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Chapter 1205: Slughorn's Information
Chapter 1205: Slughorn's Information
After Dumbledore concluded the evening's lesson, Harry couldn't help but ask, "Professor, do you want me to go after Voldemort's Horcruxes?"
"If necessary, I will take you to find Voldemort's Horcruxes, but not yet, Harry." Dumbledore reached out and gently pushed the cabinet containing the Pensieve closed. "I would rather you learn about Voldemort from these memories. Only by understanding our enemy better can we find a way to defeat him."
"To be honest, I don't know what Voldemort's weakness is. Does it count that he's ugly?" Harry noted Dumbledore's slightly raised eyebrows and quickly added, "I'm just joking, Professor."
"What do you think is Voldemort's weakness?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.
"Voldemort is afraid of death, and he's very proud and arrogant. Oh, and he likes to collect things. He seems quite stubborn and always wants to kill me himself. If he had let a Death Eater do it, I might be dead already."
"Harry, you actually know Voldemort quite well." Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction.
"But I don't see how this knowledge is useful." Harry felt a bit dejected and changed the subject. "By the way, Professor, how many Horcruxes have you found?"
"Quite a few, but I'm afraid I'll have to keep that information to myself for now. We need to obtain a portion of Professor Slughorn's memory to confirm the number of Horcruxes." Dumbledore looked up at Harry and said seriously, "You'll need to step up your efforts, Harry. I believe you will succeed."
"I've been trying to use Felix Felicis to get close to Professor Slughorn, but it hasn't been going smoothly." Harry felt a bit glum talking about this; even with the use of the luck potion, he hadn't succeeded, which made him realize just how difficult this task was.
"Felix Felicis is indeed a rare and valuable potion for most people, but you need to know how to use it effectively. As far as I know, Mr. Anderson is quite skilled in that regard." Dumbledore winked at Harry. "Perhaps you could find time to chat with him about his experiences with Felix Felicis. I believe Miss Granger has a way to contact him."
"Does Albert know about the Horcruxes too? Why don't we ask him for help?" Harry asked, voicing his confusion.
"Mr. Anderson has been helping," Dumbledore said gently. "Not long ago, with his assistance, I was able to locate one of the Horcruxes."
"Actually, I think we could completely rely on Mr. Anderson's divination abilities to quickly find the whereabouts of all the Horcruxes," Harry said. He had always felt that with Albert's help, Dumbledore could easily crush Voldemort.
"Divination is not all-powerful, Harry," Dumbledore shook his head. "In fact, most of the prophecies in the Hall of Prophecy never came to pass."
"But Albert's prophecies have all come true," Harry argued.
"Harry, you're taking these prophecies too seriously," Dumbledore sighed softly. "Do you want to defeat Voldemort simply because of this so-called savior title?"
"But..."
"If Voldemort hadn't killed your father and forced your mother to sacrifice herself for you, would you want to kill him to avenge your family?" Dumbledore looked at Harry and asked, "Obviously not, right?"
"So, I must find a way to defeat Voldemort, entirely for my own sake, not because of that damn prophecy," Harry murmured.
"Must? No, Harry, you have the right to choose your own path, and you have the right to ignore that prophecy!"
"But Voldemort will continue to hunt me down..."
"Of course, you could also choose to hide..."
"I won't hide," Harry shook his head.
"Voldemort's biggest mistake was creating his most formidable enemy." Dumbledore looked at Harry and said, "It was he who chose you, making you his mortal enemy. If he hadn't believed in the prophecy, Professor Trelawney's prediction would never have come true."
"Maybe I should pass the title of savior to Albert," Harry said self-deprecatingly. "To be honest, I've always felt that he's more like the savior than I am."
"I don't think Mr. Anderson would want such a title. He's actually someone who dislikes trouble." Dumbledore patted Harry's shoulder gently. "Remember, Harry, you are not fighting alone. There are many people supporting you."
After returning to the common room, Harry didn't see Hermione, only Ron entangled with Lavender in a corner.
Harry greeted his roommates and then asked, "Neville, have you seen Hermione?"
"Hermione went to discuss the Wizarding Chess tournament with Luna," Neville replied. He seemed to remember something and asked, "Harry, is it true that the DA meetings will only resume after the Christmas holidays?"
"Yes, sorry Neville. I've been really busy lately," Harry said helplessly. "I just can't spare much time, and the Quidditch team needs to train to stay in shape."
"It's alright, Harry. I just wanted to ask Cedric if I could join the Defense Association," Neville said softly.
"You want to join the Defense Association?" Harry was a bit surprised. "I thought we shared the same birthday, so you're not of age yet, and you'll still be in school next year, right?"
"Yes, but the Wizarding War probably won't end that soon. I still want to help in any way I can," Neville said quietly. "Even though I know I'm not much use."
"I'm sure they won't refuse your help," Harry reassured him.
As they were talking, Harry spotted Hermione returning to the common room with Ginny. He quickly ended his conversation with Neville and walked over to them.
"Hello, Harry," Ginny greeted him with a smile, seeming to be in a good mood.
"Hermione, I need to talk to you," Harry said directly.
"Oh, alright," Hermione said, looking puzzled. Under Ginny's curious gaze, she followed Harry out of the noisy common room.
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked once they were in an empty classroom and had cast a privacy spell.
"I need information about Professor Slughorn. You know that Dumbledore gave me a special task, and I think using ordinary methods won't be enough. I need something extraordinary," Harry said.
Lowering his voice, Harry said, "I might need a special approach, coupled with Felix Felicis, to complete that task, you know, it's important, and I don't think we should drag it out too long. And recently..."
"Who's there?"
"What!" Hermione exclaimed, her expression filled with surprise.
"Come out, Accio!"
Harry brandished his wand, pointing it at the classroom door and using a spell to compel whoever was there to appear.
"Sorry, Harry, I..."
"You shouldn't have followed me." Harry glared at Ginny, his displeasure evident. "How much did you hear?"
"Not much. I had just arrived when you noticed me." Ginny's expression grew complex as she glanced at Hermione. "If you want information about Professor Slughorn, I can help you with that."
"That's enough, Harry." Hermione interjected. "You didn't say much anyway."
"Albert was right, I really am too careless." Harry sighed in resignation as he looked at Ginny. "Stop doing things like this, Ginny. Knowing too much won't benefit you; it could endanger both yourself and those around you."
"Really?" Ginny widened her eyes, clearly not convinced.
"Yes, with this knowledge, you'd probably have to stay at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters until the war is over." Harry looked at Ginny intently. "I really don't want to involve you, Ginny. Voldemort won't easily let go of anyone who knows his secrets; he'll silence them all."
"Sorry, Harry." Ginny quickly apologized.
"Alright, Harry, don't scare Ginny anymore." Hermione tried to ease the tension, steering the conversation in a different direction. "If you want to get information from Professor Slughorn, I suggest you find a way to lower his guard first."
"If you want to get information from Professor Slughorn, I suggest getting him drunk. That might increase your chances of success." Ginny offered her suggestion.
"Get him drunk?"
Harry pondered the feasibility of this plan.
"It's true that people tend to loosen their tongues when drunk, and you have Felix Felicis, but the challenge is how to do it without arousing his suspicion." Hermione began helping Harry brainstorm the plan's viability.
"Soon, Professor Slughorn will be hosting a Christmas ball."
"No, that won't do. This information is too important to be shared with others." Harry immediately shook his head in disapproval. "It mustn't be revealed to anyone else. That's crucial."
However, he quickly jotted down Ginny's suggestion in his notebook.
"Getting him drunk might work, but..." Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "Do you know of any potions that can make someone drunk? And I need to speak with Professor Slughorn alone, getting him to willingly divulge information. But it won't be easy since he's already wary of me due to previous interactions."
"Perhaps you need to approach him from a different angle." Ginny proposed.
"Potions might not be a good idea; it could easily arouse Professor Slughorn's suspicion." Harry shook his head in disagreement. "The topic must be related to me, yet unlikely to trigger his alertness. We also need to find other topics to ensure he completely lets down his guard, drinking a substantial amount of alcohol without realizing our intention to intoxicate him."
Undoubtedly, this task was extremely challenging.
"Do you have any Wit-Sharpening Potions?" Harry turned to Hermione.
"I do!"
Ginny reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a bottle, handing it to Harry. "Fred and George secretly gave this to me, saying it would greatly improve my exam preparation efficiency."
"Thanks."
Harry poured himself a dose and swallowed it, his mind soon racing as he felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Vaguely, Harry felt he was grasping something, but it still eluded him. Finally, he gritted his teeth and took out the precious Felix Felicis from Hagrid's gift, the lizard-skin pouch, and ingested a small amount.
Instantly, Harry's thoughts became exceptionally clear, and he even came up with a plan to handle Professor Slughorn.
"My mother had a good relationship with Professor Slughorn." Harry quickly jotted this down before turning to Hermione and Ginny. "Do either of you know what kind of alcohol Professor Slughorn prefers, when his birthday is, and what food he usually likes? I can frequently visit him under the pretense of inquiring about my mother, and perhaps ask for some photos since he wanted to collect me. He's unlikely to refuse acts of goodwill."
"I remember Professor Slughorn mentioning it when he was showing off the birthday gift Albert gave him." Ginny popped a Wit-Sharpening Potion into her mouth. "It was a very exquisite fire dragon brooch, I think..."
In unison, they said, "April 28th."
"Thanks, Hermione and Ginny." Harry tucked his notebook into his pocket, gave them both a big hug, and quickly strode toward the door.
"Harry, where are you going?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"I think I should take advantage of the remaining time to find Professor Slughorn and lay the groundwork for the future."
"Is Harry really alright?" Ginny whispered, her cheeks reddening as she watched Harry's departing figure.
"He should be fine." Hermione glanced at Ginny and said, "But there are some things you shouldn't talk about outside this room."
"I'm not like Romilda Vane and those idiots." Ginny muttered, "By the way, Hermione, have you ever used Felix Felicis?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"It seems like the effects of Felix Felicis are amazing." Ginny's eyes shone with a hint of longing to acquire a small portion of the potion.
She felt that if she could obtain Felix Felicis, her wish to be with Harry might come true.
"This is what Albert gave me last time." Hermione seemed to see through Ginny's thoughts and pulled out a small vial from her pocket, handing it to Ginny. "Maybe you can find an opportunity to try Lavender's approach."
(End of Chapter)
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