The Key (A Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Chapter 22: The Real Memory

Amelia's P.O.V
After all that hard work and dedication, we finally managed to collect Slughorn's memory that he hasn't tampered with, this will help both Harry and I, and Dumbledore to defeat Voldemort. And we will defeat him, if it's the last thing we do, but we have a lot to do before then. This tiny little vial brings us a massive step closer to beating him once and for all, and we couldn't of done it without Dumbledore.

As soon as we collected the memory we ran straight to Dumbledore's office, trying not to be caught on the way, but we kind of were, by Draco who was looking for me.

"Amy? I've been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been?" He asked, worry lacing his soft voice.

"Can't talk now, I'm in a bit of a hurry, I'll speak to you later. I love you." I said in a rush and he smiled at the last part. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and sped off again, hearing him shout 'I love you too' after me. I glanced over at Harry who was pretending to gag as we ran. I hit him lightly over the arm with a laugh, keeping a tight grip on the vial containing the memory, I don't want to drop it. By the time we reached the headmaster's office I had an aching stitch in my side and I was breathing deeply and rapidly. It's a very long way from Hagrid's hut to Dumbledore's office, I can tell you that.

"Sherbert lemons." Harry choked out and the gargoyle hopped aside, letting us pass through. We dashed up the staircase and rapped quickly on his door several times, swinging it open when we heard Dumbledore say 'come in'. I held up the vial with the memory and he smiled at us slightly.

"I knew you could get it. When did he give in?" Dumbledore asked curiously as my stitch began to fade.

"About ten minutes ago, sir. It's a long run across the castle, you know." I replied with a small laugh. He tipped the contents of the glass tube into the pensieve making the inky black liquid again, Harry and I looked at each other with a shrug before plunging our faces into the water-like substance. That falling sensation came back to me as Harry and I dropped back into the office scene again, everything in exactly the same place as last time, only the ending was definately going to be different. There stood the young Tom Riddle and the Slytherin potions master after the rest of that year's 'slug club' had retired to bed.

Start of Memory

"I was in the library the other day. And I came across something rather strange about a very rare piece of magic. I thought you could explain it to me. It was called, as I understand it... a Horcrux." Riddle spoke in his posh english accent. A Horcrux? What is Godric's name is a Horcrux? But whatever it was made Slughorn's smiling face turn into that of a frown.

"I beg your pardon?"

"A Horcrux." Tom repeated, looking at the teacher curiously, waiting for an answer.

"I came across it while reading, and it's rather confusing." Tom continued, hoping Slughorn would help him to understand whatever a 'Horcrux' is.

"I don't know what you're reading, Tom, but that is very dark magic, very dark." Slughorn stated, probably stalling from giving an answer.

"Which is why I came to you." Tom responded.

"A Horcrux is an object where a witch or wizard conceals a piece of their soul." Horace Slughorn informed him, and I was sort of caught up now.

"Yes, I know that much. However, I don't understand how it works, as in, how to make one. How does one split his soul, sir?" Tom carried on into more detail, and Slughorn's frown expanded.

"I think you know the answer to that question, Tom." Slughorn answered and Tom walked over to face the flickering flames of the fire.

"Yes." He said simply, not even glancing at Slughorn.

"Killing people tears the soul apart. Most think it's a violation against nature, the rest have, well, attempted to make one." Horace told the boy somberly.

"Can you only split the soul once? For instance, say seven." Tom asked and Slughorn had a horrified look plastered to his face.

"Seven?!" Slughorn choked. "Merlin's beard, Tom! Isn't it bad enough to even think about killing one person? But to tear the soul into seven pieces! But this is all academic, isn't it Tom?" Tom turned from the fire and faced his potions teacher, a small smirk covering his lips.

"Of course, sir. It'll be our secret." Tom replied and the image burst into the smudged ink again, leaving Harry and I dumbstruck.

End of Memory

Harry and I lifted our faces from the sliver bowl and looked over at Dumbledore, both thinking the exact same question, we began to talk but he silenced us by raising his hand. He walked through his office and sat on the stone stairs, also looking very stunned, we followed him there and stood in front of him, waiting for the man to speak.

"This is beyond everything I imagined this memory would behold." Dumbledore spoke finally.

"You mean he succeeded in making a Horcrux, sir?" Harry and I asked in sync.

"Of course he succeeded, all right. And not just the once." Dumbledore told us.

"What are they exactly?" Harry asked quickly and Dumbldore stood from his seated position.

"They could be anything, affectively. Most commonplace of objects." Dumbledore answered pulling a book out of his desk. A black book with a hole in the middle that looked as though it had exploded. It was Tom Riddle's diary that Harry destroyed in his second year here. Harry told me about his previous years here a couple of months ago.

"A book for example." Dumbledore placed the book in Harry's hands.

"Tom Riddle's diary is a Horcrux?" I asked and Dumbledore looked at me questionably, and Harry explained that he had told me about the Basilisk incident.

"Yes, you're correct, it is." The headmaster concluded.

"Four years before this present day, when you saved Ginny's life in the Chamber of Secrets, you brought me this book. I knew immediately that it was a different kind of magic. Very dark yet very powerful. I had no idea just how powerful it was until tonight." Dumbledore informed us both.

"So if you could find them all, if you destroyed each Horcrux..." Harry started and Dumbledore finished it for him.

"It destroys Voldemort, well, the imortal side of him."

"But where are they hidden, any of them could be anywhere." I stated and Dumbledore nodded.

"Very true, but types of magic, especially dark magic leaves traces." Dumbledore said and walked around his desk and over to us.

"So that's where you've been going off to, isn't it?" Harry asked, saying exactly what I was thinking.

"Yes, and I think I may have found another one. But I cannot even begin to think of destroying it alone. I must ask too much of you, Harry, Amelia." Dumbledore said, and we knew we were going with him to destroy the Horcrux.