Chapter Summaries

Will read the Gaunt wizard’s notes about experiments that transformed human test subjects into Fantastic Beasts. The final subject, “Thunderbird,” returned to human form, confronted his captor, and killed himself, while the notes ended with the wizard storing his records in the Gaunt family library.

• Will read that the “Fire Dragon” and “Phoenix” test subjects died after their souls transformed and became unable to return safely to human form.
• The wizard recorded that “Thunderbird” transformed into a Fantastic Beast during a storm and flew away.
• Three months later, “Thunderbird” returned in human form, learned he had been abducted for experiments, and attacked the wizard.
• The wizard defeated “Thunderbird” by turning the magic inside him against him, and “Thunderbird” killed himself.
• The wizard later noted that his nephew had visited, that the test subjects’ remains had been destroyed, and that he had placed his records in the Gaunt family library.

Will studied a Gaunt family Dark Wizard’s research to prepare for becoming a Magical Animagus, while Voldemort ordered him to cause trouble at Hogwarts. He ignored the order and focused on raising his Transfiguration skill, ending the chapter at the start of a breakthrough.

• Will concluded that the Gaunt research showed how bodily changes could affect the soul and decided to prepare for an Animagus transformation.
• Will took two Mandrake leaves from a pot, prompting Professor Sprout to angrily threaten the student responsible.
• Malfoy delivered Voldemort’s letter, which ordered Will to cause chaos at Hogwarts and help the Ministry pressure Dumbledore.
• Will showed Dumbledore the letter and asked to spend time with Fawkes; Dumbledore agreed after warning him about attempting to become a Magical Animagus too soon.
• On April 6, 1993, Will placed a Mandrake leaf in his mouth and studied until his Transfiguration experience increased by one point.

Will chose Formless Chaos as his LV5 Transfiguration Bonus Ability and woke to find his body and magic more closely under his control. He tested the ability in the Room of Requirement, transforming into a silver wolf and casting magic with ease.

• Will considered the strengths and drawbacks of the four LV5 Transfiguration Bonus Abilities, including Human Origin, Transfiguration Weaver, and Heart Sculptor.
• Will chose Formless Chaos and passed out as the ability took effect.
• Will woke, checked that the Mandrake leaf remained in his mouth, and sensed a closer connection to his body.
• Will tested Transfiguration and found he could change his hand into a claw without losing control of his magical structure.
• Will transformed into a silver wolf and discovered that using magic felt as effortless as it did in human form.

Will experimented with animal transformations in the Room of Requirement before finding Lupin visiting Dumbledore. Dumbledore revealed that Harry was alive and asked Lupin to become the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

• Will transformed into several animals and discovered that his Magic still worked while he was transformed, though the effort left him drained.
• Will went to Dumbledore's Office and found Lupin looking exhausted after the full moon.
• Lupin explained that grief over the news of Harry's supposed death had brought him to Hogwarts.
• Dumbledore told Lupin that Harry was alive, badly injured, and in a special petrified state while receiving treatment and training.
• Dumbledore asked Lupin to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts post next year, and Will questioned the choice.

Dumbledore persuaded Remus Lupin to accept the Defence Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts by offering him an improved Wolfsbane Potion. He then gave Harry reforged glasses, restoring his connection with Mr. Strange.

• Dumbledore offered Lupin the Defence Against the Dark Arts post and explained that he and Snape were finishing a safer Wolfsbane Potion.
• Lupin accepted the position, discussed Harry with Dumbledore, and left for Diagon Alley.
• Will asked whether Moody's extra lessons had ended, and Dumbledore confirmed Moody would teach only until the school year ended.
• Dumbledore visited Harry and gave him new glasses reforged by an old friend.
• Harry put on the glasses and heard Mr. Strange speak to him again, and Dumbledore let them catch up instead of holding their lesson.

Will prepared and buried an Animagus potion, then continued the sunrise-and-sunset ritual while waiting for a storm. During Moody’s combat lesson, students reported that a black-robed figure had attacked Connor.

• Will placed a Mandrake leaf, his hair, dew, saliva, and a Death's-head Hawk-moth pupa into a vial and buried it at the Forbidden Forest’s edge.
• Will continued reciting the Animagus incantation at every sunrise and sunset until a storm arrived.
• Will watched Moody’s students train in the Forbidden Forest rather than joining their combat exercises.
• Several students carried out an unconscious Connor and told Moody that a black-robed figure had attacked him.

A staged attack on Connor renewed fear at Hogwarts, prompting a lockdown and a public backlash against Moody. Dumbledore defended Moody, while Voldemort’s side interpreted the resulting chaos as proof that Will had succeeded.

• Moody summoned the students after Connor was struck by a Sleeping Charm, and Will carried him to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey said he would recover.
• Rumors that the Dark Wizard had returned spread through Hogwarts, and students discussed their fears over dinner.
• Malfoy privately questioned Will about the attack, but Will denied being responsible and told him to follow the Headmaster’s instructions.
• McGonagall announced a lockdown, restricting students to their Common Rooms outside class and canceling Quidditch practice.
• Rita Skeeter and other reporters blamed Moody for the attack, but Dumbledore publicly supported him and took responsibility for student safety.
• Voldemort’s side saw the panic and public turmoil as evidence that Will had thrown Hogwarts into chaos again.

Will confirmed that he had reached the second-heartbeat stage of becoming an Animagus and asked Professor McGonagall about completing the transformation during a storm. After a month of preparation, he faced a gathering storm at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where the final step of the ritual began with a bolt of lightning.

• Will felt a faint second heartbeat while practicing the Animagus incantation.
• Professor McGonagall confirmed that Will had reached the second-heartbeat stage and heard his question about the storm-bound final step.
• Will spent the following month preparing while Voldemort left him undisturbed.
• On May 7, Will watched the oppressive weather gather over Hogwarts and considered whether he was ready.
• Will went to the edge of the Forbidden Forest during a storm and waited as Magic converged on the ground where he had buried the Crystal vial.
• A silver-white bolt of lightning struck, beginning the final step of Will's Animagus Ritual.

Will completed the Animagus Ritual, discovering that his soul had the Formless Chaos trait and forcing it to take the shape of an eagle. After testing his ability to cast spells as an eagle, he tried transforming again and became a silver wolf before a group of startled gray wolves.

• Will drank the potion during the storm and endured the Ritual’s intense pain, but no animal initially appeared in his mind.
• Will saw his own image dissolve into Formless Chaos, then used his will to shape it into an eagle.
• Will transformed into a silver-and-black eagle and discovered that he could cast spells from his talons.
• Will tested spells while flying over the forest, then wondered whether he could change into another form.
• Will landed near a group of gray wolves and transformed into a silver wolf before them.

Will experimented with his Animagus transformations before attempting to reshape himself into a Fantastic Beast based on Fawkes. After a painful transformation, he became a new bird resembling a Phoenix, though he was unsure whether his success was real.

• Will tested many animal forms and discovered he could transform rapidly with little magical effort or discomfort.
• Will recalled Fawkes's magical structure and decided to attempt a Fantastic Beast transformation.
• Will struggled to reshape his soul and magic into a Phoenix-like form as intense pain and a strange inner fire overtook him.
• A strange flame enveloped Will and transformed him into a graceful silver-, black-, and red-feathered bird.
• Will examined his new form and found that its magic kept the rain away and evaporated nearby raindrops.

Will discovered that his phoenix form could Apparate into and out of Hogwarts, then planned to study more magical creatures. In the Gryffindor Common Room, a Weasley prank caused chaos and earned three brothers detention.

• Will realized he could not transform into other magical creatures without studying their magic structures, but his phoenix form could Apparate despite Hogwarts's restrictions.
• Will returned to the Room of Requirement, reflected on his Animagus ritual, and decided to study more fantastic beasts while continuing his other work.
• Hermione asked Fred and George for advice about electives as Ron and Neville joined the discussion with their subject forms.
• Fred and George gave Ron and Neville a fire-breathing drink, causing Ron to race around the Common Room shooting flames while Neville hiccuped harmless sparks.
• Professor McGonagall arrived, identified the prank, and assigned detention to Fred, George, and Ron.
• Hermione decided to ask Will which electives he had chosen.

Will told Hermione he planned to take every elective, though his real reason was to obtain the special items Hogwarts provided to students with full schedules. Professor McGonagall summoned him, praised his Animagus transformation, and began warning him about the demands of his choices, leaving Will eager for what he expected to receive.

• At dinner, Will told Hermione, Sylvia, and Malfoy he intended to take every elective, while Hermione discussed her own choices and Sylvia rejected Care of Magical Creatures.
• Will privately hoped that choosing all the electives would earn him useful, powerful items from Hogwarts.
• A few days later, Professor McGonagall called Will to her office and asked about his Animagus form.
• Will transformed into a Silver-and-Black Falcon, and Professor McGonagall praised him for completing the transformation in his second year.
• Professor McGonagall began warning Will that taking every elective would leave him with a packed timetable and a heavy workload, while Will anticipated receiving a form.

Will applied for a Time-Turner so he could take every course, then used Veritaserum to question Peter Pettigrew about Harry. After learning Harry was alive but petrified, Will ordered Peter to find him before he recovered and made Peter agree to help with an experiment.

• Will persuaded Professor McGonagall to give him a special application for a Time-Turner and encountered Hermione as she was summoned for one too.
• Will enjoyed several days of lighter studying before realizing his next year's schedule would be packed and considering how to turn Baruffio's Brain Elixir into a spell.
• Will summoned Peter Pettigrew to the Room of Requirement and secretly made him drink Veritaserum while questioning him about Harry.
• Peter revealed that Harry was alive, petrified by the Basilisk, and could be revived with Mandrake potion.
• Will accused Peter of withholding the news and ordered him to find Harry before he recovered, then told him he would help with an experiment as punishment.

Will Behrens secretly sabotaged Hogwarts’ mandrakes to hinder Harry Potter’s recovery while pretending to be an ordinary student. In the Room of Requirement, he tested a mind-clearing spell on Peter Pettigrew, leaving Peter terrified by Will’s power and talent.

• Peter Pettigrew recalled how Will had used him in spell experiments and forced him to help destroy Hogwarts’ mandrakes.
• Ron and Neville discovered Professor Sprout furious because someone had killed or damaged most of the mandrakes.
• Will acted like an attentive student while reflecting that his displays of loyalty to Voldemort had been a performance and that he planned to use Voldemort for magical experience.
• Fear of the mandrake sabotage spread through Hogwarts, and Ron and Neville stopped sneaking out to the kitchens at night.
• Will’s experimental spell caused Peter severe pain, then another spell cleared Peter’s mind and made him fear Will’s magical talent.

Will intimidated Peter and continued pretending to be a ruthless, unstable servant of Voldemort while secretly keeping Harry hidden with Mr. Strange. When Will and Peter tried to destroy the Mandrakes, Moody nearly caught them, but Will escaped by transforming into a Venomous Snake.

• Will dislocated Peter's arm to make him believe Will was dangerous, then sent him away to continue searching for Harry.
• Will told Voldemort about Harry's situation and decided to destroy the new Mandrakes to prevent Harry from recovering.
• Mr. Strange reassured Harry that the Mandrakes would mature in a little over ten days and his petrification could soon be lifted.
• Will and Peter sneaked into the Greenhouse to destroy the Mandrakes, but Moody arrived while they were working.
• Peter hid as a rat, and Will transformed into a Venomous Snake and concealed himself among the plants until Moody left.
• Will and Peter later escaped the Greenhouse through a Secret Passage.

Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts after months away, and Dumbledore announced that Phoenix Tears and careful treatment had restored him. The Great Hall welcomed Harry back as exam week approached.

• Professor Sprout kept the destruction of another Mandrake quiet, while Moody increased his patrols.
• Harry entered the Great Hall, stunning the students and prompting Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and others to celebrate.
• The Weasley Twins lifted Harry onto their shoulders as students and professors reacted to his return.
• Dumbledore silenced the hall and announced that Harry had made a full recovery through careful treatment and Phoenix Tears.
• Dumbledore welcomed Harry home, and Will winked at him while Sylvia watched Will.

As exams approached, Harry returned to Hogwarts but realised his training had left him unprepared for most subjects. Will offered him an extreme study plan, and Harry began revising with Hermione while Will left for Hogsmeade.

• At breakfast, Dumbledore announced that exams would proceed as usual, and Fred and George joked about trying to avoid them.
• Harry worried that he had forgotten most of his coursework, and Will refused his request for help during the exams.
• Will gave Harry Baruffio's Brain Elixir and the Draught of Living Death to reduce his sleep, then told Hermione to help him revise.
• Harry and Hermione started studying in the High Tower while Will read an old issue of Transfiguration Today.
• Will left for Hogsmeade that afternoon, leaving Harry collapsed on the sofa from studying.

As exams ended, Harry and his dormmates overslept after combining several sleep aids and missed their Charms exam, while Will and his friends settled into summer plans in the cool High Tower. Malfoy emerged from the Vanishing Cabinet drenched in sweat and brought Will troubling news.

• Will confirmed Harry's return to Hogsmeade residents, who celebrated the news, and told his elderly English teacher about Harry.
• Harry studied through exhaustion, and Luna gave him Icarus Valerian, which she believed repelled creatures that ate dreams.
• Harry, Ron, Neville, and Seamus combined sleep aids and overslept, so Professor McGonagall had to wake them after they missed Professor Flitwick's Charms exam.
• The exams ended, and Will's friends relaxed in the High Tower while Hermione discussed summer plans and Ron hoped to win the Daily Prophet's Galleon Prize.
• Malfoy emerged from the Vanishing Cabinet drenched in sweat and brought Will bad news.

Will told Dumbledore that Voldemort had invited him to Malfoy Manor, and Dumbledore shared a few ideas before Will left. Hogwarts students received their exam results and began the journey home, where Ginny revealed Percy’s secret romance and the twins spread the news to Will and Neville.

• Will told Dumbledore that Voldemort had invited him to visit Malfoy Manor over the Summer Holiday, and Dumbledore responded with a few ideas.
• Will and Hermione each earned seven O’s, while the others received varied results, including Ron’s A in Potions.
• Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Seamus boarded the train home, and Fred and George handed out sweets they had bought with money from selling Animal Crackers.
• Ginny told the others that Percy had been secretly dating Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater and that she had caught them kissing.
• George and Fred teased Ron about Percy’s romance, then tossed him a Silver Sickle to quiet his protests.
• Fred and George opened Will and Neville’s compartment and announced that they had sensational news.

As the Hogwarts students left for summer, Will reunited with Hobert, who collected him in a luxury convertible and planned a party at the Roman Baths. Harry unexpectedly encountered them from the Dursleys’ car, and Vernon’s newly respectful attitude toward Hobert hinted that Harry’s summer might improve.

• Harry handed pieces of parchment with his phone number to his friends and asked them to explain to Dumbledore if he failed to return to school.
• Hobert met Will at King's Cross, greeted Harry, and met Will’s friends from the High Tower.
• Hobert drove Will away in his convertible and told him they would attend a party at the Roman Baths.
• Harry called out to Will from the Dursleys’ car, and Hobert briefly spoke with Vernon before driving on.
• Harry told Vernon that Will was his friend and Hobert was Will’s uncle, leaving Vernon curious and Harry unaware that the encounter might make his summer easier.