Chapter Summaries

Shawn used the assault on the Goblins to demonstrate the British Ministry of Magic’s strength and reassure the Wizards who had settled in England. As the Wizarding Army overwhelmed the Goblins outside Gringotts, Shawn charged inside to retrieve Hufflepuff's Cup.

• Shawn chose the Goblins as a target to bolster confidence in England and ordered the Wizarding Army to attack Gringotts.
• The Goblin elder rallied his kin to defend their gold, and the Goblins charged the Wizarding Army in formation.
• Carrow-er ordered the soldiers to form groups of twenty and unleash layered defenses and successive volleys of Exploding Charms.
• The Wizarding Army’s bombardment broke through the Goblins’ armor and began slaughtering them while Hephis and Bose Yidong watched without intervening.
• Shawn ordered Carrow-er to wipe out the Goblins, formed a purple floating ring and a Necromantic Shield, then charged into Gringotts to retrieve Hufflepuff's Cup.

Shawn stormed into Gringotts and broke into the Lestrange Vault to seize the golden cup, revealing his Yinglong form to defeat the vault’s dragon guardian. As Voldemort’s Soul Fragment began tempting him, Shawn ordered the system to absorb it despite a warning from above.

• Shawn charged through Gringotts, destroyed its defenses, and used Imperius on Griphook to guide him to the Lestrange Vault.
• Shawn transformed into an Yinglong and knocked the Antipodean Opaleye aside after it attacked him.
• Shawn identified weaknesses in the vault door’s runes and smashed through it with Lightning Flash and repeated blows.
• Shawn dispelled the vault’s magical protections, took the golden cup, and heard Voldemort’s Soul Fragment whisper to him.
• Shawn ordered the system to absorb the Soul Fragment as someone above warned him not to.

Shawn negotiated with Voldemort over the Golden Cup and the soul fragment inside it, securing a pact in exchange for Voldemort severing his connection to Tom Gaunt. Voldemort began the severing beneath Gringotts, leaving Shawn and Tom poised to settle their conflict with him.

• Voldemort attacked Shawn with a Killing Curse, but Shawn countered with an Electric Rainbow, and the spells collided above them.
• Voldemort offered to reveal the Double Serpent Society's plot and spare Harry if Shawn handed over the Golden Cup, but Shawn refused those terms.
• Shawn proposed an Unbreakable Vow: Voldemort would sever his soul connection with Tom Gaunt, and Shawn would then give him the fragment soul from the cup.
• Shawn and Voldemort agreed to the vow, adding clauses to ensure neither could break their bargain.
• Voldemort shielded himself, told Tom Gaunt that he was free, and began severing his connection to Tom's fragment soul.

Shawn secretly exploited his oath while separating Voldemort and Tom, and the resulting battle destroyed Gringotts. Voldemort fled as a remnant soul, while Shawn emerged from the ruins with Tom on an Antipodean Opaleye.

• Shawn waited as Voldemort and Tom endured the pain of their souls being separated, while secretly using the Golden Cup and the System.
• The Weasley family watched the ruined Gringotts, and Ron silently cast a powerful spell that hurled Fred and George away.
• Explosions erupted beneath Gringotts, and Carrow-er ordered the Wizarding Army to reinforce its protective shields.
• Voldemort escaped into the sky as black fog and threatened Shawn, prompting the Young Wizards and the Wizarding Army to cheer for the Chief.
• Shawn and Tom emerged from the ruins atop an Antipodean Opaleye.

After rallying the wizards, Shawn noticed two powerful strangers connected to the Double Serpent Society and sent Tom after them. On Christmas Day at Hogwarts, students exchanged gifts and discussed the Yule Ball, while Krum learned that Hermione already had a partner.

• Shawn spotted Ron glaring at him as the Twins dragged Ron away, and he suspected Ron's conviction had crumbled.
• Shawn sensed two imposing old men surrounded by dense water and fire elements, and Tom followed them after warning Shawn to be careful.
• Shawn continued his speech to the cheering crowd after the old men disappeared into it.
• Angelina mistook Fred for George and dumped herring over Fred, but Fred revealed the prank was intentional and ran from her.
• Draco, Neville, Astoria, and Hannah speculated about Hermione's secret Yule Ball partner, while Neville refused to break his promise to Hermione.
• Krum asked whether anyone had seen Hermione, and Draco told him Hermione already had a partner and urged him to choose one of his own.

As Hogwarts prepared for the Yule Ball, Draco and the other students wondered whether Shawn Black would attend and who his partner would be. Shawn arrived with Hermione, stunning the crowd and leaving Viktor Krum visibly defeated.

• Krum taunted Draco about Harry’s absence, then continued searching for Hermione, while Neville reassured Draco that Harry was safe.
• Hannah asked who would be Shawn’s partner, and the students speculated before going outside for a snowball fight.
• Students and visiting delegations gathered in formal dress outside the Great Hall as McGonagall assembled the Champions and their partners.
• Percy told Penelope that Shawn had said he would attend, then pointed out Shawn arriving with Hermione.
• Hermione and Shawn descended the staircase together, drawing gasps from the crowd and prompting Krum to abandon his approach.

At the Yule Ball, Shawn learned that foreign Ministries of Magic were pressing England over his potion-dumping strategy and weighed how to keep the trade pressure from driving them toward the Double Serpent Society. He asked Dumbledore whether he would support an attack on France, and Dumbledore angrily challenged his plans for war.

• Shawn entered the Great Hall with Hermione and joined Dumbledore at the judges’ table.
• Fudge explained that foreign Ministries wanted restrictive trade clauses because Shawn’s potion-dumping strategy was draining wealth from their wizarding communities.
• Shawn considered how to preserve the strategy without pushing other countries into the arms of the Double Serpent Society.
• Shawn ordered food for Hermione after her hunger showed, while Dumbledore teased them.
• Shawn asked whether Dumbledore would support an attack on France, and Dumbledore condemned the prospect of war.

Shawn argued that swift action against disobedient Ministries would best deter opposition to the coming wizarding and Muggle prosperity plan, while Dumbledore hesitated over the prospect of war. At the Yule Ball, Shawn and Hermione became the center of the dance floor; far away in the United States, Alice accepted her grandfather’s grim instructions.

• Shawn told Dumbledore that seizing a few Ministries quickly would be the strongest deterrent, but Dumbledore drank and pondered rather than answering.
• Dumbledore opened the Yule Ball, and the Champions and their partners began dancing to the Weird Sisters.
• Shawn led Hermione onto the dance floor, where their smooth waltz drew a crowd and made them the center of attention.
• Krum left his partner and went to the bar, resentful as Shawn and Hermione danced.
• In the United States, Alice told Old Fawley she would not hesitate if the moment he described came, and he lamented that he had failed her.

Alice uncovered a report about Harry Potter and Sirius’s investigation in the United States, while the pair pursued the Scourers and their suspected ties to the Double Serpent Society. Harry and Sirius identified a possible Salem leader and hoped that capturing him would earn them help curing Sirius.

• Alice reviewed the report and decided to write the Chief a letter after learning Harry and Sirius had uncovered a secret.
• Sirius returned to the shack with a roast chicken, and Harry ate before resuming his investigation documents.
• Harry and Sirius investigated missing young wizards in New York and uncovered the Scourers’ history and their hatred of wizards.
• Harry marked several locations and told Sirius that capturing the suspected Scourer leader could earn them the Chief’s help in curing him.

At Hogwarts, Shawn deflected foreign leaders’ complaints about England’s trade treaty, alleged smuggling, and rumored war with France by claiming he had no authority. Maxime threatened to hire bounty hunters with France’s wealth, and Helena invoked American support, just as Purple Shadow arrived with a letter for Shawn.

• Sirius acknowledged that England’s wizarding world prospered under Shawn’s rule after witnessing hardships elsewhere.
• Karkaroff, Maxime, Helena, Niekosov, and Fudge approached Shawn in the Hogwarts gardens to discuss England’s policies.
• Karkaroff and Niekosov voiced support for Shawn, while Maxime and Helena demanded answers about France, the potion treaty, and smuggling into the United States.
• Shawn denied having any official power and challenged the women to provide evidence, while Fudge backed his remarks and denied that England planned to attack France.
• Maxime threatened to hire bounty hunters using France’s wealth, and Helena promised American support for France.
• Purple Shadow flew in carrying a letter as Shawn prepared to respond.

Shawn revealed that Purple Shadow’s toy was a genuine Philosopher’s Stone, created by Old Percy from fragments and magical creature souls, and left the visiting Headmasters stunned. After reading Alice’s letter, Shawn departed to prepare his forces for the coming new year.

• Purple Shadow played with the Philosopher’s Stone, shocking Maxime, Helena, Fudge, and the other Headmasters.
• Shawn demonstrated that the stone could turn snow to gold, then tossed it back to Purple Shadow and left Fudge to handle the guests.
• Maxime and Helena abandoned their claims and left to report Shawn’s possession of the Philosopher’s Stone, while Niekosov hurried away to seek benefits for Russia.
• Shawn checked Old Percy’s work in the Underground Limestone Cave, then assigned combat missions to Wenge, Carrow-er, Daniel, Abernathy, and his other commanders.
• Shawn discussed plans with Vita and prepared to make trouble as the new year approached.

After Britain displayed its Philosopher's Stone, protests broke out in France and other wizarding countries as people demanded affordable potions and the freedom to move to Britain. In London, foreign-born residents organized a petition urging the Ministry and Lord Black to use military force to bring their relatives to Britain.

• Fudge displayed Britain's Philosopher's Stone to foreign representatives and demonstrated its power to turn stone into gold.
• French witches and wizards marched on Lionheart Street, demanding stable prices, higher wages, freedom to leave, and access to cheap potions.
• Maxime urged Morris to investigate the march and reassure the public, but Morris dismissed the protest and revealed that the Double Serpent Society had approached him.
• Witches and wizards in the Leaky Cauldron discussed restrictions and anti-British measures in their home countries.
• Jack called on the crowd to petition the Ministry and Lord Black to use military force to bring their relatives to Britain, and the group surged into Diagon Alley.

Shawn traveled to the United States and infiltrated Ilvermorny as Professor Ford Graves to obtain the Snakewood Wand, while Harry and Sirius tracked down the leader of the Scourers in New York. The chapter left Shawn teaching at Ilvermorny as a concealed squad followed Harry and Sirius, with events in New York nearing a crisis.

• Fudge and Lucius dismissed Amelia Bones's concerns about the petition outside the Ministry, while Barty Crouch Sr. briefed her on the possibility of war and its implications for legislation.
• Shawn ordered Alice to return to New York and oversee the fight against the Scourers, then studied Ilvermorny's staff and students as he planned to seize the Snakewood Wand in disguise.
• Harry and Sirius found Salem, the latest leader of the Scourers, working as the kindly head of an orphanage and decided to abduct her for information.
• A concealed squad followed Harry and Sirius, recognized their plan, and decided to send Alice a warning.
• Shawn, disguised as Professor Ford Graves, taught Ilvermorny students about the Severing Charm and demonstrated how a wizard's will could alter a spell.

Disguised as Professor Ford, Shawn investigated Ilvermorny’s defenses around the snakewood while learning that Deputy Headmaster Fontana feared an imminent attack. After sending orders to his subordinates, Shawn flew after the thunderbird to begin his plan; in England, Wenge received a message announcing that the operation was starting.

• Shawn taught a lesson on the Severing Charm and explained how students could develop magical willpower by identifying their strongest emotions.
• At lunch, Shawn learned from Jimmy that Gais and other Horned Serpent students were proposing a wizarding city modeled on England’s.
• Shawn approached the guarded snakewood and spoke with Deputy Headmaster Fontana, who revealed that he feared Shawn Black might raid Ilvermorny and that Gais had urged him to surrender the relic and befriend Shawn.
• Shawn concluded that Fontana’s uncertainty about the Twelve Auror families could become an opportunity, sent mission instructions to his subordinates, and flew after the thunderbird.
• In England, Wenge received a vibrating Communication Card, declared that the operation was beginning, and went to join the Wizarding Army members training at the castle.

Harry and Sirius joined Abernathy’s forces as they launched an assault on the Scourers’ headquarters beneath the Charging Bull Statue in New York. Harry waited outside while the first strike began, with the chapter ending before the battle’s outcome was known.

• Harry read Draco’s explanation of the golden egg’s clue and discussed preparing for the underwater task with Sirius.
• Darnell told Harry and Sirius that the operation against the Scourers was about to begin, but warned them to stay out of the fighting.
• Abernathy led trench-coated wizards through the snow toward the Scourers’ entrance at the Charging Bull Statue, while another force followed under the Fawley family’s servant.
• The wizards sealed off the area from Muggles, sent scouts inside, and began moving their forces through the hidden entrance.
• Darnell stopped Harry from joining the first strike, explaining that the force aimed to destroy more than half of the Scourers’ fighting strength at once.

Abernathy and the Acolytes fought the Scourers’ monstrous fusion of Obscuri in New York, then used the Hallow battle array to bind it and capture Salem. The battle devastated Wall Street, and upheavals were also taking place in France, Italy, and other regions.

• The Charging Bull Statue exploded, and a stitched troll made from countless Obscuri emerged with the fourth Salem at the center of its face.
• The stitched troll slaughtered Acolytes and devastated the streets while white and black mists joined the battle, and a Fawley servant warned Abernathy that Muggle helicopters were coming.
• Abernathy ordered the Acolytes to form the Hallow battle array, which struck the monster with a silver spear before its silver threads suppressed and bound it.
• Harry fought alongside the Acolytes while Sirius guarded him, and Abernathy extracted Salem from the monster and ordered her taken to England for interrogation.
• The chapter reported that enormous upheavals were also taking place in France, Italy, and other regions.

The English Wizarding Army broke through the concealment barrier around Lionheart Street, while French wizards and the Ministry of Magic quickly surrendered. England and its allies launched a worldwide blitzkrieg, with the main force gathering around the Vatican in Italy as battle threatened to begin.

• The English Wizarding Army shattered Lionheart Street’s barrier and occupied the streets as French demonstrators welcomed them.
• Daniel, disguised as a waiter, arrested Minister Morris and confiscated his wand.
• French businesses raised white flags, and the Werewolf Legion reported that the French Ministry of Magic had surrendered before its troops transformed.
• Daniel learned that England and its allies had deployed more than ten thousand wizards across several fronts, with the main force concentrated in Italy.
• The allied forces surrounded the Vatican, blocked its communications, and prepared for battle.

Tom Gaunt, disguised as Shawn Black, held the Church's forces in a standoff while Grindelwald fought Hephis, buying time for the operation at Ilvermorny. As Soya attacked England, the real Shawn prepared hidden reinforcements and waited for a subdued thunderbird to arrive.

• Tom Gaunt, disguised as Shawn Black, faced Pope Edward in St. Peter's Square while their forces maintained a tense standoff.
• Grindelwald fought Hephis in the sky and overwhelmed him, while Edward hesitated to join the battle without reinforcements from Soya.
• Edward proposed that both sides withdraw, but Tom ignored him and kept the standoff in place.
• At Ilvermorny, Deputy Headmistress Fontana evacuated the students and activated the school's defenses as the Aurors left to protect Congress Headquarters.
• The real Shawn, disguised as Professor Ford, learned that Soya had attacked England and relied on two thousand hidden reservists to counter him.
• Shawn continued waiting at Ilvermorny, expecting reinforcements led by the thunderbird he had secretly subdued.

Shawn’s Thunderbird flock attacked Ilvermorny with a vast thunder pool, forcing Headmaster Fontana to activate the four House statues’ protective magic. The shield held for a time, but cracks began appearing in the statues, while the people hidden near the Back Mountain still had not acted.

• Clouds gathered around Ilvermorny as multiple Thunderbirds arrived and formed a thunder pool around the castle.
• The Thunderbirds’ lightning shattered the castle shield, and Fontana realized Shawn had turned the school’s Thunderbird companion against them.
• Fontana activated the four House Sorting statues, which formed a powerful milky-white shield against the lightning.
• Shawn judged that the statues’ shield would last only about ten minutes and wondered when the people near the snakewood would act.
• A Kopuch Gnome warned Fontana that cracks had begun appearing on the four statues.

Shawn used the Thunderbirds’ lightning to break the restrictions around Ilvermorny’s Back Mountain and draw out the Double Serpent Society. As Elder Awen and the society’s fighters emerged, Shawn retrieved the Snakewood Wand and found himself surrounded as a greater Thunder Tide gathered overhead.

• Fontana lowered Ilvermorny’s defenses and withdrew the professors, while Ross redirected the lightning away from the school and toward the Back Mountain.
• Shawn ordered the Thunderbirds to bombard the Back Mountain’s magical restrictions, then used Playing Cards and Parseltongue to awaken the snakewood tree.
• Members of the Double Serpent Society emerged through the white jade railing and attacked, but Elder Awen’s Crystal Staff deflected their spells and the lightning.
• Awen crushed the Thunderbird carrying the Snakewood Wand, and Shawn revealed himself, summoned the wand, and began healing the injured Thunderbird.
• More Double Serpent Society members emerged and transformed or sacrificed themselves to surround Shawn as the other Thunderbirds gathered a greater Thunder Tide overhead.