Chapter Summaries

Chet Brian encountered wizard Neo Lester, who blamed him for accidentally using magic before Muggles, and Brian turned Lester’s spell back on him, leaving him paralyzed. As Brian tried to take Lester to a hospital, a mysterious bearded old man appeared in the car and calmly explained how to fasten a seat belt.

• Chet Brian bought sunflowers and tulips for the funeral of his shattered drums, then found Neo Lester waiting in his unlocked home.
• Neo Lester identified himself as an employee of the Improper Use of Magic Office and ordered Brian to come to the Ministry of Magic for using magic before Muggles.
• Brian caught Lester’s Petrificus Totalus spell, rolled its light into a ball, and threw it back, leaving Lester stiff and motionless.
• Brian carried Lester to his car and prepared to drive him to a hospital, but a bearded old man suddenly appeared in the passenger seat.
• Brian asked how the old man had appeared, and the man explained how to fasten a seat belt.

Chet Brian traveled with Albus Dumbledore to Hogwarts after discovering he was a wizard, hoping to learn magic and repair his drum. After arriving, he learned he might work at the school, while Madam Pomfrey prepared to examine him because his magic behaved unusually.

• Dumbledore explained that Brian could become a wizard, repair his drum, and receive magical instruction at Hogwarts instead of serving time in Azkaban.
• Brian and Dumbledore flew toward Hogwarts, where the Giant Squid grabbed their car before Dumbledore freed it with magic.
• Dumbledore shrank the car and Apparated Brian and the petrified Mr. Lester to the Hospital Wing.
• Dumbledore introduced Brian to Madam Pomfrey and described him as a prospective Hogwarts employee.
• Madam Pomfrey found that ordinary treatment would not undo Mr. Lester's condition and decided to examine Brian after hearing he had rolled a spell into a ball.

Brian learned that his body was dangerously saturated with magic, which protected him from direct magical attacks but could make him explode. After absorbing the strange light surrounding Lester, he helped Madam Pomfrey remove the force keeping Lester petrified, and Dumbledore invited Brian to discuss his arrangements at Hogwarts.

• Madam Pomfrey examined Brian and found his magical concentration far beyond what a human body could withstand, warning that he might burst into fireworks at any moment.
• Madam Pomfrey explained that Brian's excess magic formed an insulating layer over his skin, protecting him from direct magical attacks, though she could not treat his condition.
• Brian saw sickly lights surrounding Lester and traced a circle around him, causing the lights to rush into Brian and leave him feeling restored.
• Madam Pomfrey discovered that the unknown force on Lester had vanished and said she could cure him.
• Dumbledore decided not to report Lester to the Ministry, removed some of Lester's memories, and invited Brian to his office to discuss his arrangements at Hogwarts.

Brian learned that Dumbledore had removed memories of the mysterious power within him from Lester while leaving Lester’s memories of the accident and punishment intact. Dumbledore offered Brian a job assisting Madam Pince in the Hogwarts library, then brought out official paperwork.

• Brian recalled the magical sights he had encountered while Dumbledore led him through Hogwarts at night.
• Dumbledore explained that he had altered Lester’s memories to conceal Brian’s mysterious power and preserve the lesson of Lester’s punishment.
• Dumbledore said he had helped Brian because the power within him might require Brian’s help in the future.
• Brian agreed to assist Madam Pince in the library after Dumbledore explained that Professor Burbage’s Muggle Studies position could not be changed during the term.
• Brian offered to share drinks with Dumbledore if he ever needed someone to confide in, and Dumbledore retrieved Hogwarts paperwork.

Brian began his new job at Hogwarts, met librarian Madam Pince, and received an offer of discarded textbooks and a study plan. He headed to the Great Hall before going to Diagon Alley for a wand, where he encountered the Weasley twins again.

• Brian signed his Hogwarts employment contract, woke in his library room, and planned to visit Diagon Alley for a wand and other supplies.
• Madam Pince showed Brian the library, including its Invisible and Restricted Sections, and saw him frighten a dangerous book with a glare.
• Madam Pince offered Brian discarded textbooks and promised to prepare a reading list, while Brian agreed to take in the books.
• Brian took the shortcut toward the Great Hall, greeted the portraits, and met Fred Weasley and George Weasley at the entrance.
• Brian tried to convince the twins that Dumbledore planned to punish them for sneaking around, but Fred and George immediately saw through his bluff.

Brian met Professor McGonagall and Hagrid, then discovered powerful magic within himself when he destroyed a Bludger that was about to hit Angelina. The Gryffindor players were safe, but Brian was left shaken and crying without knowing why.

• Brian met Professor McGonagall at breakfast, guessed that the gargoyle had painted his portrait, and learned that Hagrid was watching Gryffindor practice.
• Brian found Hagrid at the Quidditch Pitch, where Hagrid tearfully praised Harry Potter’s flying and told Brian about Harry’s fame and achievements.
• Brian watched Oliver Wood criticize the Gryffindor players after practice, then noticed a Bludger escaping its trunk and hurtling toward Angelina.
• Brian’s unfamiliar magic awakened as the Bludger neared Angelina, and he destroyed it with a surge of invisible power.
• Brian saw the Gryffindor players scatter safely and began crying, while Hagrid comforted him and offered to buy him a drink.

Brian helped uncover the truth behind the runaway Bludger incident, reassured Harry, and then went with Hagrid to Diagon Alley to buy a wand. The chapter ended as Brian entered Ollivanders and accidentally stepped on a pair of glasses.

• Harry arrived at the training grounds, where Brian explained that an explosion had sent a Bludger out of its trunk.
• Wood accused Brian of helping Slytherin until Harry vouched for him, and the players revealed that Fred, George, and Angelina had staged the Bludger attack to help Harry focus.
• Brian learned that Fred and George had forgotten to cast a protective charm on Angelina, and he later reassured Harry that he should not blame himself for his teammates' support.
• Brian warned the team that he would tell Professor McGonagall about the dangerous stunt, and the players hurried back to the castle after realizing they were late.
• Hagrid took Brian to Diagon Alley and revealed that his pink umbrella concealed his wand, then waited outside Ollivanders while Brian went inside.
• Brian entered Ollivanders and stepped on and broke a pair of glasses.

Brian failed to find a wand at Ollivander's, but discovered a wand hidden inside a line of text on the wooden sign at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Florean Fortescue revealed that the wand was tied to his missing father's diary and asked Brian to help uncover an erased piece of history.

• Ollivander had Brian try dozens of wands, but none chose him, so Brian left without one.
• Brian went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour to wait for Hagrid and noticed a line on the wooden sign that the clerk could not see.
• Brian pushed his hand into the sign and pulled out a glowing wand that immediately filled him with comfort.
• Florean Fortescue arrived and told Brian he could keep the wand if he granted him a favor, whether or not it succeeded.
• Florean Fortescue explained that his father had hidden the wand in the sign and predicted that someone would retrieve it and reveal an erased piece of history.

Brian helped Mr. Fortescue open his indestructible wooden chest by inserting his wand into a hidden hole, revealing a strange living book that attached itself to Brian and obeyed him. The book healed Fortescue and displayed a message about using its power to uncover long-buried history.

• Fortescue explained that his father had left behind an indestructible chest, and Brian noticed a wand-sized hole that Fortescue could not see.
• Brian inserted his wand into the hole, causing the chest to open, while Fortescue waited for him to return before looking inside.
• Hagrid arrived looking for Brian, and Fortescue opened the chest, where a flying book with three toothed mouths attacked him.
• The book flew at Brian, replaced its teeth with brushes, and clung to him after coating his face; Brian discovered it had given him smoky eye makeup.
• Brian persuaded the book to heal Fortescue's bite wound, then opened it to reveal a message about fulfilling a mission and uncovering long-buried history.

Brian spent a hectic morning shopping in Diagon Alley, trying to make peace with the intelligent book that had attached itself to him. After lunch, he returned to Hogsmeade with Hagrid, planning to coax the book open and begin learning spells.

• Brian apologized to the sulking book, which jumped into the chest when Mr. Fosco gave the chest to him before opening his father's letter with his mother.
• Brian bought a quill, a brush, and a fluffy wand at Flourish and Blotts, while Hagrid bought a Monster Book of Monsters and showed him how to tame it.
• Brian tried on robes for Madam Malkin, earned two discounted outfits by posing for photographs, and agreed to pass along her message to the makeup artist.
• Brian and Hagrid visited the Magical Menagerie, where Brian saw a Puffskein, a Transfiguration Rabbit, and other creatures before realizing it was noon.
• Brian and Hagrid ate lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, then returned to Hogsmeade; Brian decided to postpone asking Mr. Ollivander about his wand and focus on the book and learning spells.

Brian encountered students on his way to the library, where Madam Pince gave him a list of books and a box of reserved volumes. He tried to make peace with an angry book by offering to lighten it, but it grew enormous and swallowed his copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One.

• Brian joked with Hufflepuff students and saw Cedric tease a girl about rice stuck at the corner of her mouth.
• Brian intervened when Malfoy threatened Longbottom, then offered Longbottom help if Malfoy escalated the conflict.
• Brian found Harry, Ron, and Hermione studying in the library, where Hermione criticized Ron's answer and praised Harry's work.
• Madam Pince gave Brian a five-sheet booklist and a floating box of books, and she explained that the Levitation Charm had been used against the Halloween troll.
• Madam Pince advised Brian to try the Levitation Charm on his angry book, and Brian returned to his room to make the offer.
• The book leaped from the box, grew to more than three times its size, sprouted a huge mouth, and swallowed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One.

Brian discovered that his intelligent book could copy other books and reveal hidden writing, but the strange symbols on its page proved to be Ancient Runes he could not decipher. Madam Pince directed him to Professor Babbling, whom he planned to seek out in the staffroom.

• Brian persuaded the oversized book to spit out the library's copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One, and watched it shrink back to normal.
• The book revealed that it could copy the Standard Book of Spells, then showed Brian a page of glowing symbols and drawings.
• Brian asked Madam Pince to identify the symbols, but she could not see the glowing page, so he copied its contents for her.
• Madam Pince recognized the writing as Ancient Runes and told Brian that Professor Babbling was an expert who would be in the staffroom in two hours.

Brian met Hogwarts professors over afternoon tea and asked Professor Babbling to translate a parchment covered in Ancient Runes. She identified it as a powerful healing spell that modern wizards likely could not perform and demanded to know where he had found it.

• Flitwick and McGonagall competed over the last almond biscuit before McGonagall welcomed Brian to the staffroom.
• Brian tasted the biscuit, chatted with Flitwick, and recognized Sprout and Snape among the professors.
• Snape mocked Gryffindor over its Quidditch practice mishap and upcoming match, while McGonagall said she had given three students detention for three days.
• Babbling interrupted the conversation, and Brian asked her to translate the Ancient Runes he had copied onto parchment.
• Babbling read the parchment as a powerful healing spell beyond the abilities of modern wizards and asked Brian where he had found it.

Brian asked Professor Babbling about ancient magic after she examined his poorly copied runes, and the professors discussed how ancient magic chose and obeyed certain wizards. The source of Brian’s passage remained a mystery after he said he had found the book in a chest at the Ice Cream Shop.

• Professor Babbling identified mistakes in Brian’s rune copy and explained that ancient magic demanded exceptional inborn talent.
• Brian questioned why modern wizards could not cast the healing magic described in his book, and Professor Babbling said ancient magic chose its wizards and concealed itself from the unworthy.
• Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall shared their views on magic, while Professor Babbling insisted ancient magic obeyed recognized wizards and fulfilled vague requests by its own methods.
• Brian privately connected the idea of ancient magic choosing a wizard to the force that had destroyed a Bludger for him, but kept his power secret under his agreement with Dumbledore.
• Professor Babbling asked where Brian had found the passage, and he said it came from a book in a chest at the Ice Cream Shop.

After the jealous book wrecked Brian’s room and grew strangely larger, it glowed and burned against his chest, causing him to pass out. He woke unharmed with the book restored to its original size, then discovered he could cast Reparo and that his mind was overflowing with magical knowledge.

• Brian met Filch and Mrs. Norris, then watched Filch rush off to confront Peeves after hearing a crash upstairs.
• Brian returned to find his room trashed and the jealous book unusually thick and sickly, and he suspected it had caused the mess.
• The book began glowing and radiating intense heat against Brian’s chest, and he passed out.
• Brian woke with a normal temperature, found the book still attached to him but back to its original size, and decided to visit the Hospital Wing.
• Brian cast Reparo without realizing it and discovered his mind was suddenly overflowing with magical knowledge.

Brian visited the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to unleash the spells filling his mind, but Professor Quirrell interrupted his practice. Brian left the room with Quirrell’s garlic smell overwhelming him and tried to steer their encounter toward dinner.

• Brian unlocked and relocked the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, lit its candles, and summoned and recolored a training dummy.
• Brian rapidly cast spells at the dummy, restored it several times, and gradually regained control of his urge to practice magic.
• Professor Quirrell appeared, and Brian apologized for practicing in the classroom and explained that he had only recently learned magic.
• Quirrell recognized Brian as the new librarian and praised his textbook spellwork.
• Brian struggled with the intensifying garlic smell from Quirrell and asked whether they could go to dinner.

Brian stopped Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle from bullying Neville and encouraged Neville to stand up for himself. Professor Snape arrived, dismissed the students, and asked Brian why he had gone to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

• Brian asked Professor Quirrell to keep his spell practice secret and said he would return to practice.
• Brian found Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle humiliating Neville, pulled Malfoy away, and demanded that they stop.
• After Neville confirmed Malfoy had not hit him, Brian warned the boys that verbal abuse could hurt as much as physical violence.
• Professor Snape arrived and sent Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle away, while Neville remained behind in fear.
• Brian comforted Neville until he wiped away his tears and left with renewed resolve.
• Brian urged Snape to pay more attention to Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe, and Snape asked why Brian had gone to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Brian challenged Snape for refusing to punish Malfoy after Malfoy upset Neville, then deflected Snape’s questions about his visit to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. The exchange ended with Brian offering to examine Snape’s injured leg.

• Brian urged Snape to punish Malfoy with lost points or detention, but Snape refused and accused Brian of questioning his fairness.
• Snape pressed Brian to explain why he had gone to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, and Brian said he had gone to practice magic.
• Snape suggested Quirrell’s spellwork had concealed something, but Brian told Snape to ask Dumbledore if he wanted answers.
• Brian noticed Snape’s limp and asked what had happened to his leg, prompting Snape to wonder whether Quirrell had put him up to it.
• Brian realized he might know a powerful healing spell and asked Snape to let him see his leg.

Brian reconciled with Book after it apologized for overwhelming him with magical knowledge, then examined his repaired drums and took them to the Black Lake to practice. The Giant Squid reached for Brian and his drums, but instead offered him a glowing Firefly Orb.

• Brian asked Book to warn him before using dangerous magic, and Book apologized by highlighting the words “Sorry” in its pages.
• Brian received a meal from the house-elves and learned that Hogwarts had more than 300 of them.
• Brian inspected his repaired drums, noticed their old marks were gone, and decided they could make new memories together.
• Brian took the drums to the Black Lake to practice, but the Giant Squid reached out to grab them.
• The Giant Squid wrapped a tentacle around Brian’s thigh and presented him with a glowing Firefly Orb.

Brian traded his hollowed-out Flying Car to the Giant Squid for a glowing stone fragment. He watched the Squid joyfully drive its new toy across the Black Lake before heading back to the castle.

• Brian failed to summon the Giant Squid’s orb and learned through its tentacle gestures that it wanted his Flying Car.
• Brian agreed to trade the car for the orb and returned to the castle to remove the car’s electronic components.
• Brian enlarged the emptied car beside the Black Lake, and the Giant Squid traded it for the glowing object.
• Brian discovered the orb was a warm, sturdy stone fragment and tucked it into his clothes.
• Brian saw the Giant Squid driving the empty car across the lake and headed back to the castle.