Chapter Summaries

After returning to the Hufflepuff dormitory, Roy showed his friends how he could use Transfiguration and Alchemy to make miniature figures move on playing cards. Gabriel’s suggestion that the figures fight each other inspired Roy to add an Auto Chess Project to his task list.

• Roy returned from the Hospital Wing and library, handed Cedric his borrowed books, and went back to the dormitory after lunch.
• Cedric, Gabriel, and Connor played Wizard’s Chess while Roy dismissed the game as boring and brought out a deck of cards.
• Roy transformed the figures on cards into miniature Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, who shouted about awarding or removing house points.
• Gabriel suggested making the miniature figures fight, and Roy decided to pursue an Auto Chess Project.

Roy and his friends attended their first Transfiguration class, where Professor McGonagall demonstrated her skill and taught them to turn matchsticks into needles. Aisling succeeded on her first try and helped nearby students, while Roy urged Cedric to show what he could do.

• Roy and his friends headed to Transfiguration class, and Cedric admitted he had been studying ahead without wanting to show off.
• Professor McGonagall transformed from a tabby cat and warned the class before demonstrating a lectern-to-cow Transfiguration.
• Professor McGonagall taught the students the principles of turning a matchstick into a needle and supervised their practice.
• Aisling successfully transformed her matchstick into a silver needle, earning ten points for Slytherin.
• Aisling helped nearby students, and Roy challenged Cedric to demonstrate his own skill.

During Transfiguration class, Roy Smee astonished everyone by turning a match into an ornate golden needle through Permanent Transfiguration, while Aisling struggled to match his work. After class, Professor McGonagall kept Roy behind to speak with him, as Aisling left with the Slytherins.

• Cedric successfully transformed a match into a mostly complete needle and earned eight points for Hufflepuff.
• Roy used his dogwood wand to transform a match into an intricately engraved golden needle, earning twenty points and a warning from Professor McGonagall not to overuse his magic.
• Roy claimed his control was poor and began helping his classmates, while Aisling grew determined to surpass him.
• Aisling struggled to make elaborate patterns, then accepted Professor McGonagall's advice and successfully transformed her match into a patterned steel needle.
• Professor McGonagall assigned a one-page essay, then stopped Roy after class to speak with him while Aisling left with the Slytherins.

After Roy’s Transfiguration lesson, Professor McGonagall warned him to use advanced magic only under a teacher’s supervision and sent him to Potions. Roy arrived before class began but was penalized by Snape, then answered Snape’s questions with an extensive display of potion knowledge.

• Professor McGonagall tested Roy’s golden needle and explained that his unusual magic made his Transfiguration resistant to the Reverting Spell.
• Roy asked Professor McGonagall about Ancient Magic, and she suggested he consult Dumbledore before warning him not to use dangerous magic unsupervised.
• Roy hurried to Potions, where Snape opened the door, took two points from Hufflepuff, and left Roy with the lone seat beside the podium.
• Snape quizzed Roy about potion ingredients and recipes, but Roy answered every question and expanded on Memory Potion.
• Roy sat down when Snape ordered him to, then stood again to correct himself about the order of stirring Veritaserum.

Roy brewed a flawless Cure for Boils potion much faster than expected, using his ability to sense magic in the mixture. Snape tested Roy’s method himself, confiscated one batch, and left Roy with stolen ingredients and plans to talk to him more.

• Snape taught the class how to brew the Cure for Boils potion, and Cedric and Megan narrowly avoided his criticism.
• Roy processed ingredients alone with unusual speed, while Aisling and Lisella finished preparing theirs first.
• Roy completed a flawless potion after heating it for only two minutes, prompting Snape to question him and make him repeat the process.
• Snape watched Roy brew again, then took over when the potion changed color after one minute and produced a flawless batch himself.
• Snape confiscated Roy’s potion as school property, while Roy left with ingredients he had pocketed and considered spending more time with Snape.

Aisling asked Snape to examine her summer-brewed potions, then learned that Roy’s flawless potion came from his rare Ancient Magic. Snape warned her against opposing Roy and arranged a secret Saturday lesson, while Aisling resolved not to be defeated like Grindelwald.

• After grading the class potions, Snape praised Aisling’s skill and explained that unstable magical output caused impurities in her brews.
• Aisling examined Roy’s potion and learned from Snape that Roy possessed Ancient Magic, which strengthened his magic and improved his potion brewing.
• Snape warned Aisling not to go against Roy and told her to meet him secretly on Saturday to study Pepperup Potion.
• At dinner, Fred excitedly told Roy about Professor Thorn’s practical Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, while Dumbledore watched Roy from the staff table.
• Aisling saw Roy chatting with Fred and George, then sat across from Marcus Flint and understood what Roy meant by “Jiahao.”

Roy secretly explored the Forbidden Forest and began building a secluded base for his future plans. He returned to the Hufflepuff common room at curfew, keeping the location secret from Cedric and the others.

• Roy listened to Hufflepuff students gossip about Aisling’s family and learned that her great-uncle Grindelwald had been imprisoned by Dumbledore.
• Roy left the common room, used a Disillusionment Charm to slip out of the castle, and entered the Forbidden Forest.
• Roy chose a clearing beside a stream as the site for his Special Operations Office and cleared the weeds.
• Roy used Aisling’s Elder Wand to uproot a tree and cut it into planks, then built a workbench and chairs.
• Roy planted seeds, considered how to conceal and expand the base, and returned to the common room at curfew without telling Cedric where he had been.

Roy learned from Professor Binns about a forgotten fifth-year student who wielded Ancient Magic during the Goblin Rebellion, but Binns repeatedly forgot the conversation whenever Roy asked for the student’s name. Roy left determined to uncover the truth and realized Phineas Black’s portrait might hold answers.

• Roy and Cedric’s early-morning studying woke Connor and Gabriel, and all four began reading.
• Roy spent History of Magic designing an auto-chess game, then asked Professor Binns about Ancient Magic.
• Professor Binns described a fifth-year student who defeated the Fire Serpent Party and killed the goblin leader near an Ancient Magic Vault beneath Hogwarts.
• Professor Binns repeatedly crashed and forgot the student whenever Roy asked for his name, House, or why history books omitted him.
• Roy decided to search for the portrait of the headmaster from that era, Phineas Black, in the headmaster’s office.

Roy attended Elias Thorn’s practical Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, where his powerful spell sent Thorn crashing into a wall. The class feared Roy had killed the teacher.

• Roy planned to ask Dumbledore about the inconsistencies in Professor Binns’s story after class.
• Elias Thorn introduced his Auror background and announced that Defense Against the Dark Arts would focus on practical combat.
• Thorn explained how to deal with Hinkypunks and awarded Hufflepuff points for the students’ answers.
• Aisling Grindelhill demonstrated a powerful Knockback Jinx, and Thorn praised her skill.
• Thorn called Roy forward, and Roy’s green spell overwhelmed Thorn’s Shield Charm and hurled him into the wall.
• A student shouted that Roy had killed the teacher as the class fell silent.

Roy accidentally knocked Professor Thorne down with a powerful spell during Defense Against the Dark Arts, then healed him and learned the Knockback Jinx and a Dark Magic spell. Thorne later questioned Roy about his conflict with Miss Grindelhill and warned him that Slytherin students might retaliate because of her influence and the history of the Grindelwald name.

• Roy struck Professor Thorne with a spell, then healed his injuries with his innate healing magic.
• Thorne demonstrated the Knockback Jinx and a purple lightning Dark Magic spell, and the students practiced in pairs while Roy trained alone.
• Thorne called Roy to his office, reassured him that he would not be punished, and asked about his conflict with Miss Grindelhill.
• Roy recounted his encounters with her and asked why she was hostile toward him.
• Thorne warned Roy to beware of Slytherin retaliation and asked whether he knew the history of the Grindelwald surname.

Elias warned Roy that the Wizard Purist Party’s ideas had survived Grindelwald’s imprisonment and claimed Aisling might turn Slytherin into a stronghold for them. After Elias gave Roy a pendant to summon help, Roy left the office determined to face whoever was targeting him.

• Elias explained that Grindelwald’s war had been supported by the Wizard Purist Party, whose members had hidden their beliefs after Grindelwald’s conviction.
• Elias told Roy that his grandfather, an American Auror, had died fighting Wizard Purist Party members, and admitted he hated dark wizards and Slytherin.
• Elias warned Roy that upper-year Slytherin students might attack him in the bathroom on the seventh floor and gave him a pendant with a blue button to call for help.
• Roy left Elias’s office wondering why Slytherin was targeting him, then decided he was ready to fight back.

After Cedric explained why some Slytherins resented Roy, Roy was ambushed in a corridor and brutally defeated Ronan Voss and Avery Selwyn. He erased their memories, then confronted Aisling, whom he suspected of sending them.

• Cedric told Roy that some Slytherins resented his success because it challenged their sense of superiority.
• Tonks, Fred, and George teased Roy at dinner, while Roy noticed hostility from the Slytherin table.
• Ronan Voss and Avery Selwyn ambushed Roy in the corridor, but Roy knocked Avery unconscious and overpowered Ronan with magic and physical blows.
• Roy cast Obliviate on Ronan and Avery and kicked them several more times, leaving them unconscious.
• Roy turned and confronted Aisling, accusing her of sending Ronan and Avery after him.

Roy confronted Aisling after Avery and Ronan were found unconscious, then pretended he had not harmed them. Aisling refused to accuse him, Peeves claimed responsibility, and Elias backed Roy before Snape left with the injured students and threatened him.

• Aisling found Roy beside the unconscious Avery and Ronan, and Roy accused her of plotting with them against him.
• Roy knocked Aisling to the floor with a spell, but Snape arrived before he could continue.
• Roy claimed he had only found Avery and Ronan, while Aisling said she did not know who had hurt them and denied that Roy attacked her.
• Peeves claimed he had beaten Avery and Ronan, so Snape turned him into sticky goo and threw him out the window.
• Elias emerged from the bathroom, testified that Roy had not done it, and taunted Snape about his past and his Slytherin students.
• Snape left with Avery, Ronan, and the sobbing Little Selwyn, and threatened Roy before departing.

Roy dealt with the aftermath of his fight with two Slytherin students, secured Elias Thorne as a mentor, and obtained permission to study Alchemy books in the Restricted Section. The next morning, tensions between the Houses rose as Roy mocked Slytherin and Bill intervened when Elliott Blackwood confronted him.

• Elias Thorne warned Roy that Dumbledore could uncover the Memory Charm, and Roy agreed to tell Dumbledore the truth about the fight.
• Elias offered to teach Roy spells every Friday, and after Roy explained his Alchemy research, he gave him a pass to the Restricted Section.
• Roy returned to his dormitory without mentioning the fight and continued designing his Wizard Auto Chess set.
• At breakfast, Roy told the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors that Peeves had beaten the Slytherin students, provoking laughter and angry looks from Slytherin.
• Elliott Blackwood approached Roy to threaten him, but Bill blocked Elliott and drove him away with taunts about Gryffindor's House Cup record.
• Roy high-fived Bill after Elliott left with his followers.

After Roy’s clash with two Slytherin students became the talk of Hogwarts, professors checked on him and Professor McGonagall summoned him to Dumbledore’s office. Roy worked on building a small house at his Forbidden Forest base, then went to meet Dumbledore.

• Bill congratulated Roy, warned him to watch out for Blackwood, and left for class; Cedric praised Roy after guessing he had beaten the two Slytherin students.
• Roy kept a low profile in Transfiguration, where Professor McGonagall told him to visit Dumbledore’s office at eight that night and asked whether he had been hurt.
• During Herbology, Roy saw George take a piece of Devil’s Snare, and Professor Sprout later reassured Roy that she would speak to Dumbledore about the Slytherin students.
• Roy borrowed books from the Restricted Section, including books about alchemy and building secret bases, while rumors about his fight spread through Hogwarts.
• Roy worked on the foundation of a small house at his Forbidden Forest base, then reached the gargoyle outside Dumbledore’s office and said the password, “Butterbeer.”

Roy defended himself before Dumbledore and the professors after two Slytherin students were injured, while Snape accused him of using a Memory Charm. Dumbledore dismissed the dispute and spoke with Roy alone, urging him to get along with Slytherin students, but Roy challenged his judgment of Miss Grindelhill by invoking Tom Riddle.

• Roy entered Dumbledore's office, where Snape accused him of using a Memory Charm on the two injured students.
• Roy denied knowing the spell and argued that the students had tried to bully him, while McGonagall and Sprout defended him and criticized Snape.
• Dumbledore ruled that no one would be expelled, ordered the professors to prevent further violence, and asked Roy to stay behind.
• Dumbledore told Roy he had escalated the conflict and should focus on studying and building relationships with classmates.
• Roy complained about Slytherin and Miss Grindelhill, and Dumbledore insisted she had not spread Wizard Purist Party ideology and urged Roy to speak with her.
• Roy questioned Dumbledore's faith in Miss Grindelhill by asking whether he had thought Tom Riddle was a good child.

Dumbledore showed Roy the memory of Ariana’s death and confessed how his ambition and hatred of Muggles helped destroy his family. He warned Roy that Voldemort was their true enemy, gave him a book about Ancient Magic, and summoned a first-year Slytherin named Miss Grindelwald.

• Dumbledore guided Roy through a Pensieve memory of his youth, when Aberforth and Gellert Grindelwald confronted him at the Dumbledore family home.
• The young Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald fought with their wands, and a spell struck Ariana, causing her Obscurus to erupt and kill her.
• Dumbledore told Roy how his family’s losses and his hatred of Muggles drew him to Grindelwald and blinded him to the danger of their ambitions.
• Dumbledore warned Roy that Voldemort, or Tom Riddle, was their common enemy and gave him a book about Ancient Magic.
• Roy promised not to fight Slytherin students, then asked Dumbledore about inheriting the empty Dumbledore family home; Dumbledore threw him out.
• Dumbledore asked a house-elf to summon Miss Grindelwald, a first-year Slytherin, to his office.

Roy celebrated with the Hufflepuffs after learning he would not be expelled, then read Dumbledore’s book and discovered the Ancient Magic Vault’s history, trials, and emotional cost. As Roy fell asleep, the story shifted to Dumbledore’s office, where Aisling arrived after the headmaster summoned her.

• Roy returned to the Hufflepuff Common Room, where his classmates cheered him and celebrated with Butterbeer.
• Cedric, Connor, and Gabriel teased Roy about giving them quills for Christmas, and Roy promised to find more meaningful gifts.
• Roy opened Dumbledore’s book with magic and learned about the Ancient Magic Vault, its trials, and the danger that its power could strip away emotions.
• Roy decided to postpone seeking the vault’s treasure until he had mastered the book’s cultivation method, then fell asleep.
• The former headmasters’ portraits argued about Roy after he left, while Dumbledore wondered who would succeed him.
• Aisling entered Dumbledore’s office and asked why he had summoned her.

Dumbledore believed Aisling’s account and gave her a Hookah that could guide her prophetic visions, urging her to avoid further conflict with Roy. When Aisling used it to glimpse Roy’s future, she saw him preparing to fight amid a misty battlefield as golden magic erupted from him.

• Aisling told Dumbledore that Roy had attacked students and falsely accused her, and Dumbledore said he believed her.
• Dumbledore urged Aisling to avoid escalating the conflict with Roy and gave her a prophetic Hookah once used by her great-uncle.
• Aisling returned to the Slytherin Common Room and used the Hookah to seek out Roy and view his future.
• Aisling saw Roy on a rain-soaked plain facing distant figures, crushing golden roses as he unleashed powerful golden magic and donned a skull mask.

After a prophecy showed Roy casting Stupefy at Aisling, she warned Elliott not to target Roy, while Roy recognized that the Slytherins had only concealed their hostility. Bill warned Roy that they would not accept defeat, leaving Roy prepared for trouble.

• Aisling's prophecy illusion collapsed after showing Roy casting Stupefy at her fallen self, and she hid the Hookah in her dormitory before pondering the golden magic she had seen.
• Aisling told Elliott not to cause trouble for the Hufflepuff student, and Elliott ordered his lackeys to obey Dumbledore and the Head of House.
• Roy and Cedric's early studying prompted Gabriel and Connor to start reviewing their textbooks too.
• At breakfast, Roy saw that the Slytherins had restrained their hostility rather than abandoned it, while the Hufflepuffs took their calm behavior as a sign that trouble had passed.
• Bill Weasley warned Roy that the Slytherins would not accept defeat, and Roy acknowledged the warning.