Horace Slughorn

Horace Eugene Flaccus Slughorn
Biographical information
Born	28 April between 1882 and 1913 Great Britain
Blood status	Pure-blood or half-blood
Marital status	Single
Nationality	British or Irish
Also known as	Old Sluggy (by Cormac McLaggen and Hermione Granger)
Title(s)	Professor Potions Master Head of Slytherin Head of the Slug Club
Signature
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair colour	Bald Straw blond (formerly)
Eye colour	Gooseberry
Relationship information
Family members	Father † Mother † Slughorn family
Magical characteristics
Wand	10¼", Cedar, dragon heartstring, fairly flexible
Patronus	Non-corporeal
Affiliation
Occupation	Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (c. 1931–1981; 1996–between 2008 and 2011) Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (?–1981; 1997–between 2008 and 2011) Owner of the Apothecarium of Horace E. F. Slughorn (?)
House	Slytherin
Loyalty	Slughorn family Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Slytherin Slug Club Apothecarium of Horace E. F. Slughorn Order of the Phoenix (during the Battle of Hogwarts) Dumbledore's Army (during the Battle of Hogwarts)

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

— Albus Dumbledore regarding Slughorn's preference for "famous" friends

Professor Horace Eugene Flaccus Slughorn (b. 28 April between 1882 and 1913) was a wizard. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a member of Slytherin before returning in 1931 as Potions Master. He also served as Head of Slytherin House, before retiring in 1981 due to a fear that Albus Dumbledore would discover that he had told Tom Riddle about Horcruxes, though Dumbledore himself did not feel that Slughorn had done anything wrong.

Following the return of Voldemort and the Death Eaters beginning to seek Slughorn out, the retired professor lived a life on the run, unsure if Voldemort intended to recruit him or kill him to keep his Horcruxes a secret.

In 1996, Dumbledore convinced Slughorn to return to Hogwarts by tempting him out of retirement with the prospect of "collecting" Harry Potter as he had so many other students, with his true goal being to learn what Slughorn had told Riddle. Slughorn eventually divulged his true memory. He continued to teach during the 1997–1998 school year under Voldemort's regime, and was surprised to learn that Voldemort meant to recruit him only to teach the young wizards that Voldemort would deem suitable to attend Hogwarts.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Slughorn sided with the defenders of Hogwarts, gathering reinforcements from Hogsmeade, and engaged his former pupil in a duel alongside Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt. He survived the battle and had retired a second time by 2011, having a portrait hung in the Slytherin Dungeon.

Biography

Early life

"My father always said he was a good wizard in his day."

— Draco Malfoy talking about Professor Slughorn

Horace Eugene Flaccus Slughorn was born in the late 19th century or early 20th century, certainly between 1882 and 1913, into the wealthy and pure-blood Slughorn family. Although his parents never believed as strongly in the ideals pure-blood superiority as some others did, they nevertheless encouraged Horace to make friends with the "the right sort" upon arriving at Hogwarts. However, they were still loving parents and they only "quietly" encouraged the belief.

Hogwarts years

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the age of eleven and was Sorted into Slytherin House. Horace excelled at school and became friends with Muggle-borns even though his parents didn't agree with it. However, Horace did already have a need to play favourites with anyone he considered talented enough and loved to make out that he knew famous people, such as the Minister for Magic whom he would refer to by his first name to try and convince others he was close to him.

After Hogwarts (1920s)

At some point after completing his education, Slughorn was employed as Potions Master to his joy, likely around the same time as Albus Dumbledore started. Although he was well suited to working in politics, he preferred to stay in the background and enjoy the privileges of having famous and successful friends. He was a natural teacher and loved Hogwarts.

Slughorn used Felix Felicis either 1907 or 1927; once when he was twenty-four years old, and again when he was fifty-seven. This resulted in two "perfect days". Lucius Malfoy remarked that Slughorn was a "good wizard" in his day.

Teaching career at Hogwarts (1931–1981)

"He taught Arthur and me. He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think."

— Molly Weasley regarding Slughorn's first term as a professor

Slughorn during the time he taught Tom Riddle

Once back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as Potions Master, he eventually became Head of Slytherin House. He joined the faculty in around 1931. Slughorn founded a small club consisting of students he thought were particularly talented, ambitious, clever, or simply well connected. This group would become known informally 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 sweets, or simply the chance to give advice to high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Magic.

He tended to ignore students he felt weren't "high-fliers", such as Arthur Weasley, and later Arthur's son Ron, although he never did it to be cruel and was still considered a kind man. Regardless, he was good at finding talent since nearly every member of the Slug Club went on to have great careers in many different fields.

He also never got along with a fellow student of his own house, Dolores Umbridge, whom he saw as an "idiotic woman" and "never liked her". Still, he tended to treat all his students reasonably well.

Mentoring Tom Riddle

"Well, you split your soul, you see, and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form... few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable."

— Slughorn telling Tom Riddle about Horcruxes

By the 1940s, Slughorn had met Tom Marvolo Riddle, who went on to become a favourite of his. Tom was very intelligent and seemingly promising, but he knew how to manipulate Slughorn by flattering him. Dumbledore tried to warn Slughorn that Tom was using him, but Slughorn believed he had judged Tom right and that Dumbledore was being unfair.

Slughorn and Riddle having a serious conversation about Horcruxes

During the school year of 1943, he hosted a supper in his office with a group consisting mostly of Slytherin boys, including Tom. After the others were dismissed from Slughorn's study, Tom remained behind and questioned Slughorn on the matter of Horcruxes, and whether it would make him more powerful if he were to create six, therefore having a seven-part soul, as seven is the most magical number.

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 remained between them. Slughorn was further horrified at the thought of multiple Horcruxes. Using the information, Riddle later went on to create six Horcruxes, making himself immortal. It is likely that Riddle already knew most of what he needed about Horcruxes, but the fact that Slughorn had provided some of the knowledge that made this possible was a terrible truth he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

When Tom left Hogwarts, Slughorn was upset when Tom disappeared instead of taking up excellent offers of employment and that he had severed contact with him. Slughorn began to realise that Tom was not what he seemed.

Mentoring Lily Evans

When Lord Voldemort came to power, Slughorn did not think he was Tom because of his very changed appearance. When Slughorn realised that the Dark wizard was indeed Tom, he was mortified. When Voldemort returned to Hogwarts sometime between the late 1960s and early 1970s to try and find work as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Slughorn hid in his office so that he didn't have to meet Tom. Slughorn was happy when it did not happen, but, when the First Wizarding War started, he heard rumours that Voldemort had achieved immortality. He believed he was at fault for telling him about Horcruxes. Dumbledore was kind to Slughorn even though he knew what he was hiding. Slughorn stayed at Hogwarts during the war as it was a safe place and vowed never to tell anyone what he told Voldemort.

Horace with members of his Slug Club, Lily Evans included in the 1970s

Slughorn remained at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for many years after Riddle's departure, going on to teach many talented students. Lucius Malfoy and Gwenog Jones (captain of the Holyhead Harpies) were mentioned as old favourites of his. Other favourites included his eventual successor as Potions Master, Severus Snape, and Snape's best friend Lily Evans, whom he particularly liked for her sheer cheek and natural flair for Potions. Lily was one of Slughorn's "all time favourite students". There were also numerous other favourites in that time frame as well.

When Voldemort seemingly died in October 1981, Slughorn was even happier than most of the wizarding population. He thought that Voldemort's "death" meant that he never made Horcruxes and that freed him from having to feel guilty about informing Voldemort about them. However, Dumbledore noticed that Slughorn was particularly joyful about something, which made him gently question Slughorn. Feeling that his secret could be revealed, Slughorn resigned from Hogwarts after having taught there for fifty years.

Between the wars (1981–1995)

"I'm an old man, Albus, a man who's earned the right to a quiet retirement and a few creature comforts."

— Horace Slughorn

Having resigned from his positions at Hogwarts in 1981, Slughorn chose to enter retirement. He had a care-free retirement, and took up residence at the home of his late parents. He enjoyed reading, visiting his old Slug Club members and inviting them to reunion feasts at his home. The only thing he missed was teaching, and the idea that new students would not know who he was.

During the 1987–1988 school year, he was staying at Bathilda Bagshot's home in Godric's Hollow. There, he was approached by Jacob's sibling, who had been informed on his location by Ambrosius Flume. This was done with the intent of finding out why he had not visited Hogwarts to watch Gwenog Jones' exhibition at Hogwarts.

After introducing themselves, Slughorn claimed that he had been following the exploits of their family for some time, regarding their brother Jacob as an excellent student, and claiming to know of their father as well. After a lengthy discussion, Slughorn was quite impressed by the student and invited them to a Slug Club dinner at the Three Broomsticks Inn.

However, in 1991, word reached Slughorn that Voldemort was still alive in a disembodied form. The guilt he had let go of returned when he realised it confirmed his original thoughts that Voldemort may have created Horcruxes. Slughorn was frightened by the idea and wished he had stayed at Hogwarts in the hope he would be safer. 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.

Life on the run (1995–1996)

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

— Horace Slughorn

Slughorn during his time on the run from the Death Eaters

On 27 June 1995, Slughorn was visited by Corban Yaxley who clearly came to recruit him into the Death Eaters. Slughorn quickly transfigured himself into an armchair and was glad when he was successfully undetected. What bothered Slughorn the most about Voldemort was that he did not understand what Voldemort could possibly want from him, believing he either wanted more recruits for his army or that he wanted to kill him to keep his secret safe.

Slughorn went into a secluded lifestyle, moving from one Muggle house to the next, using his many and varied contacts to maintain a very comfortable lifestyle. He remained attentive to the news, such as how Dolores Umbridge was carted off into the Forbidden Forest by a herd of centaur; even though he never liked her, he thought it was rather unsightly of how the school treats its teachers, unaware that she offended the herd with blatant insults.

Meeting Harry Potter

Horace with Harry Potter, a future student and Slug Club member

Slughorn was not able to hide forever, though, as he discovered one evening in the summer of 1996 when Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter came to call in the Muggle village Budleigh Babberton. In an attempt to escape Dumbledore, Slughorn faked a struggle, wrecking the house, splashing his last bottle of expensive dragon blood on the walls and disguising himself as an armchair. He hoped Albus would be fooled into thinking the Death Eaters had kidnapped or killed him; in his haste, however, he forgot to cast the Dark Mark over the building. Dumbledore saw through this guise and forced Horace to reveal himself.

Dumbledore revealing Slughorn

Dumbledore feigned going to the bathroom, leaving Harry alone with Slughorn. After talking to Harry, Slughorn realised everything he had to gain returning to Hogwarts, like a more comfortable life, and not being on the run any more, plus the opportunity to recruit the "Chosen One" into his Slug Club. He agreed to return to the school on the condition that he received a pay raise, and was given Professor Merrythought's old office, instead of the "water closet" he had last time.

Out of retirement (1996–?)

Slughorn: "All right, all right, I'll do it!"

Albus Dumbledore: "You will come out of retirement?"

Slughorn: "Yes, yes. I must be mad, but yes."

— Slughorn accepting the position as Potions master

Slughorn teaching a N.E.W.T.-level Potions lesson

During the Start-of-Term Feast, Slughorn was announced as to returning to his position as Potions Master, while Professor Snape, who was Potions Master after Slughorn's first retirement, would take over Defence Against the Dark Arts. This came to the surprise and shock to many, as Harry expected Slughorn would take over Defence Against the Dark Arts. However, this also gave Harry a renewed hope to becoming an Auror, as he failed to achieve an Outstanding on his Potions O.W.L., which would have disqualified him from N.E.W.T. had Snape continued to be teaching the subject. Slughorn has proven himself to be more popular than the strict and biased Snape, allowing students to take his advanced classes with an Exceeds Expectations, refusing to show any undeserved rights to the Slytherin students, and managed to earn their interests by brewing several potions during the introductory lecture.

"So, how are you to win this fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"

— Slughorn teaching sixth year Potions

In his first sixth-year Potions class upon returning to Hogwarts, Slughorn offered a bottle of Felix Felicis to the student who brewed the best cauldron of Draught of Living Death. Using tips scribbled by a mysterious "Half-Blood Prince" in a borrowed copy of Advanced Potion Making, Harry impressed Slughorn with his attempt and won the lucky potion. Slughorn remained impressed with Harry in class, believing that the young wizard had inherited Lily's intuitive ability in Potions.

Slughorn's Slug Club Christmas party

Later that year, Dumbledore would task Harry with coercing the full memory of Slughorn's conversation with Tom Riddle from the reluctant Potions Master. After a disastrous first attempt in which Slughorn shouted at Harry and slammed the classroom door behind him, Slughorn became determined not to give Harry another opportunity to question him, staying out of his way in class and stopping all Slug Club suppers. Despite this, he consented to help Harry treat a Love Potion-struck Ron, then was spared another attempt at acquisition when Ron was subsequently poisoned by some mead Slughorn "forgot" to give Dumbledore for Christmas. Fortunately, chance and Felix Felicis gave Harry the perfect opportunity.

Horace handing over the true memory to Harry Potter

On 30th April, 1997 alighting with the death of Hagrid's beloved spider Aragog at Hagrid's hut, Slughorn reluctantly passed the memory about Voldemort to Harry after getting heavily drunk on wine offered by Hagrid. Harry, in turn, helped Slughorn obtain some valuable Acromantula venom from Aragog's body. Harry then passed the memory to Dumbledore.

Battle of the Astronomy Tower

"But will we have a single pupil after this? Parents will want to keep their children at home and I can't say I blame them. Personally, I don't think we're in more danger at Hogwarts than we are anywhere else, but you can't expect mothers to think like that. They'll want to keep their families together, it's only natural."

— Slughorn's regarding the potential closure of Hogwarts after Dumbledore's death

On 30 June, 1997, Dumbledore was killed by Severus Snape. Slughorn was deeply shaken by this, commenting that he thought he knew Snape. He also expressed his concerns that parents wouldn't allow their children to return to Hogwarts. Nevertheless, he remained at the school and resumed his old post as Head of Slytherin.

Slughorn stayed at Hogwarts under the tenure of Severus Snape as Headmaster and, like the rest of the teachers, attempted to protect the students from Snape and the Carrows. He finally found out why Voldemort had wanted to recruit him. He was surprised that it was only to teach the pure and half blooded students he would allow to attend Hogwarts.

Battle of Hogwarts

"The time has come for Slytherin House to decide upon its loyalties. Go and wake your students, Horace."

— Professor McGonagall's warning right before the battle begins

Slughorn casting Protego Maxima in preparation for the Battle of Hogwarts

When Minerva McGonagall did battle with Severus Snape, Slughorn came rushing to her aid, lagging behind Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout, still clad in his pyjamas. When the Dark Lord subsequently invaded the castle with his army, it was initially believed that Slughorn had fled in cowardice (as McGonagall had antagonised him with death threats earlier), but as it transpired, he had gone to Hogsmeade to round up reinforcements. He returned to the castle at the head of vast number of residents and shopkeepers from the town, several Slytherin students who also returned to defend the school, and the friends and family of the students and staff already fighting.

Slughorn, McGonagall, and Kingsley engaged the Dark Lord head on. Slughorn proved himself a masterful duellist, able to hold his own against the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time. Slughorn was one of the last to duel Voldemort before his death, believing he could find redemption for what he told him many years earlier about Horcruxes.

Sprout, Flitwick, and Slughorn after the final battle

After the battle, he sat at the Great Hall by Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick, telling of how he had lost his wand during the fighting, but eventually found it in the folds of his gowns and "dispatched" a few Death Eaters. His bravery at the Battle of Hogwarts was well publicised and changed the perception of Slytherin for the better.

After the war

Slughorn teaching first-year students

Slughorn continued teaching after the Second Wizarding War. On 1 September 2008, still as the Head of Slytherin, he oversaw the Sorting Ceremony with his fellow Heads of House, including his former student Neville Longbottom who had become the Head of Gryffindor. In the first Potions class of the school year, he taught first-year students how to brew the Hair-Raising Potion, during which he had to ask an unidentified student to retrieve missing ingredients from the Potions basement.

On one of his birthdays, Slughorn was visited by Harry Potter, who considered him his favourite Potions professor and brought him a cake that smelt like pineapple. They recalled Harry's mother Lily giving him Francis, and were possibly joined by the unidentified student.

In December 2010, Slughorn saw the unidentified student struggling to brew the Swelling Solution in Potions. He asked them why they were having a problem and they told him they thought their cauldron had a leak. He then showed them the old cauldron of Severus Snape which he had kept for decades because great potions had been brewed with it. He told them about Snape and how he used to teach his students. The student thought Snape didn't sound very humble, but Slughorn told them he had a humble background but still grew to be a remarkable wizard. He also speculated that Snape wanted his students to feel like their background was irrelevant in his class because only their effort and intelligence truly mattered. The student realised it was not the cauldron but the potioneer who brewed a good potion, and Slughorn agreed, telling them they should have no problem brewing a superb Swelling Solution.

Permanent retirement

Horace Slughorn retired permanently at some time before 2011 and had the honour of having a portrait of himself placed in the Slytherin common room. Slughorn's successor had themselves left employ of Hogwarts by 2021.

The Calamity

In the late 2010s, Horace Slughorn sent an owl to a Calamity Investigator working for the Statute of Secrecy Task Force suggesting that they consume potions on an empty stomach in order to increase their potency, helping to increase the effectiveness of the Calamity Investigator's Exstimulo Potions. He also advised the same Calamity Investigator to strain armadillo bile to separate the viscous liquid from the gelatinous lumps before adding them into a cauldron separately to aid in their incorporation. Although the work was disgusting, doing so helped reduce the brewing time of the Calamity Investigator's Wit-Sharpening Potion.

Slughorn later advised the same Calamity Investigator on how to source Abraxan hair for potions, suggesting to distract the horses with their favourite drink, single-malt whiskey. Slughorn also hinted to the investigator that the drink was his favourite as well. The Calamity Investigator purchased two bottles of the whiskey, giving one to Slughorn and using the other to distract some Abraxans, enabling them to acquire their hair and thus reducing the brewing time of their Strong Exstimulo Potions.

In August 2020, during the Calamity, Horace Slughorn appeared as a Foundable. Volunteer members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force were able to free him, allowing to return to his original time.

Physical description

"Harry's jaw dropped. Where a split second before there had been an armchair, there now crouched an enormously fat, bald, old man who was massaging his lower belly and squinting up at Dumbledore with an aggrieved and watery eye."

— Harry Potter seeing Horace Slughorn for the first time in 1996

Horace, an old, portly man

Slughorn was described as being an enormously fat, bald, old man. He was short with an immense belly, so large that the buttons on his waistcoat usually threatened to burst off. His round stomach was usually said to precede him when he entered rooms, and when he stood, the top of his head barely reached Albus Dumbledore's chin. His girth was seen to take up most of the compartment of the Hogwarts Express and occupy at least a quarter of Honeydukes Sweet Shop. He was described as having a shiny pate, prominent, gooseberry coloured eyes, and an enormous, silver, walrus-like moustache.

In his youth, his moustache was gingery blond and his hair was thick and straw coloured. He had pudgy hands, fat thumbs, and a vast forehead, as well as highly polished buttons on his maroon velvet jacket that he wore over his lilac silk pyjamas. Slughorn had a particular liking of lavish, old-fashioned clothes: waistcoats with gold buttons during the day and luxurious velvet smoking jackets when at home. In one particular trip to Hogsmeade, he wore an enormous furry hat and an overcoat with matching fur collar and clutched a large bag of crystallised pineapple. When he duelled Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts, he wore an emerald-green pair of silk pyjamas. He claimed to suffer from old age, fatigue, rheumatism, and a weak chest. According to Harry, he seemed remarkably unabashed for someone whom he had just seen pretending to be an armchair.

However, he was still sufficiently agile to turn himself into an armchair and create a scene of chaos at short notice when he was trying to avoid unwelcome visitors, and managed to live on the run from Voldemort moving from house to house every couple of weeks (including his grand piano). He had a liking for embroidered clothing, with gold coloured buttons and plenty of velvet. His comforts included soft chairs and footstools, fine wines and books, boxes of confectionery and plump cushions, all of which cluttered the room he met Harry in. His largeness fit his personality: he was jolly and genial, bustling around, twiddling the ends of his walrus moustache and puffing out his massive belly. He at times wore a silver pocket watch.

Personality and traits

"Harry wasn't sure whether he liked Slughorn or not. He supposed he had been pleasant in his way, but he had also seemed vain and, whatever he said to the contrary, much too surprised that a Muggle-born should make a good witch."

— Harry Potter's feelings about Horace Slughorn

Horace Slughorn was described as having a bumbling, jovial sort of personality. He was rather vain and quite fond of food, especially crystallised pineapple. Despite being a relatively good-natured person, he only had eyes for people who he thought had talent, would go far in life, and thus give him helpful connections and be able to influence or gain benefits from them. Thus, while he invited other students to his "Slug Club", he had a tendency to rudely ignore people like Ronald Weasley because he didn't view them as important, talented, or famous enough to warrant his attention. He also turned to ignoring Marcus Belby after discovering he did not have any attachment to his accomplished uncle, despite inviting him to the Slug Club's reopening.

Horace Slughorn talking to Harry Potter, whom he tried to collect

Slughorn was also a bit of a hypocrite, as he told Harry he believed teachers should not have favourites but then proceeded to say that Harry's mother, Lily Evans, was one of his. Shortly after this encounter, Dumbledore told Harry that in fact, while Slughorn was a teacher, he formed a group of his favourite students with him at the centre in order to forge connections, make introductions, and always reap some sort of benefit from them. In addition, he stated that he was not prejudiced against Muggle-born students, but seemed surprised that Harry said Hermione Granger was the best in his year; despite this, he asserted that Lily was one of the most talented students he ever taught, and frequently compared Harry's talent to hers in very favourable terms. It seemed Slughorn felt that pure-blood students usually displayed the best talent but was happy to bring Muggle-borns or half-bloods into his inner circle if he thought they were talented or gifted enough.

Compared to his predecessor Snape, Slughorn's teaching methods were more friendly, excitable, and interactive, not unlike how a good-natured laboratory professor conducts lessons. He also appeared to know how to motivate students for his subject; in his first Potions lesson since coming out of retirement, he encouraged his students to concoct for him the Draught of Living Death with a ready bottle of Felix Felicis as reward to the student who brewed the best potion. In contrast to Snape, who only allowed students that had achieved Outstanding in their Potions OWL to attempt the N.E.W.T. class, Slughorn was content to admit students with Exceeds Expectations.

He also exhibited no qualms at using his school connections to procure useful assets for his own benefit, as seen when he convinced Pomona Sprout to provide him with plant samples as potion ingredients fresh from the Hogwarts Greenhouses, or when he took advantage of Hagrid's attendant despair to retrieve some of Aragog's prized venom, along with the stocks of unicorn hair Hagrid had inside his cabin. Slughorn's professional relationships with his fellow professors often worked to mutual benefit, often working with his fellow instructors to maximise their benefit to the students, such as ensuring that his students had plenty of spare ingredients from Pomona Sprout's greenhouses while offering his own expertise within her field in exchange for the favour.

"I have had it all tested for poison. Had a house-elf taste every bottle after what happened to your poor friend, Rupert."

— Slughorn pouring the wine for Harry and Hagrid

Slughorn generally displayed the more positive traits of Slytherin, such as ambition. He never wished to be famous himself; instead, he preferred to help others become famous, which, if successful, gained him influence and/or benefits from them, such as being able to recommend the next junior member of the Goblin Liaison Office, free Quidditch tickets or a box of his favourite crystallised pineapple. By his own admittance, he revered magical creatures such as Acromantulas, and thought Aragog was a magnificent specimen.

Slughorn had evident self-centredness; he mentioned that all the mead he brought was quite safe as he had a house-elf drink some from each bottle to ensure it was not poisoned. This revelation disquieted Harry, as it showed that Slughorn saw nothing wrong with risking a house-elf's life to protect his own, although there is the very strong possibility that Slughorn possessed an antidote to give the house-elf if poison was present in the drink. Slughorn was shown to be easily forgiving, like when Harry brought a Love Potion-intoxicated Ron to his office to be cured and saying their misunderstanding about retrieving Slughorn's memory as "water under the bridge".

Slughorn was keen to make ever more connections, and in his post as teacher, made a habit of having regular meetings with students who were either famous, related to famous people, or talented in one way or another. Known as the "Slug Club", this group of students were constantly being invited to Slughorn's office for dinner and parties. Students that he did not consider to be "high-fliers", such as Arthur Weasley, and later his son Ron, were simply ignored. However, those with proven negative affiliations, such as Draco Malfoy, due to his father being a Death Eater and imprisoned in Azkaban, were not invited to the club meetings either. And while he invited Marcus Belby for his affiliation with the famous Damocles Belby, Horace turned to ignoring Belby once discovering that he has no contact with the man.

Horace Slughorn after a first-year class

Slughorn's personality, in many ways, contradicted the "evil Slytherin" stereotype held by many students of the other Houses, Gryffindors in particular. He was a good person, and did not seem to hold any real prejudice against Muggle-born witches and wizards. While he thought pure-bloods generally had more wizarding talent, he was always happy to meet and teach Muggle-borns and half-bloods who displayed great potential. He was, however, self-serving enough to favour students of status or talent, largely for the purpose of benefiting from his connection to them in the future.

He was horribly guilt-ridden about the information he gave to Tom Riddle about Horcruxes, and crudely edited his memory of the event to prevent anyone finding out what he had done, as much as to relieve his own guilty feelings. Though Albus Dumbledore would undoubtedly have tried in earnest to convey the importance of the contents of the original memory, Slughorn stubbornly refused to give it up till 1997. He was also horrified at his accidental poisoning of Ron Weasley and later came to visit him in the Hospital Wing.

Despite his ambition, Slughorn knew where to draw his personal boundaries. His tendency to ally himself with powerful, talented, and important people never blinded him to his moral values, and thus, he was never tempted to join forces with Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Unlike Peter Pettigrew, Dolores Umbridge and others who were keen to surround themselves with powerful people, he was not one to side with whoever was winning. Slughorn knew where his loyalties lay, and he fought against Lord Voldemort head on during the final battle.

Although Slughorn initially attempted to hide and avoid getting himself into any danger or conflict, he was willing to defend himself and other people when his loyalties were questioned, when backed to a corner and when it was necessary to defend those he cared about. This was especially shown during the final battle as while it initially seemed that Slughorn fled in cowardice with the other Slytherins, he had actually only left to round up reinforcements and returned to the battle. This, along with the fact that he fearlessly stood up to Voldemort himself, showed that he was a courageous man. He was also strong willed and was able to master Occlumency, a rare ability that required a strong mind.

Slughorn possessed a great ability to feel shame and regret for his mistakes, many of which he often tried to cover up, hide from, or when it came down to it, fight with all of his magical power. His determination to not repeat past mistakes or lay them to rest was rather evident in his handing of the Horcrux memory to Harry and his duel with Voldemort. He clearly regarded his giving of information about the possibility of multiple Horcruxes to young Tom Riddle to be his greatest mistake.

Slughorn was also a rather analytical and calculating individual, able to see great potential in students, but also had his blind spots as well, such his overlooking of Ron Weasley's latent talents and being vulnerable to Tom Riddle's flattery. His analytical abilities and mindset allowed him to deduce Harry's early attempts to coax the Horcrux memory from him. In many ways, not only did Slughorn possess an inordinately strong moral compass, but was also the consummate strategist, such as when he fetched necessary reinforcements from Hogsmeade to aid in the Battle of Hogwarts.

This propensity towards strategy and making powerful alliances is compliant with the Slytherin traits of cunning and fraternity, as Slytherins would take calculated risks and always had a backup plan, usually relying on staunch and stalwart allies, something that Slughorn was a certifiable genius at. In a great many ways, Horace Slughorn embodied the best traits that Slytherin House has to offer: camaraderie, strong social intuition, cunning, and strategy. However, Slughorn was also difficult in taking surprises, as when Ron was accidentally poisoned by a mead, he became too shocked to do anything to help, until Harry saved the situation with a bezoar.

Magical abilities and skills

Slughorn: "What would the Death Eaters want with a poor, broken-down old buffer like me?"

Albus Dumbledore: "I imagine that they would want to turn your considerable talents to coercion, torture, and murder."

— Dumbledore regarding what Voldemort would want with Slughorn's abilities

Horace Slughorn was an accomplished wizard. Lucius Malfoy commended his son about Slughorn's competence and even Albus Dumbledore, quite possibly the greatest wizard of all time, openly respected Slughorn's abilities, saying that he was an extremely able wizard and calling his talents considerable. Voldemort himself also acknowledged the considerable magical abilities of his former teacher, so much so that he strongly desired to recruit Horace to his side. Slughorn's impressive magical abilities allowed him to survive the Battle of Hogwarts and even stand up against Voldemort himself with aid and survive the duel.

"He is much more accomplished at Occlumency than poor Morfin Gaunt, and I would be astonished if he has not carried an antidote to Veritaserum with him ever since I coerced him into giving me this travesty of a recollection."

— Albus Dumbledore regarding Slughorn's abilities as an Occlumens

• Occlumency: Horace was an extremely able Occlumens, with his skills being acknowledged by even Albus Dumbledore, who deemed him to be much more capable in it than Morfin Gaunt. His mastery would have allowed him to resist even a Legilimens of Dumbledore's calibre as well as the effects of Veritaserum, which made Dumbledore refuse to use such forceful and coaxing methods against Slughorn due to his ability to repel them.
• Memory modification: Horace was able to modify his own memory to make it seem something less horrible, as seen in the case of Tom Riddle asking about Horcruxes. However, this was crudely done, as parts of the memory were clouds with a booming voice, rather than an actual visual.
• Transfiguration: Despite his wide frame, Horace was extremely agile and displayed impressive skills in Transfiguration, being able to create the impression of a struggle within his house in a matter of seconds and transforming himself into an armchair; Human Transfiguration is something only a master of that art can accomplish. He was also able to swiftly use the spell Anapneo to vanish throat blockages, demonstrating his proficiency in this field.
• Duelling: Slughorn was a highly accomplished duellist, being able to survive the Battle of Hogwarts, later claiming that he was able to dispatch many Death Eaters by himself to Sprout and Flitwick after the battle. Alongside Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt, he was even able to contend with Voldemort himself, only being overpowered when Voldemort's rage over Bellatrix's death caused him to lash out, although it must be noted that Voldemort was wielding the Elder Wand at the time without having achieved mastery over it and Harry Potter's loving sacrifice was weakening the power of Voldemort's spells. Being capable of duelling such a powerful Dark wizard although, was testament to his superb skills in martial magic.
• Potions: Perhaps chief among Slughorn's many talents was his considerable ability as a potioneer. Slughorn was able to create extremely complicated Potions such as Felix Felicis, the Polyjuice Potion, and Amortentia. He was extremely proficient in Potions, having taught the subject up to N.E.W.T. level, and was even seen to be at least on par with, if not superior to, Severus Snape in the subject, considering he was Snape's teacher on Potions, as he understood and agreed with Snape's edits of a copy of Advanced Potion-Making. He also fully understood Golpalott's Third Law to the letter and was flawlessly proficient with Antidotes as he was able to recite a long and complicated theory of them to a class of N.E.W.T students and swiftly, with no effort, make a perfect remedy for a very powerful Amortentia. He was also said by Dumbledore to be capable of brewing an antidote to Veritaserum, which he has always carried in order to prevent Dumbledore from using Veritaserum to coerce the true memory when Voldemort asked about Horcruxes out of him.
• Non-verbal magic: As a testament to Slughorn's considerable magical abilities, he was capable of effectively performing nonverbal magic, something that only wizards and witches of outstanding skill can perform. In 1996, Slughorn aided Albus Dumbledore in fully restoring an entire room that had been torn to pieces with "one identical sweeping motion" of their wands without saying anything. He extracted one of his own memories from his temple for Harry Potter with no incantation. It is also noteworthy that Slughorn was able to cast non-verbal spells during his duel with Voldemort, an incredibly impressive magical feat.
• Charms: Slughorn was able to repair a whole room with one Mending Charm (with Dumbledore's help) and provide Harry one of his memories using the Memory extraction spell, both of which non-verbally, showcasing his skill with charms. He also used successfully used the Freezing Charm to deactivate various Muggle Burglar alarms whilst evading the Death Eaters, as well as using the Intruder Charm as a magical alarm. and could cast the simple Wand-Lighting Charm successfully as well. Furthermore, he was capable of producing a non-corporeal Patronus, a mark of superior magical ability, given the immense difficulty of casting such an advanced and powerful protective charm.
• Defence Against the Dark Arts: Slughorn possessed superb defensive abilities against Dark Magic and his knowledge of the Dark Arts also gave him knowledge of many advanced defensive spells. Overall, Slughorn's proficiency in defending himself from the Dark Arts was great enough that he was able to aid in the creation of the extremely powerful defence around Hogwarts during the Battle of Hogwarts that only Voldemort was able to breach and alongside Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt, he was even able to duel Voldemort himself, the so-called most dangerous Dark wizard in history, only being overpowered when the Dark wizard was angered over the death of his lieutenant, and survive the encounter.
• Dark Arts knowledge: Professor Slughorn had considerable knowledge of the Dark Arts, having even been aware of the extremely advanced ability to create Horcruxes. He was horrified at the mere suggestion of murdering people so he never took it beyond theoretical knowledge, but he knew enough to tell Tom Riddle everything he needed to know in order to achieve immortality, something he regretted deeply.
• Love: Though not as demonstrably learned in this powerful branch of magic as his peer and colleague, Albus Dumbledore, Slughorn was still exceptionally knowledgeable and powerful in the nature of love. This was evident when teaching Love Potions, as he was able to distinguish between the obsessive love caused by love potions and the genuine, unconditional love felt by most people. He was clearly capable of love, as it allowed him to overcome his shame of his Horcrux memory and to give it to Harry as a weapon to destroy the monster he felt partially responsible for creating, as it was Voldemort who killed so many of his beloved students, especially Lily Evans, whom Slughorn was extremely fond of and doted upon as one of his most prized pupils. Slughorn also felt great need to protect his students, regardless of favouritism, as was his most redeeming quality. It was also his ability to love which gave Slughorn the strength to ultimately show his true loyalties and fight against Voldemort himself head-on.
• Social networking: Slughorn was a seasoned and gifted individual in his ability form powerful and lasting connections throughout his career as a teacher. His ability to form connections for himself and others made him a valuable ally to have and was able to capitalise on this skill of his for decades for both self-serving and selfless reasons. He was also a master rally man, as he was easily able to stir the citizens of Hogsmeade into a war frenzy and gain their support to add their power to Battle of Hogwarts against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
• Indomitable willpower: The fact that Slughorn was capable of performing Occlumency and avoid giving his real memory to Dumbledore and Harry showed that his willpower was extremely strong. This was especially evident as he was unwilling to join forces with Dark wizards like Voldemort despite his tendency to ally himself with powerful people and ultimately fought against Voldemort head on during the Battle of Hogwarts.
• Piano playing (Possibly): Slughorn owned a piano which he brought with him when he was on the run from Death Eaters, suggesting that he could play it.

Possessions

Horace's wand

• Wand: Slughorn likely purchased his wand from Ollivanders at the age of eleven before starting his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, like many other wizards in wizarding Great Britain. It is 10 1/4" long and comprised of Cedar wood with a core of dragon heartstring. The handle has two prongs extending out of the end, which might relate to his surname 'Slughorn'.

Slughorn's Hourglass

• Hourglass: Slughorn's Hourglass is a clock made of two glass vessels connected with a narrow passage, with a green fluid flowing through inside and serpent design outside (representing him as a Slytherin and Head of House). He owned it since before Tom Riddle began studying at Hogwarts. The sand runs accordingly to the quality of the conversation: if stimulating, the sand runs slowly, and vice versa.
• Dragon-skin briefcase: Horace also owned a rather expensive briefcase made of prized Dragon-skin which he uses to hold his personal things, mainly documents related to the subject he teaches at school.
• Potion-making kit: This is where Slughorn stored his ready supply of potion ingredients. Horace pulled out several components inside it to mix up an antidote for Ron's love potion-induced lovesickness upon Harry's request to cure his friend. It is also from here where Slughorn placed a bezoar that Harry showed him in one of their lessons.
• Piano: Horace owned a piano. When he used to escape from Death Eaters, he took the piano with him, making sure "neighbours don't spot [him] bringing in the piano".
• Antidote to Veritaserum (suspected): Dumbledore suspects that ever since he requested Slughorn to divulge the memory regarding Tom Riddle asking about Horcruxes, the Potions Master has kept a side of antidote to veritaserum as a precaution for any further attempts.

Relationships

Lily Evans

"The student who gave me Francis... A spring afternoon I discovered a bowl on my desk, just a few inches of clear water in it. Floating on the surface was a flower petal... as I watched, it sank... just before it reached the bottom, it was transformed, into a fish. It was beautiful magic, wondrous to behold. The flower petal had come from a lily, your mother. The day I came downstairs, the day the bowl was empty, was the day your mother.... I know why you're here... but I can't help you. It would ruin me."

— Slughorn in his later years on Lily Evans to her son Harry Potter

Lily Evans, one of his favourite students

During her time at Hogwarts, Lily Evans proved to be very talented at Potions, becoming one of Slughorn's best students and a member of his Slug Club. Slughorn considered her one of his favourite students, though he was surprised by her Muggle lineage. Slughorn believed Lily to be a kind, witty, and charming student, and he doubted that anyone who met her wouldn't like her.

Harry Potter: "I forgot. You liked her, didn't you?"

Horace Slughorn: "Liked her? I don’t imagine anyone who met her wouldn’t have liked her... Very brave... Very funny... It was the most horrible thing..."

— Slughorn's sadness over Lily's death

Lily also gave Slughorn a bowl with some water, and a petal from a lily that transformed into a fish, which he named Francis. When he saw that Francis had disappeared one day, Slughorn realised that Lily Evans had died. He was very upset when he heard what happened to the Potters, and he continued to mourn Lily even many years after her death. Harry Potter used Slughorn's fondness for Lily to his advantage while under the effects of Felix Felicis, and successfully persuaded Slughorn to give him the true memory of Tom Riddle's inquiry about Horcruxes, claiming that it would undo whatever wrong Slughorn had originally done. Slughorn was very close to Lily, whom he found to be an extremely caring and love-driven young woman, a trait that resonated with Slughorn long after her death. In a way, he felt responsible for her death along with many others for giving Tom Riddle the knowledge of Horcruxes he sought out in his schoolboy days. His desire to see her murderer stopped was enough to overcome his shame, which allowed Harry to obtain the horcrux memory and eventually avenge his mother and Slughorn's beloved student.

Harry Potter

"You are talented, famous, and powerful — everything Horace values. Professor Slughorn is going to try to collect you, Harry. You would be his crowning jewel."

— Albus Dumbledore warning Harry Potter that Slughorn will try and collect him

Harry Potter, one of his favourite students

Horace Slughorn first met Harry Potter in 1996, when Harry and Albus Dumbledore tracked him down at the Muggle home he was borrowing at the time, to persuade him to return and teach at Hogwarts. Given Slughorn's tendency to "collect" famous, well-connected, or talented young minds, Slughorn gave in to Dumbledore's request upon meeting Harry. He became Potions Master for the 1996–1997 school year, and wasted no time in inviting Harry to join his 'Slug Club'. With the help of the Half-Blood Prince's Potions textbook, Harry appeared to be following in his mother's footsteps as a great potioneer, which further earned Slughorn's favour.

During one of their private lessons, Dumbledore showed Harry a memory of Slughorn's, in which a young Tom Riddle asked the Potions master about Horcruxes. However, as the memory was obviously and unconvincingly edited to make it seem as if Slughorn had refused to answer, it was impossible to discern exactly what it was Riddle had wanted to know about Horcruxes. Dumbledore told Harry that the original memory would undoubtedly be essential in determining what ultimately defeating Voldemort would entail, and assigned Harry with the task of retrieving it.

Slughorn sensed that Harry wanted to retrieve the memory, and subsequently tried to avoid him. He stopped Slug Club dinners, and would flee at the end of Potions. He felt very guilty for giving Tom Riddle information on Horcruxes.

Harry Potter: "Be brave like my mother, Professor..."

Horace Slughorn: "I am not proud.... I am ashamed of what — of what that memory shows... I think I may have done great damage that day..."

Harry Potter: "You’d cancel out anything you did by giving me the memory. It would be a very brave and noble thing to do."

Horace Slughorn: "Please... don't think badly of me when you see it... you've no idea what he was like, even then...."

— Harry successfully persuading Slughorn to give him his true memory of Tom Riddle

After several failed attempts, Harry eventually finessed the memory from a very drunk Slughorn, with the help of Felix Felicis and the opportunity for Slughorn to collect a few vials of valuable Acromantula venom. The 'sluggish' memory is Slughorn's memory of what he said to the young Tom Riddle, which he himself tried to blot out. The word 'sluggish' suggests that the memory is slow, lethargic, and difficult to arouse. The memory allowed for Dumbledore to confirm his suspicions that Voldemort had been planning to create seven Horcruxes, and for Harry to continue Dumbledore's mission of destroying them.

Although Harry initially seemed Slughorn's "crowning jewel" as Dumbledore put it, Slughorn felt genuine care for the boy and fearlessly battled the Dark Lord head on in a gallant attempt to avenge Harry's presumed death and end the evil warmonger forever. Suffice it to say, Harry was among the many students that Slughorn came to be fond of beyond just the parameters of social climbing.

Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort)

Horace Slughorn: "Look sharp, Tom, you don't want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect..."

Tom Riddle: "Sir, I wanted to ask you something."

Horace Slughorn: "Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away..."

Tom Riddle: "Sir, I wondered what you know about... about Horcruxes?"

Horace Slughorn: "Project for Defence Against the Dark Arts, is it?"

Tom Riddle: "Not exactly, sir. I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it."

Horace Slughorn: "No... well... you'd be hard-pushed to find a book at Hogwarts that'll give you details on Horcruxes, Tom, that's very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed."

— Tom Riddle asking Slughorn about Horcruxes

Tom Riddle, his former favourite pupil and enemy

Professor Slughorn was the Potions Master during Tom Riddle's years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Head of Tom's House, and given his tendency to favour students who displayed talent of some sort, Slughorn became Riddle's mentor, and was likely the professor Tom liked most. Riddle became a favourite of Slughorn's which Tom knew, and so he often manipulated Slughorn by flattering him.

One day, Riddle asked Slughorn about Horcruxes, and Slughorn, — after convincing himself Tom's intentions were "purely academic" —, reluctantly told him what it basically took to create one, though he refused to give Tom any details. Most significantly, when Tom asked if it were possible to create more than one Horcrux, Slughorn seemed appalled by the idea of it, but did not deny that it could be done in theory. Riddle did keep his promise to Slughorn about never disclosing the contents of their discussion that night, thus never implicating Slughorn's contribution to what would become Lord Voldemort. Though this was undoubtedly because Voldemort would never admit to needing help to achieve immortality and to keep his ultimate secret just that.

Regardless, Slughorn still had faith in Tom and ignored Albus Dumbledore when he tried to warn him that Tom was only using him. Slughorn believed he had judged Tom right and defended him. However, this changed when Tom left Hogwarts and disappeared, having refused many great offers of employment. He severed ties with Slughorn, which upset him most possibly because he loved to keep in touch with his old students that he had considered talented in the hope of being given things in return.

With the information from Slughorn in hand, Riddle managed to create seven Horcruxes and achieve something near immortality. When Riddle had returned to Hogwarts many years later to seek employment at Hogwarts, Slughorn was terrified and hid away in his office so that he didn't have to talk to him.

When Tom reappeared as Voldemort and rumours began during the First Wizarding War that Voldemort had indeed achieved immortality, Slughorn felt incredibly guilty about telling Tom how to achieve it. He was so ashamed, he even modified his own memory so he did not have to remember. He stayed at Hogwarts until the end of the war, believing it was the safest place to be. When Voldemort apparently died in 1981, he was pleased. The guilt still continued in a smaller way though, as he was scared that someone would still find out what he said and it was what made him retire from Hogwarts shortly after the war ended.

When Voldemort returned in 1995, Slughorn knew without a doubt that Tom had created Horcruxes. He was scared that Voldemort may seek him out, to either recruit him or kill him to keep their secret safe. Voldemort did soon try to find Slughorn, which he did not understand at the time. Slughorn escaped and hid from Voldemort for over a year, and even returned to Hogwarts.

However, even though Slughorn had managed to modify his memory to hide what he told Tom, Harry Potter managed to take the original version of the memory with the help of Felix Felicis, in 1997, and from it, he and Dumbledore gleaned crucial information about what Voldemort had done and what it would take to destroy him.

When Voldemort managed to take over Hogwarts in 1997, Slughorn finally found out what Tom wanted from him. He was surprised to find that it was only to teach at Hogwarts, showing that perhaps Tom respected Slughorn, his status and his teaching enough to keep him around. Regardless, Slughorn fought Lord Voldemort head on, with the help of Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt, during the Battle of Hogwarts, in 1998. His duel with him likely allowed him to come full circle for his contribution to his former student's rise to power and all of the deaths that transpired in his wake. In this regard, Slughorn redeemed himself in his own eyes, fighting for everyone who had ever been harmed by Voldemort.

Albus Dumbledore

"Still... the prudent wizard keeps his head down in such times. All very well for Dumbledore to talk, but taking up a post at Hogwarts just now would be tantamount to declaring my public allegiance to the Order of the Phoenix! And while I'm sure they're very admirable and brave and all the rest of it, I don't personally fancy the mortality rate."

— Slughorn explains his reluctance to come out of hiding

Albus Dumbledore, his good friend and colleague

Albus Dumbledore and Horace Slughorn were colleagues at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1931 until 1981, when Slughorn retired and Severus Snape took his place as Potions Master. As Slughorn was equally disinclined to join the Order of the Phoenix as the Death Eaters, Dumbledore most likely accepted Slughorn for the fairly self-serving, but overall harmless and genuinely talented Wizard he was. Dumbledore asked Slughorn to resume his old position in 1996, and Slughorn accepted after being enticed with the prospect of being able to teach Harry Potter.

Dumbledore wanted to tread carefully with Slughorn and not force him to divulge the memory because it would ruin their friendship. Dumbledore feared that if Slughorn felt betrayed, he may even leave the school and join the Dark Lord.

Dumbledore suspected that Slughorn may have inadvertently given Tom Riddle some dangerous information; in order to determine exactly what Riddle had been planning to use it for, Dumbledore attempted to retrieve the memory of the specific discussion from Slughorn. Ashamed of what he'd allowed himself to be charmed into doing, Slughorn modified his own memory and gave Dumbledore that version. Given Slughorn's fondness for famous and/or talented students, Dumbledore tasked Harry Potter, arguably the most famous student Slughorn would ever teach, to retrieve the original memory. As Dumbledore had predicted, Harry had been in the perfect position to convince Slughorn to allow the truth to be uncovered, and together, Harry and Dumbledore set about the task of destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes.

Horace was highly shocked by Dumbledore's death and attended his funeral. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Horace fought the Dark Lord head on in honour of his friend's death and to protect his former students and school.

Slug Club

"Harry, Harry, just the man I was hoping to see! I was hoping to catch you before dinner! What do you say to a spot of supper tonight in my rooms instead? We're having a little party, just a few rising stars, I've got McLaggen coming and Zabini, the charming Melinda Bobbin — I don't know whether you know her? Her family owns a large chain of apothecaries — and, of course, I hope very much that Miss Granger will favour me by coming too."

— Horace inviting Harry Potter to a Slug Club gathering

A Slug Club dinner meeting

Slughorn preferred to associate with well-connected students or those with promising future careers. The coterie of students that he has collected around himself is nicknamed the 'Slug Club', from the first part of his surname. Horace believed all of his favourites had the potential to become highly successful, and hoped to benefit in the future from fostering connections with them early on. Some of his former students who had already met or exceeded his expectations by the time he resumed teaching at Hogwarts in 1996, were Ambrosius Flume, Dirk Cresswell, Barnabas Cuffe, Eldred Worple, Gwenog Jones, and Wendy Slinkhard.

"It was as Harry had suspected. Everyone here seemed to have been invited because they were connected to somebody well-known or influential — everyone except Ginny."

— Slughorn's select choice of students for his Slug Club

However, there were other of his former pupils who achieved some degree of fame (or more accurately, notoriety) with whom he didn't maintain contact, nor did he approach their children in 1996, as he had no desire to be associated with Death Eaters — these former pupils included Lucius Malfoy, Avery, the Lestranges, Nott, and Goyle.

Some members of the Slug Club during Horace's second tenure as Potions master at Hogwarts were Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggen, Flora, and Hestia Carrow. All of them possibly had connections with someone famous, except for Hermione and Ginny, who were chosen because of their magical abilities. Slughorn especially appeared to like Hermione, who was arguably the all-around top student of her year.

There were other students who were invited for an interview, but didn't make the cut, such as Neville Longbottom, who appeared to lack the talent his parents had displayed as great Aurors, and Marcus Belby, whose family was not particularly close to his famous potioneer uncle.

Ron Weasley was not invited to join the club, much to Ron's frustration, considering both of his best friends were members. Horace didn't seem to think much of him at first, and often forgot his name, calling him "Ralph" or "Rupert". However, Horace appeared to grow to like him as a person, as he wished Ron a "happy birthday" and visited him at the Hospital Wing after Ron was poisoned.

It is unknown whether any of the Slug Club members (apart from the ones who were still Hogwarts students) fought alongside the reinforcements which Slughorn rallied during the Battle of Hogwarts against Voldemort's forces.

Arthur Weasley

""He taught Arthur and me. He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think... Of course he can be charming when he wants to be, but Arthur's never liked him much. The Ministry's littered with Slughorn's old favourites, he was always good at giving leg ups, but he never had much time for Arthur — didn't seem to think he was enough of a highflier. Well, that just shows you, even Slughorn makes mistakes. I don't know whether Ron's told you in any of his letters — it's only just happened — but Arthur's been promoted!""

— Molly Weasley talking to Harry about Horace

Arthur Weasley, his former student, whom he did not think too highly of

Horace Slughorn didn't seem to think much of Arthur Weasley, believing he wasn't a "highflier" or powerfully, gifted wizard while teaching him at Hogwarts, despite Arthur being pure-blooded, choosing to favour students who were magically talented and had strong connected with other powerful, talented wizards. Due to this preferential treatment, Arthur disliked Slughorn as a result and this relationship with Slughorn was later echoed with Arthur's son, Ron Weasley, as Slughorn ignored Ron the same way he had ignored Arthur. However, considering they both fought against Voldemort's forces in the Battle of Hogwarts, it is possible their opinions on each other eventually changed.

Hogwarts staff

Horace Slughorn: "I do thank you for taking the time, Pomona, most authorities agree that they are at their most efficacious if picked at twilight."

Pomona Sprout: "Oh, I quite agree. That enough for you?"

Horace Slughorn: "Plenty, plenty. This should allow for a few leaves for each of my third years, and some to spare if anybody over-stews them... Well, good evening to you, and many thanks again!"

— Slughorn and Pomona Sprout talking at the Hogwarts vegetable patch

Hogwarts staff in 1996

Horace Slughorn had a good relationship with most members of the Hogwarts staff. In addition to having been an old friend and long-time colleague of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Slughorn was quite friendly with the other members of the Hogwarts staff.

He was quite familiar with Severus Snape, the former Potions Master, and one of his former students. Slughorn possibly considered Snape to be a very intelligent and talented student, and invited him to join his Slug Club. They appeared to have a good relationship even during their later years as professors, until the 1997–1998 school year, after Snape apparently murdered Albus Dumbledore and usurped his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts. However, Slughorn later learned that Snape was, in fact, a loyal member of the Order of the Phoenix.

He was also a friend of Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor; though the two were heads of rival Houses, that was not a factor likely to affect their relationship, as, like Minerva, Slughorn did not give preferential treatment to the students of his own House. However, the fact that he did give preferential treatment to students based on other things may not have sat terribly well with the Transfiguration professor. However, in 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Minerva told Slughorn that, if he and his students wanted to join Lord Voldemort, she would fight against them. Slughorn was shocked, possibly because he didn't expect McGonagall to believe that he would ever join the Dark Lord. Later in the battle, Minerva and Slughorn together duelled Voldemort directly, and both survived.

Horace Slughorn and Argus Filch near the tower of Astronomy, after the death of Albus Dumbledore

Slughorn also had a good relationship with Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout. They appeared to be familiar, as they discussed the events of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and seemed to trust each other. Slughorn, Flitwick and Sprout also witnessed Severus Snape fleeing before the Battle of Hogwarts, and they joined the battle, all of them surviving.

Although the latter claimed they were never close, Horace also appeared to be quite familiar with Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid might have been one of Slughorn's students during his years at Hogwarts. In 1997, Horace was invited to a funeral Hagrid held for Aragog, his pet Acromantula. They drank and sang together in celebration of Aragog's life (and more likely, his valuable venom, for Slughorn's part), and the occasion afforded Harry Potter the opportunity to retrieve Slughorn's original memory of Tom Riddle asking about Horcruxes. Also they might have become great friends after the funeral, considering he comforted Hagrid during Aragog's funeral which may have meant a lot to Hagrid.

Although the two worked in different years, Slughorn knew of the previous Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge, and having kept track of the goings-on despite going into hiding, he heard that she was dragged into the Forbidden Forest by a herd of centaurs. Upon Dumbledore explaining that she angered the centaurs by storming into the forest herself and calling them "filthy half-breeds", Horace expressed his disdain for her, claiming that she was an "idiotic woman" and that he never liked her and was one of his least favourite students.

Media

Horace Slughorn Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Potions Class Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Etymology

• 'Horace' was the name of an epicurean Roman poet, fond of food and someone who liked to make friends with people of influence. Notably, Horace's full name was "Quintus Horatius Flaccus", thus sharing another name with "Horace Eugene Flaccus Slughorn".
• 'Eugene' is comes from the Greek εὐγενής (eugenēs), "noble", εὖ (eu), "well" and γένος (genos), "race, stock, kin". As such, the name means literally "well-born".
• 'Flaccus' was a cognomen of the ancient Roman plebeian family Fulvius, considered one of the most illustrious gentes of the city. As usual for cognomina, "Flaccus" was likely originally a nickname, probably of Marcus Fulvius Flaccus, the founder of the family. It has been variously interpreted as meaning "big ears", "flop ears", "floppy", or "fatty". As previously mentioned, this name was also shared by Horace the poet, whose full name was Quintus Horatius Flaccus.
• Slughorn - a 'slug' refers to the garden slug, a cousin to the snail but without the shell. Additionally, '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.

Behind the scenes

Horace as he appears on Pottermore

Horace Slughorn as a LEGO minifigure

"Who am I? He's called Horace Slughorn. He's a retired teacher of magic who's drawn back out of retirement because he's got some secrets they need in the battle against the Death Eaters and he's quite star struck as a teacher and he's drawn back into the fold because he likes to notch up celebrity students, and he's drawn back by Harry."

— Jim Broadbent

• Horace is portrayed by British actor Jim Broadbent in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (voice only) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
• In the film, Horace is depicted in tweed outfits rather than the described velvet, and is not bald, and has no moustache.
  • Also, the Slughorn depicted in the film is more interested in collecting precious materials such as Tentacula leaves and Acromantula venom or in getting together talented students, rather than in teaching. On the other hand, Slughorn in the books still loves teaching and takes his job very seriously.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Rubeus Hagrid mentions to Harry that he "never had a lot to do" with Slughorn, implying the two had never had any interaction with each other. However, seeing as Tom Riddle went to school with Hagrid, it follows to the conclusion that Horace taught Hagrid. As there are teachers and students that never really relate in all walks of life, Hagrid might well have simply been saying that Horace had never had any direct interaction during his time at school.
• Slughorn's exact age is never specified, although it is known that he was old enough to teach Tom Riddle (who started Hogwarts in 1938) and younger than Albus Dumbledore (who was born in 1881). If we assume a Potions Master must have finished school at Hogwarts before becoming a teacher, this means Slughorn was born no later than 1920 -- and, in all likelihood, earlier than that, since 17-year-old teachers do not seem to come by very often -- and no earlier than 1881. This means that, at the moment he first met Harry Potter in Budleigh Babberton (mid-July 1996), Slughorn was between 76 and 115 years old, and that at the moment of his permanent retirement he was between 96 and 135 years old. This potentially makes him the second oldest known Hogwarts teacher, only Professor Binns being, supposedly, older than him.
• Slughorn's general Modus operandi bares a strong resemblance to the system known as the "old boy network", a system of relationships established between attendees of Male-only elite schools that would continue into their life after graduation. Since students at such schools were generally from the upper classes they were often appointed to high ranking positions in society, and would generally favour schoolmates and do favours for friends. Though this would greatly benefit those in the network it also excluded those who did not have the same opportunities.
• Although in the novel of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Horace mentions that he taught Snape, in real life Jim Broadbent (born May 1949) who plays Horace is three years younger than Alan Rickman (born February 1946) who plays Snape.
• Horace's direct duel with Voldemort, alongside Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt is omitted from the film. Instead he takes a swig of something stashed under his cloak, then begins casting protective charms such as Protego Maxima. He is later seen tending to Argus Filch's wounds, and regaling his triumphs in the battle with Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry comes across Horace getting some herbs with the help of Pomona Sprout; in the film, Harry finds him stealing tentacula leaves without her knowledge with the intent of selling them.
• One of the names Slughorn calls Ron Weasley is Rupert. As J.K. Rowling wrote the book after the Harry Potter film series began, this might be a nod to Rupert Grint.
• Despite not appearing as a character in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, a picture of Slughorn can be found in both the Charms Classrooms.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Voice only) (Appears in flashback(s))
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Pottermore
• Pottermore Presents: Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
• Wizarding World
• The Art of Harry Potter Mini Book of Graphic Design
• The Making of Harry Potter
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Picture only)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Dimensions
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac

External links

• Hp-Lexicon character description
• Mugglenet discussion of his name
• One good Slytherin