Change the Future

HBP 12

The next day Harry confided in both Ron and Hermione the task that Dumbledore had set him, though separately, for Hermione still refused to remain in Ron's presence longer than it took to give him a contemptuous look. Ron thought that Harry was unlikely to have any trouble with Slughorn at all.

"He loves you," he said over breakfast, waving an airy forkful of fried egg. "Won't refuse you anything, will he? Not his little Potions Prince. Just hang back after class this afternoon and ask him." Hermione, however, took a gloomier view.

"He must be determined to hide what really happened if Dumbledore couldn't get it out of him," she said in a low voice, as they stood in the deserted, snowy courtyard at break. "Horcruxes. Horcruxes. I've never even heard of them"

"You haven't?"

"They must be really advanced Dark Magic, or why would Voldemort have wanted to know about them? I think it's going to be difficult to get the information, Harry, you'll have to be very careful about how you approach Slughorn, think out a strategy"

"Ron reckons I should just hang back after Potions this afternoon"

"Oh, well, if Won-Won thinks that, you'd better do it," she said, flaring up at once. "After all, when has Won-Won's judgment ever been faulty?"

"Someone was seriously jealous" Rory says as George nods in agreement.

"Like seriously" Marlene adds.

"Hermione, can't you?"

"No!" she said angrily, and stormed away, leaving Harry alone and ankle-deep in snow.

Harry dawdled behind after potions, taking an inordinate amount of time to do up his bag. Neither Ron nor Hermione wished him luck as they left; both looked rather annoyed. At last Harry and Slughorn were the only two left in the room.

"Come on, now, Harry, you'll be late for your next lesson," Slughorn said affably, snapping the gold clasps shut on his dragon-skin briefcase.

"Sir, I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away, then, my dear boy, ask away"

"Sir, I wondered what you know about about Horcruxes?" Slughorn froze. His round face seemed to sink in upon itself. He licked his lips and said hoarsely,

"What did you say?"

"I asked whether you know anything about Horcruxes, sir. You see"

"Dumbledore put you up to this," whispered Slughorn. His voice had changed completely. It was not genial anymore, but shocked, terrified. He fumbled in his breast pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, mopping his sweating brow. "Dumbledore's shown you that - that memory. Well? Hasn't he?"

"Yes," Harry said, deciding on the spot that it was best not to lie.

"Yes, of course," Slughorn said quietly, still dabbing at his white face. "Of course well, if you've seen that memory, Harry, you'll know that I don't know anything anything" he repeated the word forcefully "about Horcruxes." He seized his dragon-skin briefcase, stuffed his handkerchief back into his pocket, and marched to the dungeon door.

"Sir," Harry said desperately, "I just thought there might be a bit more to the memory -"

"Did you?" said Slughorn. "Then you were wrong, weren't you? WRONG!" He bellowed the last word and, before Harry could say another word, slammed the dungeon door behind him.