oh. um. no one. bit of a tosser.
really.
hey. i was wondering.
i like riding round on the trains. it takes my mind off.  things.
i just apparated, didn't i?
can't imagine why.
after all these years, i just sort of roll with it, sir.
my mother's eyes, yeah.
one of my best friends is muggle- born. she's the best in our year.
sir, exactly what was that all --
it's alright, sir. i'll go back tomorrow, make some excuse --
but, sir. what about hedwig? and there's my trunk --
sir?
really.
didn't know. dumbledore.
when'd you get here?
oh come on.
but we're talking about hogwarts. dumbledore. what could be safer? hermione and ron exchange another glance.
rubbish. he's only -- what?
amazing.
peruvian instant darkness powder?
reckon he's right.
good. bad. speaking of which.
dunno. let's get closer.
i don't know. i'm turned around.
what just happened?
don't you see, it was a ceremony. an initiation.
it's happened. he's one of them.
so what's he doing in borgin and burke's? browsing for furniture?
look. his father's a death eater. it only makes sense. besides, hermione saw it. with her own eyes.
i need some air.
luna. how'd you?
sorry i made you miss the carriages, luna.
i am your friend, luna.
professor flitwick, you've known me for five years.
have you ever fixed one? a nose.
what the hell. give it a go.
well? how do i look?
brilliant.
later. what've i missed?
thanks.  just then, the light in the hall begins to gently dim and all eyes turn to dumbledore, standing at the top of the hall, ashen hand raised to the enchanted ceiling, where clouds respond to his gestures and shroud a gleaming full moon.
this can't be good.
well, you see, i've got an open period this morning, professor --
it is. or was. but i was told i had to get an outstanding in my
really? well.  brilliant. i'll head there straight away.
um, sorry, sir, but i haven't got my book yet -- nor's ron. you see --
crush it. don't cut it.
no. really --
fine, sir.
i think he overestimates my abilities, sir.
definitely.
sir?
no! i mean.  she's brilliant. and we're friends. but.  no.
did you know, sir? then?
you didn't bring professor slughorn back simply to teach potions, did you, sir?
you said professor slughorn would try to collect me.
do you want me to let him?
all right! queue up! excuse me.
thanks. all right. this morning i'll be putting you all through a few drills to assess your strengths. but know this: just because you made the team last year does not guarantee you a spot this year. is that clear?
all right. cormac. ron. it's down to you two for keeper. we'll decide it with a shootout. demelza, you'll bring the quaffle up against cormac. ginny, you'll take on ron.
quiet! i'm captain. we do it my way. now line up. on three. one. two.  three!
c'mon, ron.
ever heard of this spell?
no.
it's.  old. the binding is fragile.
i didn't say i wasn't curious. and, by the way, i don't sleep with it.
and?
good. that settles it then.
who's up for a butterbeer?
no. over here.
no, no. sit next to me.
hello, sir. wonderful to see you.
so what brings you here, sir?
i'd consider it an honor, sir.
dumbledore asked me to.  get to know him.
dunno. but it must be important. otherwise dumbledore wouldn't ask.
there's no time!
she was cursed, wasn't she? i know katie. off the quidditch pitch she wouldn't hurt a fly. if she was bringing that to someone, she wasn't doing it knowingly.
it was malfoy.
i.  just.  know.
what does she see in him?
you called him a slick git not five hours ago.
i suppose.
i don't know. she's smart. funny. attractive.
you know. she's.  got nice skin.
well, no. i mean.  i'm just saying it could be a contributing factor.
i've never really thought about it. but i suppose, yeah. very nice. another silence. suddenly it feels weird.
i think i'll be going to sleep now.
what?
sorry, sir, i was just admiring your hourglass.
i think i'll be going.
the shelf, sir?
i don't really know how to answer that, sir.
did voldemort ever make the shelf, sir?
you knew him, didn't you, sir? tom riddle. you were his teacher.
what was he like?
i'm sorry, sir. forgive me. he killed my parents, you see.
have it your way. juice?
dunno what you're talking about. harry pockets the vial, winks at luna. ron rises.
yep. apparently it's his lucky day.
yeah. i suppose i could've just used, i dunno.  a confundus charm?
ah. well.  they're really good.
it feels like this.
have you?
i just thought, you know, since neither one of us can take who we'd really like.  maybe we'd go together. as friends.
so who are you taking?
really?
but i am the chosen one.
okay. kidding. i'll just ask someone i like. someone cool.
neville?
what're you doing?
and what's happened to you?
cormac! that's who you invited!
i think she went to powder her nose. harry looks past cormac's shoulder, out past the hanging and sees slughorn laughing with a guest. cormac plucks a dragon blob off the tray in harry's hand, pops it.
dragon balls.
i think i should rejoin the party, sir. my date.
a message?
traveling? where? snape merely stares a harry silently, briefly, then exits, taking harry's gaze with him, to slughorn once again, wildly gesturing with a full glass of wine.
positive. why?
i'd worked that much out for myself, funnily enough.
lovely.
i'll take your word for it.
so what happens? if you break an unbreakable vow?
draco's plotting something, i know it, something to do with voldemort. he's been given a task or a mission -- and snape was offering to help.
i know it sounds mad --
that's not what it sounded like.
but dumbledore can make mistakes. he's said it himself --
i'm not --
it's good.
are you alright, mr. weasley?
did you get my owl?
go on.
a vanishing cabinet?
what happened to it? the one at borgin & burkes?
soon.
i know who i am, hermione, alright? sorry.
if dumbledore's traveling places, it's news to the ministry. but get this: that night at borgin & burkes? it seems draco was looking at a vanishing cabinet.
you tell me.
who could tell the difference?
i don't understand -- what happened?
but why would he tamper with his own memory?
why?
i don't know him that well, sir --
well, sir, i wondered if i might ask you something.
well, you see, the other day i was in the restricted section -- in the library -- and i stumbled upon something rather odd while reading. something about a bit of rare magic.
i'm not sure.  that is, i don't recall the name.  exactly. but it got me wondering.  are there some kinds of magic you're not allowed to teach?
yes, well, we don't exactly see eye-to-eye, sir. what i mean to say is, he's not like you. he might.  misunderstand.
did you say the same to tom riddle, sir? when he came asking questions.
sir --
nice.
hermione. i think malfoy's leaving the castle. hermione stops dead, looks back at harry. he nods.
i've seen it. sometimes.  sometimes he just disappears off the map.
the map is never wrong.
divine. had ourselves a little late-night snack, did we?
or twenty.
really? honestly, i reckoned she was starting to annoy you.
excuse me? ron nods. harry looks bewildered.
well.  brilliant.
bloody well hope so. she's been snogging you for three months.
who're you talking about?
okay. very funny.
what the hell was that for?
okay! fine! you're in love with her! have you ever actually met her!
ron, these chocolates, they're -- c'mon. i'm going to introduce you to romilda vane.
devastatingly handsome.
sir. i'm sorry. i wouldn't bother you if it weren't absolutely --
i figured this called for a more practiced hand, sir.
i'm sorry, sir. about the other day. our.  misunderstanding.
i mean, i'm sure you're tired of it, after all these years. the questions. about.  voldemort.
yes, sir. it's just, well, dumbledore once said that fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. it seemed sensible.
love potion.
ron! professor, help him! ron!!!
professor! do something!!
he's choking!!
breathe! c'mon, ron, don't be a prat. breathe! breathe!
how are you, katie?
sectumsempra! blood spurts from malfoy's face and scarlet slashes ooze through the white of his shirt. he staggers, howls again and collapses. harry glares at his wand in horror, then slushes across the floor, the water running red with malfoy's blood.
the room of requirement.
who showed you this? first.
what?
oh. yeah.
say that again.
excellent. really excellent.
right. i'm going down to hagrid's.
no. i've got a good feeling about going to hagrid's. i feel like it's the place to be tonight, know what i mean?
trust me. i know what i'm doing. or at least felix does.
sorry, sir. i should've announced myself. cleared my throat. coughed. you probably feared i was madam sprout.
just the general behavior, sir. the sneaking around. the jumping when you saw me. by the way, those tentacula leaves -- they're quite valuable, aren't they?
personally, these plants have always kind of freaked me out.
through the front doors, sir. i'm off to hagrid's, you see. he's a very dear friend and i felt like paying him a visit. so if you don't mind, i'll be going.
sir?
well, then by all means come along, sir.
that would be counterproductive, sir.
no idea.
a dead one, i think, sir.
not to mention the pincers.
through the front doors.
oh yeah.
poof.
do you know why i survived? the night i got this.
because of her. because she sacrificed herself. because she refused to step aside. because her love was more powerful than voldemort.
i'm not afraid of the name, professor. and i'm not afraid of him. and you shouldn't be either. she didn't just die for me that night. she died for you too. she died for everyone who's ever woken in the middle of the night afraid a death eater waited on their doorstep.
professor. i'm going to tell you something, something others have only guessed at. it's true. i am the chosen one.
only i can kill him. but in order to do so, i need to know what tom riddle asked you that night in your office all those years ago. and i need to know what you told him.
be brave, professor. be brave like my mother. otherwise you disgrace her. otherwise she died for nothing. otherwise, the bowl remains empty forever.
sir --
do you mean to say he succeeded, sir? in making a horcrux?
seven. he made seven -- the most powerfully magical number. but.  what are they exactly?
tom riddle's diary --
and the ring?
but if you could find them all. if you did destroy each horcrux.
but how would you find them? they could be hidden anywhere, couldn't they.
it's where you've been going, isn't it, sir? when you leave the school.
hermione, is the room of requirement unplottable?
it would explain why i thought malfoy was leaving the castle when he disappeared off the map.
he was going to the room of requirement.
but i'm telling you. i saw it --
what if there are two? vanishing cabinets.
i don't know.
i don't need luck. i'll be with dumbledore.
you look the same to me, sir.
yes, sir.
my word.
sir, i thought one couldn't apparate within hogwarts.
it's there, isn't it?
sir! the rock face sizzles like acid and begins to crumble, forming a narrow opening.
you should've let me, sir.
we couldn't, perhaps, just try a summoning charm, sir?
accio horcrux! there is an explosion and something pale erupts out of the water. harry nearly sheds his skin. dumbledore calmly watches it vanish beneath the surface.
sir.  have you ever taken felix felicis?
professor.  there are bodies in this lake.
do you think the horcrux is in there, sir?
why can't i drink it, sir?
professor?
professor? can you hear me? dumbledore says nothing. the corners of his eyes twitch. his hand trembles, savagely this time, and he nearly drops the goblet. harry reaches out, steadies his hand.
you.  you can't stop, professor. you've got to keep drinking. like you said. remember.
it will, sir. it'll stop. but only if you drink.
what?
no.
one more. just one more. and then -- i promise.  i'll do what you say.
i promise.
aguamenti. instantly cold clear water rises in the basin.
you did it, sir. look --
i'm trying, sir. i'm --
don't worry, sir. we're nearly there.
we need to get you up to the hospital, sir, to madam pomfrey --
all right. okay.
sir, are you.  praying?
cruciatus! snape raises his wand, parries the curse with ease.
incacerata! once again, snape deflects the spell.
impedimenta! another lazy flick of the arm, another curse defeated. harry drops his arm in frustration.
fight! fight back, you coward! with staggering quickness, snape's wand whips forth and harry is off his heels and crashing to the earth.
sectumsempra! bang! snape wheels and once more sends harry flying onto his back. harry stares at the stars as they wheel over him, when snape comes into view.
hagrid.  hagrid!
hagrid! you alright?
hagrid, dumbledore --
no. he was lowering his wand. in the end, it was snape. it was always snape. and i did nothing.
yeah, strange. only.  it's not. it's a fake.
go on. open it.
dunno. but whoever they are, they have the real horcrux. which means, it was a waste. all of it.
i'm not coming back, hermione. hermione nods.
i have to finish what dumbledore started. i'm not sure where that will lead me.  but i'll let you and ron konw where i am -- when i can.
yeah. i do. but do me a favor. when i'm around? keep the snogging to a minimum.
funny, he says the same about you.
you're brilliant. you both are.
i don't know.
	145:
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 11. 16 continued: 16 slughorn takes a step back, having spotted harry. the blood on harry's forehead only serves to highlight his scar.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 13. 16 continued: 16
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harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 19. 24 continued: 24 it's utter madness: ever-bashing boomerangs whip through the air, dr. filibuster's fabulous wet-start no-heat fireworks spit sparks, and nose-biting teacups bare tiny porcelain teeth. fred & george weasley, in screaming magenta, stand upon a counter, selling to the masses:
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 19a. 24 continued: 24
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 22. 26 continued: 26
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 23. 26 continued: 26 ron.
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harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 32. 40 continued: 40
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 40. 45 continued: 45 dumbledore smiles faintly, shakes his head.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 41a. 48 continued: 48
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 43a. 48 continued: 48 slowly smiles. dumbledore studies him. abruptly, the wardrobe begins to shake. riddle's smile fades.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 45. 48 continued: 48
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 47a. 50 continued: 50 demelza robins, bent low over her stick, pins the quaffle under her chin, splits two bludgers and a pair of beaters.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 48. 50 continued: 50 two fourth years collide in mid-air.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 49. 50 continued: 50
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 50. 51 continued: 51 harry points to a notation in the margin underlined three times: "sectumsempra. for enemies." hermione frowns.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 51. 51 continued: 51 ginny points. written on the frontispiece is: "this book is the property of the half-blood prince."
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 52a. 52 continued: 52
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 53. 52 continued: 52
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 54. 53 continued: 53
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 57. 54 continued: 54 he says this so forcefully the others instantly obey. effortlessly, he scoops up katie's thrashing body and then, as if calming a terrified animal, presses his face close to hers and whispers with great tenderness:
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 60. 56 continued: 56
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 61a. 57 continued: 57
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 63. 58 continued: 58
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 64a. 59 continued: 59
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 65a. 59 continued: 59 ron nods grimly, lifts his glass. luna turns to harry.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 66. 59 continued: 59
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 67. 60 continued: 60 pitching herself into a wide slide to avoid a pair of whistling bludgers, she leans recklessly off her broom and whips the quaffle through the goal untouched.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 68. 61 continued: 61 ron and lavender. in a clinch. kissing. harry stares, blinks, then turns back.  to no one. his eyes shift, track hermione as she bumps through the crowd toward the portrait hole.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 69. 63 continued: 63 as the birds hit the door, they explode softly into small feather clouds and hermione covers her face and sobs. harry goes to her, hesitates, then tentatively drapes his arm over her. as she turns her face into his chest, he pulls her closer, watching as, across the room, the last scarlet feather drifts to the floor, joining the pool already there.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 70. 66 continued: 66
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 73. 71 continued: 71 as neville turns away, harry notices a pair of girl's feet protruding from beneath a crimson hanging. his gaze rises, finds hermione peeking out. as he moves off, we see luna talking to a small, stout bespectacled man .
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 78. 75 continued: 75
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 78a. 75 continued: 75
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harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 84. 84 continued: 84 greyback rushes into a clearing, panting, glancing about.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 84a. 85 continued: 85
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harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 105a. 111 continued: 111 . just as the aurors' shadows quiver over him and vanish. rising, harry starts off in one direction, then stops, as if compelled by some inner voice, and heads the opposite way.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 107. 112 continued: 112
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 108a. 113 continued: 113 slughorn rummages about his pockets, extracts some small vials -- all empty save for one containing a hairy worm -- then scrambles up close to aragog. harry and hagrid watch.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 113. 116 continued: 116
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 114. 116 continued: 116
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harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 116. 117 continued: 117
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 117. 117 continued: 117 just then, as the flash of harry's fingers make contact with the ring, images flash by in dizzying succession: voldemort's face, twisted in pain. a derelict house, deep in a haunted clearing. an ancient cup, gleaming as it tumbles from an old woman's hand. a snake slithering through damp grass. dumbledore slipping the ring onto his finger, recoiling as his skin decays.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 119. 119 continued: 119
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 124. 123 continued: 123 harry starts to respond. stops. nods.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 126. 123 continued: 123 dumbledore's jaw relaxes and harry pries open his mouth, tips the liquid down his throat. pain ripples through dumbledore's face. he tries to speak, harry eyeing him with trepidation, fearful of what he will request. again and again dumbledore struggles and then.  his eyes.  open. find harry.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 130. 132 continued: 132
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 131. 132 continued: 132
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 131a. 132 continued: 132
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 132. 132 continued: 132 malfoy looks into dumbledore's eyes, then to the sky, at the gathering clouds, twisting darkly, then glances to the stairwell. dumbledore notices.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 133. 132 continued: 132
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 137. 134 continued: 134
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 139. 142 continued: 142 hermione pries open the locket and removes a piece of parchment folded in a tight square. reads:
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 140. 142 continued: 142 harry turns, looking at her in surprise.
harry potter.  half-blood prince - rev. 11. 6. 07 141. 142 continued: 142