Memories in the Pensieve

Watching the old man slowly stand up, Sean's breathing quickened uncontrollably. Although Dumbledore had said in his summer letter that he would reveal the contents of the Prophecy at the appropriate time, Sean still felt a mix of excitement and trepidation as the moment arrived.

He had speculated about the content of the Prophecy many times; it might be vague, but the key to it would definitely point to himself.

What role will he, Sean Wallerup, play in the Prophecy?

Dumbledore stood up. He didn't speak immediately, but crossed his arms in front of his abdomen and gazed quietly at the night sky with his lake-blue eyes.

On the wall, the portraits of the Hogwarts Headmaster of all generations also became serious, each of them sitting upright, and the wizards who had been pretending to sleep after Dumbledore's return also opened their eyes and moved closer.

"Sean," Dumbledore finally spoke, his voice as gentle, steady, and reassuring as ever, "Do you know anything about Prophecy or Divination?"

Sean pondered for a moment and said softly, "I've bought some books that mention Divination is a branch of magic, generally using some ritual or tool to foresee the future, or to gather insights from past, present, and future events. But, Professor, you said that the more people believe in Prophecy, the more likely it is to come true—I've never heard of that before..."

Dumbledore did not answer his question. He smiled and said, "In fact, I have always thought that Divination is a very unrigorous discipline. It requires a specific way of thinking and concentration to improve one's perception and logical thinking abilities in order to gain insights into different events, phenomena, details, emotions and thoughts."

He seemed a little hungry. He opened a drawer, took out a jar of Fizzing Whizbees, and popped one into his mouth before continuing, "Note my choice of words, 'insight.' Yes, I have always believed that Prophecy is an insight into future developments that contains a lot of information. It doesn't necessarily happen—predicting the future is very difficult because the causal relationships of people's behavior are always complex and changeable."

"However, people often get trapped in Prophecy and then believe what they want to believe or have to believe..." Dumbledore smiled somewhat helplessly. "Everyone is so special, yet equally mundane, including me."

Sean listened quietly to all of this, and he suddenly realized how old Dumbledore looked.

"Sean, do you know why the contents of this Prophecy haven't been spread?" Dumbledore asked.

"Because the more people believe, the more likely the Prophecy will come true. That's what you and Mr. Grindelwald told me," Sean replied, puzzled.

"Why?" he asked, then immediately answered himself, "Because this Prophecy encompasses an entire era..."

Encompassing the entire era... Sean's pupils contracted sharply.

Dumbledore finally finished the candy, a satisfied expression on his face, and then slowly walked up to Sean.

"Come, child, let us enter my memory, and you will find it not only vividly detailed, but also perfectly accurate—"

Sean followed him to a shallow, metallic silver bowl-shaped object. Even though he had never used it before, Sean immediately knew what it was: the Pensieve.

The rim of the Pensieve is inscribed with Runes and other mystical symbols. The basin is filled with a silvery substance, resembling both liquid and gas, like clouds.

Dumbledore took out his wand and touched his temple. A thin, silver thread was slowly pulled out. He wrapped the thread around the tip of his wand a few times, and then it slowly sank into the Pensieve.

"Just smudge your face in—shall we go?"

Sean leaned forward, took a deep breath, and plunged into the Pensieve. He continued to fall until he opened his eyes and found himself standing on solid ground, with Dumbledore beside him.

They stood in a narrow alley, with dark gray stone walls on both sides. The stone slabs under their feet were cracked, and a few green weeds were sprouting from the cracks.

Just as Sean was about to speak, someone walked through his body and out of the alley.

That was the young Dumbledore, with a full beard and wearing a sophisticated crimson velvet suit.

However, his expression looked very serious, as if he were about to face a powerful enemy.

"Professor, what brings you here?" Sean asked.

Dumbledore simply smiled, winked at Sean, and gestured for him to follow.

The two followed the young Dumbledore out of the alley at a respectful distance. It seemed to be a village, with most of the buildings featuring Mansard roofs, their slopes tapering from gentle at the top to steep at the bottom. Many roofs had exquisite dormer windows, some round, some pointed, each with a unique design.

"It's like the architectural style of Germany..." Sean muttered to himself.

The young Dumbledore crossed a small square and finally stopped in front of a house with columns.

His expression remained serious, but no other emotions could be seen.

After Dumbledore, the door in front of him opened automatically, and a wild and unrestrained voice came out.

"Inviting you here was quite difficult, Albus— "

The young Grindelwald emerged from the house, wearing a high-necked black fitted trench coat. He not only retained his youthful handsomeness but also possessed the mature charm of a middle-aged man.

However, that sense of composure was somewhat disrupted by the unrestrained and enthusiastic smile on his face, and Grindelwald opened his arms to embrace him.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and pressed it against Grindelwald's chest, his expression serious and solemn. "Grindelwald, I'm not here to reminisce with you."

"Oh, oh, it's been so long since we last met. Are you sure you don't want to have a drink? And stop pretending, Albus. Your wand won't work its magic against me—and neither will mine." Grindelwald withdrew his hand, but the cheerful smile on his face remained.

"Get to the point—where are the Cassandras?" Dumbledore voice.

Grindelwald stepped aside and said warmly, "Come on in, come on in, Ms. Vabralski is having a very pleasant stay with me."

Cassandra Vabralski? Sean remembered her as the author of "Unfogging the Future," a renowned Seer.

Did Grindelwald kidnap her?

Dumbledore silently entered the house, with Grindelwald leading the way as they descended into a tunnel.

"I originally thought she was a descendant of Trelawney, but it seems she isn't. However, the nature of Seer always dictates that she is easily entangled in mystery."

"Look, I saved her life— Albus, aren't you happy?" Grindelwald said with a smile as he opened the door of a dungeon.