Chapter Summaries

Pomona and Hermione traveled with Severus to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, where he revealed secrets about the twins, George, and the Order’s past. As they explored the Black family house, Severus led Pomona deeper into the darkness, warning her not to speak.

• Pomona took Hermione from The Burrow to Stoatshead Hill and summoned Severus, then agreed to accompany him to Grimmauld Place.
• Severus explained that Hermione had exposed the house’s Fidelius protection by entering it and revealed that Fred and George had secretly worked for him after using an Aging Potion to evade the Trace.
• Severus recounted how ten Death Eaters escaped Azkaban, including Bella, and explained that George had been disguised as Harry when Severus’s spell struck him.
• Severus warned Pomona that George had changed and told her not to turn to him for advice, then admitted he had come to examine the Black family library.
• Severus silenced Pomona and led her into the house’s darkness.

Pomona confronted Severus Snape after finding him searching a hidden Black family study for dark magic and valuable secrets. She left him behind with Kreacher, but Snape pursued her through the mansion after she provoked him about his past and their marriage.

• Hermione warned Pomona that Severus was furious, and Pomona explained how Dumbledore’s choices and past conflicts had kept Severus and Sirius apart.
• Severus discovered a hidden study containing frozen Ashwinder eggs, and Pomona and Hermione warned him not to touch them.
• Kreacher appeared and stopped Severus from taking anything, while Pomona reminded him of his promise to help restore Regulus and urged him to leave with her.
• Severus dismissed Hermione and confronted Pomona, accusing her of obstructing his pursuit of dark magic.
• Pomona criticized Severus for resembling his father and blamed him for failing to protect their daughter, then left with Kreacher.
• Pomona taunted Severus about finding another partner and ran through the dark corridor as he chased her.

Pomona, Hermione, and Severus shared a meal prepared by Kreacher at Order of the Phoenix headquarters, where Pomona and Severus renewed their intimacy and discussed Sirius, Wormtail, and Regulus. Hermione’s questions about Sirius’s past left Severus upset as the chapter ended.

• Kreacher invited Pomona and Hermione to eat the dinner he had prepared, though Hermione worried he might tamper with her food.
• Severus kissed Pomona, and they shared an intimate reunion before joining Hermione at the lavishly set table.
• Severus described how the Dark Lord had forced him to live with Wormtail at Spinner's End, and Hermione explained that she had told Pomona their earlier deductions.
• Pomona told Kreacher that Regulus was almost certainly not alive, while Hermione asked why Kreacher had left Hogwarts.
• Severus said the quiet at Order of the Phoenix headquarters made eating there especially satisfying, and Hermione refused to reveal where she lived with Harry.
• Hermione wondered where Sirius had lived after leaving home, and Pomona’s warning came too late to prevent Severus from turning iron-gray with anger.

Pomona revisited Sirius’s old home and reflected on his life, his friendship with Lupin, and the tragedy that followed James and Lily’s deaths. At her apartment, Severus confronted Hermione about her role in the Dragon’s escape and warned her to prepare for the goblin rebellion.

• Pomona remembered how Sirius had lived with her and Lupin rather than return to the Black family home, and how he had fallen from privilege into hardship after Azkaban.
• Severus arrived with Pomona and Hermione at the apartment where Sirius and Lupin had once lived, then criticized its state and Pomona’s past living arrangement with them.
• Severus questioned Pomona about her friendship with Sirius, and she insisted that he and Lupin had behaved properly while living with her.
• Pomona offered to open a private vault for Hermione and support her future campaign for Minister, but Hermione refused her money.
• Severus told Hermione to focus on preventing a goblin rebellion and demanded to know how she had dealt with the Dragon after it escaped.
• Pomona left Severus and Hermione to talk and went upstairs to take a bath.

Pomona learned that Sirius had gone to find Harry at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, while Remus warned that Sirius might become trapped in his Animagus form. After Remus and Tonks left to find him, Pomona asked Severus to help locate Hermione’s traveling parents as a Christmas surprise.

• Sirius urged Pomona to run away, then decided to take Harry to Hogwarts and Apparated away.
• Pomona warned Remus that Sirius had gone to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and Remus said Sirius might lose the ability to turn back from his Animagus form.
• Remus accused Pomona of neglecting Sirius and defending Severus, while Pomona reminded Remus that he had nearly killed Sirius by forgetting his potion.
• Tonks and Remus Apparated away together to find Sirius at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
• Pomona told Severus she wanted to find Hermione’s parents and give them to Hermione as a Christmas present, and Severus agreed to help.

Pomona took Hermione to a Muggle hair salon to gather hair for disguises and discussed the risks around St Mungo’s, Sirius, and their past. She comforted Hermione and reflected on her own regrets about Dumbledore as Christmas approached.

• Pomona planned to guard Draco from another attack at St Mungo’s and considered adopting a Kneazle to protect Severus.
• Pomona remembered Sirius’s recovery, his invitation to a ball, and how his wrongful conviction and lost fortune shaped his future.
• Pomona and Hermione waited at a Muggle hair salon to collect hair for disguises, and Hermione described a mistake during their Ministry infiltration.
• Pomona suggested they visit a lingerie shop and encouraged Hermione to enjoy life and seek happiness with Ron.
• Pomona told Hermione she reminded her of Lily and thanked her for caring for Harry and Crookshanks, and Hermione comforted her.
• Pomona remembered dancing with Severus at Malfoy Manor and regretted cursing Dumbledore before his death.

Pomona shopped for lingerie with Hermione and used their conversation to urge her to prepare for the Ministry’s corruption and guide Ron’s training. She reflected on how Fudge’s failure had ruined Sirius’s life, then left the shop with Hermione without resolving their differences.

• Pomona bought expensive lingerie and told Hermione that Severus had once stopped Draco from bullying her after she punched him.
• Pomona warned Hermione that the Ministry was corrupt and explained how Hogwarts’ protective magic could be considered Dark magic.
• Pomona advised Hermione to motivate Ron if she trained him to become an Animagus, but Hermione asked whether she could become one too.
• Pomona refused because she wanted Hermione to remain clear-headed as a future Minister and recalled that Fudge could have cleared Sirius’s name.
• Pomona sighed, took Hermione’s hand, and led her out of the shop.

Pomona warned Hermione that Arthur Weasley’s illegal activities could lead to serious trouble and revealed that Werewolves were planning an attack on Azkaban. She left Hermione to work out what diversion might draw the Aurors away from the prison.

• Pomona reflected on illegal expanded containers and promised Draco a Runespoor if he continued improving.
• Pomona and Hermione arrived at St Mungo’s, where Pomona saw Draco saying goodbye to his fiancée, Astoria Greengrass.
• Pomona and Hermione ate in the sixth-floor tearoom, where Narcissa Malfoy was working and discussed her Unbreakable Vow with Severus.
• Pomona told Hermione that Peter Pettigrew had cursed her while she was pregnant and criticized Arthur Weasley for breaking laws and failing to protect his family.
• Pomona warned Hermione that Werewolves were planning to attack Azkaban and asked her to identify another place that could distract the Aurors.

Pomona investigated St Mungo’s security and recruited Draco to organize a patrol squad after warning that a past murder and Azkaban breakout might be repeated. She left Draco planning patrol routes and a hospital map while she remained wary of Severus’s schemes.

• Pomona questioned Charlotte Prewett about Theodore Nott and past security failures at St Mungo’s, then urged her to watch for suspicious people in the confidential wards.
• Pomona confronted Blaise Zabini, cut his hand with a Severing Charm, and ordered him to tell Draco that his godmother was waiting in the courtyard.
• Pomona asked Dilys Derwent’s portrait to summon Neville Longbottom and learned that St Mungo’s had no readily available map.
• Pomona told Draco Malfoy about a murder at St Mungo’s ten years earlier and enlisted him and his classmates to patrol the hospital against a possible infiltrator.
• Pomona instructed Draco to keep Astoria safe, draw a hospital map, and establish fixed patrol routes, then demonstrated defensive mapping in the snow.

Pomona Sprout recalled how she had helped Neville learn about Gillyweed and confronted Severus Snape about their past before telling Neville that Frank Longbottom had saved her life. The chapter left Pomona beginning to share a secret story with Neville beside his hospitalized parents.

• Pomona pressed a marked page about Gillyweed in a book so Moody could pass the information to Neville for Harry's underwater task.
• Pomona and Severus discussed Moody's magical eye and her Polyjuice disguise before arguing about the night they had spent together.
• Severus told Pomona to leave, then grew calmer and proposed betting on whom Harry would save in the second task.
• Neville arrived at St Mungo's after traveling through Hogsmeade and the Three Broomsticks, and asked Pomona about his parents.
• Pomona told Neville that Frank had saved her life and began to share a secret story about his father.

Pomona confessed to Neville how her past choices had harmed him and admitted that she had once wanted to consume Severus Snape’s soul. Neville accepted her offer to teach him Animagus transformation and asked her to bring Snape to help with Lavender Brown, whose monthly transformations were becoming difficult to manage.

• Pomona recalled the events that shaped Remus Lupin’s childhood, his friendships with James Potter and Sirius Black, and the effort to protect him during his transformations.
• Pomona explained how she had helped Neville Longbottom after he witnessed his parents’ torture, but her Obliviate spell had damaged his memory.
• Pomona admitted that she had tried to shape Neville’s life without asking what he wanted and apologized for interfering.
• Neville asked whether becoming an Animagus would protect him from being bitten by a Werewolf, and Pomona confirmed that it would.
• Neville agreed to learn Animagus transformation and asked Pomona to bring Professor Snape because Lavender Brown was living with him and he feared losing control of her during her transformations.

Pomona confronted Severus about Neville living with Lavender and learned why he had stopped brewing Wolfsbane Potion for Remus. After arguing about his dismissive attitude and his reluctance to help, they reconciled and rested together in the snowy courtyard.

• Pomona summoned Severus and angrily told him that Neville was living with Lavender, while Severus suggested they might only be friends.
• Pomona recalled Remus's history and his separation from Tonks, then asked Severus whether he could still brew Wolfsbane Potion.
• Severus explained that dragon blood had become prohibitively expensive and that he had lacked the money and time to obtain ingredients for the potion.
• Pomona accused Severus of looking down on her greenhouse and asked why he resisted her help; Severus embraced her and denied looking down on her.
• Pomona shared a scone and tea with Severus in the snowy courtyard, then leaned on his shoulder and fell asleep.

Pomona learned that Severus had improved the Wolfsbane Potion but that Damocles Belby had received credit for the achievement, and Severus raged over Dumbledore’s control and his own jealousy. Their argument turned to old memories and ended when Neville asked Severus to teach him swordsmanship and Protego Maxima.

• Pomona learned that Damocles Belby had won recognition for the Wolfsbane Potion while Severus’s improvements went uncredited, and that Damocles had helped Dumbledore regain influence.
• Severus told Pomona that Dumbledore had controlled them and that he hated him for taking the Prince Prize from him.
• Severus recalled Pomona’s connection with Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament and accused her of failing to help Cedric and of spending time with Sirius Black.
• Severus became distressed over Pomona’s relationship with Sirius and his own years of brewing Calming Draughts, while Pomona tried to break away from him.
• Neville interrupted them and asked Severus to teach him swordsmanship and Protego Maxima.

At dinner, Pomona and Severus discussed Lavender’s werewolf condition and prepared Draco and Neville for the coming conflict with the Werewolves. The chapter ended with Hermione organizing Draco’s work and Pomona worrying that Sirius would lead the Azkaban prison break.

• Pomona asked Neville about Lavender, who was living in the greenhouse and being kept in a trunk during her transformations.
• Severus deduced that Lavender’s temper worsened around female students and arranged to teach Neville how to fight.
• Pomona assigned Draco and Hermione Occlumency practice, patrol duties, and preparations for the conflict with the Werewolves.
• Severus said Charlie could deliver a Dragon and took Neville away to train him.
• Pomona asked Hermione to teach Draco how to make fake Galleons, and Hermione began planning their schedule.
• Pomona worried that Fudge had made Sirius the leader of the coming Azkaban prison break.

At Hogwarts, Neville received a Remembrall, and Draco Malfoy briefly stole it before Professor McGonagall intervened. Pomona helped Hermione work through her jealousy and trained her Occlumency with an unexpected Legilimency attack, leaving Hermione ready for more difficult practice.

• Neville opened his parcel and discovered that his Remembrall had turned red, but Draco Malfoy snatched it from him before tossing it back under Professor McGonagall's watch.
• Pomona questioned Hermione about her reaction to Neville receiving attention and learned that Hermione resented Draco Malfoy for receiving parcels while she received none.
• Pomona cheered Hermione up by showing her a silver-white dress and suggesting that Hermione wear her pink dress to dance with Ron beneath mistletoe at Christmas.
• Pomona offered to teach Hermione the growth charm and warned her that plants could drain all her magic without help from others.
• Pomona tested Hermione on the story of Delphina Crimp, then launched a surprise Legilimency attack that Hermione successfully resisted.

Pomona guided Draco toward earning authority through responsibility as they prepared for a possible prison breakout and renewed fighting. Draco left to speak with his godfather and help organize patrols and healing support.

• Pomona comforted Draco and praised him for keeping his godfather’s survival secret instead of using it to intimidate his peers.
• Pomona recounted Draco’s past arrogance and warned him that he needed to become someone others could rely on.
• Pomona told Draco to organize his friends into combat patrols and healing teams, prepare a defended field hospital, and gather healing supplies for possible casualties.
• Draco agreed to learn healing spells and help prepare, then asked Pomona why his godfather was angry with her; she said she would handle it herself.
• Draco defended his godfather’s anger at Dumbledore and reassured Pomona that he and the others would take care of her before leaving to find his godfather.

Pomona recalled how Severus and Sirius had grown estranged within the Order before confronting Severus about their relationship and his jealousy. Severus demanded reassurance that she loved him, and their reconciliation turned passionate as dawn approached.

• Pomona remembered that Dumbledore had sent her to keep Sirius occupied at Christmas, while Severus resented Sirius's place in the Order and eventually stopped visiting.
• Severus accused Pomona of being unfaithful with Sirius and threatened to make her suffer as he had suffered.
• Severus confessed his anger at being used by Voldemort and Dumbledore and at having to spy on Harry Potter while enduring painful memories of Lily and James.
• Pomona told Severus she had remained faithful and explained that she had hidden their relationship because she feared he would tire of her.
• Pomona promised she would eat Severus's heart if he betrayed her, and Severus accepted her reassurance before kissing her again.

Pomona discussed Severus, Sirius, and the coming battle with Narcissa at Godric’s Hollow, then decided to wait for Severus and bake tiramisu for the families left behind. She stayed in the villa with Honey as Narcissa returned home, resolved to make the most of Christmas while hoping the battle would end well.

• Pomona explained that she had angered Severus by remaining friends with Sirius, and Narcissa guessed Sirius had pursued her.
• Narcissa and Pomona criticized Ginny’s plans for Grimmauld Place, and Pomona said she wanted to reclaim the Black house for Regulus and Kreacher.
• Pomona declined Narcissa’s invitation to spend Christmas at her home because she wanted to wait for Severus to return from the battlefield.
• Pomona planned to make tiramisu for the women, children, and elderly whose husbands and sons had gone to war, and asked Honey to help.
• Pomona said Severus’s matching pendant meant she no longer cared what his Patronus was, and she decided to make tiramisu using a Muggle recipe.

Pomona studied the Sword of Gryffindor and considered the dangers of goblin unrest after the Dragon escaped. At Malfoy Manor, Hannah insisted on visiting Pomona’s home, and Pomona angrily headed through the manor.

• Pomona read her notes about the Sword of Gryffindor, its history, and the goblin rebellions sparked by its ownership.
• Pomona worried that wizards might seek another magical creature to replace the escaped Dragon guarding Gringotts and decided Hermione should help address the trouble.
• Pomona brought Severus to the Hogwarts staff room and answered his question about the gargoyle guarding its entrance.
• Pomona traveled to Malfoy Manor to borrow an owl and encountered Hannah Abbott at the Christmas party.
• Hannah insisted that she and Pomona were friends and asked to visit Pomona’s home, so Pomona angrily strode through Malfoy Manor.

Pomona learned that Harry Potter’s letters to Sirius Black were drawing Auror scrutiny, while Severus questioned her connection to Sirius and a costly Firebolt. She then negotiated with Lucius Malfoy, offering a plan to ease his Gringotts talks in exchange for help for Hermione and Hagrid.

• Dobby told Pomona that Winky had been dismissed by Barty Crouch and brought to Hogwarts, where she drank and mourned her freedom.
• Severus told Pomona that Aurors were monitoring Harry Potter’s communications and questioned how Sirius Black could afford a Firebolt.
• Pomona visited Lucius Malfoy to borrow his owl and offered to help with his negotiations with the goblins at Gringotts.
• Pomona demanded that Lucius arrange Ministry work for Hermione Granger and follow Hagrid’s arrangements, including reinstating him if necessary.
• Pomona proposed using Hagrid’s three-headed dog Fluffy to guard Gringotts, and Lucius considered the plan.