Chapter Summaries

Pomona told Narcissa what she knew about Severus’s role among the Death Eaters and tried to comfort her by discussing Draco’s loneliness and future. Narcissa left Severus with Pomona and ordered him to explain why he had lived with Peter Pettigrew and spared him.

• Pomona reflected on how Severus had maintained the Dark Lord’s trust while secretly working as a double agent, and told Narcissa that he had arranged for Broderick Bode’s recovery and death.
• Narcissa mourned the danger Draco had faced, while Pomona explained that Sirius’s Firebolt had been bought with money from his godfather and revealed that Buckbeak had lived in Walburga’s bedroom.
• Pomona urged Narcissa to focus on her future grandson, suggesting the name Scorpius, and told her that Draco had been lonely and had asked whether Astoria cared about his past as a Death Eater.
• Pomona explained that she wanted Severus to live safely and tell her why he had spared Peter Pettigrew and shared a home with him, then reflected on her grief over losing her daughter.
• Narcissa patted Severus on the shoulder, told him to explain himself to Pomona, and left the sitting room.

Severus explained why he had spared Wormtail but plotted against Sirius Black, revealing how jealousy, ambition, and his desire to control his fate shaped his choices. He and Pomona drew closer, and Pomona decided it was time to spring the trap she had prepared for him.

• Severus told Pomona that Wormtail had been a cowardly servant and that he had killed a Ministry employee to protect Lucius Malfoy and his family.
• Severus admitted that he had wanted to eliminate Sirius Black because he envied Sirius’s status and resented his interest in Pomona.
• Severus said he had sought to prove himself more capable than Sirius, even persuading Harry Potter to die, and Pomona wept as she listened.
• Severus recited Slytherin’s rule about protecting those one loves, and he and Pomona kissed while discussing Norberta and Fluffy.
• Pomona recognized Severus as the master from the prophecy and resolved to draw him into the trap she had spent thirty years preparing.

Pomona and Severus discussed the Malfoys, the wizarding world, and their disagreements about discipline and freedom. Pomona proposed a contest between Slytherin and Dumbledore’s Army to catch Acromantulas, while Severus left her wondering what he had told Lucius.

• Pomona asked whether Draco would defy his family for Astoria, and Severus said Draco would find a way to marry her until his parents relented.
• Pomona and Severus discussed the damage caused by powerful men, the Forbidden Forest, and Severus’s efforts to recruit Death Eater families.
• Pomona objected to Severus’s suggestion of using the Cruciatus Curse on students, and he conceded that it had been his fault.
• Pomona challenged Severus to an Acromantula-catching contest between Slytherin and Dumbledore’s Army, with Quidditch World Cup final tickets as the prize.
• Severus asked what Pomona had told Lucius, then left for the study without explaining what he had said to Lucius, and Pomona decided to visit Malfoy Manor less often.

Pomona reflected on Newt Scamander’s magical creatures, the history of Basilisks, and the tensions between Sirius and Severus before arranging a secret meeting with Hannah Abbott. She planned to bring Hannah and Neville into an upcoming forest operation, while keeping Harry uninformed for now.

• Pomona recalled Newt Scamander’s visit to Hogwarts and the magical creatures he protected, including the Hippogriffs that produced Buckbeak.
• Pomona reasoned that Peter Pettigrew had used the Disillusionment Charm while moving through the corridors in human form, and considered the risks of Severus learning about her summer with Sirius and Newt.
• Pomona questioned why Salazar Slytherin’s Basilisk had not obeyed Harry and reflected on how Tom Riddle’s arrival had made Hogwarts unsafe for students during the summer.
• Pomona avoided using the fake DA Galleon to contact Harry because she feared Severus would notice a message being sent.
• Pomona summoned House-elf Honey and sent her to Hannah Abbott’s home to bring Hannah to meet her as soon as she returned.
• Pomona planned to use Hannah’s healing skills and Neville’s ability to speak with plants in a forest operation, and considered pairing them together.

Pomona reflected on her plans to protect Neville and on her complicated feelings about Severus before Draco arrived at her villa seeking a place to stay and guidance. Draco connected Pomona’s near-fatal reaction to an Invigoration Potion with a dark-creature curse, and Pomona comforted him as he broke down.

• Pomona planned supplies and preparations for an operation in the Forbidden Forest, while resolving not to let Neville become a self-sacrificing savior.
• Pomona reconsidered her past with Severus and her wish for an ordinary life as Elvis's song played in the empty villa.
• Draco arrived and asked Pomona to let him stay with her, and she accepted him as her godmother.
• Draco asked about the potion that had nearly killed Pomona and recalled that an Invigoration Potion contained guardian tree bark that could threaten a dark creature.
• Draco linked Pomona’s curse to a dark creature and admitted he needed guidance about his engagement and whom he wanted to defend.
• Pomona embraced the crying Draco and told him he would have to eat all his vegetables while staying with her.

Pomona comforted Draco Malfoy after he revealed his troubled family situation, his discovery of a connection between her curse and the Black family’s power, and his feelings about Astoria. The chapter left Draco accompanying Pomona to meet Hannah Abbott, whom he distrusted.

• Pomona reflected on Draco’s hardships, his failed relationship with Pansy, and the pure-blood families’ customs and history.
• Draco explained that he had asked The Godfather about the Unbreakable Vow and believed Pomona’s curse was connected to the Black family’s power.
• Draco said he would care for Pomona as her doctor and asked whether she thought Astoria deserved his devotion.
• Pomona encouraged Draco to make his own choices, promised to defend him, and told him to stop thinking about Pansy.
• Honey announced that Hannah Abbott had arrived, and Draco joined Pomona in heading to the sitting room to meet her.

Hannah told Pomona that Hermione’s first day at the House-Elf Relocation Office had gone badly, then challenged Draco’s narrow focus on hunting Werewolves amid the Indonesian tsunami disaster. Pomona assigned Draco and Hannah to organize a no-casualty competition to deal with Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest, while she planned to visit George about his father.

• Hannah described how she and Ernie had intercepted hostile messages aimed at Pomona and helped Neville defend the Ministry’s handling of the Dementors.
• Pomona urged Hannah to reconcile with Draco, but Hannah refused, so Pomona proposed gathering people for a meeting on the Forbidden Forest grounds.
• Hannah told Pomona and Draco about the deadly Indonesian tsunami and criticized Draco for caring only about threats to wizards.
• Hannah asked Pomona for help because the Leaky Cauldron had been destroyed and Tom was recovering at St Mungo’s; Pomona directed Draco to assist her.
• Pomona announced a competition between Slytherin and the other three Houses to address the Forbidden Forest’s Acromantulas, offered Hannah a Chocolate Frog card as a prize, and ordered that no one be injured.
• Pomona planned to visit Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and talk to George about his father.

Pomona questioned Astoria about her beliefs and her commitment to Draco, then learned Astoria intended to marry him despite the risks and wanted to start a candy business to support him. The chapter ended with Pomona taking Astoria shopping.

• Pomona reflected on Hermione's first day at work, the Ministry's response to the tsunami, and the selection of Ernie and Hannah as Hufflepuff's prefects.
• Pomona met Astoria at a café and asked why she believed Muggles should be treated peacefully; Astoria cited her experience with Professor Carrow and the threat of nuclear weapons.
• Astoria told Pomona she loved Draco and would not abandon him during his hard times, and Pomona warned her that she might have a blood curse and asked whether she would risk her life to bear Draco's child.
• Astoria insisted she would become Mrs. Malfoy and asked Pomona to help her start a candy business so she could support Draco if he ran away from home.
• Pomona agreed to take Astoria shopping.

Pomona reflected on Snape’s past choices, the way prejudice and rumor had shaped events, and her plan to challenge Dumbledore’s belief that Harry was a Horcrux. After shopping for Draco, she took Miss Greengrass toward Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, still troubled by Harry’s scar and the dangers of acting on uncertain assumptions.

• Pomona recalled how she had handed her decisions to Severus Snape during the Triwizard Tournament and later asked what he had been thinking.
• Pomona bought stationery for Malfoy manor and considered how Rita Skeeter’s book about Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore distorted the truth.
• Pomona resolved to prove that Harry was not a Horcrux and wondered whether another piece of Voldemort’s soul remained undiscovered.
• Pomona remembered Cedric Diggory’s death and how Harry and Dumbledore had been dismissed as liars after the Triwizard Tournament.
• Pomona reflected on challenging accepted beliefs about magical creatures and Parseltongue, and on Astoria’s refusal to be swayed by public opinion.
• Pomona led Miss Greengrass toward Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes after finishing the shopping for Draco.

Pomona visited Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to warn George about the Ministry and negotiate support for the Weasley family, but Severus interrupted and took her and George to the Black family home. Left outside their meeting, Pomona Apparated to the Muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron and found an advertisement for an Eastern-themed cultural gala.

• Pomona saw Bill and Fleur kissing in the shop and met their daughter Victorie and George's son Fred in George's office.
• Pomona told George that Hermione needed help at the Ministry and urged him to stop his father from meddling in Ministry affairs.
• George demanded Pomona protect the Weasley family and threatened to expose Severus unless they agreed to work together, then proposed an Unbreakable Vow.
• Severus appeared, Apparated with Pomona and George to the Black family home, and shut Pomona out of their meeting.
• Pomona returned to the Muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron and noticed a flyer advertising the China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange gala.

Pomona reflected on the political and family pressures facing her former students, then called Justin Finch-Fletchley using a graduation album to ask him to meet her at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She left the call considering how to make communication easier for wizards.

• Pomona considered the Malfoy and Greengrass marriage alliance and worried about Ron Weasley's future, deciding he needed attention and help from Hermione.
• Pomona found a public telephone box and used her graduation album to locate Justin Finch-Fletchley's contact information.
• While waiting for Justin to answer, Pomona recalled Harry and Sirius's reckless actions and the Order of the Phoenix's communication failures.
• Justin's mother answered and told Pomona that Justin was out with friends from Cambridge.
• Pomona asked Justin's mother to tell him she would wait for him at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, then considered making a photographic contact directory.

Pomona practiced using her swan Patronus to send messages and resolved to follow her own path instead of Dumbledore’s, preparing others to protect themselves. Severus found her and kissed her, while Pomona accepted that George might blame her for Fred’s death.

• Pomona cast Expecto Patronum and watched her silver swan fly to Victorie’s cradle and sing.
• Pomona decided against making a contact list and committed to mastering her Patronus to protect and communicate with others.
• Pomona vowed to plan for everyone in her own way, revived a dying hornbeam, and decided Hannah and Justin needed Patronus lessons.
• Pomona criticized Dumbledore’s approach to teaching and said she wanted him to go, then heard Severus speak from the doorway.
• Severus asked Pomona to carry her crystal ball, then shared Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans with her and kissed her.
• Pomona reflected that George might hate her over Fred’s death and accepted that someone had to bear responsibility for the dead.

Pomona and Severus discussed blood curses, the political fallout of wizarding interference in Muggle affairs, and plans for Astoria to open a candy shop supplied by Honeydukes. Severus considered changing his nickname to Honeyguide, while Pomona reflected on the wounds he and Harry carried and her wish to keep Harry alive for Teddy.

• Pomona learned that a curse spread through European royal families after Evangeline Orpington intervened in Muggle affairs, and that the Greengrass women also suffered from a mysterious blood curse.
• Severus told Pomona that a young man named Iris had discovered the Greengrass curse in a Carrow family diary and shared it with him.
• Severus explained that Hinks had offered assistance during a war, leading to the death of a beloved princess and ending later requests for magical help.
• Severus described how Honeydukes' connection to a Horcrux had blocked its Diagon Alley application, then revealed his deal for Astoria to sell Honeydukes goods and share profits with Flume.
• Severus said he wanted to change his nickname to Honeyguide, and Pomona told him she saw him as an angel who had protected Draco's soul.
• Pomona thought about Severus's bleeding wound and Harry's lasting grief over Sirius, and hoped Harry would survive so little Teddy would not lose his godfather.

Pomona reflected on her dream, her plans for a Honeydukes shop near the Leaky Cauldron, and the danger facing Astoria before spotting Justin at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Justin's arrival made her suspect that disguised observers were watching the shop, and she ended the chapter wondering whether Severus had forged her memories.

• Pomona studied the Leaky Cauldron's surroundings through Omnioculars and considered how a Honeydukes shop could make the magical world seem more welcoming to Muggle-born families.
• Pomona noticed that Astoria remained shaken after learning she had been cursed and thought about the difficult choices Astoria faced.
• Pomona left Severus watching the children and wandered through Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, where Fleur was minding the shop.
• Pomona recognized Justin Finch at the entrance, and his call of "Head of House" drew the attention of several people disguised as children.
• Pomona worried that her attempts at neutrality could put others in danger and questioned whether Severus Snape had altered her memories.

Pomona recruited Justin Finch-Fletchley to lead a dangerous operation against the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest, and offered to connect him with a powerful dueling expert if he secured her an invitation to a cultural exchange gala. Justin revealed his admiration for Severus Snape and asked Pomona to meet again on Snape’s birthday.

• Pomona met Justin and heard how his view of Harry Potter had changed after joining DA.
• Pomona asked Justin to lead the Acromantula extermination operation against Slytherin, and he accepted the planning task.
• Pomona warned Justin about the Forbidden Forest’s dangers and said he would work with Neville Longbottom.
• Pomona offered to introduce Justin to a powerful dueling expert if he obtained an invitation to the cultural exchange gala.
• Justin told Pomona he admired Severus Snape and proposed meeting again on January ninth, Snape’s birthday.

Pomona reflected on the choices and losses surrounding Harry, Hermione, and Severus before helping Severus through an illusion of his past torture. Severus said he had not known Petunia’s address and vowed never to return to Spinner’s End.

• Pomona recalled how Harry and Cedric reached the Triwizard Tournament’s final task together, while Severus had once lived with Peter Pettigrew at Spinner’s End.
• Pomona described how Dumbledore and she escaped Death Eaters after finding Petunia’s address, leaving Harry’s parents’ fate uncertain and Hermione’s parents erased from her memory.
• As stew simmered on Osmanthus Street, Pomona worried that Harry’s lack of combat training had left him vulnerable and resolved not to let Neville follow the same path.
• Pomona asked Severus about swordsmanship, then found him trapped in a vision of werewolves feeding in a dark forest.
• Pomona tried to guide Severus toward the image of a dancing swan, but he begged her to stop until she used a Stinging Jinx to bring him back.
• Severus told Pomona that the Dark Lord had interrogated him for Petunia’s address, insisted he truly had not known it, and said he would never return to Spinner’s End.

Pomona and Severus pieced together how Voldemort’s search for Lily, Hagrid’s journey with Harry, and Sirius’s actions had unfolded around the Potters’ deaths. After Pomona erased a Muggle boy’s memory, she worried that Harry might resemble Sirius and feared leaving Teddy in his care.

• Pomona and Severus reviewed the timeline of Lily’s death and discussed why Sirius had ridden to the Potters’ house, drawing suspicion onto himself.
• Severus explained that the Death Eaters had expected Harry to be taken to the Black family home or Hogwarts, and that their ambush near the school had encountered Frank Longbottom.
• Severus blamed Harry for speaking Voldemort’s name at Grimmauld Place and for Emmeline Vance’s exposure, which he linked to the Downing Street Murders.
• Pomona noticed a shadow at the window, Apparated outside, and found a boy spying on her with a football.
• Pomona erased the boy’s memory with Obliviate and worried that Harry might turn out like Sirius and be unable to care for Teddy.

Pomona returned from the battle and reunited with Severus, who pressed her to explain what had happened while they argued about trust, trespassing, and the people they loved. She finally shared her memories of Dundee, then turned the conversation toward their past and poetry as they reconciled.

• Pomona returned to the house after setting protective wards, and Severus demanded to know whether she had fought at Dundee or York.
• Pomona said many people had protected her and described the fighting, including how a magical sea-anemone-like plant had helped her escape in Dundee.
• Severus and Pomona argued over his breaking into the house and warned each other against becoming like the people who manipulated others.
• Pomona reflected on Petunia's difficult choice to raise Harry and the care she had shown him despite her resentment toward Lily.
• Pomona asked Severus to make fake silver Sickles for communication and told him about Dumbledore's apology and her experience in Dundee.
• Severus asked Pomona to talk about poetry instead of the war, and they kissed after joking about Longbottom, Animagi, and Severus's scar.

Pomona woke from a fantasy holiday to find Hermione had returned to the safe house, where they discussed Arthur, the threat from escaped Death Eaters, and the choice of whether Hermione would let Severus examine her memories. Pomona left Hermione to decide before dinner and urged her to master her emotions and reconsider what freedom meant.

• Hermione came home and caught Pomona and Severus in an intimate moment, then confronted Pomona about rumors that Arthur had neglected his duties.
• Pomona defended Arthur as a trusted Order member and explained that the Weasleys needed to find a safer home because escaped Death Eaters might target them.
• Pomona told Hermione that Severus wanted to erase her knowledge of the Horcruxes, but offered her a choice: undergo his Legilimency and continue Occlumency training or have her memories erased.
• Hermione protested that she had learned Occlumency, and Pomona warned that she was not skilled enough to resist every form of magical interrogation.
• Pomona ordered Hermione to summon her Patronus and helped her steady herself by thinking of her parents, then challenged her to rethink house-elf freedom.

Pomona brought Hermione back to her villa, where she encouraged Hermione and Draco to bicker while she worried about their feelings and reflected on Severus and Sirius. Severus returned with news of a major power outage across London and Wales, leaving Pomona to wonder if Accionites were responsible.

• Pomona took Hermione and the stew through the fireplace to her villa in Godric's Hollow, and Hermione's Patronus delivered a message.
• Pomona set a flying toy monkey loose to amuse Hermione and Draco, and the two began arguing.
• Pomona recalled Severus's involvement in guarding royal Easter eggs at Buckingham Palace and complained about his Occamy egg gift.
• Severus arrived and told Pomona that a massive power outage had affected London and Wales, disrupting communications.
• Pomona asked whether Accionites had caused the outage, but Severus left the matter to Kingsley.