Between Crown and Heart - Book 1

27 - The Pensieve

I was dismissed by Madame Pomfrey from the Hospital Wing at 7 pm. So I went directly to the meeting from there.

I moved up stairs to the gargoyles and said: "Crockroach Clusters."

The gargoyles moved and revealed the winding staircase. I climbed them up to the headmasters office and looked one last time at Royalty down before I knocked on the door.

I thought "Let's go and find some answers!" and Royalty nodded.

But before I even reached the massive wood door with my finger the headmaster called from inside: "Please come in, Miss Charmé!" I was surprised and entered his office bashful.

"Good evening, Miss Charmé! I hope you are feeling well again. Please, take a seat." I accepted his offer and sat down, Royalty jumped on my lap.

"I made sure that Fawkes is not able to harm you anymore! And again I am very sorry!"

"No, please, Sir! It's alright. It just happened and I think we should lock that topic right here and right now to concentrate on the future." I said.

"Very well said! Then, lets move on. I called you to talk to you because it was your wish and unfortunately we couldn't talk yesterday." I nodded.

"Thank you for your readiness. I really appreciate it!" He smiled at me heartly in response.

"Please, take some of the pumpkin juice." He offered.

"Oh, no, no. Madam Pomfrey dismissed me only after I ate dinner. That's why I don't want anything more. But thank you, Sir." I smiled politely.

"As your wish. Please start."

"First of all, I have to apologize because of my accent and my bad English speaking skills." I said.

"Oh, I don't understand why you are apologizing. You speak very good English and to be honest I like your accent. It is exotic and very winsome." I looked shyly to the ground and smiled broadly.

"Thank you, Sir. But I see a problem here. I am worried that I won't be able to understand everything and that could be a barrier for me and my education... and my responsibility."

"I can reasure you that this won't be a barrier as long as you won't be a barrier for yourself. And if you really don't understand something you can ask several students who will be pleased to help you, especially the boys. But you already made friends with some intelligent and very talented students."

"Thank you! I will ask them, indeed! Yes, they seem to me very talented. Not like me..." I smiled sadly.

"Only the time will reveal what will come in the future!" the headmaster said wisely.

"And my next question is... a bit big..." I went on, ignoring his wisdom.

"Yes, Miss Charmé. I will try to answer as good as I can." He smiled at me knowingly but he still waited paitently for me to ask it on my own.

"I actually don't understand what happened and what is happening to me... Why is everybody calling me 'My Lady'? And what's wrong with me? Why am I different from all the other students? And what will happen to me? And what's about Royalty? And that sorting hat, what was he talking about? And why am I suppose to stop a war and why will be there a war at all?" I looked up and saw that Dumbledore was still smiling but differently. It was more a sad and understanding smile. He suddenly stood up and went to the back of his office.

"Please follow me, Miss Charmé! I want to show you something." I stood up and Royalty jumped from my lap. We both followed the old man who was standing in front of a stone bowl. He searched for a little, glowing vial between other little, glowing vials.

"Come closer. Yes, good. This is a pensive. Here you can see all your memories which you put in a vial before. Then you only have to tip over the vial and let the memory flow into the pensieve." He spoke while he did this practically. The bowl glowed and then a few images were seen.

"Put your head into the liquid now."

"Pardon?" I asked unbelievingly.

"You heard me, Miss Charmé. Or do you want me to push your head down." I shook slowly my head but I was still confused.

"But if I put my head down I am not able to breath under water." I tried to convince him.

"Trust me." He looked with a look of expectancy. I looked a few seconds at him then at the bowl and then at him again. I sighed.

"Okay, I have to do it! He is waiting! He wants me to do that!" I said to me.

"And leave your eyes open!" Dumbledore said. I nodded and took a deep breath. I saw from the coners of my eyes that he was chuckling. But it was too late to think why because the ice cold water touched my nose, then my cheeks, my forehead, my lips and finally my neck. The cold water felt like stabbing needles and it hurted that much that I opened my mouth slightly. But because of my stupidity the water came into my mouth and I choked. I tried to close my mouth and drink the water but somehow it was not becoming less. I panicked and I had problems with my holding breath because it was nearly expended. I wanted to pull me up again but there was a strong pulling which prevented me to do so, moreover it pull me down. 

I was in a big old and grey building. Everywhere were children playing and running up and down. Then I was suddenly in a room which seemed like a prison cell. And in this cell there was a small boy, maybe nine years old, and headmaster Dumbledore was on a bed, I think that this was the bed of the boy. I looked at the boy closer. He had very pale skin and burning red eyes. Somehow they were scary but also captivating and interesting.  

I couldn't understand what they were talking about. They spoke too quiet. But I heard fragments like "Hogwarts" and "Talk to snakes", "Make them want I want", "Hurt them". And suddenly the wardrobe on my left was on fire. I gasped and panicked. I thought about what to do to stop the fire. I run to the headmaster and tried to shove him off the bed in order to reveal the bed sheets for drowning the flames. But as I reached the headmaster everything was resolving and white fog was dancing around me. I looked confused around me when I was suddenly lifted up very quickly. I felt the coldness on my face again and I realised that I was breathing water than air. Then I fell behind me in front of some feet. I coughed and choked but the air was still stopped by the water in my lungs.