Recaps

William prepared to complete his Animagus transformation and took Hermione to the Forbidden Forest to wait for a thunderstorm. As the storm began, he promised to help Hermione learn the transformation too.

• William explained that he had completed the Animagus potion preparations and buried the vial in the Forbidden Forest, where Fluffy guarded it.
• William and Hermione each drank a little Felix Felicis and Apparated to a valley in the Forbidden Forest before dawn.
• William fed Fluffy and settled with Hermione to wait for the storm, while discussing Animagi and whether William would register with the Ministry.
• William told Hermione she was talented and offered to help her learn to transform into an Animagus.
• Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as the long-awaited storm arrived.

William successfully transformed into a giant Steller's sea eagle, briefly lost control, and recovered after hearing Hermione call to him. He carried Hermione above Hogwarts and through the storm clouds to watch the sunrise.

• William drank the Animagus potion and began a slow transformation as Hermione watched.
• William became a giant Steller's sea eagle and rampaged through the valley, crushing Fluffy's bowl and doghouse.
• Hermione confronted William and called him back to his senses; he apologized and invited her to watch the sunrise.
• William carried Hermione to a Hogwarts spire, where Fawkes recognized him and was struck by lightning while flying nearby.
• William flew through the storm clouds with Hermione and reached a golden sea of clouds illuminated by dawn.

After completing his Animagus transformation, William told Professor McGonagall, who congratulated him and proposed that he write a paper for Transfiguration Today. William then visited Cedric and the Weasley twins, where an old story about the twins nearly making Ron an Unbreakable Vow came to light.

• William wrote to Professor McGonagall about becoming an Animagus, and she congratulated him and suggested he submit a paper to Transfiguration Today.
• At the end of July, William took Hermione and Anne to visit Cedric, and Cho joined them.
• The twins invited William's family to the Burrow, where Fred and George described how they had tried to make Ron swear an Unbreakable Vow when he was five.
• Fred revealed that the twins had wanted Ron to stay single for life, and William understood why Mrs. Weasley had beaten them.
• William teased Fred about Lisa and threatened to tell Angelina, while George failed to notice Fred's interest in her.

William visited the Burrow with Fred and George, examined the Weasley family clock, and heard about the twins’ growing joke-product business. He learned that Anne had taught Ginny yoga, while the twins discussed their plans and their family’s finances.

• Fred changed the subject when George nearly learned that he liked Angelina, then said Hermione and Anne were on their way to the Burrow.
• William admired the Weasley family clock and said it gave him ideas for upgrading his map.
• Fred and George complained about their mother’s daily Celestina Warbeck broadcasts.
• William found Ginny practicing yoga that Anne had taught her, and Ginny hurried downstairs to find Anne.
• Fred and George showed William their product orders and discussed whether to open a shop in Diagon Alley.
• George explained that the twins sent money home to help cover the family’s expenses, leaving Mrs. Weasley little reason to object to their business.

Anne, Hermione, and Ginny drove the garden gnomes out of the Weasley yard while Fred, George, William, and Ron watched. At the Burrow, the family discussed Percy’s strange mood and Mr. Weasley’s exhausting work before William inspected Arthur’s magically expanded Ford Anglia with the twins.

• Two gnomes flew through a window and hit Fred, who tossed them back outside.
• Anne used a net on a stick to launch gnomes across the garden as she, Hermione, and Ginny cleared them out.
• Percy complained about the noise, then awkwardly greeted Anne, Hermione, and William before closing his window.
• George said Percy had earned twelve O.W.L. certificates but was acting strangely, and William suspected Percy had lost money betting on Quidditch.
• Arthur said he would work through the night on raids, and Fred and George offered to cover Ginny’s school expenses.
• William inspected Arthur’s magically expanded Ford Anglia with the twins, and Ron praised its space before William teased him about his van mentality.

William inspected and repaired the Weasley family’s enchanted car, then persuaded Ron and the twins not to use it to retrieve Harry until Mr. Weasley could accompany them. Later, William received an invitation from Gilderoy Lockhart and discussed his Order of Merlin with Hermione as they watched the sunset.

• William examined the Weasleys’ car, found its flying mechanism was based on a Cleansweep Seven, and agreed to stabilize its faulty invisibility charm with Ancient Runes.
• Ron explained that Harry had not replied to his letters, and William said Hermione’s letters were protected by a magical ring on her owl.
• Ron and the twins planned to drive to Harry’s house, but William warned that the trip could endanger Mr. Weasley’s job and that Apparition might get Harry blamed for underage magic.
• William repaired the car’s invisibility device, and the group tested it by flying over deserted hills.
• William received an invitation from Lockhart to attend his new book launch in Diagon Alley.
• Hermione praised William’s Order of Merlin, Second Class, as more impressive than Lockhart’s Third Class while they relaxed together in the courtyard.

Mr. Weasley took Harry from the Dursleys, and Harry told William, Hermione, Fred, and George about Dobby’s warning. The group suspected Dobby had been sent to keep Harry from Hogwarts, while a later debate about House-elves ended with William arguing that change had to be fought for from below.

• Mr. Weasley persuaded the Dursleys to let him take Harry away, despite Uncle Dursley blaming Harry for ruining his business prospects.
• Harry told William, Fred, George, Hermione, and Ron about Dobby’s warning and how Dobby had punished himself whenever he tried to reveal his master’s plans.
• Fred and George suspected someone had sent Dobby to stop Harry returning to Hogwarts, and William suggested asking the House-elves in the Hogwarts Kitchens to identify Dobby’s master.
• Hermione questioned how House-elves were treated, and William explained that the House-elves at Hogwarts were content while Nicolas had spent centuries changing the attitudes of those at his manor.
• Hermione proposed advocating for better treatment of House-elves, but William said that power had to be actively fought for by those below.

William explained why House-elf slavery persisted and why the Ministry had rejected an abolition appeal, then encouraged Hermione to consider leading reform. He left convinced that Hermione could become Minister for Magic with his support, while Hermione asked what he had been thinking about after he messed up her hair.

• William told Hermione that the Ministry had rejected a British appeal against House-elf slavery in 1973 because it wanted to keep Pure-blood families from supporting Voldemort.
• William argued that House-elves would need to fight for their rights, though he thought reform would be more likely after Voldemort's return and defeat.
• William decided Hermione could lead House-elf reform and become Minister for Magic, with his influence providing her political support.
• William imagined Hermione as Britain's Minister for Magic and himself as chairman of a European Magical Union.
• Hermione asked William what he was thinking after he messed up her hair, and William said he had been thinking about how to solve the House-elf problem.

William took Hermione and Anne to Diagon Alley to prepare for the school term, where Anne received her wand from Ollivander. After the three finished shopping and ate ice cream, William went to collect an item he had ordered from Borgin and Burkes.

• Hermione decided to approach the Hogwarts house-elves about improving their conditions and planned to send Dumbledore suggestions.
• William took Hermione and Anne to Diagon Alley, and Anne traveled there first with Floo Powder.
• At Ollivander's, Anne chose an eleven-inch cedar wand with a Thunderbird tail feather core from Frank, Mr. Scamander's pet.
• William took the girls to buy potions and robes, then sat with them at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
• After finishing his ice cream, William left to collect his order from Borgin and Burkes.

William bargained with Borgin over a broken safety clock and sold him a repaired Sneakoscope for a large profit. He left after Borgin invited him to work at the shop, just as Lucius Malfoy and Draco entered.

• William visited Borgin and Burkes to buy a broken safety clock Borgin had found in Paris.
• William exposed the clock’s flaws and bargained Borgin down from two thousand Galleons to eighty.
• William offered Borgin a repaired Sneakoscope, and they agreed on a price of two thousand Galleons.
• Borgin asked who had taught William Alchemy and invited him to become an apprentice after graduation; William said he would consider it.
• William gathered his things to leave as Lucius Malfoy and Draco entered the shop.

William found Harry hiding in Borgin and Burkes and explained the danger of the Vanishing Cabinet before taking him out of Knockturn Alley. After reuniting with Hermione and Anne in Diagon Alley, Harry learned that reporting the Malfoys’ suspicious visit to Mr. Weasley was unlikely to accomplish much.

• William waited in Borgin and Burkes while Lucius Malfoy took Draco and Borgin into the back room, then called Harry out of the Vanishing Cabinet.
• William demonstrated that the Vanishing Cabinet could transport objects elsewhere and explained the Hand of Glory to Harry.
• William cleaned Harry up, warned him about Knockturn Alley, and drove off a dark witch who approached them.
• William took Harry to Diagon Alley, where they joined Hermione and Anne at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour.
• Harry suggested telling Mr. Weasley about the Malfoys, but William explained that the Ministry had been unable to search Malfoy Manor thoroughly.

William explained that he planned to turn a safety clock into a magical smartwatch, then bought Anne and Hermione Nimbus 2001 brooms as birthday presents. Hermione accepted hers after William said she would help him brew Potions, while Anne began planning summer Quidditch matches.

• William showed Hermione the broken safety clock he had bought and described his plan to add location and communication functions to a wristwatch.
• Anne admired a Nimbus 2001 in a shop window and reminded William that he owed her a birthday present and money from her investment in his shop.
• William agreed to buy Anne a broom and revealed that he had ordered a second one for Hermione.
• Hermione initially refused the expensive gift, but William said she would help him brew Potions for free, and she eagerly agreed.
• Anne imagined summer broom matches with their friends, while Hermione felt happy but wished she could help William for a lifetime.

William bought Divination books at Flourish and Blotts and met Luna and Lovegood before Lockhart’s book launch. When Malfoy and Mr. Weasley started fighting outside, William rushed over to break it up and take sides.

• William bought The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus after finding a cryptic prophecy in it.
• William met Luna and Lovegood in the bookshop, where Luna called Lockhart an idiot and Lovegood complained about not being invited to the launch.
• Lockhart greeted William and tried to persuade him to appear with him, while William sabotaged a reporter’s camera to prevent a staged photograph.
• Lockhart invited Lovegood to photograph him, and Lovegood followed him away.
• Malfoy and Mr. Weasley fought outside, and William rushed over to intervene and take sides.

Dumbledore chatted with the Sorting Hat and Professor McGonagall about school finances and William’s packed timetable. McGonagall then questioned Dumbledore’s decision to hire Lockhart as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

• Dumbledore spoke with Anne through a mirror while the Sorting Hat complained that he had ignored its lyrics.
• The Sorting Hat asked whether Dumbledore had visited Grindelwald at Nurmengard, but Dumbledore said he had not.
• Professor McGonagall brought Dumbledore a list of seventeen students seeking financial aid, and Dumbledore proposed increasing the fund.
• Professor McGonagall asked whether William should receive a Time-Turner to manage all twelve subjects, but Dumbledore said William could choose his classes and take the exams.
• Professor McGonagall asked why Dumbledore planned to hire Lockhart as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, noting his disruptive behavior as a student.

Dumbledore explained to McGonagall that Lockhart had stolen the stories in his books, but that he lacked proof and hoped the school would expose him. On the train back to Hogwarts, William and his friends argued over Lockhart before William spotted a Quibbler caricature linking him to Rita Skeeter.

• Dumbledore told McGonagall that Lockhart had copied stories from other wizards and that he had no proof of the fraud.
• Before the holidays ended, William cast protective spells around the house and made himself its Secret Keeper.
• Roy drove William and Anne to the station, where they met Hermione and boarded the train together.
• William, Anne, and Hermione joined Luna in a compartment, and William gave her the house's address so she could find it again.
• Cho and Cedric argued about whether Lockhart would be a good professor, while William and Hermione were caught between them.
• William picked up Luna's Quibbler and saw a caricature asking whether Lockhart was a man or a woman and hinting at a secret with Rita Skeeter.

Harry and Ron were missing from the Hogwarts Express, so William used magic and Fred’s Niffler to search for traces. The search showed that neither boy had boarded the train, and William spotted a flying car outside the window.

• Luna read a Quibbler article claiming that Rita Skeeter was secretly Gilderoy Lockhart, while Cedric and Cho argued and the others shared snacks.
• Ginny, Fred, and George joined the compartment and said Harry was missing; Ginny then realized Ron was missing too.
• William led the group to the train entrance, cast Appare Vestigium, and used Fred’s Niffler to search for the boys.
• The Niffler found no traces of Harry or Ron, and William saw a car flying through the clouds outside the train.

Harry and Ron flew the enchanted Ford through the sky and showed it to students aboard the Hogwarts Express, alarming their friends and Dumbledore. As night fell, William, Cedric, Fred, and George Apparated away from the train to meet Hagrid, leaving the girls behind.

• Harry and Ron flew the Ford above the clouds, found the Hogwarts Express, and made the car visible as they waved to the students.
• William's group discussed the danger of Harry and Ron being expelled and of Mr. Weasley losing his job, then alerted Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley.
• Snape mocked Harry and Ron's stunt in Dumbledore's office while the train continued toward Hogwarts.
• Malfoy visited William's compartment to ask about Harry, then fled when Pansy called for him.
• William, Cedric, Fred, and George Apparated away from the train to meet Hagrid, surprising Cho, Anne, and Hermione.

William, Cedric, Fred, and George reached the Whomping Willow to obtain a branch for wand-making, using the Niffler to freeze the tree. William spotted the Bowtruckles living in it and tried to lure them away with a potion made from fairy eggs.

• William, Cedric, Fred, and George Apparated into the Forbidden Forest and avoided Hagrid as they headed toward the Whomping Willow.
• Cedric explained that pressing a knot on the Whomping Willow's trunk would stop it moving, though he did not know whether it would stay still after they removed a branch.
• The Niffler refused to help until William paid him a Galleon, then dodged the branches and pressed the knot to freeze the tree.
• George showed the others the tunnel beneath the tree, whose exit in Hogsmeade remained unknown.
• William noticed Bowtruckles living in the Whomping Willow and opened a potion brewed from fairy eggs to lure them away.

William and Cedric discovered a Bowtruckle colony beneath the Whomping Willow, while Mr. Weasley's runaway car crashed through the Black Lake and raced toward the tree. William transformed into a Steller's sea eagle and rescued Harry and Ron after they jumped from the car.

• William pretended to be harmless and won the trust of three Bowtruckles, which climbed into his pocket as more than a hundred Bowtruckles surrounded him and Cedric.
• Mr. Weasley's out-of-control Ford flew into the Black Lake and threatened the first-years' boats, but Hagrid redirected it and Anne levitated him to safety.
• The car struck the windmill on Hagrid's Hut and then headed toward the Whomping Willow as Cedric led William, Fred, and George out of the passage.
• William used Sonorus to warn Ron and Harry to brake, but Ron accelerated by mistake, so Harry released Hedwig and jumped from the car with Ron.
• William transformed into a Steller's sea eagle, caught Harry and Ron in midair, and carried them safely to the ground.

Harry and Ron’s stolen car crashed into the Whomping Willow, leaving the tree badly damaged before it fled into the Forbidden Forest. Snape sent the boys to his office, while McGonagall gave William his crowded timetable and discussed a Time-Turner, which he declined.

• The Whomping Willow rampaged after the car struck it, but the damaged car escaped into the Forbidden Forest and threw Harry and Ron’s luggage onto the ground.
• Cedric collected broken willow branches, and William flew Harry, Ron, and the others back to the castle.
• Hermione and Cho learned about the crash, and Snape ordered Harry and Ron to wait in his office after hearing the car had hit the Whomping Willow.
• McGonagall sent Harry and Ron toward Snape’s office and asked William to discuss his timetable with her.
• McGonagall offered to help William apply for a Time-Turner, but William declined because he already had enough time from the Ravenclaw Ring.

William chose his electives after Professor McGonagall warned him against Divination, then attended the Sorting Ceremony and discovered that Luna Lovegood was a natural Legilimens. The chapter left William surprised by Luna’s rare ability as she joined Ravenclaw.

• Professor McGonagall told William that Sybill Trelawney had left Hogwarts after her first year and revealed that Trelawney had once predicted McGonagall would die in her seventh year.
• William agreed to switch from Divination to Professor Septima Vector’s Arithmancy class and went to the Great Hall.
• Luna Lovegood handled the Sorting Hat with a needle before Professor Flitwick sorted her into Ravenclaw.
• Luna told William that Cedric had needed a Whomping Willow branch for a wand, prompting William to realize she had read his mind.
• Luna explained that she had been born with the ability she called mind-reading, and William recognized her as a natural Legilimens.

William discussed Luna’s unusual ability to read thoughts as the Hogwarts Sorting continued. Anne Stark’s Sorting dragged on as she spoke with the Sorting Hat, leaving Dumbledore wondering why it had not placed her in Gryffindor.

• Luna told William that she could hear other students’ thoughts, and William warned her not to pry before explaining Occlumency.
• Ginny Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor, where her brothers and Oliver Wood caused a commotion.
• Anne Stark confidently put on the Sorting Hat and told it that Luna had offered to mend it.
• Anne refused to reveal who had told her how Sorting worked, and the Sorting Hat continued speaking with her for five minutes.
• Dumbledore wondered why the Sorting Hat had not yet announced Anne’s house and suspected it might change sides.

Anne persuaded the Sorting Hat to leave Hogwarts with her for a Paris holiday next summer, then joined Gryffindor to keep Hermione company. After the feast began, Lockhart introduced himself as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and announced gifts for the professors.

• Anne learned that the Sorting Hat could use Legilimency and had discovered Luna’s secret by looking into her father’s mind.
• Anne persuaded the Sorting Hat to come with her to Paris next summer, and it agreed despite its worries about leaving Dumbledore.
• Anne chose Gryffindor so she could keep Hermione company, and she gave the Sorting Hat the nickname Mr. Macchiato.
• Anne joined Hermione at the Gryffindor table, and Dumbledore began the feast before leaving to deal with Harry and Ron.
• Dumbledore returned with Snape and McGonagall, and Lockhart introduced himself as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and offered gifts to the professors.

At the Hogwarts feast, Lockhart handed out bizarre gifts that offended the other professors, and Dumbledore welcomed him as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. As the school song ended, William and Cho discussed the Grey Lady and the search for Ravenclaw’s Diadem, leaving William considering whether the Bloody Baron could help.

• Lockhart gave Dumbledore whitening toothpaste, Sprout a magazine featuring himself, McGonagall a Quidditch trophy, Flitwick height-boosting shoes, and Snape his own shampoo.
• William realized Lockhart’s Occamy Egg shampoo might provide an inexpensive source of an ingredient he needed.
• Dumbledore warned students to stay out of the Forbidden Forest and away from the damaged Whomping Willow, then introduced Lockhart as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
• Dumbledore led the annual school song as students from all four houses sang and the Grey Lady danced with the seventh-year witches.
• Cho told William that the Grey Lady claimed Ravenclaw composed the school song, but she had not mentioned the Diadem.
• William considered approaching the Bloody Baron, who had watched the Grey Lady throughout the performance, for help finding Ravenclaw’s Diadem.

William and Hermione discussed the consequences Harry and Ron would face for taking the flying car, while William introduced Hermione to a Bowtruckle and arranged for it to live in an expanded ring. Cedric planned to help Professor Sprout treat the Whomping Willow, and the chapter ended with Ron receiving a Howler from Mrs. Weasley in the Great Hall.

• Hermione told William that Gryffindor students were celebrating Harry and Ron’s return, and William advised her not to argue with them because they would be punished.
• William showed Hermione three Bowtruckles from the Whomping Willow, helped one onto her hand, and gave her a ring with expanded space for the creature to live in.
• William named his Bowtruckle Zaun and told Hermione that another Bowtruckle was meant for Anne.
• Cedric told William and Hermione that he had asked Professor Sprout to let them help treat the Whomping Willow so he could collect more broken branches.
• Hermione pointed out that William’s timetable scheduled up to ten classes in a day, and William said he would skip some classes and take their final exams.
• Mrs. Weasley’s Howler scolded Ron for taking the flying car, and Ron argued that he had not violated the International Statute of Secrecy.