Chapter Summaries

Joseph and Father Stein discussed the monastery’s ghost and the centuries-old persecution case, while Mills waited uneasily for news about Angela. Pomona met Severus and the Obscurial Felix Yang in an alley, where a wave of black smoke swallowed her.

• Joseph found Father Stein collecting eggs and told him that he had also heard someone moving through the monastery at night.
• Stein explained that the ghost might be Gillem or Halzer and recounted how Viscount Wilkes had been confined after the trial.
• Mills waited for news from Joseph and thought about Angela, her father, and the strange possibility that people could transform into animals.
• Hermione complained to Pomona about Ron’s messiness and questioned whether he was ready to become a father.
• Pomona spotted a pale man in black, followed him into an alley, and found Severus with Felix Yang, whom Severus identified as the Obscurial who had attacked Diagon Alley.
• Black smoke surged through the alley and swallowed Pomona.

Severus brought Felix to his South Kensington apartment after the boy chose to use his power, while Pomona worried that Severus was exploiting him. As Pomona and Severus prepared to shelter Felix and make plans amid threats from the Werewolves, Lucius arrived and revealed he had bought a villa in Padua for Draco and Astoria to hide in.

• Severus brought Pomona and Felix to his apartment, where Kreacher led Felix to the kitchen and Severus said the thirteen-year-old had chosen to use his power.
• Pomona challenged Severus for involving Felix, but they reconciled and agreed to take Kreacher with them for protection.
• Pomona told Severus she had visited Cissy and learned that the Werewolves planned to attack a stadium during a live Premier League broadcast, so she and Neville had spread rumours about Voldemort's return.
• Lucius interrupted Pomona and Severus, then said he had bought a villa in Padua where Draco and Astoria could hide abroad for a few years.
• Severus told Pomona that Felix would stay the night and would no longer have to sleep in his bed in the slums.

Pomona questioned Yang Felix about his magic and his attack on Diagon Alley, then agreed to teach him while deciding whether he could safely attend Hogwarts. As she considered the dangers awaiting them in the sinkhole, she planned to seek more information from a nearby Muggle village.

• Yang Felix told Pomona that he had discovered his magic as a child and attacked Diagon Alley because he resented magical children being allowed to attend school while he could not.
• Felix admitted that he had lost control of his power before and hurt someone, so Pomona warned that she could not yet decide whether he could attend Hogwarts.
• Pomona demonstrated a paper bird brought to life with magic, and Felix watched with excitement as she offered to teach him alongside Queen Maeve's methods.
• Pomona considered how Felix's Obscurus might relate to non-beings and the Blood-Sucking Bugbears in the sinkhole they were approaching.
• Pomona decided that she and her companions might visit a nearby Muggle village for clues about the human-skin masks.

Pomona spent the day taking Felix shopping and preparing for the group’s departure to Italy, while remaining suspicious of his arrival and his claims about magic. That night, she and Severus discussed Felix’s possible Hogwarts house before dancing and kissing.

• Felix explained that he had received a Hogwarts letter but had no Trace, so Pomona doubted his story and worried he had been sent to attack Diagon Alley.
• Pomona took Felix to Diagon Alley, bought him school robes and other clothes, and returned with him to the South Kensington flat.
• Pomona prepared a lavish dinner and packed leftovers for the journey to Italy, while arranging to collect animal blood for the vampires the next morning.
• After Felix went to his room under Kreacher’s watch, Pomona and Severus speculated about which Hogwarts house he might join and discussed Slytherin parties.
• Severus drew Pomona into a dance, hummed for music, and kissed her.

Mills visited Antony and learned more about Angela Warren's body while evading questions about his feelings and secretly checking Antony's psychotherapy records. Meanwhile, Joseph studied Baduchi's notes at Prince Monastery and began practicing an ascetic posture to grow stronger before returning to Albania.

• Mills recognized a disguised actress leaving Antony's studio and found the same perfume lingering in the consultation room.
• Antony told Mills that he had buried the other girl, taken DNA samples, and found that she had six nipples, though he could not confirm she had transformed into a Wampus cat.
• Mills asked Antony about the Mandala Hotel investigation, then secretly skimmed the psychotherapy records while Antony prepared breakfast.
• Antony served Mills blood sausage and discussed how cruelty brought serial killers joy before Mills asked him whether he would choose a shortcut or a difficult road.
• Joseph read Baduchi's notes at Prince Monastery and resolved to improve his strength before returning to Albania.
• Joseph began copying an ascetic posture described in the notes, while reflecting on the history of monastic life.

Pomona received the repaired Slytherin's Locket from Severus and prepared their hidden painting-case refuge for survival. As they set out to search for Scented Illusion Grass, her insecurity about Severus and frustration with Voldemort left her angry.

• Severus fastened the repaired Slytherin's Locket around Pomona's neck, and she sensed the lingering Dark magic and heard a voice urge her to place the Resurrection Stone inside it.
• Severus kissed Pomona's neck until Voldemort coldly reminded them it was time to go, and Pomona pushed Severus away.
• Pomona described how she had stocked and defended the painting case with supplies, dragon dung, and equipment to sustain its greenhouse.
• Pomona worried that Severus still loved Lily, but Voldemort dismissed her concerns as making trouble for no reason.
• Severus asked whether Pomona had forgotten anything, and she stomped past him through the disordered greenhouse.

Pomona and Severus arrived in the Alpine town of Elaine and visited a farmhouse to ask about Nogtails. A boy revealed that his family had deliberately raised an albino sheepdog to defend against them.

• Pomona recalled how Vito Corleone used polite persuasion and intimidation to build his olive oil business.
• Pomona, Severus, and Felix reached Elaine, where Pomona and Severus went out to paint and explore.
• Pomona suggested asking the isolated farmhouses about what lay in the mountains near town.
• A hostile albino sheepdog barked at Pomona and Severus, and a boy came out carrying an iron shovel.
• Pomona asked whether the dog was meant to defend against Nogtails, and the boy reacted with surprise.

Pomona stayed with Severus and Felix in the mountains near Paroldo, where she discussed family, love, and loss while learning about the local wizards and their customs. Voldemort reflected on death and inheritance, then suggested an epitaph for Albus, whose body had rotted away on an island.

• Gerard Rossi stayed with his grandparents in the mountains while recovering from chickenpox, and Pomona learned about the wizards of Paroldo and their work.
• Pomona watched Lucy reject her food and keep away from the Occamy Cockroach Cluster, then heard about bread made with bacteria cultivated from cow dung.
• Sophie asked Pomona about her family, and Pomona explained that she and Severus had adopted Felix, who still refused to call them his parents.
• Pomona considered the complicated choices and losses in the lives of people she knew, including Hannah, Hermione, Narcissa, Lily, and Tom Riddle.
• Voldemort spoke about death, inheritance, and the Last Judgment, then proposed using his words as an epitaph for Albus.
• Voldemort said Albus's corpse had rotted away on the island in the middle of the lake.

Severus told Felix and Pomona how a French force discovered and destroyed a hidden castle where a slave trader had experimented with a magical wand during the Battle of Turin. The tale ended over lunch with Severus offering Felix future wages, while Pomona reflected on wizarding history and her lost friendship with Lily.

• Severus explained that a Muggle slave trader had used spells to conceal his castle while trying to gain magic from a wizard's wand.
• A Squib among the French knights entered the castle and burned the wand, revealing the castle and forcing the trader to flee.
• The French force bombarded the mountain sinkhole for three days, then recruited local men, including Gerard Rossi's ancestor, and found the castle and a huge creature burning.
• Severus told Felix he would discuss wages with him if he survived, and Felix agreed that he wanted to provide a better life for his mother.
• Pomona wondered whether wizards had been involved in the Battle of Turin and then dismissed Severus's complaint about women dueling over men.
• Pomona recalled that Severus had kept her from becoming friends with Lily, who was already dead.

Pomona reflected on Prince Eugene’s rise and the rumors surrounding his mother before tending her greenhouse and considering a magical plant called Bad Woman. Voldemort raised the possibility that a mysterious wand was the Elder Wand, then hinted at a different goal before disappearing.

• Pomona recalled Olympia Mancini’s scandalous history and the rumors that she had poisoned her husband and possibly Carlos II.
• Pomona reviewed Prince Eugene’s military career and the strange disappearance of French nobles near Paroldo.
• Pomona created a safer greenhouse environment with the magical plant Bad Woman, whose pollen protected those it recognized as its own.
• Voldemort asked Pomona whether an unknown wand might be the Elder Wand and explained that he had once wanted it to kill Harry Potter.
• Voldemort said he was no longer interested in Harry or Neville, refused to reveal what he wanted instead, and vanished.

Pomona and Severus discussed the stars, the maze, and why Ginny liked Harry before arguing over Pomona’s need to control her own life. The chapter ended with Pomona lowering her wand as memories of Severus’s past betrayal made it difficult for her to threaten him.

• Pomona watched the stars with Severus and explained how the Egyptian zodiac represented Cancer as a sacred scarab.
• Pomona and Severus discussed the maze, Harry, Ginny, and Cedric’s suspicions about Pomona’s attention to Neville.
• Severus revealed that Harry had approached Ginny when other students ostracized her, and teased Pomona for refusing to bet.
• Pomona confronted Severus, insisting that she wanted to hold her fate in her own hands rather than become dependent on him.
• Severus left Pomona on the roof, and she lowered her wand as she remembered his role in Albus’s death.

Pomona and Severus searched the ruins for a dungeon, while Pomona reflected on the Triwizard maze and Severus’s disputed Order of Merlin. At a sinkhole maze, Severus revealed his guilt and transformed into black smoke to carry Pomona into the depths, where she remembered the Basilisk’s fangs too late.

• Pomona explained how she had adapted the Eight Trigrams to design the Triwizard maze, where Harry and Cedric lost time avoiding a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
• Pomona and Severus searched near the castle ruins for a dungeon or place that might have held slaves, while she kept the Marauder’s Map secret from him.
• A Sphinx’s riddle and masks made from human faces led Pomona to suspect the sinkhole maze was connected to someone who wore a mask and lied.
• Severus asked about regret and admitted that guilt over Harry’s death and Pomona’s condition had left him unable to walk away from her.
• Severus transformed into black smoke, embraced Pomona, and carried her into the sinkhole; Pomona realized too late that they needed the Basilisk’s fangs.

Pomona waited in a misty vision with Dumbledore, who explained that Voldemort was recovering and had learned to recognize kindness. She woke in a blood-scented sinkhole beside Severus and Kreacher, overwhelmed with joy at being alive.

• Pomona found herself in a misty version of Greenhouse Three and spoke with Dumbledore while waiting for a disappointed student.
• Dumbledore told Pomona that Voldemort had left to recover and that kindness had helped him change.
• Dumbledore urged Pomona to return, saying the ball was not over and the clock had not struck twelve.
• Pomona woke in a sinkhole beside Severus as Kreacher accused them of breaking their promise to help save Master Regulus.
• Pomona laughed at the story of good and evil and rejoiced that she was alive.

Pomona and Severus explored the ruins of the Giants’ settlement and discovered clues linking its maze to the wizard Monogenes Caecilius Hagrid and his research into Sun Gold. Voldemort connected the discovery to Kreacher, the Black family, and the Battle of the Ministry, while Pomona ended with an ominous vision of tragedy and a possible future shaped by an ancient golden Time-Turner.

• Pomona examined the Giants’ caves, the narrow human walkway, and a seven-ring maze surrounding a temple-like structure.
• Severus identified a blue rose emblem, and Voldemort revealed that Monogenes Caecilius Hagrid had researched Sun Gold and may have designed the maze around the seven planets.
• Severus warned that Sun Gold could make a Time-Turner without the Ministry’s usual limits, and Voldemort offered Kreacher the secret of a cave as a reward.
• Severus explained how Kreacher’s loyalty to the Black family helped Voldemort learn that Harry regarded Sirius as family, leading to the Battle of the Ministry after Lucius brought Harry and the others there.
• Voldemort reflected on ancient gods becoming demons and alchemy becoming dark art, while Pomona imagined the Giants’ settlement as a theater and heard Bella’s laughter.
• Pomona recalled a future in which Lucius owned an ancient golden Time-Turner and Voldemort won after Cedric killed Neville, while Snape remained alive and taught Potions.

Pomona and Severus raced through the rocky passage toward the sinkhole while discussing Voldemort’s plans for Sun Gold and a Time-Turner. After Pomona noticed a possible Deathly Hallows symbol, they fought off magical creatures and killed a Man-Eating Ogre.

• Pomona wondered whether Voldemort could use Sun Gold to create a Time-Turner and undo the destruction of the Sorcerer's Stone.
• Pomona spotted sunlight and a circular maze forming a shape that reminded her of the Deathly Hallows, and Severus urged her to keep moving.
• Voldemort explained that the Philosopher's Stone was not made through human sacrifice, while Pomona discussed how soul fragments were separated.
• Big-Headed Hairy Monsters rose from the tunnel floor, and Pomona used potions to grow a Venus Flytrap as a barrier.
• Severus bound a charging Man-Eating Ogre, and Pomona ordered him to kill it before they continued through the tunnel.

Pomona and Severus shared their exhaustion and reflected on the war, fate, and the burden of their choices. After Pomona urged Severus to stop overthinking, he noticed she felt better and drew her beneath his cloak.

• Pomona left the tent and sat with Severus, resting against him as she thought about the Longbottoms, Albus, and the costs of war.
• Severus apologized for his part in her burden, and Pomona accepted his comfort without correcting his misunderstanding.
• Pomona reflected on faith, hope, and how shared intimacy helped adults relieve stress.
• Pomona cursed and tried to get dressed so she could blow up the sinkhole, but Severus warned that the trapped creatures would escape.
• Pomona told Severus to stop thinking so much and asked whether he believed in fate, prompting him to joke about Sybill's prophecies.
• Severus asked whether Pomona felt better, then pulled his cloak over them and said it was his turn.

Pomona and Severus struggled to work out how to enter Mongines Hagrid’s labyrinth and retrieve the Sun Gold, considering whether Hagrid or the Centaurs could help. They found no solution and returned to their search for clues, with France and the drunkard’s possible records as leads.

• Pomona studied astrology and eclipse records while Severus researched alchemy, but neither could help with the other’s specialty.
• Pomona proposed asking Hagrid to enter the labyrinth, but Severus and Voldemort rejected the idea because Hagrid could not be trusted with their secret.
• Pomona considered asking the Centaurs for help, but Severus warned that the Ministry’s strained relationship with them made that risky.
• Pomona realized a magical beast might have been bound to obey Mongines Hagrid’s heir, but she could not identify which creature or how to proceed.
• Voldemort urged Pomona and Severus to return to the inn, and Severus packed their books and star charts while suggesting they search France for the alchemist’s notes.

Pomona dreamed that Voldemort was seeking the Goblet of Fire to complete his resurrection, while Severus tried to keep her from revealing what she knew. She woke from the nightmare and resolved to help find the Sun Gold and keep the Goblet from Voldemort.

• Pomona dreamed of Gollum and discussed the Sun Gold, immortality, and a possible ring with Severus.
• In the dream, Severus explained that Voldemort was using Bella Lestrange’s life force and was searching for the Goblet of Fire.
• Severus urged Pomona not to ask about the Goblet, and she saw a monster holding a golden ring before waking in fright.
• Pomona drank a Cheering Potion, told Severus that Voldemort could not resurrect without the Goblet, and accepted his embrace.

Pomona and Severus left the Muggle inn after Felix said goodbye to Gerard, then argued over whether to seek the Goblet of Fire and try to change Tom Riddle. Pomona remained determined to pursue the Goblet, and a vision of Senior Riddle at a possible Yule Ball left her wondering about its history.

• Pomona suggested destroying Dementors with Fiendfyre and Basilisk venom, but Severus dismissed the idea and said Hogwarts events should be treated as isolated incidents.
• At Severus's urging, Felix went back to thank and say goodbye to Gerard, while Pomona and Severus waited.
• Pomona told Severus she wanted Tom to discover the joy of being good and choose to give up immortality, though Severus said he did not have to accept her view.
• Pomona wondered when the Goblet of Fire had begun selecting Triwizard champions and whether its creator was connected to ancient alchemy.
• During a kiss with Severus, Pomona envisioned herself at a Yule Ball with Senior Riddle, then realized her imagined dance partner was the old Severus.

Pomona and Severus questioned Lyall Mayer about the sinkhole, Grindelwald, and an alchemical symbol linked to the Deathly Hallows. Voldemort identified a riddle for opening the maze, but its solution remained unknown.

• Pomona asked Kreacher about the cabin and House-elf traditions, but Severus cut off their conversation and led him inside.
• Severus confronted Lyall Mayer, who showed them a book bearing a complex Deathly Hallows symbol and explained his brother’s theories about alchemy and the Holy Spirit.
• Lyall said Grindelwald had taken a skull, and Severus suggested it may have belonged to Mongnes.
• Voldemort recognized instructions in the book describing seven metals, planetary correspondences, and an arrangement called the order of The Paradise.
• Pomona and Voldemort concluded that solving the maze’s riddle required identifying the correct metals, planets, and constellations.