Chapter Summaries

Pomona spoke with Sirius about returning the Black family’s two-way mirror, then discussed Narcissa’s marriage, Draco’s future, and Slytherin’s public reputation. The chapter ended with Lily confronting Pomona for erasing her parents’ memories and Pomona promising to protect Harry without neglecting her other students.

• Sirius asked Pomona to return the two-way mirror so he could contact Harry after school began.
• Narcissa admired Pomona’s ring from Severus, and the two women discussed Narcissa’s marriage, loneliness, and desire to help Draco grow into a gentle person.
• Pomona urged Narcissa to improve Slytherin’s public image and offered to appear as Professor Sprout at a party.
• Narcissa asked Pomona to protect Harry, and Pomona promised to do her best while also helping the Nott boy.
• Lily confronted Pomona for erasing her parents’ memories without permission, and Pomona reflected on Dumbledore’s protection and his bias toward Sirius over Severus.

Pomona woke from a dream of Severus Snape’s school days and suspected Sirius had cursed him through Harry’s stolen memories. As Snape explained the Ministry’s exploitation of loopholes in the Muggle Protection Act, he revealed his secret experiments with memory magic and left Pomona unconscious, thinking of Hermione Granger.

• Pomona dreamed of James Potter and Sirius Black bullying Severus Snape while Lily Evans protected him, then woke in alarm.
• Pomona told Snape she suspected Sirius had cursed him, and Snape realized the curse might have been tied to Harry stealing his memories during Occlumency lessons.
• Snape described how Ministry officials exploited loopholes in Arthur Weasley’s Muggle Protection Act to confiscate and resell enchanted Muggle property.
• Pomona suggested Dumbledore trusted Snape to understand the dangers facing both Muggles and wizards, and Snape revealed that Dumbledore had taught him a secret spell.
• Snape admitted he had wanted the Headmaster’s treasures and hinted that he was researching memory magic, then Pomona fell unconscious while thinking of Hermione Granger.

Pomona recalled how she had urged young Snape to grow stronger and learn Occlumency, then listened as he confronted Narcissa over her curse and the Unbreakable Vow. She remained too weak to intervene and worried that Snape’s threats and past choices would bring further harm.

• Pomona remembered young Snape’s first meeting with Lily and suspected that Lily might have been a half-blood.
• Pomona taught Snape about Legilimency and offered to train him in Occlumency and magic if he stopped running away and pursued revenge through strength.
• Snape asked Pomona why she was always alone, and she told him she was not good at dealing with humans.
• Snape confronted Narcissa about the failing protection spell and urged her to discuss her conditions, but she demanded that he stay out of her affairs.
• Snape threatened to kill Draco if Narcissa died, and Narcissa agreed to move into a separate area while warning him that Aurors might not be alerted next time.
• Pomona reflected on Snape’s father’s death and his Unbreakable Vow, wishing she could wake and explain that a young Malfoy becoming a doctor was nothing to be ashamed of.

Pomona reflected on her choices after learning that Snape had made three Unbreakable Vows to protect Draco and carry out the Dark Lord’s task if Draco failed. She and Narcissa left Malfoy Manor with a sleeping woman, while Snape and Lucius were left behind.

• Snape told Pomona that he had made three Unbreakable Vows concerning Draco, and Pomona explained that his promise to protect Draco lasted for Draco’s lifetime.
• Pomona advised Snape that the vows prioritized physical harm and physical protection, then watched him leave without returning her affection.
• Pomona decided to find Regulus and restore his inheritance of the Black family estate, then make Harry return the property he had received from Sirius.
• Narcissa arrived and invited Pomona to go to St Mungo’s, and Pomona agreed before asking to find Draco.
• Narcissa told Snape she wished him and his future wife happiness, then had a House-elf take the sleeping woman from Malfoy Manor and Apparate away.

At St Mungo's, Pomona spoke with Narcissa about Draco, Hermione, and the mistakes that had shaped their lives. Narcissa encouraged Pomona to face the past and hinted that Severus had appeared beside her as she left.

• Narcissa explained to Draco that Pomona had always been this way, then slapped him for insulting her appearance.
• Pomona told Narcissa that the Bloody Baron had mistaken Draco for Helena's lover and that she wanted to prevent Hermione from marrying Ron Weasley.
• Narcissa sent Draco to invite Hermione to St Mungo's, while Pomona explained that she wanted Hermione to become a new pillar and develop her talents.
• Narcissa discussed reclaiming Sirius's inheritance, adapting to life as a Black, and urged Pomona not to waste her life hiding from Severus.
• Narcissa left the room, and someone in soft robes appeared beside her.

Pomona confronted Severus about her loss of control and discussed their past, their friends, and Draco before Hermione arrived. Pomona revealed that she was a half-blood Veela and questioned Hermione about failing to treat Severus after his injury, leaving Hermione stunned and defensive of Harry and Ron.

• Pomona apologized to Severus for attacking him with her hair, and he attributed her outburst to her inability to control her power.
• Pomona and Severus discussed Draco, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and the people who had taught them to dance.
• Draco brought Hermione to Pomona’s room, and Severus initially tried to hide before Pomona invited them inside.
• Pomona questioned Hermione about how she would treat an ordinary bleeding wound and why she had not treated Severus after he was bitten in the boathouse.
• Pomona revealed that her monstrous appearance was her true form as a half-blood Veela, then asked Draco to guard the door while she spoke with Hermione.

Pomona urged Hermione to trust her intelligence and consider a future in magical politics, while explaining the limits of her efforts to free Hogwarts’ house-elves. Hermione defended her bond with Ron and agreed to keep Pomona and Snape’s survival secret, leaving Snape eager to teach her Occlumency.

• Pomona recalled Ron asking Hermione to the Yule Ball because she was a girl, then questioned why Hermione had chosen him over Viktor Krum.
• Pomona encouraged Hermione to use her talent and consider becoming Minister for Magic, and explained why Hogwarts’ house-elves would not obey students’ orders to leave.
• Hermione said she had not latched onto Ron and explained that their shared experiences made her feel understood.
• Pomona told Hermione she could contact her through Draco and warned her not to reveal that Pomona or Snape was alive.
• Snape offered to teach Hermione Occlumency, escorted her out, then returned to Pomona and teased her about being jealous.

Pomona explored Severus's memories and returned to St Mungo's after Dumbledore warned him about the dangers of Amortentia. Severus accepted Pomona's true nature, took one of her hairs for study, and stayed with her as Draco guarded the door.

• Dumbledore praised Severus for protecting Harry Potter and his friends during Lupin's transformation, while Pomona recalled seeing Severus's memories.
• Pomona's transformed fairy side fed on Severus's memories as he struggled to stop himself from giving in to her.
• Dumbledore asked Severus to attend a party for information unavailable to him and urged Severus to focus on teaching and research.
• Dumbledore warned Severus not to let Amortentia overcome his will, and Pomona returned to St Mungo's before Severus could discover her presence in the memories.
• Severus asked Pomona if she had used the Imperius Curse, then accepted her Veela half-blood form and collected one of her hairs.
• Draco guarded the hospital room door and privately congratulated himself for realizing that Severus and Pomona had something going on.

Pomona learned more about Snape’s past with Dumbledore and confronted him about the secrets and sacrifices surrounding Dumbledore’s death. She decided to return to Hogwarts to rebuild the school, while Snape left her to look after Draco and the Unbreakable Vow.

• Dumbledore confronted Snape about his past, invoking Pomona and Harry to pressure him into helping, but Snape rejected him and left the Headmaster’s office.
• Pomona processed Snape’s memories and asked whether he would kill Dumbledore again, and Snape explained their mutual hatred and trust.
• Pomona declared that she would return to Hogwarts to rebuild the school, while Snape refused to become Headmaster.
• Pomona proposed finding Lavender Brown and sending her undercover among the werewolves, but Snape refused to sacrifice a girl or use the old Order of the Phoenix methods.
• Snape told Pomona to take care of Draco and the Unbreakable Vow, then Apparated away.

Pomona tried to teach Draco Malfoy responsibility and magical control by tempting him with dangerous, illegal pets. She left him considering the lessons behind her challenge and the Remora she offered as a reward.

• Pomona reflected on Umbridge’s punishment by the centaurs and on Draco’s spoiled upbringing and past mistakes.
• Pomona invited Draco to play a game and offered him an illegal pet if he won.
• When Draco asked for a Mermaid, Pomona explained the danger and responsibility involved, using his past injury from Harry’s spell as a lesson about controlling magic.
• Pomona told Draco that he needed to practice precise spells on living targets rather than wooden dummies because he planned to become a doctor.
• Pomona offered Draco a protected Remora as his reward and explained that he should learn to navigate rules as his father did.
• Pomona led Draco away from the courtyard, leaving Zabini behind.

Pomona took Draco to St Mungo’s, where she warned him to prepare for the possibility of leaving Britain as political tensions threatened the old families. She then introduced a game of hiding secrets and asked whether he had practiced Occlumency.

• Pomona recalled Dumbledore urging Severus to stop further murders, and Draco called her back from her thoughts as they walked through St Mungo’s.
• Pomona explained to Draco why she had treated his hand with Dittany and reflected on the hospital’s departments and the wizarding world’s shortage of talent.
• Pomona and Draco met Narcissa in the tea room, where Narcissa arranged a private room for them.
• Pomona asked Draco about his future and warned him that the Ministry might seize the Malfoy family’s property, so he should consider taking Narcissa abroad.
• Draco asked about the game Pomona had promised, and she told him to use the name Christine and asked whether he had practiced Occlumency.

Pomona comforted Draco after Dean Thomas humiliated him and urged him to control his emotions and reconsider his hatred of Muggle-borns. She encouraged Draco to lead the young Slytherins at St Mungo’s, then took him to have dinner with Narcissa.

• Dean Thomas questioned Draco about Harry Potter and mocked him, prompting Draco to curse him and cry in Pomona’s arms.
• Pomona recognized that Draco’s hatred stemmed from his wish to restore pure-blood supremacy and taught him to hide his emotions as a Slytherin.
• Pomona challenged Draco’s prejudice by pointing out that he despised Muggle-borns while behaving without manners himself.
• Draco admitted he and Theodore had mocked Hermione Granger’s blood status, and Pomona asked to see his Dark Mark so she could destroy it.
• Pomona assigned Draco to teach the other young Slytherins the Slytherin Code of Conduct and told him to lead them.
• Draco obediently took Pomona’s hand and went with her to have dinner with Narcissa.

Pomona, Narcissa, and Draco shared dinner at St Mungo's, where Pomona encouraged Narcissa to involve others in her efforts to atone and urged Draco to learn Parseltongue. Narcissa revealed that Pomona had been unconscious for more than half a year, then took her shopping to raid Lucius's vault.

• Narcissa asked Pomona how she and Severus had kept in touch, and Pomona recalled lending him House-elves to prepare potion ingredients.
• Pomona urged Draco to invite Theodore to dinner and encouraged Narcissa to spread her effort to atone for her sister.
• Pomona suggested Draco learn Parseltongue so he could control a Runespoor and help provide its eggs to St Mungo's doctors.
• Pomona reminded Draco to complete his assignment and asked Narcissa whether the Black family had any spare two-way mirrors.
• Narcissa told Pomona she had slept for more than half a year and that the doctors had nearly given up hope before taking her shopping to empty Lucius's vault.

Pomona and Narcissa visited Borgin and Burkes, where talk of the Black family, Regulus, and Snape’s past brought their hidden fears and loyalties to the surface. Narcissa asked whether people could repent, and Pomona warned that a chance was useless unless they recognized their wrongdoing.

• Pomona and Narcissa entered Borgin and Burkes through its back door and discussed Sirius, Regulus, and Bellatrix’s role in the Black family’s feud.
• Narcissa laughed as Pomona recalled Neville’s fear of Snape and the punishment he endured to earn Snape’s forgiveness.
• Narcissa confessed that she feared Snape might become like the Dark Lord, and Pomona reassured her that Snape was a brave coward who had protected the children.
• Narcissa revealed that she knew Snape had killed Dumbledore to spare Draco and asked why Pomona had been cursed by Bellatrix.
• Narcissa asked whether people could repent, and Pomona replied that they first had to understand repentance before they could make use of another chance.

Pomona recalled how Dumbledore prepared her to accompany Severus to Lucius’s party, then spoke with Narcissa about that night, Severus’s feelings, and her own guilt over failing to protect Cedric. She ended the chapter sobbing in Narcissa’s arms, ashamed that she felt little grief for her dead daughter and had forgotten her duty as a teacher.

• Pomona considered the hidden Floo connection at Borgin and Burkes and the danger surrounding the Weasleys, the Blacks, and the prophecy.
• Pomona remembered Dumbledore giving her a dress robe, teaching her to dance, and arranging for her to accompany Severus to Lucius’s party.
• Narcissa recognized Pomona as Severus’s companion at the party and recalled her silver-white gown and the moonlight-themed Christmas ball.
• Pomona and Narcissa discussed Severus’s Wolfsbane Potion, his feelings for Lily Potter, and Pomona’s refusal to pity him.
• Pomona confessed that she felt little grief for her dead daughter and blamed herself for failing to protect Cedric, then cried in Narcissa’s arms.

Pomona and Narcissa investigated Borgin and Burkes and uncovered clues that Arthur Weasley might have used it to sell stolen Muggle artifacts. Pomona decoded Severus’s summoning ring and called him to her, ending the chapter with them reconciling and kissing.

• Pomona suspected Arthur Weasley had brought the cursed opal necklace to Borgin and Burkes to sell, and she decided to tell Severus what she had found.
• Pomona examined her ring and realized it could summon Severus through a spell connected to the Dark Mark and the Quidditch World Cup.
• Pomona used the incantation “Amoreleprechaun,” and Severus appeared in the alley.
• Pomona apologized for having slept so long, and Severus spoke of naming their next daughter Amore.
• Pomona rushed to Severus and kissed him.

Pomona and Severus discussed their past, the Unbreakable Vow, and the danger surrounding Draco and the Weasleys while sharing an intimate moment at an inn. Pomona revealed a troubling dream about three imagined roommates, and their conversation ended when she learned Lucius had arrived.

• Pomona asked Severus why he had accepted Gilderoy Lockhart's duel challenge, and he said he wanted to teach Lockhart a lesson and show her his strength.
• Pomona told Severus she had found the problem with the Unbreakable Vow: Draco wanted to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes and uphold pure-blood supremacy.
• Pomona warned Severus that Arthur Weasley might have sold confiscated cursed objects to Borgin and Burkes, and asked him not to attack Arthur directly; she proposed that Hermione handle the matter as a test.
• Severus said he would deal with the Weasleys' affairs, while Pomona would continue caring for the children; he also suggested they resume her vampire research after the war.
• Pomona described a dream involving Mary Locke, Susan Turpin, and Ginny Weasley as her roommates, and said she feared something terrible was about to happen.
• Pomona asked where Cissy was, and Severus told her Lucius had arrived.

Pomona reminisced about dancing with Severus before rejoining Narcissa and Lucius for breakfast at an inn, where they discussed Draco’s Occlumency, Lucius and Narcissa’s strained reconciliation, and an upcoming Halloween party. The conversation left Pomona thinking about her youthful appearance while she planned to help Lucius and look forward to seeing Severus.

• Pomona snapped out of a memory of dancing with Severus when Narcissa called to her during breakfast with Lucius.
• Lucius praised Irish Quidditch player Darren O'Hare, and Pomona realized she could summon Severus by turning the ring on her finger.
• Pomona told Lucius and Narcissa that Draco’s Occlumency training was not going well because he struggled to concentrate.
• Lucius teased Pomona about smiling at the thought of Severus and reminded her that the Quidditch World Cup was not taking place that year.
• Narcissa offered Pomona a Halloween party as thanks, and Pomona cautioned her not to trust Lucius wholeheartedly despite forgiving one betrayal.
• Pomona advised Lucius to help Draco learn to manage money, then reflected on how young her appearance made her seem.

Pomona strolled through Diagon Alley with Narcissa, recalling how she had taught Severus to fight and reflecting on Regulus’s possible survival. As they noticed they were being followed, Pomona heard grown-up Severus whisper to her from somewhere unseen.

• Narcissa said she believed Regulus might still be alive and explained that she would do anything to save Draco.
• Pomona told Narcissa how she had taught young Severus to dodge and fight back, and described his early years at Hogwarts.
• Narcissa said Lucius had protected Draco from being bitten by a werewolf, and Pomona urged her to give him another chance.
• Narcissa warned Pomona that someone was following them as they walked past Knockturn Alley.
• A raven flew overhead, and Pomona heard grown-up Severus whisper that she was naughty, though she knew he could not appear openly in Diagon Alley.

Pomona and Narcissa visited Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, where Pomona reflected on Hogwarts, the Order, and her hopes for Hermione. The chapter ended with George spotting Pomona after teasing Ron from upstairs.

• Pomona and Narcissa discussed Hogwarts, the students' dating prospects, and Pomona's plans to return to the school.
• Pomona reflected on rebuilding the Order under Kingsley and on how much work Dumbledore had left behind.
• Pomona considered Snape's confession and hoped Hermione would choose a partner who valued her ambitions.
• Pomona and Narcissa entered Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and found Ron entertaining customers while George was absent.
• George called Ron stupid from upstairs, then spotted Pomona, who greeted him with an Order of the Phoenix signal.