Chapter Summaries

After the matches, Zhang Wen and Artoria praised the students’ teamwork, while Neville’s swordsmanship helped Ginny’s team win decisively. Mordred reflected uneasily on the Round Table’s past, and Zhang Wen and Artoria openly held hands as they headed to dinner.

• Zhang Wen reassured Ron after Harry’s group lost to Malfoy’s team.
• Ginny led Fred, George, and Neville to overwhelm their opponents, with Neville fighting skillfully using a wooden sword and wand.
• Zhang Wen reviewed the teams’ performances, and Artoria urged the students to become companions worthy of one another’s trust.
• Artoria’s words reminded Mordred of the Round Table and the Battle of Camlann, and she told Artoria that the knights had relied on her alone.
• Zhang Wen and Artoria held hands on the way to dinner, while Mordred teased them and planned to record the moment in his notebook.

Zhang Wen led a practical lesson on Red Caps at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where a Boggart suddenly appeared and revealed Mordred’s fear of an empty throne. Mordred punched the Boggart into retreat, leaving Neville inspired by her response to fear.

• Zhang Wen and Hagrid taught the second-year Gryffindors and Slytherins to repel a Red Cap with Knockback Charms, and Hermione, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Malfoy each tried the spell.
• A Boggart burst from the Forbidden Forest and rushed toward the students, so Mordred shoved the nearest Slytherins out of its path.
• The Boggart transformed into an empty throne, and Mordred froze as the students watched in confusion.
• Mordred charged and punched the throne, shattering the Boggart’s form and sending it fleeing into the forest.
• Neville watched Mordred and realized he understood how fear felt, though he did not know why she feared the throne.

After Mordred punched a Boggart that resembled a throne and then stood quietly beside Artoria, Zhang Wen helped the family reconnect through a peaceful dinner. The three returned to their quarters together, their shadows falling across the corridor like a family.

• When the Boggart charged, Mordred struck it and Zhang Wen later praised her instinct to protect the nearby students.
• Artoria stood silently beside Mordred until she relaxed, and Mordred stayed close to her through the rest of class.
• Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione wondered about the chair, while Malfoy puzzled over the empty throne.
• At dinner, Mordred chose to sit beside Artoria, and Zhang Wen gave both of them extra steak.
• Mordred denied protecting the students, then persuaded Zhang Wen to make hot pot the next day.
• On the way back, Artoria thanked Zhang Wen for caring for Mordred, and she and Zhang Wen held hands as they followed him.

The students persuaded Zhang Wen to stage an exhibition duel between Filius Flitwick and Mordred. Their match began with Mordred blocking Flitwick’s spells with her huge wooden blade, and Flitwick switched to a defensive, evasive strategy.

• The students presented Ginny’s vote tally naming Filius Flitwick and Mordred as their preferred duelists, and Zhang Wen agreed to arrange an exhibition match.
• Flitwick accepted the challenge, and Mordred agreed to fight with her weighted wooden blade after Zhang Wen ruled out her real sword.
• Zhang Wen set the match rules, and Artoria warned Mordred to hold back before the duel began.
• Mordred blocked Flitwick’s Knockback Jinx with her blade, then dodged and countered his rapid spells with fast, controlled attacks.
• Flitwick recognized Mordred’s mature heavy-sword fighting style and began moving around the field while firing low-powered spells to avoid confronting her directly.

Mordred adapted to Professor Flitwick’s tactics and fought him to a draw at the Dueling Club. After Dumbledore arrived, he asked Zhang Wen if he could join the demonstration too.

• Professor Flitwick exploited gaps in Mordred’s attack rhythm, and Mordred changed tactics by waiting for him to approach.
• Mordred deflected Flitwick’s spell and counterattacked, then the two fought an extended duel that ended in a draw.
• Professor Flitwick and Mordred shook hands as the students applauded, and Artoria explained that Mordred had struggled against a stronger, more experienced opponent.
• Zhang Wen tried to pat Mordred’s head, then gently touched Artoria’s hair when she invited him to; Mordred objected to their affection.
• Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, praised the duel, and asked Zhang Wen if he could participate in the Dueling Club demonstration.

Dumbledore announced that he would duel as a teaching demonstration, but Zhang Wen and Artoria suspected he was waiting for a powerful helper because he faced serious trouble. Artoria realized Dumbledore would not choose anyone himself, leaving the matter dependent on someone volunteering.

• Dumbledore announced a duel demonstration, drawing cheers from the students and concern from Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall.
• Zhang Wen noticed Dumbledore seemed to be waiting for a particular opponent rather than acting on a whim.
• Artoria told Zhang Wen that Dumbledore had come prepared and needed a highly capable helper.
• Mordred cautioned Zhang Wen that Artoria's instinct revealed only that Dumbledore was prepared, not the details of his trouble.
• Artoria concluded that Dumbledore would not appoint anyone and that the right person had to step forward voluntarily.

Artoria trusted Dumbledore and accepted his invitation to duel, meeting him with a formal knightly salute before the watching Hogwarts students. Dumbledore acknowledged her as an equal, while Zhang Wen and Mordred watched nervously as the duel was about to begin.

• Artoria told Zhang Wen she trusted Dumbledore and would answer his invitation without delaying to learn more.
• Artoria took her magically tempered wooden sword and walked to Dumbledore with the bearing of a king on a battlefield.
• Artoria performed a traditional knightly salute and formally agreed to spar with Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore returned her salute, and the students recognized it as a gesture between equals.
• Harry asked Hermione about the salute, while Mordred held Zhang Wen's hand and admitted she was nervous for Artoria.
• Artoria and Dumbledore faced each other at the center of the grounds as the students watched.

Artoria and Dumbledore fought a controlled duel in the Great Hall, impressing the students and ending in a draw. Afterward, Dumbledore privately summoned Zhang Wen, Mordred, and McGonagall to his office that night, revealing that the duel had been a test.

• Fred and George took bets on the duel, while Ginny and Mordred wagered all their money on Artoria.
• Dumbledore attacked with advanced Transfiguration spells, and Artoria countered each one with her wooden sword as they fought across the Great Hall and into the air.
• Dumbledore ended the duel and praised Artoria's strength; the students cheered, and Fred and George realized they owed Ginny and Mordred their winnings.
• Mordred called the draw a victory for Artoria, while Artoria told Zhang Wen that both she and Dumbledore had held back.
• Dumbledore privately told Zhang Wen to bring Mordred and McGonagall to his office that night, and Zhang Wen realized the duel had been a test.

Zhang Wen, Artoria, and Mordred met Dumbledore and McGonagall in the Headmaster's Office, where Dumbledore revealed intelligence about the powerful dark wizard Colvin Ashbourne. The chapter left them facing a new mission involving Ashbourne, whose pursuit of ultimate knowledge had taken him beyond even Voldemort in some branches of the Dark Arts.

• Zhang Wen led Artoria and Mordred to Dumbledore's office, where McGonagall joined them.
• Fox recoiled from Mordred's aura and hid behind McGonagall before Dumbledore sent him away.
• Dumbledore warned everyone that the Order of the Phoenix's intelligence was highly sensitive and introduced Colvin Ashbourne as their target.
• Dumbledore said Ashbourne was hiding in the United States and had Dark Arts skills comparable to Voldemort's, or greater in certain branches.
• Dumbledore explained that Ashbourne sought ultimate knowledge rather than domination.

Dumbledore told Zhang Wen, Artoria, Mordred, and Professor McGonagall that Ashbourne had obtained the Dead King's Crown, a powerful artifact that could command death, and was preparing to activate it. Since Ashbourne was hidden by a Fidelius Charm but welcomed ancient pure Dark magic families, Dumbledore proposed that he and McGonagall pose as elders of a fabricated family to reach him, leaving McGonagall angry and the group anticipating a complicated plan.

• Dumbledore revealed that Ashbourne had acquired the Dead King's Crown and was preparing a ritual to activate it.
• Dumbledore explained that the crown could command the dead and let its user control the order of death, while Ashbourne's Fidelius Charm prevented the Order from locating him.
• Dumbledore said Ashbourne personally received visits from ancient pure Dark magic families, giving them a way to approach him with a fabricated family.
• Dumbledore proposed that he and Professor McGonagall pose as the elders of that family, and McGonagall reacted with anger and insisted on speaking with him privately.
• Artoria reassured Zhang Wen by holding his hand while Mordred asked her father for snacks so she could watch the ensuing exchange.

Dumbledore laid out the Zhang Family identities for the operation in the United States, making Zhang Wen the family head, Artoria his wife, and Mordred their only daughter, while McGonagall and Dumbledore were assigned to pose as Artoria’s married parents. The Order of the Phoenix delivered the forged family records, and the chapter ended with Artoria accepting responsibility for keeping the genealogy.

• Dumbledore presented the Zhang Family cover as an ancient Eastern family that had migrated to Europe, with Zhang Wen as its head, Artoria as his wife, and Mordred as their only daughter.
• Dumbledore assigned himself and McGonagall to pose as Artoria’s parents and a married couple, prompting McGonagall to threaten to turn him into Lemon Sherbet.
• A member of the Order of the Phoenix delivered the forged family crest, bloodline verification documents, and genealogy.
• The genealogy listed the operation identities as Zhang Wen, Zhang Artola, and Zhang Modena, and Mordred reluctantly accepted her adapted name.
• Artoria and Zhang Wen shared an embarrassed glance over their listed relationship, while Mordred reacted with mock nausea.
• Dumbledore gave Artoria the genealogy to keep, and she accepted it as McGonagall watched with a faint smile.

Dumbledore recruited Snape to impersonate Zhang Wen, Artoria, Mordred, and Professor McGonagall, using Polyjuice Potion and a detailed schedule to carry out the plan. Snape reluctantly agreed, with Fox assigned to help him, while Zhang Wen and Artoria left planning to repay him with a meal.

• Dumbledore summoned Zhang Wen, Artoria, Mordred, and Professor McGonagall to Snape's classroom and presented him with a crate of Polyjuice Potion ingredients and labeled hair samples.
• Snape objected that he could not play five people at once, but Dumbledore showed him a schedule that assigned each role to different parts of the day.
• Dumbledore lent Fox to Snape, who reluctantly agreed to the plan as the phoenix perched on his shoulder and teased him.
• Dumbledore reminded Snape to act fiercer when impersonating Mordred, and Snape insisted he was already the fiercest person in the school.
• As they left, Artoria offered to cook an Eastern-style meal for Snape, and Mordred eagerly volunteered to taste-test it.

Dumbledore began role-playing training for Zhang Wen, Artoria, Mordred, and Professor McGonagall, coaching them to portray members of the Zhang Family. Professor McGonagall struggled to act like a ruthless matriarch, while Artoria naturally embodied the aloof wife of the clan head.

• Dumbledore held the training in a silenced classroom on the seventh floor and assigned Professor McGonagall the role of Artoria's ruthless, vicious maternal-family matriarch.
• Professor McGonagall's attempts at aristocratic condescension sounded like her usual teacherly scolding, making Mordred laugh and Zhang Wen point out the problem.
• Dumbledore demonstrated how a gentle invitation could carry a threatening edge, but Professor McGonagall's attempts at saying "Please have some tea" still sounded like a teacher addressing a student or Dumbledore.
• When Dumbledore said Professor McGonagall could not imitate that sort of person because she was not one deep down, she turned his beard bright purple with a Transfiguration spell.
• Artoria took on the role of the Zhang Clan head's aloof wife with effortless nobility, and Dumbledore praised her performance.

Dumbledore, Zhang Wen, Artoria, and Mordred rehearsed their roles for the Zhang Family cover story, with Artoria refusing to say a cruel line and Mordred struggling to call Zhang Wen “Father.” The training ended with Professor McGonagall questioning whether Dumbledore could convincingly play an elderly Dark wizard, and his enigmatic smile left everyone wondering what he was hiding.

• Artoria could not bring herself to say Dumbledore’s line insulting lowborn people, so Zhang Wen replaced it with silent, intimidating looks.
• Mordred naturally acted like an unruly, rebellious young lady, and Dumbledore decided she needed no further training for her role.
• Zhang Wen adopted the manner of a grave family patriarch, but Artoria’s attention made his stern presence falter.
• Mordred awkwardly practiced calling Zhang Wen “Father,” and they agreed she would use the title only in front of outsiders.
• Professor McGonagall asked whether Dumbledore could play an elderly Dark wizard, and his silent smile gave no direct answer.

Dumbledore chose dangerous old artifacts to serve as the Zhang Family’s heirlooms, entrusting them to Artoria before the group prepared to leave Hogwarts. As Mordred faced her departure the next day, her friends gathered to say goodbye and Hermione made her promise to stay safe.

• Dumbledore presented the Blood Contract Book, whose Soul Contracts could not be broken, and explained that he had sealed away most of its power.
• Mordred dismissed the book as inferior to Artoria’s holy sword, while Artoria gently quieted her.
• Dumbledore showed the group a snake brooch, a bone-handled dagger, and a pocket watch; Snape warned that each item was dangerous, but Dumbledore gave them to Artoria to safeguard as family heirlooms.
• As the group left the Headmaster’s Office, Mordred thought about leaving Hogwarts the next day and not getting to say goodbye to her classmates.
• Harry, Hermione, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and the Weasley Brothers twins met Mordred in the corridor, and Hermione gave her repeated safety instructions before making her recite them.

Mordred’s friends gave her gifts and promised she would return as she prepared to leave on a mission. That night, Zhang Wen and Artoria promised to come back together, only for Mordred to catch them standing together in the moonlight.

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione asked Mordred when she would return, and she promised she would come back.
• Neville gave Mordred a medicinal herb, while Fred and George handed her bags of prank items to protect herself.
• After the students left, Zhang Wen packed for the mission and found Artoria waiting by the corridor window.
• Zhang Wen told Artoria they would go together and return together, and Artoria agreed after gently straightening his collar.
• Mordred appeared with her bags and asked Zhang Wen and Artoria if she had come at a bad time.

Zhang Wen, Artoria, and Mordred prepared to leave Hogwarts for a secret mission to find Ashbourne in the United States. Dumbledore stopped Professor McGonagall from using the International Portkey and revealed that they would travel by ship and train to avoid detection, leaving McGonagall stunned by the seven-day voyage.

• Zhang Wen and Artoria met in the corridor before departure, shared an awkward moment over his suitcase, and headed to the Headmaster's Office.
• Mordred showed Zhang Wen that she had hidden the Weasley Brothers' prank props in her suitcase with an Undetectable Extension Charm taught by Professor McGonagall.
• Professor McGonagall arrived with her luggage and reached for the International Portkey, but Dumbledore stopped her.
• Dumbledore laid out ship, train, and bus tickets along with Muggle identity documents, explaining that magical travel would alert the American Ministry of Magic and Ashbourne's informants.
• Dumbledore told the group they would cross the Atlantic on a luxury cruise liner for seven days and then take a train from New York.

Dumbledore explained that the rescue party would travel to the United States by ocean liner to avoid leaving magical transit records, while Professor McGonagall objected to treating the journey as a holiday. As the group prepared for seven days at sea, Mordred memorized McGonagall’s insult for future use against Snape.

• Dumbledore rejected magical travel and forged identities because they would leave records or attract scrutiny, and said an ocean liner was the safest option.
• Mordred eagerly asked about the ship and looked forward to exploring it and seeing the sea.
• Professor McGonagall reminded Dumbledore that they were rescuing Ashbourne and stopping the activation of the Dead King's Crown, but accepted his argument that the voyage would let them rest.
• Frustrated by Dumbledore's relaxed attitude, Professor McGonagall called him an “old rascal,” then drank chamomile tea to calm herself.
• Mordred decided to use the phrase to provoke Professor Snape, while Zhang Wen and Artoria suspected their daughter was planning mischief.

Zhang Wen, Artoria, Mordred, Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall boarded the Sea Pearl luxury cruise ship while traveling under the guise of a wealthy dark magic family. After settling into an expensive penthouse suite, Mordred explored the ship and discovered the hidden entrance to its Magic Cabin.

• The group traveled from Hogwarts to Southampton by Muggle transport, then boarded the Sea Pearl using forged identification documents.
• Mordred and Artoria marveled at the ship and its grand interior, while Zhang Wen explained its size and how it floated.
• Dumbledore led the group to a penthouse suite, where Professor McGonagall objected after learning it had cost about half of their budget.
• Mordred explored the suite and received Zhang Wen's permission to look around the ship.
• Mordred explored the ship, found the hidden entrance to the Magic Cabin, and memorized its location without going inside.

Mordred explored the ship, and Dumbledore told the group they had to attend a formal banquet to maintain their cover as a Dark Magic family. Dressed for the occasion, Zhang Wen and Artoria entered the ballroom hand in hand, where Artoria reflected on how far she had come from wearing armor.

• Mordred returned to the suite after exploring every floor of the ship and told Artoria she had found the Magic Cabin.
• Dumbledore explained that the group had to attend the evening banquet to avoid drawing attention to their cover identities.
• Zhang Wen, Mordred, Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Artoria dressed formally, and Mordred called Professor McGonagall her grandmother.
• Zhang Wen was struck by Artoria's appearance in her white evening gown, and they left the suite holding hands.
• The group entered the ballroom, where guests watched them, and Artoria told Zhang Wen that her gown was more comfortable than armor.