Memory of the past

After this eventful return, life resumed its usual course at Hogwarts.

Almost, anyway. The atmosphere was much less joyful than last year. Already, the absence of the Weasley twins and many other students weighed heavily (many families had decided to withdraw their children from Hogwarts after recent events). Furthermore, the Dementors were now stationed permanently at the school's boundaries for their "security." Apparently, the creatures feared the headmaster more than the ministry, as they did not dare cross the school's barriers, although their influence (notably on the already dreary climate of northern Scotland) was felt.

But the biggest change for Harry compared to the previous year was his diligence in studies. From now on, he was determined to learn as much as possible. He wanted to be able to defend himself and protect those who were dear to him.

He spent most of his free time studying in the library in silence, either alone or with Theodore Nott. It couldn't be said that Nott had become a friend. He was too quiet for that. Rather, he had become a pleasant presence. Sometimes they were joined by Blaise Zabini, who would launch into grand monologues about his own glory or extremely crass comments about girls that greatly annoyed Harry. On one hand, it was quite funny and he had a good laugh, but on the other, he found it a bit insulting to talk about them like that. Meanwhile, Nott didn't laugh and continued studying in silence. The only sign that he noticed their presence were the sarcastic comments he would occasionally make.

He spent the rest of his time visiting Hagrid or Dobby, who, under Dumbledore's advice, was now working in the Hogwarts kitchens. Harry was horrified to learn that the school's cleaning and cooking were handled by an army of slaves, but he quickly convinced himself that there was nothing he could do about it. At least they seemed happy with their lot. After all, despite their status as slaves, they were treated at Hogwarts as if they were free.

He had returned to sleep in his dormitory, but his interactions with his former classmates were still tense and reduced to the bare minimum.In any case, the exhausting Occlumency lessons that Snape regularly imposed on him prevented him from having to spend much time in the common room. So it was with some relief that he received an invitation from Dumbledore to come to his office, which allowed him to have an excuse to skip a lesson.

Harry arrived at the office right on time with slight anxiety. After the relief of having escaped another evening with Snape, he wondered what motivated this invitation. Had the headmaster somehow discovered what had happened with Malfoy four months ago?

But the director welcomed him with his eternal smile, offering him a lemon candy. He understood that he would not have any trouble. He started by asking him questions about his occlumency classes. He replied evasively that everything was going well. But the director insisted, fixing him with that piercing gaze that seemed to see deep inside him. Finally, Harry asked:

Professor. Why does Snape hate me? Well, my mom told me that my father bullied him when he was at school, but it can't just be because of that.

Professor Snape, Harry. And he doesn't hate you. Seeing his student's skeptical expression, he added: Well, not really. If he had hated you, he would never have made such an effort to teach you Occlumency. And Professor Snape is not the kind to punish children for their parents' crimes.

So why is he behaving like that with me?

Dumbledore sighed.

I'm afraid it's for very personal reasons that I'm not allowed to tell you without their consent.

Harry admitted the other thing that was bothering him about the professor:

At a certain moment, by mistake during our Occlumency lessons, I saw some of his memories. He was a Death Eater, wasn't he?

Yes indeed

How could he become a Death Eater when he was friends with my mother?

Once again, to answer you, I would have to reveal extremely private things. But let's say he preferred your mother to be alive and angry rather than dead and proud of him. At that time, he felt like he had no other choice. In a way, that was the case.

End result, she is dead and angry. But in her place, I would probably have done the same. Although no. I would have kidnapped her and gone to the other side of the world, far from all these horrors.

That is what all the Slytherins who could, did. Contrary to a widespread belief, the overwhelming majority of Slytherins of that time had ambitions other than becoming the slaves of a psychopathic half-blood. And Voldemort was well aware of this. Severus, like most of his followers, was marked very early. Before they really knew what they were getting into. And even if they had known, many were too young, too alone, or too weak to refuse. Of course, once they had set foot in the gear, it was too late. Despite his disdain for Muggles, the testimonies I have gathered show that he very seriously studied the workings of Muggle cults. Once integrated into the Death Eaters' group, the individual is isolated from the rest of society and gradually trained to commit increasingly violent acts, to adhere to more extreme ideas, and to have boundless adoration for their guru.

Is that why he marked his Death Eaters? When I learned about the mark, I thought it was stupid and that he would have been better off making sure no one could know who served him or not. He sacrificed discretion to obtain loyalty. Is it like Jews, Christians, or Muslims who impose distinctive signs on their followers while they are victims of discrimination because of their faith?

Exact. Such an act of commitment triggers unconscious mechanisms that, once marked, make it practically impossible for a Death Eater to escape Voldemort's grip. And furthermore, it isolates him from the rest of society and condemns him to have all his relationships be with other Death Eaters.

But although I want you to know as much as possible about Voldemort, I did not summon you to talk about that. I must confess that since the beginning of this conversation I have been trying to use legilimency, and although your shields need to be perfected, they seem sufficient for me to reveal to you some of the information I have gathered about what you have wisely called Voldemort's safeguards.

They spent the rest of the interview watching Dumbledore's memory of Voldemort's mother's childhood and his first meeting with Tom Riddle in the orphanage where he grew up. Harry emerged from the memory shivering. At that age, he was already frightening. But he also felt a little sorry for him. What had this child experienced in that orphanage to be like that at not even 11 years old?

oOoOoOo

Author's note: I love Harry Potter and more generally all of JK Rowling's books, I think she is the most talented author of our generation. Seriously, I don't know if it's her translator or her who is good, but when I compare what I write (or what others write) with what she writes, I can't help but be dazzled by her talent. However, the happy slaves of their fate who need to be told it's better to be free make me grit my teeth every time. There are other things that make me uncomfortable, like the very present fatphobia in the books, but since I've been an adult, that one touches me particularly.

Author's Note 2: Despite what I say in this chapter (through my characters), I want to say that I am totally opposed to the 2003 laws banning religious symbols in schools (and even more so to the law on the abaya). I hate religions with all my heart. Not just the fundamentalists, not just Islam, not just monotheistic religions, but all forms of spirituality. Even when they are moderate or overflowing with good intentions, I deeply hate them. But I hate even more that, in my name, racist policies are carried out, which at best will have no effect on gender equality or on the level of adherence to any religious doctrine (whether moderate or radical).

If our dear politicians really wanted to support Muslim women who want to send these medieval traditions to hell: they would give all students philosophy classes and not just some high school graduates (and finally provide this subject with a clear program that would include the study of texts promoting materialism). They would increase salaries in female-dominated professions and the number of daycare places, so that women could leave their families/husbands if they are forced to wear the veil and many other things that would be tedious to list here.