Chapter Summaries

Scrimgeour warned the Muggle Prime Minister that Voldemort had returned and explained the Ministry’s plans to protect him. As Hogwarts students left for the holidays, Loren advised his friends to stay safe, exchanged teasing messages with Draco about his disguise, and boarded the Hogwarts Express with Hermione and Harry.

• Scrimgeour told the Muggle Prime Minister that Voldemort had rebuilt his forces and that the Ministry was at war, then arranged for Kingsley Shacklebolt and Herbert Jowle to protect him.
• Neville warned Loren and Seamus to stay home during the holidays, and Loren advised them to protect themselves and their families rather than get involved.
• Draco confronted Loren through the Bronze Knut about his disguise, and Loren teased him before asking about his parents and urging him to stay safe.
• Loren delayed telling Draco his promised final message, leaving Draco awake and resentful through the night.
• Loren met Hermione for breakfast, then boarded the Hogwarts Express with her, Harry, and the other students; Hermione asked why Malfoy had been staring at him.

Loren and Hermione returned home from Hogwarts while Harry stayed with the Weasleys and the Order of the Phoenix in Little Whinging. The chapter ended with Tonks telling Harry that Lupin had returned to the Werewolf community on a dangerous mission.

• Loren and Hermione arrived at King's Cross, met the Weasleys and Order members, and went home with Grandpa Bates.
• Loren and Hermione reunited with Hermione's parents and spent the evening watching a midyear news review, including reports of the Manchester bombing and Mad Cow Disease.
• Harry ate dinner with Molly and the others at the Dursleys' empty house, then learned that Moody, Arthur, and Sirius had gone to discuss his summer arrangements.
• George and Fred tried Muggle coffee while Harry played a fighting game, and Tonks told him that Lupin had returned to the Werewolf community two weeks earlier.

Harry was sent to spend the summer with the Dursleys while the Order watched over him, and Lupin confronted Greyback in New York. After a magical battle caused a plane to crash, Kingsley explained the disaster and the Dark Lord’s threat to the Prime Minister.

• Molly comforted Tonks as Harry and the others prepared for Harry to stay with the Dursleys.
• Moody warned the Dursleys that guards would investigate if Harry went unheard from for three days, and Harry said goodbye to his friends before entering their house.
• Lupin and the American Magical Congress Aurors cornered Greyback in an abandoned building, sealed off escape, and began fighting him.
• A spell struck the engine of a departing plane during the battle, killing all 228 people aboard.
• Kingsley told the Prime Minister that Greyback and the other Dark wizards had been arrested, then explained that the hidden Dark Lord posed the greatest threat.

Sirius Black learned that Greyback had been executed and, after feeling his unborn child move, decided Betty should return to her family for her safety. Loren and Hermione received their O.W.L. results, celebrated Hermione’s ten Outstandings, and discussed which classes to take in sixth year.

• Sirius Black read Remus’s letter confirming Greyback’s execution and his need to stay abroad to handle werewolf affairs.
• Sirius Black felt his unborn child move and asked Betty to return to her family that weekend so she and the baby would be safer.
• Loren and Hermione collected their Grade Reports, and Hermione discovered she had earned Outstanding in all ten subjects.
• Loren refused to let Hermione see his Grade Report, and they chased each other into the house.
• Loren and Hermione discussed their sixth-year subjects, including whether to continue Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid.

Loren and Hermione spent the summer together and returned to Diagon Alley for sixth-year shopping, where Ministry warnings and deserted shops showed how dangerous the wizarding world had become. They met Ron outside the joke shop, where he proudly revealed that he had become Quidditch captain.

• Grandpa Bates watched news reports about Charles and Diana's divorce and a deadly plane explosion with Loren, while the cause of the crash remained unknown.
• Loren and Hermione spent their summer vacation at home, sharing quiet days and a birthday barbecue in the Granger backyard.
• Loren and Hermione found Diagon Alley deserted and covered with Ministry warnings, and heard that Florian Fosco had fled after his shop was ransacked.
• A protective-charm peddler leered at Hermione, and Loren's strange gaze left him standing dazed as the couple entered Flourish and Blotts.
• Loren and Hermione visited George and Fred's brightly decorated joke shop, where Ron arrived and proudly announced he had become Quidditch team captain.

Loren, Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys visited George and Fred’s crowded joke shop, where Molly’s reaction to the business revealed her affection for the twins. Harry stayed behind to browse with Ginny while Loren and Hermione followed Lupin to hear about recent events the Daily Prophet had not reported.

• Harry thanked Loren for the joke books that had helped him endure his stay with the Dursleys.
• Hermione and Loren examined the shop’s pranks, including a lifelike Reusable Hangman and a Daydream Charm.
• George and Fred showed their family their merchandise, including Love Potions and Miniature Fluffballs.
• Molly scolded George and Fred for leaving the shop untidy, then began cleaning it herself, delighting the twins.
• Lupin invited the others to the back to discuss recent events that the Daily Prophet had not reported, and Loren and Hermione followed him.

Lupin told Loren and Hermione about Greyback’s activities in America and the suspicion that Voldemort was seeking Slytherin’s Snakewood Wand, while Loren proposed a safer private Floo connection. George and Fred then invited Loren to develop defensive products for their arms business, and they celebrated his patent-fee proposal when Verity arrived.

• Lupin told Loren and Hermione that Greyback had recruited dark wizards and enslaved werewolves in America, and that Greyback’s followers had hidden at Ilvermorny while hunting Igor Karkaroff.
• Loren suspected Voldemort was pursuing Slytherin’s Snakewood Wand, and Lupin said Headmaster Fontana had investigated the Snake Tree without finding signs of damage.
• Lupin explained that Harry was moving between The Burrow and the Black family manor under protection, and Loren proposed creating a private Floo passage with destination authorization.
• George and Fred showed Loren their defensive products, including Shield Hats, Shield Cloaks, Invisibility Smoke Bombs, and Decoy Bombs, and invited him to join their Weasley Arms Company.
• Loren proposed developing products and charging patent fees instead of supplying them directly, and George and Fred celebrated before Verity entered the room.

Loren and Hermione visited The Burrow so Loren could transform its fireplace into a secure, fixed-location connection. He completed the magical components and began assembling the new passage, leaving its final operation still to come.

• Loren and Hermione left Diagon Alley and discussed Hermione's plans to reform the Department of Transportation and the Floo Network.
• Loren and Hermione arrived at The Burrow, where Moody questioned them to verify their identities before letting them inside.
• Molly brought Loren the prepared materials, and Loren examined the disconnected fireplace and demonstrated how Floo Powder connected him to the surrounding space.
• Loren hollowed out two Unicorn horns, inscribed spatial runes into them, and assembled the magical components intended to create a secure passage between The Burrow and the Black family manor.

Loren and Hermione learned from Fleur that the French Muggle Government was secretly investigating Beauxbatons, then returned to Hampstead. A late-night message warned Loren that Snape was preparing a Resurrection Ritual, while the British Prime Minister waited for a call as part of a covert plan.

• Loren explained how to maintain the fireplace connection at the Weasley home and admitted that he had kept the two unused sets of materials as payment.
• Ginny teased Bill and Fleur at the door, and Fleur later told Loren and Hermione that the French Muggle Government had been secretly investigating Beauxbatons and the French Ministry of Magic.
• Loren and Hermione left the Weasleys and agreed to ask Dumbledore for more information when school began.
• Draco sent Loren a message saying that Professor Snape was preparing to hold the Resurrection Ritual.
• The Prime Minister left his usual office, where Herbert Jowle was unconscious, and waited in a temporary office for a president from a distant country to call.

Loren helped resurrect Professor Snape at Malfoy Manor, where Snape revealed Voldemort was seeking to create a living Horcrux and asked Loren to secretly give Harry his old Potions textbook. On September 1, Loren and Hermione said goodbye to their families and prepared to return to school.

• Loren arrived at Malfoy Manor, where Draco led him to Professor Snape and Narcissa, who were preparing the Resurrection Ritual.
• Loren completed the ritual with Snape’s instructions, and Snape emerged from the potion in a new body.
• Snape told Loren that Voldemort had gone to the United States and was pursuing a living Horcrux connected to Ilvermorny.
• Snape asked Loren to give Harry his old Potions textbook, which he confirmed was his Horcrux, and said he would teach Loren about resurrection later.
• On September 1, Loren and Hermione said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Grandpa Bates before leaving for school.

Loren, Harry, and their classmates returned to Hogwarts amid fears of Voldemort’s growing power, where Firenze joined the staff to teach Divination alongside Professor Trelawney. Dumbledore warned that the school was in danger, and Harry agreed to resume occasional secret meetings with his friends.

• On the Hogwarts Express, Harry wondered whether Voldemort had made a Horcrux from Ilvermorny’s Snakewood tree, while Loren suggested the school still held suspicious secrets and advised Harry to look for an old Potions textbook.
• Draco and Theodore Nott discussed their families’ difficult circumstances as the train carried students back to Hogwarts through a tense, rainy journey.
• Neville and the other prefects organized the students at Hogsmeade Station, and the returning students entered Hogwarts safely before the Sorting Ceremony and feast.
• Students noticed Firenze at the High Table, and he told Grindelwald that the stars had guided him to leave his tribe and that his elder had discussed the celestial signs with Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore announced that Firenze and Professor Trelawney would teach Divination together, warned students about Voldemort’s growing forces, and urged them to remain vigilant.
• Seamus asked Harry about restarting their secret meetings, and Harry agreed that they could hold one meeting a month.

Loren finalized his sixth-year timetable, discovered that Snape’s Horcrux textbook assigned homework based on his deepest fears, and attended Grindelwald’s first Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. The chapter ended as Advanced Potions began, with Parvati learning that the mysterious fragrant potion was a Love Potion.

• McGonagall finalized Loren and Hermione’s schedules, and Loren went to the Dungeon Classroom to search its cabinets.
• Loren found Snape’s copy of Advanced Potion-Making and wrote to the Half-Blood Prince, whose reply gave him a daunting homework assignment.
• Hermione complained about her Ancient Rune workload before she and Loren attended Grindelwald’s lesson on the Silencing Charm.
• Slughorn welcomed Harry, Loren, Hermione, and Ron to Advanced Potions, and Harry and Ron fought over the better-preserved textbook.
• Hermione and Loren tried to identify a fragrant white potion, and Padma told Parvati that it was a Love Potion.

Slughorn introduced Felix Felicis as the prize for the best Hellebore potion, while Loren questioned him about the potion’s brewing process. Loren revealed that he had Sand of Time powder, leaving Slughorn’s response unknown.

• Slughorn showed the class Veritaserum, Love Potion, and Felix Felicis, then offered a vial of liquid luck to the student who brewed the best Hellebore potion.
• Hermione began preparing her ingredients and urged Loren to stop daydreaming and start brewing.
• Loren told Hermione not to cut the Sopophorous Bean and went to ask Slughorn about Felix Felicis.
• Slughorn explained that his golden Felix Felicis was at its first stage and described how its color would change and later return as the potion finished brewing.
• Loren told Slughorn that he had Sand of Time powder.

Loren discussed using time magic to accelerate brewing Felix Felicis with Slughorn, then helped Harry and Hermione improve their Hellebore potion during class. Slughorn awarded his only bottle of Felix Felicis to Harry, while Hermione began to suspect Loren knew more about the annotated textbook than he let on.

• Loren told Slughorn that he had taken Time-Turner grains from the damaged Time Room and proposed using them to shorten Felix Felicis's brewing time; Slughorn invited him to dinner to discuss it.
• During Potions class, Loren confirmed that Harry should squeeze the Sopophorous Bean with the flat of a silver knife, and Harry's potion quickly reached the ideal pale snowy blue.
• Loren also confirmed the textbook's stirring instructions, helping Hermione's potion turn pink and clear as he caught up with the class.
• Slughorn praised Loren, Hermione, and Harry, but gave his sole bottle of Felix Felicis to Harry.
• Ron lamented that his battered textbook had no useful notes, while Hermione looked between the book and Loren and began to suspect something.

Loren joined Professor Slughorn for dinner before helping him accelerate the brewing of Felix Felicis with his time magic. They completed the first stages in minutes, but the potion now had to wait for the next Full Moon.

• Slughorn invited Loren to dinner in his new Seventh Floor office and discussed plans for a Slug Club Christmas party.
• After dinner, Slughorn showed Loren the Felix Felicis and Polyjuice Potion brewing in his storage room.
• Slughorn added Sea onion juice to the Felix Felicis, and Loren used his time magic to compress a two-month wait into less than three minutes.
• Loren accelerated the next stages as Slughorn added Murtlap growths, thyme tincture, and Occamy eggshells to the potion.
• Loren stopped Slughorn from continuing and reminded him that the Occamy eggshells needed to absorb the Full Moon's magic, leaving them to wait three weeks until the next Full Moon.

Loren returned to the Common Room and learned that Hermione suspected the Half-Blood Prince’s textbook concealed something, so he revealed it was Professor Snape’s Horcrux. Later, he and Hermione passed Firenze’s first Divination lesson, where the Centaur explained how Centaurs viewed the stars and prophecy.

• Loren found Hermione studying the Half-Blood Prince’s textbook while Harry and Ron argued about Quidditch tryouts.
• Hermione tried spells to expose hidden writing in the textbook, but nothing happened.
• Loren told Hermione the textbook was Professor Snape’s Horcrux and said Snape had given it to Harry.
• Harry continued following the textbook’s notes in Potions class and earned praise and extra points from Slughorn.
• After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Loren and Hermione passed Firenze’s Divination lesson, where he taught fifth-years about Centaur views of the stars and prophecy.

Loren, Hermione, Ron, and Harry visited Hagrid after feeling guilty for not choosing his Care of Magical Creatures class, and they reconciled with him. Hagrid revealed that Aragog was dying and would not survive the winter, leaving the friends to comfort him despite their history with the Acromantula.

• Loren, Hermione, Ron, and Harry made their way to Hagrid's Wooden House, feeling guilty about abandoning his class.
• Hagrid angrily shut the door on them, but Harry threatened to blast it and persuaded him to let them in.
• The four friends apologized and explained that their schedules had kept them from taking Care of Magical Creatures, and Hagrid gradually forgave them.
• Hagrid told them that Aragog was too old to eat and would not make it through the winter.
• Loren, Hermione, Ron, and Harry comforted Hagrid while remembering that they had beaten Aragog years earlier.

Loren and Hermione discussed Snape’s Half-Blood Prince identity, the possibility of resurrection, and Harry’s progress before sharing a private moment together. Ron struggled with rebuilding the Quidditch team, and Dumbledore sent Harry a note asking him to meet on Saturday evening to discuss clues.

• Loren explained that Snape took the name Half-Blood Prince from his mother, Eileen Prince, and discussed Snape’s possible Resurrection Potion and the Horcrux’s role in a ritual.
• Loren and Hermione walked together, held hands, and went behind some rocks, leaving Hermione needing to change into a turtleneck sweater.
• Ron worried about replacing four graduated starters and rebuilding the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
• Harry accidentally hit Ron with a spell from the Half-Blood Prince’s textbook, and Ron retaliated while Seamus, Neville, and Loren watched.
• Dean delivered Dumbledore’s note to Harry, asking him to visit the headmaster’s office at eight o’clock on Saturday evening for a discussion of clues.

Harry dreamed of his mother and Aunt Petunia as young girls, then met Dumbledore to enter memories connected to the Gaunt family. Dumbledore prepared to show Harry the country road outside Hangleton and explain the story from years earlier.

• Harry fell asleep beside the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, which opened by itself to the Bat-Bogey Hex page as he began dreaming.
• Neville helped Professor Sprout prepare a Herbology lesson on the Whomping Willow, and Harry told Loren, Ron, and Hermione about his dream of his mother and Aunt Petunia.
• Harry used the password from Dumbledore's note to reach the Headmaster's office on Saturday night.
• Harry asked whether Dumbledore had obtained Slughorn's memory about Horcruxes, and Dumbledore said he would show Harry memories of events connected to Gaunt's old house.
• Dumbledore invited Harry to walk along the country road outside Hangleton.

Hermione, Loren, Harry, and Ron completed their Whomping Willow assignment and harvested its pods during Herbology, while Harry told them about Dumbledore showing him Ogden’s memories. That night, Loren performed the final spell on the Felix Felicis, leaving the potion bubbling successfully in its completed golden form.

• Hermione wrote the main section of the group’s Whomping Willow report, while Loren analyzed the plant’s magical and economic uses and Harry and Ron handled its illustrations and copying.
• Professor Sprout had the groups harvest mature Whomping Willow pods, rewarding those with the fewest and lightest injuries.
• Harry told Loren, Hermione, and Ron about seeing Bob Ogden’s memories of Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt and said Dumbledore had invited him back the following night.
• Loren calmed the Whomping Willow, removed a pod, and used an invisible blade to open it as the group harvested the remaining pods safely.
• Loren cast “Felixempra!” as the final step in brewing Felix Felicis, and the potion bubbled into a golden liquid without spilling.