Harry Potter was in need of something. No it was not a want, a need. This something was…special and rather tricky to find might I add. At some point in time the magical item was plentiful, found in most wizard homes, but now the need for them slowly disappeared and they disappeared along with it.

Harry Potter was in need of a pensieve. He needed that silver bowl that could harness ones' memories. For you see, Harry Potter had started awakening in the middle of the night after reliving all the horrors he had ever seen, all of them.

Perhaps this was because his work at the Auror's Office was becoming more brutal and times were worsening as they once did in his teens. It was likely that the fear that everything would be repeated blew in the memories like an unwanted storm.

His wife, Ginny, told him matter-of-factly one day that the only way to possibly get rid of the memories was to erase, or dispose, of them. Her voice had been sarcastic though, trying to make him see sense. He didn't want to forget the memories no matter how horrible they were…he just wanted the shattering feelings that came with them to disappear.

Seeing his godfather die before his eyes every other night and revisiting that awful day when almost everyone he cared about died was unpleasant to say the very least. The Battle of Hogwarts on May 2nd was easily the worst of his memories. Those bone-chilling nights camping with no food, looking for horcruxes was a close second.

A look back at a conversation he once had with Professor Dumbledore told him that putting memories into a pensieve kept them safe and protected, but left them dimmed and less vibrant in the mind of its owner. Like paint being diluted with water. Harry wanted this more than anything.

This is how his search began, this search for the famous pensieve from Dumbledore's office, which was the only known one left. He wanted the same pensieve that told him the answer to his problems, or more specifically, the answer to the downfall of the Dark Lord. Even 15 years later with three wonderful children, the memories pained him and left a shadow on his life, forever looming and rearing its head in his face.

If one looked at Harry on the outside, they wouldn't see the pain he was suffering through, he could bring a smile to everyone's face. On the inside though, they were ALWAYS in the back of his mind, nagging him and making him remember how many people gave their lives because they wanted to protect him.

In the daytime, he went to work and put his sorrow into capturing stray Death Eaters. When he came home, he hid it behind the barrier that Occlumency had given him. His family was the only thing that got his mind off of it. His children, along with Ginny, lit up his face and thoughts as soon as he saw them.

Harry was amazingly proud of his family and he didn't want his past to affect the way he acted around them. After holding it in for 15 years it was starting to show, slowly seeping through the cracks. Ginny had noticed it for quite some time, but only now was she bringing it up. She begged him to tell her what was wrong and it became routine to say, "Gin, I'm fine…when I'm ready to show you…I will".

The urgency of the situation changed when his "Fire Top" a.k.a his daughter Lily approached him about his situation one sunny Saturday.

"Hello Daddy." She said hesitantly in that innocent little six-year-old voice only she could have.

"Hello Fire Top" Harry replied, not really paying attention. His gaze was instead focused on the newspaper in his hands. Lily giggled at her family's name for her and continued.

"You have been looking really sad…did James put something in your pumpkin juice again?" she asked, peaking up through her red eyelashes. Those hazel orbs seemed to x-ray him.

"No Fire Top…" Harry said chuckling, "James didn't put something in my juice again." As Harry said it James walked into the room.

"Did someone say my name?" he asked plopping down next to Lily on the ground and ruffling her rosy-red hair.

Lily Luna had not the hair of a Weasley, but the same hair as Lily Potter did. It was that dark, deep, and richer color that was easily set apart from the fiery orange of the Weasley clan. Those who knew Lily Potter said that Harry's daughter would grow up to look a lot like her, with different eyes of course.

Fire Top's demeanor matched that of Harry's mother too. While she was an angel, it took very little to light the flame that was her blazing temper. The upside of this attitude was that Lily Luna often good angry for good reasons like when Teddy made Hugo cry or Fred and James turned Auntie Fleur's hair purple.

"Daddy's sad" Lily replied looking at her brother and frowning slightly.

"Oh" said James looking at the carpeted floor awkwardly. Sometimes the honesty of a child so young was a bit taxing.

Albus, who was in the corner of the room, looked up from his (very thick) book with his green eyes that matched that of his dad. He scanned his father's face with scrutiny and took notice of the bags under Harry's eyes and how the man had barely stood that Saturday.

"He's tired Lils…maybe it was a nightmare." Albus replied casually looking back to his book.

Harry looked up at his middle child in shock…how could Al know about his nightmares? He was so careful to hide them from the children. Nevertheless if anyone were to find out about them it would be Albus Severus who had knowledge that could one day mirror that of his namesake.

"Al, what do you mean?" James asked, surprised his 10-year-old brother figured something out before he did.

Albus looked at his father with that same unwavering gaze as he made a list of things in his head that pointed him to his hypothesis.

"Well, what would cause lack of sleep? It's generally insomnia, sickness, or excitement. Seeing as dad hasn't likely encountered those things, the only options left would be nightmares, which seem likely after some of the stories I've heard from Uncle Ron." He concluded pushing his glasses a bit farther up on the bridge of his nose.

Lily and James just stared at Al after they heard what he had to say with dumbstruck gazes. How could one 10-year-old know so much? It sure made James, a soon-to-be second year at Hogwarts, feel rather incompetent. Even Harry was shocked.

After a few minutes James turned to look at his dad with a questioning look.

"Really?"

"James, yes I had a nightmare last night so I didn't get any sleep. I'm fine though they will go away soon. There is no need to worry," he replied, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

James looked at his father skeptically while Lily accepted the answer and skipped off to play "Hogwarts" with her dolls. Albus didn't even hear his father's response though for he was in a particularly good spot in his book. Harry found this lucky for if Al was listening, he would have probably found some way to contradict him.

Harry got up out of his chair and left a note for a napping Ginny that said he was leaving and would. If his kids had noticed, it had gone too far. "This pensieve needs to be found" he thought as he dissaperated to Hogwarts to speak with Professor McGonagall about it.

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A/N Please Review! I'll appreciate anything you'd like to say :)

-Sweets5236