Chapter Summaries

Will spent a restful afternoon with the High Tower group after Harry’s Quidditch victory, while keeping up his soul research and recovery. The group considered several students seeking to join, rejecting Colin Creevey and beginning to discuss Seamus Finnigan.

• Will shared Osmanthus Cake with the High Tower group as they watched fireworks by the Black Lake and celebrated Harry’s Quidditch win.
• Harry credited George and Fred with helping him catch the Golden Snitch, and Malfoy unexpectedly complimented Harry’s performance.
• Will reflected on his soul treatment, his limited research, and his plans to resume Animagus work after recovering.
• Hermione listed seven students who had asked to join the High Tower, and Will rejected Colin Creevey’s request over his secret photography.
• The group discussed Seamus Finnigan’s application, and Harry, Ron, George, and Fred supported him.

The High Tower considered new members, accepting Seamus, Luna Lovegood, Michael Corner, and Hannah Abbott while rejecting Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass. After afternoon tea, Malfoy asked Will to speak with him alone.

• Hermione presented Luna Lovegood’s nomination, and Will approved it after the group discussed her character.
• Hermione introduced Michael Corner and Hannah Abbott, whose nominations also passed.
• Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Sylvia objected to Pansy Parkinson joining, while Malfoy said neither she nor Daphne Greengrass was suited to the High Tower.
• Will rejected Pansy Parkinson’s and Daphne Greengrass’s nominations, leaving Seamus, Luna, Michael, and Hannah as the new members.
• After afternoon tea, Malfoy asked Will to talk with him alone.

Will learned that the Greengrass family had ordered Daphne to get close to him, and he considered using Voldemort’s influence to gain access to Pure-blood secrets. He then brought a Vanishing Cabinet to the High Tower, creating a direct route between it and Hogwarts Castle.

• Malfoy told Will that the Greengrass family had pressured Daphne to approach him because of his connection to Voldemort.
• Will realized Pure-blood families had begun targeting him and considered exploiting their interest for useful knowledge and magic.
• Will praised Malfoy’s progress in the High Tower as other Slytherins increasingly sought to join the society.
• Owls delivered an old cabinet to the High Tower, where Will identified it as a Vanishing Cabinet.
• Will explained that Professor Flitwick had provided the cabinet pair and placed one on the High Tower’s third floor, with the other near the Room of Requirement.

Lucius delivered Voldemort’s letter to Will and was ordered to bring more Potions, while Voldemort urged Will to act against Harry sooner. Will showed the letter to Dumbledore, and several nights later Peter Pettigrew followed Harry through the Vanishing Cabinet into the Room of Requirement, where Will confronted him.

• Voldemort ordered Lucius to deliver a letter to Will and bring him more Potions.
• Will read Voldemort’s warning and decided to discuss his impatience with Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore explained that making Horcruxes had made Voldemort more reckless, then asked the Sorting Hat to teach Harry and scheduled another treatment for Will.
• Harry studied with Strange in the High Tower while Scabbers lingered nearby.
• Harry entered the Vanishing Cabinet, and Scabbers followed him to the Room of Requirement, where Will faced Peter Pettigrew in human form.

Will expanded the High Tower with an Undetectable Extension Charm while Hermione worried that the magic was illegal. He then planned his next move involving the Chamber of Secrets and Peter Pettigrew, as Harry continued his lessons and prepared unknowingly for the Basilisk.

• Will directed the High Tower members to clear the room, then cast an Undetectable Extension Charm that more than tripled its interior space.
• Hermione warned that extending a building with the charm violated Wizarding World law, but Sylvia reassured her and Ron wondered whether the Weasley house had been altered illegally too.
• In the Room of Requirement, Will reprimanded Peter Pettigrew for weak intelligence and instructed him to separate Ron from Harry while keeping his identity hidden.
• Will decided he would soon visit the Chamber of Secrets and considered how to let Harry face the Basilisk without interference from Hogwarts professors.
• Harry worried about meeting a Basilisk, then continued his classes, tending Mandrakes in Herbology and turning a stone into a rooster in Transfiguration.
• Professor McGonagall assigned an essay to students whose roosters failed, while Strange told Harry his rooster needed more practice crowing.

Will met Luna, who encouraged him not to worry about Wrackspurts, then prepared to carry out a plan involving Harry and Weasley. He and Dumbledore finished preparing a lifelike Basilisk for the next day’s performance.

• Luna told Will that Wrackspurts were muddling his thoughts and reassured him that his plans would go smoothly.
• Will gave Peter Pettigrew a Draught of Living Death and ordered him to make Weasley drink it.
• After Peter left, Will sent a message to Dumbledore using an enchanted paper crane.
• Will met Dumbledore in a hidden classroom and inspected the lifelike Basilisk Dumbledore had created for the next day.
• Dumbledore said he would visit the Ministry of Magic and offer Fudge a few suggestions while Will handled the performance.

Draco Malfoy encountered a hooded stranger and a giant snake in Hogwarts, but the stranger petrified him and continued toward the abandoned classroom. Harry Potter emerged from the classroom and came face to face with the stranger and snake.

• Draco Malfoy left the High Tower through the Vanishing Cabinet and headed toward the Kitchens for apple juice.
• Draco heard footsteps and a strange rustling in an empty corridor, then followed a hooded stranger and a giant green snake toward the abandoned classroom.
• When Draco accidentally made a noise, the stranger cast Petrificus Totalus on him and continued on without finishing him off.
• Harry Potter stepped out of the abandoned classroom and saw Draco lying motionless, with the hooded stranger and giant snake nearby.

Harry fought Voldemort’s basilisk in the corridor, struggling to evade its attacks while Strange guided him. Voldemort disarmed Harry, leaving him helpless as the basilisk approached, and the chapter ended at a critical instant.

• Strange warned Harry that the hooded figure had a basilisk and told him not to look into its eyes.
• Harry tried spells against the basilisk, but its scales resisted most attacks and its blows wrecked the corridor.
• Strange guided Harry’s dodges and urged him to target the basilisk’s mouth and eyes, while Harry burned its mouth with Incendio.
• Harry’s strength and magic waned, and Voldemort disarmed him with Expelliarmus.
• The basilisk approached helpless Harry as Malfoy remained frozen nearby.

Harry killed the basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor but was petrified by its dying gaze. Malfoy discovered that Will Behrens had unleashed the creature on the Dark Lord’s orders, while Will escaped through the room holding the Vanishing Cabinet.

• The Sorting Hat brought Harry the Sword of Gryffindor as the phoenix circled above him.
• Voldemort blocked the approaching students with spells, and Harry charged the basilisk to keep it away from Hermione and the others.
• Harry drove the sword into the basilisk’s mouth and killed it, but its dying gaze petrified him.
• Harry’s shattered glasses sent a spell that cut Voldemort’s hood, and Malfoy saw Will Behrens beneath it.
• Professor Flitwick extinguished the flames, and Will threatened Malfoy before escaping through the Vanishing Cabinet room.

Harry lay rigid beside the slain Basilisk, and Hogwarts students believed he had died fighting it. In the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore asked Malfoy to explain what he had witnessed.

• Will arrived to find Harry and Malfoy lying beside the dead Basilisk, and Hermione and Ron rushed to Harry.
• Dumbledore arrived and lifted Malfoy's petrification; Malfoy said Harry had killed the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor.
• Snape examined Harry while McGonagall ordered the area sealed and the students evacuated.
• Rumors that Harry had died spread through Hogwarts, leaving students grieving in their Common Rooms and the Hospital Wing.
• Dumbledore asked Malfoy to tell them what he had seen.

Dumbledore and Will concealed Harry’s petrification and let the Wizarding World believe he had died, while they waited for the Mandrakes needed to restore him. Draco Malfoy knew Will had unleashed the Basilisk and struggled with whether to expose him.

• Malfoy told Dumbledore and Snape how he had encountered Voldemort and watched Harry fight, but withheld what he knew about Will.
• Dumbledore explained that Harry was petrified and ordered Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Will to keep his condition secret until the Mandrake potion was ready.
• The Daily Prophet and the Ministry announced Harry’s supposed death, and Cornelius Fudge awarded him the Order of Merlin, First Class.
• Will received anxious letters from Hobert and Lupin, while Ron and Hermione kept Harry’s survival secret from their families and others.
• Draco dreamed that Will threatened him, then woke terrified and considered telling Dumbledore that Will had sent the Basilisk after Harry.

Draco Malfoy struggled with whether to report Will Behrens for Harry’s death, then confessed to Dumbledore that Will had controlled the basilisk. Will appeared before Dumbledore revealed that he had expected Malfoy to report him, leaving Draco convinced the two were conspiring together.

• Draco weighed his guilt over Harry’s death against his fear of Will and concern for his family.
• Draco went to the Headmaster’s Office and told Dumbledore that Will had controlled the basilisk and attacked Harry.
• Draco claimed that Will had acted on the Dark Lord’s orders and had petrified him.
• Will entered the office and calmly asked what Draco and Dumbledore had been discussing.
• Dumbledore told Will that Draco had come to report him, and Draco’s wand fell as he feared they were working together.

Dumbledore revealed that Harry’s apparent death was staged, then persuaded Malfoy to join his side and study Occlumency with Severus. Will and Dumbledore continued planning how to build Voldemort’s trust while Will pursued lessons on Animagi and souls.

• Malfoy mistook Will and Dumbledore’s staged attack on Harry for a murder plot, but Dumbledore told him Harry was alive and explained the plan.
• Dumbledore persuaded Malfoy to join his ranks and instructed him to begin studying Occlumency with Severus.
• Moody caught Malfoy out of bed, took fifteen points from Slytherin, and sent him away before Malfoy could explain.
• Will and Dumbledore agreed to proceed more cautiously with Tom while making sure Voldemort heard about the staged attack.
• Will continued his lessons with Dumbledore on Animagi and souls and gained Transfiguration experience.

Harry woke in a secret safe house after killing the basilisk and learned that Voldemort’s forces remained a threat. Dumbledore said Harry would train in isolation, and after a few days of recovery, their training began.

• Harry woke beside Dumbledore and learned he had killed the basilisk, while the Dark Wizard had escaped.
• Dumbledore told Harry that most people believed he had died and that he would need to stay hidden and train.
• Harry feared Mr. Strange had died, but Dumbledore explained he was badly hurt and expected to recover in about a month.
• Harry promised to work hard so he could protect the people he cared about.
• Harry spent several boring days recuperating in the Tower before Dumbledore began training him.

Harry endured Dumbledore’s demanding training while isolated in a protected Tower, and Dumbledore taught Will how a Wizard’s soul and Magic shaped Animagus transformation. The lesson ended with Dumbledore warning that wild Magic could permanently trap a Wizard in animal form—or lead to something worse.

• Harry struggled through exhausting mock battles with Dumbledore, who praised his progress and gave him a potion to recover.
• Alone in the Tower, Harry missed his friends and Mr. Strange, unaware that Dumbledore had isolated him to shield his connection to Voldemort.
• Dumbledore demonstrated Soul Transfiguration to Will and explained that changing a Wizard’s soul was central to becoming an Animagus.
• Will recalled how his eagle form had felt unnatural because his soul remained human, while Dumbledore showed how an Animagus’s soul and Magic changed with the animal form.
• Dumbledore made the Magic inside a water eagle run wild, muddying its layers, and explained that this could taint the body and permanently trap a Wizard as an animal.

Will learned that soul, body, and magic were closely linked, and gained the Trinity ability while considering how to become an Animagus. The chapter ended with Lucius Malfoy reporting that Behrens had killed Harry Potter.

• Dumbledore explained that Animagus transformations were dangerous because they involved transfiguring the soul, and that soul, body, and magic affected one another.
• Will gained the Trinity bonus ability, which would gradually stabilize and connect his soul, body, and magic.
• Will asked whether Dumbledore could become an Animagus or transform into a magical creature, but Dumbledore answered cryptically.
• Will concluded that becoming an Animagus required difficult soul Transfiguration and considered studying Fawkes and magical structures for clues.
• Lucius Malfoy arrived home and told his master that Behrens had killed Harry Potter.

Lucius reported Harry’s apparent death to Voldemort, who praised Will and ordered Lucius to use the news to find a way to attack Dumbledore. At Hogwarts, Will declined Hermione’s invitation to visit Harry because he had Old English lessons and other studies to complete.

• Voldemort praised Will for proving his worth and loyalty, then told Lucius to keep watching the Ministry and exploit Potter’s supposed death to attack Dumbledore.
• Lucius left the meeting believing the Malfoy family could rise with Voldemort’s return and poured himself Firewhisky while thinking of Draco’s future.
• In Potions class, Hermione gave a detailed answer about Gillyweed, while Snape awarded Gryffindor points and deducted points from Ron.
• After class, Hermione invited Malfoy, Ron, Neville, Sylvia, and Will to visit Harry, but Will declined because his Old English lesson had been moved to that day.
• Hermione asked Will in disbelief when he had started learning Old English.

After Harry was attacked, the Daily Prophet blamed Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic sent officials to inspect Hogwarts. Dumbledore realized Voldemort was recovering well, while Voldemort ordered Lucius to deliver a letter to Will.

• Hermione felt anxious, and Luna told her that Wrackspurts had latched onto her.
• Michael Corner showed the group Rita Skeeter's article accusing Dumbledore of failing to protect Hogwarts, and reported that Ministry officials had arrived.
• Rufus Scrimgeour met Dumbledore in the Headmaster's Office while other Ministry officials inspected Hogwarts.
• Dumbledore concluded that the Ministry's attack on him meant Voldemort was recovering well and rebuilding his influence.
• At Malfoy Manor, Lucius told Voldemort that his servants had begun attacking Dumbledore through the Ministry, and Voldemort gave him a letter for Will.

Will learned that the Ministry had sent wizards to investigate Hogwarts, then found an old book about soul transfiguration while searching for Transfiguration texts in the Room of Requirement. The book described Dementors as beings with part of a soul and suggested its author intended to experiment on them.

• Will visited the Three Broomsticks, where Madam Rosmerta told him Ministry wizards were investigating Hogwarts.
• Will returned to Hogwarts and saw Dumbledore speaking with a tawny-haired man he did not recognize.
• Will searched the Room of Requirement for Transfiguration books to help him reach LV5 and pursue an Animagus transformation.
• Will found a fifteenth-century book called Mad Transfiguration—Twisting the Soul and began reading it.
• The book's author described visiting Azkaban, studying Dementors, and concluding that they possessed part of a soul.

Will read an unnamed dark wizard’s notes on using the subconscious to overcome wizards’ belief that they could not transform into magical creatures. The experiments on abducted children showed disturbing signs of progress, and the notes ended with Fire Dragon’s soul beginning to change.

• Will read that the dark wizard believed emotions and subconscious convictions shaped magic and could prevent wizards from transforming into fantastic beasts.
• The dark wizard abducted infants from four wizarding families, named them Fire Dragon, Phoenix, Thunderbird, and Thestral, and raised Muggle children among wolves.
• The dark wizard subjected the children to cruel conditioning designed to make them identify with their namesake creatures, while the Muggle children developed wolf-like behavior.
• The dark wizard grafted magical-creature flesh and blood onto the children, and Thestral died within two years.
• The notes described Fire Dragon developing dragon scales and habits, and the dark wizard discovered that his soul had become distorted during Human Transfiguration.