Chapter Summaries

Sean Bulstrode learned that his parents had summoned his pure-blood family after discovering his magic, and he met his grandfather Gavin Bulstrode. Gavin gave Sean the family badge and grant, then offered him one of three additional gifts as he began to negotiate his place in the family.

• Sean recalled his plans to avoid the Magical World but decided he could not risk uncontrolled magic and an Obscurus.
• Sean asked Yad how wizards contacted one another, and Yad explained that the family used owls or fireplaces while Squibs relied on peripheral members.
• Gavin Bulstrode arrived with Borel and another relative, and Borel sneered at Martha Carter’s surname.
• Gavin reprimanded Borel for insulting Martha and asked Sean whether the punishment satisfied him.
• Gavin gave Sean the Bulstrode family badge and grant, explaining that Sean received only the privileges allowed to magical children of peripheral members.
• Sean asked what Gavin himself would give him, and Gavin offered him a choice of one of three admission gifts.

Sean chose an Old Notebook from the three magical objects Gavin offered him, then accepted Gavin’s condition that he must not bring shame upon the Bulstrode family at Hogwarts. That night, Sean discovered his skill system was undergoing an unexplained upgrade after his magic awakened.

• Gavin offered Sean an Old Notebook, a Pure White Pocket Watch, and a Pure Golden Badge, but sent Borel away when he objected to Sean choosing the watch.
• Sean chose the Old Notebook, and the other two objects vanished.
• Gavin told Sean to represent the Bulstrode family at Hogwarts and said he could break rules as long as he avoided getting caught, passed his exams, and won his fights.
• Gavin left after telling Yad to write to his mother, and Yad celebrated with Sean while Martha teased him.
• Sean opened his system panel before bed and saw a notification that it was undergoing an upgrade for an undetermined duration.

Sean went to Diagon Alley with his parents to buy his Hogwarts supplies and tried several Wands at Ollivanders. The chapter ended when a black Wand spontaneously reacted to Sean, shedding electric sparks as Ollivander watched.

• Sean struggled to understand Gavin’s chaotic notebook and set it aside before going out.
• Sean’s parents, Yad and Martha, excitedly accompanied him to Diagon Alley after his Hogwarts enrollment was confirmed.
• Sean and his parents exchanged Gavin’s Gold Ticket at Gringotts and bought school supplies before entering Ollivanders Wand Shop.
• Ollivander measured Sean’s hand and had him try a Silver Linden and Unicorn Tail Hair Wand, which he rejected.
• Sean tried a Blackthorn and Dragon Heartstring Wand, which shattered the shelves, prompting Ollivander to search for another.
• Sean reached for a black Wand in a fallen box, and it burned the box away and sparked with electricity as Ollivander witnessed it.

Sean bought an heirloom Wand from Ollivander and finished shopping in Diagon Alley with Yad and Martha. When Borel insulted Sean, Yad stood up to him and punched him.

• Ollivander explained that Sean’s Ebony and Phoenix Tail Feather Wand was made by his father, had never chosen a wizard before, and cost eleven Galleons.
• Sean and his parents bought most of his school supplies and planned to buy an owl for home and correspondence.
• The family rested at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where Millicent Bulstrode disparaged Squibs.
• Borel insulted Mudbloods and sons of Squibs, prompting Yad to confront him.
• Yad challenged Borel to draw his Wand, then punched him when Borel dared not do so.

Yad defended Sean by beating Borel in a fight, while Sean stopped Millicent from attacking and took her Wand. After the Aurors forced the Bulstrodes to leave, Sean discovered that his panel had awarded him a spell from the duel.

• Yad knocked Borel down, kicked away his Wand, and punched him in the stomach.
• Millicent tried to cast a spell at Yad, but Sean stopped her, punched her, and took her Wand before retreating with his father.
• Two Aurors prevented Borel and Millicent from casting spells and warned Borel that attacking a non-magical person could lead to Azkaban.
• Borel put away his Wand and left the ice cream parlour with Millicent, while Sean expected the conflict to continue later.
• Sean checked his panel and found that winning the duel had given him Thorn Curse, which appeared alongside Lumos on his character panel.

Sean chose an Eagle Owl named Rob with his family and then found himself drawn to a beautiful but aggressive white snake named Kulkan at the Magical Menagerie. After a duel prompt appeared, Sean decided to approach Kulkan, and the shop owner opened its cage as his parents watched.

• Sean, Martha, and Yad settled their owl choice with rock-paper-scissors, and Yad won an Eagle Owl named Rob.
• At the Magical Menagerie, Sean spotted a pure white snake named Kulkan, and the owner warned that it had bitten five people.
• Yad encouraged Sean to take a closer look at Kulkan, though Martha and Yad grew worried when the snake appeared ready to attack.
• A prompt told Sean that Kulkan had challenged him to a duel, and Sean chose to accept the risk because he wondered what he could gain by winning.
• Sean confirmed that Kulkan was nonvenomous, reassured his parents, and watched as the owner opened the snake's cage.

Sean won Kulkan’s trust in a duel and brought the white snake home as a pet. A package from his grandfather Gavin arrived with an apology and a Pure White Pocket Watch, which Sean accepted while wondering whether it was meant to make amends.

• Sean let Kulkan bite his hand, subdued the snake, and won Serpent Affinity LV3, after which Kulkan released him and showed affection.
• The plump witch treated Sean’s wound, and Sean left Diagon Alley with Kulkan and his parents.
• Sean told Yad and Martha that he had prepared for Hogwarts and reassured them that Rob and Kulkan were getting along at home.
• A brown owl delivered a package from Gavin containing a letter and a Pure White Pocket Watch.
• Sean guessed that Gavin had sent the watch to apologize for what happened in Diagon Alley, accepted it, and returned to his room with it.

Sean boarded the Hogwarts Express and tried to keep to himself, but Millicent confronted him over the Pure White Pocket Watch and attacked. After Sean petrified her, older students intervened, and Millicent fell silent when Oliver appeared.

• Sean said goodbye to Yad and Martha at King's Cross and boarded the Hogwarts Express.
• Sean read a Transfiguration guide alone as the train began its journey to Hogwarts.
• Millicent tracked Sean down and demanded that he return the Pure White Pocket Watch.
• Millicent drew her Wand to attack Sean, but Sean petrified her with Petrificus Totalus.
• Older students lifted the spell and restrained Millicent when she tried to attack Sean again.
• Millicent recognized Oliver and timidly asked why he was there.

Sean defeated Millicent and gained another level in the Thorn Curse before Oliver Wood confronted him over the Pure White Pocket Watch. Oliver left after Sean refused to hand it over without their grandfather’s approval, while Sean kept the watch and returned to reading.

• Sean’s duel victory over Millicent earned him the Thorn Curse again, raising the spell to LV1.
• Oliver introduced himself as Sean’s cousin and demanded that Sean return the Pure White Pocket Watch to Millicent.
• Sean agreed to give up the watch only if their grandfather approved, and Oliver stopped Millicent from taking it.
• Oliver recognized Sean would not yield, warned him to enjoy his time at Hogwarts, and left with Millicent as other students dispersed.
• Sean stayed in the compartment and read, keeping the watch because it could reverse fatal injuries and restore his condition once a day on a timer.

Sean traveled to Hogwarts with the first-years, met Harry and Ron on the boat, and reflected on how his arrival had already changed some familiar events. The students reached the castle and waited for the Sorting Ceremony, while Malfoy’s hostility toward Sean remained unresolved.

• Sean saw Malfoy, Pansy, and Millicent watching him before he boarded a boat across the lake.
• Harry accidentally bumped into Sean, then introduced himself; Ron joined them and asked why Malfoy had glared at Sean.
• Sean explained that his parents were Squibs and described the wizarding world’s prejudice toward people without magic.
• Hagrid led the first-years to Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall welcomed them and announced the four Houses.
• Sean noticed Neville already had his toad and realized his presence had altered events, though Harry’s conflict with Malfoy had still begun.

Sean confronted Draco Malfoy after Draco insulted Ron and Sean’s family, then beat him in a fistfight and kicked him into the Great Hall. The fight ended in front of Professor McGonagall, leaving the gathered students and staff in stunned silence.

• Draco Malfoy insulted Ron and Sean, prompting Sean to step in and challenge Draco’s claim that his family connections let him do anything at Hogwarts.
• Sean revealed that his grandfather was also a Hogwarts governor and punched Draco, breaking his nose.
• Goyle and Crabbe charged Sean, but Sean kicked Goyle in the groin while Harry and Ron tackled Crabbe.
• Sean chased the fleeing Draco and kicked him through the Great Hall doors, where Draco hit the floor and lost two teeth at Professor McGonagall’s feet.

After a fight broke out before the Sorting Ceremony, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape agreed on point deductions for everyone involved, with Sean Bulstrode receiving the harshest penalty. Sean then asked the Sorting Hat not to place him in Slytherin, but it sorted him there anyway.

• Draco Malfoy, Harry, Ron, Goyle, Crabbe, and Sean were involved in a fight, and Professor McGonagall sent the injured students to Poppy Pomfrey.
• Professor McGonagall announced a twenty-point deduction for everyone involved, and Professor Snape secured an additional fifty-point deduction for Sean Bulstrode.
• Poppy Pomfrey healed the students, and Professor McGonagall began the Sorting Ceremony.
• The Sorting Hat considered Sean's traits and his request to avoid Slytherin, then sorted him into Slytherin.

Sean was sorted into Slytherin and worried that the House’s ties to the Death Eaters could endanger him in the future. After losing points for fighting, he considered how to become strong enough to protect himself.

• Sean sat at the Slytherin table and warned Millicent to stop demanding her things back.
• Sean checked his panel and learned that he had gained Pure-blood Noble Dining Etiquette from Draco Malfoy and Wizard Chess Cheating Skills from Gregory Goyle.
• Gryffindor lost forty points for Harry and Ron’s part in the fight, while Slytherin lost one hundred and ten points, including fifty for Sean.
• Dumbledore began his speech, and the feast appeared as Slytherin’s students ate in subdued, formal fashion.
• Slytherin’s fifth-year Prefects, Samuel and another student, discussed the new first-years from the Malfoy and Bulstrode families.

At the banquet, Ilina and Samuel discussed Sean Bulstrode’s family situation and suspected that Old Boster’s sudden favor concealed ulterior motives. Sean ignored the attention around him until a young wizard sat opposite him and asked about his greeting to Harry Potter.

• Ilina asked Samuel about Sean Bulstrode, who had hit Malfoy, and Samuel explained Sean’s connection to the Bulstrode family.
• Samuel said Old Boster had welcomed Sean and his parents back into the family after Sean showed magical talent, and had given Sean an item intended for Millicent.
• Ilina suspected Old Boster had a hidden motive for favoring Sean, and Samuel agreed that Sean might be in a pitiful position.
• Ilina and Samuel decided Sean was not worth investing in and preferred Millicent as a future Bulstrode family heir.
• Sean noticed Harry Potter wave from the Gryffindor table, returned the greeting, and was approached by a young wizard who asked if he was Harry’s fan.

Sean befriended Blaise Zabini at the Slytherin table, where Blaise admired Sean’s pet snake, Kulkan. After Dumbledore announced rules and led the students in the school song, the Prefects began guiding everyone back to their Common Rooms.

• Sean introduced himself to Blaise Zabini, and the two agreed to call each other Sean and Blaise.
• Kulkan emerged from Sean’s robes and warned Blaise off when he tried to pet him.
• Dumbledore warned the students to stay out of the Forbidden Forest and the fourth-floor corridor, then ordered everyone to sing the school song.
• Goyle and Crabbe sang loudly in a dirge-like tune, leaving Sean, Blaise, and the other students dismayed.
• After the song, the House Prefects stood and began leading the students out of the Great Hall.

Sean entered the Slytherin Common Room after agreeing to earn back the fifty points he had lost by the end of term. The next morning, he joined Blaise for breakfast and met Harry and Ron before their first Transfiguration lesson, where Professor McGonagall interrupted their conversation.

• The Head Girl told Sean to take responsibility for the lost points, and Sean promised to earn back his fifty points by the end of term.
• The seventh-year male Prefect showed the Slytherin students the Common Room entrance and gave them the password, Snake Fangs.
• Sean settled into his private room, unpacked his belongings, and let Kulkan explore its new home.
• Sean and Blaise ate breakfast and went to their first Transfiguration class, where Harry and Ron arrived late and asked Sean about Slytherin.
• Harry and Ron praised Gryffindor and said they wished Sean had joined their House, until Professor McGonagall transformed from a cat and stopped their chatter.

Sean earned Slytherin five points by successfully transforming a match into a needle during his first Transfiguration class. Afterward, Samuel congratulated him on beginning to recover the points Sean had lost, and Sean suspected the Prefect had another motive.

• Professor McGonagall demonstrated Transfiguration and instructed the students to practice turning matches into needles.
• Sean used the techniques he had studied in Gavin's Notes to transform his match into a flawless silver sewing needle.
• Ron drew the class's attention to Sean's success, and Professor McGonagall awarded Slytherin five points.
• Sean and Blaise went to Herbology, where Sean saw little chance to earn points against the prepared Ravenclaw students.
• Samuel congratulated Sean in the Great Hall for winning back five points, and Sean watched him leave with a knowing laugh.

Sean arrived early for Potions and impressed Snape by processing ingredients with precision, earning ten points for Slytherin. The class began with Snape turning his attention to Harry.

• Sean and Blaise arrived early at the Potions Classroom and found Snape preparing ingredients.
• Sean asked to process ingredients, and Snape let him take over after hearing he knew the Itching Potion.
• Sean carefully processed Snake Fangs and Porcupine Quills while Blaise watched.
• Gryffindor and Slytherin students entered and reacted to seeing Sean working at the lectern.
• Snape inspected Sean's work, praised its quality, and awarded Slytherin ten points.
• Snape began making trouble for Harry as the lesson started.

In Potions class, Snape singled out Harry Potter and mocked him for not knowing basic potion facts. When Snape called on Sean Bulstrode, Sean answered all three questions, while Millicent Bulstrode mistakenly stood up and embarrassed herself.

• Sean watched Snape’s hostility toward Harry and realized their relationship could not be changed.
• Snape introduced potion-making and questioned Harry about Daffodil Root Powder, Bezoars, and Aconite, ignoring Hermione’s attempts to answer.
• Harry admitted he did not know the answers and angrily suggested Snape ask Hermione or someone else.
• Snape called for Bulstrode, and Millicent stood up by mistake but could not answer any of the questions.
• Snape corrected Millicent and called on Sean, who explained the Draught of Living Death, the Bezoar antidote, and the relationship between Monkshood and Wolfsbane.

Sean earned praise and points for his Potions work while Snape continued to penalize Gryffindor students. After class, Snape admitted that Sean’s points partly compensated him for an earlier deduction and told him not to expect such rewards again.

• Snape awarded Sean’s answer five points for Slytherin and deducted points from Harry and Hermione for speaking and standing without permission.
• Sean followed Snape’s instructions and brewed a successful Itching Potion with Blaise as his partner.
• Millicent added Porcupine Quills before removing her Cauldron from the fire, causing an explosion that injured her, Pansy, and Goyle.
• Snape deducted more points from Gryffindor after Harry appeared to laugh and Ron argued on his behalf.
• Snape inspected Sean’s finished potion, awarded Slytherin five points, and later told Sean that some of his points were compensation for an earlier deduction.