Truman accepted his help.
• Albert warned Truman to leave immediately if things began looking bad, but Truman did not understand what he meant.
• Albert and Truman saw Percy and Penelope walking together toward the castle, and Truman remarked that Percy planned to join the Ministry.

The Gryffindors celebrated their Quidditch victory with a party, while Albert encouraged Hermione to reconcile with Ron and suggested she write about Muggle life. The party ended with Hermione leaving after Ron’s pointed remark about Scabbers, and their disagreement remained unresolved.

• Lee Jordan told the Gryffindors that the Slytherin players who had tried to frame Harry had been punished with detention, and the Common Room laughed at their scheme.
• Wood worried that Fred and George had disappeared with the party money, while he and Lee Jordan brought food back from the kitchen.
• Fred and George returned with Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, sweets, and fireworks, and the Gryffindors celebrated into the evening.
• Albert gave Hermione Butterbeer and Custard Biscuits, suggested she write a book about Muggles, and advised her to apologize to Ron.
• Harry praised Hermione for believing he would catch the Golden Snitch, but Ron’s remark about Scabbers made Hermione leave for the Girls' Dormitory.

Albert and the others examined the suspicious circumstances of Sirius Black’s break-in and brainstormed how he entered Hogwarts, obtained the password, and evaded the Dementors. They concluded Black likely had an accomplice at Hogwarts and was targeting someone in Harry’s dormitory, but they could not agree on whom.

• Albert questioned how Sirius Black had entered the Gryffindor Common Room, and Lee Jordan explained that Black had found the password Neville Longbottom lost.
• George, Shanna, and Angelina debated why Black had not killed Ron or the other boys, noting that his retreat seemed strange for a fugitive bent on revenge.
• Albert asked the group to list explanations, and they proposed that Black might have an accomplice, a disguise, secret passages, or another way to get into Hogwarts and evade the Dementors.
• Albert summarized their guesses: Black wanted to kill someone in Harry’s dormitory, knew secret passages, had help obtaining the password, and could disguise himself.
• Shanna asked the group to imagine Black was a good person, but Aylia rejected the idea, arguing that an innocent man would have tried to clear his name after escaping Azkaban.

After Black escaped from Hogwarts, Albert questioned the Ministry’s reliability and hinted that Black might be innocent. Dumbledore recognized the warning and began reconsidering the circumstances of Black’s imprisonment and his apparent attack on Harry.

• Professor McGonagall told the Gryffindors that Black had escaped, and Shanna later reported that McGonagall accepted he might have entered through a secret passage.
• Albert told Shanna and Aylia that their speculation would not persuade adults without evidence, while doubting that Harry had been Black’s intended target.
• Dumbledore strengthened Hogwarts security, replacing Sir Cadogan and arranging protection for the Fat Lady with guards hired by the School Board.
• Albert told Professor Flitwick that he had predicted capturing Black but feared the Ministry would withhold the reward, then suggested the future might change.
• Flitwick relayed Albert’s prediction to Dumbledore, who inferred that Albert suspected Black was innocent and had warned them indirectly.

Albert and his friends investigated Sirius Black’s route into Hogwarts and found evidence suggesting he was an Animagus, while piecing together a theory that Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew. Albert decided they would capture Black if he appeared, uncover the truth, and seek payment for their efforts.

• Albert handed Katrina the papers she had requested, then joined Fred, George, and Lee Jordan to investigate a secret passage.
• The four found footprints in the passage that changed from human tracks to dog paw prints, and Albert photographed the evidence.
• Albert told his friends he suspected Black was an Animagus named Padfoot and had predicted he would take the form of a black dog.
• The friends connected Black’s possible innocence to Peter Pettigrew and reasoned that Pettigrew might have been an Animagus called Wormtail.
• George realized that Ron’s unusually long-lived rat, Scabbers, could be Peter Pettigrew, and the group concluded Black might be hunting him.
• Albert decided they should capture Black if he appeared, determine the truth, and seek the Ministry’s reward or payment from Black for Pettigrew.

Albert and Isobel visited Hogsmeade, where Draco Malfoy and his friends fell while fleeing after Malfoy claimed he had seen Harry’s floating head. After shopping, Albert continued work on hiding a concealed section of Hogsmeade Cottage with the Fidelius Charm.

• Fred, George, and Lee Jordan told Albert they had been searching Hogsmeade for Sirius Black in dog form.
• Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle suddenly tripped and fell in the street, injuring themselves.
• Malfoy said he had seen Harry’s head floating in midair, while Ron, Fred, George, and Lee offered to escort the group back to Hogwarts.
• Albert told Isobel that Malfoy would later become a Death Eater and blamed him for the coming execution of Hagrid’s Hippogriff.
• Albert and Isobel bought snacks and went to Hogsmeade Cottage, where Albert worked on concealing an inner section of the house with the Fidelius Charm.

Draco Malfoy reported Harry Potter for sneaking to Hogsmeade and devised a plan to prolong Buckbeak’s execution and frame Hagrid. Meanwhile, Snape confronted Lupin over the Marauder’s Map, but Ron claimed he had bought it, and Lupin left with Harry, Ron, and the parchment, frustrating Snape’s attempt to punish Harry.

• Draco Malfoy told Snape that Harry Potter’s ghost had appeared in Hogsmeade and that he, Crabbe, and Goyle had been struck with mud and jinxed.
• Draco received treatment from Madam Pomfrey, then told Crabbe and Goyle he would try to delay Buckbeak’s execution and eventually frame Hagrid.
• Snape summoned Lupin and accused him of giving Harry the parchment, which Snape believed contained Dark Magic and had been made by the Marauders.
• Ron arrived and said he had bought the parchment at Zonko’s as a gift for Harry, leaving Snape without proof against Lupin or the boys.
• Lupin took Harry, Ron, and the parchment away, while Snape vowed to expose Harry’s father and punish him another time.

Albert told Hermione he would handle Buckbeak’s rescue alone after Hagrid lost the case, and warned her that Hagrid’s letter could expose them to the Ministry. He left Hermione with a secret warning about the danger Muggle-born wizards faced from Pure-blood supremacists.

• Albert found Hermione asleep in the Gryffindor common room and learned that Hagrid had lost Buckbeak’s case.
• Albert refused Hermione’s offer to help, told her to keep his plans secret, and burned Hagrid’s letter.
• Albert explained that the letter could be used to punish Hagrid and implicate anyone who freed Buckbeak.
• Albert warned Hermione about Pure-blood hostility toward Muggle-born wizards and told her not to share their conversation with Harry or Ron.
• Hermione thanked Albert for his advice and went back to her dormitory.

Albert advised Hagrid to keep appealing Buckbeak’s death sentence while Malfoy spent more money influencing the Committee and believed he had exhausted every option. Hagrid recounted the biased hearing, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione trusting Albert to find a way to save Buckbeak.

• Harry and Ron worried about Buckbeak, but Hermione warned them not to interfere, and they agreed to trust Albert.
• Hermione explained that Albert wanted Hagrid to keep appealing so the Malfoys would spend more Galleons and believe they had won through proper channels.
• Hagrid described taking Buckbeak to the Ministry hearing, where he argued that Malfoy had provoked the Hippogriff, like someone pulling a dog’s tail and then blaming it for biting.
• Lucius Malfoy presented photographs and witnesses, and the Committee sentenced Buckbeak to death without giving Hagrid a chance to respond.
• Hagrid recalled Albert’s warning that the Ministry favored the powerful, while Albert privately continued his longer plan to resolve Buckbeak’s case.