The Pensieve

"Helena, what's—good gracious!" said Hagrid, shocked. "What's happened here? Barty Crouch is dead!"

"But who killed him?" asked Hermione. "And why?"

"Crouch has a lot of enemies, Hermione," said Cedric. "There's no telling who did it."

"We should get Dumbledore," said Ron.

An investigation went underway and I went to see Professor Dumbledore as soon as I could. I heard voices from outside the door. "…has died here, Fudge, and he won't be the last! You need to take action!"

"I will not!" said Fudge. "In times like these the Wizarding World looks to its leaders for strength, Dumbledore!"

"Then for once show them some!" he snapped.

"The Triwizard Tournament will not be cancelled; I will not be seen as a coward!"

"A true leader does what is right no matter what others think!"

"Excuse me, gentleman," said Professor Moody. "It may interest you to know this conversation's no longer private." The door then opened before I could knock on it.

"Ah, Helena," said Professor Dumbledore.

"I can come back later, Professor."

"No need, Helena. We were just finished and going to take a look at something. I won't be a moment. Wait here for me, will you?"

"Of course."

They left the room and then I was left alone. I glanced at the objects in the room until I tripped and then a cabinet with a large basin full of silvery liquid appeared. Out of sheer curiosity, I examined it and then found myself falling into a courtroom where Professor Dumbledore sat. "Professor?" I said. Then a man's hand went through me as shook Professor Dumbledore's hand.

Good grief, I was in another memory! How was I going to get out of this one? Then I saw Igor Karkaroff be brought before the council. This was Karkaroff's trial.

"Igor Karkaroff," Mr. Crouch said. "You have been brought from Azkaban at your own request to present evidence to this counsel. Should your testimony prove consequential, counsel may be prepared to order your immediate release. Until such time you remain in the eyes of the ministry a convicted Death Eater. Do you accept these terms?"

"I do, sir." Poor man actually looked ragged, even worse than Sirius had been.

"And what do you have to present?"

"I have names, sir. There was Rosier, Evan Rosier."

"Mr. Rosier's dead."

"Dead? I didn't know."

"If that is all you have, then this Council will—"

"No, wait, please I have more!" said Karkaroff. "Rookwood, Augustus Rookwood!"

"Rookwood of the Department of Mystries?"

"Yeah, yeah, the same! He was a spy! He passed You-Know-Who information from inside the Ministry itself!"

"Very well. Council will deliberate, and in the meantime you'll be returned to Azkaban," said Mr. Crouch.

"No, wait, please there's more! What about Snape, Severus Snape?"

"The council is very much aware, as I have given evidence on this matter," Professor Dumbledore said as he got to his feet. "Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater and prior to Lord Voldemort's downfall turned spy for us at great personal risk. Today he is no more a Death Eater than I am."

"It's a lie!" Karkaroff shouted. "Severus remains faithful to the Dark Lord!"

"Silence!" said Mr. Crouch. "Unless the witness possesses any name of genuine consequence this session is now concluded!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no," said Karkaroff. "I heard about one more."

"What's that?"

"The name."

"Yes?"

"I know for a fact that this person took part in the capture, and by means of the Cruciatus Curse, torture of the Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife!"

"The name, give me the wretched name!" said Mr. Crouch, agitated.

"Barty Crouch Junior!" said Karkaroff smugly.

I turned my head as the man who'd stood up and tried to flee was blasted down by Professor Moody and then taken to Azkaban. With a shock, I realized that Barty Crouch Jr. was the man from my dreams! Suddenly, I found myself back in Professor Dumbledore's office. He was standing by the basin.

"Curiosity is not a sin, Helena, but one should exercise extreme caution. This is a Pensieve, it's useful if you find your mind a wee bit stretched. It allows me to see things I've already seen," he said. "You see I've searched and searched for something, some small detail, something I might have overlooked, something that would explain why these terrible things have happened. Every time I get close to an answer, it slips away. It's maddening."

"Sir, Mr. Crouch's son, what happened to him?" I asked.

"He was sent to Azkaban. Destroyed Barty to do it, but he had no choice the evidence was overwhelming. Barty's son died eighteen months later. Why do you ask?"

"Because that's why I came to see you. Ever since last summer, I've been having a dream with him in it."

Professor Dumbledore looked startled. "You've been what? What happens in this dream? Tell me."

"In the dream, I'm seeing through the eyes of a caretaker of a house and then I see Wormtail and Barty Junior talking to Voldemort, only Voldemort wasn't quite human. Junior was given a job to do involving me and said he would send up a sign after the World Cup to signal the others. Then the caretaker gets spotted and then Voledmort murders him. After first, I thought it might've just been a nightmare, except my scar hurt when it happened and then the Dark Mark was conjured. I would've come to you before, but I was scared and it fell to the back of my mind."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes." I took a deep shuddering breath. "Professor, s-sometimes in the dream, I can feel everything the old does when he dies and I wake up screaming. That's not possible, is it? I mean, I shouldn't be able to feel death or pain like that, should I?"

Professor Dumbledore looked disturbed and startled. "I'm sorry, but these days, Helena, I hardly know what's possible or not. But if these dreams are true, then it seems there's more to the puzzle than I once thought."

"What do you think I should do?" I asked.

"I would advise that you maintain caution and not dwell on what you see too much You're under enough pressure as it is and scared no doubt. I want you to try and relax until an answer to all of this does come. Will you do that for me?"

I nodded and then left the office.