"Alastor, please keep watch at the door," Dumbledore said softly to Moody.
Moody nodded, leaning on his staff as he positioned himself in the corridor, his magical eye sweeping alertly over the surroundings.
Dumbledore stood before the cell door and gave his wand a gentle flick. The iron gate swung open soundlessly.
The moment he and Snape stepped across the threshold, the door closed again as if pushed by an invisible hand. The outside world fell completely silent.
The cell was utterly still, save for the faint sound of breathing coming from a shadowed corner.
In the dim light, a small figure huddled motionless in that corner. Hokey lay there, limp and lifeless.
The house-elf was so tiny that she could have easily slipped through the gaps between the iron bars, but clearly, she no longer had the strength or will to try.
Dumbledore walked to her side and crouched down, studying her quietly for a while.
He then lifted his wand and tapped it lightly toward her. From its tip spilled a soft green mist that gently wrapped around Hokey's frail body.
Within that mist, her shriveled form seemed to swell slightly, as though faint traces of life had returned to her.
Her thin, bony fingers twitched a few times. Her long lashes trembled as if she were struggling to open her eyes.
Before she could, Dumbledore cast another spell. A faint golden light merged into the green mist.
Slowly, Hokey's eyes opened, revealing two tennis-ball-sized brown eyes.
They were clouded and unfocused. Tears welled up and streamed down her filthy cheeks, leaving two clean streaks amid the grime.
"Madam..." Hokey's voice was barely audible. "I'm sorry... Madam... Hokey didn't mean to..."
She tried to crawl toward Dumbledore, but her body was far too weak, she simply didn't have the strength left to move.
"Stay where you are, Hokey," Dumbledore said gently, motioning for Snape to remain silent. "I don't blame you. I know you didn't mean to do it.
"It's been so long since I last saw you. Without your care, my days have been in terrible disarray, so I thought I should come and see you."
"I know things have been hard for you here," Dumbledore continued softly, "and I still miss the days when you were there to look after me."
"Madam..." Hokey's frail chest heaved violently, as if she could barely breathe. "Hokey misses you too..."
Once more, the soft, life-filled mist surrounded her, and her breathing gradually steadied.
"Hokey," Dumbledore said, gazing into her eyes, "do you remember the day Tom Riddle came to visit us?"
"Yes, Madam," Hokey answered weakly. "He brought you a bouquet of roses. He was still so handsome, so polite, and he made you happy."
"And then?" Dumbledore asked.
"Then..." Hokey's voice trembled with guilt and fear. Her body shivered. "I'm sorry, Madam! Hokey thought it was sugar! Hokey didn't mean to..."
"Oh, it's all right, Hokey," Dumbledore soothed her softly. "I forgive you. Now, I need to look at your memories. Can you look into my eyes and open your heart to me?"
"Yes, Madam," the little elf whispered. "Hokey will serve you."
She lifted her head with effort, her tear-filled eyes gazing longingly into Dumbledore's.
Through his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore's blue eyes met hers, deep and calm.
After a moment, he pressed the tip of his wand gently to the elf's temple and carefully drew out a strand of silvery-blue substance, not quite liquid, not quite vapor.
He then took a thin-necked crystal bottle from within his cloak and guided the shimmering thread of memory into it.
When the task was done, Hokey's eyes slowly closed, and she drifted into a deep sleep. Her face looked calmer now, as though the storm within had subsided.
Straightening up, Dumbledore carefully tucked the crystal bottle into the inner pocket of his cloak and turned to leave.
Snape glanced at Dumbledore, then back at the sleeping elf. "Professor, since it wasn't her fault... shouldn't we try to get Hokey out of Azkaban?"
Dumbledore turned his head and looked at Snape strangely. "Severus, though you are so young, I never thought you could be naïve or innocent enough to ask such a question. Are you serious?"
Though his tone suggested disapproval, Dumbledore still took the time to explain patiently. "If the number of living beings here doesn't match what the Dementors expect, they'll notice immediately. And besides, to reopen her case now might alert Tom.
"At the very least, Hokey will feel she has already been forgiven by her master. Don't you think so?"
Ah, indeed, Dumbledore's words to himself now were quite different from what he would one day tell Harry.
Snape, while quietly confirming his own suspicions, couldn't help but bristle at being called young, naïve, and childish.
"Yes, I understand, Professor. For the greater good, certain sacrifices are... unavoidable."
Dumbledore's steps seemed to falter slightly as he left the cell, then returned to their usual rhythm as he crossed the threshold.
That made Snape feel a little better. He thought to himself that, for all his faults, the Headmaster was fairly patient with his students, as long as they didn't break the fundamental rules.
Still, Snape decided that he would find an opportunity to make sure the Headmaster knew he was "completely Dumbledore's man." Otherwise, certain... risky activities might be difficult to carry out with peace of mind.
The three of them made their way toward the exit of the prison.
All along the corridor, Moody's wand flicked and waved constantly, erasing traces of their passage so that any later Ministry inspection would find nothing amiss.
Just before boarding the small boat again, Snape remembered the Dementor his Patronus had destroyed.
"Professor, about that Dementor my Patronus eliminated earlier, is that going to be a problem?"
"Dementors are a non-being," Moody answered before Dumbledore could. "They're always multiplying. No one knows how many there really are, not even the Dementors themselves.
"All right, time to go. If we linger any longer, the Aurors delivering meals will show up."
The boat slowly pulled away from Azkaban, gliding into the dark, endless sea.
When they reached the shore again, Moody dragged a group of dazed attackers inland, while Dumbledore took Snape and Disapparated to the gates of Hogwarts.
By the time they reached the Headmaster's office, the Pensieve, its surface swirling and churning, was already waiting for them on the desk.