Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 6- Ch. 181

The next morning there was a notice on the board from the Head of House:

APPARITION LESSONS
If you are seventeen years of age or will turn seventeen on or before 31st of August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition lessons given by the Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you are interested. Cost: 12 galleons.

Céline was looking at it with Daphne and Tracey, they both seemed excited.

"I can't wait until I'm able to pop in and around everywhere." Daphne said. She had just turned seventeen over the holidays. She looks to Céline, "you're seventeen aren't you?"

Céline shook her head, "Not until the 5th of August." She said, but she wasn't as excited about Apparitions. Her father would have her Side-Along Apparate and to her it wasn't all that great. The three of them signed the paper and walked out of the common room to the Great Hall for breakfast, both Daphne and Tracey talking excitedly about the Apparitions courses. As they sat at their table, she noticed that Daphne and Tracey weren't the only ones excited about the new course. It seemed to be the buzz of the Great Hall right now from all of the sixth year students.

Just as she was about to take her first bite of breakfast, she felt a tap on her shoulders, when she looked over she saw Harry standing behind her, and not too far away from him was Ron.

"I need to talk to you." Harry says, as he glances at Daphne and Tracey, who were eyeing him. He assumed that they were aware that him and Céline haven't spoken much before Christmas holiday. He cleared his throat and look again to Céline. "It's... urgent." He added.

Céline looked at him and then to Ron who also looked at her expectantly. She knew it was likely something important, so she got up from her seat, and looked at Daphne and Tracey. "You two eat without me, I'll see you in class." She says before following Harry and Ron out of the great hall.

They find an empty classroom and securely close it behind them, "so... what's this about?" Céline asks, turning to face them.

"I wanted to update you with my lesson last night with Dumbledore." Harry said. Céline nods her head slowly remembering that he was having private lessons with Dumbledore. Harry had updated Céline  during the Christmas holiday of his previous lessons, since it happened when she was still not speaking to him.

Harry told her about the memory that Dumbledore collected from Morfin Gaunt and Professor Slughorn, how Tom Riddle had come to see Marvolo Gaunt, only to find his son, how Tom Riddle likely killed his father and grandparents but by using Morfin. The memory Harry watched from Professor Slughorn was of a private conversation with Tom Riddle when he was a teen, he had asked Slughorn about horcruxes. But the memory was tampered with by Professor Slughorn himself.

Harry also told her how Dumbledore had asked him to get close to Professor Slughorn and try to get the real memory from him.

Céline sat there at the edge of one of the dusty desks listening carefully as Harry recounted his lesson with the Headmaster.

"He loves you Harry,  I'm sure he'd do anything for you. You're his little Potions Prince." said Ron, who was sitting next to Céline. Harry rolled his eyes at Ron, but then looked to Céline.

"What did Hermione say about it? Have you told her?" Céline asked him. He nodded.

"Yeah I did. She said that Professor Slughorn must be determined to keep his memory hidden away, if Dumbledore couldn't get it out of him." Harry said. She nods her head slowly, as if deep in thought.

"Hermione has a point, but so does Ron." She says. "Does Hermione know anything about Horcruxes?"

Harry shook his head, looking a bit disappointed, he had hoped that Hermione would have read something about it, but she had never heard of them before.