Unforgivable Promises (Snarry story)

Chapter 26

"Absolutely not," Severus said. "Under no circumstances will you risk entering the Dark Lord's mind again." He went into the Headmaster's office and returned moments later carrying a Pensieve. He handed the artifact to Harry. "Must you always choose the most difficult path?"

Suppressing a blush, Harry took the Pensieve. "Hadn't thought of that." With practiced ease, Harry drew the thread of his memory out and placed it in the dish, then set the Pensieve on the table.

"Well, shall we see what there is to see?" McGonagall asked. "We can worry about taking specific notes later."

"Are you all going to watch?" Harry asked. He was a bit uncomfortable with the thought of his three professors all diving into his memories.

"Of course, Mr. Potter," McGonagall replied. "The more minds on this, the better, I should think." Nodding in agreement, Flitwick climbed on a chair and joined the woman peering into the Pensieve.

"I have a working knowledge of runes, but Professors Flitwick and McGonagall are more proficient. If you would prefer, I will not invade your memories."

"Do you want to?" Harry asked. Severus's hand twitched toward his forearm. "You can if you want. You have a right to see what he did to you."

"Perhaps," Severus said. "But it is still your memory."

"Oh, my," Flitwick said, his attention back in the present. "Oh, dear." The small man slumped into his chair.

McGonagall, too, had emerged. She looked pale, and gazed mournfully at Harry as she nearly fell into a seat.

"Did you see anything useful, Minerva?" Severus asked. When she did not respond, he asked again.

"Pardon? Oh. No. No, nothing useful." McGonagall stared at the table, then looked again at Harry. "Oh, Harry. To live with such a memory." She stood and hugged Harry tightly. He could feel her trembling, and suspected she was more in need of his support than wanting to give him hers. Still confused about her answer, though, Harry looked questioningly at Severus. He was frowning at the Pensieve and must have sensed Harry's gaze, as he turned to look at him. Getting answers from McGonagall and Flitwick seemed a lost cause. Harry nodded to Severus, who stepped over the Pensieve and stared into it.

To Harry's relief, Professor McGonagall collected herself, though the look of pity she gave Harry was one he would be happy to never see again. He only had to wait a few minutes for Severus to stir. Unlike the other two, he showed no emotion as he handed the Pensieve back to Harry.

"Your attention was too strongly drawn to the Dark Lord's chanting and his emotional state. I cannot make out the lines from the Mark as they were burned in."

"Oh," Harry said. He had no real idea how the Pensieve worked, but Severus seemed to think the missing information was normal enough. "I'm sorry."

Severus waved off his apology. "You did not know the Mark itself was important. And if you had, you would have probably missed some of the spells he was reciting."

"I still don't understand, though. If I was watching the whole thing, why isn't it in the Pensieve?"

"Memory is not a perfect medium. The Pensieve can only show what your mind has processed. Some things may never enter our awareness, but they are still tucked away in some corner of our memory. The Pensieve can draw those details out. But other things are missed entirely by the brain. Information that is never processed is missing from the memory. It is hardly surprising that your mind did not store the Marking itself, given that you were consciously focusing on what the Dark Lord was saying. Not to mention the added distraction of his emotions and the response from the students."