They had landed in a dark, dingy, forbidding-looking corridor. Harry immediately recognized the building as the Hog’s Head, the inn in Hogsmeade where he had first started Dumbledore’s Army. It had also been where Sibyll Patricia Trelawney had made the prophecy that had changed Harry’s life forever. That had been the reason for his gasp; he had a feeling he knew why they were here.
He looked around. The hallway was long and extended far into the darkness. There were at least eight rooms lining the wall in front of Harry and Snape. Behind them, a long banister separated the corridor from a staircase that led down into the dimly-lit pub.
Harry figured out when they were as soon as he faced forward. Kneeling by one of the closed doors was a much younger Severus Snape than the one who stood behind Harry. He was obviously listening at the keyhole to whomever was speaking inside.
Harry drew closer to the young man, heart beating furiously. He already knew what had happened here; what was the point of bringing him to this particular memory? Just in case he’d missed something, Harry knelt down right next to the past Snape, pricking his ears to hear what he was hearing.
The adult Snape stood silently with his back against the banister, waiting... for what? There was no expression on his face. It was as if a stone mask had suddenly dropped over his eyes and mouth, carefully hiding his feelings from the outside world.
Harry turned back to the door and pressed his ear against the wood. The younger Snape was completely unaware of his presence, and didn’t budge an inch. Harry sat there, struggling to hear...
And then he suddenly could. A chair was being scraped across the floor, then voices came floating clearly through the door. Harry easily recognized the first speaker as Dumbledore, so he listened intently.
“Well, thank you for that very ” er ” interesting account, Sibyll. I think our interview is over, now; I shall contact you as soon as possible to let you know if you’ve earned the post ””
Another voice, this time the falsely ethereal tones of Sibyll Trelawney. “Oh, so soon? Well thank you so much for your time, Albus, it has been a very enlightening experience.”
“Yes, quite,” said Dumbledore in a slightly amused voice. “I’ll send you an owl... Farewell, my dear, and, er, I hope you see great things ahead in your future.”
Harry snorted. Trelawney’s voice answered, “Oh, I do in ”” There was suddenly a loud choking noise, cutting off her sentence. Harry breathed in sharply. This is it... He could just picture the Divination teacher stiffening, her voice growing deeper, huskier...
“Sibyll, are you alright?” Dumbledore asked concernedly.
Then it came: “The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...”
Snape shifted. Harry heard someone’s footsteps on the staircase, pounding up to the second floor... This must have been when Snape was caught... But no... The prophecy continued, and Snape was still there, still listening at the keyhole.
“...And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power... to vanquish the Dark Lord... will be born as the seventh month dies...”
There was a hush inside the room. Then Dumbledore said, in a strangled voice, “What ” excuse me... Sibyll? What was that?”
Trelawney was back to normal as she replied, “What? I said nothing, dear Headmaster, nothing at all of importance. I was simply commenting on what I see for my future, you know ””
“Are you sure that is ” all you said?” Dumbledore asked cautiously.
“But of course,” Trelawney said, sounding somewhat taken aback. Then, in a haughty voice, “I’m sure I know what comes out of my own mouth, Headmaster. What on earth did you think I said?”
There was a pause. Snape began to back away from the door, never taking his eyes off it. Harry felt very confused. Everything he’d heard had implied that Snape had been caught in the middle of the prophecy. Why was he still here? Was this ”
“Oy! What’re you doin’ up there?”
A deep, angry voice, thrown impressively, sounded loudly and suddenly just behind them. Harry, Snape, and the past Snape all spun around at once to see the source of the noise. A tall, burly man stood at the top of the steps, glaring down at Snape. He had thin gray hair, and lines crisscrossed his face, but his powerfully built body defied all signs of age. Harry assumed him to be a security person, perhaps a bouncer, or maybe just one of the inn’s very few guests. Whoever he was, he was glaring at Snape so fiercely, Harry was glad that he couldn’t be seen.
“What’re you doin’ there? I don’t recall seein’ you round here. That ain’t your room, is it?” He squinted at the cheap nameplate stuck to the door. “No, it’s belongin’ to a Miss Trelawney. What you been doin’ at her door?”
The guilty, flushed look on Snape’s face revealed everything. The big man scowled. “Been eavesdroppin’, have you? We’ll just see what Sibyll Trelawney has to say about that!” And in one swift, decisive motion, he had Snape by the collar and was knocking loudly on the door. Without waiting for an invitation, he tightened his grip on Snape and push his way through the door into the room.
Harry, the man, and the two Snapes went inside to see a very flustered-looking Albus Dumbledore sitting across a table from a serene Trelawney.
“Oh,” the heavyset man said when he spotted Dumbledore. “Sorry, beggin’ your pardon, sir, I hope I wasn’t interruptin’ anything...”
“No, no,” Dumbledore sighed. “No. Nothing at all, really. Not anymore. What is it?”
“Caught this fellow” ” he shook Snape by the robes ” “skulkin’ round the door, sir, tryin’ to listen in on you and Miss Trelawney. Didn’t know what you’d like me to do with him, sir. He looks a right nasty piece of work.”
Dumbledore stared at Snape, who avoided his gaze. “Severus...?” the Headmaster whispered. “What are you ”” Then a dark expression fell over his face, as if he’d just had a dreadful thought. He looked away.
“You know this villain, then?” the man asked, still holding Snape at least six inches off the ground. “Do you want me to leave him with you, or put him outta here for you?”
Dumbledore now had a look of utmost pain and betrayal on his face as he turned back to stare at Snape. “Take him away from here, please. Sibyll and I have some matters to discuss, and I do not wish to be interrupted again.”
Interrupted, Harry thought, in a daze as he followed the man and both Snapes downstairs. So that’s why Trelawney said that. Dumbledore said their interview was interrupted; she never had any idea about her prophecy... I should’ve thought of that long ago, she’s never been interrupted during one of her premonitions...
But why didn’t he tell Voldemort everything?
They reached the door leading outside, and the man finally let go of Snape. More accurately, he drop-kicked him to the pavement. “There you go, you... Get outta here!”
The door slammed shut behind him. Snape slowly stood and brushed himself off, cringing. Harry glanced at the present-day Snape. He hadn’t spoken a word throughout the entire memory, and it seemed as though all the important parts of it had been finished...
Or perhaps not. Memory Snape had swept off through the street, and Snape grabbed Harry by the shoulder, pulling him along after him.
Memory Snape stopped and darted into a dark alley. Harry and Snape followed him. Harry saw that he was pacing around, looking pale as a ghost, as if part of the prophecy had frightened him. But how could it have?
Then he turned. Snape finally spoke. “I’m ” he’s going to Apparate now, so hold on, Potter. This will not be a very pleasant experience.”
Harry’s stomach lurched. It was bad enough Apparating yourself ” what would it be like to be dragged along? He braced himself...
Memory Snape spun around and disappeared. Harry immediately felt a tugging feeling throughout his whole body. At first he resisted it, then felt Snape’s quickly fading hand on his shoulder. “Don’t fight it,” he whispered. Then he was gone.
Harry swallowed and let go of his instinct to fight. Instantly, he felt as though he were being sucked through a straw. It was a most unpleasant feeling; he was being stretched and twisted every which way, like a piece of gum... He couldn’t breathe...
And then it was over. He staggered over the grass he’d landed on and looked around. They were in a large, empty field. The darkness made their solitude seem eerie. Harry didn’t recognize the surrounding buildings, but he did recognize the man standing right in front of Memory Snape. In spite of the hood and dark cape, Harry knew exactly who he was.
Scarlet eyes. Chalky white face. Snake-like nose with slits for nostrils.
Voldemort.
Memory Snape bowed stiffly before his master, whose cruel smile only grew wider. “Why, hello, Severus. Fancy seeing you here.”
“My lord.”
“You have something for me, I presume? I know you wouldn’t dare show your face here if you didn’t...”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Excellent.” Voldemort was obviously in a very good mood. Harry wondered what exactly had put him in such a mood. “Let’s hear it, then.”
Snape bowed again. “My lord. You were not mistaken. They were there, both of them.”
“I’m never mistaken, Severus,” Voldemort said lazily. “You should know that by now.”
Memory Snape swallowed. “Yes... I mean, no, I... Yes, my lord.”
“So?”
“They ” she was there for a job interview with Dumbledore, most likely some Divination garbage... Very short-staffed at the moment... He didn’t really give anything away, but she said something I think you’ll find very interesting.”
Voldemort looked at Snape hard. “And what was that?”
And Snape proceeded to tell Voldemort about Trelawney’s prophecy. But Harry couldn’t help but notice he left out two key parts: “...And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives...”
For some reason, Snape seemed to want to keep these parts to himself, and Voldemort never questioned his complete honesty. He listened eagerly. It had obviously been a piece of information for which he had been waiting a very long time, and he never thought to doubt Snape.
Snape came to the end, and after ordering him to repeat it, Voldemort looked off into the distance thoughtfully, over Snape’s shoulder. Harry had the startling feeling that Voldemort could see them; but that was rubbish. They couldn’t be seen when they weren’t really there.
Voldemort came out of his reverie and smiled at Snape. The effect this had on his face was ghastly. “Thank you so much, Severus. You haven’t any idea how much you’ve just told me. Your services will be rewarded.” He turned and began to move away.
For some reason, Snape’s expression darkened at Voldemort’s last words. But when Voldemort turned back to him, all signs of ” anger? fear? ” instantly disappeared to be replaced by a blank, almost expressionless look.
“Well done,” the Dark Lord said. “I look forward to another report soon. You may go now.”
The memory Snape bowed again, then turned and began striding in the opposite direction without looking back. Voldemort swirled in a circle and Disapparated.
Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the present-day Snape at his back. “That’s enough.”
Harry was then wrenched backwards and found himself on the floor of Grimmauld Place, in front of the Pensieve’s little table. Malfoy was staring at him with his eyes narrowed. He looked as if he were about to ask a question, but stopped himself before the words could escape. He sullenly retreated back into his corner. Harry wondered suddenly whether someone outside the Pensieve could see the same things the person inside had seen. Did Malfoy know what memory they’d witnessed?
“So?” Snape’s oily voice spoke behind Harry. Harry turned around. “What do you think now, Potter? Still insist I bow to the Dark Lord’s every whim? Still think I’m the mortal enemy of the Order? If you do, you’re a greater fool than I thought.”
Harry’s pride immediately bristled with indignation, but he resisted the temptation to shoot a retort right back. He needed answers from Snape, and going at his throat would not put him in a volunteering mood. “Professor...” he began, much more politely than he thought necessary. But the name stuck in his mouth; it no longer sounded appropriate for Snape. He tried again. “Snape... Why did you... What made you do that?” he finally blurted. “You still told him about the prophecy... but...” He frowned, feeling overwhelmed.
Snape sighed and shook back his black hair. “I don’t ”” He stopped. “How much do you know about Death Eaters, Potter?”
Harry shrugged. What was he getting at?
“Well... When a Death Eater is first initiated, he is given a task to perform for the Dark Lord ” a sort of test, if you will. It is usually eliminating an enemy of his, or... other things. Suffice it to say I failed my test. Miserably. And so, as punishment, the Dark Lord had someone murdered. Someone ” someone very close to me. I suppose your little friends Weasley and Granger tried to find out everything about my back ground after... last year?”
Harry nodded, intrigued by this unexpected turn of events.
“Well, then, you’d know about my mother, Eileen. The Dark Lord had her killed, as punishment for my so-called ‘disloyalty.’ That turned me away from the appeal of his service, although once made a Death Eater, you can’t back out. All I cared about then was seeing him defeated. I taught myself an advanced form of Occlumency, so I was able to disguise my true intentions from him, even as I pretended to serve him whole-heartedly. That is how I was able to be a sort of double agent for Dumbledore; the Dark Lord never had any idea I wasn’t completely on his side.”
Harry digested this new information. Snape fell silent for a moment, apparently reminiscing. Malfoy stood in the corner, holding his left arm and looking back and forth between Harry and Snape.
Harry thought of something. He frowned and turned back to Snape. “Snape ” what did you tell Dumbledore, to get on his side? What was your reason for going back after my mum and dad’s deaths?” Surely not just remorse for their deaths? After all, you never gave a damn about my parents before... especially my dad...
Snape stared impassively at him. “What ” what exactly do you remember about that night, Potter? Do you recall anything?” he asked carefully.
Harry scowled. He knew perfectly well what he remembered. At a time like this, what kind of a question was that? But he answered, deciding to humor Snape, at least for the moment. “Not all that much. I was only one, after all... But I do remember my dad, telling Mum to escape with me...” He picked his brain, going through the shred of memory that the dementors had conjured up, four years earlier. “Then my mum begging Voldemort to let me live... Green light... It’s kind of hard,” he explained. “I really can’t see any of it, because there was this thick, white fog over ””
Fog. Another memory suddenly floated to the surface of his mind: “As you might have noticed,” said Dumbledore, reseating himself behind his desk, “that memory has been tampered with.”
“Tampered with?” repeated Harry, sitting back down too.
“Certainly,” said Dumbledore. “Professor Slughorn has meddled with his own recollections.”
“But why would he do that?”
“Because, I think, he is ashamed of what he remembers,” said Dumbledore. “He has tried to rework the memory to show himself in a better light, obliterating those parts which he does not wish me to see. It is, as you will have noticed, very crudely done, and that is all to the good, for it shows that the true memory is still there beneath the alterations.”
The same white fog covered Harry’s memories of the night his parents were murdered. Why hadn’t he realized that sooner? Someone had tampered with his memories, all those years ago.
Harry looked up at Snape. “Someone messed with my memory. I noticed it for the first time, just now... Did you know about that? D’you know ” d’you know who did it?”
“Yes,” Snape muttered. “Yes, I do know.” He turned away from Harry for a moment, staring blankly at the wall, then turned back to look Harry squarely in the eye. “It was me."