Caledonia Lilia Snape

2.9: Untitled Part 19

The sand in the hourglass swirled ever slowly as Professor Slughorn tapped on the glass. The man turned and looked surprised to see the young, sharp looking boy still standing in his room. "Look sharp, Tom. You don't want to be caught out of bed after hours..."

The young teenager only smirked, his skin flawless and his hair not out of place much like his suit. He was young and has promised that he would grow up into a very handsome man, but his eyes held no warmth. He haughtily said, "I know a secret shortcut or two."

Professor Slughorn, several decades younger than he was nodded, "Yes, I imagine you do. Something on your mind, Tom?"

"Yes, sir. I couldn't think of anyone else to go to. The other professors, well, they're not like you. They might... misunderstand." The youth drawled carefully and ever so articulately despite his status as a poor orphan. One would think he was an epitome of a pureblood child.

Interested, Slughorn faced the boy. "Go on."

"I was in the library the other night, in the restricted section, and I read something rather odd, about a bit of rare magic, and I thought perhaps you could illuminate me." He paused a bit and said, "It's called, as I understand it..." However, the voice became distorted then Slughorn looked horrified before turning furious.

"I beg your pardon. I don't know anything about such a thing, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" The man moved to shoo Tom Riddle out of his office. "Now, get out of here at once, and don't let me ever catch you mentioning it again!"

The memory ended and Caledonia found herself in the headmaster's office again. She looked thoughtfully at the elderly man before her. He asked, "Confused? I would be surprised if you weren't."

"The memory..." She started and waited as Dumbledore moved around to stand by her side.

"Tampered. Yes, it's perhaps the most important memory I've collected, and it's also a lie." Caledonia took a sharp intake, looking down to the silvery surface of the pensive. "This memory has been tampered with. In this case by the person whose memory it is, our friend Professor Slughorn."

"Why would he tamper with it?" She asked, skimming her hand on the top of the silvery surface.

"I suspect he is ashamed of it."

"Why?"

"Why indeed." Dumbledore dipped his blackened fingers into the pensive, and it came out as it was before the curse as he held the liquid in his cupped hand. "I asked you to get to know Professor Slughorn, and you have done so. Now I want you to persuade him to divulge his true memory. Anyway, you can, within your limit." His eyes twinkled at that and allowed the liquid to seep through his fingers, returning it to blackened cursed hand. "You are the Chosen One, like Harry Potter; and Horace is, at heart, a decent man. Provided the proper circumstances and he will confess his sins." He allowed his arm to drop. "This memory is everything, without it, we are blind. Without it, we leave the fate of our world to chance. You have no choice, and you must not fail."

Caledonia allowed her finger to break the surface of the swirling liquid and looked in surprise that her feminine finger turned into masculine and she took her finger out and stared at her now feminine one. "Can I approach him as Harry Potter; won't I have a better chance to get the memory from him?"

Dumbledore sighed wearily and sat at his desk, rubbing his forehead. "I am afraid that is not possible." He looked up at her. "You see; we only have three vials of the polyjuice potion left. There are no more due that we have used up what is left of Harry Potter. It is wise to save the three for times that are far more important. To use it on an endeavor that most likely would be a waste is unwise."