2 – Dumbledore's Warning

The headmaster portraits, for once, looked like regular oil paintings in the office namely because all of the headmasters were sleeping. After all, it was 4:00 A.M. Harry was prepared to go straight to the pensieve when he caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye.

"I see you took care of Severus." Dumbledore took off his half-moon spectacles and rubbed his eyes, then nodded to the bottle Harry was holding.

"Er—I just got back from the infirmary with Snape's body. How did you know that?"

"Just a guess." Dumbledore put his spectacles back on nonchalantly as if he were about to read the Sunday morning Daily Prophet.

"But I saw Snape die and rush to give his last thoughts—"

"You saw Snape let go of his most important thought at the time," said Dumbledore. "But like all great wizards, it appears Snape saved his most important memory for last."

Harry looked puzzled. Snape had already left the story explaining everything from how he'd killed Dumbledore to why he'd betrayed Voldemort. "I don't understand." Harry felt some of the hot anger brewing again because the headmaster always liked to play this game where he had to learn the lesson for himself.

"You're wondering why I'm not just telling you." Dumbledore's blue eyes softened. "Harry, after today, I think you know now more than ever what separates you from Voldemort."

He nodded. "I do. And I believe it completely." Somewhere in Gryffindor Hall, Ginny was probably wondering what he was up to.

"Love. In the end, it made you stronger than Voldemort."

"But what does that have to do with Snape?" Harry looked down again at the silvery-blue thought swirling in the glass bottle. He knew that Snape once loved his mother, and that she had stood up to his father and Sirius for harassing him.

"I'm not completely sure, Harry," said Dumbledore, "but I believe Snape used his last ounce of strength to keep death at bay. He still needed to share his deepest feelings with us. It's what kept him going for all of those years, and it's the reason I trusted him completely when others doubted."

Harry walked to the pensieve and uncorked the bottle. The silvery-blue liquid seeped out and flowed into the pensieve adding one more story to be explored. He smiled at Dumbledore and began to lower his head, feel the cool rush around him, and see what Snape had left behind as his last, true thoughts.

"Harry? " Dumbledore's voice had the slightest cautionary tone. "This might not be what you think."

"How do you mean?"

"Severus's heart was in the right place. But it doesn't mean he didn't go astray at times."

"That's okay. He protected my mom."

Dumbledore smiled a sad smile. "Yes, that is true. Although, it doesn't mean you're going to like what you see."

Harry had no clue what this meant, but he did not have the emotional range of a teaspoon, and he was sure he would be able to grasp Snape's feelings and true intentions.

He looked at Dumbledore one more time and, without pondering any further, dipped his head into the pensieve. The cold rush went through him, and he felt as if he were spinning round and round, some of the effects likely being intensified by the fire whiskey, and before he had a moment to gather himself and take in his surroundings, he came face to face with Tom Riddle.