Chapter Summaries

Pomona gathered ingredients beneath the Whomping Willow, rescued Diego, and kept the tree’s secret from him. She later reviewed Ministry files with Severus as they investigated the informant behind complaints about Hogwarts, while she reflected on how suspicion without evidence could not prove guilt.

• Pomona stunned the Whomping Willow, helped Diego down from a branch, and asked him to keep what he had seen secret.
• Pomona gathered the ingredients, then showed Severus the barren greenhouse where the frozen stone had once been stored.
• Pomona reviewed Ministry files in the greenhouse office to compare cases solved through informants with those solved through investigations.
• Severus asked about news, and Pomona told him that Fudge’s nephew had made an empty Muggle subway train disappear and was under investigation.
• Pomona told Severus that Isabella Sidney was working with Thugut and that Amata was coordinating between Ministry departments.
• Pomona realized she had suspected the informant without evidence and reflected that even a convincing account could not prove a crime.

Pomona studied Azkaban’s history and discussed a supposed Portuguese king with Snape, then later argued with Severus about hiding his scar and the limits of control. The chapter ended with Pomona asking what he wanted for lunch after they reflected on authority and fear.

• Pomona read old files describing Azkaban’s history, its treasure-seeking sailors, and the Dementors’ defense of the island’s buildings.
• Pomona told Snape that the files described a wizard who impersonated King Sebastian and sought freedom by opposing the Inquisition.
• Pomona warned Snape not to use original documents, and he left the greenhouse without explaining whether his copies were genuine.
• Pomona suggested covering Severus’s neck scar with a tattoo, but he rejected the idea of concealing his past.
• Pomona and Severus discussed how fear and excessive rules could not create true authority, then Pomona asked him what he wanted for lunch.

Pomona investigated Peeves’s savage outburst and warned Nearly Headless Nick that a mysterious force might be affecting the ghosts. She then researched Isidora’s method of preserving magic, but the chapter ended with Pomona sneaking toward the warehouse to bother the old bat.

• Peeves threw food around the kitchen, and Pomona decided the strange force affecting the castle needed investigation.
• Pomona asked Nearly Headless Nick whether any ghosts had begun acting strangely, and Nick promised to keep watch.
• Pomona researched Isidora’s preserved magic and historical events surrounding Columbus, Portugal, and Spain.
• Pomona spotted the old bat working with chemical equipment in the warehouse and approached him, saying, “Trick or treat.”

Pomona investigated Ben Cooper’s memory loss and wondered whether a cursed portrait was responsible, then discovered Snape holding a photograph of himself with Lily. She left the storeroom without confronting him, troubled by what she had seen.

• Flitwick barred Barnaby from going to Hogsmeade and urged him to focus on his studies.
• Ben Cooper refused to use the Time-Turner, warning Bill that it could bring disaster.
• Pomona wondered whether one of Hogwarts’ paintings had been affected by the Portrait Curse.
• Pomona entered the dark storeroom and saw Snape holding a photograph of himself with Lily.
• Pomona chose to leave Snape alone and keep her distance from the dark house.

After a Ravenclaw student was injured during his Apparition exam, Flitwick revealed that Barnaby Lee was being kept from Hogsmeade because someone might target him for his family’s collection. Pomona drank Draught of Peace and reflected on death, time, and Severus before asking him what he wanted to eat.

• Poppy Pomfrey treated a Ravenclaw boy who Splinched himself after taking Calming Draught before his Apparition exam.
• Flitwick told Pomona that Barnaby Lee was being protected from someone who intended to harm or kidnap him for his family’s collection.
• Pomona returned to the main house, drank Draught of Peace, and thought about impermanence, Voldemort’s pursuit of immortality, and the mystery of Henry’s missing Time-Turner.
• Severus appeared to Pomona, and she asked whether he wanted beef stew with potatoes over rice.
• Pomona asked Severus whether Dumbledore had been right to protect people while Grindelwald wanted to harm them, then went to check whether they had beef.

Pomona reflected on Isabella’s strained relationship with her mother and intervened when two Slytherin students bullied Percy Weasley. Later, she and Severus discussed old photographs while preparing dinner, ending with Pomona angrily attacking the meat with a tenderizer.

• Pomona encountered Isabella carrying roses and learned that Isabella resented how her mother spoke to her and treated her like a child.
• Pomona stopped two Slytherin first-years from mocking Percy Weasley, though Percy ignored Isabella’s concern and walked away.
• Pomona thought about the Weasleys, Hermione, Severus, and the contrasting childhoods of Harry, Neville, and Draco while looking through a cookbook.
• Severus returned with a paper bag, and Pomona asked about the old photographs he had found; he challenged her to show him her own after dinner.
• While Severus cut potatoes, Pomona stomped on his foot, called him a cockroach, and smashed the meat with a tenderizer.

Pomona reflected on death, luck, social expectations, and the limits of happiness while reading Fat Friar’s materials on Bishop Grosseteste. Severus confronted her for interfering in Percy Weasley’s dispute, and she was left unsure how to address his anger.

• Pomona read Fat Friar’s account of Grosseteste and considered how people understood death, luck, poverty, and redemption.
• Pomona thought about how difficult it was for students to master Expecto Patronum in the oppressive atmosphere at Hogwarts.
• Severus burst into Pomona’s office and demanded to know whether she had interfered in the matter concerning Percy Weasley.
• Pomona admitted she had intervened because Percy was one person facing two others, and told Severus not to project his own experiences onto him.
• Severus left Pomona’s office furiously, and Pomona went to seek advice from someone wise.

Pomona and Severus discussed the Dark Lord’s use of light, the Philosopher’s Stone, and competing models of the universe. The chapter ended with Pomona reflecting on the people Tom had taken and wondering why he had done it.

• Pomona recalled that the Dark Lord had seized homeless people, apparently intending to make them into Inferi.
• Pomona asked Severus whether light and matter explained the Dark Lord’s attempt to resurrect himself, and they debated the nutshell universe and its outer celestial sphere.
• Pomona defended her interest in cosmology and Greek, while Severus teased her about Albus’s influence and praised her as someone who stood among great men.
• Pomona discussed the Philosopher’s Stone’s supposed curse and asked whether Harry Potter’s Patronus was water-elemental for that reason.
• Pomona wondered whether one of the homeless people Tom had taken might have pondered the same questions, and asked why Tom had done it.

Pomona sought advice from Dumbledore about a student dispute and her worry that she had seemed biased, but his parable and counsel did little to settle her. Later, she argued with Severus about going to see a film, and the chapter ended with a note that quantum entanglement had been proven.

• Pomona found Dumbledore reading about physics and told him she was troubled because Severus expected her to stay out of student disputes, while students had witnessed the incident.
• Dumbledore told Pomona a parable about two quarrelsome bird heads and advised her to focus on resolving misunderstandings rather than dwelling on others’ judgments.
• Pomona said she feared someone thought she was playing favorites, and Dumbledore urged her to trust the judgment she had made with reason and wisdom.
• While washing dishes with Severus, Pomona wondered whether Albus had met or corresponded with Einstein, and Severus doubted they had met.
• Pomona suggested going to a Muggle film the next day, but Severus said he would go only if she beat him at chess, so she stormed off after naming The Matrix.

Pomona reflected on how Obliviate altered memories as she moved through Hogwarts's unnatural mist and ice, then tried to persuade Severus to watch a Muggle film with her. She left the argument unresolved after Severus mocked the movie and accused her of wanting to see its handsome actor.

• Pomona found mist and floating ice crystals in Hogwarts's corridors and heard whispers resembling gas escaping.
• Pomona considered how frightening memories could be softened with calmer emotions and replacement memories, and wondered how Ben Cooper had been affected by Obliviate without a caster.
• Pomona used nonverbal Wingardium Leviosa to move the ice-crystal pillars of light through the dark corridors.
• Pomona asked Severus to watch a film so she would not miss more of the Muggle world, but he criticized its hacker character and refused.
• Severus accused Pomona of wanting to watch the film for its handsome actor, and Pomona stopped arguing without admitting it.

Pomona patrolled Hogwarts through the fog, found Trelawney wandering with a bottle, and told her to lead the way as a seer. The chapter then shifted to Pomona and Severus arguing about watching The Matrix, leaving Pomona determined to wait him out.

• Pomona heard Mrs Norris chasing a sleek rat, which fled into the fog.
• Pomona found Trelawney crying and drinking, then asked her to patrol together.
• Pomona insisted that Trelawney use her seer instincts to choose their way through the fog.
• Pomona argued with Severus about watching The Matrix, and he refused to watch it with her.
• Pomona restored the movie poster and put it back on the wall, planning to see who gave in first.

Pomona questioned Sybill Trelawney’s directions as they patrolled through the mist. Trelawney insisted they were close, and Pomona reluctantly kept following her.

• The chapter contrasted the missions of Moses and Ezekiel through accounts of biblical stories and prophecies.
• It questioned why the wise virgins shut the wedding feast door and why Jerusalem received no loyalist reinforcements during Nebuchadnezzar’s siege.
• Pomona asked Sybill Trelawney where they were going and complained that she had repeatedly said they were close.
• Trelawney swore by her great-grandmother Cassandra that this was the last time she would say it.
• Pomona suspected Trelawney was deliberately leading her astray but continued following her through the mist.

Pomona, Trelawney, Ruse, and Snape discovered a Big-Headed Hairy Monster behind the Great Hall’s strange rain and fog, but a slippery black object escaped with it. Afterward, Pomona reflected on European history while admiring a poster before Severus led her to bed.

• Pomona and Trelawney followed thunder to the Great Hall, where rain had flooded the floor and extinguished candles.
• Pomona summoned her Cygnus Patronus to stop the indoor rain, while Ruse cleared the fog and exposed a Big-Headed Hairy Monster.
• Pomona’s tickling spell made a long black object slip out of the monster’s fur, but it escaped with the creature after Peeves splashed into the water.
• The strange cold and weather ended, and Snape chased after the Big-Headed Hairy Monster while Trelawney walked away from Pomona.
• Pomona returned to her office, pinned up a poster, and considered European history before Severus kissed her and led her away to sleep.

Pomona discovered a Boggart hiding in Greenhouse Three, and Charlie drove it away before it fled into a wardrobe that Pomona took to the castle. Later, Severus shared his mother’s Gobstones with Pomona and offered to teach her the game.

• During Herbology, Pomona tested Tonks and Elena on valerian’s use in potions, and Tonks earned five points for Hufflepuff by guessing correctly.
• While cleaning Greenhouse Three, Pomona found a Boggart disguised as a Werewolf, and Charlie Weasley used Riddikulus to turn it into a plush toy.
• The Boggart escaped into a wardrobe, and Pomona floated the wardrobe toward the teachers’ lounge to keep it away from students.
• Severus showed Pomona the Gobstones his mother had won and eagerly offered to teach her how to play.
• Pomona agreed to learn Gobstones, and Severus began explaining the game as they sat together.

Pomona and the others investigated the dark object that had controlled the Big-Headed Hairy Monster and considered whether it could possess a Gryffindor student. Later, Pomona wondered about phoenix-feather wands and Voldemort before trying to lift Severus’s spirits with a story about Su Dongpo.

• Ben Cooper said he had seen the memory, and Dumbledore concluded that the black object had controlled the Big-Headed Hairy Monster and brought it into the Gryffindor common room.
• Pomona suggested the object might have transferred from the monster to a Gryffindor student, while Snape wondered whether it was a dark-magic quill or feather.
• Dumbledore said the object could attack and proposed waiting to see what it did, despite Pomona’s concern that a student might be harmed.
• Pomona connected phoenix-feather wand cores and Prior Incantato to Cedric and asked Severus whether the Dark Lord might once have had a pure place in his heart.
• Pomona told Severus about Su Dongpo, his hardships, and his patient cooking, then urged him not to rush because happiness could still arrive.

Pomona read Rita Skeeter’s article criticizing Hogwarts discipline and prepared material on Spanish colonialism and the Inquisition. As she cooked, her thoughts turned to benevolence, the Qilin, and Grindelwald’s staged spectacle.

• Pomona read the Daily Prophet’s report on calls for student protections and oversight at Hogwarts, while Flitwick asked about Miss Aiken’s training and Bill’s choices.
• Pomona left breakfast and reviewed Malfoy’s proposed History of Magic material about Spanish colonization, the Encomienda System, and the rise and collapse of Castilian trade.
• Pomona studied the Inquisition’s persecution of native religions and the effects of Spanish rule in the Andes.
• Pomona considered Wang Yangming’s philosophy of benevolence and wondered what purity of soul had to do with the Qilin that recognized Santos.
• Pomona checked the bubbling meat pot before the fire could scorch it.

Pomona and Dumbledore discussed the Quill of Acceptance, Ben Cooper’s painful memories, and Neville Longbottom’s possible lack of magic. Later, Pomona reflected on suffering, society, and history before asking Severus to watch a movie or take a walk; he left the kitchen without agreeing.

• Pomona joined Dumbledore at the Book of Admittance as the Quill of Acceptance failed to write a name, and they wondered whose name it had intended to record.
• Pomona guessed Neville Longbottom, and Dumbledore said Neville seemed to be a Squib but could still show magical talent before turning eleven.
• Dumbledore asked Pomona to consider what fairy tale might suit Neville, and they left the tower.
• Pomona reflected on Neville destroying Nagini, then connected ideas about suffering and self-cultivation to historical examples involving Spain, trade, and labor.
• Pomona asked Severus to watch a movie after dinner, but he refused and left the kitchen while drinking water.

Pomona reflected on love, beauty, and the risks people took for those they loved, then comforted Snape over Malfoy's troubles. Their exchange ended with Pomona kissing Snape after he teased her with a poem.

• Pomona recalled the Medici family's history and considered whether Bella and Lily had lost themselves in love.
• Pomona encountered Joy, who asked to enter the Potions Tournament, and warned her about wearing colored lip balm and shaping her eyebrows.
• Pomona found Snape reading about Malfoy, who had supplied names and paid victims so heavily that he was selling family property.
• Pomona apologized to Snape for mentioning the Phoenix feather and asked him to recite a poem about loving while young.
• Snape adapted the poem for a young man, then recited it slowly to Pomona before asking if she still wanted to see a movie.
• Pomona declined the movie and kissed Snape.

Pomona read a long account of the Champagne Fairs, bills of exchange, and the rise and decline of European trading centers, then sighed over a Daily Prophet article about Malfoy. She went to check on the mutton simmering in her pot.

• The account traced how the Champagne Fairs grew into a major trade center before war and royal taxes drove merchants toward Bruges.
• It explained how bills of exchange let merchants trade across distant ports until Philip IV froze Flemish bills, forcing one merchant to travel to Bruges himself.
• Merchants abandoned the Champagne markets under Louis X and turned to Bruges, while later fairs and exchanges developed in cities such as Amsterdam and London.
• The account followed Florence’s wool trade, the Ciompi Revolt, and Genoa’s later attempts to revive its influence in European finance.
• Pomona sighed as she read the Daily Prophet’s article about Malfoy, then checked the mutton simmering in her pot.

The chapter recounted the conflicts between medieval popes and rulers, then returned to Severus and Pomona as they discussed movies and Mandrake. It left Pomona unaware of a coin-like object falling near them.

• The chapter described Frederick II's clashes with the popes, ending with his death in 1250 and Innocent IV's return to Italy.
• It recounted Louis IX's failed crusade and the conflict between Philip IV, Boniface VIII, and the Colonna family, including the destruction of Palestrina and Boniface VIII's kidnapping.
• The narration questioned the legends surrounding Boniface VIII and reflected on how powerful people often overlooked the harm they caused to those beneath them.
• Severus told Pomona he wanted to watch Braveheart, and they agreed to see separate films together.
• Severus asked whether Pomona planned to grow Mandrake, and she denied it.
• A coin-like object fell and rolled across the floor, but Pomona looked down only after Severus changed the subject and soon forgot about it.