The Storm | The Sister book #3 | A Harry Potter Fanfiction

chapter thirty-five

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Harry and I sit in Hagrid's hut, watching amused as Slughorn and Hagrid sing and talk in their state of drunkenness. Slughorn was adamant that neither of us was having any, especially after what happened with Ron, but due to Harry's strange luck potion induced mannerisms, I feel like the only sober person in the room. 

"I had him from an egg you know, tiny little thing he was. No bigger than a Pekingese, a Pekingese mind you." Hagrid grins, taking another gulp of his drink, 

Slughorn smiles, "How sweet. I once had a fish, Francis, very dear to me. One afternoon I came downstairs and he'd vanished, poof."

"Very odd, isn't it?" Hagrid frowns, looking at Harry and I, and I nod, 

"Yes well that's just life, I suppose, You go along and then suddenly, poof." Slughorn says slowly, 

"Poof." Hagrid murmurs

Harry sighs, "Poof." 

Hagrid slowly begins to lean backwards and then thuds his head against the wall as he falls asleep. I smile. 

"It was a student who gave me Francis. One spring afternoon I discovered a bowl sitting on my desk, just a few inches of clear water in it. Floating on the surface was a flower petal. As I watched it sank, but just before it reached the bottom it was transformed, into a wee fish. It was beautiful magic, wondrous to behold," Slughorn says, smiling to himself, but then his face drops slightly, "The flower petal had come from a Lilly. Your mother." I look up, my attention fully on Slughorn, "The day I came downstairs, the day the bowl was empty, was the day your mother..."

Died. The day they died.

"I know why you're both here, but I can't help you. It would ruin me." He says, shaking his head. His voice is so soft. So quiet.

I glance at Harry, and he glances at me, thinking, "Do you know why I survived professor?Because of her. Because she sacrificed herself. Because she refused to step aside. Because her love was more powerful than Voldemort."

We, you tosspot. I can see what he's doing. I step towards Horace, "I'm going to tell you something. Something others have only guessed at. It's true, Harry is the chosen one. Only he can destroy him, but in order to do so we need to know what you told Tom Riddle all those years ago in your office." I say quickly, crossing my arms.

Harry walks over to Slughorn, looking straight at Slughorn. "Be brave professor. Be brave like my sister." 

I falter, glancing at him. 

"Like our mother. Otherwise, you disgrace them. Otherwise, our mother died for nothing. Otherwise, she suffered for nothing. Otherwise, the bowl will remain empty. Forever." 

Slughorn remains still, but finally takes a vile from his jacket and lifts his wand to his head, extracting the silver light that is his memory. He places it in the vile, and hands it to Harry. We glance at each other, knowing what we need to do, what we have managed to do. We leave Hagrid's quickly, wordlessly running to Dumbledore's office. 

xxx

The room is tinged green, the two figures standing by the fireplace.Tom Riddle stands facing Slughorn and he frowns.

"I was in the library the other night, in the restricted section, and I read something rather odd about a bit of rare magic. It's called, as I understand it, a Horcrux." 

"I beg your pardon?" Slughorn says, his voice croaky, 

"Horcrux. I came across the term while reading." Tom Riddle says, "And I didn't fully understand it."