Christmas is coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts wakes up to find itself covered in sparkling white snow. The lake is frozen solid, and the few owls that manage to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver the mail have to be nursed back to health by Hagrid.
Nobody can wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall have roaring fires, the corridors are icy and a bitter wind rattles the classrooms' windows. The worst thing is Potions class in the dungeous, where our breath rises in mist before us in the frigid air. I huddle around my hot cauldron to keep warm.
When we leave Potions, we find a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet at the bottom and a puffing sound tell us that Hagrid is behind it.
"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asks, sticking his face through the branches.
"Nah, I'm alright, thanks, Ron."
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" comes Malfoy's cool voice from behind us. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Be a gamekeeper when you leave Hogwarts? I suppose that hut of Hagrid's will seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."
Harry grabs the back of Ron's robes as he tries to throw himself at Mafloy. My patience snaps.
"How dare you," I spit, marching up to Malfoy and jabbing a finger in his chest. For a moment, his icy blue eyes cloud with fear, and I realize he's afraid of me when I'm angry. "How dare you, Malfoy." I spit his name as if it's something nasty. "I have known Ronald and his family for my entire life, and they are the most wonderful family you could ever hope to meet. They don't need tons of money or big houses. They don't need expensive clothing and fancy foods for every meal. They make up for that with love. They are kind, loyal, and loving. And I suppose, because your family has a lot of money, that means you don't have as much love. Is that right, you evil, rotten, spoiled, inconsiderate toe-rag?!"
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stand frozen, speechless. Malfoy's icy eyes are still filled with fear. I take a deep breath, preparing to continue my speech, but Harry and Ron grab my robes and pull me away. I give one last hateful look at Malfoy, then angrily shake myself away from Harry and Ron.
"I had that under control!" I say hotly.
"Yeah, because you're bloody scary when you're angry," Ron says. The boys lead me to lunch, keeping a close eye on me, as if to make sure I don't explode again.
"Hello, you three, where have you been?" Hermione asks. "Well, nevermind that; I'm leaving soon. You three have got to keep looking while I'm gone. And send me an owl if you fans anything."
"Okay," I say. Hermione turns to go, then turns back around and throws her arms around me.
"Happy Christmas, Rory!" she says.
"Happy Christmas, Hermione!" I say, hugging her back.
On Christmas Eve, I get in bed to read. However, I'm distracted by an owl tapping on the window. I go over and see the letter and package is for me. I sit on my four poster and open it. Its from Moony.
Rory,
Happy Christmas! How have you been? I know you
wrote to me a out the troll, and I must say that I am
impressed. Mountain trolls are dangerous. I must
also say that you remind me greatly of both your
mother and your father. Your father would have
gotten himself into that situation, and your
mother would have solved it in a very similar manner
to what you did. Enclosed in the package is a gift.
With love,
Moony
I smile. Moony thinks I'm like my parents. And my parents are good people to be like, or so I've heard.
The next morning I wake up to Ron and Harry shouting up the girls stairs for me.
"Rory! Rory, wake up!"
I roll out of bed and amble down the stairs, putting on my necklace as I do so.
"Merry Christmas!" the boys shout. I smile and sit in an armchair by the fire, curling up to keep warm. The boys grab their own gifts and bring them over to the fire.
"Harry, will you be a lovely brother and grab mine for me," I yawn. Harry laughs and brings me a pile wrapped gifts.
"Ron, your parents sent me a gift," Harry says.
"Me too," I say. Ron groans.
"She's sent you Weasley sweaters!" he says. I unwrap it to find a dark red hand-knitted jumper with a golden 'R' on the front, and the word 'Chaser' on the back.
"That's so nice!" I say, pulling the soft garment on over my nightgown. I smile and grab another one from Mrs Weasley. Treacle fudge.
"Treacle fudge!" I squeal. "Goodness, Ron, your mother knows me too well."
"Merlin's beard," Ron gasps as Harry opens another parcel.
"What?" I ask. "What is it, Ron?"
"Look," he whispers, pointing. On the floor in the wrappings, is a silvery cloak.
"An invisibility cloak!" I gasp. "Who's it from, Harry?"
"I don't know. There's no signature on the note.'
"Put it on!" Ron says. Harry throws the cloak around his shoulders. Ron yells and I scream.
"Harry your body's gone!" I shriek. Harry looks down, speechless, while Ron and I stare in excitement. Harry takes it off and shoves it away.
Later that afternoon, Harry, the Weasleys and I spend a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, we return to the common room, where Harry breaks in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron.
After dinner, everyone is too full and sleepy to do much before bed except watch Percy chase Fred and George all over the Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. I sit in an armchair, warm and cozy by the fire. After a while, I doze off.
"Rory! Rory! Come on, little sis' wake up!" a voice says. Someone shakes my shoulder and I wake with a start.
"Harry! What happened? Did I fall asleep? You guys just left me here, didn't you?" I ramble. "Wow, what nice friends."
"Shh, come on, get under the cloak," Harry says, pulling me under. We leave the common room, and Harry leads me to the library. The Restricted Section, to be exact.
"For Flamel?" I ask. Harry nods and pulls off the cloak, grabbing a book. He lets it fall open, and a piercing, bloodcurdling shriek pierces the silence - the book is screaming!
Harry gasps and throws the cloak back over us and my hair glows white. We flee the library just as Filch arrives, ducking under his outstretched arm and into the corridor. I have no idea where we're going but we just run, but stop as Filch says something. And none other than Snape answers him. We're in a narrow hallway, and the cloack doesn't stop us from being solid.
I feel a tug on my hand. My brother pulls me backwards and into a room who's door is open just enough for us to slip through. Its a classroom, with a magnificent mirror as high as the ceiling. Harry drags me over there, to look at our our invisible reflections, but has to smack a hand to my mouth to keep me from screaming. We both whirl around, having seen the two people behind us.
Slowly, I turn back around. There they are. A smiling woman with bright green eyes and dark red hair. Her eyes - they're just like mine. The same colour, same shape, everything. The man next to her outs his arm around her. He's tall and thin, with the same big glasses as me, and the same dark hair. My parents.
"Mom?" Harry whispers. "Dad?"
I take one more look at them and burst into tears. Harry murmurs words of comfort and outs an arm around me. We stare at our parents hungrily, looking at our family for the first time in our lives. I sob onto Harry's shoulder until a distant noise brings us back to reality.
"We'll come back," I promise, pressing mymhand against the mirror and taking one last long look at our parents
"Rory! Wake up!" a voice says. I blink my eyes open to see Harry, the invisibility cloak draped over his arm. Its been two days since we found the mirror, and Harry brought Ron to see it last night.
"You guys just left me in the chair again?" I mumble halfheartedly.
When we reach the room aith the mirror, we sit on the floor in front of it without the cloak. Nobody would be here at this time. Except -
"Back again, Potters?" a voice sounds. I let out a squeak, and Harry and I turn around to see Professor Dumbledore sitting at a desk. He gets up and sits next to us.
"I - we didn't see you there, sir - " Harry says quickly.
"What do you mean, sir, by again?" I add.
"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," Dumbledore says gently. "I see you two have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I expect by now you know what it does?"
"I . . . I . . . it shows us what we want . . . Erised . . . it's 'Desire' spelt backwards!" I gasp. "The Mirror of Desire!"
"Very good, Miss Potter. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of them all. However, this mirror will give up neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, enticed by what they have seen, or have been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.
"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry and Rory, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"
Harry and I stand up.
"Sir - Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?" Harry asks.
"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiles. I giggle. "You may ask me one more thing, however."
"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."
Harry and I stare.
"One can never have enough socks," says Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone, and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
YOU ARE READING
Rory Potter, the Girl Who Lived
FanfictionRory Potter is Harry's twin sister, but she doesn't know it. After Lord Voldemort killed her parents, she and Harry were separated. Under Albums Dumbledore's orders, Remus Lupin raised her as Rory Lupin, and leaves her out when he tells her the lege...
