Chapter Summaries

After mastering Animagus transformation over the Easter holiday, Wade returned to Hogwarts and learned that Slytherin had won the Maze Challenge. He proposed a new challenge against Professor Kettleburn’s Ball Python, leaving the students eager to prepare for a contest that would require them to subdue it without causing harm.

• Wade practiced Animagus transformation with Sirius and Lupin, who advised him to limit each transformation to half an hour for now.
• Wade returned to Hogwarts and found that Slytherin had won the Maze Challenge, while Hufflepuff placed second and Gryffindor came third.
• Wade suggested a new challenge against the Ball Python, and the students began discussing potions, spells, and the creature’s weaknesses.
• Wade explained that the professors would forbid harmful spells and items, and challengers would have to subdue the Ball Python while avoiding injury to it and themselves.

Wade flew through the night as a peregrine falcon, evading a flock of angry owls after injuring one. Dumbledore invited Fudge and the Aurors to Hogwarts’s next Challenge, while Miss Eva returned exhausted from the owls’ pursuit.

• Filch spotted Wade flying over Hogwarts but dismissed him as an ordinary bird, while Mrs. Norris watched him pass.
• Wade attacked an owl in midair, then stopped at Professor Abigail’s window and accepted a piece of jerky.
• The injured owl rallied more than a dozen companions to chase Wade, but he dodged their attacks and escaped; Dumbledore watched and smiled.
• Dumbledore burned his lengthy reply to Fudge and sent a short invitation for the Minister and Aurors to attend Hogwarts’s next Challenge.
• The owls searched for Wade through the night and returned to the Owl Tower at dawn, while Miss Eva came back tired and hungry and complained to Wade about the peregrine falcon.

Hogwarts students trained for the Maze Challenge after hearing that Fudge and Scrimgeour would attend, while Percy struggled to find a team. Professor Abigail prepared old Muggle weapons for a lesson, and Peeves accused her of violating an agreement.

• Rumors that Fudge and Scrimgeour would observe the Maze Challenge motivated older students, but Percy repeatedly failed the challenge and decided to ask Fred and George to join their team.
• Penelope invited Percy to join her Ravenclaw team, but Percy claimed that the Twins had already asked him for help.
• Ginny argued with Fred and George about being too young to compete, and Percy entered their room and reproached the Twins for their childhood treatment of her.
• Students and professors devoted more time to Maze Challenge training, while Abigail became popular for giving older students dueling practice.
• Abigail showed Wade and the others rusted Muggle guns and cannons in the courtyard, and the students helped clean them.
• Peeves appeared, saw the weapons, and asked Abigail if she was going to violate their agreement.

Professor Abigail announced a Muggle Weapons Class and challenged the students’ assumptions about Muggle weapons and Voldemort. On Friday, she led the second-years through a crowd of curious onlookers and began the lesson by holding up a stone axe.

• Hermione explained that Peeves had once driven Hogwarts into chaos with modern weapons until Headmaster Madam Moore made an agreement with him, and Peeves boasted that weapons were useless against him.
• Professor Abigail told Peeves she planned to use the weapons to teach a class, then announced lessons for the school houses and argued that wizards needed to learn how Muggles could threaten them.
• Professor Abigail criticized the students for fearing Voldemort’s name, while Wade, Harry, and some others showed less fear.
• On Friday, Wade and the other second-years finished their homework and went to the lawn, where older students were already gathering around the protected weapons.
• Professor Abigail pushed through the crowd and began class by lifting a crude stone axe and asking the students to identify it.

Professor Abigail taught the students how Muggle weapons changed wizards’ relationship with Muggles and made the Witch Hunts deadly, then demonstrated the destructive power of a maxim gun. The students were left confronting the scale of its battlefield casualties as Abigail moved on to show them more weapons.

• Hermione identified a stone axe, and Professor Abigail explained how Muggles’ weapons evolved from primitive tools to bows and arrows, cannons, and guns.
• Professor Abigail described how Muggle weapons contributed to the Witch Hunt and reminded the students that young wizards could be killed when they could not escape or protect themselves.
• Professor Abigail recounted how Nearly Headless Nick was captured and killed after Muggles took his Wand, prompting Nick to protest her use of him as an example.
• Wade volunteered to try the maxim gun, loaded its ammunition belt, and fired at targets until the belt was empty.
• Professor Abigail told the students that the maxim gun could fire six hundred bullets per minute and had once killed more than sixty thousand people in one day, then moved on to the other weapons.

Professor Abigail taught the students about Muggle weapons and warned them not to underestimate Muggles. After class, Wade explained further, and Ryan asked whether wizards were now the backward side compared with Muggles.

• Professor Abigail demonstrated and described Muggle weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, and discussed wars involving the United States.
• Susan Bones asked whether Professor Abigail’s country was made up of bad people, and Abigail urged the students to judge such questions for themselves.
• Professor Abigail told stories of wizards harmed by bombs and a pistol, warning that ignorance and arrogance put wizards at risk.
• After class, Wade explained additional weapons to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ryan, and said a Shield Charm could not stop them.
• Ryan asked whether wizards were the backward side compared with Muggles, leaving the group to consider the question.

Ryan’s blunt questions about Muggle weapons unsettled the students, while Dumbledore reassured McGonagall that Hogwarts was protected by the Statute of Secrecy. As the school turned its attention back to exams and the Maze Challenge, Professor Murray warned Wade not to misuse or probe the secrets of time.

• Ryan pointed out that many wizards had Muggle relatives, prompting the students to question whether Muggles truly knew nothing about the wizarding world.
• Wade explained that wizards might be able to influence Muggle leaders, but replacing them would require years of careful infiltration.
• McGonagall asked Dumbledore whether Muggle weapons could threaten Hogwarts, and he said the Statute of Secrecy would divert an attack aimed at the school.
• After McGonagall left, Dumbledore watched a Pensieve memory of someone condemning the secrecy policy amid the devastation of war.
• Professor Abigail’s weapons lesson drew students and professors, while Professor Murray criticized the gaps in wizarding knowledge about Muggles.
• Professor Murray warned Wade not to abuse or investigate the secrets of time, and Wade said he understood.

Professor Abigail used a simulated gun attack to teach students about surviving Muggle weapons, and Wade was one of only three students to avoid being hit. After class, the students discovered a notice about the May Challenge, whose details remained unknown.

• Lisa said Hermione made her feel nervous, and Padma defended Hermione.
• Professor Abigail secretly recruited Blaise Zabini, Mandy Brocklehurst, Michael Corner, and Daphne Greengrass for a classroom exercise.
• Michael and the other recruited students shot classmates with toy guns that marked them with paint, while Wade blocked a shot with a Shield Charm.
• Professor Abigail sorted the students into dead, seriously wounded, disabled, and lightly injured groups, then awarded two points to the Houses of Wade, Sue Li, and Pansy Parkinson for remaining unscathed.
• Professor Abigail announced that future Defense Against the Dark Arts classes would include random attacks by student Gunners.
• Michael and Wade found students reading a notice for the May Challenge in the Entrance Hall.

Students learned the May Challenge rules, and Hermione prepared a detailed guide to help her team navigate the course. Wade declined to compete with Padma’s team and planned to test the repaired Two-Way Mirror during the event.

• Wood read that the May Challenge would pit teams against obstacles and an enraged enlarged Ball Python, with victory going to the team that wrote its name closest to the flag on its forehead.
• Filch broke up the crowd gathered around the notice, and Wade exchanged a subtle greeting with him as students entered the Great Hall.
• Wade told Padma he would not join her team, then said Harry had an advantage under the challenge’s judging criteria without revealing what it was.
• Hermione shared her notebook of creature information, useful Spells, and a route through the maze with fewer obstacles.
• Wade told Ryan he planned to test the Two-Way Mirror he had been repairing with Fred and George during the event.

Wade explained the Two-Way Mirror broadcast system to Ryan and renamed it the Streaming Mirror as preparations began for its first broadcast. He and the Weasley Twins signed a contract establishing how they would share the income, leaving the Twins to put their names to the agreement.

• Wade explained that a Master Mirror could broadcast live images to many Sub-Mirrors, and Ryan became eager to watch Muggle television programs through them.
• Wade said the first tests would reach Aslan's Magic Workshop employees, Remus, and Sirius, and discussed relaying Muggle television programs through the mirrors.
• Theo suggested giving the Two-Way Mirror a special name, and Wade proposed calling it the Streaming Mirror.
• Wade and the Weasley Twins visited Marchioni to discuss the first broadcast, while Marchioni sent employees to test Sub-Mirrors around Britain and neighboring countries.
• Wade formally signed a contract with the Weasley Twins, and Marchioni advised them to establish clear principles for sharing the income.
• The Weasley Twins accepted Wade's agreement and picked up their quills to sign it.

Harry and his mixed-house team prepared to enter the dangerous maze, with Neville carrying a sword Wade had made for him. As the teams gathered, Neville stood his ground against Malfoy’s taunts, while Minister Fudge and Wade watched from nearby.

• Harry joined Hermione, Michael, Theo, Ryan, and Neville as the Umbrella Room team’s six competitors, while Padma and Wade stayed out.
• Wade gave Neville a sword and told him he could decide whether to use it; Michael and the others discussed Harry’s possible advantage and warned him to keep it secret.
• Filch and Hagrid checked the teams at the maze entrances, and several teams withdrew before the competition began.
• Malfoy mocked Neville, but Neville declared that he could compete because Wade had said so, and Harry challenged Malfoy to fight.
• Professor McGonagall sent Malfoy back to his team and reminded the competitors that Ministry officials were watching, including Minister Fudge and Wade.

Cornelius Fudge visited Hogwarts for the maze event and was unsettled by the changed school and Dumbledore’s more distant manner. Wade Grey and the Weasley twins unveiled their magical Streaming Mirror, which began showing the maze.

• Fudge sat with Dumbledore and Ministry officials, then asked what they could see from their seats beside the maze.
• Dumbledore said Wade would solve the viewing problem, and Wade enlarged three mirrors into towering screens.
• Marchioni introduced the Streaming Mirror as Wade Grey’s and Fred and George Weasley’s creation, surprising Arthur Weasley.
• Marchioni promoted the device while Wade continued working, and the mirror displayed an image of the maze.

The audience watched the maze competition on enchanted Streaming Mirrors as Wade coordinated the broadcast with Colliver. The teams set off, and Colliver kept the crowd entertained by showing both promising contestants and mishaps, while Wade quietly slipped away.

• The audience marveled at the enormous Streaming Mirrors and recoiled when one showed a giant Ball Python in the maze.
• Cedric organized his team’s roles before they entered the maze, and Amos Diggory proudly shouted encouragement at his son.
• Wade asked Colliver to clarify the audio and show both likely winners and struggling teams.
• Colliver switched to a group of nervous contestants as a lizard slimed one boy and the others stumbled into further trouble, drawing laughter from the audience.
• Colliver alternated between strong teams and contestants in danger, while Wade checked the broadcast and quietly left.
• Colliver looked for Wade to share his thoughts and realized he had disappeared.

Wade reflected on Streaming Mirror’s influence and found Professor Murray hiding in the Owlery instead of attending an alchemists’ banquet. They watched the maze challenge together, where Harry, Michael, and the others were just entering.

• Wade considered how Streaming Mirror could challenge the Daily Prophet and shape public opinion in the Wizarding World.
• Wade went to the Owlery, found Professor Murray on the roof, and asked why he had returned from the European Alchemist Association’s banquet.
• Professor Murray explained that the banquet had turned chaotic and admitted he was hiding from Dumbledore to avoid being given more work.
• Wade cleaned the balcony with magic and thanked Professor Murray for the help he had given him, though he confused the details of an old incident.
• Wade gave Professor Murray a panoramic telescope, and they watched Harry, Michael, and the others enter the maze.

Harry’s team entered the maze with Harry’s Nimbus 2000 as their secret weapon and faced a series of dangerous creatures and enchanted obstacles. As students were injured and evacuated, Cedric confronted a huge Acromantula on the difficult path toward the maze’s core.

• Colliver focused the broadcast on Harry as the teams prepared to enter the maze.
• A House-elf brought Harry his Nimbus 2000, and Michael told him to use it against the Ball Python if the rest of the team was eliminated.
• Harry, Hermione, Michael, Neville, Ryan, and Theo entered the maze after Professor McGonagall encouraged them.
• The team found a giant centipede and blamed Wade for popularizing enlarged insects in the maze.
• Harry blocked a volley of Paper Airplanes with an Iron Shield Charm, and the team continued through the maze’s dangers.
• Hagrid and the staff evacuated injured students as Cedric faced a car-sized Acromantula.

Harry and his classmates impressed the Ministry officials with their skill during the maze challenge, prompting Scrimgeour to invite Harry to become an Auror after graduation. As the audience praised the students, Fudge grew wary of Dumbledore’s supposed power and began reconsidering the proposal to restart the Triwizard Tournament.

• Scrimgeour praised Harry’s quick Shield Charm and asked McGonagall to tell him the Auror Office would consider admitting him despite insufficient grades.
• The audience watched Harry lead his team through the challenge with skilled magic, courage, and teamwork, while an elderly wizard apologized to Dumbledore for doubting how he had raised Harry.
• Fudge watched the other students cast advanced spells and feared that Dumbledore was training an army to take over the Wizarding World.
• Fudge considered ways to curb Dumbledore’s influence but concluded that challenging him would be dangerous.
• Fudge remembered the French Minister’s proposal to restart the Triwizard Tournament and began to see it as an excellent idea.

Harry and Hermione waited for the right moment to mark their team’s name on the Ball Python while chaos erupted around them. Harry finally took flight, and as the crowd cheered, a House-elf summoned Wade because something had happened in the maze.

• The students reached the Ball Python, and the Weasley brothers disrupted the contest by erasing rival teams’ signatures.
• Harry and Hermione, the last members of Umbrella Room, decided to wait until five minutes before the end before approaching the Ball Python.
• A spell knocked Hermione down, but a House-elf rescued her as the python’s body came crashing toward her.
• After three minutes, Harry mounted his broom and flew toward the Ball Python as contestants fired spells and the audience cheered.
• Professor Murray asked Wade whether he regretted not competing, and Wade questioned whether people found children cute or easy to fool.
• A trembling House-elf appeared and told Wade Gray that something had happened in the maze.

Wade brought the Streaming Mirror footage to Dumbledore’s office after Crabbe was badly injured in the maze and sent to St. Mungo’s. The Malfoys and Crabbe’s father gathered there as Dumbledore prepared to review what had happened.

• Wade arrived at the Hospital Wing and saw Malfoy trembling while professors prepared to take the unconscious Crabbe to St. Mungo’s.
• Snape ordered Pansy, Zabini, and Nott to leave, then Dumbledore asked Wade to retrieve footage from the maze’s northwest corner.
• Wade left the Hospital Wing as the students celebrated the competition and found Mr. Colliver to borrow a Master Mirror.
• Wade entered Dumbledore’s office with the Streaming Mirror, where the Malfoys, Crabbe’s father, and Snape were waiting.

Wade used the Streaming Mirror to show footage of the fight between Draco and Vincent Crabbe, revealing that Draco cast the Entrail-Expelling Curse on Vincent. The footage ended with Dumbledore confronting Draco about using a spell the school had never taught him.

• Dumbledore introduced Wade and the Streaming Mirror as a way to review the incident after Draco resisted having Prior Incantato cast on his Wand.
• Crabbe Sr. asked to see who had harmed Vincent, and Wade enlarged a Sub-Mirror and played the recorded footage.
• The footage showed Vincent and Draco fighting, then Vincent accidentally injuring Daphne and Pansy shoving him.
• Draco cast a Black Light at Vincent, who collapsed as blood and entrails appeared on the ground.
• Malfoy Sr. stopped the footage, and Dumbledore identified the spell as the Entrail-Expelling Curse and said the school had not taught it to Draco.

After Draco accidentally caused Vincent’s severe injury with the Entrail-Expelling Curse, Dumbledore questioned him and heard Lucius Malfoy negotiate a private settlement with Crabbe Sr. Draco left facing detention through the third-year final examinations, with expulsion still possible if he misbehaved again.

• Draco trembled and admitted he had only meant to humiliate Vincent, while Snape and Dumbledore recognized how dangerously he had used the Entrail-Expelling Curse.
• Dumbledore explained the spell’s risks and asked Draco who had taught it; Draco claimed he had found it in an old Malfoy family book.
• Lucius Malfoy concealed Draco’s lie and offered Crabbe Sr. twenty thousand Galleons for Vincent’s treatment, and Crabbe Sr. reluctantly accepted a private settlement.
• Dumbledore ordered Draco to serve detention until after the third-year final examinations and warned that further misconduct could lead to his expulsion or the destruction of his Wand.