Have you ever wished you could revisit a memory—relive it exactly how it once was, or view it from a fresh/different perspective that you may have not seen before? To your luck, one object has made that possible: the Pensieve, as seen used by both Dumbledore, Harry, and Snape.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Welcome back readers, to a brand new edition of Magical Artefacts! As you know, we will be discussing Pensieves today—a mystical and fascinating magical object. The rarity and function of Pensieves has always intrigued me, so I thought it would be the perfect thing to discuss with you all this issue. Let’s get started!

Introduction & Creation:
Simply put, as best as I can, a Pensieve is a sort of stone basin which is used to store and review memories. The swirly contents inside of the basin allow any user to relive a certain memory, whether it be their own or someone else's. Harry does this when reliving Snape’s memories.

Now, the exact date of creation is unknown. Pensieves are said to be carved with runes and symbols, and if you analyse certain models, you’ll notice Anglo-Saxon runes. Those runes originated long before the creation of Hogwarts, and those that contain them will have usually been passed down for generations. Most come from familial ties as they are incredibly rare and ancient. As much as we might want to, it’s not something you can find in a store.

How It Works:
The Pensieve is mentioned several times in Harry Potter, mostly in 'The Half-Blood Prince'. It was quite an important part of the series, but it’s hard to get a grasp of how it really works. Let’s go through the process step by step:

The first part that comes with using a Pensieve is memory extraction. So, how do witches and wizards extract memories from their minds? We can see in the films when Dumbledore does it, no incantation is said (non-verbal) and a silvery vapour follows his wand into the Pensieve, bottle, or wherever else someone may choose to store it.

Sadly, there isn’t much on the memory extraction spell, as its incantation is unknown. However, since almost all spells have Latin roots, it’s easy to speculate and guess on the incantation. The one I found to be most accurate was Memoria Extrahere, which is Latin for 'to extract memory'.

Next comes the process of actually viewing the memory. Once extracted and placed in the Pensieve, the contents inside form what looks like a swirling pool of light. After this process, the user only has to lean forward and they will get sucked into the memory. While there, it will feel like completely reliving the moment, except you’re like a ghost. You cannot interfere with the memory or do anything to change it—only observe. This is unlike other films who show that you can interfere and change the timelines, for example, seen in 'Alice Through The Looking Glass'.

Finally, when you’re finished, you will leave yourself. The process isn’t exactly physical, so once you want to return to reality, you must only focus on it.

Features:
Whew! Now that we’re all caught up on how this artefact works, let's get into its features.

We already know that memories can be stored and examined in a Pensieve, but don’t forget that they can also be shared! Someone can view another person's memories if they’d like, as well as groups of people can use it at once. This is presented when Dumbledore and Harry review his memories together in The Half-Blood Prince. While it is interesting and intriguing, this can certainly be viewed as an invasion of privacy. I, for one, would not like my memories out in display for anyone else to look at.

Some of you may know this, some may not, but when you view memories in a Pensieve, it won’t be in first-person! You will be another person standing inside the memory and watching it unfold, almost like you are standing next to the person and watching them commit acts, instead of just watching it back through your own eyes. This feature really comes in handy when you want to get multiple perspectives of a certain moment, perhaps for the Criminal Justice System in particular.

One question I wondered about was what happened to the memory after it had been extracted. Is there just a hole in what you remember, or do you still have some vague knowledge of it? Well, from the research I’ve found, it’s said to be the latter. You won’t know specifics of a memory once it’s been extracted, but you will know that it exists and some brief thoughts on what it is about.

Fun Facts:
1. Hogwarts has its own Pensieve that is to be used by each headmaster/headmistress along the generations. Memories can be passed down between them.
2. Pensieves can be used to explore multiple memories at once, so you can connect them and move from one to another without leaving.
3. Memories stored in a Pensieve can be copied and preserved, though they can only be removed by the person who experienced them.

After a couple of fun facts, we’re at the end of this chapter! I’m sure I can speak for many of us when I say that a Pensieve would be quite handy in my life. If only I had one…well, anyway—I hope you learned a little more about it. I’ll see you back here again next month with another lovely artefact for us to explore. For now, goodbye!

Written by Daphne Clarke.
Edited by Sam Diggory.
Proofread by Sara Rowan.