Chapter Summaries

Sean discussed the Ministry of Magic and Fudge’s political support with Gavin, then revealed that he wanted to remove Fudge as Minister. After the Death Eaters attacked the Quidditch World Cup, Sean learned that the Triwizard Tournament would be held that year but declined to compete.

• Sean asked Gavin whether the Wizengamot would side with the Ministry or Dumbledore, and Gavin explained that he would initially support Fudge before switching sides if Dumbledore gained the upper hand.
• Gavin told Sean that the Malfoys and other pure-blood families, including the Bulstrodes, supported Fudge, and that the Ministry’s apparent crackdowns on those families had been mostly a show.
• Sean told Gavin he wanted to drive Fudge from office and suggested himself as the next Minister, prompting Gavin to laugh with delight.
• The next morning, Sean saw The Daily Prophet’s front-page report of the Death Eaters’ attack at the Quidditch World Cup, which confirmed his prediction.
• Gavin told Sean that Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang would hold the Triwizard Tournament, but Sean declined to enter because he had other work to do.

Voldemort summoned Barty Crouch Jr. to help him recover the fragment of himself hidden in Sean, whose Slytherin treasure and power mattered more to him than Harry Potter. Meanwhile, Sean arranged for two orphanage children to attend Hogwarts and prepared to return for the school year, wary of Barty Crouch Jr. and his disguise as Mad-Eye Moody.

• Voldemort killed the old man outside the room and welcomed Barty Crouch Jr. as his loyal servant.
• Voldemort ordered Barty Crouch Jr. to bring him Sean so he could reclaim his other half and obtain Sean's body, and he said he also wanted Harry Potter.
• Skul questioned whether Voldemort was worthy of leading the Werewolves, but resolved to obey his father's decision and promised to bring Sean to Voldemort.
• Aldrich told Sean that two children had received Hogwarts letters after leaving Bulstrode Manor, and Sean insisted they should attend school.
• Sean read Rita Skeeter's report about the Ministry, planned papers on Transfiguration and alchemy, and prepared to watch for Barty Crouch Jr. disguised as Mad-Eye Moody.

Sean saw Aldrich bring Deli Byrne and Duke Byrne to the station before leaving for Hogwarts, where he explained that the Triwizard Tournament would replace Quidditch matches for the year. In the stormy arrival at Hogwarts, Sean protected himself from the rain and intervened when Peeves attacked students with water balloons.

• Aldrich introduced Deli Byrne and Duke Byrne as first-years, and Sean offered to help them if they ran into serious trouble at Hogwarts.
• Sean confirmed that Aldrich had prepared to cast the Fidelius Charm and warned him that the Magical World would become troublesome.
• On the Hogwarts Express, Sean told Blaise and Janson that Hogwarts would host the Triwizard Tournament and suspend Quidditch matches for the year.
• Sean used magic and an umbrella to stay dry in the heavy rain, then took a Thestral-drawn carriage to Hogwarts while the first-years traveled by boat.
• Sean saw Peeves pelting students with water balloons and Professor McGonagall slipping, then waved his Wand at Peeves.

Sean drove Peeves out of the Entrance Hall, then joined his friends at the Slytherin table for the Sorting Ceremony. Deli was sorted into Gryffindor, and the Sorting Hat deliberated over Duke as the chapter ended.

• Sean used a spell to send Peeves flying out of the Entrance Hall, and Professor McGonagall awarded Slytherin five points.
• Colin told Harry that his younger brother Dennis had started at Hogwarts and asked Harry to wish him luck getting into Gryffindor.
• Andy discussed the absent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor with Sean, Blaise, and their friends at the Slytherin table.
• Professor McGonagall brought the new students into the Great Hall, and Deli Byrne was immediately sorted into Gryffindor.
• Deli pouted at Sean over her Sorting, but smiled when he clapped and gave her a thumbs-up.
• The Sorting Hat deliberated over which House suited Duke Byrne as he sat beneath it.

Sean attended the start-of-term feast, where Dumbledore announced that Hogwarts would host the Triwizard Tournament and introduced Alastor Moody as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. As students returned to their houses, Snape summoned Sean to his office.

• Duke was sorted into Gryffindor, where he joined Deli, while Sean continued talking with Blaise and the others.
• Dumbledore announced that Quidditch was suspended for the year because a major event would occupy the staff.
• Alastor Moody arrived at the feast, and Dumbledore introduced him as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
• Dumbledore announced the Triwizard Tournament, explained its history, and said only students over seventeen could compete.
• Sean told Blaise that Hogwarts' representative would probably not come from Slytherin, and Blaise regretted that Sean could not compete because of the age limit.
• Snape appeared as Sean headed toward the Slytherin Common Room and summoned him to his office.

Snape told Sean to prepare for the Golden Cauldron Awards Ceremony and assigned him a demanding reading list as he worried that the Dark Lord’s return would soon leave him no time to teach Sean. On the first day of classes, Sean and the other students recoiled from Hagrid’s Blast-Ended Skrewts, and the lesson ended without progress.

• Snape told Sean he was likely to receive an award for his New Wolfsbane Potion and New Mind Recovery Potion, then asked about his plans for further research.
• Sean explained that he wanted to build up his knowledge before starting new research, and Snape gave him a reading list he would have to complete each month.
• After Sean left, Snape reflected on the Dark Mark, the Dark Lord’s return, and his need to teach Sean Potions before they might become enemies.
• Sean received his Time-Turner from Snape and attended Divination before heading to Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindor.
• Sean, Harry, and the other students refused to handle Hagrid’s Blast-Ended Skrewts, so the lesson ended without accomplishing anything.

Sean stopped Malfoy from attacking Harry from behind, then challenged Malfoy to defend his claims of pure-blood pride. At Moody’s first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Moody asked Sean to be his teaching assistant and threatened to keep deducting points from Slytherin if he refused.

• Malfoy mocked Ron with Rita Skeeter’s article and insulted Ron’s mother, so Harry mocked Malfoy’s mother in return.
• As Malfoy tried to curse Harry from behind, Sean disarmed him and condemned his cowardice and hypocrisy about pure-blood pride.
• Sean returned Malfoy’s Wand and invited him to duel, but Malfoy invoked his father and could not bring himself to raise his Wand.
• Sean left with Blaise and the others, and Malfoy departed with Goyle and Crabbe without answering Harry’s thanks.
• At lunch, Sean wondered why Moody had not appeared during the courtyard confrontation as he had expected.
• In the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Moody asked Sean to be his teaching assistant, and Sean refused; Moody threatened to deduct fifty points from Slytherin each time he refused.

Sean avoided being forced into a teaching assistant role by volunteering to help Moody, then used the lesson as a chance to face him in a duel. Moody demonstrated evasion and cover as ways to survive spells, and the lesson continued with Sean questioning the limits of that approach.

• Sean told Moody he could refuse the teaching assistant role and report unfair point deductions to Hogwarts staff.
• Moody asked Hermione to be his teaching assistant, but Sean volunteered instead and set limits on dangerous duties.
• Moody taught the class about the Shattering Curse and asked Sean to cast it at him.
• Sean cast the Shattering Curse, and Moody dodged behind the platform, leaving a crater where the spell struck.
• Moody advised students to evade spells and find cover, while Sean pointed out that they might not detect attacks or avoid spells from behind.

Sean tested Moody’s defenses against the Shattering Curse and earned a draw, while Moody’s unusual lesson and close observation left Sean wary. As the school year continued, professors tightened their teaching ahead of the O.W.L. exams, though Sean received special allowances in Transfiguration and Potions.

• Moody showed the class that Aguamenti could counter the Shattering Curse, then exchanged spells with Sean and blasted a gap through Sean’s water shield.
• Moody dismissed class, excused Sean from the written assignment, and left; the panel judged their duel a draw and awarded Sean Fire Charm LV3.
• Sean found Moody’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson unusually popular but wondered why Moody had skipped the Unforgivable Curses.
• Flitwick and McGonagall became stricter as the O.W.L. exams approached, while McGonagall let Sean skip Transfiguration after reviewing his work.
• Snape ignored Sean in Potions Class and let him read other Potions books, despite other students’ resentment of his special treatment.

Sean studied Alchemy with Nicolas Flamel before accompanying Snape to the Ministry of Magic for the Golden Cauldron Award ceremony. He arrived at the Wizengamot Administration and saw its members and other guests gathered inside.

• Sean showed Nicolas Flamel the Alchemical Puppet Dog from Castelobruxo, and Liza dismantled it for Nicolas to examine.
• Nicolas taught Sean Alchemy, explaining through his continued instruction that Sean was his hope for recreating Life Alchemy and helping make Liza truly alive.
• At the end of September, Sean dressed in formal robes and left the Slytherin Common Room with Snape for the award ceremony.
• Snape led Sean through the Floo Network to the Ministry of Magic and then to the Wizengamot Administration.
• Sean entered the grand, magically expanded hall and saw Wizengamot members and wizards gathered in conversation.

Sean attended the Golden Cauldron Awards Ceremony, where he met Damocles Bel and discussed their Potions research. The chapter ended as Dumbledore entered with two elderly wizards in crimson Wizengamot robes.

• Sean met Damocles Bel, who praised his Potions papers and proposed exchanging ideas about their research.
• Sean invited Snape to join him and Damocles for a photograph, crediting Snape as his teacher and the reviewer of his papers.
• Sean, Snape, and Damocles posed for The Daily Prophet reporter, then joined the others in conversation.
• Old Morgan approached Sean and tried to use Andy's supposed friendship with him to build a connection.
• Dumbledore entered with two elderly wizards wearing crimson Wizengamot robes, drawing everyone's attention.

At The Golden Cauldron awards ceremony, Dumbledore introduced Sean to Marchbanks and Ogden, who praised his talent and predicted he would win an award. As Sean took his front-row seat beside Snape, his grandparents arrived, and Elena showed concern for how hard he had worked.

• Dumbledore, Marchbanks, and Ogden approached Sean, and Dumbledore introduced him as an exceptionally gifted young wizard.
• Marchbanks praised Sean's examination results, while Ogden assured him that he would win an award.
• Damocles congratulated Sean and helped him mingle as the crowd became more enthusiastic, while Snape was left idle.
• Sean and Snape took their front-row seats when the awards hall opened, and Elena and her spouse sat beside them.
• Elena embraced Sean, asked whether he was tired, and told him she wanted to watch him receive his award.

Sean attended the Golden Cauldron Awards Ceremony, where he believed the Best Newcomer Award was beneath his achievements and that his true competition lay in the ceremony’s final award. The Best Newcomer Award went to another wizard, leaving the audience curious about Sean’s prospects.

• Gavin thanked Snape for helping teach Sean, and Snape credited Sean’s accomplishments to his own efforts.
• The editor-in-chief and Managing Editor arrived late after testing a thesis that failed to prove its claims.
• The host opened the Golden Cauldron Awards Ceremony and introduced its awards and nominees.
• A South African wizard won the Best Overseas Thesis Award for his Cough-Cure potion.
• Sean told Elena that his achievements had outgrown the newcomer category and that the final award was his true goal.
• A twenty-three-year-old wizard won the Best Newcomer Award for his inexpensive Underwater Breathing Potion, surprising the audience.

At the Golden Cauldron Awards Ceremony, Damocles Bel and Sean Bulstrode jointly won the Best Thesis Golden Cauldron Award for their work on werewolf transformations. The chapter ended with Dumbledore presenting their trophies and the host announcing that both would receive the Order of Merlin, Second Class.

• An elderly French wizard received the Lifetime Achievement Award and a Merlin's Order Third Class Badge from Amelia Bones.
• Sean Bulstrode appeared as the fourth nominee for the Best Thesis Golden Cauldron Award, drawing thunderous applause from the audience.
• The host announced that Damocles Bel and Sean Bulstrode had jointly won the award for their work on werewolf transformations.
• Elena, Gavin, and Snape applauded Sean as he went onstage and exchanged congratulations with Damocles.
• Dumbledore presented Damocles and Sean with gold cauldron trophies and pinned medals on them.
• The host announced that Damocles and Sean would each receive the Order of Merlin, Second Class.

Sean received the Best Thesis Golden Cauldron Award and an Order of Merlin Second Class, then returned to Hogwarts and finally ate after a long banquet. He left his classmates stunned by the news and suggested the honors should earn Slytherin a hundred points.

• Sean received an Order of Merlin Second Class for his work on the New Wolfsbane Potion and attended the Wizengamot banquet as the grand prize winner.
• Sean said goodbye to Elena and returned to Hogwarts with Snape through the Floo Network.
• Snape summoned food, and Sean ate two tablefuls before returning to the Slytherin Common Room and napping.
• Blaise, Andy, and Janson woke Sean to confirm that he had won the Golden Cauldron Award and the Order of Merlin Second Class.
• Sean showed the medal to Blaise and the others and proposed that his awards earn Slytherin a hundred points.

Sean began building a device to extract magic from a core and explored adding ideas from Alchemical Puppets, while Professor Babbling answered his advanced questions about alchemy and Ancient Runes. The chapter ended with Hogwarts preparing for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to arrive on October 30.

• Sean submitted an application to Snape for a large number of House points after receiving the Best Thesis Golden Cauldron Award and the Order of Merlin Second Class.
• Sean spent the evening working with Antonius on a component for a device that could stably extract magic from a core.
• Sean asked Nicholas whether he could incorporate ideas from Alchemical Puppets, and Nicholas said the design might eventually help its user cast magic but would be difficult to refine.
• Sean asked Professor Babbling advanced questions about alchemy and Ancient Runes, and she answered after realizing he had genuinely encountered the problems in his research.
• Hogwarts posted a notice that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would arrive on October 30, and students discussed the visitors and the early end to Friday afternoon classes.

As Hogwarts prepared to welcome the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang representatives, Hermione asked Sean for advice about her campaign for House-elf rights. Sean urged her to learn about House-elves before trying to help them, then waited with Blaise, Andy, and Janson for the visitors to arrive.

• Hogwarts students and staff cleaned and decorated the school ahead of the visitors’ arrival.
• Hermione showed Sean her S.P.E.W. badge and asked whether Hogwarts enslaved House-elves.
• Sean supported Hermione’s goal but advised her to understand House-elves and their perspectives before making a plan, and Hermione agreed to investigate.
• Sean and Blaise attended Charms class, then joined Andy and Janson outside to await the visitors.
• Sean told Andy that Beauxbatons would probably arrive in a carriage pulled by Enchanted Horses.

Madame Maxime and the Beauxbatons students arrived at Hogwarts, followed by Igor Karkaroff and the Durmstrang delegation. Sean spotted Fleur among the Beauxbatons students and watched Dumbledore greet Karkaroff as the visiting groups headed inside.

• A house-like carriage drawn by twelve Enchanted Horses landed at Hogwarts, and Madame Maxime greeted Dumbledore before leading the Beauxbatons students out.
• Sean spotted Fleur among the Beauxbatons students, and Fleur blinked at him as she followed Maxime toward the castle.
• Maxime asked Dumbledore to ensure her Enchanted Horses were cared for and said they drank single-malt whisky.
• A ship rose from the Black Lake, bringing the Durmstrang students and professors to shore.
• Igor Karkaroff greeted Dumbledore warmly, while Sean recalled Karkaroff's past as a Death Eater and privately scorned his friendliness.

Sean watched the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations arrive and considered how he could obtain the Horcruxes before others found them. The feast began with the tournament’s judges announced, and Pheobe sat beside Sean, drawing attention from students across Hogwarts.

• Karkaroff brought Viktor Krum into the Great Hall, where the Hogwarts students became excited to see him.
• Sean reviewed the known Horcruxes and considered which ones he could reach before the Order of the Phoenix or Voldemort’s followers.
• Dumbledore introduced Maxime, Karkaroff, Bagman, and Crouch as the Triwizard Tournament judging panel and invited everyone to eat.
• The Durmstrang students joined the Slytherin table, while most Beauxbatons students sat with Ravenclaw.
• Pheobe sat beside Sean, and he remembered her fondness for French fish soup and served it to her.
• Malfoy watched Pheobe smile and found Krum less appealing.

Dumbledore introduced the Goblet of Fire and explained how it would choose the Triwizard Tournament champions, then Sean returned to the Slytherin Common Room after seeing Moody confront Karkaroff. He ended the day reading about Alchemy until Kulkan woke up.

• Dumbledore revealed the Goblet of Fire, outlined the three tasks, and warned that entering the tournament created a binding Magic Contract.
• Pheobe said goodbye to Sean and rejoined Madame Maxime, who questioned her about him.
• Sean confirmed to Blaise that Pheobe was his Beauxbatons friend, Pheobe Delacour.
• Moody confronted Karkaroff while Harry stood nearby, and Karkaroff led the Durmstrang students out of the Great Hall.
• Sean returned to his room in the Slytherin Common Room to read about Alchemy, and Kulkan woke up.