Chapter Summaries

Wade hosted Alastor Moody for Christmas dinner, where Moody praised the protections Wade had placed around the house and urged him to seek help rather than shoulder Britain’s troubles alone. Moody left after warning Wade not to become like Dumbledore and to remember how to love and be loved.

• Ferdinand and Fiona welcomed Moody to their Christmas dinner, and Moody noticed Wade’s protective measures around the house.
• Moody ate the elaborate meal and praised Fiona’s cooking before asking Wade to walk him to the door.
• Moody asked Wade how much of Britain’s burden Dumbledore had placed on him, and Wade said he would call on the Order of the Phoenix when war truly came.
• Moody reminded Wade that the Order was ready to help and told him not to carry everything alone or lose sight of love.
• Moody compared Wade to Dumbledore, warned him not to become weighed down by the past, and walked away.

Wade opened his Christmas presents and found a mysterious Pocket Watch from Dumbledore and a trigger-type Portkey from Terence Murray. Murray’s letter revealed that he was pursuing Grindelwald’s cause and would not teach Wade next year, leaving Wade disappointed but unsure whether he would follow the same path.

• Wade opened gifts from friends, teachers, and acquaintances, including a Manual of Flight from Harry and Felix Felicis from Professor Snape.
• Wade examined Dumbledore’s silver Pocket Watch, which had star patterns instead of numbers and the inscription “Time is not a river.”
• A Golem Crab brought Wade a small gift from Terence Murray, who sent a trigger-type Portkey and wrote that Wade could visit him when he was ready.
• Wade recognized Grindelwald’s symbol on Murray’s card and learned that Murray hoped his life’s pursuit would become Wade’s dream, though he would accept another path.
• Fiona comforted Wade after he told her that Professor Murray would not teach him next year, and Wade agreed there would be other chances to learn from him later.

Sirius brought Wade and Harry to St. Mungo's to visit the injured Arthur Weasley, where Kingsley reassured the family about Arthur's position and discussed Peter Pettigrew's imprisonment. The visit ended with the Weasleys discovering that Percy had returned Molly's Christmas sweater, leaving her heartbroken and Arthur furious.

• Sirius arrived at the Grays' home on a motorcycle and took Wade and Harry to St. Mungo's.
• Ron told Wade, Harry, and Sirius that an Auror was questioning Arthur, then Kingsley emerged and reassured Molly that Arthur's injury would not affect his job.
• Sirius warned Kingsley that Peter Pettigrew might be faking madness, and Kingsley explained that strict safeguards prevented anyone from reaching Pettigrew in Azkaban.
• Sirius, Wade, and Harry entered Arthur's ward and found him recovering while opening Christmas presents.
• An owl delivered Percy's returned Christmas sweater, and Ginny opened the package to reveal it; Arthur grew furious and Molly broke down sobbing.

Wade and Harry learned why Percy had cut off the Weasley family after he rose to become Administrative Supervisor of Auror Command. The family showed them Percy’s official letter condemning their choices and suspending private contact, while Arthur remained hospitalized and Molly grieved over Percy’s returned Christmas sweater.

• Wade and Harry left Arthur’s hospital room as Molly cried over Percy returning her Christmas sweater, and Fred and George angrily reacted to Sirius mentioning it.
• Ginny told Wade that Percy believed the family no longer suited his status, and George explained how Percy had gained recognition after capturing Peter Pettigrew and becoming Administrative Supervisor of Auror Command.
• The Weasleys told Wade and Harry that Percy had sent the family a formal letter criticizing their conduct two days after Arthur was hospitalized.
• Wade read Percy’s letter, which condemned Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny, then announced that he would suspend non-essential private contact with the family.

Harry, Wade, and the Weasleys found Horace Slughorn still suffering from severe paranoid delusions after his torture, and Wade stayed behind to speak with him privately. Wade told Slughorn that the person he feared was still alive.

• Fred and George dismissed Percy's letter, and the group left the lounge in a subdued mood.
• Harry spotted Slughorn through a hospital window and learned from Healer Elliot that his trauma had left him convinced He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would return.
• Wade, Harry, and the Weasleys visited Slughorn, who reacted with terror to a sound outside and remained wary despite their presence.
• Wade asked to speak with Slughorn alone, and Harry and the Weasleys left the ward.
• Wade told Slughorn that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was still alive.

Wade told Slughorn that Voldemort was alive and helped him recover from the fear and isolation caused by everyone dismissing what he knew. Slughorn resolved to stop hiding and do what he could to help defeat Voldemort, while Wade reminded him that Harry also knew the truth and faced Voldemort without showing fear.

• Wade revealed that Voldemort was still alive and explained that magic tied to an ancient power in the Department of Mysteries had made people overlook him.
• Slughorn broke down in relief when Wade believed him, then feared that Voldemort might find him again.
• Wade explained that Dumbledore was tracking Voldemort and urged Slughorn to use his knowledge rather than hide indefinitely.
• Slughorn resolved that he needed Voldemort defeated before he could live safely and asked to be discharged from the hospital.
• Slughorn asked Wade whether he feared Voldemort, and Wade pointed to Harry, who knew the truth and was being hunted.

Wade questioned Marchioni about Professor Murray’s past ties to Grindelwald and the Acolytes, then learned that Marchioni had chosen to support their current cause. Marchioni urged Wade not to commit himself before understanding the cause, and the chapter left its nature unrevealed while hinting that Dumbledore would oppose it.

• Wade confronted Marchioni, who admitted he had inferred Professor Murray’s former identity from helping him with gifts and funerals for Acolytes.
• Marchioni confirmed he knew about the Acolytes’ current undertaking and had chosen to devote himself to it, but refused to explain what it was.
• Marchioni advised Wade to avoid committing to the Acolytes before deciding his own stance, and Wade chose not to press him for the truth.
• Wade offered to help fund the undertaking, but Marchioni said it did not yet need his money and described it as a bottomless pit.
• Marchioni gave Wade badges for Gulliver’s Travels to share with his classmates, then warned him again not to be swayed by recruitment or by Marchioni and Professor Murray’s choices.
• Marchioni said the cause they were advancing was something Dumbledore would probably dislike and might strongly oppose.

After reflecting on Marchioni and Professor Murray’s faith in Grindelwald’s cause, Wade gave the silver badges Marchioni had entrusted to him to students who wanted to visit the Land of Little People. Michael helped Wade realize that he needed to contact the students personally, and their delighted replies left Wade with a chance to reconnect with them.

• Wade wondered what kind of path Grindelwald was pursuing after Marchioni and Professor Murray warned him not to get involved too early.
• Michael picked badges for himself, Daphne, and Astoria, then told Wade to distribute the rest personally rather than leave the task to him.
• Michael sent Wade a list of former Spell Study Group members who wanted to visit the Land of Little People and had never spoken badly about Wade.
• Wade used the Book of Friends to message the students, who enthusiastically accepted the badges and thanked him.
• Wade learned that Harry’s father had booked Harry tickets well in advance, allowing him to visit the Land of Little People three times during winter break.

Wade Gray’s classmates visited Miniature Wonderland, where goblin Ziler watched them before reporting back to Franger. The goblins abandoned the idea of exploiting Wade’s classmates and searched the map for a conflict-ridden place to cause mass suffering without exposing themselves.

• Terry Boot, Lisa Turpin, and Anthony Goldstein arrived at Miniature Wonderland with tickets Wade had given them, and Terry boasted about knowing him.
• Ziler, disguised as a man in a leather jacket, observed the Ravenclaw students and their badges before leaving the waiting area.
• Ziler returned to Anvil Repairs, transformed back into a goblin, and told Franger that Marchioni’s operation offered no opportunities.
• Ziler suggested Wade’s classmates might be useful, but Franger dismissed them as children boasting about a few tickets.
• Franger said their goal was to create vast pain and death, then searched the map for a place already fractured by hatred.

Wade woke from a vivid dream of a blue truck bombing a white building and struggled to recover from the shock. He wondered whether the dream was a premonition or a vision of someone else's experience, with only the time and a few details to guide him.

• Wade dreamed that a blue truck breached a barricade and exploded beside a white building, killing people nearby.
• Wade woke in a cold sweat and dry-heaved, while Dobby appeared and worried over him.
• Dobby brought Wade hot water and a sedative, which Wade drank before lying back down.
• Wade considered whether the dream was more than a nightmare and recalled its time of 10:45 and details including a sari, a vendor, a white building, and a blue truck.

Wade prepared to return to school while Fiona struggled with their impending separation. An emergency bulletin revealed that Ilvermorny’s former headmaster and faculty had exposed information on 176 underage students, and the news left the Grays fearing Carlyle Johnson had disappeared because of the scandal.

• Fiona packed Wade food for his journey and hugged him goodbye, while Wade promised to return for Easter.
• A news bulletin reported that former Ilvermorny Headmaster Egbert Fontana and several faculty members had leaked information on 176 students for years.
• The bulletin announced that the Ministry would track underage wizards who failed to attend school or suddenly withdrew.
• Fiona and Ferdinand recalled that they had once considered emigrating to the United States but stayed in Britain so Wade could attend Hogwarts.
• Fiona wondered whether Carlyle Johnson’s disappearance was connected to the leaks, and Ferdinand agreed that it might be.

Wade left his parents to travel to Hogwarts, where he reunited with his friends on the train. Their jokes and gifts gave way to Michael’s subdued reaction after Padma treated him with friendly indifference.

• Wade took a taxi to King's Cross Station instead of letting Ferdinand drive him, and Ferdinand comforted Fiona after their son left.
• Wade found an empty compartment and sent its location to his friends through the Book of Friends.
• Ryan told Wade that Theo had mistaken a girl's confession letter for an insult and lectured her before learning the truth.
• Michael showed his friends his feathered hat and a matching gift for Daphne, then explained that sharing strange joys could bring people closer.
• Anthony and Padma thanked Wade for the tickets to the Land of Little People, and Padma complimented Michael's hat before leaving.
• Michael took off his hat and felt miserable when he realized Padma had moved on and treated him with an easy smile.

On the train, Ryan asked Wade for help with his essay about the Goblin rebellions and revealed that Muggle books had led him to question the roots of wizard-Goblin conflict. Wade helped him find a way to write the assignment while encouraging him to study the issue over time, and the friends continued toward their holiday destination.

• Ryan told Wade that ideas from books about Muggle wars had made it difficult to begin his essay on the Goblin rebellions.
• Michael objected to Ryan’s apparent sympathy for Goblins, while Ryan explained that he believed oppression and exploitation lay behind recurring rebellions.
• Wade read Ryan’s notes, praised the questions they raised, and suggested treating the subject as a long-term project.
• Wade gave Ryan three analytical angles, then advised him to present historical facts and analyze them within the terms Professor Binns would accept.
• Theo explained that Goblins maintained the vault system at Gringotts, and Ryan thanked Wade for helping him plan his essay.
• Michael wondered whether he should read Muggle books too, and Wade said their worries about the future might be the same.

Harry fled to Wade, Theo, Michael, and Ryan’s compartment after finding Cho and Cedric sharing the train compartment he had hoped to have to himself. He refused to explain what had happened, leaving his friends concerned as he sat in quiet despair.

• Theo, Michael, Wade, and Ryan shared snacks and laughed together on the train.
• Harry rushed into Wade’s compartment and asked to squeeze in, saying the other compartments were occupied by people he did not want to sit with.
• Harry recalled that Cho had joined him in his compartment before the train departed, and he had invited her in without thinking.
• Cedric arrived with Cho, put away their luggage, and talked with Harry while Cho sat close to him.
• Harry left abruptly, claiming he needed the toilet, and hurried through the train until he reached Wade’s compartment.
• Harry asked his friends not to question him and stared down at his knees in quiet despair.

Harry and his friends discussed an emergency broadcast about officials at Ilvermorny leaking students’ information to Muggle forces, and the Ministry’s plan to investigate the safety of underage wizards. Hermione worried the investigation could lead to Ministry interference at Hogwarts, while Wade urged them to wait and see who was sent.

• Ron and Hermione arrived in the compartment exhausted from their Prefect duties, and Ron eagerly ate the food Wade and the others offered.
• Ron described the trouble he had encountered while patrolling the train, including a runaway cat, a fight over a seat, and a Slytherin nearly throwing another student out a window.
• Hermione asked Wade about the emergency broadcast, and Wade explained that Ilvermorny Headmaster Egbert Fontana and other officials had leaked information about Muggle-born and half-blood students to Muggle forces.
• Hermione said the Ministry planned to track underage wizards who had not arrived at school and warned that the investigation might lead to interference at Hogwarts.
• Michael argued that Minister Scrimgeour would likely keep the inquiry limited, but Wade cautioned that the results would depend on who carried it out.
• Ron, having missed the discussion while eating, asked what the news had been about.

Wade returned to Hogwarts and saw Percy Weasley arrive as a Ministry of Magic special envoy to inspect the school. Percy questioned Hogwarts’ facilities and staff while boasting about his role in the Peter Pettigrew case, leaving McGonagall and others displeased.

• Wade arrived at Hogwarts and noticed Hagrid’s bruised face as Hagrid ushered students toward the carriages.
• Students returned to the Great Hall, where Wade saw Dumbledore seated at the Staff Table.
• Wade spotted Percy Weasley in new robes and a Ministry badge, sitting beside Dumbledore as the Twins mocked him.
• Percy criticized Hogwarts’ old fireplaces and plumbing, and Dumbledore pointed out that the Ministry could repair the broken second-floor bathroom.
• Percy pressed McGonagall about staff qualifications and Defense Against the Dark Arts appointments, prompting Frank Longbottom to frown and McGonagall to glare at him.
• Percy introduced himself as the Ministry’s special envoy and credited his work on the Peter Pettigrew case for attracting Minister Scrimgeour’s attention, while Snape derided him.

At Hogwarts’ opening feast, Percy Weasley regaled the staff with an exaggerated account of capturing Peter Pettigrew before Dumbledore introduced him to the students as a Ministry security review envoy. The chapter left Percy beginning his formal address to the Great Hall.

• Percy Weasley embellished his capture of Peter Pettigrew while the professors listened, and Harry, Ron, Michael, and Wade reacted to his boasting.
• Dumbledore welcomed the students back and conjured a feast for the Great Hall.
• Mrs. Gray sat beside Wade, but Michael offended her by offering to save rotten Yorkshire Pudding for her to eat, and she floated away.
• Wade noticed Michael seemed unusually unhappy and set milk pudding on his plate.
• After the feast, Dumbledore introduced Percy Weasley as the security review envoy appointed by Minister Scrimgeour, and Percy began addressing the students.

Percy read Minister Scrimgeour’s letter announcing his temporary appointment as Hogwarts’s magic school Security Review Envoy and explained his role to the students. He left the Great Hall presenting himself as a returning former student open to hearing safety concerns.

• Percy read Scrimgeour’s letter describing the Ilvermorny information leak and the Ministry’s concern for underage wizards’ safety.
• Percy announced that he had been appointed to review Hogwarts’s privacy policies, identify information-leak risks, promote secrecy, and check on students who had left school.
• Theo questioned what Percy’s duties meant, while the students and professors reacted to the announcement.
• Percy clarified that he would research and offer advice rather than take over school administration or spy on Hogwarts.
• Percy gave directions to his temporary office, invited students to raise safety concerns, and concluded his speech.

After Dumbledore ended the banquet, students discussed Percy Weasley’s speech while Fred and George concealed their doubts about him. Ginny told Harry and Neville how Percy’s career ambitions and anger over Pettigrew’s capture had damaged his relationship with Penelope.

• Dumbledore thanked Percy for his speech, praised the Ministry’s safety measures, and sent the students back to their Common Rooms.
• Angelina and other Gryffindors praised Percy, while Fred and George kept their negative opinions to themselves to protect their family.
• Harry told Neville that Percy had once cheered during a Quidditch match after betting ten Galleons with Penelope.
• Ginny explained that Percy and Penelope had argued after she chose not to join the Ministry, then began arguing again after Percy caught Peter Pettigrew.
• Ginny recalled Percy shouting at Penelope when she questioned details of the Pettigrew incident, after which Penelope left and asked for time apart.
• Fred and George returned from a nearby Muggle town and were scolded by Mrs. Weasley for not showing Percy proper respect.

Harry and his friends discussed Percy’s remarks about limiting personal authority, and Hermione concluded that Percy’s Ministry role could let him investigate students labeled high-risk. The conversation left Harry confronting the possibility that his survival of the Killing Curse made him a more likely target than Wade.

• Harry, Ginny, and Neville returned to the Gryffindor Common Room and joined Ron and Hermione.
• Hermione argued that Percy’s comments could undermine trust in Dumbledore by presenting him as an authority who needed checks and balances.
• Hermione explained that Percy could investigate students’ off-campus contacts and correspondence under his student privacy role.
• Neville wondered whether Percy was targeting Wade, and Hermione said Harry was likely the first target and Wade the second.
• Hermione reminded Harry that he had survived the Killing Curse twice, and Ron agreed that this made him unusually dangerous in the Wizarding World.