Chapter Summaries

After Voldemort dragged Barty Crouch Jr. from the cave, the potion trapped him in memories of his past. He discovered his father had secretly treasured his twelve O.W.L.s and began to understand the pain behind his father's actions, though he still tried to deny what it meant.

• Voldemort dragged Barty Crouch Jr. from the cave, and Barty lost consciousness.
• In a nightmare version of the Crouch study, Barty discovered his twelve-O.W.L. report card framed above the fireplace.
• Barty remembered Cornelius Fudge praising his results and realized Barty Crouch Sr. had told colleagues about them.
• Barty relived his father carrying him from Azkaban and recognized that the ship's jolting had come from his father's tears.
• Barty heard Barty Crouch Sr. cast the Imperius Curse and realized his father's trembling and pain came from casting it on his son.

Barty Crouch Jr. revisited his memories in the Pensieve and learned that his hatred had been built on a false understanding of his father, leaving him feeling emptied of purpose. Calchas awoke after Voldemort tortured him, and he and Herpo discussed the Guardians and the danger Voldemort posed.

• Barty Crouch Jr. woke alone in the Durmstrang Headmaster's Office and used a Pensieve to check whether his memories were real.
• Barty Crouch Jr. watched the memory of the study and its golden picture frame, then recognized that his hatred of his father had collapsed.
• Barty Crouch Jr. felt that his former purpose had become meaningless, though he believed he finally possessed himself.
• Calchas woke in bed with Herpo nearby and realized that the Cruciatus Curse had badly injured his soul.
• Calchas asked Herpo about Voldemort's power and wondered whether killing Selina Pendragon could have prevented the crisis.
• Herpo rejected Calchas's speculation, arguing that another Guardian would have emerged even if Selina Pendragon had died.

Herpo defended his past actions to Calchas and blamed the failed attack on the Guardians on Calchas's disloyalty. Calchas then challenged Herpo over his partnership with Voldemort and why Herpo could not control him, leaving the question unanswered.

• Calchas worried that he and Herpo could not stand against the Guardians, especially the new Guardian, and Herpo accused him of doubting 'My Lord.'
• Herpo defended sacrificing Gregory by comparing it with Morgana le Fay's sacrifice, while Calchas argued that Morgana had agreed to the plan.
• Calchas pointed out that Herpo's sacrifice had failed because the Guardian was still alive, and Herpo blamed Calchas for preventing 'My Lord' from attacking.
• Herpo privately recalled that an inexplicable force had disrupted 'My Lord's' second attack and destroyed the Ritual Magic array, prompting him to abandon another attempt.
• Calchas questioned why Herpo had chosen Voldemort as a partner and why Herpo could control Calchas but seemed weak before Voldemort.

Herpo explained to Calchas that Voldemort’s Hogwarts servant might use a Time-Turner-related plot to exile Wizet into turbulent time currents. At Nurmengard, Selina Pendragon visited Gellert Grindelwald, who suspected Isaiah Society remnants were opposing Wizet’s Disarming Charm and expressed confidence in Wizet.

• Herpo told Calchas that Voldemort’s servant at Hogwarts was a Potions Class professor and might help exile Wizet when the Guardian visited the Ministry of Magic.
• Herpo revealed that the plan involved tampering with and destroying a place connected to a Time-Turner, sending Wizet into turbulent time currents.
• Selina Pendragon entered Gellert Grindelwald’s prison cell at Nurmengard and noted that he could resonate with the prison while she had mastered the Flight Charm.
• Gellert Grindelwald suspected that opponents obstructing promotion of Wizet’s Disarming Charm were Isaiah Society remnants.
• Gellert Grindelwald told Selina Pendragon that Wizet had exceeded his expectations and that he remained confident in him.

Gellert Grindelwald explained why the Ministers for Magic would promote the Disarming Charm, then reflected on his past rivalry with Dumbledore and said he would make the same choices again. Selina Pendragon brought him a parcel from Wizet, and Grindelwald eagerly began opening it.

• Gellert Grindelwald explained that public pressure and political ambition would force Ministers for Magic to promote the Disarming Charm.
• Selina Pendragon teased Grindelwald about losing the race to become President of the International Confederation of Wizards to Dumbledore.
• Grindelwald said he would not change his past actions because they had forced Dumbledore to step forward for the magical world.
• Grindelwald urged Selina to investigate the Isaiah Society, but she said she had come for another reason.
• Selina gave Grindelwald a parcel from Wizet, who said its contents would make a distant friend feel better.
• Grindelwald found a letter and a wrapped gift box inside the parcel and smiled as he prepared to open them.

Gellert Grindelwald received Phoenix Tears from Wizet and read a letter that hinted at his own advice about looking beyond a single fixation. He decided not to write back, but to drink with Selina Pendragon as he considered what to do next.

• Gellert Grindelwald opened Wizet's gift and found a vial of Phoenix Tears, which visibly lifted his spirits.
• Selina Pendragon asked whether the gift meant Grindelwald would abandon his original plan and visit Dumbledore, but he refused to change course.
• Gellert Grindelwald read Wizet's letter, which thanked him for the Christmas present and reflected on balancing focus with noticing the world beyond a window's reflection.
• Selina Pendragon found Wizet's letter cryptic and joked that Grindelwald had led him astray, while Grindelwald said he understood it as a straightforward reply.
• Gellert Grindelwald chose not to write back, and Selina Pendragon offered him a bottle of mead to drink.

Gellert Grindelwald shared Phoenix Tears mixed with mead with Selina Pendragon and gave her the remaining supply to keep for friends who might need it. After Selina left, he saw his face reflected in the drink spilled across Wizet's letter and wondered who had inspired whom.

• Gellert Grindelwald mixed Phoenix Tears into mead, poured two goblets, and drank one, spilling it across Wizet's letter.
• Selina Pendragon drank the mixture and felt as though she had become at least fifty years younger.
• Gellert Grindelwald poured all the remaining Phoenix Tears into Selina Pendragon's golden bottle and asked her to tell others about his gift.
• Selina Pendragon left, and Gellert Grindelwald saw his reflected face in the spilled drink on Wizet's letter.

Dumbledore visited Aberforth at the Hog's Head Inn and told him he had seen Ariana and their parents in Limbo. He explained that Wizet had helped him explore deeper into Limbo, leaving Aberforth to reconsider why Wizet had been given the pomegranate juice.

• Dumbledore entered the Hog's Head Inn, where Aberforth refused to share his pomegranate juice and served him mead instead.
• Dumbledore told Aberforth that he had seen Ariana, their father, and their mother the previous week.
• Aberforth accused Dumbledore of pursuing the Deathly Hallows again and drew his wand when Dumbledore mentioned Wizet.
• Dumbledore calmed Aberforth and explained that collecting the Deathly Hallows allowed people to enter Limbo.
• Dumbledore said he and Wizet had explored far into Limbo, and that Wizet—not Dumbledore—held the key to going deeper.
• Dumbledore asked Aberforth to remember what condition Wizet had been in when he left, suggesting the pomegranate juice was meant for Wizet and the others.

Dumbledore told Aberforth Dumbledore that Ariana and their parents truly existed in Limbo, and Aberforth eagerly agreed to visit them. He planned to meet Dumbledore at the Headmaster's Office the next morning, leaving the Hog's Head Inn celebrating with free drinks.

• Dumbledore explained that Ariana and their parents were real and living in Limbo, and that this might be their only chance to see them again.
• Aberforth Dumbledore asked to go to Limbo immediately, but agreed to wait until the next morning because Wizet had invited a guest and needed time to prepare.
• Aberforth Dumbledore said he would go straight to the Headmaster's Office the next morning and asked whether he should bring anything.
• Aberforth Dumbledore refused to serve any more business customers and announced that drinks were on him for the night.
• Aberforth Dumbledore offered to bring Dumbledore pomegranate juice or mead, but Dumbledore said he was trying to give up overly sweet things.

Wizet brought Xenophilius Lovegood through a secret passage to the Headmaster’s Office, where Aberforth Dumbledore was waiting. Wizet explained that they only needed to touch the Cloak of Invisibility to enter Limbo.

• Wizet led Xenophilius through a hidden passage to the Gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s Office.
• Xenophilius recognized the Gargoyle and learned that Wizet knew its password, which had recently changed from a guessable sweets-based password.
• Aberforth Dumbledore opened the office door, and Xenophilius discovered that the Hog’s Head Inn owner was Albus Dumbledore’s brother.
• Aberforth told Wizet he had spent the morning getting dressed up and asked what he needed to prepare.
• Wizet explained that he, Aberforth, and Xenophilius only had to place their hands on the Cloak of Invisibility to enter Limbo.

Xenophilius learned that Wizet and Dumbledore had gathered the Deathly Hallows and could take him to Limbo to search for Pandora. After preparing for the possibility that she was not there, Xenophilius and Aberforth entered Limbo with Wizet and Dumbledore.

• Xenophilius recognized the three objects on the desk as the Deathly Hallows and asked Wizet to take him to Limbo to see Pandora.
• Wizet healed Xenophilius after he struck himself, and Xenophilius asked whether Luna should come too.
• Aberforth explained that Xenophilius needed to enter Limbo and confirm Pandora was there before they told Luna, since Wizet did not know Pandora.
• Wizet warned Xenophilius to prepare for the possibility that the trip would yield nothing, and Xenophilius agreed.
• Dumbledore raised the Elder Wand, and Xenophilius and Aberforth placed their hands on the Cloak of Invisibility before the pulling force dragged them into Limbo.

Wizet brought Dumbledore, Aberforth, and Xenophilius into Limbo, where Aberforth and Xenophilius reunited with their deceased families. As they met their loved ones, Nora Treadwell recognized Wizet and asked whether he had taken over Selina’s duties.

• Dumbledore reassured Aberforth and Xenophilius that Wizet was not endangered by the pull into Limbo, and Wizet said bringing more people had made no difference to his journey.
• Dumbledore led the group deeper into Limbo, where Aberforth reunited with Ariana, Percival, and Kendra Dumbledore.
• Xenophilius reunited with his parents while Wizet stayed behind.
• Nora Treadwell approached Wizet and asked whether he had taken over Selina’s duties.
• Wizet greeted Nora as Grandma Treadwell, and she inferred that he knew her through Xenophilius.

Wizet learned from Nora Treadwell that Pandora Lovegood’s soul was not in Limbo, while many souls—including friends of Selina who died fighting the Isaiah Society—were being bound there. After comforting Xenophilius, Wizet isolated the area and wondered where Pandora’s soul had gone.

• Nora Treadwell recognized Wizet as an unusually special Guardian and explained that she could sense souls and the mysterious Ancient Magic Power within him.
• Nora described a distant place where many souls were bound, including friends of Selina who had died fighting the Isaiah Society.
• Wizet asked whether Nora had sensed Pandora Lovegood, and Nora learned that Panny had died in an accident.
• Xenophilius broke down in grief and blamed himself for failing to care for Pandora, while Nora comforted him.
• Wizet cast Resonant Symphony to isolate the area from Limbo and considered whether Pandora’s soul had escaped being bound by My Lord.

In Limbo, Xenophilius Lovegood found peace with his wife’s death and thanked Wizet for helping him. Aberforth Dumbledore also said farewell to his family and prepared to return, asking Wizet how they would get back.

• Xenophilius told Wizet he had wanted to use the Resurrection Stone to see Panny and tell her that he and Luna were doing well.
• Wizet reassured Xenophilius that he had been living the future well, and Xenophilius agreed that he needed to understand matters for himself.
• Aberforth Dumbledore said goodbye to his parents and sister, then accepted Dumbledore’s comforting hand and told him he was ready to return.
• Xenophilius and Aberforth decided to go back to their lives, and Aberforth asked Wizet whether he would have to drag them out of Limbo.

Wizet sent Aberforth Dumbledore and Xenophilius out of Limbo after Dumbledore proposed using it as a meeting room. Back in Hogwarts, Aberforth and Xenophilius reflected that Limbo might one day become Wizet’s territory.

• Xenophilius and Aberforth Dumbledore wondered whether Wizet could become Limbo’s master, and Xenophilius recalled Wizet’s success in curing Lycanthropy.
• Dumbledore proposed keeping Limbo as a meeting room and joked about eating Cockroach Clusters there, while Aberforth warned Wizet not to let him waste too much time.
• Wizet asked Aberforth and Xenophilius whether they could handle returning at the same speed they had entered, and they agreed they could.
• Wizet used his wand to send Aberforth and Xenophilius out of Limbo and back to the Headmaster’s Office at Hogwarts.
• Aberforth said Limbo might become Wizet’s territory, and Xenophilius realized he had reached the same conclusion.

Wizet and Dumbledore discussed how Herpo used Calchas and the Eye of Heaven to monitor Limbo, and concluded that the surveillance had limits. Dumbledore revealed that Voldemort had dismissed Wizet as uninteresting and directed Calchas to watch him instead; Wizet guessed Voldemort had silenced Herpo and Calchas with an Unforgivable Curse.

• Wizet deduced that Herpo had sensed Limbo opening and used Calchas to watch them through the Eye of Heaven, and Dumbledore confirmed it.
• Dumbledore assured Wizet that Barty Crouch Jr. remained undiscovered and said he would avoid using the Spirit-Calling Casket to protect him.
• Wizet and Dumbledore discussed how Calchas possessed wizards to use the Eye of Heaven, limiting how long and how widely he could monitor them.
• Dumbledore told Wizet that Voldemort had persuaded Herpo and Calchas to focus their surveillance on Dumbledore because he thought Wizet's life was dull.
• Wizet guessed that Voldemort had used an Unforgivable Curse after Herpo and Calchas continued to object.

Dumbledore told Wizet how Herpo and Calchas had fallen out with each other before Herpo cooperated with Voldemort, while still sharing loyalty to My Lord. He explained that Voldemort saw Dumbledore as the real force behind Wizet’s actions, and that Voldemort and Herpo had avoided attacking them in Limbo because they feared Fawkes, Hogwarts’ protections, and a possible trap.

• Dumbledore explained that Herpo’s conflict with Calchas and the Isaiah Society had led to the society’s collapse and Herpo’s cooperation with Voldemort.
• Wizet reasoned that Herpo and Calchas remained allied over their devotion to My Lord, and Dumbledore confirmed that Calchas had sided with Herpo when their fundamental interests were at stake.
• Dumbledore said Voldemort believed Wizet acted under his direction and wanted Calchas to monitor Dumbledore through the Eye of Heaven.
• Dumbledore revealed that Barty Crouch Jr. had proposed attacking them at Hogwarts after they entered Limbo, but Voldemort and Herpo rejected the plan.
• Dumbledore said they had feared Fawkes, Hogwarts’ protective magic, and the possibility that their opportunity was a trap.

Wizet and Dumbledore discussed how past failures had made Voldemort and Herpo cautious, then considered what Voldemort knew about the Deathly Hallows and the destruction of his Horcruxes. Dumbledore recounted Voldemort’s rage when he discovered the Inferi in the cave had vanished.

• Dumbledore explained that Voldemort’s failed plans and Wizet’s defeat of Morgana le Fay had made Herpo and the Isaiah Society reluctant to act.
• Wizet asked whether Calchas had described the Deathly Hallows, and Dumbledore said Barty Crouch Jr. had questioned Herpo and the others about them.
• Dumbledore confirmed that Voldemort knew the Horcruxes were being destroyed and noted that Lucius Malfoy’s use of the diary had helped reveal it as a Horcrux.
• Dumbledore said Voldemort had tortured Calchas, then taken Barty Crouch Jr. to the cave to check his Horcruxes.
• Voldemort discovered the Inferi in the lake had vanished and became more furious than Dumbledore had seen him in a long time.

Dumbledore explained to Wizet how freeing the Inferi left hope in the potion and changed Barty Crouch Jr.'s experience. They discussed the seed symbolizing hope, which had sprouted but remained unchanged, and agreed to let it grow naturally.

• Dumbledore told Wizet that Barty Crouch Jr. had endured the despair potion and that Wizet's antidote had spared him similar suffering.
• Dumbledore explained that freeing the Inferi had left only a trace of despair in the basin, which became hope for those who drank it.
• Wizet connected the turning point in Barty Crouch Jr.'s experience to Voldemort's Magical Contract and reflected on how hope and love could not simply be used.
• Dumbledore suggested that hope born from despair could exist everywhere and that the seed in Wizet's garden was only its tangible manifestation.
• Wizet said he hoped the seed might bear fruit for jam, while he and Luna preferred to let it grow naturally.
• Dumbledore agreed that the seed should be left alone, perhaps remaining a small green sprout until one day it became a towering tree.

Dumbledore explained how the potion gave Barty Crouch Jr. the freedom to choose a different path, while Voldemort remained unaware. He also revealed that he had obtained and destroyed the soul fragment in Hufflepuff’s cup, then discussed suspicions about goblins and Muggle officials with Wizet.

• Dumbledore told Wizet that the potion’s hope gave Barty Crouch Jr. a chance to choose whether to leave Voldemort’s influence, and Voldemort failed to notice the change.
• Wizet asked about Voldemort’s other Horcruxes, and Dumbledore revealed that he had obtained Hufflepuff’s cup and destroyed the soul fragment inside it.
• Dumbledore explained that goblins had objected to surrendering the cup, but recent revelations about their ties to criminal gangs had weakened their protections and forced them to compromise.
• Wizet questioned why the goblins had not rebelled, and Dumbledore said his friends were investigating their unusual behavior.
• Dumbledore told Wizet that Muggle officials were reluctant to act against goblins because they wanted access to goblin forging techniques and hoped wizard-goblin conflict might benefit them.