Chapter 76: Dumbledore's Memory

Albus Dumbledore was seated in his office, lost in thought over a document that lay before him on his desk. Despite his primary role as the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore also occupied several other positions within the wizarding world such as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and the President of the International Confederation of Wizards. Hence, his duty encompassed not only managing school affairs, but just as often, his attention was demanded by numerous issues unrelated to Hogwarts.

As Dumbledore looked up on seeing Sherlock Forester, he promptly placed his quill aside, greeting his colleague with a warm smile. "I hope you won't refuse some snacks with your afternoon tea?" The words barely left Dumbledore's lips when a modest stack of cookies and two cups of steaming tea mysteriously surfaced on a vacant silver tray sitting on the desk.

"Thank you, Headmaster, but I've just come back from the Three Broomsticks, having had tea with Professor Sprout and others," responded Sherlock, settling down in a chair across Dumbledore.

Dumbledore adopted an attentive stance, picking up his teacup, he enquired, "So, since this isn't a tea-time visit, what may I do for you?"

Skipping any pleasantries, Sherlock started with the matter that had brought him to Dumbledore's office. "It's about the attacks that have been troubling us since the term began, Professor."

"Ah? Have you discovered anything new?"

"There are rumors circulating outside school grounds about the events in Hogwarts, and I came across one such today at the pub. I wanted to confirm the authenticity of this particular one." Sherlock's somber expression and decisive tone underlined the serious nature of his statement.

Setting down the teacup he had only moments ago collected, Dumbledore asked softly, "And what exactly is this rumor?"

"The rumor says that fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened once, and that just before the attacks stopped, Hagrid was expelled," Sherlock presented the information, his calm demeanor made it clear that it was not an indictment of Hagrid, but an attempt to ascertain the truth from Dumbledore.

Listening to Sherlock, Dumbledore simply nodded, his equanimity undisturbed. The same way it might be when discussing a minor digression, like skipping class. "Yes, the rumor is indeed accurate. Fifty years ago, I was not yet the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and so, although I wished to hinder them from wrongfully implicating Hagrid, I was powerless. All I could manage was to allow him to remain within the school premises in order to avoid him becoming homeless."

"So, the Chamber truly was opened in the past, and Hagrid was involved?" Sherlock frowned, startled that the history of the Chamber was bound by three timelines—the ancient era when Hogwarts was founded by the four great wizards, 50 years back, and the present moment.

Dumbledore didn't rush to answer Sherlock. He watched silently as Sherlock sank into a brief moment of thought. After a while, Dumbledore decided, and he stood up, declaring, "Since you are well aware of the truth, would you wish to witness what transpired back then?"

Dumbledore's bright blue eyes sparkled with anticipation as he invited Sherlock. Sherlock, without any hint of reluctance, gave a nod of agreement, reflecting his desire to uncover what had occurred.

From a cabinet in his office, Dumbledore fetched a stone basin and set it on the desk. Then, he pointed his wand at his forehead, gently twirling it, to retrieve a silver strand of memory from his mind, which he transferred into the basin.

"This is Hogwarts' Pensieve. I frequently use it to store and organize my thoughts, in order to perceive things more clearly. Now, it will serve our purpose of revisiting the past."

Gesturing towards Sherlock, he suggested, "You can lower your face towards it."

Promptly, Sherlock moved towards the Pensieve, staring at the shimmering silver particles inside it, and carefully submerged his face into it.

He was instantly gripped by the sensation of plummeting from a great height, but soon after, he felt solid ground beneath his feet again. As the engulfing darkness began to dissolve, Sherlock found himself in a narrow corridor. The surroundings were immersed in pitch darkness, with only the torches that hung on the worn-out, ancient walls providing light.

Within moments, Dumbledore landed next to Sherlock. He looked around, processing the Hogwarts environment that seemed vastly different. He inhaled the aged air and asked, "Is this Hogwarts as it was fifty years ago?"

"To be precise, it is Hogwarts as I recollect it from fifty years ago," replied Dumbledore softly.

As Dumbledore finished speaking, a tall wizard with flowing auburn hair and a long beard, bearing a striking resemblance to a younger Dumbledore, walked past them.

"Is that a younger version of you?" asked Sherlock, surprise evident in his tone.

Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Yes, at that time, I was still a professor of Transfiguration."

Quietly, they shadowed the younger Dumbledore towards the entrance hall on the ground floor. Here, they saw a handsome young man with a Prefect badge pinned on his robes - Tom Riddle, it read. The young Dumbledore greeted Riddle familiarly. "Why are you walking around so late into the night, Tom?"

Tom Riddle maintained an eerie calm as he answered, "I was headed to meet the Headmaster, Sir."

"Tom, you should be off to bed soon," the younger Dumbledore recommended, his gaze just as piercing as his older version's. "I think it would be best not to wander about the castle these days, considering the recent events..." The rest of his sentence was a sigh, the words left unspoken. It didn't need saying out loud. Sherlock understood.

"So, at this point, the attacks had already happened, and a student had died?" asked Sherlock solemnly, turning towards Dumbledore.

Dumbledore responded with a solemn nod. "Yes, there was even talk about shutting down Hogwarts."

While they spoke, Dumbledore's younger counterpart bid goodnight to Riddle and they went their separate ways. However, Dumbledore held Sherlock's arm, causing them to break off from following younger Dumbledore. They stood still in front of the entrance hall as Dumbledore explained, "Since this is based on my memory, we can't see any events that I wasn't there for. Nonetheless, you'll soon have an understanding of how things unfolded."

Just as Dumbledore completed his sentence, an intense explosion resonated from beneath the school—the location where the underground classroom was situated!