Pensieve = Security Camera?

justcarol67 justcarol67 at yahoo.com
Tue Jul 6 21:18:33 UTC 2004


No: HPFGUIDX 104664

> Carol wrote:
<snipped by vmonte> 
> Occlumency seems to be a rare skill and Pensieves appear to be even
> rarer. We've seen only one so far (Snape borrowed Dumbledore's for
the occasion). The memories aren't stored there. When the Occlumens
has finished studying them--objectively, in relation to each other,
uncontaminated by the subjective context of his own mind--or when he
no longer needs to conceal them from another person--he returns them
to his own mind.
 
vmonte responded:
 
We don't really know that Snape borrowed DD's penseive.  He may be 
doing the same thing that DD is doing -- looking at his memories in 
order to make connections.  

Carol:
IIRC, Harry recognizes the Pensieve as the one from Dumbledore's
office. But the point still holds that an Occlumens can place his own
memories in it, but we've seen no evidence that he can do so for other
people's memories. I'm not sure that even a Legilmens could. That's
what I was cheifly arguing in the post you partially quoted.

As for Snape studying his own memories, that's a distinct possibility,
but he was clearly using the Pensieve for a different purpose (hiding
his memories from Harry and thus from Voldemort) during the Occlumency
lessons. A Pensieve (his own or Dumbledore's) would certainly come in
handy for spy!Snape as a way of concealing thoughts and memories from
Voldemort if he ever has to confront him directly rather than
indirectly through Lucius Malfoy. Since Lucius is now in Azkaban, we
may hear about Snape doing exactly that in Book 6. Unfortunately for
the reader, a scene like that would be difficult to manage from
Harry's POV unless it occurred in Order headquarters before school
starts. But would Snape trust Harry anywhere near his memories after
the incident in OoP? I doubt it very much. Too bad--I want to know
what's going on in Snape's head!

Carol





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