Already Gone

Chapter 10

"A Horcrux is an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul." Slughorn told young a Tom Riddles.

"Yes, I thought it might be something like that. But I don't understand how that works, sir." Tom told his teacher as a sharp pain hit Olivia. She bite her lip and made sure she didn't make a sound.

"One splits one's soul and hides part of it in an object. By doing so, you are protected should you be attacked and your body destroyed."

"Protected?" Tom asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Harry tried to get closer to Olivia, but she shoved her shoulder into his making him stumble back. Her stomach contracted and she took in a deep breath. Olivia's lower back was on fire, she wanted to sit down or something.

"That part of your soul that was hidden, lives on. In other words, you cannot die." Riddle nodded and turned away, staring at himself in the mirror on the wall opposite. A hint of red glinted in his eyes.

"How does one split his soul, sir?" He asked, not turning back to Slughorn.

"I think you can guess the answer to that, Tom." Slughorn laughed nervously as he told Tom.

"Murder."

"Yes. Killing rips the soul apart. It is a violation against nature. After, one is never the same." Riddles nodded and turned back to his teacher.

"Out of curiosity, sir, can you only split your soul once? For instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number-"

"Seven! Merlin's beard, Tom! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? To rip the soul into seven pieces." He stopped talking and looked at Riddles with worried eyes. "This is all hypothetical, isn't it, Tom? All academic."

"Of course, sir. And I promise I'll not speak of our conversation. It'll be our little secret." Riddle reached out then and pinched the flame of a candle, killing it. 

---

Riddle quivered at the top of the Pensieve. Dumbledore's troubled face bled through Riddle's.

"Sir-" Dumbledore held up his withered hand, silencing him and turning away. Harry studied him, waiting, the hush palpable.

"This is beyond anything I imagined. In my life I have seen things that are unimaginably horrific. I know now... you will see worse." Dumbledore looked off, his eyes distant. Harry watched him intently, as do the headmasters in their frames above. Finally, tentatively, Harry spook.

"Do you mean to say he succeeded, sir? In making a Horcrux?" Harry asked and Olivia snorted loudly.

"If he didn't then I would be getting candy without worrying about being attack, Harry." He flinched at her tone of voice.

"Oh he succeeded. And not just once. Think, Harry. He's just told us." Harry nodded and looked at his younger sister.

"Seven. He made seven -- the most powerfully magical number. But... what are they exactly?" Dumbledore walked over to his desk.

"They can be anything. The most commonplace of objects. A ring, for example. Or a book..." Dumbledore slid open a drawer and removed the ring and Toms battered diary.

"Tom Riddle's diary-" Olivia looked at her brother with wide eyes. She had figured that out with Hermione months ago, and he was just putting two and two together.

"It's a Horcrux, yes. Four years ago, when you saved Ginny Weasley's life in the Chamber of Secrets, when you brought me this-" He held up up the diary. "I knew. This was a different kind of magic. Very dark. Very powerful. But until tonight, I had no idea just how powerful."