Chapter Summaries

After Dark wizards massacred Muggle villages, the Defence Association doubled its training while Albert prepared for the threat of Snape improving the Death Eaters’ combat skills. The Order of the Phoenix received no meaningful help from the International Wizarding Federation, and Harry proposed striking back as the chapter ended.

• The Daily Prophet reported a Muggle village massacre without naming Voldemort, prompting anger among his opponents and fear among the Muggle public.
• Tonks announced that the Order of the Phoenix and Defence Association had doubled their weekly combat training, while Albert increased his teaching to prepare them for the Death Eaters.
• Yaxley arranged more village massacres, but the Defence Association avoided confrontation while Voldemort remained in Britain.
• Kingsley told Arthur, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Sirius that the International Wizarding Federation had offered little beyond a warning to the Ministry of Magic.
• Harry proposed a plan to strike the Death Eaters, and Sirius questioned whether Albert would cooperate and whether Harry had mastered the Fiendfyre Curse.

Snape warned Draco Malfoy and Yaxley that the Death Eaters were dangerously outmatched by Albert Anderson’s Defence Association, while Yaxley reported a proposed Ministry survey that Snape feared would create more enemies. An unseen visitor incapacitated Yaxley and froze Snape, saying Snape’s actions had put him in a difficult position.

• Draco Malfoy told Snape that Pansy was pregnant and asked him to become the child’s godfather, but Snape hesitated to accept.
• Snape urged Draco to attend the Dark Magic Exchange Gathering, explaining that the Death Eaters were declining and needed to prepare for Albert Anderson.
• Yaxley told Snape that Voldemort had agreed to host the first Dark Magic Exchange Gathering and described Umbridge’s plan to investigate wizarding families.
• Snape warned that the Ministry’s investigation could drive neutral wizards into opposition, while Yaxley argued that it might force the Defence Association to surrender.
• An unseen visitor knocked Yaxley unconscious and froze Snape, then said Snape’s actions had put him in a difficult position.

Albert confronted Snape about his apparent loyalty to Voldemort and warned that the Death Eaters’ growing strength could endanger the resistance. After leaving Snape a Communication Bookmark, Albert departed, while Snape covered up the encounter and kept the bookmark.

• Albert used the Imperius Curse on Yaxley, disarmed Snape, and demanded to know whether Snape had changed allegiances.
• Albert questioned Snape’s efforts to strengthen the Death Eaters and warned that Voldemort might kill him, urging him to cooperate in avenging Lily.
• Snape defended his work for Voldemort and argued that the Death Eaters’ activities did not prove he had betrayed the resistance.
• Albert left Snape and Dumbledore a Communication Bookmark, and Snape pocketed it instead of destroying it.
• Snape planted a short memory in Yaxley, woke him, and watched him leave before examining the bookmark again.

The Ministry of Magic established the Monitoring Committee under Umbridge and began forcing wizarding families to register or face punishment. The Defence Association and the Order of the Phoenix recognized the policy as an attempt to expose and weaken resistance, but most British wizards stayed cautious and waited to see what would happen.

• Yaxley presented Umbridge’s plan to Voldemort, who approved using it to weaken the Defence Association.
• Pius Thicknesse appointed Umbridge Director of the new Monitoring Committee, which began reviewing wizards for alleged illegal activities.
• Most wizards refused to register, so Umbridge and her thugs began visiting prominent families and arrested one person.
• Kingsley convened an Order of the Phoenix meeting, where Percy explained the policy was meant to pressure families and target resistance groups.
• Harry, Hermione, Percy, and Fred discussed the risk of people betraying the Defence Association, while Fred said Albert had prepared for that possibility.
• Percy concluded that the policy was unlikely to persuade many wizards to join the resistance because most preferred to wait out the war.

The Ministry’s arrests of families connected to Albert left the Defence Association searching for a way to protect their relatives. Albert warned that rescuing the prisoners could be a trap, and the group waited for him to decide what to do.

• The Ministry arrested wizarding families, including the Diggorys and Angelina’s father, and the Daily Prophet reported its demand that missing wizards register.
• Cedric and Angelina asked for help, while Albert stayed at Association Headquarters to steady the Defence Association and admitted he had no immediate solution.
• Kenneth, George, Cedric, and Angelina discussed making Umbridge disappear or turning her into a toad, but George warned that the Death Eaters might retaliate against the prisoners.
• Lee Jordan proposed breaking into the Ministry, and Cedric said he would try to persuade his family or erase their memories and hide them.
• Albert cautioned that the Ministry’s prisoners were likely bait for a trap, then the group turned to him for a decision.

Umbridge was ambushed at home by Albert and the Defence Association, then captured and questioned with Veritaserum about imprisoned wizards and her stolen wealth. After learning the Ministry of Magic was vulnerable at night, Albert decided to notify the Order of the Phoenix before they attempted a rescue.

• Umbridge returned home and was disarmed and punched by Albert, while members of the Defence Association beat her in revenge for their families' imprisonment.
• Albert's group took Umbridge to a Safe House, where Veritaserum revealed information about arrested wizards and the location of her ill-gotten wealth.
• Fred welcomed the group’s new supply of Galleons, while Cedric asked Albert when they would attack the Ministry of Magic.
• Albert decided they would act that night and inform the Order of the Phoenix, arguing that the Order knew the Ministry better and could share the risk.

Fred informed the Order of the Phoenix that Albert planned to rescue imprisoned wizards from the Ministry of Magic before the Death Eaters could spring their trap. The group reached the Ministry concealed inside Albert’s suitcase and prepared to enter Umbridge’s office, leaving Harry, Hermione, and Ron behind as backup.

• Fred told the Order of the Phoenix that the Defence Association had confirmed the Ministry was holding captured wizards and that Albert wanted them rescued before the Death Eaters could react.
• Percy volunteered for the mission, while Harry, Hermione, and Ron also offered to go; Fred and Sirius kept the three behind, with Mrs. Weasley tasked to watch them.
• Fred and the Order members Apparated near Umbridge’s home, where George and Lee Jordan led them through Albert’s protective magic to meet him and Cedric.
• The group found Umbridge dancing on a table, then entered Albert’s suitcase, which he planned to use to take them into the Ministry of Magic.
• Albert explained that he and Umbridge would leave the suitcase to reach the Judgment Chamber while the others stayed behind as backup, and the group arrived at the Ministry inside her office.

Albert, Kingsley, and Umbridge infiltrated the Ministry to rescue prisoners, but Yaxley’s precautions meant the Death Eaters realized they were coming. Albert hurried the rescue as Sirius and the others joined in, leaving the group racing to get everyone out.

• Umbridge arrived at the Ministry at night and warned the guards to stay alert for an attack.
• Albert used the Imperius Curse on the Death Eater watching the Ministry and found a Two-Way Mirror in his office.
• Albert, Kingsley, and Umbridge went to the Judgment Chamber and passed Dementors on the way to the cells.
• The prisoners’ cell doors opened, and Albert realized the Death Eaters had discovered the rescue attempt.
• Kingsley brought Sirius and the others out of the suitcase, and they split up to free the prisoners.

Yaxley gathered Death Eaters and Ministry officials to confront intruders at the Ministry of Magic, while Albert’s group continued moving people into a box. Umbridge’s bizarre dance distracted the Aurors and leaders who came to investigate, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Yaxley ordered Death Eaters to the Ministry of Magic and asked Minister Thicknesse to bring Aurors, but chose not to inform the Dark Lord yet.
• Yaxley and Walton Macnair found that only about ten Death Eaters had arrived, so they waited for reinforcements instead of charging in.
• Albert told Kingsley that Death Eaters were outside and had sent Umbridge to stall them while the group moved people into the box.
• Kingsley found Umbridge stripping and dancing in the corridor, then backed away in shock.
• Aurors were stunned by Umbridge’s performance and chose to report it to Thicknesse rather than press on to arrest the intruders.
• Thicknesse, Yaxley, and Macnair came to investigate, and Yaxley stunned Umbridge after claiming she was under the Imperius Curse.

The Aurors and Death Eaters failed to capture the Ministry attackers, who escaped after setting off a fireworks trap. In the Shelter, Albert defended his decision to rescue the Defence Association members and urged their families to face the reality of the war.

• Yaxley pushed the Aurors into a dark, slippery passage, but the Death Eaters later found the prison empty and a mocking Umbridge doll left behind.
• Yaxley smashed the Peeping Mirror and triggered fireworks that blasted the Death Eaters with soot and caused some of them to suffer painful skin problems.
• Albert and Shanna discussed the rescued people as they drank hot chocolate in the Shelter, and Albert said rescuing them had fulfilled his promise to the Defence Association.
• Angelina argued with her father, Mr. Johnson, about resisting Voldemort, while Albert gave him a document about the Ministry and warned him that surrender was no way out.
• Albert told Mr. Johnson that the Shelter could not look after everyone and offered to arrange a place for him to stay outside Britain until the war ended.

Albert and the Defence Association confronted their members’ families, who blamed them for the dangers of resisting Voldemort. The families were forced to remain in the Shelter for now, while the story left open whether they would accept help or attempt to leave later.

• Albert explained that the families would be in danger if they left, and George, Kenneth, and Fred described how people who ignored the Shelter’s warnings had died.
• Kenneth bluntly told the families to stay in the Shelter if they would not fight and warned that their poor Defence Against the Dark Arts skills made them unfit for missions.
• Mr. Johnson learned from Tonks that the Defence Association had its own secure base and that Angelina and the others had gone there to rest.
• Hagrid rebuked Mr. Diggory for criticizing Albert, and Mr. Tonks said the families could help resist Voldemort by joining the Order of the Phoenix.
• Mr. Tonks stunned a family member who tried to leave, and Hagrid tied him up and carried him into a tent to keep him safe.

Hagrid and Mr. Tonks tried to keep the rescued families safe in the Shelter, but Mr. Thompson left and was captured by Death Eaters. Voldemort exposed Thompson’s Defence Association connection and planned to use him to capture his son.

• Hagrid and Mr. Tonks warned the Association members’ families to stay in the Shelter and tied up a wizard who planned to leave.
• Mr. Diggory agreed to stay after Cedric told him Albert suspected the group was being tracked, and others followed his lead.
• The families learned that Dark wizards had ransacked and burned their homes, and Mr. Thompson left the Shelter to contact his wife.
• Death Eaters captured Mr. Thompson soon after he left, confirming Albert’s warning that the group was being tracked.
• Voldemort tortured Thompson and discovered that he was a Defence Association member, then planned to use him to capture his son.

Albert learned that Kevin Thompson had gone missing after trying to find his father, and he expected the Death Eaters to capture them. At the Defence Association’s headquarters, Albert explained that Kevin had tried to save his family, while Voldemort learned about the Association’s abandoned-village hideout and house-elves.

• Albert learned from the Communication Bookmark that Kevin Thompson had disappeared and used Tracking Magic to locate him, but chose to wait until morning before responding.
• Kevin found his father, was betrayed by him under the Imperius Curse, and was captured by Yaxley; Voldemort used Legilimency to learn that the Association’s headquarters was in an abandoned village before killing the Thompsons.
• Voldemort learned from Kevin’s memories how Albert had vanished from the Ministry of Magic and appeared at Hogwarts, and Yaxley suggested searching Britain’s abandoned villages.
• Albert arrived at the Defence Association headquarters, where Shanna explained that their precautions had been triggered and Kevin and his father were missing.
• Albert told the Association members that Kevin had tried to save his family and warned that Voldemort would use Legilimency rather than show mercy.

After Kevin Thompson’s death exposed the Defence Association’s vulnerability, Albert ordered preparations to move its headquarters and explained why the tragedy had been unavoidable. The members began preparing to relocate while Cedric struggled with guilt over Kevin’s fate.

• Albert removed the Tracking Magic from the rescued family members, then summoned the group leaders to discuss the headquarters being exposed.
• Albert told Shanna and the leaders that Voldemort could find the headquarters by searching Britain’s abandoned villages, so the Association needed to prepare to move.
• The members blamed Kevin Thompson for endangering the Association, while Cedric regretted inviting his former friend to join.
• Albert reassured Cedric that Kevin’s death was not his fault and explained that members’ families had been captured to pressure the Association into surrendering.
• Albert said Kevin had ignored his warning, walked into a Death Eater trap, and become a source of memories for Voldemort.

Snape and Yaxley discussed the Death Eaters’ plan to find and attack the Defence Association, while Snape and Dumbledore doubted the operation would succeed against Albert. After Voldemort delayed the raid until the following night, Albert urged the Defence Association to face their fear and prepare to resist.

• Snape questioned Yaxley’s confidence that the Death Eaters would find Albert’s hideout, and warned that the search could be a trap.
• Yaxley told Snape that the House-elves were ready, then left to prepare for the operation; Snape and Dumbledore discussed their confidence in Albert.
• Yaxley returned to headquarters and learned that Voldemort had located the Defence Association’s base, but planned to attack the following night.
• Yaxley wondered whether Voldemort suspected Snape after Snape was excluded from the operation meeting, while Macnair urged him not to overthink it.
• The Defence Association discussed the expected raid, and Albert told Fred and George that its members needed to overcome their fear of Voldemort.

Voldemort led the Death Eaters in an assault on the Defence Association village, but Albert’s anti-flight magic sent them crashing to the ground and the Association members disarmed many of them. The attack ended in confusion and embarrassment, leaving Voldemort furious with his terrified, inept followers.

• Voldemort halted the Death Eaters outside the village when he realized the Mudblood’s alarm would detect them, then ordered a direct assault.
• The Death Eaters and Dementors charged through the village’s outer defenses, but the lack of visible enemies made them suspect a trap.
• The Death Eaters fell from the air when they entered the village, where Albert’s anti-flight magic prevented them from flying.
• Albert told the Association members to use the Summoning Charm through the windows, and they took the wands from most of the fallen Death Eaters.
• The Death Eaters panicked at an alarm and cries of attack, while Albert and Voldemort both recognized how absurd the assault had become.
• Voldemort glared at his frightened followers and wanted to kill them for their failure.

Voldemort’s failed ambush at the abandoned village turned into a fierce battle with Albert and the Defence Association. Albert’s side overwhelmed the Death Eaters, but Voldemort survived and faced Albert alone.

• Voldemort unleashed Fiendfyre across the abandoned village, trapping the fleeing Death Eaters and forcing them back to his side.
• Albert appeared and greeted Voldemort, but a Death Eater lunged at Voldemort and disrupted his attack, giving the Defence Association a chance to strike.
• The Defence Association blasted the wandless Death Eaters while Voldemort used one of them as a shield and conjured a Fire Serpent to protect the others.
• Albert extinguished the Fiendfyre and destroyed Voldemort’s Fire Serpent as the Defence Association’s spells overwhelmed the Death Eaters.
• Voldemort survived the barrage and cast Avada Kedavra, but Albert blocked it with an Iron Shield and sent the shattered fragments into the Death Eaters.
• Albert told Voldemort he had lost and asked if he planned to fight the entire group alone, while Voldemort stared at him in silence.

Albert and the Defence Association overwhelmed a supposed Voldemort, only for Albert to realize the corpse was an impostor and warn everyone of an ambush. They survived the first waves of attacks behind layered barriers, but Voldemort shattered their defenses, leaving Albert to order an emergency retreat.

• Albert and Voldemort dueled while the Defence Association joined the attack, and the group’s spells overwhelmed Voldemort.
• The Association members beat Voldemort to death, but Albert realized that his soul had not escaped and suspected the corpse was an impostor.
• Albert warned the group, and a barrage of spells struck as they raised layered magical barriers to protect themselves.
• Voldemort shattered the barriers with a powerful spell, and Albert ordered the Association to use the third emergency plan.

Voldemort’s forces invaded the village, where the Defence Association’s traps and defenses slowed them while the remaining wizards escaped. Albert stayed behind to confront Voldemort, and the chapter ended as Voldemort attacked him with the Killing Curse.

• Voldemort ordered the Death Eaters to kill everyone in the village, but the Defence Association held firm behind a magical barrier.
• Death Eaters advancing through the snow were caught in concealed Beartraps, and Voldemort forced a path through them.
• Voldemort and several veteran Death Eaters entered the village, destroyed the Knight Statues, and reached the battlefield.
• A House-elf Apparated away with the remaining wizards while Albert stayed behind and taunted Voldemort about the ambush’s casualties.
• Albert blinded Voldemort’s group with exploding metal balls and knocked down the Death Eaters with Charms.
• Voldemort attacked Albert with Avada Kedavra.

Albert fought Voldemort alone after the Defence Association members escaped, overpowered him, and withdrew with Fawkes’s help. He returned safely to the new Association Headquarters, where the members celebrated their victory with a feast.

• Albert strengthened his spell to overpower Voldemort and drove back the Dementors with his Patronus.
• Albert and Voldemort exchanged powerful spells, and Voldemort lost their contest of magical power.
• Albert trapped Voldemort beneath snow and escaped with Fawkes, who later flew away from him.
• Albert arrived safely at the new Association Headquarters, where the members welcomed him and celebrated thwarting Voldemort’s conspiracy.