Chapter 2
It had been about a week since Slughorn had fled from the decrepit Tavern and witnessed the disturbing criminal side of the wizarding world, and he was starting to get desperate. He had been traveling from place to place, trying to find a safe haven where he could lay low and avoid the Yaxley and whatever other Death Eaters might be after him for more than just a night. He was even so desperate that he spent one night on a muggle train. But everywhere he went, it seemed that danger lurked around every corner and he couldn't get rid of the image of Yaxleys face, seared into his mind's eye.
Over the past few weeks Slughorn has seen his fair share of sin. He even heard rumors of former students, of his people he had thought were good and kind, join the ranks of the Death Eaters, he realized that the line between good and evil was far more blurry than he had ever imagined.
It was a realization that filled him with a sense of dread. Slughorn knew that if he stayed in the wizarding world, it was only a matter of time before someone sold him out to the Death Eaters. He couldn't bear the thought of being responsible for the downfall of others, or worse, aiding in the rise of another dark lord.
That's why he had decided to enter the muggle world, a place in which he was completely unrecognizable. A place where nobody could sell him out if they wanted to. It was a drastic move, but Slughorn knew that it was the only way to keep himself safe.
It was on a particularly cold and rainy night that Slughorn found himself wandering the streets of a quiet suburban neighborhood, trying to find a place to take shelter. He had always been a bit of a loner, and the thought of knocking on someone's door and asking for help would have normally been out of the question, but he was getting so desperate it almost seemed like a viable option. He knew that he couldn't keep running forever, and so he gritted his teeth and forged ahead.
As he walked, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over him. He had always loved the muggle world, with its bright lights and bustling streets. It was so different from the dark and dangerous world he had been living in lately. He longed for the simple pleasures of his former life, and he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever be able to go back.
It was as he was passing a local coffee shop that Slughorn overheard a conversation between two muggles that piqued his interest.
"I can't believe we're finally going to Thailand, Sarah!" said the man, who Slughorn presumed was her husband, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "I've always wanted to visit the beaches there and try all the amazing food, and we will have a whole week to explore!."
"I know, me too," replied Sarah, grinning from ear to ear. "I can't wait to see the elephants and visit all the temples. It's going to be so beautiful and peaceful. This time tomorrow we will be in true paradise."
"I heard scuba diving is amazing too," said the man. "We have to make sure we do that. And I want to try out that street food we've been hearing-"
The muggle's conversation faded into noise, all that Slughorn really heard was that this couple would be out of their home for a full week. Could this finally be the break he was looking for?
He waited until the muggles had left, and then cast a disillusionment charm on himself to blend in with the crowds. He followed the married couple at a safe distance, keeping an eye on them as they made their way home. It was a bit of a risk, but Slughorn was desperate. He knew that he needed a safe place to lay low, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
When the muggles arrived at their house, Slughorn made a mental note of the location and decided to come back in the morning when he was sure they would have left.
"Looks like it's another night on the muggle tube for me," Slughorn thought to himself.
The following morning the potions master approached the house, his heart racing with excitement and anticipation. The home was a modest, two-story structure with a brick façade and a small front yard. A concrete walkway led from the street to the front door, which was painted a pale blue color and had a brass knocker. The windows on the ground floor were adorned with white lace curtains, and a small, potted plant sat on the windowsill of one of them. The roof was made of red clay tiles and sloped downwards towards the back of the house. A single-car driveway ran along the side of the house and ended in a small garage at the back. The house was situated in a quiet neighborhood, and the only sounds that could be heard were the occasional bird chirping and the distant hum of cars on the nearby road. A beautiful little home that Slughorn would certainly not mind living in.
He knew that he had to be careful, but he was confident that he could pull this off. He carefully studied the security system, not knowing what to do about it. A former muggle born student once brought these security systems up in class during a discussion on security charms. The student explained to his class, and professor, that these systems could be activated to call the muggle aurors, or police, as they call them. After a quarter of an hour of tapping his wand and muttering incantations, the system spoke out in its robot voice, "Alarm, disarmed."
"Ah, simple," he chuckled.
Within moments of entering the house, Slughorn realized he was not alone. He saw a large pitbull and locked eyes with it. The beast must have heard Slughorn outside fiddling with the alarm and been waiting on the other side of the door for him. The dog was a large and muscular animal with short, sleek fur that glinted in the sunlight. Its jaws were wide and powerful, and its eyes seemed to gleam with a sinister intelligence. It began to charge at the intruder, ready to defend its home. The mutts claws scratching against the floorboards, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The dog was ferocious, its barking and growling echoing through the small house. In a moment of pure instinct, he pulled out his wand, pointed it at the dog and shouted, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
Instantly, the dog collapsed to the ground, its body frozen in place, only a faint whistle coming from the dog's nostrils. Slughorn let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he had managed to neutralize the threat without harming the beast. But he knew that he couldn't leave the dog like this for the entire week that the muggles would be gone. He needed to keep the dog asleep without having to constantly reapply the charm or feed it.
He remembered that he had a potion in his bag that was specifically designed for this purpose. It was a powerful sleeping potion that could keep a creature unconscious for an extended period of time without the need for any maintenance, no food and water, that is. He quickly retrieved the potion from his bag and poured it down the dog's throat, hoping that it would be enough to keep the animal asleep for the entire week.
To his relief, the potion seemed to work perfectly, despite it being intended for humans. The whistle from the dog's nose slowly morphed into a deep and somber snoring. The dog remained in a deep, peaceful sleep, oblivious to the world around it.
After a moment to catch his breath, Slughorn pointed his wand at the animal, and thought, "wingardium leviosa." With that nonverbal incantation, he was gently levitating the hundred pound dog onto the couch. After making sure that the dog was securely on the cushion, he couldn't resist the urge to make the animal as comfortable as possible. He gently lifted the blanket that he had brought with him and carefully tucked it around the dog's body, making sure that it was warm and cozy. As he worked, he couldn't help but feel a sense of affection for the animal. Despite the danger it had posed, he knew that it was just an innocent creature, caught up in circumstances beyond its control.
As he finished tucking in the blanket, he couldn't resist the urge to give the dog a little pat on the head. It was a small gesture, but it made him feel better somehow. He knew that he had to be careful, seeing as if the dog were to wake up, it surely would not show him the same level of treatment.
After his close call with the guard dog, Slughorn made his way to the master bedroom. As entered, he was struck by the clutter and disarray that seemed to fill every inch of the room. The bed was unmade, with sheets and blankets tangled up and thrown haphazardly across the mattress. Clothes were scattered about the floor, and several pairs of shoes lay tossed about in a seemingly random fashion. A dresser was overflowing with various items of clothing and jewelry, and the nightstand was cluttered with books, papers, and various knick-knacks. The room had a stuffy, stagnant feel to it, as if it had not been aired out in some time.
Slughorn flicked his wand and suddenly everything started magically finding its way to where it belonged. The clothes were being folded in mid air as the cabinet drawers opened to receive them. The bed was being made by an invisible pair of hands, and finally, the window opened by itself to allow for some fresh air.
"That's better," Slughorn said to himself as he made his way to a comfy looking lounge chair in the corner of the room. As he sat down he opened up his briefcase and pointed his wand inside it. All the pictures of him and his former students levitated out and neatly arranged themselves on a shelf overlooking the bed. "Just like home," he said with a smile on his face.
The next morning, Slughorn was startled by the sound of someone unlocking the door. He froze, how could this be? The muggles aren't supposed to be home for another five days? His heart raced with fear. He knew that he had to be careful, but he didn't know what to do. He considered disapparating but he really did not want to leave yet if he did not need to. Not to mention all his stuff was still out and about.
He peered out the window and saw a young woman - could not be more than seventeen - standing on the porch, looking worried. She seemed to be calling for the dog, and Slughorn realized with a sinking feeling that she must be a muggle that had come to dog-sit while the homeowners were away.
Slughorn knew that he had to think fast. He couldn't let the woman see him, or she would know he was trespassing. He quickly cast a spell to make himself invisible and slipped out of the house, hoping to avoid detection. He planned on coming back in an hour or so when she was gone. But as he was sneaking around the side of the house, he tripped over a stray dog toy and went tumbling to the ground with a loud thud, breaking his concentration and therefore the disillusionment charm. The woman turned at the sound and gasped in surprise.
Slughorn quickly scrambled to his feet, his heart racing with fear. He knew that he had to do something, and fast. He reached for his wand and murmured "emperio." It had been decades since Slughorn casted one of the unforgivable curses, he was hoping that it would be enough to make the woman forget about the incident and leave.
As soon as the words left his lips, Slughorn felt a sense of warmth travel down his arm and out the tip of his wand. The young girl's facial features softened, she looked completely relaxed. Slughorn spoke in his head to the woman, "you never saw me here, you will not remember this. You believe that you have come to this house and walked and fed the dog everyday while the homeowners are away. You will, however, not return for the remainder of the week. Go home."
Slughorn lowered his wand slowly, and to his relief, the curse seemed to work. The woman looked dazed and confused for a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders and walked away, convinced that she had taken care of the pitbull everyday of the week that the muggles were gone. Slughorn let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he had been able to avoid detection.
Later that night Slughorn climbed into the muggles bathtub, muttered "aguamenti," filling the tub with warm water around him. He layed back, staring at the ceiling as he sipped on some red wine that he had helped himself to from the muggles liquor cabinet. He had been trying to relax and enjoy the moment, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling of guilt that had been gnawing at him all evening. He had always prided himself on his moral code, and the thought of using one of the unforgivable curses had always filled him with disgust. In his youth he had casted all three of them on a dung beetle while alone in his home, just out of a sense of morbid curiosity, and to see if he could. But after witnessing the effects, even on a creature as simple as a beetle, he vowed to never use them on another human being. And yet, here he was, having used the imperius curse on a defenseless muggle.
He tried to justify it to himself, telling himself that he had had no choice. He had been backed into a corner, and he had had to do something to protect himself. It wasn't like he had wanted to use the curse, he had just had to.
But even as he tried to convince himself, he knew that it wasn't true. The imperious curse gives the caster complete control over their victim, robbing them of their autonomy and allowing the user to manipulate them like a puppet. All reasonable wizards knew that was an evil thing to do and that was why it was highly illegal. "But I had too," Slughorn would think to himself.
However, those were empty words. When he was honest with himself, he knew he had other options. He could have fled, or tried to reason with the woman. Even a simple confundus charm would have been enough to confuse her and let him escape. But he had let fear and desperation cloud his judgment, and he had acted on pure instinct, like a feral animal.
He let out a sigh, feeling a wave of self-loathing wash over him. How could he have been so foolish? He had always prided himself on being a good person, and yet he had done something that he knew was wrong. He had violated one of the most fundamental laws of the wizarding world, and there was no going back.
He drained the last of his wine and set the glass down on the edge of the tub. He was tired and overwhelmed, and he just couldn't seem to focus. The wine and the warm water were making him drowsy, and before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep, much like the dog on the couch in the room below.