Recaps

Manus buried the Unicorn bones and left the hidden space, deciding that taking its horn could curse a healing or resurrection casting tool. Back in the Ravenclaw Common Room, he set aside his plans for using the Phoenix Nirvana Ashes and agreed to play Wizard’s Chess with Pante.

• Manus buried the Unicorn’s remains after deciding its horn might bring a curse if used in a casting tool.
• Manus left the hidden space and considered ways to house the Phoenix Nirvana Ashes without irreversibly mixing them with other materials.
• Manus considered wand materials suited to healing and resurrection, including Dittany woven into a bracelet around the ashes.
• Edmund Bagno asked Manus to take his place in a Wizard’s Chess game with Pante so he could attend Quidditch practice.
• Manus took Edmund’s seat and agreed to play Pante, who challenged him to show his skill.

Manus defeated Pante in seven Wizard's Chess games, prompting Pante to ask whether he would represent Hogwarts in the Inter-School Wizard's Chess Championship. Manus was unsure about competing so far in advance, but Pante explained that his current skill could secure him a place in the school team for his sixth or seventh year.

• Manus beat Pante in their seventh Wizard's Chess game, and Pante's king surrendered after all his other pieces were lost.
• Pante declared that he would stop playing Wizard's Chess for a month, while nearby classmates teased him about his defeat.
• Pante asked Manus whether he would pursue Wizard's Chess professionally, but Manus said he preferred exploring magic.
• Pante invited Manus to consider representing Hogwarts in the Inter-School Wizard's Chess Championship, and Manus questioned whether it was too early.
• Pante said Manus could represent Hogwarts in his sixth or seventh year and revealed that he himself was set to compete the year after next.

Manus agreed to represent Hogwarts in the Inter-School Wizard's Chess Championship after Pante explained that he would not need to follow a training schedule. Back in his dormitory, Manus revised his magical-item designs and established a personal emblem for his future crafting work.

• Pante told Manus that Hogwarts had little expectation of winning the Wizard's Chess Championship, but Manus's skill might give the school a chance to claim its first title of the century.
• Manus agreed to represent Hogwarts, and Pante said he would inform Professor Flitwick, who supervised the team.
• Pante mentioned that Manus could sign up for the Magical Schools Dueling Tournament in fifth year, and Manus made a note of it without committing.
• Manus returned to the dormitory and reexamined his design for a magical item, identifying flaws in its structure and approach.
• Manus sketched a revised design and added an Arcane Sigil of a regular tetrahedron as the core concept for his personal emblem.
• Manus developed ideas for modifying the Magic Mirror and redesigned his Unicorn Hair robe as a cloak.

Manus set aside his stalled Soul Magic research to investigate how the Phoenix’s life and the Basilisk’s death might reveal secrets about life itself. He planned to prepare for the Basilisk’s secret chamber, but Bellows interrupted him with news of a Halloween feast.

• Manus decided to postpone weaving his cloak while he explored a theoretical addition to its design.
• Manus put Soul Magic research aside after making little progress and worrying that upgrading its lone low-level spell could misdirect the field.
• Manus reasoned that Phoenix life might counter the Basilisk’s artificially acquired death, and examined his vial of Phoenix Nirvana Ashes for clues.
• Manus shifted his free time toward deciphering the Basilisk’s secret chamber and preparing the necessary magic.
• Bellows told Manus about a Halloween feast, prompting Manus to ask whether the school celebrated the holiday.

Manus rejected Bellows's hope that he would join the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, arguing that the time and effort would not be worth the uncertain chance of winning the championship. He also told Bellows that he was too weak to become a Beater and suggested he aim to be a Chaser instead.

• Bellows told Manus that Hogwarts's Quidditch matches would begin the weekend after Halloween and hoped Manus would try out next year.
• Manus explained that Ravenclaw needed more than a talented Seeker to win the championship and refused to spend his time on the team.
• Bellows asked whether he should become a Beater, but Manus said Bellows lacked the strength for the position and recommended becoming a Chaser.
• Bellows tried to prove his strength, but Manus beat him at arm wrestling and lifted him one-handed, prompting Bellows to concede.
• Manus remarked that Ravenclaw students were physically weaker than students from the other Houses, especially compared with their Beaters.

As Halloween decorations appeared around Hogwarts, Manus discussed Lily’s distress over Potter’s persistent attention and proposed teaching her spells so she could respond. The chapter ended with Manus and his classmates arriving at Herbology, where Bellows welcomed the greenhouse’s warmth.

• Manus inspected the enchanted pumpkin decorations in the Great Hall and spoke with Lily about the Halloween feast.
• Lily said Potter had seemed unwell and that his friends had been leaving to watch Quidditch practice.
• Manus asked how Potter’s persistent attention was affecting Lily, and she admitted she was unsure what to do.
• Manus invited Lily to the hidden room on the Seventh Floor after Herbology to teach her spells, including Hexes.
• Manus and his classmates went to Herbology, where Bellows enjoyed the warmth of the greenhouse.

Manus and his classmates studied Devil's Snare in Professor Sprout's Herbology lesson, where Lily explained how to escape its grip. After asking Sprout to watch for a rare Dittany plant, Manus met Lily in the Room of Requirement, where she realized their lesson would not be about spells.

• Professor Sprout taught the class about Devil's Snare, and Bellows and Lily earned points by describing its traits and weaknesses.
• Manus, Jasper, Quirinus, and Bellows examined a Devil's Snare seedling, and Manus warned them against relying on assumptions for safety.
• Manus asked Sprout to look for a Dittany plant with both fresh and withering branches, and she agreed to keep watch.
• Manus went to the Room of Requirement, where Lily was warming up for their lesson.
• Lily watched Manus draw his wand and realized their lesson was not about learning spells.

Manus taught Lily a painful Hex designed to make tooth roots grow abnormally, explaining that experiencing a Charm’s effects helped her understand how to use it responsibly. After enduring the Hex, Lily decided to learn it so she could use it against Potter and the others.

• Manus explained that Lily needed to experience Hexes firsthand to understand their effects and limits.
• Lily agreed to try the Tooth-Growth Charm after Manus named several Hexes he had devised.
• Manus cast Root-Marrow Misgrowth on Lily, causing intense pain in her gums until she begged him to lift it.
• Manus treated Lily’s injuries and showed her that her apparent facial swelling was only an illusion caused by nerve pain.
• Lily chose to learn Root-Marrow Misgrowth, hoping it would drive Potter and the others away.

Lily and Manus attended Hogwarts’s Halloween feast before the students turned their attention to the approaching Quidditch match. Manus arrived early at the pitch with Bellows and resumed designing sealing magic to deal with the Basilisk while they waited.

• Lily thought about learning practical Charms with Severus, but their schedules meant she would have to wait until the following week.
• The students attended a lavish Halloween feast, where Manus sampled the pumpkin dishes and decided he would make something himself with Hagrid’s pumpkins.
• On the morning of the Quidditch match, Bellows urged Manus to leave early to secure a good place in the stands.
• Manus and Bellows reached the pitch with two hours to spare, and Manus took out his notes on sealing magic for the Basilisk.

Manus used enhanced perception magic to follow the events at the Quidditch pitch and joined Bellows at the railing to watch Slytherin play Gryffindor. As the match began, Bellows predicted Slytherin would win because Virut had a new Nimbus Series 1700 broomstick.

• Manus finished studying his magical models and told Bellows the Quidditch match was about to begin.
• Manus and Bellows moved to the front railing as the students prepared to watch the teams enter the pitch.
• Manus identified Gryffindor as Slytherin's opponent and explained that he had heard students discussing the teams using enhanced perception magic.
• Manus canceled the spell, noting that it could help him perceive his surroundings if he had to face a Basilisk without relying on sight.
• Madam Hooch released the Quaffle and Golden Snitch, and Bellows said Virut's new Nimbus Series 1700 gave Slytherin a strong chance of winning.

Manus watched Ravenclaw lose an early goal to Gryffindor and reflected on how expensive Broomsticks gave some Quidditch players an unfair advantage. He decided to build his reputation in the Slug Club through Alchemy, and the Golden Snitch caught his attention as a promising subject.

• Madam Hooch started the match, and Gryffindor scored after a Ravenclaw Chaser was outmaneuvered.
• Manus considered using a custom-made broom as cover for his own flying magic and planned to establish his Alchemy skills in the Slug Club.
• Manus noticed that Golden Snitches were intricate, disposable items that could remember the first person to catch them but could not have that memory erased.

Manus analyzed the Golden Snitch during the Quidditch match and considered making a training version without its memory magic, while continuing his research and sealing magic. His team narrowly beat Gryffindor, and afterward Lily and Severus practiced combat spells.

• Manus considered crafting a Snitch that copied the Golden Snitch without remembering its first toucher, but decided to avoid spending scarce magical materials on it.
• Manus connected his plans for a protective cloak to Soul Magic and the traits of life and death, with only the Basilisk remaining as a target.
• Manus studied the Golden Snitch during the match and refined his sealing magic while his team played Gryffindor.
• Manus's team caught the Golden Snitch and narrowly defeated Gryffindor by thirty points.
• Severus cast the Toenail Sidegrowth Charm at Lily, who interrupted her own spell and dodged while using her sound-swallowing technique.

Manus’s practical training helped Lily and Severus improve their ability to interrupt spells, and their sparring ended in a draw. Afterward, they asked Manus to demonstrate his full strength, but he warned that he had no single most powerful spell and that the practice dummy could not withstand his magic.

• Manus reflected that Lily and Severus had mastered interrupting spells because they were determined to avoid each other’s painful attacks.
• Lily and Severus refined their skills through several rounds of combat, and the exhausted pair finished in a draw.
• Manus conjured a table of snacks, and Lily joked about watching her weight after finishing the baked pumpkin.
• Severus asked Manus how strong he really was, and Lily clarified that they wanted to witness him fight at full strength rather than spar with him.
• Lily suggested Manus demonstrate his magic on a practice dummy, but Manus said he had no single strongest spell and the dummy would not survive his attack.

Manus explained that magic’s strength depended on how precisely and efficiently it was used, then demonstrated lethal ice magic and a concentrated fire spell to Lily and Severus. The fire quietly melted the durable dummy, leaving Lily and Severus to realize how deadly it would be against a person.

• Manus challenged Lily’s idea of powerful magic and explained that a spell’s strength depended on the situation and how efficiently it was used.
• Lily blasted a training dummy with Diffindo, and Manus repaired it before demonstrating an ice spike that pierced its head.
• Manus explained how he combined Shaping Magic, Elemental Magic, and Evocation Magic to make the ice spike powerful despite its low cost.
• Manus cast a fireball that spread into quiet flames around the dummy instead of exploding.
• Severus realized the fire would be terrifying against a person, and Lily noticed that it was rapidly melting the dummy.

Manus showed Severus and Lily a modified Fireball spell whose flames could not be quenched with water or Finite Incantatem, explaining that he had extinguished them by removing their oxygen. After discussing Fiendfyre, Manus postponed further exploration of the hidden chamber and left to prioritize dealing with the Basilisk.

• Severus and Lily imagined how the intense flames could injure a person and recognized how horrifying they were.
• Severus tried Aguamenti and Lily tried Finite Incantatem, but neither spell put out the flames on the doll.
• Manus extinguished the fire by cutting off its oxygen and explained that the doll's shell had melted beneath the flames.
• Severus asked whether Manus's flames were Fiendfyre, and Manus explained that they were a modified Fireball instead.
• Manus sent Severus and Lily out of the hidden chamber and decided to deal with the Basilisk before exploring further.

Manus discovered a hidden passage beneath the girls' bathroom and suspected it housed the Basilisk that had killed Moaning Myrtle. He entered alone to confront it, finding no sign of the creature but discovering many valuable Basilisk shed skins.

• Manus revealed the hidden door in the third-floor girls' bathroom and told Moaning Myrtle that the Basilisk that killed her might still be inside.
• Manus said he would avenge Moaning Myrtle and jumped into the passage after casting enhancement spells, while she stayed behind anxiously.
• Manus used Revelio to map the passage without relying on sight and found that the Basilisk was not nearby.
• Manus identified piles of Basilisk shed skins and concluded that the creature had lived in the passage for far longer than twenty years, most likely since Slytherin's time.

Manus prepared an elaborate magical array before provoking the Basilisk, then discovered that it had already died inside the trap. Its corpse was riddled with damage that should not have penetrated its scales, leaving Manus unsure whether his magic had worked or the Basilisk had been weakened.

• Manus found another hidden door leading to a platform and a statue of Salazar Slytherin, and sensed death beyond the door.
• Manus prepared layers of protective and offensive magic on the platform, then opened the door and threw a Howler inside to provoke the Basilisk.
• Manus teleported away and sent spiders to test whether the Basilisk was still alive; the first spider returned safely, and the remaining five also survived.
• Manus returned to the platform and sensed the dead Basilisk inside the array, its body covered in puncture wounds, frostbite, burns, and corrosion.
• Manus wondered how magical arrows had pierced the Basilisk’s scales and whether it had been weakened after shedding its skin.

Manus discovered that amplified magic was less effective against the Basilisk than pure spells and confirmed that the scales disrupted amplification. He began extracting the Death Trait from the corpse and transferring it into a snake-shaped Elder branch, leaving the trait ritual underway.

• Manus compared the Basilisk's wounds and found that its scales resisted amplified spells while pure Magic Arrows pierced them.
• He tested Dark Magic and Magic Arrows, confirming that the scales canceled out trait-based and Emotion Amplification.
• Manus prepared the magic array and an Elder branch as a new vessel for the Basilisk's Death Trait.
• He used Dark Qi Magic to draw a smaller phantom of the Basilisk from its corpse, and the Death Trait began to manifest.

Manus completed the Elder Wand by binding the Basilisk’s Death Trait inside it and restraining its power with golden rings symbolizing immortality. After testing the wand’s strength and confirming its safeguards could withstand only limited magic, he stored it and turned to the Basilisk’s remains before afternoon class.

• Manus trapped the Death Trait inside the Elder Wand and engraved death symbols onto its scales.
• Manus added golden rings and threads to restrain the Death Trait and protect the wand’s wielder from its corrosion.
• Manus tested the wand, destroying Slytherin’s stone statue with a death-infused beam and finding that it amplified weaker offensive magic but weakened healing magic.
• Manus found that stronger magic damaged the golden restraints and decided they would suffice until he completed his Phoenix Bracelet.
• Manus stored the Elder Wand and prepared to finish working on the Basilisk’s corpse before lunch.

Manus completed a Beast Blood Baptism using the Basilisk and gained its Petrifying Gaze, while realizing the ability had been formed through magical organs in his eyes. He cleaned up the area and returned to the girls' bathroom, intending to reassure Moaning Myrtle before lunch.

• Manus considered the Basilisk's possible baptism rewards and chose Petrifying Gaze over its other abilities.
• The baptism built magical organs in Manus's eyes, and he speculated about studying their structure and converting the ability into magic.
• The blood cocoon withered away, and Manus noticed a subtle change in how he saw the world.
• Manus checked the time, gathered the Basilisk's shed skins, searched the area, and returned through the passage to the girls' bathroom.

Manus emerged from the passage after killing the Basilisk and showed Moaning Myrtle its shed skin, confirming how she had died. After Myrtle offered to repay him, Manus asked her to discreetly question Hogwarts ghosts about Helena Ravenclaw, saying someone cared greatly about her.

• Manus climbed out of the passage and reassured Moaning Myrtle that he had killed the Basilisk.
• Manus showed Myrtle a piece of Basilisk shed skin, and she realized the creature had killed her and began changing into a more ordinary Hogwarts ghost.
• Myrtle offered to keep the Basilisk's death secret, but Manus said there was no need and planned to tell Hagrid as well.
• Manus asked Myrtle to ask other ghosts what they knew about Helena Ravenclaw, explaining that someone cared greatly about her.

Manus adjusted to a new ability to sense gazes and continued studying the changes caused by the Basilisk's eyes. His explorations beyond the hidden door on the Seventh Floor produced little of value, while his research into the Death Trait continued slowly.

• At lunch, Manus told Bellows that he felt mentally sensitive as he struggled with the intensified ability to sense gazes throughout the Great Hall.
• Manus spent several days trying to seal part of his heightened sensory ability so he could gradually learn to control it.
• While recording changes in his body, Manus noticed a stable increase in his magical power growth and suspected the Basilisk's eyes were responsible.
• Manus decided that vitality mattered more than gaining additional magical organs and kept studying his condition instead of pursuing that trade-off.
• Manus explored more rooms beyond the hidden door on the Seventh Floor, but found that most of their contents had decayed and the study held little beyond Hogwarts textbooks.
• Manus concluded that Rowena Ravenclaw's rooms had mainly been intended for amusement and convenience, while the Phoenix Rebirth Ashes had been an accidental find.

Manus tried to find a hidden room for storing treasures, then experimented with the relationship between life, death, and souls while searching for a material capable of carrying a soul. Huginn spotted Severus and Lily leaving the hidden room after a duel, and Manus learned they had been inside.

• Manus failed to make the hidden door appear and suspected someone was already inside, so he sent Huginn to watch it.
• Manus used the Elder Wand and Phoenix Nirvana Ashes in experiments, finding that the clash of life and death produced a force unlike a soul.
• Manus used a wisp of soul to restore Dittany tissue from ashes, demonstrating the soul's power to revive dead matter.
• Manus continued searching for a material that could carry a soul, having found no success with the materials he had tested.
• Huginn saw Severus and Lily emerge from the hidden room after a duel, and they asked whether Manus had sent the raven to deliver a message.

Manus invited Severus and Lily to explore the hidden storage room after discovering they had been training together. The room proved to be a cluttered dump, but Manus found several items with some value and looked forward to searching the remaining areas.

• Manus deduced that Severus and Lily had been practicing combat and praised them for trying out their ideas.
• Manus asked Severus and Lily to join him in exploring the hidden room where older students stored belongings, and they agreed.
• Severus, Lily, and Manus entered a filthy, disorganized storage room and split up to search it.
• Manus dismissed an ordinary brass armillary sphere and continued examining the clutter with an Identification Spell.
• Manus found more than a dozen items with some value, though none impressed him greatly.

Manus and Lily searched through unstable clutter on the Seventh Floor, where Lily narrowly avoided being crushed and found a chest full of small armor. Manus discovered antique broomsticks and a damaged magical cabinet that might be a Disappearing Cabinet, but it had no matching partner.

• Manus slowed time and cleared a path to rescue Lily when a table began falling toward her.
• Manus healed Lily and warned her to use caution around the unstable clutter.
• Lily examined the chest that had nearly crushed her and found a pile of unusually small armor inside.
• Manus collected a cabinet of broken antique broomsticks and considered how they could support the impression that he loved handmade broomsticks.
• Manus discovered a damaged magical cabinet with targeted transportation runes and suspected it was a Disappearing Cabinet.