Chapter Summaries

Manus befriended Lily and told her about the Wizarding World, then returned to Severus after dealing with the werewolf. The chapter ended with Severus going home and Manus heading back to the secret base to use the fresh werewolf corpse.

• Manus learned that Lily had few friends because Petunia rejected her unusual abilities, and he explained that she was a witch.
• Manus reassured Lily that she was not alone and invited her to visit him or seek out Severus.
• After Lily left, Manus inspected the fresh werewolf corpse and anticipated the effects of using it for a baptism.
• Manus returned to the secret base, told Severus about Lily, and concealed the werewolf corpse there.
• Manus and Severus left the base and went to Severus's house, where they parted before Manus returned toward the base.

Manus prepared to use Beast Blood Baptism on a fresh werewolf corpse, expecting it to be an unusually potent source of vitality. He found that the Wolfsbane Potion had apparently killed the Lycanthropy, leaving him unable to study a transformation, and considered whether a cure could be developed.

• Manus explained why he usually used Beast Blood Baptism to increase vitality and recalled the powerful effects of Fawkes's tail feather and dragon blood.
• Manus examined the werewolf corpse and began processing it with Moonlit Song before attempting the baptism.
• Manus observed that the corpse showed no signs of transformation and wondered whether the Wolfsbane Potion had completely killed the Lycanthropy.
• Manus considered improving the potion to eliminate Lycanthropy while keeping werewolves alive, then speculated that a cure might earn him prestige.

Manus brought a werewolf corpse into his Fidelius-protected workshop and used it for an enhanced Beast Blood Baptism. As the baptism offered him a choice of abilities, he examined the options and noticed a surprising Transfiguration Talent.

• Manus decided the werewolf corpse had no further research value and carried it into his hidden workshop using Zombie Drift.
• Manus explained that the Fidelius Charm concealed the workshop and anything he did there unless he revealed its secret.
• Manus performed the Beast Blood Baptism, transforming the werewolf’s body, soul, and magic into a pool of crimson liquid that engulfed him.
• Manus reviewed the baptism’s options, including Magic Infection, but passed on them and prepared to choose vitality.
• Manus noticed a subtle option called Transfiguration Talent.

Manus chose vitality for his Werewolf Baptism and returned home with the Magic Mirror. He considered whether written magic could let him expand the mirror’s knowledge and develop it into a rudimentary Intelligent Core.

• Manus chose vitality over Fred Hones's Transfiguration talent, reasoning that magical talents could be inherited through Beast Blood Baptism and might be worth studying in Wizards.
• Manus completed the transformation, emerged healthy, and took the Magic Mirror from the True Secret Base.
• Manus asked the Magic Mirror whether any young Wizards besides himself, Severus, and Lily lived in Cokeworth, and it answered no.
• Manus examined the Magic Mirror at home and asked whether magic like that on Severus's potted plant could give it additional enchantments.
• The Magic Mirror said it lacked enough information to judge and warned that its fragile construction could not withstand excessive magical interference.
• Manus considered using written magic to feed information into the mirror and thought about the cost of making one.

Manus tested adding an Ancient Rune to the Magic Mirror, hoping to expand its pseudo-omniscience, but the only clear effect was that it could move. When Severus and Lily visited, Manus discussed the risks of practicing magic and advised Lily to wait for professional instruction at Hogwarts.

• Manus used the Ancient Rune ᚱ to enchant the Magic Mirror and asked it about the result.
• The Magic Mirror said the rune had successfully let it move, while Manus's Identification Spell found no other obvious effect.
• Manus decided to slow his research and asked the Magic Mirror to recommend an outfit for the rainy day.
• The Magic Mirror suggested clothes and showed Manus that Severus and Lily were approaching his home.
• Manus welcomed Severus and Lily, dried their rain-soaked clothes with magic, and told Lily to wait until Hogwarts for proper magical instruction.

Manus declined to teach Lily magic directly but offered her books to prepare for Hogwarts. After seeing him use magic in his study, Lily changed her mind and asked to read them so she could learn.

• Lily asked Manus what Hogwarts was like, and he explained that they would learn whether they had been selected when they turned eleven.
• Manus offered to recommend safe books, but Severus warned Lily with a look and then praised the books when Manus noticed him.
• Lily declined the books, sensing from Severus's reaction that studying them would be difficult.
• Manus brought Lily and Severus to his study and used magic to arrange a chair and serve snacks.
• After watching Manus perform magic, Lily asked him to let her read the books so she could learn magic.

After one year, nine months, and eleven days of Manus’s grueling training, Lily finally met his standard to begin learning Charms. She had chosen to study magic because Voldemort’s war made relying on the Ministry too dangerous, and she left the scene able to defend herself better than Severus.

• Manus showed Lily books on magic and promised to explain anything she did not understand, while Severus warned himself that her training would be brutal.
• Lily endured a half-hour memory exercise and finally met Manus’s standard for beginning Charms.
• Severus reminded Lily that Hogwarts would start in three months, and she struck him with Electric Claw before thanking him for recalling her birthday letter’s date.
• Lily recalled that Manus had told her in 1970 that Voldemort and the Death Eaters had formally declared war on the Ministry, prompting her to learn magic for her own safety.
• Manus healed Severus after Lily’s punch and remarked that she had surpassed him in a fight six months earlier, though Severus insisted he had been going easy on her.

Lily knocked Severus down during a sparring match after he hesitated, and Manus reflected on the close friendship between the two teenagers. As Manus, Severus, and Lily prepared to visit Diagon Alley for their Hogwarts supplies, Lily worried about the danger there, while Manus explained why young wizards had to buy registered wands in person.

• Lily struck Severus before he could act, and he accepted the punch because he knew he had spoken inappropriately.
• Manus considered the different roles he held in his friendship with Severus and Lily, seeing himself as more of a teacher or older brother.
• Severus asked Manus whether their trip to Diagon Alley was scheduled for the next day.
• Manus said Diagon Alley had recently become safer, but Lily remained concerned about its history of murders.
• Manus explained that young wizards had to visit Ollivanders to buy wands, partly because the Ministry required wands to be registered.

Manus considered how he might discover wand materials suited to him and hoped to find magical-item crafting books at Hogwarts. As Lily and Severus discussed their likely houses, Manus reasoned that the founders’ portraits might be the best way to sort students fairly.

• Manus reflected on his elm wand’s qualities and considered making his own magical tools, since British wands seemed too conservative for his needs.
• Manus hoped to find books about crafting magical items at Hogwarts, then Lily asked whether she and Severus might be sorted into the same house.
• Lily expected to join Gryffindor, while Severus hoped to enter Slytherin to honor his mother and the Prince name.
• Lily worried that the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin could make it harder for her and Severus to stay close.
• Manus reasoned that the four founders’ portraits could sort students in their place and avoid the dissatisfaction that subjective sorting might cause.

Manus explained why Severus would probably be Sorted into Slytherin, while Lily and Severus teased him about his own plan to attend Ravenclaw. The next day, the three children arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and learned that recent events had forced the Ministry to restrict access to Diagon Alley.

• Manus ate homemade chocolates, then resumed explaining that a student's own wishes would matter during Sorting and that Severus would likely get into Slytherin.
• Lily told Manus that she and Severus had already guessed he wanted Ravenclaw, and both admitted they feared spending seven years around people like him.
• Manus said that studying could be a joyful kind of pain, and the next day he and the other children traveled with their parents to the Leaky Cauldron.
• Griffin explained that the Ministry had placed an Anti-Apparition Charm over Diagon Alley and shut down its Floo Network, making the Leaky Cauldron one of the only entrances.
• Manus explained how the Floo Network worked, while Severus and Lily learned that neither his nor their family used it.

Griffin took Manus, Severus, and Lily into Diagon Alley, where they bought supplies and learned about wizarding shops and Quidditch. Aivina then urged the children to get owls and promise to write home every week.

• Griffin showed the group how to open the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley, and Severus questioned how secure it was.
• The group bought Potions equipment for Lily at Potage's Cauldron Shop, and Severus warned her that a nearby shop paid badly for brewed Potions.
• Manus bought parchment, ink, and quills, explaining that he could make ordinary paper at home with a spell.
• Lily asked about a Broomstick in Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Manus gave Quidditch a dismissive explanation that discouraged Griffin from promoting it.
• Aivina led the children away from the Quidditch display and told them to get owls and write home every week.

Manus went into Eeylops Owl Emporium to choose an owl after Aivina explained that owls could use magic to find their recipients. He found a young Little Owl and named it Minerva, hoping its mythological connection would strengthen its magic.

• Manus promised Aivina that he would write home from Hogwarts, and she asked him to choose an owl for personal deliveries.
• Manus entered Eeylops Owl Emporium, where Lily and Severus were also looking at owls.
• Manus noticed a young Little Owl and tested whether it could carry letters, while it met his gaze with fierce determination.
• Manus chose the Little Owl because of its connection to Athena and Minerva, names he believed could shape its magical abilities.
• Manus named the Little Owl Minerva, and it hopped onto his arm.

Manus and his friends chose owls, got measured for Hogwarts robes, and learned about Knockturn Alley as their shopping trip continued. The group reached the shops where they would buy school supplies and their first wands.

• Manus chose a female owl, named her Minerva, and declined to buy the shop's cages or feed; Lily and Severus picked owls and bought cages.
• Aivina took Minerva, and Manus volunteered to be measured for robes before eating ice cream with the others.
• After all three children had been measured and finished their ice cream, Manus explained that Knockturn Alley was dangerous, and Lily and Severus decided to avoid it.
• The group reached Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Flourish and Blotts, and Ollivanders to shop for school supplies and their first wands.

Manus browsed Flourish and Blotts with Griffin and bought books for the school year, including several unusual volumes. The clerk charged them for sixteen books, but Manus insisted there were seventeen, leaving him puzzled by the invisible book’s magic.

• Manus and Griffin went to Flourish and Blotts while the other groups shopped elsewhere.
• Manus chose his schoolbooks and added several intriguing titles, including a magically invisible book, to his purchase.
• The clerk tallied sixteen books for eighty-seven Galleons, but Manus pointed out the invisible book he had missed.
• The clerk identified it as an Invisible Book of Invisibility that had never been found in the shop and let Manus take it for free.
• Griffin paid for the seventeen books and arranged owl delivery while Manus wondered how the invisible book’s magic worked.

Manus found an invisible book and went with Griffin to Ollivander's Wand Shop to choose his first wand. Garrick Ollivander began by taking extensive measurements, leaving Manus doubtful that they would help identify a suitable wand.

• Manus put the invisible book in his enchanted pocket and met Lily and Aivina outside Flourish and Blotts.
• Griffin explained that the Owl Post Office enchanted delivery owls to keep shipments from being noticed by Muggles.
• Lily went into Flourish and Blotts while Manus and Griffin headed to Ollivander's Wand Shop.
• Garrick Ollivander greeted Manus and Griffin, then began measuring Manus to help choose a wand.
• Manus questioned the usefulness of Garrick's detailed measurements, including those of his nostrils.

Manus tested a wand at Garrick Ollivander’s shop, but the wand boxes suddenly collapsed and flew toward him. Garrick suspected the wands were choosing Manus, leaving him wondering why so many had reacted so dramatically.

• Garrick measured Manus and gave him a wand to test, but nothing happened until Manus used magic to stir the air.
• The wand boxes began vibrating, and Griffin cast protective Charms around Manus as boxes toppled and several wands flew toward him.
• Garrick apologized for the accident and used Reparo to return the scattered boxes to their places.
• Manus suggested that the wands had flown toward him after sensing his magic, and Garrick recognized it as a case of a wand choosing its Wizard.
• Garrick wondered why so many wands had reacted so strongly, while Manus suspected he was unusually popular among wands.

At Garrick’s wand shop, Manus discovered that wands made from many different woods were all strongly drawn to him, leaving Garrick to admit that Manus could choose among them. Manus considered the futures each wand represented and asked whether he could buy multiple wands.

• Garrick tested wand after wand and found that wands made from a dozen different woods reacted strongly to Manus.
• Manus asked Garrick which wand suited him best, and Garrick explained that every tested wand was attracted to a possibility in Manus’s future.
• Garrick told Manus that the wands would not reject him and that he could choose a wand based on its wood, core, length, and flexibility.
• Manus considered the choices and asked whether he could buy more than one wand.
• Garrick explained that multiple wands were legally permitted, but warned that owning several could weaken the special bond between a Wizard and a wand.

Manus learned that wand compatibility formed a deep, usually one-to-one magical bond, so he chose a Hornbeam wand with a Phoenix Tail Feather core. Garrick then secretly gave him a powerful unregistered spare wand, while Griffin and Aivina stayed behind to ensure Garrick would keep the day’s events quiet.

• Garrick explained that wand compatibility formed a deep magical connection and was usually one-to-one, so Manus decided not to take multiple wands.
• Manus chose a fourteen-inch, unyielding Hornbeam wand with a Phoenix Tail Feather core, and Garrick gave it to him for free as compensation for the accident.
• Garrick asked Manus about his spare wand, and Manus showed him the Elm wand he already owned.
• Garrick secretly gave Manus an unregistered Yew wand with a Dragon Heartstring core, which Manus judged ideal as a spare.
• Griffin and Aivina spoke with Garrick inside the shop while Manus waited outside, and Manus kept the secret from Lily before she went in to choose a wand.

Manus, Severus, and Lily compared their new wands after shopping in Diagon Alley, then returned safely to Cokeworth. As Hogwarts approached, Manus trained Severus and Lily in defensive spells, leaving them wondering why they needed to prepare for danger at school.

• Manus identified Severus's wand as walnut with a Dragon Heartstring core, while Severus examined Manus's Hornbeam wand.
• Manus told Severus that his wand had a Phoenix Tail Feather core, and Lily emerged with a Red Oak wand and a Dragon Heartstring core.
• Aivina handed Manus the wand-maintenance supplies, and the group returned safely to Cokeworth after deciding they had bought everything they needed.
• Manus trained Severus and Lily in five spells, and Severus successfully disarmed a stone statue with Expelliarmus.
• Severus asked Manus why they needed to learn defensive spells before enrolling if Hogwarts was safe.

Manus helped Severus and Lily prepare to protect themselves at Hogwarts, then encouraged them to relax before the school year began. A week later, the three boarded the Hogwarts Express, where Lily marveled at the journey ahead.

• Manus explained that Hogwarts was not entirely safe and that students needed to be prepared for bullies and other threats.
• Manus restored the stone statues after testing Severus and Lily’s defenses, then invited them to relax and have dinner with him.
• During their week of rest, Severus and Lily struggled to adjust to having free time after years of pressure to study.
• Manus joined Severus and Lily at King’s Cross after learning how to pass through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
• Severus, Lily, and Manus boarded the Hogwarts Express and settled into an empty compartment.