Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory

Chapter 56

"And you are certain there are no additional details regarding the corridor that you are able to recall?"

Harry did his best to conceal the frustration he felt at being asked the same question for the third time within an hour. He looked back at Professor Dumbledore and shook his head.

"It's just a long, dark hallway with a locked door at the end," he replied with a shrug. The headmaster frowned slightly and looked past his three guests at something on the opposite side of his office. His shoulders sagged slightly as he sighed.

"Sirius, Remus, I am inclined to believe you made a wise decision by bringing this to my attention with such immediacy. However, I fear that the situation necessitates divulging certain details to Harry that I would prefer not to burden him with yet." Dumbledore's wisened face looked pained as his eyes cast back and forth between the two adults while avoiding Harry's gaze. "Do either of you object to sharing relevant information with him?"

Sirius shrugged. "You know I would've rather told him before the school year began. So yeah, I'm fine with talking through it with him."

"It's not my decision to make," said Remus with a sideways glance at Harry. "But I believe he's earned the right to know. Harry's well aware of how crucial it is to keep secrets, especially when the safety of others is hanging in the balance."

Even though part of Harry's head argued that Remus was referencing his own lycanthropy, a stab of guilt caught him in the chest as he thought of keeping the horcrux hunt from one of the most trustworthy people he knew. He slunk down into his seat a bit when Remus gave him an encouraging smile.

Dumbledore gave a small nod, smiling gravely. "I am inclined to agree with your assessment. Seeing as this information concerns not only Harry but also the late James and Lily, I think it may be better for all three of you to be privy to this conversation if it becomes what I assume it shall be.

"I doubt that doing so will change our decision, but perhaps it would be wise to begin with a look into the Pensieve. Though I trust your description of the dream, Harry, I doubt it would hurt to examine it from within. Then we may visit a memory of mine that would serve as a helpful jumping-off point for our discussion. Shall we?"

Harry was a little relieved when the memory of his dream easily adhered to his wand as he pressed it to his temple and allowed itself to swirl into the basin. He was grateful that this memory was not nearly as obstinate as the rogue memory which had refused to be extracted and had blown Dumbledore across the room over a year ago. The headmaster drew his own wand and deposited his own glowing white string of memory into the basin. Sirius and Remus crowded on either side of Harry, and the four dipped their faces into the liquid.

As Harry looked around, he felt justified in his description of the dream. The corridor was not well-lit and had no doors on either side, save for one at the far end of the long, straight hallway. Unlike his other forays into the Pensieve, there were no figures present except for the four people who were observing. The scene moved slowly and steadily toward the door.

"I hoped I was just being overprotective, but now..." muttered Sirius, trailing off as they walked.

"Yeah, I think we're well past the realm of odd coincidences, Padfoot."

The memory didn't last long enough for Harry to express frustration with their cryptic conversation, as the four arrived at the door. It was predictably locked, and the memory faded into nothingness before he had a chance to ask questions.

Within moments, the four landed back on the ground in the next memory. To Harry's eye, it appeared to be the very same corridor, only slightly better lit. This time, however, two figures walked alongside each other. Harry was unsurprised that Dumbledore was one of the two, but it took him a moment to register that the other was Minister Bones. She was more than a head shorter than the headmaster but carried herself with poise as they walked together.