𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐝 {𝐇. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫}

65

The door of the office opened.

"Hello, Potter, Grindelwald," said Moody. "Come in, then."

Harry and Johnny walked inside. They had been inside Dumbledore's office once before; it was a very beautiful, circular room, lined with pictures of previous headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts, all of who were fast asleep, their chests rising and falling gently.

Cornelius Fudge was standing beside Dumbledore's desk, wearing his usual pinstriped cloak and holding his lime-green bowler hat.

"Harry! Johnny!" said Fudge jovially, moving forward. "How are you?"

"Fine," Harry lied.

"Meh," Johnny said.

"We were just talking about the night when Mr. Crouch turned up on the grounds," said Fudge. "It was you, Harry, who found him, was it not?"

"Yes," said Harry, he added, "I didn't see Madame Maxime anywhere, though, and she'd have a job hiding, wouldn't she?"

Dumbledore smiled at Harry behind Fudge's back, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes, well," said Fudge, looking embarrassed, "we're about to go for a short walk on the grounds, boys, if you'll excuse us... perhaps if you just go back to your class-"

"Harry wanted to talk to you, Professor," Johnny said quickly, looking at Dumbledore, who gave him a swift, searching look.

"Wait here for me, boys," he said. "Our examination of the grounds will not take long."

They trooped out in silence past them and closed the door. After a minute or so, they heard the clunks of Moody's wooden leg growing fainter in the corridor below. He looked around.

"Hello, Fawkes," Harry said.

A shallow stone basin lay there in the corner of the room, with odd carvings around the edge: runes and symbols that Johnny didn't recognise. The silvery light was coming from the basin's contents, which were like nothing Johnny had ever seen before. He couldn't tell whether the substance was liquid or gas. It was a bright, whitish silver, and it was moving ceaselessly; the surface of it became ruffled like water beneath wind, and then, like clouds, separated and swirled smoothly. It looked like light made liquid - or like wind made solid - Johnny couldn't make up his mind.

He wanted to touch it, to find out what it felt like, but nearly four years' experience of the magical world told him that sticking his hand into a bowl full of some unknown substance was a very stupid thing to do.

"I wouldn't do that," Johnny said nervously, glancing at the stone basin, noticing how Harry was approaching it.

Harry shrugged and pulled his wand out of the inside of his robes, cast a nervous look around the office, looked back at the contents of the basin, and prodded them.

The surface of the silvery stuff inside the basin began to swirl very fast.

Harry bent closer, his head right inside the cabinet. Johnny went to grab him as Harry fell through. Cursing, Johnny paced the room, clapping his hands nervously. Twenty minutes later, Dumbledore entered.

"I see you have found my Pensive?" Dumbledore asked, chuckling to himself. "Not to worry, Johnny, being curiosity is not a sin, I shall go collect Harry."

And with that, Dumbledore disappeared into the Pensive and returned a moment later with Harry.

"Professor," Harry gasped, "I know I shouldn't've - I didn't mean - the cabinet door was sort of open and -"

"I quite understand," said Dumbledore. He lifted the basin, carried it over to his desk, placed it upon the polished top, and sat down in the chair behind it. He motioned for Harry and Johnny to sit down opposite him.