Recaps

Zhang Chengdao showed Zhang Xiao a memorial hall for more than seventeen thousand Daoist forebears who died fighting an eight-headed serpent in 1938, then revealed how the Daoist Order avenged them. Zhang Xiao left determined to remember the dead and join the fight against their enemies.

• Zhang Xiao entered the memorial hall with Zhang Chengdao and saw thousands of tablets honoring forebears who died on the same day in 1938.
• Zhang Chengdao explained that an eight-headed serpent had threatened Huaxia, prompting the Daoist Order and other fighters to answer the Celestial Master Token's summons.
• Zhang Chengdao recounted how the battle lasted half a month and the fighters used Dao-Transmutation, sacrificing themselves to defeat the serpent and its allies.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that 17,024 Daoist forebears had died and urged him never to forget the hatred their deaths left behind.
• Zhang Chengdao revealed that the Daoist Order had crossed the sea and wiped out Shinto and the Onmyoji, leaving Mahoutokoro as Fusang's only remaining school.

Zhang Xiao learned why the Daoist Order avoided worldly conflicts as he remembered the seventeen thousand and twenty-four predecessors lost in battle. On Wudang Mountain, Neville became Zhou Chuzhi’s nominal disciple and was assigned to learn Tai Chi from Gu Ying after forgetting Zhou’s demonstration.

• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that the Daoist Order stayed out of worldly conflicts and described how Zhang Jiao and others had failed when trying to change history.
• Zhang Xiao counted the seventeen thousand and twenty-four steps down the mountain and vowed never to forget the predecessors lost in battle.
• Zhou Chuzhi offered to teach Neville Tai Chi because Neville wanted to learn kung fu that protected people.
• Neville forgot Zhou Chuzhi’s entire Tai Chi demonstration, so Zhou Chuzhi ordered Gu Ying to teach him.
• The Celestial Masters’ Mansion on Dragon-Tiger Mountain held a talisman investiture ceremony for one person.

Zhang Xiao received talisman investiture at a grand ceremony and was recognized as a roaming representative of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, permitted to leave the mountain. The Old Celestial Master explained why Zhang Xiao could not learn the Daoist Order’s usual magic and revealed that Zhang Xiao alone could practice its Eight-Nine Arcane Art Transformation Technique.

• Zhang Xiao bathed and dressed in an ordination robe and Nine-Beam Hat before walking alone through the assembled disciples to Shangqing Palace.
• The Old Celestial Master completed Zhang Xiao’s talisman investiture, appointing him to several offices and granting him permission to leave Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
• A starry vision appeared above Dragon-Tiger Mountain, and Zhang Xiao sensed a connection to one of the stars before the ceremony ended.
• Zhang Chengdao and Li Qingshu told Zhang Xiao that the ceremony’s unusual brevity and his grandfather’s warnings had left the Daoist Order wondering whether turmoil was coming.
• Zhang Cunyi told Zhang Xiao that learning the Daoist Order’s full system of magic would prevent him from learning other magic, then offered to teach him the Transformation Technique of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art.
• Zhang Cunyi explained that Zhang Xiao could practice only one transformation for now and was the only person capable of learning the art.

Zhang Xiao chose a peregrine falcon as his transformation for the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, which Zhang Cunyi explained would let him experience the animal’s life in a dream. The chapter ended with the Malfoys arriving at Hong Kong International Airport, where Draco prepared to meet Zhang Xiao.

• Zhang Cunyi reassured Zhang Xiao that he was the only one able to learn the Eight-Nine Arcane Art because no one else in their Daoist Order studied magic.
• Zhang Chengdao demanded that Zhang Cunyi teach him the art too, but Zhang Cunyi beat him with the Golden Light Spell and revealed that Zhang Chengdao had come expecting punishment.
• Zhang Cunyi warned Zhang Xiao against transforming into an insect and explained the risks of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art’s physical transformations.
• Zhang Xiao chose a peregrine falcon as his transformation, and Zhang Cunyi said he would experience the falcon’s life in a dream, drawing on Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream.
• Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco arrived at Hong Kong International Airport, where Draco thought of Zhang Xiao and clenched his fists.

The Malfoy family entered China to find Zhang Xiao, enduring an overwhelming oppressive sensation and a comic misunderstanding over Draco’s Chinese. After learning of their arrival, Zhang Xiao flew from Dragon-Tiger Mountain toward Pengcheng, where the chapter left him arriving at dusk.

• Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco crossed into China, where an intense supernatural pressure briefly overwhelmed them before Draco recalled Zhang Xiao’s warning about entering the East.
• In Pengcheng, Draco’s attempt to ask for directions in Chinese failed because he spoke a Northeast dialect, and a Daoist disciple nearly fought the Malfoys before recognizing their connection to Zhang Xiao.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that the Malfoy family had arrived and were staying at a guesthouse under Uncle Zhao’s supervision, prompting Zhang Xiao to go meet them.
• Zhang Xiao transformed into a peregrine falcon and flew with the Azure Luan from Dragon-Tiger Mountain toward Pengcheng.
• Zhang Xiao and the Azure Luan reached Pengcheng as evening arrived.

Zhang Xiao reunited with the Malfoys in China and agreed to protect them after Lucius revealed that Azkaban had been breached and escaped Death Eaters had gathered for Voldemort’s return. Lucius chose to invest in Muggle businesses in China, while Zhang Xiao asked whether the Dark Lord had been found.

• Zhang Xiao arrived at the guesthouse as a falcon Animagus and greeted Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao by phone that he was investigating a ghost-filled Hebang Hotel and could not meet the Malfoys yet.
• Lucius explained that escaped prisoners had taken the Ministry’s Portkey and that Bellatrix, Anthony, and other Death Eaters had contacted him about Voldemort’s return.
• Lucius asked Zhang Xiao to honor his promise to keep the Malfoy family safe, and Zhang Xiao agreed to let them stay in Huaxia.
• Lucius said he wanted to invest in Chinese Muggle businesses, including real estate and textiles, and Zhang Xiao contacted Zhao Yuanxu about investment opportunities.
• Zhang Xiao asked Lucius whether the Death Eaters had found the Dark Lord.

Zhang Xiao learned that the escaped Death Eaters had not found Voldemort, while Zhang Chengdao warned him that turmoil was growing in both the East and the West. In Little Whinging, Harry enjoyed his summer with Sirius, and the two planned to meet Zhang Xiao in Diagon Alley.

• Lucius showed Zhang Xiao his Dark Mark and said the Death Eaters were unsure whether Voldemort had returned.
• Zhang Chengdao assured Lucius that the Daoist Order would honor Zhang Xiao's promise, while Zhao Yuanxu discussed the rules with the Malfoys.
• Zhang Chengdao warned Zhang Xiao that uncanny creatures and other signs of change suggested growing turmoil, and told him to be careful in the West.
• Zhang Xiao worried that the Ministry of Magic had failed to account for Peter Pettigrew's Animagus abilities and resolved to gather the Horcruxes and strengthen himself.
• Harry recalled how Sirius had won the Dursleys over and moved into the house across the street, where Sirius treated him to a happy summer.
• Harry told Sirius that he would meet Zhang Xiao in Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow.

Zhang Xiao and Malfoy returned to Britain and saw the fear spreading through the Wizarding World after the Azkaban breakout. In Albania, Voldemort gathered the escaped Death Eaters and ordered them to find a way past Harry Potter’s protection.

• Zhang Xiao warned Malfoy that Slytherin might become unsettled and urged him to report anything suspicious.
• Zhang Xiao and Malfoy reached the Leaky Cauldron, where Malfoy went back to sleep after breakfast.
• Zhang Xiao entered Diagon Alley and saw wanted posters for escaped Death Eaters and Ministry guards watching the tense streets.
• Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters gathered before Voldemort, whose new body remained weak despite the potion made from unicorn blood and Nagini venom.
• Voldemort declared that he would use Harry Potter and called on the Death Eaters to breach the protection around him; one servant offered an idea.

Voldemort approved Umbridge’s plan to use Muggle methods to lure Harry’s relatives out, while Harry woke from a dream of the plot with his scar burning. After telling Sirius, Harry learned they would soon go to Diagon Alley and see his friends.

• Voldemort heard Umbridge propose using Muggle methods to lure Harry’s aunt, uncle, and cousin out, then approved her plan and promised her the future position of Minister for Magic.
• Voldemort told a silent hooded figure that he would help with the curses the figure wanted to learn.
• Harry woke from a vivid dream about Voldemort’s plot with his scar burning and tried to decide whom to tell.
• Harry went to Sirius, who listened seriously and recalled Dumbledore’s advice to ask Zhang for help if needed.
• Sirius reassured Harry and reminded him that they were going to Diagon Alley that day to see his friends.

Zhang Xiao, Malfoy, Hermione, the Weasleys, Harry, and Sirius reunited at the Leaky Cauldron before setting off together to buy school supplies in Diagon Alley. Their shopping trip ended when they spotted a newly released Firebolt on display.

• Malfoy waited with Zhang Xiao at the Leaky Cauldron and denied that Harry and Hermione were his friends.
• Hermione arrived with her parents and said she was considering buying herself an owl for her birthday.
• The Weasleys arrived, followed by Harry and Sirius, and Harry excitedly told his friends about his summer holiday with his godfather.
• Malfoy described his summer trip to China without mentioning that he had spent much of it sick in bed.
• Sirius led the children to Diagon Alley to buy supplies, and Zhang Xiao used Geminio to make sunglasses for the group.
• After buying new school robes, Harry, Ron, and Malfoy joined a crowd outside Quality Quidditch Supplies and saw a Firebolt on display.

Harry declined Sirius’s offer to buy him a Firebolt because it would undermine the efforts of Zhang Xiao and Malfoy to make Quidditch fairer. Sirius later offered Zhang Xiao the Black family’s ancestral home as a headquarters for his house-elf domestic-services organization.

• Sirius offered Harry a Firebolt as an early birthday present, but Harry refused so he would not undo Zhang Xiao and Malfoy’s work to make the competition fairer.
• Sirius praised Harry for his decision, while Malfoy felt ashamed for overlooking how the Firebolt could harm the Azure Luan Society.
• Hermione explained how to calm the Monster Book of Monsters, earning the bookshop manager’s gratitude and a discount on the children’s textbooks.
• Sirius thanked Zhang Xiao for helping him and Harry, then offered 12 Grimmauld Place as a headquarters for Zhang Xiao’s organization.

Zhang Xiao agreed to use Sirius's house at 12 Grimmauld Place as the Daoist Order's headquarters, then went with Sirius and the children to see the Black family home. The chapter ended as the hidden house appeared between numbers eleven and thirteen.

• Zhang Xiao agreed to rent 12 Grimmauld Place from Sirius, and Sirius let him use it without charge.
• Harry revealed that Sirius was an Animagus whose animal form was a large black dog, and Malfoy inadvertently revealed that Zhang Xiao could transform too.
• Ron chose a new owl, and Hermione adopted Crookshanks from the pet shop.
• Zhang Xiao noticed that Bellatrix and the other escaped Death Eaters had disappeared without a trace.
• The Weasley twins teased Percy over his Head Boy badge while the families reunited at the Leaky Cauldron.
• Sirius led Zhang Xiao, Malfoy, and the other children to Grimmauld Place, where the hidden house emerged between numbers eleven and thirteen.

Zhang Xiao and Sirius brought Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy to the decaying Black family home, where they met Sirius’s hostile mother’s portrait and the house-elf Kreacher. Zhang Xiao summoned his own house-elves to help search and clean the mansion as the group began looking for Slytherin’s Locket.

• Sirius opened the Black family home, and Zhang Xiao illuminated its dark, dust-covered entrance hall with a spell.
• Sirius silenced his mother’s portrait after it insulted him and the others.
• Sirius summoned Kreacher, who welcomed Malfoy as a Black descendant but insulted Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
• Sirius declared that Zhang Xiao would have the right to use the mansion, and Malfoy confirmed that Zhang’s family was noble.
• Zhang Xiao summoned Rainwater and seven other house-elves, then organized the group into pairs to clean and search the house while Sirius identified anything they found.
• Zhang Xiao asked Kreacher to clean rooms with him as he planned to locate Slytherin’s Locket.

Zhang Xiao and the others cleaned the Black family home, uncovered its history, and sorted its possessions while searching for Slytherin’s Locket. Kreacher eventually brought out his hidden belongings, revealing the locket among them.

• Zhang Xiao used powerful cleaning magic to clear a drawing room and assured Kreacher that the Black family’s possessions would be kept and cared for.
• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco discovered the Black family tapestry and realized that Harry and Ron were Draco’s uncles by blood.
• The house-elves found dangerous creatures and hundreds of suspected Dark Magic objects, while Sirius agreed to sort the Black family’s possessions instead of throwing them away.
• Kreacher returned with a filthy sack of his own belongings and asked Zhang Xiao to store them with the family possessions.
• Zhang Xiao spotted Slytherin’s Locket among the objects Kreacher had brought.

Zhang Xiao discovered that the locket at Grimmauld Place was a Horcrux, and Kreacher revealed how Regulus Black had stolen it from Voldemort at the cost of his life. The chapter ended with Sirius asking Dumbledore and Zhang Xiao to help retrieve Regulus's body so he could receive a proper burial.

• While sorting the Black family possessions, Zhang Xiao used an Eastern spell to detect Dark Magic and found a Horcrux locket.
• Dumbledore arrived at Grimmauld Place, and Zhang Xiao and Sirius questioned Kreacher about how the locket had come into the house.
• Kreacher recounted how Regulus had sent him to Voldemort's cave, then returned there to swap the locket and sacrifice himself.
• Sirius broke down as he learned that Regulus had defied Voldemort and died to protect the Black family.
• Dumbledore explained that Regulus had hidden the Horcrux's theft to spare his family Voldemort's retaliation.
• Sirius asked Dumbledore and Zhang Xiao to help recover Regulus's body and give him a proper funeral.

Dumbledore, Sirius, and Zhang Xiao went to Voldemort’s cave to recover Regulus’s remains and investigate the defenses, while Kreacher returned to the Black house to wait. After Dumbledore and Zhang Xiao uncovered the hidden entrance, Zhang Xiao accidentally destroyed its barrier with Sirius’s dog blood, revealing the cavern beyond.

• Dumbledore invited Zhang Xiao to join him and Sirius in finding Regulus, and Kreacher agreed to guide them to the cave.
• At the shore, Dumbledore identified clues about Voldemort’s hiding places and led the group to a concealed sea passage, while Kreacher returned to the Black house.
• Dumbledore, Sirius, and Zhang Xiao swam through the passage and reached the cavern, where Dumbledore confirmed they had found the right place.
• Zhang Xiao used his Dharma Eye to spot a hidden archway, and Dumbledore studied the rock wall without casting a spell.
• Sirius transformed into a black dog, and Zhang Xiao accidentally splashed his blood onto the wall, breaking the magical barrier and revealing the enormous cavern.

Zhang Xiao, Sirius, and Dumbledore crossed the black lake in Voldemort’s little boat and reached the basin holding the potion Regulus had drunk. After Dumbledore explained that the potion could only be removed by drinking it, Sirius decided to drink it himself.

• Zhang Xiao used Sirius’s blood to break the enchanted door, and the group entered a vast cavern with a black lake.
• Dumbledore found an invisible chain mechanism and raised Voldemort’s little boat from the lake.
• The group tested the boat’s response to their strength, then crossed the lake with Zhang Xiao as a peregrine falcon and Sirius as a dog.
• Zhang Xiao spotted thousands of Inferi beneath the water, and the boat carried them safely to the island.
• Dumbledore found that the green potion in the stone basin could only be removed by drinking it, and Sirius chose to drink it.

Dumbledore explained how Voldemort’s defenses were designed to weaken anyone seeking the Horcrux, while Sirius and Kreacher drank the Regret Potion and relived painful memories. After Zhang Xiao supplied water from his bag, the Inferi rose from the lake, leaving the group facing Voldemort’s final defense.

• Dumbledore explained that Voldemort’s cavern defenses included a blood-binding archway, a cramped boat, the deadly lake, and a potion that could only be drunk.
• Sirius drank cup after cup of the potion, and Kreacher’s memories revealed Regulus’s sacrifice and the Black family’s grief.
• Dumbledore identified the potion as the Regret Potion, and Kreacher drank several cups for Regulus and the Black family.
• Dumbledore discovered that conjured water vanished, but Zhang Xiao produced bottled water from his bag for Sirius and Kreacher.
• Inferi emerged in vast numbers from the lake and began moving toward the rock.

Zhang Xiao held off Voldemort’s Inferi while Dumbledore revived Sirius and Kreacher, then used a powerful talisman technique to freeze the horde and help them find Regulus. Sirius, Kreacher, Dumbledore, and Zhang Xiao buried Regulus, leaving the story with his funeral and a memorial on his headstone.

• Zhang Xiao flooded the cavern with light and surrounded the island with a ring of fire to keep the Inferi back.
• Zhang Xiao used Corpse-Sealing Talismans to immobilize some Inferi, but the talismans became useless when they got wet.
• Dumbledore restored Sirius and Kreacher while Zhang Xiao unleashed a storm of translucent talismans that froze at least a thousand Inferi, then collapsed from exhaustion.
• Sirius and Kreacher recognized Regulus among the immobilized Inferi, and Sirius cleaned him before saying they would go home.
• Sirius and Kreacher buried Regulus as Dumbledore inscribed a memorial on his headstone.

After mourning at a grave, Sirius returned to the renovated Black family home and considered Dumbledore’s advice to shape the family’s future. Dumbledore then explained that Time-Turners did not reverse time but created a simultaneous version of the user, leaving Zhang Xiao stunned.

• Sirius, Dumbledore, and Zhang Xiao left the cemetery and went to the Black family home, where Sirius read Regulus's note and sank into grief.
• Dumbledore urged Sirius to build a life of his own and decide what kind of family the Blacks would become, and Sirius agreed to think it over.
• Dumbledore identified Super Glue beneath the Permanent Sticking Charm on Mrs. Black's portrait and explained that the fantastic beast’s saliva could dissolve it.
• Dumbledore told Zhang Xiao that his grandfather could remove Voldemort's soul fragments without damaging their containers, so they planned to preserve the objects they found.
• Dumbledore explained that time could not be reversed and that a Time-Turner created a simultaneous version of its user whose memories later merged with the original.

Dumbledore explained the Time-Turner’s limits and urged Zhang Xiao to study its mysteries, then reversed and cut a film recording. Zhang Xiao and Sirius escorted the students to King’s Cross, where Ministry guards checked them before they reached the Hogwarts Express.

• Dumbledore explained that Time-Turners accelerated accumulation, had strict limits, and created a duplicate that powerful wizards could not use; he encouraged Zhang Xiao to make the most of his opportunity.
• Sirius read that the Ministry planned to deploy Dementors near Hogwarts and angrily condemned the decision, then told Zhang Xiao that Lupin had accepted Dumbledore’s invitation to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts.
• Sirius and Zhang Xiao walked to King’s Cross, where Aurors and Muggle police guarded the station and an Auror named Pores checked Zhang Xiao’s identity.
• Arthur Weasley and the students arrived in a green vintage car, and Pores let Zhang Xiao pass after Arthur tested him with a question about making a telephone call.
• The group passed through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, where Zhang Xiao saw the Hogwarts Express waiting.

Zhang Xiao and his friends traveled to Hogwarts with Professor Lupin, but the train stopped in darkness when a group of Dementors appeared despite the Ministry’s ban. Zhang confronted one and discovered a white handprint on its hood.

• Zhang Xiao and his friends boarded the early-departing Hogwarts Express and found Professor Lupin asleep in the last compartment.
• Harry recognized Lupin as one of his father’s school friends, and Zhang said Lupin would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.
• The friends discussed Zhang’s discovery at Black Manor and their plans for visiting Hogsmeade while Lupin slept.
• Harry bought food for Lupin, and the train slowed, stopped, and lost its lights as Zhang sensed many Dementors nearby.
• Zhang cast a protective spell around his friends and ordered a Dementor out of the compartment.
• Zhang and the Dementor froze when they saw a clear white handprint on the Dementor’s hood.

Dementors attacked the Hogwarts Express, but Harry, Cedric, and Zhang Xiao drove them back with powerful Patronuses, allowing the train to reach Hogwarts. Zhang Xiao arrived at the castle with the other students as a new school year began.

• The Dementor with a handprint on its cloak recognized Zhang Xiao, and Harry drove it away with his stag Patronus while Cedric's Silver Badger protected the front of the train.
• Zhang Xiao warned Lupin that more Dementors were approaching, and Lupin sent Harry and Cedric to protect the train while he went to find the driver.
• Zhang Xiao climbed onto the roof and summoned a giant silver Carp Patronus that fought off the surrounding Dementors, while Zhang Xiao slapped one that got past it.
• Lupin restarted the train and wondered whether Zhang Xiao could help him find an Eastern remedy for werewolves.
• The students arrived at Hogwarts in heavy rain, and Zhang Xiao entered the Dining Hall as the new school year began.

Professor McGonagall gave Zhang Xiao and Hermione Time-Turners, while Dumbledore confronted Fudge over the Dementors’ attack on the Hogwarts Express and moved to impeach him. Umbridge reported to Voldemort that the conflict between Dumbledore and Fudge was the first success of their plan.

• Professor McGonagall gave Zhang Xiao and Hermione a Time-Turner each and made them promise to use the devices only for studying.
• Draco Malfoy warned Zhang Xiao to watch the new student Astoria Greengrass, and Zhang noticed that Dumbledore was absent from the start-of-term feast.
• Fudge silenced a Ministry official who reported that three students had driven off the Dementors with corporeal Patronuses, then burned the official’s memory strand.
• Dumbledore confronted Fudge about sending Dementors to the Hogwarts Express and announced that he would bring an impeachment motion against him.
• Fudge began considering retaliation, while Umbridge told Voldemort that Dumbledore’s clash with Fudge was an initial success for their plan.

Voldemort praised Umbridge for stirring conflict with Dumbledore, and she reported that the exhumed remains belonged to a woman, suggesting Barty Crouch Jr. had not escaped him. At Hogwarts, Zhang Xiao and Draco attended their first Divination lesson, where Trelawney dismissed Draco's prediction and turned her attention to Zhang.

• Voldemort approved Umbridge's plan to undermine Dumbledore, and she told him the graveyard remains belonged to a woman.
• Umbridge suggested Barty Crouch Jr. was still at large, and Voldemort ordered her to find him.
• Zhang Xiao used a paper airplane to answer Draco's questions about the Azure Luan Society, then examined Dumbledore's warnings about the Time-Turner.
• Draco and Zhang Xiao reached the Divination Classroom with help from Sir Cadogan, and Zhang Xiao dragged an exhausted Draco up the final stairs.
• Trelawney introduced Divination to the class, warned Harry about black dogs, and told Draco he had no talent for the subject.
• Trelawney looked at Zhang Xiao and sorrowfully called him a poor thing.