Recaps

Dumbledore explained why his attempts to resurrect the dead had failed, while Manus recognized that he had pursued the problem through the wrong approach. Manus revealed that the Resurrection Stone had passed from Ignotus Peverell’s descendants to the Gaunt family, leaving Dumbledore to wonder whether Voldemort possessed it or whether it remained where the Gaunts had kept it.

• Dumbledore told Manus that he had searched for resurrection magic and tried to develop it, but could not find a way to target a truly dead person’s soul.
• Manus concluded that Dumbledore had taken the wrong approach by trying to cast a spell on the dead person’s soul directly.
• Manus explained that a descendant of Ignotus Peverell had married into the Gaunt family, passing the Resurrection Stone to them.
• Dumbledore recalled how Voldemort had killed his father and grandfather, framed Morfin Gaunt, and stolen the Gaunt family ring.
• Dumbledore realized the Resurrection Stone might be in Voldemort’s possession or still at its original location.

Manus explained why Dumbledore had to kill Voldemort before he could use the Resurrection Stone, then watched Dumbledore begin taking research bounties. After Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor, Regulus delivered his completed test and Barty Jr. asked Manus for Occlumency training.

• Manus left Dumbledore after discussing the Resurrection Stone and getting his signature on the Wizard Sage Party parchment.
• Manus reasoned that Dumbledore could not use the Resurrection Stone while Voldemort lived because Voldemort had made it a Horcrux, and decided not to resurrect Dumbledore's sister himself.
• Dumbledore accepted several research bounties from the bounty board, and Ravenclaw defeated Gryffindor in a rainy Quidditch match.
• Regulus gave Manus the test he had completed over fifteen days.
• Barty Jr. asked Manus for Occlumency training, and Manus asked whether Severus or Lily had suggested it.

Manus learned from Regulus’s paper that the young Black had joined the Death Eaters out of genuine belief in pure-bloodism, but had begun doubting their cause and was considering the Wizard Sage Party instead. Regulus stood at a crossroads, unwilling to ignore the gap between his ideals and reality.

• Barty Jr. agreed to begin Occlumency training with Manus at the Astronomy Tower the next morning.
• Manus read Regulus’s paper and found his answers insightful and revealing of his character.
• Manus realized Regulus was not a planted Death Eater operative, but a genuine believer in pure-bloodism who had grown uncertain of that belief.
• Regulus had noticed that the Death Eaters rarely pursued pure-blood supremacy in practice and that many members had joined for other reasons.
• Manus concluded that Regulus had turned toward the Wizard Sage Party to see whether it truly upheld meritocracy, while seeking change in his own life.

Manus accepted Regulus into the Wizard Sage Party after confirming his reasons and asking how he viewed his past choices. He then offered to take Regulus as his apprentice, leaving the decision open while Regulus agreed to join the party first.

• Manus reviewed Regulus’s application and confirmed that he wanted to pursue what was truly worthy of honor and pride.
• Manus asked whether Regulus regretted joining the Death Eaters and whether his past choices made him doubt his current path.
• Regulus said he did not regret his past choices because they had seemed right with what he knew then, and he would accept their consequences while continuing to seek the right path.
• Manus praised Regulus’s ability to face his mistakes and offered to teach him as an apprentice.
• Manus explained that his teaching would cover magic and the mysteries of the world, and Regulus agreed to join the Wizard Sage Party first.

Manus explained the obligations and benefits of joining a magical school to Regulus, revealing that the Wizard Sage Party was founding the world's first one. Regulus remained undecided about becoming Manus's apprentice, but fled after Manus offered him five thousand Galleons as pocket money.

• Manus explained that members of a school shared a magical worldview and faced severe punishment if they betrayed it.
• Regulus asked what benefits and resources the school would provide, and Manus described how it differed from a family.
• Manus revealed that his school was the first in the world.
• Regulus asked how many Galleons the school had, and Manus said currency mattered little for magical research.
• Manus offered Regulus five thousand Galleons, and Regulus fled, insisting he had not decided to become his apprentice.

Regulus sat in on Manus’s Occlumency training with Barty Jr. and learned how Manus taught the skill. The chapter ended with Barty Jr. resisting magically induced anger and affection as part of the exercise.

• Manus invited Regulus to sit in on classes, and Regulus joined Barty Jr. at the Astronomy Tower the next morning.
• Regulus explained that he wanted to observe Manus’s approach to Occlumency, and Manus allowed him to watch Barty Jr.’s practical training.
• Manus described training Occlumency through Legilimency or by using enchantment magic to alter a student’s perceptions and senses.
• Barty Jr. chose the second method and prepared himself for Manus’s mental influence.
• Manus’s magic filled Barty Jr. with uncontrollable anger, then replaced it with affection that Barty Jr. gradually recognized as unnatural.

Manus put Barty Jr. through an intense first lesson in resisting Enchantment School magic, leaving him exhausted and asleep. Afterward, Manus explained to Regulus why he did not plan to take on apprentices yet, though he considered Regulus an exceptional case because of his naturally rational thinking.

• Manus used Enchantment School magic to subject Barty Jr. to a three-minute lesson in resisting emotional and mental influence.
• Barty Jr. endured a rapid succession of emotions, then drank Manus's calming tea and fell into a deep sleep.
• Manus dried Barty Jr., changed his chair into a bed, and covered him with a blanket.
• Manus told Regulus that his friends received only basic magical instruction and that joining a School involved serious commitments and restrictions.
• Manus said his savings and ongoing development made recruiting apprentices impractical, but Regulus was an exception because he was the first naturally rational wizard Manus had met in this world.

Manus explained why he refused to hide the dangers of joining his school from Regulus, then showed Barty Jr. how powerful Enchantment School magic could be during Occlumency training. Barty Jr. realized Severus and Lily had sent him into the harsher method, and he weighed whether to continue it.

• Manus told Regulus that joining his school had to be an informed choice, and Regulus left after reflecting on his explanation.
• Barty Jr. woke up, and Manus described the Enchantment spells he had used on him during the lesson.
• Manus explained how Enchantment and Illusion magic could turn enemies against one another, and Barty Jr. recognized their value beyond direct damage.
• Manus revealed that Severus and Lily had switched from Enchantment-based Occlumency training to Legilimency, leaving Barty Jr. angry at their recommendation.
• Barty Jr. noticed that the painful training had improved his focus and considered which Occlumency method to choose.

Barty Jr. chose to specialize in Enchantment School magic and agreed to continue Manus’s painful Occlumency training. Manus gave Bellows candles and instructions to prepare Mrs. Travers for treatment, which he planned to begin on the eighth day of the Christmas holidays.

• Barty Jr. chose Enchantment School magic despite Manus’s warning and agreed to learn Occlumency through the same painful method as before.
• Manus said his Restoration Potions were ready for testing and that he had successfully brewed a weight-loss potion.
• On the Hogwarts Express, Manus gave Bellows twenty enchanted candles to use in Mrs. Travers’s ward at St. Mungo’s.
• Bellows accepted Manus’s treatment plan, while Travers worried that the increasingly hostile atmosphere at St. Mungo’s made it unsafe.
• Manus instructed Bellows to prepare Mrs. Travers for seven days and promised to treat her on the eighth day of the holidays, hoping she could return home before Christmas ended.

Manus explained to Bellows that his mother’s soul could gradually recover, then discussed his family’s safety with Griffin on the way home. He planned to add a final, noticeable security measure, though it would make leaving the house more troublesome.

• Manus told Bellows that Mrs. Travers might soon no longer need maintenance potions, and Bellows excitedly asked whether his mother could recover.
• Manus left the station with Severus and Lily, and Griffin brought them home in the King Family’s old carriage.
• Griffin reproached Manus for risking Voldemort’s attention by establishing the Wizard Sage Party, but Manus argued that he would not leave his safety to chance.
• Griffin asked about the family’s security measures, and Manus explained that their defenses were designed to remain unnoticed.
• Manus said he would install the final security measure when they got home, warning that it would make going out more troublesome.

Manus discussed adding protection to the Snape and Evans homes, while reflecting on Petunia’s unexpected promise as a spellcaster. After Manus returned home, Griffin found that his house had vanished while he was away.

• Severus supported Manus’s warning that Voldemort might target his family, and Eileen agreed that the Snape home needed protection despite the burden the Fidelius Charm would impose on Mr. Snape.
• Lily promised to discuss security measures with her parents, while Manus thought about Petunia’s progress and decided to update the Evans family on her potential.
• Manus returned home and found Aivina angry in the kitchen, so Griffin hurried away with the carriage to avoid her wrath.
• Griffin came back two hours later and discovered that his house had disappeared from the street.

Manus helped Eileen and Severus make plans to escape the danger posed by Voldemort after Mr. Snape refused to improve his home’s security. He urged them to find temporary shelter while they considered buying a house.

• Griffin struggled to find his own home until his son pulled him through its protective enchantment, then Aivina scolded him for being gone.
• Manus left home after dinner to check on Severus and Lily, worrying Voldemort might target families during the Hogwarts holidays.
• Manus found Eileen and Severus discussing security with Mr. Snape, who refused to add locks or take precautions.
• Manus suggested Eileen and Severus move out, and Eileen decided to find a new place to live with Severus.
• Manus urged them to seek temporary shelter at his secret base while they looked for a house.

Manus told Petunia that her magical talent exceeded his expectations and encouraged her to tell her family she could learn magic. The Evans family struggled to understand the revelation, while Lily went upstairs to confront Petunia.

• Eileen decided that she and Severus would live at the Secret Base, and Manus left to handle protections at the Evans home.
• Manus told Petunia through Huginn that he wanted to explain her magical ability to her parents, and he revealed that her talent was better than expected.
• Manus explained that Petunia could have struggled to make a living in the Wizarding World, but her talent meant she could now build a stable life there.
• Petunia chose to tell her family everything, and Manus informed the Evanses that she had a strong talent for learning magic.
• Lily rushed upstairs to knock on Petunia's door, while Mrs. Evans questioned Manus about Dumbledore's earlier letter to Petunia.

Manus explained to the Evanses that Petunia had already learned magic through his teaching, defending his decision as a response to her firm choice. The Evanses remained angry but realized they could not undo what had happened, leaving Petunia’s future in the Wizarding World unresolved.

• Manus showed Mrs. Evans a Daily Prophet report about his Order of Merlin, First Class award and claimed he could teach Petunia magic.
• Mr. Evans challenged Manus for teaching Petunia without her guardians’ permission, and Manus compared it to Hogwarts accepting Lily without asking them.
• Manus said Petunia had chosen to learn magic after he confirmed her determination, and he argued that she could decide when her guardians could not understand her choice.
• Manus reflected that Petunia’s success proved ordinary people could become mages and explained why he wanted the School’s future apprentices to come from ordinary people who learned magic.
• The Evanses fell silent, angry that Manus had bypassed them but unsure what they could do, as Petunia had already learned magic.

Lily, Petunia, and Manus discussed how Petunia could learn magic without attracting Voldemort’s attention, while the Evans parents struggled with the changes their daughters’ magical lives would bring. The family remained divided between the parents’ ordinary life and the path Lily and Petunia had chosen.

• Lily admitted she had opposed Petunia learning magic because Voldemort might discover her and endanger the family.
• Manus explained that Petunia could study magic at home or attend another school, but Petunia chose to keep learning from him at home.
• Lily accepted Petunia’s plan and told Mr. and Mrs. Evans she no longer objected.
• Mr. and Mrs. Evans explained that both daughters becoming wizards would disrupt their family’s preparations and relationships with their neighbors.
• Lily struggled to understand her parents’ distress because she had never considered the changes they described.

Manus agreed that the Evans family’s concerns about Lily and Petunia’s magical lives were reasonable and promised to find a practical solution for them by next summer holiday. He protected the Evans home, then returned to his study and wrote a large batch of letters.

• Petunia explained that she felt out of place, and Manus agreed that the Evans family’s requests were reasonable.
• Manus devised a plan to address the problems Muggle-born wizards caused their families and promised the Evanses a solution by next summer holiday.
• Mr. and Mrs. Evans agreed to Manus placing protective magic on their home.
• Manus cast protections that made uninvited visitors lose their ability to perceive, and warned the family not to invite people inside casually.
• After strengthening the Secret Base’s protections and adding the Fidelius Charm, Manus went home and wrote and sealed a large pile of letters.

After his proposal to reveal a hidden group of Wizards to Muggles was rejected as a violation of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, Manus sent a letter through Muggle channels and considered the influence he would need for his future plans. He then studied Shadow Magic and focused on a low-level spell whose potential had become apparent when it reached +10.

• Manus read replies from his contacts, who urged him to abandon his proposal because it would violate the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
• Manus sent a letter through Minerva to pursue a backup plan for Mr. and Mrs. Evans and Petunia, and considered building influence in the Muggle world.
• Manus reflected on his changing moral limits and his ambition to shape the world's rules and magical future.
• Manus studied Shadow Magic and recognized that the low-level Shadow-Tapping Spell could offer a more promising path than the system's high-level spells.
• Manus recalled that the Shadow-Tapping Spell seemed unremarkable until it reached +10 and offered him a choice of enhancement direction.

Manus studied Shadow Magic and ancient Egyptian texts until he understood that shadows were independent entities connected to their owners. After refining the Shadow-Tapping Spell and strengthening its connection to his shadow, he prepared to ask it for a response.

• Manus considered the risks of connecting with his shadow and decided to investigate the unknown path carefully.
• Manus studied Shadow Magic and concluded that shadows were individual entities that depended on matter without interfering with it.
• Manus discovered that strengthening the connection with a shadow amplified Shadow Magic.
• Manus found that ancient Egyptian texts about shadows closely matched the Shadow Magic he was studying.
• Manus refined the Shadow-Tapping Spell and devoted its enhancements to strengthening his connection with his shadow.
• Manus used an invocation to ask his shadow to reveal its existence.

Manus used the Shadow-Tapping Spell to establish clearer communication with his shadow and learned that their worlds were too different for him to understand the shadow world deeply. He discovered that Shadow Magic benefited his shadow without harming it, leaving them with a foundation for further research and practical spell development.

• Manus cast the Shadow-Tapping Spell and sensed the shadow world more clearly through his connection with his shadow.
• Manus confirmed that his shadow could think and respond, but the differences between their worlds made its thoughts difficult to translate or understand.
• Manus tried different approaches to explore the shadow world, then decided to pursue restrained research and focus on practical uses for Shadow Magic.
• Manus learned that casting Shadow Magic and borrowing power from the shadow world benefited his shadow without causing it harm, and his shadow supported further use and development.
• Manus ended the communication, dismantled the ritual and Zone of Truth, and regarded the exchange as a success despite his limited prospects for exploring the shadow world.

Manus went to St. Mungo's to treat Mrs. Travers and found the hospital unsettled by a rise in patients and violent incidents. After examining her and confirming the preparations, he began setting up for the delicate treatment while Travers and Bellows secured the room.

• Manus reflected on his recent progress with Shadow Magic, the Restoration Potion, and his Weight Loss Potion as he traveled to St. Mungo's.
• Manus noticed that St. Mungo's was busier and that injuries from dark magic had increased.
• Bellows met Manus in the lobby and warned him that someone had recently cast spells at random in the hospital.
• Manus and Bellows went to Mrs. Travers's room, where Travers confirmed that the preparations were complete.
• Manus examined Mrs. Travers and prepared to begin treatment while Travers secured the doors and windows with protective spells.

Manus used a new soul-treatment technique called the Soul Cradle to treat Mrs. Travers, while Bellows and Travers watched. As Manus continued the complicated procedure, Travers grew anxious and reinforced the room’s protections.

• Bellows and Travers watched Manus prepare to treat Mrs. Travers, and Manus told them to stay quiet.
• Manus used a spare unicorn-hair wand and spider silk to weave clothing for Mrs. Travers’s soul, then explained that the Acromantulas’ silk techniques had made the Soul Cradle possible.
• Manus began the main treatment with spells and potions, tracing magical symbols that Bellows and Travers could not understand.
• As the treatment continued for over an hour, Travers paced and added protective spells to the room, including a Muggle-Repelling Charm.

Manus completed Mrs. Travers’s soul treatment and told the Travers family she could recover at home over the next six months. After a violent disturbance damaged St. Mungo’s, the family Apparated away, while Manus sent Huginn to inspect the chaos.

• Bellows prepared Dark Magic traps as he worried that someone might attack the ward, and Travers questioned him about the spells.
• A violent tremor shook the ward, but a force-field dome protected Mrs. Travers and the bed during Manus’s treatment.
• Manus finished weaving the Soul Cradle, removed the spells holding Mrs. Travers asleep, and explained that she could leave the hospital while her soul healed.
• Travers carried Mrs. Travers and Apparated home with Bellows, while Manus used a Portkey to prepare to leave on his own.
• Manus sent Huginn to survey St. Mungo’s and saw that an unknown magical attack had blasted open part of the building, though he saw no attackers or fighting.

After the attack on St. Mungo’s, Manus sent Huginn and Muninn to keep critical patients alive while he investigated. He learned the attackers were probably neither Death Eaters nor the Order of the Phoenix, and suspected the Greater Good before deciding to leave the wider crisis to Dumbledore.

• Manus sent Muninn and Huginn, hidden by the Invisibility Charm, to cast the Life-Sustaining Charm on critical patients while healers were overwhelmed.
• Manus learned that the missing Death Eater in the attacked ward was Rodolphus Lestrange, making it unlikely that Death Eaters had attacked to kill or rescue him.
• After finding no evidence against the Death Eaters or the Order of the Phoenix, Manus wondered whether an outside group had entered the conflict.
• Manus recalled the Greater Good and its earlier attempt to find something at Hogwarts, then called the ravens back and decided the situation was Dumbledore’s concern unless it threatened Hogwarts or Cokeworth.

Manus helped Eileen and Severus move into their new home, where Severus thanked him for helping make a long-held dream come true. As Eileen brought out snacks, Manus comforted Severus and used a Human Transfiguration Spell to fix his tear-streaked face.

• Manus told Eileen and Severus the address of their new home, which reappeared before them after he finished his work.
• Eileen thanked Manus and invited him inside the modest home, which lacked running water and electricity.
• Severus told Manus he had once dreamed of moving away with his mother, and credited Manus with helping that dream become reality.
• Manus hugged Severus and reminded him that his own choices and hard work had helped earn their new home.
• Manus teased Severus about crying, then used a Human Transfiguration Spell to restore his face.
• Eileen brought out sweets, tea, and warm milk for Manus and Severus.

Manus returned to Hogwarts after the St. Mungo’s attack and learned that Professor Bagnold had temporarily left, with another professor set to cover Defense Against the Dark Arts. A witness had seen her tracking someone in Knockturn Alley, and Ravenclaw students suspected her departure marked the start of the professor’s curse taking effect.

• Manus and Bellows traveled back to Hogwarts while discussing the patients affected by the events at St. Mungo’s.
• Manus returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room and learned from Jasper that Professor Bagnold had left the school and another professor would fill in for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
• Jasper said a student had seen Professor Bagnold asking questions and tracking someone in Knockturn Alley.
• Manus learned that Ravenclaw students had begun taking the Defense Against the Dark Arts curse seriously after he argued that it might be real.
• Ravenclaw students interpreted Professor Bagnold’s departure as a sign that the curse was beginning to take effect.