Recaps

Sirius endured a freezing sled ride back to Durmstrang and reflected on the school’s long history of headmasters dying violently. In his office, he opened a package from William and a Dementor flew out, bringing back his terror of prison.

• Sirius rode a sled pulled by Crups to Durmstrang and went inside to escape the bitter cold.
• Sirius recalled Durmstrang’s history of headmasters dying, including Oberon, who had been killed by Grindelwald’s Acolytes.
• Sirius studied Grindelwald’s Mark on the Weeping Wall before heading to his office.
• Sirius opened a package from William and found a battered metal cabinet inside.
• A Dementor emerged from the cabinet, and Sirius felt the fear of his twelve years in prison return.

William and Hermione reunited with Sirius at Durmstrang and agreed on a plan to disguise themselves while helping keep him safe from Voldemort. They toured the school, where Sirius’s unusual teaching reforms left William worried about its future.

• William reassured Sirius that the Dementor had only been scouting, and Hermione emerged from his Safety Watch to greet him.
• Sirius recognized the Vanishing Cabinet and learned that Voldemort had come looking for him; William said he and Hermione had a plan to protect him.
• William and Hermione decided to use Polyjuice Potion and pose as relatives of the absent School Governor Angelica, while Sirius suggested they pretend to be a married couple.
• Sirius led William and Hermione on a tour of Durmstrang, where they saw banners promoting his ambitious study policies.
• William suspected Sirius’s reforms could ruin Durmstrang and resolved to urge Dumbledore to recruit more students.

William and Hermione visited Durmstrang, where William impressed students by repairing a fountain and defeating Krum at Quidditch. When Voldemort threatened the school and demanded Karkaroff, William answered by accepting the challenge under the banner of being Grindelwald's disciple.

• Karkaroff welcomed William and Hermione to Durmstrang, and William repaired the school's fountain and beat Krum in a one-on-one Quidditch match.
• William, Hermione, and Sirius attended dinner in the Great Hall, where Sirius pointed out Carrow family students monitoring him for the Carrow siblings.
• Voldemort's voice filled the Great Hall, demanding that Durmstrang hand over Karkaroff and threatening to attack if they refused.
• William stood and declared that he, Grindelwald's disciple, accepted Voldemort's challenge.

Voldemort attacked Durmstrang with twelve Giant Inferi and confronted William, who fought him in a duel across the frozen lake. Their magic shattered the lake and destroyed Durmstrang’s ship, while Voldemort remained unaware that William was posing as Grindelwald’s disciple.

• Voldemort learned that Fudge had stepped down and worried that Dumbledore would take control of the Ministry, disrupting his plans.
• After hearing that Grindelwald’s disciple had accepted his challenge, Voldemort decided to test the challenger and consider an alliance with Grindelwald.
• Voldemort summoned twelve Giant Inferi and ordered them to smash Durmstrang’s magical shield.
• William burst through the shield, attacked the Giants, and rode a sled toward Voldemort.
• Voldemort and William exchanged ice and magic attacks before their opposing beams blasted apart the frozen lake.
• Sirius watched as the magical ship was destroyed in the clash.

William convinced Voldemort that he was Grindelwald’s disciple and that Sirius was secretly controlling Karkaroff, leaving Voldemort to believe Sirius could spy on the Order of the Phoenix. After Voldemort demanded to meet Grindelwald within a day, William and Hermione admitted they only knew he was somewhere north of the North Sea.

• Voldemort questioned William about his ties to Karkaroff, and William claimed Grindelwald had sent him to take control of Durmstrang.
• Voldemort demanded William arrange a meeting with Grindelwald by the day after tomorrow, then left.
• Hermione joined William on the sled and explained that Sirius had reassured the students by claiming he drove Voldemort away.
• William told Sirius that Voldemort believed he was a Grindelwald agent spying on the Order of the Phoenix through Karkaroff.
• Sirius urged them to contact Grindelwald, but William and Hermione revealed they only knew he was north of the North Sea.

William and Hermione searched for Grindelwald using a copy of Andersen’s Fairy Tales that Dumbledore had given William as a clue. Hermione read Grindelwald’s notes and the encoded story of “The Snow Queen,” which pointed them toward Lapland and an Arctic palace.

• William and Hermione left Durmstrang by carriage, intending to search for Grindelwald under cover of night.
• Hermione opened Andersen’s Fairy Tales and read Grindelwald’s note explaining that myths and fables concealed clues about the Deathly Hallows.
• Hermione found Dumbledore’s note identifying the mirror in “The Snow Queen” as a Deathly Hallow and another identifying the helpful snake as connected to Parseltongue.
• Hermione read how the boy followed the snake’s directions to Lapland and rode a reindeer to the Snow Queen’s palace in the Arctic.
• Hermione finished the tale with the boy’s tears melting the mirror shards in the girl’s heart and eye, freeing her from the Snow Queen’s spell.

William and Hermione traveled to Santa Claus Village in Lapland to search for reindeer and clues to the Snow Queen’s palace, where Grindelwald was believed to be. After hearing a magical song and sensing Veela magic, they prepared to investigate the village.

• Hermione questioned the differences between the Snow Queen story she knew and the version William had read, and William explained how stories changed as they were passed down.
• William teased Hermione about the destination, and she tried to make him reveal it; he promised to tell her if she could beat him that night.
• William explained that Santa Claus Village in northern Finland was their best place to search for reindeer and clues, despite rival claims over Santa Claus’s hometown.
• After their overnight journey, William and Hermione arrived near Santa Claus Village during the polar night.
• William recognized the village’s enchanting song as Veela magic, while Hermione’s wand with Phoebe’s Veela hair core grew warm.
• William brought the reindeer down to the ground and invited Hermione to investigate the village.

William and Hermione discovered that Elsa’s ice cream shop employed Yetis and Olafs, then used their questions to learn that Bathsheda Babbling had ties to the group. The chapter ended with a Yeti agreeing to take them to the Snow Queen’s palace in exchange for Babbling’s message.

• William and Hermione entered Elsa’s ice cream shop, where William recognized her as a Veela and wondered whether she knew Bathsheda Babbling.
• Elsa served them ice cream, and William and Hermione saw that hairy hands were making it behind a magically concealed window.
• William and Hermione claimed to be investigators and accused Elsa of illegally keeping Yetis, prompting Elsa to reveal the workers in her kitchen.
• William asked about the Snow Queen’s palace, then mentioned Bathsheda Babbling and claimed he had a message for her group.
• A Yeti recognized Babbling’s nickname and agreed to take William and Hermione to the Snow Queen’s palace so he could hear the message.

William and Hermione reached Grindelwald’s hidden Arctic refuge with Elsa and their guides, where they found Gregorovitch waiting outside an igloo. Gregorovitch tearfully greeted them and claimed that Grindelwald was dead.

• William and Elsa traded questions about Babbling while the group traveled across the Arctic on reindeer sleds.
• Hermione spotted a Norwegian whaling ship as the group approached the Arctic Ocean.
• The guides led William and Hermione through a glacier passage and blizzard to a snowfield with two igloos.
• Gregorovitch recalled his hardships traveling with Grindelwald and lamented that his food and coffee were gone.
• William and Hermione arrived at Gregorovitch’s igloo, and Gregorovitch told William that Grindelwald was dead.

William and the others searched the Snow Queen’s ruined palace, where he found Grindelwald trapped in the Lake of Reason inside the North Sea Kraken. Grindelwald emerged alive and claimed he had foreseen William’s arrival, leaving the group reunited beside the lake.

• Gregorovitch led William, Elsa, Hermione, and Olaf through the ruined palace to a hall containing the Lake of Reason.
• Elsa warned the group not to touch the lake, and Hermione found a magical fishing rod near its shore.
• William used the rod to pull the North Sea Kraken, reduced to palm size by the lake, toward the surface.
• William pulled Grindelwald out of the Kraken’s mouth, and Grindelwald greeted him while teasing him about being expelled.
• Grindelwald sat by the lake reading a fairy-tale collection while William played with the trapped Kraken using dragon meat as bait.

By the lake, Grindelwald explained how Corvinus Gaunt had reached Death and saved his daughter, Bathsheda Babbling, revealing a possible method for meeting Death. He also told William that he had seen 14,000,605 hopeless futures and was preparing to fight a greater threat, even if he died.

• Grindelwald told William he planned to seek Death when the polar night and polar day changed over in a few days.
• Grindelwald explained that Corvinus Gaunt had trapped the North Sea Kraken at the Snow Queen’s palace, then bargained with it to take him upstream to meet Death.
• William deduced that the boy and girl in the Snow Queen story were Corvinus Gaunt and Babbling, and that their daughter was Bathsheda Babbling.
• Grindelwald said Babbling’s survival showed that Gaunt had succeeded in meeting Death, though no one knew what had become of Gaunt.
• Grindelwald revealed that he had seen 14,000,605 futures ending in hopelessness and planned to seek Death and fight a greater being; he accepted that he might die.

Grindelwald warned William that the Deathly Hallows were Death’s trap and revealed that Morgan le Fay was believed to be Death’s daughter. William delivered Davi Rosier’s letters and memories to Grindelwald, who watched her final words and mourned her.

• Grindelwald told William that the Hallows could lure wizards into deadly conflicts and warned him not to gather all three from one set of Tales of the Three Brothers.
• William described the mysterious figure who had appeared at battles in different religious guises, and Grindelwald speculated that Death could watch the world but could not enter it freely.
• Grindelwald said Morgan le Fay was the only confirmed daughter of Death, who may have taken the Duke of Cornwall’s form to father her.
• Grindelwald cautioned William that beautiful women might be Death’s daughters sent to trap Hallows owners.
• William gave Grindelwald letters from Davi Rosier and showed him a memory of Davi explaining that she loved Grindelwald without expecting him to return her feelings.
• After William left, Grindelwald gathered the fading memory and wept as he reached toward Davi.

William arranged a meeting between Grindelwald and Voldemort, then stayed in the Arctic with Hermione as Grindelwald departed to seek Death. Afterward, William and Hermione left Santa Claus’s Village while Gregorovitch chose to remain there.

• William summoned Voldemort, and he and Grindelwald agreed to cooperate against Dumbledore and Stark while Voldemort arranged for the Carrow siblings to work at Durmstrang.
• Voldemort returned to Britain to begin his plan involving Potter, while William and Hermione stayed near Grindelwald’s palace and studied his magic.
• As the midnight sun arrived, an immense aurora appeared, and Grindelwald left with the North Sea Kraken to seek Death and begin his final battle.
• Gregorovitch decided to retire in Santa Claus’s Village, and William told the Yetis that Babbling would send them Christmas presents.
• William and Hermione departed by carriage while Elsa said she would go to Hogwarts to find Babbling.

William and Hermione returned from Durmstrang through the Vanishing Cabinet, where Anne caught them sneaking back and scolded them for lying about their trip. They gave Anne an Olaf and went with her into her Safety Watch, leaving Sirius locked inside the cabinet and wondering whether Voldemort had invaded Hogwarts.

• Sirius told William that the Carrow siblings wanted authority over discipline and had suggested using the Cruciatus Curse on students, and William told him to deal with them without killing them.
• William and Hermione left Durmstrang for Hogwarts, and Sirius asked to visit the school through the Vanishing Cabinets.
• William and Hermione found the cabinet door locked from the outside and realized Anne was nearby with Pineapple Head.
• Anne revealed that she had heard from Dumbledore that William and Hermione had gone on vacation, then teased them by claiming the cabinet was in the girls' Prefects' Bathroom.
• Anne moved a trunk away from the cabinet, and Hermione gave her an Olaf; the three went into Anne's Safety Watch to make it an icehouse.
• Sirius entered the cabinet after waiting, found himself locked in, and shouted for William and Hermione, fearing Voldemort had invaded Hogwarts.

After Harry discovered James had publicly humiliated Snape, Sirius and William tried to reassure him about his father, while Dumbledore let Snape stop teaching Harry and planned to let Harry face real danger. After Easter, Hogwarts students prepared for their Apparition tests as Cho grew closer to Cedric and Ginny began dating her third boyfriend.

• Harry saw James publicly strip Snape in a Pensieve memory and learned Lily had tried to stop James, leaving him confused about how his parents had married.
• Sirius tried to counsel Harry, but William convinced him that James could have won Lily over just as Harry believed he could win Cho.
• Snape refused to teach Harry, and Dumbledore agreed to let Harry face danger so he might grow through failure and pain.
• Hogwarts announced the Apparition test, and sixth-year students began practicing, though most struggled and the Ministry instructor seemed less effective than their professors.
• Cho made progress Apparating to Hogsmeade after practicing with Cedric, while their relationship grew warmer.
• Ginny started dating her third boyfriend, and Harry continued focusing on Cho.

William and Cho passed the Apparition exam, while several other students failed or got into trouble. Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor to reach the Quidditch final, and William comforted his crying sister Anne while promising that her future was bright.

• William passed the Apparition exam, and Cho completed every part with Cedric's help; Marietta, McLaggen, Eloise, and Chris faced mishaps or penalties.
• Hufflepuff led the Quidditch standings, while Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tried to make up for points lost after key players were suspended.
• Slytherin Beater Bole was reported for match-fixing and removed from the team, leaving Slytherin unable to compete for the final.
• Hufflepuff defeated Slytherin and earned enough points to advance, while Snape had arranged for Bole's case to hurt Slytherin rather than let Gryffindor or Shidake win.
• Slytherin students sang "Weasley Is Our King" during the final round-robin match, and Ron scored three own goals as Ravenclaw crushed Gryffindor.
• William comforted Anne after the defeat and told her that the future was hers, while privately deciding he would make her cry again next year.

Hufflepuff and the other houses rallied against Ravenclaw as William pursued a third consecutive Quidditch championship. The final began with Cedric and William trading taunts, and William took possession of the Quaffle as the crowd focused on him.

• Hufflepuff celebrated returning to the final after five years, while the other houses opposed Ravenclaw's chance to establish a dynasty.
• Slytherin and Gryffindor tried to disrupt Ravenclaw's preparations, and William docked both houses fifty points after students caused trouble in Ancient Runes.
• Cho stopped practicing with Cedric to protect Ravenclaw's tactics, while Professor Flitwick spied on Hufflepuff and Professor Sprout distracted William from training.
• The final arrived on a calm day, and students from the other houses wore Hufflepuff colors to give the team a home-field advantage.
• William and Cedric exchanged boasts and insults during their handshake before both teams mounted their brooms.
• Madam Hooch started the match, and William seized the Quaffle as Lee Jordan declared that even his grandmother could win the championship alongside him.

William led Ravenclaw against Hufflepuff in the Quidditch final, scoring and creating chances despite Hufflepuff’s increasingly rough attempts to stop him. Ravenclaw held the lead as Rose continued scoring on her own.

• William bypassed Summerby and Noah, then flew past Cedric to score Ravenclaw’s opening goal and take a 10–0 lead.
• Lee Jordan mocked Hufflepuff and provoked the crowd, while Cedric decided his team needed to foul William to contain him.
• Hufflepuff Beaters attacked William, and Rose grabbed his clothes and fell from her broom; William rescued her before Madam Hooch called a foul on Hufflepuff and a technical foul on Cedric.
• Rose scored for Hufflepuff after a handoff with Summerby, ending the team’s scoring drought.
• William collided with Cedric, used an elbow to break free, and passed behind his back to Bradley, who scored for Ravenclaw.
• Rose scored again with a solo shot, while Lee argued that her play was disrupting Hufflepuff’s attack.

Ravenclaw defeated Hufflepuff to win the 1995–1996 Quidditch Cup, completing a three-year championship run as William cemented his reputation. As the school settled into exam preparations, attention shifted to the imminent trial of former Minister for Magic Fudge.

• William dominated the final against Hufflepuff, then passed the Quaffle to younger Ravenclaw players while the team maintained its lead.
• Cho let Cedric catch the Golden Snitch, ending the match with Ravenclaw ahead and securing the Quidditch Cup.
• Ravenclaw celebrated its victory, while Cedric lamented his third runner-up finish and Cho kissed him; Harry saw them and suspected the match had been fixed.
• The school held a three-day parade, and William drew widespread acclaim as fans and critics argued over his place in Quidditch history.
• As June brought exams and fifth-years studied for their O.W.L.s, the trial of former Minister for Magic Fudge approached.

Fudge and Umbridge were set to face trial at Merlin Memorial Hall, while William recognized that the unusual timing and venue served a hidden purpose. With Dumbledore, William, and Hermione headed away from Hogwarts, Voldemort prepared to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries and seize the Prophecy Orb.

• Umbridge offered to testify against Fudge, resign, and accept punishment, prompting the Wizengamot to move their trial forward and summon witnesses, including William and Hermione.
• William and Hermione noticed that the trial was being held at Merlin Memorial Hall rather than the Ministry courtroom, and William decided to attend because he suspected a larger plan.
• On June thirteenth, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Trelawney, William, and Hermione left Hogwarts for the trial, while Harry and Ron stayed behind.
• Avery told Voldemort that Dumbledore, William, and Hermione had gone to Merlin Memorial Hall, leaving Hogwarts without key Order members.
• Voldemort revealed that he planned to lure Harry alone to the Department of Mysteries that night, delay the Order's response, and have the Death Eaters capture Harry alive and retrieve the Prophecy Orb.

Harry dreamed that Voldemort was torturing Sirius and woke convinced he had to rescue him. After Harry told Ron and the others, Snape warned that the vision could be a trap and ordered him to wait while he verified it.

• Harry entered the Department of Mysteries in a vision and saw Voldemort use the Cruciatus Curse on Sirius.
• Harry woke screaming in the library and learned that Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were away at a trial.
• Harry told Ron that Sirius had been captured and insisted on going to save him.
• Anne, Luna, and Ginny joined Harry and Ron, and Anne suggested they seek Professor Snape’s help.
• Snape questioned Harry about the vision, warned that Voldemort could be luring him into a trap, and told him to wait while he checked Sirius’s location.

Anne organized the group’s response after Harry insisted Sirius had been captured, sending a Patronus to alert Dumbledore and planning a route to the Ministry of Magic. The group prepared to use the Floo connection in Umbridge’s office, while Anne waited for a few people to arrive.

• Harry accused Snape of wanting Sirius dead, and Ron agreed that they could not trust him to pass on the warning quickly.
• Anne challenged Harry’s plan to rush to the Ministry and revealed that she had already sent a Patronus to Merlin Memorial Hall.
• Harry confirmed that he still intended to go, and Anne demanded that he and Ron apologize to Snape if they were wrong.
• After rejecting Thestrals as too slow, Anne proposed using the fireplace in Umbridge’s office, which connected to the Ministry through the Floo Network.
• Ron urged the group to leave, but Anne said she was waiting for a few people.

Anne gathered Cedric, Fred, George, and Cho to help protect Harry and Ron, then led the group into the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Mysteries. While Harry and the others searched for the room from his dream, Anne slipped away into the room of clocks, where she found the Time-Turners and the power she sought to repair Ravenclaw's Diadem.

• Anne told Harry and Ron she had called Cedric, the twins, and Cho to help them face the Death Eaters, then gave them protective rings and gave Cho a pendant.
• Anne led the group through the Floo Network into the Minister's Office, removed the room's security charms, and guided everyone to the Department of Mysteries.
• In the circular room of black doors, Harry admitted he did not know which door matched his dream, so Cho suggested they search them.
• Harry led the others toward a door while Anne quietly opened another and entered a room filled with clocks and Time-Turners.
• An indistinct voice behind Anne asked who she was.

William, disguised as Anne, explained to Luna that Harry had fallen into Voldemort’s trap, then showed her the Department of Mysteries’ Time Room. He used its time current to begin repairing Ravenclaw’s Diadem.

• Luna found William disguised as Anne in the Time Room, and he told her Sirius had not been captured and Harry was walking into a trap.
• William explained that Harry had ignored warnings and that Cedric and other precautions would keep him from facing immediate danger.
• William led Luna to the Department of Mysteries’ time current and showed her how it aged and rejuvenated a hummingbird and his hand.
• William revealed Ravenclaw’s Diadem and drank Felix Felicis before beginning the delicate repair.

William attempted to restore Ravenclaw's Diadem by channeling the Department of Mysteries' time magic into it, using Fawkes as a blood sacrifice. He succeeded, but reversed the Diadem too far, leaving a flowering branch of Elder Wood in its place.

• William decided to use time magic and a ritual from the Three Books of Occult Philosophy to repair the Diadem.
• William sent Luna away with Felix Felicis and summoned Fawkes to serve as the sacrifice.
• William used Fawkes's golden blood to channel the clocks' power of time into Ravenclaw's Diadem.
• The clocks shattered as the Diadem absorbed the time magic, and Fawkes grew back into an adult phoenix.
• William finished the ritual and found that the Diadem had become a length of Elder Wood branch bearing white flowers.