Chapter Summaries

Lupin taught the students how to identify and repel a Boggart with the Riddikulus spell. During the exercise, Neville transformed a Boggart resembling Snape, while Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe were terrified when it repeatedly took Sean’s form.

• Lupin demonstrated that a Boggart became a ridiculous cockroach after he cast Riddikulus on the moon it had become.
• Hermione explained what a Boggart was, and Harry said groups could confuse it by giving it many fears to choose from.
• The students took turns facing the Boggart, and Neville turned its Snape form into a man wearing a frilly dress and carrying a handbag.
• Malfoy stepped forward, and the Boggart became Sean, whom Malfoy feared most.
• Malfoy failed to cast Riddikulus and pulled Goyle and Crabbe in front of him, but the Boggart kept changing into Sean attacking each of them, leaving all three screaming.

Sean finished replacing the second material for the Wolfsbane Potion and continued his studies as Lupin’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons became popular. Professor McGonagall offered to help Sean with the Alchemy research delaying his Transfiguration paper.

• The Boggart transformed into a Troll with Sean’s head, then became Gavin, whom Sean banished with Riddikulus.
• Lupin kept Harry from facing the Boggart and taught the class about hostile magical creatures, while Malfoy disparaged Lupin after being embarrassed in class.
• Sean completed a replacement for the Wolfsbane Potion’s second material and confirmed its feasibility with Snape.
• Abby Bull joined the Potions Club as its fifth member after years of working to qualify.
• Sean explained the third stage of Transfiguration at the Firwood Club, then told Professor McGonagall that his paper was delayed by his Alchemy research.
• Professor McGonagall offered to contact wizards skilled in Alchemy to advise Sean.

Sean attended Professor Babbling’s Ancient Runes lesson and questioned her after class, then saw Ron and Hermione arguing over Scabbers and Crookshanks while waiting for Herbology. He understood why Ron was so protective of Scabbers but kept his plan to capture Peter Pettigrew and pursue becoming an Animagus.

• Professor Babbling taught five Ancient Runes with concrete meanings and assigned an essay on their uses.
• Sean questioned Professor Babbling for nearly forty minutes after class, and she vanished as soon as she left the classroom.
• As Quidditch season intensified, Sean and Blaise waited outside the greenhouses for Professor Sprout.
• Sean saw Ron and Hermione arguing over Scabbers and Crookshanks, and he understood why Ron considered Scabbers his only truly personal possession.
• Sean decided that capturing Peter Pettigrew and pursuing Animagus transformation still had to be put on his agenda.

Sean delivered Snape’s newly brewed Wolfsbane Potion, made with Sean’s substitute ingredients, to Lupin for testing. Before leaving, Sean arranged for Lupin to teach him the Patronus Charm on Friday and Saturday evenings.

• Sean visited Snape’s office and learned that Snape had brewed a Wolfsbane Potion using Sean’s substitute ingredients for Lupin to test.
• Snape told Sean to deliver the potion to Lupin and said he planned to use Lupin to test Sean’s New Wolfsbane Potion.
• Sean brought the potion to Lupin, who thanked Snape for brewing it and accepted the bottle.
• Sean asked Lupin to teach him the Patronus Charm because he feared the Dementors; they agreed to meet on Friday and Saturday evenings at seven.

After Sirius Black was reported inside Hogwarts, Sean discussed Kulkan’s growth and newly awakened abilities with her. They planned to use her invisibility and adjustable size to catch the rat in Gryffindor, and the school’s order to gather in the Great Hall gave them an opportunity to act.

• The Fat Lady’s portrait was torn apart, and Peeves identified Sirius Black as the attacker, spreading panic through Hogwarts.
• Kulkan woke hungry, and Sean fed her while worrying that her enormous size would make it impossible to keep her in the Slytherin Common Room.
• Kulkan shrank herself and explained that magical food had awakened abilities to change her size, conceal herself, and briefly petrify people with her eyes.
• Sean asked Kulkan to help catch the rat in Gryffindor, and she agreed.
• Slytherin students were ordered to spend the night in the Great Hall while professors searched for Sirius Black, giving Sean and Kulkan a chance to pursue Scabbers.

While Hogwarts slept in the Great Hall during the search for Sirius Black, Kulkan hunted for Scabbers and discovered that a black dog was using a hidden passage to reach the Forbidden Forest. The next morning, Kulkan told Sean what he had found, while Peter Pettigrew remained hidden in a wall crack near the Gryffindor Common Room.

• Sean silenced Goyle and Crabbe’s snores with a spell, and Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick watched without intervening.
• Peter Pettigrew left Ron and Harry’s room to escape the empty Gryffindor Common Room, but Crookshanks chased him into a crack in the wall.
• Peter Pettigrew stayed hidden until the children returned the next morning.
• Kulkan returned to the Slytherin Common Room, where Sean summoned food for him.
• Kulkan told Sean that he had seen no rats in the Gryffindor Common Room but had followed a black dog through a concealed passage to the Forbidden Forest.

As Quidditch season approached, Sean trained the Patronus Charm with Lupin using a Boggart disguised as a Dementor. Sean produced the outline of a corporeal Patronus and discovered that defeating the Boggart had earned him one of its abilities.

• After the professors found no clues in Hogwarts Castle, Sean left Sirius Black’s hiding place in the Forbidden Forest alone and focused on preparing for the approaching Quidditch season.
• Sean intensified his Patronus training with Lupin, who proposed using a Boggart transformed into a Dementor for practice.
• Lupin used the Confundus Charm on the Boggart, and its Dementor form brought Sean’s painful memories of dying alone in a hospital rushing back.
• Sean recalled happy moments with his friends and family, then cast the Patronus Charm and drove the Boggart-Dementor back into the wardrobe with a faint, slender Patronus.
• Sean saw a notification from the panel and realized that defeating the Boggart had granted him its ability.

Sean gained the Shadow of the Boggart spell, advanced his Patronus Charm, and gave Lupin Wolfsbane Potion while keeping his secret. As Quidditch season approached under worsening weather, Blaise complained that Slytherin was using Malfoy's supposedly injured arm to avoid playing Gryffindor.

• Sean received Shadow of the Boggart LV3, a spell that created large-scale illusions based on its targets' greatest fears.
• Lupin told Sean he had mastered the Patronus Charm, and Sean gave him Wolfsbane Potion as thanks for his instruction.
• Sean assured Lupin he would keep his werewolf secret, though he warned that others at Hogwarts might discover it.
• Sean abandoned his plan to restart the Dueling Club because he lacked time and other students could not offer useful duels.
• Blaise told Sean that Slytherin had rearranged the Quidditch match order, claiming Malfoy's arm was injured to avoid facing Gryffindor in the bad weather.

Sean and Blaise discussed Blaise’s frustration with Slytherin’s Quidditch team before attending Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Snape substituted for Lupin. Snape disciplined Harry and Hermione, then began teaching the class about werewolves.

• Blaise vented to Sean about Slytherin’s Quidditch team and said he had lost interest in dating.
• Sean and Blaise arrived early for Defense Against the Dark Arts and saw Snape take over the class.
• Snape announced that Lupin was absent for private health reasons and said he would substitute.
• Snape deducted points from Gryffindor when Harry arrived late and refused to sit down until Snape ordered him to.
• Snape deducted five points when Hermione tried to explain what the class had studied, then criticized Lupin’s teaching progress.
• Snape directed the students to the last chapter of their textbooks and announced that he would teach them how to deal with werewolves.

Sean discovered that his third ingredient replacement conflicted with the first, then completed the first phase of his research after working through the night. At a rainy Quidditch match, Harry fell from the sky as Dementors swept toward the stands.

• Snape told Sean that the third ingredient replacement made the potion explode when combined with the first replacement, so Sean decided to seek alternatives.
• Sean worked on calculations in the library, then continued through the night in the Room of Requirement.
• Sean arrived at the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match and told Blaise, Andy, and Janson that he had finished his paper and the first phase of research.
• Harry fell while chasing the Golden Snitch, and Dementors flew from the clouds toward the students in the stands.

Sean protected Blaise, Janson, and Andy from the Dementors with his Patronus Charm until Dumbledore drove the creatures away. After the interrupted Quidditch match ended in Hufflepuff’s victory, Sean rested and learned that Snape had approved his paper for submission to The Golden Cauldron.

• Sean cast the Patronus Charm to shield Blaise and the others as three Dementors attacked them.
• Blaise, Janson, and Andy stood in front of Sean, giving him time to strengthen his Patronus and drive the Dementors back.
• Dumbledore arrived and expelled all the Dementors with a powerful silvery-white barrier.
• The Quidditch match resumed, and Cedric Diggory caught the Golden Snitch for Hufflepuff after Harry fainted.
• Sean rested over the weekend, visited Harry, and received word from Snape that his paper could be submitted to The Golden Cauldron.

Sean finished the first stage of his Wolfsbane Potion research and extracted Pain Siphon and Frost Domain from the three Dementors he defeated. Back at Hogwarts, Andy told him the New Mind Recovery Potion was selling well, and Jennifer Flea came to find Sean for a talk.

• Sean sent off his completed first-stage research and considered how to approach replacing more Wolfsbane Potion ingredients.
• Sean’s panel converted the first Dementor’s Kiss into Pain Siphon LV2, while the other Dementors granted Pain Siphon LV1 and Frost Domain LV2.
• Sean considered seeking out more magical creatures to gain abilities, though he thought powerful wizards offered higher-level spells.
• Andy told Sean that the New Mind Recovery Potion was selling briskly and said he had prepared Sean’s share of the money for the next day.
• Jennifer Flea stopped Sean near the boys’ dormitory and said she had come to talk to him.

Jennifer told Sean that the Slytherin Brotherhood had invited him to join and asked him to help her oppose Oliver, but Sean declined to join and said he would not act against Oliver for now. After searching for the rat with Kulkan and studying Alchemy, Sean heard Madam Pince offer to recommend him a teacher.

• Jennifer told Sean she had joined the Slytherin Brotherhood Reserve Organization and invited him to join the Slytherin Brotherhood, then asked him to help her deal with Oliver.
• Sean refused to join and declined to oppose Oliver alongside Jennifer, at least for now.
• Jennifer left the boys' dormitory pleased with Sean's answer, and Sean spoke with Kulkan about her hearing their conversation.
• Sean asked Kulkan to search for the rat again, and she ate before setting off toward the Gryffindor Common Room.
• Sean studied Alchemy in the library, where Madam Pince offered to recommend him a teacher.

Sean found Antonius, a ghost who taught Alchemy, and earned his offer of instruction. Antonius asked Sean to finish the research he had been forced to abandon when he died.

• Madam Pince told Sean that Antonius, a ghost with an obsession, appeared in an empty third-floor classroom on weekends and might teach him Alchemy.
• Sean arrived early to meet Antonius, but the ghost ignored his attempts to speak until Sean began drawing Alchemy Arrays.
• Antonius criticized Sean’s crude Arrays, read his notes, and agreed to teach him from the beginning.
• Antonius explained that he had died before completing his research and asked Sean to continue it and finish his paper.

Sean convinced Antonius to take him on as an Alchemy apprentice, and Antonius set lessons and assigned him books to collect from Gringotts. Their discussion of Nicolas Flamel ended when Antonius abruptly disappeared, leaving Sean to wait for their next lesson.

• Sean showed Antonius his published papers in The Golden Cauldron, and Antonius praised his research ability after learning he was a third-year Slytherin.
• Antonius made Sean his apprentice and scheduled Alchemy lessons for Saturday and Sunday evenings, with additional study during the week.
• Antonius told Sean to retrieve lesson books from his Gringotts vault before their next class and promised to provide holiday study materials.
• Sean told Antonius that Nicolas Flamel had created the Philosopher's Stone, exciting Antonius, who wanted to speak with him.
• As Sean offered to contact a friend of Flamel's, Antonius abruptly left the classroom and disappeared, so Sean gathered his things and decided to return the following Saturday.

Sean helped Hermione think through her suspicions about Lupin being a werewolf, while dismissing rumors about their conversation. Hermione left with her main question answered but still had doubts, and Sean returned to his research.

• Snape deducted fifty points from Gryffindor after Harry threw a cow heart at Malfoy, while Sean earned points for Slytherin.
• Hermione asked Sean about Lupin, and Sean told her he had delivered Snape’s Wolfsbane Potion to him.
• Sean urged Hermione to judge Lupin by his character rather than fear him for being a werewolf.
• Hermione asked Sean what he thought of Lupin, and Sean said he acknowledged Lupin’s teaching ability but did not particularly like him.
• Blaise asked Sean about his conversation with Hermione, and Sean dismissed rumors that she had been trying to seduce him.

The Golden Cauldron’s editors verified Sean Bulstrode’s Wolfsbane Potion research and accepted it for publication in the journal’s second position. At Bulstrode Manor, Gavin told Elena about Sean’s latest achievement, and she celebrated his growing reputation as a Potions expert.

• The Managing Editor brewed Wolfsbane Potion using Sean Bulstrode’s substitute ingredients and confirmed the recipe worked.
• The Managing Editor showed Sean’s paper to the editor-in-chief, who learned the substitutions cut the potion’s cost by about thirty percent and recognized that Sean’s research had further stages.
• The editor-in-chief assigned the paper the journal’s second position, judging it important but not yet revolutionary.
• A Snowy Owl delivered Gavin a letter informing him that Sean’s third paper had passed review and would appear in The Golden Cauldron.
• Gavin explained the journal’s prestige to Elena, who praised Sean as a remarkable grandson and Potions master.

Sean pressed Professor Babbling for answers about Ancient Runes, then discussed the response to his research paper with Snape. Snape suggested researching a Binding Agent, but reacted with scorn when Sean proposed they publish together.

• Sean asked Professor Babbling what first-level Ancient Runes formed the second-level Rune life, but she dismissed the question as beyond his current abilities.
• When class ended, Sean raced across the desks to block Professor Babbling from leaving and made her answer his questions for another hour.
• Professor Babbling vanished after leaving the classroom, and Sean suspected that an agreement or restriction compelled her to answer him.
• Sean planned to meet Aldrich in Hogsmeade on Saturday and have him take Sean to Diagon Alley, and added learning Apparition to his schedule.
• Snape reassured Sean that opposition to his paper came from vested interests and suggested researching a Binding Agent to help the second-stage materials fuse.
• Sean offered to co-author the paper with Snape, who mocked the suggestion and asked whether Sean expected him to serve like a beast of burden.

Sean met Aldrich in Hogsmeade and traveled with him to Gringotts to retrieve Antonius Hopkins's belongings. After giving the correct password, Sean obtained twenty-three of Antonius's books and manuscripts, leaving the vault with them.

• Sean left Hogwarts during Hogsmeade weekend and met Aldrich at the Three Broomsticks.
• Sean and Aldrich Apparated from the mountains near Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley and entered Gringotts.
• Sean told a goblin that he had come to retrieve Antonius Hopkins's belongings and gave the password, "Knowledge."
• The goblin led Sean and Aldrich to Antonius's vault, where Sean saw treasure, magical objects, and many manuscripts.
• Sean took twenty-three of Antonius's books and left the vault with Aldrich.

Sean discussed the Orphanage children’s future with Aldrich, then returned to Hogwarts and began his first formal Alchemy lesson with Antonius. The chapter ended as Antonius started teaching him the fundamentals of Alchemy.

• Sean told Aldrich he hoped to send the Orphanage children to Hogwarts and asked him to keep the plan secret until it was confirmed.
• Sean returned to Hogwarts through the snow, gave sweets to Slytherin students, and promised Kulkan he would try to get her dragon meat next year.
• Sean ate dinner with Blaise and went to the third-floor classroom for his lesson with Antonius.
• Antonius asked Sean to write to a friend of Nicolas Flamel once they were nearly finished with their studies.
• Antonius selected three Alchemy books and began teaching Sean from Swinmore’s Notes on the Fundamentals of Alchemy.