Chapter Summaries

As Death Eater attacks intensified, Lin Ze learned that Voldemort was searching for the Potter family but chose to keep his future knowledge to himself. The story left the Ministry reeling after Voldemort killed Dorcas Meadowes and Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold declared an emergency alert.

• Lin Ze patrolled Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley as Death Eater activity and fake Dark Mark fireworks spread through London.
• Ben Frick told Lin Ze that Voldemort was searching for someone and had apparently located his target, and Lin Ze kept his knowledge about the Potters and Wormtail-Peter Pettigrew to himself.
• Lin Ze asked Frick whether choosing not to prevent something bad was evil, and Frick said it depended on what was at stake.
• Edgar Bones burst into the Auror office and reported that Voldemort and at least twenty Death Eaters had killed Dorcas Meadowes near Hogsmeade.
• Millicent Bagnold announced a level-two alert, canceled Auror leave, and ordered outside patrols to operate in groups of three.

After Dorcas Meadowes's funeral, Scrimgeour transferred Lin Ze from the Auror Office to the Records Management Office to keep him off the front lines. Lin Ze reported to Archibald Pick and, surrounded by the Ministry's old files, saw the archive as a gold mine.

• Scrimgeour told Lin Ze that he had been transferred to the Records Management Office after Meadowes's death and warned him about its director, Archibald Pick.
• Scrimgeour said that six people had resigned from the Auror Office that month, including one who planned to raise sheep.
• Lin Ze reported to the Records Management Office and found its files and filing cabinets piled throughout the basement archive.
• Pick explained the archive's contents and warned Lin Ze never to speak about anything he found there.
• Pick showed Lin Ze his desk, and Lin Ze decided the Ministry's archive was a gold mine.

Lin Ze eagerly searched the Records Management Office archives, uncovering corruption, hidden connections, and evidence of Death Eater sympathizers while building a coded dossier of leverage. He kept his findings secret and continued his work with five days remaining until Halloween.

• Lin Ze began examining the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's travel records and found officials had used business trips to visit opera houses, wineries, and Quidditch matches.
• Lin Ze systematically searched files across several departments, while Pick questioned his unusual enthusiasm for the work.
• Lin Ze uncovered evidence that a Knockturn Alley fire had been deliberately set to destroy prohibited potions and that a senior translator had leaked classified documents, likely to the Death Eaters.
• Lin Ze copied the translator investigation record, compiled sensitive information in a coded notebook, and classified people by their value as allies or adversaries.
• Lin Ze told Scrimgeour that the Records Office was quiet, concealed his notebook from Pick, and noted that five days remained until Halloween.

Lin Ze planned to approach Amelia Bones by anonymously alerting her to a suppressed report about Death Eaters gathering near Hogsmeade. At Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, he watched Kingsley teach defensive magic when a wizard challenged the value of the lesson.

• Lin Ze chose Amelia Bones as a potential patron and decided to draw her attention to Dorcas Meadowes’s report of a suspected Death Eater gathering.
• Lin Ze wrote an unsigned letter about the suppressed report and planned to let Amelia investigate before revealing himself.
• Lin Ze went to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour and learned that Kingsley was teaching practical defensive magic to local shop workers and apprentices.
• Kingsley demonstrated the Shield Charm and urged the students to practise until they could cast it quickly under pressure.
• A middle-aged wizard mocked the lesson, arguing that shop workers would be helpless against the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters.

Lin Ze received a letter from Olivia in France and settled back into life as a Records Management Office clerk. The next morning, he spotted a wanted poster across from his home on Claire Street, naming his own neighborhood as the suspect’s last sighting.

• Kingsley Shacklebolt urged the gathered wizards to resist the Dark Lord, then exchanged contact information with Lin Ze and invited him to discuss the Knockturn Alley fight.
• Lin Ze received Olivia’s letter describing her new internship in France, her father’s concern, and her warning to stay safe.
• Lin Ze decided not to investigate the Port of Marseille matter further and went to sleep as rain fell.
• A woman demanded payment from Ignatius Prewett for potion ingredients and threatened to report his private potion-making.
• Lin Ze saw a wanted poster across the street that said the masked suspect was last sighted near Claire Street, where Lin Ze lived.

Lin Ze found records suggesting that Death Eaters were targeting Claire Street and possibly keeping him under surveillance, while attacks on the Hog's Head continued. He went to get lunch at the Ministry and spotted a crowd in the corridor.

• Lin Ze ran into Prewett, who feared a woman would report him over a customer’s reaction to his potion, and told him he had transferred to the Records Management Office.
• Lin Ze read that Death Eaters had attacked the Hog's Head again, injuring three Aurors, and wondered why they kept targeting it.
• Lin Ze received a Department of Magical Law Enforcement file from Kingsley Shacklebolt detailing suspicious activity on Claire Street.
• Lin Ze reviewed reports and concluded that Death Eater harassment in London was mostly probing, but their activity on Claire Street was unusually targeted and might be aimed at him.
• Lin Ze left for lunch after warning Pick about the canteen’s pumpkin soup, then saw a crowd in the corridor.

On October 31, Lin Ze saw Death Eaters gathering in Diagon Alley and heard Voldemort threaten the Ministry and demand the Potters. Though no longer an Auror, Lin Ze decided to face the attackers, walking alone toward at least thirty Death Eaters as the chapter ended.

• Lin Ze saw three Dark Marks over Diagon Alley and spoke with Mr. Fortescue, who kept his ice cream shop open despite the danger.
• At the Leaky Cauldron, Lin Ze heard the Ministry announce an emergency response and warn residents to evacuate or stay indoors.
• Lin Ze heard Voldemort threaten the Ministry and demand that it surrender the Potters, its minister, and other alleged traitors.
• Lin Ze decided to seek a place in the aftermath of Voldemort’s fall and left the Leaky Cauldron despite Old Tom’s warning.
• Lin Ze drew his wand and walked toward a group of at least thirty Death Eaters gathering at the southern end of Diagon Alley.

Lin Ze tried to avoid a group of Death Eaters in Diagon Alley, but he was dragged into a chase after a goblin’s tin box rolled to his feet. Cornered in a dead-end alley with the goblin and four Death Eaters, he tried to distract them by criticizing their masks.

• Lin Ze saw a large group of Death Eaters approaching and hid in a nearby alley, questioning whether his assumptions about the day’s timeline were reliable.
• A goblin fleeing four Death Eaters fell in the alley, and his tin box rolled to Lin Ze’s feet.
• Lin Ze threw the tin box at the leading Death Eater, then grabbed the goblin and escaped through a side door as spells struck the walls behind them.
• The goblin, who said he was a Gringotts treasure-hunting consultant, directed Lin Ze through the alleys as the Death Eaters pursued them.
• Lin Ze and the goblin reached a dead end, where four Death Eaters blocked their escape.
• Lin Ze set down the goblin and mocked the tall Death Eater’s mask, recommending that the group hire a professional designer.

Lin Ze fought Death Eaters trapped in a dead-end alley and was nearly overwhelmed by reinforcements. A runaway flying bicycle crashed into the Death Eaters blocking the entrance, leaving the outcome obscured by dust.

• Lin Ze distracted a tall Death Eater with questions about masks and the Dark Lord, then stunned him and fought the remaining three.
• Lin Ze tried to escape deeper into the alley but found a dead end as a rider on a flying bicycle passed overhead.
• Lin Ze disarmed and stunned one Death Eater, then defended himself against the two who remained.
• Six more Death Eaters entered the alley and trapped Lin Ze against the wall.
• The out-of-control bicycle returned and crashed into the six Death Eaters at the entrance, filling the alley with dust.

Lin Ze and a Gringotts goblin were saved from Death Eaters by a purple-robed cyclist who fell from the sky, then by Kingsley Shacklebolt. The cyclist mourned his wrecked bicycle, and Lin Ze asked who he was.

• A cyclist on a flying bicycle crashed into six or seven Death Eaters and helped Lin Ze and the goblin.
• The cyclist introduced his damaged wand and explained that his dog had chewed several of his wands.
• More Death Eaters approached, but Kingsley Shacklebolt struck them down with red spells and left without speaking.
• Lin Ze thanked the cyclist for saving him and asked who he was.

Lin Ze met Quinn Travers after they survived a fight with Death Eaters, then learned that Quinn lived near the Potter family in Godric's Hollow. The chapter ended with Lin Ze meeting Grot, a low-ranking Gringotts consultant who had been hiding with a tin box.

• Quinn Travers thanked Lin Ze for drawing the Death Eaters' fire and admitted that he had crashed into them because he could not brake in time.
• Quinn searched an unconscious Death Eater for valuables, then invited Lin Ze to visit his home in Godric's Hollow.
• Quinn described the Potter family and their newborn son, prompting Lin Ze to realize that Voldemort might attack them that night.
• Lin Ze used a Mending Charm on Quinn's wrecked bicycle, which Quinn happily rode despite its poor condition.
• Lin Ze remembered the goblin hiding in the corner, and the goblin introduced himself as Grot, a third-class consultant from Gringotts' London branch.

Lin Ze helped Grot reach Gringotts after a bicycle unexpectedly defeated the Death Eaters pursuing him, then returned home as Voldemort headed for the Potters’ cottage. He worried that Quinn, who lived next door to the Potters, might be caught up in the attack.

• Quinn rode away after giving Lin Ze two oranges, and Lin Ze worried that Quinn might be near the Potters’ home when Voldemort arrived that night.
• Lin Ze helped Grot to his feet and promised to escort him to Gringotts after Grot said his legs were too weak to walk.
• Ben Frick found Lin Ze, and Lin Ze claimed a falling Muggle bicycle had knocked down the Death Eaters while Grot confirmed his story.
• Lin Ze and Frick escorted Grot to Gringotts, where Grot thanked Lin Ze before going inside.
• Lin Ze returned to his attic, watched the evening sky, and worried that Quinn might be home during Voldemort’s attack on the Potters.

After Voldemort’s fall, Lin Ze returned to the Auror Office as assistant team leader of a new team tasked with investigating Death Eaters and their associates. He told Scrimgeour that he already had a long list of people to investigate.

• Lin Ze read the Daily Prophet’s report of Voldemort’s fall and watched the wizarding world celebrate.
• Lin Ze met Prewett, who celebrated the news and said his creditor had fled to France with her family.
• Lin Ze went to the Ministry of Magic and learned that his transfer to the Auror Office had been approved.
• Scrimgeour appointed Lin Ze assistant team leader of the newly formed Special Operations Team, which would investigate and arrest Death Eaters and their associates.
• Lin Ze asked Scrimgeour to investigate certain people first and said he had a long list of targets.

Lin Ze saw the cramped, poorly equipped office assigned to the Special Operations Team and met its first members. Amelia Bones thanked him for uncovering a suppressed report, while the team remained one member short.

• Scrimgeour showed Lin Ze the Special Operations Team's former storage-room office, which had a brick-wall view and broken furniture.
• Kingsley Shacklebolt and Ben Frick arrived and inspected the office.
• Amelia Bones arrived with Everett Banks and Reed Tonks, then asked Lin Ze about the letter he had written.
• Amelia told Lin Ze that someone had deliberately suppressed the report he found and that she was investigating the person responsible.
• Scrimgeour left the six assembled members to get acquainted, saying the final member could not attend that day.

Lin Ze outlined the Special Operations Team’s targets and evidence against Bodo Crabbe, Seymour Parkinson, and Lucius Malfoy. After Parkinson disappeared, Lin Ze directed the team to investigate the records and correspondence he left behind to uncover the wider Death Eater network.

• Lin Ze named Bodo Crabbe as the team’s first target and described evidence linking him to Death Eaters and smuggling through the Logistics Office.
• Lin Ze identified Seymour Parkinson and Lucius Malfoy as larger targets, citing tampered trial records and Malfoy’s alleged leaks and payments.
• Scrimgeour reported that Parkinson had gone missing after receiving a letter the previous night.
• Lin Ze suspected Amycus Carrow had warned Parkinson and said the Carrow brothers might be arranging escape routes.
• Lin Ze crossed out Parkinson’s name as an immediate target and told the team to trace the tampered trial records and his Death Eater correspondence.

Lin Ze and the Special Operations Team arrested Bodo Crabbe for colluding with Death Eaters, leaking Auror information, and framing a colleague. Crabbe’s arrest sent waves of fear through the Ministry as rumors spread that Lin Ze’s notebook contained evidence against many people.

• After reading news of the Dark Lord’s downfall and the Ministry’s anti-Death Eater operation, Crabbe packed to flee before Lin Ze arrived at his house.
• Kingsley Shacklebolt, Ben Frick, and Amelia Bones blocked Crabbe’s escape routes, and Amelia arrested him.
• Lin Ze confronted Crabbe with his notebook of evidence and said he was targeting all of them.
• The Special Operations Team returned to the Ministry, where news of Crabbe’s arrest and the rumored list made employees fear they might be next.
• Lin Ze read the Daily Prophet’s report on the arrest and praised the photograph Kingsley had taken.

Lin Ze’s team learned that Parkinson had fled toward the Scottish Highlands after the Carrow brothers rejected him, and they planned to question his wife for information. The new Minister, Millicent Bagnold, summoned the team and senior Ministry officials to a meeting the next morning, leaving Lin Ze confident she would treat them fairly.

• Ben asked why Goyle had not been arrested, and Lin Ze and Kingsley explained that Goyle had no direct ties to the Death Eaters and had been too foolish to know Crabbe’s plans.
• Amelia reported that Parkinson had tried to meet the Carrow brothers in Knockturn Alley, been turned away, and likely fled toward the Scottish Highlands.
• Lin Ze warned against pursuing Parkinson with limited manpower and gave Amelia interrogation techniques to use on Parkinson’s wife, who was already in custody.
• Amelia announced that Minister Millicent Bagnold had summoned the Special Operations Team and several senior officials to a meeting at nine the next morning.
• Lin Ze suspected someone had complained about the team’s investigation, but reassured Ben that Bagnold was principled and would not make an example of them.

Lin Ze and the Special Operations Team attended a Ministry meeting where Minister Millicent Bagnold raised criticism of their investigation methods. Lucius Malfoy defended his family and complained that the team was investigating his finances.

• Lin Ze arrived early at the Minister's Office and reassured Kingsley, then entered with the Special Operations Team.
• Millicent Bagnold commended the team but said voices within the Ministry questioned its broad investigations and arrests.
• Lucius Malfoy argued that social ties and pure-blood ancestry were not evidence of Death Eater sympathy, then claimed the team was investigating his funds.

Amelia challenged Malfoy over his access to confidential Special Operations Team information and pressed Minister Bagnold to investigate its sources. Bagnold deferred the request until after the meeting, leaving Malfoy's informants unidentified.

• Amelia confronted Malfoy about how he learned details of the Special Operations Team's financial investigation and said the leak required a thorough investigation.
• Fudge defended Malfoy, but Amelia asked him to identify who he had meant when warning against indiscriminate investigations of pure-blood families.
• Amelia argued that leaked information had already helped Parkinson flee and warned that other targets could escape if the leaks continued.
• Bagnold asked Malfoy to explain, and he claimed his old friends at the Ministry occasionally discussed its work with him.
• Amelia pressed Malfoy to name those friends, but he refused, citing social etiquette.
• Bagnold ended the debate and said she would discuss Amelia's request with Director Crouch after the meeting.

Lin Ze and Amelia confronted Lucius Malfoy during a Ministry meeting over the Special Operations Team’s investigation into Death Eater connections, and Bagnold praised Amelia while warning her of Malfoy’s influence. Back at their office, the team realized someone had leaked their investigation into Malfoy’s finances and suspected the leak came from within their own group.

• Lin Ze reported that the Special Operations Team had arrested Bodo Crabbe and identified suspects across the Ministry and among people outside it.
• Crouch warned that Death Eater infiltration formed a network across Ministry departments, while Bagnold defended the investigation and reassured Malfoy that he was not under suspicion without evidence.
• Malfoy demanded the names of the outside suspects, and Lin Ze refused to disclose them before the evidence reached the Wizengamot, insisting that the team would follow the evidence regardless of wealth or status.
• After the meeting, Bagnold warned Amelia that Malfoy would not overlook her public challenge, and Amelia said he should expect resistance if he tried to order the team around.
• Back in the team’s office, Lin Ze pointed out that Malfoy must have learned about their investigation into his finances, and the group concluded that someone among them might have leaked the information.