Bab 24: Chapter 24: Memories - part 2
Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere in the Scottish Highlands
November 23rd, 1992, 11:12 AM
Erik commented and continued to watch, as an eerie and raspy voice ordered Quirrel to 'use the boy'. Quirrell then ordered the boy to look at the mirror. Mr. Potter then stood in front of the mirror and Erik paused again. He quickly positioned himself behind the boy and 'unpaused' the memory. He watched as the boy's reflection took a red ruby-like stone from its pants' pocket, showed it to him, gave him a wink and put the stone back in the pocket. Mr. Potter then, as sneaky as an elephant in a china store could be, checked his pocket and noticed the bulge in it. But the stupid professor didn't seem to notice. Mr Potter then made a lie on the run about what he had seen in the mirror. The eerie and raspy voice came back and ordered/asked to talk with the boy himself. Quirrell then started to undo his purple turban, and the group saw the horror in the kid's face as a face with snake features was revealed under it, behind the man's head. The 'face' greeted Mr. Potter, who called him Voldemort.
The group heard as Voldemort offered the boy his parents back if he joined him. Mr. Potter called his lie and Voldemort ordered Quirrell to catch the boy and take the stone that was in his pocket. Quirrell then jumped to catch the boy and managed to catch him by his wrist. Pain was obvious in the boy's face and in his yelling voice. Quirrell then let him go and started to yell painfully himself while looking at his hand. It was covered in painful burn bubbles that appeared more and more as time passed. Voldemort ordered Quirrell to catch him again, and he jumped at Mr. Potter, this time, trying to strangle him over the floor. The kid started to yell in pain again, but saw that Quirrell was in pain too by touching him. Quirrell let go of the boy, continuing to hold him down on the floor with his knees and said that he could do it anymore, looking at his hands that were covered in horrifying deep burns. Voldemort then ordered Quirrell to kill the boy, and Mr. Potter, noticing the effect that his skin touch had on his assailant, raised his hands and took hold of Quirrell's face.
The double faced man started to yell in pain with his face getting deeply burned, but managed to get out of the boy. Voldemort ordered Quirrell to kill the boy again. But the boy jumped before Quirrell could retrieve his wand, and took hold of the man's arm, holding on to it for life. Mr. Potter then watched as Quirrell managed to yank his arm out of his hands and the man doubled in pain on the floor. Mr. Potter, himself, seemed in the precipice of fainting, but held in time to see a dark shadow rise from the agonizing Quirrell's body.
The dark shadow assumed form with Voldemort's face on it and charged through Mr. Potter's body while roaring. The shadow then disappeared through one of the walls while the memory started to fade as the boy lost consciousness. Erik paused, and rewinded five times, unpaused and watched the confront again. He then repeated the pause, rewind and unpause, three more times. Paying attention to all the minuscule details of the scene. Erik then paused a final time as the memory finished.
"Interesting, Mr. Potter seems to have a protection around him that is strong enough to hurt the possessed Professor and the possessor. Or maybe it is hurting the Professor because of the possessor..."
Erik mumbled. Director Bones then asked.
"So, it was not dark magic that burned Professor Quirrell?"
Erik looked at her and replied.
"Dark magic? No, no. It couldn't be more far than dark magic. If I was to classify it by your terms, I would say it was white magic. As white as it can get. A white magic shield. The boy just weaponized the shield, just that. But I can't say more without examining Mr. Potter."
Director Bones and the Aurors were quiet. Erik then resumed the memory. They saw it fade as Mr. Potter got knocked out, and then the memory got clear again. And they saw Albus Dumbledore entering the room with a preoccupied face. The 'old boy' glanced at the mirror and focused on the knocked out boy. He casted a diagnosis spell on him and seemed to relax. Then he casted another spell and bent down. Patting at Mr. Potter pockets Dumbledore retrieved the red ruby-like stone, depositing it in one of his own pockets inside his robes. Then, Director Bones asked.
"Do you know what that stone is?"
"Yes. That is the famous Philosopher's Stone."
Erik replied to Director Bones, who got wide eyes at the answer, just like her Aurors. The memory continued with Dumbledore checking on the dieing Quirrell and calling Fawkes to transport them to the infirmary. The memory then ended, and the group was ejected out of it.
The group quickly recovered from the dive. Erik looked at his watch, made some calculus, and called for a house-elf.
"A house-elf, please."
*pop*
With a pop, a house-elf appeared by Erik's side.
"How can Danty help Lord Ravenclaw?"
"Hi Danty, please locate Professor McGonagall and tell her that her presence is required in the Headmaster's Office immediately. The floo is open to her. And then, locate a student named Harry Potter, and tell him that I need to talk with him immediately too. You can 'pop' him here if he doesn't know where the Headmaster's Office is. He should be a second year Gryffindor."
Erik requested from the house-elf, and it disappeared with a 'pop' sound.
*pop*
Erik turned to Director Bones and said.
"We will soon find out more about the event that happened here in June, and I will ask to examine Mr. Potter better."
Director Bones then turned to the Pensieve, and retrieved the memories, sealing them back into the flask and passing them to Auror Moody, for safekeeping.
Two minutes later, a pop was heard in the office as the house-elf Danty was back, accompanied by a skinny boy with messy black hair and round glasses.
"That was brilliant! Certainly beats floo travel."
The boy said, basking in the feeling of being 'teleported' by the first time.
"It certainly does. A house-elf's apparition is much more comfortable than any wizarding means of transport."
Erik commented, gaining the boy's attention. Mr. Potter's head snapped to look at Erik.
"Er.. Hi."
Said the boy, intelligently. Erik chuckled at the boy's reaction, together with Director Bones and Auror Tonks. Erik then greeted the kid.
"Hello, Mr. Potter. Thank you for your help, Danty, that would be all."
*pop*
Danty, the house-elf, disappeared with a pop after being dismissed. Harry looked at the place that the house-elf just disappeared, then looked back at Erik.
"Danty said that you wanted to talk with me, Sir?"
"Indeed I want, Mr. Potter. Better saying, we want to talk to you."
Erik replied, gesturing to Director Bones. The boy stood in place, looking at the adults in the office, as if waiting for them to start the conversation.
"But first we are waiting for Professor McGonagall, your Head of House to arrive."
Erik said to the boy. Director Bones then decided to cut some formality first.
"I think we can start introductions while we wait for Professor McGonagall. Hello, Mr. Potter. My name is Amelia Bones, and I am the Director of the Department of Magic Law Enforcement. These are two of my Aurors, Master Auror Alastor Moody and Trainee Auror Nymphadora Tonks."
Director Bones said, introducing herself and her Aurors, gesturing to each one when introduced. Moody gave the boy a grunt together with a nod, and Tonks gave him a wave with a smile, her hair quickly changing from pink, to red, back to pink when her name was said. Harry watched the woman's hair change color on its own with wide eyes. Director Bones noticed that and chuckled.
"Noticed that, didn't you? Auror Tonks here, have an ability called metamorphmagus, it allows her to change her appearance at will."
At the explanation, Auror Tonks started her own show, cycling through different colors of hair and different shapes of noses, much to the boy's entertainment.
"That's brilliant!"
The boy said as Auror Tonk went back to her 'original' pink hair and nose. At that moment the fire in the fireplace flared into tall green flames and Professor McGonagall walked out of it.
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall, we were waiting for you."
The strict witch looked around the office and took in the presence of Amelia Bones and two aurors, and Harry Potter.
"You wanted to talk with me, Lord Ravenclaw?"
"Yes, and no, Professor. Is that your presence is required so we can talk with Mr. Potter here. But I want to ask you some questions too."
Erik replied and gestured to the lounge area of the office.
"Let's all take a seat, shall we?"
He then walked to an armchair and waited for the others. Director Bones, Professor McGonagall and Mr. Potter walked to the lounge area and took seats. Aurors Moody and Tonks stayed standing, but positioned themselves around the area. After everyone took their seats, Erik sat too.
"You see, Mr. Potter, I called Director Bones here in the school today to continue some of the job that we started yesternight, with focus in this room, the Headmaster's Office. During their search, they found a set of different memories labeled with different dates. They then used a Pensieve; Do you know what a Pensieve is, Mr. Potter?"
Erik interrupted his explanation/question to solve the curious look that appeared at the kid's face. The boy shook his head as if saying 'no'.
"A Pensieve is an artifact that resembles a basin, crafted using ancient runes and enchantments, with the objective of watching and/or reviewing memories of your own or of third parties in a different perspective. You see, Mr. Potter, the human mind is a wondrous thing and it can capture details around us that we would not have noticed at the time that it occurred. And when the memories are viewed in a Pensieve, all these details are there, just like our minds stored them."
Erik took the tea set and served a new cup for him and sipped it, waiting for the boy to digest the information. Lowering the tea cup, Erik continued.
"As I was saying, Director Bones and her Aurors then used the Pensieve to review a memory with a label that read 'June, 1992'. It was a memory starring three first year students from Gryffindor going on an 'adventure' to save the Philosopher's Stone."
At this point, Erik paused, sipping a little more of tea, and gave the boy some time. Harry's face was palling. He could practically see himself being expelled. Erik, then, continued.
"So, Mr. Potter, can you, please, tell us in your words what happened that took your friends and you into that little adventure?"
Erik then waited patiently for the boy to start his tale. Mr. Potter managed to calm down, then took a deep breath and asked.
"From the beginning?"
"From the beginning."
Erik replied to the boy, who took another deep breath and started to talk.
"It all started a week before my eleventh birthday…"
((insert here the narrative of the book 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' from chapter 3, until after his talk with Dumbledore in the infirmary))
"... then Professor Dumbledore said that he couldn't touch me because of my mother's love and her sacrifice for me left a protection within me."
Harry finally finished talking. And he talked a lot. His throat was parched. Erik then served a cup of tea and offered it to him, who promptly accepted and drank the warm infusion. Director Bones was impressed with the boy's tale, and curious at the same time. Some points of the boy's tale really raised some concerns for her. His relatives' behaviour being one. The warning at the start of the year being another. That was something that her niece would readily write to her about, but then she remembered the ward that Erik said that he deactivated that 'regulated' the information exiting the school. The final point was the detention into the Forbidden Forest. Of course there was the final 'adventure', but that one was already 'explained'.
Erik then put a finger into his temple and after a little concentration pulled it slowly. Connected to the tip of his finger was a long silver wisp, the memory of what just had happened. With his other hand, Erik conjured a little flask and deposited the silver wisp inside, and with a tap of a finger to the flask, it was sealed. He then took the flask into one hand and looked at it against the light of the room. On the other hand, with palms up, a small blue magic circle appeared and started to pulse quickly. Some seconds later, the pulsing ceased and the image of an old lady appeared over the circle.
"Yes?"
She said, not paying much attention to the caller.
"Perenelle, charming and beautiful as ever."
Erik said to the old lady, who snapped, focusing on the caller. She then recognized him and gave Erik a big smile.
"Erik! You don't know how good it is to see you again. How are you and the girls?"
"It's good to see you too, Perenelle. I'm good as I can be, and the girls are well too. Joan misses you dearly."
Perenelle gave him a more gentle smile at that. She always had a special affection for the French Knightwoman.
"You see, Perenelle, I was summoned to Hogwarts yesterday and just had a very interesting conversation with a Mr. Harry Potter about his adventures to protect a certain red stone."
Erik said with a little more serious face. The old woman sighed hearing that.
*sigh*
"Yes, Nick ended up destroying his stone."
Erik just gave a nod and chose not to comment about it anymore. He then brought the flask with the memory between his face and the image, showing it to Perenelle.
"Do you guys want to see it? Mr. Potter adventure, I mean."
Perenelle assumed an amused face at that question and replied.
"Sure we want, send it to us."
"Okay, I will ask Fawkes to deliver it to you."
Perenelle then nodded at him.
"And don't be a stranger, Perenelle, just call."
"We will. Have a nice day, Erik. And give the girls my feelings."
She gave Erik a big smile and Erik gave one back. And then, she closed the call. Erik then put his hand inside the internal pocket of his blazer and retrieved a transparent pot full of dried red peppers. He opened the pot and a strong spicy smell wafted through the office. Erik then took out half a dozen dried peppers and closed the pot, guarding it back inside his pocket.
"Fawkes!"
Erik called, but the phoenix didn't appear. Then he called again.
"Fawkes, I need your help."
A few seconds later, the immortal bird appeared in a flash of fire in the middle of the room. It gave Erik a glare with a indignated chirp.
*chirp*
"Come on, Fawkes, you know that I was kidding with you. Here, I brought out your favorite as an apology."
Erik said to Fawkes and showed him the half dozen dried red peppers in his hand. The bird looked at the snack and let out a joyful chirp, flashing to Erik's shoulder, who offered the hand with the peppers to it. Fawkes ate the dried peppers with gusto. Finishing them, the bird pecked Erik's ear.
"Thank you for accepting my apologies, Fawkes."
Eris said, and continued.
"I need you to deliver an urgent package to Perenelle, are you up to the travel?"
*chirp*
Erik asked and the phoenix answered in a positive way.
"Good. Here."
Erik then offered Fawkes the flask with the memory, who took it in his beak and flashed away to make his delivery. Erik turned to the group and saw half of them, with wide eyes, staring at him. He just chuckled but didn't say anything more.
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PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
DonnutHermit
DonnutHermit Chapter #24 done!
Chapter #25 incoming in one, max two days.
Stay 'tuned'!
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