"This is dreadful... I'm an old man..."
Slughorn stood there, whispering weakly for a moment. His vibrant green velvet dressing gown was now soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his skin.
"Severus," Slughorn began, his voice faint, "I can't answer your questions. We need to see the Headmaster."
"Has the Headmaster returned?" Snape asked curiously. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of him lately."
"He just got back this afternoon," Slughorn stammered, pulling on his outer robe. "Come on, let's go to his office now."
---
"Is it always you?" the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office grumbled, eyeing Snape disdainfully.
"It's unavoidable," Snape retorted, glaring back at the stone beast.
"Oh, unavoidable, is it?" the gargoyle chirped in a high-pitched voice. "I feel the same way here, don't I?"
"Sherbet Lemon," Slughorn interjected impatiently, having no time for their bickering, cutting off Snape and the gargoyle.
The gargoyle squawked a few times, grumbling as it grudgingly slid aside, revealing the spiral staircase behind it.
"Albus, I apologize for the interruption," Slughorn said, leading Snape into the circular office.
"Good midnight, Professor," Snape greeted, peering out from behind Slughorn's ample frame, a smirk on his face.
"Oh, Horace, it's quite alright," Dumbledore replied, a gentle smile on his face. "On such a cool, pleasant evening, what extraordinary feat has Severus accomplished now?"
"Indeed, it's extraordinary, Professor," Snape declared, leaping out from behind the 'old slug,' a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Prejudice in the human heart is a great mountain, let me help you blow that mountain to smithereens."
At the word "blow," Dumbledore's mouth twitched, and his eyes instinctively darted towards the door, as if checking for any other 'dangerous elements' trailing behind.
"Enough of your nonsense, Severus," Slughorn snapped, "Muffliato—"
"He said he found a Horcrux in the castle, Albus."
"A Horcrux?" Dumbledore's expression instantly became serious.
Immediately, he raised his wand, pointing it towards the window.
Snape heard something whizzing through the air outside, speeding towards them.
Several large, faded, black-bound books soared through the open window from the dark night sky, halting abruptly in mid-air and hovering beside Dumbledore.
Dumbledore tapped the books lightly with his wand a few more times. Then, the door of a dark cabinet behind Snape creaked open, and the thick books zipped inside before the cabinet door slammed shut.
"My apologies," Dumbledore said softly. "It was my oversight. Have you read these books, Severus?"
"Yes," Snape replied, "They're in the library, and the library is for reading, isn't it?"
"How did you get in? I don't believe any professor would sign your note," Dumbledore asked.
Snape couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, thinking to himself: *Unless he's a brainless fool, like Gilderoy Lockhart years from now.*
Dumbledore and Slughorn looked at him, utterly bewildered by his inexplicable laughter.
"No note, Professor," Snape quickly explained. "I snuck in using a Disillusionment Charm."
"You know, I had a piece of parchment a while ago," Snape continued, glancing pointedly at Dumbledore's desk, where the Marauder's Map lay quietly in a drawer. "I spent a lot of time wandering around the campus then."
"Young man..." Dumbledore shook his head, then turned his gaze back to Slughorn. "Horace, did Severus ask you about Horcruxes?"
"Yes... Albus... He asked me about Horcruxes..." Slughorn's voice trembled slightly. "I'm a bit uneasy... because... because many years ago, someone asked me similar questions..."
"Someone else asked you?" Dumbledore's tone remained calm and reassuring. "It's nothing, Horace. It's quite normal for certain bright young wizards to occasionally take an interest in the darker side of magic. As long as they haven't made irreparable mistakes, there's still time for everything—"
"No—" Slughorn interrupted Dumbledore rudely, his emotions clearly agitated. "Didn't you understand, Albus? He found a Horcrux in the castle, right here at Hogwarts!"
"Relax, Horace." Dumbledore drew his wand and, with a gentle flick, a dusty old bottle and three glass goblets appeared in the air.
The bottle tilted on its own, filling each goblet with a honey-golden liquid, then the goblets floated to each person in the room.
"Have a drink, it'll calm your nerves," Dumbledore said. "Madam Rosmerta's finest oak-matured mead."
He raised his goblet to Slughorn and Snape.
Slughorn snatched his own goblet and took a small sip.
Snape also tasted it but found it not as delicious as the bottle he'd had at the Three Broomsticks.
So, not the best.
"I might have made a mistake... Albus..." Slughorn clutched the base of his goblet tightly. "I feel dishonored... More than thirty years ago, someone else asked me about Horcruxes... I think I might have caused great harm to someone that day..."
"Oh, who asked you?" Dumbledore pressed.
"I'm sure you remember him too..." Slughorn mumbled softly. "Tom Riddle, that exceptionally talented young man..."
"Ah, him," Dumbledore said, giving Snape a meaningful look. "Of course, I remember him. A student as brilliant as he was, I could never forget.
"So, what did Tom ask you?"
"He asked me..." Slughorn hesitated for a long while, as if mustering great courage, before slowly speaking. "He asked me... if a soul could only be split once... and if it would be better to split it into more pieces... just like Severus asked me today..."
Dumbledore placed his empty goblet on the desk, rose, and walked over to Slughorn, gently patting his shoulder in comfort.
"It's alright, Horace. I believe you merely accidentally revealed a bit of obscure magical theory. Everyone makes mistakes.
"However, I wonder if you could show us that memory? Perhaps there's still something we can do."