Chapter Summaries

After Will and the others stopped a troll from attacking them, the teachers praised their courage while reprimanding Harry and Ron. Will took Sylvia to the Hogwarts Kitchens for a Halloween feast, where Sylvia proposed they celebrate every Halloween together.

• Professor McGonagall reprimanded the students for confronting the troll, while Professor Flitwick praised Will’s spellwork and awarded points to the group.
• Sylvia explained how Will froze the troll’s head and it crashed into a wall; McGonagall deducted five points each from Harry and Ron for their recklessness.
• The teachers sent the students back toward their Common Rooms, and Will invited Sylvia to join him for dinner instead.
• Will showed Sylvia the entrance to the Hogwarts Kitchens, where Dokie and the other House-elves served them Halloween dishes.
• Sylvia toasted to celebrating every Halloween with Will, and they clinked their glasses of Pumpkin Juice.

Will attended the Quidditch match with Sylvia and watched Harry Potter's broom behave violently while Quirrell muttered from the stands. He suspected Quirrell was behind the attack but trusted Dumbledore to keep Harry safe.

• Will met Fred and George Weasley in the Hogwarts Kitchen, where they thanked him for saving Ron and tried his dumplings.
• Will encountered an injured Snape late at night and asked what had happened to his leg.
• Sylvia brought Will to watch the Quidditch match, where Gryffindor revealed Harry Potter as its Seeker.
• Harry's broom bucked wildly and threw him off, leaving him hanging from it with one hand.
• Will saw Quirrell muttering and watched Dumbledore remain calm as Harry struggled in the air.

Will spent the afternoon with Sylvia by the Black Lake while Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville visited Hagrid and learned that Nicolas Flamel was connected to the object guarded by Fluffy. Hermione asked Will about Flamel, and he said he knew who he was.

• Harry's broom settled after Hermione disrupted Quirrell's jinx, and Gryffindor won the Quidditch match against Slytherin.
• Will and Sylvia roasted fish beside the Black Lake, while Neville summoned Trevor at Hagrid's Hut using a charm Will had taught him.
• Hagrid told Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville that Fluffy guarded something for Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel, then angrily ordered them to stop investigating.
• Hermione remembered that Will might know about Nicolas Flamel and hurried over to ask him.
• Will told Hermione that he knew who Nicolas Flamel was.

Will explained the Philosopher’s Stone to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Sylvia, but avoided learning why Snape wanted it. He left with Sylvia, while he privately decided to stay clear of Dumbledore’s effort to train Harry and focus on growing stronger.

• Will told the group that Nicolas Flamel had created the Philosopher’s Stone, which could turn metal into gold and produce the Elixir of Life.
• Ron stopped Harry from telling Will that Snape was after the Stone, and Will took Sylvia away before Harry could explain.
• Ron warned Harry that Snape might use Veritaserum to discover who knew about the Stone, while Hermione wondered whether Sylvia had really been hungry.
• Sylvia asked Will why he had not let her question Harry, and Will said he did not want to pry into other people’s secrets.
• Will invited Sylvia to read in the Room of Requirement and decided to avoid Dumbledore’s plan for Harry so he could focus on becoming stronger.

Harry and his friends tried to stop Snape from stealing the Philosopher's Stone, but Dumbledore told Harry that Snape was completely trustworthy, leaving the group without a plan. Meanwhile, Will advanced his magical skills and received his first letter at Hogwarts, which began by saying that the writer knew he was studying there.

• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville discussed getting the Philosopher's Stone first and considered asking Hagrid for help by giving him a magical-creature-related Christmas present.
• Hermione and Neville urged Harry to tell Dumbledore about their suspicions, and Harry went to the Headmaster's Office to speak with him.
• Dumbledore told Harry that Snape was completely trustworthy, leaving Harry and his friends unable to decide what to do next.
• Will raised Curse Studies to level 2, Herbology to level 3, and Runes to 100 out of 200 experience as Christmas approached.
• Will received his first Hogwarts letter, which began by addressing him as a son and saying the writer knew he had gone to Hogwarts.

Will received a letter from his biological father, Edward William Fitzalan Howard, inviting him to spend Christmas at the Howard family estate and warning that the family might withhold future support if he refused. After weighing the risks to his finances and plans, Will decided to go home for Christmas.

• Will read Edward's letter inviting him to the Howard estate and threatening limited family support if he stayed away.
• Will considered the Howard family's ties to the Wizarding World and how nobles used talented illegitimate children to serve their interests.
• Sylvia warned Will he was about to be late for class, interrupting his thoughts about whether to accept the invitation.
• Will worried the Howards might cut off his Galleon funding, which he needed for Potions practice and daily expenses.
• Will decided to return to the Howard estate for Christmas and use the family's support while he continued developing his strength.

Will’s extra Potions lesson was interrupted when Harry and Ron beat Malfoy after he insulted their families, and Will took Malfoy to the Hospital Wing before using his Restricted Section permission. In the Room of Requirement, Will began reading a book by a notorious Potions Master that claimed potions were spells.

• Malfoy rushed into Snape’s classroom with a bruised face, and Harry and Ron tackled him and beat him after he insulted Harry’s parents.
• Snape stopped the fight, deducted points from Gryffindor, and assigned Harry, Ron, and Malfoy detention; he told Will to take Malfoy to the Hospital Wing.
• Will levitated Malfoy and silenced him, then learned from Neville and Hermione that Neville had fought Goyle and Crabbe while Hermione petrified them.
• Will delivered Malfoy to Madam Pomfrey and went to the Restricted Section, where he found a book titled The Strange Nature of Potions.
• Will read the book in the Room of Requirement and discovered that its opening claim was that potions were spells.

Will read Ethan Abdullah’s manuscript, which traced his recovery from memory loss at Durmstrang and his later experiments seeking to prove that potions were spells. The chapter left Ethan pursuing a way to turn Healing Potion into Flesh-Stitching Potion through cruel experiments.

• Ethan’s diary recounted how Hog brought him to Durmstrang, where a professor treated his memory loss with Legilimency, potions, the Cruciatus Curse, and brain surgery.
• Ethan recovered memories of his abusive former teacher and began studying spells and Dark Magic at Durmstrang.
• After returning to England, Ethan experimented on Muggle slaves to compare spells with potions and explore how their effects were connected.
• Will realized his Wizard’s Eye could help him observe magical changes and continued reading Ethan’s research.
• Ethan tried to create Flesh-Stitching Potion from Healing Potion and recorded an experiment in which he stitched a Muggle to a wolf.

Will read Ethan Abdullah’s records of developing the Flesh-Stitching Potion through brutal experiments, then using it to improve the Flesh-Stitching Curse. The system recognized Ethan’s distorted research as useful knowledge, leaving Will questioning the foundations of magic.

• Will realized Wizard’s Eye could help him study the flow of magic during the Flesh-Stitching Curse.
• Ethan stitched Fantastic Beasts flesh onto Muggles and wizards, recording their reactions and discovering wizards were more likely to survive.
• Ethan developed the Flesh-Stitching Potion with Cole’s repeated tests, but Cole died after transforming into a creature covered in stitched-on flesh.
• Ethan experimented on Muggle twins and found that the potion and curse produced different effects, turning the children into Half-Beasts.
• Ethan concluded that a potion could be fixed into a spell and used the potion’s effects to improve the Flesh-Stitching Curse.
• Will gained Charms and Potions experience from Ethan’s distorted knowledge and questioned whether magic’s underlying rules were distorted.

Will studied Ethan Abdullah’s manuscript on converting spells and potions, then asked Professor Flitwick about the history of the Spell-Potion Transmutation School. He learned that the Euphoria Draught had already been converted into the Cheering Charm by a Hogwarts Potions Professor, and that Ethan may have founded a separate theory of Potion Improvement.

• Will learned from Abdullah’s manuscript that Ethan used his own and other people’s flesh in dangerous experiments before improving the Flesh-Stitching Curse into the Flesh-Consumption Charm.
• Will read that Ethan died in 1667 before completing his work on converting the Euphoria Draught into a spell.
• Will decided to seek guidance from Snape and Professor Flitwick rather than conduct dangerous experiments himself.
• Will asked Professor Flitwick about the Spell-Potion Transmutation School, and Flitwick explained its history and its connection to the Cheering Charm.
• Professor Flitwick told Will that Ethan could be considered the founder of the less prominent Potion Improvement Theory.

Will learned about the failed attempt to turn Felix Felicis into a Charm and received a notification that the Potions Master's theory was distorted knowledge. Later, Professor Flitwick helped Harry with his painful detention and spoke with Snape about Will's Restricted Section books.

• Professor Flitwick told Will how a Potions Master had failed to reproduce Felix Felicis with a Charm and concluded that potions were nature's gift.
• Will received a notification that the Potions Master's ideas were distorted knowledge and resolved to revisit the subject when he knew more.
• Snape kept Harry in detention to process Agapi Flowers without gloves, leaving Harry's hands painfully itchy.
• Professor Flitwick removed the nectar from Harry's hands, gave him gloves, and told him to wear them when handling the flowers.
• Professor Flitwick told Snape he wanted to discuss Will Behrens's Restricted Section reading, and Snape replied that Dumbledore had approved it.

After Snape ended Harry's detention, Harry encountered Professor Quirrell, who was struggling to suppress Voldemort's demands to kill Harry and capture Will. Will told Harry he had met Dumbledore in the Kitchens, then headed for the Room of Requirement to sleep.

• Snape threw Harry out of his office, and Harry wondered why Dumbledore had let Will read books from the Restricted Section.
• Harry met a nervous, sweating Quirrell, while Voldemort urged Quirrell to kill Harry.
• Quirrell quieted Voldemort by reminding him that Dumbledore was at Hogwarts, but Will's arrival made Voldemort demand that Quirrell capture him.
• Will told Harry that he had run into Dumbledore in the Kitchens, and Quirrell hurried away to avoid a possible encounter with Dumbledore.
• Exhausted, Will continued upstairs toward the Room of Requirement while Harry called after him.

Hermione learned that Will had permission to read from the Restricted Section, while Voldemort pressed Quirrell to find unicorn blood and pursue the Philosopher’s Stone. After Sylvia invited Will to spend Christmas with her family, he said he would come if he could.

• Hermione asked Sylvia where Will was and learned he was sleeping in the Room of Requirement; Sylvia said she already knew about his Restricted Section reading.
• Voldemort berated Quirrell for failing to kill Harry and for bringing back only unicorn hairs, then told him to hurry and warned him to be careful of Dumbledore.
• Quirrell promised to catch a unicorn and planned to try again to get past the three-headed dog and reach the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Will woke at noon and set aside the Christmas stay-at-school list Sylvia brought him, saying he would leave for the holidays.
• Sylvia invited Will to visit her home and explained that her Corvus branch of the Lestrange family did not discriminate against non-pure-bloods.
• Will said he would visit if he could, and Sylvia smiled.

Will spent a relaxing afternoon with Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville before Snape’s views on Potions helped him understand Distorted Knowledge. He left with a theory for brewing potions through Transfiguration and Charms, earning a 5% experience bonus in three subjects.

• Will found no Distorted Knowledge in the Potion Conversion School’s gruesome research and continued studying its material in the Room of Requirement.
• Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville visited Will, exchanged addresses with him, and played Wizard’s Chess by the fire.
• Will returned the Restricted Section material to the Library, then went to Snape’s Office after dinner.
• Snape explained that Potions involved magical liquids and criticized attempts to treat Potions and Charms as the same thing.
• Will theorized that he could use Transfiguration and Charms to create ingredients and brew potions, then gained a 5% experience bonus in Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration.

Will confirmed that magical power was central to magic and discovered a path to advance his Potions and Charms studies. He needed hundreds of Galleons for Snape’s materials list and was left with questions for Dumbledore.

• Will asked Snape what he should buy to study second-year Potions, and Snape gave him a list of more than a hundred ingredients.
• Will identified Shrinking Solution from the ingredients on Snape’s list, impressing Snape with his Potions knowledge.
• Will realized the ingredients would cost several hundred Galleons and considered seeking money from his nominal father.
• Will declined Fred and George’s invitation to join a Gryffindor party in the Kitchens.
• Dumbledore visited the Kitchens, and Will stopped him to ask some questions.

Will left Hogwarts for the winter holidays after asking Dumbledore questions about Transfiguration and nuclear matter that Dumbledore could not answer. He arrived at his empty London home alone and used wandless magic to clean, heat, and secure it.

• Will asked Dumbledore whether Transfiguration could alter matter microscopically and whether transformed radioactive substances would cause lasting effects, but he received no answers to his key questions.
• Will joined Sylvia for breakfast, then shared six dishes prepared by the Hogwarts House-elves with Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville on the train home.
• At King's Cross, Neville's grandmother and the other students' parents greeted them, while Will said he would take a taxi because his family could not meet him.
• Will arrived at his dusty, empty house, used wandless magic to clean it, lit the fireplace, and sealed the doors and windows.

Will returned to Knockturn Alley in disguise to buy advanced Dark Magic books from Lodals’s bookshop. He left with several books and two stolen stone spiders after bargaining down Lodals’s price.

• Will disguised himself as a hunched, sinister dwarf and entered Knockturn Alley with an old wand.
• Will reached Lodals’s bookshop, where Lodals tried to make him pay compensation for a crushed spider.
• Will searched Lodals’s disorganized shop and chose several books on advanced Dark Magic.
• Will accused Lodals of tampering with her scales and paid five Galleons and thirty-three Silver Sickles for the books.
• Will pocketed two cheap stone spiders and shuffled out of the shop as Lodals cursed him.

Will studied the Imperius Curse before Christmas, then traveled from London to Arundel Castle to meet his biological father, Edward Philanthus Howard. Their reunion began tensely, with Will restraining himself from using magic against him.

• Will studied the Imperius Curse and gained Dark Magic and Charms experience.
• On December 24, 1991, Thomas Gray arrived in a limousine to take Will to the Earl of Arundel.
• Will traveled through the snow to Arundel Castle, unimpressed by the Howard family's wealth and focused on growing stronger.
• Thomas brought Will to meet his biological father, Edward Philanthus Howard, who dismissed Thomas and asked why Will would not call him Father.
• Will called Edward Father coldly and kept his old wand clenched in his sleeve as he resisted casting the Imperius Curse.

Will reunited with his father, Edward, who concealed his lack of affection while assessing Will as a potentially useful wizard. Edward’s brother Hobart, a wizard, returned to meet Will, while Edward viewed the boy as a way to strengthen the family’s access to magic.

• Edward apologized to Will for being absent after Dorothy died, and Will pretended to be lonely and grateful while considering why the Howards wanted him back.
• Edward sent Will to rest and told him that his uncle was a wizard who could talk with him about Hogwarts.
• Hobart Philance Howard arrived at the study and hurried off to visit Will with a present.
• Edward reflected that the family needed wizards it could trust and believed Will’s blood ties would make him easy to control.
• Edward dismissed any sense of family affection for Will and assumed the boy would be tempted by the Howard name, wealth, and status.

Will met his uncle Hobert and learned more about the Howard family, while Edward viewed him as a tool for the family. After overhearing Edward demean him, Will used the Imperius Curse on his father.

• Hobert gave Will a Nimbus 2000 and told him about his life, the Howard family, and the family’s ties to the Wizarding world.
• Hobert took Will to dinner with Edward, the butler, and Cree, and Edward was impressed by Will’s manners.
• Edward and Hobert argued over whether the Howard family should take Will in, with Edward calling him a bastard to be controlled and Hobert defending him.
• Will secretly listened to their conversation under a Disillusionment Charm and decided he could not trust Edward.
• Will aimed his old Wand at Edward and whispered, "Imperio."