"It was horrible... I'm an old man..."
Slughorn stood there muttering weakly, his voice barely audible. His bright green velvet dressing gown was soaked through with sweat, clinging to his skin.
"Severus," Slughorn said feebly, "I can't answer your question. We need to go to the Headmaster."
"The Headmaster's back?" Snape asked curiously. "I haven't seen him around lately."
"He returned this afternoon," Slughorn said, trembling as he pulled on his coat. "Come on, we'll go to his office now."
...
"Why is it always you?" the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office squinted down at Snape in irritation and gave a disdainful grunt.
"I had no choice," Snape replied, glaring back at it.
"Oh, no choice, is it?" the gargoyle squeaked in its sharp, nasal voice. "I'm the same way, aren't I?"
", Sour Bomb Sugar," Slughorn cut in impatiently, clearly not in the mood for their bickering, interrupting Snape and the gargoyle mid-conversation.
The gargoyle let out a series of disgruntled screeches and slid aside reluctantly, revealing the spiral staircase behind it.
"Albus, sorry to disturb you," Slughorn said as he led Snape into the circular office.
"Good midnight, Professor," Snape said from behind Slughorn's broad frame, showing only his head and grinning.
"Oh, Horace, that's quite all right," Dumbledore said, smiling gently. "On such a cool and pleasant night, what world-shaking thing has Severus done this time?"
"It really is world-shaking, Professor," Snape said, stepping out from behind Slughorn with irritation. "The prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain, and I'm here to help you blow that mountain apart."
At the word "blow," the corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. His eyes flicked instinctively toward the door, as if checking to see whether any other "dangerous individuals" had followed them in.
"Enough nonsense, Severus," Slughorn snapped, waving his wand. "Muffliato,
"He says he's found a Horcrux in the castle, Albus."
"A Horcrux?" Dumbledore's expression immediately turned grave.
He lifted his wand and pointed it toward the window.
Snape heard something slicing swiftly through the air outside.
A few thick, faded black-bound tomes came flying through the open window out of the night sky, stopping abruptly in midair beside Dumbledore.
He tapped each of them lightly with his wand. Behind Snape, the door of a black cabinet creaked open. The heavy books shot inside, and the cabinet door slammed shut.
"My apologies," Dumbledore said softly. "That was careless of me. You've seen those books, haven't you, Severus?"
"I have," Snape said. "They're in the library. And the library is for reading books, isn't it?"
"How did you get in? I don't imagine any professor would sign a note for you," Dumbledore asked.
Snape couldn't help but give a quiet chuckle, thinking to himself: unless that professor were a brainless fool, like Gilderoy Lockhart, years from now.
Both Dumbledore and Slughorn looked puzzled at his inexplicable laughter, staring at him in confusion.
"No note, Professor," Snape explained quickly. "I sneaked in using a Disillusionment Charm."
"You know, some time ago I had a piece of parchment," Snape continued, his eyes flicking casually toward Dumbledore's desk, where the Marauder's Map now rested quietly in a drawer. "During that time, I wandered the castle rather a lot."
"Young people..." Dumbledore sighed and shook his head, then turned back to Slughorn. "Horace, Severus came to ask you about Horcruxes?"
"Yes... Albus... he asked me about Horcruxes..." Slughorn's voice trembled slightly. "I felt uneasy... because... because many years ago, someone else asked me nearly the same question..."
"Someone else?" Dumbledore said calmly, his voice gentle. "That's all right, Horace. It happens. Sometimes bright young wizards take an interest in the darker side of magic. So long as they haven't made any irreversible mistakes, there's still time to set things right-"
"No-" Slughorn interrupted harshly, his voice rising. "You don't understand, Albus! He found a Horcrux in the castle, right here at Hogwarts!"
"Easy, Horace," Dumbledore said, drawing his wand. With a soft wave, a grimy bottle and three glass goblets appeared in midair.
The bottle tipped itself, pouring a stream of honey-gold liquid into each cup. The glasses floated toward each of them in turn.
"Have a drink," Dumbledore said. "It will calm you down. Madam Rosmerta's finest oak-matured mead."
He lifted his glass slightly toward both Slughorn and Snape.
Slughorn grabbed his own cup and took a small sip.
Snape tried his as well, but found it nowhere near as good as the bottle he'd once had at the Three Broomsticks.
So, not the best.
"I may have made a mistake... Albus..." Slughorn clutched the stem of his glass tightly. "I feel ashamed... More than thirty years ago, someone else asked me about Horcruxes... I fear I may have done terrible harm that day..."
"Oh? And who was it that asked you?" Dumbledore prompted gently.
"I think you'll remember him..." Slughorn murmured softly. "Tom Riddle, the brilliant young man..."
"Him, yes," Dumbledore said, glancing meaningfully at Snape. "Of course I remember. A student as remarkable as Tom Riddle, one doesn't forget him in a lifetime.
"So, what did Tom ask you, exactly?"
"He asked me..." Slughorn hesitated for a long moment, as if summoning the courage to speak, then said slowly, "He asked me whether a soul could be split only once... whether dividing it into more pieces would be better... just like what Severus asked me today..."
Dumbledore set his empty glass down on the desk, stood, and walked over to Slughorn, resting a hand gently on his shoulder.
"It's all right, Horace," he said softly. "I believe you only revealed a small piece of theoretical magic without realizing the consequences. Anyone might make such a mistake.
"But perhaps, if you could show us that memory, we might still be able to do something."