Chapter Summaries

Loren Morgan’s happy day with his parents ended when Sirius Black’s attack killed them and destroyed a street. Years later, after living in an orphanage, Loren was taken away to live with his mother’s brother, while Joyce and Ms. Marge worried about his fate.

• Loren’s parents took him out for a day in November 1981, but Sirius Black’s explosion struck the street as he pursued Peter Pettigrew, killing Loren’s parents and leaving Loren unconscious.
• Cornelius Fudge and Barty Crouch arrived at the wreckage, ordered the Muggles’ memories erased, and arranged compensation for the victims’ families.
• In 1985, Loren asked Sister Joyce about Mr. Bambur and complained about the orphanage’s potato meals as they sorted donated clothes.
• Ms. Marge told Joyce and Loren that officials had found Loren’s living maternal uncle, who had agreed to raise him.
• Thorne and Mr. Pino took Loren away in a Ford Anglia the next morning, while Joyce and Ms. Marge wondered whether he would truly live with relatives and condemned Bambur for killing children.

Loren moved in with his grandfather Bates at High Mountain Ranch and began a freer life in the mountains. He learned that the townsfolk feared Bates because of rumors and his monthly trips into the mountains, which Bates kept secret from Loren.

• Thorne the Steward brought Loren to High Mountain Ranch and introduced him to Bates.
• Bates welcomed Loren, prepared a place for him to sleep, and shared a meal with him.
• Loren spent the day playing on the mountain with Pete while the sheep grazed.
• Loren gradually met the townsfolk, who treated him with pity and kept their distance from Bates.
• Pete told Loren the village rumors about Bates, and Loren noticed Bates returned pale and weak after his monthly full-moon trips into the mountains.

Ten-year-old Loren Morgan bought two occult books from a mysterious old man at a Christmas market after the man learned Loren copied documents. The old man left hinting they would meet again, and Loren joined Pete at the Nornir’s concert, where the music stirred memories of home.

• Loren spent the winter studying with Mr. Bates and helping copy documents and letters.
• Loren and Pete went to town on Christmas Eve to see the traveling band called the Nornir.
• Loren met a strange white-haired old man selling two occult books and bought them for exactly thirteen Pound Sterling.
• The old man called Loren by name and said they would meet again before walking away.
• Loren joined Pete at the concert, enjoyed the performance, and remembered Grandpa Bates, Joyce, and Mr. Bambur.

Loren read Nicolas Flamel’s account of a mysterious book and discovered that its illustrations matched the strange Book of Abraham. After Grandpa Bates left for his monthly trip into the mountains, Loren secretly followed him to a boulder hiding a cave and waited nearby for nightfall.

• Loren studied Complete Guide to Hieroglyphs and compared Nicolas Flamel’s description of an ancient book with the Book of Abraham.
• Grandpa Bates warned Loren that he would go into the mountains the next day, and Loren decided to follow him and uncover his secret.
• After Bates left, Loren fed the sheep and set up a timed food supply before packing provisions and winter gear.
• Loren followed Bates’s tracks through the snow to a huge boulder, where the footprints disappeared beside a simple lever mechanism.
• Loren built a shelter near the boulder and waited quietly for nightfall, hoping to hear what was happening inside the cave.

Bates told Loren how he became a Werewolf after being bitten during World War II and why he settled in the mountains. His story ended with him living alone near the town, while his family believed he had died in the war.

• After Bates transformed during the Full Moon, Loren fled the Cave and returned to the Wooden House, where he reasoned through what he had learned about Bates.
• Loren decided to trust Bates and treat him as family, and Bates returned from the mountains the following afternoon.
• After dinner, Bates offered to tell Loren the story of his past.
• During World War II, Bates and his squad found a woman who said she was a Werewolf and warned them to leave before the Full Moon.
• Three Recruits chose to become Werewolves, killed the pursuing enemy forces, and then killed their own comrades; Bates survived and discovered he had been bitten.
• Bates returned to England, transformed during his first Full Moon, and settled near the town after waking beside the Wooden House; his family believed he had died in the war.

Loren heard Bates explain why he had taken him in and spent the following years living quietly with him in the Scottish mountains. On his eleventh birthday in 1991, an owl delivered Loren an acceptance letter from Hogwarts, leaving him to discover the school’s invitation and supply list.

• Bates told Loren how he had spent his life supporting his fallen comrades’ families and had agreed to care for Loren after his last tie to the world was gone.
• Loren thanked Bates, and the two watched the wilderness together late into the night.
• In the years that followed, Bates taught Loren fighting and reconnaissance skills while Loren read the strange books and tended the goats.
• On his eleventh birthday, Loren saw an owl fly toward him carrying a letter.
• The owl delivered the letter, and Loren read that he had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Loren recognized the magical world as the one from the Harry Potter films and planned to study at Hogwarts while finding a cure for Bates's werewolf condition. Professor McGonagall collected Loren and Hermione Granger to begin their journey to the wizarding world.

• Bates worried that revealing his werewolf condition might burden Loren, while Loren identified their world as the Harry Potter universe and considered using the Wolfsbane Potion to help him.
• The next morning, Professor McGonagall Apparated to Bates's home, and Loren noticed the spot where she was about to appear.
• Professor McGonagall took Loren by Apparition to a suburban house, where he endured the painful journey.
• Professor McGonagall met Mr. and Mrs. Granger and led their daughter, Hermione, outside to join Loren.

Professor McGonagall took Loren Morgan and Hermione Granger to Diagon Alley, where they saw the wizarding world for the first time and exchanged Muggle money at Gringotts. The chapter left them with wizarding currency and Loren considering how arbitrary the Goblins’ money system was.

• Loren Morgan introduced himself to Hermione Granger, and Professor McGonagall Apparated with both children to The Leaky Cauldron.
• Professor McGonagall showed Loren and Hermione how to enter Diagon Alley through a concealed archway in the courtyard wall.
• Hermione peppered Professor McGonagall with questions about the shops, while Loren teased her with a story about imaginary talking kittens.
• Professor McGonagall led the children to Gringotts, where they exchanged Pound Sterling for wizarding currency and learned the basic exchange rules.
• Loren examined the wizarding currency system and concluded that the Goblins could change its rules at will.

Loren and Hermione completed their Diagon Alley shopping and each found a wand at Ollivanders. After Professor McGonagall returned Loren home, he realized he had forgotten to ask why he could sense the destination of Apparition.

• Loren and Hermione exchanged their pounds for Galleons, bought robes and stationery, and selected books at Flourish and Blotts.
• Hermione persuaded Loren to share her preparatory books with him after she finished reading them, and they avoided the dangerous books in the shop.
• Ollivander matched Hermione with a Vine Wood wand with a Dragon Nerve core, then matched Loren with an Apple Wood wand with a Phoenix Feather core.
• Loren bought a Spectacled Owl, and Professor McGonagall warned him and Hermione not to cast spells carelessly before they began lessons at Hogwarts.
• Hermione left to tell her parents about the trip, and Professor McGonagall took Loren home by Apparition.
• Loren remembered that he had not asked Professor McGonagall why he could sense Apparition destinations, but decided there would be time to learn more about magic.

Loren practiced beginner magic at the mountain lake, refining Reparo and turning Colloportus into a powerful blasting spell that he used for fun. Bates punished him for destroying the mountain and blasting fish, while Loren ended the chapter thinking about Hermione and setting aside his difficult alchemy book.

• Loren practiced Reparo on a torn banknote, adjusted his incantation and wand movement, and eventually repaired it almost flawlessly.
• Loren discovered that Colloportus blasted doors apart and, after refining the spell through repeated practice, blasted a hole through the boulder at the cave entrance.
• Loren began blasting rocks and trees around the mountain, alarming Bates with the damage his powerful spell caused.
• Loren started blasting fish, so Bates beat him and took the catch down the mountain to sell.
• Loren stroked Hānhan the Spectacled Owl while considering what to write to Hermione, and he decided to set aside Alchemy: From Beginner to Master until after school began.

Loren traveled to Hogwarts with Grandpa Bates, who hid his grief at their parting, and met Hermione aboard the train. As Loren teased Hermione with magical snacks, Neville saw her distressed and clenched his fists.

• Loren and Bates arrived in London early, bought clothes, and traveled to King's Cross on the morning Hogwarts began.
• Loren entered Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and boarded the Hogwarts Express while Bates watched him leave and cried outside the station.
• Loren settled into an empty compartment, but Hermione found him and scolded him for not writing during the summer.
• Loren diverted Hermione's questions with fanciful guesses about the train and shared magical snacks with her.
• Loren startled Hermione by eating a live cockroach, and Neville saw her nearly in tears as Loren laughed.

Loren, Hermione, and Neville searched for Neville’s missing toad, then traveled across the lake to Hogwarts. The chapter ended with the first-years arriving at the Castle and meeting Professor McGonagall at its doors.

• Neville entered Loren and Hermione’s compartment, met them, and realized he had forgotten to look for his missing toad.
• Loren, Hermione, and Neville searched the train, where Loren saw a strange dark aura around Ron’s rat and recognized it as Peter Pettigrew.
• The three asked prefect Percy Weasley for help, and he used Accio to summon Neville’s toad from Neville’s pocket.
• Loren and Hermione changed into their robes, then traveled with Neville and Seamus Finnigan by boat across the lake toward Hogwarts.
• Loren frightened Hermione, Neville, and Seamus with a made-up Hogwarts entrance test before the boats reached shore.
• The first-years crossed the grounds and arrived at the Castle’s great doors, where Professor McGonagall was waiting.

Loren Morgan worried the Sorting Hat might uncover his past-life memories, but it sorted him into Gryffindor alongside Hermione and Harry. After the feast, the boys settled into their shared dormitory, where Loren wished Harry sweet dreams.

• Professor McGonagall led the first years into the Great Hall, where the Sorting Hat sang about the four Houses.
• The Sorting Hat placed Hermione in Gryffindor and, after probing Loren's thoughts, sorted Loren into Gryffindor as well.
• Dumbledore welcomed the students, and the feast began; Loren spoke with Sir Nicholas about Louis XVI and the guillotine.
• Loren noticed strange black shadows flash around Snape's arm and Harry's scar, while Quirrell's turban glowed black.
• Percy led the Gryffindor first years to their common room, where Loren, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Seamus shared a dormitory and talked late into the night.
• Loren saw Harry looking at the moon and wished him sweet dreams.

Loren explored Hogwarts and attended his first Transfiguration and Herbology classes, where his unusual vision caught Professor McGonagall’s attention. After Dumbledore and McGonagall discussed his ability, Loren began to tell them about other strange scenes he had seen.

• Loren explored the Castle, then hurried to his first Transfiguration Class and used his Talent Vision to recognize Professor McGonagall in her Animagus form.
• Loren persuaded Hermione to pet the cat, and she froze when McGonagall transformed back in front of the class.
• Professor McGonagall taught the students to transform matches into needles, awarded Hermione five points for her progress, and told Loren to visit her office that evening.
• Professor McGonagall took Loren to meet Dumbledore, and they discussed his ability to perceive Apparition and Animagus transformations.
• Dumbledore said he would research Loren’s unusual eyes, and Loren began telling him about other strange scenes he had witnessed.

Loren told Dumbledore about the strange signs he had seen on Harry, Snape, and Quirrell, then revealed his suspicion that Ron’s rat was an Animagus. Dumbledore tasked him with secretly marking the rat, and Loren returned to the Gryffindor common room to carry out the plan.

• Loren described the shadows he had seen on Harry’s scar and Snape’s arm, along with Quirrell’s suspicious turban, and Dumbledore considered what they might mean.
• Loren told Dumbledore that Ron’s rat resembled McGonagall in Animagus form, and Dumbledore decided not to confront it yet in case it had harmed the Weasley family.
• Dumbledore placed a Four-Pointed Star mark in Loren’s palm and asked him to attach it to the rat without being noticed.
• Loren borrowed Scabbers from Ron by offering Lemon Drops and pretended to try a spell that would turn the rat yellow.
• Loren returned Scabbers to Ron, and the Four-Pointed Star had vanished from his palm.

During the first week at Hogwarts, Loren and the other first years adjusted to classes, explored the castle, and formed friendships. On Friday, Harry invited Loren and Ron to visit Hagrid, while Loren began Potions class thinking about Snape and the Wolfsbane Potion his grandfather needed.

• The first years struggled to navigate Hogwarts's shifting staircases, while the Weasley Twins shared stories about secret passages.
• In Herbology, Loren worked with Hermione, who confronted him about his tricks and asked whether McGonagall had lectured him.
• Professor Flitwick taught the first years Lumos, Hermione earned Gryffindor five points, and Loren observed how his classmates were faring with magic.
• Harry received a note from Hagrid inviting him for tea, then asked Loren and Ron to come along; both agreed.
• Loren entered Potions class planning to keep a good relationship with Snape so he could obtain Wolfsbane Potion for his grandfather or learn to brew it himself.

Professor Snape began the first Potions class by questioning Harry and belittling him when he could not answer. Loren answered Snape’s questions correctly, but Snape punished Harry by taking five points from Gryffindor.

• Snape called the roll and briefly faltered when he saw Harry, while Loren noticed his reaction.
• Snape introduced Potions and explained that he could teach students to brew fame, glory, and even stop death.
• Snape quizzed Harry on potion ingredients, mocked him for not knowing the answers, and refused to let Hermione respond.
• Snape challenged Loren, who correctly answered all three questions about sleeping potions, Bezoars, and aconite.
• Snape told the class to write down Loren’s answers and deducted five points from Gryffindor because Harry had talked back.

Neville’s potion accident worsened Harry’s distrust of Snape, and Harry, Ron, and Loren visited Hagrid afterward. Harry left Hagrid’s cabin wondering what had been inside the package from Vault 713 and why Hagrid avoided discussing Snape.

• Neville and Seamus added Porcupine Quills before removing their cauldron from the fire, causing corrosive potion to spill and burn Neville.
• Snape treated Neville’s wounds, sent him to the Hospital Wing with Seamus, and took five points from Gryffindor by blaming Harry.
• Harry, Ron, and Loren walked to Hagrid’s cabin, where Fang pounced on Ron and Hagrid served them hard Rock Cakes.
• Harry complained about Snape, but Hagrid defended the professor unconvincingly and changed the subject to Ron’s brother Charlie.
• Loren read a Daily Prophet report about the Gringotts break-in, and Harry recalled that Hagrid had taken a small package from Vault 713 that day.
• Harry returned from Hagrid’s cabin wondering what the package contained and why Hagrid had avoided talking about Snape.

Professor McGonagall and the Weasleys exposed Scabbers as Peter Pettigrew, prompting Dumbledore to involve the Ministry rather than question him with Veritaserum. Harry left the office with new questions about his parents and Loren’s knowledge of the events.

• Percy, Fred, and George brought Ron to Professor McGonagall, who sealed Scabbers inside a jar.
• In Dumbledore’s office, Arthur and Molly Weasley reunited with their children and comforted Harry after learning Loren had helped uncover the danger.
• Dumbledore used the Four-Pointed Star to transform Scabbers into Peter Pettigrew, shocking Ron and the others.
• Snape proposed using Veritaserum, but Dumbledore refused and instructed Professor McGonagall to notify the Ministry of Magic.
• Molly invited Harry and Loren to The Burrow, but they declined, and Harry resolved to ask Loren about what he knew.

Loren taught Seamus and Dean an explosive version of Colloportus at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and Seamus quickly mastered it. Hagrid caught the boys after they scorched the trees and took them to his hut to find them something to do.

• Harry tried to ask Loren a question, but Loren left with Seamus and Dean after Seamus accidentally blew up his spellwork.
• At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Loren demonstrated how Colloportus blasted apart a makeshift wooden door and taught Seamus and Dean the spell.
• Seamus learned to cast the explosive spell accurately, while Dean struggled to make the wooden doors tremble.
• Loren and Seamus practiced on nearby trees as Dean continued chanting the spell, and the area became covered in scorch marks.
• Hagrid arrived with Fang, scolded the boys, and carried Seamus and Dean toward his hut while ordering Loren to come along.