Chapter Summaries

Loren explained Umbridge’s condition and the risks of repairing her mind while Dumbledore recounted her past and warned that Voldemort had learned Azkaban’s defenses. As rumors about Umbridge spread through Hogwarts, Loren persuaded Hermione to write his Astronomy essay for him.

• Loren told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Umbridge’s injuries involved both her soul and her memory, and described the dangerous process that had saved Neville’s parents.
• Dumbledore told Snape about Umbridge’s family and rise through the Ministry, and Snape warned that Voldemort would use the stolen Azkaban information to organize a prison break.
• Hogwarts posted a notice suspending Umbridge, while students circulated increasingly absurd rumors about what had happened to her.
• Professor Trelawney claimed she had predicted Umbridge’s danger, and Luna asked Ginny whether Trelawney could really make prophecies.
• Hermione complained that the Ministry might return Umbridge to teaching, and Loren reassured her before asking her to write and revise his Astronomy essay.

On Hogsmeade Weekend, Loren and Hermione read a Ministry notice and teased each other with a bizarre snail candy. Harry and Ginny joined them at the Three Broomsticks after spending time together at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.

• Loren sampled Honeydukes’ Snail Replica Candy while Hermione read a notice warning Hogsmeade residents about suspicious individuals.
• Loren asked the Quidditch Emporium owner why the Ministry notice had been torn down, then returned to Hermione with snacks.
• Loren tricked Hermione into tasting a snail candy, but she transferred it into his mouth before he could react.
• Harry and Ginny arrived at the Three Broomsticks and found Loren and Hermione sitting together.
• Hermione asked Ginny whether Harry had kissed her at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.

Loren and his friends watched the students prepare for their first Quidditch match in a year as Gryffindor and Slytherin tensions rose. The match began with Slytherin supporters taunting Ron Weasley, leaving him pale and Loren worried the pressure might make him play exceptionally well.

• Harry continued leading the Defense Society, though attendance had dwindled and younger students struggled with their spells.
• Harry and Ron endured Angelina's rain-soaked Quidditch training, while Fred and George suffered painful side effects from testing their experimental medicine.
• Slytherin and Gryffindor players clashed in a corridor, and evidence showed Myles Bludger had cursed Alicia Spinnet with a Hair-Growing Charm.
• Loren and Hermione joined the crowd for the Quidditch match, where Slytherin supporters wore Weasley Is Our King badges and Luna cheered in a roaring lion hat.
• Madam Hooch started the match, and Slytherin fans sang insults about Ron Weasley as he took his place guarding the hoops.

Ron’s spectacular goal-line save helped Gryffindor defeat Slytherin, while Loren turned down Draco’s proposed Secret Society but agreed to make its members covert communication devices. The chapter ended as Snape restored Little Barty Crouch to human form and attacked him before he could cast a spell.

• Ron kicked the Quaffle from beside Gryffindor’s goal through the opposite hoops, and Gryffindor went on to win the match after Harry caught the Snitch.
• Gryffindors celebrated Ron’s performance, while Ron told Loren that his save had been an accident and worried about the next match.
• Draco told Loren that Slytherin students with Death Eater parents planned to form a Secret Society for their families’ survival, and Loren declined to join.
• Draco asked Loren to make coded communication devices for the society, and Loren agreed to charge ten Galleons per unit.
• Loren delivered the Potions Club’s supplies and membership information to Snape, who wondered whether Loren had recognized the two Death Eaters imprisoned as hamsters.
• Snape restored Little Barty Crouch to human form and gave him a wand and potion, but attacked him with Sectumsempra when Crouch began to cast a spell.

Harry experienced a vision of Voldemort completing a ritual that made Snape his immortal servant, but Voldemort tried to erase Harry’s memories of it. The next morning, Hermione reported that several dangerous prisoners had escaped from Azkaban.

• Loren finished checking the names on his communication alchemy array while Harry and Ron worked on their Potions essays.
• At Malfoy Manor, Voldemort completed a ritual that made Snape an immortal servant and sensed Harry’s presence through their connection.
• Harry fought Voldemort’s attempt to erase the vision from his memories, then woke in the Gryffindor Common Room with Ginny beside him.
• Loren urged Harry to visit Dumbledore after Harry recalled only that Voldemort had seemed delighted by something he had been waiting for.
• Harry told Loren that Dumbledore had seemed distracted, while Loren wondered whether the Death Eaters had discovered the Elder Wand’s whereabouts.
• Hermione read The Daily Prophet’s report that several dangerous prisoners had escaped from Azkaban, possibly with Bellatrix Lestrange’s help.

After the Daily Prophet reported the mass escape of Death Eaters, Loren and Hermione worried that Voldemort’s return was approaching. In Potions class, Loren saw a deathly aura around Snape and later learned that Snape was attempting to brew a Resurrection Potion, leaving him and Hermione concerned about the dangers of such forbidden magic.

• Hermione, Harry, and Loren read that Fudge was urging the public not to believe Dumbledore, while the newspaper listed escaped Death Eaters and their crimes.
• Hermione wondered whether the wizarding war was near, and Loren agreed that Voldemort might soon return once he understood the prophecy.
• Draco admitted that he had sold Theodore Nott a Communicator for double its price before Snape began the lesson on Invigoration Draught.
• Loren saw an ominous black mist around Snape with Magic Sight, then privately learned that Snape was trying to brew a Resurrection Potion and was told not to tell Harry.
• Loren explained to Hermione that resurrection magic could cause disasters, and they wondered why Dumbledore seemed certain Snape would fail.
• Rumors about the escaped Death Eaters spread among the students after Herbology class.

Hufflepuff students worried over the escaped Death Eaters, while Loren asked Snape about his ability to summon a Patronus and watched him cast one. At the Defense Society, Loren and Hermione argued over dueling tactics before leaving together under the pretense of studying Astronomy.

• Susan Bones accidentally overfertilized the Snapping Vines and bumped into Mimbulus Mimbletonia, which sprayed foul-smelling juice over Justin, Ernie, and Hannah.
• Justin told Ernie that he suspected Voldemort had returned and that Susan’s family could be in danger; Hannah comforted Susan and took her to Professor Sprout.
• Loren asked Snape whether he had made a Horcrux, intended to experience death, and could still summon a Patronus; Snape cast a faint, indistinct silver Patronus and assigned Loren another essay.
• More students joined the Defense Society, where Loren and Hermione advised students during dueling practice and argued after Neville hesitated to attack Hannah.
• Loren persuaded Hermione to leave the Great Hall with him by claiming he needed help with his Astronomy homework.

As Christmas approached, Loren and Hermione debated whether to leave Hogwarts while Parvati collected students’ holiday plans, and Harry gave them Sirius Black’s wedding invitation. At Malfoy Manor, Voldemort pressured Lucius to bring Draco home for the holidays while the Death Eaters discussed retrieving the Prophecy Orb and Snape questioned the plan’s risks.

• Loren teased Hermione during Charms class, then the two debated whether to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas or go home.
• Parvati asked Loren and Hermione to decide by Monday whether they would stay at school, and Harry brought them Sirius Black’s wedding invitation.
• Narcissa and Lucius attended a Death Eater meeting at Malfoy Manor, where Voldemort demanded Draco return for the holidays.
• Augustus Rookwood reported that Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody had entered the Hall of Prophecy two years earlier and discussed a plan to control Cornelius Fudge.
• Snape warned that pursuing the Prophecy Orb carried unpredictable risks, and Voldemort asked what he suggested.

Snape proposed using Sirius Black’s Christmas wedding to lure Harry into retrieving the Prophecy Orb from the Department of Mysteries, while Voldemort heard reports from his Death Eaters. At Hogwarts, Loren warned Draco that Voldemort might uncover his attempts to pass along information.

• Snape told Voldemort that Harry could be drawn to the Ministry during the Christmas Holidays because Sirius Black would be marrying a Muggle widow named Carver.
• Bellatrix learned that her niece Nymphadora Tonks was dating a werewolf, and the Death Eaters mocked her family before Voldemort restored order.
• Snape began outlining how Voldemort might exploit Dumbledore’s weakened will, then listened as the Death Eaters reported on their work.
• During Potions class, Snape lingered beside Harry, while Loren and Hermione worked together on their potion.
• Draco asked Loren whether he was staying at school for Christmas, and Loren warned him that Voldemort might uncover his memories if he passed along information.

Harry, Ron, Loren, and Hermione returned to London for the Christmas holidays, with Harry traveling to attend Sirius's wedding. Loren and Hermione went home with Bates, who asked how he could take over the Hogwarts Express, and the chapter ended as they reached the Granger house.

• Harry read an invitation from his godmother, Betty Carver, and explained that Dumbledore had arranged for him to travel to Sirius's wedding under protection.
• Harry and Ron left King's Cross with Moody, while Loren and Hermione said goodbye to them.
• Loren and Hermione found Bates questioning railway privatization protesters about how to bid for the Hogwarts Express's operating rights.
• Bates lamented that he could not take over the Hogwarts Express and drive it himself every weekend.
• Loren and Hermione arrived at the Granger house and passed its still-wrapped Christmas tree.

Loren and Hermione spent Christmas at home before returning to a Hogwarts facing a plot to seize the Ministry and Azkaban. The chapter ended on Christmas Eve with Dobby celebrating his gifts, Winky feeling wistful, and Hagrid imagining Grawp at the feast.

• Loren and Hermione returned home for Christmas, where they shared a family dinner and discussed attending a wizard-Muggle wedding on Boxing Day.
• Loren and Hermione decorated the Christmas tree together, and Loren told Hermione that lovers who kissed beneath mistletoe received a blessing.
• Snape told Dumbledore that Malfoy planned to use the Imperius Curse on Fudge at a Boxing Day banquet and that Voldemort intended to lure Potter into the Department of Mysteries for the Prophecy Orb.
• Dumbledore discussed Voldemort's Horcruxes with Snape, declined to investigate the search in Godric's Hollow, and hinted that Snape might become a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next term.
• Dobby celebrated receiving Christmas gifts and a wedding invitation from Potter, while Winky reflected on the gifts from Mr. Morgan and Miss Granger.
• Hagrid prepared for Christmas and considered bringing Grawp to the feast, laughing at the thought of Professor Flitwick sitting beside him.

Loren and Hermione celebrated Christmas in London, then visited Grimmauld Place as Sirius and Betty prepared for their wedding. They stayed to keep Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Marjorie company while the adults finished the preparations for the wedding on the twenty-eighth.

• Loren prepared the Christmas turkey, and he and Hermione later walked through London’s festive streets together.
• Sirius and the others transformed Grimmauld Place for Christmas and the upcoming wedding, while Sirius gave Kreacher a bedroom.
• Loren and Hermione visited Grimmauld Place on Boxing Day and learned that Dobby had brought candles for the wedding decorations.
• Molly asked Loren and Hermione to keep an eye on the younger guests while she helped Betty get ready.
• Harry told Loren and Hermione that Sirius had sent George and Fred to shovel snow after they overheard him speaking to Mrs. Black’s portrait.
• Loren and Hermione agreed to stay with Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Marjorie until the wedding.

Loren spoke with Betty Carver about her grief over the accident fifteen years earlier, rejecting her attempt to interpret his feelings for him. The next day, Sirius Black and Betty’s wedding began at the Castle, with Marjorie accompanying Betty down the staircase.

• Betty Carver invited Loren to talk about Sirius Black, their relationship, and the accident fifteen years earlier, and Loren went with her to the snowy garden.
• Loren shielded Betty from the cold with magic as she explained that she had once blamed Sirius and wizards for her husband’s death but had gradually let go of her resentment.
• Loren challenged Betty’s attempt to draw lessons about his life from her experience and left her in the garden.
• The day before the wedding, the Weasleys and their guests prepared their formal clothes while Percy pursued George and Fred for tampering with the sweets.
• On December 28, Loren invited Hermione to dance, and guests gathered at the Castle for Sirius Black and Betty’s wedding.
• Sirius Black and Lupin appeared on the platform as the guests cheered, and Marjorie escorted Betty down the staircase.

Sirius Black and Betty Rona Carver married as Kingsley Shacklebolt and the others celebrated, while Voldemort prepared to seize control of the Ministry of Magic. Harry woke after dreaming of Death Eaters and wondered whether he had glimpsed Voldemort’s thoughts, leaving him and Ron to report the dream to Sirius.

• Kingsley remembered Sirius Black’s imprisonment and spoke with Tonks about Sirius marrying a Muggle.
• Sirius Black and Betty Rona Carver exchanged vows, and the guests celebrated as Hermione and Loren watched the dancing.
• At Malfoy Manor, Lucius told Voldemort that he had placed Cornelius Fudge and Pius Thicknesse under the Imperius Curse and that the Ministry was vulnerable.
• Voldemort ordered Fudge to send the Aurors to search Knockturn Alley so the Death Eaters could attack the Ministry of Magic.
• Harry woke from a dream of shadowy figures and recalled the names of escaped Death Eaters; he and Ron decided to tell Sirius.

After Harry’s dream about escaped Death Eaters worried Lupin, he asked Loren and Hermione to stay at the manor while he went to consult Dumbledore. Moody then warned Sirius that Death Eaters had appeared in Knockturn Alley, and Harry fell asleep by the fire and began dreaming of a corridor where two red-haired men approached him.

• At breakfast, Hermione suggested that she and Loren leave the manor, while Arthur and Percy discussed Ministry politics and Harry told Lupin about dreaming of escaped Death Eaters.
• Lupin asked Loren and Hermione to stay and help Sirius watch over the young wizards while he returned to Hogwarts to speak with Dumbledore.
• Moody contacted Sirius through the fireplace and warned that Death Eaters had appeared in Knockturn Alley, possibly as a diversion, and told him to protect Harry.
• As the group waited anxiously for news, Harry fell asleep by the fire and dreamed of dancing with Ginny before the dream shifted to Umbridge and a Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
• Harry’s dream changed to a corridor, where he saw a middle-aged man and a young man approaching, both with flaming red hair.

Loren entered Harry’s dream and discovered Voldemort’s trap at the Department of Mysteries, where Arthur and Percy were threatened. Loren, Harry, Hermione, Sirius Black, and the Weasleys went to the Ministry, arriving at the silent Department of Mysteries as they prepared to search for them.

• Loren entered Harry’s nightmare and saw Voldemort trying to force Harry to attack Arthur and Percy in the dream.
• Voldemort revealed that he was waiting at the Department of Mysteries and threatened Arthur and Percy to lure Harry there.
• Loren told the others what he had learned, and Sirius Black sent his Patronus to alert Dumbledore before they left for the Ministry.
• Harry woke and joined Loren, Hermione, Sirius Black, Ginny, Ron, and the others as they traveled by Floo Powder to the Ministry of Magic.
• The group reached the Department of Mysteries and entered its dark, silent circular room.

Hermione led Loren, Harry, Sirius Black, and the others through the Department of Mysteries as they searched for the Hall of Prophecy and the missing Ministry employees. They found disturbing research and the Death Veil, where Harry heard voices and Loren sensed whispers from the world of death.

• The group entered the Department of Mysteries and learned they had to search its twelve unmarked doors for the Time Room.
• Loren opened a door to a room containing a tank of preserved wizard brains, which he suspected were being studied for their connection to magic or intelligence.
• After marking that door as checked, Loren led the group into an amphitheater containing the Death Veil.
• Harry heard someone calling from the veil and tried to approach it, but Sirius Black pulled him away.
• Loren sensed faint voices through the veil and reflected on how Harry's fascination with it resembled the second brother's longing in The Tale of the Three Brothers.

Harry and his friends searched the Department of Mysteries for the Time Room and reached the Hall of Prophecy, where they found the prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort. Voldemort confronted them and demanded the orb, but Aurors suddenly appeared and surrounded him.

• Sirius pulled Harry away from the veiled archway, and Hermione marked the dangerous room before the group searched other doors.
• Harry, Ginny, and Sirius discovered a model-like starry sky, while Loren and Hermione explored a cramped, eerie office.
• George and Fred found the Time Room, and Hermione led everyone through it to the Hall of Prophecy.
• Loren guided the group to Rack 97, where Hermione decoded the label on the prophecy about the Dark Lord and Harry Potter.
• Voldemort emerged and demanded that Harry hand over the prophecy orb, threatening Ginny when Harry asked about Arthur and Percy.
• Loren questioned why Voldemort would not take the orb himself, and a woman answered that Voldemort feared Dumbledore's wisdom as Ministry Aurors appeared and surrounded him.

Voldemort’s assault on the Ministry was exposed as a trap, and Dumbledore confronted him in the Department of Mysteries while Aurors evacuated the staff and tried to block his escape. The duel left Voldemort battling Dumbledore’s fire and a barrage of Killing Curses, and the chapter ended as Dumbledore’s marked door flew open before the advancing black mist.

• Rufus Scrimgeour and Bertha Jorkins revealed that they had anticipated the Death Eaters’ attack, defeated most of the invaders, and set a trap for Voldemort in the Hall of Prophecy.
• Dumbledore arrived, ordered the Aurors and Ministry employees to withdraw, and began dueling Voldemort as the two shattered the Hall of Prophecy with powerful spells.
• Scrimgeour led the evacuees toward the Ministry fireplaces while Jorkins explained that Percy was injured, Mr. Weasley was tending to him, and the professors had gone to fight the Death Eaters in Knockturn Alley.
• Dumbledore drove Voldemort through the Time Room, where Voldemort broke through a wall and fled toward five waiting Auror teams.
• Scrimgeour ordered the Aurors to fire Killing Curses, but Voldemort turned into black mist and pushed through Dumbledore’s fiery wings toward him.
• Dumbledore spoke of the power of love as the wooden door behind him, marked with a flaming X, suddenly flew open.

Dumbledore’s magic defeated Voldemort’s mist form in the Department of Mysteries, leaving the Dark Lord gravely injured as Dumbledore prepared another attack. Meanwhile, Snape and the Death Eaters returned to the Ministry, where a chaotic battle broke out until Hermione’s mist and Loren’s intervention disrupted it.

• Dumbledore used the chamber’s white magic to destroy Voldemort’s black mist and force him back into his injured human form.
• Snape escaped the fighting in Knockturn Alley and used the Leaky Cauldron’s fireplace to travel to the Ministry, followed by Bellatrix, Dolohov, and other Death Eaters.
• Snape emerged among the Ministry’s non-combat personnel, then more Death Eaters arrived and clashed with the Aurors and employees.
• Harry disarmed Dolohov with a powerful spell, while Ron, Ginny, George, and Fred stayed near the edge of the battle.
• Loren and Hermione spread Obscuring Mist through the hall, and the Giant Serpent petrified Bellatrix and knocked her down.
• Snape began making his way toward the staircase, while Voldemort lay helpless as Dumbledore’s flames drew closer.