In canon, the Department of Mysteries has a room filled with preserved brains, presumably for research. For unexplained reasons, it includes a quick connection to the death room (where the vale is located). Ron, under the influence of an unknown mind-altering spell (confunding?), summoned one of the brains, and it attacked him with a silvery substance that sounds like a more solid version of the typical memories put into pensives. (This left scars, and seemed to break Ron out of the spell before silencing him.). Later, someone (I forget who, but a member of the Order of the Phoenix) commented that Ron would be fine, but the marks left by thoughts were deep—implication being that the silvery ribbons that came from the brain and grappled him were thoughts.
We don’t know, based just on that evidence, that the Department of Mysteries can preserve human brains, or that said brains are capable of some form of thought in that state. What we do know is that they had tanks of the brains (I seem to remember it being several tanks, but I’m not sure), they seem to be in good condition for all that non-neurologist Harry can tell, and that they resisted Ron’s accio with a projection that a knowledgeable wizard described as thoughts.
It makes me wonder what would happen if MoR Harry broke into the Department of Mysteries in his current state. (You know, in the few minutes before he found a way to open the “no, seriously, do not open this door” door and destroyed the universe.)
Unlikely to ever make an appearance, due to meta-knowledge:
Jura Ryvrmre fgnegrq guvf fgbel, ur unqa’g ernq gur obbxf, naq gubfr fprarf qba’g nccrne va gur zbivrf. Jr nyfb xabj gung ur xarj rknpgyl jung unccraf sebz gur fgneg, fb ur unq guvf cynaarq orsber ernqvat nobhg gur QbZ oenvaf.
Excellent point, though gur jnl Uneel zragvbaf Ibyqrzbeg’f syvtug va uvf Qrzragbe synfuonpx vzcyvrf Ryvrmre ng yrnfg yrnearq ubj zhpu ovttre n qrny gung jnf va gur obbxf guna va gur zbivrf, nygubhtu fb sne vg’f orra n guebj-njnl yvar, fb vg qbrfa’g ernyyl punatr gur cbvag.
In canon, the Department of Mysteries has a room filled with preserved brains, presumably for research. For unexplained reasons, it includes a quick connection to the death room (where the vale is located). Ron, under the influence of an unknown mind-altering spell (confunding?), summoned one of the brains, and it attacked him with a silvery substance that sounds like a more solid version of the typical memories put into pensives. (This left scars, and seemed to break Ron out of the spell before silencing him.). Later, someone (I forget who, but a member of the Order of the Phoenix) commented that Ron would be fine, but the marks left by thoughts were deep—implication being that the silvery ribbons that came from the brain and grappled him were thoughts.
We don’t know, based just on that evidence, that the Department of Mysteries can preserve human brains, or that said brains are capable of some form of thought in that state. What we do know is that they had tanks of the brains (I seem to remember it being several tanks, but I’m not sure), they seem to be in good condition for all that non-neurologist Harry can tell, and that they resisted Ron’s accio with a projection that a knowledgeable wizard described as thoughts.
It makes me wonder what would happen if MoR Harry broke into the Department of Mysteries in his current state. (You know, in the few minutes before he found a way to open the “no, seriously, do not open this door” door and destroyed the universe.)
Unlikely to ever make an appearance, due to meta-knowledge:
Jura Ryvrmre fgnegrq guvf fgbel, ur unqa’g ernq gur obbxf, naq gubfr fprarf qba’g nccrne va gur zbivrf. Jr nyfb xabj gung ur xarj rknpgyl jung unccraf sebz gur fgneg, fb ur unq guvf cynaarq orsber ernqvat nobhg gur QbZ oenvaf.
Excellent point, though gur jnl Uneel zragvbaf Ibyqrzbeg’f syvtug va uvf Qrzragbe synfuonpx vzcyvrf Ryvrmre ng yrnfg yrnearq ubj zhpu ovttre n qrny gung jnf va gur obbxf guna va gur zbivrf, nygubhtu fb sne vg’f orra n guebj-njnl yvar, fb vg qbrfa’g ernyyl punatr gur cbvag.