Chapter Summaries

Severus and Felix discussed Napoleon’s descendants before Gong Saiyi relayed intelligence suggesting that someone was learning from Pomona inside a virtual structure. As they planned to revisit the Louvre, Lyall Mayer appeared with Nadia and asked Severus about his vampire friend.

• Severus explained to Felix how Napoleon VI returned from exile after serving the French Resistance and how the Exile Law was repealed.
• Gong Saiyi relayed Gianluca’s theory that Pomona had entered a learning structure and that the person virtualized as Napoleon was learning from her.
• Severus and Gong Saiyi decided to retrace their steps at the Louvre Museum, using a Pensieve to review what happened.
• Severus prepared to Apparate, but Lyall Mayer approached with Nadia and asked whether he wanted to know how his vampire friend was doing.

Georgiana confronted Napoleoni about his singing, then shared an intimate bath with him as he discussed history, faith, and her loneliness. When he asked her to stay with him forever if the man she loved did not return by next year, she agreed while privately uncertain about the future.

• Georgiana entered Napoleoni's bath after he splashed her, and the two became intimate.
• Napoleoni sang about a royal girl and told Georgiana about medieval rulers, religion, and power.
• Georgiana admitted she feared loneliness and cried over the man who had hurt her and could not forget another woman.
• Napoleoni suggested that having his child might make the man jealous, and Georgiana struck and punched him.
• Napoleoni asked Georgiana to stay with him forever if the man did not come for her by next Vendémiaire, and she agreed.

Lyall used a fairy tale about a fraudulent wizard to explain humanity’s pursuit of magic and immortality, then urged Severus to accept a greater mission. Severus rejected him and Apparated away, leaving Felix with Nadia and Lyall.

• Lyall interrupted Severus’s demand with a tale about a charlatan who deceived a king, then explained that people had sought immortality through vampire blood and forbidden magic.
• Lyall claimed that Severus had used forbidden magic to bring Pomona back, but Severus insisted she was not dead and refused his terms.
• Severus told Lyall about the Delphi Plan, and Nadia confirmed that someone sought immortality by another means.
• Lyall told Severus that ordinary life and happiness did not suit him and suggested he had a greater mission, but Severus complained about the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s trust in him.
• Severus roared and Apparated away, while Felix asked Nadia where the nearest bus stop was.

Georgiana toured Rouen with Napoleoni, discussed charity, politics, and the guests she would host, and learned that the Chamber of Commerce president planned to give her Cleopatra’s legendary pearl. The chapter ended with Napoleoni drawing the Ace of Swords and the Moon from Georgiana’s tarot deck, leaving her alarmed by their ominous meaning.

• Georgiana and Napoleoni toured Rouen’s castle walls, where he pointed out that the city’s synagogues had disappeared.
• Napoleoni suggested Georgiana do charitable work and meet Rouen’s noblewomen while he inspected the troops, and he warned her to visit the university and poorhouse rather than the trade district.
• Napoleoni told Georgiana that the president of the Rouen Chamber of Commerce intended to give her Cleopatra’s surviving pearl, and he asked her to accept it.
• Napoleoni asked Georgiana to tell his fortune, drew the Ace of Swords and then the Moon, and left Georgiana frightened by the cards’ implications.

Georgiana sang for Napoleoni and the Frenchmen beneath Normandy Castle while thinking of death and the fantasy that bound them together. Elsewhere, Severus revealed Wormtail’s role in Voldemort’s return and his plan to destroy the last Horcrux, before a ghost called Mr. Grey appeared to question him.

• Georgiana considered the harsh realities facing Rouen’s workers and remembered Leta Lestrange’s death as she toured the underground Roman amphitheater with Napoleoni.
• Napoleoni urged Georgiana to sing, and she teased him before singing onstage while Leon watched her.
• Severus entered the crystallized Underground Opera House and prepared to use forbidden magic, but Klimian appeared and warned him against acting rashly.
• Severus explained that Wormtail carried the final Horcrux and described how Voldemort used Cedric Diggory’s murder to create it.
• Severus recalled his promise to marry her and his anger at Sirius Black, then a ghost calling himself Mr. Grey emerged and asked what he planned to do.

Georgiana sang “Amazing Grace” in a Roman Underground Opera House, then left with the crowd after Leon Sterndale reacted coldly to her performance. Severus and Klimian investigated a statue bearing Pomona’s face and learned it had been sent for Napoleon’s tomb after he was mistakenly believed dead.

• Georgiana sang “Amazing Grace” to the gathered crowd, hoping to drive away war and support the abolition of slavery.
• Rapp started applauding, prompting the crowd to cheer, and Georgiana hurried offstage to Leon Sterndale, who remained distant and led everyone out.
• A ghost pointed out a statue scorched by Fiendfyre while Severus and Klimian examined a life-sized statue with Pomona’s face.
• Mr. Grey checked his diary and said the Pope had sent the statue on January 13, 1806, believing Napoleon had died in the Battle of Austerlitz.
• Severus said Napoleon should have been buried in an avalanche and called that claim his guess.

Klimian and Severus investigated the hidden design around Paris’s cemeteries and Napoleon’s monuments, while Severus realized someone was stalling and rushed to find Felix. In Rouen, Georgiana reflected on Napoleon’s ambitions before Mr. Dumont invited her for a walk.

• Klimian and Severus mapped the concentric circles around Père Lachaise Cemetery and discussed how Grindelwald, Napoleon, and hidden burial sites might connect to a larger scheme.
• Severus concluded that the person guiding them was stalling for time and set off to meet Leroy.
• Klimian reminded Severus that Felix was alone in an unfamiliar place, and Severus Apparated away to find him.
• Klimian consulted an old man through a photograph and told him their plan was going smoothly, though there was bad news.
• Georgiana considered Napoleon’s lost love and political ambitions while standing at her window in Rouen.
• Mr. Dumont invited Georgiana for a walk so he could speak with someone of his own kind.

Severus reunited with Felix and joined Gong Saiyi and Klimian to investigate the strange history connecting Napoleon, the Lestrange cemetery, and a ritualist’s goals. After linking a comet and historical events to their theories, Severus placed a Memory of a terrifying creature into the Pensieve, leaving the group to examine it.

• Severus found Felix at the Bastille Opera House and brought him back to Gong Saiyi’s home, where Gong Saiyi and Klimian were studying a map and historical records.
• Severus and the others debated whether Napoleon had planned to be buried at Père Lachaise and whether the Lestrange family had taken over his cemetery and burial objects.
• Klimian connected the cemetery’s sculpture to Canova and suggested the ritualist might be seeking Russian treasures Napoleon had taken.
• Felix discovered that Biela’s Comet had appeared in November 1805, and Severus connected the comet to Nelson’s death and Napoleon’s march toward Austerlitz.
• Severus drew a silvery Memory from his head and placed it in the Pensieve, revealing a roaring, baboon-like magical creature.

Georgiana and Mr. Dumont discussed Emma Hamilton, Nelson, political scandal, and the economics of slavery as they walked Rouen’s walls. Georgiana realized why Napoleon had stayed calm while she sang, then kept the reason secret and sang “Amazing Grace.”

• Mr. Dumont gave Georgiana ancient Pompeian compasses and a figurine of Astermia, then told her about Emma Hamilton and Sir Hamilton’s marriage.
• Mr. Dumont compared the attacks on Emma and Georgiana, explaining how political rivals and steel magnates had used newspaper slander against them.
• Georgiana told Mr. Dumont that Fawkes had warned her she might need to leave Europe for America, and Dumont discussed America’s debt and slavery.
• Georgiana understood that John Newton’s opposition to slavery explained Napoleon’s calm response to her hymn.
• Georgiana refused to reveal which poem had made Napoleon like Shakespeare and sang “Amazing Grace” on the city walls.

Severus and the others reviewed their Louvre investigation and debated how Napoleon’s clues connected the museum to Austerlitz Railway Station. They identified a contractor linked to both renovation projects, sent Klimian to investigate, and continued searching the Pensieve for clues.

• Severus recalled that a sound in the Louvre had distracted him while they examined a Senet board, and he suspected the incident had been a trap.
• Klimian proposed that an insider connected to Austerlitz Railway Station might be behind the clues, while Gong Saiyi linked the Louvre renovations and April 4 to Napoleon’s abdication.
• Severus confirmed that he and Pomona had been in Venice on April 4, and Gong Saiyi suggested meeting Jerome’s descendants at Fontainebleau.
• Felix called Gianluca and learned that Pierre Brongniart, a cement supplier, was connected to both renovation projects.
• Klimian volunteered to investigate Austerlitz Railway Station and Apparated away, while Gong Saiyi continued examining memories in the Pensieve.

Severus and Gong Saiyi considered whether the search for Pierre Brongniart had been a trap, then discussed the possibility that Napoleon might return and what his abdication could mean for France and Pomona. Severus warned Felix about Veela and ended by recalling a night that left the others silent.

• The chapter recounted how Alexander I’s impatience weakened the coalition at Austerlitz, allowing Napoleon to retake the Pratzen Heights and defeat the Austro-Russian forces.
• Gong Saiyi questioned whether finding Pierre Brongniart had been too easy and wondered if Klimian had been captured at Austerlitz Railway Station.
• Severus connected the station and April 4 to Napoleon’s history and asked whether Gong Saiyi would welcome Napoleon’s return.
• Severus speculated that Napoleon might voluntarily abdicate for Pomona, provoking upheaval and leaving her vulnerable, while Gong Saiyi challenged his reasoning.
• Severus warned Felix never to become infatuated with a Veela, then asked Gong Saiyi about the Ahmose family and laughed at a remembered night.

The chapter described America’s postwar debt crisis, slavery, and the unrest that led to Shays’ Rebellion and the Constitution. It ended with Leon putting Georgiana to bed after she read Dumont’s materials.

• American creditors and the collapse of the postwar economy intensified disputes over slavery and the peace treaty’s provisions for escaped slaves.
• Hamilton opposed slavery while warning that America’s debts and weak federal finances threatened its credit and stability.
• Shays led indebted Massachusetts farmers in an armed rebellion in 1786, and the uprising was suppressed in 1787, helping spur adoption of the Constitution.
• Georgiana read materials Dumont had given her, and Leon ordered her to sleep.
• Leon stayed beside Georgiana until she fell asleep.

Severus questioned Pierre Brongniart about the message and hidden treasures offered by the dangerous people he served, then refused the offer and planned to contact the lawyers managing Pierre’s assets. After Gong Saiyi left to retrieve a key, Felix asked whether Severus considered him a discarded pawn, and Severus explained his own history with a “white wizard” before Klimian returned.

• Severus questioned Pierre, who admitted dropping the chess piece and delivering an offer of hidden treasures in exchange for Severus giving up.
• Pierre told Felix that he had sacrificed the chance to have children for his business and described himself as a discarded pawn.
• Severus learned that Pierre’s assets would pass to his so-called nephew and asked him to write down the contact information for his law firm.
• Severus rejected the offer of treasure, and Gong Saiyi left by Floo Powder to retrieve a key.
• Felix asked whether he was a discarded pawn to Severus, who described how a white wizard had tried to reform him and discussed Sirius Black and Gryffindor.
• Klimian returned, and Severus asked whether he had used Obliviate on Pierre and warned him about the International Statute of Secrecy.

Georgiana and Gaston Martin discussed how Britain used maritime standards and trade rules to protect its power, while Napoleon considered railways a tool for French industry and diplomacy. Their conversation turned to American politics and the dangers of concentrated power, leaving Georgiana and Martin to reflect on France’s own future as they walked in the garden.

• The chapter described how Britain’s ship and lighthouse standards, maritime insurance, and naval power could restrict other nations, while Alexander Hamilton planned customs patrols and navigation systems for the United States.
• Napoleon rejected Georgiana’s documents about internationalizing the ship surveyors association and considered railway development central to France’s industrial and diplomatic strategy.
• The chapter outlined the American dispute over Hamilton’s public credit and manufacturing plans, as Thomas Jefferson feared they would expand Hamilton’s power and concentrate wealth.
• Gaston Martin told Georgiana that Jefferson’s personal conduct contradicted his image of simplicity and predicted a political spectacle involving Hamilton, Jefferson, and Angelica Church.
• Georgiana and Martin discussed loyalty, Louis XVI’s failures, and the opportunity created by the American Revolution, then walked into the garden to reflect on France’s dangers.

Severus and his companions confronted lawyer Lawrence in Paris and uncovered the story behind a manuscript linked to Charlie Bonaparte. Lawrence gave them the manuscript from a hidden box, and Severus ordered him to contact the mysterious client who had hired him.

• Gong Saiyi brought Severus and Felix to Lawrence’s Paris apartment, where Severus pushed past the maid to confront the lawyer.
• Severus showed Lawrence a Senet piece and questioned him about Pierre Brongniart and his employer.
• Felix opened Lawrence’s drawer and found a wooden box; Lawrence used a diamond cross to unlock it and revealed that it held part of Napoleon’s manuscript.
• Lawrence explained how Charlie Bonaparte had helped Melissa Smith reclaim her land and described Charlie’s relationship with her.
• Lawrence offered to let Severus take the manuscript while keeping the box, and Severus demanded to meet Lawrence’s client.
• Lawrence said he had only spoken to the client by phone, so Felix threatened him and called to make contact.

Georgiana and Mr. Martin discussed France’s political dangers, America’s divisions, and the limits of Georgiana’s influence over Leon. Mr. Martin urged her to look forward and care for Leon, then asked to adopt her; she left the decision pending discussion with him.

• Mr. Martin warned Georgiana about public debt, corruption, political opposition, and the risks facing France’s charitable and commercial institutions.
• Mr. Martin argued that America’s conflicting constitutions, slavery, and financial interests made its future uncertain, and Georgiana reflected on the dangers of opposing Leon while pursuing reform.
• Georgiana explained that she wanted Leon to retain his sense of gratitude and righteousness, and insisted she did not want him to divorce Josephine for her.
• Mr. Martin urged Georgiana to stop looking back and treat Leon with more gentleness, then asked her to become his adopted daughter.
• Georgiana said she needed to discuss the adoption with Leon, then considered how good intentions and temporary refuge could become dangerous in the wrong hands.

Severus questioned Garcia about her knowledge of wizarding affairs and challenged her assumptions about education, marriage, and her dependence on Lawrence. Garcia remained worried that helping them would ruin her husband’s career, and Severus reassured her they would not harm her before asking about the Imperial Peacock again.

• Garcia offered Severus Champagne and discussed Prince Napoleon, Charlie, and the Imperial Peacock’s controversial decisions.
• Garcia revealed that she knew about the wizarding world and asked Severus whether he regretted Slytherin’s views on magical education.
• Severus explained that school had helped him become stronger and change his fate, then questioned Garcia about her marriage and her reliance on Lawrence.
• Garcia denied using Amortentia on Lawrence and feared that their clients would abandon them if information leaked.
• Severus challenged Garcia to imagine a life independent of her husband, vanished her Champagne, and asked what else the Imperial Peacock had done.

Gong Saiyi finished reading a story that Severus had written and described it as a tale of a man rescuing an angel bewitched by a devil. Severus reacted furiously, shattering a glass with his magic.

• The chapter recounted Theodore Roosevelt and Charlie Bonaparte’s efforts to fight crime and break up Rockefeller’s monopoly.
• The account discussed America’s history of Indigenous dispossession, political violence, and the Obscurial disaster blamed on Newt Scamander.
• It described France’s treatment of wizards and Veela, and considered Bill Weasley’s need for power to protect his wife.
• Gong Saiyi finished reading the story while Severus and Garcia chatted.
• Gong Saiyi told Severus that the story concerned a man who had to save an angel bewitched by a devil.
• Severus laughed in fury and shattered a glass with his magic.

Georgiana traveled to the Rouen docks while Mr. Martin explained how disputes over American taxes had led to rebellion and how Monroe planned to raise customs revenue by importing whiskey. At the harbor, she saw the luxurious mail ship Pomona that the First Consul had given her.

• Georgiana received a letter from a postman before boarding her carriage, then traveled with her party toward the docks as Mr. Martin described the history of American tax disputes.
• Mr. Martin explained that Monroe wanted imported whiskey to replace revenue lost when Thomas Jefferson abolished the whiskey tax, despite the harm it could cause western farmers.
• Mr. Martin discussed Napoleon's trade policies and the possibility of closer commercial cooperation between France and Britain if peace continued.
• Georgiana's party arrived at the Rouen docks, where music played and she saw a gilded mail ship named Pomona that the First Consul had given her.

Severus and Gong Saiyi pursued clues to the entrance to another world and arranged to question a Napoleon admirer at a gathering in Versailles. The chapter ended with Severus noticing John’s scarf and reflecting on it.

• Severus revealed that his poem about a sleeping princess was only half complete, and Gong Saiyi urged him to investigate the people who had once competed for her.
• Garcia suggested they speak to a Napoleon Foundation guest at that day’s gathering, and Gong Saiyi proposed that the guest might help them find the entrance to another world.
• Severus sent Felix to fetch Kreacher for protection and learned that the gathering would take place at the Palace of Versailles.
• Garcia fainted after mentioning Lily Potter, so Severus used Obliviate on Lawrence before Gong Saiyi knocked him unconscious when Kreacher appeared.
• Severus took out Lucius Malfoy’s blank check, then noticed John’s red scarf and fell into thought.