Recaps

Isaac sent Lucius Malfoy a letter through Kreacher, and Narcissa noticed that it carried a Black Family seal. She worried about what the letter might mean, especially because Sirius Black had gained a Ministry position that Lucius had long wanted but could not obtain.

• Isaac explained that Lucius protected Draco from bullying by responding whenever Draco complained, then sent Lucius a letter through Kreacher.
• Narcissa brought coffee to Lucius’s study and saw that he had rushed inside after reading a letter.
• Narcissa recognized the letter’s seal as belonging to the Black Family and wondered if it had come from Sirius.
• Narcissa knew Sirius had become director of an office with Minister Fudge’s support, while Fudge had refused Lucius’s attempts to enter Ministry politics.

Narcissa worried that Sirius might target the Malfoys after clearing his name, but Lucius explained that the letter on his desk came from Isaac Waldore. The letter announced that Isaac and Harry Potter wanted to visit Malfoy Manor, leaving Lucius to reflect on how Draco’s hoped-for friendship with Harry had not gone as planned.

• Narcissa became anxious after seeing an envelope from the Black family and brought Lucius coffee to ask about it.
• Lucius reassured Narcissa that the letter was not from Sirius and explained that it came from Isaac Waldore.
• Narcissa recognized Isaac’s name from rumors linking him to Albus Dumbledore and asked what his letter said.
• Lucius read that Isaac wished to visit Malfoy Manor with Harry Potter.
• Narcissa asked whether Lucius still wanted Draco to befriend Harry, and Lucius recalled that he had hoped the friendship would demonstrate the Malfoys’ changed allegiances.

Lucius Malfoy worried over a request from Isaac Waldore and Harry Potter to visit Malfoy Manor, then consulted the young Voldemort hiding in the family’s secret chamber. Tom Gaunt learned who had made Lucius hesitate and asked him about the visitors.

• Narcissa suggested Draco had done well because Waldore had brought Harry Potter to visit, and Lucius concealed his doubts about Draco’s friendship with Harry.
• Lucius dismissed Narcissa and brooded over a letter requesting permission to visit Malfoy Manor.
• In the middle of the night, Lucius entered the hidden chamber where the Malfoy family stored Dark Magic objects and Voldemort’s diary.
• Lucius greeted the young Voldemort, who told him to use the name Tom Gaunt and said Voldemort’s former path had been wrong.
• Tom Gaunt asked what troubled Lucius, and Lucius named Isaac Waldore and Harry Potter as the requested visitors.

Lucius Malfoy explained how he gave Dobby to Tom Gaunt, who drained the house-elf to restore his body. A letter mentioning Harry Potter and Isaac Waldore led Tom Gaunt to learn that Isaac was an orphan who could command Dumbledore's phoenix.

• Lucius Malfoy recalled that Dobby’s repeated mistakes had made the house-elf useless to him.
• After Tom Gaunt said a house-elf could provide the life and magic he needed, Lucius handed Dobby over, and Dobby died in the Chamber of Secrets.
• Lucius considered Dobby’s corpse useful proof that he could apply to the Ministry of Magic for a replacement house-elf.
• Tom Gaunt asked whether Lucius was on good terms with Harry Potter, and Lucius said Harry and Draco were bitter enemies.
• Lucius identified Isaac Waldore as an orphan, surprising Tom Gaunt, then explained that Isaac could command Dumbledore’s phoenix.

Tom Gaunt heard Lucius Malfoy’s reports about Isaac Waldore’s talent and his apparent closeness to Dumbledore, then grew unsettled by how differently Dumbledore treated Isaac than he had treated Tom. The chapter left Lucius waiting to learn whether Tom would turn them down.

• Tom Gaunt questioned Lucius Malfoy about reports that Isaac Waldore could command Dumbledore’s phoenix and had been trusted to find a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
• Lucius told Tom that Isaac was a second-year student who had subdued a Death Eater before enrolling, though Dumbledore might have helped him.
• Tom compared Isaac’s treatment by Dumbledore with his own history of being watched, rejected, and opposed by Dumbledore.
• Tom grew angry at what he saw as Dumbledore’s double standard, and Lucius asked whether he should turn them down.

Isaac and Harry visited Malfoy Manor, where Isaac asked Lucius whether the family employed a House-elf named Dobby. Draco confirmed they had one, prompting Lucius to sharply call his son’s name.

• Kreacher drove Isaac and Harry to Malfoy Manor, where Draco greeted them and traded insults with Harry.
• Lucius and Narcissa welcomed Isaac and Harry into the manor and asked why they had come.
• Isaac deflected Lucius’s indirect questions until Lucius asked him to state his purpose plainly.
• Isaac asked whether the Malfoys had House-elves and specifically whether one was named Dobby.
• Draco confirmed that the family had a House-elf named Dobby, and Lucius exclaimed, "Draco!"

Isaac and Harry visited Malfoy Manor to ask Lucius Malfoy about Dobby, while Lucius weighed the risks of confronting them. Lucius admitted that Dobby had died of a special illness.

• Lucius sent Draco away with Narcissa before asking Isaac what he knew.
• Isaac provoked Lucius, but Lucius held back because of Isaac’s power and the possible consequences of crossing Dumbledore.
• Isaac explained that Dobby had twice sought Harry’s help and asked whether the elf was still alive.
• Lucius admitted that Dobby had died of a special illness.

Isaac challenged Lucius Malfoy’s explanation of Dobby’s death, arguing that Dobby had been weakened by someone draining his life force and that he had sought Harry because he had heard Malfoy speak ill of him. Isaac then exposed the presence of someone hidden inside the manor and called out Senior Tom.

• Isaac questioned how Dobby had come to think of Harry when his life was threatened, and argued that Dobby must have overheard Lucius speaking about Harry with hostility.
• Lucius rejected Isaac’s accusation, raised his wand, and ordered Isaac and Harry to leave.
• Isaac extracted memories from Harry and projected them through smoke, showing Dobby’s decline and accusing someone of draining his life force.
• Isaac noted that the manor’s defenses did not protect its interior and called on the person listening to reveal himself.
• Isaac demanded that Senior Tom face him and struck the sitting-room trapdoor with a spell.

Tom Gaunt confronted Isaac and Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, while Harry’s scar reacted painfully to Tom’s presence. Tom mistook Isaac for a prophetic Grindelwald and began questioning Harry about Isaac’s identity.

• Tom Gaunt emerged after the hidden door shattered and confronted Isaac, while Harry stood beside him with his wand.
• Tom studied Isaac’s hair and mismatched eyes as Harry’s scar began hurting, and Isaac steadied Harry with a hand on his shoulder.
• Isaac identified Tom as Tom Marvolo Riddle, later known as Voldemort.
• Tom concluded that Isaac was a Seer named Grindelwald and explained that he had been born anew through Dobby’s life force.
• Tom calmed Harry by saying he was not the Voldemort who had killed Harry’s parents, then asked whether Harry knew Isaac’s true identity.

Tom Gaunt tried to turn Harry against Isaac by comparing Isaac to Grindelwald and arguing that Grindelwald had committed worse crimes than Voldemort. Harry was left baffled by Tom’s claim that they should not be enemies.

• Harry stood behind Isaac and asked what identity Tom Gaunt could possibly have.
• Tom Gaunt connected Isaac’s platinum hair, mismatched eyes, and prophetic ability to Grindelwald, whom he called the first Dark Lord.
• Tom Gaunt told Harry that Grindelwald had killed more people, promoted Pure-blood Supremacy, and practiced Dark Magic on a greater scale than he had.
• Tom Gaunt asked Harry why he could accept Isaac but remain hostile toward him, then said they should not be enemies.
• Harry stared at Tom Gaunt in confusion and repeated, “We... shouldn’t be enemies?”

Harry rejected Tom Gaunt’s attempt to turn him against Isaac, and Isaac exposed Tom’s painful family history before their confrontation turned violent. Tom attacked Isaac but was overwhelmed by his crimson-gold flames, leaving Lucius stunned by how helpless he seemed.

• Harry accused Tom Gaunt of murdering his family and refused to blame Isaac for Grindelwald’s past.
• Isaac told Harry to stand behind him and mocked Tom for pretending to be a pure-blood wizard despite his Muggle father.
• Isaac revealed that Tom’s mother had controlled his father with a love potion and that Tom had killed him, prompting Harry to pity Tom.
• Tom seized Lucius’s wand and aimed a spell at Isaac, who struck first with crimson-gold flames.
• Tom cried out in agony as the flames engulfed him, while Lucius wondered why the supposedly gifted young Voldemort could not stop them.

Isaac used his Phoenix Rebirth Spell to burn Tom Gaunt and explained to Harry how its living flames differed from Fiendfyre. The Phoenix Fire repeatedly revived and grew stronger, leaving Isaac to reveal that it could eventually become impossible for its caster to extinguish.

• Isaac cast the Phoenix Rebirth Spell on Tom Gaunt, and Harry asked how it differed from an ordinary Fire-Making Spell.
• Harry explained the differences between ordinary fire and Fiendfyre, and Isaac said the Phoenix Fire was alive and automatically pursued its target.
• The Phoenix Fire burned Tom Gaunt until a phoenix emerged from the flames, leaving him battered among the ashes.
• A tiny phoenix rose from the ashes and plunged into Tom Gaunt, reigniting the Phoenix Fire and renewing his screams.
• Isaac told Harry that Phoenix Fire fed on evil and grew hotter with each rebirth, but that too many rebirths could make it impossible for the caster to extinguish.

Isaac explained that his Phoenix Rebirth Spell could become an uncontrollable force that would burn any wizard tainted by Dark Magic, leaving Lucius terrified of what it could do to the Malfoy family. Tom Gaunt finally burned to ash, and Isaac destroyed the reborn phoenix before it could fly toward the Chamber of Secrets.

• Isaac explained to Harry and Lucius that uncontrolled Phoenix Fire would hunt Dark Magic and could eventually burn any wizard carrying its aura.
• Lucius realized that his history with Dark Magic made him and the Malfoy family especially vulnerable if Isaac lost control of the spell.
• Tom Gaunt screamed and struggled as Phoenix Fire scorched him until he turned to ash.
• The flames became a lifelike phoenix that circled the living room and flew toward the Chamber of Secrets.
• Isaac struck the phoenix with a red-gold spell, turning it into ash and leaving Lucius shaken by the danger he represented.

Isaac explained to Lucius Malfoy that Voldemort's diary was a Horcrux and confronted him about his past ties to Voldemort. Lucius denied being loyal to Voldemort and eagerly agreed to help Isaac with a matter, leaving Isaac's request unstated.

• Isaac sent Harry outside to wait in the carriage before speaking privately with Lucius Malfoy.
• Isaac explained how Horcruxes worked, and Lucius realized Voldemort had likely created the diary while he was still at Hogwarts.
• Isaac questioned whether Lucius still intended to serve Voldemort, and Lucius claimed he had only accepted the diary out of fear for Narcissa and Draco.
• Isaac asked Lucius to help with a small matter, and Lucius agreed without asking what it was.

Isaac Waldore told Lucius Malfoy to find Voldemort’s diary and leave it at the entrance to American Gringotts, and Lucius agreed despite fearing the consequences. After Isaac departed, Lucius warned Narcissa that the Wizarding World was about to change and prepared to travel to America.

• Isaac described Voldemort’s black leather diary to Lucius and asked him to leave it at the entrance to American Gringotts.
• Lucius agreed to find and deliver the diary within three days, choosing to risk Voldemort’s and the Goblins’ anger rather than offend Isaac.
• Isaac left Malfoy Manor in the Black Family carriage with two men and a house-elf.
• Draco asked Lucius what Isaac and Potter had done, but Lucius sent him to his room at Narcissa’s urging.
• Lucius told Narcissa that the Wizarding World was about to change, then said he would travel to America and asked her to keep Draco low-profile.

Lucius Malfoy secretly brought Voldemort’s diary to America and planted it outside Gringotts, hoping the Magical Congress would confiscate it. Instead, Nige found the diary before Lucius’s plan could unfold.

• Lucius retrieved Voldemort’s diary, sealed it in a protective box, and obtained an approved Portkey to America.
• Lucius traveled to the Magical Congress headquarters, then Apparated to the commercial street where Gringotts was located.
• Lucius exchanged money at Gringotts and secretly left the diary in a shadowed corner by its entrance.
• Lucius watched from a nearby bar, expecting the Magical Congress Aurors to seize the conspicuous Dark Magic item.
• Nige found the diary outside Gringotts after finishing a cigarette and picked it up.

Nige kept Voldemort’s diary instead of reporting it, while Lucius Malfoy feared the consequences of retrieving it and later returned to Britain. After discovering the diary’s connection to Voldemort, Nige confronted the soul inside it, believing he could use that knowledge to gain leverage.

• Nige secretly took Voldemort’s diary back to Gringotts, leaving Lucius Malfoy alarmed and unable to intervene.
• Lucius reflected that Voldemort had little standing among American wizards and feared Isaac would retaliate if he tried to recover the diary.
• Lucius surveyed the American market for several days, then obtained a Portkey and returned to the British Wizarding World.
• Nige investigated the diary, found its Dark Mark, and learned it was connected to Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters.
• Nige spoke with Tom Gaunt through the diary and, after receiving a small benefit, revealed that he knew Tom was Voldemort.

Tom Gaunt exposed Nige’s crimes through the diary and offered to make a deal, while Nige failed to destroy the Horcrux. Nige gave up resisting and faced the prospect of compromising with Tom.

• Tom Gaunt mocked Nige for failing to recognize his identity and pointed out that Nige had used Dark Magic from the diary to rob a wizard.
• Nige realized Tom knew about the robbery and accused him of tricking him.
• Tom proposed a deal, but Nige angrily tried and failed to destroy the diary.
• Unable to destroy the Horcrux and afraid to sell it because it held evidence of his crime, Nige resigned himself to compromising.

Nige struggled to trust Tom Gaunt’s promise of a hidden treasure, but Tom claimed he would reveal its location if Nige helped revive him. The diary went dormant before they could seal the deal, leaving Nige to decide whether to spend 240 Galleons on fresh dragon blood.

• Tom Gaunt offered Nige a deal and reminded him that he had once led a faction in the British Wizarding World.
• Nige refused to contact Tom’s former followers, fearing they would kill him, so Tom offered to reveal the location of a hidden American treasure if Nige helped revive him.
• Nige demanded an immediate benefit, but Tom claimed he needed a pint of fresh dragon blood to keep the diary memory active.
• Nige realized the dragon blood would cost 240 Galleons, a fortune he did not have.
• Nige weighed the risk of pursuing Tom’s treasure and decided to do it.

Isaac arranged for Lucius Malfoy’s tampered diary to reach Gringotts, hoping Tom Gaunt would ally with the Goblins and give him grounds to oppose them. Percy Weasley wrote to Isaac with concerns that Cornelius Fudge was hiding a major plan from him.

• A disguised wizard spent his free time visiting the black market, planning to rob seemingly harmless wizards until he could afford dragon blood.
• Isaac thanked Lucius Malfoy for carrying out his task and considered how a Goblin alliance with Voldemort could justify action against them.
• Tom Gaunt hurried to find a place beyond Isaac’s prophetic reach after the diary left the Malfoy family’s protective wards.
• Isaac gave Kreacher a letter for Lucius and received a message from Percy Weasley.
• Percy told Isaac that Fudge kept evading his hints about arranging a replacement secretary, leaving Percy worried that the Minister was planning something major behind his back.

Isaac selected Remus John Lupin to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts and went to the Ministry of Magic to review his Werewolf Registry file. Lupin’s history showed his hardship as an unregistered, struggling werewolf, leaving Isaac with the information needed to consider him for the post.

• Percy wrote to Isaac about Fudge’s plans for werewolves and offered to provide a promising candidate’s file.
• Isaac chose Remus John Lupin as Hogwarts’s next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and sent Kreacher to prepare the carriage.
• At the Ministry of Magic, Percy gave Isaac Lupin’s Werewolf Registry file.
• Isaac read that Lupin had been bitten by Fenrir Greyback as a child and could not afford Wolfsbane Potion.
• The file recorded Lupin’s former ties to the Order of the Phoenix, his lack of a criminal record, and the Ministry’s low-to-medium danger assessment.

Isaac learned that a werewolf settlement in Britain had recently shown suspicious activity, prompting the Ministry to investigate possible ties to the Goblins. Percy asked him to accompany Sirius Black to the settlement, and Isaac planned to consider Remus Lupin for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post if the situation proved safe.

• Isaac read Remus Lupin's Registry file and found a 1992 note reporting unusual activity at a British werewolf settlement.
• Percy explained that the Ministry monitored werewolf settlements and suspected the Goblins might be involved in the settlement's movements.
• Percy said Minister Fudge wanted Sirius Black to lead an investigation but worried Sirius's friendship with Lupin could cloud his judgment.
• Isaac agreed to travel with Sirius Black and said he would offer Lupin the Defense Against the Dark Arts position if the settlement posed no problem.

Isaac urged Sirius to visit Harry and brought Remus Lupin’s file, suggesting Lupin for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. Sirius and Isaac then asked Jerry about Gilderoy Lockhart, learning that the famous writer had joined the Ministry as a temporary Junior Obliviator while officials investigated his background.

• Isaac confronted Sirius about avoiding Harry and persuaded him to promise to visit his godson after his busy spell.
• Isaac showed Sirius Remus Lupin’s file and said Lupin could be a good Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.
• Sirius called Jerry to ask what he knew about Gilderoy Lockhart, who had recently joined the Ministry.
• Jerry explained that Lockhart was a famous author rumored to have fabricated his adventures and had been placed in a temporary Junior Obliviator position pending a background check.

Jerry explained that Lockhart was an exceptional memory expert who could create convincing false memories at remarkable speed, despite being exposed as a fraud. Jerry then described how the Ministry had sidelined powerful Aurors and Hit Wizards after Voldemort’s defeat, leaving the chapter with Sirius hearing how Fudge had weakened the two offices.

• Sirius asked whether Lockhart had been bad at memory work, and Jerry explained that Lockhart had dealt with thirteen Muggles in under ten minutes.
• Jerry described how junior, intermediate, and senior Obliviators erased or altered memories, with senior Obliviators constructing coherent false memories.
• Sirius wondered whether the Ministry had misjudged Lockhart, and Jerry said they had initially thought so too.
• Jerry explained that Aurors and Hit Wizards had used unrestricted force against Death Eaters while Voldemort was active.
• Jerry said Fudge had later crippled the Auror Office and the Magical Law Enforcement Squad to assert his authority after the Wizarding World returned to peace.

Jerry explained why Lockhart had been assigned to the Obliviator Headquarters and described a dangerous ritual that could make a wizard a master of Memory Magic at the cost of all other magical knowledge and eventually their memories. Sirius learned that Lockhart might have interrupted the irreversible sacrifice, while Isaac suspected the truth behind his unusual condition.

• Jerry told Sirius that Ministry employees on leave had become rebels against Fudge after being punished for opposing his policies.
• Jerry explained that Lockhart could perform master-level Memory Magic but seemed unable to use spells from other fields.
• Jerry described how wizards could trigger a Memory Magic sacrifice that consumed their other magical knowledge and eventually their memories.
• Jerry said Lockhart's director believed Lockhart had accidentally begun the sacrifice but somehow interrupted or suspended it.
• Sirius questioned why Lockhart still seemed to remember himself, and Isaac privately suspected what had happened to him.