Recaps

Geralt realized Dumbledore had orchestrated his mission to the Giant Camp and his battles with Hild, then learned that Dumbledore had trained Hild, Hrogar’s daughter. After the fight, Geralt recovered in Hrogar’s house while considering the connections between the old wizard and the Giant family.

• Geralt recognized that Dumbledore had arranged his mission and battles with Hild from the beginning.
• Hild composed herself after the fight while Geralt surveyed the devastation and reflected on the power behind her final strike.
• Geralt transfigured a chair in Hrogar’s house, where he found the surrounding Giant Magic Power diluted his own.
• Geralt asked Dumbledore if the mission had been a mixer, and Dumbledore confirmed that he and Hrogar had known each other for decades.
• Dumbledore told Geralt in Norwegian that Hild was Hrogar’s child and his student, whom he had trained from a young age.

Dumbledore and Hrogar arranged for Hild to travel with Geralt, prompting Geralt to accept her as a companion. Hild lifted him by the hand and called him “little human” in Giant language, which he did not understand.

• Geralt questioned Dumbledore about why he had fought Hild, and Dumbledore explained that Hild should see the world with a companion.
• Geralt asked whether he was expected to drop out of school, but Dumbledore firmly told him not to.
• Geralt approached Hild and offered his hand, and Hild removed her helmet and right-hand armor before taking it.
• Hild lifted Geralt until they were face to face and called him “little human” in Giant language.
• Geralt did not understand Hild and decided he would have to learn Giant language.

Geralt asked Dumbledore about strengthening his body with Magic Power and learned that he should keep developing the path he had already found. When Geralt asked whether Dumbledore had another arrangement for him, Dumbledore sent him away with a Patronus carrying Minerva’s reminder about homework.

• Geralt asked Dumbledore where he had been and wondered why he had left Geralt in Gudvangen without checking on him.
• Geralt calmed his active Magic Power with Star Orbit Meditation, then demonstrated how he infused his arm with Magic Power.
• Dumbledore explained that most wizards had to focus on either soul or body, but encouraged Geralt to pursue both and continue developing his own method.
• Dumbledore noted that Geralt was already growing in strength and told him that his existing method was his own path.
• Geralt asked whether Dumbledore had another arrangement for him, so Dumbledore sent a silver Phoenix Patronus into Geralt’s chest with Minerva’s reminder to do his homework.

Regulus traveled to Paris to visit his cousin Andromeda before the birth of her child, Nymphadora. French Ministry officials met him, monitored his arrival, and offered a senior Healer to assist with the delivery as a gesture of goodwill toward the Black family.

• At Grimmauld Place, Regulus noticed that Bellatrix's Guardian Mark was signaling more frequently as Andromeda's delivery approached.
• Regulus arrived on a Paris street with Baruk and headed toward Mouffetard Street to visit Andromeda.
• Langlois Gaston and Isabelle de Lavigne intercepted Regulus and said the French Ministry would respect his visit while monitoring his safety and conduct.
• Isabelle introduced Chief Obstetric Healer Madam Colette Beaumont, whom France had arranged to assist Andromeda during the birth.
• Regulus thanked Madam Beaumont in French, and the French officials followed him toward Andromeda's home.

Regulus visited Andromeda in Paris as she approached childbirth and discovered that her estranged uncle, Alphard Black, was there to support her. Alphard approached Regulus, but Gaston stepped between them, leaving the two men facing each other.

• Regulus sensed Andromeda and the unborn Nymphadora through the bedroom door and assessed their condition.
• Regulus entered the expanded living room, where British visitors recognized him as the man who had destroyed the Rowle family.
• Regulus recognized the relaxed man on the sofa as Alphard Black, his maternal uncle who had been cast out for liking Muggle things.
• Alphard rose and walked toward Regulus, and Gaston moved in front of him.
• Alphard stopped and looked surprised at Gaston, realizing Regulus had a bodyguard.

Regulus met his estranged uncle Alphard while Andromeda was in labor, and the two bonded over Muggle radios, music, and technology. Regulus described a future of instant worldwide communication and unlimited digital music, but Alphard dismissed it as something he had made up.

• Alphard welcomed Regulus and the French Ministry officials, while Madam Beaumont entered the bedroom to oversee Andromeda's delivery.
• Ted emerged from the bedroom and greeted Regulus before nervously waiting outside the door.
• Regulus told Alphard that he had repaired Alphard's old radio, and they talked about hearing the Apollo moon landing.
• Alphard described his Camden pub, punk gigs, and music, while Regulus praised Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.
• Regulus predicted global instant communication and on-demand digital music, and Alphard laughed and said he had made it all up.

Regulus and Alpha discussed Sirius, Muggle inventions, and Alpha’s life while Andromeda’s labor intensified. The chapter ended as the baby’s magic surged and everyone waited anxiously outside the bedroom.

• Alpha reflected on Sirius’s letters and realized they had portrayed Regulus as more solemn and less complicated than he was.
• Alpha told Regulus about his interests, including music, Muggle films, and learning to ride motorcycles.
• Regulus decided Alpha could support Sirius if Walburga disowned him and reconsidered the vault keys he had prepared for his brother.
• Isabelle assessed Alpha as a possible source of a Black family descendant in France.
• Andromeda’s labor intensified, and Regulus, Alpha, and the witches watched the bedroom door as the Guardian Mark and the baby’s magic surged.

Andromeda gave birth to Nymphadora as Regulus’s Guardian Mark fused into the newborn’s Magic Power. The chapter ended with the gathered friends celebrating and discovering that Nymphadora’s newborn hair was blue.

• Alpha and Tai waited anxiously outside the bedroom while Regulus sensed the baby’s chaotic Magic Power weakening the Guardian Mark.
• Nymphadora’s Magic Power converged at birth, absorbing the Guardian Mark and making Bellatrix’s Guardian Will part of her.
• Regulus considered how the mark might grow with Nymphadora and speculated that a curse implanted before birth could fuse into a child’s Magic Power.
• Nymphadora’s cries announced her birth, and Tai hurried into the bedroom to see Andromeda.
• Madam Beaumont brought the newborn into the living room, where Regulus saw that Nymphadora had a tuft of blue hair.

Regulus held his newborn daughter, Nymphadora, and felt their bloodline and magical connection settle her cries. He resolved to protect her from the fate he remembered and develop her Metamorphmagus talent as she reached for him.

• Alpha eagerly held the crying baby, called her Dora, and showed her to the gathered Wizards.
• Regulus took Nymphadora from Alpha, cradled her with precise magical support, and watched her calm as her Magic Power resonated with his.
• Regulus sensed that the Protection mark in Nymphadora's Magic Power carried his own will and decided it would keep her safe from Remus Lupin.
• Regulus concluded that Andromeda and Nymphadora would not suffer their remembered tragic fates and vowed to make Nymphadora stronger.
• Nymphadora's blue hair shifted shades as her Metamorphmagus talent showed itself, and she reached toward Regulus.

Regulus visited Andromeda after she gave birth to Nymphadora, a Metamorphmagus, and promised to teach her Transfiguration. Tai accepted his offer, leaving Nymphadora’s future tied to the Black family.

• Regulus considered how Narcissa’s future child and the Malfoy family might fit into his plans, then set the matter aside until Lucius’s party.
• The healer reported that Andromeda was recovering well, and Regulus entered her bedroom carrying newborn Nymphadora.
• Andromeda confirmed Nymphadora was a Metamorphmagus, and Regulus offered to teach her Transfiguration as she grew older.
• Regulus told Tai that Nymphadora would become a powerful witch, and Tai accepted his offer after Andromeda squeezed his hand.
• Regulus vowed to be the strongest teacher of Transfiguration, while Alpha watched him and then returned to his usual carefree manner.

Regulus and Alpha dined at the Silver Tower, where Alpha asked how powerful Regulus was and questioned his skill at Transfiguration. Regulus kept the details of his destructive spell secret and promised to show Alpha his Transfiguration ability later.

• Regulus took Alpha, Gaston, and Isabelle to the Silver Tower for dinner after visiting Andromeda and the newborn Nymphadora.
• Regulus ordered a French meal and Alpha praised Muggle cooking while sharing stories about Walburga and the Black family cellar.
• Alpha asked Regulus about the spell that had destroyed a manor, and Regulus claimed he had found it in the Black family library.
• Alpha asked whether Regulus was truly exceptional at Transfiguration, and Regulus said he would demonstrate later.
• Isabelle listened to their conversation from the neighboring table.

Regulus met his uncle Alpha, whose chair and clothes Alpha discovered had been fused together by Regulus's silent Transfiguration. After sending Lucius a letter, Regulus traveled to Godric's Hollow and found Sirius racing around the valley on a broom.

• Regulus vanished from the restaurant without leaving any detectable trace, and Gaston realized the method could bypass the Ministry's transportation defenses.
• Alpha discovered that Regulus had fused his clothes to the chair, while Isabelle introduced herself as a French Ministry official and began speaking with him.
• Regulus wrote Lucius to accept his invitation, then considered his Black relatives and decided to visit Sirius at the Potter family's home.
• Regulus reached Godric's Hollow, visited Ignotus Peverell's grave, and passed the abandoned Dumbledore family house.
• Regulus spotted Sirius flying his broom recklessly over the valley and calling out as he chased and dodged the other riders.

Sirius spotted a hooded figure near Godric's Hollow and followed him into the wasteland, convinced he had found a Dark Wizard. Regulus recognized Sirius's clumsy pursuit, lured him into attacking, and knocked him unconscious.

• Sirius saw a black-cloaked figure near the edge of Godric's Hollow and decided to follow him alone.
• Sirius used concealment spells and tracked the figure into the wasteland, while Regulus sensed him and judged his efforts.
• Regulus cast alarming spells on a tree and the grass, causing Sirius to expose himself and prepare an attack.
• Sirius fired a Disarming Charm at Regulus, but Regulus vanished and struck him from behind.
• Regulus watched Sirius sleep unconscious in the bushes and smiled.

Regulus restrained Sirius in a staged underground chamber to test his skills, and Sirius escaped by using dragon scales and silent Transfiguration. Sirius attacked the hooded figure but discovered it was Regulus, who praised his efforts.

• Regulus transformed the ground into a hidden stone chamber and bound Sirius to a platform among unsettling jars, tools, and skeletons.
• Sirius woke, assessed his surroundings, and tried to intimidate the hooded figure while resisting the oppressive magic in the room.
• Sirius used Hebridean Black Dragon scales and silent Transfiguration to break his restraints without making a sound.
• Sirius freed himself, crept toward his wand while continuing to distract the figure, and attacked when Regulus turned around.
• Sirius recognized Regulus beneath the hood, and Regulus told him, "Not bad."

Regulus revealed that he had staged Sirius’s dungeon ordeal to teach him caution, then praised Sirius’s magic and offered to teach him the destructive spell he had invented. Sirius learned that Regulus had not been relieved when he stayed with the Potter family, and left eager to learn the spell when term began.

• Regulus returned Sirius and himself to the surface after revealing that the dungeon, its horrors, and its contents had all been Transfiguration.
• Sirius angrily confronted Regulus for frightening and imprisoning him, while Regulus praised his Vanishing Spell, scent-erasing spell, and human Transfiguration.
• Sirius asked whether Regulus had been glad he stayed with the Potter family, and Regulus replied that Sirius was doing well with them.
• Sirius asked about the spell the papers said had destroyed a manor, and Regulus told him he had invented it himself.
• Regulus asked whether Sirius wanted to learn the spell, and Sirius eagerly agreed; Regulus said they would discuss it when term started.

Regulus sat with Sirius after their underground confrontation and deflected Sirius’s anger by telling him about Andromeda’s new baby and teasing him about Alpha. Charlus Potter arrived and invited Regulus inside, while Sirius followed in an awkward, sour silence.

• Regulus told Sirius that Andromeda had given birth to a daughter named Nymphadora, a Metamorphmagus, and that Alpha had visited.
• Sirius worried that Alpha had revealed the contents of his letters, but Regulus’s teasing left him too unsettled to confront him about the family revenge war.
• Sirius warned Regulus not to provoke him into pointing his wand at him again, and Regulus teased him in response.
• Charlus Potter appeared behind the brothers and invited Regulus inside after noticing the disturbed patch of ground.
• Regulus thanked Charlus and went with him, while Sirius followed without speaking.

Regulus visited Sirius at the Potter home, saw how warmly the Potters cared for him, and gave Charlus a Gringotts key for Sirius’s expenses. He left without pursuing the Potter family’s Invisibility Cloak, while Sirius stayed with the Potters and James arrived home for lunch.

• Regulus visited Charlus and Euphemia Potter and saw that Sirius was happy and well cared for in their home.
• Regulus reasoned that the Potter family’s Invisibility Cloak was a Deathly Hallow, but decided not to endanger Sirius or the Potters by pursuing it or telling the Acolytes about it.
• Regulus gave Charlus his personal Gringotts key to cover Sirius’s daily expenses, and Charlus accepted it.
• Regulus teased Sirius, urged him to eat well and prepare for school, and promised to treat him to little sausages at the Slytherin table.
• Regulus left after telling Sirius he had improved, and James Potter arrived home on his Broomstick asking what was for lunch.

Regulus attended a gathering at Malfoy Manor that had unexpectedly drawn more than fifty young Death Eaters, though he focused on Lucius's invited guests and other acquaintances. He agreed to let Crabbe and Goyle's future children join lessons for Lucius's children.

• Lucius told Regulus that dozens of uninvited Death Eaters had arrived, and Regulus reassured him that he understood they had not been invited.
• Regulus entered the crowded reception and greeted Evan Rosier, Lucretius Black, Theodore Nott, Veronica Yaxley, A'an Selwyn, and other acquaintances.
• Regulus discussed a recent Ministry crackdown on Knockturn Alley shops with Lucretius, who blamed internal competition within the Ministry under Minchum.
• Crabbe and Goyle asked whether their future children could join the lessons Regulus had agreed to give Lucius's children.
• Regulus agreed, and Crabbe and Goyle grinned with delight.

At the Malfoy family banquet, Augustus Rook publicly challenged Regulus Black over whether the Black family would serve The Master, provoking Regulus and embarrassing Lucius. Regulus rejected Rook’s appeal to The Master and ended the chapter by demanding to know what Rook was.

• Augustus Rook left the peripheral Death Eaters and asked Regulus when the Black family would stand beneath The Master’s banner.
• Regulus asked Rook his name and whom he served under, then dismissed his answer that they all served The Master.
• Regulus asked Lucius whether he had invited Rook, and Lucius said no.
• Lucius began to intervene but stopped after Regulus glanced at him, while Narcissa watched their exchange anxiously.
• Regulus turned back to Rook and asked, “So, what exactly are you?”

At a Malfoy family banquet, Regulus exposed Augustus Rook’s presumption in questioning the Black family’s allegiance and reminded the Death Eaters that the loyal Rowle family had been destroyed. Lucius had Rook seized and taken away, while Regulus returned to the inner circle as the Death Eaters quietly withdrew.

• Regulus told Rook that he had asked about the Black family’s stance for his own gain and had presumed to speak on the Dark Lord’s behalf.
• Regulus reminded the assembled Death Eaters that the Rowle family had stood with them and was now gone, leaving the hall silent and Rook terrified.
• Regulus asked Rook who had told him to make those remarks, but Rook could not answer or take responsibility for his actions.
• Lucius declared that Rook had lost face at the Malfoy family banquet and had a Malfoy retainer seize him and carry him away.
• Regulus returned to the inner circle, exchanged a toast with Lucretius, and watched the Death Eaters leave in silence.

After Rook’s outburst at the Malfoy banquet, Regulus discussed the incident privately with Lucius and Narcissa and left its resolution to them. He promised to teach their future child, strengthening the bond between the Black and Malfoy families.

• The guests left Malfoy Manor after Rook was taken away, and the house-elves cleared the banquet hall.
• Lucius brought Regulus to the study, where Narcissa joined them for a private conversation.
• Lucius promised to give Regulus a satisfactory explanation for Rook’s insult and the Rook family’s actions, and Regulus left the matter in his hands.
• Lucius criticized lower-ranking Death Eaters for acting as expendable cannon fodder, while Regulus agreed.
• Regulus teased Lucius and Narcissa about having a child and promised to teach their future child magic.
• Lucius accepted the promise and said Regulus would be the first to hear when they had a child.

Lucius warned Regulus that Voldemort might want to meet him, and Regulus subtly warned Lucius that Voldemort could eventually turn against the powerful Malfoy family. Lucius decided to discuss the warning with Abraxas as Regulus departed the manor.

• Lucius told Regulus that Voldemort had taken an interest in the Black family and might want to see him, and Regulus agreed to meet him at Christmas if it did not interfere with school.
• Regulus asked Narcissa again about Abraxas’s health, recalling that he had asked the same question during his first year, and Narcissa realized he did not want a direct answer.
• Lucius reasoned that Regulus’s repeated question was a warning that Voldemort might threaten Abraxas and the Malfoy family, and he resolved to tell his father and consider preparations.
• Regulus left the manor after saying goodbye to Narcissa and Lucius, while Lucius told Narcissa he would go speak with Abraxas.

Regulus discussed Arcturus I’s soul-distortion notes with Orion and reported that Death Eaters had pressed the Black family to take the Dark Mark. Orion then asked Regulus to tell Walburga that Sirius’s name would be removed from the family tree.

• Regulus explained that Arcturus I’s notes recorded body-strengthening methods before shifting into disordered writing and strange symbols that he believed came from a distorted soul.
• Regulus wondered whether Arcturus I might still be in his grave, but Orion refused to let him dig up the ancestral graves.
• Regulus told Orion that more than fifty people had attended Lucius’s gathering and that uninvited Death Eaters had asked when the Black family would take the Dark Mark; Regulus said decent people did not brand skulls on themselves.
• Regulus told Orion he had discussed Abraxas with Lucius and Narcissa, and Orion left the decision to him.
• Orion described the Resonance Disk’s expanding production and sales network, then asked Regulus whether he had seen Sirius; Regulus said Sirius was doing well with the Potters.
• Orion said Sirius’s name should be removed from the family tree, and Regulus left to tell Walburga.

Regulus persuaded Walburga to disown Sirius, explaining that it would protect the Black family as war approached and let Sirius live freely with the Potters. Walburga burned Sirius’s name from the family tapestry, leaving him outside the Black family.

• Regulus told Walburga that Death Eaters were probing the Black family’s position and Sirius could be used as an opening against them.
• Regulus asked Walburga to disown Sirius, saying he had already discussed it with Orion and Sirius did not intend to return.
• Walburga agreed and went with Regulus to join Orion before the Black family tapestry.
• Walburga burned Sirius’s portrait and name from the tapestry, leaving a charred gap beside those of Alphard and Andromeda.

Petunia watched Lily prepare to return to Hogwarts, longing for a magical world that had rejected her, while Lily waited anxiously to see Regulus after a summer without news. Regulus arrived at King's Cross and greeted the Evans family, leaving Lily still glaring at him over his silence.

• Petunia held Nox and watched the Hogwarts students, dwelling on her wish to receive a Hogwarts letter despite knowing one would never come.
• Mrs. Evans fussed over Lily's clothes, food, and studies while Lily searched the platform for Regulus.
• Lily recalled reading about Regulus Black and the war between Black and Rowle, and worried because he had not written to her all summer.
• Regulus appeared at the platform, and Lily's relief turned into a glare when she remembered his silence.
• Regulus cast a Disillusionment Charm, crossed the platform, and introduced himself to Mr. Evans as Lily's friend.