The Honeydukes Sweetshop was as lively as a little market, crowded wall to wall with Hogwarts students.
Rows of shelves were lined with the most delicious, juicy candies imaginable,plump chocolate balls, Pepper Imps that made smoke puff out of your mouth, sparkling pink coconut ice, and barrels upon barrels of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans...
After paying for their sweets, Snape and Pandora wrapped their scarves tightly around their faces again, pulled on their gloves, and squeezed their way out of the warm, sweet-scented shop, carrying paper bags full of candy.
The bitter wind struck their faces once more, sharp as knives.
They trudged forward, heads down against the howling gusts, struggling up the main road toward Hogwarts.
Snape's brow furrowed. His heart felt heavy, each step weighing on him.
The whole way back, he kept thinking about what Mundungus had said earlier.
Caractacus Burke, one of the co-founders of Borgin and Burkes, had lost all his memories last month and been admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Snape ran through everything he had done since his transmigration, but couldn't find anything that could have directly affected Mr. Burke's fate.
In the original timeline, it had always been Borgin running the shop. Burke's only appearance was in the Headmaster's office, as part of a memory shown in the Pensieve.
So according to that timeline, when exactly did Dumbledore acquire Burke's memory?
The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown grew.
Then, suddenly, as if struck by lightning, a realization jolted through him,there was one key difference.
In the memory Dumbledore had shown Harry, Burke's memory was the only one that had been recounted by Burke himself:
"From among the swirling, silvery shapes, a little old man appeared,pale as a ghost, with a mass of thick hair that hung over his eyes..."
All the other memories,Dumbledore's own, Bob Ogden's from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Morfin Gaunt's, the house-elf Hokey's, even Slughorn's tampered memory,had all been experienced directly by Dumbledore and Harry inside the Pensieve.
Could it be that Dumbledore had already gone to obtain Burke's memory in person?
Or perhaps Burke had resisted too fiercely,his magical power too great,forcing Dumbledore to use harsher measures, which had damaged his mind?
Snape felt uneasy. The more he thought, the worse it became. Apart from his old colleague Slughorn, everyone whose memory Dumbledore had obtained,wizard or elf,had later died under various circumstances.
Would the same happen now that the timeline had advanced so far ahead? Would they still die "of age or injury," just as Dumbledore had once told Harry in the original story?
A chill crept down Snape's back. The wind suddenly seemed even colder. He didn't dare think too deeply about the implications.
No matter what, he knew he had to tread far more carefully now. Dumbledore could never discover the secret of his transmigration.
And yet, an even greater problem loomed,Snape had to find a way to stop Dumbledore from going to the Gaunt Shack and putting on the Peverell ring.
If Dumbledore were to fall prematurely, Snape thought grimly, he might have to scrape together a group of people,by lying, bribing, or cajoling,and flee to Australia.
Lately, the Headmaster had indeed been absent from the staff table more and more often. Snape had no idea what stage his plans had reached.
And now, both the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak were already in Dumbledore's possession.
If he also obtained the Resurrection Stone, completing the Deathly Hallows, what then...?
"Hey, Severus, what are you thinking about?"
Pandora's clear, bell-like voice rang in his ear. She waved her fingers in front of his eyes.
Without realizing it, they had already reached the gates of the castle.
"Ah,nothing," Snape said quickly, snapping back to reality. "Let's go inside."
Looking at Pandora's concerned face, his worry only deepened.
Around them, the only sound was the howling of the wind.
From the next day on, Snape found himself subconsciously looking for Dumbledore everywhere on campus,but he never saw the Headmaster.
Even at the next meeting of the Slug Club, Dumbledore was nowhere to be found.
At every meeting, Snape would bring Professor Slughorn a box of carefully prepared candied jackfruit. After all, the old Slug had quite the sweet tooth for the stuff,it had been one of young Tom's "approved" gifts back in the day.
"If you keep bringing me candied jackfruit, Severus," Slughorn said smugly, shaking a sugar-dusted finger, "I'm sure you'll make a name for yourself at the Ministry soon enough."
"Within twenty years,no, perhaps just fifteen,you could be heading one of its core departments. You know, I have rather influential friends there."
Snape only smiled faintly, nodding as he listened to Professor Slughorn's rambling tales,stories of the wizarding world's glorious past and his own extensive network of contacts,while silently waiting for time to pass.
At last, the golden clock on Slughorn's desk chimed eleven.
"Good heavens, is it that late already?" Slughorn exclaimed. "Such a pity,pleasant hours always fly by. Off you go, children. Black, don't spend all your time at Quidditch practice. I want that essay tomorrow,or it's detention!"
The students got up at once, forming a line as they filed out of the office.
Slughorn slowly heaved himself from his chair and began gathering the empty glasses on his desk.
But Snape remained where he was. He had something he needed to ask.
He knew he couldn't let the Sword of Damocles hang over his head forever. Even if he couldn't see Dumbledore right now, he had to be ready. The moment the Headmaster returned, he would go to him directly.
He was certain Dumbledore hadn't yet spoken to Slughorn. Given the current situation, there was no way Dumbledore could have deduced from Riddle's diary that Voldemort had made more than one Horcrux.
"Cough,cough." Snape made a faint sound to draw attention.
The noise made Slughorn turn, spotting him still standing there.
"Come along, Severus. You don't want anyone knowing you're still out past lights-out, do you?"
Snape froze for a moment. Something about that phrasing sounded... odd.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He took a deep breath and said, "Sir, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"Then ask, my boy, ask quickly..."
"Sir, I want to know if you're familiar with... Horcruxes."