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“A Pensieve of Pain”

Harry had been sitting in his common room, by the fireplace with Hermione, when a letter appeared next to them. Hermione picked it up, read which one of them it was to, and handed it to the raven haired wizard next to her. “I think McGonagall wants to see you.”

Harry opened it and read it out loud to Hermione:

Mr. Potter,

Please come to my office tonight at your earliest convenience. Ms. Granger may accompany you if you wish.

Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

“Do you want to go Ms. Granger?” Harry asked, grinning.

“Only if you want me to Mr. Potter.” she replied in kind. Harry stood and held out his hand, which she took to help herself stand up.

Standing outside the Headmistress’ office, they gave the password, ‘Chocolate Frogs’, and Harry realized that there was no real reason to be called down like this. Everyone he knew was okay as they had just talked to them that day….weren’t they? Hermione had obviously been thinking the same thing as she squeezed his hand, for his comfort as much as her own.

At the door, Harry raised a shaking hand to knock on it. Just before he managed to gather the courage, McGonagall said “Come in Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger.”

“Please have a seat.” she added as they opened the door. “Albus? You do this. You’re the one who insists it HAS to be tonight of all nights.” she said, barely understandable through the thick burr, looking at the recently deceased headmaster. The least observant person could tell she didn’t agree with whatever Dumbledore had to say.

“Harry, when Tom attacked your parents, as they had been expecting it, they wanted a surefire way for you to know exactly what happened that night and not receive any garbled versions. In their will, I was to return to Godric’s Hollow and retrieve the events of the night and store them in a pensieve for you until the Halloween you were of age. It just so happened that the same Halloween fell a few months after my death. Minerva?” he said as the former Transfiguration Professor handed over a vial of slivery liquid.

“Thank you Professor. I understand that this wasn’t either of your ideas. My parents couldn’t have predicted that I’d grow up the way I did at the Dursleys when they wrote that into the will. Nor could they have predicted you’d give me the events after death. I appreciate that you followed their will even after your own death.” Harry replied, taking the vial.

“You may go. I’m sure you’d rather view them in your private chambers.” McGonagall spoke for the first time since putting the conversation in Dumbledore’s hands.

“Thank you.” Hermione said as she lead Harry out the room and to their common room.

In their common room, Hermione got the pensieve that Dumbledore had given to Harry on his death. Harry sat on the couch, staring at the bottle, as though it will provide all the answers to the entire world and those in it. As Hermione sat, she said, “Harry, do you want me to come with you?”

“You’ve seen me when I was a skinny eleven year old boy with broken glasses, when I was a total git Fifth and Sixth Year, when I just wanted to be left alone, you did anything but. You helped me when everyone else wanted to run far from me. Of course I want you to come with me.” He replied, taking her hand in his and intertwining their fingers. “You’re the one thing that has kept me sane all these years.” He added.

“I wasn’t sure since it isn’t everyday that one gets to see their parents’ murder from over sixteen years previous.” She answered, emptying the contents of the vial with her free hand into the pensieve.

“Now or never.” He said “Just stick your hand in the same time as I do.”

Doing so found them in a house that was slightly unfamiliar. Looking around confirmed it to be Godric’s Hollow as there were Wizarding things and muggle things alike mixed in and around the house. Hearing the sound of a baby laughing, Hermione wandered off around a corner, leaving Harry little choice but to follow. There he found her crouched next to Baby Harry and a man who were playing some sort of game together. “Dad.” Present Harry whispered looking at the replica of himself.

“James, you’d better not be corrupting Harry’s mind!” A soft soprano came from the kitchen. The tears Harry had been holding back fell forward with a vengeance, as did Hermione’s, at the sound of the voice that could only belong to his mother, Lily. As she walked in the room, Harry felt Hermione wrap her arms around his waist. He hugged her back with all his heart because he saw the past, the future that could have been and the future that will be.

Then a noise destroyed the moment entirely. The door crashed in and the house filled with an unbearable dread. James handed Baby Harry to Lily and she ran upstairs with him. Present Harry and Hermione stood and followed James to see who was there, though neither Harry nor Hermione had any doubt, despite James being quite surprised that Voldemort didn’t send one of his lackeys.

“What do you want Riddle?” James asked, standing in a dueling stance.

“Move aside you silly boy. I’ll let you and your precious mudblood live if you hand me the boy.” came the cold, slithering reply.

“I’d rather not Tom.” James said, then fired off a Stunner, a Severing hex, and a Freezing hex in rapid succession. Voldemort blocked them all with chilling ease.

“Avada Kedavra.” the cruel, heartless voice said, pointing his wand at James, giving the elder Potter no time to dodge the deadly curse. As he was hit, Harry felt Hermione bury her head into his shoulder and he turned his to look another direction.

“C’mon. Let’s go upstairs.” he said as he lead the way to the stairs. He could feel the tears both soaking his jumper and his cheeks.

Upstairs, Lily was trying to calm Baby Harry, who knew something was up and it wasn’t good. Voldemort glided into the room. “I’ll give you the same choice I gave your blood-traitor husband, mudblood. Move aside and I’ll spare your life.”

“Not Harry! Take me instead!” Lily pleaded.

“I have other plans. Avada Kedavra.” he cruelly replied as before. Harry and Hermione both turned their head to see a flash of green light the walls and hear Voldemort glide towards Baby Harry as he tried the same curse again, but for the first time failing and watched the green light up the walls again as it backfired. The couple only looked when they felt the surroundings change.

They ended up next to a sixteen year younger Dumbledore, crying. “Harry, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to show you such memories, but it was your parents last wishes. I don’t know if I’ve told you the prophecy by this point, and if not you need to find me or the most senior Order of the Phoenix member you know and ask.”

The next thing they knew, they were back in their common room. As soon as Harry realized it was all over, he collapsed on the floor, sobbing. Hermione was at his side instantly. She rocked him as he silently sobbed, as though still at the damned Dursleys.

Pensieve of Pain

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