Chapter Summaries

Dumbledore banned the Focus Charm from the exams after Manus agreed it could undermine fairness, and the final exams began. Manus passed his Divination practical with a weather prediction while reaffirming that he would focus on shaping the present rather than chasing the future.

• Dumbledore asked Manus whether the Focus Charm should be banned, and Manus agreed; Dumbledore then arranged for McGonagall to announce the rule.
• McGonagall announced that the Focus Charm was banned from the exam, and the final exams began amid students’ speculation about the Defense Against the Dark Arts test.
• Manus noticed that all four Marauders had arrived after the full moon, then returned to studying his Egyptian Book of the Dead.
• Manus gave the Divination practical exam by predicting rain the next day, and Tracey awarded him an O.
• Manus told Tracey that he preferred shaping the present to pursuing glimpses of the future, and the exam week ended.

Manus summoned Lily to the Astronomy Tower and gave her documents establishing a Muggle identity that would let her parents explain her life outside Hogwarts. He showed her how he had created convincing photographs for the identity, leaving her to examine images of places around Hogwarts.

• Huginn delivered Manus's message, and Lily hurried to the Astronomy Tower fearing Manus had discovered she had been slacking off.
• Manus told Lily he trusted her to manage her own life and said he wanted to discuss her and Petunia.
• Manus gave Lily an acceptance letter and identity documents with background details for her to study.
• Lily found photographs of herself in the envelope and asked how Manus had made them.
• Manus explained how photographs were formed and used spells to create images of Hogwarts, the Quidditch stands, and the Great Lake.

Lily learned that Manus had founded the Muggle university he recommended and that it formed part of his plans in the Muggle world. After the exam results came out, Pettigrew scored exceptionally well, but Manus told him that joining the Wizard Sage Party required more than classroom knowledge.

• Lily admired Manus's photographs of extraordinary landscapes and agreed to remember the school's introduction and compare notes with Petunia.
• Manus told Lily that the university was real, gave them an acceptance letter, and explained that it offered professional knowledge rather than conventional degree courses.
• Lily discovered that Manus had founded the university and learned that it and its company were part of his plans in the Muggle world.
• The exam results came out, and Gryffindor students celebrated Pettigrew's exceptionally high marks.
• Pettigrew said he had hoped to pass, and Manus explained that joining the Wizard Sage Party required more than classroom knowledge.

Manus encouraged Pettigrew to keep changing his life through study and effort, then learned that Barty Jr. had passed the test for rational thinking. After Barty Jr. passed a second test, Manus admitted him to the School, and Barty Jr. asked whether he would get a new wand and cloak.

• Pettigrew retook Manus’s test but still scored poorly, so Manus urged him to read more and use the holiday to experience a different life.
• Manus reflected that Pettigrew’s improved grades and choices could help him recognize his ability to change his circumstances.
• Barty Jr. revealed that he had stayed hidden because Pettigrew might not have wanted to be seen, and he asked how Manus had met him.
• Manus explained that Pettigrew had sought his help and might join the Wizard Sage Party to handle commissions in return.
• Barty Jr. showed Manus his test, and Manus learned that he had passed before and had been practicing until his results became consistent.
• Barty Jr. passed Manus’s new test, so Manus admitted him to the School, and Barty Jr. asked about receiving a new wand and cloak.

Manus discussed making a Wand for Barty Jr. and questioned whether his way of choosing materials could truly match someone better than traditional wandmaking. He explained how he had selected materials for his own staffs, leaving the dilemma unresolved.

• Manus told Bellows he was making a Wand for Barty Jr., not a Broomstick.
• Manus and Bellows discussed what made someone a professional wandmaker and how secretive wandmaking traditions could leave crafts at risk of disappearing.
• Manus wondered whether his personal approach to matching Wand materials could be less suitable than having someone try many Wands, but he also wanted people’s lives to be able to change.
• Manus summoned four staffs and explained the materials and purposes behind the Elder Wand, Ember Dragon Staff, a staff made with corrupted flesh and blood, and the Dreamcatcher Staff.

Manus planned a combat-oriented staff for Barty Jr. and discussed Mrs. Travers’s recovery with Bellows. He gave Bellows a reliable way to contact him while noting that he might travel abroad during the holidays.

• Manus chose black walnut and a Wetland Werewolf’s cranial nerves as suitable materials for Barty Jr.’s staff, and considered growing a Wetland Werewolf from its hair.
• Manus planned to order Wetland Werewolf hair and other materials from magical creatures native to North America.
• Bellows asked Manus about Mrs. Travers’s follow-up treatment and reported that she could stay awake longer and sense when a coma was approaching.
• Manus explained that Mrs. Travers’s coma was helping her soul recover and advised against deliberately interfering with it.
• Manus gave Bellows a reliable contact address in case Mrs. Travers’s condition changed, and Bellows promised to use it discreetly.

Manus reflected on why he needed to help build a magical research system before going to the Travers residence for Mrs. Travers’s follow-up examination. Her recovery had progressed surprisingly well, and Manus concluded that the attentive companionship of her husband and son had helped her soul heal.

• Manus decided that isolated research would not be enough and that he needed to help build a system for magic in this world.
• Manus went to the Travers residence on Sleipnir to examine Mrs. Travers, and Mr. Travers asked him for advice about her recovery.
• Manus told Mr. Travers and Bellows not to interfere with Mrs. Travers’s sleep unless necessary, and promised to give more specific instructions after the examination.
• Manus found that Mrs. Travers’s recovery had advanced much further than the medicine alone could explain.
• Manus concluded that her husband and son’s prolonged, attentive companionship had enhanced her soul’s self-healing.

After checking on Mrs. Travers, Manus caught up on Muggle research and world affairs, reflecting on how the world’s fairy-tale tendency still operated through realistic causes. He left convinced that triggering a major energy revolution could escalate geopolitical tensions into another world war.

• Manus examined Mrs. Travers, replenished her Soul Cradle’s medicine, gave her a healing potion, and advised her to rest.
• Manus stayed for lunch with the Traverses, then visited the London Library to review six months of Muggle academic developments.
• Bauer asked Manus about the May eclipse, and Manus recalled observing it elsewhere and gaining insights and crystallized power while recognizing the risks of Stargazing.
• Manus reviewed international news, including Greece and Turkey’s clashes in Cyprus, Greece’s withdrawal from NATO, and rising oil prices.
• Manus concluded that introducing a major new energy source could intensify the United States–Soviet rivalry and provoke another world war.

Manus discussed the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy with Mr. Bauer, then learned that wizards investigating the London Tower Bridge explosion were still asking people for information. He suggested that, if the hidden wizards were careless, investigators should question night soil men who might notice their waste.

• Manus explained that he considered the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy a valuable safeguard despite intending to break it.
• Mr. Bauer clarified that he had meant the London Tower Bridge explosion and suspected wizards had caused it and used Obliviate on witnesses.
• Mr. Bauer criticized the wizards for asking people around London instead of using street cameras to find those they sought.
• Mr. Bauer argued that investigators were questioning the wrong people and asked Manus whom they should approach.
• Manus suggested they ask night soil men, since careless wizards might leave household waste behind.

Manus learned from Mr. Bauer that suspicious rubbish had been appearing at a collection point on Downing Street, suggesting the missing group might be hiding there. He explained a way to bury Mr. Bauer’s memories of the clue so they would not affect his behavior, and Mr. Bauer was tempted by the offer.

• Mr. Bauer told Manus that rubbish had been turning up at a Downing Street collection point for some time.
• Manus reasoned that the group could be hiding on Downing Street, beyond the reach of both the Aurors and the Death Eaters.
• Mr. Bauer said he had told no one else, not even Elizabeth, about the clue.
• Manus offered to place the memories deeper in Mr. Bauer’s mind instead of using Obliviate, and explained how the method would work.
• Manus warned that the treatment could not protect Mr. Bauer from powerful mind-affecting magic, while Mr. Bauer considered accepting it.

Manus investigated a group of wizards hiding at 11 Downing Street and suspected they belonged to the Greater Good, whose interest in Hufflepuff’s Cup remained unclear. He planned to find the cup while continuing to monitor Mathilde’s curse, which remained stable.

• Manus discovered wizards hiding at 11 Downing Street with the Chancellor’s apparent cooperation, rather than by magically controlling him.
• Manus suspected the wizards were members of the Greater Good and considered several reasons they might be seeking Hufflepuff’s Cup, deciding to find it first.
• Manus planned to ask Lucius about the cup when they met on the fourth day of the holiday, since Voldemort had entrusted it to Bellatrix.
• Manus examined Mathilde and confirmed that her Beastman Blood Curse had not worsened; McGonagall said she had not yet experienced a Magical Outburst.
• Manus reassured Mathilde that the curse had been contained and was not a threat to her life.

Manus told McGonagall and Mathilde that he had strengthened the seal on Mathilde’s Beastman Blood Curse so it could not be inherited by her descendants, but warned that the curse still needed a complete cure. After discussing his healing research and Mathilde’s wellbeing, Manus left McGonagall’s home.

• Manus told McGonagall that Mathilde’s condition was stable and that he had strengthened the seal against the curse passing down her bloodline.
• Manus warned that the seal could still be broken and promised to keep seeking a complete treatment; Mathilde and Mrs. McGonagall listened nearby.
• McGonagall asked Manus about his healer work and the Wound-Healing Potion, and Manus described his other ongoing treatments and research.
• Manus observed Mathilde’s mental state, discussed the importance of family education for young wizards, and later talked Transfiguration with McGonagall.
• Manus took his leave, and McGonagall was pleased that he had continued his Transfiguration research.

Manus met Lucius and Narcissa in a Muggle café and questioned why they wanted to join the Wizard Sage Party despite their families’ ties to You-Know-Who. Lucius admitted the Malfoys had followed You-Know-Who under pressure, but Manus pressed him to explain why they had chosen him.

• Manus met Lucius and Narcissa at a Muggle café, where they ordered coffee and Black Forest cake.
• Manus asked why Lucius and Narcissa wanted to join the Wizard Sage Party despite their families’ support for You-Know-Who.
• Lucius stood up in protest when Manus said he had expected a Death Eater ambush, then struggled to defend the Malfoys’ reputation.
• Lucius explained that the Malfoys pursued profit and stability, and that his father had followed You-Know-Who after realizing resistance could mean death.
• After the server brought their order, Manus asked why Lucius had chosen him when changing course would still endanger the Malfoy family.

Lucius explained why the Malfoy family had abandoned Voldemort and joined the Wizard Sage Party, while Narcissa declared that the Black Family’s position no longer concerned her. He revealed that Abraxas believed Manus was certain to succeed if nothing unexpected happened, leaving Manus curious about the older Malfoy’s assessment.

• Lucius told Manus that he had turned away from Voldemort because Voldemort seemed unlikely to defeat Dumbledore and reward the Malfoy family.
• Lucius held Narcissa’s hand, and Narcissa said she was a Malfoy now and had no connection to the Black Family’s stance.
• Manus asked why Lucius had chosen the Wizard Sage Party instead of Dumbledore, and Lucius said his father distrusted Dumbledore and expected him to demand too high a price.
• Manus asked what Abraxas thought of him, and Lucius said his father believed Manus knew what he wanted and could achieve it, barring unexpected events.
• Lucius drifted into thoughts about whether he and Narcissa might have a son or daughter, while Manus wondered why he had lost focus.

Manus clarified that the Wizard Sage Party was an academic exchange platform, not a source of protection or an opponent of Voldemort, but Lucius and Narcissa joined anyway. After they passed the membership test and learned its rules, Lucius reflected that Manus’s ambitions for the organization were far smaller than he and Abraxas had expected.

• Manus explained that the Wizard Sage Party offered no promised protection and would not deliberately set itself against the Death Eaters.
• Lucius and Narcissa chose to join despite Manus’s clarification, then passed the ability test and signed their names.
• Manus gave Lucius and Narcissa the organization’s first lesson by warning them not to sign Magical Contracts carelessly.
• After Manus left, Lucius told Narcissa that Manus’s expectations for the Wizard Sage Party differed from what he and Abraxas had anticipated.
• Lucius considered how the Wizard Sage Party might have become the foundation of Manus’s following, especially amid Voldemort’s challenge to the Ministry of Magic.

Lucius and Abraxas decided to back Manus and the Wizard Sage Party, believing Manus offered their best path through the Wizarding War. Abraxas explained that Manus’s apparent restraints could conceal a strategy involving two organizations, though he left Lucius wondering how that plan would work.

• Lucius told Narcissa that they should join the Wizard Sage Party as an investment in Manus, and she accepted that she would need to study magic again.
• Lucius argued that Dumbledore would lead them to a dead end and Manus was their best choice, while Abraxas remained convinced Voldemort could not defeat Dumbledore.
• After Lucius recounted his conversation with Manus, Abraxas said Manus had grand ambitions and could not safely wait for the opposing sides to destroy each other.
• Abraxas explained that Manus might make the party appear restrained while using those restraints to keep Dumbledore and Voldemort from attacking him.
• Abraxas suggested that Manus could operate two different organizations under a single name, leaving Lucius surprised.

Abraxas decided the Malfoy family should distance itself from Voldemort and align with Manus’s Wizard Sage Party, while Manus accepted Lucius and Narcissa as ordinary new members. Manus then continued his research and began ordering magical creature materials, learning that Rare Birds and Exotic Beasts could source them worldwide.

• Abraxas told Lucius that Manus was the key to the Malfoy family’s future and advised him not to investigate any possible hidden group too aggressively.
• Abraxas made Lucius the new helm of the Malfoy family, and Lucius promised to take responsibility.
• Manus decided not to scrutinize the Malfoys’ decision to join the Wizard Sage Party and left its newly graduated members’ status unchanged.
• Manus visited Rare Birds and Exotic Beasts to order magical creature materials and learned that it had procurement networks across the world and that orders could not be returned unless the shop was at fault.

Manus and his parents set off for France on the Night Ferry Train after Manus finished arranging a large shipment of magical creature and plant materials. They boarded the hot sleeper carriage, where Griffin chatted with a fellow passenger while Manus led Aivina to a slightly cooler compartment.

• The clerk at Rare Birds and Exotic Beasts reminded Manus about his extensive order of magical creature and plant materials.
• Manus considered which rare creatures he could not obtain, including Golden Snidgets, Phoenixes, and Obscuruses.
• Manus visited Margaret, Nicolas, and Nicolas's wife before leaving for France with his parents.
• Griffin persuaded Aivina to take the Night Ferry Train, explaining that their carriage would travel by ferry across the sea overnight.
• Aivina complained about the heat aboard the train, while Griffin spoke with an elderly passenger about Paris and traveling with children.
• Manus led Aivina into the inner compartment, where the air was slightly cooler and fresher.

Manus, Aivina, and Griffin endured an uncomfortable overnight journey on the Night Ferry Train, whose carriages were chained to the ferry and rattled across the deck all night. After arriving in Paris, Aivina and Griffin went to sleep while Manus set out alone to visit an acquaintance.

• Manus gave Aivina cold honey lemonade and a temperature-regulating Scarf to make the hot train ride more comfortable.
• Griffin learned that the Night Ferry Train carriages were moved onto the ferry and secured with chains, then all three endured a noisy, rough night at sea.
• Aivina decided that the family would use the Ministry of Magic's Floo Network for the return journey, and Manus agreed.
• After the train reached Paris North Station, Griffin and Aivina went to find lodging and sleep while Manus planned to explore on his own.
• Manus told his parents he was going to visit an acquaintance, then left while they were already asleep.

Manus visited Staky in France after fending off robbers, and she explained how French wizards handled dangerous Muggle criminals. Staky showed him Beauty Potion research reports and praised his healing-potion work, while noting that Beauty Potions were more accepted in France than in Britain.

• Manus dodged a man who charged at him and later sent three armed attackers into the Seine before reaching Staky's home.
• Staky explained that French wizards could legally use spells on robbers and bring dangerous criminals to the Ministry of Magic.
• Staky showed Manus reports from her Beauty Potion experiments and described her profitable potion-based beauty business.
• Staky explained that French Potioneers tolerated private Beauty Potion research, unlike British Potioneers, who condemned it.
• Staky praised Manus's published Wound-Healing Potion and said Beauty Potions would likely develop further in Britain.