Dark Memories

Book 3 - Part 14: In the Eye of the Storm

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, honestly never liking when Hogwarts was vacant of students. Hogwarts didn't like it much either. She felt lonely. He, himself, felt bad about it since he would be leaving at the end of the week as well to his home in the Swiss Alps.

He had some studying to do.

He shook his head, now recalling the last weeks of term. The thing that stuck out the most to him at the moment was a conversation he had had with Madam Pomfrey.

It was a day after Harry and Neville had returned to their dorm room, both having received a thorough check up from Pomfrey.

-Flashback-

"Poppy?" Dumbledore asked as she entered his office — hesitantly, Dumbledore noted.

"Albus, I feel I need to speak to you about something," she said, approaching his desk.

"Please, sit down, Poppy. Lemon drop?" he asked, offering a lemon drop with one hand while motioning to a chair with the other.

She sat down and actually took the Lemon Drop!

Had the situation been a different one, he would have cheered. As it was, he beamed.

"Well," she began, plopping the sweet in her mouth while ignoring his childish glee.

"Yes, Poppy?" he prompted, since she paused.

"I'm sorry, Albus, I just don't know how to start," she said, concern in her eyes.

That caused Dumbledore to straighten a little.

"Well, my dear, why don't you start from the beginning? What is this about?" he asked.

"It's about Harry," she said softly, an odd strain in her voice.

Dumbledore blinked, for whatever reason his heart clenching upon her words.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Well, that's what I've come to talk to you about. He is fine, right now," she said.

"'Right now'?" he asked, not liking the sound of that. "Please, tell me what has gotten you concerned."

"Last night, when I went up to check on Longbottom and Potter, I of course scanned Potter. He looked like death warmed over, Albus! He was absolutely exhausted, as I told you yesterday, which was why I simply allowed him to stay in his bed."

Dumbledore nodded, encouraging her to continue. He had dropped by to find Harry sleeping not long after she had left. She was right, he had looked exhausted.

"Well, I did a complete body scan, only able to skim over the information while I was in the room. I had to wait until I was back in the infirmary to examine the scan further. Had it not been for what I had found with Mage, I wouldn't have thought about looking."

"What did you find?"

"Well, after finding scar tissue in Mage's heart, it got me a little concerned and curious about how Harry is doing after. . . ."

"His first year here," Dumbledore finished for her, instantly recalling that revolting curse Quirrell had cast on him in the Forbidden Forest.

"Yes. What that horrible man did to him!" she spat, now visibly angry.

Dumbledore patted her hand, which was currently a closed fist on the surface of his desk. She slowly relaxed.

"You found scar tissue, I take it?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, but that is not what has me concerned," she said. "I had expected to find some, but . . . oh Albus, how can I tell him?!"

Dumbledore was now alarmed.