Chapter Summaries

Albert learned that Dark Wizard Avdjey was Voldemort in disguise and prepared to face him in the Duelling Competition, relying on his plans and Dumbledore’s presence. After Avdjey killed Pierre and Bochival surrendered through a deal with Albert, the organisers urged Albert to withdraw, but he chose to fight Voldemort.

• Albert discovered a new task requiring him to repel Voldemort and win the competition, then sent Kara to confirm that Dumbledore had come.
• Kara confirmed Dumbledore’s presence, and Dumbledore used Albert’s communicator and parchment clues to identify Avdjey as Voldemort.
• Voldemort killed Pierre in their duel despite Pierre surrendering, and Dumbledore became a special guest to pressure Voldemort and prevent further deaths.
• Bochival offered to surrender in exchange for Albert giving him the runner-up prize money if Albert placed second, and Dumbledore witnessed their deal.
• Bochival withdrew, drawing furious protests from spectators and warnings from the organisers about being barred from future competitions.
• The organisers and Dumbledore urged Albert to withdraw, but Albert refused and said he would face Voldemort at full strength.

Albert faced Voldemort in the duelling competition final and used his strength, Felix Felicis, and Dumbledore’s help to drive the Dark Lord away. Voldemort escaped, leaving Albert to receive the crowd’s cheers while Dumbledore took charge of what came next.

• Albert refused to withdraw from the final, and Dumbledore agreed to serve as Judge while warning that Voldemort’s attention was focused on him.
• Albert and Voldemort began the duel with explosive spells, and Albert surprised Voldemort by matching and overpowering his magical strength.
• Voldemort unleashed Fiendfyre, but Albert turned the flames back on him, and the Aurors raised barriers to protect the spectators.
• Albert threatened to let Dumbledore attack Voldemort, and Dumbledore confirmed that he would take the opportunity if it arose.
• Albert triggered a massive explosion, after which Dumbledore joined him in the smoke and the two used Felix Felicis to attack Voldemort.
• Voldemort used Fiendfyre to break through the barrier and fled, while Albert extinguished the remaining flames and received the crowd’s applause.

Albert explained his duel with Voldemort to Isobel and Katrina, insisting he had prepared for the possibility of facing him while hoping Harry would defeat him instead. Voldemort ordered Snape to gather information on Albert and exploit Fudge’s plans against Dumbledore, but Snape warned Dumbledore, who remained confident the scheme would fail.

• Albert apologized to Isobel for risking himself in the duel and explained that he had used Felix Felicis and relied on Dumbledore’s presence.
• Albert told Isobel and Katrina that he had fought Voldemort to assess his strength, while believing Harry Potter was destined to defeat him.
• Voldemort blamed Dumbledore for the duel’s outcome and recognized Albert as a dangerous opponent he wanted killed.
• Voldemort ordered Snape to investigate Albert and consider killing him, but kept Snape at Dumbledore’s side to gather intelligence.
• Snape suggested using Fudge’s plan to place a professor at Hogwarts to drive Dumbledore out, and Voldemort approved the scheme.
• Snape reported Voldemort’s plans to Dumbledore, who said he trusted Albert’s prediction that Fudge would fail to remove him.

At Grimmauld Place, Sirius recounted Albert Anderson’s victory and planned ways to expose Fudge and protect the Order, while the group debated whether to trust Snape and how to neutralize former Death Eaters. Fudge faced backlash after a new magazine revealed evidence about his acquittals, and Umbridge began plotting to provoke Harry into breaking the law so he could be expelled.

• Sirius told the Weasleys and Lupin about Albert’s duel, revealed his winnings, and proposed using some of them to fund the Order of the Phoenix.
• Sirius and the others discussed publishing reports under a new magazine name, then learned Fudge had helped acquit Goyle and others and was moving against Dumbledore.
• Sirius argued that the former Death Eaters had to be made harmless and warned the group not to trust Snape.
• Fudge ordered Umbridge to watch Harry for illegal magic and promised to secure her a Hogwarts teaching post.
• Percy brought Fudge a new issue of Defence Reporter, which published photographs and claims linking Fudge to the acquitted men; Fudge ordered a diplomatic protest and told Percy to limit the magazine’s impact.
• Umbridge left the Minister’s Office intending to use Dementors to provoke Harry into using magic and give the Ministry grounds to expel him.

Umbridge sent Dementors to attack Harry Potter so the Ministry could expel him, but Harry drove them away with a Patronus. After Umbridge and Fudge moved to prosecute him, Dumbledore announced he had evidence of the attack, and Umbridge persuaded Fudge to arrange a rushed trial.

• Umbridge obtained Fudge’s transfer order and commanded two Dementors to drive Harry Potter away, expecting him to use magic in front of Muggles.
• The Dementors fed on Muggles before attacking Harry near Privet Drive, where Harry summoned a Patronus, drove them off, and saved Dudley.
• Albert watched the attack and told Kara that he was helping Harry by letting him face the Dementors himself.
• Umbridge used Harry’s Patronus Charm as grounds to pursue his expulsion, and Fudge welcomed the news.
• Percy told Fudge that Dumbledore would arrive with evidence that Dementors had attacked Harry and that Harry had acted in self-defense.
• Umbridge persuaded Fudge to hold a rushed Wizengamot trial so Dumbledore might not present his evidence.

Albert returned home with sweets and discussed Isobel’s stalled Youth Potion research and their plans to brew Felix Felicis and Polyjuice Potion. He left the conversation with Isobel and Katrina sharing desserts while he prepared for the coming turmoil and their wedding.

• Albert told Isobel he had gone to Hogsmeade under Polyjuice Potion and offered her ice cream and cream puffs.
• Isobel said her Youth Potion research had stalled and considered contacting researchers in the United States to exchange results.
• Albert asked Isobel to help brew Felix Felicis and Polyjuice Potion, explaining that he had gathered ingredients for two batches and wanted to stockpile the luck potion.
• Albert and Isobel discussed reports attacking Professor Dumbledore in The Daily Prophet while sharing desserts.
• Katrina joined them, tried the Muggle sweets Albert had brought, and teased him about exercising little.
• A house-elf entered and told Albert that a message had arrived for him.

After Harry was attacked by Dementors, Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix investigated the failed watch and tried to prevent the Ministry from expelling him. The Order suspected either Voldemort or a high-ranking Ministry official had arranged the attack, and they prepared to protect Harry before his August 12 hearing.

• Dumbledore learned that Mundungus had abandoned his watch post, sent a Howler to Harry's relatives, and went to confront Fudge about Harry's possible expulsion.
• Hermione, Fred, George, and Sirius considered who might have sent the Dementors, while Sirius persuaded Mundungus to take his guard duties seriously by promising him a chance to earn money.
• Kingsley reported that Fudge still intended to consider expelling Harry after his hearing and denied that Dementors had left Azkaban without Ministry permission.
• The Order discussed moving Harry and suspected that either Voldemort or someone close to Fudge had arranged the attack to give the Ministry grounds to expel him.
• Mr. Weasley confirmed that Fudge intended to use the hearing against Harry, while Kingsley cited the underage magic law and Hermione warned that the Ministry could ignore evidence.
• Fred and George suggested publicizing the Dementor attack on the radio, and Sirius agreed while planning to protect Mrs. Figg and shelter Harry at Grimmauld Place if necessary.

Dumbledore investigated the Dementors’ attack on Harry and prepared to protect him while considering the Ministry’s efforts to expel him. Snape reported that Voldemort was not behind the attack, leaving Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall uncertain who had ordered it.

• Dumbledore reviewed Mrs. Figg’s memories of the Dementors attacking Harry and Dudley, arranged for her protection, and decided Harry should move to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
• Dumbledore worried that Voldemort could exploit his connection with Harry and wondered whether Fudge would find another way to expel him.
• Professor McGonagall asked Dumbledore whether Harry would be expelled, and Phineas relayed Sirius’s suspicion that someone from the Ministry had sent the Dementors.
• Snape sent a Patronus reporting that Voldemort had not ordered the attack, though others might have acted independently.
• Professor McGonagall suspected Fudge or someone close to him, but Dumbledore said Fudge had seemed unaware of the plot.

Harry arrived safely at Grimmauld Place and learned that the Order of the Phoenix was resisting Voldemort while keeping him out of its meetings. His friends also revealed that Voldemort had attacked Albert and been driven away, and that Sirius had killed Peter Pettigrew; Harry went downstairs to ask Sirius for more answers.

• Voldemort chose not to ambush Harry and focused on rebuilding his strength while Fudge distracted Dumbledore.
• Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place and complained to Ron and Hermione before Fred and George joined them.
• Fred, George, and Hermione told Harry that Voldemort was likely gathering followers and that Albert had predicted the wizarding world would grow more chaotic.
• Harry learned that Voldemort had gone to Spain to attack Albert but had been driven away after Dumbledore joined their duel.
• Hermione told Harry that Sirius had killed Peter Pettigrew, then suggested Harry ask Sirius his questions over dinner.

Albert received an invitation to attend Harry Potter’s Wizengamot hearing and went to the Ministry of Magic, where he met several old acquaintances. The hearing had not yet begun when the chamber doors opened for another arrival.

• Isobel made Albert get up for exercise, and he jogged with her and Katrina before reading the Daily Prophet and Defence Guide.
• Dobby told Albert that the Ministry had tried to suppress Sirius’s magazine and radio station, while rumours about Albert’s Duelling Championship spread among wizards.
• Kara delivered the Ministry’s invitation to Harry Potter’s hearing, and Albert decided to attend.
• Albert traveled to the Ministry, changed into Wizengamot robes, and met Bard, Sella, and Hertok Dagworth on the way to the Judgment Chamber.
• Albert and his companions entered the chamber, where they discussed the hearing and Albert’s recent exploits before the doors opened again.

Harry Potter calmly challenged the Ministry’s charges at his hearing, presented evidence that the Dementor attack was real, and forced the Wizengamot to dismiss the case. The hearing ended with Fudge humiliated and Harry free to leave.

• Harry arrived after learning the hearing time had been moved, then told Fudge he had not been properly notified.
• Harry disputed the Ministry’s earlier charges, explaining that a House-elf had cast the Hover Charm and that Fudge had previously declined to punish him for inflating his aunt.
• Harry testified that Dementors had attacked him and presented Mrs. Figg as a witness, along with photographs showing the attack.
• Harry suggested that someone in the Ministry had ordered the Dementors to attack him and demanded an explanation, while Fudge angrily denied responsibility.
• Amelia Bones called for a vote, and the Wizengamot dismissed the charge against Harry.
• Dumbledore left the chamber, while Albert stayed behind and handed out Silver Cards to his acquaintances.

Harry cleared the Ministry hearing with help from Felix Felicis and returned to Grimmauld Place, where he told the others how Fudge had tried to have him expelled. The Weasley Twins warned that Fudge would keep targeting Harry and would soon move against Dumbledore at Hogwarts.

• Harry told Mr. Weasley that the charges had been cleared and said Sirius had prepared him for the hearing.
• Harry taunted Lucius Malfoy about Voldemort and urged Mr. Weasley to warn Dumbledore that Malfoy seemed to be plotting something.
• Harry returned to Grimmauld Place, where Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George asked about the hearing and learned that he had taken Felix Felicis.
• Harry explained that Fudge had changed the hearing time and tried to expel him, while Fred and George said Fudge wanted to strip Harry of his right to be a wizard.
• Harry told the group that Anderson had been present in the Judgment Chamber as an alternate Wizengamot member and described how he had challenged Fudge.
• Fred and George warned that Fudge would send someone to teach at Hogwarts and try to drive out Dumbledore, and they predicted more trouble for Harry.

On the eve of their return to Hogwarts, Albert, Isobel, and Katrina discussed the dangers of the coming school year, including Umbridge’s appointment and her inadequate Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook. The chapter ended with Isobel asking how long the turmoil would last as she and Albert discussed escaping Britain and her plans for Beauty Potion research.

• Katrina prepared to leave for Hogwarts, and Isobel told her she would move to a Safe House in Hogsmeade.
• Albert returned and explained that they would travel cautiously because Death Eaters might attack the train; he warned that Umbridge would teach Defence Against the Dark Arts from Magical Defence Theory.
• Albert shared information about Umbridge’s past, including the likely role she played in the Dementor attack on Harry Potter.
• Albert, Isobel, and Katrina listened to Sirius’s Wizard Lookout Station broadcast, where Lupin, Moody, Fred, and George criticized Umbridge’s textbook and discussed Hogwarts’ Defence Against the Dark Arts professors.
• Isobel and Albert discussed the expected length of the crisis, and Isobel revealed plans to pursue Beauty Potion research and open a Beauty Shop in Britain.

Albert briefed the Hogwarts Prefects on their duties and warned them to avoid conflict with the Ministry-appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Umbridge. On the train, Harry clashed with Malfoy and then asked Fred and George about getting Umbridge removed, learning about their Skiving Snackboxes instead.

• Albert and Katrina Apparated to Platform 9 3/4, boarded the train, and joined the Prefects' carriage.
• Albert explained the Prefects' responsibilities and warned them that Umbridge might use her position to cause trouble for students and drive Dumbledore from Hogwarts.
• Hermione told Harry that Albert had warned him to avoid trouble with Umbridge, and Harry sent Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle out of the carriage after Malfoy provoked him.
• Harry went with Hermione and Ron to find Fred and George and asked how Umbridge could be removed.
• George and Fred offered Harry Skiving Snackboxes as a way to fake illness and avoid Umbridge's classes.

Albert returned to Hogwarts with Katrina and secretly arranged for Peeves to tamper with Dolores Umbridge’s utensils. Umbridge suffered repeated nosebleeds and a loudly growling stomach during her speech, while the students laughed at her.

• Albert warned Katrina to stay close as they left the train and watched over the students on the way to Hogwarts.
• Albert gave the carriage Malfoy’s displaced second-years had been forced out of to three younger students and warned Malfoy not to cause trouble.
• Albert joined Fred, George, and Lee Jordan in the Great Hall, where they discussed Umbridge’s appointment and the Sorting Hat’s warning about danger and unity.
• Peeves took a bag from Albert, and Umbridge later developed an unstoppable nosebleed after eating at the feast.
• Umbridge returned from the hospital, suffered another nosebleed, and avoided eating while delivering her speech to the students.
• Umbridge’s stomach growled loudly during her speech, prompting the students to laugh at the sounds like a toad’s croak.

Albert arranged for Peeves to target Umbridge with a Boggart, and Peeves frightened her with the illusion of a giant. The professors found no evidence and dismissed the incident, while Dumbledore acknowledged that the Ministry was interfering with Hogwarts and said Albert expected the situation to improve next semester.

• After Umbridge's speech, Albert gave Peeves a box containing a modified Boggart and asked him to prank her without exposing their involvement.
• Peeves sneaked into Umbridge's room and used the Boggart to make her believe a giant was attacking her, sending her screaming into the corridor.
• Filch, McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore, and other professors investigated, but they found no giant or Boggart, and Umbridge went to the School Hospital for Dreamless Sleep Potion.
• Snape and Filch speculated that a student or Peeves had frightened Umbridge, while McGonagall and the other Heads of House showed little concern for her.
• Dumbledore told Flitwick that the Ministry's interference was difficult to stop and that Albert had prophesied the situation would improve next semester.

Albert advised Fred and George on their candy business and helped Harry consider how to deal with Umbridge as she began teaching at Hogwarts. Harry left Professor McGonagall with a calming pill after discussing Umbridge’s detention and possible schemes against her.

• Fred and George advertised Brain Boosting Candy, and Albert defended their sales to Hermione while explaining that students chose whether to misuse it.
• Albert and Shanna speculated that Umbridge had suffered a nightmare because of the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse, and Albert encouraged Lee Jordan to promote the Wizard Card Competition.
• Fred and George reported twenty-two paid candy orders, and Albert advised them to survey students’ preferences before expanding their products.
• Harry told Professor McGonagall that he had challenged Umbridge over Voldemort’s return, and Albert and Harry discussed using the Forbidden Forest’s Acromantulas to drive her out.
• Albert gave Harry an antidote to Veritaserum and suggested ways to resist Umbridge, while Professor McGonagall warned them against plotting against a professor.
• Harry accepted that he would serve Umbridge’s detention, then offered Professor McGonagall a calming pill before leaving with Albert.

Harry accepted that Umbridge had assigned him detention and prepared for the possibility that she would keep him from playing Quidditch. In her first advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, students challenged Umbridge over her useless teaching, and Albert gave them N.E.W.T. study points after she left.

• Harry told Hermione and Ron that he would serve detention, explained that he used Sirius's tranquilizers to stay calm, and warned that Umbridge might stop him playing Quidditch.
• Harry asked Angelina to find a substitute Seeker, and Angelina went to Albert, who suggested Ginny Weasley and predicted Umbridge would favor Slytherin and target Harry.
• Albert warned Fred, George, and Lee Jordan that students might resist Umbridge under special circumstances.
• During Umbridge's first advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts class, Albert asked her for practical exam guidance, and students joined in criticizing her theoretical lessons.
• Students told Umbridge that the Defence Against the Dark Arts position was cursed, and she left after assigning textbook reading and asking Albert to supervise.
• Albert declined to teach the class but wrote key N.E.W.T. topics on the blackboard for students to copy.

Umbridge summoned Albert to discuss the Defense Against the Dark Arts Advanced Class, but he dismissed her pressure and made clear he had no interest in the Ministry or a direct fight with her. He left after warning her about Voldemort’s curse, while Umbridge raged and recognized she could not easily control him.

• A younger girl delivered Umbridge’s invitation to Albert, who discussed it over dinner with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.
• Albert met Umbridge in her office and denied having anything to do with the conflict over Defense Against the Dark Arts.
• Albert rejected Umbridge’s suggestion that he join the Ministry and accepted her offer to stop attending the Advanced Class and take his N.E.W.T.s directly.
• Albert warned Umbridge to beware of Voldemort’s curse, then left to return his books to the library.
• Umbridge smashed items on her desk and grew more wary of Albert, knowing he had influence and that students might prefer him as their teacher.

Umbridge’s refusal to teach practical Defense Against the Dark Arts led students to abandon her classes and organize their own study groups, while Fred and George began planning surprises for her. The chapter ended with Harry and Hermione agreeing to join their effort, and Hermione resolving to study from Albert’s notes for her O.W.L.s.

• Rumors spread that Umbridge wanted Prefects to spy on students, and students celebrated Albert’s defiance after he was allowed to skip her class.
• Fred, George, and Lee Jordan decided to drop Defense Against the Dark Arts, prompting other seventh-year Gryffindors and students from other Houses to follow.
• Professor McGonagall questioned the seventh years, but Albert defended their choice and pointed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts curse.
• Sirius’s Wizard Lookout Station broadcast criticized Umbridge’s teaching, and students’ complaints about her spread through Hogwarts.
• Hermione proposed forming a Defence Against the Dark Arts Study Group, while Harry agreed to contact Sirius for help.
• Fred and George invited Harry and Hermione to join their plan to surprise Umbridge, and George offered Hermione Albert’s notes to help her prepare for her O.W.L.s.