Chapter Summaries

Pomona reflected on Squibs, Werewolves, and the hardships that shaped people before visiting the graves of Remus and Nymphadora Lupin. She summoned Severus, proposed using a Time-Turner to save Regulus and recover the potion from Dumbledore, then accepted Severus’s treasured Hogwarts acceptance letter.

• Pomona compared the different lives of Angus Buchanan and Angus Filch and worried about Lavender, Neville, and the people society had failed, including Tom and Remus Lupin.
• Pomona questioned Remus and Nymphadora at their graves, then summoned Severus with her ring.
• Pomona told Severus she wanted a grave and revealed her plan to travel back twenty-six years, bring Regulus back with Kreacher, and make Dumbledore vomit up the potion before his death.
• Severus refused to help, recalled how Sirius had pursued Pomona, and explained that meeting her had changed his fate.
• Severus gave Pomona his old Hogwarts acceptance letter, and she accepted it joyfully as a red-haired girl watched from behind an angel statue.

Pomona and Severus shared a private daydream while practicing mental magic, and Severus discussed Dumbledore, the Chamber of Secrets, and his students. The chapter left Pomona amused by his complicated opinion of Hermione and his frustration with teaching.

• Pomona reflected on her true monstrous form and shared a Daydream Charm vision with Severus using mental magic.
• After the daydream, Pomona teased Severus about his fantasies, and he said he no longer had nightmares because of her.
• Severus criticized Dumbledore's grand plans and explained the history of the Chamber of Secrets and its hidden entrance.
• Pomona asked whether Severus had replaced Millicent's hair with cat fur, and he denied it while recalling the Potions disaster caused by Neville and Draco.
• Pomona complained that students were difficult to discipline and questioned Severus's decision to assign Hermione extensive work.
• Severus defended the assignment, saying Hermione had recognized Lupin as a Werewolf, and Pomona laughed at how conflicted he seemed about her.

Pomona reflected on Severus’s dangerous political role, her affection for him, and the dangers facing vulnerable children and Werewolves. After arriving at the Three Broomsticks, she encountered a fierce-looking stranger and was led away by Ernie.

• Pomona resolved to celebrate Severus’s birthday properly and reflected on his rise to headmaster and his plans to punish prisoners.
• Pomona considered Werewolf suffering and the need to protect people from those who attacked children.
• Pomona called Severus an idiot and carefully stored his letter before traveling to Hogsmeade.
• At the Three Broomsticks, Pomona noticed a pale, fierce-looking man and saw another man signal for silence.
• Ernie embraced Pomona, said Hannah had told him something fun was happening, and led her out to talk.

Pomona reflected on Chinese wizarding history and the fate of Wu Zetian before catching up with Ernie, who had left the Auror Office and returned to compete in the Spider Eradication Operation. Ernie declared he intended to win, while Pomona wondered how quickly her former students had grown into adults.

• Pomona recounted how Li Chunfeng protected Wu Zetian and foretold her rise, and how her later rule affected the Li family and Li Longji.
• Pomona remembered Ernie's Hufflepuff rivalry with Hannah and the other boys, and how he had supported Harry Potter and joined Dumbledore's Army.
• Ernie told Pomona that he had left the Auror Office because Galvin Baroz was taking control and the Aurors were becoming like an army.
• Pomona and Ernie discussed the Minister for Magic's cooperation with MI5, their unmarried status, and Ernie's return to join the Spider Eradication Operation.
• Ernie said the competition's winner would receive a top-tier Quidditch World Cup box ticket and vowed to win, while Pomona reflected on how much he had changed.

Pomona and Ernie argued about old loyalties, the war, and rumors that Voldemort might return as they walked back toward Hogwarts. After overhearing a couple in the Forbidden Forest, Pomona worried that the school’s defenses were inadequate and wondered whether Harry’s recurring scar pain meant Voldemort’s soul still threatened him.

• Pomona rebuked Ernie for defending Zacharias Smith and challenged his idea of who counted as respectable after the werewolf prison-break attempt.
• Ernie said he had left the Auror Office because he did not trust Galvin, though he believed in Harry Potter and still considered himself able to compete with him.
• Pomona defended Slytherin’s role in Voldemort’s defeat and warned Ernie not to provoke Ron Weasley.
• Pomona and Ernie overheard a man and woman in the Forbidden Forest, prompting Pomona to worry about the forest’s werewolves and Hogwarts’s security.
• Pomona considered that Harry’s scar still hurting might mean Voldemort’s soul remained, and feared the prophecy could force Neville to kill Harry.

Pomona reflected on Dumbledore, Severus, and the difficult choices behind their actions as she considered how Hogwarts could defend itself from the Acromantulas. She left the chapter resolved that when Hogwarts needed help, it might have to rely on itself and the students willing to act.

• Pomona considered the scandals and hardships surrounding Wu Zetian, then questioned why Severus had spared Wormtail despite Wormtail's role in Lily's death.
• Pomona reasoned that the students could not safely be sent to fight the Acromantulas without a plan, but Slytherin had the Basilisk and Voldemort's spider-repelling charm.
• Pomona concluded that Hogwarts needed people to choose to help it, rather than depend on others to come to its aid.
• Hagrid asked Pomona what she was looking at, and she compared the Hogwarts Express to a giant red python swallowing its passengers.

Pomona enlisted Neville and Hagrid to guard the Room of Requirement while she investigated a possible remaining Horcrux and the Ravenclaw's Diadem. She suspected the fifth-floor passage, Albania, and Severus’s past were connected, but ended without solving who hid the diadem or where Voldemort had lived.

• Pomona gave Hagrid a music box enchanted with a Sleeping Charm for Fluffy, then warned him not to open it.
• Pomona ordered Hagrid to bring Fluffy to guard the Room of Requirement and asked Neville to keep anyone carrying herbicide out.
• Pomona told Neville she suspected Voldemort had another soul fragment and explained how the Room of Requirement’s fifth-floor appearance and the prophecy’s July timing might matter.
• Neville recalled the prophecy and strange bathrooms, while Pomona revealed that Harry had nearly killed Draco with Dark magic and Severus had saved him.
• Pomona suspected Severus had hidden Ravenclaw's Diadem after bringing it from Albania, and Neville linked Barty Crouch Jr. to Bertha Jorkins’s disappearance.
• Pomona realized Winky’s attachment to Barty Crouch Jr. explained her grief, but she still could not determine who hid the diadem or uncover Voldemort’s Albanian home.

Pomona reflected on Sir Cadogan’s courage and her own failures toward Neville and Barty Crouch Jr. She apologized to Neville, who reassured her and revealed a surprisingly pragmatic idea about using Slytherin students as hostages in the final battle.

• Pomona recalled Sir Cadogan’s history, including how he defeated the Wyvern of Wye with a broken wand and a pony.
• Pomona considered the Room of Requirement’s hidden history and Barty Crouch Jr.’s loneliness and past with Neville.
• Pomona stopped with Neville at the stairwell where she had first kissed Snape and apologized for her carelessness and for neglecting Barty Crouch Jr.
• Neville said he had enjoyed talking with Barty while he was disguised as Moody, and explained that Luna had ended their relationship because she was not ready to settle down.
• Pomona reassured Neville that he was worthy and praised him for choosing the Sword of Gryffindor; Neville embraced her.
• Neville suggested that using Slytherin students as hostages during the final battle might have restrained the Death Eaters, though he could not remember where the idea came from.

Pomona opened the Room of Requirement to build defenses around the Time-Turner and reflected on the burdens of Dumbledore, Aberforth, and Severus. She urged Neville to bring Slytherin back into unity with the other Houses, leaving their plan for cooperation unresolved.

• Pomona used “come and go” to open the Room of Requirement, revealing a field of ash and Nettlethorn roots, and began planning stronger defenses for the Time-Turner.
• Pomona considered how Dumbledore’s secrecy had left Severus condemned and wondered whether Aberforth could help clear his reputation.
• Pomona told Neville not to make an Unbreakable Vow and discussed how Hogwarts should train students to defend themselves rather than surrender their wands.
• Pomona argued that all four Houses had to take part in future plans and told Neville to ask a clever person how to contact Slytherin.
• Neville repeated Pomona’s call for the four Houses to remain together, and Pomona agreed as she looked at Hogwarts’s still-bright crest.

Pomona repaired the Room of Requirement while reflecting on the history of Muggle violence and the persecution of wizards. Hagrid brought Fluffy back to Hogwarts, and Pomona ended by asking whether a Giant counted as human for the Room of Requirement’s rules.

• Pomona cast Reparo in the Room of Requirement, restoring its damaged contents except for items destroyed by Fiendfyre.
• Pomona recalled how Theodora persuaded Justinian to resist the Nika rioters, whose revolt ended in a massacre, and how the plague that followed led Muggles to blame and persecute wizards.
• Hagrid arrived carrying a tiny Fluffy, explained that Greek wizards had used Reducio on him, then restored him to his giant size.
• Pomona shielded Neville from Fluffy, and Neville hugged Hagrid after Hagrid mourned Fang and Aragog.
• Pomona asked whether a Giant counted as someone who could remain in the Room of Requirement, and Neville admitted he did not know whether a Giant counted as human.

Pomona and Neville discussed the Room of Requirement’s limits, Hogwarts’ dangers, and the burdens of dealing with the school’s problems. Neville urged Pomona to celebrate Severus Snape’s birthday and move on from the past, but her question about forgiving Barty Crouch Jr. and Bellatrix went unanswered.

• Pomona explained that the Room of Requirement barred Werewolves from entering and that Hogwarts faced dangers from magical creatures and nearby Muggles.
• Neville asked Pomona for help with the many problems at Hogwarts, and she suggested he enlist Hermione Granger while warning him not to tell Harry that Severus Snape was alive.
• Pomona and Neville discussed Ariana, Lily, and the ways people had been hurt or denied the power to protect themselves.
• Neville said he wanted to plant an Anti-Gravity Tree in Hannah’s rebuilt Leaky Cauldron and reflected on Aberforth and Snape’s loneliness.
• Neville told Pomona to prepare for Snape’s birthday, congratulated her on her marriage, and urged her to forget the past.
• Pomona asked whether Neville could forgive Barty Crouch Jr. and Bellatrix, but Neville did not answer.

Pomona recalled the year Hogwarts fell under Death Eater control, her strained exchange with Severus Snape, and her memories of the Battle of Hogwarts and Seamus Finnigan. In Muggle London, she remembered a secret encounter with Severus and used the ring he had given her.

• Severus Snape questioned Pomona about Dobby and warned her to protect herself and replace her prefects, but she denied knowing anything and left without trusting him.
• Pomona reflected on Charity Burbage’s disappearance, the Carrow siblings’ cruelty, and Hogwarts’ exclusion of Muggle-born students as she wondered where Harry Potter was.
• Pomona remembered Seamus’s troubles at Hogwarts, his escape into the Room of Requirement, and his later role in the Battle of Hogwarts.
• After collecting a dress and birthday supplies in Muggle London, Pomona recalled her past with Severus and the invitation that had once made her happiest.
• Pomona invoked the spell on the ring Severus had given her, then thought about Harry and Draco overcoming their pride and prejudice.

Pomona and Severus spent time together in a Muggle bookstore, where a discussion of historical climate disasters led Severus to confront her about their past and his resentment toward Dumbledore. The chapter ended with Severus admitting his fear, regret, and love, while Pomona embraced him.

• Pomona and Severus browsed books on ancient history and heard that climate change had contributed to disasters and the fall of empires.
• Pomona told Severus she wanted Neville to help unite the Houses and mentioned seeing a Werewolf escorted by Aurors in Hogsmeade.
• Severus criticized Albus Dumbledore for neglecting Ariana and explained how Millicent Bagnold had helped discredit Aberforth.
• Severus told Pomona that he had wanted revenge but chose to live because he loved her, then admitted he had been terrified as he died from Nagini's bite.
• Severus confessed that he had expected forgiveness for his mistakes, and Pomona embraced him as he silently cried.

Pomona recalled Sirius and James’s reckless Order mission and the cleanup it left her, then visited the abandoned house Severus had once shared with Eileen. As Severus’s grief and anger surfaced, Pomona comforted him, and they resumed their intimacy.

• Pomona recalled how Sirius and James, transporting the Sorcerer's Stone in 1977, evaded Death Eaters with help from Muggle police officers before forgetting to erase the officers’ memories.
• Pomona tracked down the officers, repaired their patrol car, and cleaned Severus’s long-abandoned house in Ottery St Catchpole without magic.
• Severus questioned Pomona about the T-shirt she had packed, and they discussed Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and the deaths and losses tied to the war.
• Severus began undressing Pomona, but she stopped him when she sensed his distress and offered him a choice of playful outfits instead.
• Severus broke down in Pomona’s arms, and after comforting him, she accepted his renewed advances.

Pomona recalled attending the 1974 Quidditch World Cup with Lily and Severus, then reflected on Severus’s death and the history of Goblin oppression. She considered the danger facing wizards and the need to defend their interests, leaving the question of who would pity the vulnerable unresolved.

• Royston Idlewind banned spectators from bringing wands to the 1974 Quidditch World Cup, but fans used Disguise Pipes that transformed back into wands to boo him until he resigned.
• Pomona took Lily and Severus to the World Cup, where they encountered James and Sirius in the tent area before Alphard led the boys away.
• Pomona woke from memories of the World Cup and thought about Severus, Tonks, and the difficulty of accepting the deaths of younger people she had known.
• Pomona considered Goblin rebellions, the wand ban, and Goblin claims that ownership of Goblin-made objects remained with their makers.
• Pomona recalled the Ministry fountain and later conflicts between wizards and Goblins, including the Goblins’ anger over Gringotts security and Ludo Bagman’s unpaid debts.
• Pomona reflected that humans risked dying if they kept celebrating carelessly and compared their need for power to a lamb’s inability to protect itself.

Pomona and Severus shared a private meal and argued over their past, their guilt, and the people they still remembered. Severus reassured Pomona that he did not blame her for their choices, then admitted he did not know whether Bella had a child with the Dark Lord.

• Pomona apologized to Robby for separating him from Honey, but Robby deferred to Severus and left to serve them food.
• Severus and Pomona ate roast meat and sandwiches in her bedroom while discussing Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and the cost of holding onto power.
• Severus said Draco could inherit his estate if Pomona could not have a child, and Pomona changed the subject to Emperor Xuanzong's early rule.
• Pomona and Severus accused each other of still thinking about Sirius and Lily, and Severus reminded her that she had misjudged Barty Crouch Jr.
• Severus told Pomona that Dumbledore's plan to destroy a Horcrux at Gringotts had failed when the Dark Lord arrived and killed the Goblins who knew the secret.
• Pomona asked whether Bella had a child with the Dark Lord, and Severus said he did not know.

Pomona reflected on the legends and hidden purpose of Gryffindor's Sword before reliving a vision in which Tom tried to persuade her to join his cause. She brought Severus back from a terrible dream and stayed with him as morning came.

• Pomona wondered where Gryffindor's Sword's scabbard was and recalled that the Sword of the Lake could return to the lake only after its wielder died.
• Pomona remembered how Severus had guided Harry and Ron to the sword with a silver stag Patronus despite his anger at them.
• Tom confronted Pomona in a vision and argued that wizards should defend magical creatures by stopping Muggles from reproducing unchecked.
• Tom invoked Ariana's childhood abuse and accused Pomona of consorting with Sirius Black's killer despite Harry witnessing Sirius's death.
• Pomona touched Severus's face and told him he was alive, then held his head as the morning light entered the room.

Pomona recalled sneaking first-year Lily and Severus into Honeydukes for Severus’s birthday, then made him a golden cauldron cake decades later and asked him to praise her. His words moved her to tears as she reflected on the choices people made and the purposes for which they used magic.

• On January 9, 1971, Pomona led Lily and Severus through the secret passage to Honeydukes, where she bought sweets for Severus’s birthday.
• Lily reached for a Jelly Slug, but Severus stopped her and threw it back into its tank.
• On January 9, 2005, Pomona made Severus a golden cauldron birthday cake while thinking about his and Tom Riddle’s stubbornness and the uses of magic.
• Pomona told Severus she had learned food magic to win Professor Slughorn’s praise and asked him to praise her once.
• Severus told Pomona that her diligence and hard work had not been wasted, and she wept onto the cake.

On Severus’s birthday, he took Pomona to his childhood room and discussed the River of Forgetfulness, Dumbledore’s memories, and a green potion made from human lives. They prepared to test what happened when River of Forgetfulness water and Doxy venom were mixed, while Pomona worried that Dumbledore would leave Tom alone.

• Pomona followed Severus to his childhood room, where he proposed turning the old laboratory into a place for experiments.
• Severus explained his theory that the green potion Dumbledore drank contained water from the River of Fire and an alchemical substance made using human lives.
• Pomona urged Severus to destroy the remaining potion, fearing others would seek it for immortality, but he instead kissed her and thanked her for helping him forget bad memories.
• Severus presented Forgetfulness Potion as the day’s lesson, and Pomona produced Doxy venom and River of Forgetfulness water for an experiment.
• Pomona said Dumbledore was with Tom and feared Tom would be alone if Dumbledore left, while Severus prepared the materials with a silver-white dagger.

Tom Riddle’s plan to force Albus Dumbledore to choose whether to drink a deadly potion was revealed alongside the history of witch persecution and the story of Socrates. Pomona and Severus experimented with a Forgetfulness Potion altered by Doxy venom, and the chapter ended with Pomona imagining Dumbledore unleashing Fiendfyre while she rested with Severus.

• Tom Riddle designed a potion that would make Albus Dumbledore face a choice involving drowning Inferi, while ensuring Dumbledore could identify the hemlock and refuse to drink it.
• The chapter recounted how Ariana Dumbledore’s magic erupted when three Muggle boys tried to drown her, and compared her experience with the persecution of accused witches and Socrates’s execution.
• Pomona brewed a Forgetfulness Potion with Severus, who secretly added Doxy venom and tested its effects on her.
• Pomona became giddy and affectionate under the potion’s influence, and Severus carried her to his childhood bed while teasingly treating her like a pet.
• Pomona imagined Albus Dumbledore using Fiendfyre as she considered how combinations of poisons might cancel each other out, leaving her and Severus still without a sample to resolve their disagreement.