Once I was calmed down all over again Neville walked with me back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron were sitting on the couch discussing something in hushed tones.
I walked over to them and they kindly ignore the redness that I was sure my eyes held, "Dumbledore finally sent our meeting request. WE are supposed to meet him in ten minutes. I suppose we should leave now," Harry told me holding up a piece of parchment.
"Chocolate Eclairs," I told the gargoyle who moved to allow us passage to the Headmaster's office.
"I apologize for keeping you both waiting," DUmbledore started, "I had some business I had to take care of today. I was most pleased to receive your note Harry adnt to find that you had obtained the memory I needed you to. We must take a look at it at once."
Without saying anything else he poured the contents into his pensieve and we sunk our heads beneath the surface of the liquid. The scene was very much the same. The boys were sitting around eating dinner, and Tom stayed behind with Slughorn.
The time came when Tom asked, "I wanted to ask you question sir, about Horcruxes?"
Instead of freaking out as he had in the altered memory this time Slughorn merely looked at Tom over the top of his glasses and inquired, "This is for a Defense essay or something is it?"
"I came across it researching for my essay yes, and I was confused. I was hoping you could tell me more about what they were and how they work."
"I can't see why it would hurt to give you an overview, thought you'd be pressed to find anything regarding Horcruxes in the library, they are after all very Dark magic. A Horcrux is an object in which someone conceals a part of their soul."
"Yes, that's what the book had said as well. I was just wondering how that worked."
"Well you see, you split your soul and hide in in an object of your choosing. That way if you were to be attacked, that piece of your soul would remain safe and hidden away .However, that sort of existence is not one that anyone would wish for, death would be far preferable."
"How does one split his soul?" questioned young Lord Voldemort.
"Well the soul does not like to exist outside of it's full self so it is very difficult to do so. To do so would require the utmost worst act of evil. Yes, only killing could cause enough damage to one's soul to allow it to be split."
"How can that be done?" Tom's voice was borderline hungry now and i wasn't sure if Slughorn could sense it or not, but he looked uncomfortable regardless.
"There is a spell for it, I do not know anymore. Does it look like I know, do I look like a killer to you Tom?"
Tom quickly realized he had gone too far, "No of course not sir, I didn't mean to offend you. lI was merely curious, seeing as though you seem to know more about nearly all subject than any other teacher at this school."
The little bit of flattery seems to go a long way, as Slughorn's spirits lifted considerably, "Well I'm glad I could help you. I am not offended no."
"Well then, may I ask, would it be possible to split one's soul into several pieces, such as seven?"
"Seven dear Merlin! Isn't the idea of killing once horrendous enough. I suppose if someone was evil enough to kill that many times, in theory they should be able to split their soul that many times as well."
With that we took our leave of Horace Slughorn's memory. Once back in the present day Dumbledore looked quite fearful, and I could see him trying to work through things in his head.
"This confirms something I was starting to put together myself, but I wanted to be sure. I am so very happy you got us this memory, now we can begin to plan against Voldemort more properly."
"You mean trying to figure out a way to make him not immortal?" I asked a bit harshly, "couldn't you have told that from the very fact that he asked about Horcruxes?"
He nodded, "yes, but I was unsure about whether or not he made more than one Horcruxes. Now I believe he definitely has, which will make our job even harder i'm afraid."
"Has anyone ever made more than just one?" I asked.
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, up to this point I have not heard of anyone doing more than splitting their soul into two, which is why Tom had to ask Horace to see if he thought it was possible, that information wouldn't be in any books. I was given a clue that he had split his soul at least once just a few years ago."
Harry raised his eyebrows, "How? Where did you get it?"
"Why I got it from you my boy. When you handed me the diary found in the Chamber of Secrets I was sure that it was a kind of magic I had never encountered. Tom Riddle had trapped part of his soul in that very book. The basilisk fang you stabbed into it effectively killed that part of his soul trapped within that book."
"I thought that was just a projection designed to make someone open the Chamber again," i stated.
"Yes," Dumbledore said softly, "That's why I am so worried. That horcrux was designed as much to keep his soul safe as it was to work as a weapon. Voldemort himself couldn't be there to open the Chamber and take credit for being the heir of Slytherin but he created a weapon that could do it for him."
"Do you think the rest of them will be able to be used as weapons too?" I questioned.
"That is merely suppositions now," Dumbledore said, "But I would guess so."
"Wow, he really thought of everything," I breathed in awe, "He knew that people would try to destroy them eventually and made them so they could protect themselves, that's brilliant."
"Tom was no fool," Dumbledore started giving me an odd glance over the top of his spectacles.
I quickly put away my enthusiasm and asked, "How are we to find them then? They could be anything."
"I have some theories but none so good as to act on them now. Let us not forget that we have already destroyed two of the seven. You destroyed one, and I have destroyed another."
"Which one?" asked Harry.
Dumbledore reached into his desk and pulled out a familiar looking black ring. Suddenly it clicked in my mind. The ring that Tom Riddle had been wearing, Marvolo's ring, was the ring that I had seen on Dumbledore's finger some time ago.
"This took a lot of work, but I have destroyed the Horcrux within this ring. Had it not been for my unique skills when it comes to magic and Professor Snape's help when I returned, I would likely be dead, but a withered hand seems a fair price to pay for a piece of Voldemort's soul gone."
"Is that what you and Severus were keeping from me?" I asked a bit fiery.
"We must have our own secrets Jessica, for your own safety. You will soon find out what we have been doing behind closed doors, I promise This is something we didn't wish to tell you about yes, because we weren't sure what we were dealing with at first."
Harry cut off our argument, "So these Horcruxes, I still don't understand how we're supposed to find them. They could be anything from a boot to a tin can or something."
Dumbledore let out a small laugh but it held no mirth, "Tom would never have chosen something so bland as a common item like that. I am sure you can tell that Tom enjoyed collecting trophies. These Horcruxes will be something very important to him, either in his life or because of its immense wealth."
"That's still a lot of things," I Replied, "How are we supposed to find and destroy what -- five more of them?"
Harry interrupted, "The locker and the goblet! Those would work."
Dumbledore smiled at him kindly, "I am not sure, but I would be willing to bet that yes those are Horcruxes three and four."
"Great just three more to completely guess at. Not to mention that we don't know where either of those things are anyways. How'd you find the ring anyways?"
"As you know I've been trying to find as much as I can about Voldemort's past life. Once I decided we were looking for Horcruxes I visited the shack that his ancestors used to live in, the one you saw the Gaunts living in. The ring was in there, hardly unguarded as though he didn't think anyone would think to look there."
I nodded, "Smart," I conceded.
"Thank you," he replied inclined his head forward. "Seeing as though he had something of Slytherin's and something of Hufflepuff's I can only guess that he would want something from the other two founders as well."
"Is that why he came back when he asked you to teach here do you think?" harry questioned.
"I can only assume that would be his reason for coming back, "Dumbledore replied, "I have taken care to make sure that the last relic of Gryffindor's is safe," he glanced over at the sword hanging in the corner, "So I can't fathom what else he could've used."
"Can you make an animal a Horcrux?" I asked curiously.
"It would not be advisable to do so since animals are such fickle creatures. I have thought about the same thing you have though, and I do believe that his snake Nagini may be another Horcrux. It implies the link to Slytherin, and he guards that creature very fondly."
"It's always around him," I said then added quickly, "Or that's what Severus said at least."
"So is that what you're doing when you leave the school? Going out looking for Horcruxes?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore nodded swiftly, "I have. I believe it is the first step to defeating Lord Voldemort."
"Let me come and help you," I said.
He shook his head, "The time will come when I ask for your help with this endeavor but for now it is far too dangerous for you both. You need to stay here at school and make sure things don't get out of hand."
"Will I be able to come too? I know I'm not as good as Jessica is at magic but I can help."
"Yes I think you've earned that right."
Harry looked so pleased with this response that he couldn't even hide the smile that graced his face upon hearing Dumbledore say that he would be allowed to help, "So if we destroy all the Horcruxes that Voldemort will be able to be killed?"
"Yes, which is of course where both of you come into play. Harry you must be the one to kill him, the prophecy has made that very clear. However I don't think you can win a duel head-to-head with Lord Voldemort. Jessica, however, in a few years time I think you would stand a proper chance against him. That is of course your role in all of this, you must first fight Voldemort and put him in a position where Harry can kill him."
I nodded, "I will be as ready as I'm able as soon as possible. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that could put him in a position to allow Harry to get a good shot in."
"You could duel him sir, couldn't you? Wouldn't that be better than having Jessica do it?"
Dumbledore looked caught off guard by this question and I started to wonder why he wasn't the one dueling VOldemort too, I had never given it a second thought, "I am getting old my boy. I think Jessica has already surpassed me in talent at the present moment,she would be the best option I assure you. Perhaps we could duel him together, though I may be preoccupied doing something else if this comes to a full out war."
This seemed to placate Harry, and it made sense to me too. I knew that I could out duel Dumbledore already, why wouldn't I be the one to defeat Voldemort. How I had become so powerful was beyond me but I was sure it had to do with my intense emotions and my lineage. Severus was afterall an accomplished wizard.
"It would appear that this is the difference between the two of you. Jessica, you are being forced into this battle whether you like it or not simply because of your abilities and familial ties. Harry you however were not forced into any of this."
"What do you mean? The prophecy is making me do all of this!"
"No it is not. The prophecy caused Voldemort to mark you as his equal, and therefore create the one thing that could destroy him. However with the power of love you are able to go against what the prophecy has wanted from the start. You were not killed as he believed you would be, and thus you were set on your path. You of course have a choice Harry, however if you forget about the prophecy how would you feel about Voldemort? Would you still want to fight him?'
Harry though for a moment and said, "Of course I would, he killed my parents. I would still want to be the one to finish him."
"And that right there is the difference between being pulled into this war because of a prophecy and because you want to fight against him for the good of this world and for your loved ones, do you get it now?"
Something dawned on Harry's face that led me to believe that he had indeed finally gotten what DUmbledore was saying to him. However, Dumbledore was wrong about me. I had as much of a choice as Harry, I could just run from this all, no one would be able to stop me. I would never do that because I knew that entailed the end of the world as I knew it, but I did still have a choice. WHy he thought I didn't have a choice was beyond me. Sure, voldemort liked me a bit, but surely not enough to come after me adn drag me back into this mess. The way Dumbledore looked at me as he said it led me to believe there was still something the old wizard wasn't telling me just yet. Some part of the puzzle was missing and that piece would be able to tell me why it was that I was brought into this whole mess to begin with, and now had to suffer through it.