Chapter Summaries

Pomona reflected on the revolutions and imperial ambitions that had reshaped Paris and Constantinople while considering the danger facing Duke Vincent Pike. She wondered whether the fallen duke should use magic against his pursuers, but feared that turning back might lead them into a trap.

• Pomona considered how Justinian’s ambitions, the French Revolution, and Napoleon’s rise had transformed Paris and Europe.
• Pomona compared the political upheaval that toppled Louis XVI and Robespierre with the struggles of wizards against Muggles and their own shrinking population.
• Severus asked Pomona what she was doing as they watched the crowds at Lyon Station.
• Pomona thought about Werewolves and fallen pure-blood nobles who had lost their respectability, then compared Duke Vincent Pike’s predicament to the Girondins’ downfall.
• Pomona wondered why Duke Vincent Pike did not use magic against those trying to capture him, but questioned whether turning back would lead them into a trap.

Pomona and Severus traveled by train through Burgundy as she reflected on famine, social exclusion, and the Church’s power, then spoke with him about their strained intimacy and their fears of having to flee. The chapter left them together in the compartment, with Pomona hoping a future Minister might improve the Werewolves’ fate.

• Pomona considered how France’s famine and the failed uprising had left desperate people without relief, and compared their plight with that of Werewolves abandoned by wizarding society.
• Pomona and Severus continued toward Côte d'Or, passing through Burgundy as she recalled Beaune’s vineyards, the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, and how French winemakers resisted German occupation.
• Pomona told Severus that she had not enjoyed their previous sexual encounter and explained that she had been frightened, while he insisted it would not happen again.
• Pomona suggested returning to the bunker for its wine, said she did not want to flee to South America, and asked Severus to bring her warm Butterbeer.
• Severus returned with two cups and resumed reading a rune-covered book as Pomona watched the rainy scenery and hoped a future Minister would help Werewolves.

Pomona and Severus traveled through France and argued over food, love, and why Filch was more loyal to Severus. Severus confronted Pomona about her mistrust and urged her to see their departure from Britain as a chance to begin again.

• Pomona and Severus ate lunch in second class while discussing food, travel, and the fate of animals.
• Severus challenged Pomona about her affection for Draco and accused her of treating him according to what she thought was good for him.
• Severus criticized the idea of duty-bound reproduction and told Pomona he envied the unconditional love she gave Draco.
• Severus asked whether Pomona thought he had left Britain to escape, and he confronted her unease about trusting him.
• Severus called himself Jack, who would set Pomona free, and mixed truffle into their soup.
• Severus explained that Filch's servility and acceptance of the wizarding class system made him more loyal to Severus.

Pomona and Severus traveled through Switzerland and Italy while Pomona reflected on The Sound of Music, love, and the limits of power. They argued over why Severus had brought her to Venice, where he said he wanted to see the city before it sank.

• The train entered Switzerland, and Pomona recounted the story of Maria and the von Trapp family escaping Nazi Germany.
• Pomona reflected on Draco, Narcissa, love, dependence, and Severus's desire for control.
• Pomona considered Plato's account of Eros and discussed how money and coercion could fail in the face of death and danger.
• Severus explained that he had wanted to visit Venice before it sank, while Pomona insisted she had only wanted a mask.
• Pomona shredded her pasta with a fork and made its little national flag vanish with her wand.

Pomona and Severus traveled by train through Switzerland as she reflected on Cornelius Agrippa, Plato, extremism, and the Nazi pursuit of eugenics, then recounted the failed and renewed efforts to sabotage Germany’s Vemork heavy-water plant. The chapter left Pomona and Severus confronting the danger and lingering wounds surrounding their families, while Pomona wondered whether they were ready for future threats.

• Pomona reflected on Agrippa, women’s choices, Tom Riddle’s origins, and how resentment and eugenic ideology connected Voldemort’s beliefs to the Nazis.
• Pomona asked Severus whether he had bought his wand in Germany and whether he and Voldemort had ever gone there, then discussed whether Germany could have won the war with an atomic bomb.
• Pomona recounted how the Swallow commandos’ attempt to reach Vemork failed, and how the Gunnerside team later joined them to sabotage the plant’s heavy-water equipment.
• Severus worried that Narcissa might tell her husband he had betrayed Emmeline, explaining that he had threatened Narcissa using Draco.
• Pomona rebuked Severus for threatening Draco, and the two recognized that their families had been shattered and that their secluded, carefree life could not protect them from further danger.

Pomona and Severus traveled by train through Switzerland on their honeymoon, where Severus warned her about the dangers of Europe’s magical creatures and extremists. He shared a story about a princess and a wizard, and the chapter ended with Pomona imagining a darker version of The Princess and the Pea.

• Pomona worried about Dark creatures in the forests while Severus stayed calm and explained that the train attendants could handle ordinary threats.
• Pomona tried to play with Severus, who ambushed her with a curse and told her to stay alert even on their honeymoon.
• Severus warned Pomona about anti-Troll extremists, dangerous magical creatures, and vampires living in castles across Europe.
• Severus sang a story about a princess and a wizard, then told Pomona he had resolved never to let her sleep alone.
• Pomona imagined a fairy tale in which a princess used magic and Trolls to seize a castle, leaving the prince torn between his mother and the witch.

Pomona and Severus investigated injured passengers aboard a train and discovered that ancient dark magic and a dangerous ghoul were connected to the ruins near Lake Neuchâtel. Pomona drove the ghoul off the train and prepared to take Heinrich for treatment.

• Pomona and Severus left their compartment after injured passengers were brought aboard at Agrippa Village.
• Pomona gave Heinrich a Calming Draught, examined his dislocated arm, and learned from Andre that the boy had fallen from a bewitched broom near ancient ruins.
• The conductor redirected Pomona, Andre, and Heinrich from the observation carriage to the train library, where Voldemort warned Pomona about ancient dark magic and a hidden creature.
• Pomona recognized that a plaster sculpture on the bookshelf was a ghoul and warned Rena to move away.
• Pomona blasted the ghoul with Depulso and Fiendfyre, and it broke through a window and jumped from the train.

Pomona managed the panic on the train and treated Heinrich while Voldemort spoke to her about Grindelwald, Dumbledore, and their possible search for the magic behind Harry’s survival. Their argument turned to Voldemort’s parents before his presence vanished, leaving Pomona reflecting on Merope’s choices and the consequences of unregistered marriage.

• Pomona found Chef Philippe serving hot chocolate to calm the frightened passengers, gave attendants potions for emergencies, and returned to treat Heinrich’s broken arm.
• Voldemort offered to help Pomona investigate the spell that had let Harry Potter survive twice and proposed that they explore the source of magic and life force together.
• Pomona rejected Voldemort’s ideas about love and immortality, then taunted him about his resurrection and his followers’ abandonment.
• Voldemort accused Pomona of misunderstanding Severus and Wormtail, and Pomona argued that Merope had loved her son and might have abandoned Tom Riddle Sr. herself.
• Voldemort’s dark presence disappeared, and Pomona considered Merope’s lack of understanding of Muggle society and the importance of marriage law.

Pomona reflected on Voldemort’s choices, her daughter, and the pain she had suffered before Philippe stopped her from drinking hot chocolate laced with Sleeping Potion. As the cursed train continued onward, Philippe warned her about Venetian masks, and Pomona ended the chapter watching him dance to amuse Heinrich.

• Pomona considered how Voldemort’s choices differed from Harry’s and worried about the pain in her lower abdomen.
• Philippe warned Pomona that her hot chocolate contained Sleeping Potion, so she set it aside and poured brandy instead.
• Pomona and Philippe discussed the cursed train, the danger to its passengers, and Pomona’s plans to visit Venice for Carnival.
• Philippe warned Pomona that Venetian bird-beak masks were associated with death and dark wizards, while Pomona rejected his claims about the Sorcerer’s Stone.
• Pomona recalled Flitwick cheering unhappy students with dancing pastries and asked Philippe to demonstrate the Ländler, making Heinrich laugh.

Pomona and Severus arrived in snowy Bern, where Aurors received them and four injured Muggles were brought down from the train. As they considered Switzerland as a possible honeymoon destination, Severus said he had not touched the Muggles and was relieved to be a wizard.

• Snow fell as the European Express stopped at Bern, where Aurors waited to receive the passengers.
• Pomona reflected on Grindelwald's charisma, his influence over Queenie, and his desire to stop Muggles from destroying the world.
• Severus warned Pomona not to draw attention to herself while they were abroad.
• Pomona suggested they spend their honeymoon in Switzerland and showed Severus travel brochures for local hot springs.
• Four Muggles, their bodies wrapped in golden liquid, were floated down from the train, and Severus said he had not touched them.

Pomona and Severus rested in Bern after the train journey, where their private flirtation turned into an argument over their past treatment of Neville and Harry. The chapter ended by reflecting on the pain of waiting for love and the way desire could overwhelm people.

• Pomona admired Bern's orderly streets and reflected on Swiss culture, trade, and European history.
• Pomona and Severus arrived at the National Hotel, where they were staying as Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
• Pomona mistook Severus at the desk for a poorly dressed young man before realizing they were alone together in the dark.
• Pomona worried that the wardrobe might contain a Boggart, and Severus teased her about dressing up as Neville's Boggart.
• Severus accused Pomona and the other teachers of leading Neville and Harry to make the wrong choices, and Pomona pounced on him in anger.
• Pomona reflected on love, desire, and the sorrow of waiting for a response, a feeling little Voldemort would never understand.

She reflected on war, revolution, oppression, and the Cossacks before setting out with Severus to visit Bern’s Bear Pit and Rose Garden. She chose to enjoy his company without trying to guess who he loved.

• She discussed Russia’s industrialization, World War I, and the economic forces that contributed to later conflicts.
• She described the Cossacks’ role in Russian expansion and wars, including their service during World War II.
• She considered contrasting views of Lenin and the October Revolution, as well as the burial of the tsar’s family.
• Severus asked whether she was ready, and she put down her travel magazine to leave the National Hotel with him.
• She walked with Severus toward the Bear Pit and Rose Garden, content to enjoy his companionship.

Pomona and Severus visited Bern’s empty Bear Park, where they discussed the curse that had afflicted people the previous night and the healer’s pendant called a paradeos. Severus connected the paradeos ritual to the making of Horcruxes, and they decided to travel to Turin to learn more.

• Pomona and Severus found no bears or other visitors at Bear Park, and Severus agreed to sit with her for tea.
• Pomona asked about the dark curse from the previous night, and Severus explained that Sebastian’s paradeos pendant had helped cure the victims’ malignant skin disease.
• Severus wondered whether Voldemort had attached his soul to Horcruxes through a process like the healers’ paradeos ritual, and he said he no longer wanted to hide from him.
• Severus explained that the paradeos affected emotions differently from Horcruxes, and Pomona agreed to travel with him to Turin to meet the healer.
• Pomona said her photographs with Sirius at the London Zoo had shown only friendship, and Severus suggested they buy a Muggle camera before they continued their stroll.

Pomona and Severus traveled through Switzerland to Grindelwald, where they admired the winter scenery and took a photograph together. After the picture was taken, Severus suddenly kissed Pomona and walked off with the camera.

• The chapter described Switzerland's winter landscape and Jungfrau, along with the history of magical markets and dark wizards across Europe.
• Pomona and Severus arrived in Grindelwald, where Severus suggested they take a picture together.
• Severus used his Alpa Camera and asked a Muggle mountaineer to photograph them as Pomona linked her arm through his and made a V sign.
• Severus suddenly kissed Pomona, took the camera from the mountaineer, and walked away without thanking him.

Pomona reflected on the historical turning points that shaped Einstein, Lenin, and Hitler, then considered the wars and the magical figures connected to Grindelwald, Voldemort, and Credence. She ended by leaning against Severus and turning her thoughts away from war, while contrasting her own choices with Fleur Delacour’s independence.

• The chapter recounted how Einstein, Lenin, and Hitler each experienced defining changes in their lives around 1903 and 1914, as World War I began and ended.
• The narrative discussed the Alps, Switzerland’s tunnel construction, and the Soviet Union’s heavy losses and role in World War II.
• The chapter described Grindelwald’s imprisonment, the rise of Voldemort, and Credence’s destructive Obscurus magic.
• Pomona considered Voldemort’s wand, Salazar Slytherin’s snakewood wand, and her earlier failure to choose a new wand for herself.
• Pomona rested her head against Severus’s arm and stopped thinking about war, while reflecting on Fleur Delacour’s freedom to choose her partner and life.

Pomona and Severus spent a day at a Swiss ski resort, where their argument over hiking and his teasing left her feeling old beside the carefree bikini-clad tourists. They ended with Pomona going to buy food so they would not get stranded overnight in the snow again.

• Pomona reflected on British political history and worried that James Sirius Potter and Teddy Tonks might follow troubling examples from the past.
• Pomona and Severus walked through the crowded resort and watched a couple taking elaborate photographs.
• Severus rejected skiing and suggested hiking to First Peak, while Pomona objected that she was not dressed for it.
• Pomona noticed young people sunbathing and skiing in bikinis, then angrily told Severus not to look at them.
• Pomona went to buy food to avoid another night trapped on a snowy mountain.

Pomona and Severus shopped for outdoor gear in Bern, where Pomona reflected on Albus Dumbledore's regrets and flirted with Severus. She persuaded him to help her obtain Slytherin's Locket, but the chapter ended with her feeling that getting what she wanted had not satisfied her.

• Pomona considered how Albus Dumbledore's guilt over Ariana and his hidden love for Grindelwald had left him unable to leave Hogwarts.
• A middle-aged woman asked Pomona how Severus stayed fit, and Pomona proudly said he had once dueled for her.
• Pomona linked arms with Severus and suggested going to a lakeside rather than climbing a mountain.
• Pomona asked Severus to get Slytherin's Locket, claiming it might enhance her charm like the legendary girdle of Aphrodite.
• Severus agreed to find the locket, but Pomona felt no happiness and wondered why she still wanted more.

Pomona and Severus hiked to Bachalpsee, where their teasing gave way to a quiet conversation about his past and their future together. As Severus broke down in her arms, Pomona reflected on the failed Operation Valkyrie and the possibility that Albus had expected Severus to attempt a similar assassination of Voldemort.

• Pomona and Severus continued up the mountain to Bachalpsee and rested beside the lake.
• Severus recalled saving Harry with a Patronus and wondered whether the locket had belonged to Salazar Slytherin's mother.
• Pomona and Severus discussed Northern European mythology, and she promised to stay with him and live as he wished.
• Severus cried in Pomona's arms as she assured him that they were both alive.
• Pomona compared Albus's possible plan for Severus to assassinate Voldemort with Operation Valkyrie and questioned why anyone would lead Severus toward death.

Pomona and Severus shared lunch on a hillside and discussed the Grindelwald War, their relationship, and Albus’s past. Severus confessed his regret over murdering Albus, while Pomona wondered whether the Resurrection Stone could reveal the dead who had fallen on the battlefield.

• Pomona and Severus ate lunch on the snowy hillside, where Severus objected to the lack of vegetables and warned against growing them on an ancient battlefield.
• Pomona discussed how she would have commanded the gargoyles during the Grindelwald War, and Severus pointed out that Albus had not trusted her with them.
• Severus cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm, pulled Pomona onto the picnic blanket, and questioned her about her thoughts and ambitions.
• Severus found Albus and Grindelwald’s letters in Pomona’s bag and admitted that he had regretted agreeing to Albus’s plea and murdering him.
• Pomona comforted Severus as they kissed and embraced on the meadow, then wondered whether the Resurrection Stone could show her the ghosts of those who died in battle.

Pomona followed Severus across a cold mountain battlefield, reflecting on women’s place in history, the costs of power, and the lonely path of strength. Severus stopped to call her “Shorty,” leaving her furious but unable to attack him with Avada Kedavra.

• Pomona considered how Einstein’s ideas about time travel and the atomic bomb had changed the world, then reflected on women’s limited power and the example of Theodora.
• Pomona blamed Flitwick’s failure to defend the viaduct for allowing Giants to reach Hogwarts and damage the castle.
• Pomona and Severus continued hiking across the battlefield, where she heard a rumble like thunder or charging knights and recalled Eloise Mintumble’s disastrous Time-Turner trip to 1402.
• Pomona reflected on the Jianwen Emperor’s uncertain fate, the Ming succession, and whether Zhu Di would have spared him if he had been captured.
• Pomona bundled herself against the cold and thought about how few women endured the lonely path of strength as Severus walked ahead.
• Severus turned and called Pomona “Shorty,” and she resisted the urge to hit him with Avada Kedavra.