Twenty-one: Christmas memories
As the grand Slug Club Christmas party approached, Ginny got more and more nervous. She'd promised herself to stick around until the end and then hopefully wheedle the memory out of a Slughorn intoxicated by alcohol and adoration of his contacts. However, she was painfully aware that her plan did not extend much further than that. How did one start a conversation like that? She doubted asking Slughorn if he knew anything about Horcruxes would have the desired effect. She really needed Astoria's input here, but she did not dare to flout Dumbledore's restrictions. Despite being more away from the castle than anything, he remained dangerously well-informed. Besides, it wasn't exactly unreasonable what he asked of her. She trusted Astoria with her life, but if Voldemort found out they knew about his Horcruxes, a lot more lives would suddenly hang in the balance.
So instead Ginny prepared for the confrontation alone, even as she happily let Astoria handle the issue of their outfits. As it was a Christmas party, whatever limited restraint Tori had showed before was apparently no longer in order. She was pulling out all the stops from what Ginny had gleaned so far and things had only gotten worse once she'd heard several members of the Weird Sisters would be attending.
At least that had put a stop to any plans for bringing along a date. After the McLaggen incident, most had kept their distance - though she doubted many would have asked her anyway in her current state. Astoria, on the other hand, had seemingly been fending off proposals all week, ranging from the genuinely interested to those who simply wanted a free ticket to what had somehow become 'the most exclusive Hogwarts event of the year' as Astoria liked to put it.
That was why the two of them ended up in the Room of Requirement again, preparing for the party together. Unlike last time, Astoria had taken a more colourful approach, ending up in a long red dress that left arms and shoulders bare.
"You look like a Witch Weekly model," Ginny remarked as her friend critically studied her reflection.
"Hardly, but at least it's festive. A bit too Gryffindor perhaps," she added, comparing the colour of her dress to the one of Ginny's tie. "Did you hear a vampire would be attending? Do you think it's smart to show this much collarbone in that case?" A worried frown appeared on her face.
"I doubt Slughorn will allow his party to end up in slaughter," Ginny replied. "Is that why you're wearing so much silver?" she asked, gesturing at the necklace, earrings and bracelets her friend was sporting.
"I just like silver," Astoria said, blushing slightly. "But yes. It was that or garlic perfume and I doubt that'd endear me to the Weird Sisters."
"Aren't they a little old for you?"
"A bit, yes. But that doesn't mean they can't still get me VIP tickets to their next show," she said, adjusting her lavaliere necklace.
"Just don't leave me alone tonight, alright? Nobody at the party likes me," Ginny said.
"Oh come on, Ginny-"
"McLaggen, Zabini, those Carrow creeps," she said, counting on her fingers as she summed them up.
"That leaves Carmichael still," Astoria countered and then laughed. "Fine, I got your back. Just promise you'll intervene if Daphne and I get into a fight."
"She's invited?"
"Zabini's date," Astoria said with a shrug. "Don't worry, I know what she'll be wearing. Our dresses are better."
"If you say so," Ginny said, studying her own reflection. She had to hand it to Astoria, the long purple dress was gorgeous. Also, it came with long sleeves and a long hem. This way, only the scars on her face and neck were on display and those were partially obscured by her hair, which Astoria had spent half an hour on. "We're not exactly colour-coordinated though, are we?"
"No," Astoria admitted with a sigh. "But I really needed to see you in purple. Also, the only other dress I had was a white one and, well, I'm quite sure you wouldn't think that one decent."
"Is it that bad?"
"I don't think so. You might disagree," Astoria said, fixing her hair with three small silver clasps.
"The vampire's not going to bite your head, Tori," Ginny said.
"Not mine he won't," she said with a grin. "All right, let's go."
If Astoria had shown little restraint, Slughorn had shown none. His office, large to begin with, had somehow reached proportions similar to that of a ballroom. Instead of showing the usual array of pictures, the walls had been draped with hangings in Christmas colours and what looked like massive Christmas balls floated over the audience, casting a positively merry yellow light over the occasion. Despite being almost punctual this time –Astoria hadn't had to explain anymore how her far too complicated camera worked - the place was already brimming with people, elderly witches and wizards mingling with the younger generation.
"A bit gauche," Astoria muttered. "And the hangings are a different colour red than my dress, wonderful."
"Ladies," Slughorn declared as he made his way towards them through the crowd. He plucked two flutes of champagne from a tray supported by a house- elf and presented them with a flourish. "Welcome, radiant as always."
"We try to rise to the occasion," Astoria said.
"And risen you have. Cheers," Slughorn declared, raising his own glass. Judging by the colour of his cheeks, it wasn't his first one. That was at least going according to plan.
"Thank you for hosting this, Professor, quite a welcome change from the usual Hogwarts Christmas celebrations," Ginny said.
"Isn't it?" he agreed. "I really don't understand Dumbledore, you'd think a man as eccentric as him would know how to throw a proper party. Ah well, fortunately for you all, I have returned. Now, have you met Corban Yaxley?" he asked, steering them towards a tall man who was refilling his glass with punch at the bar. "He was just telling me how much he enjoys working with your father, Miss Weasley."
Yaxley looked up when he heard them approach and raised his glass in a silent toast. He reminded Ginny of the many statues dotting Hogwarts' halls, his eyes just as cold, his features just as sharp. Something about him made Ginny's hair stand on end and she could feel Astoria stiffen slightly next to her.
"Ladies," he greeted them, his voice low and with lurking tension, like the low rumble of thunder in the distance. "Horace has been most complimentary of both of you."
"I was just telling them about your cooperation with Arthur Weasley."
"Ah yes, our new head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects," Yaxley said with the fluency of a practiced bureaucrat. "A most deserved promotion."
"Thank you, Mister Yaxley," she said, trying not to squirm under his searching look. Unlike most people, he didn't look at the scars. His eyes were firmly locked onto her eyes.
"Corban is one of the up-and-coming stars of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Slughorn supplied. "Head of the Auror's Office Investigation Department."
"You make it sound more spectacular than it actually is, Horace," Yaxley said, sipping from his glass without his eyes ever leaving Ginny. "And at my age, I doubt I can still qualify as an up-and-coming man. I think Kingsley Shacklebolt is more deserving of that title. I understand you know him as well?" he asked, smiling in a way that Ginny could only describe as insincere. His lips curled upwards, but the rest of his face remained impassive.
"I've seen him before," she dissembled, earning her a stiff nod from Yaxley.
"And you must be Lord Greengrass' daughter," Yaxley said, now shifting his gaze to Astoria even as Slughorn disentangled himself to speak with another one of the new arrivals, two men of whom one was so pale that Ginny started to believe the rumours about a vampire in attendance.
"His youngest, yes. My older sister Daphne is over there," Astoria said, gesturing at Daphne who stood in a corner, clad in a brilliant white dress and laughing far too loudly at some warlock's comment.
"Your father is a lucky man to have such lovely daughters who keep such… varied company," he said, eyes sliding from Ginny to Blaise Zabini who was standing next to Daphne. A few surface scars still remained from Ginny's curse, though they had been getting progressively better over the months.
Yaxley sipped from his glass again and an uncomfortable silence descended upon them. Astoria, who was normally the first to fill any silence that lasted longer than five seconds remained unusually silent as Ginny racked her brain for any mention of Yaxley by her father, but she drew a blank.
"How do you and my father know each other, Mister Yaxley?" she asked eventually.
"Strictly through work, I fear. Though to be honest, I am more familiar with your brother Percy. We both assist and advise the Minister on a variety of matters. A most diligent, ambitious young man. He'll go far, no doubt. What we do is perhaps not quite as… heroic as the work of some at the Auror office, but we all have our part to play in the war," he said, his gaze falling on her scars for the first time. "But here I am spoiling such a wonderful evening with such dreary talk. I will leave you to it," Yaxley said, bowing at each of them and then heading towards Snape, who looked like he had never hated his existence more.
"Strange man," Astoria said.
"He gives me the shivers," Ginny admitted. Her hand had begun to shake softly and she willed it to still. After another sip of champagne, it actually did.
"I'll ask dad about him when I go home. I think he's a Pureblood, so dad ought to know his whole lineage," Astoria said as she headed for a house-elf offering canapés. She popped one in her mouth and much to Ginny's disappointment, didn't turn into a canary. If Fred and George had still been at Hogwarts, they would have had a ball on a night like this.
"I think that's your vampire by the way," Ginny said, gesturing at the pale man.
"I saw him. I'm wondering if we can maybe sick him on McLaggen?" she asked, shaking her head in his direction. Ever since Ginny had told Astoria of the incident after their Quidditch victory, she'd been devising progressively more gruesome ways to dispatch him. That Demelza had already gotten to hex him seemed to be a sore point. "Has he given you any trouble since?"
"No, nothing, he just ignores me now. A major relief."
"And the Quidditch Team?"
"We're considering our options. Good Keepers seem to be in short supply, but our next game's not until March, so we still have some time."
"And even then, it's only the game against Hufflepuff. What really matters is the game against Ravenclaw. If Chang wins, I'll have no choice but to hex her."
"You're particularly sanguine tonight," Ginny remarked, though she couldn't disagree with the sentiment.
"Probably the alcohol. Let's get some pumpkin juice instead," Astoria said, handing her empty glass to a very enthusiastic house-elf. "And then we go talk with the Weird Sisters. Shame the singer isn't here, he's my favourite."
"At least the lead guitarist is here, as well as the drummer. Imagine getting stuck with the bass player," Ginny quipped.
As it turned out, the bassist may have been preferable. Brilliant musicians as they may be, both the guitarist and the drummer turned out absolute bores right up to the point that they downed their tenth drink of the evening, at which they began nattering about how it wasn't easy being a rockstar. When Ginny and Astoria finally managed to remove themselves from the conversation, the party was slowly dying down.
"Well, shall we call it a night?"
"You go ahead. There's something I want to ask Slughorn," she said.
"Gwenog Jones' Floo address?" Astoria asked. " A proper shame she didn't attend."
"No you dolt. It's for-" She paused and looked around to make sure no one was within hearing distance. "Dumbledore."
"Ooooh. Well, good luck in that case," Astoria said, giving her a quick hug before joining the flow of people leaving.
Ginny emptied her glass of pumpkin juice and wished it was Firewhisky instead. She could do this, she told herself. Slughorn liked her. It was just a friendly question, nothing like facing off against Death Eaters. She took a deep breath and headed towards Slughorn, who was studying the empty office with an air of satisfaction. Without any guests in it, it gave off a very different impression, like a train station after the last train had left. An atmosphere of gaiety still lingered, but was rapidly leaving the building.
"Ah, Miss Weasley, what can I do for you?" he asked when he spotted her. "If it's the recipe for the punch, I'm afraid I can't help you just yet, but I already promised Mister Worple I'd ask the Elves."
"That's alright, professor Slughorn. I wanted to thank you for arranging this, I had a great night," she said.
"Happy to hear it, Miss Weasley. The world can always do with another party, especially in times like these," he added sadly.
"I actually wanted to talk to you about that, Professor.";
"The war? Of course, hold up," Slughorn said, sobering up. With a flick of his wand, two chairs drifted over. "Such discussions are best held seated, don't you think?"
"Agreed," Ginny said, glad to be off her feet. "You know I was at the Department of Mysteries when it happened, Professor?"
"Yes, yes. Terrible business, really. So many promising witches and wizards lost," he said gravely. "I'm quite sure all of them would have been present here otherwise," he added, sounding a bit like a collector who missed out on a rare treasure. "And for you personally, it must have been even worse, having been there. Having seen it all…" he murmured, voice trailing off. "Do those scars still give you trouble? If you wish, I could inquire among my friends. While I don't wish to question the people at St. Mungo's, I do know a few exceptional healers and potioneers," he offered.
Slughorn sounded so genuinely concerned that Ginny was tempted to just leave it at that and tell Dumbledore she'd tried and failed. But then she thought of losses of memory and waking up with blood on her hands, of snakes slipping through pipes and petrifying people with a mere glance, of a high cold laugh and a green curse as Harry collapsed.
"Thank you, Professor, but I fear there's not much to be done about curse scars," she said, fidgeting with the golden bracelet Astoria had loaned her. "As you know, my family's very involved with the war."
"Yes, most admirable," Slughorn said more slowly.
"And I was wondering if you could help us with something."
"And that would be?" he asked, eyes narrowing as he sensed her game.
"It's about Horcruxes," she said.
"Dumbledore put you up to this, didn't he?" Slughorn said, his tone devoid of his usual amiability. "Well, in that case I'm sure you're well aware I know nothing of Horcruxes. Goodnight, Miss Weasley." He rose rather stiffly and headed towards the door that she suspected led to his private chambers.
Ginny thought of Dumbledore, and his dire pronouncements. The outcome of this war could hinge on that memory. She needed to get it, no matter what. Harry wouldn't have been afraid, she told herself as she prepared to share a story she'd sworn never to speak off.
"Did you hear about the Chamber of Secrets being opened four years ago?" Ginny asked. The seeming non sequitur stopped Slughorn in his tracks. "It was Voldemort who did it. Or more precisely, Tom Riddle. A Horcrux was smuggled into Hogwarts. It possessed a student and forced her to unleash the Basilisk."
"I did not know that," Slughorn said, turning around.
"Not many do. I only know because… " she hesitated.
Years of silence, shame and sibilant voices protested her every word, encouraging, commanding her to stay silent. She could hear Tom whisper, but couldn't make out his words, drowned out as they were by the hiss of the Basilisk. Her arm was shaking, her scars were burning and she could feel the ones on her throat almost strangle her, spreading all over her neck, all over her face. She let out a soft choking sound as tears welled in her eyes. She vaguely noticed Slughorn running towards her.
Be quiet, Tom hissed. She could see him standing there in the corner of the room, holding her wand. You're mine and I won't allow you betray my secrets.
He was killing her somehow, she knew it. I'm sorry, Harry, she thought. I tried. But maybe she would see him again now. Maybe she'd hear him call her Gin again.
And suddenly, she could breathe again. She gasped and panted as the tremors subsided and the scars stopped burning. She gingerly touched the left side of her neck, afraid of what she'd find, but the skin was still unmarked. Had she imagined it all?
"Are you all right, my girl?" Slughorn asked, kneeling in front of her and eyes thick with concern. Suddenly the words came tumbling out.
"It was me. I was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. I'd been given a cursed diary containing a memory and soul of an adolescent Tom Riddle. The whole year, he whispered to me. Isolated me. Used me. And when I'd done his dirty work, he tried to kill me to resurrect himself. If not for Harry, he'd have succeeded," she gasped out. Slughorn stared at her in horror, at a loss for words.
"I still dream of it. A dark chamber filled with bones. A gargantuan serpent. Tom Riddle pulling my strings as he took my first year. And now he's taken my friends as well. My brother. The boy I love," she stammered. "He's taken almost everything from me. I dream of it every night. His smile. His laugh. His Death Eaters killing my friends. And still it's not enough. Still he takes more."
"I'm sorry, Ginny," Slughorn said, putting his chair next to her and draping an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry you've had to experience all this because I was a foolish, vain man."
A single empty vial floated towards them. She watched as Slughorn filled it with a silver strand from his temple, a look of sad concentration on his face as he did so. He pressed it into her hands without another word.
"Is this…"
"Yes," Slughorn said simply. "I'd understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore after you've seen it, but know my office will always be open to you."
"Thank you, Professor," she said, sniffling softly as he handed her a handkerchief, a beautiful one bearing his initials that made her wonder if he and Astoria had the same supplier.
"You remind me of Lily Evans, you know. Mister Potter's mother. Yet another brilliant student I failed." Only now she noticed he was fighting back tears himself.
Without another word, Slughorn shuffled away as Ginny clutched the vial that should tell them how many Horcruxes Voldemort had made. As soon as the door had fallen shut behind the Potions master, leaving her alone among the empty glasses and bowls, she drew her wand and summoned her Patronus.
"I have it," she told the shining horse.