Tris thought he liked sweets well enough, but Dumbledore's ice cream was still a little too sweet for him.
No wonder the other professors, and even Sirius, had turned it down.
Sickeningly sweet!
After he forced down one scoop and declined Dumbledore's offer of another, Dumbledore finally explained why he had gathered everyone there.
"I imagine you've all seen this by now? Hmm, perhaps our three young friends aren't quite sure what it is?" Dumbledore looked at Tris and the other two boys.
Ron nodded at once.
Harry hesitated, then nodded too.
Only Tris frowned slightly.
Dumbledore noticed, but showed little reaction. Instead, he went straight into his explanation. "First, let's discuss the object itself. This is an antique, and a very valuable one at that.
"A relic of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four Founders of Hogwarts. I found descriptions of it in the journals of past headmasters and have confirmed its identity."
The adults showed little reaction, except for the plump old man Tris didn't recognize, whose eyes flickered slightly.
Harry and Ron, however, stared wide-eyed.
Although both were Gryffindors, they knew perfectly well how formidable Slytherin had been.
"Albus..." Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses. "I don't quite understand why you've brought three children here."
"Well, Minerva," Dumbledore explained earnestly to Professor McGonagall, "I asked Kreacher, and he said that Tris headed straight for that room that day, then spotted the locket on the table almost immediately.
"And like Harry, he sensed at once that there was something unusual about it. So I thought inviting them here might prove helpful."
A question mark slowly rose over Tris's head.
On the day he had "discovered" the Horcrux, he had indeed wandered around a couple of times before heading straight for that room, but he hadn't seen Kreacher there.
*Had