Harry inclined his head to signal his compliance as he opened his Player's Menu and quickly paged through the multiple selections to access his Inventory. His hand hovered over Hedwig's name for a moment as he worried over how she was doing, petrified as she was, before he scrolled further down the list to where his Bag of Holding sat and opened the sub-Menu to browse through the bag's contents as that was where all of his recent acquisitions were placed (aside from Hedwig due to her status as his familiar). He then withdrew the Soul Receptacle, Riddle's Diary, and one of the two fangs he'd collected. A couple of people screamed when the curved snake fang appeared as it was over five feet long, just over half a foot wide at the thickest point, and needle sharp at the tip; in short the fang was far larger than Harry and gave those present a really good idea of just how large the monster was.
"Merlin, Maeve, and Mungo preserve us and protect us from evil," Madam Bones breathed; the prayer of protection falling from her lips without her notice. A prayer that was echoed by more than one of the other adults that were in the room. "I think I am going to want something more substantial than just your word on how in the nine levels of hell you got your hands on that."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a frown.
"I mean that I want to view your memory of what happened while you were in the Chamber of Secrets instead of just hearing you repeat your tale."
"Madam Bones, I must protest on behalf of my ward," Dumbledore quickly countered before Harry could ask how she planned to get said memory from him and if it would hurt.
"Albus, I am not in the mood for any of your political games and headache inducing riddles right now. This child holds the key to us understanding what happened down in the Chamber of Secrets and rather than force him to suffer through an interrogation for hours in an effort to drag each and every detail from his mind when he's only just recently regained consciousness; it would be far less painful to merely copy his memory so that we may witness the events through his eyes first hand."
"What exactly happens to the memory when you take it? Does it hurt to have a memory taken? Will I forget everything that happened in the memory that is taken? Will you have to wade through all of my other memories to find the one you want? Are you going to steal my memories of my life before Hogwarts?" Harry demanded as he clutched at the covers draped over his legs as the fear of losing everything he'd shared with Agil and the others slammed into him and stole his breath away.
"Pulling out a memory is an uncomfortable process but there is no pain involved," Madam Bones was quick to assure him when she noticed his growing panic (though she assumed that it was the idea of pain that frightened him). "The details of a memory that has been removed become fuzzy but you won't forget what happened entirely. I have no intentions of stealing any memories from you nor will I need to rifle through your mind to find the memory I wish to view. All you have to do is think of what happened from the moment you entered the Chamber of Secrets to the moment you left the Chamber while I tap my wand against your left temple and pull the memory from your mind. Once I have finished viewing the original memory, I will make a copy of it and return the original to you."
"Oh… that doesn't sound too terrible."
"Mr. Potter, you are in no way obligated to grant Madam Bones permission to pull any memories from your mind and I must adamantly insist that you decline," Dumbledore firmly stated, though the bearded man made it sound more like an order.
"Why?"
"I only wish to protect you."
"I don't need protection. I have been fighting my own battles for as long as I can remember and all you have done is hold me back with the intention of keeping me weak. I have been here far too long and I will do whatever it takes to end this game so that I can find my father and my friends."
"Mr. Potter, I have told you time and time again that this is not a game," Dumbledore ground out with frustration and exasperation. "It has been nearly two years now and it is time for you to grow up and accept the reality around you before you get yourself killed with your silliness."
"Are you implying that Mr. Potter is suffering from a mental illness, Dumbledore?" Mr. Malfoy inquired with a knowing smirk as his earlier fear and anger morphed into satisfaction and amusement.
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