Chapter Summaries

Pomona and Severus made up after their quarrel, then discussed moving for safety and Lucius Malfoy’s plan to promote Flyte Osberte for Minister for Magic. Pomona revealed she had once seen herself and Severus together in the Mirror of Erised, then playfully resumed their intimacy as they prepared to leave.

• Pomona reflected on Albus’s grief over Ariana and how he had treated Pomona as a living substitute for his sister.
• Pomona and Severus reconciled, and Severus said he had been looking for a larger, safer home.
• Severus revealed that Lucius wanted him to support Flyte Osberte’s bid to become Minister for Magic, but Pomona opposed the plan.
• Severus offered to tell Pomona what Flyte had been doing in exchange for intimacy, and they resumed their flirtation.
• Pomona recalled seeing herself with Severus in the Mirror of Erised and dressed in a French maid outfit for him.
• Pomona and Severus continued their roleplay while preparing to move that night.

Pomona and Severus moved into Lucius’s luxurious London apartment, where Pomona reacted angrily to its past as a place for Lucius’s mistress. She demanded that Severus find Scented Illusion Grass and the Resurrection Stone, leaving him to explain that the forest where the grass grew had burned.

• Severus brought Pomona, disguised as his maid Abigail, to his apartment in South Kensington.
• Pomona saw the statue of Laocoön and his sons and recalled that Lucius had kept a mistress in the apartment.
• Pomona rejected the cold, lavish home and threw the former mistress’s perfume and cosmetics out onto the street.
• Pomona asked Severus whether he had found Scented Illusion Grass, and he said the forest where it grew had burned in a wildfire.
• Pomona demanded the Resurrection Stone and warned Severus against extravagant spending, saying she had chosen him over Sirius partly because he was more restrained.

Pomona and Severus settled into their new home while discussing power, leadership, and how hardship could teach young people to survive. Their conversation turned to the rewards owed to people who risk their lives, and Severus ended the night by offering Pomona an adult drink.

• Pomona reflected on how weakness did not make someone innocent and accepted that she and Severus had to relocate because Arthur was being watched.
• After bathing, Pomona found Severus reading letters and told him that leaders had to discipline people and spend money wisely, especially on soldiers who risked their lives.
• Severus asked how Pomona would help young heirs such as Gregory Goyle and Sirius Black, and Pomona said she would leave those who refused to learn or put them through a hard wilderness trial.
• Pomona discussed historical rulers and their wives, and Severus remarked that Albus Dumbledore could have been an excellent teacher if he had devoted more time to teaching.
• Severus invited Pomona to have a drink before bed, and she wondered whether the bartender from Catterpole Village had overheard her conversation with Hermione.

Pomona realized Lucius Malfoy and Severus had arranged to pamper her into wearing a maid's uniform and waiting on Severus, while Severus earned money making silver bullets for Muggles. She accepted the clothes, beauty treatments, and service with resentment, and ended the chapter silently declaring war on the Slytherin men.

• Pomona reflected on Victorian wealth and silk trade, then considered how Voldemort had learned frugality and independence.
• Pomona's wardrobe filled with delivered clothes, beauticians came to her home, and Kreacher and Alfonso took care of the household and groceries.
• Severus made silver bullets for wealthy Muggles, who paid him with silver ingots and urgently sought delivery before the full moon.
• After a chaotic day, Pomona realized Lucius Malfoy and Severus were teaching her to accept being pampered as a maid without doing real housework.
• Severus asked why Pomona was not eating Kreacher's cooking, and Pomona praised it while savagely cutting her steak and resenting Lucius Malfoy.

Pomona vented her anger at Lucius Malfoy by making a snowman dance, then argued with Severus over his choices and Dumbledore’s judgment. Severus Petrified her and caught her before she fell, leaving her afraid of the lesson he planned to teach.

• Pomona reflected on Narcissa’s unhappy marriage and imagined how Lucius might misuse the Time-Turner to escape blame.
• Pomona built a snowman resembling Lucius Malfoy, insulted him, and enchanted a larger snowman to tap dance.
• Severus confronted Pomona after overhearing her complain, and she challenged his role in Harry’s death and questioned his deduction about the potion in the cave.
• Severus blocked Pomona’s snowball with Protego, warned her that she was in serious trouble, and Apparated away.
• Someone Petrified Pomona from behind, and Severus caught her before she struck the ground, then threatened to teach her a lesson.

Pomona recalled the trauma of a murder and argued with Severus about Justin’s future and their relationship. Severus agreed to meet Justin if he wanted to pursue a career in magical law enforcement, while Pomona and Severus ended the night playfully quarreling.

• Justin told Pomona that Snape had described dark magic as an ever-changing monster, and he defended the need for people to adapt.
• Pomona remembered Tobias’s murder, her disposal of his body, and the painful memories surrounding Eileen and her son.
• Pomona noticed that Severus’s Dark Mark had darkened and asked him to help Justin enter the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
• Severus told Pomona to have Justin come see him for an interview and accused her of abandoning him when she chose others over him.
• Pomona called Severus out for his lack of consideration and beat him with a cushion, and Severus tickled her until she laughed.

Pomona reflected on Chinatown’s cultural preservation and planned to have Justin mediate the dispute, then invited Severus and Kreacher out for Chinese food. Severus flattered and kissed her, and their intimacy grew heated in the Malfoy apartment.

• Pomona considered the damage Roseville Real Estate Company’s development could do to Chinatown’s distinct culture and decided Justin could use his resources to mediate the issue.
• Pomona meditated at home and found Severus reading documents on the sofa; she said she wanted Chinese food and invited him and Kreacher to come along.
• Severus told Kreacher to check what the house needed, then coaxed Pomona back to the sofa by calling her beautiful.
• Severus kissed Pomona and guided her hand toward his trousers, and their encounter became increasingly passionate.

Pomona recounted Henry John Temple Palmerston’s political career and abuses while explaining how the Ministry of Magic applied different legal systems. She and Severus then visited London’s Chinatown as its residents prepared for Lunar New Year, where they struggled to choose lunch.

• Pomona’s account described Palmerston’s repression, political maneuvering, and role in conflicts including the Opium Wars and the Crimean War.
• The chapter contrasted continental codified law with British and American precedent-based law, using Harry Potter’s hearing and Percival Dumbledore’s sentence as examples.
• Pomona explained that Priscilla Dupont had turned the coins in Palmerston’s pocket into frog spawn, forcing her to step down shortly before Palmerston resigned as prime minister.
• Pomona and Severus walked through London’s Chinatown, where merchants prepared for the Lunar New Year and protested major property developers.
• Severus asked Pomona what “the spirit of the dragon and horse” meant, and Pomona admitted she did not know before fretting over the many lunch options.

Pomona and Severus explored London’s Chinatown as protesters opposed Roseville’s development, while a suspicious man watched them. After entering a roast duck restaurant, they realized they were being monitored and discussed whether Chinese wizards or the Hongmen were involved.

• Pomona visited Chinatown with Severus as protesters gathered against Roseville’s development and she reflected on the Hongmen’s role in protecting the Chinese community.
• Severus noticed a man watching them, and the pair entered a busy roast duck restaurant to avoid drawing attention.
• The man entered the restaurant, spoke with the owner, and disappeared toward the kitchen as Pomona and Severus ordered food.
• Severus told Pomona that cameras were watching them, and they agreed to act like an ordinary couple while they investigated.
• Pomona asked whether Chinese wizards might be in Chinatown, and Severus warned her that the area was British territory and that any local wizards might be dark.

The chapter traced Britain’s interests in the American Civil War and Japan’s modernization, while contrasting Muggle politics with the traditions of Eastern wizards. It left the Chinese wizard who had infiltrated the Tibetan Yeti camp choosing not to attack, as Pomona and Cho Chang began eating Peking roast duck.

• Britain secretly backed the American South before withdrawing support after the North gained military and popular advantages.
• British political reforms expanded voting rights and weakened aristocratic influence as industrial interests grew.
• Britain and France sold surplus weapons to Japanese factions, and the Meiji government later invested in industry and Western learning.
• The Chinese wizard infiltrating the Tibetan Yeti camp entered meditation and decided not to wipe out the Yetis or frame them.
• A waiter served Peking roast duck to Pomona and Cho Chang, and Pomona briefly felt guilty before her hunger took over.

Pomona and Severus strolled through Chinatown after dinner as she reflected on power, politics, and the risks faced by people who challenged it. The walk ended when Pomona collapsed and a young boy stole her protective bracelet.

• Pomona considered the history of political power and assassination, including the recent attack on Arthur Weasley.
• Pomona and Severus finished their roast duck and continued walking through Chinatown.
• Pomona reflected on women, voting, and the competing interests represented by Voldemort and Dumbledore.
• Pomona suddenly collapsed, and Severus realized something was wrong.
• A frightened boy hurried away with Pomona’s turquoise protective bracelet, intending to keep it.

Pomona experienced a vision in which Tom Riddle and Lily Evans urged her to give up Severus, and she chose to remain in the Chamber of Secrets rather than return to her life. She woke in the Hospital Wing on Valentine's Day, with Draco at her bedside.

• After the attacks at Hogwarts, Pomona saw the reflected warning, “You should not take what does not belong to you,” in a puddle.
• Tom Riddle and Lily Evans appeared before Pomona and tried to convince her that Severus did not love her and that she should stop loving him.
• Pomona accused Tom of using women and challenged him about his past, but she could not answer his question about whether her love was real.
• Pomona decided to stay in the Chamber of Secrets and crouched beside the water, wanting everything to end.
• A voice warned Pomona that Bella wanted her to kill herself, and the ground shook as the water rippled.
• Pomona woke in the Hospital Wing, where Draco wished her a happy Valentine's Day and remarked that she had slept a long time.

Pomona recovered at St Mungo's after a thief stole her life-preserving bracelet, and Draco told her Severus had brought her there. When Severus revealed his desperation over her near-death and his willingness to pursue the Deathly Hallows, he asked her to accompany him to London's Eastern District to investigate a lead on the Obscurus.

• Draco told Pomona that Severus had given her Valentine's Day gifts to Draco's parents and used Accio to retrieve her bracelet after she collapsed.
• Pomona questioned Draco about Severus's actions and warned him to marry Astoria before leaving him to go on his date.
• Pomona summoned Severus and urged him not to let anger and hatred control him, but he said he would take matters to the extreme if others kept forcing him.
• Severus admitted he would believe in the Deathly Hallows if they offered a chance to bring Pomona back to life, and he described his regret over agreeing to kill Albus.
• Severus told Pomona he had found a lead on the Obscurus and asked whether she would go with him to the Eastern District, where the bracelet thief's pickpocket gang operated.

Pomona and Severus tracked the boy who stole her bracelet to a slum apartment, where they met Ma Youjiang, a mysterious Chinese wizard protecting two orphaned children. Severus sought information about the Obscurus attack on Diagon Alley, and Ma Youjiang offered access to Ivan under strict conditions.

• Pomona and Severus crossed a run-down northeastern London neighborhood to reach the informant's residence, which Kreacher had found by following the boy.
• The boy who stole Pomona's bracelet opened the door, revealing Ma Youjiang, an older girl, and a tiger inside the apartment.
• Severus introduced himself as Moriarty and asked Ma Youjiang about the Obscurus that attacked Diagon Alley last Christmas.
• Ma Youjiang explained that he was helping the orphaned children and would let Severus question Ivan only under his supervision and without force.
• Severus considered Ma Youjiang's conditions while watching the tiger crouched at his feet.

Pomona and Severus questioned Ivan about a boy who had received a Hogwarts letter but never attended, hoping to learn about an Obscurus. Ivan gave them the boy’s name and address after Severus promised not to harm him or his sister, and Severus Apparated away with Pomona.

• Pomona noticed that The Tyger had no shadow and suspected it was as dangerous and difficult to destroy as Peeves.
• Pomona approached Ivan and Valentina while Severus watched Ma Youjiang, and Ivan explained that a poor boy had ignored his Hogwarts letter because his mother thought it was a scam.
• Ivan refused to reveal the boy’s identity unless Severus agreed to stop pursuing him, and he asked that his sister be kept out of danger.
• Severus promised to spare Ivan, and Ivan handed Pomona a paper containing the boy’s name and address.
• Ma Youjiang bid them farewell, and Severus Apparated away with Pomona.

Pomona and Severus reunited in Lucius's apartment, where intimacy and their conversation revealed Severus's fears about losing her and his distrust of Albus's choices. They agreed to resist outside control and keep living together, while Pomona remained troubled by the child possessed by an Obscurus.

• Pomona and Severus passionately embraced in Lucius's apartment as Pomona reflected on their past and on Lily's ghost.
• Pomona realized that Severus may have orchestrated the Seven Potters Plan by manipulating someone in the Order of the Phoenix, though Charity Burbage's death had been beyond his control.
• Severus told Pomona that he feared her death and recounted Voldemort's painful questions about his mother's death and Albus's treatment of Tom Riddle.
• Severus criticized Albus for using Harry against Voldemort and argued that Lily's sacrifice and Harry's choices did not make death a courageous answer.
• Pomona worried that they had failed the child possessed by an Obscurus, but Severus told her not to blame herself and asked her to live with him.
• Pomona accepted Severus's plea and kissed him, ending their argument.

Pomona reflected on Severus’s affection, his past choices, and their unequal domestic arrangement while they lounged together in his apartment. She resolved to preserve her independence and private savings, even as Severus kept drawing her into his comfortable life.

• Pomona lounged with Severus and indulged his experiments with kisses while piano music played downstairs.
• Pomona considered how Severus had restrained himself from killing Ivan and how his choices differed from Albus’s ability to let go of hatred.
• Pomona reflected on Severus’s plans with Lucius and other pure-blood families to establish a Wolfsbane Potion company.
• Pomona questioned whether Severus regarded her as his wife or mistress and remembered that he had pressured her into granting him access to her Gringotts vault.
• Pomona thought about secretly saving money so she could escape Severus’s financial control, but he kept her at home with his affection and Kreacher’s housework.

Pomona discussed political influence, Hermione’s prospects for Minister for Magic, and her plans to help young children with latent magical abilities while sharing cocktails with Severus. They ended by raising martinis to the dead.

• Pomona considered how Lucius Malfoy and she were competing to influence Severus’s choice between Flyte Osberte and Hermione Granger Weasley for Minister for Magic.
• Pomona planned to ask Hannah Abbott to keep track of Neville, Harry, and the others, and hoped her Leaky Cauldron investment would provide private spending money.
• Severus made Pomona a Margarita, and she said she wanted to establish a foundation to support children of illegal immigrants and guide them in using magic.
• Severus said Pomona had made him understand why Albus had been desperate when she betrayed him, and Pomona credited the children with helping Albus move on from Ariana.
• Severus poured martinis, and he and Pomona drank to those who had passed.

Pomona and Severus went out to replace Kreacher’s portrait oil and planned an evening at the cinema, but they encountered Zhang Tao outside and decided to hear what he had to say. Zhang Tao hinted that his explanation would be a long one, leaving them poised to learn more about the secrets guiding them.

• Kreacher asked Pomona to bring him white mineral oil to renew the protective coating on Mistress Black’s portrait, and she agreed.
• Pomona objected to Laocoön’s statue, and Severus took her down in the elevator before they headed out together.
• Pomona and Severus arrived at the cinema, where she debated between Titanic and The Day After Tomorrow and complained that she wanted to visit a museum the next day.
• Severus spotted Zhang Tao waiting outside the cinema beside a red telephone booth, and Pomona chose to speak with him instead of watching a movie.
• Zhang Tao said his story would take a long time, while Severus drew Pomona close against the cold.

Pomona reflected on the danger of magical relics, political power, and a possible future catastrophe while listening to Zhang Tao’s stories at Hannah’s newly renovated Leaky Cauldron. She realized the Weasley family might be responsible for guarding a holy relic and wondered how to tell Ron the importance of the Deluminator.

• Hannah transformed the Leaky Cauldron into a bright, welcoming pub, where Pomona and Severus ate while Aberforth served them.
• Zhang Tao told the story of Ma Liang and his Magic Brush, then connected the brush’s possible legacy to Ma Youjiang and Chinese history.
• Pomona considered how volcanic eruptions and climate change could threaten the world, and how plant magic might help people survive.
• Pomona recalled Dumbledore’s bequests and the dispute over his research materials, while questioning Kingsley’s leadership and the danger of a military government.
• Pomona realized the Weasley family might be safeguarding a holy relic and wondered how to explain the Deluminator’s importance to Ron.