Chapter Summaries

After waking in 1990 as eleven-year-old William Stark, a former lottery winner discovered that an owl had delivered his Hogwarts acceptance letter. The story left him trying to stop his cat Bobocha from eating the owl before he could send a reply.

• William remembered that he had been killed by a kidnapper after winning the lottery and had transmigrated into the body of eleven-year-old William Stark in the United Kingdom.
• William got up and found Bobocha confronting an owl on the balcony.
• The owl delivered William a Hogwarts acceptance letter from Minerva McGonagall.
• Bobocha pounced on the owl, and William urged the cat to wait until the owl had delivered his reply.

William’s family doubted his Hogwarts letter while the delayed school visit kept them waiting. Hagrid finally arrived, leaving William eager to attend Hogwarts despite his parents’ skepticism and his own ignorance of the wizarding world.

• William told Roy and Lyanna about his letter, but they dismissed magic as a prank and argued over whether Oxford or Cambridge was better.
• Anne tried to feed Bobocha bacon, while the messenger owl feigned injury to avoid returning to Hogwarts and stole food.
• After mooching meals for two days, the owl left with William’s reply and later returned with a response, stealing Bobocha’s cat wand on its way out.
• Roy complained that the Hogwarts visitor was late, but the doorbell rang that afternoon.
• Anne opened the door and met the towering, bearded Hagrid, while William wondered whether to attend Hogwarts and decided he wanted magic as well as the comforts of the Muggle world.

Rubeus Hagrid arrived at the Stark home to take William to Diagon Alley, but his account of a Hogwarts professor being killed made William’s parents worry about the school’s safety. After Hagrid demonstrated magic and won the family over, he left with William for the wizarding world.

• Hagrid arrived late and explained that he had been sent in place of Professor Snape because Hogwarts was short-handed after Professor Robert was gored to death by a Tebo.
• Roy and Lyanna worried about Hogwarts’s safety, and Anne rushed off to write Holmes asking him to investigate the school.
• William asked Hagrid to demonstrate magic, and Hagrid used his pink umbrella to transform a goldfish into a tiny mermaid-like creature.
• Hagrid’s magic astonished the Stark family, and he spent the afternoon having tea with them.
• Hagrid left for Diagon Alley with William, while Anne stayed behind and Bobocha settled into William’s arms.

William traveled with Hagrid to London and learned about wizarding transport and Professor Robert’s death in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid led William and Roy into Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, while William imagined turning the shabby pub into a business but realized he lacked money.

• William asked Hagrid about Floo Powder and other ways wizards traveled, and Hagrid warned him against taking the Knight Bus.
• Hagrid explained that Professor Robert had been found dead in Devil’s Snare after a Tebo attacked him in the Forbidden Forest.
• Hagrid took William and Roy to the Leaky Cauldron, which Muggle-repelling charms had hidden from Roy.
• Hagrid repaired the car’s dent with Reparo after bumping his head on the roof.
• William judged the Leaky Cauldron’s poor condition and imagined transforming it into a full-service club, but found he had almost no money.

Hagrid took William and Roy to Diagon Alley to buy William's school supplies, stopping at a bar where he explained that he had acquired a three-headed dog from a Greek man. At Gringotts, William considered robbing the bank but abandoned the idea after Hagrid revealed that dragons guarded its vaults.

• Hagrid greeted the regulars at the bar and explained that he had bought a three-headed dog from a Greek man who could no longer afford to keep it.
• Hagrid led William and Roy through the magically opened wall into Diagon Alley.
• Hagrid brought William and Roy to Gringotts to get money before buying William's supplies.
• William read the warning on Gringotts' doors and asked Hagrid how strong the bank's defenses were.
• Hagrid said dragons guarded the vaults, and William's plan to rob Gringotts faded.

Roy and William visited Gringotts, exchanged money, and declined a private vault before Hagrid led them to buy William’s school supplies. At Ollivanders, they met apprentice Cedric Diggory and heard Ollivander recall Hagrid’s broken wand.

• Roy exchanged pounds for Galleons at Gringotts and refused the old Goblin’s sales pitch for a private vault.
• Hagrid took Roy and William to Madam Malkin’s, where William was measured for robes, then led them to Ollivanders.
• Hagrid and William met Cedric Diggory, who was apprenticing at the wand shop for the summer.
• Cedric introduced himself to William, and Hagrid praised Cedric as a highly regarded first-year student.
• Mr. Ollivander arrived and recognized Hagrid’s former sixteen-inch oak wand, asking whether it had been snapped when Hagrid was expelled.
• Hagrid admitted his wand had been broken and nervously gripped his pink umbrella.

William tried several wands at Ollivander’s shop before a cherrywood wand with a phoenix feather core chose him. Ollivander’s apprentice Cedric then pitched wand-maintenance packages, and Hagrid eagerly bought one.

• Ollivander measured William and had him test a series of wands, but none suited him.
• William accidentally unleashed magic with an applewood wand, blowing the shop door apart.
• Ollivander found a cherrywood and phoenix-feather wand that warmed in William’s hand and sent red light and golden sparks through the shop.
• Ollivander explained the wand’s rare history, and William asked about Mahoutokoro, the school of magic in Asia.
• Cedric offered wand-maintenance plans, and Hagrid eagerly bought a set.

William and Cedric became friends while shopping for Hogwarts supplies, and William learned about wizarding Coca-Cola and The Quibbler. The chapter ended with Cedric offering to use his father’s Ministry connections to find Lao Gan Ma and Weilong for them.

• Hagrid asked Cedric to accompany William while he and Roy went to meet the Greek, and Ollivander let Cedric leave after selling William a wand and care tools.
• William and Cedric set out together, and Cedric shared his ambition to study wandmaking and open a shop after graduating.
• William discovered that Coca-Cola existed in the Wizarding World and learned that the Candler Family controlled its secret ingredient.
• Cedric described The Quibbler’s strange stories, including a wizard who supposedly woke up at the Magical Congress of the United States of America.
• William told Cedric about Lao Gan Ma and Weilong, and Cedric offered to ask his father, who worked in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, to find them.

William bought a large collection of books at Flourish and Blotts while discussing Hogwarts houses and magic with Cedric. When Cedric demonstrated Wingardium Leviosa, a fight outside drew everyone away from the shop, leaving William behind.

• William told Cedric he planned to smuggle Lao Gan Ma and Mayinglong into Hogwarts and profit from selling them.
• William bought his first-year textbooks and many extra books at Flourish and Blotts, spending over a hundred Galleons.
• Cedric suggested William might suit Ravenclaw but invited him to join Hufflepuff, then explained that the Sorting Hat chose students' houses.
• Cedric used Wingardium Leviosa to float William's books and showed him how the spell worked.
• A voice announced a fight outside, and the shoppers, staff, and manager rushed out of Flourish and Blotts.

William and Cedric joined the crowd watching Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy brawl in Diagon Alley. William tried his first spell to stop Draco from attacking, but accidentally lifted Draco’s ice cream and splattered it across his face.

• Lucius Malfoy insulted Arthur Weasley and his sons, and the Weasley twins shot sticky liquid into Lucius’s face.
• Arthur and Lucius traded blows, fell to the ground, and fought over Lucius’s wand and its large emerald.
• Cedric told William that the Weasley twins were his friends, and William decided to help them.
• William cast Wingardium Leviosa for the first time, but hit Draco’s ice cream instead of the bottle Draco was about to throw.
• Draco’s ice cream flew up and splattered across his face, drawing cheers from the Weasley brothers.

William’s mistaken spell summoned a calf that humiliated Draco, while Arthur and Lucius fought until Hagrid broke them up. Lucius discovered his wand was missing and left with Draco; Mrs. Weasley arrived to confront Arthur as the others joked about the incident.

• William cast the wrong charm, summoning a calf that knocked Draco down and licked the ice cream from his face.
• Hagrid separated Arthur and Lucius, who had fought until both were battered and disheveled.
• Lucius found the diamond from his wand but realized the wand itself was gone, then left with Draco for Ollivander’s shop.
• Hagrid urged Arthur to ignore the Malfoys, and Lucius threatened that Arthur would lose his job.
• Mrs. Weasley arrived and angrily confronted Arthur while Fred, George, Cedric, and William joked about the fight and William’s spell.

William finished shopping with the Weasleys and returned home with Roy, Bobocha, and a tawny owl named Drogon. He spent the summer studying magic and writing to Cedric and Dumbledore, then dreamed of Hogwarts and Hagrid’s three-headed dog on the eve of his departure.

• Percy browsed books about becoming a prefect and advancing in the Ministry while Fred and George teased him about his ambitions.
• The Weasleys, William, and Cedric returned to the Leaky Cauldron, where Cedric refused Fred’s offer to sell his homework answers.
• Roy bought alcohol and took William and Bobocha home with a tawny owl, which Anne named Drogon and planned to use to contact Dumbledore.
• William studied spells throughout the summer and sent questions to Cedric and Dumbledore, often attaching them to Anne’s letters.
• On August 31, William dreamed of Diagon Alley, his new acquaintances, and a three-headed dog that wrecked his room.

William boarded the Hogwarts Express, met Cho Chang in a compartment, and reunited with Cedric, who changed his plans after noticing Cho. The train journey began with William, Cho, and Cedric sharing the compartment.

• William reached Platform 9¾ after Muggle bystanders saw a man run into the barrier and wizards erased the man's memory.
• William found a compartment with Cho Chang and introduced himself as a new student from a Muggle family.
• William watched the Weasley family say goodbye to Fred and George before the Hogwarts Express departed.
• Bobocha frightened Cho's rabbit, and Cho tried to lure the cat away with a piece of hamburger.
• Cedric invited William to join him, then claimed his own compartment was too crowded after he saw Cho.

William, Cedric, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan plotted to recover payment from Slytherin students who had refused to pay for the twins’ homework booklets. William agreed to help for two cups of Fizzing Whizzbees, though he soon decided he should have demanded more.

• Cedric reassured Cho Chang that her frightened rabbit was unharmed, then fell silent with William as they read in the compartment.
• Fred and George arrived with Lee Jordan and explained that some students had refused to pay for the homework answers they had sold.
• Lee Jordan pretended to be outraged on the twins’ behalf, frightening Cho’s rabbit unconscious again.
• William said he and Cedric were not Gryffindors and demanded payment for their help; the twins hired them for two cups of Fizzing Whizzbees each.
• George identified the targets as Slytherin students, and William suspected the twins had given them incorrect answers as part of a prank.

William and the Weasley twins prepared a smoke-bomb prank on the Slytherin students, using Fred and George’s mischievous Niffler to steal their valuables. The smoke bomb filled a Slytherin compartment, and the Niffler charged inside as the prank began.

• George asked William to knock on the Slytherin compartment door, but William refused to take the blame and planned to avoid being seen.
• Fred revealed that he and George had a Niffler, which stole Fred’s Knuts before trying to drag Bobocha into its pouch.
• Bobocha struck the Niffler, which crashed into Cho Chang’s rabbit, and George caught the creature before it could cause more trouble.
• William explained that a mirror could lure the Niffler out, and Cho agreed to lend hers in exchange for four cups of Fizzing Whizzbees.
• William unlocked a Slytherin compartment with Alohomora and slipped away as George fired a smoke bomb inside.
• The Niffler charged into the smoke-filled compartment to begin stealing from the Slytherin students.

William, George, and their friends staged a smoky raid on the Slytherin compartment to make the Niffler steal enough money to cover their homework. Back in their compartment, they dodged Percy’s questions and read sensational Daily Prophet stories before the furious Niffler bit Fred.

• William used Lumos to reflect red light into the Slytherin compartment, drawing the Niffler to Cho’s mirror.
• George held the Niffler upside down while William scratched its belly, and they collected enough coins to pay for the homework before George threw the remaining loot and a belt buckle back toward the compartment and out the window.
• George and William returned to their compartment, where Percy questioned the group about the prank, but Fred and George convinced him they had done nothing.
• Lee Jordan showed the group Daily Prophet stories about William’s photograph and the public feud between Mr. Weasley and Malfoy, including articles by Rita Skeeter.
• The Niffler bit Fred, who screamed and began raging, trembling, shivering, and crying.

William and the other first-years traveled to Hogwarts, where William used Lumos to light their path and draw a crowd of students seeking his help. They crossed the lake by boat and gathered at the castle’s entrance as a wizard opened the door.

• George bought snacks to celebrate Gryffindor’s victory, and the compartment shared them while Fred completed his Chocolate Frog card collection.
• The train arrived at Hogwarts, and Hagrid led the first-years down a dark, slippery path.
• William cast Lumos to illuminate the path, impressing Cho and prompting other first-years to crowd around him.
• Hagrid organized the students into boats, and they crossed the lake toward Hogwarts Castle.
• The boats passed through a hidden entrance beneath the castle, and the first-years climbed to the oak doors, where a wizard came out to meet them.

Professor McGonagall escorted the first years to Hogwarts and explained the Houses and Sorting Ceremony. As the ceremony approached, William watched McGonagall silence Cormac McLaggen and met several ghosts before the students entered the hall.

• Professor McGonagall welcomed the first years and explained the four Houses, the Sorting Ceremony, and the House Cup.
• Marietta Edgecombe asked William how students were sorted, while Cormac McLaggen repeatedly boasted about his uncle and his flying talent.
• Professor McGonagall warned McLaggen to stop talking, frightening him into silence.
• Several ghosts appeared and discussed Peeves and trouble in the Ravenclaw Common Room, while a friar hoped the first years would join Hufflepuff.
• Professor McGonagall led the first years into the hall as the Sorting Ceremony was about to begin.

The Sorting Hat sorted the new students into Hogwarts houses, then began examining William Stark’s thoughts. It had not yet announced William’s house when Dumbledore urged it to hurry.

• Professor McGonagall brought the first-years into the dining hall and placed the Sorting Hat on a stool.
• The Sorting Hat sang about the four houses, then began sorting students as Professor McGonagall called their names.
• Arthur was sorted into Slytherin, Katie Bell into Gryffindor, and Jarvan Campbell into Hufflepuff.
• Cho was sorted into Ravenclaw, disappointing Cedric, who had hoped she would join his house.
• William Stark put on the filthy Sorting Hat, which heard his thoughts about its cleanliness and argued with him before Dumbledore prompted it to continue.

William was sorted into Ravenclaw after the Sorting Hat exposed his insult about Snape, making him an unlikely Gryffindor hero. At the feast, Dumbledore welcomed the students, introduced Professor Tywin, and led them in the school song.

• The Sorting Hat sorted William into Ravenclaw after revealing that he had called Professor Snape a greasy old bat.
• William joined the Ravenclaw table, where Penelope Clearwater warned him that Snape would make trouble for him.
• Dumbledore welcomed the students, announced school rules, and introduced Professor Tywin as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
• Dumbledore insisted that the students sing the school song, and the whole school sang along to the tune of their choice.