Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

53

The room suddenly went back to normal, the mist receding as a clock somewhere in the world struck 11. The rest of the boys filed out of the room, waving goodbye to Slughorn leaving only Tom stood in the room.

“Look sharp, Tom,” said Slughorn, turning around and finding him still present. “You don’t want to be caught out of bed out of hours, with you being a prefect…”

“Sir, I wanted to ask you something” Tom said carefully, tilting his head slightly as he observed Slughorn.

“Ask away, then, m’boy, ask away”

“Sir, I wondered what you know about…about Horcruxes?”

And then it happened again, the white mist filling up the room as Slughorn’s voice seemed to echo round the room “I don’t know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn’t tell you if I did! Now get out of here at once and don’t let me catch you mentioning them again!”

“Well that’s all of that” Dumbledore said placidly and then with a jolt Eliza was back in Dumbledore’s office, gathering her thoughts.

He had finally told her about the horcruxes, Tom’s message truly had done the trick then.

“It takes a truly desperate man to tamper his own memories” Eliza said instead of commenting on the horcruxes, acknowledging the faulty memory.

“Ah so you noticed that did you?” Dumbledore said and Eliza grinned cheekily.

“Pretty hard to ignore really sir” Eliza quipped with a grin before tacking on more subdued “Though I suppose no one would like admitting to knowing that kind of magic”

Dumbledore’s eyes widened minutely “You know what a horcrux is Eliza?”

“I practically live in the Black library sir” she replied before scoffing slightly “I should have put two and two together earlier. The diary was one wasn’t it?”

“I believe so” Dumbledore said gravely “I almost forgot about your interactions in second year”

“He was a lot like the Thomas Gaunt I got to know over the years, charming and intelligent, just a bit more blatantly homicidal” Eliza quipped, feeling uncomfortable under Dumbledore’s pitying gaze “It’s why I wasn’t shocked when he told me he was Voldemort’s ‘son’ – they were the spitting image of each other. Little did I know” she scoffed bitterly.

“And I am sorry to add to your burdens my dear girl” Dumbledore said gently and if Eliza wasn’t so disillusioned with the old goat she may have even believed him “but I’m afraid I have some homework to set you. As you have noticed professor Slughorn has tampered with his own memory. It will be your job to persuade Professor Slughorn to divulge the real memory, which will undoubtedly be our most crucial piece of information of all. I believe it may be the key to finding out how many horcruxes Lord Voldemort has made. I have already attempted to track down one and found I was too late as Voldemort so fittingly put it, my age is slowing me down. It is imperative we get this memory, my girl”

Eliza titled her head before she let a soft smirk cross her face.

“He would have made seven, six containers and one main soul”

Dumbledore opened his mouth, no doubt to question her but Eliza didn’t give him the chance “Seven is the most powerful magical number after three but he wouldn’t have used three. He would want the security of more to render him immortal. Plus some say there are seven stages to life – it’s quite poetic really” she explained with a wry smirk.

“How can you be so sure Eliza?” Dumbledore asked, serious blue eyes locked onto hers and Eliza rose an eyebrow in return.

“Because professor, if I was a bit more arrogant, and had been a bit less loved – and if I had been sent to die in a muggle warzone every summer, I would have done the same thing. And I think you know that”