ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ | 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝓊𝓁𝓊𝓈 𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇

37 ✧ Horace I'm Sorry

1978 Decemeber  __________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

Dear Y/N,

It's a great pleasure of mine to announce that you will, after the Christmas break, have no need to return to Hogwarts! Isn't that lovely? You, and others of our kind, will be allowed to a stay in a manor off the skirts of Blackpool — yes, we know it's particularly impoverished there, however, we are hoping to mask you in a place they would never expect. We, and other concerned parents, have prepared a large manner in the countryside of Blackpool, somewhat near the beach.

We will have other death eaters to assign you all work, keep you relatively up to date, and to train you. This is an excellent opportunity! We are so glad to have at least one child of ours be able to take on the duties required of them, besides, we feel you would be very happy to be free of the mudbloods running rampant at Hogwarts.

Please burn the letter once you've finished with it,
Your parents'

"Oh fuck me." Y/N sighed loudly, she took the letter in her hand and made her way to Dumbledore at a quickened pace.

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

All was well with Regulus and Y/N, he admitted to having a moment of weakness which involved complete hopelessness — how was he to change anything or make a difference when his fate was predetermined by blood? Y/N had been farming intel from Regulus' frequent letters to death eaters, as well as the very few she had with her own parents.

She carried herself into Slughorn's potions classroom, she knew he would be there, she had grown extraordinarily close with him during her time at Hogwarts. Although, after making friends, and finding Regulus, she did not have as much time at her disposal for tea and Horace. Today, she had told him she would come to tea, she sensed she would have no reason to return to Hogwarts; although the letter was much more direct.

"Hello my girl!" Slughorn grinned as he watched her walk through the open door, a box of gingerbread in her hands.

"Hello professor!" She beamed back, taking her usual spot in front of him, it was all particularly natural for her seeing as she had done this probably a thousand times during her time at Hogwarts.

"Y/N, I'm so glad we could catch up for tea yet again, but I must say your letter was quite worrying as it all sounded very urgent." Slughorn remarked, a worried look on his sullen, older, features. "What did you need to talk to me about?" He waited a moment before quickly speaking again. "If you can't attend my Christmas dinner it is quite alright!"

"It's not necessarily about that, although I can't make it this year." She frowned deeply.

"Oh?" He hummed, "what may this be about then?"

"Well, I..." She felt a lump in her throat form, the words couldn't seem to come out. "I... uh... I." Y/N swallowed hard, giving the words room to come flowing out of her mouth. "I won't be returning to Hogwarts after Christmas"

Quite stunned, his mouth dropped to hang wide open, his best, and most prized student, had decided to drop out of school? "But.. but whatever for?" He questioned after a moment of silence.

"I, I don't have a choice." Y/N glumly replied. "Unfortunately, I... am being forced to leave school, even though I'm finished, I'm not quite down with it." She lightly muttered, staring at Slughorn, and proclaiming her forced resignation from school; it made her suddenly want to release all the suppressed tears. She had been crying since much as of recent, why now?

"I see, well, this is certainly seven years cut short." Slughorn wiped his teary eyes dry. "I figured out what can move me, I had thought it was train trips to the countryside and hugs, but it seems... it seems it's the tears of those I hold dear." He smiled dimly. "Write to me, from wherever you are in this world, please do not be afraid to tell me the wonders you see, you are too brilliant and full of potential to be cast into shadow."

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

"As soon as you get any intel, make sure to write to me, tell me as much as you can and as quickly." Dumbledore implored. "I know it will be difficult, especially with so many death eaters around, but as soon as you find a safe path please let me know everything."

"Yes sir." Y/N nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry about this, it will be difficult for you."

"Yes sir."

"Please be safe in Blackpool, and remember that you can trust no one in your new country home." Dumbledore smiled, pushing an interesting assortment of cookies towards her.

"Yes sir."

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

a/n

I'm just a Slughorn stan, okay? Let me live 😭