Chapter 8 Pensieve
Percy woke up on a bed in an unfamiliar room. The last thing he remembered was fainting in Madam Rosemerta's arms. Was this her bedroom? He sat up and shook his head groggily.
The room was very messy, with books piled up all over the floor and crushed cans of soda thrown in a corner. It didn't seem like Madam Rosemerta's kind of place.
Tonks came in with a steaming cup.
"Wotcher, Perce," she said, "I suggested to Trelawney that we get you someplace to recover. My place. Here's a cup of hot chocolate."
Percy took it and drank it down. It made him feel a little better.
"I've forgiven you using my first name, but don't do it again," said Tonks.
"What happened to Madam Rosemerta?" he asked.
"She stayed behind to report the Dementor incident at her pub," said Tonks. "Trelawney is in the living room waiting. She said you wanted to try to recover the lost prophecy, so I picked up a Pensieve and brought it along."
The living room was even more messy than the bedroom. Percy had to move a stack of newspapers to sit down on the couch next to Professor Trelawney.
"Now, think of the time you gave the prophecy to Dumbledore, and use your wand to transfer the memory into the Pensieve," Tonks instructed Trelawney.
"But I don't remember ever giving him a major prophecy," said Trelawney. "Only the monthly tea-leaf readings. Oh yes, and a few images from my crystal ball."
"The Pensieve can help you recall things you may have forgotten," said Percy. "Let's start with the first time you met Professor Dumbledore. We can work forwards from there.
"All right, but if this doesn't turn up something quickly I'll go back to Hogwarts and ask Professor Dumbledore if he can help."
Percy hoped it wouldn't come to that. A suspicion had begun to form in his mind of why she had forgotten.
Trelawney placed the memory in the Pensieve, then looked into it.
"There's nothing," she said. "Only my job interview for the position at Hogwarts."
"May I look?" asked Percy.
Percy found himself in the Hog's Head Inn, a place he had imagined Sybil Trelawney would never go. She was sitting at a table with Dumbledore, going on and on about her qualifications to teach Divination. Dumbledore was clearly unimpressed.
"I can also read auras," she said. "In fact, I once sensed from my Aunt Gertrude..."
"Yes, yes," Dumbledore interrupted, "We will take your application under consideration. Don't owl us, we'll owl you."
As he started for the door, there was a curious glitch in the memory. Dumbledore was suddenly standing much closer.
"Very well, you're hired," Dumbledore said. "Welcome to the staff of Hogwarts."
Percy came out of the Pensieve trance convinced that something had been erased from Sybil's memory.
"I found a blank spot in there," he told them. "Is there any way to recover it?"
"There's an enhancement spell for Pensieves I learned in auror training," said Tonks. She waved her wand over the device in a peculiar pattern.
Percy listened again. This time he heard a few words in the gap, very faintly and as if from far away.
"ONE... POWER... DARK LORD... APPROACHES.... BORN... THRICE DEFIED... SEVENTH MONTH... WILL MARK... EQUAL... HAVE POWER... KNOWS NOT... MUST DIE... HAND... NEITHER... LIVE... OTHER SURVIVES.... CHILD... VANQUISH ... LEADER... RULE..."
"Better than nothing," said Tonks, "But not a lot to go on."
Professor Trelawney also listened to the message. "Why can't I remember saying any of that?"
"I suspect Dumbledore obliviated it from your mind," said Percy.
"Ridiculous! Why would he do something like that?" said Trelawney.
"After all, he sent the prophecy in to the Ministry," said Tonks.
"Possibly he sent in a doctored version so he could keep some details to himself," said Percy.
"I refuse to believe Professor Dumbledore would do anything of the sort," said Trelawney.
"I have evidence that Dumbledore used the Memory Charm on someone recently. This note," said Percy, producing it from his pocket. "It was written by Dolores Umbridge. The first parts are clearly written, but the last part is very confused. It proves something happened to her mind."
"Let me see that," said Tonks. She looked at the note. "Something happened, all right, but it doesn't prove Dumbledore did it."
"Even if he did, she certainly deserved it," said Trelawney.
"He might have done it because she knew about a weapon he was building in the woods," said Percy.
"I'm sure that was just a ruse by Hermione," said Tonks.
"There's another problem. Someone sent Dementors after us today. They knew where you were, and they knew about the note," said Percy.
"Who could have known?" asked Trelawney.
"The only people who could have seen me take the note were my brother Ron and his friend Hermione Granger," said Percy. "They wouldn't send Dementors. And there's Dumbledore, who seems to have eyes everywhere in Hogwarts. I was fool enough to read the note while I was still there. And Dumbledore knew where you were, too. He sent you the owl."
"Don't forget Umbridge," said Tonks.
"Dolores Umbridge would never send Dementors after anyone," said Percy.
"I wouldn't put it past her," said Trelawney. "She has a very dark aura."
"Even if she might, for the sake of argument, she was in no mental state to do it and I don't see how she could have called Dementors from a hospital bed," said Percy.
"So you think Dumbledore did?" said Tonks incredulously.
"Indeed I do. That's the only possibility left," said Percy. "Minister Fudge thinks he might have been in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They may have invaded the Ministry on Friday together to discredit the government."
"Absurd! I've heard enough," said Trelawney. "May I use your fireplace, Tonks? I'm going back to Hogwarts at once."
"You mustn't," said Percy. "You might be in danger there."
"Absolute nonsense," said Trelawney. "Percy, I'm afraid your Ministry career has taken you down a very dark path that can only end in disaster. I see it hovering over you now."
Nothing Percy could say would persuade her. With a heavy heart he had to let her go.
Tonks turned to Percy. "I suppose you're going to take that note to Fudge and share all your wild suspicions with him."
"I have to."
"I really wish you would drop the whole thing."
"I can't, it's my duty to report to the Minister."
"Then things are going to get a bit ugly around here," said Tonks ominously. "Accio note!"
Percy woke up on a bed in an unfamiliar room. The last thing he remembered was fainting in Madam Rosemerta's arms. Was this her bedroom? He sat up and shook his head groggily.
The room was very messy, with books piled up all over the floor and crushed cans of soda thrown in a corner. It didn't seem like Madam Rosemerta's kind of place.
Tonks came in with a steaming cup.
"Wotcher, Perce," she said, "I suggested to Trelawney that we get you someplace to recover. My place. Here's a cup of hot chocolate."
Percy took it and drank it down. It made him feel a little better.
"I've forgiven you using my first name, but don't do it again," said Tonks.
"What happened to Madam Rosemerta?" he asked.
"She stayed behind to report the Dementor incident at her pub," said Tonks. "Trelawney is in the living room waiting. She said you wanted to try to recover the lost prophecy, so I picked up a Pensieve and brought it along."
The living room was even more messy than the bedroom. Percy had to move a stack of newspapers to sit down on the couch next to Professor Trelawney.
"Now, think of the time you gave the prophecy to Dumbledore, and use your wand to transfer the memory into the Pensieve," Tonks instructed Trelawney.
"But I don't remember ever giving him a major prophecy," said Trelawney. "Only the monthly tea-leaf readings. Oh yes, and a few images from my crystal ball."
"The Pensieve can help you recall things you may have forgotten," said Percy. "Let's start with the first time you met Professor Dumbledore. We can work forwards from there.
"All right, but if this doesn't turn up something quickly I'll go back to Hogwarts and ask Professor Dumbledore if he can help."
Percy hoped it wouldn't come to that. A suspicion had begun to form in his mind of why she had forgotten.
Trelawney placed the memory in the Pensieve, then looked into it.
"There's nothing," she said. "Only my job interview for the position at Hogwarts."
"May I look?" asked Percy.
Percy found himself in the Hog's Head Inn, a place he had imagined Sybil Trelawney would never go. She was sitting at a table with Dumbledore, going on and on about her qualifications to teach Divination. Dumbledore was clearly unimpressed.
"I can also read auras," she said. "In fact, I once sensed from my Aunt Gertrude..."
"Yes, yes," Dumbledore interrupted, "We will take your application under consideration. Don't owl us, we'll owl you."
As he started for the door, there was a curious glitch in the memory. Dumbledore was suddenly standing much closer.
"Very well, you're hired," Dumbledore said. "Welcome to the staff of Hogwarts."
Percy came out of the Pensieve trance convinced that something had been erased from Sybil's memory.
"I found a blank spot in there," he told them. "Is there any way to recover it?"
"There's an enhancement spell for Pensieves I learned in auror training," said Tonks. She waved her wand over the device in a peculiar pattern.
Percy listened again. This time he heard a few words in the gap, very faintly and as if from far away.
"ONE... POWER... DARK LORD... APPROACHES.... BORN... THRICE DEFIED... SEVENTH MONTH... WILL MARK... EQUAL... HAVE POWER... KNOWS NOT... MUST DIE... HAND... NEITHER... LIVE... OTHER SURVIVES.... CHILD... VANQUISH ... LEADER... RULE..."
"Better than nothing," said Tonks, "But not a lot to go on."
Professor Trelawney also listened to the message. "Why can't I remember saying any of that?"
"I suspect Dumbledore obliviated it from your mind," said Percy.
"Ridiculous! Why would he do something like that?" said Trelawney.
"After all, he sent the prophecy in to the Ministry," said Tonks.
"Possibly he sent in a doctored version so he could keep some details to himself," said Percy.
"I refuse to believe Professor Dumbledore would do anything of the sort," said Trelawney.
"I have evidence that Dumbledore used the Memory Charm on someone recently. This note," said Percy, producing it from his pocket. "It was written by Dolores Umbridge. The first parts are clearly written, but the last part is very confused. It proves something happened to her mind."
"Let me see that," said Tonks. She looked at the note. "Something happened, all right, but it doesn't prove Dumbledore did it."
"Even if he did, she certainly deserved it," said Trelawney.
"He might have done it because she knew about a weapon he was building in the woods," said Percy.
"I'm sure that was just a ruse by Hermione," said Tonks.
"There's another problem. Someone sent Dementors after us today. They knew where you were, and they knew about the note," said Percy.
"Who could have known?" asked Trelawney.
"The only people who could have seen me take the note were my brother Ron and his friend Hermione Granger," said Percy. "They wouldn't send Dementors. And there's Dumbledore, who seems to have eyes everywhere in Hogwarts. I was fool enough to read the note while I was still there. And Dumbledore knew where you were, too. He sent you the owl."
"Don't forget Umbridge," said Tonks.
"Dolores Umbridge would never send Dementors after anyone," said Percy.
"I wouldn't put it past her," said Trelawney. "She has a very dark aura."
"Even if she might, for the sake of argument, she was in no mental state to do it and I don't see how she could have called Dementors from a hospital bed," said Percy.
"So you think Dumbledore did?" said Tonks incredulously.
"Indeed I do. That's the only possibility left," said Percy. "Minister Fudge thinks he might have been in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They may have invaded the Ministry on Friday together to discredit the government."
"Absurd! I've heard enough," said Trelawney. "May I use your fireplace, Tonks? I'm going back to Hogwarts at once."
"You mustn't," said Percy. "You might be in danger there."
"Absolute nonsense," said Trelawney. "Percy, I'm afraid your Ministry career has taken you down a very dark path that can only end in disaster. I see it hovering over you now."
Nothing Percy could say would persuade her. With a heavy heart he had to let her go.
Tonks turned to Percy. "I suppose you're going to take that note to Fudge and share all your wild suspicions with him."
"I have to."
"I really wish you would drop the whole thing."
"I can't, it's my duty to report to the Minister."
"Then things are going to get a bit ugly around here," said Tonks ominously. "Accio note!"