Chapter Summaries

Professor Flitwick visited Will Behrens to introduce him to the wizarding world, but discovered that Will had already found Diagon Alley, bought his school supplies, and learned much about magic on his own. After teaching Will Charms for an afternoon, Flitwick left convinced that he belonged in Ravenclaw and resolved to look out for him at Hogwarts.

• Professor Flitwick arrived at Will Behrens's house and found him cooking among books about magic.
• Will told Flitwick that he had discovered the wizarding world after his uncontrolled magic burst the lights, and that his mother had died two years earlier.
• Will explained that he had entered the Leaky Cauldron and bought his Wand and all his school supplies without a professor's help.
• Will asked Flitwick to explain the principles behind Charms, and Flitwick taught him throughout the afternoon.
• Flitwick praised Will's magical talent and thirst for knowledge, decided he would belong in Ravenclaw, and promised to help him at Hogwarts.

Will Behrens recalled his traumatic childhood, his arrival in the wizarding world, and how relentless study and a progress system had made him a gifted young wizard. After choosing a Charms bonus ability, he left his London home with his trunk as September arrived.

• Will remembered being born to Dorothy Behrens and Edward Fitzalan-Howard, then being abused and locked away by his mother.
• During an accidental magic outburst, Will’s consciousness entered the body of the young Will Behrens, retaining his memories and knowledge of the Harry Potter novels.
• Will secretly found the wizarding world, studied magic obsessively, and used his progress system to develop his skills.
• While reading Magick Moste Evile, Will reached Charms LV4 and chose Spellpower Burst.
• After living alone and studying through the years, Will prepared food and left his home with his enchanted trunk as September arrived.

Will boarded the Hogwarts Express and read a book about curses until Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Sylvia joined him in his compartment. He impressed them with silent spellcasting but remained focused on his reading as the train left the station.

• Will passed through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, boarded the train, and began reading a curse studies book in an empty compartment.
• Sylvia entered the compartment and sat opposite Will, and the train departed soon afterward.
• Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom asked to share the compartment, and Will used a silent spell to lift their suitcases onto the luggage rack.
• Hermione recognized Will as her former primary school classmate and questioned him about his magic and book.
• Sylvia introduced herself as a member of the Lestrange family and reassured Hermione that most new students had not learned spells before Hogwarts.

Will discussed curses and Ritual Magic with the others, then shared a magically warmed lunch on the train to Hogwarts. As the students talked about Hogwarts Houses, Will remained undecided between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

• Will explained that Egyptian traditions viewed curses as divinely justified and said that curses were closely connected to Ritual Magic.
• Will opened his magically warmed lunch boxes, transformed toothpicks into spoons, and offered food to Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville.
• Hermione asked Will how he had managed Transfiguration, while Neville worried that he lacked magical talent and might be expelled.
• Sylvia reassured Neville by explaining that Newt Scamander had been expelled from Hogwarts, and Will noted that Hogwarts was not the only way to learn Magic.
• Will praised Hufflepuff and its notable Wizards, easing Neville's worries, while Hermione argued that Gryffindor was the best House.
• Sylvia said her family mostly belonged to Slytherin, and Will considered whether he might be sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

On the Hogwarts Express, Will used the Summoning Charm to retrieve Neville’s lost toad, Trevor, and spent the journey studying spells. After arriving in Scotland, Will, Neville, Sylvia, and Hermione followed Hagrid to the lakeside, where they saw Hogwarts for the first time.

• Will bought Chocolate Frogs and shared lunch with Neville, Sylvia, and Hermione as they chatted on the train.
• Neville realized Trevor had escaped, and Will successfully summoned the toad back to the compartment, though Trevor was knocked unconscious.
• Will advised Neville to learn the Summoning Charm at Hogwarts and then returned to studying Curse Studies.
• As the train neared Hogwarts, Sylvia and Hermione changed into their robes, followed by Will and Neville.
• Will and the others left the train after the crowds and followed Hagrid down a dark path to the lake.
• Will, Neville, Sylvia, and Hermione saw Hogwarts rising across the water beneath the stars.

Will Behrens was Sorted into Slytherin despite preferring Hufflepuff and being expected to suit Ravenclaw. As the feast began, the professors discussed his talent for Charms and the abuse he had suffered at home.

• Hagrid brought Will, Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville to Professor McGonagall, who welcomed the first-years to Hogwarts.
• When Hermione and the others asked about the Sorting Ceremony, Will invented a story about fighting the Four Houses’ animals.
• The Sorting Hat weighed Will’s hunger for knowledge and Sorted him into Slytherin; Hermione went to Gryffindor, Neville nearly became a Hatstall, and Sylvia joined Will in Slytherin.
• During the feast, Professor Flitwick told the other professors that Will had studied Charms with him and owned hundreds of books.
• Dumbledore learned that Will’s mother had died unexpectedly and that Will had suffered abuse at home, which had once caused his magic to go out of control.

At the Slytherin feast, Will clashed with Ivan Selwyn and Auburn Nott, then faced them and another student in his dormitory. He defeated all three with spells and went to sleep alone, determined to focus on learning magic and becoming powerful.

• Ivan Selwyn mocked Will for being from the Muggle World, but Sylvia defended him and offered to help him.
• The Prefect led the Slytherin students to the Common Room, where Will saw his underground dormitory and learned that Auburn Nott was his roommate.
• Auburn, Ivan, and another student confronted Will in his room and threatened him.
• Will stunned Ivan, disarmed and petrified Obain, and petrified the third student as he tried to flee.
• Will sealed his door and went to sleep while the three students hung rigid from the Common Room wall lamps.

Will ignored Sylvia's warning about making enemies in Slytherin and focused on studying, then impressed Professor McGonagall with his knowledge and Transfiguration skill. He earned twenty points for Slytherin in the first lesson and helped Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville succeed.

• Will told Sylvia he did not care that his actions against Selwyn and the others had isolated him from Slytherin.
• Will led Sylvia, Harry, and Ron through Hogwarts's moving staircases to the Transfiguration classroom.
• Professor McGonagall demonstrated Transfiguration, and Will used the Wizard's Eye to study the magic patterns on the transformed pig.
• Will recited the provisions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, earning ten points for Slytherin, while Hermione earned five points for Gryffindor.
• Will successfully turned a Matchstick into a Needle and earned five more points for Slytherin.
• With Will's guidance, Sylvia and Hermione turned their Matchsticks into Needles, and Neville made his Matchstick thinner; McGonagall awarded Will five points for helping a classmate.

Will’s studies at Hogwarts advanced as his Charms and Transfiguration skills improved, but Auburn Nott and Ivan Selwyn brought older Slytherins to confront him. Will refused Yaxley’s offer and prepared to face the group in the Slytherin Common Room, where Sylvia tried to intervene.

• Will used History of Magic lessons to study Wizard history and asked Professor Flitwick about the development of modern Magic.
• Will gained experience in Charms and Transfiguration while enjoying his classes and meals at Hogwarts.
• Auburn Nott and Ivan Selwyn confronted Will at dinner with an older student named Yaxley, who offered a reconciliation and work with the Yaxley Family.
• Will rejected Yaxley’s offer, challenged the group to a Fair Duel, and headed toward the Slytherin Common Room as Draco Malfoy followed.
• Sylvia tried to protect Will in the Common Room, but Will stopped two Slytherins from approaching her and said he would handle the group himself.

Will Behrens fought Yaxley and a group of Slytherin students in the Common Room, demonstrating unusually powerful magic. Snape arrived and ordered Will to meet him in his office.

• Yaxley attacked Will with Stupefy, but Will's Shield Charm blocked enough of the spell to leave him standing.
• Will dodged Yaxley's spells, counterattacked with several charms, and used Transfiguration to bind Yaxley's legs before stunning him.
• Selwyn rallied seven or eight students against Will, and Will knocked them down with Confringo.
• Draco Malfoy and the other students recognized Will's exceptional skill and moved away from him.
• Snape arrived, stopped Sylvia Lestrange from explaining, and told Will that his office was in the West Tower.

Will earned a week of detention with Snape preparing potion ingredients after explaining that he had fought back against bullying, then impressed Snape in Potions Class by answering questions and brewing a Cure for Boils successfully. The lesson ended in chaos when Neville's Cauldron erupted and potion splashed toward Will.

• Will told Snape that he had attacked his classmates after they bullied him and asked Snape not to punish Sylvia.
• Snape gave Will a week of detention preparing potion ingredients, and Sylvia worried that Pure-blood families would retaliate against him.
• Will gained no experience from Quirrell's Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson and spent the class reading instead.
• In Potions Class, Will correctly answered Snape's questions about potion ingredients and earned five points for Slytherin.
• Will and Sylvia finished their Cure for Boils first, earning another five points for Slytherin, before Neville's Cauldron erupted and sent potion flying toward Will.

Will helped prevent Neville’s potion accident, studied in the Library with Sylvia and Hermione, and served Detention for a fight in the Slytherin Common Room. Snape then told him that Dumbledore wanted to see him and gave him the password to the Headmaster’s Office.

• Will cleared away Neville’s spilled Cure for Boils, and Snape awarded Slytherin two points while blaming Harry for Neville’s mistake.
• Will went to the Library with Sylvia, where Hermione joined them, and spent the afternoon researching and writing Snape’s essay.
• Sylvia explained Slytherin’s blood-prejudice and her family background to Hermione while Will left for Detention.
• Snape told Will that Dumbledore wanted to see him and gave him the password to the Headmaster’s Office.

Will met with Dumbledore, who advised him to enjoy school and warned him against dabbling in dark magic. After Will left, the Sorting Hat told Dumbledore that Will was dangerous and belonged in Slytherin.

• Will entered Dumbledore's office and discussed his studies, friendships, and dislike of classmates who called him a Mudblood.
• Dumbledore recounted how Voldemort had once appeared to be an exemplary student and explained that he worried power could lead Will astray.
• Will thanked Dumbledore for his warning about dark magic and left to enjoy the weekend.
• The Sorting Hat told Dumbledore that Will was a knowledge-seeking, ambitious wizard who could follow a dangerous path and was a born Slytherin.

Will took Neville to the Room of Requirement and patiently taught him the Summoning Charm, while studying the unusual flow of Neville’s magic. Neville finally summoned an apple, Will gained Charms and Stamina experience and unlocked a stamina upgrade, and Neville returned to the Gryffindor Common Room exhausted but pleased with what he had learned.

• Will reached Potions LV3 and gained the Potion Proliferation ability, increasing potion yields by five percent.
• Neville asked Will to teach him the Summoning Charm because Trevor had gone missing again, and Will agreed.
• Will led Neville and Sylvia to the Room of Requirement, where they practiced the charm.
• Will observed that Neville’s magic flowed unusually and kept coaching him through repeated failures.
• Neville successfully cast the Summoning Charm and summoned an apple, while Will gained experience and unlocked a ten-percent stamina increase.
• Neville returned to the Gryffindor Common Room exhausted, and Harry and Ron asked what had happened.

Will learned from Professor Flitwick how ancient Runes evolved into modern spells and decided to take Runes as an elective. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron suspected Will was investigating the three-headed dog's secret, while Will received permission from Professor Snape to borrow books on Runes from the Restricted Section.

• Will asked Professor Flitwick how Runes developed into the modern spell system, and Flitwick explained that simplified Rune sounds became incantations while Rune arrangements became wand movements.
• Will gained knowledge of spells and Runes, decided to take Runes as an elective, and arranged to study spells with Professor Flitwick after class.
• Will helped Neville with the Summoning Charm, and Harry and Ron saw them part ways outside the Dining Room.
• Ron suggested Will might be using Neville to learn about the secret beneath the Trapdoor, and Harry became suspicious after his scar hurt when Snape looked at him.
• Harry and Ron returned to the Common Room without noticing Quirrell watching them, while Will thanked Snape for permission to borrow Restricted Section books on Runes.

Will’s question about the Wendigo Transfiguration Spell led Quirrell to invite him to his office for a private lesson on Runes. Will realized Voldemort had taken over Quirrell, but decided to accept the lesson while keeping his thoughts guarded.

• Will told Sylvia he had been staying in the Room of Requirement to study and refused her request to stay there too.
• During Defence Against the Dark Arts, Will asked Quirrell how Ancient Runes could produce a Transfiguration effect in the Wendigo spell.
• Quirrell invited Will to his office after class to explain Runes and their structural variants.
• Will considered warning Dumbledore but chose to visit Quirrell, reasoning that Voldemort had no reason to expose himself while seeking the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Quirrell dropped his timid act and praised Will as an exceptional student, confirming Will’s suspicion that Voldemort had taken him over.
• Will asked Quirrell to teach him about Runes structural variants while filling his mind with harmless thoughts to guard against Legilimency.

Will learned about the Runes behind Transfiguration from Quirrell, then discovered in the Mirror of Erised that he wanted to surpass everyone who had come before him. Dumbledore found him at the mirror, fed him, and warned him not to become a slave to his pursuit of knowledge.

• Quirrell taught Will how Runes could be converted toward Transfiguration, raising Will’s Runes level to LV2 and granting him Rune Dissection.
• Will spent hours organizing his new knowledge in the Room of Requirement and missed Herbology and Astronomy.
• Will wandered into the room containing the Mirror of Erised and saw an older version of himself walking past Hogwarts figures and the gravestones of famous Wizards.
• Will realized that he wanted to surpass everything, including the Wizard whose name was Merlin.
• Dumbledore found Will at the mirror, conjured food, and told him he had excused Will from class and that Miss Lestrange had waited outside the Room of Requirement.
• Dumbledore warned Will not to lose himself in the pursuit of knowledge, leaving Will uneasy about the seriousness of the warning.

After Dumbledore advised Will to stop pushing himself, Will rested and returned to a steadier routine at Hogwarts. While practicing with Neville before Halloween, Will gained a new Charisma ability and reviewed his improved stats.

• Will recognized that anxiety and exhaustion had driven him too hard, then fell asleep after reaching his room.
• Dumbledore watched Will return to the Dining Room with Sylvia and worried that the talented boy needed proper guidance.
• Will resumed a balanced routine of classes, extra lessons, practice, and time with Sylvia, Hermione, Neville, and others.
• Quirrell stopped teaching properly, and Will was relieved to avoid drawing Voldemort's attention.
• Will practiced spells with Neville in the Room of Requirement, and Neville used the Summoning Charm to make Trevor fly back and forth.
• Will reached Charisma LV4, chose Master Orator, and checked his updated stats.

Will, Sylvia, and Neville comforted Hermione after Ron insulted her, while Harry and Ron learned that a troll had entered Hogwarts during the Halloween Feast. The chapter left Harry and Ron sneaking off to find Hermione as Will and the others prepared to head to the feast.

• Sylvia brought a tearful Hermione to Will and Neville, and Sylvia, Neville, and Will comforted her over Ron's hurtful remark.
• Harry and Ron went to the Halloween Feast after Ron defeated Harry at Wizard's Chess.
• Quirrell announced that a troll had entered the Castle, and Dumbledore ordered the Prefects to escort students to their Common Rooms.
• Harry realized Hermione did not know about the troll and persuaded Ron to sneak away with him to find her.
• Hermione calmed down in the Room of Requirement as Will, Sylvia, and Neville reassured her and teased one another.

Will used water and ice spells to stop a Troll chasing Harry and Ron through a Hogwarts corridor. The Troll crashed into a wall and fell, but Professor McGonagall arrived as the group remained trapped in the icy corridor.

• Harry and Ron ran down the stairs, explaining that a Troll was loose and they were rushing to rescue Hermione.
• Hermione and Neville went to warn Harry and Ron, while Sylvia and Will followed them.
• The Troll chased Harry and Ron into the corridor, where they reunited with Hermione, Neville, Sylvia, and Will.
• Will cast Aguamenti to blind the Troll, then Glacius to cover it in ice; the Troll charged into a wall and collapsed.
• Professor McGonagall arrived with a group of people, looking furious.