the Pensieve

[Nothlit]

Obviously Harry was shattered by what he found out about his father and Sirius in Snape's Pensieve. And Sirius later confirmed that what Harry had witnessed did indeed happen. However, that made me wonder... If the Pensieve is simply a place for people to store their thoughts, who's to say that it's an "objective witness" to events like that? Snape's memory of the event could have been considerably worse than what actually happened, because of his intense dislike of James and Sirius, in which case what Harry saw might not have been as bad as it really was. The Pensieve only shows what the person's thoughts tell it to show...if the person's memories are wrong or exaggerated, then the Pensieve would be too. Any thoughts on this?

[Claire]

I don't really understand what happens in a pensieve... because, they put in their memories, but when Harry goes to watch them, isn't it like he's another person there, not looking at it through Snape's eyes? Or, is he looking at it through Snape's eyes?

[Nothlit]

The way JKR explained it in this book, it seems like Harry is like another person, but the area in which he can explore is limited to Snape's memory. For example, when Snape was outside being harrassed by James and Sirius, Harry couldn't have gone inside the castle because that wasn't part of Snape's memory of the event.

[Holly Golightly]

Nothlit, that's is exactly how I see it too! They are Snape's momories og an event, and think of some of the times that you ahve been embarrased. Don't you make the event like 100 times worse in your own mind. And, naturally,the person being a bully was always totally nasty and unjustified in your memories too! So maybe it wasnt' really as bad as what Harry thinks that it was?

Oh, also, about the momroy thing, I agree there too, harry is his own person, but it limited to where he can go as to what Snape *or whoever* remembers!

Another thing about the Pensive... I think that it is ale to do more that Harry knows... I dotn' know why, but I get the feeling that it has another little secret in store for us yet!

[APWBD]

I hope you're right, Holly. Dumbledore's items always do seem to have more abilities than their face level characteristics. But one question that I have had recently (and we may have learned it in the book, i just read through it really quickly). Does the pensieve belong to DD? If so, then why was Snape using it? Was it just to clear out his bad memories so that Harry couldn't see them during the Occlumency lessons?

THe actual memories themselves; I think that they are as actually occured.

[Blaise Zabini]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Why did Snape have the Penseive anyway? I can't remember an explanation being given for that.

[Nothlit]

The only reason I can think of was that he didn't want Harry to see some of his worst memories if Harry somehow managed to get inside Snape's head during the Occlumency lessons.

[June]

I agree with Nothlit... Snape has the pensieve because he's making sure that Harry wouldn't see some of his memories if Harry did gets through his barrier.

And I don't think the Pensieve belongs to Dumbledore. I know Dumbledore has one, but it's probably another magical item that one can
either magic up himself or buy in the stores...

[Boycey]

Nothlit I am with the list that says that you are correct, the way I see the pensive is the same as you, is that its only how the persons memory is portraying the instents then actual fact, but neverless is still don't think it was nice of what they did to snape, and even if the facts might be exaderated, the fact should remain the same, and in the end James did make Snape a fool, for what seems like an un provoked attack, and can not be justerfied.

[Eol]

Snape could just have his own pensieve, Harry believed that it was Dumbledore's.

[Meg Boyd]

I'm sure Snape had his own pensive for this...

...and I think since the memories are the persons own, they are recorded from the owner's pov...an observer is just a third person viewing the memory according to the owner...I mean kind like if Snape had verbally told Harry about it...

[Eol]

I believe that the memories in the Pensieve are more impartial than that. By that I mean its like a photograph, or a video. It tells it like it is. This is because we are not constantly at Snape's shoulder in the memory. He was well out of earshot when Harry was hanging around the Marauders, listening to their conversation. And Snape also was staring right down at his paper when Harry went to look around the room. The descriptions in the book about how the penseive works are too vague to be certain.

[jonny5]

The pensieve may not be impartial -- remember in Riddle's diary (im assumming its the same magic, but since its Riddle/Voldemort it might be skewed) anyway, it showed dippet before Riddle came in... which was not part of Riddles memory

[yasmane]

Well, I don't really agree with most of you.
The pensieve is here to show what happened in someone's life. The pensieve does not take feelings into account, resentment, happiness or anything like that.
It just shows in a neutral way what happene from someone's meory, but I don't think the memory can be altered by feelings in this case.
May be I'm wrong, but I think the penseive is really showing us what really happened, neutrally, despite people's feelings.

and by the way, Snape tells Harry that indeed he's using the penseive to prevent Harry from seing things he doesn't want to reveal.

But as for who the penseive belongs to, I can't say if it's DD's one or another. I don't remember.

[Meg Boyd]

Memories are full of feelings...I have many memories in which I am not just replaying what happened like a movie, but feeling the waves of emotions that came with that. Emotions make memories, and memories are nothing with out emotions, so that is why I feel the Penisive shows us feelings too.