Chapter Summaries

Lynn learned that Ivanov had killed his birth parents and planned to capture him, but he initially chose not to risk acting. When Ivanov revealed he intended to target children from Clyne Street, Lynn prepared to intervene, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Ivanov said his men had discovered a surviving member of the Lunjade family and intended to find him, frightening Yelena.
• Lynn realized Ivanov was referring to him and decided to act before he could be hunted down again.
• After the Aurors seized Yelena and dispersed, Lynn positioned himself along their route to ambush Ivanov.
• Lynn noted that his Inherited Bloodline spell enhancements followed a pseudo-random pattern that guaranteed stronger spells after certain results.
• Ivanov told Yelena he planned to restart the humanoid house-elf transformation project using children from Clyne Street as test subjects.

Lynn rescued Yelena from Ivanov after his ambush in Moscow failed to defeat the Auror, then escaped with her to a discreet inn. The Scottish Aurors began sealing off the city while Lynn waited for a safe moment to wake Yelena.

• Yelena confronted Ivanov over his treatment of the Chur tribe, and Ivanov escorted her away under arrest.
• Lynn ambushed Ivanov with silent Stunning Spells, but Ivanov dodged the second one and nearby Aurors attacked Lynn.
• Lynn’s boosted Shield Charm repelled the incoming spells, and he fled Clyne Street with the unconscious Yelena.
• Ivanov ordered Moscow sealed off, travel networks shut down, and a warrant issued for Shaik while the Aurors investigated Lynn’s identity.
• Lynn disguised himself and Yelena as Muggles, paid for a room at an inn, and locked the door behind them.

Lynn saved Yelena from Ivanov’s men and explained his identity and reason for hunting Ivanov. Yelena, newly resolved to keep fighting after the Soviet magical world betrayed her, proposed cooperating with Lynn to escape Moscow and kill Ivanov, but Lynn questioned whether Ivanov would come after her himself.

• Yelena woke to find Lynn hiding a whip and candles, then realized he had saved her and transformed her clothes.
• Lynn gave Yelena his fake identification and claimed he was a British wizard seeking revenge on Ivanov for killing his father.
• Yelena concluded that top-down reform could not fix the Soviet magical world, but resolved to pursue another path.
• Tom woke and complained that Lynn had put him to sleep, while Lynn reinforced the Soul Sealing Curse and tried to silence his teasing.
• Yelena introduced herself as a former Soviet magical official betrayed by her country and asked whether Lynn still intended to kill Ivanov.
• Yelena proposed helping Lynn kill Ivanov while he protected her escape from Moscow, but Lynn questioned whether Ivanov would personally pursue her.

Lynn agreed to help Yelena escape Moscow and use her as bait to target Ivanov in exchange for access to an abandoned magical library. He prepared a disguise for Yelena before they left.

• Lynn weighed Yelena's proposal and agreed to cooperate, but demanded repayment for saving her life.
• Yelena offered money, but Lynn asked for useful magical knowledge instead.
• Yelena told Lynn about an abandoned magical library in Moscow, and Lynn agreed to take her there and help her escape afterward if she served as a lure.
• Lynn found a strand of hair in the inn room and produced a ready-made bottle of Polyjuice Potion.
• Lynn handed the potion to Yelena and told her to drink it for a disguise.

Lynn and Yelena escaped Ivanov’s raid on their inn and made their way to a hidden entrance to a magical library in Moscow. They entered the ancient library, while Ivanov ordered the search for Yelena to be expedited.

• Lynn and Yelena disguised themselves and escaped from the inn, with Lynn jumping down from the second floor after Yelena climbed down.
• Ivanov and two Aurors blasted open the room and found it empty, then prepared to erase the witnesses’ memories.
• Ivanov learned that the Technical Department needed two more days to extract Yelena’s magical traces and ordered them to finish within one.
• Lynn set rules for Tom as Yelena led him through Moscow toward a concealed library entrance.
• Yelena borrowed Lynn’s wand, opened the hidden entrance in an old wooden house, and led Lynn into the ancient library.

Lynn and Yelena explored a mysterious library filled with ancient magical research notes, and Lynn found a method for improving Animagus transformations. The method required a natural Metamorphmagus who had also learned Animagus magic, leaving Lynn eager to claim the discovery while hiding that he met both conditions.

• Lynn and Yelena entered a small library that shone with sunlight despite the darkness outside, and Yelena explained that she and her companions had discovered it and removed many books.
• Lynn examined the Ancient Runes notebooks and found research on spells and a theoretical plan for diffusing individual magic.
• Lynn discovered notes describing an Improved Animagus transformation that let wizards keep their human form while gaining animal traits.
• The notes revealed that a natural Metamorphmagus who had learned Animagus transformation could master the technique, and that one such wizard had grown wings and cast spells while flying.
• Lynn realized the method suited him perfectly, but hid his excitement and placed the notebook atop the Dark magic diffusion notes so Yelena would not suspect his abilities.

Lynn and Yelena escaped the magical library and drove toward the edge of Moscow, while Ivanov received Ministry reinforcements to help capture her. Lynn stopped the car so he could confront Ivanov, but Yelena revealed she could not Apparate.

• Lynn chose a stack of magical notes from Yelena’s library, then used a door to reach another location in Moscow.
• Ivanov questioned an old witch sent by the Scottish Ministry to help capture Yelena, and learned that Chur tribe wizards were withdrawing west while others gathered southeast.
• Lynn found a working car in an abandoned garage and drove with Yelena toward Moscow’s outskirts.
• Lynn stopped near the city’s edge because he wanted Ivanov to catch up so he could kill him before Yelena escaped.
• Yelena tried to convince Lynn to keep driving, then admitted that she could not Apparate.

A sudden magical storm revealed that Granny Kusazina had secretly warned Yelena and advised her to leave Moscow. Yelena proposed using herself as bait to lure Ivanov into an attack, and Lynn agreed to try to kill him before they escaped together if he failed.

• Lynn doubted Yelena's claim that she could not Apparate, then noticed storm clouds gathering over Moscow.
• Yelena recognized the storm as weather magic cast by Granny Kusazina's Department of Magical Research to detect people through the rain.
• After the rain began, Yelena realized Granny Kusazina had not betrayed her and had used the rain to warn her to leave Moscow.
• Yelena proposed that Lynn transform into her and let Ivanov be told her location, while she waited ten kilometers away.
• Lynn admitted he could not Apparate but agreed to the plan and stepped into the rain to face Ivanov.

Lynn disguised himself as Yelena and prepared to ambush Ivanov, while Tom questioned why he would not ask Dumbledore for help. Ivanov recognized the meeting was a trap but came alone, and the chapter ended as he and Lynn raised their wands to fight.

• Lynn gave Yelena instructions for starting the car and arranged to meet her ten kilometers ahead, then transformed himself into her appearance.
• While waiting for Ivanov, Lynn rejected Tom's suggestion that he ask Dumbledore for help and noticed a title connected to Tom's age.
• Ivanov arrived alone and immediately asked where Shaik was, explaining that he had suspected the meeting was a trap.
• Lynn and Ivanov each accused the other of intending to capture him, then raised their wands at the same time.

Lynn fought Ivanov, the Head of the Auror Bureau of the Scottish Committee, and discovered that Ivanov could Apparate after the anti-Apparition magic in Moscow was lifted. Their battle paused when Ivanov proposed a deal, then tried to use Legilimency on Lynn.

• Lynn opened the fight with a triple-amplified Thunderclap Explosion, but Ivanov evaded it and attacked with a Stunning Spell.
• Lynn and Ivanov exchanged spells, broke each other’s Shield Charms, and Lynn used a Shadowless Blade to interrupt Ivanov’s casting.
• Ivanov Apparated away from Lynn’s attack, and Lynn realized that the anti-Apparition magic in Moscow had been lifted.
• Lynn transformed into a raven to dodge Ivanov’s green spell, then changed back and asked whether Ivanov feared Shaik would escape.
• Ivanov explained that Shaik could not Apparate, then offered to trade information for Lynn taking him to her.
• Lynn noticed Ivanov trying to invade his mind with Legilimency and smiled mockingly.

Lynn ambushed Ivanov, defeated him, and forced Veritaserum down his throat, but the potion triggered a transformation. The chapter ended with Lynn realizing that Ivanov was an Obscurial as a mass of black mist rose around him.

• Ivanov tried to persuade Lynn to reveal Shaik’s location and used Legilimency, but Lynn’s blank mind gave him an opening to attack with Sectumsempra.
• Lynn wounded Ivanov’s right leg with Sectumsempra and an explosion, then grabbed him when he tried to fight back physically.
• Ivanov broke his hand punching Lynn, and Lynn took his wand, crushed his injured leg, and knocked him unconscious.
• Lynn revived Ivanov and forced him to drink a bottle of Veritaserum, but black mist and immense magical power poured from Ivanov’s body.
• The magic blast knocked Lynn away, and he realized Ivanov was an Obscurial who had survived past the age of ten.

Lynn failed to stop Ivanov after the Obscurial within him broke free and carried him away. He found Yelena, learned she planned to travel to Kyiv through a friend's fireplace in Tver, and decided to accompany her.

• Lynn watched Ivanov escape as an Obscurial, then flew down the highway to look for Yelena.
• A bald eagle took a piece of flesh from Ivanov's severed leg, and a crimson bird later appeared at the battlefield before vanishing as a streak of light.
• Yelena told Lynn she had crashed her car into a tree after driving through the woods, and asked whether he had killed Ivanov.
• Lynn told Yelena that Ivanov had been an Obscurial and escaped, and they wondered whether he would try to capture her again.
• Yelena explained that she planned to reach Kyiv via her friend in Tver, and Lynn decided to go with her.

Lynn and Yelena drove toward Tver, where Yelena planned to meet her childhood friend, while Lynn spoke about his daughter and showed her a photograph. They arrived at a cabin in the countryside and reunited with Ruslan Lazarev, whom Yelena introduced to Lynn.

• Ivanov faced the Scottish Ministry of Magic councilors over his failures and vowed to kill Yelena before he died.
• Lynn drove Yelena northwest toward Tver, and she explained that her childhood friend was a Squib with a young child.
• Lynn showed Yelena a photograph of Umr and his house-elf, claiming Umr was his daughter and that his wife had died.
• Lynn and Yelena reached a cabin outside Tver, where Ruslan Lazarev welcomed Yelena and embraced her.
• Yelena introduced Ruslan to Lynn and credited Lynn with helping her escape Moscow.

Yelena and Lynn learned that Ruslan’s fireplace had been disconnected from the Floo Network, so they arranged to obtain fake documents to travel to Kyiv. While they waited at Ruslan’s home, Lynn studied Improved Animagus magic as a way to counter Ivanov’s Obscurial.

• Yelena asked Ruslan to let them use his fireplace, but he explained that the Floo Network had been disconnected from his home.
• Lynn suggested getting false identities and flying to Kyiv, and Ruslan offered to contact a former military comrade who forged documents.
• Ruslan introduced Yelena and Lynn to his daughter, Anrina, and told Lynn how he had left the wizarding world after discovering he was a Squib.
• Ruslan arranged for their documents to be ready in two days, and Yelena persuaded him to leave with Anrina for safety.
• Yelena went to sleep at Ruslan’s home while Lynn studied Improved Animagus magic to prepare to face Ivanov’s Obscurial.

Lynn attempted the Improved Animagus and only grew feathers on his arms before returning to Ruslan’s house. That night, he used the Despicable Kidnapper title to influence Tom, successfully convincing him that becoming a Dark Lord was undesirable, then began to steer him toward another belief.

• Lynn tried the Improved Animagus in Ruslan’s backyard, but only black feathers appeared on his arms.
• Lynn returned to Ruslan’s house, where Ruslan photographed Yelena after she used Polyjuice Potion, and Lynn chose to sleep on the sofa.
• Lynn equipped the Despicable Kidnapper title and tested its effect on Tom with a lie about Dumbledore being Tom’s father, but the system reported failure.
• Lynn told Tom that the title Dark Lord was built on suffering and was an ugly name, and the system reported success as Tom agreed it sounded awful.
• Lynn began telling Tom that anyone without a nose must be a psychologically twisted freak.

Lynn taught Tom that morality meant recognizing right and wrong and that people should not discriminate against others. Fawkes delivered Dumbledore’s letter, which explained the dispute over Lynn’s identity and the growing political crisis in Scotland.

• Lynn challenged Tom’s claims about goodness and explained that morality was the most important quality in a person.
• Lynn asked Tom why the wizards of Scotland were fighting, and Tom identified racial discrimination as a cause.
• Lynn taught Tom that a moral person must not discriminate against anyone because of objective factors.
• Fawkes arrived with a letter from Dumbledore, and Lynn learned that Fudge had passed the Scottish Ministry’s demand for an explanation to Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore told Lynn that Chur tribe wizards were leaving Scotland to seek independence in Lan, while other minorities were migrating to neighboring countries.

Lynn received Dumbledore’s warning about Scotland and learned that Fawkes could help him travel back to Britain. Over breakfast, Yelena explained how her father’s failed push for ethnic equality led to his imprisonment and death, leaving her tied to Scotland’s opposition movement.

• Lynn read Dumbledore’s letter, sent Fawkes to follow him discreetly, and burned the letter.
• Lynn joked with Anrina over breakfast about how to show the number six with her fingers, and Yelena corrected him.
• Yelena asked how they could travel by airplane, and Lynn worried that Scotland’s Aurors might endanger Muggles to capture her.
• Lynn asked whether Yelena was important in her organization, and she agreed to explain her background.
• Yelena said her father had pushed for equal rights for Chur wizards, but Slovene Committee members broke their promises, arrested him, and left him to die in prison.

Ivanov used a potion to control his awakened Obscurial and vowed to reclaim Chur tribe slaves and kill Shaik. Yelena told Lynn how she became Ukraine’s first Minister for Magic and why she was stranded in Moscow, while Lynn remained unsure how he could help her escape.

• Ivanov drank the old man's potion, gained control of his Obscurial, and declared that Shaik must die.
• Yelena explained that Chur tribe wizards had fled to Ukraine after the Slovene Committee discovered their migration plans and that she had been elected their first Minister for Magic.
• Yelena told Lynn she had stayed in Moscow to avert war, but the Committee had cut off contact with her companions and barred owls from flying.
• Yelena said the American Magical Congress had offered military assistance, and Lynn warned her that relying on them was dangerous.
• Yelena agreed to reconsider her escape after Ruslan returned, and Lynn went back to researching the Improved Animagus.

Lynn practiced controlling his Improved Animagus transformation, then discovered that Ruslan had reported Yelena to the committee. After using Veritaserum to confirm the betrayal, Lynn left Yelena alone with Ruslan and warned her that Soviet Aurors might arrive soon.

• Lynn continued practicing how to shift his raven transformation to grow wings from his back while keeping his arms free.
• Lynn saw Anrina secretly summon an apple to her hand with magic.
• Ruslan returned and said he had delivered photos to a friend and would have documents ready the next day.
• Lynn questioned Ruslan and used Veritaserum, which made Ruslan admit he had reported Yelena to the committee.
• Lynn took Anrina away so Yelena could question Ruslan and warned Yelena that Soviet Aurors might arrive soon.

Lynn used Veritaserum to uncover why Ruslan had betrayed Yelena: Ruslan had hidden Anrina’s magical talent and reported Yelena’s plans to the Aurors in hopes of changing Anrina’s tribal registration. Yelena still decided to take Ruslan and Anrina with them, while Lynn revealed he had a way to leave Goose Country and prepared to face any Aurors who came.

• Lynn showed Anrina magic and learned that she could use magic too, but Ruslan had forbidden her from revealing or using it around others.
• Yelena confronted Ruslan under the effects of Veritaserum, and he admitted that an Auror had promised to change Anrina’s tribal registration if he reported Yelena.
• Yelena condemned Ruslan’s decision and explained that the Committee’s Human House-elf Project would still leave Anrina treated as a slave.
• Yelena told Lynn they needed to leave with Ruslan and Anrina before the Aurors arrived, and Lynn proposed staying behind to face them if necessary.
• Lynn admitted he had always had a way to leave Goose Country, then snapped his fingers and summoned a red bird from the woods.