Congenital Magnetism

At the end of fifth year, Harry is feeling adventurous. He attends an early morning Quidditch practice between some Gryffindor and Ravenclaw players. The Gryffindors choose to leave when some Slytherin players show up for their own practice with the Ravenclaw team, but curiosity gets the better of Harry because he just has to see what kind of a player Kyle Urquhart is, since he’ll be Slytherin captain next year. After an unexpectedly eventful Quidditch practice, Harry spends the next night plagued by the recurring dream that Voldemort is always sending his way. Harry spends his summer vac putting up with a newly glamorous Aunt Petunia, who tells him that he’s undergone an “unearthly” transformation of his own.

Harry is apprehensive as he prepares to begin sixth year, thinking that he’ll be less popular at Hogwarts than he has been in the past. But his fears are misplaced, and a lively journey on the Hogwarts Express proves that Harry is now alarmingly popular, particularly among the male students. Since Harry is too sought-after for his own comfort, Hermione is determined to find out if someone has cast a spell on him and why Draco Malfoy is the only student who is unaffected by Harry’s new magnetism.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, who are at Hogsmeade Station waiting to greet the arriving students, are not amused by the chaotic condition of the Hogwarts Express. McGonagall takes Harry to Dumbledore’s office and asks him to wait there alone until the Headmaster arrives. Harry whiles away the time by viewing some of Narcissa Malfoy’s surprising stored memories in a Pensieve. When Dumbledore shows up, he asks Harry to begin a Potions project to find some counteragent that can bring his unwanted magnetism under control. He asks Harry to collaborate on the project with Draco Malfoy, the only student who is unaffected by Harry’s unexplained powers of romantic attraction.

Harry and Draco begin their Potions project grudgingly. However, since their housemates are not around to sustain their antagonism, Harry and Draco begin to find common ground as they try one unusual strategy after another in their attempt to find a “cure” for Harry’s powers of attraction.

Snape is dismayed by the unorthodox methods that Harry and Draco are employing in their Potions prjoject. Then Draco inadvertently discovers a new source of information and advice, providing the first successful counteragent for Harry’s romantic magnetism. Dumbledore pays a visit and is delighted to hear about their success. He asks Harry and Draco to stop by his office after dinner to discuss new information he’s received from his colleagues at Beauxbatons.

When Harry and Draco meet with Dumbledore, the Headmaster provides Harry with surprising information regarding the Veela side of Harry’s family history, much to Draco’s amusement. Harry confides in Ron and Hermione about his Veela inheritance. He also tells them about the new source of information that Draco has discovered. The next day sees a turn for the worse, as the supposedly successful counteragent proves so temporary as to be useless. Snape then presents a plan of his own, although he will need over a week to complete his work. The efforts of the day finish with Sybill Trelawney’s ill-advised attempt to invoke assistance from the spirit world.

The Eastern Shore Network gives Harry and Draco helpful advice about handling out-of-control swamp vegetation and some advice for collecting flower and plant specimens to use in their Potions project. The spirits in the Eastern Shore Network even provide a spell for creating an airborne vehicle that can search for plant life sacred to Veela. When Harry and Draco return to the castle, Professor Trelawney attempts another helpful spell intervention.

Snape needs any object that Harry has had since childhood in order to complete his potion for counteracting Harry’s Veela attraction, and Harry promises to get a childhood toy that is hidden in the broom cupboard at Vernon and Petunia’s house. The potion must be complete within six days, just before the new moon, but Trelawney’s botched spell keeps Harry asleep for the next six and a half days. Dumbledore and Snape ask Draco to go to Vernon and Petunia’s house instead. Voldemort is able to control the content of Harry’s dreams during Harry’s seven days of sleep.

Snape is ready to test his potion to counteract Veela attraction, using Ron as the guinea pig. Snape, Ron and Hermione visit Harry in the hospital wing, hoping for the best. The potion does not work as advertised. Draco arrives looking for Harry, and then Seamus pays a surprise visit.

Harry and Draco search for the final ingredient for their Potions project, a mutated variety of hellebore with red flowers. The Eastern Shore spirits suggests that they look in forest areas, so Harry and Draco decide to head for the great oak forest south of Hogwarts. Dumbledore allows them to leave on Saturday morning and return by Sunday evening. Harry’s recurring dream returns.

After returning to Hogwarts from their expedition to the oak forest, Harry receives a letter from Fleur Delacour. Harry then contacts Fleur via Floo Network and begins a conversation with her about Veela. Harry and Draco have assembled all of the ingredients for their Potions project, and they contact the spirits in the Eastern Shore Network. The spirits advise them to travel to London, four weeks in the past, to retrieve the potion recipe that will control the unwanted effects of Harry’s Veela powers.

Harry and Draco travel in both time and space—to London in the past—and they are given instructions to retrieve the potion recipe they’re looking for. Ron doubts Draco’s trustworthiness and worries about Harry’s safety, so he follows Harry and Draco to the past. Hermione realizes what Ron has done and decides to travel to the past herself. They all discover that the circumstances of their lives in the past are very different from their lives in the present. Fortunately, their journey to London in the past is only a one-day trip. Harry and Draco return to the present with the potion recipe. When Ron and Hermione return, Ron receives a package addressed to Harry.

Harry and Draco travel in time and space—to London in the past—and they are given instructions to retrieve the potion recipe they’re looking for. Ron doubts Draco’s trustworthiness and worries about Harry’s safety, so he follows Harry and Draco to the past. Hermione realizes what Ron has done and decides to travel to the past herself. They all discover that the circumstances of their lives in the past are very different from their lives in the present. Fortunately, their journey to London in the past is only a one-day trip. Harry and Draco return to the present with the potion recipe. When Ron and Hermione return, Ron receives a package addressed to Harry.

Harry gets his first-year Herbology workbook back again, and it contains some writing that he didn’t know was there. The information in his workbook leads to some unexpected results. Harry and Draco complete their Potions Project. The potion doesn’t have the magical properties that they thought it would, but as it turns out, the potion was unnecessary.