Recaps

Will completed the Despair Curse while Fudge tightened his grip on Hogwarts and Dumbledore drew Percy into secret cooperation. Harry’s vision revealed Voldemort’s plan in Romania, while Will returned to his laboratory with Bellatrix as a test subject.

• Grindelwald urged Will to choose between pursuing magic through knowledge and winning people’s hearts, but Will decided he wanted both paths.
• The Ministry investigated Hagrid over the Blast-Ended Skrewts, suspended him, and drove him to flee with Grawp to 12 Grimmauld Place.
• Will completed the Despair Curse, while Fudge prepared to take control of Hogwarts and appointed the Death Eater Macnair as Care of Magical Creatures professor.
• Voldemort’s false operation failed to expose a spy, and he punished Wander Parkinson while ordering the Death Eaters to stop accusing Will.
• Dumbledore questioned Will about the Saints and the Deathly Hallows, then persuaded Percy that Fudge was hiding Voldemort’s return, leading Percy to offer secret help.
• Harry saw Voldemort direct a Death Eater to secure something in Romania, and Dumbledore suspected Voldemort was retrieving a Horcrux or seeking vampire allies.
• Will left the Hospital Wing without visiting Harry, returned to his laboratory, and restrained Bellatrix on the Experimental Table.

Will developed the Happiness Charm, which Dumbledore renamed the Dream Charm, while Dumbledore worked to bring Fudge against Voldemort. The arc ended with Will choosing his electives and Scrimgeour handing the Auror mole investigation to Umbridge under Fudge’s orders.

• Will studied ways to reverse the Despair Curse and met Grindelwald, who helped him improve his spell research and taught him advanced Transfiguration.
• Dumbledore saved Fudge from a Death Eater attack in Romania, revealed that Voldemort had returned, and persuaded Fudge to cooperate against him.
• Will developed the Happiness Charm through dangerous experiments, perfected its design using Bellatrix, and collapsed after completing the spell.
• Will cast the charm on Snape, who relived his early friendship with Lily, then tested it himself and recognized that it could trap people in memories.
• Dumbledore reviewed the charm, renamed it the Dream Charm, and advised Will to research a potion version with Snape while restricting the spell’s use.
• Voldemort interrogated the Death Eaters involved in the failed attack on Fudge and killed one of them despite knowing he was not the spy.
• Will modified Neville’s Summoning Charm and chose Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures as his electives after his professors debated his career plans.
• Fudge appointed Umbridge to assist with the Auror mole investigation, and Scrimgeour left the Minister’s Office determined to respond ruthlessly.

As Will completed his O.W.L.s, Voldemort’s Death Eaters attacked the Ministry and Will confronted Voldemort while secretly binding Scrimgeour to him. The Ministry announced Voldemort’s return, Fudge’s impeachment, and an election that left Scrimgeour poised to become Minister, as Harry recognized that a new war had begun.

• Will finished his O.W.L. exams, received Fiendfyre instruction from Grindelwald, and agreed to help Lupin treat werewolves over the summer.
• Scrimgeour sent Auror squads away on assignments, while Fudge took the remaining Aurors to Hogwarts and suspended Dumbledore as Headmaster.
• Will confronted Scrimgeour at the Ministry, then hid him as Death Eaters overwhelmed the Ministry and Voldemort declared his return.
• Will secured Scrimgeour’s agreement with an Unbreakable Vow, disguised himself as Scrimgeour, and fought Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
• Will rescued Ministry staff from the battle’s destruction and urged Scrimgeour to help reform the Ministry, then drove off the remaining Death Eaters as Voldemort escaped.
• Dumbledore arrived at the ruined Ministry, heard Scrimgeour’s account of the battle, and learned that Scrimgeour had found a book about Origin Spells.
• Will returned to Hogwarts and concealed the marks of his vow as students read reports blaming Fudge for Dumbledore’s removal and announcing Voldemort’s return.
• The Ministry announced Fudge’s impeachment and an August election, while Will predicted Scrimgeour would become Minister and Harry said a new war had begun.

Will secured the Howard family and the Saints as allies, developed Soul Studies, and offered werewolves a cure while helping Scrimgeour prepare for Voldemort. Death Eater attacks damaged Diagon Alley and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and Dumbledore found Flamel Manor ransacked.

• Dumbledore warned Will and Snape that they were in danger, offered Snape the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, and sent Will to persuade Slughorn to return to Hogwarts.
• Will and Dumbledore convinced Slughorn to teach Potions, and Will began studying souls before concluding that a wizard’s soul might be a magical organ and unlocking Soul Studies.
• Will secured the Howard family’s support by demonstrating his magic, then met Ludwig Ahrens, who pledged the Saints’ obedience until Grindelwald returned.
• Voldemort ordered his followers to recruit across Europe and bring Will to him, while Scrimgeour became Minister and began reorganizing the Ministry and Auror Office.
• Will proposed teaching Aurors Origin Spells, accepted Wander Parkinson’s apology and gifts, and learned Voldemort had deliberately kept him uninformed about the Ministry attack.
• Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley, where Aurors fought them as Fred and George later found their shop damaged, and Scrimgeour met Prime Minister John Major to discuss cooperation against Voldemort.
• Will joined Lupin and Sirius at the werewolf association and treated Wyatt, Stanton, and Normani, who awoke free of lycanthropy.
• Harry decided to train with Strange to protect his friends, while Dumbledore found Flamel Manor looted and postponed his plans to go to France.