Chapter Summaries

Merlin secretly helped Peter on Halloween, then returned to the Gryffindor common room and heard Remus apologize for the Hospital Wing incident. Remus asked to be friends, but James interrupted before he could finish, leaving Merlin unaware of what Remus meant to say.

• Merlin cleaned Peter's cloak with Scourgify, gave him candy, and left before he could see who had helped him.
• Merlin nearly fainted after using magic, recovered in the Chamber of Secrets, and returned to the empty Gryffindor common room.
• Remus apologized for failing to tell Merlin in the Hospital Wing that he did not want to watch Quidditch, and Merlin reassured him that he had done nothing wrong.
• Remus asked Merlin to forgive him and said they were friends now, beginning to call him by a familiar name before James interrupted.
• James brought Halloween candy and told Merlin and Remus that he had left Sirius surrounded by people; Remus thanked him, and Merlin forgot what Remus had been about to say.

On Sirius’s birthday, the narrator struggled to complete the system’s romance event by wishing him a happy birthday. After nearly falling from the Astronomy Tower, she was rescued by Sirius and delivered the wish just before midnight, completing the task.

• The system gave the narrator four affectionate options for Sirius’s birthday event, and she chose to give him birthday wishes.
• Sirius received a mountain of presents at breakfast, while the narrator spent the day unable to find a quiet moment to wish him a happy birthday.
• After Astronomy was canceled, the narrator entered the Astronomy Tower to close its windows and nearly fell when Sirius startled her while wearing an Invisibility Cloak.
• Sirius pulled the narrator to safety, took her hand to steady her, and recognized that she was afraid of heights before abruptly leaving.
• The narrator called after Sirius and wished him a happy birthday; the system gave no notice as midnight arrived, so she assumed the task was complete.

Merlin joined James, Sirius, and Remus in naming their group the Marauders and was dragged along to a Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. Sirius and Snape argued in the stands, and the day ended with Lily, Professor McGonagall, and Merlin rescuing Snape while Gryffindor lost fifty points.

• James proposed the name Marauders for the group, and Merlin and Sirius agreed.
• James summoned the Marauders to their first meeting and insisted that Merlin come watch the Quidditch match.
• Merlin wrapped a scarf around Lily, who tried to hide her excitement about the match.
• Sirius and Snape traded insults, and Sirius turned on Merlin before Merlin mocked his concern for his appearance.
• After Slytherin won, Snape insulted Gryffindor and was rescued from the angry crowd by Lily, Professor McGonagall, and Merlin; Gryffindor lost fifty points.

Merlin returned to China over Christmas to search for traces of her former life, but found nothing familiar before heading back to Britain. On Christmas Eve, she encountered Regulus outside Grimmauld Place and unlocked a hidden part of his romance route.

• James abandoned his plan to prank Snape and agreed to go home for Christmas, while Remus, Lily, Snape, and Sirius stayed at Hogwarts.
• Merlin traveled to Tianjin to search for remnants of her former life, but the changed city held nothing familiar.
• Merlin returned to Britain on Christmas Eve and wandered past Grimmauld Place, where Walburga welcomed guests with Regulus.
• Regulus noticed Merlin watching him, and Merlin silently signaled that she would keep his presence secret before leaving.
• Merlin unlocked the Regulus romance achievement, the first part of his main story, and one point of hidden route value.

The narrator delivered Christmas gifts to Petunia Evans, including photographs of Lily’s difficult life at Hogwarts and a Two-Way Mirror. Petunia became worried about Lily and was invited to use the mirror on January 8 to see what Hogwarts was really like.

• The narrator sent Christmas gifts to friends and professors, then traveled to Cokeworth to leave presents at Petunia’s door.
• Petunia found the gifts and told her parents they had come from a friend before taking them upstairs.
• Petunia opened a box of photographs showing Lily being mocked and isolated at Hogwarts, and began to worry about her sister.
• Petunia found a Two-Way Mirror and a note telling her to open it on January 8 to see the real Hogwarts.

The narrator used a Two-Way Mirror to show Petunia the dangers of Hogwarts while brewing a potion, then encountered James and the others fleeing Fluffy. Petunia played music through the mirror and put the three-headed dog to sleep, while Sirius lost affection for the narrator.

• James invited the narrator on a nighttime adventure, but the narrator refused and went to show Petunia Hogwarts through the Two-Way Mirror.
• The narrator brewed a potion for Petunia, who was horrified by the ingredients and a cauldron explosion.
• After leaving the secret passage, the narrator ran into James and the others as they fled Fluffy in the corridors.
• The narrator told Petunia to play music on the radio, and Fluffy fell asleep.
• The narrator taunted Sirius for not solving the problem, and Sirius's affection decreased by one.

After Avery attacked Lily in the corridor, the narrator fought him and his friends and escaped with Lily. Petunia watched through the Two-Way Mirror, grew angrier at the prejudice Lily faced, and ended the conversation pretending she was glad not to attend Hogwarts.

• Petunia remained shaken by the magical world, and the narrator showed her the bullying and Slytherin hostility at school through the Two-Way Mirror.
• Evan, Avery, and another student cornered Lily and the narrator, insulted them as Muggle-borns, and threatened their kind.
• Avery cast Reducto at Lily from behind, but the narrator pulled Lily out of the way.
• The narrator took Lily's wand, punched Avery and his friends, and fled with Lily before a professor arrived.
• Petunia asked why Lily was called a slur, grew indignant when the narrator explained the prejudice, and said Hogwarts suited Lily better than her.

Merlin chose to give Snape a gift for his ordinary birthday event and set out to show him photos documenting a group of Slytherins causing trouble. After discussing the photos with Remus and narrowly avoiding Lily, Merlin continued toward the Slytherin Common Room, having met a mysterious hooded man along the way.

• Merlin chose a gift for Snape's birthday and packed photos of the Slytherins who had caused trouble for Lily.
• James invited Merlin to watch Quidditch, and Merlin learned Sirius had disappeared before running into Sirius on the stairs.
• Remus told Merlin he had finished the books about wolves, then became concerned after seeing the photos Merlin planned to show Snape.
• Merlin declined Remus's offer to accompany him and hid behind a hooded man when Lily appeared.
• The hooded man reassured Merlin that he was happy to help, and Merlin continued toward the Slytherin Common Room.

Merlin confronted Snape on his birthday with photographs of Lily’s attack and warned him to control Avery and the others. Afterward, Merlin and Lily met at the Quidditch match, where he helped ease her worries about Snape and the future.

• Merlin gave Snape photographs showing Lily being attacked and warned him that he would act if the group hurt her again; Snape promised there would be no next time.
• Remus waited for Merlin outside the Slytherin Common Room, and Merlin suggested they go to the Forbidden Forest.
• Lily searched for Snape and Merlin, then watched a Quidditch match with James while worrying about Snape’s interest in Dark Magic and their strained friendship.
• Merlin returned from the Forbidden Forest with Remus and gave Lily a flower, confirming that he had told Snape about the attack.
• Lily asked whether Snape would change, and Merlin encouraged her to focus on being happy in the present as they watched Ravenclaw’s match.

Lin planned a birthday celebration for Lily and used a Two-Way Mirror to reunite her with Petunia. Lily was moved by Petunia’s birthday wishes and promised to visit home during the spring holiday, while Lin gave her the mirror as a gift.

• Lin decided to celebrate Lily’s birthday by helping her reconnect with Petunia, and Sirius’s affection decreased when Lin left the common room.
• Lin warned James not to tell Lily his clumsy birthday wishes, while Remus brought Lily a gift and Sirius agreed that James’s plan would fail.
• Lin and the Gryffindors surprised Lily with a cake and a birthday song, then joined a snowball fight against the Slytherins.
• Lin showed Lily Petunia through a Two-Way Mirror, and Petunia wished Lily a happy birthday and shared a small cake.
• Lily cried with happiness, promised Petunia she would visit home during the spring holiday, and accepted the Two-Way Mirror from Lin as her favorite birthday gift.

After staying up all night talking with Lily, Merlin struggled to stay awake in class despite drinking Wit-Sharpening Potion. Professor McGonagall excused her to return to the dorm, where she vowed not to stay up all night again.

• Merlin found that the system had disabled the effects of Wit-Sharpening Potion because her energy was at its limit.
• Lily, Mary, James, Sirius, and Remus brought the exhausted Merlin to breakfast and then to Transfiguration class.
• Merlin fell asleep in class and leaned against James, who let her rest while Sirius objected.
• Sirius jolted Merlin awake, and Merlin told Professor McGonagall she had stayed up all night and asked to take the morning off.
• Professor McGonagall allowed Merlin to return to the dorm after confirming she knew the lesson material, and Merlin went back to bed.

Lin struggled with her fear of heights in Flying Class and watched a Quidditch match as James tried to recruit her and the others for the team. James eventually stopped pressing Lin, but his confidence that Gryffindor would always win soon led to a serious fall.

• Madam Hooch told Lin she might fail Flying Class, and Lin hid that her fear of heights kept her from flying.
• Lin joined Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius to watch Ravenclaw play Slytherin, where James urged Lin to join Quidditch.
• Lily defended Lin when James asked why she could not fly, and Sirius’s favorability toward Lin dropped by one.
• After the match, James gave up trying to recruit Lin and repeatedly pressured Remus to join the team.
• Remus said he was not good enough for Quidditch, but James declared Gryffindor would always win as long as he was there.
• A few days later, James’s overconfidence led to a major fall, and his main romance quest, “Flight · 1,” became available.

After James led the group to a hidden chamber, a dangerous tentacled plant attacked and trapped Remus. The narrator used an overwhelming spell to stop it, then lost consciousness as the system triggered a rollback.

• After Gryffindor won the Quidditch match, James invited the narrator, Remus, and Sirius on a night stroll beneath his Invisibility Cloak.
• James led the group to a hollow wall near the Basilisk's Chamber of Secrets, where they encountered a huge tentacled plant.
• The plant caught Remus, and James's Incendio spell enraged it, causing it to whip Remus and damage the chamber.
• James stayed behind to draw the plant's attacks while the others tried to escape, and the narrator cast Petrificus Totalus on the creature.
• The narrator collapsed from the spell's mental strain, and the system announced that a rollback had succeeded.

After a battle leaves Merlin exhausted and despairing, she is caught by Antonin Dolohov before the story shifts to her waking in Hogwarts’s Hospital Wing. She learns James survived and discovers her friends’ letters, while a mysterious presence may have visited her bedside.

• Merlin, convinced that killing everyone who could obstruct her might change the outcome, headed toward the final battle but stumbled into Antonin Dolohov, who caught her and let her go.
• The narrator woke in the Hospital Wing, recovered from magical exhaustion, and read Lily’s letter scolding James and urging the narrator to rest.
• Remus’s letter explained that petrifying the plant let James escape, Sirius sought help when the narrator collapsed, and Professor McGonagall arrived with Filch and other professors.
• The narrator read James’s apology and his promise to provide bread and take notes, then ate the food left by friends.
• The narrator noticed the Hospital Wing door was ajar and wondered if someone had been standing outside.

After Merlin was injured in the Chamber of Secrets, James struggled to admit his guilt, while Remus searched for her and received a birthday gift. Merlin reassured Remus that his friends cared about him, and the chapter ended with him asking whether she considered them friends.

• James argued with Merlin over her having been hurt while saving him, and Lily tried to convince Merlin to stop spending time with James and his friends.
• Remus recognized that James was frightened and remorseful, but James denied being at fault, argued with Sirius, and lost five Gryffindor points by interrupting Potions class.
• After class, Merlin found Remus near the Whomping Willow and gave him a birthday present, explaining that she had learned his birthday from Dumbledore.
• As they walked back, Merlin reassured Remus that the earlier incident had not been his fault and asked whether his scars were troubling him.
• Merlin told Remus that James and Sirius cared about him and urged him not to feel inferior or keep his friends at a distance.
• Remus asked Merlin whether they were friends.

Merlin reassured Remus that they were friends, and Remus asked her to call him by his first name as a birthday present. Later, Merlin joined the Marauders’ nighttime plans to celebrate Remus’s birthday, while Sirius’s darkening meter appeared.

• Remus told Merlin that she called him by his surname and asked her to call him Remus; she did, and he said it was his favorite birthday present.
• Remus returned to the dormitory with Merlin’s gift, and James learned that it was Remus’s birthday and that Merlin had given him a present.
• James and Sirius planned to visit the kitchen and make a birthday cake for Remus.
• Merlin declined James’s invitation to join the Marauders, but Remus asked her to celebrate with him, and she agreed.
• Merlin received a five-point decrease in Sirius’s affection, and Sirius’s darkening meter unlocked at 6%.

Merlin gave James a Hogwarts secret-passage map for his birthday, and James finally sincerely apologized for taking their friends into danger. They made up and spent the evening talking, while Sirius’s jealousy quietly increased.

• Merlin declined Lily’s invitation to visit the Evans home, then saw Snape leave after noticing her.
• On James’s birthday, he repeatedly searched through his presents for one from Merlin while Sirius and Remus discussed his feelings and his poor apology.
• Merlin arrived in the common room and gave James a present, prompting him to apologize sincerely for the dangerous adventure that had injured her.
• Merlin accepted James’s apology and warned him to investigate before future adventures; James promised to try.
• James opened Merlin’s gift and found a hand-drawn map of Hogwarts’s secret passages, then spent the evening talking with her and went to sleep clutching it.
• Sirius grew jealous of James’s present, and his darkening value reached 7%.

After failing to create a potion to fade Remus's scars, the narrator was startled by James and Sirius's Halloween prank and later attacked by a creature in the Black Lake. Remus rescued the narrator, who suspected the attacker was a black behemoth rather than the gentle Giant Squid.

• The narrator failed again to develop a potion to fade Remus's scars and felt depressed about the lack of progress.
• James and Sirius startled the narrator with an Invisibility Cloak prank, and the narrator warned James not to frighten Lily.
• The narrator went to the Black Lake to think and sensed that something was watching from beneath the water.
• A tentacle seized the narrator and dragged them into the lake, but a Lumos spell made it release them.
• Remus pulled the narrator from the water and explained that he had followed out of concern.
• The narrator concluded that the attacker was likely a black behemoth, not the Giant Squid.

After getting caught out past curfew, the narrator was assigned to portion potions with Snape, and a forced romance event deepened their hostility. The chapter ended with Slughorn asking why the potions had been smashed across the floor.

• The narrator, Snape, Mulciber, and the others were caught sneaking around after midnight, and Slughorn assigned Mulciber's group detention while telling the narrator and Snape to help portion potions.
• The narrator and Snape arrived early at Slughorn's office and worked separately after Slughorn left to handle other business.
• A Snape romance event appeared, and the narrator chose to taunt Snape rather than help him.
• Snape's favorability dropped as the pair exchanged threats, and the narrator left the office after finishing their portion.
• Slughorn later asked the narrator why the potions had been smashed all over the floor.

Merlin stopped James and Sirius from bullying Snape after James's enchanted Mandrake nearly strangled him, then confronted James about the dangerous prank. James agreed to destroy his Mandrake experiments, while the chapter ended with Sirius's darkening meter unlocked at 8%.

• Snape and Merlin kept up appearances of friendship when Lily asked whether they had fought, and Snape's affection for Merlin fell after Merlin slapped his shoulder.
• James and Sirius trapped Snape in a corridor and used an enchanted Mandrake to bind him, so Merlin freed his neck and ordered James to let him go.
• James smashed the Mandrake's pot and left Snape free, while Remus took Snape to the Hospital Wing.
• Merlin caught up with James and scolded him for turning Mandrakes into dangerous prank devices, and James promised to destroy them all.
• James admitted that he and Sirius had made three devices and ruined seven Mandrakes, and the system unlocked James's Caring achievement and Sirius's darkening meter at 8%.