Chapter Summaries

Manus, Severus, and Lily traveled to Hogwarts on the Express, reflecting on their coming separation into different Houses and the paths ahead. As the train reached Hogwarts, they prepared to disembark and begin their first year.

• Manus read the History of Magic while Severus and Lily settled into a leisurely meal in their compartment.
• The Hogwarts Express departed, and Severus watched the countryside pass as the three friends spent the journey mostly reading and eating.
• Lily worried that Sorting would separate them, and Manus reassured her that they would still have holidays and time together after graduation.
• Manus sensed that the train had entered Hogwarts's Unplottable range, and an announcement told students to change into their robes before arrival.
• Manus changed into his Hogwarts robes and led Severus and Lily to begin their first year.

Manus, Severus, and Lily followed Hagrid through a forest to a lakeside dock, where the first-years had to board boats to reach Hogwarts. After Manus steadied their boat with Mage Hand and invited a nervous girl aboard, Hagrid assured her the boats would not capsize if nobody jumped around.

• Hagrid gathered the first-years and led them through a forest toward the lake.
• Manus, Severus, and Lily boarded a boat, and Manus steadied it with Mage Hand when it lurched.
• Manus agreed to take a late-arriving girl aboard, and Lily helped her onto the boat.
• Hagrid reassured the girl that the boats would not capsize as long as the passengers did not jump around.

Lily apologized after her remark about the capsized boats upset the other students, then she, Manus, and Severus met Pandora as Hagrid guided the boats to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall welcomed the new students and led them toward the Great Hall, where they awaited the start of their Hogwarts arrival.

• Lily realized her comment had sounded insensitive to the other new students and apologized when Hagrid told everyone to sit still in their boats.
• Severus asked the unfamiliar girl her name, and Pandora introduced herself before exchanging names with Manus, Severus, and Lily.
• Manus watched the boats pass beneath a bridge and saw Hogwarts Castle before Hagrid led the group into a boathouse.
• Hagrid counted the students and escorted them up the path, where Professor McGonagall opened the castle doors and welcomed them.
• Professor McGonagall led the students toward the Great Hall and told them about life, learning, and friendships at Hogwarts.

Manus witnessed a fight break out among the new students after one called the Muggle-borns “Mudbloods,” and he explained what had happened to Professor McGonagall. McGonagall led the students into the Great Hall for the Sorting, with the fighters bruised and facing punishment after the feast.

• Professor McGonagall explained that the new students would soon be Sorted into Hogwarts's four Houses, then left them in the entrance hall to prepare.
• A student insulted the Muggle-borns as “Mudbloods,” sparking an argument that escalated into a physical fight.
• Professor McGonagall returned, stopped the fighting with a magically amplified command, and asked what had happened.
• Manus stepped forward and clearly recounted the cause of the fight, drawing McGonagall's attention and thanks.
• McGonagall ordered the students into two lines and said she would deal with those who had fought after the opening feast.
• McGonagall led the students into the Great Hall, where the students and professors saw the battered fighters.

At Hogwarts's Sorting, Sirius Black was placed in Gryffindor, while the Sorting Hat failed to read Manus King's mind and asked him to choose a House. Manus chose Ravenclaw and joined its table.

• Dumbledore surveyed the injured first-years as McGonagall brought them forward for the Sorting.
• The Sorting Hat assigned Jasper Allen to Hufflepuff and Sirius Black to Gryffindor, surprising the crowd and Manus.
• McGonagall called Manus King, and the Sorting Hat's memory-reading magic failed against his mental defenses.
• The Sorting Hat asked Manus which House he wanted, and Manus chose Ravenclaw.

After being Sorted into Ravenclaw, Manus considered the House riddle about Hogwarts' doors and wondered what its threefold repetition meant. As the feast began, he focused instead on Hogwarts' resources and the magic behind its food, leaving the riddle to investigate later.

• The Sorting Hat told Manus to pay closer attention to Hogwarts' doors, and a Ravenclaw student explained that Lady Ravenclaw's riddle was passed to every new Ravenclaw.
• Manus questioned whether the riddle was truly about finding three secret doors, while the older student suggested the doors might represent knowledge.
• Manus saw Lily Sorted into Gryffindor and Severus Snape into Slytherin, then planned to explore Hogwarts, study, and find ways to gather resources.
• After Dumbledore welcomed the students, the feast appeared, and Manus used his understanding of magic to infer that the food had been summoned rather than created from nothing.

Manus ate dinner with his eleven Ravenclaw classmates and assessed the House as a potential base for developing rational magical research. He resolved to make Ravenclaw the starting point of his path toward becoming an Archmage.

• Manus kept Arcane Sight active during dinner and planned to adjust its effects before bed.
• Manus learned that Ravenclaw had only twelve first-year students, including him, and considered how he might influence his classmates.
• Manus observed that Ravenclaw valued intelligence, knowledge, and talent, and looked down on those who lacked them.
• Manus concluded that Ravenclaw was unlikely to produce either heroes or Dark Lords, but could become the foundation of his ambitions.
• Manus used the Refill Charm to pour his own vegetable and fruit juice into his cup because he disliked Hogwarts' overly sweet pumpkin juice.

At the opening feast, Manus impressed an older student by casting the Refill Charm nonverbally, then reflected on Dumbledore’s decision to let tensions between students continue. He led Ravenclaw in a ballad-like version of the school song, drawing many classmates into his tune.

• Manus finished his fruit and vegetable juice, and an older girl noticed he had cast the Refill Charm nonverbally.
• Dumbledore cleared the tables and warned students against repeating the fight that had occurred before the Sorting.
• Manus suspected Dumbledore was allowing student hostility to persist so he could observe their future allegiances.
• Dumbledore led the students in the school song, allowing them to choose their own tunes.
• Manus sang the song as a ballad, and more than half of Ravenclaw gradually joined his melody.

Manus led the first-years to the Ravenclaw Tower and answered the Bronze Door Knocker’s question about the meaning of existence. His response opened the dormitory door, leaving the other first-years ready to try the question themselves.

• Manus climbed the Ravenclaw Tower stairs with the first-years without showing signs of exhaustion.
• Manus told Pante that Ravenclaw’s celebrated wizards were people to surpass.
• Manus volunteered to answer the Bronze Door Knocker’s question, “What is the meaning of everything's existence?”
• Manus explained that everything had no meaning preceding its existence and that the door knocker approved his answer.
• Manus entered the Ravenclaw Common Room while Pante and Helga asked him to wait for the others.

Manus explored the Ravenclaw common room and suspected that its entrance door knocker might conceal one of Rowena Ravenclaw’s riddles. Pante then guided the first-years to their dormitories, where Manus and the others prepared for their first day of classes.

• Manus examined the common-room door and bronze eagle knocker, wondering whether Rowena Ravenclaw had hidden something in them.
• Manus noticed a strong magical aura around the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.
• Pante told Manus that the first-years had failed to satisfy the knocker when asked what happened after death, and Manus suggested several possible answers, including resurrection.
• Pante led the boys to their dormitories and explained that Ravenclaw’s small numbers meant they would share double rooms.
• Pante pointed out the students’ assigned rooms and reminded them about breakfast, their schedules, and setting off early for class.

Manus settled into Ravenclaw with his roommate Bellows Travers and revealed his unusual outfit-changing magic during their first night. An older student recognized him as the first-year who had cast a Refill Charm at the feast, leaving the other students wondering how they would keep up with him.

• Manus learned that Bellows Travers was his roommate and entered the dormitory with him.
• Manus and Bellows went to the washroom, where Manus changed clothes using magic without a wand or words.
• Manus explained his Transfiguration Spell to Bellows, and an older student pointed out that ordinary Summoning Charms could not do what Manus had shown.
• The older student recognized Manus as the light-blond first-year who had used a Refill Charm at the opening feast.
• Manus confirmed that he had cast the Refill Charm, and the older student concluded that his classmates would be sharing their years with a future legend.

Manus King settled into Ravenclaw and decided to attract followers by demonstrating his strength while keeping his focus on learning and research. On the first morning of term, he exercised with gravity magic and considered how to make diamonds for resurrection magic through alchemy.

• Manus introduced himself to fourth-year Ignis Wildsmith and later exchanged names with fifth-year Edmund Bagno.
• Back in the dormitory, Manus concluded that displaying undeniable strength could draw Ravenclaw students to him, but he chose to take things slowly and prioritize his studies.
• Manus woke at six, left his sleeping roommate undisturbed, and headed out from the West Tower to exercise.
• Manus used Attachment Magic to increase gravity as he ran around the lake, relying on his Life Origin to recover and strengthen his body.
• While running, Manus reflected that he would need more knowledge of material composition and alchemical magic to create diamonds efficiently for resurrection magic.

Manus trained around the Great Lake, visited the Owlery, and discovered that his owl Minerva shared a name with Professor Minerva McGonagall. After breakfast, he returned to Ravenclaw Tower under an invisibility spell and tried to investigate the Bronze Door Knocker.

• Manus completed a gravity-enhanced run around the Great Lake and reflected on his self-taught study of Alchemy Magic.
• Manus met Hagrid in the Owlery, where Hagrid explained that Professor McGonagall's first name was Minerva.
• Manus chatted with his owl Minerva and fed her beef jerky, which Hagrid also sampled before inviting Manus to visit his hut sometime.
• Manus ate breakfast in the Great Hall and decided he needed to buy more ingredients for fruit and vegetable juice.
• Manus cast an invisibility spell from the Invisible Book of Invisibility, reached the Ravenclaw common room, and used Detect Secret Doors on the Bronze Door Knocker.

Manus used an advanced Detect Secret Doors spell to uncover the ancient alchemical runes controlling Ravenclaw's entrance, then entered the common room and studied Hogwarts's sparse map. He planned to use his free time to explore the castle and fill in its many unknown areas.

• Manus detected two secret doors, including one inside the Ravenclaw Common Room, and revealed the ancient alchemical runes and opening mechanism on the door before him.
• Manus answered the Bronze Door Knocker's question about the Phoenix and the flame, and the knocker let him into the common room.
• Manus memorized the first-year timetable and studied the rough Hogwarts map with help from an older student, who explained that most of the castle's rooms were unused.
• Manus planned to visit the library between classes and explore the area around Ravenclaw Tower during the afternoon.

Manus arrived early for his first Charms lesson after studying the shifting staircases, then impressed Bellows by healing his injured mouth with Episkey. Professor Filius Flitwick introduced himself and began the lesson.

• Manus mapped the shifting staircases and reached the fourth-floor Charms classroom before the other students.
• Manus read a Herbology book about rare magical plants and considered collecting the venomous Poisonblood Goldenbark Tree.
• Bellows arrived and told Manus he had eaten only a piece of toast for breakfast.
• Manus used Episkey to heal the raw corner of Bellows's mouth, leaving Bellows convinced his roommate was a magical prodigy.
• Filius Flitwick took attendance, introduced himself as the Charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw House, and asked the students to open their textbooks.

During Charms, Manus quickly mastered Spongify and earned praise from Professor Flitwick for an almost perfect casting. He then tried to reassure Bellows and explain why the spell was easier than it seemed.

• Professor Flitwick explained Spongify and had the first-years practice on wooden sticks.
• Manus cast Spongify successfully, bending his wooden stick into a supple curve while a Hufflepuff accidentally dropped his wand.
• Professor Flitwick warned impatient students against rushing and noticed Manus tying his softened stick into a knot.
• Flitwick praised Manus's uniform, stable casting as almost perfect and awarded Ravenclaw five points.
• After Flitwick left, Manus told Bellows not to overestimate the spell's difficulty and pointed out that other students were making progress.

Manus helped his Hufflepuff classmates improve their Spongify spells during Charms class, then impressed Professor Flitwick with the breadth of his magical reading. Flitwick learned that Manus had started reading spellbooks at seven and remembered their general contents.

• Manus explained how to focus while casting, and Bellows successfully used Spongify on a wooden stick.
• Students took turns asking Manus for help, and he coached them throughout the class.
• After class, Flitwick praised Manus and asked whether he had received magical training before Hogwarts.
• Manus told Flitwick that he had read numerous spellbooks, including books on curses and Dark Magic, since the age of seven.
• Manus said he remembered the general contents of the books, leaving Flitwick astonished.

Flitwick tested Manus’s magic and became convinced that Merlin or Ravenclaw—or both—had manifested in him, then warned him against Dark Magic. Manus remained puzzled about his assumptions and went to the Hogwarts library, where Madam Helka directed him to the books he sought and told him he needed a professor’s signed permission to enter the Restricted Section.

• Flitwick led Manus to an abandoned classroom and watched him clear and organize it with several spells.
• Flitwick asked whether Manus could cast the spells from the books he had studied, then concluded that Merlin or Ravenclaw had manifested in him.
• Manus told Flitwick he studied Dark Magic only to understand how to defend himself, and Flitwick praised his reasoning.
• Flitwick left to tell Dumbledore about Manus, while Manus wondered whether his estimate of students’ learning progress was accurate.
• Manus went to the Hogwarts library, where Madam Helka showed him where to find his books and said the Restricted Section required a professor’s signed permission.

Manus asked Mrs. Helka about advanced Transfiguration books, and she warned him that they were restricted while recommending a periodical he could subscribe to. He borrowed books on magical glyphs and Charms theory, then headed to class while planning to develop his reputation as a genius and study this world’s magic.

• Manus asked Mrs. Helka which Transfiguration books were in the Restricted Section, and she explained that the complete Guide to Transfiguration and more advanced works were restricted.
• Mrs. Helka recommended Transfiguration Today and gave Manus its subscription address and prices.
• Mrs. Helka recommended Compendium of Magical Glyphs and The Fifth Element: Exploration, which Manus borrowed for a week.
• Manus checked his pocket watch and hurried toward Charms class, choosing his timing so he could select a good seat.
• Manus planned to build his reputation as a genius over the next year while studying this world’s magical system alongside other magical systems.

Manus settled into his studies at Hogwarts and assigned Lily the task of charting the moving stairs. He said Huginn would deliver a letter to Severus that night, while Lily wondered where the raven was.

• Manus entered the Transfiguration classroom and greeted Lily, who complained about Hogwarts' moving stairs.
• Manus explained that the stairs followed a pattern and told Lily to chart their changes by the next Monday's class.
• Lily suggested Severus should learn the pattern too, and Manus said he would avoid having her contact Severus directly to prevent trouble.
• Manus said Huginn would deliver a letter to Severus's dormitory that night, and Lily asked where Huginn was.