Por que Slughorn parou de ensinar?

Isso é abordado em Histórias Curtas de Hogwarts sobre Poder, Política e Poltergeists Peculiares . Em resumo, Slughorn tornou-se cada vez mais perturbado por sua participação na ascensão de Voldemort ao poder, especificamente sua famosa imortalidade. Quando ficou claro que Dumbledore não iria parar em suas tentativas de interrogá-lo sobre sua interação com Tom Riddle (e, portanto, revelar seu segredo mais culpado, que ele o ajudou a fazer uma Horcrux para evitar sua morte), ele escolheu se aposentar , externamente reivindicando reflexos falhos e 50 anos de serviço leal à escola.

When the wizarding world fell into war, and rumours swirled that Voldemort had, somehow, made himself immortal, Slughorn was sure that it was he who had made Voldemort invincible, by teaching him about Horcruxes (this guilt was misplaced, as Riddle already knew how to make a Horcrux, and had feigned innocence in order to find out what might happen if a wizard made more than one). Slughorn became ill with guilt and fright. Albus Dumbledore, now Headmaster, treated his colleague with particular kindness at this time, which had the paradoxical effect of increasing Slughorn’s guilt, reinforcing his determination never to tell a living soul what a dreadful mistake he had made.

Lord Voldemort made no attempt to seize Hogwarts on his first ascent to power. Slughorn believed, correctly, that he was safest remaining in his post rather than risking the outside world while Voldemort was at large. When Voldemort met his match upon attacking the infant Harry Potter, Slughorn was even more jubilant than most of the wizarding population. If Voldemort had been killed, Slughorn reasoned, then he could not have made a Horcrux, which meant that he, Slughorn, was innocent after all. It was Slughorn’s extremity of relief, and the disjointed phrases he let fall in the first rush of emotion after hearing of Voldemort’s defeat, that first alerted Dumbledore to the possibility that Slughorn had shared Dark secrets with Tom Riddle. Dumbledore’s gentle attempts to question Slughorn, however, caused him to clam up. A few days later, Slughorn (who had now completed a half century of service to the school) tendered his resignation.

Ele pode ter simplesmente se aposentado porque era velho.

Ao longo de Príncipe Mestiço ele é descrito como saindo de "aposentadoria". Especificamente, quando Harry e Dumbledore vão convencê-lo a voltar, ele menciona especificamente sua idade / fraqueza (minha ênfase):

"Well, how have you been keeping, Horace?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not so well," said Slughorn at once. "Weak chest. Wheezy. Rheumatism too. Can’t move like I used to. Well, that’s to be expected. Old age. Fatigue."

"And yet you must have moved fairly quickly to prepare such a welcome for us at such short notice,' said Dumbledore. ‘You can’t have had more than three minutes' warning?"

Slughorn said, half-irritably, half-proudly, "Two. Didn’t hear my Intruder Charm go off, I was taking a bath. Still," he added sternly, seeming to pull himself back together again, "the fact remains that I’m an old man, Albus. A tired old man who’s earned the right to a quiet life and a few creature comforts."

E:

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

Podemos facilmente perceber que Slughorn não é jovem. Ele já estava ensinando quando Voldemort estava na escola, e nós sabemos da Câmara Secreta que Voldemort é cerca de 54 anos mais velho que Harry. Então, na época de Príncipe Mestiço , Slughorn provavelmente tem mais de 90 anos de idade. É, portanto, perfeitamente razoável que ele tenha se aposentado em algum ponto anterior devido à sua idade / saúde em declínio. Na verdade, ele até insinua que Dumbledore deveria pensar em se aposentar também:

"You’re not yet as old as I am, Horace," said Dumbledore.

"Well, maybe you ought to think about retirement yourself," said Slughorn bluntly. His pale gooseberry eyes had found Dumbledore’s injured hand. ‘Reactions not what they were, I see."