𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 - 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 (𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟑)

23 - Horcruxes

April 20th

"Can we talk?"

Harry asked. It had been over a month since we'd spoken. I was sitting on my dormitory bed, reading.

"Fine," I motioned for him to sit down next to me.

"Look, I didn't know about what happened back in January, and I'm really sorry I didn't notice. I'm also sorry for running instead of helping you, I know that was a bloody stupid thing to do," he sighed. He was twiddling with his hands, I could tell he was being genuine. Harry hated apologizing.

"It was quite stupid," I scoffed, a small smile on my face.

"So, can you forgive me? I understand it'll take time," he said.

"Fine," I smiled.

"Brilliant, because we're about to use liquid luck to get to Slughorn's memories, and I wanted you to come with," he exclaimed.

"Sure thing," I said. We walked downstairs to the common room, Ron and Hermione already there, waiting.

Harry pulled the felix felicis out of his pocket, drinking it down, placing the empty potion bottle on the coffee table.

"How do you feel?" Hermione asked, a bit nervous as to what his response would be.

"Really excellent," Harry stood, a smile plastering his face.

"Oh bloody hell," I mumbled. The potion had made Harry even more stuck up; that was the last thing we needed.

"Remember, Slughorn usually eats early, takes a walk, then returns to his office," Hermione exclaimed.

"Right. I'm going down to Hagrid's!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, grabbing his jacket off the coat hanger.

"What happened to follow the plan?" I scoffed.

"I've got a really good feeling about Hagrid's, I feel it's the place to be tonight. You know what I mean?" He cocked his head sideways.

"No," we all said at once, staring at Harry in confusion.

"Well, trust me, I know what I'm doing. Or, Felix does!"

We all stared at him, then each other, watching as he left the common room.

Neville walked in as he entered the door.

"Hi!" Harry smiled excitedly, before running off.

"What's gotten into him?" Neville asked us, a confused look on his face.

"Liquid luck potion," I said. "Seems to be working, even though it's showing us that in the strangest way possible," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, why did he drink it?" Neville asked me.

"Trying to pry some information out of Slughorn for Dumbledore. But you didn't hear that from me," I said.

We waited around in the common room for hours on end, eventually meeting up with Ginny at dinner. Harry still hadn't returned. I plopped some mashed potatoes onto my plate, looking at the door every few minutes to see if Harry had come back yet. "Where the hell is he?" Ron mumbled.

"Honestly, the effects have probably worn off by now," I added.

"I wonder why he went to Hagrid's," Hermione said.

We all returned to the common room, sitting in front of the fireplace. It was midnight now, and Harry was still nowhere to be seen.

"I hope he's not hurt," Hermione said worriedly, flipping through the pages of her potions book.

"Wanna play wizard's chess?" Ron asked me.

"I'll go for one round."

One round turned two, two to three. Before we knew it it was three in the morning, all of us half asleep in the common room when Harry walked in.

"I got it," Harry smiled, a bottle full of liquid which was the memory.

"Huh?" I snored, nearly banging my head on the back of the couch as I woke up.

"I have the memory," he repeated, sitting down next to me. Hermione and Ron had fallen asleep on the couch opposite to us, Hermione laying on his chest. "They're quite cute, don't you think?" I smiled quietly.

"Very," he whispered.

"I'm heading to bed, I suggest you do the same," I slapped him lightly on the back of the head.

"Night," he rolled his eyes, a small smile still on his face.

"Night."

The next afternoon

Harry had gone to Dumbledore's office to view the memory, and when he returned to the common room, he looked pale as a ghost.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione questioned, looking up from her book.

"Voldemort used horcruxes to stay alive, his goal is to live forever," he sat down in shock on the rug in front of us, the fire crackling quietly behind him.

"What's a horcrux?" I asked, confusedly.

"It splits your soul, and then you hide it in an object, allowing you to live forever as long as that object isn't destroyed," Harry exclaimed.

"How many did he make? How did he do it?" Ron questioned him.

"You make a horcrux by committing murder.. He said he made seven but I think it might be eight," he exclaimed.

"What do you mean you think it might be eight?" Hermione sat her book down.

"I don't know, I guess it's just a hunch," he mumbled.

"So what's the plan?" I asked him.

"We research until Dumbledore takes me to find the next one," he said.

"What do you mean next one, you're saying we've destroyed some of them already? And what do you mean he's taking you?" Hermione gawked, her brows raised in surprise. I don't think any of us were prepared for this much information to reveal itself in such a short amount of time.

"Tom Riddle's diary and his mother's ring were both horcruxes, I destroyed the diary Dumbledore destroyed the ring. Next month Dumbledore is taking me to find one more horcrux, although I'm not quite sure where. But if he needs my help, I'm going," Harry exclaimed.

"We should go with you, it could be dangerous," Hermione said.

"That's exactly why you're not." Harry cut her off.

"Alright so, where do we start?" I looked at the three of them.

"The library."