Chapter Summaries

Mo Fei used Kyle’s divination supplies to test whether he could perform Divination as a Muggle. His tarot reading correctly predicted Boer’s return at eight, and the panel displayed Divination (Advanced) in gray.

• Mo Fei unpacked Kyle’s packages, finding divination supplies for himself, unusual clothes for Tom, and medicinal herbs for Boer.
• Mo Fei prepared a divination room and used tarot cards to predict when Boer would return.
• Mo Fei saw a vision of Boer arriving at the orphanage at eight that evening.
• Mo Fei waited until eight, when Boer returned as predicted, and excitedly declared that the divination had worked.
• The panel displayed Divination (Advanced), but the skill remained gray and could not be improved.

Mo Fei studied Divination and Astrology, reflecting on fate and discovering that changes in celestial configurations affected the Pure Water he made. Tom received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, and Dumbledore took him and Mo Fei to Diagon Alley, where Tom focused on Ollivander Wand Shop.

• Mo Fei learned that Divination was more reliable for Muggles than wizards and that attempts to foresee major events could trigger a backlash.
• Mo Fei considered how prophecy and Dumbledore's plans had shaped Voldemort's fate, then set those thoughts aside and began studying Astrology.
• Mo Fei studied the differences between Muggle astronomy and wizarding Astrology, recorded the stars, and noticed that celestial changes affected his Pure Water.
• Tom received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts, and Dumbledore arrived to guide him there.
• Mo Fei and Tom went with Dumbledore to Diagon Alley, where Tom looked around and fixed his gaze on Ollivander Wand Shop.

Dumbledore and Mo Fei took Tom to Ollivander’s shop to choose his first wand. After Dumbledore discovered Tom had practiced casting spells with his fingers, Ollivander began testing wands and Mo Fei learned how subtle differences in construction made each wand unique.

• Dumbledore, Mo Fei, and Tom entered Ollivander’s shop to find Tom a wand.
• Ollivander recognized Mo Fei from his previous visit and asked Tom about his dominant hand and interests.
• Ollivander and Dumbledore noticed magic lingering on Tom’s fingers, and Dumbledore warned Mo Fei that wandless practice could seriously injure him.
• Mo Fei admitted he had allowed Tom to try casting spells with his fingers, and Dumbledore said Tom had been fortunate nothing went wrong.
• Ollivander tested an elm wand with a dragon heartstring core, but it trembled in Tom’s hand and lost its luster.
• Ollivander explained that details such as the wood’s part, core placement, timing, length, and flexibility made wands with similar materials different.

Mo Fei learned how wandmaking, maintenance, and the Ollivanders’ strict neutrality shaped their place in the Wizarding World. As Tom’s many wand trials failed, Ollivander finally offered him a yew wand with a Phoenix Feather core, thirteen and a half inches long and surprisingly supple.

• Ollivander and Dumbledore explained wandmaking, wand maintenance, and how families sometimes maintained or made their own wands.
• Mo Fei wondered whether Ollivander used wand readings and maintenance to gather and sell information about wizards.
• Dumbledore activated the oath at Ollivander’s counter, and Ollivander explained that his family made only wands and stayed out of Wizarding World disputes.
• Mo Fei recognized Ollivander’s wand readings as a kind of divination and wondered whether Tom’s future would follow the familiar path.
• Tom tried more than ten wands without finding a match until Ollivander presented him with a yew wand containing a Phoenix Feather core.

Ollivander found that ordinary wands seemed unworthy of Tom, who rejected one that promised him power. Ollivander then brought out an unfinished wand made from snakewood linked to Slytherin, and Tom felt an immediate bond with it.

• Tom rejected a wand that seemed to promise him greater magical power, making Ollivander fear he had no suitable wand to offer.
• Ollivander brought out an unfinished snakewood wand made from a branch of a tree grown from Slytherin's wand.
• Ollivander explained that the wand had no core and that his father had been unable to find materials worthy of it.
• Tom took the wand and felt a joyful connection between it and his bloodline.
• The wand briefly produced a snake-shaped phantom that the others recognized as resembling a basilisk.

Tom obtained a wand containing a phantom Basilisk, and Ollivander privately revealed that Tom was likely descended from the Gaunt family. Dumbledore then took Tom to buy his first-year textbooks, where Tom brushed off questions about Grindelwald and was stopped from buying books beyond his year.

• Ollivander asked Dumbledore and Mo Fei to wait outside, then told Tom that Parseltongue was linked to Slytherin's bloodline and identified Merope Gaunt as Tom's mother.
• Ollivander asked Tom to show him the wand again after Tom completed it, and Tom agreed; Ollivander accepted one Galleon as a token.
• Tom paid for the wand with money Mo Fei had saved from selling food preparation techniques, and Dumbledore assumed Kyle had provided it.
• Dumbledore took Tom to Flourish and Blotts, where Tom read a Daily Prophet article about Grindelwald and said the matter had nothing to do with him.
• Tom tried to buy all the Hogwarts textbooks, but Dumbledore made him purchase only the first-year books.

Mo Fei and Dumbledore accompanied Tom as he bought household spellbooks and school robes, with Mo Fei expecting Tom to learn the spells and help around the orphanage. At the Magical Menagerie, Tom sought a way to bring his sulking pet snake to school instead of choosing an owl, and the shop assistant showed him the toads.

• Mo Fei returned with household magic books recommended by local women and told Tom they were for him to learn and use around the house.
• Mo Fei took Tom to Madam Malkin's, where Madam Malkin praised Kyle and explained the shop's work and her plans for him before Tom was measured for robes.
• Madam Malkin's enchanted tape measure darted around Tom, then she explained that his frame was ideal for tailoring young wizards' clothes.
• Mo Fei bought Tom several sets of robes while Dumbledore went to purchase other school supplies, including a cauldron.
• At the Magical Menagerie, Tom asked what pets besides owls he could bring to school because he wanted to take his pet snake.
• The shop assistant led Tom to a corner of magical toads, whose slimy appearance irritated him.

Tom questioned a pet shop assistant about Hogwarts' pet rules and left without choosing an animal, while Mo Fei noticed that wizarding treats could harm Muggles. The chapter ended with Mo Fei reflecting on the divide between wizards and Muggles.

• Tom pointed out a Brazilian anaconda, and the shop assistant subdued it with Relashio before carrying it away.
• Tom asked whether Hogwarts students could bring pets other than owls, cats, and toads, and the assistant explained why those three were considered suitable companions.
• The assistant described a past student whose hungry venomous snake nearly killed him, and Tom left the shop after getting the information he wanted.
• Tom told Dumbledore that learning magic interested him more than keeping a pet, while Mo Fei sampled Dumbledore's ice cream.
• Mo Fei realized the freezing blueberry jam could seriously harm Muggles, and he noticed that the wizards present offered no warning.

Before Tom left for Hogwarts, Mo Fei asked about his plans, and Tom explained that he wanted to investigate Slytherin, the Gaunt family, and why his mother had abandoned him. Mo Fei supported his search and gave him the locket from his swaddling clothes.

• Dumbledore warned Tom to use magic moderately and said he felt uneasy about Tom's wand before leaving the orphanage.
• Mo Fei asked Tom what future he wanted to pursue at Hogwarts, and Tom said he wanted to forge his own path.
• Tom demonstrated Serpensortia and Wingardium Leviosa, explaining that Slytherin's bloodline made some magic come naturally to him.
• Tom said he planned to investigate Slytherin at Hogwarts and the Gaunt family's old home, and to learn why his mother had left him at the orphanage.
• Mo Fei offered to help Tom investigate, but Tom said he needed to follow the path himself.
• Mo Fei gave Tom the locket that had been tucked into his swaddling clothes, believing it might help with his investigation.

Tom researched the Levitation Charm, testing how magic could overcome gravity and control an object's movement. After a month of experiments, Kyle returned to see him off to school, and Tom excitedly rushed to involve him in his discoveries.

• Tom struggled to levitate a large rock and move heavy objects freely, so he reviewed the spell and developed a theory about magic counteracting gravity.
• Tom focused his will on lifting a small stone, sending it shooting into the sky, then tested how much magic it took to stop its fall.
• Mo Fei reflected on how Tom's interest in basic spell research differed from the original story, where he had pursued Dark Magic and worked his way into Pure-blood circles.
• Tom continued experimenting for a month until he had achieved the best results he could at his current level.
• Kyle returned to see Tom off to school, and Tom ran out excitedly and called Kyle over to show him something.

Tom tested his theory about the Levitation Charm and showed Kyle a more efficient way to control objects, including magical materials. He began studying Lumos next, but the start of term arrived before he could reach any conclusions, and they set off to take him to school.

• Tom asked Kyle to cast the Levitation Charm so he could test an idea, then observed how Kyle controlled a floating stone.
• Tom took control of the stone and maneuvered it with surprising speed and precision, then explained how magic permeated objects during the usual casting method.
• Tom proposed wrapping an object in a thin magical barrier, which could save magic and improve control, especially with enchanted materials.
• Kyle realized Tom's method could help with materials that had been difficult to sew and admitted that he had not studied advanced Charms or joined the professor's private club.
• Tom spent time correcting Kyle's magic use and began investigating whether Lumos had mystical significance or could counter Dark Magic.
• The start of term arrived before Tom completed his Lumos research, and they set off to take him to school.

Tom boarded the Hogwarts Express after Kyle saw him off and gave him final advice for school. On the train, Tom met Owen Nott, and their conversation began with a joke about Kyle before they introduced themselves and their hoped-for Houses.

• Mo Fei saw Kyle and Tom enter the wizarding platform, then stayed at the station and considered traveling while the orphanage was empty.
• Kyle carried Tom's trunk to the Hogwarts Express and shared his last advice, asking Tom to write and show off the clothes he had made.
• Tom boarded the train and chose to join Owen Nott after recognizing the Nott family crest and deciding he wanted to ask about pure-bloods.
• Tom and Owen joked about Kyle before Owen introduced himself as a Ravenclaw hopeful and Tom said he was an orphan who wanted to enter Slytherin.

Tom met Owen Nott on the Hogwarts train, and the two probed each other’s backgrounds while discussing Tom’s orphanage and Kyle’s clothing business. They ended their exchange reading in silence, each still keeping his secrets.

• Tom told Owen his name and explained that he and Kyle had both come from an orphanage, prompting Owen to ask about the place.
• Tom talked about Mo Fei and Kyle’s business, and Owen recognized the new wizard robes Kyle had made before moving in for a closer look.
• A little witch opened the compartment door, saw Tom and Owen grappling, and hurriedly shut it after apologizing.
• Tom asked Owen why the Nott family had compiled the Pure-Blood Directory, and Owen suggested they trade secrets after revealing that he had been curious about Tom from the start.
• Neither boy disclosed much about himself, so Owen resumed reading while Tom studied A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

Tom questioned how Transfiguration could change an object’s material as well as its form, then learned about pure-blood families and their shifting ambitions from Owen. The two arrived at Hogsmeade as Tom considered using his identity as the Heir of Slytherin to gain support from some families.

• Tom reflected on how Transfiguration turned a wooden match into a silver needle and wondered what made such changes possible.
• Tom offered Owen some of the director’s bread, and Owen eagerly accepted it and praised its taste.
• Owen revealed that his family looked down on Muggles, prompting Tom to question the motives behind the Pure-Blood Directory.
• Owen described the different attitudes and plans of Britain’s pure-blood families, and Tom considered using their unrest to build alliances.
• Tom and Owen reached the train’s final stop at Hogsmeade.

Tom and the new Hogwarts students traveled from the train to the Black Lake, where Professor Kettleburn summoned boats to take them toward the castle. Tom saw the Thestrals and reflected on the deaths he had witnessed as his boat crossed the lake.

• Professor Kettleburn gathered the new students while the older students boarded Thestral carriages to Hogwarts.
• Tom saw the Thestrals pulling the carriages, unlike Owen, and remembered the deaths he had witnessed, including Mrs. Field's.
• Professor Kettleburn led the new students away from Hogsmeade through a forest to the Black Lake and summoned boats with an ancient incantation.
• Tom and Owen shared a boat with two little witches, and the boats began gliding toward Hogwarts.
• Owen spotted a huge tentacle in the lake, but the Giant Squid disappeared without showing itself, and the Beautiful Merpeople did not appear.

The first-year students arrived at Hogwarts and were sorted into their houses. Tom was placed in Slytherin, where the Sorting Hat privately addressed him as the Heir of Slytherin, and the ceremony ended with the students singing the school song.

• A professor led the first-years from the boats into the Great Hall, where Headmaster Dippet welcomed them and began the Sorting Ceremony.
• Oscar Valentine was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Owen was sorted into Ravenclaw.
• Tom walked to the Sorting Hat with composed, aristocratic bearing, and the Hat immediately sorted him into Slytherin.
• The Sorting Hat privately welcomed Tom as the Heir of Slytherin, leaving him to wonder what the Hat knew.
• After the remaining students were sorted, the Hogwarts Choir led everyone in singing the school song.

Tom formed a deep bond with Hogwarts while singing the school song, and Headmaster Dippet suspected he was connected to Salazar Slytherin. At the feast, Tom’s polished manners made the Slytherins wonder about his background, while in London Kyle gave Mo Fei a protective charm before Mo Fei set out to see the world.

• Tom sang the school song and felt his connection with Hogwarts deepen as the snake in his mind roamed through the castle.
• Headmaster Dippet recognized that Tom’s bond with Hogwarts was unusually strong and suspected he might be an heir of Salazar Slytherin.
• After the song, Headmaster Dippet welcomed the students and announced the feast, where Tom chose food and ate with elegant manners.
• The Slytherin Prefects watched Tom’s behavior and concluded that he might be the heir of a foreign family escaping the war.
• In London, Kyle joked that Tom would dislike Hogwarts food, then gave Mo Fei a protective charm before Mo Fei left to see the world.

Tom joined the Slytherin first-years in the common room, where the Prefects announced a combat test to choose the new chief. He effortlessly defeated an opponent without using his wand, leaving the other students to reconsider his strength and status.

• The Slytherin Prefect gave the first-years the common-room password, “glory,” and led them inside.
• The male Prefect announced that the first-years would fight to determine their chief, and that holding the position could lead to becoming a Prefect.
• Tom noticed that the other first-years were inexperienced fighters and thought about the Horned Serpent he had hidden in his trunk.
• The Prefect expanded the dueling area and started the test as the first-years rushed in, formed groups, and began attacking one another.
• Tom strolled into the arena last, avoided a barrage of jinxes, and knocked down a young wizard with an elbow strike without drawing his wand.
• The male Prefect explained that Tom had been strong enough not to need magic, and the Slytherins reassessed him.

Tom used his combat skills and a blinding Lumos to defeat the last two first-years and was named Slytherin’s first-year chief. After receiving his duties, he noticed the second-year Prefect’s hostile attention and heard a pointed warning about choosing the right opportunity.

• Tom avoided the young wizards’ attacks and knocked down one who tried to ambush him, leaving only two opponents inside the barrier.
• Tom drew his wand and sent a flickering Lumos toward one opponent while charging the other.
• The Lumos burst into intense light, blinding both opponents, and Tom threw one of them out of the barrier.
• The male Prefect announced Tom as first-year chief, and the Slytherins accepted the decision without objection.
• The Prefect assigned Tom responsibilities, while the second-year Prefect watched him with hostility and warned him to choose the right opportunity.

Tom settled into his private Slytherin dormitory, cared for the Horned Serpent, and wrote a letter to Mo Fei about arriving at Hogwarts and his suspicions about Grindelwald. Meanwhile, Dumbledore worried Tom might become another Dark Lord, but Dippet defended him and blocked Slytherin families from investigating his background.

• Tom let the Horned Serpent out of his trunk, fed it dried meat, and drafted a letter to Mo Fei that he planned to send from the Owlery.
• Slytherin families sent letters and mobilized their connections to investigate Tom's background.
• Dumbledore told Dippet that Tom's maturity and resemblance to Grindelwald made him fear Tom could become the next Dark Lord.
• Dippet rejected Dumbledore's suspicion, urged him to accept and teach Tom, and blocked investigations into Tom and the orphanage.