Mia Potter was the other Potter. Looking almost identical to her mother, she was a force to be reckoned with. But there was only one person who could reckon with her, and his name was Draco Malfoy.
In which the youngest Potter twin finds herself fa...
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"Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?"
Mia was in another memory with Harry and Dumbledore at her side.
It was a much younger Horace Slughorn. Mia was so used tohim bald that she found the sight of Slughorn with thick, shiny,straw-coloured hair quite disconcerting; it looked as though he hadhad his head thatched, though there was already a shiny Galleonsized bald patch on his crown. His moustache, less massive than itwas these days, was gingery-blond. He was not quite as rotund asthe Slughorn Harry knew, though the golden buttons on his richlyembroidered waistcoat were taking a fair amount of strain.
His little feet resting upon a velvet pouffe, he was sitting well back in acomfortable winged armchair, one hand grasping a small glass ofwine, the other searching through a box of crystalized pineapple.Mia looked around andsaw that they were standing in Slughorn's office. Half a dozen boyswere sitting around Slughorn, all on harder or lower seats than his,and all in their mid-teens. Mia recognised Voldemort at once.His was the most handsome face and he looked the most relaxed ofall the boys. His right hand lay negligently upon the arm of hischair; with a jolt, Mia saw that he was wearing Marvolo's goldand-black ring; he had already killed his father.
"Now, Tom, I couldn't tell you if I knew, could I?" Slughorn said, wagging a reproving, sugar-covered finger at Riddle, though ruiningthe effect slightly by winking. "I must say, m'boy, I'd like to know where you get your information. More knowledgeable than half the staff, you are." The other boys laughed as Mia watched them. "By the way, thank you for the pineapple, you're quite right, it is my favourite, how is it you knew?"
"Intuition." Riddle smiled; the other boys laughed and cast him admiring looks.
As several of the boys tittered, something very odd happened.The whole room was suddenly filled with a thick white fog, so thatMia could see nothing but the face of Harry and Dumbledore, who wasstanding beside her.
Then Slughorn's voice rang out through themist, unnaturally loudly, "You'll go wrong, boy, mark my words."The fog cleared as suddenly as it had appeared and yet nobodymade any allusion to it, nor did anybody look as though anythingunusual had just happened. Bewildered, Mia looked around as asmall golden clock standing upon Slughorn's desk chimed eleveno'clock.
"Good gracious, look at the time," Slughorn said, checking the time. "Off you go, boys, or Professor Dippett will have us all in detention. Lestrange, Avery, don't forget your essays. . . ."
Slughorn pulled himself out of his armchair and carried hisempty glass over to his desk as the boys filed out. Voldemort, however, stayed behind. Mia could tell he had dawdled deliberately,wanting to be last in the room with Slughorn.
"Look sharp, Tom," Slughorn said. "You don't want to be caught out of bed after hours. . . ."
"I know a secret shortcut or two," Riddle said as Slughorn looked at him.
"Yes, I imagine you do," Slughorn said, "something on your mind, Tom?
"Yes, sir," Riddle said, "I couldn't think of anyone else to go to. The other professors, well, they're not like you. They might. . . . misunderstand."
"Go on," Slughorn said as Mia looked at him.
"I was in the library the other night, in the Restricted section," Riddle said, "and I read something rather odd, about a bit of rare magic. Sir, I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away. . . ."
"Sir, I wondered what you know about. . . . about Horcruxes?"
And it happened all over again.
The dense fog filled the room so that Mia could not see Slughorn or Voldemort at all; only her brother and Dumbledore, smiling serenely beside her. Then Slughorn's voiceboomed out again, just as it had done before.
"I don't know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn't tell you if Idid! Now get out of here at once and don't let me catch you mentioningthem again!"
"Well, that's that," said Dumbledore placidly beside Harry."Time to go."
And Mia's feet left the floor to fall, seconds later, back onto therug in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"What was all hat fog?" Mia asked, confused as she looked at Dumbledore.
"This is perhaps the most important memory I've collected," Dumbledore said, reseating himself behind his desk. "It's also a lie." The twins looked at each other confused. "This memory has been tampered with. In this case by the person whose memory it is, our friend Professor Slughorn."
"But why would he tamper with his own memory?" Harry asked confused as Mia nodded.
"I suspect he is ashamed of it," Dumbledore said.
"But why?" Mia asked.
"Why indeed," he said as Mia looked confused. "I asked you to get to know Professor Slughorn and you've done so. Now I want you to persuade him to divulge his true memory. Any way you can."
"We don't know him that well, sir," Harry began.
"He won't even talk to me after my relapse," Mia added.
"You're the Chosen Ones, twins," Dumbledore said, "and Horace is, at heart, a decent man. Provide the proper circumstances and he will confess his sins. They are, in this moment, iridescent, whole. This memory is everything, twins. Without it, we are blind. Without it, we leave the fate of our world to chance. You have no choice. You must not fail."
"No pressure," Mia joked, smiling weakly as she looked at Harry.
"So, goodluck. . . . and good night."
A little taken aback by the abrupt dismissal, Mia and Harry got to their feetquickly.
"Good night, sir."
As Mia closed the study door behind them, she distinctly heardPhineas Nigellus say, "I can't see why the twins should be able to doit better than you, Dumbledore."
"I wouldn't expect you to, Phineas," replied Dumbledore, andFawkes gave another low, musical cry.
