Out of Time

Chapter 5

Back in the common room, Harry and Ron have already gotten started. Hermione supposes she shouldn't take offence to this; she'd told Harry to go ahead, and she couldn't have expected them to wait. Could she? But she would probably have waited, if only to be polite. For a while, anyway. She wasn't that far behind Harry.

It soon becomes clear they weren't making any progress on their own. It's apparent why almost as soon as her bum hits the chair.

"Horcruxes?" she repeats doubtfully. She's never heard the term referenced in any sort of magical text or lesson. "And you're still sure that's what he said?"

"Yes."

Hermione tries to remember that Harry and Ron have probably talked a lot more about the modified, obvious lie of a memory Slughorn had originally given to their headmaster. The word 'Horcrux' doesn't sound as strange to them. Hermione hasn't been around much and she wrestles her mind into overdrive, striving to catch back up. Racking her brain, she tries to recall that farce of a memory in as much detail as she can. Tom had asked about... something. Horcruxes. And Slughorn had acted completely affronted that he'd even dare and essentially tossed him out. The spectator didn't see Tom land on his arse in the stone corridor, but that's what Slughorn implied had happened.

"So what happened after Tom mentioned it, this time?"

"Slughorn still shut it down, but not that quick. Tom asked and it was obvious that it really rattled him. He tried to emphasise how Dark it was but it was clear he knew he shouldn't be talking about it. He even brought up how stringent Dumbledore is about the topic, making Tom swear himself to secrecy that they'd spoken at all."

"Is it a topic?" Hermione asks, still fishing for clarity. "Or is it a thing?" Harry looks confused. Frustrated, she tries again. "Is it something I could pick up or is it an idea?"

"It's a thing," Harry explains, looking relieved to have the answer to something, however meagre. "It has to be an actual item, because Slughorn said you 'make one' by splitting your soul."

Hermione and Ron both stare at him, slack-jawed, in mutual astonished silence. Hermione manages to break it first. Harry answered one solitary question and now Hermione has approximately ninety-six more. All she can bring a voice to, however, is, "...that escalated, didn't it?"

* * *

When Ron's gaping mouth finally closes, he and Hermione team up to practically push Harry out the portrait hole to take the memory to Dumbledore.

Even though it's now far past curfew, Hermione's quite sure Dumbledore won't chastise Harry about it. It's been weeks and weeks since he told Harry to get this from Slughorn, and he'll want to know straight away.

As soon as Harry's finally outside the common room and on his way to the headmaster's office, Ron turns to Hermione. He still seems a little dazed, as if his brain can't wrap around the concept of soul-splitting. Hermione supposes that's reasonable.

"No wonder Dumbledore doesn't want it talked about."

No kidding. Both determined to stay awake, they retreat to a table to do some homework. Once, Hermione thinks Ron might have sought out Lavender to pass the time, but not tonight. Maybe it's only to keep from having to explain ditching her as soon as Harry returns, but Hermione doesn't think so.

With a bit of a jolt, Hermione realises it was only a few hours ago that Lavender was tackling Ron from across a sofa, displacing teeny little first years like Gobstones. Maybe Ron finally did ditch her for good, or maybe he's just enjoying whatever time he can wrangle without her.