𝖘𝖆𝖑𝖛𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 | 𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗

xl. splitting the soul

Several of the boys tittered again, and this time it did not come as a haze like the previous memory.

"— 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. Deanna looked around at them, recognizing them as his "friends" or as they became, the first Death Eaters. There was Lestrange, Malfoy and some others who had bullied her and her friends before. She glared at each of their faces, smacking herself mentally for ever thinking Tom was different from them.

"I don't know that politics would suit me, sir," Tom said when the laughter had died away. "I don't have the right kind of background, for one thing." The others had smirked, probably knowing Tom's background.

"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."

The small golden clock standing upon Slughorn's desk chimed eleven o'clock behind him and he 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 left, and Slughorn carried his glass to his table. When he heard a movement behind him, he was surprised to see Tom 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 for a moment, the wariness in his eyes evident. "Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts, is it?" Of course, Deanna could tell that he knew it wasn't.

"Not exactly, sir," said Tom. "I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it."

"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 —"

Deanna couldn't help but scoff at that. Tom Riddle had a way with words. With how he spoke and chose his words, he could make you tell him even your deepest secrets. She knew he had been waiting for this for a long time.

"Well," said Slughorn, not looking at Tom, "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 Tom with a controlled tone but hidden excitement.

"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."