Chapter Summaries

Ian learned that Snape had copied Teacher Mara’s old potion-book opening line, and Mara explained why death-preventing potions required the Golden Apple. She began teaching Ian magic, ending with her guiding him through the killing curse, Avada Kedavra.

• Ian told Teacher Mara that Professor Snape used the opening line from one of her books when teaching potions.
• Mara said Golden Apples were the key ingredient in potions that could prevent death or reverse life and death, and revealed she had cut down the last Golden Apple Tree in the mortal world.
• Mara asked Ian to bring her modern potion books and said she would catch up to and surpass his era.
• Mara warned Ian to study magic and become strong enough not to hide behind disguises.
• Mara transformed a metal picture frame into a wand, pressed a finger to the back of Ian’s head, and taught him to recite Avada Kedavra.

Ian learned the Killing Curse from Teacher Mara in the Misty Illusion and discovered he had gained Level 1 proficiency after one casting. As the illusion ended, Teacher Mara left him a Gown Fragment inscribed with ancient knowledge as homework.

• Teacher Mara filled Ian with murderous intent, and he cast the Killing Curse at an ancient wall in the Misty Illusion.
• Ian saw that the spell had reached Level 1 with seven proficiency points and questioned Teacher Mara about teaching an Unforgivable Curse.
• Teacher Mara advised Ian to hunt animals to build the killing intent needed to cast the spell, while Ian kept his successful learning to himself.
• Ian asked to learn a less dangerous spell, but Teacher Mara warned that his time in the illusion was ending.
• As Ian faded from the Misty Illusion, Teacher Mara gave him an inscribed Gown Fragment as homework, and he awoke holding it in reality.

Ian discovered that he could bring a fragment of Teacher Mara’s gown out of the Misty Illusion, leading him to wonder whether the dead might also be brought back to the living world. He examined the fragment as homework and realized its strange writing was Ancient Runes.

• Ian found that Teacher Mara’s gown fragment had crossed from the Misty Illusion into the living world, while the wand and other objects he had held did not.
• Ian speculated that the boundary between life and death might be crossed and considered asking Teacher Mara whether the dead could return.
• Ian thought about finding the magic mirror Teacher Mara wanted and bringing it to her in exchange for more instruction.
• Ian cast Lumos, gained three proficiency points in the charm, and used the light to inspect the writing on the gown fragment.
• Ian checked Magical Theory by Adalbert Wulfelin and identified the writing as Ancient Runes, realizing they were part of his homework.

Ian visited a secondhand bookstore in Hogsmeade to buy books on Runes, determined to study Ancient Runes before enrolling at Hogwarts. The bookstore owner sold him three books and was left reflecting on the Golden Snitch tattoo on his arm.

• Ian decided to start studying Runes and went to an obscure secondhand bookstore in Hogsmeade.
• The bookstore owner warned Ian that Runes was advanced but searched for books after hearing of his ambitions.
• Ian noticed a Golden Snitch tattoo on the bookstore owner's arm, and the owner said it used to be beautiful.
• Ian paid six Galleons for three books and left, while the bookstore owner recalled a memory of swearing loyalty unto death.

Ian struggled to learn Ancient Runes, then mastered his first Rune and began gaining proficiency through his Personal Panel. He learned how Runes had once served as the main medium for magic before wands and modern spells made magic safer and easier to learn.

• Ian studied the beginner textbooks and struggled to pronounce even simple Ancient Runes.
• Ian explained that Runes had greater potential than modern spells but were far harder and more dangerous to learn.
• Ian persisted until he learned to spell his first Rune, unlocking Rune Mastery on his Personal Panel.
• Ian’s Epiphany trait accelerated his progress, increasing both Rune Mastery and Language Mastery proficiency.
• Ian learned that wands and simplified modern spells had displaced Runes by making magic safer and easier for most wizards.

Ian’s Linguistic Comprehension trait accelerated his Rune studies as he carefully deciphered a fear curse on a Gown Fragment and worried about affording potion books for Teacher Mara. At the nameless bookstore, he met a platinum-blonde girl with mismatched eyes who recognized him.

• Ian’s Language Mastery reached Level 5 and gained the Linguistic Comprehension Extraordinary Trait, helping him learn Runes and animal languages.
• Ian continued interpreting the Gown Fragment’s Magic Text, identifying its spell as the Fear Curse associated with creating Boggarts.
• Ian worried that his remaining money might not cover potion books for Teacher Mara and considered buying secondhand books.
• Ian visited the nameless bookstore and found a platinum-blonde girl with one blue eye and one white eye sitting behind the counter.
• The girl told Ian that she had seen him before.

Ian visited Kraft’s bookstore to sell books and obtain Potions textbooks, persuading Aurora Grindelwald to secretly rent him a stack of them. After Ian mentioned Nurmengard and the Dark Lord, Aurora revealed that the imprisoned Gellert Grindelwald was her grandfather, and Ian fled with the books and her mysterious gift.

• Ian met Aurora Grindelwald at Kraft’s bookstore and sold her three books for four Galleons.
• Ian persuaded Aurora to let him secretly rent Potions textbooks in exchange for a Galleon and promised pocket money.
• Aurora called Ian a friend, gave him a strange black book, and warned him that he was unusually persuasive.
• Ian joked about Nurmengard, and Aurora revealed that the Dark Lord’s name was Gellert Grindelwald.
• Ian realized Aurora was Grindelwald’s granddaughter, hurried home, and found that her gift was titled “Secrets of the Darkest Art.”

After Ian left the bookstore, Aurora spoke with Kraft about her grandfather’s expectations and her admission to Hogwarts. When Kraft learned Ian knew who the Grindelwalds were, Aurora revealed that Ian wanted to become the Dark Lord.

• Kraft returned to the bookstore late at night, but refused to tell Aurora what message her grandfather had sent him.
• Kraft insisted that Aurora would fulfill her grandfather’s unfinished work, while Aurora doubted she could lead the Acolytes to rise again.
• Kraft assured Aurora that Dumbledore would eventually approve her admission to Hogwarts because her grandfather wanted her to attend.
• Kraft noticed the three Runes textbooks Ian had brought to sell, and Aurora told him she had given Ian a gold coin and that he wanted to be her friend.
• Aurora told Kraft that Ian Prince knew her identity, that both his parents were wizards, and that he wanted to become the Dark Lord.

Aurora told Kraft that Ian wanted to become the Dark Lord, but insisted he could not be recruited into the Saints because she had glimpsed fragments of his future. She revealed that she had seen Ian standing before a tower with his wand raised while Dumbledore knelt at his feet, weeping.

• Aurora told Kraft that Ian wanted to become the Dark Lord and planned to study under Grindelwald in Nurmengard.
• Kraft celebrated Ian’s ambition and urged Aurora to win him over, but Aurora said she had only given him her own book.
• Aurora told Kraft that Ian was unlike other young wizards and would not place his faith in the Saints.
• Aurora explained that she had glimpsed fragments of Ian’s future in Diagon Alley.
• Aurora revealed that she had seen Ian before a tower with his wand raised and Dumbledore kneeling at his feet, weeping.

Ian opened Grindelwald’s annotated copy of Secrets of the Darkest Art to study its spells, intending only to look and not learn. As he read about Inferi, his wand changed color and the floorboards began to move.

• Ian brought Secrets of the Darkest Art to his desk and debated the dangers of reading it.
• Ian decided the book might help him protect himself at Hogwarts and opened it under his wand’s light.
• Ian found detailed warnings and explanations written throughout the book, which Grindelwald had prepared for his descendants.
• Ian began reading about the Inferi Control Charm and unknowingly raised his proficiency.
• Ian saw his wand’s light turn sickly green as the floorboards began to rise and fall.

Ian gathered planks for his small house in Hogsmeade, while Snape, troubled by Dumbledore’s words, went to check on him. Snape found Ian trying to stuff decaying corpses into a coffin and demanded an explanation.

• Ian asked Madam Puddifoot to turn a tree into planks, and she used magic to help him.
• Ian levitated some planks back to his house and gained spell proficiency, but realized he still lacked several supplies.
• Snape ruined a dose of Felix Felicis after missing its stirring time because he had been unable to sleep over Dumbledore’s words.
• Snape went to Ian’s house, unlocked its heavily secured door, and found a large pit, scattered corpses, and Ian stuffing two decayed bodies into a coffin.
• Snape demanded that Ian give him an explanation that would not lead to Azkaban.

Snape interrogated Ian about learning the Inferi Control Charm, but Ian stuck to his story about finding a dark wizard’s note to protect Grindelwald’s annotated copy of Secrets of the Darkest Art. Snape challenged Ian to prove his extraordinary talent by trying the spell written on a note he had just created.

• Snape accused Ian of lying about accidentally finding a dark wizard’s note and learning Dark Magic from it.
• Ian insisted that a dark wizard had followed him in London and that he had learned the Inferi Control Charm from the wizard’s fallen note.
• Snape warned Ian that he could send him to Azkaban and demanded to know who had taught him Dark Magic.
• Ian repeated his story rather than reveal how he had obtained Secrets of the Darkest Art.
• Snape wrote out the principles of a spell and handed the note to Ian, sarcastically challenging him to prove his talent.

Ian quickly learned the Dark spell Snape had presented as a test, stunning Snape with his talent. Snape accepted Ian's story about finding a note and warned him to keep the incident secret and not use Sectumsempra on students as school approached.

• Snape used magic to clean up the living room while Ian studied the spell he had recorded.
• Ian cast Sectumsempra on a pile of planks and destroyed it, proving he had learned the spell in about twenty minutes.
• Snape was shocked by Ian's magical talent and asked where he had found the note, but Ian claimed it had been lost during the chaos.
• Snape ordered Ian not to tell anyone about the events and warned him never to use Sectumsempra on students.
• Ian promised to behave, while privately deciding Snape's warning did not forbid using the Inferi Control Charm on classmates' ancestral graves.

After Snape left, Ian retrieved and re-hid Secrets of the Darkest Art, then devoted himself to copying the seven years of Potions textbooks to build his Potions Mastery before school began. He remained eager to learn from Dumbledore and looked forward to his future at Hogwarts.

• Snape threatened Ian to stay away from Dark Magic, and Ian promised he would not ask around the village.
• After Snape left, Ian retrieved Secrets of the Darkest Art from the toilet tank and hid it there again.
• Ian began copying his Potions textbooks, gaining Potions Mastery with each session of reading and writing.
• Ian compared his Potions talent favorably with his weaker White Magic ability and hoped Dumbledore would guide him at Hogwarts.
• Ian became absorbed in copying as sunlight filled the quiet wooden house.

Dumbledore urged Snape to care for Ian, who had no other family, while Snape reluctantly admitted that Ian was adjusting well in Hogsmeade. After asking how quickly Dumbledore had learned Compound Magic, Snape left him troubled, and Dumbledore realized the answer suggested something alarming about Ian.

• Dumbledore asked Fawkes to help search Hogwarts for the Chamber of Secrets, and the Phoenix agreed.
• Snape returned to Hogwarts after visiting Ian, and Dumbledore urged him to show the boy affection.
• Snape said Ian seemed accustomed to life in Hogsmeade, though he complained that the boy took far too good care of himself.
• Snape asked how long Dumbledore had taken to learn Compound Magic, and Dumbledore recalled mastering it in one afternoon during his second year.
• Snape left looking troubled, and Dumbledore realized why the comparison had alarmed him.

Ian completed copying all seven years of Potions textbooks, improved his Potions Mastery and Lumos Charm, and entered the Misty Illusion carrying his notebooks. Teacher Mara hinted that Ian could accomplish something even more remarkable, leaving him to consider what his path might be.

• Ian finished copying the Potions textbooks and raised his Potions Mastery to Level 2.
• Ian practiced the Lumos Charm, discovered he could change its light's color, and failed to make the light detach from his wand.
• Ian realized his idea of stabilizing a detached light with another object resembled alchemy, then learned that Wizarding families already monopolized lighting tools.
• Ian fell asleep with his notebooks and brought them all into the Misty Illusion.
• Teacher Mara praised Ian and hinted that he could do something more remarkable, prompting him to develop bold ideas.

Ian practiced the Fear Descends spell under Teacher Mara’s guidance, then discovered that Pandora and Ariana had broken into the castle looking for him. Mara angrily confronted Pandora as Ian was reunited with his friends.

• Ian considered using Misty Illusion to smuggle valuable goods before Mara told him to return to the real world.
• Mara gave Ian a wooden wand and tested his progress by having him cast Fear Descends on a squealing roasted suckling pig.
• Mara praised Ian for learning the spell in seven days and explained how Runes helped wizards understand magic.
• Pandora and Ariana fought their way past the castle’s suits of armor while searching for Ian.
• Mara opened the castle doors and roared at Pandora as he entered with Ariana.

Pandora and Ariana arrived to rescue Ian from Witch Mara, only to learn he was studying magic under her and that they had damaged her castle. After they apologized and promised compensation, Pandora gave Ian a golden apple as an Admission Gift.

• Pandora and Ariana entered Mara’s castle to rescue Ian, but Ariana realized he was not being held prisoner.
• Ian apologized to Mara for forgetting to warn his friends, while Mara ordered Pandora and Ariana to leave after they wrecked her property.
• Ariana apologized to Mara, and Ian promised to find a way to compensate his teacher for the damage.
• Ian told Ariana that Mara was teaching him magic, and Pandora claimed he had once crossed swords with Godric Gryffindor.
• Pandora gave Ian a gleaming golden apple as an Admission Gift.

Ian ate the Golden Apple in the Misty Illusion, gaining a renewed clarity and vitality. Teacher Mara explained how cognition shaped the illusion, then assigned Ian to learn to reshape the castle’s broken guards before sending him back to town with a rune-covered Gown Fragment.

• Pandora shoved the Golden Apple into Ian’s mouth, and its power flooded through him as Ariana and Pandora fled the hall after provoking the witch.
• Teacher Mara explained that someone had smuggled a Golden Apple seed into the Misty Illusion and suggested Ian question Pandora about where the trees grew.
• Ian promised to find Teacher Mara’s Mirror and a giant Dragon, while Mara refused to reveal Pandora’s identity because she feared he would regain his memories.
• Teacher Mara told Ian that cognition determined what could be accomplished in the Misty Illusion and that Pandora’s conviction had defeated her three times.
• Teacher Mara ordered Ian to learn to reshape the shattered guards, gave him a rune-covered Gown Fragment, and told him to return to town before visiting her again.
• Ian woke in the real world and immediately opened his Personal Panel.

After the Golden Apple raised Ian Prince’s Magic Power and granted him Enlightenment of Wisdom, he tested his stronger spells and discovered a way to amplify Incendio. His experiment unleashed a massive fire that threatened the grounds and Snape’s wooden house, until an old man in a White Robe stopped everything with his wand.

• Ian Prince found that the Golden Apple had raised his Magic Power to Level Seven, with an Explosive Leap still in progress, and granted him Enlightenment of Wisdom.
• Ian thanked Pandora in his thoughts and tested Lumos, which now illuminated the wooden house with far greater brilliance.
• Ian went outside and experimented with Incendio, learning that its Magic Circuit limited its Magic Power Output.
• Ian added a Magic Power Passage just before Incendio’s circuit was complete, creating a towering wave of flames that threatened the fences, trees, and wooden house.
• An old man in a White Robe arrived and halted the flames and everything around them with his ancient wand.