Chapter Summaries

Darren let the Death Eaters take him away from the Ministry, where they argued over whether to kill him and Lucius tried to signal that he would help. Darren revealed that his magic had never been sealed, bound them all, and demanded Galleons in exchange for their lives, leaving Lucius to realize how powerful he was.

• Fudge ordered Mr. Diggory to take the unconscious man to St. Mungo's while Darren left with the Death Eaters.
• Lucius urged the Death Eaters to Apparate away and leave Darren behind, but the others argued that Darren had to be killed or disabled.
• After several Apparitions, the Death Eaters debated killing Darren, and Lucius accused them of wanting him dead because they feared he knew their identities.
• Lucius tried to signal Darren and planned to use the item sealing Darren's magic to escape with him.
• Darren broke free of his ropes, recovered his wand, and used magic to bind the Death Eaters despite the magic-forbidden area.
• Darren demanded that the Death Eaters gather Galleons for a chance to survive, and Lucius realized Darren's escapes had been due to his strength.

Darren revealed that he had lured the Death Eaters into a trap and forced them to pay for their lives. He left them bound and terrified as Peeves began collecting money from their Gringotts accounts.

• Lucius tried to bargain with Darren by claiming they were on the same side, but Darren revealed he already knew Lucius suspected they shared blood.
• Darren told the bound Death Eaters that they could live if they cooperated, then killed Lucius to make them believe his threat.
• Darren demanded that the Death Eaters pool money from their anonymous Gringotts accounts and pay him sixty million Galleons or die.
• Darren killed another wizard who claimed to be poor, then summoned Peeves to collect the money from the reported accounts.
• Peeves praised Darren as kind while the Death Eaters stood covered in Lucius's and the other wizard's blood.

Darren robbed a group of wizards, fabricated their memories, and secured Lucius’s promise to provide Muggle companies. As dawn arrived, Dumbledore, Snape, Harry, and others rushed to Darren, who pretended to have survived a deadly battle.

• Darren collected over eighty million Galleons and made the wizards invent excuses for the money before he erased their memories.
• Darren restored Lucius and won his apparent loyalty, asking him to develop Muggle companies and allowing him to identify several wizards to kill.
• Darren used the Fake Card to fabricate everyone’s memories, sending the wizards home believing they had spent their own Galleons and Lucius believing he would give Darren companies out of sympathy.
• Darren fabricated severe wounds on himself, removed the restrictive barrier, and prepared to Apparate as dawn broke.
• Dumbledore Apparated to Darren, who pretended to be weak but happy to have survived, while Snape, Harry, and others hurried toward him.

Darren woke at St. Mungo’s after spending half a month unconscious and learned that his injuries had healed. He completed a system task by expressing guilt over Mr. Diggory’s injuries, but Eleanor said the Ministry blamed Diggory and he might be suspended.

• Darren woke in an unfamiliar room at St. Mungo’s, where Eleanor Fee examined him and confirmed his wounds had healed without aftereffects.
• Eleanor told Darren that his friends had watched over him and that Mr. Diggory had recovered and been discharged.
• Darren accepted the system’s task and asked Eleanor about Diggory’s condition while expressing guilt for causing trouble.
• Eleanor said Diggory had visited repeatedly to apologize, but Darren’s friends had refused to let him in.
• Eleanor told Darren that the Ministry blamed Diggory for the incident and that he might face suspension.

Darren woke in St. Mungo’s and pretended to collapse when Dumbledore told him how deeply his friends and family had worried over him. Harry’s voice reassured him that he was all right and recovering at St. Mungo’s after fighting Malfoy.

• Eleanor told Darren she suspected Mr. Diggory’s visit had been for show, and Darren defended him while offering to take responsibility for the incident.
• Dumbledore and Snape arrived and learned from Eleanor that Darren had recovered enough to return to Hogwarts soon.
• Dumbledore reprimanded Darren for risking his life and described how Molly, Arthur, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry had suffered while he was unconscious.
• Darren accepted a system mission, asked if Harry was okay, and pretended to become dizzy and fall back onto the bed.
• Eleanor diagnosed Darren with a slight magical backlash and warned Dumbledore not to agitate her patient.
• Harry called out that he was fine, explaining that Malfoy had broken his nose and that he had punched Malfoy’s eye swollen.

Darren returned from St. Mungo’s and reunited with Harry and the Weasleys, who were relieved he had survived. He pretended to feel guilty over Amos Diggory’s dismissal to earn Paternal Points, then Harry took him upstairs to pack for the next event.

• Harry forgave Darren and embraced him, while Dumbledore thanked him for surviving and apologized for not asking about his suffering.
• Darren was discharged from St. Mungo’s the next day and arrived at The Burrow, where Mrs. Weasley tearfully hugged him.
• Darren claimed he was at fault for Diggory’s dismissal, and Fred and George revealed they had sent his letter to the Ministry of Magic through a Muggle delivery service.
• Darren feigned worry that the Ministry would reject his suggestion to rehire Diggory, while the family avoided correcting him and Mr. Weasley read the Daily Prophet’s criticism of the Ministry.
• Mrs. Weasley prompted Harry to take Darren upstairs to pack, and Harry showed him the dress robes she had bought for them.

Darren pretended to be broke after Harry discovered his empty vault, prompting Harry to insist on giving him food money. The Weasleys then headed for King’s Cross without Mr. Weasley, who was called away to investigate a break-in at Mad-Eye Moody’s house.

• Darren searched for money to repay Mrs. Weasley for his dress robes but found only two Galleons, and Harry grew upset that he had not mentioned being out of money.
• Darren said he had spent his money donating to others and did not want to burden Harry, earning Paternal Points as Harry sympathized with him.
• Harry insisted Darren accept the thousand Galleons in his vault as food money, and Darren reluctantly agreed.
• Mrs. Weasley called the children downstairs to leave for King’s Cross as rain fell.
• Mr. Weasley received a Ministry message that someone had broken into Mad-Eye Moody’s house, so Mrs. Weasley took the children to the station without him.
• Darren endured a slow, traffic-filled car ride with frightened Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks clinging to him, and the group eventually reached the station.

Darren calmed Harry’s guilt over Malfoy’s insults by promising to return alive whenever he took risks. The group reached Hogwarts in heavy rain, where Darren drove off Peeves before he could cause more trouble.

• Darren heard Malfoy insult Harry and boast that he would have stopped Darren from getting involved in danger.
• Harry and the others held Darren back from confronting Malfoy, and Harry admitted he felt useless for not being able to protect Darren.
• Darren apologized to Harry, accepted the Paternal Points, and promised he would come back alive whenever he risked himself.
• Darren and his friends played games and ate aboard the Hogwarts Express until it stopped in the rain outside Hogwarts.
• Darren rode with Harry and the others in a Thestral-drawn carriage, noticing Luna watching him with concern.
• Peeves hit Ron with a water balloon, but fled after Darren threatened him with his wand.

Darren returned safely to Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall embraced him and welcomed him back before he joined the Slytherin table. As the Sorting Ceremony began, Harry hoped the school year would be peaceful, but seeing Snape reminded him of their history and how he, Darren, and Hermione had thwarted Snape’s plan to capture Sirius.

• Darren arrived in the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall hugged him and told him how worried she had been over the summer.
• Professor McGonagall sent Darren to the Slytherin table and ordered Hermione, Harry, and Ron to take their seats.
• Harry watched Darren sit beside Cassandra and Malfoy, and recalled why he distrusted Malfoy and his father.
• The Sorting Hat sang its new song, and Harry asked Ron whether the song changed each year.
• Harry resolved to enjoy a calm school year, but seeing Snape reminded him of their feud and their role in foiling Snape’s plan to capture Sirius.

At the start of the new school year, Darren refused Malfoy’s offer to leave Hogwarts for Durmstrang, while Harry reflected on Snape and Dumbledore. The empty Defense Against the Dark Arts seat was filled when Moody arrived and was announced as the new professor.

• Snape exposed Lupin as a Werewolf, forcing him to leave Hogwarts, and Harry noticed Snape’s mocking stare at the feast.
• Harry worried about the vacant Defense Against the Dark Arts post and remained wary of Dumbledore because he had given Darren Veritaserum.
• Malfoy urged Darren to attend Durmstrang and offered him Muggle companies if he became Malfoy’s lackey, but Darren said he would stay with his brother, Hermione, Ginny, and his friends.
• Malfoy asked whether Harry was a better brother, but Darren said he only wanted his brother.
• Darren ate as the Sorting Ceremony ended, then watched Moody arrive at the Great Hall with a prosthetic leg and a strangely moving eye.
• Dumbledore welcomed Moody and announced that he would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Darren recognized that Moody had likely been impersonated, then heard Dumbledore announce the Triwizard Tournament and its age restriction. The next morning, Malfoy discussed a plan involving Ageing Potion before Ron challenged him about his failed subject and Harry’s brother.

• Darren noticed the flask at Moody’s waist and concluded that someone had impersonated him.
• Dumbledore announced the Triwizard Tournament, barred students under seventeen from competing, and warned students to be friendly, though not too kind.
• Snape chose the fourth-years to begin a contest, and Darren declined to lead them, earning Paternal Points.
• The next morning, Malfoy told Crabbe and Goyle he planned to test his family’s Ageing Potion and said he would not enter the tournament.
• Ron challenged Malfoy about failing a subject, and Malfoy insulted Harry’s brother.

After Ron told Darren that Hermione had stopped eating to protest the unpaid House-elves, Darren announced that he would also refuse Hogwarts food unless the elves were paid. He went to find Peeves to arrange food for Hermione and explain his own payments, while Harry and Ron followed and overheard Peeves warning that Darren had no money left.

• Ron told Darren that Hermione had gone on a hunger strike after learning the House-elves were unpaid.
• Darren announced that he would not eat at Hogwarts until Dumbledore paid the House-elves, and said he would have Peeves bring Hermione food.
• Darren ran to find Peeves, intending to tell Hermione that he paid the House-elf and would raise his wages.
• Harry and Ron discussed their worries about Darren as Malfoy left after taunting Ron.
• Harry and Ron followed Darren to the Slytherin Common Room and overheard Peeves beg him not to raise his wages because he had no money left.

Harry discovered that Darren had been pretending not to be hungry and urged him to eat properly, while Darren secretly welcomed permission to have Peeves cook for him. Later, Hermione revealed she was working on improving House-elves’ conditions but kept Darren out of it because emotional agitation could endanger his health.

• Harry rushed out and questioned Peeves about whether Darren had been eating, but Peeves could not bring herself to explain that he was eating lavish meals.
• Harry told Darren to eat properly and said he could have Peeves cook for him, and Darren gratefully agreed while secretly looking forward to ordering better food.
• In Herbology, Darren identified a Bubotuber and earned ten points for Slytherin from Professor Sprout.
• Professor Sprout told the class that Eloise had accidentally blown off her own nose while trying to cure her acne, but Madam Pomfrey had regrown it.
• During Hagrid’s Blast-Ended Skrewt lesson, Darren discussed House-elves with Hermione, who said she was working to improve their conditions but would not involve him because of his health.

Darren staged a show of standing up for Ron to earn Paternal Points when Malfoy mocked the Weasleys. When Moody attacked Malfoy, Darren accidentally struck Moody instead, then apologized and received his praise.

• Darren pretended to be too poor to afford meals, prompting Hogwarts students and Dumbledore to send him meat while he hoped the Board of Governors would not change the House-elves' treatment.
• Malfoy mocked Ron's father, mother, and home while reading a Daily Prophet article, and Darren threatened him to earn Paternal Points.
• Malfoy argued with Darren and Harry, and Darren prepared to intervene if Malfoy attacked Harry.
• Moody fired a streak of white light at Malfoy, and Darren instinctively retaliated, sending Moody flying.
• Darren apologized and offered to accept detention, but Moody praised his magic, called Malfoy a bad seed, and vowed to teach him a lesson.

Darren defended Draco Malfoy from Moody’s accusations, but Moody turned Draco into a white ferret anyway. Professor McGonagall argued with Moody over whether Darren should become an Auror or stay at Hogwarts, and their dispute continued.

• Darren rejected Moody’s demand to punish Draco and defended Draco’s father, earning Paternal Points.
• Moody turned Draco into a white ferret while Darren pretended to be too slow to stop him.
• Professor McGonagall arrived, scolded Moody for Transfiguring a student, and asked Darren if he was unharmed.
• Darren lowered Draco safely to the ground and asked McGonagall to change him back.
• Moody praised Darren’s potential as an Auror, while McGonagall insisted he should become a Hogwarts professor instead.
• Moody claimed that a man’s dream was to become an Auror, and McGonagall challenged his remark about women.

Dumbledore brought Darren and the ferret-transformed Malfoy to his office, where he asked Darren to provide his memories of the night he killed several Death Eaters. Darren agreed and used the system to fabricate memories as he extracted them.

• Dumbledore stopped Professor McGonagall and Moody's argument and took Darren and Malfoy to his office, while Harry stayed behind.
• Dumbledore told Malfoy to remain a white ferret as punishment for bullying other students.
• Dumbledore asked Darren to reveal everything he remembered from the night of the Death Eaters' deaths, and Darren agreed.
• Darren spent one thousand Paternal Points to fabricate memories and began extracting them with his wand.
• Professor McGonagall protested as Darren grew pale and trembled during the memory extraction.

Darren entered the Pensieve with Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Moody to revisit the memory of his capture and identify the Death Eaters involved. As they watched the memory reveal the torture and the failure of Dumbledore’s protective necklace, Dumbledore regretted making Darren relive it.

• Dumbledore asked Darren to revisit his memory, while Professor McGonagall objected because of his magical outburst.
• Moody supported the plan so he could identify the Death Eaters, and Professor McGonagall agreed to come along and take Darren to the Hospital Wing if needed.
• Darren asked Dumbledore to keep his condition from his brother, then entered the Pensieve with him.
• Dumbledore watched Darren’s memory of being taken hostage and tortured, while Moody angrily suspected a Malfoy had been present.
• Dumbledore saw that the Death Eaters had tormented Darren with cruel spells and that the necklace he had given him had failed.

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall watched Darren relive the torture the Death Eaters had inflicted on him and the massacre he had committed after his magic rioted. The memory ended with Darren erasing his own memories, while he struggled to face what he had done.

• Dumbledore realized Darren had once nearly killed himself with a destructive curse after the Death Eaters tortured him, and his necklace had saved him.
• The Death Eaters took the barely conscious Darren to Muggle territory and tortured women and children in front of him, making him beg them to stop.
• Darren’s magic rioted, and he killed the surviving Muggles and several Death Eaters with his fists and his Obscurus.
• Darren told Dumbledore that the Obscurus had been all he had, then continued deeper into the memory despite Dumbledore’s attempts to stop him.
• The Death Eaters brought Darren to more places filled with Muggles, and he could only stare and beg to die as his Obscurus weakened.
• Near dawn, the Death Eaters abandoned Darren, and he cast Obliviate on himself as his magic recovered.

Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey tried to erase Darren’s terrifying memories after they triggered a magical outburst, but Darren secretly negated the spell at the cost of three thousand Paternal Points. He woke in the Hospital Wing as Harry and the others discussed what Ginny had witnessed and wondered what had happened to him.

• McGonagall urged Dumbledore to get Darren out, and Dumbledore rushed him to the Hospital Wing while Darren screamed and struggled.
• Dumbledore explained that Darren’s memories had overwhelmed him and asked Madam Pomfrey to help erase them; they cast Obliviate together.
• Darren used three thousand Paternal Points to negate Obliviate, then collapsed and was given a potion by Madam Pomfrey.
• Darren woke to Harry, Fred, Ron, and Ginny discussing how he had been brought to the Hospital Wing.
• Ginny recounted seeing Darren scream for Dumbledore to kill him, leaving Harry and the others worried about what memories had caused his distress.

Darren woke in the hospital wing after Dumbledore erased his painful memories, while Harry and the others worried about what had happened. Dumbledore arrived and claimed Darren was severely malnourished, leaving Darren puzzled by the new excuse.

• Harry blamed himself for not following Darren to Dumbledore's office, and Darren woke before Harry could say more against Dumbledore.
• Darren pretended to be confused and tearful, while Madam Pomfrey told him he had fainted from exhaustion and worried that the memory-erasing spell might have failed.
• Darren remembered that Dumbledore had reprimanded Professor McGonagall and Moody before Darren lost consciousness, and he tried to leave to apologize to Dumbledore.
• Harry and the others stopped Darren from returning to Dumbledore's office, and Harry offered to go in his place.
• Dumbledore arrived and told Darren he was severely malnourished, while Darren realized Dumbledore was trying to frighten him.