Chapter Summaries

Manus considered leaving Divination but agreed to meet Professor Staky on Sunday, then studied advanced dueling techniques from Flitwick. Flitwick suggested Manus apply Wizard’s Chess strategy to dueling and asked him to coach Ignis, leaving Manus to consider helping the next tournament competitor.

• Manus told Staky he wanted to learn Divination for himself, and they arranged to meet for tea on Sunday.
• Manus decided to keep the beauty potion he had made out of circulation until he could test it carefully.
• Flitwick taught Manus advanced dueling techniques and recommended subscribing to the Dueling Horn Daily for its combat advice.
• Flitwick suggested Manus use Wizard’s Chess thinking in duels and asked him to coach Ignis for the next school year’s competition.

Manus declined Flitwick’s proposed tutoring match because his schedule was already full, prompting Flitwick to worry that he was pushing himself too hard. Flitwick then asked McGonagall to help reduce Manus’s workload, but their discussion turned to how exceptional Manus’s magical abilities were.

• Manus told Flitwick that he could not meet Sunday afternoon because he had arranged to discuss Potions with Professor Staky.
• Flitwick warned Manus that his packed timetable and lack of rest could wear him down, then told him to forget the tutoring match for now.
• Flitwick went to McGonagall to discuss reducing Manus’s homework so he could rest more.
• Flitwick explained that Manus learned spells so quickly that ordinary homework and further practice were largely unnecessary.
• McGonagall questioned Flitwick about giving Manus dueling training, then became distracted by the report that Manus could summon stone statues.

McGonagall and Flitwick planned to seek an exception that would ease Manus’s school obligations, using his potential contributions to several competitions as justification. They decided not to tell Manus that the Potions Championship was part of their argument, lest he take on another burden.

• McGonagall questioned how Hogwarts could justify giving Manus an exception despite his extraordinary skills and grades.
• Flitwick suggested that Manus needed time to train Ignis for the Inter-School Wizard's Chess Championship.
• McGonagall proposed adding Manus’s Potions achievements and preparation for the Magical Schools Potions Championship as further grounds for the exception.
• McGonagall explained that the Potions competition’s ingredient-gathering stage posed particular dangers, especially against Uagadou’s Animagus students.
• Flitwick worried that Manus would volunteer for more work if he learned about the Potions Championship, so McGonagall told him to keep it secret.

Manus learned that Flitwick, McGonagall, and Slughorn had arranged for him to apply for exemption from coursework while preparing for school competitions, provided he kept an O in every subject. After considering which classes to keep, he decided to continue Ancient Runes and drop Arithmancy.

• Manus read the proposed coursework exemption and realized it would free up time, but required O grades in every subject and could be revoked if his marks fell.
• Manus recognized that the strict conditions were designed to persuade the Board of Governors by making the exemption appear unusually demanding for most students.
• Manus consulted Babbling, who explained that later Ancient Runes lessons would cover obscure stages in the evolution of runes and rare ancient texts.
• Manus decided to keep Ancient Runes because it still offered material he could not readily learn elsewhere.
• Manus chose to drop Arithmancy, reasoning that its numerical magic and divination overlapped with Ancient Runes and his existing abilities.

Manus prepared to discuss Beauty Potions and Magical Textiles dyes with Staky, bringing her a new dye made from Color-Changing Giant Snails. Staky was astonished by his achievement and began asking how he had made it and whether he had produced other colors.

• Manus developed Multicolored Purple dye by analyzing Color-Changing Giant Snails and refining the dye-making process.
• Manus used the Black Earth Technique to create snails with magenta, yellow, and cyan base colors, allowing him to make dyes in many different colors.
• Manus arrived early at Staky's office with a bottle of Violet Variant dye and gave it to her as thanks for her help.
• Staky admired the shifting purple dye and questioned how Manus had combined snail shells with Beauty Potion knowledge.
• Staky noticed the Violet Variant name implied other colors and began asking Manus about them.

Manus and Staky exchanged Potion-making knowledge while discussing his Color-Changing Giant Snail dye and its possible uses. The chapter ended with Staky realizing Manus considered the dye unfinished because he wanted to create three primary-color dyes that could mix into nearly any color.

• Staky served Manus tea and asked whether his Color-Changing Giant Snail dye could also work as Hair-Dye Potion.
• Manus said he had not tested it, and Staky proposed testing it on animals and Magical Creatures before trying it on herself.
• Manus and Staky shared their Potion-making knowledge, including Staky's recipes that incorporated moon phases.
• Staky judged Manus's dye recipe to be fully perfected, but Manus explained that he wanted to make three primary-color dyes that could produce nearly every color.
• Manus clarified that his dye was for Magical Textiles rather than hair, leaving Staky speechless.

Manus decided to drop Arithmancy and asked Flitwick whether doing so would jeopardize his application to be exempted from regular homework. Flitwick assured him it would not and told him to submit the withdrawal application, leaving Manus ready to return and write it before Flitwick stopped him.

• After tea, Manus decided to visit Flitwick and discuss dropping Arithmancy.
• Flitwick was pleased when Manus said he wanted to drop the course, then asked him to explain his reasons.
• Manus argued that Arithmancy had little value for his plans and that dropping it would help optimize his schedule.
• Flitwick advised Manus to focus his application on the course's low relevance to his future and his preparations to win honors for Hogwarts.
• Manus asked whether dropping Arithmancy would affect his application to be exempted from regular homework, and Flitwick assured him it would not.
• Manus prepared to leave and write the application, but Flitwick called him back.

Manus secured approval to be exempted from homework and to use the extra time for school competitions, while Flitwick accidentally revealed the upcoming Potions Championship. McGonagall warned Manus to preserve time for rest, and he began to ask her about something Flitwick had said.

• Manus explained his schedule to Flitwick and offered to help prepare for the Wizard's Chess guidance and the Magical Schools Potions Championship.
• Flitwick realized he had revealed the upcoming Potions Championship, then told Manus the school had little expectation for its team and he need not set aside extra time.
• Flitwick reminded Manus to watch the Quidditch matches featuring Raven's Feather and the Broomsticks Manus had made.
• Manus sent in applications to be exempted from homework and to adjust his schedule, and McGonagall told him on Monday that both had been approved.
• McGonagall cautioned Manus to leave enough time for rest, and Manus began asking her about something he had heard Flitwick say.

Manus learned that McGonagall and the other professors had tried to spare him work related to the Magical Schools Potions Championship, and he reassured her that he could manage his studies. He went to Herbology afterward, where Bellows began telling him about a major event at Hogwarts.

• McGonagall explained that the professors had tried to lighten Manus's workload by keeping him away from the Magical Schools Potions Championship, and Manus revealed that he had misunderstood Flitwick's earlier comments.
• Manus told McGonagall he was researching Alchemy and Astronomy, and she urged him to rest and keep the championship information secret.
• Manus arrived late to Herbology and joined Bellows in the greenhouse while the class continued its practical work.
• Bellows told Manus that a major event had happened during first period and hinted that it involved unusually notable Gryffindors and Slytherins.

Manus learned that seventh-year Gryffindors and Slytherins had erupted into a vicious fight after a Gryffindor's mother was killed by a Slytherin's uncle. The fight left one student gravely injured and another taken home, and the heads of house gathered at lunch as the students waited to hear what would happen next.

• Manus guessed that graduating seventh-years had started the fight, and Bellows said it began after a Gryffindor's mother was killed by a Slytherin's uncle.
• Bellows explained that the brawl escalated amid old grievances and involved dangerous spells, including Diffindo.
• Manus asked whether anyone had died, and Bellows said Professor Flitwick had stopped the fight before that happened.
• Bellows said the first student struck was badly injured and had been taken to St. Mungo's, while the Gryffindor who attacked him had been taken home by his father.
• Manus and Bellows finished gathering Puffapods as dark clouds gathered, then noticed McGonagall, Flitwick, Slughorn, and Sprout waiting at lunch to address the students.

Hogwarts tightened its rules after a student was seriously injured in a retaliatory attack, while Manus doubted the restrictions could prevent deliberate violence. He warned his family to stay safe, then made progress on his Legendary Magic [Manus's Astral Vestment].

• McGonagall announced stricter school controls, harsher punishments, increased patrols, and a temporary ban on unsupervised broom use.
• McGonagall canceled the afternoon's first class and ordered prefects to escort students to their common rooms.
• Manus told Bellows that Ministry officials were probably coming and worried that Hogwarts's measures would not stop a planned murder.
• Manus wrote to his family, advising them to stay home and consider casting a Fidelius Charm on their home.
• Manus used the free period to study Star Magic and advanced his work on [Manus's Astral Vestment] by using the Moon's orbit as a reference for handling Celestial Force.

Manus praised Barty Jr.’s paper on the Knockback Jinx and Banishing Charm, marked a few places for clarification, and promised to submit it after revision. Back in the dormitory, Manus explored using the deferent-epicycle model to develop magic based on Celestial Force.

• Barty Jr. gave Manus his completed paper, and Manus praised its reasoning while marking several arguments for more detail.
• Manus told Barty Jr. that the revised paper would be submitted directly to British Oak Wand and encouraged him to trust his abilities.
• Barty Jr. returned to the dormitory delighted, and Manus reflected that his talent for learning Charms surpassed even Severus and Lily’s.
• Manus considered adapting celestial orbits to protect against Celestial Force, but rejected spherical crystals and mass-based orbital ideas.
• Manus turned to the deferent-epicycle model, reasoning that its geometric calculations could make the sun appear to revolve around Earth.

Manus refined his plan for a magical celestial-positioning system, while Hogwarts students returned to the Quidditch stands after two tense weeks. The Gryffindor–Slytherin match began with Slytherin targeting Potter, drawing furious protests from the Gryffindor supporters and McGonagall.

• Manus concluded that his Earth-centered epicycle-deferent system needed a Locating Spell and additional knowledge to work in outer space and the Mental World.
• After two weeks without another incident, Hogwarts students grew lively again during the first Quidditch match of the school year.
• McGonagall, Flitwick, Slughorn, and Sprout discussed the Death Eaters’ strategy of wearing down the Wizarding World and doubted the Ministry of Magic could stop Voldemort.
• Gryffindor and Slytherin began their match, and Flitwick praised the unusually fast Broomsticks Manus had made.
• A Quaffle was knocked toward Potter, who dodged it, prompting Gryffindor supporters and McGonagall to condemn Selwyn and Slytherin for the foul.

Potter baited Nott into a dangerous dive, where Black’s Bludger knocked the Slytherin Seeker from Yggdrasil and Slughorn saved him. Gryffindor celebrated, but Potter and Black’s clashing behavior left their team divided as the match continued.

• Potter ignored the Golden Snitch and led Nott into a near-vertical dive, while Nott focused on avoiding the ground.
• Black struck Nott with a Bludger, and Slughorn used Arresto Momentum to stop Nott’s fall before taking him to the hospital wing.
• Slytherin called a timeout to replace Nott while Gryffindor celebrated around the pitch.
• Potter searched for the Golden Snitch he had ignored, and Black mistakenly thought Potter resented him for stealing the spotlight.
• Potter and Black’s discord continued during the match, prompting McGonagall’s frustration and Flitwick and Sprout’s concern.

During a Quidditch match, Potter caught the Golden Snitch moments after accelerating on Gungnir, prompting Manus and Pandora to discuss how Ravenclaw’s powerful brooms could make matches one-sided. After Gryffindor celebrated its win, Manus offered Bellows and Pandora tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, having received far more than he needed from broomstick companies.

• Manus watched the Quidditch match while reflecting on how the Seekers and his broom designs affected its pace.
• Potter accelerated on Gungnir, caught the Golden Snitch, and won the match for Gryffindor.
• Manus told Pandora that Ravenclaw’s Raven’s Feather brooms could make finding the Snitch first decisive against the other Houses.
• Gryffindor fans lamented the short Snitch chase, and one reminded his friends that the Quidditch World Cup would take place in August.
• Manus offered Bellows a World Cup ticket, and Bellows accepted while explaining that Travers would stay home with his mother.
• Manus explained that broomstick companies had sent him surplus VIP tickets, and Pandora questioned whether he had bought them specifically for her.

Manus distributed Quidditch World Cup VIP tickets to friends and professors, then realized some seats were paired with theirs and asked Slughorn for advice about using the remaining tickets to trade for rare resources. The chapter ended with Slughorn warning him not to simply offer the tickets at the Slug Club.

• Manus offered Jasper and Quirinus tickets, while Pandora declined because she planned to visit France with her parents.
• Manus offered Bellows a chance to travel with their group, and Bellows accepted.
• Manus gave tickets to McGonagall, Flitwick, and Slughorn, while Sprout declined and gave him homemade nougat.
• Manus realized the tickets came in bundled sets, leaving Jasper seated beside Flitwick and his remaining tickets beside Slughorn.
• Jasper worried about sitting next to Flitwick, while Slughorn advised Manus that people with rare resources would not reveal them if he merely offered tickets at the Slug Club.

Manus asked Slughorn to find trading partners for a list of rare resources, and Slughorn secured two deals: Re’em blood from Lucius Malfoy and a pair of Runespoors from Borgin. Manus accepted the Runespoors despite suspecting Borgin wanted to build a business connection, leaving the two unusual creatures in Slughorn’s office.

• Manus asked Slughorn to find suitable trading partners for the resources on his list, and Slughorn agreed to use his contacts.
• Slughorn told Manus that old Malfoy had traded a pint of Re’em blood for two Australia tickets for Lucius and Narcissa’s honeymoon.
• Slughorn said old Borgin had obtained a pair of healthy Runespoors and had paid twenty thousand Galleons for them in advance.
• Manus examined the Runespoors and judged the pair worth the high price because all six heads were intact.
• Manus considered whether Borgin wanted to encourage future cooperation, then accepted that the transaction was fair because Borgin had asked only for Galleons.

Manus discovered that the two Runespoors he bought from old Borgin had been stolen and arranged for their owner, a Uagadou professor, to reclaim them. While waiting for the professor to visit Hogwarts, Manus harvested Re'em blood and confirmed it was a potent ingredient for a Strong Strengthening Potion.

• Manus learned through Parseltongue that the two Runespoors had a tracking charm and had been stolen from their owner, so he planned to return them after the holidays.
• Manus contacted the Runespoors’ owner, who believed his explanation and said they would visit Hogwarts the following Sunday.
• Manus wondered why the tracking charm led to an address in Dorset and how the letter had been delivered so quickly, but decided to wait and find out.
• Manus anesthetized a Re'em, drew a pint of its blood, and used Scarpin's Revelaspell to assess its properties.
• Manus confirmed the Re'em blood was potent enough to brew four doses of a Strong Strengthening Potion and considered using it for his next Potions laboratory research topic.

Manus replaced Griffin claw powder with Re'em horn powder while brewing a Potent Strengthening Potion, following his magical senses to add far more than the standard ingredient amount. He left the potion brewing as an experiment in its strength limit, concerned that its effects might make him dangerously strong.

• Manus discovered that Re'em horn powder was more compatible with the potion than Griffin claw powder and began adding it instead.
• Severus watched Manus add more than fifteen pounds of Re'em horn powder and reflected on whether he would dare alter such an expensive recipe.
• Manus calculated that one potion would use nearly all the powder from a single Re'em horn, while the amount of Re'em blood and the stirring instructions remained unchanged.
• Manus and Severus realized the potion might grant close to a thousand pounds of strength, but Manus decided to finish the batch as an experiment.

Manus and Severus finished a costly, successful potion experiment, and Severus worried about whether his studies and career were on the right path. Manus took him to Hagrid’s for a meal, where he shared beef from his own livestock and learned Hagrid could preserve it for later.

• Manus explained that the potion experiment had succeeded, though Severus said he had already learned the wrong lesson from its costly use of Re'em horn.
• Severus considered making Beauty Potions for money as he questioned his stalled spellwork and whether he should continue on his chosen path.
• Manus noticed Severus’s uncertainty and offered to treat him to steak at Hagrid’s.
• At Hagrid’s yard, Severus saw enormous ribeye steaks grilling while Hagrid eagerly ate his barely seared portion.
• Manus said he had raised the beef himself and offered Hagrid extra meat, and Hagrid said he could preserve it for a long time.