Horace Slughorn’s hiding at Budleigh Babberton
Albus Dumbledore along with Harry Potter traces Horace Slughorn to the muggle village Budeligh Babberton.
Horace Slughorn disguised as an armchair as he thought it was Corban Yaxley or another Death Eater on the search for him. Albus Dumbledore appointed Severus Snape as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and needed a new professor for potions.
Albus Dumbledore so finds Horace Slughorn to appoint Slughorn as the new potion’s professor out from his retirement. However, Albus Dumbledore was more interested in seeking the secret between Slughorn and Tom Riddle a.k.a Voldemort to search for methods to destroy Voldemort.
Albus Dumbledore knew that Horace Slughorn would resist so he brought Harry Potter to lure him as Horace Slughorn couldn’t oppress his urge to have an opportunity to become a mentor of the famous Harry Potter due to his natural urge to network with famous, powerful people.
The funeral of the Acromantula Aragog
In the novel, Hagrid sends an invitation for Aragog’s funeral while in the movie, Aragog’s Funeral was unnoticed ahead.
After Hagrid was expelled as he was accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets and raising Aragog which was a highly dangerous Acromantula(it was illegal), still Hagrid took care of Aragog for almost fifty years.
Hagrid even brought Aragog a wife another female Acromantula Mosag. Aragog and Mosag was responsible for the huge acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest. Aragog has lived long and eventually died by illness.
Hagrid decided to bury him before Aragog’s offspring cannibalized on Aragog’s corpse. Harry, Ron and Hermione refused Hagrid’s invitation.
However, after Harry took Felix Felicis as he felt he needed luck to obtain Horace Slughorn’s missing memories, he spontaneously heads for Aragog’s funeral.
Felix Felicis – Harry Potter successfully obtains Slughorn’s memories
After Harry Potter drank Felix Felicis, he suddenly gets a feeling and attends Aragog’s funeral. On his way, Harry encounters Horace Slughorn which Slughorn was surprised that it was almost night fall and Harry was going against the curfew.
However, Horace Slughorn thought this was a rare opportunity to obtain the venom of acromantula and decides accompany Harry for Aragog’s funeral.
Slughorn gave a speech and helped the burial of Aragog. While Hagrid was full of sorrows, Horace Slughorn secretly collects a bunch of venom from the fangs of Aragog. After Aragog’s funeral,
Slughorn and Hagrid started drinking a bunch of wine which Harry kept the glasses constantly full by a refilling charm. Hagrid was so drunk that he passed out and Harry Potter convinces Slughorn to be brave like one of his most favorite students, Harry’s mother Lily.
Horace Slughorn was so drunk that he gives Harry Potter the memory of Tom Riddle, Voldemort that he has been hiding for years. Horace Slughorn was so drunk that blacked out on his memory of him giving the secrets of the Horcrux.
Why did Horace Slughorn retire?
Albus Dumbledore knew that there was something that Horace Slughorn hiding in regards of Tom Riddle also known as Lord Voldemort.
Albus Dumbledore convinces Horace Slughorn to join the Hogwarts faculty again by luring him with the fact that he could teach the famous Harry Potter because he knew this secret of him was critical for the victory against Voldemort.
In fact, Horace Slughorn had conscience and felt guilty for the fact that he gave critical advice to Tom Riddle, Voldemort of the infamous dark magic Horcrux.
Albus Dumbledore after figuring out the truth sincerely didn’t care much that Horace Slughorn was evil nor should he feel so guilty though. Slughorn was even angry when Harry Potter asked him of this memory and cancelled all the Slug Club meetings to avoid him.
Why were the Death Eaters after Professor Slughorn
Professor Horace Slughorn was hiding from one muggle house to another when they were on long vacations hiding from the Death Eaters trying to recruit him. One of the Death Eaters Corban Yaxley has been constantly searching for him. Professor Horace Slughorn, howe
ver transfigured himself and he constantly went on the move to avoid them.
Albus Dumbledore traced him in the muggle village Budleigh Babberton. Voldemort and the Death Eaters weren’t rather trying to murder Professor Slughorn but was trying to recruit him as Horce Slughorn was a very skilled and powerful wizard.
Horace Slughorn did know Voldemort’s secret but Voldemort attempted to keep Horace Slughorn as a professor for Hogwarts for Voldemort’s regime once he reigns as the supreme leader of the British wizardry world.
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Horace Slughorn’s secret memory of Tom Riddle/Voldemort – Horcrux
Tom Marvolo Riddle was one of the highly skilled students that Horace Slughorn used to praise. Although Albus Dumbledore warned Horace Slughorn of Tom Riddle’s cunning nature,
Horace Slughorn didn’t mind and still favored the handsome and intelligent skilled Tom Marvolo Riddle as Horace Slughorn had no idea that Tom Marvolo Riddle would become the infamous Lord Voldemort.
Tom Riddle would approach Horace Slughorn to consult on the idea of making a total of seven Horcruxes. Horcrux was an extremely dangerous dark magic and there wasn’t even many records as it was a dreadful magic that tore the caster’s soul into pieces by murdering a person and hold the soul from entering the afterlife.
Horace Slughorn though this was academic curiosity as Horcruxes were such a dark magic that no one would attempt.
He gave his opinion of making multiple horcruxes to Tom Riddle only on the condition that Tom would keep this conversation to himself. Later on, Horace Slughorn realizes that Tom Marvolo Riddle or Lord Voldemort may have made multiple horcruxes and he might have assisted in giving Voldemort the idea.
Horace Slughorn was so shocked and felt responsible and terribly guilty so he feared what others would think of him and decided to retire.
Horace Slughorn and Harry’s Mother Lily Evans(Lily Potter)
Among Horace Slughorn’s Slug Club members, Harry Potter’s mother Lily Evans was one of Horace Slughorn’s personal favorites.
Lily Evans was especially talented in potions that thrilled Horace Slughorn. Also, Lily Evans was very kind but she had her own polite but witty methods that were somewhat cheeky that Horace Slughorn even enjoyed of her.
In the film, Horace Slughorn remorse his guilt for Harry Potter and his mother Lily Potter by a goldfish named Francis. Horace Slughorn mentions that he kept the fishbowl that had Francis which was a goldfish Lily transfigured to a lily petal but the day Voldemort murdered Lily, the fishbowl became empty.
It seems that Horace Slughorn did favor Harry Potter for his fame but he also had the guilt of contributing to the terrible monster Lord Voldemort and indirectly contributing to the death of his beloved student Lily that caused pain to Harry as well.
