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Harry used the Felix Felicis potion to get Slughorn's real memory about Voldemort's Hocrux. The professor finally gave in and gave Harry the memory along with a second one but being in a rush Harry didn't think anything of it as he rushed out of Hagrid's hut and headed up towards the castle.
"I've got the memory from Professor Slughorn!" said Harry as he entered the Headmaster's office.
Albus nodded and gestured for Harry to step over to the pensieve placed by his desk so the two could watch the first memory, where the two discovered that Professor Slughorn had told a young Tom Riddle that the soul could be torn apart but no more than seven times before being destroyed.
Then the Headmaster poured in the second memory and with an uneasy feeling placed his face into the silvery liquid to view it, joined shortly after by Harry.
Surprisingly they found themselves once again in Slughorn's classroom and judging by Slughorn's much older appearance possibly a couple of decades later.
"Good Evening, Horace", the Headmaster was startled as a voice greeted Slughorn from behind him.
He turned around to see his son Felix standing there wearing the uniform of the Head of the DLME, the same clothes he was found wearing upon his death. At this moment Dumbledore wondered if Horace might have been the last to see his boy before his short life was cut short.
"Ah, Felix my boy how good it is to see you, and what brings you to see this old man on this fine night?" asked Slughorn jovially.
Felix stepped closer.
"Please professor, I would like to ask you something and you must answer me honestly because it is of the utmost importance." Said Felix, looking at Slughorn intently.
Slughorn looked at Felix quizzically.
"All you had to do was ask young Felix and I'd be happy to do anything I can to help", said Horace, smiling warmly at Felix.
"Did Tom ever ask you anything about Hocrux?" asked Felix.
The color suddenly drained from Horace's face. From his body language, Albus could see Horace was a bit shaken.
"No, he never asked me anything about something like that." Horace tittered nervously.
Felix sighed and stepped into arms reach of Slughorn.
"Horace, I promise this conversation will stay between you and me, I've already worked out that Tom talked to you already, you just need to tell me exactly what you said to him. " Pleaded Felix.
"How did you know?" asked Horace.
"I'm the one who found the book. We were kicking around the idea in the library when I remembered mention of a spell in a book from the forbidden section. It was my mistake, I shouldn't have discussed it with him. He wanted to talk to you about the subject, but then he told me he had changed his mind, and then by the next day I the book had gone missing. ", said Felix.
"The Headmaster removed it", said Horace.
Felix nodded. "That is why I came to you. Father believed Tom was the only one to have read it and was unaware of my involvement and now it is my responsibility to clean up my own mess."
"He didn't make one, did he?" asked Horace nervously.
"I am afraid he did, Horace", said Felix seriously.
Horace's eyes widened. "I never thought he would do it", Horace was trembling.
"It's a ring, the one that he used to wear. The Gaunt family ring. I already found it, though and that's why I came here, I want to ask you how to destroy a Hocrux. I don't want to ask father, because he would definitely be disappointed in me", sighed Felix.
"Herpo the Foul." answered Horace "The first known wizard to create a Horcrux, was also the one to create what could possibly destroy one, Basilisk venom. Also as a last resort possibly Fiendfyre."
A thoughtful look upon came upon Felix's face and in a nervous gesture he raised his hand to rub his chin bringing a blackening of the skin to Slughorn's attention.
"It's been a while since my last Care of Magical Creatures class but from what I can remember Basilisks are extinct so I guess we'll be going with Fiendfyre then.", said Felix.
"What happened to your hand, Felix?" asked Horace.
Waving it around "Oh this I was hit with a little dark curse when I was retrieving the ring. But rest assured Professor I already performed the counter curse and in a few days will be left with nothing worse than a few scars." assured Felix.
After that, Albus and Harry were pulled out of the Penseive.
Albus pulled the note from his pocket and read it again. Now he knew who 'F' is.
Harry gently took the note from his thoughtful Headmaster and read it to himself.
"Felixus Albus Dumbledore. Now I understand why Felix was killed by Voldemort. He found out about the Hocrux and confronted his friend after he met Horace", sighed Dumbledore.
"Do you think he managed to destroy the ring Sir?" asked Harry.
"We can only hope Harry but we must also be prepared if my son failed"
Draco saw Dumbledore heading to the Astronomy Tower. He quickly walked to the Room of Requirement opening the Vanishing Cabinet to let the Death Eaters His Aunt Bellatrix Lestrange, Corban Yaxley, Fenrir Greyback, Amycus Carrow, Alecto Carrow, Thorfinn Rowle and Gibbon through.
"Aunt Bella, I found the coffin ", said Draco eagerly. He showed it to his aunt and opened it.
"Good Job, Draco. I will tell the Dark Lord of your achievements and this is sure to go a long way towards resolving the sin your Father committed towards the Dark Lord.", praised Bellatrix.
She took a wand from the corpse's hand and put into her pocket. This was the wand that the Dark Lord desired and he had given her a special order that retrieving it first was her top priority.
"Alecto, Amycus, Gibbon and Thorfinn, take the coffin and meet us on the grounds near the apparition point. The rest will follow me", ordered Bellatrix.
Bellatrix, Greyback, Draco and Yaxley headed to the Astronomy Tower. The castle fell into chaos as the students noticed the Death Eaters walking through the castle.
As Professor McGonnagal contacted the Order and the Aurors stationed at Hogsmeade, Severus rushed to the Astronomy Tower through passages very few knew of in the hopes of reaching it before they did.
"Call Severus..." Dumbledore writhed in pain as the effect of the potion he had just drunk after they had reached the top of the Astronomy Tower took effect.
"Someone is coming, Sir", said Harry as he heard footsteps.
"Albus!!" a familiar voice came from the stairs
Dumbledore felt such relief at the sound of Severus' voice he dropped to his knees.
"What happened to him, Potter?" snapped Snape as he rushed to the Headmaster after reach the top of the tower.
"He drank a potion"
"What colour?" asked Snape.
"emm.. Silver" Harry replied.
Severus took a potion from his pocket and gave it to the Headmaster to drink.
The Pepper-up potion he had given the Headmaster took immediate effect but was a temporary fix only.
"Draco brought Death Eaters into the castle" Severus told the two.
"How...?" asked Albus.
"I don't know, but they already have the coffin and Bellatrix and Greyback are heading up the tower as we speak." explained Severus as he pulled Albus to his feet helped by Harry Potter.
Then the three of them turned abruptly to the stairs as they heard footsteps.
Harry and Severus pulled out their wands prepared to fight. However, Albus grabbed them both by an arm and apparated them away just before the group of Death Eaters burst through the doorway of the tower.
"I'm sure I heard voices earlier", said Bellatrix frustrated.
"I smell Dumbledore, Potter, and… Snape! I knew it, it's Snape! He warned them!" growled Greyback.
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