Recaps

William, Hermione, and Neville opened the last compartment to find Harry, Ron, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle brawling, with Scabbers caught in the chaos. After William separated the boys and Malfoy fled, Scabbers recovered, and Ron thanked Neville for helping him.

• William and Hermione opened the compartment and found Harry, Ron, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle fighting.
• Neville stepped on Scabbers, who bit his ankle, and Neville kicked the rat across the compartment.
• Neville fell onto Harry, causing Harry and Malfoy to kiss before William used magic to separate them.
• William repaired the boys' robes, and Malfoy left with Crabbe and Goyle after threatening Harry.
• Ron found Scabbers, thought he was dead, then celebrated when the rat woke and thanked Neville for rushing to help.

William and Hermione delivered flyers to Harry and Ron aboard the Hogwarts Express, where Ron failed to perform a spell and learned his replacement wand was coming. After hearing about William’s accomplishments and the talented group around him, Harry began to doubt that young wizards were all equally skilled.

• Scabbers bit Ron after Ron tugged his tail, then went unconscious when Ron flung him into Harry’s luggage and a table leg.
• William used magic to lift the snacks Harry had dropped, and Hermione challenged Ron to demonstrate his spellcasting.
• Ron’s spell failed to turn Scabbers yellow, and Hermione introduced herself to Harry and Ron before William led her away.
• William told Ron that Fred had his new wand, and Ron and Harry discussed William’s reputation and his friends’ achievements.
• Ron told Harry that Cedric had made the wand and described the group’s shop and Hogwarts map, leaving Harry surprised by how capable the young wizards seemed.

William, Hermione, and Neville discussed Hogwarts houses on their way to the castle, where William saw Thestrals pulling the carriages. The chapter ended with Cedric asking William to pluck Thestral tail feathers and a Thestral turning to stare at them.

• Hermione frightened Neville by listing illnesses spread by rats and mosquitoes, until William reassured him that his bump was a mosquito bite.
• William explained that no Hogwarts house was inherently better and asked Neville and Hermione which houses they hoped to join.
• The students reached Hogwarts, where Hagrid greeted them and led the first-years along a separate path.
• William saw the Thestrals pulling the carriages and considered them a wasteful choice for transportation.
• Cedric asked William to pluck Thestral tail feathers for him because he could not see the creatures.
• The Thestral pulling the carriage stopped and turned its white eyes toward William and Cedric.

William lured a Thestral with dragon’s blood and raced ahead of the other carriages to Hogwarts. After he and Cedric collected Thestral tail feathers, Snape caught them and demanded the feathers.

• William fed dragon’s blood to a Thestral, which then pulled his carriage back toward the other carriages.
• William rode the excited Thestral over Black Lake, leaving the other carriages behind as the first-years watched in amazement.
• William landed at Hogwarts and collected Thestral tail feathers with Cedric, using diluted dragon’s blood to attract the creatures.
• William and Cedric tried to slip past Professor McGonagall, but Snape stopped them and began taking their feathers.

William and Cedric argued with Snape over the Thestral tail feathers, but Snape abandoned the dispute after seeing Harry among the incoming students. The Sorting Ceremony then placed Hermione, Neville, Ron, and Harry in Gryffindor, Malfoy in Slytherin, and Hannah in Hufflepuff before Dumbledore welcomed everyone to the new school year.

• Snape demanded the Thestral tail feathers and threatened to revoke William and Cedric’s permission to use the dragon, but hurried off when Professor McGonagall arrived with the first-years.
• William guessed Snape had recognized Harry, then spread a baldness-medicine rumor about him after rejoining the students in the Great Hall.
• The Sorting Hat sorted Hannah Abbott into Hufflepuff and Hermione into Gryffindor.
• Neville’s toad Trevor nearly ate a spider on the Sorting Hat, which then sorted Neville into Gryffindor.
• The Sorting Hat placed Malfoy in Slytherin and Ron and Harry in Gryffindor, and Dumbledore welcomed the students before the feast.

William explained Dumbledore’s feast words to the Ravenclaws and helped organize a grand performance of the Hogwarts school song. The performance stunned the other houses and left Ravenclaw’s rivals facing pressure to match them next year.

• William explained how the four houses viewed one another, then turned the words into a firework above the Ravenclaw table.
• Nearly Headless Nicolas praised William’s achievements and urged the new Gryffindors to win the House Cup, prompting Hermione to resolve to help Gryffindor.
• Dumbledore welcomed Professor Quirrell, announced school rules and Quidditch trials, and warned students away from the fourth-floor corridor.
• William transformed the Ravenclaw table into a piano while Penelope Clearwater, Professor Flitwick, the Grey Lady, and Ravenclaw students performed the school song.
• The castle heard the performance, and the students and staff applauded as Dumbledore remarked that William always came up with something new.

After the feast, Harry felt Snape’s dislike, while William and his friends discussed classes and Cedric’s choices over breakfast. Hermione joined William to study, and he realized she had already been left out by her roommates without noticing.

• Snape recoiled from Quirrell’s smell, then glared at Harry and caused a brief pain in his forehead.
• Penelope guided the younger Ravenclaws around the common room after the feast, and William took Bobocha to bed.
• William and Cho ate breakfast with the twins, who described Professor Trelawney’s predictions and recommended her easy Divination class.
• Cedric explained that he had chosen difficult subjects, including Study of Ancient Runes, Study of Plant Textures, and Muggle Studies.
• Hermione sat beside William with her new storage bag and his notes, explaining that she planned to reach the library early because Lavender Brown had told her seats filled quickly.
• William realized Hermione had been left out by her roommates after only one night at school, though she had not noticed.

William and the others shared breakfast, where the Weasley twins’ prank drenched Malfoy in milk. William then headed to Transfiguration with Cho and Bobocha, whose growing size made William worry about him mating with Mrs. Norris.

• Hermione refused to buy a map from Fred and George, though William showed her the route she needed to remember.
• Cedric tried an overloaded roujiamo, became sick, and drew Professor McGonagall’s attention to the table.
• After Professor McGonagall left, Fred launched a magical firework into a milk bottle at the Slytherin table, splashing Malfoy.
• William turned George’s bat into a cup, and the group hurried away before Professor McGonagall could react.
• Hermione went to the library while William and Cho headed to Transfiguration with Bobocha.
• William worried that Bobocha might mate with Mrs. Norris and get them both into trouble with Filch.

Professor McGonagall taught Transfiguration and later inspected the Hogwarts map that William said his Akali's Mystery Shop had developed. The map drew a crowd, and William turned McGonagall’s advice into a glowing advertisement for it.

• Professor McGonagall reprimanded the second-year students and assigned them to turn beetles into Knuts.
• William transformed his beetle perfectly, earning one point for Ravenclaw, while McGonagall excused him from the essay.
• McGonagall asked William to stay behind to discuss his interest in becoming an Animagus.
• On the way to McGonagall’s office, they found Harry and Ron blocked by students eager to see the Boy Who Lived.
• McGonagall examined Ron’s map, and William identified it as a product of Akali’s Mystery Shop.
• After McGonagall praised the map and suggested improvements, William’s quill wrote an exaggerated advertisement quoting her as recommending it.

William began receiving Professor McGonagall’s guidance on becoming an Animagus while his Hogwarts Magical Map business boomed and drew complaints from the Weasley family. He attended his first Defence Against Dark Magic class and discussed testing his Amortentia with Marietta.

• Professor McGonagall gave William her annotated copy of Advanced Transfiguration and arranged to teach him Animagus magic every Friday, warning him not to practise alone.
• William and the twins sold over a hundred maps, filled their custom-order slots, and attracted more orders after advertising in the Daily Prophet.
• Mrs. Weasley ordered maps to monitor the twins and Ron, Percy taunted Ron about his lateness, and the twins decided to ignore their mother’s order.
• Students tried to copy the Hogwarts Magical Map, but their crude imitations could not reproduce its tracking magic and often became useless when tampered with.
• William met Cho and Marietta in his first Defence Against Dark Magic class and told Marietta he could pay her to test his Amortentia.

Professor Quirrell’s first lesson descended into chaos as his garlic stench, rambling stories, and fear of a spider alienated the students. Snape then fixated on Harry in Potions, while Hermione complained to William that Snape ignored her attempts to answer questions.

• Professor Quirrell entered class reeking of garlic, and William conjured masks for himself, Cho, and Marietta before the rest of the students obtained some.
• Professor Quirrell claimed his garlic protected against vampires and told muddled stories about a vampire and Inferi, then panicked when Arthur of Slytherin enlarged Lee Jordan’s black widow.
• Cho and the other students complained that Professor Quirrell was a terrible teacher after he spent the lesson reading from the textbook.
• Professor Snape showed open hatred toward Harry in Potions, while he kept his distance from Neville after recognizing him as another Marietta.
• Malfoy ordered a customized Hogwarts map from William, who charged him three hundred Galleons for a cowhide version.
• Hermione found William in the library and complained that Professor Snape ignored her questions and refused to award her points.

William and the others discussed Gryffindor’s need for a new Seeker before heading to Hagrid’s Hut, but Fred and George’s morning was interrupted when a Howler from Mrs. Weasley arrived. It left the twins stunned and facing a choice between giving up their map and risking more Howlers.

• Wood fretted over finding a new Gryffindor Seeker while Professor McGonagall pressured him to end the house’s five-year Quidditch Cup drought.
• William, Hermione, Cedric, and Cho planned to visit Hagrid’s Hut as the twins prepared to go to the Quidditch pitch.
• Errol crashed into a milk jug at the Ravenclaw table carrying a Howler from Mrs. Weasley.
• William’s attempt to confuse the Howler failed because Mrs. Weasley had enchanted it to explode if anyone used magic on it.
• Mrs. Weasley shouted at Fred and George for ignoring her letter and demanded the Hogwarts map, then scolded Ron for being late and asking for money.
• The Howler fell silent, leaving Fred and George dazed as they weighed surrendering the map against enduring more Howlers.

William and his friends visited Hagrid, who proudly showed them the powerful alchemical compound bow William had given him. They worked out that Fluffy was guarding something on the forbidden third-floor corridor, and Cedric announced they would explore it that night despite Hagrid’s warning.

• William and his friends went to Hagrid’s hut, where Hagrid greeted Hermione and showed off his new compound bow.
• Hagrid explained that he planned to carry the bow into the Forbidden Forest, and William offered to provide more bowstring without revealing that it came from a dragon.
• Hagrid offered the group Rock Cakes, but they declined, and William realized Hagrid’s strange herring-and-chocolate recipe had likely made Ron ill.
• Cho asked Hagrid where Fluffy was, and William deduced that Dumbledore had placed the dog on the forbidden third-floor corridor to guard something.
• Cedric said they would explore the third floor that night, while Hagrid warned them that it was dangerous.

William and Cho sneaked out at night with the Weasley twins, while Hermione followed after failing to stop them. They headed toward the Third Floor Corridor, leaving Cedric waiting for them.

• Hermione argued with William about breaking Dumbledore’s rules, but William insisted the Third Floor Corridor was worth investigating.
• Cedric and Cho watched the argument, then discussed competing for their house Quidditch teams.
• At eleven, William and Cho left the Ravenclaw common room with Bobocha, who went to lure Mrs. Norris away.
• Fred and George arrived at the meeting place with Hermione, who had researched the danger of three-headed dogs and tried to turn them back.
• William and the twins told Hermione they had raised Fluffy and persuaded her to treat the outing as the twins’ farewell night escapade.
• William led the group onward to meet Cedric.

William, Hermione, Cedric, the twins, and Cho reached the trapdoor guarded by Fluffy and descended into the chamber below. They discovered that the Devil’s Snare could be controlled with William’s wandlight and decided to take it all before resting on its vines.

• William and the others used their maps to avoid Filch and reached Fluffy, whom they distracted with food after he refused to move aside from the trapdoor.
• William lured Fluffy away with dried dragon meat, and George dropped an ignition firework through the opened trapdoor to reveal Devil’s Snare below.
• The group jumped down and got caught in the Devil’s Snare, but William’s Lumos Solem spell made the vines loosen their grip.
• William’s wandlight began pulsing, causing the Devil’s Snare to massage the group, and Fred and Cedric enthusiastically enjoyed it.
• William proposed taking all the Devil’s Snare to grow and study, and the group agreed to stay among the vines until eleven thirty.

William and the others left the Devil’s Snare chamber and reached a room filled with flying keys, another obstacle in the route ahead. William used a water spell to knock down the keys, and Hermione found the one that unlocked the door; William then considered making the obstacle more dangerous when it was reset.

• William, the twins, Cedric, Cho, and Hermione left graffiti on the Devil’s Snare chamber wall before continuing through the corridor.
• The group found a locked door in a room full of flying keys and realized they needed to find the key that fit its lock.
• Hermione suggested using the Devil’s Snare to knock the keys down, but William cast Rain Tornado and swept the keys from the air.
• Hermione found the right key among the fallen keys, while Cedric decided to learn combat skills from William.
• William said Professor Flitwick could restore the obstacle and considered adding Fire-Making and Doubling Charms to make it harder.

William and his companions won the Wizard’s Chess challenge and took the animated pieces to study their alchemy. They entered the next room and became trapped between purple flames and Fiendfyre, while William noted the dangerous fire was still under control.

• William directed the black pieces to defeat the white side of the Wizard’s Chess challenge.
• William and Hermione concluded that the animated pieces combined Transfiguration with alchemy and discussed how Hogwarts’s defenses worked.
• The group stowed the defeated chess pieces, including the white king, in their enlarged pockets and passed into an empty room.
• William and his companions entered a room containing seven bottles, where purple flames sealed the door behind them and Fiendfyre blocked the way ahead.
• William identified the black flames as controlled Fiendfyre, and he grinned when George and Fred guessed he would study Dark Magic.

William and his friends solved Snape’s potion puzzle and crossed the Fiendfyre, only to discover that the final room was Dumbledore’s office. Dumbledore caught them there at midnight and began questioning them about breaking school rules.

• Hermione solved Snape’s bottle puzzle and identified the smallest bottle as the way through the black flames.
• William and his friends drank a few drops of the potion, and William took the remaining potions to study and try to make antidotes.
• William crossed the Fiendfyre first and found that the final room was Dumbledore’s office.
• Cedric and the others entered the office, and William urged them to leave when he recognized the room.
• Dumbledore emerged in his dressing gown with Bobocha, summoned chairs and milk, and asked how many points he should take for their rule-breaking.

Dumbledore punished William, Hermione, and their companions for breaking school rules, then restored most of their lost points for passing his challenges and offering suggestions. After the students left, Dumbledore looked into the Mirror of Erised and saw his deceased sister Ariana, grieving that he had failed to protect her.

• Dumbledore deducted points from the six students for sneaking out, entering the restricted area, taking supplies, disturbing his sleep, and writing on a wall.
• Dumbledore awarded the group points for completing his challenges and for Hermione's suggestions, leaving each student down only five points overall.
• Hermione decided to apologize to Dumbledore and write him further suggestions, while the others joked about their poor classroom reputations.
• Cedric spotted Snape returning from the restricted corridor, so William concealed the group and they hurried back toward their common rooms.
• Dumbledore studied the Mirror of Erised, saw Ariana and other loved ones, and apologized to Ariana for failing to care for her.

Dumbledore and Snape inspected the damaged obstacles protecting the restricted area and discussed the students who had entered it. After finding evidence of William’s magic, Snape worried that Stark could become the third-generation Dark Lord.

• Snape confronted Dumbledore about the students who had entered the restricted area, and Dumbledore said he had taken five points from each of them.
• Snape resisted looking into the Mirror of Erised, then asked Dumbledore what he saw in it.
• Dumbledore and Snape went to inspect the obstacles, and Snape restored the potions and redesigned the bottle puzzle.
• Dumbledore and Snape passed the waiting black queen and examined the damaged keys on the floor.
• Snape learned that William had invented the spell that had damaged the keys and warned that Stark might become the third-generation Dark Lord.

Dumbledore and Snape discussed William’s rapidly growing strength, with Dumbledore insisting that William’s family and capacity for love would keep him from becoming another Dark Lord. Their conversation ended with Dumbledore asking Snape to watch Quirrell, while Snape remained skeptical and left.

• Snape worried that William’s sudden rise in power might come from studying Dark Magic, but Dumbledore said William would not become a Dark Lord because he understood love.
• Dumbledore refused to explain William’s abnormal increase in strength and warned Snape that Voldemort would return, giving Snape a dangerous responsibility.
• Dumbledore collected the students’ graffiti and urged Snape to care less about their opinions and to help Harry more.
• Snape criticized Harry and praised Hermione, while Dumbledore defended Harry and asked Snape to keep an eye on Quirrell.
• Snape strode away without answering, and Dumbledore sighed.

William watched Cho impress the crowd at Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts while hiding that he had stayed up late analyzing Professor Snape’s potion. After spotting an opportunity to buy Nimbus 2000s, he pushed his friends to order five and argued that Ravenclaw deserved an extra broom.

• William arrived late to the Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts with a thermos and cushion, then lied to Cedric and Hermione about why he had not slept well.
• Cho raced around the pitch on a Nimbus 1700 and caught the Golden Snitch, drawing cheers and catching The Boy Who Lived’s attention.
• William suggested a witch on a broom as the logo for Akali's Mystery Shop, then joked that it also needed a black cat and a radio.
• George and Fred admired the Nimbus 2000 in Quidditch Through the Ages, and William proposed ordering five of the expensive brooms.
• Cedric pointed out that the order would leave Hufflepuff short of a broom, but William argued that Cho’s broom would be shared with Cedric and insisted Ravenclaw needed an extra one.

William joined Ravenclaw’s Quidditch tryouts as a Chaser and made all one hundred shots, prompting Professor Flitwick to plan a team built around him. As excitement over Quidditch spread, the twins began charging students to ride five newly delivered Nimbus 2000s, and William refused to lend them his broom.

• Cedric covered Cho’s name on his cheering banner with William’s name as William entered the field to try out for Chaser.
• William made ten open shots in a row, then Professor Flitwick directed the Quaffle to him until he had made one hundred shots from many positions.
• Professor Flitwick praised William, and the students began discussing how Ravenclaw’s Quidditch team could be rebuilt around his scoring and Cho’s search for the Golden Snitch.
• William dismissed doubts that his open-shot accuracy would translate to a match and said he would make opponents pay if they underestimated him.
• Thirty scops owls delivered a package containing five Nimbus 2000s, and the twin brothers started charging students to ride them around the grounds.
• The twins asked to borrow William’s broomstick, but he told them to get lost.

Hermione read William’s Quidditch notes while students gathered around, and Malfoy’s attempt to provoke Harry and start a conversation with Neville was interrupted by Professor McGonagall. As William and Cho arrived at Greenhouse Three for Herbology, Professor Sprout stopped William at the door.

• Hermione read William’s Quidditch notes to a crowd of first-years as they prepared for Flying Class.
• Malfoy showed off imported sweets, but the Slytherins took them all, and he taunted Harry about not receiving presents or letters.
• Neville opened the Remembrall from Mrs. Longbottom, which turned red, while Trevor was left alone in the locked History of Magic classroom.
• Malfoy took Neville’s Remembrall, but Professor McGonagall appeared and made him return it; Neville then worried that he had lost another map.
• George’s joke about Dumbledore’s map and William’s explanation sparked a rumor that Dumbledore had a Hogwarts map on his back and a blond wizard tattooed on his chest.
• William and Cho went to Greenhouse Three, where Professor Sprout opened the door and stopped William before he entered.

Professor Sprout asked William to brew Knarl repellent after pests damaged the greenhouse plants, then taught his class how to remove the teeth of Mouthy Flowers. The lesson ended with the students beginning their work among dangerous plants, while Sprout warned them to watch out for the teething Venomous Tentacula.

• Professor Sprout told William that damaged greenhouse plants might mean Knarls had invaded and asked him to brew repellent.
• William agreed to help, privately considering how many herbs he could request before Sprout revealed that Snape had once demanded far more ingredients than a potion required.
• Professor Sprout taught the class that Mouthy Flowers could provide ingredients for antidotes and warned that their sharp, poisonous teeth made them dangerous.
• Professor Sprout demonstrated how to anesthetize Mouthy Flowers and pull out their teeth, explaining that new teeth would grow and their fruit would become larger.
• Professor Sprout assigned the students to work in groups and warned them to avoid the nearby Venomous Tentacula, which was teething.