Chapter Summaries

Draco woke on the Hogwarts Express and used his newly learned Summoning Charm to search for Neville’s lost toad, Trevor. He summoned Trevor down the corridor toward a startled Neville.

• Draco settled into an empty compartment with Goyle and Vincent, then fell asleep while they kept watch.
• A saleswoman told Draco that Neville and Hermione were searching for Trevor, and Draco offered to find the toad.
• Draco redeemed the Summoning Charm with his Fortune Points and left the compartment to search.
• Draco cast “Accio Trevor” in both directions from a lavatory, and the toad flew toward him from farther down the train.
• Neville saw Trevor flying toward him and tried to dodge, but the toad was moving too fast.

Draco secretly returned Neville's missing toad, Trevor, while avoiding recognition, and the trolley witch brought it back to Neville. Hermione remained suspicious of the anonymous helper as the train neared Hogwarts.

• Neville saw Trevor streak through the corridor in a beam of light and insisted the toad had flown, while Hermione and the others doubted him.
• Draco returned to his compartment with Trevor and gave the toad to the trolley witch, asking her not to identify him.
• Draco explained to Goyle and Vincent that he wanted to avoid trouble and claimed he had only removed an eyesore from the corridor.
• The trolley witch returned Trevor to Neville, who rejoiced and asked who had found him, but she said the passerby wished to remain anonymous.
• Lavender praised the stranger, Ron suggested he merely wanted to avoid trouble, and Hermione questioned his motives before urging everyone to focus on their arrival at Hogwarts.

Draco arrived at Hogwarts and used a Warming Charm to protect Pansy, Goyle, Vincent, and nearby students from the cold. As the first-years followed Hagrid, another boy asked Draco to help more students, while Ron expected Draco to refuse.

• Draco returned to his compartment and waited with Goyle and Vincent until the train announced its arrival at Hogwarts.
• Pansy joined Draco, and the two chatted as the train reached the station.
• Draco cast a Warming Charm on his companions and several nearby pure-blood students, earning their gratitude and the envy of other first-years.
• Lavender praised Draco to Parvati, while Ron grumbled about him to Harry and moved closer to share Harry's warmth.
• A boy asked Draco to help some cold first-years, Pansy suggested the prefects and professors should handle it, and Ron wagered that Draco would turn the boy away.

Draco helped the shivering first-years and lit the dark path to Hogwarts, while Hermione defended his actions and added her own light. The students continued toward the castle amid clashes between Pansy and Hermione.

• Draco cast Warming Protection over the cold first-years, earning their thanks and surprising Pansy, Harry, and Hagrid.
• Hermione told Ron to acknowledge Draco's help, and Hagrid praised the importance of looking after one another.
• Draco cast Lumos in the dark passage, earning 20 fortune points and making the students' walk safer.
• Pansy mocked Lavender's admiration, but Hermione rebuked her and defended Draco's use of the spell.
• Hermione cast her own Lumos and expanded the light, while Hagrid urged the students to stay close and continue toward Hogwarts.

The first-years crossed the Black Lake toward Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall welcomed them and led them inside. As they approached the Great Hall, talk of the Sorting Hat made the nervous students even more apprehensive.

• Draco sent Goyle and Vincent to take their own boat, joking that Goyle’s backside would leave no room for anyone else.
• The first-years crossed the lake in enchanted boats and entered a cavern beneath the castle after Hagrid told them to duck.
• Hagrid led the students up a stone staircase to Hogwarts’s oak entrance, where Professor McGonagall took charge of them.
• Professor McGonagall guided the first-years through the castle, while older students’ jokes about the Sorting Hat heightened their anxiety.

Professor McGonagall explained the Sorting and House Cup to the first years, but Pansy’s explanation of the Sorting Hat provoked an argument with Ron and Hermione. Draco eased their fears with a joke about the Hat’s confidentiality agreement, and McGonagall then led them toward the Sorting.

• Professor McGonagall described the four houses, the Sorting, and the House Cup while the first years waited in a cramped room.
• Harry asked how the Sorting Hat chose houses, and Pansy Parkinson mocked his question and described the Hat’s ability to read people.
• Ron Weasley and Hermione challenged Pansy, and Professor McGonagall stopped the argument and ordered everyone to wait quietly.
• Goyle and Vincent worried that the Hat would discover their secrets, so Draco mentioned Occlumency and then claimed the Hat had signed a confidentiality agreement.
• The first years laughed and relaxed, until Professor McGonagall returned and told them to form a line and follow her.

At Hogwarts’ Sorting Ceremony, Ron Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor, followed by Pansy Parkinson in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat considered Hermione Granger for Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff before recognizing her courage and sending her to Gryffindor.

• The Sorting Hat sang about the four houses, and Professor McGonagall began calling the first-years forward.
• George and Fred teased Ron Weasley as he nervously approached the stool, where the Sorting Hat sorted him into Gryffindor.
• Hannah Abbott was sorted into Hufflepuff, Terry Boot into Ravenclaw, and Pansy Parkinson into Slytherin.
• The Sorting Hat considered Hermione Granger’s intelligence, ambition, fairness, and courage before sorting her into Gryffindor.
• Hermione joined the Gryffindor table as Ron and Harry Potter welcomed her with cheers.

Harry Potter was sorted into Gryffindor after refusing the Sorting Hat’s suggestion of Slytherin. Draco Malfoy took his turn next, while the Great Hall expected him to join Slytherin.

• Hermione Granger and Lavender Brown were sorted into Gryffindor, while Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe joined Slytherin.
• The Sorting Hat weighed Harry Potter’s bravery and ambition before he insisted on avoiding Slytherin and was sorted into Gryffindor.
• Ron welcomed Harry enthusiastically, and Hermione smiled before turning her attention toward Draco.
• Professor McGonagall called Draco Malfoy, and the students and professors expected him to be sorted into Slytherin.
• Draco stepped forward and sat on the stool as the Great Hall watched.

Draco Malfoy blocked the Sorting Hat from reading his mind and chose Gryffindor, shocking Hogwarts and severing his ties with Slytherin. He sat beside Harry at the Gryffindor table as the school reacted with anger, curiosity, and confusion.

• Draco resisted the Sorting Hat’s attempt to read his mind and told it to sort him into Gryffindor.
• The Sorting Hat announced Gryffindor, earning Draco ten Fortune Points and stunning the Great Hall.
• Pansy Parkinson, Goyle, and Vincent reacted with disbelief as the Slytherins treated Draco as a traitor.
• McGonagall directed Draco to join Gryffindor, Snape glared at him, and Dumbledore began applauding.
• Draco walked to the Gryffindor table and sat beside Harry, while the students watched and speculated about his choice.

At the Sorting feast, Draco Malfoy’s placement in Gryffindor drew wary attention as he calmly ate while students and staff watched. Dumbledore gave the students cryptic-sounding remarks and warnings before sending them back to their dormitories, leaving Draco to suspect his words were hints for Harry.

• The Sorting Ceremony ended with Blaise Zabini assigned to Slytherin, while the students kept whispering about Draco Malfoy’s Gryffindor placement.
• Dumbledore welcomed the students, urged them not to bully or ostracize anyone, and declared, “Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”
• Draco ate his feast with deliberate composure as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and other students watched and reacted to him.
• Dumbledore warned students away from the Forbidden Forest, forbidden corridor magic, and the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor, which Harry laughed at.
• Dumbledore led the school in its song, then told the students to follow their prefects back to the dormitories.

Draco was targeted by Slytherins as Percy led the Gryffindor first-years to their tower, but he calmly thwarted several attacks and concealed how much danger he was in. He reached a safer part of the route and realized he needed a plan to protect himself from further retaliation.

• Percy led the Gryffindor first-years toward their tower while Flint mocked Draco and the Weasley twins watched from nearby.
• Draco detected and dispelled an illusory step on the Moving Staircase, then avoided a lurching suit of armor and blocked sparks from a torch with a mist barrier.
• Draco identified Kent as the Slytherin who had caused the torch attack, then made another attacker drop a heavy book by striking his funny bone in the crowded passage.
• Draco dismissed the insults as boring, and the system announced that original plot had been added and his Fortune Points had increased by 20.
• Percy checked that Draco could continue and led the group onward; Draco resolved to find a way to protect himself after realizing the attacks had begun immediately.

As Percy led the first-years toward the Gryffindor dormitories, the Weasley twins celebrated Draco’s skill while the humiliated Slytherins began planning revenge. Peeves tormented Percy and the students before disappearing, and Draco received a plot notification that sparked an idea.

• George and Fred called Draco an ideal prank-testing platform, while the Slytherins resolved to plan more careful revenge for their humiliation.
• The Weasley twins explained the hidden common rooms as part of Hogwarts’ fun and traditions, but Percy insisted their secrecy served security and discipline.
• Percy warned the first-years about Peeves, who appeared, teased Ron, and sang that Draco was a Malfoy in the Gryffindor common room.
• Peeves tricked Percy by mocking his threat to summon the Bloody Baron, then caused Percy to hit a wall when he tried to strike him.
• After Peeves stopped appearing, Draco received a notification granting him 20 Fortune Points and had a sudden inspiration.

Draco joined Gryffindor’s first-years in their common room and learned that he would share a dormitory with Harry, Ron, Neville, and Seamus. After his attempts to greet and help his roommates were met with suspicion and hostility, he left to prepare for bed, facing a difficult day ahead.

• Percy explained the Gryffindor passwords, rules, and common-room arrangements to the first-years.
• The students went to their dormitories, and Draco discovered that he had been assigned to Harry and Ron’s room with Neville and Seamus.
• Draco greeted his roommates and unpacked with magic, prompting Ron to mock him and Harry, Neville, and Seamus to remain wary.
• Draco offered to help with the others’ luggage, but Ron rejected him, so Draco took his clothes to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Draco returned to the boys' dormitory after tensions with his roommates, then exchanged for the Marauder's Map so he could avoid getting lost on his first day of lessons. In the girls' dormitory, Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and Olivia speculated about Draco's place in Gryffindor and wondered how he would handle breakfast and classes the next day.

• Ron voiced his anger after Draco left, while Harry, Seamus, and Neville showed little interest in joining his complaints.
• Draco returned quietly to the boys' dormitory, and Harry watched him from behind a narrow gap in his bed curtains.
• Draco exchanged for the Marauder's Map and stored it without materializing it, planning to use it the next morning.
• Lavender described Draco as a noble soul trapped by his family, while Hermione challenged her lack of evidence and Olivia noted the hostility he faced.
• Hermione, Olivia, Parvati, and Lavender discussed how Draco might manage the next day, including finding the Great Hall and choosing whether to wear Gryffindor colors.

Lucius challenged Draco’s Gryffindor Sorting in a meeting with Dumbledore, who asked McGonagall to bring Draco to his office. Percy escorted Draco there as George and Fred followed, while Draco tested whether the twins would help him before dismissing the idea; he continued toward the Headmaster’s Office after gaining 20 fortune points.

• Lucius told Dumbledore that Draco’s Sorting into Gryffindor was a serious incident and suggested the Sorting Hat had malfunctioned or been tampered with.
• Dumbledore asked McGonagall to fetch Draco, and McGonagall sent Percy to Gryffindor Tower to bring him alone.
• George and Fred followed Percy to the first-year boys’ dormitory, where Percy told Draco that McGonagall wanted to see him.
• As Percy escorted Draco through the castle, George and Fred joked about Lucius challenging the Sorting results, and Draco asked whether they would help him.
• George and Fred warned Draco that joining him would involve the Weasleys in Malfoy family affairs, but Draco said he was only joking and continued toward the Headmaster’s Office.
• Draco received a system notification granting him 20 fortune points for adding to the original plot.

Draco left George and Fred impressed by his reversal of their prank, while Percy silently continued escorting him toward the Headmaster’s Office. The watching students speculated about what had happened, and Hermione decided Draco was someone to watch closely.

• Draco’s “joke” left George and Fred realizing he had outmaneuvered them, and the twins became eager to challenge him again.
• Percy followed Draco in silence, shaken by how little control he had over the situation.
• Students in the corridor speculated about Draco, the Weasley twins, Percy, and his meeting with his father and Dumbledore.
• Lavender praised Draco’s composure, while Olivia suggested he was testing boundaries and sending a message.
• Hermione watched Draco leave and concluded that his calm under pressure made him either a madman or an extremely dangerous person.

Draco continued through the corridors after being sorted into Gryffindor, advising Goyle and Vincent to stay safe in Slytherin and brushing off Zabini’s jabs. He gave Pansy a deliberately casual explanation for his sorting, leaving her offended and distant as he went to face his father’s anger.

• Draco told Goyle and Vincent not to argue with Slytherins who badmouthed him, but to seek his help if anyone started trouble.
• Theodore subtly informed Draco about unusual humidity in the Slytherin dungeons, while Zabini tried to provoke him and Draco dismissed his remarks.
• Pansy asked Draco whether he had a reason for being sorted into Gryffindor, and he said he might not have slept well and called the Hat reckless.
• Pansy took Draco’s answer as a dismissive excuse, turned icy, and left with Millicent and Daphne.
• Draco felt relieved that Pansy had given up on him, and a notification awarded him 20 Fortune Points for adding to the original plot.

Draco was brought before Dumbledore and Lucius, who argued that Hogwarts was a harmful place for him and appealed to Draco’s right to choose whether to leave. Dumbledore asked Draco if he was ready to answer.

• Percy brought Draco to Professor McGonagall, who escorted him to Dumbledore’s office and advised him to earn respect through his actions and discipline.
• Lucius arrived with Dobby and tried to take Draco away, but McGonagall insisted that Draco still had classes and refused to let him leave without a proper reason.
• Lucius argued that Gryffindor might reject Draco and that Hogwarts should respect Draco’s own wishes if he wanted to leave.
• Draco recognized Lucius’s persuasive argument had put the decision on him, and Dumbledore asked whether he was ready.

Draco returned to Malfoy Manor with Lucius, who demanded he choose how the family would deal with his Gryffindor Sorting. Draco considered the options while watching Narcissa’s distress, but had not yet chosen when the chapter ended.

• Draco chose to return home with Lucius, and Dobby Apparated them from Hogwarts to Malfoy Manor.
• Lucius ordered Draco to the study and magically removed his Hogwarts clothes and Gryffindor badge.
• Lucius offered Draco three paths: claim the Sorting was caused by a mental disturbance and transfer to Durmstrang, disappear for reeducation, or remain at Hogwarts after being stripped of his heir status and publicly apologizing.
• Draco considered accepting the third option but hesitated after seeing Narcissa’s distress.
• Lucius demanded that Draco choose, and Draco had not answered by the chapter’s end.

Draco defended his Gryffindor Sorting by arguing that the disgrace could serve as a smokescreen and expose the Malfoys’ unreliable allies. Lucius grudgingly acknowledged Draco’s strategic thinking, while Narcissa watched with pride, fear, and helplessness.

• Lucius listed how Draco’s Gryffindor Sorting had damaged the Malfoys’ political influence, social standing, business interests, and pure-blood reputation.
• Draco agreed that the family had become a target but argued that the disgrace could conceal their plans while they built secret alliances.
• Draco argued that the reactions of the Carrows, the Notts, the Zabinis, the Parkinsons, and others revealed whom the Malfoys should distrust or cultivate.
• Lucius reconsidered Draco’s arguments and reluctantly praised his ability to think, while Narcissa looked at him with pride, fear, and helplessness.