Chapter 16
Confusing Remembrances
The rest of the holidays passed in a blur. There had been a few talks about Harry's confrontation with the Minister, most of them ending soon after they began because Sirius couldn't contain his laughter for long. Sirius had found the entire scene of Scrimgeour being reprimanded by a teenager positively hilarious. The only regret Sirius had was that he hadn't bitten Scrimgeour when he had the chance. Remus, on the other hand, was more reserved about his opinion, although he had commended Harry on how he had handled himself. Not many could rattle the Minister of Magic as Harry had.
Other discussions included Sirius' new mission for Dumbledore and what that meant for Harry and Remus. Harry's actual grounding had ended some time ago even though he still spent as much time in the Marauder Quarters as possible to complete his homework in peace. With Sirius gone, Harry's training would decrease to twice a week with Remus. They would be continuing with nonverbal spells but the actual dueling would be done whenever Tonks had time to spare since they didn't want to risk a stray spell affecting Remus' recovery.
For security reasons, Harry wasn't told what Sirius' mission was but Sirius assured him that it wasn't overly dangerous and promised to stay in contact. Harry fought back the uneasy feeling in his stomach and accepted Sirius' orders. With the war progressing, this was inevitable. Sirius was probably one of the most trusted and valuable Order members because he knew more. He was also one of the more dangerous. Sirius acted fast and hard, not bothering to take any risks on being proper. Harry had dueled against Sirius enough times to know that when Sirius was at the top of his game, opponents rarely stood a chance.
It had been a relief to learn that the 'werewolf talk' had occurred last year before Remus had been injured. It hadn't gone any further than a hypothetical possibility. Dumbledore had wanted nothing more than to understand what it would take to be accepted by the werewolves. Dumbledore had been optimistic that Remus could be a light of hope among werewolves who wanted a normal life. Of course that had been before Remus' silver poisoning and before Fenrir Greyback started becoming more of an active figure in Voldemort's reign.
Harry had also talked to Sirius and Remus about showing the Council his memory of the duel with Voldemort at the Ministry. Sirius and Remus were extremely supportive to what Harry was trying to do and agreed that this was what was needed to prove that the 'Ministry standards' weren't enough. If people wanted to survive this war, they had to go the extra mile…the D.A. had to go the extra mile and with the Council's help, it would be possible.
Before Harry knew it, it was time to return to Hogwarts. Harry, Sirius and Remus had traveled by prearranged portkey to the Marauder Quarters early in the morning to avoid any scene. While Harry put on some finishing touches on his homework, Sirius and Remus met with Professor Dumbledore. In the end, it didn't matter because Sirius and Remus told Harry everything they were told and handed over the scroll of parchment that contained the date and time of Harry's next lesson with Dumbledore. Percy had passed on quite a bit of information about what was happening at the Ministry. Scrimgeour's move to gain Harry's allegiance was a final attempt to increase public acclaim and guarantee Harry's silence. Harry and Dumbledore weren't the only two questioning whether the few people captured were actually Death Eaters. They were just the only ones openly vocal about it. The problem with that was the small fact that Harry and Dumbledore were respectable members of society again so they were more trustworthy than the Ministry.
When the time arrived for the rest of the students to return, Harry was waiting in the Entrance Hall, hoping against hope that nothing had happened between Ron and Hermione on the train. He had only spoken to Ron after Scrimgeour had left and it had surprisingly centered on Hermione. Ron had asked quite a few uncomfortable questions about possible relationships Hermione had been in and if she hated him for teasing her. Harry had chosen to refrain from answering as many questions as he could but made no point in hiding how hurt Hermione had been because of Ron's teasing. Hopefully that would be enough for Ron to do the rest.
"Harry!"
Harry was snapped out of his thoughts as arms wrapped tightly around him and his vision was blurred by bushy hair. He smiled as he returned the embrace. Waves of happiness and relief surrounded him, allowing Harry to relax. He moved his head to see past her hair and saw a pink-faced Cho smiling at him. He knew who Hermione sat with on the train and nodded his thanks to Cho, who, instead of nodding back, took a few steps forward and gave Harry a one-armed embrace as Hermione moved aside.
"Have a good Christmas?" Harry asked as he noticed a certain tall redhead approaching.
Hermione nodded as she pulled off her gloves. "Ron apologized," she said quietly with a smile. "He said he wants to try and fix things between the three of us."
"Really?" Harry said trying to sound surprised. Cho rolled her eyes but she refrained from saying anything. Harry couldn't help noticing the waves of caution and protectiveness that surrounded her. Evidently, Cho didn't believe that Ron was sincere, making Harry wonder if there would be problems between Cho and Ron. He didn't know if he could handle any more tension between his friends.
"Hey Harry," Ron said as he darted around Hermione and Cho so they were blocking him from the arriving students. Intense waves of nervousness and embarrassment surrounded him like a glove. "How were the rest of you holidays? Have any more run-ins with the Minister?"
Harry let out a laugh. He seriously doubted the Minster would ever try to speak to him again. "No, I think once is more than enough for me," he said. "I can only handle so much disappointment."
Cho and Hermione shared an uneasy glance. "Is he really that bad, Harry?" asked Hermione.
Harry looked over at Ron who shrugged uncertainly. Was Scrimgeour really that bad? Probably not. Harry just didn't agree with Scrimgeour's views, especially when it concerned imprisoning innocent people. "Well, he's not as bad as Fudge but he's not someone I'd rally behind," Harry said truthfully. "Let's just say that if Scrimgeour had his way, the only possibility we would have in learning to defend ourselves would be when we entered Auror training. He's putting too much focus in a small group of people that the rest of us don't stand a chance."
"Then all I can say is thank Merlin you continued the D.A., Harry," Cho said seriously.
"Won-Won!" a loud voice squealed. Ron quietly groaned as Lavender Brown rushed passed Cho and Hermione to throw her arms around Ron's neck. "Why did you hurry off?" At Ron's red face, Lavender smiled. "Come on," she said sweetly and pulled him away. "We have so much to make up for."
Harry was completely speechless as he watched Lavender pull an extremely reluctant Ron away. Snickers and laughter could be heard throughout the Entrance Hall. Harry slowly shifted his gaze to Hermione and Cho and saw that they were doing everything possible to keep themselves from laughing. Hermione was biting her cheek while Cho had both hands over her mouth. "Is it just me or has this entire place gone batty?" he asked.
Cho took a few moments to calm herself then shook her head. "It's not just you," she said frankly. "Won-Won? Who in their right mind talks like that?"
"Apparently Lavender does," Hermione said dryly as she brushed her hair out of her face and glanced over to where Ron and Lavender had vanished from their line of sight. "What could possibly be next?"
"I don't think I want to know," Harry said as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Er—is it normal to speak in baby talk when addressing your significant other?"
Hermione and Cho stared at each other in horror. "Merlin, I hope not," Cho said. "I can understand 'honey' or 'sweetheart' but 'Won-Won'?" She thought for a minute then shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't think it was possible for Lavender to make herself appear any dumber…but I was wrong."
Harry and Hermione couldn't help but laugh as they bid farewell to Cho and retreated to the Gryffindor Tower. They were held up by the Fat Lady who had overindulged in five-hundred-year-old wine with her friend Violet over Christmas. Once they entered the Common Room, Harry and Hermione noticed Dean and Ginny sitting near the fireplace while Ron and Lavender were in some sort of vertical wrestling match. The only difference between them was that Lavender was giggling and Ron appeared to be actually trying to push Lavender off. Harry was amazed how well Hermione was taking the sight of Ron and Lavender together. She didn't look in their direction but she also didn't run to her dorm room to escape them.
A simple apology can really go a long way.
Harry was up early the following morning for his final training session before Sirius left for his mysterious mission. He wanted to spend as much time with Sirius as he could but knew it would be difficult with as busy as his Mondays were. Sirius had said he would be spending the day finishing up loose ends which meant he would be going through everything with Remus again and would be requesting for Dumbledore to keep Hogwarts safe for Harry.
Sometimes Sirius was just too overprotective. It wasn't like everyone would be sitting back and letting Death Eaters enter Hogwarts while he was gone.
On his way out of the Common Room, Harry noticed that a large sign had been pinned to the notice board during the night.
APPARITION LESSONS
If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before the 31st August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 Galleons.
Harry pulled out a quill and signed his name. Apparition would certainly be useful. Harry hadn't forgotten how Voldemort had Apparated during their duel, making it extremely difficult for Harry to actually hit him with anything. One more skill I'll have to master quicker than everyone else. It was a fact and Harry had to accept it. He had realized a while ago that it would be this way as long as Voldemort was a threat. He couldn't continue to rely on portkeys, fireplaces or someone else to get him out of trouble.
The Great Hall was completely empty except for a few teachers. Professor McGonagall was concentrating completely on the roll or parchment in front of her and Professor Flitwick was reading a rather thick book. Neither of them seemed to notice that anyone else was in the large room. Covering a tired yawn with his hand, Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table and mindlessly ate breakfast. It was hard to imagine the days at Hogwarts without Sirius looking out for him. Yes, it was extremely irritating at times but having Sirius act overprotective had helped Harry feel safe in a place where so much danger could happen.
A hand on his shoulder startled Harry out of his thoughts. Looking up, Harry relaxed as he caught sight of Sirius' and Remus' smiling faces. Nothing needed to be said as Sirius and Remus sat down on either side of Harry and started piling food on their plates. They were once again reaching a topic that wasn't discussed. By not talking about Sirius' departure there was no reason to worry that Sirius could possibly be in danger. No one had mentioned that Remus would have to face the full moons alone.
Professor Snape was still providing the Wolfsbane Potion every month but that didn't take away the pain away. With the silver poisoning, transforming into the wolf had been even more painful and the wolf had been even harder to control. Sirius had accidentally let it slip that Moony had needed to be chained up in the early months because the wolf was in too much pain to recognize anyone or anything even with the potion. It wasn't anywhere near that bad now but it served as a reminder to how much Remus had been through just from being touched by Pettigrew's silver hand. It served as a reminder to how much being distracted could cost someone.
"So what do you have on your mind, Harry?" Remus asked quietly, finally breaking the silence.
Harry shrugged. He really didn't think it would be wise to be truthful. "Well, I was wondering about becoming an Animagus," Harry said hopefully. "How hard was it?"
The doors opened and several Ravenclaws entered, talking quietly to each other. Sirius cleared his throat nervously. "It wasn't exactly hard, Harry," he said honestly as the new comers sat down at the Ravenclaw table. "It was just extremely complicated…and dangerous."
Harry looked at Sirius with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that the definition of hard?" he asked. "Look, I'm just curious if it could be something I could learn. It could be useful if I was ever in a tight situation. It could also be helpful if you were away and—er—someone needed to help out during the full moon—"
"—absolutely not!" Remus interrupted in a hushed voice. "There is no way I will let you see that, especially now. Moony is too uncontrollable. Your scent doesn't change, Harry. Moony would still recognize you as his cub. He could still try to turn you, even if I took the Wolfsbane Potion." Harry moved to protest. "No Harry," Remus insisted. "Just trust me on this. I know you want to help and I appreciate it but it's just not safe for you."
"However," Sirius countered as he cast a quick glance at Remus, "that doesn't mean we can't look into this, kiddo, if it's what you really want. You have a point. It could be useful depending on your form. There are a number of animals that are more of a risk than a help."
The doors opened again and this time several groups of students entered. Another group of Ravenclaws joined the first, a large group of Hufflepuffs moved toward their table and a small group of Gryffindor second years moved to the far end of the Gryffindor table. "So how do I find out what my form is?" Harry asked curiously.
Remus took a sip out of his goblet and smiled. "There are a few methods," he said knowingly. "There are a few spells and a few potions. The potions are more reliable but are extremely difficult to brew. I believe we attempted to brew the potion four times before we got it right. It took two weeks to brew which was extremely difficult with classes. We had to time everything perfectly so we could add ingredients at the proper times. James and I were the ones in charge of the potion. Peter was too skittish to be trusted with the ingredients and Sirius…well…Sirius detested potions with a passion."
Sirius snorted. "That's putting it mildly," he said under his breath.
"Logically speaking, it would be best to wait until after the term," Remus continued, "unless you want to pursue this sooner."
Harry shrugged. "It was just a thought," he said nonchalantly. Truthfully, that's all it had been. It wasn't that Harry didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps of becoming an Animagus. It was that Harry didn't believe he had the time to follow through with it on his own. He wasn't about to have Sirius and Remus do all the work. They were all ready stressed enough as it was.
Training was like one of the many sessions at Black Manor. At first, Harry and Sirius trained while Remus watched, giving his input from time to time. After a nonverbal duel, Remus took over and discussed strategies with Harry. They even walked through a few of them but it was nothing like the intense physical dueling that Harry endured under Sirius' tutelage. Remus had always been a brains-over-brawn type of person which countered Sirius' act first, think later mentality. It was still quite hilarious to see the two of them bicker when their point-of-views clashed.
When Harry met up with Hermione and Neville for Charms class, everyone was talking about Apparition lessons. Ron was standing beside Lavender, who was talking happily to Parvati. Harry was surprised to see that Ron didn't look happy to be where he was. He looked completely bored and was discretely trying to pull his hand free of Lavender's. Glancing over at Hermione, Harry noticed that he wasn't the only one who had caught on to Ron's predicament. Hermione seemed to have a pleased look on her face but before Harry could find out what she was feeling, Professor Flitwick opened the door and invited everyone into the classroom.
Apparition was still on everyone's minds as they worked on producing a fountain of pure water during class. Everyone was curious on what Apparition felt like and Harry wisely kept his mouth shut. He had Apparated before but only remembered what it felt like when Sirius had taken him for Side-Along Apparition. He had been too focused on avoiding Voldemort's sword to worry about what Apparating felt like at the Ministry.
By the end of the day, Harry had heard so many different theories on Apparition that he wasn't sure if he wanted to learn it anymore. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion on how it felt and what you had to do so you didn't splinch yourself. A number of sixth years were now positively terrified of Apparition and were considering taking their names off of the lists. Harry was relieved to hear that it wasn't nearly as complicated as everyone was making it out to be when he met up with Sirius and Remus after dinner. Sirius had mentioned something about three 'D's' but Harry seriously doubted Apparition had anything to do with the names of girls.
Before Harry knew it, he was stepping out of Dumbledore's fireplace and into the steadying arms of the Headmaster. The lamps in the office were already lit and the pervious headmasters were snoring quietly in their frames. Harry regained his balance and brushed the ash off his clothes. Waves of tiredness, protectiveness and uneasiness rolled off Dumbledore. Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore nervously, unsure of what to say, if he should say anything at all.
Fortunately, Dumbledore broke the silence first. "I spent a few hours this morning with Sirius and Remus," he said as he motioned for Harry to take a seat with his blackened hand. "They allowed me the privilege of viewing the memory pertaining to your meeting with the Minister of Magic over Christmas." Dumbledore moved to his seat as Harry moved to his own. "I must say I appreciate you speaking on my defense. Your faith in me is overwhelming."
Harry avoided Dumbledore's gaze as he sat down. He really didn't see why Dumbledore was making such a big deal out of it. "I spoke the truth, sir," Harry said with a shrug. "I don't trust the Ministry and I don't want to be their 'Chosen One'. Scrimgeour is nothing but a walking contradiction." He let out a long breath and forced himself to calm down. He wasn't here to rant on his opinions of the Minister. "Sorry, sir. I just hate people who try to push their problems off on others."
Dumbledore nodded. "No harm done, my boy," he said pleasantly. "Your reaction is completely understandable. Rufus was completely out of line, Harry. He was wrong to ask so much from you. You are right. Rufus tends to contradict himself. He speaks of following the guidelines concerning apprehending and imprisoning Death Eaters only to imprison three innocent men to improve the Ministry's image among the people. Three arrests and imprisonments—however wrong they may be—sound much more appealing than three arrests and releases."
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in aggravation. He didn't care how appealing it sounded. It was still wrong. Stan shouldn't be in jail. "Maybe I should have another talk with Rita Skeeter," Harry muttered bitterly. "That seems to be the only way anything gets done."
Dumbledore chuckled. "I shall refrain on commenting," he said wisely. "Now, I believe we should move on. We have much to discuss tonight. I read the letter you left me concerning your vision of Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy. I realize that you may have questions, Harry, but I must insist that you not worry about the situation. Actions are being taken to ensure Draco does not follow through with whatever plot he has been attempting."
Harry bit back the countless questions that were on the tip of his tongue. It wasn't that Harry felt like disregarding authority. He just didn't believe that Hogwarts would show him the confrontation unless she had a reason behind it. "I'll leave the matter alone, sir," Harry said carefully, "but if Hogwarts shows me anything, I'll be forced to act. Hogwarts is trusting me to help protect her children. I just can't ignore her."
Professor Dumbledore stared at Harry over his half-moon spectacles for a long moment before nodded. "Very well, Harry," he said softly. "I suppose that is all I can ask. I would never ask you to ignore your connection to Hogwarts. I only request if this were to happen again, you speak to someone before confronting those involved. This sort of connection is relatively unheard of and I would like to keep it that way, for your safety and sanity."
Harry agreed. 'Speaker to Hogwarts' was another title he certainly didn't need to add to the list.
"Very good," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "And now, the main reason for us meeting tonight. I have two memories to show you, both were extremely difficult to obtain." He rose to his feet and slowly walked around his desk so there was nothing between them. "We continue the tale to Tom Riddle, whom was merely eleven at the last lesson. I trust you remember how excited he was to hear that he was a wizard, that he was special. I also believe you remember how he refused my company on a trip to Diagon Alley and that I had warned him against acts of thievery when he arrived."
Harry nodded, knowing better than to interrupt when Dumbledore was on a roll.
"The start of the school year arrived," Dumbledore continued, "along with Tom Riddle. He was a quiet boy in his secondhand robes. He was placed in Slytherin nearly the moment the Sorting Hat touched his head." He waved his blackened hand towards the shelf where the Sorting Hat was resting, worn and unmoving. "I am not sure of how soon Riddle learned that the famous founder could speak to snakes but I do not doubt the news provided him with a sense of self-importance. Whether he displayed his talent to his classmates or not, is guesswork. None of the staff were aware of any unique abilities from the talented and very good-looking orphan. He was polite, quiet and extremely thirsty for knowledge. Nearly the entire staff was extremely impressed by him."
"He manipulated them?" asked Harry.
Dumbledore smiled. "It was more so that he played on his strong points, Harry," he said. "At first, it was a possibility that Riddle had felt sorry for the way he had behaved and decided to turn over a new leaf. I decided to give him that chance; however, I did keep a close eye on him but I learned little. Riddle was very guarded with me which led me to believe that he regretted revealing so much about himself. He could never take back what he and Mrs. Cole had told me. Therefore, Riddle never made the effort to charm me as he had charmed so many of my colleagues"
The revelation didn't surprise Harry. He remembered the teenage Riddle all too well from the diary that had possessed Ginny. Riddle had known exactly what to say and show Harry to imply that Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets over fifty years ago. Riddle had managed to convince Ginny that he was nothing more than a concerned diary instead of a memory that was slowly taking her life away.
"As the years passed, Riddle gathered a group of dedicated friends around him," Dumbledore said carefully. "I call them 'friends' only because I can not think of anything else to call them. Riddle felt no affection towards them. He simply enjoyed the power they gave him. This group consisted of a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. They were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, some even becoming Death Eaters when they left Hogwarts. With Riddle as their leader, they were never caught in any actual wrongdoing even though their years at Hogwarts were marked by a large number of horrible incidents, including the opening of the Chamber of Secrets which caused the death of a girl and Hagrid to be wrongly accused."
Dumbledore looked down at his Pensieve for a moment before he returned his attention to Harry. "It is difficult to find memories of Riddle during his time at Hogwarts," he said evenly. "The few who knew him during that time are too terrified to talk about him. Most of my knowledge of him was recovered after he had left Hogwarts and even then it was with much painstaking effort. I learned that Riddle was obsessed with his parentage, which was understandable considering his upbringing. Riddle searched for any trace of Tom Riddle senior throughout Hogwarts and was finally forced to accept that his father had been a Muggle. I believe that was when Riddle dropped his name and created the identity of Lord Voldemort.
"His search began into his despised mother's family. All he had was the name 'Marvolo' which he had learned from those who ran the orphanage had been his maternal grandfather's name. After extensive research, Riddle had discovered the existence of Slytherin's surviving line. It was the summer of his sixteenth year when Riddle left the orphanage to find his Gaunt relatives." Dumbledore pulled out a crystal bottle filled with a swirling, pearly substance. He poured the substance into the Pensieve then turned back to Harry. "After you, my boy"
Harry rose to his feet and approached the Pensieve. He inhaled deeply as he reached out and touched the silvery substance. He instantly felt the familiar sensation of falling through darkness before he landed on a dirty stone floor. Looking around in the dim lighting, Harry realized he was standing in the Gaunt house. It looked completely filthy, like it hadn't been cleaned in many years. Cobwebs were everywhere. The floor was covered in grime. The table was cluttered with moldy and crusted pots that had rotting food left in them. The only source of light was a single candle that was placed at the feet of a man with hair and beard that was so overgrown it was extremely difficult to see the man's eyes or mouth. He was slumped in the armchair by the fireplace, sleeping. Harry was so amazed by the sight in front of his eyes that he jumped in shock when Dumbledore landed beside him.
There was a loud knock at the door, pulling Harry back at the scene as the man jerked awake. The man quickly raised his wand in his right hand and a short knife in his left, prepared to defend what was left of the Gaunt home. The door slowly creaked open to reveal a tall, pale and dark-haired boy that Harry immediately recognized. It was the sixteen-year-old Voldemort.
Voldemort spotted the man in the armchair and for a long moment they just stared at each other. Finally, the man stood upright, swaying slightly. Empty bottles on the floor clattered and rolled away from his feet. "YOU!" the man shouted. "YOU!" He darted towards Riddle with his wand and knife prepared to strike.
"Stop," Riddle said calmly in Parseltongue.
The man slid into the table. Moldy pots crashed to the floor as he stared at Riddle in utter disbelief. Once the crashing and clanging ended, silence filled the air as they studied each other. The man was the first to break it. "You speak it?" he asked.
"Yes, I speak it," Riddle said as he moved forward into the room. The door closed behind him making the room feel extremely small. Riddle looked around briefly before he returned his gaze to the man, disgust and disappointment clear on his face. "Where is Marvolo?"
Whatever the man had been expecting, that certainly hadn't been it. "Dead," the man said. "Died years ago, didn't he?"
Riddle frowned at the revelation. "Who are you, then?" he asked.
The man straightened. "I'm Morfin, ain't I?" he said.
Riddle stared at Morfin critically. "Marvolo's son?" he asked.
Morfin pushed his hair out of his eyes to get a better look at Riddle. The motion allowed Harry to see that Morfin was now wearing Marvolo's black-stoned ring on his right hand. "I thought you was that Muggle," Morfin whispered. "You look mighty like that Muggle."
That caught Riddle's attention. "What Muggle?" he asked sharply.
Morfin snorted. "That Muggle what my sister took a fancy to, that Muggle what lives in the big house over the way," he said then spat on the floor between them. "You look right like him. Riddle. But he's older now, in 'e? He's older 'n you, now I think on it…" Morfin had a far off look on his face as he swayed slightly. He clutched the edge of the table to steady himself. "He come back, see."
Riddle's interest had heightened significantly. "Riddle came back?" he asked quietly but firmly as he stepped closer.
"Ar, he left her, and serve her right, marrying filth!" Morfin said as he spat on the floor again. "Robbed us, mind, before she ran off. Where's the locket, eh, where's Slytherin's locket?" When Riddle didn't answer, Morfin inhaled sharply as he waved his knife angrily. "Dishonored us, she did, that little slut!" he shouted. "And who're you, coming here and asking questions about that? It's over, innit…It's over…"
Morfin looked away and staggered again. Riddle moved forward and a sudden darkness fell, extinguishing all light from the room. Harry felt a hand grip his arm and they were pulled from the memory, into the present. The golden light from the lamps seemed to be overly bright compared to the darkness they had just left. Blinking a few times, Harry turned to Dumbledore with a confused look on his face. "Voldemort did something, didn't he?" he asked.
Dumbledore smiled slightly as he motioned for Harry to take a seat. "Yes, Morfin could not remember anything else until he awoke the next morning, lying on the floor," he said. "Voldemort was gone along with Marvolo's ring. In the village of Little Hangleton, however, the Riddle maid was running down the High Street, screaming that her employers and their son were dead. The Muggle authorities were dumbfounded. They could not explain how the Riddles died because the Avada Kedavra curse usually does not leave any sign of damage. Of course, there are always exceptions." Dumbledore smiled at Harry before, his gaze lingering on Harry's scar for a moment. "The Ministry, however, knew that a wizard had murdered the Riddles. They also knew of Morfin's history so naturally they questioned him."
Harry could see where this was going. He already knew Voldemort had killed the Riddles which meant Morfin was innocent of any wrongdoing. The Ministry, however, didn't know that.
"The Ministry didn't need to use any means to force a confession out of Morfin," Dumbledore continued. "He admitted to the murder freely, giving details that only the murderer could know. Morfin claimed that he had been waiting all these years to kill the Muggles. The Ministry didn't need to look any further when Morfin handed over the wand used to kill the Riddles—his own wand. He was taken to Azkaban without a fight. The only thing that disturbed him was that his father's ring had disappeared."
Harry let out a bitter laugh. Riddle had certainly covered his tracks. "So Voldemort stole Morfin's wand, killed the Riddles, modified Morfin's memory and stole the ring," he said then shook his head. It was so simple yet so thorough.
"That's right, Harry," Dumbledore said proudly. "Morfin lived out the remainder of his life in Azkaban and is buried beside the prison, alongside the others who have died within the walls. He never realized that he had not actually killed the Riddles. The only reason I have this memory is after using a great deal of Legilimency to pry it out of him. Once I discovered the truth, I tried to secure Morfin's release but unfortunately, Morfin died before the Ministry reached their decision."
"Why didn't the Ministry realize that someone other than Morfin had used magic?" Harry asked curiously. "Surely a magical signature can be traced with the proper charms." He had learned from Sirius that the Ministry could only track magic, not the caster. That was why no one had known Sirius had used Harry's wand the night he had taken Harry from Privet Drive until Vernon Dursley had told the Aurors present. That was also why the Ministry had believed that Harry had cast the Hover Charm when it had actually been Dobby over four years ago.
"Because Morfin confessed, Harry," Dumbledore said patiently. "Why would you ask questions when you believe you already have the answers?" Silence filled the room for a moment before Dumbledore spoke again. "I believe it is getting late and I still have one more important memory to show you." Dumbledore pulled out another crystal phial from his pocket. This phial looked different from the others. Instead of the smooth liquid it should be, silvery substance seemed to have hardened slightly, causing the substance to enter the Pensieve rather unevenly as Dumbledore poured it in. "After you, Harry"
Once again, Harry rose to his feet and entered the Pensieve. When he landed, he immediately recognized where he was. He was in Professor Slughorn's office and in front of him was a much younger Horace Slughorn. The Potions Professor had thick and shiny straw-colored hair except for the bald patch the size of a Galleon on his crown. His mustache wasn't as large as it was now and was also gingery-blond instead of grey. The younger Slughorn wasn't as large as the current Slughorn but he was still on the extremely overweight side. Slughorn was sitting in a comfortable winged armchair with his feet resting upon a velvet pouffe. He had a small glass of wine in one hand while the other was searching through a box of crystallized pineapple.
Dumbledore arrived as Harry was taking in the sight of the six boys who were sitting around Slughorn. Voldemort was there among them, looking more relaxed than any teenager should be in a teacher's office. Harry quickly noticed the familiar gold and black ring on Voldemort's right hand. The Riddles were already dead. Voldemort finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?" he asked curiously.
Slughorn shook his head ruefully. "Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn't tell you," he said shaking a sugar-covered finger and Riddle before winking. "I must say, I'd like to know where you get your information, boy, more knowledgeable than half the staff, you are." Riddle smiled as the other boys chuckled. "What with your uncanny ability to know things you shouldn't, and your careful flattery of the people who matter—thank you for the pineapple, by the way, you're quite right, it is my favorite."
Several boys snickered just as the entire room quickly filled with an extremely thick white fog. Harry could see absolutely nothing other than Dumbledore's face. Before Harry could question the oddity, Slughorn's voice echoed through the mist unnaturally loudly, "You'll go wrong, boy, mark my words!"
The fog instantly vanished but no one seemed to react to it. Harry had a feeling what was going on. This memory had been modified and Harry had a good idea who had done it.
The clock standing on Slughorn's desk chimed eleven o'clock. "Good gracious, is it that time already?" Slughorn asked in amazement. "You'd better get going, boys, or we'll all be in trouble. Lestrange, I want your essay by tomorrow or it's detention. Same goes for you, Avery." Slughorn struggled slightly in pulling himself out of his armchair as the boys left. One boy, however, remained. Voldemort purposely lagged behind, waiting for Slughorn to notice him. "Look sharp, Tom," Slughorn said as he turned around. "You don't want to be caught out of bed after hours, and you a prefect…"
Voldemort didn't seem fazed. "Sir, I wanted to ask you something," he said casually.
Slughorn smiled. "Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away," he said pleasantly.
Voldemort inhaled deeply as if he was preparing himself for something big. "Sir, I wondered what you know about…about Horcruxes," he said hesitantly.
Harry froze as his breathing started to quicken. He had heard that word before, but where? Where had he heard such a term and why did it fill him with such fear and dread? He barely noticed that the dense fog filled the room again, blocking everything except Professor Dumbledore. It took Slughorn's loud voice to snap Harry out of his troubling thoughts. "I don't know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn't tell you if I did! Now get out of here at once and don't let me catch you mentioning them again!"
"Time to go, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said gently and they left the Pensieve. The moment they were back in Dumbledore's office, Harry returned to his seat, extremely confused. How could one word affect him so much, especially a word he had never heard before? Shaking away his questions, Harry returned his attention to Dumbledore who was staring at Harry with a concerned look on his face. "Why would Slughorn modify his own memory?" Harry asked in confusion.
Dumbledore smiled but the concern was still present in his eyes and his emotions. "I believe he is ashamed of what he remembers," he said pleasantly. "As I am sure you noticed, the modification if very crudely done. The actual memory is still there. It just needs a little more focus to be accessed." Dumbledore glanced at Harry worriedly for a brief moment before he continued. "And now, I am giving you homework, Harry. It is your job to retrieve the actual memory from Professor Slughorn. This is extremely important, Harry. This information is vital; I would not ask if it were anything but."
Harry stared at Dumbledore incredulously. He couldn't believe what Dumbledore was asking him to do. "Sir, in case you haven't noticed, Professor Slughorn and I don't exactly get along," he said bluntly. "He had to blackmail me to get me to attend one of his stupid parties."
Professor Dumbledore simply smiled as he sat down behind his desk. "I realize that, Harry," he said gently. "I know I am asking a lot from you but I truly have used all of the means available to me to retrieve the memory. Professor Slughorn knows I want the memory and is prepared to counter Legilimency and Veritaserum. I believe you are the one person who can penetrate his defenses. He does admire you, Harry. He is also envious of the public power you carry. Trust me. I have a feeling the relationship between you and Horace is not as bad as you make it out to be."
Harry just shook his head in disbelief. He didn't agree but he wasn't about to get in an argument over it. He would do what he could but if it didn't work, Harry could at least say that he had tried. That's what important, right?
With nothing else to say, they bid each other good night. Once again these lessons had left Harry more confused than ever. It was amazing at how something as simple as looking into the past could leave Harry with a larger headache than one any of his classes could give him.
With as late as his lesson with Dumbledore ran, Harry didn't have time to relay everything to Sirius and Remus before he needed to return to the Gryffindor Tower for the night. There was also the fact that Harry had been more worried about Sirius leaving than to retell everything he had witnessed. The mystery of Horcruxes and the task Dumbledore had given him could wait. He wasn't going to burden Sirius with anything that could distract him. Despite how often Sirius assured Harry that the mission wasn't dangerous, Harry wanted Sirius to remain focus on his task. After all, the more focused Sirius was, the sooner he would complete his mission and come home.
Harry didn't sleep much that night. He spent the majority of it in the Common Room reading his schoolbooks in an attempt to get his mind off of everything. In addition to everything that had occurred in the past few hours, Harry had to speak with Hermione and Cho about showing the Council the memory of his duel with Voldemort, work on a new lesson plan for the D.A. and think up new plays for Quidditch. When reading didn't work, Harry tried working on a lesson plan for the D.A. Perhaps it was time the D.A. had some of their own hands on learning by the way of duels. That way they could incorporate everything they had learned and everyone else could see what not to do in a duel.
By the time morning arrived, Harry had an agenda for the D.A. to propose to Remus and the Council along with a few plays for the Quidditch team. The only thing left to do was to stare out the window and think until everyone else woke. It seemed impossible to think of the days at Hogwarts without Sirius walking through the halls, joking around in an attempt to hide his overprotectiveness. Harry knew this was only the beginning and knew it was only going to get worse. The missions were only going to get more dangerous as time progressed.
Don't think about that. Sirius knows what he's doing. He'll be fine.
Hermione was the first to come down from the dorms and seemed to know immediately that Harry was preoccupied. They left together for the Great Hall, Harry quietly relaying everything from his lesson with Dumbledore the night before. To say Hermione was shocked at the task Dumbledore had given Harry was an understatement.
"Slughorn must be really desperate to hide what really happened if he was willing to modify his own memory," Hermione said thoughtfully as they entered the Great Hall. "I admit that I've never heard of Horcruxes before—"
"—I have," Harry said quietly causing Hermione to look at him in alarm. "I just can't remember where. I can't explain it. It's like I the information is locked away but I know that whatever it is, it's bad. It's something that Voldemort doesn't want to be known."
Hermione stared at Harry curiously as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. After a moment of silence, she let out a long breath. "Harry, have you ever wondered what happened those days you were held prisoner?" she asked cautiously. Harry stiffened slightly at the question. "You said you were unconscious most of the time." Harry nodded. "What if you weren't or what if you had been partially conscious? People rarely remember anything they hear when they're not completely awake but they can remember the mood that accompanied the words. That's why people are encouraged to talk to coma patients."
Harry rubbed his hands together nervously. He remembered hearing something similar when he had worked at the hospital. The thought of what could have occurred when he had been unconscious made him shudder. To be able to pick up on moods and words meant he hadn't been alone. Someone had been either in his cell or close to it. "Is there any way to remember…"
Hermione shrugged. "I really don't know much about it, Harry," she said truthfully as she cast him a sympathetic glance. "I only know what Madam Pomfrey told us after the third task. She said that hearing our voices would help reassure you that you were with people who cared about you. I know Sirius and Remus took her advice to heart. They talked to you all the time." She let out a sigh as she started to slowly put food on her plate. "I'm not surprised you don't remember. You were under the influence of a lot of potions."
I was under the influence of potions both times. So the chances of him remembering were slim to none which made it even more important for him to retrieve the information from Slughorn, regardless of what his personal feelings about the topic were. "So what should I do with Slughorn?" Harry asked quietly as a few Gryffindors sat down near them. He took the chance to quickly glance around. There were several groups of students at each table but not enough for them to quit their conversation. All of the groups were too caught up in their own discussions to worry about what they were saying. "I highly doubt he would willingly give it to me, no matter how much he wants me as a member of the Slug Club."
Hermione twirled her fork between her fingers and she stared off thoughtfully for a long moment. "Everything you've told me makes me believe that Horcruxes must be really advanced Dark magic," she said softly. "I agree with you. Slughorn won't give up the memory without a fight. You can't force it out of him because—well—the Imperius Curse is illegal. I could look in the library—"
"—you won't find anything," Harry interrupted gloomily. "If this is advanced Dark magic then they wouldn't keep it in a library with hundreds of students around to access it. If it had been in the library, Voldemort wouldn't have asked Slughorn about it."
"But that was fifty years ago!" Hermione protested.
"Do you really think regulations have changed since then?" Harry countered. "They're probably more restrictive now because of Voldemort. Plus, Dumbledore would have already tried that. He wants the memory." Harry mindlessly piled some eggs and a few sausages on his plate. He knew he was missing something. There was something else to Dumbledore's assignment. He groaned as he buried his face in his hands. "This is going to take a miracle."
Hermione patted Harry's arm sympathetically. "Well, how much time to you have to get it?" she asked.
Good question. "Until the next lesson, I suppose," Harry said uncertainly. "There really hasn't been any specific time frame to go on."
Hermione nodded at the point. "But they usually aren't close together," she said thoughtfully. "That means you have time to think of a strategy. I wouldn't rush into this if I were you. Doing or saying the wrong thing could scare Slughorn into silence." The doors to the Great Hall opened and a large group of Gryffindors entered, including the majority of the sixth years. "We can talk about this later. For now, it probably wouldn't hurt for you to be a little friendlier to Slughorn. Once the bridge of familiarity is breached, he may be a little more open with you."
Harry stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "When did you start talking like Dumbledore?" he asked apprehensively.
Hermione scowled at him. "Very funny," she said in annoyance but the effect was ruined when a small smile appeared on her face. "Just try to be more—well—accepting of Slughorn. If he thinks you're more willing to be a part of the Slug Club then he may be more sociable, like he is with us."
As much as Harry hated to admit it, Hermione had a point. If he hadn't been so stubborn about keeping his distance from the public eye, this probably wouldn't be such a problem. He needed to get close to Slughorn first and the Slug Club was the easiest way to do that. He just had to find a way of doing so without making it look suspicious. No one would believe Harry suddenly changed his mind about the Slug Club. No one would believe that Harry suddenly changed his opinions of Professor Slughorn.
When Potions class arrived that afternoon, Harry took his usual spot between Hermione and Ron. Hermione gave Harry a reassuring smile while discretely giving his arm a squeeze. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Ron eyeing him curiously. There had been no opportunity to retell everything to Ron, especially with Lavender constantly hanging around. It seemed that the more Ron tried to distance himself from his girlfriend, the harder she tried to hold on.
Before anything could be said, Professor Slughorn called for silence from the front of the room. "Settle down, everyone!" he said happily. "Now, we have lots of work to do this afternoon so can anyone tell me what Golpalott's Third Law is?" Hermione's hand shot in the air. "Of course, Miss Granger!"
Hermione smiled excitedly. "Golpalott's-Third-Law-states-that-the-antidote-for-a-blended-poison-will-be-equal-to-more-than-the-sum-of-the-antidotes-for-each-of-the-separate-components," she said in one breath.
Slughorn smiled proudly at her. "Precisely, Miss Granger!" he exclaimed. "That'll be ten points for Gryffindor! Now, if we accept Golpalott's Third Law to be true…which, means that our primary aim is not the relatively simple one of selecting the antidotes for those ingredients individually but to find that added component which will, by an almost alchemical process, transform these disparate elements. This is assuming we have achieved in identifying the potion's ingredients correctly by Scarpin's Revelaspell. So, I want each of you to come up and take one phial from my desk. You are to create an antidote for the poison within it before the end of the lesson. Good luck everyone and don't forget to wear protective gloves!"
Harry followed Hermione to Slughorn's desk, grabbed two phials of poison and returned to his desk. He handed one over to Ron, who was still trapped in a state of confusion. Ron clearly had no idea of what was going on. Harry had to admit he would be lost too if he hadn't already covered poisons with Remus and Madam Pomfrey. He had gone over Golpalott's Third Law months ago. Madam Pomfrey had insisted that knowing how to counter poisons was one of the most important and most overlooked skills in Healing.
Determined not to be distracted by those around him, Harry slowly poured the pink tinted contents of his phial into his cauldron. He already had a few ideas of what the poison could be from the color and texture of it. With a flick of the wrist, Harry had his wand in hand and waved it over the cauldron while focusing on the words: Specialis revelio. A list of the ingredients appeared and Harry immediately wrote them down. He didn't want to make a stupid mistake on this. Doing well on the assignment could be the first step in gaining ground with Slughorn.
While everyone was grabbing different ingredients and setting them out, Harry concentrated on the parchment in front of him. He had a fairly good idea what his poison was and knew that the particular poison he had was sensitive to heat because to two ingredients. Once he countered those, he could kindle the fire underneath his cauldron. Pulling out his supplies, Harry added the five ingredients that would counter the two in the poison and noticed the pinkish tint shift to more of a clear color. He carefully lit the fire underneath his cauldron just as Slughorn made his first round, checking everyone's progress.
Slughorn didn't bother hiding his amusement at the horrid smelling concoctions in Ron and Ernie's cauldrons or at the frantic pace Hermione was working it. When he reached Harry though, Slughorn's face changed from amusement to amazement, especially when he noticed the way Harry was tackling the assignment. Harry did his best to ignore Slughorn and focus on the remainder of his task. He still had plenty of ingredients to counter.
The process was painstakingly slow and before Harry knew it, Slughorn was reminding everyone that there were only two minutes left. It took every ounce of self restraint not to speed up his pace like everyone else was doing. He didn't want to make a stupid mistake now. If he didn't finish, then he didn't finish. It was better to have something incomplete then completely wrong.
"Time's…UP!" Professor Slughorn announced happily before he started moving around the room again, examining the various antidotes. While his back was turned, Hermione tried to discretely add a few more ingredients to her cauldron, stopping a moment later when Slughorn turned back around. When Slughorn finally reached their table, he avoided Ernie and Ron's cauldron and gave an exhausted Hermione an amused look before turning his attention completely to Harry's cauldron. He examined the now bluish substance for a long moment before giving Harry a congratulatory slap on the back. "Well done, Harry, well done!" Slughorn said excitedly. "And one of the more difficult poisons out of the bunch. You certainly have your mother's talent!"
At the sound of the bell, everyone started packing up. Slughorn just shook his head while chuckling and waddled back to his desk. Harry motioned for Ron and Hermione to go ahead, knowing that he would have to make his first move when Slughorn was in an extremely good mood. He would start with a common area of interest and they could work from there.
When they were the only two left in the room, Harry pulled out his potions journal and approached Slughorn. "Sir?" Harry asked tentatively. "I was hoping I could ask you something."
Professor Slughorn looked at Harry with a smile on his face as he snapped the gold clasps on his dragonskin briefcase shut. "Ask away, then, my dear boy, ask away," he said cheerfully.
Harry let out a nervous breath. Common ground, Harry. That's all this is. "Sir, I have a few questions about love potions," he said.
Slughorn looked at Harry in surprise. "Love potions?" he asked. "What would you need love potions for, my boy?"
Harry stared at Slughorn, completely horrified at the accusation. "Oh, I don't need them, sir," he said quickly. "I was wondering about countering them. There isn't much in our text book and they are rather popular this year. They're one of the more popular items stocked at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes."
Slughorn smiled knowingly. "Ah," he said as he sat down. "I understand the problem, my boy. You see, there isn't much in the text book about love potions to prevent young witches and wizards from using them. The antidotes can be extremely dangerous if they are brewed incorrectly because they, like love potions, alter someone's emotional state extremely quickly."
Harry pulled out his quill from his school bag and started taking a few notes. "So if the antidote was too strong, it could send someone into depression?" he asked in amazement.
Professor Slughorn nodded. "I'm afraid so," he said seriously. "There is also the problem with the strength of the love potion. Unlike most potions, love potions tend to strengthen with time. Imagine, my boy, going from an extreme high to an extreme low in a matter of seconds. If someone were to digest a strengthened love potion, that alters the composition of the antidote completely. I believe the antidote in the text book is a mild version of the commonly used antidote for all love potions. Drinking the weaker antidote with dampen the infatuation to a more tolerable level. Of course, if the love potion was digested after the recommended date, it may be of little use."
Harry asked a few more questions about identifying expired love potions, playing the role of the polite and inquisitive student. When he was finished, Harry apologized for taking up Slughorn's time but Slughorn insisted that it had been a pleasure. "It's extremely rare to find someone with such a thirst for the specifics of potions at such a young age," Slughorn beamed. "If you have any more questions, my dear boy, you're more then welcomed to ask."
Leaving the dungeons, Harry could only think of one thing. Step one, completed.