A very happy (belated) Thanksgiving to my American readers. Celebrating nearly a quarter of a million hits on "Just to Be." Exciting.


"We have a problem," Remus announced.

"Only one? I'm afraid I must kick you the back of the queue," Severus said evenly. He stroked a brightly-colored calico cat on his lap like a Bond villain. The cat purred and cuddled closer. "Albus here just tells me that, though he has destroyed two horcruxes, he does not wish to ask Horace just how many horcruxes exist, or what they are, or where they are. He also advises me that the object attempted to kill them. That gives me at least fourt problems to deal with, times the total number of objects."

Remus turned around to find Albus and Bill Weasley sitting by the desk, looking grim.

"He will be impervious to Imperio and Veritaserum," Albus said. "I think we must try a new plan."

"Get Potter to charm the information out of him," Severus said to Remus. "That's his proposal. Get Harry Potter to charm the information out of Horace."

"Really?" Remus asked.

"Really," replied Bill.

"Seriously? Are you serious? Have you met Harry? He's one of the most socially awkward boys ever to walk Hogwarts' halls," Remus said. "He has many strengths – "

Severus snorted derisively.

" – but this is not one of them," Remus continued, ignoring Severus.

Severus steepled his fingers. "Leave it to me."

Albus gave Severus a smile. "My dear boy, you are good at extracting information out of people, but as I said, he will expect this and will have made himself impervious to interrogation."

"I said, leave it to me," Severus said, rising. "And call the Weasley twins." He looked to Remus. "Now, you say I have yet another problem to deal with?"


"I sealed off every single passage myself," Severus growled. He stalked through the corridors, the new cat on his heels.

"What's with the cat?" Remus asked.

"A gift for Minerva," he replied. "For some reason, the cat has rejected her and insists on hanging about with me."

"I see…" Remus said, confused.

"No you don't," Severus said. "But if I waited for you to understand everything, we'd never get anything done."

"I never figured you would pick out something so…"

"Colorful? You imagine I would have chosen a black cat?"

"Well…"

"I grow tired of this conversation." He pointed his wand at the cat. "You know what to do," he said.

The kitten rubbed up against Severus's ankles before trotting off.

"You taught the cat a trick?" Remus asked, suppressing a smirk.

"Yes. The same trick the other cats play – find the rat. Since you've yet to produce the new map, I need coverage on the nooks and crannies of this castle. You advise me that the security may be compromised. Minerva advises me that they needed a fourth cat."

"I thought she, Mrs. Norris, and Crookshanks had it all covered?"

"Apparently not, because, as you tell me, Wormtail seems to know the goings-on in this castle more intimately than he should."

"So now we have four cats covering an entire castle?"

"Until you bring me the map."

"I told you, Severus, it's been a long time."

"Have you even started working on it?"

"Yes! It's been nearly thirty years since we made it. It's been a bit rough getting the magic just right. I can't approximate, either, it has to be precise. So be patient. You can be patient, can't you? I do hear that you are good at waiting for things."

Severus read the subtext of Remus's comment, but chose to say nothing. He aimed his wand along the wall of the corridor and whipped it. A ray of green light covered the entire wall, then faded, leaving all the crevices illuminated in a brighter green. The number of crevices made the wall shine so brightly that Remus and Severus's faces were bathed in green.

"Fuck," Remus said. "And that's just this wall."

"So it seems."

"Is there… I mean can't we just seal… you know, with magic?" He gestured at the wall helplessly.

"Merlin help me for working with those who can't even get a full sentence out. The castle is sentient, Remus. You can't just slap some mud in the holes and call it a day. You can't cover these things up with plasters. The castle will reject them if not done properly."

"Even if it means compromising the safety of those who dwell within it?"

Severus scrubbed his face. "You don't just sit down and 'reason' with the castle, Remus. I can't just park myself up on the Astronomy tower and beg it to allow me to fix it. It doesn't work like that. If it senses a threat, it will protect itself against that threat. If not, it will do nothing. That's why your little boyfriend was able to sidle right up into Ron Weasley's bed, and why the Dementors never made it inside the castle walls despite having free reign on the grounds. The castle, for whatever reason, does not believe that its walls are compromised."

"So Wormtail's getting in another way."

"Possibly. Unless…" He stood there thinking for a moment. "He may be getting his information in other ways. From another source."

"You think there's a spy in the castle."

"Probably most of Slytherin are spies, but that's not what I mean. Wormtail knew things that we had discussed privately, in confidence, in my office."

"One of the portraits?"

"The portraits are bound not to betray the Headmaster, illegitimate though they may find him. They could not tell."

"So if Wormtail isn't sneaking in through the crevices, and we haven't been betrayed by someone inside the castle, how did he get his information?"

"There are two other possibilities, neither of which is palatable."

"Which are?"

"The first is that he's getting into the castle without actually breaching the exteriors, such as riding in on an owl or stowing away in a student's bag. I would say the latter is unlikely, but the little mouth breathers barely notice anything before them that doesn't involve food. If that is indeed the case, then the cats need to consistently be vigilant. They may even need to split up and each monitor one quadrant of the castle and, by extension, one House. I'll need to think on it; I'd hate to leave the common areas unguarded."

Remus nodded. "And the other?"

Severus gave Remus a meaningful look.


Hermione tapped her badge and flipped it back to the "W" without even looking. She hated being the poster child for this rebellion; it simply wasn't in her nature to go against the rules. It drew the wrong kind of attention.

Fellow students zapping the badge and flipping it to an "M" were common enough, and she could live with that. One could hardly walk down the corridors at Hogwarts without having some item of his or her attire vandalized in some way, especially by friends. She smiled wryly as she recalled Harry turning one of Ron's shoes purple, and watching him spend the entire day trying – and failing – to change it back.

Then there was the other kind of attention.

Hermione set her jaw as she felt the mud splash against her face. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to react. She choked back a few tears. Even her refuge, the library, had become a battleground at Hogwarts. Three more Muggle-borns had left in recent weeks, giving the pro-Purebloods more ammunition and encouragement in their attacks. It was all part of The Plan, she knew that, but it didn't make it easier. But she knew what she had to do. Scourgify her face, then continue reading as if nothing had happened. Be mature.

Ron, however, was less inclined to take the high road. He stood up so fast he knocked over his chair, his eyes set on Draco Malfoy, whose wand was still aimed at Hermione's face, his face twisted in both pleasure and hatred.

"Ron, don't," Hermione whispered, but it was useless. Ron made a beeline for Malfoy, who immediately started to scramble out of his chair. He was too slow; Ron grabbed Malfoy by the lapel and shoved him in the stone wall. Malfoy let out a shriek not unlike that of a frightened ferret, which made Ron grin.

"This'll be illegal soon, Weasel," Malfoy said in a shaky voice. "You won't be allowed to cavort with your Mudblood girlfriend anymore. They'll throw you in Azkaban for it. You also won't be allowed to touch Wizards of a higher caliber than you. I reckon you'll make it only a few hours before they cart you off."

Ron slammed Malfoy into the wall harder, gripping him tighter. "And since when do Malfoys care about the law?" he asked. "Should you ask Daddy? Or hasn't he been Kissed yet?"

Malfoy's face twisted into a sneer and he shoved Ron away. "You want to make something of it?" he asked. He pushed Ron, who pushed back. "At least I'll have a home to go back to over the holidays. You? Not so certain. Shacks of blood traitors tend not to hold up against fire."

Ron made to charge at Malfoy again, but he was stopped by a firm grip on his arm. "Leave it," Neville said through gritted teeth. Malfoy straightened his clothing and cast a cruel look over to Hermione, who was cleaning herself up with Luna's help. With a final sneer at his fellow Purebloods, he stalked out of the library.

"What he said about my house…" Ron's voice trailed off. He turned to Neville, who released his grip but kept his eyes firmly fixed on Hermione and Luna.

"You should tell him," Neville whispered. "Maybe it's just Malfoy being Malfoy, but what if he knows something?"

Ron nodded.


"Christmas holidays are coming in just a few weeks," Minerva said. "You have to take this threat seriously."

"And if the Weasleys mysteriously and suddenly increase their security following Malfoy's little outburst, or suddenly go into hiding, that will draw attention to the fact that someone is filtering information to the Order," Severus retorted. "We may be on very thin ice, indeed. Somehow Wormtail is spying on us and could report it back. Then the Dark Lord may learn just how loyal Hogwarts is to him."

They were fairly certain his office was secure; however, just to be safe, they conducted their conversations behind Muffliato.Also, they did so in a broom closet on the fourth floor. Just to be safe.

"We've not detected any vermin, nor have we noticed any students with rat familiars who are missing toes," Minerva whispered. "I assure you, we would sense an animal within Hogwarts; our senses are that attuned. We stalk every night. Even if Wormtail were clever enough to avoid us completely – "

"Which he is," Severus interjected.

" – he would still leave traces. Scents, scratches, hairs. There has been absolutely nothing."

Severus crossed his arms and stared in the vague direction of the ceiling, which he could not see in the dark. "I just don't know if we can risk it," he said. "But tell Albus. This is his call to make, not mine."


"I'm not worth this," Hermione said as Ron had threatened yet another Slytherin. The attacks were becoming more vicious by the day. "You remember what the Headmaster said – we have to play along and simply fight the good fight."

"I fight the good fight by fighting for you," Ron said. "No one is allowed to hurt you. Messing with your badge? Fine. Throwing mud at you? Not fine. Cornering you in an abandoned corridor and shoving you against the wall? Really not fine."

"All the more reason to keep up our little subversive campaign. Ron, these people are turning violent. You are making yourself a target."

Ron smiled at her, a genuine smile. "I've been a target since the first day on the train when I befriended Harry. I'm not afraid."

Hermione smiled at him. "Please don't do anything stupid. Just… let me bear my humiliation. It's what I can do for the Cause: for Harry, for you, for everyone. That's my job."

Ron smiled. "I know what I'm doing, Hermione. But don't ever say you are not worth it. You are. You're worth whatever horrors may befall me for defending you. And I'd do it all over again."


"You wanted to see me?" Harry asked. It was midnight, and he had been summoned to the Headmaster's office alone, save for Remus and Minerva. All in all, not that unusual. He had long since decided to just go with the flow.

"Potter," Severus said. "Stand still."

"Okay…"

"Petrificus Totalis!" Harry froze in place, then keeled over onto his front.

"Severus, honestly," Minerva scolded.

Ignoring her, Severus stood over Harry. No, loomed over Harry. He smiled. Much better. "Imperio," he whispered. He flipped Harry over onto his back, locking eyes. True, that had not been entirely necessary. "You will come to me immediately if ever a third party attempts to access your mind over any sort of distance. Once you have made contact with me, you will lose consciousness to avoid giving access to your position, your company, or your conscious thoughts."

Severus stood for a moment, wondering if he had caught every potential loophole. He wished he could command the boy to self-Obliviate, but he simply did not have the skill to do it. Severus would have to, once contact had been established. This, of course, meant that he would have to stay in close proximity with Potter for the foreseeable future – in the castle at the same time, and likely over the holidays as well. The thought was positively distasteful, but necessary.

He completed the spell, and Harry rose to his feet on shaky legs.

"What the bloody hell – " he started.

"Legilimens!" Severus cried, pointing his wand between Harry's eyes. Harry met Severus's glance, then collapsed in a heap on the ground. Severus felt himself being forced out of Harry's mind with a violent push. He nudged Harry with his toe. The boy was dead to the world.

"Rennervate," Remus said. Harry once again staggered to his feet.

"Excellent," Severus said. "Though it would not hurt to test again." He eyed Harry like a predator eyeing its prey.

"You've had your fun, Severus," Minerva said. "Potter, you will hold your tongue. We need to ensure that your mind is not being accessed by He Who Must Not Be Named without your knowledge. This is to protect the Order intelligence with which you have been entrusted. Now go to bed."

"Tell Miss Granger to come here when you do," Severus said.

"I can't go into the girls' dorms," Harry said, eager to refuse his Headmaster's command after the shellacking his mind had just taken.

"I rather imagine she and Mr. Weasley are waiting up for you in the common room," Severus said. "Simply tell her when you see her. I expect her here in ten minutes. Off with you." He dismissed Harry with a wave of his hand. Harry looked to Remus and Minerva expectantly, but neither rushed to his defense. Scowling, he stomped out of the Headmaster's office.

Severus ignored the boy's antics and instead turned his attention to the green flames in the fireplace. Fred then George Weasley stepped out. Severus prided himself on being able to tell the two apart.

"Messrs Weasley," he said. "You have, I trust, been told that Hogwarts will drop the multiple charges of vandalism and harassment related to your 'last hurrah' as students in exchange for your assistance this evening?"

The two nodded in unison. Severus rolled his eyes. Christ, they could be annoying.

"Very well," he said. "Once Miss Granger joins us, we will proceed. Do try not to have too much fun. This is serious business."


Hermione cleared her throat and knocked harder on the door. It was late, and she was tired. "Professor?" she called out. "Professor? Can you hear me?"

She heard lumbering steps and muffled cursing. The peephole on the door opened. "Miss Granger?" After much fumbling and muttering the door opened. Horace Slughorn stood in his dressing gown and nightcap. Hermione was the only student for whom he would open the door in the middle of the night. Well, her or Harry, but Harry was far less likely to rouse him in the middle of the night for any reason. She had become somewhat famous among the staff for having roused Filius Flitwick at four in the morning to discuss Charms theory the night before the OWL. Severus had been sure to remind her of it on more than one occasion in their clandestine Order meetings.

In Horace's hand was another nightcap, this one a goblet containing mead. "Good heavens, girl, what on earth is the matter? What could possibly require my attention at this hour?"

His words were a bit slurred, and not from sleep. He did not appear to have his wand. She tilted her head to the side.

"Well, Professor, I apologize for the late hour, but I was hoping I could ask you about – "

Hermione's speech was cut off by the howl of the Weasley twins as they charged out of their Disillusionment charm and into the Professor's study, each grabbing him by an arm and forcing him to the ground.

"What the devil?!" Slughorn cried, writhing on the floor like a turtle on its back. The Weasleys were strong, and they held fast. Hermione's face was crimson, and her face was flush with fear. "Miss Granger, of all students I would never, ever have expected such behavior from you!"

"Petrificus Totalis!" Severus cast the spell for the second time that evening. Horace Slughorn froze mid-writhe, petrified in a ridiculous position. Severus smirked. This would be one for the pensieve. The Disillusionment charm wore off, and he stood, tall and dark and dangerous, over Slughorn.

He crouched next to Horace's head. He aimed his wand at the old man. "You know what I want," he said. "And I intend to get it. So don't fight me, or I will make sure you feel every single thing I have to do to retrieve the information." He smiled, thinking of every time he had ever been wronged or overlooked by this man in his childhood. "Legilimens!"

Horace's defenses were rudimentary at best, and he hid his most incriminating memories in the most obvious of places. The idiot also kept them all together, which made it easy for Severus to find several memories that could be of use to him in the future – various black market and back alley deals, social outings with powerful former students who were known Death Eater sympathizers, clandestine liaisons with students in his office many decades ago. "Oh, Professor," he tutted as he raked through the old man's mind. "What naughty things you've done." He smiled. If all else failed, he now had a load of blackmail material at his disposal.

Then he found it. A young Tom Riddle, looking more like the man that had once wooed Severus to his side. A conversation late at night. Talk of dark magic. And horcruxes. And the number seven.

He squeezed every last drop of the memory from the man and stored it in his own mind. Severus's face hardened in rage. The old man had known for fifty years, and had never said a thing. The people whose lives could have been saved, for they had no idea that the Dark Lord could not have been killed, could have hardly been wounded. The fools who had tried to fight him or defy him. They never had a chance. And Horace bloody Slughorn had known all along.

He whipped his wand in the magical equivalent of running fingernails across a blackboard along Horace's mind. Even though he could not move, he could see the pain reflected in the old man's eyes. This would not only hurt for days, it would cause long-term memory problems. Good.

Having got what he came for, Severus rose to his feet. "Finite," he said, casually flicking his wand. The Weasleys still held him down. The man opened his mouth to protest, but Severus was quicker. "Obliviate," he commanded. Slughorn's face went blank as Severus erased all memories of their errand and instead told him that he had, as usual, overindulged and passed out on his floor. A typical Tuesday evening for the Hogwarts potions master.

With a final flick of his wand, Slughorn shut his eyes and went limp, immediately beginning to snore. Without a word, Severus turned on his heel and stalked out into the dungeon corridor. Hermione trailed at his heels, looking terrified, while the Weasley twins followed, high-fiving each other. They walked briskly. The news was bad. They had no time to lose.


And that, my friends, is how you retrieve secret information from Horace Slughorn.