Recaps

Lin Ze discovered an imprisoned lizard that appeared to be a wizard trapped in Animagus form, then learned Richard had lured him to the cannery as part of a scheme to earn credit by supposedly rescuing him. Richard revealed that Bados had been experimenting on animals and wizards to develop an Animagus potion.

• Lin Ze found rows of cages containing dead animals and discovered a weakened lizard with a phoenix tattoo that indicated it was a wizard Animagus.
• The lizard confirmed that it could not change back and that someone had done something to it.
• Richard arrived with four hooded wizards and aimed their wands at Lin Ze.
• Richard explained that he had sent Lin Ze to the cannery so Bados could take him hostage, letting Richard stage a rescue and gain a promotion.
• Richard said Bados was researching a potion to turn wizards into Animagi, and Lin Ze looked toward the imprisoned lizard.

Lin Ze fought Richard and four black-robed wizards in a factory, using spells and a lizard’s attack to incapacitate several of them. After Richard hit him with the Cruciatus Curse, Lin Ze fired Unforgivable Curses in return, ending with a Killing Curse that Richard barely dodged.

• Lin Ze dodged Richard and the four wizards’ attacks, struck one with a Leg-Locker Curse, and tried to Apparate, but Richard disrupted the attempt and sealed the factory against Apparition.
• A large lizard bit one black-robed wizard, and Lin Ze stunned the injured man during the ensuing chaos.
• Lin Ze made the floor slick, causing two wizards to fall, then petrified them before another wizard bound him with vines and Richard tortured him with the Cruciatus Curse.
• Lin Ze grabbed a fallen wand and fired the Cruciatus Curse at Richard, who dodged and demanded to know how an Auror could use an Unforgivable Curse.
• Lin Ze mocked Richard and cast the Killing Curse, which Richard narrowly dodged.

Lin Ze defeated Richard and the other black-robed attackers, then used Essence of Dittany and a Healing Charm on the injured lizard. The lizard transformed into a wounded young man, whom Lin Ze covered with Richard’s robe.

• Lin Ze dodged Richard’s Killing Curse, disarmed him with a hidden Nonverbal Spell, and stunned him.
• Lin Ze collected the five opponents’ wands and searched the unconscious men for valuables.
• Lin Ze found the lizard alive and treated its wounds with Essence of Dittany and a Healing Charm.
• The lizard transformed into a naked young man with a phoenix tattoo and an iron ring fell from his tail.
• Lin Ze gave the young man Richard’s robe to cover himself.

Lin Ze rescued Benjy Fenwick from Bados's experiments and exposed Richard as a traitor working with Bados. At St. Marseille Hospital, Mr Delacour struggled to accept that Richard, his former apprentice, had betrayed him.

• Lin Ze learned that Benjy Fenwick, an Order of the Phoenix member, had been captured by Death Eaters and used as a test subject for Bados's animal-transformation potion.
• Fenwick explained that Bados had tested the unstable potion on dozens of wizards and used an enchanted iron ring to suppress Fenwick's magic and trap him in animal form.
• Mr Delacour arrived with French Aurors, and Lin Ze identified Richard as the mole who had lured him into Bados's trap.
• Mr Delacour ordered the captured wizards taken away for treatment and questioning, while Fenwick was carried to safety after Lin Ze explained who he was.
• At St. Marseille Hospital, Mr Delacour told Lin Ze that he had personally trained Richard and planned to recommend him for the International Auror Joint Operations Group.

After Fenwick recovered enough to speak, he revealed that Bados’s laboratory was likely hidden underwater near Marseille and identified a regular supply route through La Ciotat. Lin Ze and Mr Delacour prepared to discreetly watch the docks on Tuesday to find it.

• Fenwick told Lin Ze and Mr Delacour that the cannery had been a disposal site for failed test subjects, not Bados’s laboratory.
• Fenwick recalled that the laboratory might be aboard an abandoned cruise ship near Marseille, then reasoned it was probably beneath the sea.
• Fenwick remembered that Bados’s limping assistant Mathieu had mentioned regular supplies every Tuesday from La Ciotat.
• Lin Ze proposed staking out La Ciotat’s docks the next day, and Mr Delacour agreed to send only a small team.

Lin Ze and Mr Delacour watched La Ciotat’s docks for Bados’s hidden supply boat, but none appeared on the expected Tuesday. By five in the afternoon, they were still waiting and questioning whether Fenwick’s information was accurate.

• Lin Ze and Mr Delacour reviewed harbor records and concluded that Bados’s supply boat was not among the registered vessels.
• They staked out the docks that night, saw only the expected fishing boats return, and left after finding no suspicious activity.
• Lin Ze returned to the outpost early Tuesday with a croissant for Mr Delacour, who had arrived before him.
• Lin Ze and Mr Delacour watched the docks through the day, but no supply boat appeared.
• By five o’clock, Lin Ze was still waiting at the window while Mr Delacour frowned over the empty docks.

Lin Ze and Mr Delacour followed Mathieu to a hidden underground laboratory beneath an abandoned warehouse. When they tried to question him about Bados and the test subjects, a curse caused Mathieu to explode before he could reveal anything.

• Lin Ze and Mr Delacour spotted Mathieu arriving at the docks by magically modified motorboat and followed him to an abandoned warehouse.
• Mathieu opened a secret door in the warehouse wall and descended into an underground laboratory filled with potions and caged, suffering animals.
• Lin Ze and Mr Delacour disarmed and immobilized Mathieu, then questioned him about Bados, the cruise ship, and the test subjects.
• Mathieu began to reveal Bados’s whereabouts, but a dark purple fissure appeared beneath his clothes and his upper body exploded.

Lin Ze and Mr Delacour uncovered evidence of Bados’s lethal Animagus experiments in an underground laboratory, then captured two associates and used Legilimency to learn the location of Bados’s hidden laboratory. They prepared to join an underwater operation at a sunken cruise ship near the Old Port.

• Mathieu exploded after a curse triggered when he tried to reveal information, leaving Lin Ze and Mr Delacour without their lead.
• Lin Ze and Mr Delacour found three animal prisoners, suspected to be wizards, along with a transformation potion and records of experiments that ended in failure or death.
• Maurice and Lambert arrived at the laboratory, tried to flee, and were stopped by Mr Delacour’s spells.
• Mr Delacour used Legilimency on both men, leaving them witless and learning that Bados’s cruise ship lay three nautical miles southeast of the Old Port, with its funnel as the entrance.
• Mr Delacour contacted an Auror and ordered the Underwater Operations Team to prepare diving equipment within fifteen minutes.

Lin Ze and Mr Delacour led French Aurors into Bados’s underwater laboratory, where they found its defenses almost nonexistent and captured a supposed Hugo Bados. The captive transformed into a young woman and delivered a cryptic warning, prompting Lin Ze to order everyone out.

• Lin Ze and Mr Delacour reached Bados’s abandoned cruise ship laboratory with eight French Aurors and broke in through the funnel.
• The Aurors swiftly subdued Bados’s guards and discovered cages of transformed test subjects, while Lin Ze grew suspicious that the raid was too easy.
• A crying man who identified himself as Hugo Bados begged the Aurors to arrest him, claiming someone wanted to silence him.
• The supposed Bados transformed into a young woman, who warned that everyone was dead and ordered them to clean the place out.
• Lin Ze shouted for everyone to get out immediately.

Lin Ze returned from France after Bados's laboratory was destroyed in an explosion that killed an Auror and left all the test subjects dead. After saying goodbye to the Delacour family, he arrived back at the Ministry and learned Moody was questioning captured Death Eater remnants.

• The explosion destroyed the cruise ship, killed an Auror, and left three people with minor injuries, two seriously injured, and none of the test subjects saved.
• Lin Ze stayed in Marseille for three days, visited Fenwick in the hospital, and agreed to tell Dumbledore that Fenwick was alive.
• Mr Delacour told Lin Ze that Richard would face imprisonment for colluding with Death Eaters and attempting murder, then urged him to write to Olivia.
• Mrs Delacour gave Lin Ze a parcel of food and household supplies, and Lin Ze promised Olivia he would write once Ministry business settled down.
• Lin Ze returned to the Britain Ministry of Magic, where Ben Frick and Kingsley welcomed him back and Kingsley said Moody was interrogating captured Death Eater remnants.

Lin Ze’s team publicly curtailed its operations to satisfy pressure from the Wizengamot while secretly investigating the Malfoy family. After finding a major gap between Malfoy’s declared potion output and known sales, they received a witness’s account of a suspicious shipment moved through Knockturn Alley before the Dark Lord fell.

• Lin Ze noticed the Malfoy family’s emblem on crates found at an illegal potion site, but Kingsley said the case had been assigned to the Auror Office.
• Moody told Lin Ze that Crouch had backed a motion to restrict the Special Operations Team’s enforcement powers, and Lin Ze proposed complying publicly while pursuing Malfoy in secret.
• The team shifted to paperwork-heavy operations as Lin Ze collected Malfoy’s financial, tax, and import records and found that at least sixty percent of its declared potion output had no known destination.
• Moody reported that an accomplice had confessed to helping Malfoy move a shipment through Knockturn Alley’s underground channels a week before the Dark Lord fell.

Lin Ze went to Sirius Black’s trial, suspecting Black had been framed, and watched as Sirius pleaded guilty to the charges. The trial remained unresolved as Crouch asked Sirius to describe his crimes.

• Moody told Lin Ze and the others that Sirius Black’s trial was taking place that day, and Lin Ze decided to attend.
• Lin Ze reflected on his belief that Peter Pettigrew had betrayed the Potters and framed Sirius, and suspected someone had arranged Sirius’s fate.
• Lin Ze went to the Wizengamot courtroom, where Kingsley joined him in the public gallery.
• Aurors brought Sirius into court in magical shackles, and Barty Crouch read out the charges against him.
• Sirius pleaded guilty, and Crouch asked him to state the details of his crimes.

At Sirius Black’s hearing, he pleaded guilty and refused to explain himself, prompting Lin Ze and Kingsley to suspect he was hiding the truth. Lin Ze confronted Sirius in his cell, suggesting Peter Pettigrew might still be alive and urging Sirius to speak at court the next day.

• Sirius pleaded guilty at his hearing and laughed uncontrollably when Crouch asked his motive, so Crouch postponed the hearing until the next day.
• Kingsley told Lin Ze that Sirius’s behavior seemed suspicious, and the two obtained Crouch’s permission to visit him.
• Lin Ze asked Sirius whether he blamed himself for the Potters’ deaths and accused him of staying silent because he felt responsible for choosing Peter as Secret Keeper.
• Lin Ze suggested that Peter Pettigrew might still be alive, asking whether Sirius had seen his body or only a finger.
• Sirius questioned why he should believe Lin Ze, who urged him to tell more of the truth when court resumed.

At Sirius Black’s hearing, he denied betraying the Potters and named Peter Pettigrew as the real Secret Keeper, prompting the court to investigate his wand. Afterward, Lin Ze returned to the Special Operations Team’s office and considered what he had learned about Fudge.

• Sirius told the Wizengamot that Peter Pettigrew had been the Potters’ Secret Keeper and might still be alive.
• Crouch asked Sirius for evidence and witnesses, but Sirius argued that the prosecution had to prove its case against him.
• Crouch ordered an examination of Sirius’s wand and adjourned the hearing until the court had gathered more evidence.
• Lin Ze and Kingsley left the courtroom, and Lin Ze said the wand examination would find nothing.
• Ben told Lin Ze and Kingsley that Crouch had approved their operations but required advance notice and detailed reports afterward.
• Lin Ze reflected on Fudge’s reputation as a harmless Ministry peacemaker and on records suggesting he was not as harmless as he seemed.

Lin Ze met Barty Crouch Jr., the Ministry’s promising new Auror, and recognized him as a future devoted Death Eater. He considered using Karkaroff as leverage with Barty’s father before bringing Barty to Scrimgeour.

• Scrimgeour summoned Lin Ze to meet a newcomer whose special background called for a senior Ministry representative.
• Lin Ze recognized the newcomer as Barty Crouch Jr. and recalled his future as one of Voldemort’s most capable followers.
• Barty Crouch Jr. greeted Lin Ze warmly and said his father had often praised him.
• Lin Ze considered finding Karkaroff and using him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Barty Crouch.
• Lin Ze escorted Barty Crouch Jr. through the Ministry, where the young Auror greeted several familiar employees.
• Scrimgeour welcomed Barty Crouch Jr. enthusiastically while Lin Ze stood aside.

Lin Ze asked Archibald Pick to investigate Igor Karkaroff, then learned that Sirius's wand examination had weakened the case against him. Sirius refused to leave prison until he could speak with Lin Ze about Peter Pettigrew, whom he now believed was still alive.

• Lin Ze told Ben and Kingsley that Barty Crouch Jr. had joined the Auror Office as a trainee.
• Lin Ze asked Archibald Pick to look into Igor Karkaroff's whereabouts, and Pick agreed to ask his contacts.
• Moody summoned Lin Ze to Crouch's office, where Crouch explained that Sirius's wand had not cast a Blasting Curse in the past week and that the evidence against him was insufficient.
• Crouch told Lin Ze that Sirius would not leave prison unless he could see him.
• Lin Ze met Sirius in his cell, and Sirius said he believed Peter Pettigrew was still alive because he had always been terrified of dying.

Lin Ze made a deal with Sirius to help find Peter Pettigrew in exchange for information about Order of the Phoenix plans involving him, while promising Sirius Peter’s transport details after the trial. Lin Ze sought a legitimate way to visit the Burrow and wondered whether his neighbor Ignatius Prewett was related to Molly Weasley.

• Lin Ze agreed to help Sirius find Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius agreed to inform him about Order of the Phoenix activity involving him.
• Sirius demanded Peter’s transport route and date after the trial so he could kill him, and Lin Ze accepted the condition.
• Lin Ze decided to find a legitimate reason to visit the Burrow and asked Ben Frick about Arthur Weasley and the Weasley family.
• Ben told Lin Ze that Arthur worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office and that his wife, Molly Prewett, came from a diminished pure-blood family.
• Lin Ze remembered his neighbor Ignatius Prewett and considered checking family records to see whether he was Molly’s uncle.

Lin Ze visited the Burrow with Old Prewett, claiming he wanted to consult Arthur Weasley about Muggle objects. He met Molly Weasley and her young twins, Fred and George, and entered the chaotic house, where Molly called for Percy to put away his cauldron.

• Lin Ze visited Old Prewett and asked whether he knew Molly Weasley, then persuaded him to take him to the Burrow.
• Old Prewett revealed that Molly was his niece and agreed to accompany Lin Ze.
• Lin Ze and Old Prewett found Fred and George wrestling in the yard, and Molly came outside to stop them.
• Molly recognized her uncle Ignatius, embraced him, and eyed Lin Ze suspiciously when he introduced himself.
• Old Prewett and Lin Ze claimed they had come to ask Arthur about Muggle objects, and Molly let them inside.
• Lin Ze entered the cluttered Burrow as Molly shouted upstairs for Percy to return his cauldron to the kitchen.

Lin Ze visited the Burrow with old Prewett to secretly investigate someone’s whereabouts, then met Molly Weasley and the Weasley children. He left the boys impressed by his Auror stories and hinted to Fred and George that they should find their own fun.

• Molly served Lin Ze and old Prewett tea, then returned to the kitchen to cook for the children.
• Lin Ze told old Prewett that he was secretly looking into someone’s whereabouts, but refused to say who.
• Fred and George chased Percy through the living room over a History of Magic Primer until Molly threatened to withhold their pudding.
• Old Prewett introduced himself as the boys’ great-uncle, and Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George introduced themselves in turn.
• Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie questioned Lin Ze about his Auror work, Death Eaters, and dragons.
• Lin Ze described the dull routine of patrols and paperwork, then winked at Fred and George about finding fun.

Lin Ze discovered that Percy's pet rat, Scabbers, was an Animagus and claimed him for the Ministry of Magic to help solve cases. After stunning Scabbers and taking him, Lin Ze went to explain himself to Mrs. Weasley.

• Percy showed Lin Ze his pet rat, Scabbers, and proudly demonstrated the rat's tricks.
• Lin Ze used detection magic on Scabbers and saw a golden glow beneath his fur, confirming he was an Animagus.
• Lin Ze told Percy the Ministry was requisitioning Scabbers and gave him Galleons as compensation.
• When Scabbers struggled, Lin Ze bound and stunned him, then tucked him into his pocket.
• Lin Ze reassured the young Weasleys and went to speak with Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen.

Lin Ze told Molly Weasley that Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew, the Death Eater who betrayed the Potters, and explained that Sirius Black had been wrongly accused. After securing Molly’s agreement to keep Pettigrew’s identity secret, Lin Ze left the Burrow with the rat and Percy’s gift.

• Lin Ze privately told Molly that Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew, an Animagus and the Potters’ Secret Keeper who betrayed their hiding place.
• Molly reacted with alarm but thanked Lin Ze for catching Pettigrew without frightening the children, and he explained that Sirius Black’s main charges had been withdrawn.
• Lin Ze asked Molly to keep Pettigrew’s identity secret, including from Arthur, until the Ministry spoke with him.
• Lin Ze said goodbye to the Weasley children and accepted Molly’s invitation to visit again as a friend.
• Percy gave Lin Ze an Andros Chocolate Frog card to thank him for letting Scabbers help solve a Ministry case, and Lin Ze Apparated away.

Lin Ze brought an unconscious rat to Barty Crouch’s office and revealed it was Peter Pettigrew, proving Sirius Black’s claims. Crouch arrested Pettigrew and sent Lin Ze to deliver him to the Auror Office, while grumbling that Lin Ze had kept the truth from him.

• Lin Ze revealed the rat on Crouch’s desk as Peter Pettigrew, an Animagus who had been hiding in rat form.
• Crouch questioned Pettigrew, who admitted he had been the Potters’ Secret Keeper and betrayed them because he feared Voldemort.
• Lin Ze challenged Pettigrew’s claim that he had not framed Sirius Black, reminding him that he had caused an explosion that killed Muggles before escaping as a rat.
• Crouch formally arrested Pettigrew and told him to save his defense for the Wizengamot.
• Crouch accused Lin Ze of knowing Black was innocent and withholding it, then ordered him to take Pettigrew to the Auror Office.

Lin Ze delivered Peter Pettigrew to the Auror Office and told Sirius Black that the Wizengamot would retry his case soon. He agreed to help Sirius learn when and where Peter would be transferred, though Lin Ze realized the plan could draw danger from both Sirius and the Death Eaters.

• Lin Ze handed Peter Pettigrew to rookie Aurors Weiqi Lasigehuoen and his partner, warning them not to kill him.
• Lin Ze visited Sirius in the detention area and told him that Peter had been caught and would be held nearby.
• Lin Ze said the Wizengamot would retry Sirius’s case in a few days, and Sirius insisted Peter deserved to die.
• Lin Ze agreed to find out Peter’s transfer date and route in exchange for Sirius sharing relevant information about the Order of the Phoenix, even if Dumbledore wanted it kept secret.
• Lin Ze checked on Peter, found him securely detained, and worried that Sirius and the Death Eaters might both try to intercept him during the transfer.

Lin Ze went to the Poison Dragon Bar in Knockturn Alley to buy information about Karkaroff and unexpectedly met Benjy Fenwick, who was also seeking Mr. K. Mr. K revealed that Karkaroff was hiding in Tromsø, Norway, and gave Lin Ze a map to his location.

• Lin Ze received a note directing him to ask Mr. K at the Poison Dragon Bar about Karkaroff's whereabouts.
• At the bar, Lin Ze encountered Benjy Fenwick, who had just returned to London and was looking for his Order of the Phoenix contact.
• The bartender revealed that he was Mr. K, and Lin Ze paid him for information about Karkaroff.
• Mr. K told Lin Ze that Karkaroff was hiding in a warehouse basement in Tromsø, Norway, and showed him its location on a map.

At the joint Wizengamot hearing, Peter Pettigrew denied betraying the Potters and killing Muggles, while Sirius Black demanded Veritaserum for them both. Under the potion, Peter admitted that he had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort and explained how he faked his death after killing thirteen Muggles.

• Barty Crouch added Peter Pettigrew as a co-defendant in the hearing against Sirius Black.
• Peter denied the charges and claimed Sirius had chased him and Voldemort had forced him to betray the Potters with the Imperius Curse.
• Sirius requested Veritaserum for himself and Peter, and Crouch granted the request.
• After drinking the potion, Peter admitted that he had been the Potters' Secret Keeper and had told Voldemort where they were hiding because he wanted to survive.
• Peter admitted that he caused the Muggle street explosion with an Exploding Charm, detonated his wand to fake his death, and escaped as a rat.