Recaps

Morris discovered a new Book of the Mage spell called Gate of Two Realms, which could only be used while dead, and set out to explore Hogwarts before breakfast. He met Hermione on the moving staircases, where her friendly greeting to three Gryffindor first-years was met with little response.

• Morris found the Gate of Two Realms in the Book of the Mage and learned that it granted entry to the gap between life and death but had to be used while dead.
• Morris meditated, then left the Ravenclaw Common Room after briefly speaking with Prefect Robert and another student about exams.
• Morris struggled to navigate the shifting staircases until Hermione pointed out the route to the first floor and explained that their movements followed a pattern.
• Morris and Hermione discussed their excitement for lessons, but the staircase they were waiting for vanished before he could board it.
• Three Gryffindor first-years passed by, and Hermione greeted them, but they only nodded before hurrying away.

Morris attended his first Transfiguration lesson, impressing Professor McGonagall with his skill before she asked him to identify the Thestral that had carried him to the castle. He agreed to help locate it, leaving open the prospect of seeing the creature again.

• Morris spoke with Hermione, who said she could not understand why her three roommates had excluded her.
• Morris arrived early at the Transfiguration classroom and played with a tabby cat, which transformed into Professor McGonagall.
• Professor McGonagall praised Morris's Transfiguration ability and explained that her transformation into a cat was advanced magic.
• Morris learned to turn a match into a silver lion-patterned letter opener, earning five points for Ravenclaw.
• Professor McGonagall asked Morris to identify the Thestral he had ridden to Hogwarts, and he agreed.

Morris Black accompanied Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest to see the Thestrals. The herd gathered around Morris and affectionately approached him, leaving Hagrid ignored.

• Professor McGonagall brought Morris to Hagrid's Hut and left him with Hagrid.
• Hagrid took Morris and Fang toward the Thestrals' habitat in the Forbidden Forest, warning him about dangerous creatures such as Acromantulas.
• Morris and Hagrid reached a clearing where several Thestrals were gathered.
• The leading Thestral called more of the herd from the woods, and dozens surrounded Morris and Hagrid.
• A Thestral rubbed its head against Morris's chest while ignoring Hagrid's outstretched hands.

Morris discovered that the Thestrals were unusually affectionate toward him and obeyed his commands, though he could not explain why. As he and Hagrid left the clearing, a centaur named Bane confronted them and demanded to know what Morris was.

• The Thestrals crowded around Morris, who rode one while Hagrid explained their connection to death and their role at Hogwarts.
• Morris could not identify which Thestral had flown him the night before, so Hagrid decided to make an excuse for Professor McGonagall.
• Morris told the herd to disperse, and the Thestrals obeyed before he and Hagrid left the clearing.
• A spear flew from the woods and landed near Morris, prompting Hagrid to shield him and call out to the attacker.
• Bane emerged from the trees, ignored Hagrid, and demanded to know what was behind him.

Morris refused Bane’s demand to undergo an inspection and used curses to defeat the centaur after Bane grabbed him. Hagrid confirmed that Bane was unconscious, leaving him to reckon with Morris’s unexpectedly powerful magic.

• Bane accused Morris of carrying something evil and insisted on taking him for an inspection.
• Morris refused, but Bane blocked his way and grabbed his arm while Hagrid hesitated to intervene.
• Morris cast Weakening and Wailing Curses, freed himself, then struck Bane with several more curses.
• Bane collapsed unconscious, and Hagrid checked that he was unharmed before telling Morris he had gone too far.
• Morris said he had only defended himself because Bane attacked first, while Hagrid sighed over the unconscious centaur.

After defeating Bane, Morris got lost in the Forbidden Forest, captured an Acromantula to study, and rode a Thestral back to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall caught him arriving and warned him against dangerous behavior, but did not punish him.

• Morris refused to accompany Hagrid to the centaurs, and Hagrid carried the unconscious Bane to safety.
• Morris realized he was lost in the Forbidden Forest and subdued an Acromantula with two curses before placing it in a wooden box.
• A Thestral that had carried Morris the day before found him, and he rode it back to Hogwarts.
• Professor McGonagall confronted Morris after seeing him arrive on the Thestral, then warned him to avoid dangerous stunts without deducting points.

Morris returned from the Forbidden Forest with a captured Acromantula and told Professor McGonagall that Hagrid had stayed behind after they were attacked by wild beasts. At lunch, he showed the spider to Fred and George, who persuaded him to lend it to them in exchange for a dozen Ton-Tongue Toffees.

• Morris told Professor McGonagall that Hagrid was still in the Forbidden Forest dealing with the aftermath of a wild-beast attack, and she let him go after asking about the box.
• Morris went to the Great Hall for lunch and sat with the box containing the Acromantula beside him.
• Fred and George questioned Morris about his Thestral ride, and Morris explained that Thestrals pulled the Hogwarts carriages and were visible only to people who had seen death.
• Morris opened the box to show the twins the Acromantula he had caught in the Forbidden Forest and said he had planned to keep it as a pet.
• Fred warned Morris that a grown Acromantula could become as large as a car and get him expelled, so Morris said he would kill it.
• George persuaded Morris to lend them the Acromantula for a few days, and Morris agreed in exchange for a dozen Ton-Tongue Toffees.

Morris learned to treat wounds with dittany and practiced Shadow Concealment, discovering that moving through shadows was painfully difficult. He read about Dumbledore and felt uneasy about the book’s glowing portrait of him before someone knocked at the dormitory door.

• Morris traded the Acromantula to the Weasley Twins for a box of Ton-Tongue Toffee.
• In Pomona Sprout’s Herbology lesson, Morris tested dittany on a scratch and watched it heal within minutes.
• Morris practiced Shadow Concealment, successfully entering the shadows but struggling to move before emerging near the door after about 150 seconds.
• Morris read about Albus Dumbledore in The One Hundred Most Famous Wizards in History and questioned the book’s excessive praise.
• Someone knocked on Morris’s dormitory door.

Morris joined Fred and George Weasley in searching Hogwarts for a baby Acromantula that had escaped from its box, fearing that its discovery could expose their rule-breaking. Their search was interrupted by a scream from a nearby corridor, and the three hurried toward it.

• Robert Hilliard told Morris that the anxious Weasley twins were waiting for him outside the Ravenclaw common room.
• Fred and George told Morris that their Acromantula had torn through its box and vanished near the Charms classroom.
• Morris agreed to help search because the spider could lead professors to the twins and their illegal keeping of a magical creature.
• The three searched classrooms and corridors together, discussing the risk of the spider frightening students or being found by Snape.
• A scream rang out from an adjoining corridor, and Fred, George, and Morris ran toward it.

Harry and Ron encountered a giant spider in a Hogwarts corridor, and Morris and the Weasley twins rescued them. Ron’s wound was treated, while Harry learned the creature was an Acromantula and remained wary of spiders.

• Harry and Ron got lost while looking for the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and spotted a spider crawling across the ceiling.
• The spider attacked Ron and bit his calf, and Harry kicked it away when it lunged at him again.
• Morris stunned the spider with a spell as Fred and George arrived and examined Ron’s wound.
• George treated Ron with essence of dittany, while Morris held the spider and weakened it with a curse.
• Morris introduced himself to Harry as a first-year Ravenclaw and described the creature as a naughty pet spider.

After Ron fainted at the sight of the Acromantula, Professor Flitwick discovered the creature and ordered Fred and George to explain their actions in his office. Morris returned to his dormitory, wondering about Flitwick, his Charms professor.

• Ron screamed when Morris held the unconscious Acromantula near him and fainted; George caught him before he hit the floor.
• Fred and George explained that an accidental childhood prank involving a toy broomstick turned into a spider had left Ron terrified of them.
• Professor Flitwick found the group after curfew, identified Morris's spider as an Acromantula, and questioned Fred and George about why they had not reported it.
• Professor Flitwick examined Ron's injuries, told Harry and Morris to take him back to the dormitory, and ordered Fred and George to come to his office.
• Fred and George assured Morris they would not reveal his involvement, and Morris thanked them before returning alone to his dormitory.

Morris attended his first History of Magic lesson, eager to meet the ghost professor, and chatted with Hermione while they waited. Before class began, he apologized to Ron with a trick sweet that made Ron’s tongue swell, then the students wondered how Morris knew the Weasley twins and learned that Harry, Ron, and Morris had met the previous night.

• Morris arrived early for History of Magic and meditated while waiting for Professor Binns.
• Hermione joined Morris and enthusiastically discussed her reading of A History of Magic.
• Harry and Ron sat behind Morris, who asked Ron about his injured leg and offered him a sweet.
• Ron ate the sweet before Morris could explain its side effect, and his tongue swelled for about thirty seconds.
• Hermione criticized Morris for not warning Ron, but Ron said the sweet tasted good and asked whether Morris knew Fred and George.
• Hermione noticed that Harry, Ron, and Morris already knew one another, and Harry vaguely said they had met the previous night.

Morris attended Professor Binns's monotonous History of Magic class, where Binns singled him out and privately told him that Death was drawn to him. Binns asked Morris to kill him when he became strong enough.

• Professor Binns appeared through the blackboard and began lecturing the class in a flat monotone.
• Hermione asked whether the Muggles killed during the witch hunts had really been wizards, and Binns answered before glancing at Morris.
• After class, Morris stayed behind while Harry and Ron went to the Great Hall, and he asked Binns what he wanted.
• Professor Binns asked whether Morris was Death, then said he was a wizard favored by death and that Thestrals were likely close to him.
• Professor Binns said only someone with Morris's rare ability could help him and asked Morris to kill him when he was strong enough.

Morris agreed to help Professor Binns lift the curse that kept him a ghost, then explored his new classes and began seeking a way to fake death so he could use the Gate of Two Realms. The chapter ended with Morris joining Fred and George in scrubbing trophies as punishment.

• Professor Binns told Morris that a curse had made him a ghost against his will and that he could not end his existence himself, so Morris promised to help lift the curse.
• Professor Binns offered Morris a surprise if he succeeded, then reverted to his usual emotionless manner and disappeared into the blackboard.
• Morris experienced all eight first-year subjects, became fascinated by Potions, and noticed that Severus Snape seemed to hate Harry Potter.
• On his first weekend, Morris decided to investigate how he could fake death to use the Gate of Two Realms.
• Morris went to the Trophy Room to seek help from Fred and George, but ended up scrubbing trophies with them under duress.

Morris asked Fred and George about entering a convincing deathlike state and learned about the Draught of Living Death, then went to the library to search for its recipe. There, he met Ravenclaw Prefect Robert Hilliard, who had come out of the Restricted Section.

• Morris asked Fred and George how a wizard could appear truly dead, and they identified the Draught of Living Death as a potion that caused a deathlike sleep.
• Fred explained that the potion was regulated and required a permit, while George suggested Morris look for its recipe in the library.
• Morris finished polishing trophies with the twins and headed to the library after lunch, cleaning Guantou and leaving him outside when Madam Pince prohibited pets.
• Morris noticed Robert Hilliard inside the Restricted Section, and Robert closed his battered notebook, came out, and greeted him.

Morris spent the week reading in the Hogwarts Library while slowly pursuing information about the Draught of Living Death, then sneaked into the Restricted Section at midnight. In its basement, he encountered a tall, scarred old man who ordered him to wait.

• Robert Hilliard told Morris how students could enter the Restricted Section and hinted at sneaking in after midnight.
• Morris spent most of the following week reading in the library and rejected the centaurs’ offer to apologize for their earlier attack.
• Morris slipped out of his dormitory at midnight and used Shadow Concealment to pass through the Restricted Section’s locked gate.
• Morris found a staircase to a basement room and discovered a tall, scarred old man reading there.
• Morris tried to leave casually, but the old man called out and stopped him.

Ravenclaw first-year Morris Black encountered Professor Kettleburn in the Restricted Section at midnight and borrowed his illustrated book about dissecting Crups. Morris found a skeleton diagram that could help him assemble the Crup bones in his trunk, while Professor Kettleburn watched his unusual enthusiasm.

• Morris turned around when an old man caught him in the Restricted Section and said he was curious about its books.
• The old man introduced himself as Silvanus Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures professor, and explained that a young Hebridean Black Dragon had taken his arm seven years earlier.
• Morris noticed the book in Professor Kettleburn's hands was titled "How to dissect a Crup in the most sensible way (with illustrations)" and asked to see it because he owned a Crup skeleton model made of loose fragments.
• Professor Kettleburn lent Morris the book and pointed him to a Crup skeleton diagram at the back.
• Morris studied the diagram and concluded it could help him assemble the skeleton, while Professor Kettleburn observed his excitement over the graphic illustrations.

Morris borrowed a book from the Restricted Section and assembled a Crup skeleton, successfully transforming it into a skeletal dog. After discovering that the dog could repair itself and send simple barks into his mind, he found a new Bone Summoning Spell in the Book of the Mage.

• Professor Kettleburn allowed Morris to borrow a book from the Restricted Section and warned him to return it to his office.
• Morris assembled the Crup skeleton in his dormitory, though part of its left toe bones was missing.
• Morris used the Undead Creature Transformation Ritual to animate the skeleton as his third undead creature, a skeletal dog.
• The skeletal dog fell apart when it tripped, then reassembled itself and communicated with Morris through mental barks.
• Morris ordered the dog to be quiet and sit in a corner, realizing it could understand only simple commands.
• Morris checked the Book of the Mage before bed and discovered the Bone Summoning Spell, which reignited his curiosity.

Morris tested the Bone Summoning Spell, discovering that its bone shield could withstand fire and minor jinxes, then damaged his room’s Silencing Charm with bone spikes. After Roger Davies helped him repair the wall, Morris settled into school life and declined the twins’ invitation to investigate the forbidden fourth-floor corridor.

• Morris summoned bone spikes that pierced his wooden wall and tested a bone shield that repelled Incendio and minor jinxes.
• Roger Davies confronted Morris about the noise, and Morris apologized and explained that he had damaged the wall and its Silencing Charm.
• Roger Davies repaired the wall for Morris despite initially refusing to help.
• Morris followed a routine between class, the library, and his dormitory, and heard that Professor McGonagall had caught Fred and George exploring the fourth-floor corridor.
• Fred and George blamed each other, were assigned to clean the second-floor bathroom, and urged Morris to sneak out with them; Morris refused.

Morris enjoyed a sunny walk with Guantou, then met Harry and Ron and lent them his Potions homework. When they complained about Snape’s treatment of Harry, Morris praised Snape’s teaching and suggested Harry ask him directly why he disliked him.

• Morris walked along the lakeshore with Guantou and greeted several Ravenclaw students.
• Morris recalled how Ron’s fear of a conjured spider had caused him to accidentally blast Neville with a spell.
• Harry and Ron asked Morris to lend them his Potions homework, and he agreed.
• Harry and Ron complained that Snape seemed to hate Harry, while Morris defended Snape’s teaching and academic work.
• Morris suggested that Harry ask Snape directly why he treated him differently.

Morris encouraged Harry to ask Snape directly why he disliked him, then encountered Snape himself and lost Ravenclaw points for offering to lend homework. The confrontation turned into an opportunity for Morris to ask Potions questions, and Snape discovered how seriously he studied the subject.

• Morris suggested that Harry ask Snape why he hated him, but Harry agreed with Ron that the advice might be a joke.
• After Ron and Harry left, Guantou alerted Morris to Snape hiding behind a stone statue nearby.
• Snape said he had overheard Morris offering to lend homework and deducted ten points from Ravenclaw, warning that copied work would cost Harry and Ron points too.
• Morris took out his notebook and asked Snape questions about Potions, but Snape initially dismissed the idea of discussing them then.
• Snape changed his mind, examined Morris’s notebook, and was surprised by the number of questions and Morris’s evident enthusiasm for Potions.

Snape gave Morris a list of potion books to study and invited him to ask questions afterward, while warning him to stay out of matters between Harry and Snape. In the library, Morris avoided a quarrel between Ron and Hermione, then challenged Hermione’s lecturing manner before continuing to gather the books.

• Snape wrote a list of potion books in Morris’s notebook and told him to read them all before bringing further questions to his office.
• Snape urged Morris to pay attention in class and not discuss irrelevant matters with Harry Potter.
• In the library, Hermione criticized Ron for wanting to copy homework, while Morris left to search for books.
• Morris told Hermione he respected Ron’s choices and found Advanced Potion-Making on Snape’s list.
• Morris advised Hermione that lecturing people would make it harder for her to find friends, then went to look for more books.

Morris found the Draught of Living Death recipe in Advanced Potion-Making but lacked the ingredients to brew it. He agreed to join Fred and George in sneaking into Snape’s ingredient storeroom, and they planned a midnight scouting trip before attempting the theft during the Halloween Feast.

• Morris found the Draught of Living Death recipe and learned that its many rare ingredients would be expensive and difficult to obtain.
• Fred and George told Morris about the Hogwarts potion ingredient storeroom and suggested taking what he needed from it.
• Morris agreed to join the twins, who planned to scout the storeroom at midnight and make their move during the Halloween Feast.
• Fred asked whether Morris knew the Disillusionment Charm, and Morris demonstrated that he could use it.

Morris joined Fred and George on a nighttime scouting trip to the Potions ingredient storeroom, then reluctantly helped them search a forbidden corridor. He discovered a living Three-Headed Dog behind a locked door and called the twins over to see it.

• Morris met Fred and George on the Marble Staircase, and they used Disillusionment Charms to reach the Potions Classroom undetected.
• Fred and George found that Snape was still in his office, so they decided to wait until Halloween before trying to enter the storeroom.
• The twins brought Morris to the forbidden fourth-floor corridor and persuaded him to help search for its secret.
• After several fruitless searches, Morris unlocked a wooden door and found a living Three-Headed Dog inside.
• Morris quietly closed the door and asked Fred and George if they wanted to see what he had found.

Morris, Fred, and George investigated a room containing a chained Three-Headed Dog, then hid from Dumbledore using Morris’s Shadow Concealment. After escaping to an abandoned classroom, Morris learned the map was called the Marauder’s Map, while he and the twins kept their own secrets.

• Fred opened the door, and he, George, and Morris discovered a chained Three-Headed Dog inside.
• The Three-Headed Dog woke and growled at them just as George spotted Dumbledore approaching on the Marauder’s Map.
• Fred cast the Disillusionment Charm, but Morris used Shadow Concealment to hide all three from Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore checked on the dog and left, after which Morris ended the concealment and George led the group to an abandoned classroom.
• George told Morris the map was called the Marauder’s Map, and Morris and Fred each answered questions about their secrets in kind.