Chapter Summaries

Roy explained Auto Chess to Professor McGonagall, admitted he had started selling it, and proposed safeguards against students becoming addicted. Professor McGonagall took the game to Dumbledore for advice, only to find him enthusiastically playing it himself.

• Roy showed Professor McGonagall how Auto Chess worked and explained how he had designed and sold it.
• Professor McGonagall praised Roy's craftsmanship but worried the game could distract students from their studies.
• Roy supported regulating Auto Chess and suggested monitoring students whose play interfered with schoolwork.
• Penelope apologized to Roy and insisted on giving him 6 Galleons as her share of the proceeds.
• Professor McGonagall brought Auto Chess to Dumbledore, whom she found absorbed in playing and celebrating his powerful three-star card.

Professor McGonagall confronted Dumbledore about Auto Chess distracting students, but they agreed to discuss anti-addiction measures with Roy. Roy recovered Tonks’s confiscated set and made a deal with the professors, then joined her in plotting to tease Fred and George over their confiscated set.

• Professor McGonagall told Dumbledore that Auto Chess was distracting students and that Roy was selling sets for thirty Galleons.
• Dumbledore argued that making the game affordable and introducing anti-addiction measures could help, and he asked to meet Roy.
• Tonks apologized to Roy for losing the set he had lent her, and Roy returned the confiscated set with improved illustrations and anti-addiction advice printed on it.
• Roy told Tonks that the professors had agreed not to confiscate sets used outside class, and she hugged him in relief.
• Roy told Tonks that Professor McGonagall had confiscated Fred and George’s set, and they began plotting to tease the twins.

Mia secretly studied Roy’s Dark Magic books, discovered she could use dangerous magic, and met Sebastian Sallow through a bloodline-locked book. She returned to Roy’s room just as Roy came back to the orphanage.

• Mia crushed a mouse with invisible force while testing a spell, then cleaned up the blood herself.
• Mia found a bloodline-locked book that revealed a message from Sebastian Sallow and tried to destroy it, thinking it was a Horcrux.
• Sebastian appeared as a magical memory, identified himself as Mia’s ancestor, and told her about the Sallow estate, a Gringotts vault, and his offer to teach her magic.
• Sebastian warned Mia that a powerful wizard was approaching and cautioned her against using Fiendfyre recklessly.
• Mia returned to Roy’s room, where Roy entered and asked why she was there.

Roy visited the orphanage, then was swept into Hogwarts’s first Dueling Club Tournament and teamed up with Cedric to face Aisling and Elliott. After promising the fight would last no more than seven minutes, Roy blinded Elliott with a flash and knocked him into the Slytherin stands with a roundhouse kick.

• Mia hid Roy’s black magic book beneath the bed while Roy collected materials and prepared to leave the orphanage.
• Roy spent the evening with the orphanage children, gave them gifts, and left using Apparition.
• Roy arrived at Hogwarts’s Dueling Club Tournament and learned that Aisling and Elliott had put Slytherin ahead of Gryffindor.
• Cedric volunteered to partner with Roy after the Hufflepuff students hesitated to challenge Aisling and Elliott.
• Roy told his opponents he would fight for at most seven minutes, then dodged their spells while Cedric kept Aisling occupied.
• Roy used a flash to blind Elliott and kicked him into the Slytherin stands, announcing that six minutes and thirty-six seconds remained.

Roy and Aisling faced off for the championship after Aisling knocked Cedric out with a powerful spell. Despite Slytherin having secured the title, neither fighter would back down, and Elias allowed their duel to continue under stricter rules.

• Aisling caught Cedric off guard with a powerful red spell that shattered his Shield Charm and knocked him unconscious, while Roy healed him.
• Aisling refused to surrender, and Roy challenged her as the spectators and professors watched tensely.
• Snape proposed ending the fight with Aisling surrendering, but she rejected his suggestion and insisted on defending her family's and Slytherin's honor.
• Roy drew a dagger, prompting Snape and McGonagall to protest; Elias prohibited close-quarters combat and banned Dark magic and lethal attacks.
• Roy threw the dagger past Aisling, cutting several strands of her hair and embedding it in the wall, and Elias announced that the match would continue.

Roy and Aisling fought an intense duel that ended when Roy used an Ancient Magic illusion to defeat her without harming her. Roy left the arena with Slytherin’s victory secured, while Snape helped Aisling from the stage.

• Aisling’s improved battle skills let her match Roy in a fierce exchange of spells, though Roy held back when he gained the advantage.
• Aisling refused to concede and attacked Roy with Sectumsempra, then said they were not the same kind of people and he would never understand her.
• Roy unleashed Ancient Magic fireballs, and Aisling’s Fiendfyre and the professors’ counterspells could not stop them.
• Roy revealed that the fireballs were illusions and appeared behind Aisling, leaving her collapsed on the stage as the duel ended after seven minutes and one second.
• Roy left with his luggage, boasting that he never lost, while Snape helped Aisling away and Roy ran through the Forbidden Forest.

After Roy and Aisling’s battle, Professor McGonagall worried about Aisling’s use of Dark magic and went to speak with Dumbledore. She found Aisling waiting in his office, offered to tutor her in Transfiguration, and learned Snape had brought her there; the chapter left McGonagall wondering whether Dumbledore had secretly taught Roy.

• Professor McGonagall replayed Roy and Aisling’s battle, feared Aisling’s resemblance to Grindelwald, and went to Dumbledore’s office.
• Professor McGonagall found Aisling standing blankly in the office and brought her back to her senses.
• Aisling apologized for using Dark magic and vowed to train until she could defeat Roy, but Professor McGonagall reminded her that Roy was her classmate.
• Professor McGonagall offered Aisling extra Transfiguration lessons, and Snape agreed to move his tutoring with her to Sunday.
• Snape and Dumbledore came downstairs, and Professor McGonagall asked Dumbledore whether he had secretly been teaching Roy.

Snape warned Dumbledore that Elias and Thorne were stirring conflict between the houses, but Dumbledore explained why he could not openly move against a powerful American official. After Professor McGonagall counseled Aisling about the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore lost his chance to deliver his planned advice when he realized she had been imagining defeating Roy.

• Snape confronted Dumbledore about Elias and Thorne, but Dumbledore said Thorne's influence and official position limited what he could do.
• Dumbledore insisted he would protect Hogwarts students but could not act against a high-ranking American official without cause.
• Professor McGonagall comforted Aisling after her loss to Roy and offered to tutor her.
• Dumbledore planned to counsel Aisling about the Mirror of Erised, but Professor McGonagall warned her that the mirror could trap people in false happiness.
• Aisling pretended to heed the warning, though she had seen herself defeat Roy and become Student Council President in the mirror.
• Dumbledore realized Professor McGonagall had taken over his planned speech and privately lamented that those had been all his lines.

After Aisling won the competition for Slytherin, Dumbledore hosted a celebratory dinner and gave her a notebook of Light magic. Meanwhile, Roy tried to serve Cedric, Fred, George, and Bill a pot of chicken soup made with Forbidden Forest herbs, and they all vomited after drinking it.

• Dumbledore invited Aisling, McGonagall, and Snape to dinner to celebrate her championship victory, and Snape reluctantly agreed to attend.
• The professors congratulated Aisling over dinner, where Dumbledore joked about her use of Fiendfyre and the group shared a warm meal.
• Dumbledore gave Aisling his old notebook of Light magic and encouraged her to master its spells.
• Roy served chicken soup made with herbs from the Forbidden Forest to Cedric, Fred, George, and Bill at their secret base.
• Roy drank some soup first to convince the others to try it, then laughed as everyone retched and he vomited too.

Roy returned to the Hufflepuff common room and discovered his house was celebrating its tie for first place after Slytherin was penalized for Aisling's use of Dark Magic. In Slytherin, Aisling rallied her house to defend its lead in the House Cup and promised to grow strong enough to defeat Roy.

• Bill caught Roy after the others chased him through the Forbidden Forest and punished him for tricking them with poisoned chicken soup.
• Hufflepuff students surprised Roy with a celebration, and Owen explained that Hufflepuff and Slytherin had become joint champions after Slytherin lost points for Aisling's rule-breaking.
• Roy led the Hufflepuffs in starting their party, while Owen reflected that the house had already had its most successful season in years.
• Aisling returned to a subdued Slytherin common room, where the students applauded her and she raised a toast to Elliott.
• Aisling reminded the Slytherins that they still led the House Cup standings, acknowledged Roy's strength, and urged her house to fight together for its glory.

Hufflepuff celebrated Roy’s victory over Aisling, then entered a fierce House Cup rivalry with Slytherin as Roy’s Auto Chess business flourished. By late October, the rivalry had eased and Hogwarts was preparing for the 1989–1990 Quidditch Cup.

• Hufflepuff students held a wild victory party, where Roy beat Tonks in a drinking contest and Connor Trump hailed him as the reason they would keep winning.
• Connor pulled Roy onto a table, and Roy rallied the party by declaring that Hufflepuff would keep winning forever.
• Hufflepuff and Slytherin students competed for House Cup points, while Aisling practiced spells and studied relentlessly after losing to Roy.
• Roy began selling Auto Chess at Hogwarts and Zonko’s, introduced custom editions and skins, and recruited Fred, George, Cedric, and others to help fulfill a flood of orders.
• After a month of production, Roy nearly finished the orders, the House Cup rivalry eased, and the school awaited the start of the Quidditch Cup.

Aisling brought Professor McGonagall an Auto Chess set to learn about its complex Transfiguration, and McGonagall explained its principles while encouraging her not to compare herself unfavorably with Roy. McGonagall invited Aisling to an advanced Transfiguration class for first-year students, and Aisling agreed after learning Roy would not attend.

• Aisling visited Professor McGonagall for her weekly Transfiguration tutoring and brought a deluxe Auto Chess set to ask about its design.
• Professor McGonagall explained the set’s Transfiguration circuits and mechanisms, noting that its Alchemy could be discussed with Dumbledore.
• Aisling felt discouraged by the gap between her abilities and Roy’s, but Professor McGonagall reassured her that she was catching up.
• Aisling asked whether Roy deserved McGonagall’s special instruction more, and McGonagall admitted she favored Aisling and hoped she would surpass him.
• Professor McGonagall invited Aisling to an advanced Transfiguration class for first-year students, and Aisling agreed after confirming Roy would not attend.

Aisling and Cedric attended Professor McGonagall’s advanced Transfiguration lesson, where she taught the students to create large moving patterns and assigned them House cheering animations for the stands. Meanwhile, Connor got permission to commentate a Quidditch match with Lee Jordan and confidently predicted Hufflepuff would beat Ravenclaw.

• Aisling met Cedric outside the Transfiguration classroom, and they arrived early for Professor McGonagall’s lesson.
• Professor McGonagall began after Roger Davies arrived late, then explained that Roy had not been invited because his ability surpassed the other students’.
• The students practiced creating large-scale moving patterns, and Professor McGonagall praised Aisling and Cedric for helping their classmates.
• Professor McGonagall assigned each House to create a cheering animation for the stands and wished the students a happy Halloween.
• Connor brought Roy and Gabriel to Madam Hooch and received approval to commentate next weekend’s match with Lee Jordan.
• Roy worried Connor’s insults about Slytherin might get him beaten up, while Connor predicted Hufflepuff would defeat Ravenclaw.

Roy completed a small batch of Felix Felicis and considered what to do with it before the Gryffindor–Slytherin Quidditch match began. Connor made his debut as a commentator, thrilling the Hufflepuff students.

• Roy finished brewing less than three bottles of Felix Felicis and decided to keep the potion for now.
• The rescheduled Gryffindor–Slytherin match began in fierce winds, with Roy watching from the stands.
• Charlie urged his brother Bill to lead Gryffindor to one more victory.
• Connor and Lee Jordan introduced themselves as the match commentators, prompting loud cheers from Hufflepuff.

Gryffindor defeated Slytherin in a rough Quidditch match after Charlie caught the Golden Snitch, while Connor’s taunts inflamed the rivalry between the Houses. The chapter ended with Connor fleeing the furious Slytherin students on a broom.

• Bill won the opening scramble and helped Gryffindor score first, but Slytherin soon took the lead after its Beaters targeted him with elbows.
• Madam Hooch awarded Gryffindor two penalty shots for Slytherin’s fouls, while Connor and Lee Jordan mocked Slytherin during their commentary.
• Karius accidentally threw the Quaffle into his own goal, leaving Gryffindor trailing 90–80 after more than thirty minutes.
• Charlie outflew Elliott with a reverse maneuver and caught the Golden Snitch, winning the match for Gryffindor.
• Connor called Slytherin a disgrace after the match, then escaped its angry students by flying away on a broom.

Roy helped Cedric’s Transfiguration group create a smoke-drone mascot for the Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw Quidditch match, which Hufflepuff lost despite Rocket’s relentless attacks on Ravenclaw’s stands. As Christmas approached, Roy focused on developing an exoskeleton and finally solved its magical-power circulation pathway, but an incident in Hufflepuff interrupted his break three mornings before the holiday.

• Professor McGonagall warned Connor about mocking Slytherin during his Quidditch commentary, and Roy joined Cedric’s advanced Transfiguration assignment as an outside helper.
• Roy designed Rocket, a cartoon badger mascot that used smoke drones to project colorful effects and fire simulated lasers and smoke grenades at Ravenclaw.
• Hufflepuff lost the match, and Ravenclaw students blamed Cedric until they learned Roy had created Rocket.
• Roy spent late November and December developing an exoskeleton, then found a workable magical-power circulation pathway a week before the holiday.
• Roy took two days off, but something happened in Hufflepuff three mornings before the holiday.

As Christmas approached, Roy prepared gifts and looked forward to returning to the orphanage. A disguised iron disk exploded in the Great Hall, badly injuring Roy and Connor, and Roy used powerful healing magic to stop Connor’s bleeding.

• Roy prepared handmade Little Beehive Smoke Drones for the students and extra gifts for his friends and professors.
• Roy discussed holiday plans with Cedric, Tonks, and Connor over breakfast in the Christmas-decorated Great Hall.
• An unsigned envelope delivered to Roy contained an iron disk engraved with a dead badger.
• Roy’s Bee Doctor Sense warned him moments before the disk unleashed Dark Magic, slicing off his right ear and striking Connor in the chest.
• Roy threw the disk out the window, then used green healing magic to stop Connor’s bleeding.

A Dark Magic attack in the Great Hall left Connor gravely injured and Roy bleeding from a severed ear. As Dumbledore and Snape investigated the iron plate that triggered the attack, Snape named Grindelhill as a possible culprit.

• Snape treated the unconscious Connor and ordered students evacuated while the professors and students rushed to help Roy.
• Roy told Snape that the iron plate had caused the attack, then went to the Hospital Wing with Bill carrying his severed ear.
• Madam Pomfrey treated Connor and Roy, while Dumbledore sent Connor to be taken to St. Mungo's and awarded points to the rescuers.
• Snape told Dumbledore that the iron plate had been planted in the Owlery and contained powerful single-use Dark Magic cast by someone inside the school.
• When Dumbledore pressed Snape about who among the students could have done it, Snape named Grindelhill.

Roy woke in the Hospital Wing after the Dark Magic attack and learned that Connor remained unconscious at St. Mungo's while the culprit was still unknown. He planned to bait the attacker after Christmas, then Dumbledore took him home for the holidays.

• Roy woke around three in the morning and asked Dumbledore about Connor, who had been transferred to St. Mungo's and had not regained consciousness.
• Dumbledore told Roy that the students had left Hogwarts early and that Aurors were searching the school for concealed Dark Magic items.
• Roy and Dumbledore agreed that Aisling was unlikely to have cast the familiar spell, and Roy proposed staging another apparent attack with Grindelhill after Christmas to draw out the culprit.
• Dumbledore told Roy to pack and waited for him in the Great Hall while Roy changed out of his hospital robes.
• Dumbledore Apparated Roy home, wished him a good holiday, and Roy called out a New Year greeting after Dumbledore disappeared.

Roy returned to the orphanage earlier than expected, then met Harry Potter and recognized him as the boy with the lightning-shaped scar. Roy left on an errand while Mia took Harry shopping with the money Roy gave her.

• Mia woke to the children greeting Roy, who had returned on the nineteenth with a bandaged ear.
• Roy promised to take the children shopping for presents and settled into his room before deciding to exchange Galleons for pounds.
• At the orphanage entrance, Mia introduced Roy to Harry Potter and told him about Harry's abusive guardians and Dudley's bullying.
• Roy recognized Harry's name and lightning-shaped scar, gave Mia several hundred pounds, and left in a strangely excited mood.
• Mia dismissed Harry's worries about Roy and took him out to buy warmer clothes.