Chapter Summaries

Manus explored the cluttered hidden room and concluded that Hogwarts House-Elves had filled it with belongings they could not identify, since they could move through the cramped passages without difficulty. While sorting through the discarded items, he found questionable Muggle Studies textbooks and Dragon-hide gloves he planned to test for spell resistance.

• Manus decided not to take the broken Disappearing Cabinet and instead recorded its runes for comparison with the written records.
• Manus deduced that House-Elves had likely stuffed the room with clutter because they could navigate the cramped passages and did not know which objects wizards considered valuable.
• Manus opened a stack of boxes and found belongings that appeared to have come from a student who had left Hogwarts after graduation.
• Manus read two books about Muggles and judged them to be unreliable research reports, then noted his concern that they might be Muggle Studies textbooks.
• Manus found Dragon-hide gloves and a crystal ball among the tools, and took the gloves for experiments on whether dragon hide weakened spells like Basilisk scales.

Manus examined old magical items and considered turning a valuable crystal ball into an orb for his equipment. He discovered a soul-emitting headdress that might be a Horcrux, sealed it for later investigation, and left for class with Lily.

• Manus tested his dragon-hide gloves and considered using Basilisk shed skin to guide his research into the Death Trait.
• Manus took a valuable crystal ball and planned to craft it into an auxiliary orb for his combat equipment.
• Manus encountered a dusty headdress with a soul aura and attacked it while checking for traps, curses, and other dangers.
• Manus sealed the suspected Horcrux headdress inside a magically protected box after Lily warned him they were nearly late for class.
• Manus told Lily they could go and planned to investigate the headdress after class.

Manus reflected on why his careful examination of the Horcrux had not been wasted, then detected that Katria had been struck by a powerful Curse. Back in Ravenclaw Tower, he realized the Horcrux resembled the diadem on Rowena Ravenclaw’s statue.

• Manus explained to Lily that testing the Horcrux for traps had been the right choice, and they spent the lesson quietly reflecting on their different ways of thinking.
• After class, Manus noticed a powerful, vicious Dark Magic aura on Katria and sensed that it came from a Curse that had struck her.
• Manus set aside his concern about Katria and hurried to Ravenclaw Tower to study the Horcrux in the World in the Mirror.
• Manus saw that the diadem carved on the Ravenclaw statue looked exactly like the Horcrux and remembered Rowena Ravenclaw’s portrait asking him to help with her daughter.

Manus investigated a Horcrux disguised as Ravenclaw's Diadem, testing whether its owner or soul fragment would react. He discovered the fragment was alarmingly weak and its magical structure crude, leaving him wondering who had made it and whether he had heard a similar story before.

• Manus questioned whether Rowena Ravenclaw or someone else had turned the diadem into a Horcrux, then decided to investigate it.
• Manus returned to the dormitory, where Bellows saw the Magic Mirror and decided to ask Manus about it later.
• Manus took the Horcrux into the mirror world and set up a magic array to examine it safely.
• Manus removed the Horcrux's disguise and found that it did not react when he opened the box or dropped the diadem.
• Manus sealed the Horcrux's connection to its owner and tried to rouse the soul fragment, but its soul-light flickered so weakly that he stopped.
• Manus examined the Horcrux's magical structure and found it crude, prompting him to wonder where he had heard a similar story.

Manus examined the Horcrux and found that its soul fragment was dangerously fragile, so he supplied it with vitality and altered its resurrection magic. The man who emerged slowly regained consciousness, realizing he was Tom, though he could barely control his newly formed body and could not remember what had happened.

• Manus discovered that the Horcrux offered little protection to its weak soul fragment and used Life Sharing to stabilize it.
• Manus channeled vitality and magic into the Horcrux, shaping a pale-skinned man's body through an altered resurrection process.
• Manus recognized that the Horcrux's owner was not Rowena Ravenclaw and waited for the unconscious man to awaken.
• The man woke but struggled to control his body and vocal cords as Manus told him to adjust to his new form.
• Tom realized he had created a Horcrux using Ravenclaw's Diadem, but could not recall how he had died or identify Manus.

Manus resurrected Tom Riddle and restrained him while questioning him about his identity and condition. After Tom revealed his name, Manus left him bound behind a mirror, intending to see whether he could escape.

• Tom regained control of his body, accepted a Hogwarts robe from Manus, and tried to appear harmless.
• Manus deduced that Tom was concealing his abilities and used the magic circle to make him answer questions.
• Tom gave his full name, and Manus recognized how it formed Voldemort's title.
• Manus kept Tom bound and magically restrained despite promising to release him, then left through a mirror.
• Tom regained his composure and resolved to escape while Manus waited to see how he would use his abilities.

Manus discovered that the Wizengamot had withheld his potion paper and summoned him to defend it, which he welcomed as a chance to gain authoritative academic recognition. He could not work out who had arranged the hearing or why.

• Manus received the Monthly Potion Digest and found that his paper had not been published.
• Manus read a letter explaining that the Wizengamot had suppressed his paper and would summon him to defend it at a seminar.
• Manus visited Slughorn and asked when the hearing would take place.
• Manus told Slughorn he welcomed the defense because passing would give his work authoritative recognition.
• Manus considered the Wizengamot’s authority and wondered who had arranged the hearing.

Manus learned that Dumbledore had convened a Wizengamot meeting to discuss his paper, leaving him uncertain about the Headmaster’s intentions. Slughorn brought Manus to the meeting after it was scheduled sooner than expected.

• Manus asked Slughorn whether he had arranged the Wizengamot meeting, and Slughorn explained that Dumbledore had convened it as Chief Warlock.
• Slughorn told Manus that at least half the Wizengamot had expressed interest in his paper and that the meeting date was still being arranged.
• Manus wondered why Dumbledore had taken an interest in him but chose not to seek the Headmaster out.
• The Wizengamot meeting was scheduled for Friday, and Manus changed into a suit before joining Slughorn in his office.
• Manus followed Slughorn through the Floo Network and along the Ministry’s corridors to a room where Wizengamot members were gathering.

At a Wizengamot gathering, Manus impressed the assembled old wizards with his knowledge across many subjects, prompting Dumbledore to explain to Slughorn why he considered Manus a once-in-a-generation genius. When the wizards tried to recruit Manus away from Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Slughorn rushed to defend their claim on him.

• Manus held in-depth discussions with Wizengamot members, leaving Slughorn unable to follow or join in.
• Dumbledore told Slughorn that Manus was a child like Ravenclaw and had studied extensively from a young age.
• Dumbledore admitted that Manus surpassed him in some fields and might have learned more by enrollment age than Dumbledore had by graduation.
• Dumbledore charged into the crowd to oppose old wizards urging Manus to leave Hogwarts and study under them.
• Slughorn joined Dumbledore, determined to keep Manus as his student.

Manus King and Horace Slughorn attended the Wizards' Sage Conference, where Dumbledore formally began the Wizengamot's inquiry into Manus's independent invention of Wolfsbane Potion. The questioning started with basic questions about the potion and was moving toward expert scrutiny when the chapter ended.

• Manus exchanged research ideas with elderly wizards while Dumbledore and Slughorn argued with other scholars.
• Dumbledore used a firework to gather everyone's attention and restore order for the conference.
• The Wizengamot members announced their names, and Dumbledore declared the Wizards' Sage Conference begun.
• Dumbledore confirmed that Manus had independently invented Wolfsbane Potion and that Slughorn had only formatted and polished the paper.
• The Minister for Magic and other attendees questioned Manus about his reasons for making Wolfsbane Potion and its effects.
• The questioning progressed from Ministry officials to scholars and was just reaching Potions experts.

Manus explained his unconventional use of whole Aconite while concealing his deeper reasoning, then joined Potions experts in improving the Wolfsbane Potion. Maximilian warned that the potion could provoke werewolves and called for a cure, prompting Manus to suggest making werewolves harmless instead.

• Manus gave a carefully edited explanation for using whole Aconite, presenting his discovery as an experimental accident.
• Manus and Slughorn joined several Potions experts in discussing the Wolfsbane Potion and advanced its formulation by two iterations.
• Maximilian interrupted the discussion, warning that the potion could provoke restrained werewolves and worsen their treatment.
• Maximilian argued that wizarding society needed a potion to cure werewolves, but an elderly wizard dismissed the idea as impossible.
• Manus suggested changing the goal from curing werewolves to making them harmless.

At the Wizengamot, Manus proposed a Potion that could weaken Werewolves during the full moon, easing the danger that fueled public fear. The Wizengamot approved his paper and the Monthly Potion Digest planned a special supplement, while the experts began debating the Potion’s design and testing.

• Manus argued that Werewolves were feared chiefly because they became dangerous during the full moon, and proposed a Potion that would weaken them for that night.
• Dumbledore ended the discussion so the Wizengamot could finish its proceedings, and the members approved Manus’s paper without objection.
• The Potions masters decided to publish a special Monthly Potion Digest supplement featuring Manus’s paper, his defense, updated Wolfsbane Potion formulas, and the proposed new Potion.
• Slughorn asked Manus to let him keep the original manuscript, and Manus agreed before joining the experts’ discussion.
• The experts argued over ingredients and testing methods but failed to agree on a plan, while Manus remained satisfied with what he had achieved.
• Manus noticed Professor Dumbledore.

After Manus’s success with the Wolfsbane Potion, Dumbledore tried to discuss the potion’s potential use for a Werewolf at Hogwarts, and the two discovered they had each misunderstood what the other already knew. Manus explained that his amulet had revealed the Werewolf, leaving Dumbledore surprised by its Unicorn-enhanced magic.

• Dumbledore praised Manus’s achievements and asked whether he resented Dumbledore for suppressing his paper.
• Manus assumed Dumbledore wanted help making a potion that would let Werewolves endure transformation harmlessly, and said the senior Wizards deserved most of the credit.
• Dumbledore realized Manus might know Lupin was a Werewolf, while Manus realized Dumbledore had been thinking about Hogwarts’s Werewolf.
• Manus admitted he had discovered the Werewolf during his first month at Hogwarts, though he had never sneaked out at night.
• Manus explained that his Wiggentree amulet detected nearby threats and showed Dumbledore that it contained Unicorn Hair given to him by Hagrid.

Manus’s discovery of Remus Lupin as the Werewolf reached Dumbledore, while Manus’s reputation grew after the Wizengamot publicized its debate about Werewolves. The chapter ended with Manus discussing a Potions researcher whose work was nearing a breakthrough.

• Manus confirmed to Dumbledore that Remus Lupin used the passage beneath the Whomping Willow to reach Hogsmeade, but said he would not take risks to help Lupin.
• The Ministry publicized the Wizengamot meeting about Werewolves, and Manus’s rising reputation brought him acceptance in the Slug Club and invitations to exchange research.
• Manus rejected Slytherin students’ attempts to recruit him into the Death Eaters and received three rare magical books at a Slug Club gathering.
• Lily and Severus asked Manus about a Daily Prophet headline featuring his photograph and a researcher seeking to discuss Potions work.
• Manus explained that the researcher was close to completing a breakthrough, though success might still take several years.

Manus explained to Lily why the Wizengamot’s elders would likely claim the credit for a potion researcher's work, despite the council’s reputation for fairness. He revealed that the wizard had accepted a marriage into a Potions family, leaving Severus to regard his situation as a fortunate turn.

• Lily questioned why Severus considered the wizard’s promising research a pity, and Manus explained that the Wizengamot’s elders were also close to a breakthrough.
• Manus told Lily that the Wizengamot’s members had personal interests and could be swayed by the prestige of claiming a historic achievement.
• Lily asked what would happen to the wizard, and Manus explained that his potion was costly, unsafe, and unlikely to find a market.
• Manus said he had recommended the wizard to a senior Potions expert whose great-granddaughter wanted a talented husband, and that the wedding was likely soon.
• Lily was astonished that the wizard had chosen to join the family, while Severus considered the marriage a fortunate outcome.

Manus entered the Magic Mirror to test Tom’s strength, easily defeated his attacks, and restored him so they could talk. He asked whether Tom considered himself the same person as the original self who had not died.

• Manus entered the Magic Mirror and blocked Tom’s Curse with protective magic.
• Tom attacked Manus with a Killing Curse, but Manus used summoned rabbits to intercept it and continued analyzing the spell.
• Tom exhausted his strength and struck Manus with a final blood-red beam, but Manus’s body reformed unharmed.
• Manus concluded that the younger Tom was weaker than he had expected, then restored his body with life force.
• Manus explained that Tom’s soul fragment had absorbed his life force and asked whether Tom and the original self were the same person.

Manus used Tom’s fear of death to convince him that Voldemort would treat him as disposable, especially since he was one of several Horcruxes. He left Tom alive and recovering, urging him to decide whether he was an object, an independent person, or Voldemort’s enemy.

• Manus asked Tom whether he would regard a soul fragment with his memories as himself, and Tom recognized that Voldemort would likely destroy him.
• Manus deduced that Voldemort had made multiple Horcruxes, and Tom’s reaction confirmed it.
• Manus explained that Voldemort’s fear of death had driven him to make Horcruxes and vividly described what dying and decaying would mean for Tom.
• Manus pressed Tom to confront how his victims had died and whether he understood that he could become a corpse like them.
• Manus restored some of Tom’s vitality and told him to consider who he was, whom he could trust, and who his enemy was before Manus returned.

After Manus established a tentative alliance with Tom, he turned to the question that most puzzled him about Voldemort’s Horcrux. The chapter ended with Manus asking why Tom had left Ravenclaw’s Diadem unprotected among junk behind a hidden door at Hogwarts.

• Manus reflected on his conversation with Tom and concluded that Tom’s fear of death had weakened his expectations of him.
• After the Gryffindor–Slytherin Quidditch match, Manus met Tom again, and they quickly agreed to cooperate.
• Tom asked whether Manus intended to kill Voldemort, and Manus said he had no grievance against him and that his uncle was a Death Eater.
• Tom accepted Manus’s assurance and agreed to let Manus ask questions first.
• Manus picked up Ravenclaw’s Diadem and asked Tom why he had left the Horcrux unprotected among junk on the castle’s Seventh Floor.

Tom explained why Voldemort had hidden the diadem Horcrux in the Room of Requirement and described the first two Horcruxes. The chapter ended with Manus identifying the vessel used for Tom, the third Horcrux, as Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem.

• Tom said Voldemort had hidden the diadem in the Room of Requirement because it blended into the room's enormous pile of junk.
• Manus questioned Tom about the Horcruxes, and Tom said the first was a ring hidden at the Gaunt family estate after he killed his uncle.
• Tom said he had made the second Horcrux in a diary after using the Basilisk to kill a girl, but he did not know where the diary was now.
• Tom asked Manus to identify the vessel used to create him, and Manus recognized Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem.

Tom revealed that Helena Ravenclaw had given him Ravenclaw's Diadem, and Manus deduced that she was a ghost at Hogwarts. Manus considered why Helena had kept her identity hidden and had not visited Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait, then decided to look for Helena or ask Rowena for help.

• Tom told Manus that he had learned the diadem's location from Ravenclaw's daughter.
• Manus guessed that Tom had met Helena Ravenclaw as a ghost and deduced that she was at Hogwarts.
• Tom's reaction confirmed Manus's guess, but Manus realized Helena's identity had remained hidden from Hogwarts's ghosts.
• Manus considered why Helena had not opened the secret door to see Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait and could not reach a firm conclusion.
• Manus decided to search for Helena Ravenclaw or ask Rowena Ravenclaw to reveal her identity.