Thanks for all the lovely reviews. Each and everyone of them makes me so incredibly happy.
acciovader I am procrastinating so much it's horrible. Everyday I sit down in front of my computer and tell myself to write all day but then I don't... I do hope Snape is not OOC or anything. But we only see Snape through Draco's eyes and they get along fine, so I don't see much reason to portray him as the person JKR portrayed him as. Harry also doesn't hate him as much as he does in the original timeline, because Snape helped Sirius, he didn't get Lupin fired and he didn't get Sirius killed.
EvieXIX Thanks :) Good point. I (and Draco) kind of neglected Astoria and her curse a bit with everything that has been going on. There will be a bit about her curse and her relationship with Draco in the next chapter.
tobidragneel117 The chapter in which Neville confronts Draco is my favorite. There are some other parts in the story where he has to make morally questionable choices (eg obliviating Crabbe and Goyle) which show that doing the right thing is not always so straightforward in a world that isn't just black and white. There will definitely be more moments like these in the future chapters.
Read, enjoy and review :)
"Ah, good morning, boys," greeted Dumbledore agreeably the next morning as soon as the duo had entered his office. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"We got it," Harry beamed, waving the vial with Slughorn's memory in front of Dumbledore's face.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and a small smile graced his lips. "Spectacular news. I knew you could do it."
Dumbledore took the vial, hurried around his desk and made for the Pensieve.
"And now, we shall see." With that he poured the contents into the Pensieve and motioned the two boys to follow him.
All three entered the Pensieve.
The first thing Draco noticed once the world stopped spinning, was a much younger version of Slughorn. Had his still thick and shiny hair and mustache not given his identity away, his demeanor most certainly would have. He was sitting in the comfortable winged armchair in his office, his feet resting upon a velvet pouffe. He had a glass of wine in one hand, the other was rummaging in a box of crystallized pineapple. The whole situation screamed Slughorn.
The scene was familiar, and not just because Slughorn hadn't changed all that much over the years. Dumbledore had shown Draco and Harry this memory at the beginning of the year. Only, this was the real, untampered memory.
A couple of teenage boys were sitting around Slughorn. A boy, who Draco correctly identified as Tom Riddle, was sitting in the center. Draco studied Riddle. The first time he had watched the memory he had focused on the overall going ons, but now he had time to observe the scene with all its details. Riddle looked smug. He seemed to be the leader of the group of students who were sitting around him. Draco's eyes fell on a gold–and–black ring on Riddle's finger.
"Headmaster," breathed Draco, as soon as he felt the wizard appear next to him. "The ring," he whispered.
Dumbledore just nodded his head and motioned Draco to observe the scene unfolding in front of them.
"Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?" Tom asked the younger version of Draco and Harry's Potions Professor.
"Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn't tell you," said Slughorn, wagging his finger reprovingly at Riddle, though winking at the same time. "I must say, I'd like to know where you get your information, boy, more knowledgeable than half the staff, you are." Riddle smiled; the other boys laughed and cast him admiring looks. "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 of the boys tittered again. "— I confidently expect you to rise to Minister of Magic within twenty years. Fifteen, if you keep sending me pineapple, I have excellent contacts at the Ministry." Tom Riddle merely smiled as the others laughed again.
Draco rolled his eyes. This was such typical Slughorn behavior.
"I don't know that politics would suit me, sir," he said when the laughter had died away. "I don't have the right kind of background, for one thing." A couple of the boys around him smirked at each other.
"Nonsense," said Slughorn briskly, "couldn't be plainer you come from decent Wizarding stock, abilities like yours. No, you'll go far, Tom, I've never been wrong about a student yet."
And he wouldn't be, Draco thought bitterly.
The small golden clock standing upon Slughorn's desk chimed eleven o'clock behind them and Slughorn looked around. "Good gracious, is it that time already? 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."
One by one, the boys filed out of the room. Slughorn heaved himself out of his armchair and carried his empty glass over to his desk. A movement behind him made him look around; Riddle was still standing there. "Look sharp, Tom, you don't want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect . . ."
"Sir, I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away..."
"Sir, I wondered what you know about... about Horcruxes?" Slughorn stared at him, his thick fingers absentmindedly caressing the stem of his wine glass.
"Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts, is it?"
"Not exactly, sir," said Riddle. "I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it."
Harry was staring at Draco during that part of the conversation. Perhaps he was wondering how Draco ever learned about the Horcruxes.
"No... well... you'd be hard-pushed to find a book at Hogwarts that'll give you details on Horcruxes, Tom, that's very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed," said Slughorn.
"But you obviously know all about them, sir? I mean, a wizard like you — sorry, I mean, if you can't tell me, obviously — I just knew if anyone could tell me, you could — so I just thought I'd ask —"
He sounded so hesitant and casual. Just enough flattery to get wanted, but not so much that it became obvious what he was doing. The Dark Lord at work. It wasn't too surprising that so many people would follow him later. He had a way with words, getting people to do exactly what he wanted them to do.
"Well," said Slughorn, not looking at Riddle, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystalized pineapple, "well, it can't hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul."
"I don't quite understand how that works, though, sir," said Riddle.
"Well, you split your soul, you see," said Slughorn, "and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form... few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable."
"How do you split your soul?"
"Well," said Slughorn uncomfortably, "you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature."
"But how do you do it?"
"By an act of evil — the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: He would encase the torn portion-"
"Encase? But how-?"
"There is a spell, do not ask me, I don't know!" said Slughorn, shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by mosquitoes. "Do I look as though I have tried it- do I look like a killer?"
"No, sir, of course not," said Riddle quickly. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend..."
"Not at all, not at all, not offended," said Slughorn gruffly. "It's natural to feel some curiosity about these things... Wizards of a certain caliber have always been drawn to that aspect of magic..."
"Yes, sir," said Riddle. "What I don't understand, though — just out of curiosity — I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven — ?"
"Merlin's beard, Tom!" yelped Slughorn. Harry looked just as shocked as Slughorn. Dumbledore seemed rather composed. "Seven! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case... bad enough to divide the soul... but to rip it into seven pieces..." Slughorn looked deeply troubled now: He was gazing at Riddle as though he had never seen him plainly before, and Harry could tell that he was regretting entering into the conversation at all. "Of course," he muttered, "this is all hypothetical, what we're discussing, isn't it? All academic..."
"Yes, sir, of course," said Riddle quickly. "But all the same, Tom... keep it quiet, what I've told — that's to say, what we've discussed. People wouldn't like to think we've been chatting about Horcruxes. It's a banned subject at Hogwarts, you know... Dumbledore's particularly fierce about it..."
"I won't say a word, sir," said Riddle, and he left, smiling a smile that made Draco's skin crawl.
The memory seemed to have come to a close.
"Let us go..." whispered Dumbledore.
When Harry and Draco landed back on the office floor Dumbledore was already sitting down behind his desk, a stern expression on his face.
Harry and Draco sat down as well.
"Seven Horcruxes?" Harry breathed, breaking the silence.
"Six," corrected Draco. "If he wants a seven-piece-soul he needs six Horcruxes."
"Oh, thanks," Harry groaned, "that's infinitely better, of course."
Draco rolled his eyes. The situation wasn't ideal, he had to admit, but it's not like they had to start at square one. "Don't be like that. We've already destroyed three. That's halfway done! That means the Dark Lord is already half dead."
"Half dead? You do mean half immortal. Which, you know, still means completely immortal."
"Didn't know you were such a pessimist," Draco laughed. Personally, he found knowing the number of Horcruxes quite reassuring. Now he knew why Dumbledore had needed that memory. An end was finally in sight. Three down, three to go. One of the remaining ones was a snake. So only two mystery Horcruxes left. And here they at least had hints. Objects of great significance, possibly related to Slytherin or Gryffindor in some way.
"I agree with Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore. "I have been hoping for this piece of evidence for a very long time. It confirms a theory of mine... This piece of information might enable us to destroy Voldemort before he even returns."
Draco noticed that all the portrays had stopped whatever they had been doing to listen in on their conversation.
"Since when exactly did you have this theory?" asked Draco.
"Ever since your second year," answered Dumbledore.
"The diary?" asked Harry.
Dumbledore nodded his head. "It first planted the idea of Horcruxes in my head. I did not see the Riddle who came out of the diary, but what you described to me, Harry, was a phenomenon I had never witnessed. A mere memory starting to act and think for itself? A mere memory, sapping the life out of the girl into whose hands it had fallen? No, something much more sinister had lived inside that book... a fragment of soul, I was almost sure of it. The diary had been a Horcrux. This theory was, of course, later confirmed," at that he glanced in Draco's direction.
Draco's head was spinning. What exactly had happened during Potter's second year?
"But even when I first learned about the diary I was certain that if it had indeed been a Horcrux, it could not possibly been his only one. The careless way in which Voldemort regarded this Horcrux seemed most ominous to me. It suggested that he must have made - or been planning to make - more Horcruxes, so that the loss of his first would not be so detrimental. I did not wish to believe it, but nothing else seemed to make sense."
"I still don't see how this helps us," said Harry. "We now know for certain that Voldemort is crazy, but we still don't know what the other Horcruxes are. And they could be anywhere - hidden, buried, invisible,..."
"While we might not know anything specific," Dumbledore agreed, "but we do know how many Horcruxes we have to find. And we know that Voldemort valued historic artifacts, preferably ones that at one point belonged to the Founders of Hogwarts. Voldemort would not put his precious soul in a tin can. The objects we are searching for bear some semblance of significance. And he hid them in significant places. I believe, from this, we might be able to make some educated guesses."
"Educated guesses," Harry repeated.
Draco didn't mind so much. The diadem and the cup had been educated guesses. And he had formed another while he had watched Slughorn's memory.
"The ring," Draco almost jumped out of his chair. He had nearly forgotten about it again.
"What ring?" asked Harry and Dumbledore just smiled knowingly.
"The one Riddle was wearing in the memory. I know a thing or two about pure-blood family heirlooms and that was one if ever I saw one."
"Astute observation, Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore. "What you have seen is the ring of Marvolo Gaunt."
"Gaunt?" Draco pondered. "Aren't the Gaunts descendants of Salazar Slytherin?" Who said that pure-blood knowledge was useless?
Dumbledore nodded his head. "And the Peverells. This is most definitely something I will look into. I will let you know what comes of it."
"Is it just me or does Voldemort have a thing for jewelry?" deadpanned Harry.
Draco laughed. "Maybe another aspect we can base our educated guesses on. We already have a ring and a crown, maybe one of the next Horcruxes will be a bracelet or a necklace."
"The Brooch of the Bloody Baron - it's got a nice ring to it," laughed Harry.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in amusement.
"So," Harry sobered up, "if we destroy all six Horcruxes, we will be able to kill him once and for all?"
"I believe so," nodded Dumbledore, "Voldemort will be a mortal man with a maimed and diminished soul. Never forget, though, that while his soul may be damaged beyond repair, his brain and his magical powers remain intact. It will take uncommon skill and power to kill a wizard like Voldemort even without his Horcruxes."
"But I haven't got uncommon skill and power," said Harry, before he could stop himself.
Draco found that he quite agreed. Not that he had anything against the boy anymore, but so far he had survived on what seemed to Draco to be nothing but dumb luck.
"Yes, you have," said Dumbledore firmly, but didn't add any further explanation. "We have covered a lot of ground today. I would like to thank the both of you for your excellent work. I believe I will have to do some research before we can continue our quest."
With that, Dumbledore dismissed the boys.
TBC
Not much happened in this chapter and a lot is obviously stolen from HP and the Half Blood Prince. But the conversation with Dumbledore is necessary and I had more written (this is only half of a chapter) but it got so long that I decided to split it up. Next chapter will feature Draco and Astoria and if that doesn't get too long also some Snape and Harry.
As always, let me know what you think.
Story suggestion: If I Lose Myself - By: EMPG22HoPe - A great canon-compliant Draco/Astoria story, dealing with Astoria's illness and how she and Draco started dating.