Chapter Summaries

Linley tested Harry, Irvin, Astoria, and the Weasley twins’ Occlumency, finding that Harry struggled most while the others showed varying degrees of progress. After Harry left, Linley reassured Irina about his improvement and prepared to train Fred and George in alchemy.

• Linley ended the gathering and tested Irvin’s Occlumency with Legilimency, finding that Irvin could keep his mind blank.
• Linley tested Fred and George, Astoria, and Harry, finding the twins matched Irvin, Astoria struggled to maintain a blank mind, and Harry failed almost immediately.
• Harry became discouraged, but Linley encouraged him to keep practicing, and Harry vowed to resist Linley’s Legilimency by the next gathering.
• After Harry left, Irina worried that Voldemort’s soul fragment was interfering with his Occlumency, while Linley insisted Harry was still improving.
• Linley turned to train Fred and George, whose progress let them create Alchemy Formations by hand and briefly imprint Alchemy Runes in the air.

Linley continued training the D.A. Army while Umbridge used Educational Decree No. 25 to intensify her suppression of students and professors. At the final gathering before Christmas, Linley prepared to teach the group a powerful Dark Arts spell and set strict limits on whom they could use it against.

• Linley praised Fred and George's progress in forming Alchemy Runes in the air and said they were close to fighting with Alchemy Formations.
• Umbridge issued Educational Decree No. 25, giving herself supreme authority over student punishments and using harsher measures against those who opposed her.
• Linley left the resistance to Umbridge to the D.A. Army, while Dumbledore remained inactive to protect Linley and Irina's plan.
• At the final D.A. Army gathering before Christmas, Linley and Irina's students had learned numerous spells, and most could summon corporeal Patronuses.
• Linley announced that he would teach the D.A. Army a powerful Dark Arts spell, but required them to promise they would use it only against Death Eaters and especially vicious dark wizards.

Linley taught the young wizards Sectumsempra after binding them with a magical contract not to use it on innocents. The chapter ended with seven students mastering the dangerous spell, while Linley continued tutoring Harry and the others.

• Linley warned the young wizards that Sectumsempra could cause irreversible injuries and made them swear to use it only against Death Eaters and vicious dark wizards.
• Ginny led the group in taking the oath, and Linley recorded their promises with Contract Magic.
• Linley explained Sectumsempra and taught the students how to cast it on alchemical targets in the Room of Requirement.
• Irvin, Astoria, Ginny, Fred, George, Hermione, and Harry successfully cast Sectumsempra, while the others failed to master it.
• After the gathering, Linley tutored Harry and the others in Occlumency and guided Fred and George in alchemy without a medium.

Harry dreamed through the eyes of a giant snake attacking Mr. Weasley, and woke in agony after Voldemort's soul fragment invaded his mind. Ron, Irina, and Hermione realized Mr. Weasley was in mortal danger and needed rescuing from the Department of Mysteries.

• Linley worried that Harry's Occlumency remained too weak to protect him from Voldemort's Horcrux.
• Harry dreamed that he was a snake slithering through a corridor and biting a sleeping person until they collapsed in blood.
• Ron woke Harry, who described seeing Mr. Weasley attacked by a huge snake through his unusual vision.
• Neville ran to get Professor McGonagall while Ron went to wake Irina and Hermione.
• Irina and Hermione recognized that Voldemort's soul fragment had invaded Harry's dream, and Irina decided they had to rescue Mr. Weasley immediately.

After Harry saw a great snake attack Mr. Weasley through the connection between Voldemort’s Horcruxes, Irina went to rescue him while Linley alerted Dumbledore and set out to deal with Umbridge. The chapter ended with Linley casting Obliviate on Umbridge as she prepared to raid the Gryffindor dormitory.

• Irina gave Ron a Two-way Mirror, then used an Apparition Key to go rescue Mr. Weasley while Ron and Hermione contacted Linley.
• Linley sent his Patronus to alert Dumbledore that Harry had seen a great snake attack Mr. Weasley and that the snake might be another Horcrux.
• Dumbledore agreed to let the Weasley children visit their father, and Linley said he would stop Umbridge from causing trouble.
• Linley saw a smug Gryffindor boy leave Umbridge’s office and suspected he was a traitor.
• Linley used a Disillusionment Charm to pass the boy unnoticed, then kicked open Umbridge’s office door and cast Obliviate on her.

Linley incapacitated Umbridge while Irina treated Mr. Weasley and brought him to St Mungo’s. Harry was sent with the Weasleys to Sirius Black’s residence, but his scar pain and sudden urge to attack Dumbledore renewed concerns about his connection to Voldemort.

• Linley erased Umbridge’s memories of the night, made her appear asleep at her desk, and returned to the Slytherin dormitory.
• Irina treated Mr. Weasley’s wounds in the Department of Mysteries and transported him to St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
• Dumbledore arranged for Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny to travel by Portkey to Sirius Black’s residence while Linley kept Umbridge occupied.
• Harry’s scar hurt as he looked at Dumbledore, and he felt an intense urge to attack him before the Portkey carried him away.
• Irina returned and told Dumbledore that Mr. Weasley was receiving treatment and was no longer in immediate danger.
• Dumbledore told Irina about Harry’s abnormal behavior, and Irina worried that Harry’s Occlumency was failing even while he was awake.

Irina concluded that Harry could not prevent Voldemort’s Horcrux from sending images and consciousness into his mind, but could use Occlumency to resist its influence and control. The next day, Linley and Irina joined Moody, Tonks, Harry, and the others on their way to St Mungo’s, where Tonks led them to a display window at Tattler’s Department Store.

• Dumbledore suggested that Harry might not have been maintaining Occlumency constantly, and Irina said doing so was too advanced and exhausting for him.
• Irina proposed that Harry focus on closing his mind when hostile feelings arose and resisting Voldemort’s attempts to control his actions.
• After resting, Linley and Irina arrived outside 12 Grimmauld Place and met Harry’s group as they prepared to visit Arthur at St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
• Moody explained that St Mungo’s was located among London crowds so its patients could blend in, and the group reached the shabby Tattler’s Department Store.
• Tonks guided the group to a display window containing an ugly female mannequin and asked whether everyone was ready.

Linley and Irina visited Arthur Weasley at St Mungo’s, where Linley revealed that the snake that attacked him was Voldemort’s newest Horcrux. The chapter ended with Fred and George arguing that they could protect themselves, while Arthur worried about his sons becoming involved in the coming fight.

• Tonks opened the hidden passage to St Mungo’s, and Mrs. Weasley led the group to Arthur’s ward.
• Tonks suggested Linley, Irina, and Harry visit Arthur first, but Harry declined, so Fred and George went with Linley and Irina.
• Fred cast a Silencing Charm, and Linley asked Arthur whether the snake that attacked him had seemed unusual.
• Linley told Arthur that the snake was Voldemort’s newest Horcrux, made using a living creature as its vessel.
• Arthur worried about Fred and George joining the fight, while the twins insisted they could defend themselves and cited their success in Linley’s Illusion Trial.

Linley explained that Nagini was a former witch afflicted with the Blood Curse and that Voldemort's other known Horcruxes included Harry Potter. The group learned Harry had become a Horcrux when a fragment of Voldemort's soul attached itself to him after the curse rebounded.

• Mr. Weasley supported Fred and George joining Linley's group and asked Linley about the Horcrux.
• Linley revealed that Nagini had once been a witch with the Blood Curse, and explained that a companion from the Grindelwald Family suffered from the same curse.
• Linley warned that Nagini was Voldemort's favorite pet, and Irina concluded Voldemort had likely been near the Ministry when Mr. Weasley was attacked.
• Irina said the known Horcruxes were the destroyed diary, Nagini, and Harry Potter, shocking Fred and George.
• Linley explained that a fragment of Voldemort's soul had attached itself to Harry after the Killing Curse rebounded, making Harry a Horcrux and requiring him to practice Occlumency.

Linley and Irina told Mr. Weasley that Harry was a Horcrux and asked him to watch for Voldemort’s other Horcruxes. Back at Roer Castle, they prepared to host a Christmas feast with their family, teachers, and friends.

• Fred and George worried that Harry’s secret would spread, and Linley reassured them that only Dumbledore knew besides them.
• Linley asked Mr. Weasley to watch for objects that carried the same strange feeling as Nagini, and Mr. Weasley promised to alert Dumbledore, Linley, and Irina if he found a Horcrux.
• Linley and Irina left the ward after sending Ron and Ginny to see Mr. Weasley.
• Linley and Irina returned to Roer Castle, where Gael showed them the Christmas decorations it had prepared for the feast.
• Linley used his Wand to hang Christmas crackers on a tree as he and Irina began decorating Rohl Manor.

Linley and Irina decorated Roer Castle and welcomed Irina’s parents to Rohl Manor for Christmas. After hearing that Linley had saved Irina from a Troll years earlier, Igor’s suspicions eased, leaving the family on warmer terms.

• Linley, Irina, and Gael decorated Roer Castle and Rohl Manor for Christmas, while Linley prepared three more guest rooms for the arriving visitors.
• Rowena joined Linley and Irina in the sitting room, where she and Irina chatted happily.
• Mr. and Mrs. Lowell arrived at Rohl Manor, and Linley and Irina went out to greet them.
• Linley introduced himself to Igor and Carolina and explained that he and Irina had met at Hogwarts and later became a couple at the Christmas Ball.
• Irina told her parents that Linley had saved her from a Troll, softening Igor’s doubts about Linley’s sincerity.

Linley and Irina welcomed their families, teachers, and the Flamels to Roer Castle for Christmas. The guests settled in and began catching up, while Linley told Green that the Weasley twins would visit the next morning to ask for alchemy training.

• Rowena warmly greeted Igor and Carolina when they arrived at Roer Castle.
• Valison Green arrived, and Linley told him that Fred Weasley and George Weasley would visit the next morning to seek his tutelage.
• Newt Scamander and Tina Scamander arrived, and Irina introduced them to her parents, who began chatting with them.
• Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle Flamel arrived, and Linley and Green helped them settle in.
• Newt told Igor and Carolina about Nicolas's reputation, and Rowena welcomed Nicolas to Roer Castle.

Linley celebrated Christmas with Irina and their guests, then opened the gifts Gael had sorted for him. Irvin’s gift was a book of Ancient Magic called “Blood Curse Kill,” whose introduction confirmed Linley’s suspicions about why Irvin had given it to him.

• Gael served British, French, and Eastern dishes at Linley’s Christmas feast, delighting the guests.
• After dinner, Linley and the guests opened Christmas crackers, then went to bed while Gael prepared to deliver the presents.
• Linley woke to a room filled with Christmas gifts and asked Gael to sort them, leaving only gifts from people close to him.
• Linley opened Rowena’s knitted scarf and Irina’s enchanted belt, whose ten tiny pockets each held the space of a small room.
• Linley examined Irvin’s copy of the Ancient Magic book “Blood Curse Kill” and read its introduction, confirming his guesses about Irvin’s purpose.

Linley considered whether Astoria could use the Ancient Magic Blood Curse Kill to control and weaponize her Blood Curse, but recognized that he first needed to meet the spell’s prerequisites and investigate its limits. He opened his Christmas gifts, finding a rocket launcher from Green and an Alchemy Detector from Nicolas Flamel that displayed his attributes and rated his Demon King-level power and proficiency as below average and weak.

• Linley realized Astoria might use Blood Curse Kill to suppress her Blood Curse and turn its power into a weapon, but he lacked the prerequisites to learn the Ancient Magic himself.
• Linley opened Green’s Christmas gift and found a Type 69 RPG with ten rockets, which he stored in his belt’s pocket space.
• Linley opened Nicolas Flamel’s gift and found an Alchemy Detector that displayed targets’ attributes on a panel.
• The Alchemy Detector rated Linley’s magical power as below average and his magical proficiency as weak among Demon King-level wizards.

Linley used the Alchemy Detector to analyze Astoria's blood and extract a small sample of Blood Curse power. The detector deduced an incantation that could summon the curse power, but it could not determine the ritual needed to inflict the curse.

• Linley examined the Alchemy Detector's expanded readings of his talents, skills, emotional state, and soul condition.
• Linley analyzed a blood sample from Astoria and learned that she had high curse talent and that her blood was cursed.
• Linley used the detector to extract a tiny sphere of curse power from Astoria's blood.
• Linley analyzed the curse power and learned that the Blood Curse weakened its host and spread through a special ritual.
• Linley asked the detector to reverse-engineer the curse; it deduced a summoning incantation but lacked enough information to deduce the ritual.

Irina unwrapped her Christmas gifts and found that Linley had given her an origin flame of Ziwei Heavenly Fire, formed from his Star Origin. She fused it with her Power of Cold Ice, leaving her with star-infused ice of greatly increased destructive power.

• Irina sorted her Christmas presents and opened gifts from her parents, Linley, Newt, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
• Irina read Linley’s note explaining that the origin flame could fuse with her Power of Cold Ice and add the power of the stars.
• Irina recalled that Illusory God of Cold Ice could absorb special attributes while separating out what was incompatible with its ice.
• Irina released enough Power of Cold Ice to contain the origin flame and used her Wand to bring the two together.
• After nearly an hour of resistance, the flame’s heat dissipated and its Star Origin merged into Irina’s Power of Cold Ice.
• Irina examined the resulting crystal-clear, star-shaped snowflakes, now patterned with flickering violet-gold light.

Irina examined her new Ziwei Cold Star, a weapon formed from the Power of Cold Ice and Linley's Ziwei Heavenly Fire, then learned the recipe Newt gave her for magical creature-attracting Magic Rice Balls. She began opening Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s simpler Christmas presents, starting with Harry’s book.

• Irina named the purplish-golden snowflake Ziwei Cold Star and learned that using it would not consume the Star Origin fused into her body.
• Irina opened Newt’s gift and read his recipe for Magic Rice Balls, which attracted magical creatures and had helped Newt rescue and train them.
• Irina memorized the recipe and understood why Newt had mixed rice-like food into the meals he fed his creatures.
• Irina opened Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s presents, and Harry gave her a copy of Practical Defensive Magic and Its Countermeasures Against the Dark Arts.

Linley brought Fred and George to meet Professor Green and demonstrate their alchemy, hoping they could become his apprentices. Green watched the twins begin weaving an Alchemy Formation together at Rohl Manor’s training grounds.

• Irina opened her Christmas gifts, while Linley complained to Green about receiving an RPG and Green promised to send him more ammunition.
• Rowena had Gael show the visiting families around Rohl Manor while Green stayed behind to drink tea.
• Fred and George arrived by Portkey, presented Linley’s letter of introduction to Green, and asked to become his apprentices.
• Green asked the twins to demonstrate their alchemy, and Linley led them to the manor’s training grounds.
• Fred and George jointly wove an Alchemy Formation with golden threads as Green watched their coordination.

Fred and George impressed Professor Green with their combat alchemy and earned an invitation to study with him in France over the summer. At St Mungo’s, Harry and the others left Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arguing and encountered the still-impaired Lockhart.

• Linley created a steel cube, and Fred and George used their Alchemy Formation to blast through it with golden beams.
• Professor Green praised Fred and George and invited them to study under him in France during the summer holidays.
• Linley and Irina used a Portkey to visit Harry at 12 Grimmauld Place, where Harry thanked them for gifts that improved his Firebolt and broom maintenance.
• At St Mungo’s, Mrs. Weasley argued with Mr. Weasley after learning he had agreed to have his wound stitched with Muggle surgical thread, which Nagini’s venom dissolved.
• Harry and the others left the Weasley ward for the tearoom and saw Lockhart leaving the Spell Damage Department, still unable to speak coherently.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the others encountered Lockhart in St Mungo’s long-term ward and learned he was being cared for as a patient. There they met Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, who warmly greeted Neville’s friends.

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione recognized Lockhart and recalled how he had stolen other wizards’ memories and experiences.
• A Healer mistook the group for visitors and led Lockhart back into his closed ward, so they followed her inside.
• Linley identified the ward as a place for patients with permanent spell damage, and the group saw Agnes and Broderick receiving care.
• The Healer noticed Mrs. Longbottom and Neville leaving the curtained beds, prompting Harry, Ron, and Hermione to recognize Neville.
• Linley greeted Mrs. Longbottom, who welcomed the group and told Hermione that Neville had spoken highly of her.