"How was the research into Potter's memory going?"
Just as Pomona turned to leave, Severus suddenly called out.
Flitwick was clearly taken aback, then said, "Very strange."
"How strange?" Severus asked.
"There are two kinds of memories," Flitwick said. "One keeps repeating, 'He is innocent. I have to protect him,' while the other says, 'It was me.'"
"What?" Pomona asked curiously.
"They're only scattered fragments. They shouldn't even have been preserved." Flitwick looked at the lake. "I once heard a legend. After the founders chose this place to build the school, they discovered a Pensieve half-buried underground. It was part of the school. There were Saxon runes around that stone basin, just like the ones I usually see while maintaining Stonehenge."
"I also heard a legend that this castle once belonged to Salazar Slytherin's parents, and that he donated it," Severus said tightly.
"I've seen ruins at the bottom of the Black Lake." Pomona looked at Flitwick. "Did they exist before the school was built as well?"
"I don't know, Pomona. It's only a legend. Severus mentioned water elements earlier. In the languages of other countries, a Pensieve is more or less associated with water, especially in Bulgarian—a 'basin with water,' much like where we are now." Flitwick said, "Hogwarts's Pensieve isn't the only one in the world. Other countries have them too, but like wands, they were treated as private possessions and buried with their owners. Hogwarts's Pensieve is regarded as part of the school and passed down through generations of headmasters."
"You suspect this place is also part of some ancient ruin?" Pomona asked. "That it's a Pensieve too?"
"No, it's enchantment. Though it's as charming as a charm, it's more beautiful—and more alluring." Flitwick sighed. "It's a very pleasant feeling."
Pomona did not understand a word of