Recaps

Manus compared two identification spells, examined Dumbledore’s Phoenix tail feather birthday gift, and considered how to use it without violating the persona he was maintaining. He set aside the idea of seeking Phoenix materials and turned to planning a new birthday gift for Severus.

• Manus compared Scarpin's Revelaspell with the Identification Spell and decided research-supporting magic deserved higher priority.
• Manus identified Dumbledore’s gift as a Phoenix tail feather and considered using it for Beast Blood Baptism or obtaining other Phoenix materials.
• Manus began writing to Dumbledore about purchasing Phoenix materials, then stopped because the inquiry conflicted with his fairy-tale persona.
• Manus put away the unwritten letter and decided to wait until he returned before performing Beast Blood Baptism.
• Manus remembered that Severus’s birthday was next week and reconsidered his gift plans now that his restrictions on Charms had been lifted.

Manus prepared a birthday gift for Severus by transforming wrapping paper into a potted Wiggentree and enchanting it with a protective field. After finishing the present, he dressed for the snowy weather and set out for Severus’s home.

• Manus transformed wrapping paper into a small, papier-mâché-textured Wiggentree ornament for Severus.
• Manus used Word Magic to inscribe Salvio Hexia on the pot, giving it a protective field that could deflect Jinxes and Hexes.
• Manus considered the gift’s rough appearance and resolved to improve it in the future.
• Manus dressed for the winter weather, greeted Aivina, and headed to Severus’s home.

Severus and Manus met at their secret base, where Severus gave Manus a homemade Pepperup Potion and they joked about using it before it expired. Manus left Severus anticipating his birthday present, which he promised to reveal the following week.

• Severus went outside after finishing his chores and joined Manus for a walk away from the center of Cokeworth.
• Severus asked whether Manus had opened his gift and learned that the box contained a Pepperup Potion he had brewed himself.
• Manus joked about catching a cold to use the potion before it expired, then laughed when Severus seriously considered the idea.
• Manus and Severus reached the abandoned factory dormitories they used as a secret base, and Severus put on the scarf and gloves Manus had tossed him.
• Manus told Severus that his birthday present was ready and would remain a mystery until the following week.

At nine years old, Manus reflected on how his guidance had changed Severus while repairing a bent branch on the Wiggentree he had enchanted. He then laid out an unusual board and pieces for a new game, leaving Severus to see what he had prepared.

• Manus and Severus bickered over the Wiggentree ornament Manus had given him for his birthday two years earlier.
• Manus recalled that he had deliberately trained Severus to think rationally, build confidence, and become more independent, though he wondered if he had overcorrected.
• Severus told Manus he had found a bent branch that morning, and Manus repaired it while suggesting Severus might have broken it in his sleep.
• Severus decided to move the plant from his bedside to his desk and watch it more closely.
• Manus unfolded an old Wizard's Chess board and arranged unfamiliar pieces on its intersections in an unusual pattern.

Manus used Qi Magic and a longhorn beetle to search a board representing Cokeworth for danger, and one piece representing the nearby woods flew off the board. He concluded the danger remained in the woods, while Severus confronted him about a previous lie.

• Manus showed Severus a board whose pieces represented places around Cokeworth, then explained that a longhorn beetle could sense traces of danger.
• Manus enchanted the beetle and instructed Severus to move it over each piece on the board.
• A wooden piece representing the small woods near the Snape house shook, flew off the board, and landed on the floor.
• Manus concluded the source of danger remained in the small woods, and Severus helped him finish checking the other pieces.
• Severus asked Manus why he had lied and said Severus broke something while sleepwalking.

Manus investigated a danger detected near his home and took Severus to their secret base, where he activated a ritual mirror. The mirror transformed and revealed a face in its darkness.

• Manus apologized for teasing Severus and explained that a presence was lingering in the woods near their home.
• Manus and Severus discussed whether the presence was a Dark wizard or a nonhuman creature as they headed toward the secret base.
• Manus checked the Snape house and told Severus that leaving it unprotected would help keep it inconspicuous.
• Manus and Severus entered the hidden base through a concealed pit beneath a broken wall.
• Manus activated his large ritual platform, and its stone mirror transformed into a jeweled mirror that revealed a face in the darkness.

Manus tested his Pseudo-All-Knowing Mirror, which revealed that a Werewolf named Fred Hones was hiding in the small woods near Severus's home and would transform that night. Manus decided to deal with him and sent Severus to fetch aconite.

• Manus questioned the Magic Mirror, which identified Fred Hones as a Werewolf preparing to transform in the small woods on the approaching full-moon night.
• Severus panicked when he realized the woods were close to his home, while Manus decided Fred was a target he could hunt.
• Manus questioned the Magic Mirror about its knowledge, then covered it with a tablecloth to shut it down.
• Manus calmed Severus and told him to bring aconite from the Potions area to deal with the Werewolf.

Manus invented a potion he named Wolfsbane Potion to deal with a werewolf near Cokeworth. He sent Huginn to deliver the single dose, leaving its effect on the werewolf untested.

• Severus brought Manus aconite and questioned whether poisoning a werewolf could work or whether the Ministry might help.
• Manus decided to invent a potion for werewolves and asked Severus to fetch ingredients while he brewed it.
• Manus successfully made a small amount of purple Wolfsbane Potion, though Severus wondered whether it could kill a werewolf.
• Manus stopped Severus from using raw meat as bait and revealed that Huginn had found a disheveled man eating raw rabbits in the woods.
• Manus gave the Wolfsbane Potion to Huginn and entrusted the raven with delivering it.

Manus sent Huginn to kill a Werewolf with Wolfsbane Potion, then confirmed the potion’s lethal effectiveness. After the meal, Manus went to inspect the dead Werewolf, Fred Hones, in the grove.

• Manus told Severus that Huginn had gone to deal with the Werewolf and prepared fries with meat sauce for lunch.
• Manus watched through a Patronus as Huginn coated his claws with Wolfsbane Potion and struck the Werewolf.
• Huginn returned with blood on his claws, and Manus confirmed that the potion had killed the Werewolf almost instantly.
• Manus left Severus and went to the grove, where he found Fred Hones’s corpse beside the campfire.
• Manus heard something and twitched his ears while examining Fred Hones.

Manus met Lily Evans while hiding the remains of a rabbit killed by the Werewolf Fred Hones. After Lily recovered from the shock, they introduced themselves and discovered that she lived near Severus Snape.

• Manus concealed the corpse and its scent as Lily approached, looking for her missing rabbit.
• Manus told Lily that a wolf had eaten the rabbit, and she fainted after seeing its remains.
• Manus helped Lily recover, and they exchanged names.
• Lily told Manus that she lived nearby, and he asked if she knew Severus Snape.
• Lily reacted awkwardly to Severus's name, and Manus suggested that she and Severus might become friends.

Manus befriended Lily and told her about the Wizarding World, then returned to Severus after dealing with the werewolf. The chapter ended with Severus going home and Manus heading back to the secret base to use the fresh werewolf corpse.

• Manus learned that Lily had few friends because Petunia rejected her unusual abilities, and he explained that she was a witch.
• Manus reassured Lily that she was not alone and invited her to visit him or seek out Severus.
• After Lily left, Manus inspected the fresh werewolf corpse and anticipated the effects of using it for a baptism.
• Manus returned to the secret base, told Severus about Lily, and concealed the werewolf corpse there.
• Manus and Severus left the base and went to Severus's house, where they parted before Manus returned toward the base.

Manus prepared to use Beast Blood Baptism on a fresh werewolf corpse, expecting it to be an unusually potent source of vitality. He found that the Wolfsbane Potion had apparently killed the Lycanthropy, leaving him unable to study a transformation, and considered whether a cure could be developed.

• Manus explained why he usually used Beast Blood Baptism to increase vitality and recalled the powerful effects of Fawkes's tail feather and dragon blood.
• Manus examined the werewolf corpse and began processing it with Moonlit Song before attempting the baptism.
• Manus observed that the corpse showed no signs of transformation and wondered whether the Wolfsbane Potion had completely killed the Lycanthropy.
• Manus considered improving the potion to eliminate Lycanthropy while keeping werewolves alive, then speculated that a cure might earn him prestige.

Manus brought a werewolf corpse into his Fidelius-protected workshop and used it for an enhanced Beast Blood Baptism. As the baptism offered him a choice of abilities, he examined the options and noticed a surprising Transfiguration Talent.

• Manus decided the werewolf corpse had no further research value and carried it into his hidden workshop using Zombie Drift.
• Manus explained that the Fidelius Charm concealed the workshop and anything he did there unless he revealed its secret.
• Manus performed the Beast Blood Baptism, transforming the werewolf’s body, soul, and magic into a pool of crimson liquid that engulfed him.
• Manus reviewed the baptism’s options, including Magic Infection, but passed on them and prepared to choose vitality.
• Manus noticed a subtle option called Transfiguration Talent.

Manus chose vitality for his Werewolf Baptism and returned home with the Magic Mirror. He considered whether written magic could let him expand the mirror’s knowledge and develop it into a rudimentary Intelligent Core.

• Manus chose vitality over Fred Hones's Transfiguration talent, reasoning that magical talents could be inherited through Beast Blood Baptism and might be worth studying in Wizards.
• Manus completed the transformation, emerged healthy, and took the Magic Mirror from the True Secret Base.
• Manus asked the Magic Mirror whether any young Wizards besides himself, Severus, and Lily lived in Cokeworth, and it answered no.
• Manus examined the Magic Mirror at home and asked whether magic like that on Severus's potted plant could give it additional enchantments.
• The Magic Mirror said it lacked enough information to judge and warned that its fragile construction could not withstand excessive magical interference.
• Manus considered using written magic to feed information into the mirror and thought about the cost of making one.

Manus tested adding an Ancient Rune to the Magic Mirror, hoping to expand its pseudo-omniscience, but the only clear effect was that it could move. When Severus and Lily visited, Manus discussed the risks of practicing magic and advised Lily to wait for professional instruction at Hogwarts.

• Manus used the Ancient Rune ᚱ to enchant the Magic Mirror and asked it about the result.
• The Magic Mirror said the rune had successfully let it move, while Manus's Identification Spell found no other obvious effect.
• Manus decided to slow his research and asked the Magic Mirror to recommend an outfit for the rainy day.
• The Magic Mirror suggested clothes and showed Manus that Severus and Lily were approaching his home.
• Manus welcomed Severus and Lily, dried their rain-soaked clothes with magic, and told Lily to wait until Hogwarts for proper magical instruction.

Manus declined to teach Lily magic directly but offered her books to prepare for Hogwarts. After seeing him use magic in his study, Lily changed her mind and asked to read them so she could learn.

• Lily asked Manus what Hogwarts was like, and he explained that they would learn whether they had been selected when they turned eleven.
• Manus offered to recommend safe books, but Severus warned Lily with a look and then praised the books when Manus noticed him.
• Lily declined the books, sensing from Severus's reaction that studying them would be difficult.
• Manus brought Lily and Severus to his study and used magic to arrange a chair and serve snacks.
• After watching Manus perform magic, Lily asked him to let her read the books so she could learn magic.

After one year, nine months, and eleven days of Manus’s grueling training, Lily finally met his standard to begin learning Charms. She had chosen to study magic because Voldemort’s war made relying on the Ministry too dangerous, and she left the scene able to defend herself better than Severus.

• Manus showed Lily books on magic and promised to explain anything she did not understand, while Severus warned himself that her training would be brutal.
• Lily endured a half-hour memory exercise and finally met Manus’s standard for beginning Charms.
• Severus reminded Lily that Hogwarts would start in three months, and she struck him with Electric Claw before thanking him for recalling her birthday letter’s date.
• Lily recalled that Manus had told her in 1970 that Voldemort and the Death Eaters had formally declared war on the Ministry, prompting her to learn magic for her own safety.
• Manus healed Severus after Lily’s punch and remarked that she had surpassed him in a fight six months earlier, though Severus insisted he had been going easy on her.

Lily knocked Severus down during a sparring match after he hesitated, and Manus reflected on the close friendship between the two teenagers. As Manus, Severus, and Lily prepared to visit Diagon Alley for their Hogwarts supplies, Lily worried about the danger there, while Manus explained why young wizards had to buy registered wands in person.

• Lily struck Severus before he could act, and he accepted the punch because he knew he had spoken inappropriately.
• Manus considered the different roles he held in his friendship with Severus and Lily, seeing himself as more of a teacher or older brother.
• Severus asked Manus whether their trip to Diagon Alley was scheduled for the next day.
• Manus said Diagon Alley had recently become safer, but Lily remained concerned about its history of murders.
• Manus explained that young wizards had to visit Ollivanders to buy wands, partly because the Ministry required wands to be registered.

Manus considered how he might discover wand materials suited to him and hoped to find magical-item crafting books at Hogwarts. As Lily and Severus discussed their likely houses, Manus reasoned that the founders’ portraits might be the best way to sort students fairly.

• Manus reflected on his elm wand’s qualities and considered making his own magical tools, since British wands seemed too conservative for his needs.
• Manus hoped to find books about crafting magical items at Hogwarts, then Lily asked whether she and Severus might be sorted into the same house.
• Lily expected to join Gryffindor, while Severus hoped to enter Slytherin to honor his mother and the Prince name.
• Lily worried that the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin could make it harder for her and Severus to stay close.
• Manus reasoned that the four founders’ portraits could sort students in their place and avoid the dissatisfaction that subjective sorting might cause.

Manus explained why Severus would probably be Sorted into Slytherin, while Lily and Severus teased him about his own plan to attend Ravenclaw. The next day, the three children arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and learned that recent events had forced the Ministry to restrict access to Diagon Alley.

• Manus ate homemade chocolates, then resumed explaining that a student's own wishes would matter during Sorting and that Severus would likely get into Slytherin.
• Lily told Manus that she and Severus had already guessed he wanted Ravenclaw, and both admitted they feared spending seven years around people like him.
• Manus said that studying could be a joyful kind of pain, and the next day he and the other children traveled with their parents to the Leaky Cauldron.
• Griffin explained that the Ministry had placed an Anti-Apparition Charm over Diagon Alley and shut down its Floo Network, making the Leaky Cauldron one of the only entrances.
• Manus explained how the Floo Network worked, while Severus and Lily learned that neither his nor their family used it.

Griffin took Manus, Severus, and Lily into Diagon Alley, where they bought supplies and learned about wizarding shops and Quidditch. Aivina then urged the children to get owls and promise to write home every week.

• Griffin showed the group how to open the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley, and Severus questioned how secure it was.
• The group bought Potions equipment for Lily at Potage's Cauldron Shop, and Severus warned her that a nearby shop paid badly for brewed Potions.
• Manus bought parchment, ink, and quills, explaining that he could make ordinary paper at home with a spell.
• Lily asked about a Broomstick in Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Manus gave Quidditch a dismissive explanation that discouraged Griffin from promoting it.
• Aivina led the children away from the Quidditch display and told them to get owls and write home every week.

Manus went into Eeylops Owl Emporium to choose an owl after Aivina explained that owls could use magic to find their recipients. He found a young Little Owl and named it Minerva, hoping its mythological connection would strengthen its magic.

• Manus promised Aivina that he would write home from Hogwarts, and she asked him to choose an owl for personal deliveries.
• Manus entered Eeylops Owl Emporium, where Lily and Severus were also looking at owls.
• Manus noticed a young Little Owl and tested whether it could carry letters, while it met his gaze with fierce determination.
• Manus chose the Little Owl because of its connection to Athena and Minerva, names he believed could shape its magical abilities.
• Manus named the Little Owl Minerva, and it hopped onto his arm.

Manus and his friends chose owls, got measured for Hogwarts robes, and learned about Knockturn Alley as their shopping trip continued. The group reached the shops where they would buy school supplies and their first wands.

• Manus chose a female owl, named her Minerva, and declined to buy the shop's cages or feed; Lily and Severus picked owls and bought cages.
• Aivina took Minerva, and Manus volunteered to be measured for robes before eating ice cream with the others.
• After all three children had been measured and finished their ice cream, Manus explained that Knockturn Alley was dangerous, and Lily and Severus decided to avoid it.
• The group reached Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Flourish and Blotts, and Ollivanders to shop for school supplies and their first wands.

Manus browsed Flourish and Blotts with Griffin and bought books for the school year, including several unusual volumes. The clerk charged them for sixteen books, but Manus insisted there were seventeen, leaving him puzzled by the invisible book’s magic.

• Manus and Griffin went to Flourish and Blotts while the other groups shopped elsewhere.
• Manus chose his schoolbooks and added several intriguing titles, including a magically invisible book, to his purchase.
• The clerk tallied sixteen books for eighty-seven Galleons, but Manus pointed out the invisible book he had missed.
• The clerk identified it as an Invisible Book of Invisibility that had never been found in the shop and let Manus take it for free.
• Griffin paid for the seventeen books and arranged owl delivery while Manus wondered how the invisible book’s magic worked.

Manus found an invisible book and went with Griffin to Ollivander's Wand Shop to choose his first wand. Garrick Ollivander began by taking extensive measurements, leaving Manus doubtful that they would help identify a suitable wand.

• Manus put the invisible book in his enchanted pocket and met Lily and Aivina outside Flourish and Blotts.
• Griffin explained that the Owl Post Office enchanted delivery owls to keep shipments from being noticed by Muggles.
• Lily went into Flourish and Blotts while Manus and Griffin headed to Ollivander's Wand Shop.
• Garrick Ollivander greeted Manus and Griffin, then began measuring Manus to help choose a wand.
• Manus questioned the usefulness of Garrick's detailed measurements, including those of his nostrils.