Dreams Are Like That

Since tomorrow was Friday, the schedule was fairly relaxed. Professor Sprout's Herbology Class was not until noon. By the time Ron had calmed down, the boys in the dormitory had laughed and roughhoused for a long time, only going to bed after lights-out.

Harry silently repeated the time and place of the meeting to himself, committing them to memory before tucking the note into the Half-Blood Prince's textbook.

Getting close to Professor Slughorn was a long-term task. Last term, he had been busy with exams. Although he frequently attended Slughorn's private gatherings, he could not get a word in when it came to Potions Master. At every party, he could only keep his head down and eat. There had been almost no progress in their personal relationship, let alone any chance to bring up Horcruxes.

But this term was different. He had performed excellently in Potions Master, and Slughorn was growing increasingly close to him. He believed there would soon be a breakthrough.

Tom Riddle as a student...

The secrets of Horcruxes...

The role Slughorn had once played...

Harry casually set the old textbook beside his pillow and closed his eyes. Strange, fantastical thoughts filled his mind, a chaotic jumble of everything imaginable. He did not know how long passed before his thoughts gradually slowed. His final thought was that the howling wind outside the window had grown quieter.

Before he knew it, he fell into a deep sleep.

Only one candle remained lit in the tightly shut dormitory, its dim yellow light burning quietly. In the stillness of the deep night, the old textbook beside the pillow suddenly began turning its pages without any wind. They flipped one after another before finally stopping on the page describing the Bat-Bogey Hex. The words on it quietly faded away, releasing a