Horace E. Slughorn

Professor Horace Eugene Slughorn was a masterful Potions master and, for two separate tenures, the Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A bon vivant with a love for comfort, luxury, and influence, Slughorn was known for his “Slug Club”, an exclusive group of students he “collected” based on their talent, ambition, or famous connections. Though not malevolent, Slughorn's desire for a quiet life and his deep-seated shame over a past mistake made him a reluctant figure in the Second Wizarding War. He possessed the crucial memory that revealed Lord Voldemort's secret to immortality, the Horcruxes, making him a key target for both Albus Dumbledore and the Death Eaters. His eventual decision to aid the fight against Voldemort demonstrates a complex character who, despite his flaws, ultimately chose to do what was right.

Professor Slughorn's first period as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House lasted for many decades. During this time, he established the “Slug Club”, a collection of his favourite students invited to lavish dinners where he could build a network of influential future witches and wizards. He taught many notable individuals, including Lucius Malfoy and Harry Potter's mother, Lily Evans, whom he considered one of the most brilliant and charming students he ever had. His most fateful student, however, was Tom Riddle. Flattered by the young Riddle's talent and ambition, Slughorn confided in him the highly dangerous and obscure magic of creating a Horcrux. Overcome with shame and terror at what he had enabled, Slughorn later used a Memory Charm on himself to alter the memory, obfuscating the most incriminating parts of their conversation. He retired from Hogwarts shortly after Lord Voldemort's first fall from power, succeeded by Severus Snape.

Following his retirement, Slughorn went into hiding after the confirmed return of Lord Voldemort, correctly fearing that his former student would seek to recruit him or silence him permanently. He lived a nomadic life, moving between Muggle houses and employing elaborate charms to remain hidden. In the summer of 1996, Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter tracked him down to the village of Budleigh Babberton. To persuade the comfort-loving Slughorn to return to Hogwarts, Dumbledore used Harry as “bait,” knowing Slughorn could not resist the chance to “collect” the Chosen One. Slughorn agreed to resume his old post as Potions Master, partly for the perceived safety of Hogwarts and the allure of having Harry in his class.

Throughout the school year, Harry Potter was tasked by Dumbledore with retrieving the true, unaltered memory of Slughorn's conversation with Tom Riddle. Slughorn repeatedly evaded Harry's attempts, crippled by his shame. Harry finally succeeded after taking a dose of Felix Felicis, which led him to Aragog's funeral. During the event, a tipsy and emotional Slughorn, moved by Harry's words about his mother Lily Evans, finally relented and gave Harry the true memory. This memory was the final piece of the puzzle Dumbledore needed to confirm the number of Horcruxes Voldemort had created. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Slughorn initially evacuated the younger students and appeared to leave with the Slytherins who chose not to fight. However, he later returned with reinforcements from Hogsmeade. He demonstrated immense bravery and powerful magic by dueling Lord Voldemort directly, alongside Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Slughorn is described as an enormously fat, short man with a shiny, bald head and a prominent, walrus-like moustache. He has a penchant for luxurious clothing, such as a green velvet smoking jacket and an embroidered nightcap. His personality is dominated by his love for comfort, influence, and the finer things in life. He is a classic networker, using his charm to cultivate relationships with those he deems important. While this makes him appear opportunistic and self-serving, he is not a cruel person and shows genuine fondness for his favourite students, especially Lily Evans. He is prone to cowardice and fear, as shown by his years in hiding and his modification of the Horcrux memory. However, his actions at the Battle of Hogwarts prove that, when truly tested, he possesses considerable courage and loyalty.

• Potions: Slughorn was an exceptionally gifted Potioneer. Albus Dumbledore referred to him as a master of the subject. He could brew extremely difficult potions like Felix Felicis and immediately recognized the advanced techniques in Harry's textbook, which belonged to the Half-Blood Prince.
• Dueling: Slughorn was a highly competent and powerful duelist. His ability to stand against Lord Voldemort alongside McGonagall and Shacklebolt places him among the most skilled wizards of his time.
• Transfiguration: He displayed a considerable talent for Transfiguration, expertly transforming himself into an armchair to evade detection and effortlessly vanishing large splatters of dragon blood from a ceiling.
• Memory Charms: He was proficient enough with Memory Charms to skillfully modify his own memory of the Horcrux conversation, a feat that made the memory difficult but not impossible to retrieve.

• Hourglass: Slughorn kept a large, ornate hourglass in his office. The sand within it would slow down or speed up depending on the quality of the conversation, flowing smoothly when the discourse was stimulating.
• Photographs: He maintained a collection of signed photographs of his most famous and successful former students, which he proudly displayed on a dresser.
• Rare Potions Ingredients: As a Potions master, Slughorn often acquired rare and valuable ingredients. He collected a significant amount of highly-prized Acromantula venom from Aragog's body and was also gifted a crystallised pineapple by Tom Riddle.
• Felix Felicis: He possessed a small vial of “Liquid Luck,” which he offered as a prize to the student who could brew the best Draught of Living Death in his first N.E.W.T. class. It was won by Harry Potter.

• Harry Potter: Slughorn saw Harry as the “crown jewel” of his collection of students. While his initial interest was based on Harry's fame, he developed a genuine, if paternalistic, fondness for him, often seeing reflections of his parents, James Potter and particularly Lily Evans, in him.
• Albus Dumbledore: A long-time colleague and friend. Dumbledore understood Slughorn's nature perfectly and was not above using his weaknesses—flattery and a desire for comfort—to achieve his goals. Their relationship was one of mutual, if sometimes strained, respect.
• Tom Riddle / Lord Voldemort: Slughorn considered the young Tom Riddle a brilliant and charming student, but this admiration became his greatest source of shame and fear after he provided Riddle with the secret to making Horcruxes.
• Lily Evans: Slughorn described Lily as his all-time favourite student. He cherished her memory, praising her vivacious personality and exceptional talent in Potions. His deep affection for Lily was ultimately the key to persuading him to give up the true memory to her son.
• The Slug Club: Slughorn acted as a patron to the members of his club, offering them connections and opportunities. His relationship with them was symbiotic; he basked in their reflected glory, and they benefited from his network.

• Horace: Likely a reference to the classical Roman poet Horace. The poet was known for enjoying a comfortable, leisurely life provided by a patron, mirroring Slughorn's own love of luxury. One of Horace's most famous phrases, carpe diem (“seize the day”), also reflects Slughorn's opportunistic nature.
• Slughorn: This name is likely a compound of “slug” and “horn.” “Slug” could refer to the slimy creature, alluding both to his role as a Potions Master (slugs are common ingredients) and his sometimes cowardly, sluggish nature. It could also derive from the Scots Gaelic “sluagh-ghairm,” meaning “battle-cry,” which is the origin of the word “slogan.” This provides an ironic contrast to his initial cowardice and foreshadows his ultimate bravery in the Battle of Hogwarts.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Horace Slughorn is portrayed by actor Jim Broadbent.
• The scene where Harry retrieves the memory is significantly altered in the film. Instead of using Felix Felicis to attend Aragog's funeral, Harry confronts Slughorn directly, and it is Harry's emotional appeal about his mother's sacrifice, rather than alcohol and shared grief, that persuades Slughorn to give up the memory (film).
• J.K. Rowling has stated that she created Slughorn to show that not all Slytherins are evil. He represents a different facet of Slytherin ambition—one based on influence and comfort rather than pure-blood supremacy and domination (J.K. Rowling interview).
• It is confirmed that Slughorn survived the Battle of Hogwarts and continued to teach at the school (Pottermore).