Harry walked forward, astonished. "What do you reckon?" He whispered, and Ginny just shrugged, her mouth hanging open. The pearly white substance swirled invitingly in the pensieve, and he could hear unintelligible whispers coming from it. Ginny joined him, kneeling next to him and looking down into the stone bowl. She met his eyes, hers filled with curiosity.

Harry grabbed her hand, and they dove into the pensieve, color swirling all around them, until they landed on their feet in an unfamiliar living room.

Ginny was slightly bemused, never having been in the pensieve before. All the sudden her eyes widened, looking at someone behind Harry. He turned round, and saw a tall red-haired woman levitating three cups of tea in the air in front of her. He hastened out of her way before he remembered she could not see or feel him.

His mother.

She sat down on the soft-looking green couch next to a brown-haired man with wire-rimmed glasses and messy hair. "Your parents...?" Ginny whispered, astonished. Harry could only nod, feeling a lump in his throat. He was seeing his first home for the very first time: thick off-white carpet, a green couch, and a brown coffee table. The staircase was to his right, and he could see the kitchen behind him, with white and black checked flooring. A clock ticked on the wall, and a pot of floo powder hung next to the modest fireplace on the wall opposite him.

A voice to his right startled him. Looking round, Harry saw Dumbledore looking grave and solemn, for once not twidling his thumbs. His beard was just as long as when Harry had least seen it, though there were a few less lines on his face, and he seemed less tired. But the sorrow on his face was making up for the age difference. He accepted the tea gratefully.

"Thank you, Lily," he nodded, but he did not smile. After he took a long sip from his mug, he set his tea down on the coffee table and began. "I have some terrible news for you. I have just come from the Hog's Head, where I was interviewing new teachers..." Harry listened numbly as Dumbledore recounted the prophecy, the story he had already heard once before and thought about hundreds of times. Ginny kept her attention rapt, never before hearing it straight from Dumbledore's ears.

Lily's face was in a panic, a hand at her mouth. James had one hand on his wife's knee, his muscles tensed as though he was ready to grab her and his son leave the house at that very minute. Harry had not known how his parents would take the news, but he was not surprised.

"Well- there's got to be something we can do, something you can do, right Dumbledore?" Lily reasoned, her voice steady. "A spell of some kind?"

"There is, my dear child. With such a serious situation, we will need heavy charms, and I know only one that will do the job effectively. It is called the Fidelius charm."

Lily gasped lightly, and nodded in recognition. James looked at her, then at Dumbledore. "What is it? I've never heard of it."

"I can perform the charm- it is very difficult magic. Once the charm is performed, then your secret must rest in the hands of a Secret Keeper, who will know your whereabouts. But only the Secret Keeper will be able to divulge the information. Anyone who does not know will not be able to see this house, or anyone dwelling inside of it. I must caution you, however: choose wisely. I myself would be prepared to be your Secret Keeper."

Just then a baby's cry broke through the heavy talk, and Lily leaped up, her cheeks red with emotion. "I don't know- is it safe?" She seemed distracted. "I have to go get Harry."

She ran up tha stairs, and Harry's heart pounded. He was upstairs, a tiny baby. His mother was comforting him as he cried...

"Dumbledore- are you sure this will work? I couldn't stand it if something happened to Lily, or..." he didn't even speak the other name. It seemed his throat had closed up.

"This is the best solution."

Lily came down a few minutes later, and stopped at the bottom step. She looked at her husband and at Dumbledore, and began to speak. "We'll use the charm. Can we perform it tonight? But you can't be secret keeper- you're too valuable Dumbledore. Please don't say anything against it. No, we'll use Sirius."

The memory faded, and was replaced by another one, in the same room, with the same people. They were wearing the same clothing as well. James had his hand in the pot of floo powder, and was on his knees.

"Lily- do you really think that we should use Sirius. Really. Think about it- he's the obvious target. Everyone knows he's our greatest friend, and he's easily the most powerful of our friends as well."

He sat back on his heels. Lily looked away, finally succumbing to tears. "I don't know, I don't know! I just need Harry to be safe- that's all I ask for." She looked at Dumbledore beseechingly.

"It is your decision," he whispered.

The memory faded again.

"Peter, you shall be our Secret Keeper, do you understand?" James said in a stern voice.

"And you must never, never tell anyone where we are- otherwise James, myself and... and Harry will be killed," his mother ordered. Lily was now holding a small boy in blue pajamas, with tufts of black hair escaping his head. Harry heard Ginny sob once.

"I would never tell, no, never tell a soul! Not about Lily and James! You are my dearest friends!" Pettigrew scrambled, his hands twitching slightly.

"We know that," James said. "That's why we chose you."

Sirius was there as well. "And mark my words- if you breath a word of this, they will be killed, but I won't. And I promise that you'll join them soon after!" Sirius growled, distrust plain in his eyes.

"Sirius!" Lily scorned. He just shrugged. Pettigrew shivered. Sirius and Dumbledore went outside, and James, Peter, Lily, and Harry were standing in a tight circle, James and Lily grasping hands, and Lily's grip around Harry tightened. The real Harry could almost feel her arms around him.

They heard Dumbledore muttering complicated incantations. "State the names of the hidden!" he called to the inside of the house.

"James Potter. Lily Potter. Harry Potter," James said in a clear, loud voice.

"State the name of the Secret Keeper."

They looked at Pettigrew, who was silent. James kicked him, and he jumped up. "Peter-Peter Pettigrew."

"It is done," Dumbledore's voice said, but Harry could not see him. He presumed that Dumbledore was somewhere outside. "I cannot see the house now, until Pettigrew tells me the secret."

"Thank you," James whispered."We will be eternally grateful to you, Dumbledore."

There were more memories, and the scene started shifting again, but Harry just wrapped his hand around Ginny's arm and transported them out of the pensieve. He couldn't take anymore of that.

They landed back on the hard stone floor, not saying a word, Harry just staring at the old floors. He wasn't sure how to feel, after he had just watched his parents unknowingly bargain away their lives.