Percy Jackson and the Triwizard Tournament [Book 4]

122) The Pensieve Sieves

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, trying not to bash my head into the book I was reading. I was looking through a book of spells — an old school one that didn't have a Greek translation — for any that Harry could use during the last task while Hermione and Harry helped him practice. The only useful one I'd found was one that worked as a compass. Normally I would be helping him practice, but Ron had had a bit of a misfire, and I was sporting a bloody nose.

Thankfully they'd switched to using Stunning spells, which meant Ron got to take his turn getting knocked to the floor.

"Can't we kidnap Mrs. Norris?" Ron asked, lying spread eagled after getting Stunned and reawoken for the fifth time. "Let's Stun her for a bit. Or you could use Dobby, Harry, I bet he'd do anything to help you. I'm not complaining or anything" — he got to his feet, rubbing his sore back as he complained — "but I'm aching all over...."

"Well, you keep missing the cushions, don't you!" Hermione said, staring pointedly at the cushions she's arranged. "Just try and fall backward!"

"Once you're Stunned, you can't aim too well, Hermione!" Ron huffed. "Why don't you take a turn!"

"Well, I think Harry's got it now, anyway," Hermione said quickly, and I snorted. "And we don't have to worry about Disarming, because he's been able to do that for ages.... I think we ought to start on some of these hexes this evening." She looked down at the list of spells we'd made in the library the evening before. "I like the look of this one, this Impediment Curse. Should slow down anything that's trying to attack you, Harry. We'll start with that one."

"I truly love how you're only helping Harry, not me," I sighed dramatically."

"Percy, if it weren't for Harry being in this tournament, we both know you would have found this whole thing amusing," Hermione rolled her eyes fondly.

"Uh, no, there was a baby alligator god or whatever in the lake, and I don't vibe with gods," I corrected her.

"Percy, you're half-god."

"That doesn't change anything."

Hermione laughed, and the bell rang. We went our separate ways as Hermione headed to Arithmancy, Harry and Ron headed to Divination, and I headed to skip class.

Don't take it the wrong way, I wasn't skipping class to cause problems or be an idiot. Well, I might've ended up doing both, but that wasn't my intention. I went to see Dumbledore.

I stopped in front of the gargoyle in front of his room, and spoke the password, "Cockroach Cluster." The gargoyle jumped out of the way and I walked silently up the stairs.

Dumbledore was alone, writing calmly on a piece of parchment. He didn't look up when I walked in, but said, "Sit, Mr. Jackson."

I did as told.

He finished writing, folded up the parchment, then placed it gently in his desk before looking up at me, his eyes twinkling, "What did you need?"

"I was wondering if there's been any news on Mr. Crouch — or whoever attacked me and Krum in the forest," I said.

Dumbledore sighed, "Barty hasn't been found, nor have we found your attacker. I do wonder, however, how this attacker could have gone unnoticed by you." I could tell he didn't mean it as an insult, but I still felt a little hurt nonetheless.

"I'm not sure," I said quietly. Usually I can see magic pretty well, but that's been getting harder to do lately, what with more and more of your siblings joining Kronos. I think Alabastor cursed me, in all honesty. Every time I see magic, it flashes, and disappears." I frowned. "I didn't hear anything until it was too late, just a weird, ah, clunking sound? I'm not sure, but I've heard that before, as well as the voice behind the spell. They may have been behind a tree, or maybe I just couldn't see the magic at all. Maybe it's something else entirely."

"Whatever it was, the person knew you were highly skilled," Dumbledore said. "They came at you from behind, and managed to stay hidden. That narrows down the people it could be."

"No, not really," I shook my head. "Now that we're doing this tournament, people know that I'm trained. And I didn't look too hard. They could have come after I looked around and used a silencing spell."

Dumbledore nodded, then asked, "Do you believe this person could have been a camper? Or perhaps a student here at Hogwarts?"

"No, no, not a camper," I shook my head. "All the ones that can cast spells, I know their voices. This voice was... gruffer. Older."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. He glanced back at the wall behind me, and said, "Would you mind if I looked through your memories of the attack and the moments leading up to it?"

"Sure, but be warned, the sound of the voice is really foggy now, I can't recall it anymore," I said. "Just how it... made me think of someone, but I can't remember that, either."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding, "I'm sure it would still be helpful to see how Barty acted." He stood up, walked to a cabinet beside me, and motioned me over. "Now, I ask that you think of how you made your way to the forest, and how you found Mr. Crouch. Can you do that?" He pulled open the cabinet, revealing a large basin, swirling with a silvery-white substance.

"I was already doing that, Professor. I've been doing that since I happened," I said. Dumbledore nodded, pulled out his wand, and put the tip of it against my temple. A cold, but not unwelcome, feeling washed over me, and as Dumbledore pulled his wand away, I saw a silvery-white strand get pulled away from my head. Dumbledore added my strand to the others in the basin, and I watched as the water in it changed appearance, showing Krum and Harry talking before we found Crouch. Dumbledore knelt towards the basin, close enough that the top of his nose touched the water.

For a long time, he didn't move. I sat there, watching in silence as the images in the basin changed. Finally, one I'd fallen unconscious from the Stunning spell, Dumbledore pulled away.

He was frowning, staring thoughtfully at the basin, which had started replaying the scene. "I wonder what he wanted to warn me about...." I remained silent, watching as he put his wand against his own temple, throwing in a few of his own memories into the basin.

Dumbledore sighed, then looked up at me, giving me a soft smile, "Thank you for letting me see that, Percy. I know sharing your memories with another can be quite uncomfortable."

"It's all good, it felt nice to get it out of my head, anyway," I shrugged, then glanced down at the basin, which was now showing a crowd of people, all staring down at an empty chair with chains on the arms. "If you don't mind my asking, what'd you throw into the basin?"

Dumbledore stared down at the water, "I put some very old memories into the Pensieve." He sighed. "I'm sure you've already come to these conclusions already, Mr. Jackson. You have a way of finding these things out. The first memory is of Igor Karkaroff's trial after the war. He gave names in exchange of freedom. Many of his names were useless, but he was freed because of a man named Rookwood. He also tried to get Severus arrested as well." He gave me an analyzing look, and seemed satisfied. "The second is of Ludo Bagman's trial." I was surprised by that, and Dumbledore noticed. "He had been telling Augustus Rookwood, who worked in the Ministry, but was a spy for Voldemort, information about the light side. He had thought Rookwood to be an ally, as had everyone else. He was let off with no charges, the only one against this seemingly being Barty. "The last one was of the trial against four people — the four who had captured and tortured Frank Longbottom and his wife for information." I grimaced. I'd known what had happened to Neville's parents, but every time I heard about it, it still hit me like a punch to the gut. "One of the four was Barty Crouch Jr., Barty Crouch's son. Each of the four were sent to Azkaban by Barty."

I nodded slowly, "Mr. Crouch put a lot of people away, didn't he?"

"He did," Dumbledore nodded darkly. "He definitely did."

A guy in my class just read aloud a Diary of the Wimpy Kid fanfiction. Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Ballistic Missle. I appreciate nothing more than I appreciate this more than any other moment. It is the next day. Fanfiction boy talked about assassinating the Queen. There was a whole conversation about this one boy's great uncle having gone to a concentration camp and how he would become Jewish and take over Israel. It was pretty funny. I would talk more but Kadee's showing me videos and I don't want her to get mad at me for not paying attention.

Anyway, I hope you guys have had a terribly good Tuesday, and I'll see you on Thursday CT. Love ya!