Chapter Summaries

Before Halloween, Darren completed a system task by defending Hermione after Ron spoke badly about her, earning a Forbidden Forest Blind Box and two Dark Arts Talent points. Harry agreed with Darren, while Ron remained unhappy about being challenged.

• Professor Flitwick began teaching the Levitation Charm and praised Darren for his skill with it.
• The system assigned Darren a task to confront Ron after he insulted Hermione, with a Forbidden Forest Blind Box as the reward.
• Ron called Hermione annoying and said she had no friends, and Hermione overheard him and ran off crying.
• Darren angrily reminded Ron that Hermione had faced danger with them and challenged him over speaking badly about her.
• Darren completed the task and received the Forbidden Forest Blind Box and two Dark Arts Talent points.
• Harry sided with Darren and rebuked Ron for speaking badly about Hermione.

Darren found Hermione crying in the girls’ bathroom just as a troll entered, then promised to face the monster himself. He prepared to fight it while the system’s mission warned him to feign exhaustion when footsteps approached.

• Darren learned from Cassandra that Hermione was crying in the basement girls’ bathroom and left the feast to find her.
• Quirrell announced that a troll was in the dungeons, and Darren accepted the system’s mission to reach Hermione and defeat it.
• Darren found Hermione as the troll approached the bathroom and pulled her into a stall.
• Darren told Hermione he would deal with the troll, but she grabbed his sleeve and doubted he could defeat it.

Darren unleashed the Obscurus to fight the troll, inventing powerful spells that defeated it but left him unconscious. McGonagall sent him to the Hospital Wing, while Snape arrived in a fury and Dumbledore stood between him and the others.

• Darren rushed at the troll with the Obscurus and attacked it with spells as Harry and Ron tried to distract it.
• Darren pushed Harry and Ron aside, then used newly invented spells to drive the troll mad and blast it full of wounds.
• Darren noticed his Dark Arts Talent had risen to 50 and told Harry and Ron to take Hermione away before he collapsed.
• Harry caught the unconscious Darren, and McGonagall summoned a stretcher to take him to the Hospital Wing.
• Snape arrived looking barely restrained, while Dumbledore stood in front of him and reassured the children that Darren would be fine.

After Darren defeated the troll, Snape blamed Harry and Hermione, while Dumbledore praised the students and awarded House points. By November, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Darren had become friends, and Snape again confronted Harry after spotting him with a book.

• Snape accused Harry of resenting Darren and deducted Gryffindor points when Harry talked back.
• Hermione took responsibility for the troll incident, but Snape deducted more points for her recklessness.
• Dumbledore awarded points to Harry and Ron for their bravery and to Darren for defeating the troll.
• Harry, Hermione, and Ron visited the infirmary, learned Darren had awakened, and became friends after returning to the Common Room.
• In November, Hermione knitted Darren a scarf while Harry read a Quidditch book, and Harry tried to hide her warming flame from the limping Snape.
• Snape asked Harry what he was reading, and Harry showed him a book titled God-Tier Quidditch Ball.

Darren went with Harry to Snape’s office, where Harry saw Snape’s injured leg and fled. Darren wrapped the wound to complete a system task and obtained the Pure Prince bloodline.

• Darren noticed Snape’s injured leg and went with Harry to his office.
• Harry entered Snape’s office, saw Snape’s bloody leg, and fled after Snape shouted at him.
• Darren accepted a system task to bandage Snape’s injury and tell him to go to the Hospital Wing.
• Darren wrapped Snape’s leg and completed the task, gaining the Pure Prince bloodline.

Darren discovered his potion innovation ability had grown stronger, served detention with Snape, and returned Harry’s book while dismissing Harry’s suspicions about Snape. Harry and his friends remained convinced Snape was after the object guarded by the three-headed dog, and the chapter ended as the Gryffindor–Slytherin Quidditch match began.

• Darren noticed his potion innovation ability had reached 80, and Snape gave him a week of detention for his recklessness before sending Harry’s book back with him.
• Harry told Darren, Ron, and Hermione that he suspected Snape wanted the object guarded by the three-headed dog, but Darren defended Snape and the others went to discuss their suspicions without him.
• Darren watched Harry being taken to his first Quidditch match and agreed not to sit with Gryffindor during the game.
• Marcus and Wood shook hands before Madam Hooch blew her whistle and started the match.

Darren worried over Harry during the Quidditch match, then defended Snape when Ron accused him of cursing Harry’s broom. At Hagrid’s hut, the children learned that Fluffy guarded something connected to Nicolas Flamel, but Hagrid refused to tell them more and sent them away.

• Darren panicked when Harry’s broom began shaking, tried to earn Paternal Points by pretending he could catch Harry, and cheered when Harry caught the Snitch and Gryffindor won.
• Darren went with Harry to Hagrid’s hut, where Ron claimed Snape had cursed Harry’s broom and Darren angrily vowed to confront Snape and report him to Dumbledore.
• Harry tried to calm Darren and stop Ron from accusing Snape of trying to steal what Fluffy guarded.
• Hagrid revealed that Fluffy was his three-headed dog and that Dumbledore had borrowed him to guard something, then let slip that Nicolas Flamel was involved.
• Hagrid refused to explain what Fluffy guarded and angrily drove Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Darren out of his hut.

Darren stopped the Weasley brothers from pelting Professor Quirrell with snowballs and received a Dark Arts Talent reward, while the approaching Christmas holiday left him and Harry staying at Hogwarts. Malfoy mocked Harry for having nowhere to go, then picked a fight with Harry and Ron, leaving Gryffindor down twenty points.

• Darren accepted a mission to stop the Weasley brothers from throwing snowballs at Quirrell and reprimanded them.
• McGonagall caught the Weasley brothers, gave them detention, and deducted twenty points from Gryffindor.
• Darren returned to the cold castle and felt someone watching him until he went inside.
• Malfoy mocked Harry for staying at Hogwarts over Christmas, then realized Darren was also homeless and awkwardly reconsidered his remarks.
• Harry was happy to spend Christmas at Hogwarts with Darren and Ron, who also had to stay at school.
• Malfoy insulted Harry and Ron after Potions class, and Snape deducted twenty points from Gryffindor when Ron nearly struck him.

Darren and his friends continued searching for Nicolas Flamel before Hermione left for the holidays, and Darren later woke to find a mountain of Christmas presents. The final, unsigned gift was a book describing terrifying Dark Arts, leaving Darren unsure who had sent it.

• Harry and Ron complained about Snape and Malfoy, then told Hagrid they were searching for Nicolas Flamel, but Hagrid refused to help.
• Darren searched the library with Hermione, and Hermione left for the holidays after asking her friends to keep looking for Flamel.
• Darren spent time playing Wizard's Chess with Harry and Ron before going to sleep ahead of Christmas.
• Darren woke surrounded by more than a hundred gifts, including presents from Peeves, the Potter family portraits, Flitwick, McGonagall, Harry, and Snape.
• Darren opened Mrs. Weasley's green sweater and fudge, then Hermione's scarf, gloves, and Chocolate Frogs.
• Darren opened the last gift, which had no name and contained The Use of the Dark Arts, a book detailing deadly spells.

Darren gave Dumbledore a book of Dark Arts he had received for Christmas, and Dumbledore suspected Voldemort had sent it to tempt him with immortality. Back with Harry and Ron, Darren received Harry’s offer of their father’s Invisibility Cloak and began following a system mission to return it to Harry.

• Darren took the book of Dark Arts to Dumbledore, who believed Voldemort had given it to him to lead him toward immortality.
• Dumbledore rewarded Darren with 80 Paternal Points and sent him to enjoy Christmas with Harry.
• Darren showed Harry and Ron his warm clothes and introduced them to his kitten, Lezi.
• Harry offered Darren his father’s Invisibility Cloak, explaining that he felt Darren deserved to share the keepsake.
• Darren accepted a system mission to stroke the cloak fondly and then return it to Harry, and he began by saying he wished he could see their father wearing it.

Darren gave Harry the Invisibility Cloak their father had left them, then joined him on a nighttime excursion while wearing the cloak Snape had given him. Harry led them toward the library to search for Nicolas Flamel, but Filch and Mrs. Norris caught their trail, leaving both brothers in danger of being discovered.

• Darren persuaded Harry to keep their father's Invisibility Cloak, and the system identified it as Death's Invisibility Cloak.
• Darren and Harry enjoyed the Christmas feast, where Darren won a Wizard's Chess set from a cracker.
• Harry asked Darren to join his nighttime outing, and Darren met him wearing the Invisibility Cloak Snape had given him.
• Harry suspected Darren might be Snape in disguise, but Darren convinced him otherwise and praised Snape.
• Harry took Darren toward the library to search for Nicolas Flamel, but Filch and Mrs. Norris heard them, and Filch approached Harry beneath the cloak.

Darren lured Filch away so Harry could escape, then found Harry and pulled him into a room containing the Mirror of Erised. Harry saw his parents in the mirror, while Darren fabricated memories of a future world as the chapter ended.

• Darren accepted a mission to distract Filch, then patted him and ran to draw him away from Harry.
• Harry kicked Mrs. Norris, whose yowling brought Filch and Snape back to the corridor, so Harry fled.
• Darren found Harry and pulled him into an empty room, where Harry asked how Darren had detected him beneath the Invisibility Cloak.
• Harry and Darren discovered the Mirror of Erised, and Harry saw his parents reflected behind him.
• When Harry urged Darren to look, Darren fabricated memories of tall buildings and a future world with free hospitals.

Darren helped Harry confront the Mirror of Erised’s false visions, and Dumbledore removed it from the school. Afterward, Harry accidentally revealed that Darren’s necklace gift to Hermione had come from Peeves, upsetting her.

• Harry described seeing his parents in the mirror, and Darren claimed he had seen his own parents living happily in the same imagined world.
• Dumbledore found Harry and Darren visiting the mirror and told them he planned to move it somewhere inaccessible.
• Darren told Harry and Dumbledore that the mirror showed their desires rather than reality, and urged Harry not to become obsessed with it.
• Dumbledore explained the mirror’s nature, joked that he saw himself holding socks, and escorted Harry and Darren back to bed.
• Dumbledore removed the mirror, and Harry later told Ron about it; Ron decided it was probably better that he had not seen it.
• Hermione thanked Darren for a silver necklace, but Harry revealed that Peeves had bought it, making Hermione glare at him and retreat to the girls’ dormitory.

Darren protected Neville from Malfoy and encouraged him, earning Herbology and Animal Affinity talents through the Paternal System. Neville’s Chocolate Frog card helped Hermione recall that Nicolas Flamel was mentioned in Hogwarts, A History, leaving the group with a new lead.

• Darren stepped between Malfoy and Neville and threatened to tell Professor Snape if Malfoy bullied him again, earning Neville’s Herbology Talent.
• After Neville doubted his courage, Darren praised him for standing up to Malfoy and gave him a Chocolate Frog, earning Animal Affinity Talent.
• Neville happily gave Darren his Dumbledore card and left.
• Ron advised Darren to throw the card away, but Darren kept it and realized he had found Nicolas Flamel’s name.
• Hermione remembered that Nicolas Flamel was mentioned in Hogwarts, A History and apologized for having misled Darren about the book.

Hermione discovered that Nicolas Flamel had made the Philosopher's Stone, and Harry, Ron, and Darren learned it could turn metal into gold and produce the Elixir of Life. At the Quidditch match, Darren overheard Malfoy planning to attack Neville, accepted a system task, and punched Malfoy in the eye.

• Hermione found a book identifying Nicolas Flamel as the maker of the Philosopher's Stone and explained its powers to Harry, Ron, and Darren.
• Darren urged everyone to rest before the Quidditch match, and Harry went to play while Darren returned to the Slytherin stands.
• Darren noticed Malfoy whispering with Crabbe and Goyle near Neville, Ron, and Hermione, then accepted a system task to intervene if Malfoy attacked Neville.
• Darren eavesdropped as Malfoy planned to provoke Neville and cast a curse while keeping Darren away.
• Malfoy raised his wand at Neville, and Darren punched him in the eye before Malfoy demanded to know why he had been hit.

Darren confronted Malfoy for bullying Neville, then used a Scene Card that turned his surroundings into a scenario where he rescued an injured girl and completed a series of strange missions. After the scenario projected into reality, Darren returned to find Malfoy threatening to tell his father about the punch.

• Darren rebuked Malfoy for bullying Neville and said he would accept being expelled rather than take back the punch.
• Darren used the Scene Card and found himself as a small child in an alley, where he rescued an injured blond girl from a large man.
• Darren pretended to be exhausted, followed the girl, carried her for a kilometer, and acted out the remaining missions.
• The system projected the completed scenario into reality and said the people involved would learn what happened within a day.
• Darren returned to Malfoy, who declared that he would tell his father about being hit.

Darren comforted Neville after standing up to Malfoy, while Ron, Hermione, and Neville rushed to find teachers who could protect him from expulsion. Narcissa dreamed of being abducted as a child and abandoned by a boy who later returned to carry her to safety.

• Malfoy ran to tell his mother about Darren, and Darren reassured the tearful Neville that he would accept punishment if he deserved it.
• Hermione learned what had happened and sent Neville to Professor McGonagall and Ron to Professor Flitwick while she went to find Dumbledore.
• Narcissa dreamed that she had turned into a child, been mistaken for Draco, and been kidnapped by men seeking her son.
• A boy rescued Narcissa from her captors, but she abandoned him when he collapsed and then fell herself while fleeing.
• The boy returned for Narcissa, carried her on his back, and encouraged her as they traveled toward safety.

Narcissa remembered the boy who had risked his life to save her and reflected on the conditional affection in her family before Draco showed her a bruised eye and blamed Darren Potter. At Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall and the other professors gathered in Dumbledore’s office to oppose Darren’s possible expulsion, leaving Dumbledore facing a room full of his defenders.

• Narcissa recalled how a boy carried her through a flooded cave to safety, then collapsed as she escaped.
• Narcissa reflected on her marriage to Lucius, Draco’s upbringing, and how the boy’s selfless rescue had given her a glimpse of the pure affection she had wanted.
• Draco contacted Narcissa with a bruised eye and claimed Darren Potter had punched him, so she sent Dobby to fetch Lucius and demand justice.
• Professor McGonagall rushed to Dumbledore’s office to protest Darren’s possible expulsion, joined by nearly every professor who had interacted with him.
• Dumbledore told McGonagall to relax as the assembled professors stood with Darren, who apologized for punching Draco.

Dumbledore tried to address the bullying behind Darren’s punch, but the professors defended Darren before Lucius arrived demanding that Draco identify who hit him. Lucius privately wanted to see Darren, whom he believed was his son, while Draco faced the gathered professors and his parents.

• Dumbledore began to explain that Darren’s punch was part of a larger issue, but the professors interrupted and defended Darren.
• Lucius entered Dumbledore’s office, accused him of failing to manage the school, and demanded that Draco identify the student who hit him.
• Lucius reflected on his secret belief that Darren was his child and on the dangers that kept him from acknowledging him.
• Draco stepped out from behind Lucius and wondered whether he could call the incident a misunderstanding and slip away.

Darren accepted a system mission and claimed responsibility for hitting Draco Malfoy, announcing that he should leave Hogwarts. His revelation that he was Darren Potter stunned Lucius, who had just threatened to have him expelled, and left Lucius reassessing both Darren and Draco.

• The system gave Darren a mission to take responsibility for the fight and say he should drop out, offering Dumbledore's Blind Box as a reward.
• Darren told everyone he had hit Draco and said he would leave Hogwarts rather than ignore Draco bullying others.
• McGonagall and the other professors threatened to resign if Dumbledore expelled Darren, while Lucius demanded Darren's name so he could report him to the Ministry of Magic.
• Darren introduced himself as Darren Potter, and Lucius realized he had threatened his own son; Narcissa urged him to treat the incident as children's play.
• Lucius privately fumed at Draco and admired Darren, thinking the boy was much like himself.