lovesick || r. lupin

¹⁸manky mirror

Even though this was Ayla's second time being in detention, she still felt horribly anxious. Fortunately, though, Professor McGonagall had briskly told the sextet that they would be dusting, scrubbing, and thoroughly cleaning an empty classroom that hadn't been used in decades. The student's didn't know why they would be cleaning a room that wouldn't ever be used but they ignored it and merely set off to do the deed, keen on not being the recipients of McGonagall's deadly stare for much longer.

"Didn't even do much; the stupid color washed right off!" Sirius complained whilst he swung a full bucket of water around, leading to water splashing all over the floors. Peter nearly slipped on one of the puddles, wobbling around trying to regain his balance and attempting to not drop the rags he was holding onto.

"You really should be careful, Pads, Filch might string you up from a chain if he see's the mess you're making," Remus said in a fake serious tone. He was definitely trying to hold back a smirk that was itching on his lips.

Sirius flailed his arm up in the air from exasperation, spilling even more water in the process, and spun around so he could look at the group. "Let him! This school years been boring enough!"

"Oh, I'd pay to see that," Grace leered, smirking lightly.

"'Course you would, you're a sociopath. Prongs, you wouldn't let that happen to me, would you?"

James gave a crooked grin, pleased to see that he was in the spot light. "Well, it would be pretty entertai-"

Sirius grabbed the duster from Remus's hand and smack James across the back of the head with it. "Don't even finish that sentence, you sadist."

Few more minutes past with more complaining from Sirius and they had finally arrived at the classroom they were assigned to clean. The six all stood in front of the door, trying to postpone getting to work just for a bit longer, but then Remus sighed and pushed the door open.

"Better get started or we'll be here till morning."

The group dispersed, looking around the room before them. Ayla could tell the boy's had been in the classroom before, she saw the recognition in their eyes and suddenly, Remus's eyes had stopped scanning the room and they landed on a mirror Ayla hadn't even recognized was there.

The mirror was fancy, to say the least. It's frame was golden and it had pretty embellishments all over it as it leaned against the dirty wall behind it, covered in dust and grime. Ayla stepped forward, taking a closer look at the frame and saw writing on it reading Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Ayla didn't know what it meant so she assumed it must have been another language.

"Pretty manky mirror, huh?" James said, seeing how Ayla had stopped to look at it. "Show's your deepest desires."

"Pardon?"

Remus walked to stand beside her, also looking at the frame. "Dumbledore caught us in here once. We were out exploring the castle in fourth year, and we saw this mirror and somehow he was out at the same time and he explained to us what it was. He said it was called the Mirror of Erised and that it shows whoever's looking's deepest hearts desire," Remus explained. He stepped forward, a bit closer and ran his long fingers across the words etched into it. "Also, if you read this writing backwards it says 'I show not your face but your hearts desire'. So, it's pretty easy to guess what it does."

"I guess it's not another language then," Ayla murmured to herself.

Remus chuckled and stepped back to where he was before, beside Ayla, a bit of an amused expression on his face.

"So," Grace started, looking from the opposite corner of the classroom to the other five teens, "you look in that thing and it shows you what you truly wish for? Couldn't that drive someone mad, knowing that they may never obtain what they want? Why have something so dangerous in a school?"