Chapter 1238: Retrieving the Memory
Chapter 1238: Retrieving the Memory
"Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure you'll succeed."
Ron put down the copy of the Prophet he had just received from the owl post, attempting to reassure the silent Harry beside him.
"Any new news?"
Aside from his first year when he was chosen as the Seeker, Harry hadn't felt this nervous in a long time.
"Let's see..."
Ron turned his attention from Harry, unfolded the newspaper, and his eyes widened as he read the latest headline: "There are rumors that the mysterious person plans to break into Azkaban soon to release the prisoners being held there."
As he spoke, Ron handed the newspaper to Harry and said, "However, the newspaper says that the Ministry of Magic is prepared, and if Voldemort dares to attempt a prison break, he will pay a painful price."
"This feels like a smokescreen that someone deliberately released to divert attention," Harry said, popping a candy into his mouth as he carefully read the front-page news about Voldemort's alleged prison break plan.
"A smokescreen?"
Ron caught the bottle Harry pushed over and poured himself a drink.
"But... do you think this news is real... Someone wants to use this news to divert the attention of the Ministry of Magic?" Ron reorganized his words, "What are they trying to achieve by doing this?"
"I don't know." Harry took a bite of his toast and said, "I doubt Voldemort is planning something with this."
"But... it's just a rumor. Similar rumors are quite common," Ron reminded him uneasily.
"Of course, I know it might be a hoax," Harry tapped his fingers lightly on the newspaper, "but I'd rather believe it's true."
"Perhaps there's a possibility," Harry said, looking at Ron, "that this message is actually for Albert. After all, he can predict the future, and if Voldemort plans to break into Azkaban, he definitely won't be able to hide it from him."
"But... why couldn't it be that the Ministry of Magic deliberately leaked the information, maybe they want to deter Voldemort from attempting a prison break?"
The intelligence potion seemed to have helped Ron organize his thoughts.
"That's possible," Harry acknowledged, "but I still think it's meant to divert the attention of the Ministry of Magic, in case Voldemort is actually planning something."
Harry didn't think this would force the mysterious person to give up on the prison break.
"This is all your speculation, isn't it?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to Harry with a plate of food.
"Of course."
Harry didn't argue with Hermione about this because it would be pointless.
"I didn't see Professor Slughorn, I guess he's dining in his office now." Hermione lowered her voice as she shared her observation, "When do you plan to make your move?"
"After breakfast. I plan to use the Felix Felicis to pay Professor Slughorn a visit and try my luck. If I don't get the chance in the morning, I'll try again at noon, and if that doesn't work, I'll try again in the evening. Anyway, I have enough Felix Felicis to spare," Harry said, finishing his toast and reassuring himself, "After all the preparations, including using the potion, I can't think of any reason for failure."
He ignored the relieved expressions on Ron and Hermione's faces and refocused his attention on the news in the newspaper in front of him.
The feeling that something was about to happen intensified.
After breakfast, the trio returned to the Gryffindor common room, not because Harry had forgotten to bring the Felix Felicis, but because he needed to retrieve the mead he had prepared as a birthday gift for Professor Slughorn from his dormitory.
Of course, it wasn't necessary to get Professor Slughorn drunk, and following the Felix Felicis' intuition would likely lead to a higher success rate.
"We'll wait for your good news."
Ron and Hermione saw Harry off at the entrance of the common room and watched him disappear at the end of the corridor.
"Do you think Harry will succeed?" Ron asked, turning to Hermione.
"I don't know, but I hope he does," Hermione said softly, "To be honest, I don't think Albert will be involved in this matter."
"Why?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"If Albert really wanted to do that, he would have done it long ago," Hermione said with a twist of her lips, "You don't actually believe that nonsense about it being a 'test left by Dumbledore for Harry,' do you?"
"Isn't it? Harry said last time..."
After hearing Harry's complaints, Ron had indeed believed that, otherwise, why would Dumbledore make things difficult for Harry when Albert could easily accomplish the task.
"That was just Harry venting," Hermione gave him a look that said she had lost all hope in him, "Let's go back and wait for Harry. If things go well, it shouldn't take too long."
After taking the Felix Felicis, Harry's initial anxiety vanished, and he felt confident that he could persuade Professor Slughorn to hand over the memory.
After all, he had been preparing for this moment for several months.
The bottle of mead Sirius had helped him purchase now felt a bit unnecessary. Getting someone drunk was indeed a bit reliant on luck, but fortunately, it could still be used as a birthday gift.
Under the influence of the Felix Felicis, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the Marauder's Map, intending to reconfirm if Professor Slughorn was still in his office to avoid a wasted trip, as the effects of the Felix Felicis would likely only last for half an hour.
When Harry found Professor Slughorn's name on the Marauder's Map, he was surprised to discover another black dot in the professor's office, and the name beside it shocked him even more.
Narcissa Malfoy.
What was she doing at Hogwarts?
Harry narrowed his eyes, sensing a conspiracy.
What could have compelled Narcissa Malfoy to venture to Hogwarts?
Harry soon guessed the reason: the Felix Felicis.
Narcissa Malfoy wanted to obtain the Felix Felicis from Professor Slughorn, but why had she come herself instead of sending her son, Draco Malfoy, to steal it?
Could it be that Narcissa Malfoy wanted to purchase the Felix Felicis from Professor Slughorn? Harry quickly dismissed this possibility. He would bet all his Felix Felicis that Narcissa had not entered Hogwarts through regular means.
A secret passage?
But shouldn't only a handful of people know about those secret passages?
Unconsciously, Harry slowed his pace as he thought of someone. Snape knew of a secret passage from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack.
"Next, simply use a Disillusionment Charm, or take a complex potion..."
Perhaps, this was an opportunity.
As for the Felix Felicis, Harry wasn't worried that Narcissa would obtain it, as Professor Slughorn's supply had been bought out by Dumbledore.
Harry didn't rush to find Professor Slughorn. Instead, he deliberately slowed his pace, sensing that this was the perfect opportunity to retrieve that memory from the professor.
Harry ambled to the door of Professor Slughorn's office, put away the Marauder's Map, drew out his wand, and then knocked on the wooden door.
After waiting a few seconds without hearing any response, Harry became even more certain that Narcissa Malfoy's visit was not a friendly one. Otherwise, Professor Slughorn would have acknowledged the knock, either by speaking up or coming to open the door, instead of remaining silent as he was now.
Perhaps, they were waiting for him to leave or preparing an ambush?
Without hesitation, Harry decided to strike first.
With a gentle tap of his wand on the wooden door, he used the Cracking Spell to create a hole, and then cast a Stunning Spell through it, taking advantage of the Felix Felicis to deliver a treacherous attack.
This cunning move would be enough to take down many wizards.
However, upon hearing the commotion from within, Harry frowned, realizing that his opponent had dodged his stunning spell.
Tricky! Without a moment's hesitation, Harry flung open the door and threw the bottle of mead he had intended to give to Slughorn as a birthday gift, using it as a distraction.
As the bottle shattered, Harry swiftly appeared at the doorway, wand in hand, and fired off several spells at Narcissa in quick succession.
He chose practical spells to avoid accidentally harming Slughorn, mindful of his primary objective.
However, to Harry's surprise, the person before him was not Narcissa, but Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin student from his own year.
A Polyjuice Potion.
This girl was definitely up to no good.
What surprised Harry the most was not Narcissa's disguise, but her skill. Despite being caught off guard by his stunning spell, she calmly cast a Shield Charm to block his spells, a feat that was almost unimaginable.
Even an Auror might not be able to pull that off.
This was truly baffling.
Harry waved his wand, casting a Shield Charm to block her spells, then nimbly sidestepped to the side, taking cover behind the wall.
The brief exchange made Harry aware of how formidable his opponent was. If a full-scale conflict were to break out, Slughorn would undoubtedly be in grave danger, and that was not the outcome Harry desired. The professor's safety was paramount, at least until he obtained that memory.
Therefore, Harry did not rush to attack, but instead gave his opponent an opportunity to escape through the window.
If Narcissa Malfoy wanted to flee, jumping out the window would undoubtedly be her best option.
However, instead of the sound of Narcissa jumping out the window, Harry heard the sound of something shattering, and his instincts told him that Narcissa was using the cover of the smoke to escape.
Thus, Harry did not retaliate but stepped back, allowing his opponent to leave.
After silently counting a few seconds, Harry waved his wand and summoned a gust of wind that cleared the smoke from the corridor. Narcissa had vanished without a trace.
Harry quickly scanned the Marauder's Map to confirm that Narcissa had indeed left, then immediately turned his attention to checking on Slughorn.
"Ennervate."
Harry pointed his wand at Slughorn's chest, attempting to rouse him.
Perhaps due to the influence of the Felix Felicis, the Reviving Spell worked even better than Harry had expected, and Slughorn, who had been unconscious, began to stir.
"Professor, are you alright?" Harry asked as he helped the elderly man up.
"I'm fine," Slughorn replied in an emotionless tone.
Harry raised an eyebrow, looking at Slughorn with suspicion, and helped him sit down on the only intact sofa in the room. Just then, footsteps approached from outside.
"What's going on here?"
Two girls appeared at the doorway, their eyes widening at the sight of the ransacked Potions office.
"There's an intruder in Hogwarts who attacked Professor Slughorn. Go find Dumbledore, quickly!" Harry said, trying to shoo the girls away.
Once they were alone, Harry wasted no time in asking, "Why did Narcissa attack you?"
"Narcissa? I don't know. She wanted to buy Felix Felicis from me. After I told her that Dumbledore had bought all of it, she suddenly used the Full Body-Bind Curse on me and forced me to drink Veritaserum..." Slughorn explained.
Hearing the mention of Veritaserum, Harry knew that this was his chance.
"Professor, I need that memory of yours. I hope you can give it to me," Harry said as he summoned an empty glass vial with his wand and handed it to Slughorn. "I need it to understand Voldemort. I must kill him to avenge my mother. It is my destiny, for I am the Boy Who Lived."
Slughorn's face turned even paler, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he clearly struggled with the request.
"Professor, you don't have to be afraid of Voldemort finding out that you helped me," Harry reassured him. "We've already found his fatal weakness, and he will be finished soon."
"Really?" Slughorn asked, his body trembling slightly.
"Yes, Professor. Albert has already prophesied Voldemort's demise," Harry confirmed.
Slughorn's trembling hand held Harry's wand to his temple, extracting a long, silvery strand of memory and placing it into the vial Harry had provided.
"Thank you very much, Professor," Harry said softly. "You've done a brave and noble thing."
After pocketing the vial, Harry took back his wand and gently waved it, sending Slughorn back into a deep sleep.
"What are you up to, Potter?" Professor McGonagall stormed into the room, followed by several students.
"An intruder broke into Hogwarts and attacked Professor Slughorn," Harry said calmly, looking directly at Professor McGonagall. "We need to talk in private, and I need to see Professor Dumbledore. It's about something important."
"Dumbledore is not at the school, but you can tell me. I can pass the message along to him," Professor McGonagall said as she waved her wand, repairing the damaged door and blocking the other students from entering.
"No, that won't do. If Professor Dumbledore hasn't told you, it means he believes you don't need to know. Sometimes, it's better to keep certain information within a small circle," Harry shook his head. "By the way, Professor Slughorn was forced to drink Veritaserum, so it's best not to question him until the effects wear off. Also, the attacker was Narcissa Malfoy, who used a Polyjuice Potion to disguise herself as Pansy Parkinson. I believe she has escaped through a secret passage by now. Can you contact Professor Dumbledore? Please ask him to return to Hogwarts as soon as possible. It's urgent."
Professor McGonagall looked at Harry, biting her lip. "I'll send him a message right away."
She walked to the window, waved her wand, and a silver Patronus shot out from the tip of her wand, disappearing into the distance.
(End of Chapter)
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