Chapter Summaries

Pomona reflected on wizarding politics, the International Statute of Secrecy, and the consequences of Arthur's appointment as a judge, who was eventually assassinated. After reading about changes to Transfiguration Today, she tried to lift Severus's spirits by suggesting they play a prank, and they left the apothecary together.

• Severus searched for the missing Elphias Doge and asked Justin's father to help find him.
• Pomona considered Grindelwald's opposition to the International Statute of Secrecy and the history of wizarding laws governing Muggles.
• Arthur became head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, reopened Marlene McKinnon's case, and was assassinated after making powerful enemies.
• Pomona noticed that Transfiguration Today had begun publishing articles warning wizards about Muggles, while the Dark Force Defense League failed to notice the magazine's change in direction.
• Severus collected Kreacher's White Oil Essence, and Pomona suggested they prank someone to improve his mood.
• Severus took Pomona's hand and led her out of the apothecary.

Pomona reflected on how Fudge and Changsun Wuji had used laws and attacks on loved ones to crush political enemies, and considered the damage rumors could inflict on women and families. After finding Astoria’s sweet shop closed, Pomona and Severus left together to find a place for cocktails, while Hannah’s whereabouts remained unclear.

• Pomona compared Changsun Wuji’s abuse of the law against Fang Xuanling and others with Fudge’s campaign against Albus Dumbledore and his allies.
• Pomona considered how scandals and malicious rumors had harmed Ginny, Hermione, Astoria, and others, and how family members could become political targets.
• Pomona saw that Astoria’s sweet shop was closed and told Severus they could not keep wasting time.
• Pomona said she wanted a cocktail, and Severus offered to take her to a good place.
• Pomona took Severus’s arm, asked where Hannah was, and vanished with him as they Apparated away.

After a night of drinking with Severus, Pomona woke with a terrible hangover and tried to distract herself from the embarrassing things she had done. She planned to use Hermione's Crumple-Horned Snorkack horn powder and tease Severus, leaving their life in Ireland lighthearted despite her headache.

• Pomona reflected on how people blamed women for scandals and disasters, comparing Susan Bones's situation with historical examples and the way Fudge denied Voldemort's return.
• Pomona woke with a severe hangover while Severus, who had mixed the drinks, was sober and cheerfully preparing breakfast.
• Pomona tried not to remember her drunken behavior and distracted herself with thoughts about disasters, denial, and blame.
• Pomona put on a robe, cast a Silencing Charm, and planned to tease Severus despite her headache.
• Pomona recalled Hermione's bottle of Crumple-Horned Snorkack horn powder and hoped it might help with her hangover before she went out to have fun.

Pomona and Severus shared a teasing breakfast while discussing Harry’s caution and the survival choices in The Day After Tomorrow. Their argument over strength, foolishness, and fighting back ended in a physical clash.

• Severus gave Pomona a hangover potion, and she kissed him despite its revolting taste.
• Severus explained that Harry had kept 12 Grimmauld Place secret while the person who tried to assassinate Arthur remained uncaught.
• Pomona reflected on disaster survival after watching The Day After Tomorrow, focusing on food shortages, refugees, and the missing dog.
• Severus argued that goodness alone could not ensure survival and mocked Sirius as a foolish dog.
• Pomona accused Severus of being provoked by Bella, and he challenged her to fight back before attacking her.

Pomona reflected on Severus’s controlling nature and the burdens he carried, then overheard him arranging donations for a rehabilitation home for battle-wounded Aurors. She returned to the kitchen in better spirits, recognizing that Severus was trying to live up to an ideal that did not suit him.

• Pomona thought about how Severus’s harsh upbringing and need for control made an equal relationship difficult, and worried about raising a child with him.
• Pomona considered Albus’s despair and Severus’s past agreement to help him die, then wondered whether Severus’s extreme training and behavior could harm the people around him.
• A young man brought Severus documents concerning land donations from Lucius, Mr Osbott, and Mr Belby for a rehabilitation home for injured Aurors.
• Severus asked what Lucius had said, and the young man replied that Lucius would follow Severus’s choice of land.
• Pomona recognized that the rehabilitation home could support wounded Aurors and provide jobs, then returned to the kitchen and prepared sausage meat herself.

Pomona reflected on Christmas at Hogwarts and her resentment toward Fleur Delacour before Iris arrived and invited her to visit the British Museum. Iris discussed George III’s history and witchcraft, then explained that Sir wanted Pomona out of a meeting whose subject would likely bore her; Pomona went to change for the visit.

• Pomona thought about how Harry preferred Christmas at Hogwarts to returning to the Dursleys and took satisfaction in imagining Fleur Delacour struggling with cooking.
• Iris introduced himself to Pomona, brought her a cake, and discussed George III’s history and suspected witchcraft.
• Iris offered to accompany Pomona to the British Museum, where he hoped to show her Qianlong’s letter to George III.
• Pomona asked whether she should leave, and Iris said Sir wanted her to avoid a meeting topic that would likely seem uninteresting to her.
• Pomona went to the dressing room to change for the museum visit.

Pomona and the Evans family visited the British Museum, where a planned Terracotta Army exhibition contrasted with the crowds drawn by Tutankhamun’s gold and curse. Pomona reflected on Britain’s imperial past and Artemisia Lufkin’s efforts at international cooperation before heading to the Natural History Museum to look for a frozen mammoth.

• The British Museum surveyed visitors about its planned Terracotta Army exhibition as crowds gathered for the Tutankhamun show and its stories of mysterious deaths.
• Pomona and the Evans family toured London, returning to Cokeworth through the Leaky Cauldron’s public fireplace while Lily’s family fireplace was connected to the Floo Network.
• Pomona considered the British Museum’s funding troubles and criticized Britain’s display of artifacts taken from other countries.
• Pomona recalled Artemisia Lufkin’s work establishing the Department of International Magical Cooperation and insisted that Hufflepuff prefects remember her.
• Pomona went to the Natural History Museum to look for a mammoth like the one in The Day After Tomorrow and wondered whether Britain and America would find refuge if catastrophe struck.

Pomona and Iris visited the Natural History Museum, where Pomona followed a strange summons to a lecture about Yellowstone’s supervolcano. Zhang Tao confronted them with a warning about political tensions and asked them to fund the lecturer, Julian, before leaving his contact information.

• Pomona admired the museum’s enormous ichthyosaur skeleton while she and Iris discussed dragons and the Battle of the North Sea.
• After failing to find a mammoth, Pomona followed a summons toward the lecture hall and listened to Julian explain the dangers of Yellowstone’s supervolcano.
• Zhang Tao approached Pomona and questioned her about the film The Day After Tomorrow and volcanic ash’s effect on the westerlies.
• Zhang Tao warned Pomona and Iris about Chinese anger, drug trafficking, and the risk of worsening relations, while proposing that they discuss their problems.
• Zhang Tao urged Pomona to sponsor Julian’s research, identified himself as an antiquities restoration specialist, and gave her his business card.

Pomona and Iris questioned Professor Locke about the threat posed by Yellowstone’s supervolcano, but he said the eruption could not be stopped and America had no evacuation plan. He hinted that Norway’s Doomsday Vault was part of an Ark Project before abruptly leaving, and Pomona warned that the future might offer no dawn.

• Pomona admired the dodo’s foot in the British Museum and explained that the bird survived as the magical Diricawl.
• Iris introduced Pomona to Professor Locke, who refused at first to discuss his research because the American government had silenced him.
• Locke told Pomona and Iris that a Yellowstone eruption could make two-thirds of America uninhabitable, cripple aviation, and leave ships as the only means of evacuation.
• Iris mentioned Norway’s Arctic seed vault, and Locke confirmed that people called it the Doomsday Vault and linked it to an Ark Project.
• Locke hurried away before explaining the Ark Project, and Pomona told Iris to watch The Day After Tomorrow because its survivors had been luckier.

Pomona learned about looming international and natural crises while discussing politics and revenge with Iris. Iris offered to become Pomona’s spy, and Pomona looked forward to Hermione Granger’s political future and the trouble Iris might cause.

• Pomona and Iris discussed the Ministry’s efforts to improve relations with Muggles and the danger of a supervolcano eruption and refugee crisis.
• Iris explained that she wanted Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson cast out of high society to hurt Mrs Zabini and destroy the life she treasured.
• Iris offered to serve as Pomona’s spy in exchange for help pursuing her revenge.
• Pomona and Iris discussed Lucius Malfoy’s support for Flet and Hermione Granger’s prospects as Minister for Magic.
• Pomona dubbed Hermione “Ariel” and wondered how Ron would react if a gay man became Hermione’s secretary.

Pomona toured the British Museum with Iris and reflected on the damaged Parthenon sculptures, religion, and power. Iris told her that Roberta had been rescued from abuse and planned to send Blaise to work near Romania’s Dragon Reserve.

• Pomona and Iris examined the damaged Greek sculptures and discussed Greek gods, religion, and the effects of violence on civilization.
• Iris explained that Albus Dumbledore had used his authority to keep the Mirror of Erised without losing access to the Come-and-Go Room.
• Iris told Pomona that Roberta had been mistreated after Charlie’s friend sold her, but the half-Giant had found her and was caring for her again.
• Iris said Charlie had joined the Department for the Care of Magical Creatures and could now remain in Britain.
• Iris planned to assign Blaise to the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau in Moldova, and Pomona wondered if Iris meant to ruin his life.

Pomona and Iris discussed the British Museum’s colonial spoils and the devastation white traders and settlers inflicted on the Inuit. Their conversation ended with Iris predicting that Yellowstone would eventually erupt and considering where American refugees might flee.

• Pomona recalled Slytherin’s losses to Gryffindor and the students’ eagerness to duel Harry Potter.
• Iris recounted how whalers, fur traders, missionaries, and disease disrupted Inuit life, including Ohahto’s account of a village that starved after traders abandoned it.
• Iris told Pomona an Inuit legend about a hunter who adopted a fox that later appeared as a girl, and they wondered whether she had been an Animagus.
• Iris discussed the Magical Congress stopping Douglas MacArthur from using atomic bombs during the American-Korean War and said the decision preserved the possibility of future relations with the East.
• Iris predicted Yellowstone would erupt and said Chinese people might accept American refugees only if they entered without guns or drugs.

Pomona and Iris visited the British Museum, where the Chinese Ceramics Gallery had been sealed after a theft, and discussed Chinese artifacts, history, and Zhang Tao’s hardline approach to negotiations. They left the gallery and headed toward the Europe Gallery, while Pomona reflected on the detour and the story ended with a note about Lewis Island chess pieces and medieval Christmas customs.

• Pomona noticed a serene girl in a white Eastern-style dress while visiting the anthropology center with Iris.
• Pomona and Iris discussed whether stolen Chinese artifacts should be returned and debated Zhang Tao’s mysterious identity and approach to negotiations.
• Pomona recalled a mural depicting Heraclius’s envoys visiting Chang’an, and she and Iris discussed the Tang Empire and the destruction of libraries in war.
• Pomona and Iris left the galleries and chose to head to the Europe Gallery because the China Gallery was closed.
• The narrator connected Ron and Harry’s Christmas Wizard’s Chess set to Lewis Island chess pieces and described violent medieval Christmas customs.

Pomona and Iris toured the British Museum’s Assyrian and Persian galleries, where the exhibits prompted reflections on conquest, trade, religion, and modern politics. They left the galleries planning to get afternoon tea, with Pomona hoping for scones.

• Pomona and Iris examined the Assyrian reliefs and learned about the violence depicted in them.
• Pomona and Iris viewed the Oxus Treasure and discussed Persian and Sogdian history, including the Sogdians’ role in trade between Persia and China.
• Pomona and Iris saw the Lewis Island chess pieces, prompting thoughts about the Crusades and the relationship between kings and bishops.
• Iris asked Pomona what she thought of the British Museum, and Pomona said she had seen plenty of bloody wars rather than civilization.
• Pomona and Iris left the galleries to seek afternoon tea, and Iris agreed that food was the one thing in the museum that did not disappoint.

Pomona met Severus at the British Museum after learning about Yellowstone Volcano and discussing Zhang Tao's fears. Severus warned her that Accionites had misled Kingsley about their plans for the Thunderbird, but withheld the rest until she agreed to his terms.

• Pomona enjoyed afternoon tea at the British Museum and bought a bottle of pyramid perfume.
• Severus found Pomona, kissed her, and joined her and Iris at the restaurant.
• Pomona told Severus about Zhang Tao's warning regarding Yellowstone Volcano, and Severus dismissed the threat as distant and manageable.
• Severus said Werewolf trackers expected a major disturbance in Chinatown that month and revealed that Kingsley had made a fatal mistake about the Accionites.
• Severus claimed the Accionites never intended to use Thunderbird to destroy the power grid, but demanded a personal favor before explaining their real plan; Pomona refused his proposed terms.

Severus and Pomona visited an Egyptian exhibition, where Severus reflected on the dangers of internal conflict and recognized an old acquaintance. The chapter left them facing one of the Patil twins, now an Auror, among the exhibits that recalled her childhood fears.

• Severus considered how internal strife threatened his organization and decided his meeting was meant to prevent it.
• Severus reflected on his commitments to Narcissa Malfoy and Draco, and on why he would not sacrifice himself as Albus had.
• Severus and Pomona discussed the story of Imhotep and the Egyptian beliefs surrounding the Nile, Sirius, and the New Year.
• Severus recognized one of the Patil twins in the Egyptian exhibition hall and told Pomona they had encountered an old acquaintance.
• Pomona recalled that the Patil twins' Boggarts had been a mummy and a snake, and Severus noted that they had become Aurors.

Pomona and Severus discussed the threat of attacks on Britain’s nuclear power stations while touring an Egyptian exhibit, and their conversation turned to their feelings for each other and the people haunting their past. She revealed that she had taught Sirius Black and James Potter to become Animagi so they could help Remus Lupin during his transformations, then chose to leave the museum with Severus.

• Pomona became unsettled by the Egyptian exhibit’s mummies and reflections on death, resurrection, and the people she had lost.
• Severus warned Pomona that terrorists planned to attack nuclear power stations, and she asked why he was telling her after withholding the information.
• Severus told Pomona he did not want her to trade herself for benefits and challenged her to explain why she loved Jack; she asked whether he would still like her if she became like Rose.
• Pomona and Severus acknowledged that they were haunted by Lily and Sirius, and Severus said he would rather search for the Book of the Dead in the Department of Mysteries.
• Severus asked who had stayed with Remus Lupin in the Shrieking Shack, and Pomona admitted she had taught Sirius and James Potter to become Animagi to help Remus.
• Pomona linked her arm through Severus’s and left the museum with him.

Drunk and resentful, Pomona and Severus argued over a sculpture while Severus threatened to unleash disasters on Muggles and form an organization called the Dancers. Pomona tried to calm him, but he insisted he had given up and would make everyone share the hell he created.

• Pomona and Severus turned the Laocoön sculpture into different forms while drinking, until Severus made it an Easter Island statue.
• Pomona complained that Sybill and Severus had admirers while nobody admired her, and Severus dismissed what others thought.
• Severus claimed he could use Tarantallegra to make Yellowstone Volcano erupt and said Muggles would be destroyed by natural disasters.
• Severus proposed naming his organization the Dancers and said they would perform the Dance of Death.
• Pomona urged Severus not to give up, but he declared that he would make everyone live in the hell he created.

Pomona read reports about Prohibition, drug culture, wizarding law, and the coming werewolf threat in Chinatown, then tried to help Severus address the district’s refusal to accept white police officers. Severus, still angry and hungover, rejected her suggestions and asked to be left alone.

• Pomona read reports describing how prohibition laws, social isolation, and ineffective wizarding laws had contributed to crime and drug use.
• The reports explained that werewolves, led by Fenrir Greyback, planned to attack Chinatown during the Lantern Festival and that local merchants rejected warnings from Scotland Yard.
• Pomona sympathized with Severus, believing stress and a lack of understanding had led him to speak wildly about destroying the world while drunk.
• Severus told Pomona that Chinatown’s governing body had barred white police officers and would rely on local residents for safety.
• Pomona suggested contacting the Chinese Embassy or finding a Chinese police officer, but Severus sarcastically dismissed her ideas and asked her to leave him alone.

Pomona reflected on prejudice against Werewolves and Nietzsche’s ideas about human nature before Voldemort challenged her beliefs and tried to undermine her love for Severus. Dumbledore interrupted him, and Pomona chose to leave the argument and embrace Severus, reconsidering her attachment to Nietzsche.

• Pomona worried that rising prejudice against Werewolves would cost Remus and Tonks their medals and expose Teddy to discrimination.
• Voldemort appeared behind Pomona in the mirror and questioned her beliefs about equality, obedience, power, and morality.
• Pomona rejected Voldemort’s claim that she should submit, while he argued that her love had made Severus weak and challenged her faith in him.
• Dumbledore told Voldemort that some things were worse than death and urged Pomona to return because Severus needed her.
• Pomona left the washroom, accepted Severus’s hand for a dance, and wondered if it was time to give up Nietzsche.