Chapter Summaries

Will, Hermione, and Neville prepared the Shrieking Shack as a shelter for the black dog, who seemed to recognize the place. After they left, the dog remained alone in the shack, having overheard the Gryffindor password.

• Will led Neville, Hermione, and the black dog to the Shrieking Shack and explained that its isolation made it a suitable shelter.
• Will cleaned the shack while Hermione and Neville helped make it more livable, and the black dog approved of the place.
• Hermione wondered whether the clever dog was more than an ordinary animal, but Will deflected her suspicion and sent her to gather dry grass.
• Neville told Will the Gryffindor password, “Good Fortune Shines,” unaware that the black dog listened.
• Will, Hermione, and Neville left the black dog with blankets, straw, and Neville’s Pumpkin Pasty, and the dog watched them disappear before returning to the shack’s shadows.

Sirius Black broke into Gryffindor Tower and was seen fleeing after Harry confronted him, prompting the Ministry to flood Hogwarts with Dementors and tighten security. As the Wizarding World criticized the Ministry and Hogwarts, two papers also stirred up the academic world.

• Sirius slipped into the Gryffindor boys' dormitory and approached Scabbers, but Harry woke, cast a spell, and chased him out.
• Harry told the other students that Black had entered the tower to kill him, and the professors searched Hogwarts without finding the intruder.
• The Ministry sent Dementors back to Hogwarts and stationed Aurors in Hogsmeade after news of the break-in spread.
• The Daily Prophet published a sensational account of the attack, and Rita Skeeter criticized Hogwarts' security and Dumbledore.
• Fudge ordered more Dementors and Auror patrols while Hogwarts imposed escorts and heightened security for its students.
• Two papers stirred up the academic world during the tense aftermath.

Potioneers reacted to Will Behrens’s paper improving the Wolfsbane Potion, which named Snape and Dumbledore as coauthors. Rock Rowle revealed that Will was a Hogwarts third-year who had also transformed the Draught of Living Death into a new spell, the Sleeping Charm, and Rowle intended to recruit him while secretly serving his master.

• A potioneer dismissed Will Behrens’s Wolfsbane Potion paper as academic rubbish until he noticed Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore listed as coauthors.
• Potioneers debated the potion’s use of treated dragon blood, which removed its toxicity but made it too expensive for many werewolves.
• Rock Rowle arrived and identified Will Behrens as a third-year Slytherin at Hogwarts.
• Rowle announced that Will had transformed the Draught of Living Death into the Sleeping Charm, leaving the association stunned.
• Rowle gave the potioneers the new paper and decided he wanted Will to join the association.
• Rowle privately hoped his master would return and bring him power.

Lucius Malfoy arranged a publicity campaign to amplify Will Behrens’s reputation after his papers caused a stir among magical scholars. At Hogwarts, a skeptical Potioneer named Fernando questioned Will about the research, and Will began answering his challenges.

• Two papers by Will Behrens spread through magical academia, and scholars debated his Sleeping Charm and his Wolfsbane Potion research.
• Lucius Malfoy arranged for Rita Skeeter to use two pen names to publish opposing articles and draw attention to Will before Christmas.
• Will noticed that the growing admiration for his work was increasing his Charisma experience.
• Snape brought Will to meet Fernando, a Potioneer who challenged him on the papers’ methods, practical value, and the professors’ contributions.
• Will recognized that Fernando suspected academic fraud, then calmly began explaining his work on the Wolfsbane Potion.

Will defended his Wolfsbane Potion improvements and Potion Transfiguration research before Fernando, who doubted his claims. Will said he could perceive the structure of Magic, leaving Fernando unconvinced as Will ended the discussion and prepared to leave for lunch.

• Will explained that Dragon Blood removed the Wolfsbane Potion’s toxicity and that his research aimed to make the potion safer and more effective, while protecting his werewolf test subjects’ identities.
• Will credited Snape with teaching him Potions and providing resources, and Dumbledore with discovering the Twelve Uses of Dragon Blood and supplying it for his work.
• Fernando challenged Will’s account of Potion Transfiguration and asked how he extracted and changed the Magic structure of a potion into a charm.
• Snape defended Will when Fernando suggested that the paper omitted crucial details.
• Will said he could perceive the structure of Magic, but Fernando rejected the claim because he had never encountered such an ability.
• Will invited Fernando to test the method himself, then said he was leaving for lunch before Care of Magical Creatures.

Will attended Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lesson on Mooncalves, while rumors spread through the Castle after his paper was published. The talk began to turn unkind.

• Fernando left to research whether Will's ability to sense magic had any precedent.
• Hagrid showed the third-years Mooncalves and explained their habits, their connection to crop circles, and the value of their droppings as fertilizer.
• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville discussed Will's published papers, and Ron argued with Hermione about whether he could publish one himself.
• Harry collected Mooncalf droppings after the class fell silent, and Hagrid announced that the next lesson would cover Ashwinders.
• Will returned to the Hippogriff enclosure to continue his research.
• Harry noticed Hermione reading Will's paper, while other students had read it too and rumors began spreading through the Castle.

Will faced accusations of academic fraud from Hogwarts students, but Snape punished his accuser and defended his work. While serving detention by brewing a potion, Will learned why Juan de León had called him a fraud and was told to prepare for a Daily Prophet interview.

• Will ignored Hogwarts students who doubted his research and achievements.
• Juan de León confronted Will over a Daily Prophet report about the Society for the Promotion of Alchemical Excellence, and Draco Malfoy accused Will of academic fraud.
• Will mocked Juan, who challenged him to a wizarding duel before Snape intervened and gave Juan detention and a Ravenclaw point penalty.
• Snape assigned Will one day's detention and watched him brew a potion, then warned him to beware of academic vultures.
• Snape explained that Juan had compared Will to Pankot Storm, a potion-maker who claimed others' research as his own, and told Will a Daily Prophet reporter would soon interview him.

Will was interviewed by Rita Skeeter, who was tasked with portraying him as an inspiring Muggle-born academic prodigy. He gave thoughtful answers praising Hogwarts and its teachers, but Skeeter’s question about whether he had worked entirely alone left Professor McGonagall displeased.

• Will declined sweets from the Weasley Brothers and told them Professor McGonagall had summoned him.
• Professor McGonagall introduced Will to Rita Skeeter and photographer Lydon Byrne in her office.
• Rita asked to interview Will by the Black Lake, but Professor McGonagall refused because of the cold and the Dementors.
• Rita asked Will about his interest in magic and the challenges of starting late, and he praised his curiosity, Hogwarts, and his teachers.
• Rita asked whether Will had completed all his research without anyone’s help, and Professor McGonagall’s smile vanished.

Will completed an interview with Rita Skeeter, carefully avoiding sensational claims and presenting himself as a focused Hogwarts student. After Skeeter left with his gift, Will and Professor McGonagall discovered that the gift had been an emerald-green beetle, which shattered outside the castle.

• Will answered Skeeter's questions about his research, doubts, and future plans without giving her material for a scandalous story.
• Will discussed his background, habits, and friendship with Harry while steering away from controversial topics about the wizarding world.
• Skeeter and the cameraman photographed Will for the interview, creating an image that later became part of his public persona.
• Will gave Skeeter an emerald-green box as a gift, and Professor McGonagall reminded him that the interview had been recorded on a crystal.
• Outside the castle, an emerald-green beetle fell from Skeeter's hand and shattered on the ground.

Rita Skeeter’s flattering interview made Will Behrens famous, while a rival article sparked a public feud over his character. Will’s growing popularity raised his Charisma to the human limit, and the system began assessing him for a bonus ability.

• Rita Skeeter hid the box warning that her secret was known and hurried away in fear.
• The Daily Prophet published Skeeter’s glowing interview with Will Behrens, boosting his reputation among ordinary wizards.
• Streeka Attrie attacked Will in a rival article, prompting arguments among readers and a two-week newspaper feud with Skeeter.
• Will received many Charisma notifications as public attention and admiration grew.
• Will’s Charisma reached level six and the human limit, and the system detected his Magic-Blessed Body before offering him a bonus ability.

Will paused his bonus ability selection and went to Professor Dumbledore to ask about magic’s response. Dumbledore’s playful mood vanished when Will raised the subject, leaving him under the wizard’s intense scrutiny.

• Will considered the four bonus abilities and paused his selection to give himself more time.
• Will told Professor Sprout he felt unwell and asked to go to the Hospital Wing.
• Professor Sprout sent Neville with Will, but Will told Neville to return after a few minutes while he went to see Dumbledore.
• Will entered Dumbledore’s office and declined the dessert Dumbledore offered.
• Will asked Dumbledore about magic’s response, and Dumbledore turned solemn and fixed his gaze on him.

Will asked Dumbledore whether his faster construction of Charms meant Magic had begun responding to him, and Dumbledore warned him about the dangers of that connection. Will chose Emotion Weaving as his bonus ability, while the Society for the Promotion of Alchemical Excellence announced its invitation for him to join.

• Will told Dumbledore he had been building Charms structures faster and asked whether Magic was responding to him.
• Dumbledore explained that magical exhaustion came from the mind and used Obscurials to show how Magic could become a force that consumed its wielder.
• Dumbledore revealed that he had received a response from Magic when he was older and warned Will not to become too absorbed in magic and knowledge.
• Will left the Headmaster's Office and chose Emotion Weaving from the paused bonus ability selection.
• The Society for the Promotion of Alchemical Excellence announced that it intended to invite Will Behrens to join.

The Society for the Promotion of Alchemical Excellence announced that it had invited Will Behrens to join, defending its review of his research at a press conference. The announcement was thrown into turmoil when Fernando publicly accused Will’s Potion Transfiguration paper of concealing a flaw involving a New Rune.

• The society completed its investigation and approved Will’s admission after testing his research and reviewing his background.
• Rock Rowle told reporters that Will’s Wolfsbane Potion and Potion Transfiguration research had passed rigorous review and that his age did not change the society’s standards.
• Rowle defended Will’s independence, saying the society had examined his records and experimental data and had spoken with him at length.
• Fernando rushed onto the stage and declared that he opposed Will’s admission despite the committee’s vote.
• Fernando claimed Will’s paper concealed a flaw in its transfiguration process because the final stage appeared to begin from a New Rune.
• Rowle tried to stop Fernando, while reporters seized on the accusation.

Fernando publicly accused Will Behrens of concealing part of his Sleeping Charm research, causing a scandal that dominated the wizarding newspapers and unsettled Hogwarts. After the professors offered to help him respond, Will decided to publish New Runes and stir up the Wizarding World further.

• Fernando interrupted the Society for the Promotion of Alchemical Excellence press conference and demanded that Will reveal the concealed part of his work.
• Rock Rowle argued that the Society had approved Will's membership, but Fernando rejected the decision and accused the review committee of overlooking hidden steps in Will's research.
• Rita Skeeter and other reporters seized on the confrontation, and the next day's newspapers spread doubts about Will and the Society's decision.
• Lucius Malfoy raged at Rock Rowle, while Hogwarts students debated the reports as Will received the Society's membership invitation.
• Snape brought Will to an empty classroom, where Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Babbling offered him support.
• Will calmly read the newspaper and decided to publish New Runes rather than issue a response.

After Fernando challenged Will’s paper, Dumbledore and the professors gave Will a week in an empty tower to finish his research and investigate who had forced the issue. Professor Flitwick overheard Juan de León accusing Will of fraud and confronted him.

• Professor Flitwick, Snape, Professor Babbling, and Dumbledore agreed to give Will a week to complete his paper, and Snape pledged his reputation on him.
• Dumbledore and Snape suspected Rock Rowle might have acted to pressure Will into revealing his research, and Dumbledore planned to investigate with Lucius Malfoy.
• Snape told Dumbledore that he had found no trace related to Black and again suggested Lupin might be helping him, but Dumbledore defended Lupin.
• Professor Flitwick took Will to an empty Hogwarts tower and prepared it as a temporary place for him to work.
• Professor Flitwick heard Juan de León call Will a fraud and confronted him, pointing out that he was the paper’s second author.

Will continued working on his Sleeping Runes paper while rumors about his research spread through Hogwarts. After Snape, Flitwick, and Babbling publicly defended him, researchers began to suspect that Will’s work on Potion Transfiguration involved Ancient Runes, though they dismissed the idea as impossible.

• Professor Flitwick extended Juan de León’s detention by two weeks and ordered him to patrol the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid after he spread rumors about Will.
• Will worked on presenting his Sleeping Runes paper in a form that wizards could understand.
• Harry and the Weasley Brothers discussed Will’s disappearance while returning from Quidditch practice.
• Rumors about Will intensified around Hogwarts as students speculated about Behrens’s questioning and whether the professors had been deceived.
• Snape published a statement declaring that Will’s research had been conducted under his supervision, and Flitwick and Babbling soon issued statements defending him.
• Researchers reconsidered Will’s Potion Transfiguration paper and conjectured that he had used Ancient Runes, but dismissed the possibility because of his age.

Will finished his paper on the new runes he called Origin Runes, and Professor Flitwick and Professor Babbling helped revise it before sending it out for publication. Will returned to the Room of Requirement exhausted, while snow began falling over Hogwarts.

• Will completed his paper with help from a Time-Turner and brought it to Professor Flitwick for review.
• Professor Flitwick praised the paper and suggested cutting sections that were unnecessary for readers to understand the runes.
• Professor Flitwick and Will visited Professor Babbling, who discussed the runes with Will as they revised the paper.
• Professor Flitwick arranged for an owl to carry the completed paper from Hogwarts for publication.
• Will collapsed into bed in the Room of Requirement, and Professor Flitwick noticed that it had started snowing.

Harry was barred from visiting Hogsmeade, while George and Fred offered to help him reach Honeydukes through a secret passage. Will visited Hogsmeade and spotted Fudge near Honeydukes as Harry, Ron, and Neville approached through the passage.

• Professor Flitwick stopped Harry from going to Hogsmeade because a criminal was still at large, and Harry gave Ron money to buy sweets for him.
• George and Fred showed Harry their color-changing sweets, and he turned red after trying one.
• George and Fred suggested taking Harry to Honeydukes through a secret passage, then led him and Neville toward its exit.
• Will went to Hogsmeade, bought two bottles of Firewhisky from Madam Rosmerta for old Seamus, and visited him.
• Will headed to Honeydukes and noticed Fudge passing by with several wizards as Harry, Ron, and Neville made their way through the secret passage beneath him.

Will helped the freezing Sirius by bringing him food, blankets, and firewood, then went to the Three Broomsticks, where he encountered Fudge and several Hogwarts professors. Fudge discussed the Dementors and Sirius with the pub crowd, while Harry and the Weasley Brothers remained unnoticed nearby.

• Will bought sweets at Honeydukes, and Harry used the secret passage beneath the shop to join the Weasley Brothers in Hogsmeade.
• Harry agreed to buy a cloak and get Butterbeer with Fred and George, despite Mr. Strange urging him to return to Hogwarts.
• Will brought Sirius food and blankets, lit a fire, and used Accio to gather firewood before leaving the Shrieking Shack.
• At the Three Broomsticks, Professor Flitwick introduced Will to Fudge, who praised his work and invited him to consider joining the Ministry.
• Rosmerta asked Fudge about the Dementors, and he said they were needed to guard against Black and that he had come to speak with Dumbledore about their previous intrusion into Hogwarts.
• The pub crowd began discussing Black, while McGonagall and Flitwick reminisced with Lupin and Harry and the Weasley Brothers stayed hidden in a corner.

Will guided the conversation at the Three Broomsticks toward Lupin’s memories of James, Black, and Peter while Harry secretly listened. Lupin began explaining their choice of Secret Keeper, but Snape arrived looking for Potter before he finished.

• Will confirmed that the black-robed figure in the corner was Harry, who was hiding there with the Weasley Brothers and listening to the conversation.
• Lupin described the Marauders’ friendship and said he wanted to protect Harry, catch Sirius, and make him atone for the past.
• McGonagall encouraged Lupin to focus on keeping Harry safe and teaching, and Lupin thanked Will for helping him.
• Lupin began recounting how they chose a Secret Keeper, leaving Harry eager to hear the rest of the story.
• Snape entered the Three Broomsticks and announced that he had come to find Potter.