Chapter Summaries

Aisling and Wolf ransacked Brando’s office and private room, taking valuable items and uncovering evidence of his dark magic. With the evidence in hand, Aisling prepared to leave and warned their inside man that Brando was finished.

• Aisling and Wolf packed Brando’s documents and valuables into cases, including an antique gold statue.
• Aisling burned through the hidden door to Brando’s private resting room with Fiendfyre and ordered Wolf to take the bed’s gold posts.
• Aisling found blood-filled test tubes and Tiago’s partially completed Dark Magic Ritual Book beneath the dressing table.
• Aisling recognized the ritual as a vampire’s trick and said the evidence would send Brando to Azkaban.
• Aisling told Wolf to give the cases to their inside man and warn him that Brando was finished.

Roy escaped the minecart chase through Gringotts and reached the handoff point, where he gathered Aisling’s documents and evidence. He carried the crates toward the extraction point, but magical interference disabled his Phasing, and the guards caught him as he tried to escape behind a smoke screen.

• Roy abandoned his minecart, used his exoskeleton and Phasing to evade the goblins, and reached Vault 1145.
• Roy met Aisling’s goblin contact, took the documents and assassin’s ledger, and packed evidence and assets into crates.
• Roy followed the staff passage toward the hole the dragon had made, but a magical interference machine disrupted his Phasing.
• Roy filled the ruined hall with smoke and headed for the extraction point, where armed Gringotts guards were waiting.
• Aisling and Wolf watched from a second-floor compartment as the guards moved to capture Roy.

Roy escaped the goblins at Gringotts and handed Tonks the documents before fleeing on a broomstick. Harry, Hermione, and Ron spotted him flying over London, but Hermione kept her recognition of Roy to herself.

• Roy surrendered to the goblins at Gringotts, then detonated a flashbang and escaped while they were blinded and disoriented.
• Tonks, disguised as Ms. Demulan, signaled Roy at her broom stall and took the documents he passed her.
• Roy escaped on a broomstick as the goblins bought Tonks's remaining brooms and chased him, unaware that most had speed limiters.
• Tonks Apparated away with the documents after completing her mission.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron spotted a flying figure beneath the London Eye, and Hermione recognized Roy by his red pack but said nothing.

Dumbledore invited Tiago and Fudge to Hogwarts for a lunch that concealed a trap, while Roy’s operation unfolded elsewhere. The chapter ended with Kingsley and a contingent of Aurors arriving to arrest Tiago Brando on suspicion of murder and terrorist attacks.

• Tiago examined the sinister notebook but detected no magic, and Dumbledore admitted he had been unable to detect any either.
• Dumbledore brought Tiago and Professor Jobana to the Great Hall, where Tiago unexpectedly found Fudge waiting.
• Tiago and Fudge exchanged nervous glances, then sat at opposite ends of the staff table while Dumbledore remained silent through lunch.
• Dumbledore grew worried when Roy sent no word, but Snape suddenly pulled him away from the Great Hall.
• Dumbledore returned with Kingsley and Ministry Aurors, who ordered Tiago Brando to surrender his wand and arrested him on suspicion of murder and terrorist attacks.

Tiago was arrested at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore learned Roy and the others had escaped safely. At the gates, Tiago broke free and attacked the Aurors, and Dia killed him with the Killing Curse.

• Kingsley’s Aurors detained Fudge and surrounded Tiago while Kingsley presented evidence of Tiago’s crimes.
• Tiago surrendered his wand and was handcuffed; Dia Jobana collapsed after reading the evidence, and McGonagall joined the Aurors.
• Dumbledore questioned Tonks in the dungeon classroom and learned Roy and Cedric had escaped safely while Aisling and their servant remained safe in Gringotts.
• An explosion erupted at the Hogwarts gates, where Dumbledore found Tiago’s corpse among wounded Aurors and Snape identified the Killing Curse.
• Dia told Dumbledore that Tiago had broken free of his handcuffs and attacked the group, forcing her to kill him.

Roy returned from robbing Gringotts and learned that Tiago had died in a bloody explosion at Hogwarts. The chapter left Roy stunned by Tiago’s sudden death and the unanswered mysteries it would take to the grave.

• Roy scattered the stolen gold along Diagon Alley and the Thames, escaped the pursuing goblins, and returned to Godric's Hollow.
• Roy and Cedric learned from Madam Rosmerta that an explosion had struck Hogwarts and a blood-red mist was drifting through Hogsmeade.
• Roy and Cedric rushed to the school gates and found wounded Aurors, a crater, and Dumbledore speaking with Fudge.
• Dumbledore revealed Tiago Brando's unwounded corpse, leaving Roy shocked by Tiago’s death.
• Dumbledore sent Roy and Cedric away, promising to discuss what happened later.

Roy, Cedric, and Tonks destroyed the operation’s documents and waited for Dumbledore and Aisling to return from Gringotts. Dumbledore announced that Gringotts would compensate Roy and Miss Grindelwald and that the Ministry would take control of the bank, leaving Roy free to focus on treating Mia.

• Roy told Tonks and Cedric that Tiago had died after Professor Jobana finished him off with a Killing Curse.
• Roy, Cedric, and Tonks gathered the robbery-related documents in the Special Operations Office and Roy burned them all with Fiendfyre.
• Roy reassured Tonks that Dumbledore could explain how he obtained Tiago’s private documents and Gringotts records.
• Roy, Cedric, and Tonks spent the night in the Special Operations Office while Dumbledore and Aisling returned from Gringotts.
• Dumbledore announced that Gringotts would compensate Roy and Miss Grindelwald and that the Ministry of Magic would take over the bank’s operations and oversight.

Dia Jobana remained in Ministry custody after admitting she had killed Tiago Brando with the Killing Curse. She secretly used her blood and life force to summon Tiago’s soul into her body, and he instructed her to hide their connection and protect herself.

• Dia Jobana told Ministry investigators that she had killed Tiago Brando to save a female Auror, but they refused to release her.
• Kingsley spoke with an investigator about getting Dia released while Dia secretly drew a magical rune in her own blood.
• Dia collapsed unconscious after completing the ritual, then woke and heard Tiago’s voice in her mind.
• Tiago told Dia to conceal his presence, dispel suspicion, and protect herself while he slept inside her.
• Tiago later woke briefly and thanked Dia.

On Boxing Day, Mr Weasley told his family that Gringotts had been robbed and that Tiago had been killed after his crimes against Roy and Mia were exposed. Ron, Bill, Fred, and George hurried off, and the twins joined Roy, Aisling, Tonks, and Cedric on their way to visit Mia at St. Mungo's.

• Mr Weasley returned to The Burrow and told the Weasleys that Gringotts had been robbed, its documents scattered, and Tiago's crimes against Roy and Mia revealed.
• Mr Weasley explained that Tiago had been killed at Hogwarts after resisting the Aurors, leaving Ron frantic about the attacks on Mia and Bill struggling to believe Tiago's guilt.
• Mr Weasley said the robbers were still being pursued and had dumped gold and treasure into the Thames, prompting Ron to leave to find Harry and Bill to Apparate to Gringotts.
• Fred and George rushed to Diggory House to confront Roy about the robbery, but Roy, Aisling, and Tonks told them they were going to visit Mia at St. Mungo's.
• Fred and George agreed to join Roy, Aisling, Tonks, and Cedric on the visit to Mia.

Roy brought Mia’s friends to visit her in St. Mungo’s underground isolation ward, where she had been confined for over a month after Tiago’s defeat. Mia eagerly embraced Roy, and the group reunited with her in her magically recreated bedroom.

• Roy explained that Mia was still being held in the ward while he worked on getting her released.
• Roy used Dumbledore’s pass to lead the visiting party through the underground laboratory corridors and into Mia’s private suite.
• Fred and George tried to test whether the enchanted white floors could be stained with ink, but Roy stopped them.
• Roy rang the bell at Mia’s room, where Mia was lying on her bed with black magical tentacles holding her book.
• Mia recognized Roy, rushed out to greet him, and threw herself into his arms as the visitors joked about her hospital stay.

Roy told Mia that the people behind her attack were dead, but she still had to remain in isolation. After saying goodbye to Mia, Roy found Harry wandering alone and took him to dinner, while Dumbledore quietly returned to Hogwarts.

• Roy explained that Tiago had ordered the attack on Mia, and Mia excitedly accepted Tiago’s ruby necklace as a gift from Aisling.
• Mia asked to leave isolation, but Roy promised to get her out as soon as he could and embraced her.
• Aisling kicked Fred and George after they teased her about adopting Ginny, and the visitors shared a belated Christmas dinner in Mia’s room.
• Roy left the hospital feeling lonely, then met Harry riding his bicycle alone because the Dursleys had gone out without him.
• Roy took Harry to dinner, while Dumbledore watched them leave before returning to the Headmaster’s Office and going to bed.

On December 27, Roy visited Snape with an Erumpent horn as a Christmas gift and persuaded him to work on the Protection Magic potion together. Snape accepted, and Roy revealed the horn came from an Erumpent that had stepped on him.

• Snape spent Christmas alone in his underground Potions Office, avoiding the Malfoys' invitation.
• Roy arrived early on December 27 and told Snape he wanted to brew potions.
• Roy offered Snape a young Erumpent horn, and Snape recognized its value as a rare potion ingredient.
• Roy asked to keep Snape company and finish the Protection Magic potion sooner so his little sister could leave prison; Snape agreed.
• Snape stored the horn, then questioned Roy about where it came from.
• Roy said Mr Scamander had given him the horn after an Erumpent stepped on him, leaving Snape stunned.

Aisling spent Christmas managing her political ties and preparing gifts for her Hogwarts classmates while waiting for Roy to send her a present. The night before returning to school, she discovered that Roy had secretly given her the Phasing Charm’s principles and training instructions, and she vowed to learn it.

• Aisling woke from a frightening prophetic dream, forgot what she had seen, and went back to sleep after drinking red wine.
• Aisling sent Christmas gifts to her Hogwarts classmates, including a Nimbus 2000 for Cedric and an alchemical protective amulet for Tonks.
• Aisling waited for Roy’s Christmas gift and planned to match whatever he sent, but nothing arrived before the holiday ended.
• Aisling reread Roy’s Operation Wallbreaker plan and found that he had written the Phasing Charm’s principles and training techniques in its blank pages.
• Aisling read Roy’s Christmas message and insisted that she could learn the Phasing Charm.

During the Christmas holiday, Roy and Snape advanced Roy’s potion studies and collaborated on a potion that changed the drinker’s voice. Their voice-changing potion succeeded in its first human test, leaving Roy with a voice like Dumbledore’s.

• Roy made major progress under Snape’s guidance, nearly completing the potion required for the Patronus Charm and brewing counter-curse potions.
• Roy proposed developing a voice-changing potion, and Snape agreed to help after hearing his design.
• Roy and Snape developed the potion while continuing their work on Mia’s lifesaving potion.
• Snape tested the finished potion and found that his voice had changed into a clear female voice.
• Roy drank the potion and discovered that his voice had become aged and resonant, like Dumbledore’s.

Roy completed the Voice-Changer Potion, named Baby Blue, and sent his novelty potions to the students before term began. Dumbledore told him that Professor Jobana wanted to give him Tiago's substantial estate, leaving Roy wondering whether he would become as rich as Aisling.

• Snape submitted the potion document with both his and Roy's names, and Roy chose the name Baby Blue.
• Roy brewed the first batch of Voice-Changer Potion and mailed his novelty potions to the students before term began.
• Dumbledore returned from Egypt, tried Roy's potion, and identified Echo Bird feathers as an ingredient.
• Dumbledore told Roy that Professor Jobana wished to give him Tiago's estate as compensation.
• Roy asked whether Tiago's wealth would make him richer than Aisling, and Dumbledore said he would probably come close.

Roy discussed the Thorn family estate and Professor Jobana’s recovery with Dumbledore, who planned temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers until she returned from Egypt. Dumbledore appointed Roy to teach first- and second-year students and gave him authority over house points, while reminding him to investigate the position’s curse.

• Roy asked Dumbledore about the Thorn family estate, and Dumbledore told him he could wait to decide until Professor Jobana returned from Egypt.
• Dumbledore explained that Jobana needed time to recover after killing her teacher and closest family member, so Hogwarts needed substitute Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.
• Dumbledore planned for Snape to teach fifth year and above and Quirrell to teach third and fourth years, then appointed Roy to teach the first and second years.
• Dumbledore gave Roy authority to award and deduct house points, and Roy immediately awarded ten points to Hufflepuff.
• Dumbledore reminded Roy to keep investigating the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and Roy said Mia would recover and the curse would be lifted.

Roy Smee prepared to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and chose Flash Step as the focus of his first lesson. He stunned the second-years by appearing as their new professor, then silenced a Slytherin challenge by making their desks and chairs vanish.

• Roy decided that his first lesson would teach students that physical conditioning mattered as much as the mind, and wrote “Flash Step” on his lesson plan.
• Roy arrived at the second-years’ joint Defense Against the Dark Arts class and announced that he would teach them and the first-years until Professor Jobana returned from Egypt.
• Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors cheered Roy’s appointment, while Ravenclaws and Slytherins reacted with displeasure.
• Marcus Flint challenged Roy’s authority, and Roy made the Slytherins’ desks and chairs vanish, sending them tumbling to the floor.

Professor Roy taught the students to dodge attacks by having each house fire spells at him, then awarded points based on their performance. He left Hufflepuff with the most points after Cedric landed a hit, while Aisling realized Roy had deliberately taken the spell to boost his own house.

• Aisling confronted Roy after he pulled the Slytherins’ chairs away, but Roy made her laugh by putting his oversized face close to hers.
• Roy explained that he would teach dodging and challenged groups from each house to hit him with three familiar spells.
• The Slytherins failed to hit Roy, and he warned that their house would lose a great many points if none of them succeeded.
• Gryffindor’s attacks also failed to hit Roy, though Fred and George grazed his shoulder, earning Gryffindor twenty points.
• Ravenclaw failed to hit Roy and received ten points, while Cedric struck Roy with Expelliarmus and earned Hufflepuff thirty points.
• Aisling watched Roy celebrate Hufflepuff’s points and suspected that he had deliberately let Cedric hit him.

Roy faced Aisling's team in a timed spell duel, dodging their attacks until Aisling used her prophetic gift to predict his movements. Aisling hit Roy with her final spell and claimed victory, while Roy blamed lag.

• Roy cleared the dueling area and faced Aisling's team as they attacked him with nonlethal spells.
• Aisling directed Roy's dodges, but her teammates repeatedly missed their shots.
• With time running short, Aisling dropped her Occlumency and used her prophetic gift to predict Roy's movements.
• Roy increased the power of his leg Exoskeleton Armor, and he and Aisling traded attacks during the final seconds.
• Aisling's last spell struck Roy in the chest and sent him into the wall, and she celebrated her victory.
• Roy struggled to his feet and complained that he had lagged.

Roy taught the second-year Slytherins how to evade spells, explaining that understanding their trajectories and maintaining balance could help them survive dangerous fights. He ended the lesson by pairing the students for timed attacking and defensive footwork practice.

• Aisling defeated Roy in a duel, and Roy awarded Slytherin thirty points before warning the students not to mistake the victory for real combat skill.
• Roy described the dangers he had faced from Elias Thorn and introduced evasion as a way to survive serious enemies.
• Roy demonstrated Flash Step and explained how to dodge spells according to their speed, trajectory, range, and targeting.
• Roy had Cedric cast a Disarming Charm at him, then used its trajectory to teach the class how to anticipate and evade spells.
• Roy cleared the classroom and set the students to practice in pairs, alternating between attacking and defending for thirty seconds.