Change the Future

HBP 14

Harry crept back into the castle. The front door had remained unlocked for him, but on the third floor he met Peeves and only narrowly avoided detection by diving sideways through one of his shortcuts. By the time he got up to the portrait of the Fat Lady and pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, he was not surprised to find her in a most unhelpful mood.

"What sort of time do you call this?"

"I'm really sorry I had to go out for something important"

"Well, the password changed at midnight, so you'll just have to sleep in the corridor, won't you?"

"Gutted" Rory says a small smile on her face.

"You're joking! Why did it have to change at midnight?"

"That's the way it is. If you're angry, go and take it up with the headmaster, he's the one who's tightened security."

"Fantastic," Harry said bitterly, looking around at the hard floor. "Really brilliant. Yeah, I would go and take it up with Dumbledore if he was here, because he's the one who wanted me to"

"He is here," said a voice behind Harry. "Professor Dumbledore returned to the school an hour ago." Nearly Headless Nick was gliding toward Harry. "I had it from the Bloody Baron, who saw him arrive. He appeared, according to the Baron, to be in good spirits, though a little tired, of course."

"Where is he?" Harry said.

"Oh, groaning and clanking up on the Astronomy Tower, it's a favourite pastime of his"

"Not the Bloody Baron, Dumbledore!"

"Oh in his office. I believe, from what the Baron said, that he had business to attend to before turning in" 

"Yeah, he has,"  He wheeled about and sprinted off again, ignoring the Fat Lady who
was calling after him.

"Come back! All right, I lied! I was annoyed you woke me up! The password's still 'tapeworm'!"

"Can't say I blame her" Frank says from beside Neville.

But Harry was already hurtling back along the corridor and within minutes, he was saying "toffee éclairs" to Dumbledore's gargoyle, which leapt aside, permitting Harry entrance onto the spiral staircase.

"Enter," Dumbledore said when Harry knocked. He sounded exhausted. Harry pushed open the door. There was Dumbledore's office,looking the same as ever, but with black, star strewn skies beyond the windows. "Good gracious, Harry," Dumbledore said in surprise. "To what do I owe this very late pleasure?"

"Sir I've got it. I've got the memory from Slughorn." Harry pulled out the tiny glass bottle and showed it to Dumbledore. For a moment or two, the headmaster looked stunned. Then
his face split in a wide smile. 

"Harry, this is spectacular news! Very well done indeed! I knew you could do it!" All thought of the lateness of the hour apparently forgotten, he hurried around his desk, took the bottle with Slughorn's memory in his uninjured hand, and strode over to the cabinet where he kept the Pensieve. "And now," Dumbledore said, placing the stone basin upon his desk and emptying the contents of the bottle into it. "Now, at last, we shall see. Harry, quickly" Harry bowed obediently over the Pensieve and felt his feet leave the office floor. Once again he fell through darkness and landed in Horace Slughorn's office many years before. There was the much younger Slughorn sitting again in the comfortable winged armchair in his office, his feet resting upon a velvet pouffe, a small glass of wine in one hand, the other rummaging in a box of crystalized pineapple. And there were the half dozen teenage boys sitting around Slughorn with Tom Riddle in the midst of them, Marvolo's gold-and-black ring gleaming on his finger.Dumbledore landed beside Harry just as Riddle asked,