Chapter Summaries

Harry noticed older Slytherins glaring at him while Malfoy kept watching him, though he remained unaware of her jealousy and trusted that Hogwarts’s familiar routines would keep things manageable. He mastered the Ravenclaw Common Room entrance and learned of the school’s growing troubles, including Voldemort’s reported break-in at Gringotts and Dumbledore’s warning to avoid the fourth-floor corridor.

• Malfoy’s repeated glances at Harry drew hostile looks from older Slytherins toward the Ravenclaw table.
• Harry felt the Slytherins’ unfriendly attention and considered having Malfoy help him deal with them if they went too far.
• Harry concluded that the school’s events were still following a familiar course and believed Snape had softened toward him.
• Harry worked out that the Ravenclaw Common Room knocker adjusted its questions to each student’s knowledge and could answer even its unusual questions.
• The professors faced new concerns after reports that Voldemort had broken into Gringotts without taking anything or being caught.
• Dumbledore had warned students that entering the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor could lead to expulsion.

After Quirrell left the feast to investigate the Philosopher’s Stone, Snape followed him and pieced together clues linking him to Voldemort and the break-in at Gringotts. Snape watched Quirrell enter the Third Floor Corridor and decided to protect Potter and target Quirrell.

• Quirrell left the Great Hall before the feast ended and headed toward the castle at Voldemort’s command.
• Snape noticed Quirrell’s suspicious departure and followed him toward the Third Floor Corridor.
• Snape connected Quirrell’s trip to Albania, his changed behavior, the Gringotts break-in, the hidden Elixir of Life, and Potter’s scar hurting.
• Snape used a Disillusionment Charm to hide himself and watched Quirrell enter a door in the Third Floor Corridor.
• Snape decided to protect Potter, investigate Quirrell, and target him relentlessly.

Snape reflected on his regret over Lily and resolved to protect Harry, while hoping the Ravenclaw boy would not resemble James. Harry got to know his four Ravenclaw roommates, who each invited him to spend Christmas with their families, and he politely declined them all.

• Snape recalled his love for Lily, regretted calling her “Mudblood,” and vowed to protect Harry from Voldemort.
• Snape put Lily’s photograph away and left his office in darkness.
• Harry met his Ravenclaw roommates Ramos Volgan, Plappus Volvo, Cruise Stran, and Cilia O'Byrne.
• Ramos, Plappus, Cruise, and Cilia each invited Harry to visit their homes for Christmas.
• Harry politely declined all four invitations, using “Next time” and “we'll see” to avoid choosing between them.

Harry planned how to leave Privet Drive and improve his magic, considering the Weasleys’ Burrow as a place to study before deciding to focus on class. After the Ravenclaws gossiped about his connections to Ron and Draco Malfoy and went to bed, Harry joined his roommates for breakfast the next morning.

• Harry thought that his stored Energy Bars and spell synthesis could help him live independently in the Wizarding World, and he considered visiting the Burrow to study magic.
• Cruz and Celia speculated about Harry’s closeness to the Weasley girl and Draco Malfoy, while Prapus and Ramos prepared for sleep before Snape’s class.
• The Ravenclaws decided to avoid trouble and went to bed, hoping the next day would go smoothly.
• Harry dressed carefully and walked to the Great Hall with his four roommates, where Ramos told him they had been waiting for him.

Harry’s roommates abandoned him after Malfoy stopped him in the Great Hall, leaving Malfoy to invite him to breakfast and Potions. Malfoy realized Ron might arrive and interrupt them.

• Harry and his four roommates entered the Great Hall for breakfast, where Malfoy blocked their path.
• Harry politely wished Malfoy good morning, making her blush and feel jealous of his roommates.
• Harry’s roommates hurried to the Ravenclaw table, leaving him alone with Malfoy.
• Malfoy teased Harry for being alone and offered to have breakfast with him before Potions class.
• Malfoy suddenly worried that Ron might arrive and meet Harry.

Harry let Draco Malfoy bring him to the Slytherin table for breakfast, where he teased her and called them good friends. They left for their first class together, with Draco wondering whether she had upset him.

• Malfoy grabbed Harry's hand and hurried him toward the Slytherin table to keep him from being lured away by Weasley.
• Harry chose to sit beside Malfoy, partly to avoid leaving one of his roommates without a place to sit.
• Harry watched Malfoy eat, then gently wiped salad dressing from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
• Harry reassured Malfoy that good friends could help each other, and she wondered if her retort had hurt him.
• Harry finished breakfast and asked Malfoy to head to class with him.

Harry and Malfoy grew closer as they left the Great Hall together, leaving their classmates convinced that something was going on between them. Before Potions, Malfoy made it clear Harry would sit with her, and he resigned himself to following her plan.

• Malfoy pitied Harry for growing up with Muggles and hinted that he could visit Malfoy Manor for Christmas.
• Celia, Ramos, Prapus, and Cruz watched Harry help Malfoy and leave the Great Hall with her, then accepted that the two had a special connection.
• Harry’s roommates discussed Snape’s bad reputation and headed with him toward the Potions classroom.
• Malfoy told Harry he could not sit with his roommates after she had brought him along, and Harry apologized to her.

Harry and Draco sat together at the front of Potions class, where Snape’s memories of Lily softened her attitude toward Harry. The lesson began with Snape deciding to spare Harry and give the rest of the class extra scrutiny instead.

• Harry decided not to argue with Draco and followed her into the Potions classroom.
• Draco chose the front row, and Harry neatly arranged his books and supplies on the desk beside her.
• Snape entered the classroom and silently surveyed the students, while Harry and Draco continued chatting.
• Snape noticed Harry’s tidy desk and resemblance to Lily, and her irritation with him faded.
• Snape swallowed his planned reprimand for Harry and turned her attention to the rest of the class.

Professor Snape rearranged the Potions classroom to separate students who knew one another, but Harry and Malfoy remained seated together. As Snape began class, the students suspected blatant favoritism toward the pair.

• Snape assigned Ravenclaws and Slytherins new seats, insisting that students from different houses sit together.
• Malfoy feared being separated from Harry, but they discovered they had both kept their original seats.
• Snape used Legilimency and glimpsed Malfoy's fanciful thoughts about ruling the wizarding world with Harry, while Harry was thinking about studying.
• Snape began class by asking students to share their personal understanding of potions.
• The Ravenclaws and Slytherins resented Snape for letting Harry and Malfoy sit together when everyone else had been moved.

Professor Snape reprimanded Draco for chatting with Harry, then turned her questions on Harry after he helped Draco answer. Harry confidently explained the difference between wolfsbane and monkshood, and Snape’s response was left unstated.

• Professor Snape introduced herself as Potions professor and reprimanded Draco for chatting with Harry.
• Snape asked Draco for the basic materials needed to brew a potion, and Draco repeated the answer Harry quietly supplied.
• Snape called on Harry after catching him helping Draco, while Draco and Harry’s roommates worried he would be punished.
• Harry answered Snape’s question by explaining that wolfsbane and monkshood were both aconite, with their names used in different branches of potion-making.

Harry answered Snape’s questions about Potions with accurate knowledge and his own insights, changing Snape’s initial skepticism into reluctant approval. Snape continued to quiz him, and Harry recognized a possible way to exploit Snape’s guilt over Lily as the class watched.

• Harry summarized Potions concepts with his own observations, leaving Snape unable to refute his answers.
• Snape praised Harry’s summary, then warned him that he had more questions.
• Harry reassured Malfoy and shielded her from Snape’s scrutiny as she worried about their friendship.
• Harry immediately identified the potion made with asphodel root and wormwood as the Draught of Living Death.
• Harry recalled Snape’s remorse over Lily and considered using it to influence how Snape treated him.

Harry answered Snape’s question about the Draught of Living Death and hinted that love could heal grief, prompting Snape to reconsider her feelings toward him and invite him to her office. Snape then resumed the Potions lesson, leaving the students baffled by her unusual kindness and points for Ravenclaw.

• Harry explained that the Draught of Living Death could suppress grief but that love was needed to resolve it, and Snape fell silent as she reflected on Lily and her own remorse.
• Snape softened toward Harry, awarded Ravenclaw five points, and told him to come to her office at seven that night.
• Harry accepted the invitation and privately looked forward to learning Snape’s potion-making, Legilimency, Occlumency, and Dark Magic skills.
• Snape returned to teaching and told the class to study the textbook material before moving on to cauldrons.
• The students wondered why Snape was favoring Harry and awarding Ravenclaw points, but hurried to copy the notes before she erased them.

Malfoy felt relieved that Harry had handled Snape’s questions and spent the rest of Potions class daydreaming about him and worrying that the Weasley girl would get close to him. Snape told her to ask Harry for help after class, while Harry wondered whether Malfoy had fallen for him.

• Malfoy realized Harry had answered Snape’s difficult questions and decided she no longer needed to apologize, though she still wanted to make a gesture toward him.
• Malfoy admired Harry, considered taking off his glasses, and grew jealous at the thought of the Weasley girl spending time with him.
• Snape caught Malfoy looking at Harry instead of following the lesson and told her to ask Harry after class about anything she had missed.
• Malfoy welcomed the chance to study with Harry and imagined sitting with him and touching his hand.
• Harry noticed Malfoy’s lingering gaze and wondered whether she had fallen for him.

Harry found Snape’s unusually fast Potions lesson easy to follow because Snape adjusted his pace and explanations around Harry’s understanding. The other first-years struggled to keep up and were baffled by Snape’s sudden shifts between racing through the textbook and lengthy analyses.

• Harry focused on taking notes and found that Snape’s efficient explanations helped him understand the material beyond what the textbook covered.
• Snape watched Harry closely and tailored the lesson, speeding up when Harry understood and slowing down or explaining more when Harry hesitated.
• When Harry pondered a difficult point, Snape paused to give a detailed analysis, then resumed racing through the material.
• The other first-years struggled to take notes, follow the rapid pace, and understand Snape’s unexpected analyses.
• The Slytherins and Ravenclaws alike failed to understand Snape’s teaching rhythm and considered his lessons illogical.

Harry finished Potions class after Snape tailored her teaching to his quick understanding and praised him while criticizing the other students. Snape looked forward to tutoring him that evening and reaffirmed her resolve to protect Lily’s son, ending with her taking out an old locket containing Lily’s photograph.

• Snape focused her Potions lesson on Harry’s pace, praised and guided him, and casually berated the other students.
• Harry finished his notes, thanked Snape, and left the classroom with Malfoy as Snape reminded him to arrive at seven that evening.
• Snape reflected that Harry’s resemblance to Lily made her want to dote on and protect him, separate from her hatred of James.
• Snape took an old brass locket from her robes and looked at Lily’s photograph.

Snape worried that Quirrell might be possessed by Voldemort and resolved to protect Harry while preparing to warn Quirrell. Draco arranged to tutor Harry later, then grew jealous when Ron linked arms with him and vowed to hold Harry’s arm herself that afternoon.

• Snape remembered Lily, then decided she had to prepare a warning for Quirrell and make sure Harry was not hurt.
• Draco asked Harry why he was not going to the library, and Harry explained that he had Transfiguration and could tutor her at four.
• Draco checked Harry’s timetable and discovered that his Transfiguration class included Gryffindor as well as Ravenclaw.
• Ron appeared beside Harry, linked her arm through his, and greeted him cheerfully.
• Draco crushed Harry’s spare timetable in anger and decided she would hold his arm at four.

Draco grew jealous when Ron put an arm around Harry and devised a plan to get closer to him, while Harry dismissed Ron’s claim that Draco liked him as friendship. Harry then wondered whether Draco’s feelings might change as they grew older and considered learning Legilimency to read her mind.

• Draco saw Ron put an arm around Harry, felt jealous, and returned to the Slytherin Common Room with a plan to win Harry back and take Ron down.
• Draco imagined wrapping her arms around Harry and arranging an accidental kiss, insisting to herself that it would be friendly and selfless.
• Crabbe and Goyle realized Draco and Harry had left them behind and struggled to find their way on their first day of classes.
• Ron teased Harry that Draco might really like him and worried that Snape had upset him during Potions.
• Harry rejected Ron’s claim, but then wondered whether Draco might develop deeper feelings for him and considered learning Legilimency from Snape.

Harry reflected on Dumbledore’s poor instruction and decided he would ask Snape to teach him more magic. During McGonagall’s Transfiguration lesson, Ron fell asleep beside him and murmured his name, leaving Harry puzzled about their closeness.

• Harry concluded that Dumbledore had taught him little beyond Voldemort and Horcruxes, and planned to ask Snape for lessons in dark magic, wandless magic, and the Patronus Charm.
• Ron chatted with Harry as they walked to Transfiguration, and Harry noticed that their arm-in-arm closeness felt more intimate than ordinary friendship.
• Harry chose seats in the fourth row for himself and Ron, who would have preferred the back row by the window.
• Harry listened attentively as McGonagall taught Transfiguration, though he found her pace slow.
• Ron began to doze during class and murmured Harry’s name in her sleep, making him wonder why she was so fond of him.

During Transfiguration, Ron was made to stand at the back of the classroom for sleeping, while Harry considered how to grow stronger and build a loyal circle of friends. Harry decided he might help Ron improve his grades, leaving him eager to see whether Ron could outperform Hermione.

• Professor McGonagall caught Ron sleeping during Transfiguration and made him stand by the back door.
• Ron daydreamed about spending time with Harry and possibly taking him on a holiday in the Weasleys’ Flying Ford Anglia.
• Harry worried that the changed plot could leave him vulnerable to Voldemort and concluded he needed strength and trustworthy allies of his own.
• Hermione muttered that Ron was beyond curing and continued taking notes.
• Harry considered tutoring Ron so that Ron might surpass Hermione’s grades by the end of term.

Harry spent the afternoon planning to study magic independently and experiment with spell control, deciding that a Troll could serve as his test subject. He left Hermione to deal with Ron’s carefree personality and prepared to meet Miss Malfoy for Potions tutoring later.

• Harry decided to wait until after the Troll incident before considering befriending Hermione, expecting Ron to irritate her into changing.
• Harry parted from Ron after lunch while Malfoy watched, and Ron returned to the dormitory to sleep.
• Harry went to the library to study first-year Charms theory and concluded that the Ministry’s warnings about spell limitations were misleading.
• Harry planned to test precise magical control on the Troll that Quirrell would release on Halloween, then use the [Spellbook] to synthesize improved spells.