NOVEL WEB Chapter 73: The Return
As Dumbledore pacified Bob Ogden, Snape didn't waste a second. He immediately raised his wand and began vanishing the tea and biscuits from the table, sparing only the cup still in Ogden's hands. The other two disappeared in an instant.
Next, with a swish of his wand over the tabletop, he erased every trace of their presence—fingerprints, stray threads from robe sleeves, even the faintest smudge of contact.
"What are you doing, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, puzzled.
"Erasing our trace evidence, Professor," Snape replied rapidly, barely pausing for breath. "You'd better get the Veritaserum ready. Once I've cleaned up, double-check—make sure we've left no loose ends. Oh, and no one saw us arrive on Thestrals, right?"
He tapped the floor with his wand, and the faint, near-invisible footprints scattered across the floor vanished without a trace.
"What in Merlin's name is going through your mind?" Dumbledore spluttered, beard bristling. "I only calmed him down! Do I look like the kind of man who would—?"
"Don't you?" Snape raised an eyebrow innocently.
"Sit. Down." With a sharp flick of his wand, Dumbledore sent an invisible force crashing into Snape like a pair of giant hands, shoving him back into his chair with a thump.
After a few moments, Ogden's expression began to return to normal. His features regained life, fear slowly unwinding from the corners of his eyes.
"Bob, try not to worry," Dumbledore said gently. "I'm only asking you to help us understand what happened back then."
"I…" Ogden clutched his wand tightly, voice trembling. "But... why?"
"I understand your hesitation," Dumbledore said, fingers steepled, his pale blue eyes serious behind the half-moon spectacles. "These are dangerous times. The Death Eaters are attacking anyone who dares oppose them. The circle of violence is widening."
"But that memory… I don't see how it could help anyone," Ogden said uncertainly. "I don't understand…"
"Professor, you brought me all this way for this?" Snape cut in, his voice edged with sarcasm. "I agree with Mr. Ogden—I doubt there's anything useful to be gained from dredging up that old memory."
"Yes, Severus," Dumbledore replied quietly, glancing out toward the garden. "I brought you here to gather what information I could. I didn't expect anything definitive. But knowledge, however fragmented, is never useless."
Ogden let out a weary sigh, his grip on his wand relaxing. "Well… you did come a long way. What exactly do you want to know?"
"You mentioned the Gaunts," Snape prompted, leaning forward slightly. "Do you know what became of them?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Ogden admitted, frowning as he sipped his now-cold tea. "But I believe Morfin is still in Azkaban."
"Morfin's in Azkaban?" Dumbledore's voice had a trace of surprise in it—so faint it might have gone unnoticed. A gleam flickered in his eyes. "What was he imprisoned for?"
"It's a long and tangled case," Ogden said. "I didn't handle it myself, but I heard he murdered a Muggle family. The Riddles—same people I encountered during that old assignment."
Dumbledore shot Snape a meaningful glance.
"Bob," he said slowly, "I have one more favour to ask. Would you consider letting us see that memory from your time dealing with the Gaunts? There might be details you've forgotten."
"Is that really necessary?" Ogden asked, uncertain.
"I believe so," Dumbledore replied. "And besides, once you extract the memory, it should fade slightly from your mind. Less vivid. That way, it's less likely to trouble you again."
Ogden sighed, clearly conflicted. "I may be a retired old man, Albus… but I'd like to be of some use, I suppose. He shouldn't have any reason to know about me…"
He fell silent, then rose and made his way to a nearby cabinet. From within, he retrieved a slender glass vial and ran his coarse fingers along its surface.
Returning to his chair, he drew his wand, placed it to his temple, and pulled out a silvery strand of memory. As it floated down into the vial, he muttered, voice thick with exhaustion, "Take it, Albus… don't make my fear be for nothing. But no lunch for you—off you go."
Snape and Dumbledore stepped out of the cottage.
The trees swayed gently in the breeze, dappling the path with light and shadow. Snape turned to Dumbledore with a frown. "Professor, surely we're not riding Thestrals back again?"
"I don't think that will be necessary," Dumbledore said lightly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a curious pocket watch—its twelve hands twitching like insects—and raised his wand.
"Mentos," he murmured.
The watch shimmered with blue light, trembling in his hand for several seconds before going still again.
"Quickly, Severus. Place your hand on it."
Snape stepped forward and gripped the watch alongside the Headmaster.
"Three… two… one…" Dumbledore counted. "Let's go."
It felt as though a hook had caught Snape behind the navel and yanked—hard. The world spun violently, colours melting and warping until—
—he stood once more in Dumbledore's familiar office.
Dumbledore moved swiftly to a cabinet, withdrew a shallow stone basin etched with ancient runes, and placed it gently on the desk.
He retrieved the vial of Ogden's memory and poured the swirling silver thread into the Pensieve. It began to spiral slowly, giving off a faint glow.
"Come now," Dumbledore said.
Without hesitation, Snape leaned forward and plunged into the basin.
He was falling, falling—
And then warm summer light burned overhead. Snape squinted and shut his eyes instinctively.
When he opened them, Dumbledore was beside him, standing on a country lane flanked by high hedgerows twisted together like living walls. Above them stretched a brilliant blue sky, the exact hue of forget-me-nots in bloom.
About twenty feet ahead stood a short, plump man dressed in the most bizarre fashion: a pinstriped bathing costume under a formal overcoat, complete with spats over his shoes.
Bob Ogden, still in possession of a full head of hair, his belly already straining the stripes of his suit, marched down the lane.
A crooked wooden signpost jutted from the brambles beside him. One arrow pointed to Great Hangleton (5 miles), the other to Little Hangleton (1 mile).
Snape and Dumbledore followed as Ogden made his way down a steep slope. After a time, the trees parted, revealing a broad valley nestled beneath them.
In the hollow lay a proper English village, its church and graveyard clearly visible in the morning light.
Across the valley, perched on a rise of green fields, stood a grand manor house, its lawns stretching out in perfect symmetry like a lord's crown.