CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TAMPERED MEMORIES AND TICKLED PEARS
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The night after the night we returned to Hogwarts after the holiday, Dumbledore called Harry and I down to his office to see yet another memory. I met up with Harry near the entrance hall, and we made our way to his office.
Before Harry and I could say anything, when we walked in, Dumbledore's greeting was "I hear that you two met the Minister of Magic over Christmas?"
"Yes," Harry nodded. "He's not very happy with us."
"No, he is not very happy with me either." Dumbledore sighed.
"He wanted us to tell the Wizarding community that the Ministry's doing a spectacular job," I said bitterly.
"Yes, that was Fudge's idea originally. I think we can all agree it did not work," Dumbledore said, and Harry and I nodded.
"He accused us of being 'Dumbledore's man and woman through and through'," Harry told the headmaster.
"How very rude of him."
"We told him we were," Harry and I said together.
There was a moment of silence in which Harry and I quickly looked down at our feet, embarrassed.
"I am very touched, Harry, Giovanna," Dumbledore said, breaking the silence. When we looked up, I caught sight of his rather watery eyes.
He stood and walked over to the Pensieve, signaling it was time to get on with why Harry and I had really arrived at his office this evening.
"Now, this is perhaps the most important memory I've collected out of them all," Dumbledore told us grimly, "It has, however... well, you'll see."
He poured a vial of the silvery substance into the Pensieve, and Harry and I leaned down, entering the memory.
I instantly spotted an all-too familiar man by the name of Horace Slughorn. However, this Slughorn was around fifty years younger.
Slughorn was seated at a table with a group of boys that must've been the Slug Club of its time. I recognized Tom Riddle at once, his handsome features standing out against the others.
"Sir," Tom said, "Is it true that Professor Merrythought's retiring?"
"Tom, I couldn't tell you if I knew, could I?" Slughorn laughed a little. "By the way, thank you for the pineapple. You're quite right- it is my favorite. But how did you know?"
Young Riddle's face would've been a normal slight smirk, but I saw so much more within his eyes. He thought for a moment before settling on the word "Intuition."
Slughorn turned to look at the clock, which read that it was around eleven at night. "Good gracious! Is it that time already? Off you go, boys, or Professor Dippet will have us all in detention."
The other boys filed out, heading back to their dorms, but Tom lingered behind. Slughorn turned to see him still there. "Look sharp, Tom. You don't want to be caught out of bed after hours. Something on your mind?"
"Yes, sir," Tom said. "I just couldn't think of anyone else to go to. The other Professors, well... they're not like you. They might... misunderstand."
"Go on."
"I was in the library the other night, in the restricted section, and I read something rather odd about a piece of rare magic. I thought, perhaps, you could illuminate me." Tom explained.
However, I noticed the audio of the memory beginning to muffle, making it harder to understand what Tom was saying.
"It's called, as I understand it," Tom said, but the rest was so muffled that I could not make out the last word.
"I beg your pardon?" Slughorn asked, his own voice perfectly clear. "I don't know anything about such things, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you! Now, get out of here at once and don't let me ever catch you mentioning it again!"
With that, the memory ended and Harry and I lifted our faces out of the Pensieve, looking at Dumbledore.
"Confused?" The headmaster asked. "I'd be surprised if you weren't."
"Well, what happened?" I asked, glancing back down at the Pensieve, hoping for a clue.
"As I said, this is perhaps the most important memory I've collected. It is also a lie." Dumbledore sat down as Harry and I walked towards him. "It has been tampered with. By the same person who's memory it is; our old friend Professor Slughorn."
"But why would he temper with his own memory?" Harry asked.
"I suspect he's ashamed of it," Dumbledore answered.
"Why?"
"Why, indeed? I asked you two to get to know Professor Slughorn, and you have done so. Now I want you to persuade him to divulge his true memory. Anyway you can." Dumbledore told us.
"We- we don't know him that well, sir," I frowned.
Dumbledore looked down into the swirling memory in the Pensieve. "This memory is everything. Without it, we are blind. Without it, we leave the fate of our world to chance. You have no choice, you must not fail."
"I'm staying behind," Harry muttered to me as we packed up our supplies. Potions class had just ended.
"What, to try to get the memory?" I asked, and he nodded. "Harry are you sure, I don't really-"
"You don't think I can do it?"
"To be honest? No. You're a bit dim, you'll probably be too straightforward and then Slughorn will grow wary of us." I glared at him.
"I won't be straightforward," He glared back. I knew there was no point in arguing, so I simply shrugged and walked out of the door. Hermione had already left, as did Ron. Not together, though, they still weren't speaking.
Draco followed me out, and I turned to look back at him. I hadn't thought it possible, but he was now thinner and paler than ever. So pale, even, there seemed to be a gray tint to his skin. There were also dark, protruding circles under his eyes.
"Have you been sleeping?" I asked him, pausing so he could be next to me, taking his hand in mine. "You don't look too well."
"It's alright, I'm fine," He told me. "I don't want you worrying about me, alright?" I frowned, but didn't argue anymore on the subject.
We walked hand in hand, in no hurry. We both had a free period before our last lesson of the day. "There was supposed to be a Hogsmeade trip on March first. It's cancelled because of security or something."
"Bummer," Draco sighed, running a tired hand through his (even his hair looked paler) hair. He caught my agitated look and said quickly, "No, really, it is. It was even a bummer to see Diagon Alley in the state it was."
"Yeah," I nodded. "They're doing the Apparation tests that day for people of age, but seeing as you and I have end of term birthdays... want to do something?" I asked hopefully.
To my surprise and delight, Draco stopped walking to kiss me, and when he pulled back, there was the old grin on his face I had missed.
"Yeah, let's do something," He said quietly, a shadow of the boyish smile I once knew on his drained face.
I smiled and beamed at him, my mood raised completely. "Good. Can't wait." I kissed his nose before letting go of his hand. "I'm gonna go finish homework. See you later!"
He let himself grin once more and waved, calling, "See you later!" after my retreating figure.
While the sixth years who had already turned, or would be within the next month, seventeen headed down to Hogsmeade for their test, the rest of us stayed behind in the castle.
Harry had known I planned on spending the day with Draco, and begrudgingly allowed me to go off with him. I flicked him the finger, still not over the fact that he totally messed up our chances with Slughorn.
The bloke had said the exact same things that Tom Riddle had said in the memory we saw, as if Slughorn wouldn't remember the one memory he cared so much, so much that he tampered with it.
So, needless to say, Slughorn will now no longer stand being in a room alone with Harry or I, afraid of being questioned.
I was brought out of my angry thoughts about my brother by Draco walking out of the common room to meet me in the hall. "What first?" He asked..
Smirking, I took his hand. "Come on!" I laughed, dragging him up the stairs with me. I led him through the building until I arrived at a large portrait of a bowl of fruit.
"Wow, you know, Serpent Girl, this is really fascinating," Draco said with mock interest. "A bowl of fruit, hmm, so... exquisite," He tapped his chin and nodded.
"Shut up," I rolled my eyes. Standing on my toes, I stepped forward and reached my arm up to tickle the pear in the painting.
It let out a small giggle before the portrait swung open, similar to the common room ones, and revealed a massive kitchen before us. Draco's eyes widened as we stepped inside, the painting swinging close behind us.
"I never knew about that..." He breathed, looking around at all the house elves that bustled around, making food.
One of the house elves noticed our arrival and rushed forward, holding out a platter. "Banoffee pie, Mr. and Miss?" He asked.
"Thank you," I grinned as I took the two plates and led Draco to the counter. I jumped on it, sitting, while he leaned against it, standing next to me.
He was silent, eating his pie and taking in the scene around him. He then looked at me. "How long have you known about this?"
"Not long at all," I shook my head. "Fred and George knew about it, but wanted to tell me after they left school. They told me over the summer. I haven't been down here before, and you're the only other person who knows now."
"Really?" He raised his eyebrows. "Not Granger? Or Potter, or Weasley?" I shook my head. "I feel special."
"You are special," I smirked, and he jumped up onto the counter next to me. "The elves are nice, too, so long as you're nice. Well, I'm sure they're nice either way, but I quite like them, really, and I think that-"
"Relax, I won't treat them bad," Draco said softly, turning to kiss my cheek quickly. "Just because I had one doesn't mean I hate them."
Smiling, I nodded a little. "Good, because-"
I was cut off by a loud crack, and grinned when I saw a familiar elf standing in front of me. Draco's fork dropped onto his plate with a loud clatter as he gaped at the elf in surprise.
"Dobby!" I exclaimed, as the little elf hugged me again. "So good to see you! I didn't know you worked here now!"
"Yes, Dobby has come to Hogwarts," He nodded, and his big green eyes widened at the sight of Draco. "Master Draco is here!"
Draco shook his head quickly. "Oh, I'm not your Master anymore, Dobby, you don't have to call me that." He said hastily.
"Draco was always such a caring boy, underneath everything else," Dobby said sadly. I looked to Draco, who seemed to be having an internal battle whether or not to let himself express his feelings or harden like stone, as he's done all year.
"He still is caring," I told Dobby. "Remember when I talked to you back in first year? About what Draco said about me?"
"You told her that!?" Draco exclaimed, growing angry with the elf. Dobby winced and hid behind another passing elf. Draco ignored him and glared at me. "What did he tell you?"
I laughed at his angry reaction. "Nothing I didn't already know. Just how much you loved me-" I smirked, but was cut off by Draco shoving his plate of pie on my face.
"We'll see who's laughing now," He sneered, but I quickly shoved my plate onto his face, my shock dissolving.
"Dobby takes it Master Draco and Giovanna Potter are very happy together," Dobby grinned a little at us.
I shook my head. "I don't know, Dobby, I'm not so happy with this boy right now." Draco jumped of the counter, pulling me down with him.
He chased me around the kitchens as we chucked food at one another until he caught up to me and crashed into me, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, causing me to let out a laugh.
Quickly, I pulled out my wand and waved it, sending the kitchens back to its rightful state, and also wiping the pie off of Draco and I's faces.
Draco smiled a little as we said goodbye to Dobby and left the kitchens through the fruit bowl portrait.
"You know, that was the most fun I've had in months."
Smiling, I kissed him, one which he returned happily. After a moment, I pulled away and said, "Good. I'm glad."
One more kiss, and we headed back to the common room.