Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Aisling and Wolf ransack Brando’s office, packing documents and valuables. Aisling even hides a gold statue in a case meant for evidence.
• They break into Brando’s private room, where Aisling burns through the door with Fiendfyre. With Gringotts already in chaos after Roy’s dragon attack, she no longer bothers to stay discreet.
• They find blood-filled test tubes and a partially completed Dark Magic Ritual Book. Aisling recognizes the ritual as vampire-related and takes the book as evidence.
• Before leaving, Aisling orders Wolf to pass the cases to their inside contact and warn him that Brando is finished.

Character developments and interactions

• Aisling is ruthless, resourceful, and openly acquisitive, treating the raid as both an investigation and an opportunity to seize Brando’s wealth. She also uses the ritual book to threaten consequences for Brando, while presenting herself to Wolf as innocent and refined.
• Wolf follows Aisling’s orders and recalls his own past as a member of Grindelwald’s party, recognizing the raid as a return to the old days of plundering.
• Their exchange shows Wolf’s deference and Aisling’s control: she directs the search, decides what to take, and tells him how to handle their contact.

Significant themes

• Inherited legacy: Aisling’s looting echoes the violent, exploitative history behind her family’s wealth.
• Power and hypocrisy: She condemns Brando’s suspected dark magic while cheerfully stealing his treasures and manipulating the situation for her own ends.
• Exposure and consequences: The ritual book gives Aisling leverage and may lead to Brando’s punishment, while the wider Gringotts crisis has made secrecy less important.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Roy survives a furious minecart pursuit through Gringotts’ cavernous vaults. Goblins bombard him with spells, and he uses blasts to destroy stretches of track, sending pursuers plunging into the abyss.
• Forced from his cart, Roy retreats along cliffside passages. He activates his Exoskeleton Armor and combines its speed with his Phasing ability to evade the goblins, using a passage map supplied by a goblin contact.
• At the agreed handoff point outside Vault 1145, Roy meets the contact, who has collected crates of documents and other belongings from Tiago’s office for Aisling. Roy is bemused by Aisling’s greed, especially the gold-inlaid bedpost.
• Roy sorts through the crates, stores the valuables and antiques in his vault, and packs the remaining evidence—along with an assassin’s ledger from Vault 901—into crates. He also takes a crate of assets from that vault.
• Roy follows a lightly guarded staff passage toward the enormous hole made by the dragon he released. However, Gringotts’ magical interference device destabilizes Phasing, leaving him unable to rely on it.
• Roy fills the ruined hall with smoke, expecting to escape under cover of the cloud. Instead, he leaps into a prepared line of armed guards. Aisling and Wolf watch from above, exasperated.

Character developments

• Roy proves resourceful and resilient, improvising with his armor, speed, Phasing, and smoke when the escape route becomes dangerous. His confidence and showmanship, however, lead him to underestimate the guards’ preparedness.
• Aisling remains offstage during the escape but is characterized through the crates she has gathered: even amid a dangerous operation, she refuses to leave valuable items behind.
• Wolf shares Aisling’s concern over Roy’s reckless antics, suggesting they fear his choices may endanger the whole group.
• The goblin contact is visibly nervous after Roy’s dragon release but still provides useful escape information and helps with the handoff.

Significant themes

• Improvisation under pressure: Roy repeatedly adapts as his plans and abilities are countered.
• Overconfidence and comic failure: His dramatic smoke-screen escape ends with him landing directly in front of waiting guards.
• Greed and wealth: Aisling’s eagerness to salvage even a gold-plated bedpost becomes a running joke amid the heist.
• Teamwork and risk: Roy’s actions affect Aisling and Wolf, who must watch as his dangerous escape threatens their wider plan.

Character interactions

• Roy questions the goblin contact about the route out and the crates, while the contact nervously explains that every exit is guarded.
• Roy jokes about Aisling’s collected valuables, but the contact insists he is merely the messenger.
• Aisling and Wolf silently observe Roy’s failed escape from the second floor and respond with shared exasperation, concluding that he may eventually get them all killed.

Plot points and events

• Roy is cornered by goblins in Gringotts after breaking in and releasing a dragon. He appears to surrender, but secretly drops a Muggle flashbang and detonates it, incapacitating or disorienting most of the goblins.
• Roy escapes by using Phasing to avoid the blast’s force, though the flash still hurts his eyes. Aisling and Wolf, watching from above, are also dazzled; Aisling angrily blames Roy for blinding his own allies.
• Outside Diagon Alley, Tonks is disguised as “Ms. Demulan,” selling brooms as cover for a planned handoff. Roy uses their agreed signals, passes her a case of documents, and stages a brief scuffle before flying away on a broom.
• Goblins pursue Roy, buying the remaining brooms from Tonks. She reveals that all but the Nimbus 2000 have speed limiters, then Apparates away with the documents.
• In London, Harry, Hermione, and Ron meet to discuss how to help Mia, whom they believe is imprisoned, but feel powerless. They spot Roy flying overhead amid falling gold. Hermione recognizes his distinctive pack but keeps her suspicion to herself, urging the others to leave before the Ministry finds them.

Character developments and interactions

• Roy shows quick thinking and confidence under pressure, using an unconventional Muggle weapon to escape. His reckless flashbang also blinds his allies, drawing Aisling’s furious reaction.
• Tonks proves resourceful and composed, maintaining her disguise, completing the handoff, and turning the goblins’ pursuit into a trap with the slowed brooms.
• Aisling trusts that Roy has a plan, though she is uncertain and increasingly exasperated by his methods; Wolf shares her concern about being implicated.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron have grown closer after their earlier adventure. Hermione is observant and cautious, recognizing Roy but choosing not to reveal it.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness and unconventional tactics: Roy combines magic with Muggle technology, while Tonks uses disguise and misdirection.
• Trust amid danger: Roy and Tonks rely on prearranged signals and coordinated roles; Aisling has to trust Roy despite the apparent surrender.
• Helplessness and loyalty: The trio’s concern for Mia brings them together, even as they lack the means to help her.
• Secrecy and deception: Disguises, hidden documents, staged conflict, and Hermione’s withheld observation shape the escape and its aftermath.

Key plot points and events

• At Hogwarts, Tiago Brando examines a sinister notebook but finds no detectable enchantment. Dumbledore admits he cannot detect one either, revealing that he had deliberately let Tiago doubt himself.
• Dumbledore invites Tiago and Professor Jobana to lunch. Tiago suspects the notebook was only an excuse, but assumes Dumbledore’s real interest is political.
• In the Great Hall, Tiago discovers that Minister Fudge has also been invited. Both men are startled and fear Dumbledore has uncovered their secrets. They sit at opposite ends of the table, watching Dumbledore anxiously while he says nothing.
• Dumbledore privately grows worried because Roy has not reported back from an operation. Just as he is about to leave to intervene, Snape arrives and leads him away.
• Dumbledore returns with Kingsley and a contingent of Ministry Aurors. They arrest Tiago on suspicion of murder and terrorist attacks.

Character developments and interactions

• Dumbledore uses misdirection and a carefully staged lunch to keep Tiago and Fudge occupied while the operation proceeds. Though outwardly calm, he is anxious about Roy’s silence.
• Tiago is first embarrassed by Dumbledore’s notebook bluff, then grows wary at the unexpected lunch gathering. He relaxes somewhat when he thinks his attack on Roy and Mia remains undiscovered, but the Aurors’ arrival exposes his danger.
• Fudge briefly panics upon seeing Tiago, then draws confidence from his position as Minister—only to remain unsettled by Dumbledore’s silence.
• Snape abruptly pulls Dumbledore away, apparently bringing news that changes the situation.
• Tiago and Fudge exchange guarded, affectionate greetings, then deliberately distance themselves, each trying to interpret Dumbledore’s intentions.

Significant themes

• Deception and misdirection: Dumbledore uses the notebook and lunch as distractions, while Tiago and Fudge conceal their own fears.
• Power and uncertainty: Even influential figures are unnerved when they cannot tell what Dumbledore knows or plans.
• Justice catching up: Tiago’s confidence that his crimes remain hidden collapses when the Aurors arrive.

Key plot points and events

• Kingsley orders Tiago arrested at Hogwarts. Fudge is forcibly removed first to stop him from interfering, while Madam Bones waits outside with evidence gathered by Roy.
• Tiago remains composed as Aurors surround him. Dumbledore says the arrest was not his plan, while the other professors react with alarm.
• Professor Dia Jobana tries to stop the Aurors from taking Tiago. Tiago persuades her to stand down, telling her the accusations are true and warning her not to get involved. Kingsley presents the evidence, and Jobana breaks down after reading it.
• McGonagall reviews the documents and joins the arrest. Tiago is disarmed, handcuffed, and led from the Great Hall; Jobana faints and is expected to be questioned.
• Dumbledore slips away with Snape to check on Tonks. She reports that Roy and Cedric escaped safely, while Aisling and their servant remain hidden in Gringotts.
• An explosion erupts at the Hogwarts gates. Dumbledore and Snape find injured Aurors and Tiago’s dead body. Snape identifies the cause as the Killing Curse.
• Jobana, holding her wand and in shock, claims Tiago broke free of his handcuffs and attacked the group, forcing her to kill him.

Character developments and interactions

• Tiago stays calm through his arrest and protects Jobana from being drawn into the struggle, but the later account of his escape and attack casts doubt on whether his composure concealed a dangerous intent.
• Jobana moves from disbelief to desperate resistance, then grief and shock. Her claim that she killed Tiago places her at the center of the chapter’s unresolved mystery.
• Dumbledore loses his calm when the arrest begins, then shifts his attention to ensuring Roy’s group is safe. He is stunned by Tiago’s sudden death and questions Jobana.
• McGonagall balances compassion for Jobana with her commitment to justice, joining the arrest after reviewing the evidence.
• Kingsley and the Aurors carry out a planned, forceful arrest; Fudge is removed to prevent interference.
• Snape confirms Tiago died from the Killing Curse.

Significant themes

• Justice and evidence: Tiago’s arrest is presented as grounded in documents, and even McGonagall accepts the case after examining them.
• Loyalty versus truth: Jobana’s devotion to her teacher clashes with the evidence and with Tiago’s own insistence that she not intervene.
• Power and control: The operation carefully manages potential interference, yet the situation turns violently chaotic at the gates.
• Uncertainty and conflicting accounts: Tiago’s death happens off-page, and Jobana’s explanation is the only account given, leaving open questions about what truly occurred.

• The Gringotts robbery’s aftermath: Roy escapes the goblins on the Nimbus 2000, scattering the stolen gold and documents across Diagon Alley and into the Thames to frustrate his pursuers. He destroys the broom and his distinctive backpack with Fiendfyre, then returns home unnoticed. Cedric reports that the Ministry has dismissed the day’s incident as a prank.
• A crisis at Hogwarts: Roy and Cedric travel to Hogsmeade, where they learn that a violent explosion has struck the castle about half an hour earlier. A blood-red mist hangs over the area, and the townspeople have gone to help. The pair hurry to Hogwarts, fearing that Dumbledore’s attempt to capture Tiago has gone wrong.
• Tiago’s death: At the gates, they find a huge crater and many injured Aurors. Dumbledore stands with Fudge, Kingsley, and McGonagall beside Tiago Brando’s apparently unwounded corpse. Dumbledore confirms that Tiago is dead. Roy is stunned: his careful plans had not prepared him for Tiago’s sudden death, which may leave important mysteries unanswered. Dumbledore dismisses Roy and Cedric, promising to discuss the matter later.
• Character developments and interactions: Roy shifts from relief over the successful escape to alarm and shock at the bloody scene. Cedric remains his partner throughout, first reassuring him about the Ministry response and then rushing with him to the castle. Dumbledore is grave and discreet around Fudge, asking Roy indirectly about their operation; Fudge, overwhelmed, looks to Dumbledore to manage the crisis. Madam Rosmerta provides the first account of the explosion and mist.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts calculated schemes with sudden, uncontrollable consequences. Roy’s attempt to erase evidence cannot undo the larger crisis, while Tiago’s unexplained death highlights the cost of violence and the mysteries it leaves unresolved.

Plot points and events

• After leaving Dumbledore, Roy and Cedric join Tonks at the Special Operations Office. They report that Tiago died after using blood magic to explode; the blast badly wounded several Aurors, and Professor Jobana killed Tiago with a Killing Curse.
• Roy urges the group to destroy evidence of their operation. They gather the documents and materials from the office and burn them completely with his controlled Fiendfyre, leaving no trace.
• Tonks worries that Minister Fudge will connect them to the Gringotts robbery. Roy argues that suspicion without proof will not be enough to challenge Dumbledore, who can claim he collected Tiago’s scattered records from Diagon Alley.
• The exhausted group stays overnight in the office. Dumbledore and Aisling return late after escaping Gringotts, and Dumbledore reveals the settlement: Gringotts will compensate Roy and Miss Grindelwald, while the Ministry will take control of the bank’s operations and oversight. He tells Roy to focus on treating Mia.

Character developments and interactions

• Roy remains calculating and composed, prioritizing the destruction of evidence and reassuring the others that the Ministry cannot act on suspicion alone. He is pleased with how thoroughly the operation was planned, though burning the records pains him.
• Tonks is delighted by Tiago’s death but becomes anxious about the Aurors’ injuries and the risk of exposure. Her banter with Roy briefly restores her confidence, though the mission has clearly left her shaken.
• Cedric stays quiet and appears as strained as Tonks after the operation.
• Dumbledore returns with the outcome of his negotiations and secures compensation and government control of Gringotts.
• Aisling returns safely but lets Dumbledore explain the agreement.

Significant themes

• Cover-up and accountability: The group destroys evidence to protect itself, while official responsibility for Gringotts is shifted to the Ministry.
• Power and political leverage: Roy relies on Dumbledore’s standing to make their suspected role difficult to challenge.
• Cost of action: Tiago’s death and the Aurors’ severe injuries underscore the operation’s human consequences.
• Moving on to healing: The chapter ends by redirecting Roy from the conspiracy toward Mia’s treatment.

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.