In Memoriam

Harry, still trapped with the Dursleys at Privet Drive, rushes to the sink to wash some blood off of his finger. He cut it on something while cleaning out his trunk, which contains all his school things for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After washing off his finger, Harry returns to his trunk to do more cleaning. 

Harry rummages through some important things from previous years at Hogwarts School: a sneakscope, a memento from the Triwizard Tournament, and so on. Finally, Harry puts his hands on the thing that cut his finger: a broken piece of mirror given to him by his godfather, Sirius Black. Harry continues setting aside the things he does not need (like his schoolbooks and school supplies) and gathers useful things (like the Marauder’s Map that reveals the locations of all people wandering around Hogwarts and “a gold locket inside which a note signed R.A.B. had been hidden”).

Finally, Harry finishes cleaning out his trunk and begins rifling through an old stack of wizard newspapers. Near the bottom of the pile, he finds the Daily Prophet he has been looking for: the one that has an article by Elphias Doge about Albus Dumbledore. 

Harry reads the article, “Albus Dumbledore Remembered,” yet again. Within it, Elphias Doge talks about his own memories of Dumbledore. Although Dumbledore’s own father was put into wizard prison (in Azkaban) for attacking Muggles, Dumbledore himself became a great defender of non-magic folk. Dumbledore was one of three children. He had a brother named Aberforth and a sister named Ariana who was quite unwell. When Dumbledore’s mother died, he took care of his brother and sister. Ariana died from her ailments soon after. After listing Dumbledore's accomplishments again (such as his famous defeat of an evil wizard named Grindelwald), Doge ends with a tribute about Dumbledore’s kindness.

Reading this article again makes Harry nostalgic for Dumbledore and the special times he shared with his mentor. Harry wishes he had known Dumbledore better before he died. Finally, Harry ends his reverie and picks up the newest edition of the Daily Prophet. Unfortunately, this issue is devoted to a preview of a new book by Rita Skeeter, a sly and dishonest reporter. Skeeter promises to reveal the truth about Dumbledore, hinting that she has many secrets about him not yet revealed. Skeeter’s dishonest reporting makes Harry so angry that he throws away the paper.

Sitting back on the bed in fury, Harry begins absentmindedly turning the shard of mirror over and over in his hand. Suddenly, Harry sees “a flash of brightest blue.” However, as he looks closer, he sees only his reflection. Harry convinces himself that his vision of blue is just his imagination, but he cannot shake the thought that the flash of blue reminds him of the “bright blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore.”