Butterfly Effect ; H. Potter

112. the seven horcruxes.

Harry could feel the Felix Felicis wearing off as he 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 short cuts. 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?"

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

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

"Fantastic," said Harry 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 –"

"Harry, what're you doing outside?" asked Antheia, who had just opened the portrait hole.

"Brilliant!" said Harry again, relieved. "The Fat Lady said the password had changed overnight, and that I'd have to sleep out here -"

"What?" said Antheia, casting a glare at the Fat Lady. "She's lying; the password hasn't -"

"Were you saying something about Professor Dumbledore?" said a voice behind them. "He returned to the school an hour ago."

Nearly Headless Nick was gliding towards Harry and Antheia, his head wobbling as usual upon his ruff.

"I had it from the Bloody Baron, who saw him arrive," said Nick. "He appeared, according to the Baron, to be in good spirits, though a little tired, of course."

"Where is he?" said Harry, his heart leaping.

"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," said Nick. "I believe, from what the Baron said, that he had business to attend to before turning in –"

"Yeah, he has," said Harry, excitement blazing in his chest at the prospect of telling Dumbledore he had secured the memory.

"You got the memory, then?" asked Antheia curiously, and Harry nodded. They wheeled about and sprinted off again, ignoring the Fat Lady who was calling after them.

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

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

"Enter," said Dumbledore 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, Antheia," said Dumbledore 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.