The Potter Twins and the Half-Blood Prince {6}

21. Horcruxes

"What does he care for the logic of kings?" - How Long?, Hadestown 

I can feel the Felix Felicis wearing off as we creep back to the castle. The front door has remained unlocked, but on the third floor, we come across Peeves and only narrowly avoid detection by diving sideways through one of our shortcuts. By the time we get up to the portrait of the Fat Lady and pull of our Invisibility Cloak, I'm not at all surprised to find her in a most unhelpful mood. 

"What sort of time do you call this?"

"We're really sorry -- we had to go out for something important --"

"Well, the password changed at midnight, so you'll just have to sleep in the corridor, won't you?"

"You're joking!" I exclaim, at my wits end in terms of rage. "Why did it have to change at midnight?"

"That's the way it is," says the Fat Lady. "If you're angry, go and take it up with the headmaster, he's the one who tightened security."

"Fantastic" Harry says bitterly, looking around at the hard floor. "Really brilliant. Yeah, Haylee, how good will it be to talk to Dumbledore about it if he was here, because he's the one who wanted us to -"

"He is here," says a voice from behind us. "Professor Dumbledore returned to the school an hour ago."

Nearly Headless Nick is gliding towards us, his head wobbling as usual upon his ruff. 

"I had it from the Bloody Baron, who saw him arrive," says Nick. "He appeared, according to the Baron, to be in good spirits, though a little tired, of course. The Bloody Baron also told me the most peculiar tale of dear Haylee and the young Mr Malfoy screaming at each other in the dungeons earlier today." 

My cheeks flush pink. "Brillant. Listen, where is he?"

"Oh, groaning and clanking up on the Astronomy Tower, it's a favourite pastime of his - "

"Not the Bloody Baron - Dumbledore!"

"Oh - in his office," says Nick. "I believe, from what the Baron said, that he had business to attend to before turning in -"

"Yeah, he has," Harry says, as excitement blazes in my chest at the prospect of telling Dumbledore that we've finally succeeded. We wheel around and sprint off again, ignoring the Fat Lady who is calling after us. 

"Come back! All right, I lied! I was annoyed you woke me up! The password's still 'tapeworm'!"

But we're already hurtling back around the corridor and within minutes, I'm saying "toffee eclairs" to Dumbledore gargoyle, which leaps aside, permitting us entrance onto the spiral staircase. 

"Enter," says Dumbledore when I knock. He sounds exhausted. 

We push open the door. There is Dumbledore's office, looking the same as ever, but with black, star-strewn skies beyond the windows. 

"Good gracious, Harry and Haylee," says Dumbledore in surprise. "To what do I owe this very late pleasure?"

"Sir -- we've got it. We've got the memory from Slughorn."

I pull out the tiny glass bottle and show it to Dumbledore. For a moment or two, he looks stunned. Then his face splits into a wide smile. 

"Harry and Haylee, this is spectacular news! Very well done indeed! I knew you could do it!"

All thought of the lateness of the hour seems forgotten, Dumbledore hurries around his desk, takes the bottle with Slughorn's memory in his uninjured hand, and strides over to the cabinet where he keeps the Pensieve.