Slughorn - hiding more than meets the eye?

[saraquel_omphale]

No: HPFGUIDX 136478

This is a post for Dave, no Snape!!  I've been thinking about dear 
old Slughorn and wondering if there is more to him than meets the 
eye. 

Here are a few questions I've asked myself?

Why is Slughorn so afraid at the beginning of the book that he has 
spent a whole year in hiding.  This is a man whose whole life is 
built around socialising with the rich and famous, being connected, 
pulling strings etc.  Here is a man in fear of his life.  Why? Is 
the conversation with Tom Riddle about Horcruxes enough for him to 
be now in fear of his life?  If it is, then was he in hiding for the 
whole of Voldemort's previous reign of terror? It doesn't appear so 
from later evidence. So what else is he hiding?

(All quotes from the UK editions)
The chapter entitled Horace Slughorn in fact gives us quite a lot 
interesting information and leaves me with a lot of questions!!

1) How did DD know where to find Slughorn? Slughorn was not 
expecting him.

2) DD knew that the devastated house was not DE activity because 
there was no dark mark.  When he mentions this to Slughorn, Slughorn 
says he forgot to do the mark.  Do we assume that he therefore knows 
how to cast a Dark Mark.  In GoF, p128, Mr Weasley says to 
Hermione, "it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure 
it."  But then on p73 Slughorn says `as I have never joined the 
Death Eaters, h-w-m-n-b-n can hardly count me a friend."  Sounds as 
though he is debating whether Voldemort's vengeance will be 
increased, but it also indicates that he was not always openly anti-
DE.

3) DD says p69 "So all these precautions against intruders, Horace 
 
are they for the Death Eaters' benefit, or mine?" We know that DD 
wants something from Slughorn, but the Horcrux memory would not put 
Slughorn in fear of his life from DD. Is DD being slightly sarcastic 
here, or is the question for real?  

On page 69 DD probes for reasons, suggesting that 
Slughorn's `considerable talents" would be a reason for the DEs to 
come `recruiting'.  At this point DD does not know what the tampered-
with memory contains, so I think he is trying to find out why 
Slughorn is so frightened. 

DD is wearing the Gaunt Ring when they visit Slughorn.  Harry does 
not notice the ring at the Dursley's, but first notices it at 
Slughorn's, so DD has put the ring on especially for the visit.  Now 
we know from the Sluggish Memory chapter (which is all DD knows at 
this point) that Tom Riddle was wearing the ring the night he asked 
about Horcruxes.  Presumably DD is banking on Slughorn recognising 
it as Voldemort's.  The ring is now cracked, having had Voldemort's 
soul surgically removed.  We also know that DD has tried to get the 
full memory from Slughorn before.  

Is DD presuming that Slughorn will know that the Ring was a Horcrux, 
and by the cracked state of it, realise that it has been destroyed.  
Or is DD just putting pressure on Slughorn to reveal how much he 
knows about Voldemort's horcruxes?


4) Speculation time –  full of holes – please feel free to pick.

Voldemort knows that Slughorn must suspect him of having made 
Horcruxes – in the plural – because of the conversation. Now what's 
interesting here is that young Tom was confident that Slughorn would 
know about Horcruxes – very, very dark magic.   That Slughorn is a 
very talented wizard there is no doubt. For DD opinion see 3), then 
Draco says (HBP p301) that his grandfather said that Slughorn was 
the best potion-maker he'd known.

Now, whoever stashed the false!locket found out about LVs Horcruxes 
and about the cave.  It has taken DD nigh on 16 years to get to this 
point, the greatest living Wizard – yet we are supposed to believe 
that RAB – Regulus Black –  sorry, who?  Managed to get there way 
before him.  RAB, of whom we have never heard anybody speak of as 
having any talent whatsoever, but who gets a mention in Slughorn's 
despatches as the brother of Sirius (HBP p71).  Whereas Sirius is 
called `a talented boy', no such praise for his brother Regulus. I'm 
very pulled to the opinion that Regulus was either someone's stooge, 
or took someone very talented with him.  Regulus was probably a 
wizard of little talent, who was young and whose powers wouldn't 
register much in the boat. 

Whoever, stole the Horcrux!Locket was a really good potion maker, 
although I wonder where the ingredients to make the new potion came 
from??  The best potion makers we know are Snape, Slughorn and 
Lily.  

Now the note claims that RAB wanted Voldemort to know it was him 
that found out his secret. If RAB is a stooge, then the other person 
must be someone who actively does not want LV to suspect them and is 
prepared to give up the glory of having found out.  This rules out 
Snape IMHO – whose life is one long seeking for recognition – but 
doesn't rule out Slughorn – who always liked to take a back seat.  
If, however, Regulus took someone with him to help him, then it 
would have to be Slughorn and not Snape – there is no way that Snape 
would be Regulus' assistant – even if he was promised a pair of high 
heels and a bunny tail.

Why might Slughorn have agreed to do this? To try and salve his 
conscience.  Although there must be much more to it than that, 
Regulus might have gone to Slughorn for help, especially if Slughorn 
was not openly anti-DE and perhaps Regulus had been one of the Slug 
Club, coming from an influential family. This theory definitley 
needs a bung at this point - anyone got one to hand, we seem to be 
taking on some water.  Anyway, carrying on regardless, Having done 
the dirty deed of stealing the Horcrux!Locket though, Slughorn would 
now have something even more dangerous to try and hide, which might 
explain his current behaviour. It still does not answer the question 
about how Slughorn/Regulus knew about the cave.  Who knew about the 
cave???????  Never mind who knew about the Horcurxes (Start bailing 
water everyone)

There is always the quote in GoF which sticks in the back of my 
mind, which could undo this plotting in the time it takes to say 
Sectumsempra – GoF p562 Voldemort says to the returned DEs `And then 
I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise 
again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself 
against mortal death?"  So did all the DEs know about the Horcruxes 
then?

Then there is also the Felix Felicis potion.  This potion takes 6 
months to make (HBP p484), yet Slughorn had a little cauldron gently 
plooping in Harry's first lesson.  He must carry it around with 
him.  He also says he has taken the potion twice in his life, once 
aged 21 and the second time aged 57.  Hmmm, what happened the second 
time.  We know that he is younger than DD, we know that he started 
teaching around the same time as DD (HBP p82)  Does anyone know when 
DD started teaching – it must be over 55 years ago because he was a 
teacher when he went to Tom's orphanage, and Tom was 11.  I could 
speculate that the second use that Slughorn made of the potion was 
the Horcrux recovery but that must have happened about 20 years ago, 
which would only make him 77 now, so he would have been under 22 
when he started teaching.  Hmmm not sure about that. (Or maybe he 
got the job on the strength of his first foray into FF!)

I know that there are lots of holes in this, but is it worth taking 
anywhere?

Saraquel