Chapter Summaries

Ian confirmed that Transfiguration followed a broader magical path and improved his skill by experimenting in the Owlery. After Professor Ronnie Erich discovered evidence of Ian’s unusual Transfiguration, Ian studied books on the subject in the library and considered its ultimate potential.

• Ian gained six points of Transfiguration proficiency after realizing that wizards could impose rules on matter.
• Ian used Vera Verto to turn straw into a lifelike but dull-witted mouse, then changed it back into straw before leaving the Owlery.
• Ian passed Professor Ronnie Erich, who later found a straw-spiked dead mouse and deduced that Ian had caused its death through Transfiguration.
• Ian ate lunch and went to the library, where he gathered books about Transfiguration and considered how its principles might lead toward the Great Wish Spell.

Professor McGonagall told Dumbledore about Ian Prince’s astonishing Transfiguration progress and worried that Gellert Grindelwald might influence Ian and Miss Grindelwald. Dumbledore said Ian had talent equal to Merlin’s and left McGonagall questioning her assumptions about which student was influencing the other.

• Professor McGonagall reported Ian Prince’s extraordinary Transfiguration progress to Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore compared Ian’s talent to Merlin’s and said the Sorting Hat had chosen him as Lady Ravenclaw’s successor.
• Professor McGonagall worried that Gellert Grindelwald might impose his ideas on Ian and Miss Grindelwald.
• Dumbledore assured McGonagall that Ian’s convictions would resist Grindelwald’s influence and said Ian resembled his younger self.
• Dumbledore told McGonagall that Miss Grindelwald had stood beside Ian, not the other way around.

Ian researched historical mysteries in the Hogwarts Library, persuaded Madam Pince to let him borrow extra books, and used a fear spell on Mrs. Norris. He returned to Ravenclaw Tower and hurried with his classmates to Potions, which Ravenclaw would take alongside Slytherin.

• Ian borrowed books about Hogwarts records, wizarding history, the Misty Illusion, and Limbo to investigate Teacher Mara, Pandora, and Ariana’s possible family connection.
• Ian convinced Madam Pince to let him borrow seven or eight books by appealing to her sympathy and promising to bring her candy.
• Ian cast Fear Descends on Mrs. Norris after she growled at him in an empty corridor.
• Ian stored the books in his dormitory, then joined the Ravenclaw first-years as they hurried to Potions Class with Slytherin.

Ian and Aurora paired up for Potions while William panicked after insulting Aurora’s family. The chapter left the first-year students waiting as Snape entered and sealed the classroom door.

• Ian found William sitting alone and learned that Michael had been spending time with a Slytherin girl.
• Aurora approached Ian and William, and Ian introduced William as his shy roommate.
• Aurora asked Ian to partner with her for Potions, and William fled to the corner of the classroom.
• Ian and Aurora discussed Daphne Greengrass, who was still asleep after her shock; Ian agreed that she might be pretending.
• Snape entered the classroom and shut the door, leaving Ian wondering where the expected latecomer was.

Ian and Aurora attended Snape’s Potions class, where Ian recognized Snape’s familiar speech and learned that Aurora’s family could see the future. During their Boil-Cure Potion practical, Aurora did nearly all the work while Ian tended the fire.

• Ian was disappointed that Daphne had not recovered, then borrowed Aurora’s annotated Potions textbook after she duplicated it with Geminio.
• Ian predicted Snape’s familiar introductory speech, and Aurora revealed that she had foreseen the same scene through her family’s gift.
• Aurora said her grandfather was far more capable at seeing the future, but did not answer Ian’s question about whether he had foreseen his own ending.
• Snape told the class to brew Boil-Cure Potion and ordered Michael Jordan back to his own house.
• Aurora prepared the ingredients and stirred the potion while Ian tended the fire, then put it out when the brew was complete.

Ian successfully brewed a Boil-Cure Potion with Aurora, but Snape disputed Ian’s contribution and required Ian to make a second batch alone. Ian completed it while explaining his techniques to the watching Young Wizards, leaving Snape frustrated as the class enthusiastically claimed they understood.

• Ian and Aurora finished their Boil-Cure Potion, and Ian credited their success to both of them.
• Snape awarded Slytherin five points, deducted one point from Ravenclaw, and said Aurora had done the work while Ian had hindered her.
• Snape required two finished potions for the assignment and prevented Aurora from helping Ian brew the second batch.
• Ian processed the ingredients, controlled the heat, and explained the brewing steps while Snape watched for mistakes.
• Ian completed a textbook-quality potion, and the watching Young Wizards called out that they understood the process.

Ian won the Potions class prize for his Boil Cure Potion, and Snape awarded him a pouch of Felix Felicis. Ian gave the largest bottle to Aurora, leaving Snape furious as he overheard him claim he had worked hard to obtain it.

• Snape criticized Ian’s potion as lifeless but accepted it as better than most students’ attempts.
• Jiggs and Singed caused a potion to erupt, and Snape stopped the droplets with a Levitation Charm before warning the class not to repeat the mistake.
• Snape supervised the students until they had brewed passable potions, then awarded Ian the prize and Ravenclaw five points.
• Snape gave Ian a pouch containing Felix Felicis and dismissed the class.
• Ian gave the largest bottle of Felix Felicis to Aurora as a return gift, while Snape overheard him and exploded in anger.

Ian explored Hogwarts and found the entrance to the Room of Requirement, but Peeves startled him and became the target of his magic. Ian discovered he could physically grab the ghost and began tormenting him, leaving Peeves calling for Dumbledore.

• Snape took a longer route back to his safehouse rather than watch Ian divide the spoils, and rumors about him spread among Hogwarts students.
• Ian parted from Aurora and began exploring Hogwarts, using Vera Verto on decorative plants to practice his magic.
• Ian found the likely entrance to the Room of Requirement, where Peeves suddenly jumped out and startled him.
• Ian instinctively cast Sectumsempra at Peeves, whose body split apart before reassembling; Ian then realized his magic could affect the ghost.
• Ian seized Peeves, beat him, and set his hair on fire with Incendio, while Peeves begged a portrait to fetch Dumbledore.

Ian subdued Peeves and confirmed that his strange ability let him affect spirits. He found the Room of Requirement’s vast store of ownerless objects, collected Galleons, and recovered Ravenclaw’s Diadem, which contained a Horcrux, planning to take Voldemort on a voyage the next night.

• Ian threatened Peeves into promising not to report him, then released the frightened spirit.
• Ian opened the Room of Requirement by thinking of a place to hide things and found mountains of abandoned objects.
• Ian discovered that he could summon ownerless Galleons from the clutter, though his attempt to summon everything sellable failed.
• Ian searched the room and found Ravenclaw’s Diadem, now bearing Tom Riddle’s nameplate.
• Ian placed Voldemort’s Horcrux in a battered box and decided to take it on a voyage the next night.

Ian took Ravenclaw's Diadem and spell notebooks from the Room of Requirement, then learned from Silly Barnabas that Voldemort had hidden the corrupted diadem there and cursed the mural to keep silent. Ian left with the diadem, intending to handle its Dark Magic safely, while Silly Barnabas worried that he was studying souls.

• Ian packed Ravenclaw's Diadem and several old spell notebooks from the Room of Requirement, intending to bring the diadem to Teacher Mara and return later for more treasures.
• Silly Barnabas warned Ian not to take the diadem and revealed that he had watched a young wizard hide it in the room.
• Silly Barnabas explained that an Unspoken Curse prevented him from telling anyone who did not already know the diadem was there.
• Ian said he understood souls and would not put on the diadem, then left the Room of Requirement with it.
• Silly Barnabas worried that Ian was researching souls before the troll in the mural resumed beating him.

Ian visited Snape after dinner, where Snape gave him the old Advanced Potion-Making book and revealed that Ian came from a family of potioneers. Ian left with confirmation that Snape was not his father, but he still did not know who had destroyed his family.

• Ian went to Snape’s office and apologized for his attitude toward potions by bowing deeply.
• Snape gave Ian Advanced Potion-Making and warned that he would receive a different set of end-of-term exam questions.
• Ian noticed the Half-Blood Prince’s writing on the book and prompted Snape to reveal that it had belonged to a Potions Master in Ian’s family.
• Snape implied Ian’s family had been wiped out and confirmed no relatives remained, but refused to say who was responsible.
• Ian tried to repay Snape with a Money Bag, claiming he had found Hogwarts treasure, but Snape threw the money back and sent him away.
• Ian picked up the book and wondered whether Voldemort had destroyed his family, thinking of Snape as his only remaining uncle.

Ian visited Hogwarts' Kitchen, where the House-elves happily served him steak and lemonade, and reflected that freeing them could lead to another war. Returning to Ravenclaw after curfew, he found the Bronze Eagle Head waiting to demand an explanation.

• Ian entered Hogwarts' Kitchen and met Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Ronnie Erich, who warned him about Filch and invited him to class the next day.
• After Ronnie Erich left, House-elves Sibi and Hobby prepared steak and lemonade for Ian and celebrated his praise.
• Ian considered House-elves' magically ingrained devotion to service and concluded that trying to free them could lead to another war.
• Ian left the kitchen and returned to Ravenclaw after curfew, carrying Snape's notebook textbook.
• The Bronze Eagle Head told Ian it had been waiting all day to ask him why, then said it simply held grudges.

Ian got past the Bronze Eagle Head by praising Rowena Ravenclaw, then returned to the Common Room and turned his Potions skill into a paid tutoring venture. He ended the night teaching Ravenclaw first-years, gathering his earliest followers.

• Ian failed to convince the Bronze Eagle Head that Rowena Ravenclaw was a worthy teacher until he used a cheesy pickup line, which opened the door.
• Cho Chang told Ian that Professor Erich would teach Irish Pixies in the next Defence Against the Dark Arts class and that Ravenclaw students hoped to earn House points.
• Ravenclaw students praised Ian's work in Potions and asked him to teach them how to brew Boil-Cure Potion.
• Ian agreed to tutor the students for a Sickle per lesson, accepting Chocolate Frogs from one boy in exchange for future lessons.
• Ian began explaining potion preparation to the gathered students and promised to teach them more potions the next day.

Ian studied Snape’s annotated Advanced Potion-Making late into the night, increasing his Potions skill and learning several spells. The next morning, Michael reported that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher had disappeared, while William asked Ian to introduce him to the New Generation of Wizarding Acolytes under pressure from his grandfather.

• Ian returned to the dormitory after teaching Ravenclaw students and found William still curled up beneath his blanket, shaken by the day’s events.
• Ian read Snape’s annotated Advanced Potion-Making, raised his Potions Mastery to Level 3, and studied several spells written in the margins.
• Michael woke Ian and reported that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher had disappeared, cancelling the morning’s classes while professors searched Hogwarts.
• William asked Ian to introduce him to the New Generation of Wizarding Acolytes, explaining that his grandfather had threatened to have his father kill him if he failed to join.

Ian discovered that William came from a family of Pureblood Party spies and learned that William wanted to become an Acolyte. The chapter ended with Ian agreeing to try writing a recommendation letter, while William celebrated outside the washroom.

• William told Ian that his family had ordered him to join the Acolytes and that his mother, Selma Goring, was a radical wizard.
• William showed Ian an alchemical communicator that his family used to send messages.
• William revealed that his grandfather had served the Acolytes as a spy and expected William to carry on his pursuit.
• William explained that his father secretly tipped off people in Knockturn Alley and that his family had only recently accepted him as one of their own.
• Ian offered to try writing William a recommendation letter, then pushed him out of the washroom and shut the door.

Ian taught first-year students Potions, then studied in the library after Professor Ronnie Erich vanished. Penelope Clearwater summoned him to Dumbledore, saying Erich was dead and a Slytherin student accused Ian of killing him.

• Ian encouraged first-years with practical advice on brewing Boil-Cure Potion and learned that Ronnie Erich had disappeared.
• Ian heard rumours blaming Snape for Erich’s disappearance but suspected Erich had come for Aurora on behalf of Grindelwald’s Acolytes.
• Ian spent the morning studying school texts in the library to strengthen his magical foundations.
• Penelope Clearwater hurried into the library and told Ian that Ronnie Erich was dead and a Slytherin student claimed to have seen Ian kill him.

Ian was summoned after Marcus Flint accused him of killing Professor Ronnie Erich, whose dismembered body was found in the Owlery beside a blood-written message bearing Ian’s surname. Professor Flitwick identified the murder weapon’s magic as an early version of Sectumsempra, but Ian’s wand rejected the spell meant to reveal its recent magic.

• Penelope told Ian that Marcus Flint had accused him of murdering Professor Ronnie Erich and explained the rumors linking him to Daphne Greengrass’s collapse.
• Penelope brought Ian to the Owlery, where professors and prefects examined the hidden remains and a blood-written “Prince” message on the wall.
• Marcus Flint insisted that he had seen Ian kill Professor Erich, while Ian dismissed the accusation as a clumsy frame-up and argued with Flint.
• Headmaster Flitwick identified the wounds as the work of Severus Snape’s earliest version of Sectumsempra, and Dumbledore asked to examine Ian’s wand.
• Flitwick cast Prior Incantato on Ian’s wand, but the spell was rejected, leaving the professors astonished.

After Ian’s wand resisted Prior Incantato, Dumbledore accepted that he was innocent and privately asked him to demonstrate Fiendfyre. Meanwhile, Dumbledore summoned Penelope to ask why she had been investigating something around the castle since the previous afternoon.

• Flitwick and Dumbledore failed to reveal Ian’s wand memories with Prior Incantato, and Dumbledore returned the wand and declared Ian innocent.
• Marcus Flint insisted that Ian had murdered Professor Ronnie Erich, so Snape restrained him, knocked him unconscious, and took him away to check for the Imperius Curse or altered memories.
• McGonagall and Flitwick left to help Pomona search the castle, while Flitwick asked Ian whether he had encountered any dark wizards before school.
• Dumbledore asked Ian to show him Fiendfyre, watched him cast it safely in the Owlery, then extinguished the flames and left Ian with two House-elves.
• Dumbledore summoned Penelope to his office and asked about her efforts to investigate certain matters around the castle since the previous afternoon.

Penelope Clearwater’s search for the twins led her to uncover Dumbledore’s connection to Ariana, prompting him to bind her to secrecy with an Unbreakable Vow. Dumbledore then considered whether Ian might know how to bring Ariana back, despite the headmasters’ warnings that he was pursuing a dangerous delusion.

• Dumbledore told Penelope that Ariana had never enrolled at Hogwarts and realized she had come close to a painful secret.
• Penelope revealed that Ian had asked her to investigate, and Dumbledore said her inquiry had brought him closer to the truth.
• Dumbledore taught Penelope about Unbreakable Vows, bound her to silence, and gave her his old notes as compensation.
• Fawkes burned and was reborn as Dumbledore sat watching, while the portraits condemned his decision to pursue the possibility of restoring Ariana.
• Dumbledore dismissed the portraits’ warnings and studied a library borrowing list that included books on wizard history and Limbo.

Dumbledore took Marcus Flint away as bait to draw out the person who had framed Ian and murdered Ronnie Erich, while Snape suspected Aurora Grindelwald and warned Dumbledore against ignoring her as a possibility. Ian spent the day teaching his classmates and later returned to the strange place in his dreams.

• Snape interrogated Marcus Flint with potions and learned that Flint had been Imperiused into murdering Ronnie Erich with Sectumsempra and framing Ian.
• Dumbledore examined Flint's memories, asked Snape for a list of people who knew Sectumsempra, and decided to use Flint as bait to expose an accomplice inside Hogwarts.
• Snape suspected Aurora Grindelwald had poisoned Ronnie Erich and taken his wand, but Dumbledore rejected the accusation and warned Snape to consider who would be framed when Erich's body was found.
• Dumbledore took Flint away by Portkey, leaving Snape unsettled by his behavior and his warning about Aurora.
• Ian struggled through Professor Binns's History of Magic lesson, ate dinner with William and Michael, and wrote William a letter of recommendation.
• Ian taught Transfiguration to Young Wizards in the Ravenclaw Common Room, then returned to the strange place in his dreams after falling asleep.