Chapter Summaries

Sean and Blaise trained through the cold as Hogwarts’ Quidditch season began, and Slytherin faced Gryffindor in the first match. Harry nearly caught the Golden Snitch before his Nimbus 2000 suddenly began bucking out of control.

• Sean and Blaise continued their early-morning physical training, which Sean had begun to strengthen the effects of his Troll-derived talents.
• Blaise told Sean that Slytherin would face Gryffindor and that Hufflepuff would play Ravenclaw in the other match.
• Sean watched from the Slytherin section as Harry and the Gryffindor team took the pitch, then saw Slytherin reveal Malfoy and a team equipped with Nimbus 2000s.
• Harry and Malfoy raced for the Golden Snitch, but Harry’s Nimbus 2000 began shaking and bucking wildly just as he was about to catch it.

Sean stopped Quirrell from jinxing Harry by punching him out of his seat, ending the spell and letting Harry resume the Quidditch match. Gryffindor won when Harry caught the Golden Snitch, while the defeated Slytherins left blaming Malfoy’s Seeker skills.

• Sean spotted Quirrell secretly jinxing Harry’s broom and left the Slytherin stands to intervene.
• Sean realized physical force was more likely to hurt Quirrell and smashed the chair beneath him with a powerful punch.
• Quirrell was sent flying, Snape saw Sean fleeing, and the professors rescued Quirrell as Harry regained control of his broom.
• Harry resumed the match and caught the Golden Snitch, securing Gryffindor’s victory.
• The Slytherins left the pitch resentful, with many blaming Malfoy for failing to catch the Snitch.

Sean asked Andy to obtain ingredients for Smartening Potion while continuing to supply Mind Recovery Potions, and Blaise revealed that someone was targeting Andy’s business. The chapter left two older students planning to drive Sean out as a supplier so Andy would lose his Hogwarts customers.

• Sean asked Andy to obtain Scarab Beetles, Ginger Root, and Armadillo Bile so he could brew Smartening Potion for himself.
• Andy asked Sean to increase his Mind Recovery Potion supply because orders had filled his schedule into the following month, but Sean refused.
• Blaise told Sean that Dorian Cooke had poached two of Andy’s suppliers and that his family was investigating who backed Cooke.
• Sean went to the Potions Club while Blaise left to meet his girlfriend.
• Two older students discussed Sean’s brewing skill and agreed to target him so Andy would lose his supply of Mind Recovery Potions.

Snape warned Sean Bulstrode to keep his distance from Harry and assigned him more books to read. After Tarkoon confronted Sean over his friendship with Andy and attacked him, Snape intervened before their duel could begin.

• Snape warned Sean not to get too close to Harry, then handed him another reading list and told him to finish it within half a month.
• Tarkoon stopped Sean in the corridor and told him to stay away from Andy.
• Tarkoon attacked Sean with a spell, and Sean blocked it before their spells collided.
• Sean and Tarkoon prepared to continue the fight, but Snape arrived and ordered Tarkoon to lower his Wand.
• Tarkoon lowered his Wand and claimed the attack had been an accident.

After Tarkoon threatened him, Sean decided to kill him without being implicated and found a secret curse in Gavin's Notes. He planned to obtain Unicorn blood and Tarkoon's hair, blood, or teeth, but still needed to figure out how to reach Hogsmeade unnoticed.

• Snape warned Sean that Tarkoon was a dangerous pure-blood supremacist and told him to stay away.
• Sean decided Tarkoon had to die and wondered how to kill him without leaving evidence against himself.
• Dorian Cooke apologized for Tarkoon and gave Sean a pouch of Galleons, while Sean recognized their attempt to play good cop and bad cop.
• Sean read Gavin's Notes and found a curse that could be cast by a weak wizard and concealed from investigators.
• Sean realized the curse required powerful magical creature blood and something belonging to Tarkoon, and considered using Unicorn blood and acting when Tarkoon visited Hogsmeade.

Sean prepared to kill Tarkoon by secretly gathering potion ingredients, learning the Disillusionment Charm, and brewing Polyjuice Potion. With Hogsmeade weekend approaching, he decided to target Tarkoon at the Hog's Head Inn and take his hair, blood, and teeth.

• Sean asked Andy to gather potion materials while concealing his real purpose, and also obtained ingredients through Samuel, Ilina, and a Ravenclaw student.
• Sean ruled out two Hogwarts passages to Hogsmeade and chose the route from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, planning to use the Disillusionment Charm.
• Sean traded jokes with Blaise, who respected Sean's wish not to discuss what he was working on.
• After nearly half a month of practice, Sean gained a preliminary grasp of the Disillusionment Charm and brewed enough Polyjuice Potion, spending nearly all his savings.
• Sean learned that Tarkoon visited the Hog's Head Inn on Hogsmeade weekends and decided to take his hair, blood, and teeth there.

Sean disguised himself as a drunk to ambush Tarkoon in Hogsmeade and collect his hair, teeth, and blood. After escaping and changing appearances several times, Sean returned to Hogwarts and resumed reading in the library.

• Sean used the Whomping Willow passage to reach the Shrieking Shack, drank Polyjuice Potion made with a drunk's hair, and entered the Hog's Head Inn disguised as the drunk.
• Sean waited for Tarkoon, then collided with him as he left the inn and sent him flying through the doorway.
• Sean disarmed Tarkoon, crushed his hand bones, broke his Wand, and slapped out several teeth before taking his hair, blood, and teeth.
• Sean fled the inn, changed appearances twice in Hogsmeade, and returned to the Shrieking Shack to preserve the materials he had collected.
• Sean used the passage beneath the Whomping Willow to return to Hogwarts, restored his appearance, and went to the library to read.

Sean reflected on his plan to obtain Unicorn blood after hearing that no one suspected him of beating Tarkoon. Dorian Cooke then invited Sean to leave his partnership with Andy for a more profitable potion business, and Sean recognized that Dorian underestimated his connections.

• Sean heard students discussing Tarkoon's beating and concluded that Hogwarts had not linked him to the incident.
• Sean considered obtaining Unicorn blood as the last remaining obstacle to his plans, noting that Hagrid guarded the baby dragon too closely.
• Dorian Cooke invited Sean to tea in the Slytherin Common Room, where Sean asked what he wanted to discuss.
• Dorian offered Sean a larger market, greater earnings, and a possible future job if he replaced Andy as his potion-trading partner.
• Sean found Dorian's offer tempting but realized Dorian did not understand how close Sean was to the Bulstrode family.

Sean refused Dorian's offer and reassured Andy that their partnership would continue after learning that Andy's eldest brother was using Dorian to sabotage him in the Morgan family's succession contest. The next morning, Sean saw that the Gryffindor trio and Malfoy had lost points for wandering the castle at night.

• Sean returned to his room, where Andy asked to speak with him about seeing him talking to Dorian.
• Sean promised Andy he would not work with Dorian and asked who was behind the effort to target him.
• Andy revealed that Dorian worked for his eldest brother, who was trying to sabotage Andy's efforts to build capital for the Morgan family succession.
• Sean promised Andy he would let him handle the sales of all his Hogwarts potions as long as Andy did not betray him.
• The next morning, Sean and Blaise saw that Gryffindor had lost 150 points and Slytherin had also lost points after the Gryffindor trio and Malfoy were caught wandering the castle at night.

Sean followed Harry and the others into the Forbidden Forest, hoping to collect a drop of fresh Unicorn blood without being detected. After a Centaur drove Quirrell away from the dead Unicorn, Sean sent Kulkan forward to draw the blood while he stayed hidden.

• Sean gave Blaise his notes to help him study for the approaching exams.
• Sean overheard Malfoy complain that he had been assigned detention in the Forbidden Forest and decided to follow Harry and the others there.
• Sean followed Malfoy, Harry, and Hagrid into the forest, avoiding detection and passing traces of old Unicorn blood.
• Harry and Malfoy found a dead Unicorn, where Quirrell was drinking its blood; Quirrell moved to attack Harry but a Centaur drove him away.
• Sean released Kulkan and sent him through the grass to draw blood from the Unicorn while Sean remained concealed.

Sean stole Unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest, then escaped Quirrell by tricking him into thinking Dumbledore had arrived and setting the forest ablaze. After the professors extinguished the fire, Dumbledore confronted Snape about whether he would still do anything to protect Lily’s son now that Voldemort might be alive.

• Kulkan collected Unicorn blood for Sean while Firenze took Harry away.
• Sean discovered Quirrell behind him and pretended that Dumbledore and the professors had arrived.
• Quirrell fled in panic, and Sean set the Forbidden Forest ablaze as he escaped.
• Voldemort rebuked Quirrell for falling for Sean’s trick, then ordered him to leave and return as a professor to help put out the fire.
• Dumbledore and the professors extinguished the blaze, and Snape told Dumbledore about Harry’s scar reacting to the shadow.
• Dumbledore told Snape that Tom might have survived and asked whether Snape would still pay any price to protect Lily’s son.

Sean returned safely to Hogwarts, turned down Dorian’s offer to work together, and learned from Blaise that Dorian’s associates had retaliated against someone who rejected them. Dorian then agreed to let Tarkoon target Sean, while Kulkan showed unexplained signs of change.

• Sean evaded the professors and Filch, returned to the Slytherin Common Room, and fell asleep without noticing silvery-white liquid on Kulkan’s mouth.
• Sean rejected Dorian’s invitation, saying his existing cooperation with Andy was enough, and Dorian left.
• Blaise warned Sean that someone who had rejected Dorian was later taught a lesson, but Sean said he would stay alert.
• Sean noticed Kulkan seemed larger and still asleep, then planned to ask Professor Kettleburn about it.
• Tarkoon urged Dorian to punish Sean, and Dorian agreed to let Tarkoon handle the matter.

Sean encountered Ma Nan and Jiding, two Slytherin students sent by Tarkoon to ambush him, and defeated them with vines, fire, magic, and his physical strength. Snape arrived afterward, covered up the fight as a failed experiment, and sent Sean back to rest.

• Ma Nan and Jiding waited near the Slytherin Common Room to take Sean away on Tarkoon's orders.
• Sean refused their demand and summoned Thorn Vines to shield himself from their spells.
• Sean set the vines ablaze and sent burning vines toward Ma Nan and Jiding, who used water to extinguish them.
• Sean rushed through the steam, slammed Jiding and Ma Nan against the floor and wall, and knocked them both unconscious.
• Snape arrived and told Sean to leave while claiming Ma Nan and Jiding had been injured in a failed magical experiment.

After defeating Ma Nan and Jiding, Sean gained the Cutting Curse and improved his Expelliarmus, then secretly left Hogwarts to perform a curse ritual using materials tied to his enemy. The ritual succeeded, leaving a silver-haloed seed of flesh and blood buried beneath the collapsed altar.

• Sean obtained Cutting Curse LV1 from Ma Nan and gained another level of experience with Expelliarmus from Jiding.
• Sean considered how his Troll Strength and Troll Hide talents would help him in future duels and decided to perform a curse outside Hogwarts.
• Sean used the passage beneath the Whomping Willow to reach the Shrieking Shack, then found a secluded grove near a stream and prepared an altar.
• Sean used Tarkoon's tooth, diluted enemy blood, hair, and Unicorn Blood to form a tiny figure and brand it with a mysterious rune.
• Sean completed the curse as the figure and rune became a silver-haloed seed that was buried beneath the altar fragments.

Sean planted the Seed of Curse, and Tarkoon soon died after it caused his body to age rapidly. Dumbledore and Snape accepted Madam Pomfrey’s assessment of heart failure, while Dumbledore learned that Tarkoon had been a Dark Magic enthusiast and pure-blood supremacist.

• Sean used his last bottles of potion to erase traces of Dark Magic before heading toward the Shrieking Shack.
• The curse entered Tarkoon’s heart in his sleep, leaving him sickly and exhausted, though he felt energetic again the next morning.
• Tarkoon ate breakfast with Dorian, then grew tired during the afternoon and died after returning to his room to rest.
• Madam Pomfrey found that Tarkoon’s internal organs, especially his heart, had aged severely, but she detected no trace of magic.
• Dumbledore and Snape discussed Tarkoon, and Snape described his Dark Magic research, pure-blood supremacist beliefs, and secret attacks on Muggle-born students.

Sean used a highly secretive curse to kill Tarkoon and believed he had eliminated an obstacle, while Dumbledore later traced the attacker’s movements but lost the trail. Dumbledore was left wondering whether the unknown attacker was connected to Quirrell and why they had targeted Mr. Hunt.

• Sean watched Tarkoon’s body being taken away and told Blaise that his preparations had worked; Blaise agreed to keep what happened secret.
• Tarkoon’s death was reported as a sudden illness, and the Hunter family’s investigator found no evidence of a curse.
• Sean reflected on Gavin’s mysterious notes and planned to focus on exams before Harry and the others acted on the trapdoor.
• Dumbledore used the Retrace Spell outside the Hog’s Head Inn and saw a disguised Sean take Tarkoon’s tooth after the attack.
• Dumbledore followed the Golden Sand as the attacker changed forms with Polyjuice Potion, but the trail ended when the potion’s scent changed.

As final exams approached, Sean continued helping Blaise study while keeping up with his own revision and Potions Club work. He turned down Jennifer Flea’s offer to sell his potions through her family’s shop, then began the three-day exam period alongside Blaise.

• Sean advised Blaise to memorize his Transfiguration notes and practice for the practical exam instead of worrying about failing.
• Jennifer Flea offered to sell Sean’s potions through the Flitwick family’s shop for a ten percent commission, but Sean declined because he was satisfied with his current partner.
• After the Potions Club discussion, Snape told Sean to review what he had learned over the holiday and scolded him for joking about needing a reading list.
• Sean noticed that Kulkan had grown since arriving at Hogwarts and returned to his studies.
• Two days later, Sean entered the Charms exam with Blaise, beginning the three-day examination period.

Sean excelled in the practical exams, earning full marks in Charms and Transfiguration, while Blaise worried about his written exam results. Professor McGonagall encouraged Sean to keep practicing Transfiguration, and Sean and Blaise headed to their final practical exam in Potions.

• Sean reassured Blaise that strong practical exam scores could make up for weak written results as they prepared for the Charms exam.
• Blaise performed reasonably well in the Charms practical, and Sean earned a full-mark O by making a pineapple perform a precise tap dance.
• Sean transformed his mouse into an intricately carved silver snuff box with a Hogwarts Crest, earning full marks from Professor McGonagall.
• Professor McGonagall told Sean to keep practicing Transfiguration over the holidays, and Sean suspected she was considering inviting him to the Transfiguration club.
• Sean and Blaise went to the Potions classroom for their final practical exam.

During the Potions exam, Snape challenged Sean to brew a high-quality Draught of Forgetfulness in half the usual time. Sean adapted the recipe and earned full marks, proving he had met Snape’s test for remaining in the Potions Club.

• Sean recognized that the exam ingredients were for a Draught of Forgetfulness.
• Snape challenged Sean to shorten the potion’s standard brewing time from forty-five minutes to thirty.
• Sean studied the recipe while Hermione began brewing by the standard method under Snape’s warning that the exam lasted only an hour.
• Sean requested extra ingredients, fetched them from the storeroom, and used them to prepare extracts that improved the potion’s brewing process.
• Sean completed the Draught of Forgetfulness in twenty-five minutes, and Snape praised its quality and awarded him full marks.

After Sean’s Potions examination, Snape asked him to document his changes to the Draught of Forgetfulness for possible publication in The Golden Cauldron. Sean returned to the Common Room planning to write the paper while watching for Harry’s attempt to stop Quirrell.

• Snape returned to his office and questioned Sean about his understanding of a book on eliminating the Werewolf Virus.
• Sean explained that he had adapted two methods from Muggle chemistry when brewing the Draught of Forgetfulness.
• Snape assigned Sean a detailed paper on his changes and offered to guide him in submitting it to The Golden Cauldron.
• Snape explained the journal’s authority and described Damocles’s research on a Potion that would let Werewolves retain their reason after transforming.
• Sean decided to work on the paper while watching for Harry to seek out Dumbledore, which would signal that Harry was about to confront Quirrell.