Recaps

Bellows told Manus how an Obscurus attack had left his mother gravely injured and his family’s happiness shattered, and explained that he still wanted to hate the Obscurus. After listening, Manus considered whether the Obscurial had survived and whether magic could heal Bellows’s mother; Bellows ended the conversation feeling lighter after finally sharing his story.

• Manus used Prestidigitation to clean Bellows’s face as Bellows described his mother’s admission to St. Mungo’s after an Obscurus attack.
• Bellows recounted how his father searched for the Obscurus and how he struggled to hate the Obscurial after learning what had happened to him.
• Manus considered whether the Obscurial might have survived and whether Bellows’s mother could be healed by magic.
• Bellows told Manus that seeing an Obscurus in the Magic Mirror had rekindled his desire to kill it.
• Bellows thanked Manus for listening and said that speaking about his family had made him feel lighter.

Manus kept quiet about his confidence that he could cure Bellows's mother, then attended Flight class, where Madam Hooch praised his careful broom control. After class, Jasper and Quirinus realized that failing to learn the basics could leave them without further instruction or a passing assessment.

• Manus decided not to tell Bellows that he believed he could cure his mother until he could prove his abilities.
• Manus completed his morning routine and joined his classmates for Flight practice.
• Madam Hooch praised Manus's steady broom control as an example and awarded Ravenclaw five points.
• Madam Hooch warned the class that they might spend the entire year practicing basic control if they did not take lessons seriously.
• Jasper asked Quirinus whether Madam Hooch had been serious, and Quirinus explained that students who neglected Flight might not be taught later material or pass the assessment.
• Jasper and Quirinus agreed that they needed to practice flying their Broomsticks properly.

Manus reviewed Pandora’s Potions essays and praised her for surpassing her earlier work through her own effort. He recommended that she explore Zigmont Budge’s Book of Potions, leaving her curious about the knowledge it might offer.

• Pandora caught up with Manus by the Black Lake and handed him her completed Potions assignments.
• Manus read Pandora’s revised earlier essay and told her it was better than his own work.
• Pandora asked whether she had let anyone down, and Manus assured her that both he and Professor Slughorn would be impressed.
• Manus praised Pandora’s newer essay and recommended that she consult Zigmont Budge’s Book of Potions for insight into magical plants and creatures.
• Pandora accepted the recommendation and grew curious about the book’s hidden knowledge.

Manus brought his friend Pandora to visit Hagrid at his hut, where Hagrid awkwardly concealed what he had been doing. After Manus explained how he had met Hagrid, the pair left for lunch, and Manus confirmed he would return on Saturday afternoon.

• Manus invited Pandora to visit Hagrid, Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Groundskeeper, at his hut.
• Hagrid hurried to answer the door after a crash, and Manus noticed a patch of his beard was missing.
• Manus introduced Pandora to Hagrid, and the three chatted over berries while Hagrid watched the fire.
• Manus told Pandora that he had met Hagrid while feeding the owls after his morning exercise, prompting Pandora to reconsider how hard Manus worked.
• Manus and Pandora declined Hagrid's tea and left for lunch, and Manus told Hagrid he would visit as planned on Saturday afternoon.

Manus opened the secret door connected to Ravenclaw's Common Room after preparing for possible dangers and found a hidden workshop beyond it. He lit the room and discovered that it contained much more than a Potions worktable, including bookshelves, decorations, and a bed.

• At lunch, Manus turned corn from the salad into a sweet corn soup and shared it with nearby students.
• Manus finished preparing safeguards for opening the secret door and decided to enter it that day.
• Manus told Bellows he was going to explore Hogwarts Castle, then used a customized Unlock Secret Doors spell on the Common Room door.
• The door transformed into glowing blue crystal, and Manus pushed it open and entered the dim space beyond.
• Manus lit the lamps and discovered a workshop furnished with Potions equipment, bookshelves, flowerpots, picture frames, a wardrobe, decorations, and a bed.

Manus discovered a portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw in a hidden room and spoke with her about Hogwarts in 1971. After examining his textbooks, Madam Ravenclaw judged him unusually gifted and asked him to bring current textbooks or examination papers the next time he visited.

• Manus identified the magical materials used to make the room’s instruments and considered taking them.
• The empty picture frame transformed into a portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw, who opened her eyes and mistook Manus for someone connected to Helena.
• Manus introduced himself as a new Ravenclaw student in 1971 and explained that he had forced his way through the Common Room door’s magic.
• Madam Ravenclaw declined Manus’s offer to take her portrait outside and asked him to bring current textbooks or examination papers on his next visit.
• Manus showed Madam Ravenclaw his textbooks, and she concluded that he was unusually capable compared with other first-year students.

Rowena Ravenclaw told Manus where to find the door connected to her riddle and gave him the books and instruments from her Chamber of Secrets. After asking about Helena Ravenclaw, Manus promised to seek news of her, while Rowena left their painful past unexplained.

• Rowena Ravenclaw told Manus that the door linked to her riddle was somewhere on the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts Castle.
• Rowena gave Manus the books, notes, and experimental instruments in the Chamber of Secrets, and he packed them up.
• Manus asked whether the Chamber and Rowena's declining health were connected to the ghost she had mentioned, and Rowena asked if he knew of Helena Ravenclaw.
• Manus said he had no news of Helena but promised to investigate, and Rowena agreed to tell him what happened between them if he brought back news.
• Rowena refused to discuss her painful past with Helena, and Manus bowed farewell.

Manus found another secret door on Hogwarts’ Seventh Floor, but its mind-probing magic kept him from opening it. Later, Lily asked him about Potter’s strange behavior as Potter and his friends arrived at the Astronomy Tower.

• Manus used enhanced Revelio to find a secret door whose symbols described a mind probe and a three-pass condition, then tried and failed to open it.
• Manus decided he would need to learn Occlumency and study the door’s remaining symbols before trying again.
• Manus joined Bellows and the others on the Astronomy Tower, where Lily asked him to have Pandora stand beside her.
• Lily told Manus she had hit someone hard enough to worry that Potions might not fix them, and complained that Potter had been getting on her nerves.
• Potter arrived at the tower with his friends, and Black pointed him toward Lily.

Manus wondered why Potter had fallen for Lily, while Potter tried to get Pandora to switch seats so he could sit beside Lily. Lily’s warning kept Potter and his friends from starting a fight, and Professor Aurelia began Astronomy class.

• Manus asked Lily what had happened between her and Potter, and Lily recalled that Potter had harassed her and that she had once scolded him for bullying another student.
• Potter asked Pandora to switch seats, but she refused and mocked him for trying to sit near Lily.
• Lily warned Potter that someone could accidentally fall from the dark Astronomy Tower, leaving Potter and his friends too intimidated to act.
• Professor Aurelia arrived and began class by telling the students to prepare their telescopes to observe Saturn’s rings.

Pandora and Lily stood up to Potter and his friends on the Astronomy Tower, and Lily warned Pandora that they might retaliate. Manus arranged for Huginn to watch Pandora for two weeks, while Lily reflected on how the discipline and reputation Manus had taught her to value kept her from simply fighting back.

• Potter led his friends away after Professor Aurelia arrived, but warned Pandora that she had gotten lucky.
• Lily introduced herself to Pandora, warned her that Potter might target her later, and offered to help if he did.
• Manus told Lily he would have Huginn follow Pandora for two weeks to guard against retaliation.
• Lily thanked Manus and considered how she envied students who could fight without worrying about rules, points, or detention.
• Lily decided that sacrificing her good reputation just to beat Potter and his friends would be a poor bargain.

James remained determined to pursue Evans despite Sirius and Remus warning him about her, while Peter worried about getting caught in another beating. After Astronomy class, Lily and Manus shared a quiet moment as Pandora observed their unspoken closeness, and Lily thought about the approaching full moon and her first encounter with Manus.

• Sirius and Remus warned James that Evans had beaten them badly, but James insisted he wanted to pursue her.
• Peter privately worried that James's behavior would lead to another beating and considered hiding in the bathroom to avoid it.
• Manus adjusted Lily's telescope during Astronomy class, and Pandora noticed their quiet, familiar exchange.
• After completing their notes, Lily looked at the moon and remarked that it was scarred despite its beauty.
• Lily remembered that the full moon was only days away and recalled the fear she felt when she first met Manus.

Manus clarified to Pandora that he and Lily were childhood friends, not a couple, but Pandora turned her mistaken impression into a romantic story to share with her roommate. Pandora allowed her roommate to pass the story on to at most two people, despite worrying that Manus might recognize its inspiration.

• Manus told Pandora that he and Lily were friends who had met before Hogwarts and that he was not pursuing her.
• Pandora remembered meeting Lily on the boat and accepted Manus's explanation, though she still admired their apparent understanding.
• Pandora created a romantic story from her mistaken guess about Manus and Lily and shared it with her roommate.
• Pandora warned her roommate not to reveal the story because it might trouble the people who inspired it.
• Pandora relented and allowed her roommate to share the story with no more than two people.

Manus and Severus visited Hagrid to cook Wellington steaks, with Manus teaching Hagrid the preparation by hand. The meal was ready, and Severus eagerly began to eat.

• Manus invited Lily, Severus, and Pandora to visit Hagrid, but only Severus was able to join him.
• Manus introduced Severus to Hagrid and found that Hagrid had gathered the ingredients for their meal.
• Manus guided Hagrid through preparing the beef, puff pastry, and filling for three Wellington steaks.
• Manus used magic to bake the steaks and cut one open to show its crisp crust and juicy filling.
• Severus received half a Wellington steak and eagerly picked up his knife and fork.

Manus cooked a Wellington steak and baked cookies for Hagrid, discovering that Hagrid’s strength crushed the fragile treats. On the way back to Hogwarts, Severus suspected Hagrid was hiding something, and Manus recognized that Hagrid was secretly preparing to hatch a dragon egg.

• Manus, Severus, and Hagrid ate the Wellington steak Manus had made, and Hagrid finished both enormous portions.
• Manus baked cookies in Hagrid’s fireplace, but Hagrid accidentally crushed them in his hands before pouring the crumbs into his mouth.
• Manus packed half the cookies for himself and Severus and left the rest for Hagrid in jars.
• Severus noticed Hagrid’s hut had been unusually warm and wondered why Hagrid had lit a fireplace.
• Manus realized Hagrid was hiding the dragon egg incubation equipment and baby dragon accommodations in his hut, while Pandora watched him and Severus from the covered walkway.

Pandora told Manus that her widely circulated story was inspired by him and Lily, but he reassured her that she had done nothing wrong and suggested writing could become one of her future career paths. The chapter left Pandora considering that possibility as Manus began to add one last point.

• Pandora searched for Manus after realizing her story had spread rapidly around Hogwarts.
• Pandora found Manus with Severus and pulled Manus aside to discuss her story.
• Pandora revealed that she had based the story on a misunderstanding involving Manus and Lily, and Manus said he had not recognized them in it.
• Manus explained that the supposed real-life inspirations helped the story spread and reassured Pandora she did not need to apologize.
• Manus encouraged Pandora to pursue writing while warning her against making fictional stories too much like real people's biographies.

Severus told Lily that she and Manus had inspired the romantic story Pandora loved, leaving both of them horrified by the revelation. Later, Severus discovered that the Wiggentree potted plant Manus had enchanted had a broken branch, suggesting its danger-detection mechanism had been triggered.

• Severus told Lily through the Communication Charm that she and Manus were the story’s original characters, and Lily recoiled from imagining the story’s romantic scenes with Manus.
• Professor Flitwick mistook Lily’s horror for fright from an embellished adventure biography and began the Charms lesson.
• Severus and Lily argued through the Communication Charm about whether the story had used them as prototypes or merely drawn inspiration from them.
• Severus took the potted Wiggentree from his pocket at lunch and found one of its branches snapped.
• Severus alerted Manus through the Communication Charm, and Manus asked when the branch broke and why Severus had brought the plant to the Great Hall.

Manus discovered that the potted plant had detected a werewolf at Hogwarts and planned to investigate during the next full moon. He reassured Severus and offered to teach him to brew the rare Wolfsbane Potion.

• Manus inspected the potted plant and recognized that its broken edge signaled a werewolf nearby.
• Manus told Severus a werewolf had probably entered Hogwarts and planned to send Huginn and Muninn to search during the full moon.
• Manus said he would investigate further if they failed to find the werewolf, while Severus offered to prepare Wolfsbane Potion.
• Manus asked Severus whether he wanted to try brewing Wolfsbane Potion, and Severus hesitated over its difficulty and scarce ingredients.

Manus guided Severus through attempts to brew a new advanced potion, teaching him to analyze each failure and record what he learned. After four unsuccessful attempts, Severus was exhausted and worried about the dwindling ingredients, but Manus encouraged him to continue and told him he would be waiting the next afternoon.

• Manus took Severus to a student Potions room and explained that his understanding was sufficient for advanced brewing, though he still needed practice and confidence.
• Severus admitted he had not remembered the Wolfsbane Potion recipe, and Manus said his earlier version had flaws before giving Severus a new recipe to brew.
• Severus's first attempt failed, and Manus told him to examine the reasons for failure rather than dwell on it and to write down his observations.
• Severus failed four times over the afternoon but reviewed each attempt and steadily improved instead of repeating the same mistakes.
• Manus reassured Severus that the ingredients were worthwhile if he learned from the attempts, gave him sweetened hot milk, and told him to return the next afternoon.

Severus told Lily that Manus had detected a Werewolf at Hogwarts and planned to find it on the full moon, killing it with Wolfsbane Potion if it threatened the school. Manus had assigned Severus to brew an updated version of the Potion, but he had failed four times and had to continue the next day.

• Lily asked Severus why he was exhausted, and he explained that he had spent the afternoon failing to brew Potions with Manus.
• Severus told Lily that the potted plant Manus had made detected a Werewolf at Hogwarts.
• Lily worried about the danger of a Werewolf transforming during the upcoming full moon, while Severus wondered how it had entered the school.
• Severus explained that Manus planned to have Huginn and Muninn locate the transformed Werewolf and use Wolfsbane Potion to kill it if it threatened Hogwarts.
• Severus revealed that Manus had assigned him to brew an updated Wolfsbane Potion, and he had failed four times without getting halfway through.

Severus worried that he would fail to brew Wolfsbane Potion before the full moon, while Lily recognized how severely Manus’s pressure affected them both. The next day, Manus continued his research and found Slughorn waiting in the Potions room with his Wolfsbane Potion application.

• Lily realized that Severus might run out of Wolfsbane Aconite before he succeeded, and Severus feared Manus would impose brutal extra training if he failed.
• Lily considered how to deal with James Potter and his friends if she had to train extra with Severus, while James mistakenly believed Lily had looked at him fondly.
• On Sunday, Manus saw Hufflepuff players practicing Quidditch and continued his research, though his work on material structures had reached a bottleneck.
• Manus went to the Potions room and found Slughorn there with the application Manus had completed the previous day.
• Slughorn offered Manus a piece of candied pineapple, which Manus accepted and tasted.

Manus revealed to Slughorn that he had invented the Wolfsbane Potion and showed him a sample, impressing the professor with his achievement. Slughorn recognized its novelty and value, while Manus intended the potion’s narrow use and costly, lengthy brewing process to build his reputation without drawing excessive attention.

• Slughorn inspected Manus’s application and asked whether the Wolfsbane Potion came from his family.
• Manus told Slughorn he had invented the potion and produced a bottle of an earlier version.
• Slughorn examined the potion with Scarpin’s Revelaspell and realized Manus had created something new.
• Manus explained that the potion killed Werewolves, and Slughorn became excited by its value as an invention.
• Manus relied on the potion’s niche purpose, expensive ingredients, and lengthy brewing process to keep his growing reputation manageable.

Severus found Manus speaking with Professor Slughorn and admitted he had been studying Potions with Manus since childhood. Slughorn recalled Severus’s mother, Eileen Prince, as a talented and lively student, leaving Severus surprised by how different she had been from the mother he knew.

• Severus arrived in the Potions classroom and told Slughorn he had come to see Manus for Potions lessons.
• Severus explained that he and Manus had studied Potions together under Severus’s mother, Eileen Prince.
• Slughorn recalled Eileen as a gifted Potions student who had captained Hogwarts’s Gobstones team and competed in interschool events.
• After Slughorn left, Severus told Manus he had never known his mother had been so lively and eager to try different things.

Severus wrestled with doubts about whether his mother would have been happier on a different path, but Manus helped him focus on giving her the freedom to choose in the future. Meanwhile, Manus weighed the opportunities Professor Slughorn had offered him, until Severus noticed a radically different Wolfsbane Potion formula and asked whether it was the complete version.

• Severus wondered whether his mother would have been happier if she had not married his father and had him, but Manus reminded him that he could help her gain the freedom to choose her own path.
• Severus resolved to keep studying and become strong enough to give his mother that freedom, and Manus began another painful potion lesson with him.
• Manus considered Slughorn's offers to help publish his Wolfsbane Potion paper and invite him into the Slug Club, and saw both as ways to expand his influence.
• Severus failed at the potion exercise again but made significant progress, then noticed the complicated Wolfsbane Potion formula Slughorn had written on the back of a report.
• Severus asked Manus why the formula differed from the one he used and whether it was the complete version.

Manus challenged Severus to recognize an overcomplicated Wolfsbane Potion formula and encouraged him to trust his skill. After failing twice and being told he had one Aconite plant left, Severus brewed the potion successfully and considered keeping the bottle as a memento.

• Manus explained that the potion formula was deliberately overcomplicated and urged Severus to brew the Wolfsbane Potion from scratch.
• Severus failed another attempt, identified that he had stirred too quickly, and learned the next attempt would use the last entire Aconite plant.
• Severus overcame his anxiety and completed the final brewing attempt under Manus's watch.
• The potion turned black and produced smoke, and Manus told Severus that this signaled an especially successful brew.
• Severus bottled the potion, celebrated his first successful advanced potion, and listened as Manus suggested keeping it as a collectible.

As the full moon approached, Lily and Severus prepared to distract the Werewolf and wondered whether Hogwarts staff knew about it. Manus watched the grounds through his ravens and saw Remus leave the castle and enter the passage beneath the Whomping Willow.

• Lily and Severus discussed hiding and preparing strong-smelling Potions to distract the Werewolf if it threatened students.
• Severus wondered whether Hogwarts staff already knew a Werewolf was inside the school, then went with Lily to prepare Potions.
• Lily and Severus went to bed early with their Potions and wands ready for the full-moon night.
• Manus watched Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest through Huginn and Muninn, then spotted Remus leaving the castle.
• Remus reached the Whomping Willow, pressed a knot on its trunk to stop its branches, and entered as Huginn watched.