Charmolypi

Chapter 20

Harry and Thea were discreetly walking into the restricted section in the library, hiding under the invisibility cloak, while Harry held a lit lantern in his hand.

"I don't think it's a good idea to be here at night, Harry. We could have easily snuck in during the day." Thea whispered.

There were discreet snickers and giggles and comments about Thea truly being the daughter of James Potter.

"I want answers. And I wanted to give this cloak a try, it wouldn't have felt right using it for the first time without you. It's a Potter family heirloom after all." Harry responded with a small smile which she reciprocated.

They entered the restricted section and started reading the spine trying to find something that matches Nicholas Flamel.

"Famous fire-eaters, 15th century fiends..." Harry read off. Thea was looking through the books on another shelf when her eyes landed on a specific book.

"Advanced human transfiguration... that's exactly what I've been looking for." She whispered to herself, as she was about to open the book when a scream came from where Harry was, causing her to jump in fright. Harry quickly closed the book and puts it back in its place.

The Marauders looked at each other, wide eyed, knowing exactly what the book contained.

"Blimey!" Harry said panicked.

"You need to be careful Harry! Someone might hear us." Thea hissed.

"Who's there?" Came a voice. The siblings quickly hid under the cloak, accidently breaking the lantern in the process. They started their escape when they heard the voice again. It was Filch. "I know you're in there. You can't hide." Filch came closer, causing Thea to pull her brother away from where they were standing. "Who is it? Show yourself!" Filch said as the siblings hid behind the bookcase watching as Filch passed by them.

The siblings were able to escape from Filch in the library, but as they were making their way back to the common room, they saw Mrs. Norris making her way towards them. They quickly took off in the opposite direction, only to come face to face with Professor Snape pinning Professor Quirrell to the hallway wall.

Once again, everyone turned to Snape accusingly, causing the young boy to shrink slightly in his seat.

"Severus, I thought..." Quirrell tried, but Snape interrupted him.

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell." Snape said menacingly.

"Wh-What do y-you mean?" the defense teacher stuttered.

Suddenly, Snape froze, and turned to where the Potters were standing, hidden under the invisibility cloak. The pair started taking slight steps backwards as the potions master reached forward and tried to grab them. When he failed, he looked slightly suspicious, as if he knew they were there.

"We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to decide where your loyalties lie." Severus said to Quirrell after a moment.

"What in Merlin's name are you up to, Sev?" Regulus asked his friend, not understanding the boy's actions. The greasy haired boy only shrugged, looking just as confused as the rest of the hall, particularly his friends.

The sound of heavy footsteps was heard approaching the pair of professors, causing them to break apart. Filch crept closer. "Oh. Professors, I found this in the restricted section. It's still hot. That means there's a student out of bed. And I also found a book open." The three professors disappeared in search for the culprit.

Thea and Harry quietly walked down the hallway and into a room. They took off the cloak and sighed in relief. She turned to look at her brother, only to find him staring at something on the opposite side of the room.

Thea turned and found a mirror. The pair walked closer, but Thea stayed cautious. Instead of focusing on the reflection like her brother, she focused on the engraving on the top of the mirror.

"erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi" Thea read out loud. She frowned. The sentence didn't make seance. It wasn't Greek or Latin.

"That's mum and dad." Harry said, as he placed his hand on his shoulder and looked behind him.

Many hearts broke at the sight of what Harry truly desired.

Confused, Thea looked at the reflection, only to find her parents, and beside her and her brother stood a slightly older girl that wore a leather jacket and punk style clothing. She had pitch black pixie cut hair as well as electric blue eyes, identical to Thea's.

"Thalia..." Thea breathed. She looked back at her parents, only to find them smiling at her and Harry, who was also visible in the image.

"I'll be right back, stay here." Harry said to her. He quickly put on the cloak and ran out of the room leaving Thea alone.

She looked back up at the engraving and thought for a minute before her eyes widened. "I show not your face but your heart's desire." She said before taking two steps back. "The Mirror of Erised."

Gasps were heard from all over the hall. Everyone had heard stories about the mirror, but no one believed it was true.

Regulus looked awestruck at the girl. She was just a first year, but she was proving to be more extraordinary than anyone had anticipated her to be.

Right then, the door burst open, revealing an excited looking Harry and a sleepy Ron. "Come on. Come. Come look. It's our parents." Harry said, urging Ron to look at the mirror.

"I only see us." Ron said confused.

"Look properly. Go on, stand there."

"Harry-" Thea tried to talk to him, but he continued.

"There. You see them, don't you?"

"That's me, only I'm head boy, and holding the quidditch cup." Ron said, the smile on his face growing. "And bloody hell! I'm quidditch captain, too. I look good. Harry, do you think this mirror shows the future?" Ron asked, obviously excited at the idea that this version of himself might be his future.

"How can it? I saw my dead parents." Harry said miserably. The group shortly returned to the common room.

Some people, including the Potters, had started shedding tears after watching the scene.

The next day, the Potters returned to the mirror. Harry sat down in front of the mirror, and Thea followed suit, trying to console him. When she was about to tell him what the mirror is, they heard the voice of their headmaster, catching their attention.

"Back again, Harry? Thea? I see that you, like so many before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I trust by now you two realize what it does." When Harry didn't look up, Dumbledore kept talking. "Let me give you a clue. The happiest man on Earth would look into that mirror and see only himself."

Harry finally looked up from the reflection. "So the it shows me what I want? Whatever I want?"

"I show not your face but your heart's desire." Thea says to her brother, earning a smile from the headmaster.

"Very good, Thea." He said to her before turning back to Harry. "It shows us nothing more or nothing less than the deepest and most desperate desire of our hearts. Now you, have never known your family beside each other, so you see them standing beside you." The headmaster's expression turned grave. "But remember this. This mirror gives us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away in front of it, even gone mad. That is why tomorrow it will be moved to a new home. And I must ask you two not to go looking for it again. It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

Dumbledore smiled at the two before leaving them. Harry took one last look at the mirror before he stood up and extended his hand for his sister to hold. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, causing him to smile at her gratefully.