Horace Slughorn

"Horace likes his comfort. He also likes the company of the famous, the successful and the powerful. He enjoys the feeling that he influances these people. He has never wanted to occupy the throne himself. He prefers the backseat; there is more room to spread out."

- Albus Dumbledore

Professor Horace E. F. Slughorn is the current Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Horace Slughorn was Potions Professor for over 50 years and head of Slytherin house before retiring in 1981. He was a friend and colleague of Albus Dumbledore, who persuaded him to return to the post in 1996. Dumbledore enlisted the help of Harry Potter to accomplish this, together with the help of Slughorn's own fond memories of Harry's mother. He soon proved to be much kinder to Harry than his predecessor Severus Snape had been.

Early life
It is unknown exactly when Horace Slughorn first walked into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Suffice to say, he did so when he was eleven years old, as most young wizards in britain do. Upon seting foot in the school and placing the sorting hat on his head he was sorted into Slytherin house and proved to be an exceptional student, particually gifted in the art of potion making. So much so after graduating from school he chose to return to teach his favourite subject. Little else is known about Slughorn's youth except that he once took Felix Felicis when he was twenty four years old.

Teaching career at Hogwarts
Once back at Hogwarts Horace took on the position of Potions Master, and would eventually become head of Slytherin house. Slughorn founded a small club consisting of students he thought were particularly talented, ambitious, clever or simply well connected. This group would become known as the Slug Club. By showing extreme favouritism to these select pupils Slughorn was able to benefit from their eventual success or fame, reaping rewards such as free Quidditch tickets, boxes of candy, or simply the chance to give advice to high ranking officials at the Ministry of Magic. Students he felt werent "high-flyers", such as Arthur Weasly and his son Ron he simply ignored completely. During the school year of 1944 he hosted a supper in his office consisting of a small group of Slytherin boys, most prominantly among them was Tom Riddle. After dismissing them from his study Tom remained behind and questioned his favourite teacher on the matter of Horcruxes. Despite being taken aback by Riddle's interest in such dark magic he reluctantly agreed to give him an overview of Horcruxes on the condition that everything they discussed was purely academic, needlees to say it wasnt. Riddle later went on to create no less than six Horcruxes making himself practically immortal and leading to him twice attempting to conqueor wizarding britain, and the death of thousands of people. The fact that Slughorn had provided the knowledge that made this possible was a terrible truth he would carry with him for the rest of his life. Slughorn remained at Hogwarts for many years after Riddle's departure, going on to teach many talented students, including Severus Snape and Lily Evans whom he particularly liked for her sheer cheek and naturall flare for potions. The extent of his involvement in the First Wizarding War is unknown, if, however it is the same as the second he likely went into hiding fearing the Death Eaters would attempt to recruit him.

Retirement and life on the run
"It's quite easy once you know how, one simple Freezing Charm on theseabsurd burglar alarms they use instead of Sneakoscopes and make sure the neighbours don't spot you brining in the piano."

- Horace Slughorn

After the outbreak of the first war in the year 1981, Slughorn decided he had had enough and resigned from both his positions at the school and went into a secluded lifestyle moving from one muggle house to the next, using his many and varied contacts to maintain a very comftable lifestyle. his reasons for doing so because he feared Voldemort (who remebered his former teacher's brilliant skills) would attempt to recruit him into the Death Eaters, and also because of the extreme guilt he felt over the information he gave Riddle when he was still at school. He felt so guilty in fact that he modified his own memory of the incident both to hide his guilt from others and also to shield himself from the terrible shame he felt. Slughorn was not able to hide forever though, as he discorvered on day in the summer of 1996 where Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter came to call on the house he was squatting in in the muggle village of Budleigh Babberton. In an attempt to escape Dumbledore, Slughorn faked a struggle wrecking the house and disquising himself as an armchair. He hoped the Albus would be fooled into thinking the Death Eaters hd killed him, however in his haste he forgot to cast the Dark Mark over the building.

Out of retirement
"If you're going to tell me my life would be more peaceful at that pestilential school, you can save your breath, Albus!"

- Horace Slughorn

In his first potions class, Slughorn offered a Felix Felicis that is a luck potion to the student who brews the best cauldron of Draught of Living Death. He told the class that he had taken Felix Felicis twice, once at age 24 and once at age 57, both times he had had a perfect day. Harry won the potion by using tips written into an old potions textbook that belonged to the Half-Blood Prince which Slughorn has lent him, unaware of the writings inside. He continued to use the tips throughout the year, which resulted that Slughorn repeatedly congratulating him on having inherited the same natural ability which his mother showed at potions. Dumbledore asked Harry to discover what information Slughorn once gave to Voldemort about horcruxes. Harry accomplished this after taking a dose of the felix felicis which Slughorn had given to him. By luck, he managed to help Slughorn obtain some valuable Acromantula venom, and then got him drunk while again reminiscing about Harry's mother. Slughorn felt considerable remorse that the information he gave Voldemort may have contributed to her death, so eventually agreed to tell Harry exactly what happened, and Harry gave Professor Dumbledore the information.

Personality and traits
"What would the Death Eaters want with a poor broken-down old buffer like me? I imagine that they would want to turn your considerable talents to coercion, torture and murder."

- Horace Slughorn and Albus Dumbledore

Slughorn generally displayed traits of Slytherin, such as ambition. He never wished to be famous himself. Instead, he prefers to help others become famous, which, if successful, can get him influence and/or benefits from them, such as being able to recommend the next junior member of the Goblin Liason Office, free Quidditch tickets or a box of his favourite crystallized pineapple.

Slughorn is keen to make evermore connections, and in his post as teacher made a habit of having regular meetings with students who were either famous (Harry Potter), related to famous people (Cormac McLaggen), or gifted or talented in one way or another (i.e. Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley). Known as "the Slug Club", this group of students were constantly being invited to Slughorn's office for dinner and parties. Slughorn's personality contradicts the typical "evil Slytherin" stereotype held by many Gryffindors. Despite his ambition, he is not a bad person and has little prejudice against Muggle-born witches and wizards. However, he is horribly guilt-ridden about the information he gave to Tom Riddle about Horcruxes that helped his rise to power, and crudely edited his memory of the event to prevent anyone finding out what he'd done. This was overcome when he sided with the other teachers and the Order of the Phoenix during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Physical description
Slughorn has prominent, pale gooseberry colored eyes, a shiny pate, and an enormous, silver, walrus mustache. He is short and round, and claims to suffer from old age, rheumatism and a weak chest. However, he is still sufficiently agile to turn himself into an armchair and create a scene of chaos at short notice, when he is trying to avoid unwelcome visitors, and managed to live on the run from Voldemort moving house every couple of weeks (including his grand piano). He has a liking for embroidered clothing, with gold buttons and plenty of velvet.

Behind the scenes
On September 17, 2007, it was announced that Jim Broadbent would play Slughorn in the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. So far there is no information regarding Broadbent's return for the seventh film.

Name
'Horace' was the name of an epicurean Roman poet, fond of food and someone who liked to make friends with people of influence. 'Slughorn' is a historical heraldic term meaning 'war-cry', derived from an old Scottish word and later becoming the modern 'slogan', but may also be derived from his large, sluggish physique.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows