Chapter Summaries

As Professor Lupin’s recurring absences worried his students, Shanna proposed forming a Defence Against the Dark Arts study group, and Albert reluctantly agreed after a task appeared on his panel. The Defence Association was founded to help students prepare for their June exams, but it had only a few Gryffindor members and no meeting place yet.

• When Professor Lupin’s class became a self-study period, Shanna and the others worried about his health and the approaching Defence Against the Dark Arts exam.
• Shanna asked Albert to visit Lupin with her the next day and persuade him to resign before the professorship’s curse could harm him; Lee Jordan planned to ask Lupin to lend them a Boggart for Patronus practice.
• Fred and George revealed that they had summoned Corporeal Patronuses shaped like magpies, while Lee Jordan’s was a gorilla, and they credited Albert with helping them.
• Shanna, Angelina, Aylia, and Lee proposed that Albert tutor them through a Defence Against the Dark Arts club, and the group settled on the name Defence Association.
• Albert initially resisted but changed his mind when his panel gave him a task to establish a secret society with at least twenty members.
• The Defence Association was founded to help members prepare for their June exams, but only several Gryffindor Fifth Years had joined, and the group had not found a meeting place.

Albert and Shanna visited Professor Lupin to discuss his illness and urged him to consider leaving his cursed Defence Against the Dark Arts post, but he chose to think it over. Albert also agreed to organize the Defence Association and set its meeting time while keeping the location secret.

• Shanna reminded Albert that students were waiting for the Defence Association to begin, and he said he would find a place for it.
• Shanna and Albert visited Lupin with sweets and flowers, and he promised to review key Defence Against the Dark Arts material before the O.W.L.s.
• Shanna and Albert described the fates of Lupin’s predecessors and urged him to resign early, but Lupin said he would consider their warning.
• After leaving Lupin, Albert told Shanna he did not expect him to resign and revealed that he had found a meeting place for the Defence Association.
• Albert set the association’s meeting time for Saturdays from eight to nine in the evening and asked Shanna to count the interested students.

Albert returned to the Common Room and discussed the Wizard Card Club’s future with Lee Jordan, Fred, and George. After divining Professor Lupin’s fate, Albert saw that Lupin would transform into a werewolf and that Albert would subdue him, so the group began considering how to prepare.

• Lee Jordan complained that Albert had left him to manage the Wizard Card event, and the group discussed finding a successor and asking Professor McGonagall to support the Wizard Card Club.
• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan about visiting Professor Lupin and explained that Lupin did not intend to resign early.
• Albert used a crystal ball to divine Professor Lupin’s fate and saw Lupin packing before transforming into a werewolf, with Albert confronting him.
• Lee Jordan suggested warning Dumbledore, but Albert said people would not change their minds until reality proved them wrong.
• Fred and George offered to help subdue Lupin, and Albert urged everyone to improve their abilities and prepare for the coming danger.

Albert and his friends discussed career plans, and Albert invited Shanna to help him publish books after graduation. Their talk turned to the joke shop’s funding and the possibility of capturing Sirius Black, leaving Albert to clarify that he valued the experience more than Black’s reward.

• Albert replied to Hagrid’s invitation to tea and then joined his friends as they searched for suitable careers.
• Angelina considered becoming a professional Quidditch player, while Shanna wondered whether Muggle Liaison work might suit her.
• Albert said he planned to publish books and offered Shanna a possible job helping him, while explaining that he would support the joke shop mainly with technical and financial help.
• The group discussed how Albert and his friends would fund their shop, and Shanna guessed they might capture Sirius Black for the reward.
• Albert admitted that capturing Black would be profitable but said he valued the experience from the task more than the ten thousand Galleons.

Albert discovered that Peter Pettigrew was hiding in Hagrid’s Hut and advised Hagrid on how to use legal help and pressure to trouble the Malfoys over Buckbeak’s case. He then met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan to plan a hidden room of their own, leaving them considering a secret passage on the Seventh Floor.

• Albert spotted Sirius Black’s dog and Crookshanks near the Forbidden Forest, then used his map to discover Peter Pettigrew inside Hagrid’s Hut.
• Albert examined the Ministry’s notice about Buckbeak and advised Hagrid to hire a legal consultant and use the case to put pressure on the Malfoys.
• Albert told Hagrid he had a plan to save Buckbeak but kept the details secret, then left for the castle.
• Albert met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan and proposed using the Undetectable Extension Charm to make a private room rather than rely on the Room of Requirement.
• Fred suggested the secret passage behind a Seventh Floor portrait as a secluded place for their new room.

Albert and his friends opened a hidden tutoring room at Hogwarts, where he taught students how to prepare for the Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. exam. He promised a later session for practical spells and hinted that his friends would soon learn why being a year older mattered.

• Fred opened the secret passage behind Edgar Stroulger's portrait, and Albert turned a book into a large, furnished room called the Fairytale House.
• George guided the students to the room, where Albert and the others welcomed a group of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff Fifth Years.
• Albert reviewed past O.W.L. papers and explained likely written-exam material, including the five characteristics of werewolves, then handed out question sheets and study instructions.
• Albert promised a future session on defensive spells and counter-curses, and Cedric asked whether he could bring more students next time.
• After the students left, Albert hinted that his friends would understand next semester why they would be jealous he was a year older.

As Hogwarts students struggled with Easter homework and looming O.W.L.s, Albert arranged another Defence Against the Dark Arts tutoring gathering. Kenneth Towler delivered Albert a letter and a parcel that was shaking violently, leaving everyone curious about its contents.

• Patricia Stinson fainted in the library, while Lee Jordan told Fred and George that Kenneth Towler had begun selling Dragon claw powder.
• Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Shanna discussed revision, holiday homework, and Albert’s planned O.W.L. tutoring gatherings.
• Albert appeared in the library and invited the others to finish their homework so they could attend the gatherings; Hermione and Harry asked about joining.
• Kenneth Towler brought Albert a letter and a violently shaking parcel, and the students gathered around to see what was inside.

Albert received a Boggart from Mundungus Fletcher, who demanded fifty Galleons, and planned to pay only ten. After Fred opened the box in the library, the Boggart transformed into Albert and then a giant spider, but Albert defeated it with the Riddikulus Charm; he later revealed he had bought it for Defence Association training.

• Albert read Mundungus Fletcher's letter and decided he would pay ten Galleons for the Boggart rather than the demanded fifty.
• Fred opened the package in the library, releasing a Boggart that first took Albert's form and mocked Fred's plans for a Joke Shop.
• The Boggart transformed into a giant spider and attacked Ron, frightening the library's students.
• Albert drew the spider away from Ron and used Riddikulus to turn it into a book, then left the library with the box as Mrs. Pince drove the others out.
• Albert told Shanna and the others that he had bought the Boggart to practise for the O.W.L.s and train the Patronus Charm, and asked them to keep it secret.

After a Boggart frightened Ron in the library, Albert and his friends visited him in the hospital with snacks. Malfoy brought Ron a parcel to taunt him, and Ron, Harry, and the twins considered sending it back with a nasty surprise.

• The Boggart turned into a giant spider and terrified Ron, who was taken to the School Hospital.
• Albert explained the incident to Professor McGonagall, who deducted twenty points from Gryffindor and told him to visit Ron.
• Albert and his friends brought Ron sweets and apologized, while Albert warned him about Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest.
• Hermione asked to join Albert's Defence Association, and Albert agreed, though he warned it might be beyond her level.
• Malfoy mocked Ron and left him a parcel; Ron, Harry, Fred, and George discussed sending Malfoy a parcel with a frightening surprise.

Albert woke on Easter morning and headed to breakfast with Hermione, who was struggling to keep up with her twelve courses. He gave her a bottle of his experimental candy made with an improved Brain Boosting Potion, then continued toward the Great Hall.

• Albert woke, greeted Tom, and prepared to meet Isobel in Hogsmeade to deal with their renovated house.
• Albert found Hermione studying in the Common Room and invited her to breakfast.
• Hermione told Albert that taking twelve courses left her short on time, and he described ways to manage the workload, including using a Time-Turner and Brain Boosting Potion.
• Albert gave Hermione a bottle of experimental candy that could ease fatigue and sharpen her thoughts, and asked her to keep its ingredients secret.
• Albert told Hermione the candy contained an improved Brain Boosting Potion he had developed through the Potions Championship.

Albert, Hermione, and Percy discussed Defence Against the Dark Arts exams, careers, and future choices over breakfast. After Albert received a purple invitation, Percy admitted he envied Albert and Isobel’s freedom and urged Hermione to think about her career early.

• Hermione asked Albert about their Boggart practice, and Percy learned that Albert was organising an O.W.L. Defence Against the Dark Arts tutoring class.
• Percy described the Defence Against the Dark Arts exams and discussed the value of N.E.W.T. grades and the Auror programme with Albert and Hermione.
• Albert told Percy and Hermione that a student had attacked him during the Potions Championship and that he had knocked the student unconscious.
• Percy asked about Truman’s plans, and Albert suggested that becoming an Auror could be a good career option.
• Isobel said she might write a book or open a potion shop after graduation, and Albert argued that women could pursue ambitious careers through their own efforts.
• Albert received a purple invitation and moved aside with Isobel, while Percy told Hermione he envied their freedom and advised her to plan her career.

Albert admitted that he had glimpsed Harry Potter’s future and explained why he valued his friendship with Hermione, while Isobel questioned his motives. The couple traveled through a Vanishing Cabinet to a secluded house near Hogsmeade, where they planned to seek Quidditch World Cup tickets and continued refining a notebook’s modification plan.

• Isobel accused Albert of treating Hermione unusually well and suggested he was investing in her future.
• Albert revealed that he had once glimpsed Harry Potter’s future and believed Hermione might become Minister of Magic.
• Albert explained that he avoided looking into his own future because he feared seeing something terrible.
• Albert and Isobel traveled through the Vanishing Cabinet to a secluded house near Hogsmeade.
• Albert and Isobel discussed attending the Quidditch World Cup final and then worked on refining their modification plan.

Albert attended an Easter gathering with Morg MacDougal and other inheritors, where they celebrated his Potions Championship and discussed his magical research, future competitions, and personal plans. The evening ended with Albert returning to Hogwarts with magical sweets to share with Hermione and his friends.

• Morg MacDougal Apparated Albert to a secluded Welsh manor, where Bard, Ge Bo Smith, and Tiberius Ogden joined them for dinner.
• The group congratulated Albert on winning the Magical School Potions Tournament and explained the history of the gilded Golden Cauldron.
• Morg and Bard discussed testing Albert's Human-Shape Restoration Charm on Remus John Lupin after Lupin left Hogwarts, while Albert voiced concerns about the danger.
• Ge Bo and Tiberius discussed Umbridge's history and the stalled Wizengamot British Youth Representative title, and Bard proposed entering Albert in the Barnabus Finkley Prize competition and watching the Quidditch World Cup final.
• Tiberius asked who would be Albert and Isobel's best man, and Albert revealed that Nicolas had been chosen.
• Albert returned to Hogwarts with desserts from the banquet and gave one to Hermione before heading to share the rest with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.

Malfoy mocked Ron with a spider, but George, Fred, Harry, and Ron turned the insult back on him. The next evening, Hermione brought Harry and Ron to Albert’s Defence Association, where Albert began a practical lesson facing a Boggart.

• Malfoy frightened Ron with a spider and taunted him, but George and Fred mocked Malfoy’s bad breath while Harry led Ron away.
• Hermione told Harry and Ron about Albert’s Defence Association and invited them to attend its upcoming practical lesson.
• Hermione, Harry, and Ron arrived at the Seventh Floor gathering, where Fred gave them the password to enter the hidden room.
• Hermione noticed the room’s bright Magic Lamps and suspected Albert had invented them.
• Albert announced that the group would practise facing a Boggart and told everyone to form a line.

Albert led a group Boggart practice session, where students faced their fears and used the Riddikulus spell to make them ridiculous. When Harry’s Boggart became Voldemort, the sight frightened the students and changed the mood of the gathering, which Albert ended by giving safety advice.

• Angelina, Aylia, and Shanna each faced the Boggart and used Riddikulus to alter their fears.
• Cedric’s Boggart became Cho Chang rejecting him and declaring that she liked Albert, while Katrina’s revealed her crush on Albert.
• Ron turned his spider Boggart into a roller-skating creature, and Hermione faced Professor McGonagall telling her she had failed her exams.
• Harry’s Boggart became Voldemort, and Albert photographed him while calling attention to his grotesque, noseless face.
• Harry made Voldemort wear an Irish skirt and tap-dance, but the students remained too frightened to laugh.
• Albert closed the trunk, explained how to handle Boggarts, and dismissed the students, offering calming draughts to anyone who needed one.

Albert’s Defence Association and the sale of photographs of Voldemort in an Irish skirt caused a stir at Hogwarts, while Albert warned his friends about the danger of profiting from Voldemort’s return. When the Ministry moved Buckbeak’s appeal hearing to Hogwarts, Albert offered to help, and Hermione reflected on how unnaturally capable he seemed.

• Students protested to Professor McGonagall about Kenneth selling photographs of Voldemort, but she found him in the hospital with boils and warned him against distributing them.
• Albert explained that Kenneth’s limited, high-priced sales were shrewd, while Fred admitted he had put Pimple Powder in Kenneth’s pyjamas.
• Albert told Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that Voldemort might return and that they could profit from the panic, then reminded them to finish their holiday homework.
• Hermione told Albert that the Ministry had moved Buckbeak’s appeal hearing to Hogwarts for the day after tomorrow, and Albert said he would visit Hagrid that afternoon.
• Harry worried that Malfoy had overheard him, and Hermione suggested Albert could use a Memory Charm to make Malfoy forget.
• Hermione reassured Harry that Albert would solve the problem and described him as almost flawless, prompting Ron to ask if it was too late to join Albert’s plans.

Albert prepared Hagrid to rescue Buckbeak after the Ministry moved the appeal forward and arranged for an executioner to attend. He also revealed a suitcase that contained a small world and planned to make a hidden room for the Wizard Card Club.

• Albert used a Confundus Charm to distract Malfoy, causing him to fall down the stairs, then learned from Hagrid that the Ministry had changed Buckbeak's appeal date.
• Albert explained to Hagrid how to make it appear that Buckbeak had escaped, and urged him to take a calming draught and avoid revealing the plan.
• Hermione punched and threatened Malfoy after he bragged that Buckbeak would be executed, and Fred tripped Malfoy and his lackeys as they fled.
• Albert warned his friends not to visit Hagrid over the next two days, then showed Fred, George, and Lee Jordan a suitcase containing a small world.
• Albert proposed building a hidden room for the Wizard Card Club after graduation, and his friends became excited about helping with the project.

Albert encountered Rita Skeeter and dismissed her questions about Hagrid’s appeal and his rumored Wizengamot title. As Lucius Malfoy and the appeal officials arrived at Hogwarts, Hagrid prepared to defend Buckbeak, and the hearing began with the official pressing him to admit the Hippogriff was guilty.

• Albert told Rita Skeeter that Hagrid had little chance of winning because he lacked money and influence, and warned her not to publish their conversation.
• Rita told Albert that the Wizengamot was considering naming him British Youth Representative, but he treated the title as unimportant and continued to the castle.
• Lucius Malfoy arrived with Draco, Rita, and the appeal officials; Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched them with hostility, while Hermione urged Ron to trust Albert’s preparations.
• In Dumbledore’s office, Hagrid reviewed Albert’s cue cards and drank a tranquilizer; Dumbledore and the portraits discussed Albert’s Smith Family ancestry and his Squib ancestor.
• The appeal began, and the elderly official asked Hagrid whether he accepted that Buckbeak was guilty after requesting that the death sentence be changed to compensation.

Hagrid defended Buckbeak at a hearing, but Lucius Malfoy and a corrupt official secured the Hippogriff’s death sentence. Afterward, Hagrid revealed that Albert had told him to record the proceedings, and Dumbledore discussed the Ministry’s corruption and the chance of a future opportunity to change it.

• Hagrid rejected Lucius Malfoy’s offer of a peaceful settlement and argued that Draco had provoked Buckbeak and was not seriously injured.
• Hagrid accused the hearing official of taking two hundred Galleons from Lucius and said he had recorded the proceedings.
• The official declared Buckbeak guilty and scheduled its execution for sunset, while Dumbledore agreed to keep the Hippogriff from escaping.
• Hagrid told Dumbledore that Albert had given him a recording device and predicted the official could later face dismissal or Azkaban for dereliction of duty.
• Dumbledore said changing the Ministry would require an opportunity, and Phineas asked Hagrid to invite Albert to perform Divination.

Hagrid lost Buckbeak’s appeal after Lucius Malfoy bribed the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, and Buckbeak was sentenced to be executed at sunset. As Macnair prepared to carry out the sentence, Buckbeak vanished, leaving Malfoy convinced Hagrid and Dumbledore had hidden him.

• Harry and Ron mistook Malfoy’s gloomy expression for proof that Hagrid had won, but Hermione said Albert had predicted Hagrid would lose.
• Hagrid told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that the committee had been bribed and that Dumbledore had delayed Buckbeak’s execution until sunset.
• Hagrid gave the three students sedative and urged them not to interfere, then followed Albert’s instructions to prepare for Buckbeak’s escape.
• Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy, the committee wizard, and Macnair arrived at Hagrid’s Hut and formally read and signed Buckbeak’s execution notice.
• When Macnair went to execute Buckbeak, the Hippogriff had disappeared, and Malfoy accused Harry of taking him while Dumbledore refused to let anyone search Hogwarts with Dementors.