HBP, Chapter Seventeen - A Sluggish Memory
Tweaked from Spark Notes.
After New Year’s, the students return to Hogwarts. Hermione is waiting with a scroll from Dumbledore arranging Harry's next lesson. Harry tells Hermione - despite an interruption in the form of Lavender squealing "Won-Won!" (*DIES*) before engaging Ron in a bit of wrestling - what he overheard between Draco and Snape. Hermione has the same doubts as Arthur and Lupin, thinking that Snape is just pretending in order to trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing.
The next morning, a large sign is posted in the common room, announcing Apparition lessons for all students seventeen years of age. That night, Harry reports to Dumbledore’s office as scheduled. Dumbledore asks Harry about his meeting with the Minister. Harry tells Dumbledore that Scrimgeour accused Harry of being Dumbledore’s man and that Harry agreed. To Harry’s embarrassment, Dumbledore’s eyes (and mine!) fill with tears. Harry tells Dumbledore about everything he overheard between Snape and Draco, but Dumbledore seems unconcerned.
Dumbledore starts the lesson by telling Harry about Tom Riddle’s experience at Hogwarts. He was sorted into Slytherin almost immediately and showed no more signs of arrogance or aggression. He was talented and attractive and drew attention and praise from the faculty. Tom was obsessed with his parentage, and after finding no traces of his father having ever been at Hogwarts, he realized he was a half-blood and adopted the name Lord Voldemort. After researching his middle name, Marvolo, Tom realized that he was a direct descendent of Slytherin. In the summer of his sixteenth year he returned to his mother’s home.
Dumbledore and Harry enter the Pensieve. Harry realizes that they are in Gaunt’s house, but it is incredibly filthy. A man with an overgrown beard is slumped in a chair and lunges at Tom when he enters the house. Speaking Parseltongue, Tom commands him to stop, and he does. Tom asks for Marvolo, but Morfin explains that he is dead. Morfin accuses Tom of looking like the Muggle his sister loved. Suddenly, the room goes dark, and Harry feels Dumbledore’s hand on his arm. Dumbledore explains that Tom stupefied Morfin, stole his wand, and went to the town to murder the man who left his mother and his grandparents, destroying the last of the Riddle line. When he returned to Morfin, he implanted a false memory of the murders into Morfin’s mind.
Later, Morfin was convicted of the murders by the Ministry, who traced the magic back to Morfin’s wand. Dumbledore explains that in the last few weeks of Morfin’s life, he was able to use Legilimency to coax out his real memory. Morfin died before he could be released from Azkaban.
Dumbledore pulls out another vial of memories, but it is unusually cloudy. They re-enter the Pensieve, and Harry sees a younger Horace Slughorn sitting with half a dozen boys, including Tom Riddle, who is wearing Marvolo’s ring. The students start to leave, but Tom lags behind and asks Slughorn about Horcruxes. As Slughorn answers, the room becomes extremely cloudy, and Slughorn’s voice sounds strangely loud, telling Tom he doesn’t know anything about Horcruxes. They return to Dumbledore’s office, and he explains that the memory has been tampered with by Slughorn, who did not want Dumbledore to know what really happened when Tom asked about Horcruxes. Dumbledore asks Harry to attempt to retrieve the real memory from Slughorn.
After New Year’s, the students return to Hogwarts. Hermione is waiting with a scroll from Dumbledore arranging Harry's next lesson. Harry tells Hermione - despite an interruption in the form of Lavender squealing "Won-Won!" (*DIES*) before engaging Ron in a bit of wrestling - what he overheard between Draco and Snape. Hermione has the same doubts as Arthur and Lupin, thinking that Snape is just pretending in order to trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing.
The next morning, a large sign is posted in the common room, announcing Apparition lessons for all students seventeen years of age. That night, Harry reports to Dumbledore’s office as scheduled. Dumbledore asks Harry about his meeting with the Minister. Harry tells Dumbledore that Scrimgeour accused Harry of being Dumbledore’s man and that Harry agreed. To Harry’s embarrassment, Dumbledore’s eyes (and mine!) fill with tears. Harry tells Dumbledore about everything he overheard between Snape and Draco, but Dumbledore seems unconcerned.
Dumbledore starts the lesson by telling Harry about Tom Riddle’s experience at Hogwarts. He was sorted into Slytherin almost immediately and showed no more signs of arrogance or aggression. He was talented and attractive and drew attention and praise from the faculty. Tom was obsessed with his parentage, and after finding no traces of his father having ever been at Hogwarts, he realized he was a half-blood and adopted the name Lord Voldemort. After researching his middle name, Marvolo, Tom realized that he was a direct descendent of Slytherin. In the summer of his sixteenth year he returned to his mother’s home.
Dumbledore and Harry enter the Pensieve. Harry realizes that they are in Gaunt’s house, but it is incredibly filthy. A man with an overgrown beard is slumped in a chair and lunges at Tom when he enters the house. Speaking Parseltongue, Tom commands him to stop, and he does. Tom asks for Marvolo, but Morfin explains that he is dead. Morfin accuses Tom of looking like the Muggle his sister loved. Suddenly, the room goes dark, and Harry feels Dumbledore’s hand on his arm. Dumbledore explains that Tom stupefied Morfin, stole his wand, and went to the town to murder the man who left his mother and his grandparents, destroying the last of the Riddle line. When he returned to Morfin, he implanted a false memory of the murders into Morfin’s mind.
Later, Morfin was convicted of the murders by the Ministry, who traced the magic back to Morfin’s wand. Dumbledore explains that in the last few weeks of Morfin’s life, he was able to use Legilimency to coax out his real memory. Morfin died before he could be released from Azkaban.
Dumbledore pulls out another vial of memories, but it is unusually cloudy. They re-enter the Pensieve, and Harry sees a younger Horace Slughorn sitting with half a dozen boys, including Tom Riddle, who is wearing Marvolo’s ring. The students start to leave, but Tom lags behind and asks Slughorn about Horcruxes. As Slughorn answers, the room becomes extremely cloudy, and Slughorn’s voice sounds strangely loud, telling Tom he doesn’t know anything about Horcruxes. They return to Dumbledore’s office, and he explains that the memory has been tampered with by Slughorn, who did not want Dumbledore to know what really happened when Tom asked about Horcruxes. Dumbledore asks Harry to attempt to retrieve the real memory from Slughorn.