The Tales from Avistrum series began in 2004 with The Medallion of Akpuch. There we learned about the dark witch Persephone, and her desire to raise an army of the dead using the mysterious Medallion. She sent Dementors to attack the school and wrest the Medallion from the faculty’s protection. She failed in this quest, and the Medallion was placed beyond her reach forever.
The story continued the next spring with Shadows of Persephone, where Persephone once again attacked the school. This time her plot began with the assassination of the Secretary of Magic, but her ultimate target was the school, where she could twist the students into an army of dark wizards and witches, loyal to her. We learned that Persephone was a powerful metamorphmagus, capable of transforming to look like anyone, without the help of Polyjuice Potion. She masqueraded as Professor Kobiyashi in her final showdown with the faculty. Persephone escaped without revealing her true form.
Eighteen months later, in Kings and Pawns, the fear of Persephone had forced radical action by the Department of Magic. The practice and teaching of Transfiguration was outlawed by the PRETEND (PRevention of Transfiguration Enhanced Deception) Act. Kraven Bloodthorne had disappeared, and Persephone abducted Grasella Moffatt. Persephone planned traps for the rest of the faculty, but they discovered her plans and switched places with one another using Polyjuice Potion. When she attempted to take the school by force after thinking she had eliminated all of the faculty, the tables were turned, and she was captured. The students and faculty used a memory charm to erase her memory completely, removing her as a threat forever.
The following year, in The Chalice of Khufu, an old enemy from Headmaster Dowling’s past, Nikolai Matado, escaped from prison. Clark went undercover to foil his plans, but was captured and forced to reveal the location of Matado’s goal, the Chalice of Khufu, which gave its holder tremendous powers of mind control. The staff searched for the artifact to keep it safe from Matado, but he surprised them because he had Professor Aberfoyle under the Imperius Curse. The students foiled his plans, and Aberfoyle was able to use the residual link from the curse to read Matado’s mind and find the Headmaster. Matado was returned to prison, and the Chalice was hidden away once again.
The story continues on October 23, 2009, in Echoes of Salem…
