Chapter Summaries

Dumbledore received Regulus’s locket from Kreacher and agreed to study it before deciding how to destroy it. Meanwhile, Wade arrived with magical cleaning tools and organized everyone to clean Grimmauld Place.

• Kreacher handed Dumbledore the Horcrux locket and asked him to destroy it, and Dumbledore promised to honor Regulus’s sacrifice.
• Dumbledore found that ordinary spells could not damage the locket and said Fiendfyre might destroy it, though he wanted to learn more first.
• Dumbledore asked Sirius and Kreacher to let him study the locket and promised they could take part in its destruction.
• Hermione rallied Michael, Theo, Ryan, Neville, Fred, and the others to clean Grimmauld Place instead of retreating to Diagon Alley for supplies.
• Wade showed the group his magical cleaning tools as Sirius, Lupin, Harry, Kreacher, Cleaning Crabs, and Dolls scrubbed the Living Room.
• Wade asked the group to help him clean the kitchen as pots and pans floated into the air.

Wade and the others cleaned the Black family home with magical helpers, then Mrs. Black’s Portrait woke and sent Kreacher into a self-harming frenzy. Phineas arrived in the Portraits and addressed Walburga, leaving the others to learn that he was her great-grandfather.

• Wade used cleaning products and Magic Golem Pets to help the group clean the kitchen and offered Neville and the others the golems as Christmas gifts.
• The group and their magical helpers cleared Doxies, a Boggart, and enchanted objects from the house, while Ginny and Percy proved capable in the cleanup.
• Kreacher prepared dinner, but the noise woke Walburga Black’s Portrait, whose screams drove Kreacher to stab himself with a hot Poker.
• Harry and the others restrained Kreacher as Wade stopped Lupin from closing the curtains and used the Book of Friends to summon help.
• Phineas appeared in the Portraits, silenced Walburga, and told her she should call him great-grandfather.

Phineas told Walburga that Regulus had returned, then ordered the Black family portraits to support Sirius as the last living Black. The chapter ended with Orion urging Sirius to marry and continue the family line, leaving Sirius saddened.

• Phineas told Walburga that Regulus was back, and she rushed from her portrait toward Regulus's room.
• Phineas told the Black family portraits that Sirius was the only living Black and ordered them to support and protect him.
• Phineas asked Wade which family he belonged to, and Wade said neither of his parents could do magic.
• Orion asked Sirius whether he had a wife or girlfriend, then urged him to marry and carry on the Black bloodline.
• Sirius's indignation turned to sorrow, and Lupin silently closed the curtains.

Wade felt the second heartbeat required to become an Animagus and shared the news with his parents. After speaking with Sirius about Regulus, Wade left him considering a portrait that might comfort the Black family.

• Wade and the others discussed the Black family portraits and how the house's decline was causing them to grow weaker.
• Wade woke and felt a powerful second heartbeat after reciting the Animagus incantation.
• Wade wrote the news in the Book of Friends, and Fiona and Ferdinand congratulated him and began looking up past weather patterns.
• Sirius told Wade that he had stayed awake hoping to speak with his mother, who only cared about Regulus's funeral.
• Wade suggested making a portrait of Regulus, and Sirius said his mother had kept some of Regulus's baby teeth, hair, and blood that might help.

Sirius and the young wizards prepared for Regulus's funeral, while Wade read the Black family library and discussed the dangers of Dark Magic with Lupin and Michael. The funeral began on the day before Christmas, with relatives and other guests gathering at the Black family home.

• Wade asked Sirius why he had opposed Voldemort, and Sirius said he had stood by what was right and saved innocent lives.
• Sirius and the young wizards spent five days preparing the house and invitations for Regulus's funeral, including inviting the Malfoys and Andromeda.
• Wade studied the Black family books, and Lupin warned the young wizards about the risks of Dark Magic through stories.
• An Italian wizard painter created a portrait of Regulus as a proud boy, after which Mrs. Black became quiet behind her curtain.
• On the day before Christmas, Sirius and Lupin welcomed funeral guests, including the Malfoys, Andromeda, Nymphadora Tonks, Dumbledore, and the Weasleys.
• Tonks startled Draco by briefly transforming her head into a Hungarian Horntail, and about twenty or thirty guests gathered for Regulus's funeral.

Sirius held a funeral for Regulus Black and revealed that his younger brother had turned against Voldemort and sacrificed himself to bring about the Dark Lord’s death. The mourners buried Regulus in the Black family graveyard, where a gravestone marked his name and dates.

• Sirius carried Regulus’s body to the funeral table as family members and guests mourned.
• Sirius told the mourners that Regulus had once embraced pure-blood ideals and joined the Death Eaters, but later resisted Voldemort and died trying to bring about his death.
• Dumbledore confirmed Regulus’s courage and devotion, settling any doubts among the guests about his actions.
• Sirius and other wizards carried Regulus’s coffin to the Black family graveyard and buried him.
• Golden flames inscribed Regulus Arcturus Black, 1961–1979, and “Courage is a fearless strength” on the gravestone.

At Regulus's funeral, Lucius Malfoy urged Draco to build relationships with talented young wizards, including Wade Grey, and to adapt to changing political power. Wade later questioned his Cleaning Crab about what it overheard, while the Malfoys left and the crab asked for a new body.

• After the funeral, Narcissa and Andromeda spoke with Sirius and set aside some of their old hostility.
• Lucius criticized Draco for being excluded by talented students and told him to make connections beyond his usual circle.
• Lucius explained that the Malfoy family valued power and wealth and should adapt if the pro-Muggle faction gained influence.
• Lucius told Draco to watch for changes at school and revealed his doubts about the Diary he had sent to school through the Weasley Family's daughter.
• Draco asked to learn Alchemy, and Lucius agreed to find him a teacher for the basics.
• Wade asked the Cleaning Crab what it had overheard, and it requested a new body, preferably a gold leopard or black panther.

Wade returned home after visiting Sirius and Lupin, then celebrated Christmas with his parents and gave them magical gifts. His presents delighted Fiona and gave Ferdinand a set of protective beetles, leaving Wade’s father to realize that his son now saw him as someone who needed protection.

• Wade declined Lupin’s offer to take him home, and Sirius invited him to stay at Grimmauld Place and use the study whenever he wished.
• On Christmas morning, Wade opened the gifts he had received and went to his parents’ bedroom after hearing Fiona scream.
• Wade gave Fiona three miniature magical Dolls named Coco, Ali, and Lena, who quickly won her affection.
• Ferdinand sent the chatty Dolls to clean the attic, then opened Wade’s gift of jeweled-looking beetles that could defend him.
• Wade explained the beetles’ abilities and warned Ferdinand how to use the antidote for the deadliest one, prompting Ferdinand to realize Wade believed he needed protecting.

Wade spent the remaining holiday studying magic theory before his family prepared for a visit from the Johnsons. Landon arrived alone, distressed and exhausted, and asked Ferdinand whether he believed in magic.

• Wade spent the holiday reading magic books and finished his homework before the break began.
• Ferdinand told Wade that his old business partner, Landon Johnson, was coming to visit, and Wade put away his magical belongings before the guests arrived.
• Ferdinand, Fiona, and Wade hid the Little People when they realized the visitors were at the door.
• Landon arrived without his wife or Carlyle, looking haggard, and mistakenly handed Wade an old suitcase before giving him an expensive model car as a gift.
• Ferdinand asked Landon if he had run into trouble, and Landon began crying and asked whether Ferdinand believed in magic.

Landon explained that a black-robed wizard tricked his family into fleeing Britain and taking Carlyle away by claiming Hogwarts would persecute him. He revealed that his wife, Annie, later lost all memory of their son, and that the Obliviation Charm was real.

• Landon admitted that his family had lied about inheriting property and moved to the United States after Carlyle received a Hogwarts acceptance letter.
• He recalled a black-robed man demonstrating magic and warning the family that Hogwarts would abuse Carlyle and forcibly take him if he refused to attend.
• The man persuaded Carlyle to join his group, claiming it would teach him magic outside the control of the major schools.
• After the Johnsons arrived in the United States, the black-robed man and an old witch took Carlyle away, and he never contacted his family again.
• Landon said Annie later forgot the magic school and even forgot that she had a son.

Landon told Ferdinand that a black-robed man called Major Byrd had taken his son Carlyle, and asked for help finding them. Ferdinand agreed to investigate, while fearing that the same person might target Wade, who attended Hogwarts.

• Ferdinand and Fiona learned that Landon had been deceived by Major Byrd, who took Carlyle and left Annie unable to live normally; Landon had sent her to a sanatorium.
• Landon asked Ferdinand for help, and Ferdinand revealed that he was a Squib with ties to the Wizarding World and agreed to look for Carlyle and Byrd.
• Landon described Byrd as a thin Frenchman with curly hair, pale skin, dark blue eyes, and a conspicuous facial tattoo.
• Landon asked whether Hogwarts was truly a good school, then drove away in distress and crashed into a bakery wall; Ferdinand called a police officer friend, who reported that Landon was unhurt and his car had been detained.
• Ferdinand told Fiona he would investigate because Landon was his friend and Carlyle was missing, then admitted he feared Byrd might target Wade.

Ferdinand and Fiona learned that Caryll Johnson had never enrolled at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall began investigating his disappearance. After Christmas, Wade heard that Annie Johnson had been murdered by a magical necklace and wondered why Landon had been spared.

• Wade warned his parents to leave the investigation to the adults, then contacted the Hogwarts professors.
• Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall confirmed Caryll had declined Hogwarts in favor of Ilvermorny, and learned that many children skipped school each year.
• With Landon's consent, Dumbledore examined his memories and saw the man posing as Major Baird, but gained few reliable clues.
• Dumbledore contacted the Ministry of Magic and planned to investigate Annie Johnson at the sanatorium, while Wade was excluded from the adults' inquiry.
• After school resumed, Fred told Wade that Annie had been strangled by a magical necklace, and Wade wondered why Landon had survived.

After learning that Annie had been killed, Wade feared his parents were in danger and discovered they had moved under the protection of retired Auror Alastor Moody. He arranged to learn the Patronus Charm from Lupin, while Sirius joined the investigation, and Wade was left thinking about how few of his protectors survived to the end.

• Wade warned his father about Landon Johnson and asked Lupin to protect his parents after hearing of Annie's death.
• Lupin found the Gray home empty, but Wade learned his parents had moved to a house beside Alastor Moody, whom Dumbledore had assigned as their bodyguard.
• Wade reassured Lupin that his parents were safe and learned that Sirius had left the Black Family Home to join the investigation.
• Wade asked Lupin to teach him the Patronus Charm, and Lupin agreed to begin that weekend.
• Lupin promised that he and the others would protect Wade, leaving Wade to reflect that Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, and Moody did not live to the end.

Wade questioned why Dumbledore had moved the Grays and brought in Moody after Mrs. Johnson’s murder, then realized he had been keeping the Weasley Twins out of the investigation just as adults kept him in the dark. He agreed to discuss the matter with them later and continued working with them on a magical broadcast mirror, reflecting on the growing divide between wizarding and Muggle worlds.

• Wade wondered whether someone had leaked Dumbledore’s plan to visit Mrs. Johnson and prompted her murder, and whether Dumbledore knew who the informant was.
• Fred and George teased Wade for acting like an adult who dismissed the concerns of younger wizards, and Wade agreed to discuss the situation with them in the Umbrella Room that afternoon.
• Wade explained his plan to turn the Two-Way Mirror into a one-to-many broadcasting device, while Fred and George suggested making it more like a television.
• Fred and George told Wade that their father loved Muggle technology and collected items such as plugs, batteries, and a car to study.
• Wade reflected that wizards knew very little about Muggles despite living near them, and that advancing Muggle technology could eventually disrupt their separation.

Wade and the others discussed how to investigate the disappearances of Muggle-born children, while Theo raised a possible link between two strangled witches. At Lupin’s home, Harry and Wade began learning the Patronus Charm, and Harry produced a silver eagle.

• Wade refused to help the Gryffindors steal the professors’ password but hinted that they could accompany him when he visited McGonagall.
• Theo told Wade that an elderly witch named Ursula had been strangled with an enchanted scarf, possibly linking her death to the witch involved in Caryll Johnson’s disappearance.
• Wade wrote to Theo’s father to request more information about the werewolf Chad Brick and sent the letter from Hogsmeade.
• Lupin taught Wade and Harry about the Patronus Charm and summoned a silver wolf as an example.
• Wade recalled a peaceful childhood evening with his parents as his happiest memory while Harry practiced the spell.
• Harry produced a silver eagle Patronus that soared through the room.

Wade mastered the Patronus Charm while Harry made progress, and Sirius explained that young wizards were disappearing across multiple countries. The chapter ended with several wizards transformed into children to serve as bait for the kidnappers.

• Wade summoned an eagle Patronus on his first attempt and helped Harry practice until Harry produced a clear, horse-like shape.
• Sirius told Harry and Wade that Muggle-born children were vanishing internationally and that several schools and Ministries were joining the investigation.
• Wade suggested that the kidnappers might have links to Muggle authorities, and he guessed the Aurors planned to use a disguised young wizard as bait.
• A group of wizards drank a strange Potion and shrank into children, while an Auror warned that repeated doses could shrink them into embryos.
• A Violet-haired girl handed out more Potion as the transformed wizards accepted their role as bait and scattered.

Wade and Harry returned to Hogwarts after practicing magic, then discussed whether the Bait Operation could find the missing children. Wade doubted it would work and later told Michael that he had mastered the Patronus Charm on his first try.

• Wade and Harry returned to Hogwarts through the Vanishing Cabinet after spending the evening studying magic.
• Harry hoped the Bait Operation would help locate the missing children, but Wade explained why wizards posing as Muggle children might be easily recognized.
• Harry suggested that he and Wade could serve as bait, but Wade firmly rejected the idea of involving children.
• Harry parted from Wade, optimistic that Dumbledore and the others would improve the plan; Wade flew over Hogwarts and privately worried that any success might conceal a trap for wizards.
• Wade returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room and told Michael that his Patronus Charm practice had gone smoothly, succeeding on the first try.

Wade teased Michael about his relationship with Padma, then let Luna chase away imaginary Blibbering Humdingers, which lifted his mood. He gave miniature magical pets to Luna’s roommates and trusted them to give one to her as he headed to the boys’ dormitory.

• Wade told Michael that everyone knew about his dates with Padma, prompting Michael to rush off and ask his roommate Terry about it.
• Luna offered to help Wade by chasing away Blibbering Humdingers, and her antics improved his mood.
• Wade thanked Luna, who returned to her magazine and later went back to the dormitory.
• Luna’s brown-haired roommate asked Wade about his relationship with Luna, and Wade praised her roommates for being kind to her.
• Wade gave the girls miniature magical pets, and the brown-haired roommate took a rabbit to give to Luna.

Magic Pets became a Hogwarts craze as students and professors acquired companions, while Lockhart tried to arrange a flattering book scene with Wade. The chapter ended with Lockhart finally catching Wade outside and claiming Wade wanted a signed photo with him.

• Lockhart brought his pink dolphin Victoria to class, assigned students essays praising him, and planned to feature Wade in his next book.
• Lockhart complained to Flitwick about Wade avoiding him, then recruited Victoria to help locate the student.
• Students enjoyed the warmer weather and watched the Weasley Twins run pet races and discreet betting pools.
• Wade told Fred and George that he had many Magic Pets but that Eva was the only one he could count as a pet for now.
• Lockhart seized Wade's arm and announced that he had heard Wade wanted a signed photo with him.

Wade arranged for Lockhart’s fraud to be exposed and exchanged the photo he had taken for the professor’s promise to leave him alone. After Filch helped Wade avoid Lockhart, Filch asked to buy one of Wade’s cleaning crabs.

• Hermione told Lockhart’s admirers that he had injured himself researching Werewolf spells, while Michael worried that Lockhart might retaliate against Wade and him.
• Wade explained that Sirius and Lupin were investigating Lockhart, and that they had gathered evidence that Lockhart stole other people’s stories and erased their memories.
• Lockhart apologized to Wade and asked for the photo; Wade returned it in an envelope in exchange for Lockhart leaving him alone.
• Filch interrupted their conversation by pretending that Girls were looking for Lockhart, then admitted to Wade that he had stepped in to help him.
• Filch asked Wade to sell him one of the cleaning crabs and showed him a pouch of coins.