Chapter Summaries

Wade destroyed the exhibition hall, collected the mysterious Gold Powder, and freed the captured Alchemists, then posed as a fellow victim. After the group read Gull’s warning to go home immediately, Professor Murray Apparated away with Wade.

• Wade burned the portraits and smashed the statues, gathering the Gold Powder into a Crystal Vial.
• Wade wrecked the exhibition hall, set fires on other floors, moved the Alchemists into the Secret Passage, and hid his belongings.
• Wade pretended to be unconscious until the Alchemists woke, then joined Professor Murray as they searched for a way out.
• The group found Gull’s message warning that he had been controlled by the Imperius Curse and urging them to go home without contacting the Ministry of Magic.
• The Alchemists left the passage and Apparated away, while Professor Murray took Wade home after learning Alastor Moody lived nearby.

Professor Murray sent Wade home after warning him to stay safe while he secretly sought help to rescue Gull and investigate the kidnappers. Wade told Ferdinand about the danger, and after breakfast planned to leave to find help, while Ferdinand agreed to protect the family and keep Fiona from worrying.

• Professor Murray warned Wade to stay home and said he would contact Dumbledore and trusted Aurors to rescue Gull and investigate in secret.
• Wade returned home and reconsidered whether the released Alchemists might already suspect that one of their group had left Gull's message.
• Fiona welcomed Wade and went to make breakfast, while Ferdinand asked him what had happened.
• Wade told Ferdinand that kidnappers had targeted the exhibition's Alchemists, including him, and worried they might threaten his parents.
• Ferdinand agreed that he and Fiona would stay home or go out with Mr. Moody, and told Wade not to apologize for the danger.
• Wade said he would leave after breakfast to find friends who could help, and Ferdinand told him to return safely and keep the truth from Fiona.

Wade captured and interrogated Will Flint with Veritaserum after Will helped attempt to kidnap a group of alchemists. Will revealed little about the group, but his hatred of Remus Lupin left Wade with a troubling clue about its members.

• Wade flew from home to Aslan's Magic Workshop, where Will Furlong worked amid a surge of orders for Streaming Mirrors.
• Exhausted, Will fell asleep in the workshop's Common Room and awoke bound and blindfolded in an unfamiliar place.
• Wade gave Will Veritaserum and learned that Kurt Dar had assigned the kidnapping and that Jenny Padilla had left after the ship departed.
• Will explained that he had joined the group after losing his job and being rescued, drawn by its promises of safety and a community for outcasts.
• Will declared that Remus Lupin was a traitor to werewolves and threatened to kill him, leaving Wade concerned.

Wade questioned Will about Alpha, but a lethal curse killed Will before Wade could learn more. Wade reflected on how the Book of Friends and new magical products were bringing hidden forces together, then left his Wardrobe Space with his family’s safety as his priority.

• Wade questioned Will about Alpha, and Will described a handsome brown-haired man with a butterfly tattoo before a curse seized him.
• Wade offered to lift the curse if Will became his spy, but Will refused and died.
• Wade had his Golem kittens drag Will and the chair to the Acromantulas as food.
• Wade considered how the Book of Friends and Streaming Mirrors were connecting wizards and accelerating conflicts across the magical world.
• Wade watched the creatures and cats in his Wardrobe Space before leaving, focused on protecting his family.

Wade boarded the ship in disguise and found Rita Skeeter, who shared gossip about Dolores Umbridge and a Ministry delegation traveling with a French official. Skeeter also claimed she had gathered information about the Werewolves, but had not yet revealed it.

• Wade used Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as Werner and followed the Tracking Parchment to Rita Skeeter.
• Wade saw Daphne Greengrass traveling with her sister Astoria and their parents, and wondered why the pure-blood family had taken a Muggle ship.
• Rita Skeeter told Wade that Dolores Umbridge and several Ministry officials were aboard, accompanying an official from the French Ministry of Magic.
• Skeeter said Minister Fudge was preparing a major event and wanted to involve the American Magical Congress, but she knew few details.
• Wade asked what Skeeter had learned about the Werewolves, and she pulled out a notebook, promising he would be shocked.

Wade learned from Rita Skeeter’s notes that two of Bushy Eyebrows Dar’s subordinates had secretly betrayed him and sold information about the captured Alchemist. Disguised as Werner, Wade headed down to the truck area, where he found the ship’s lower levels unexpectedly crowded with tourists.

• Wade read Skeeter’s account and learned that Mustache Garo had secretly sent a message after a quarrel with Freckled Driver Lars.
• Skeeter reported that Bearded Donovan had sold information about the captured Alchemist to several parties, possibly including someone aboard the ship.
• Wade asked Skeeter to find the other two men and identify anyone watching the lower-level parking area, then left for the truck in disguise.
• Skeeter set out to earn the trust of her interview targets while her Quick-Notes Quill embellished Wade’s transformation into a dramatic account.
• Wade descended through the ship’s lower levels and saw far more tourists there than he had expected.

Maintenance worker Nasir watched suspicious tourists disappear and collapse in the ship’s parking lot as a white mist spread through the area. Dar tried to escape with Whiskers, but a giant spider attacked him and a swarm poured from the truck.

• Nasir noticed tourists behaving suspiciously and saw several vanish before the remaining people began fighting.
• A gunshot and flashes of red light preceded the tourists and Nasir collapsing into unconsciousness.
• Dar spotted the disturbance, recognized the mist as a wizard’s attack, and dragged Whiskers from their car toward a truck.
• Dar planned to use his Portkey to capture Wade Grey, but a giant spider leapt from the truck and bit him, making him disappear.
• A swarm of calf-sized spiders rushed out of the truck as Whiskers screamed.

Wade interrogated the captured men and learned that several groups were pursuing the Alchemist and that one had planted bombs aboard the ship. After Rita warned him that Umbridge was investigating an illegal Portkey, the Ministry arrived, Obliviated the Muggles, and dismissed the incident, leaving Wade's intelligence undisclosed.

• Wade interrogated Whiskers and learned that he had joined Dar's group for money, while Suit Man revealed his boss wanted the Philosopher's Stone to cure cancer and extend human life.
• Wade questioned the white-haired man's company and its operatives, uncovering a spy who had planted bombs scheduled to destroy the ship on the third day of the voyage.
• Rita Skeeter warned Wade that Umbridge was coming to investigate the Portkey use and told him she had found the person he was seeking on the fourth floor.
• Wade took Whiskers into Wardrobe Space, left the other Muggles for the Ministry, and had Acromantulas remove several criminals.
• Umbridge's team found magical traces and questioned the Muggles, but she ordered them all Obliviated and ended the investigation without learning their intelligence.
• A Ministry wizard Obliviated Suit Man before he could reveal what he knew, and the officials chose to finish cleaning up rather than work overtime.

Wade dealt with the Muggle groups seeking wizards aboard the ship while Ministry officials erased the passengers’ memories and cleaned up the evidence. After the ship docked, he hurried to London after Harry warned that the Ministry was taking Sirius and he could not reach Dumbledore.

• Ministry officials restored the parking lot, erased the Muggles’ memories, and left them to wake in separate cars.
• Wade followed the white-haired old man to a safe house and overheard the group suspect that wizards had erased their memories.
• Wade tracked another Muggle group and asked Rita Skeeter to watch someone aboard the ship.
• Mustache blamed Donovan for Dar’s death, killed the Freckled Driver, and received orders to return undercover and target the Werewolf Support Association in London.
• Umbridge arrived at the United States port while hidden observers recognized the wizards aboard the ship.
• Wade flew to a nearby airport, bought a ticket to London, and received Harry’s message that the Ministry was taking Sirius.

Minister Fudge tried to take Sirius in for questioning, accusing him of helping Pettigrew and the other escaped prisoners. Harry asked Wade for help, and Wade contacted the school’s House-elves to see who was available.

• Fudge arrived with Ministry officials and told Lupin and Harry that Pettigrew, Lockhart, and Garr Troka were still at large.
• Harry saw Sirius in dog form and was relieved that the Ministry did not know he was an Animagus.
• Lupin challenged Fudge’s suspicions, while Harry argued that Sirius could not have helped the three prisoners escape.
• Fudge suggested Sirius had taught them about Azkaban and might be sheltering them, prompting Harry to leave in anger.
• Harry messaged Wade after Dumbledore failed to reply, and Wade said he would find someone to help.
• Wade contacted the school’s House-elves and asked who was free.

Wade tried to keep Sirius from being arrested while he was stranded in the United States, and arranged for a House-elf to bring him back to Britain. Sirius emerged to face Fudge and agreed to go with him, saying he had a message to deliver.

• Wade learned Dumbledore was at a Wizengamot trial and warned Harry that the Ministry would suspect Sirius if it found the house empty.
• Wade sent Harry instructions, and Harry showed them to Sirius, who left his hiding place to meet him.
• Wade asked the House-elves for help returning to Britain, and Zoe said Ralph could Apparate him across the distance.
• Fudge threatened Lupin for obstructing the search, then spotted Sirius emerging from the bedroom.
• Sirius offered to go with Fudge and said someone had asked him to deliver a message.

Sirius used a phrase associated with Grindelwald’s Acolytes to frighten Fudge into abandoning his attempt to arrest him. Sirius then left to investigate a lead connected to Peter Pettigrew, while Kingsley questioned Fudge’s fears about the Acolytes returning.

• Fudge recoiled from Sirius and hurried away with the Aurors after hearing him invoke the Acolytes’ slogans.
• Harry explained that Wade had suggested the tactic, and Lupin urged Sirius to leave before the deception was uncovered.
• Sirius said he was going to Glasgow to look for a relative of Garr, who had escaped with Peter Pettigrew.
• Fudge recalled his past encounters with the Acolytes and feared that they might be returning under Grindelwald’s influence.
• Kingsley told Fudge that Sirius exposing himself over a minor matter made it unlikely that he was part of a secretly revived Acolyte movement.

Lupin told Fudge that Sirius had gone after Peter Pettigrew, but Fudge suspected Sirius of hiding something. Wade arrived at the Black Family home and won Fudge’s attention by discussing Ministry publicity and praising Umbridge, leaving Fudge uncomfortable with his subordinate’s sudden promotion prospects.

• Lupin told Fudge that Sirius had gone to capture Peter Pettigrew, and Fudge accused Sirius of possibly covering something up.
• Wade arrived at the Black Family home, gave Harry candy, and greeted Fudge, who praised Wade’s Streaming Mirror and Book of Friends.
• Wade suggested that Umbridge work with him on Ministry publicity, surprising Fudge and prompting Harry to ask who she was.
• Wade described Umbridge as gentle, elegant, and likely to become Minister, while the Aurors reacted with disbelief.
• Fudge privately recoiled as Wade praised Umbridge’s abilities and asked whether he agreed she could succeed Minister Millicent Bagnold.

Fudge tried to prevent Umbridge and other potential rivals from appearing on Aslan's Magic Workshop, but Wade's questions made his objections sound like personal smears. After Fudge and Kingsley left, Lupin and Harry misread Fudge's motives, and Dumbledore arrived to find the meeting apparently over.

• Fudge decided that Umbridge and other Ministry rivals must not appear on camera, and he insisted Umbridge disliked live cats.
• Wade questioned Fudge's claims about Umbridge, leaving the Minister unable to defend himself and prompting him to threaten restrictions on interviews.
• Fudge left in a huff, and Kingsley asked Lupin whether Sirius had ties to the Acolytes or Grindelwald; Lupin denied any connection.
• After Kingsley left, Harry wondered whether he had threatened them, while Lupin advised Wade to approach Umbridge directly.
• Harry sympathized with Umbridge, and Wade gave up explaining the misunderstanding before Dumbledore entered and asked whether things had gone well.

Wade helped Sirius avoid arrest by making Fudge fear a larger political crisis, then drank enough mead to become incoherently inquisitive. Just before falling asleep, he revealed that Wardrobe Space held a werewolf who had kidnapped the Alchemist, leaving Dumbledore to take the captive away.

• Wade explained how he had used the names of the Acolytes and Grindelwald to make Fudge abandon the attempt to arrest Sirius, and Dumbledore praised his solution.
• Harry and Wade drank several glasses of mead as Dumbledore discussed Wade's actions and answered his questions about Grindelwald and the Statute of Secrecy.
• Wade became drunk and asked Dumbledore a series of strange questions while Dumbledore carried him to Harry's bedroom and tucked him into bed.
• Wade opened Wardrobe Space, where Golem cats dragged out a Whiskers man whom Wade identified as one of the werewolves who had kidnapped the Alchemist.
• Dumbledore picked up the Pencil Case left behind by Wardrobe Space and floated the captive out of the bedroom.

After waking with a hangover, Wade realized Dumbledore had learned his secrets from Whiskers and worried their relationship would change. As Sirius and Lupin discussed their hunt for Peter, Wade considered making Peter "come back to life" so Sirius could see him die again.

• Wade remembered drinking mead with Dumbledore and discovered that Whiskers was gone from Wardrobe Space.
• Wade worried that Dumbledore now saw him as a potential criminal, though he believed the Headmaster would wait and observe him.
• Harry arrived at Lupin's home and said he could stay there while Aunt Marge visited the Dursleys for a week.
• Sirius reported that his search for the Vampire named Trocar had failed, and Harry and Lupin urged him to rest.
• Sirius and Lupin reasoned that Peter might be hiding nearby and watching the Ministry pursue Lockhart and Garr.
• Wade considered letting Peter Pettigrew "come back to life" so Sirius could watch him die again.

Harry and Wade received their third-year book lists and went to Diagon Alley to buy their supplies. Harry and Wade each got a Firebolt, while Lupin bought them broomstick maintenance kits.

• Harry and Wade compared their reading lists, and Wade offered Harry his old Standard Book of Spells and Intermediate Transfiguration books with their study notes.
• Harry decided to take Muggle Studies because Professor Abigail’s lessons had shown him how little he knew about Muggle society.
• Wade and the others visited Diagon Alley, where Streaming Mirrors played silent comedy films and attracted crowds of children.
• Harry became captivated by the Firebolt at Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Sirius bought it for him as an early Christmas present.
• Wade ordered a Firebolt for himself, and Lupin bought two sets of broomstick repair and maintenance tools.

Harry and Wade stopped at a bookstore, where Harry unexpectedly cast his first nonverbal spell and Wade subdued the Monster Books of Monsters. Meanwhile, Lupin learned that Claire’s werewolf companion Will had disappeared after taking a dangerous commission connected to Hogwarts.

• Harry instinctively hit a Monster Book with a red spell, and Wade bound the rest of the fighting books.
• Rolf Scamander bought a Monster Book, and Wade told Harry he had cast his first nonverbal spell.
• Harry’s excitement faded as he saw Sirius searching anxiously for children carrying pet rats.
• The bookstore manager packed Harry’s and Wade’s schoolbooks and gave them a fifty percent discount.
• Claire told Lupin that Will had vanished after accepting a dangerous commission, and she suspected the person who hired him was connected to Hogwarts because she smelled Basilisk on that person.

Lupin learned that someone at Hogwarts had recently handled Basilisk Shed Skin and might know about Will’s disappearance, while Claire returned to work hoping Will would come back. Dumbledore later told Wade that his family’s identity was protected and that anyone investigating him would be directed to Spinner’s End, where Snape could defend himself.

• Claire told Lupin that the scent on Will’s unknown client was no more than three days old, placing that person at Hogwarts between July 16th and July 19th.
• Lupin promised Claire he would ask around, and they exchanged Book of Friends before she left for work.
• Lupin took Harry to Hogsmeade to fly his Firebolt, while Sirius resumed tracking Peter and Wade heard that Bearded Donovan had left to pursue revenge.
• Dumbledore told Wade that Fudge and Scrimgeour knew about the matter but would keep it quiet, and that the Aurors would give it low priority.
• Dumbledore explained that investigators would find Wade’s family supposedly living in Spinner’s End, where Snape could protect the home from intruders.
• Wade wondered why Dumbledore had not questioned him about controlling Acromantulas.

Dumbledore encouraged Wade to make his own choices without fearing that he might be wrong, then accepted an invitation to dinner with the Gray family. Wade resumed helping Werewolves and arranged tests on their samples before reading a Daily Prophet exposé of Dolores Umbridge that appeared to follow his earlier conversation with Fudge.

• Dumbledore told Wade to act according to his judgment and accepted his invitation to dinner at the Gray home.
• Wade hosted Dumbledore for a warm family meal, and Dumbledore left with sweets prepared by Fiona.
• Wade contacted Claire as Werner and requested samples from Werewolves before and after their transformations; Claire sent hers, and Wade commissioned laboratory tests.
• The Daily Prophet published a provocative report by Rita Skeeter about Dolores Umbridge, surprising Wade and Ferdinand.