𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟐.𝟏𝟖 - 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

The holiday decorations had been taken down, leaving the room looking just as bare and empty as when you first found it. As you walked deeper inside, the chandelier lowered down from the ceiling and illuminated the space. There was no one else inside, which was what you had been hoping for. 

After surveying the room, you walked all the way to the back where a stand-alone mirror was propped up against the wall.

Wedged into the corners of the frame were different slips of paper. At the very top was an enchanted photograph of Cedric Diggory. It had been taken during the Tournament, probably just days before he died. He blinked down at you, a warm smile permanently pulling at his rosy cheeks. 

You wished you'd known him better before he died. Then again, everyone else said that too. 

Spread out along the sides of the mirror were different newspaper clippings from the Daily Prophet. 'Death Eater Terror Continues' one headline read. It went on to detail one of the more recent Death Eater attacks on non-pureblood families. You wondered how many of them your parents had taken part in since you escaped to the Order headquarters.

You jolted out of your trance when the door creaked open behind you. You watched in the reflection of the mirror as Harry burst into the Room of Requirement. He looked frantic and out of breath, as if he had run all the way from the Gryffindor common room.

 Neither of you said anything for a moment as he slowly came to stand behind you in the mirror. He looked to be studying your reflection as your eyes traced the various newspaper cut-outs. Despite waiting until you were face to face, you still had no idea what to say to him. What was there left to say?

"Are you...Are you alright?" He asked, finally. You made eye contact through the mirror and he jumped back a bit. Had he noticed your eyes lingering on the flashing images of figures in dark cloaks?

You opened your mouth to insist that you were fine but thought better of it. Instead, you crossed your arms over your chest and shifted your feet. "I was raised by Death Eaters, Harry. Whether or not they'd always had the Dark Mark, that's what they were. It's what they've always been."

A shaky breath left your lips and Harry waited patiently for you to continue, eyes locked tightly on yours through the reflective glass. They were filled with a mix of understanding and pity. You flexed your scarred hand at your side, the words written across your wrist flashing through your mind. "I'm going to undo all of the wrongs they've done. I have to."

 Harry stepped even closer and put a hand on your shoulder. His skin was warm, even in the cold room. You felt the urge to lean into his touch but resisted. 

"That's not your responsibility." His voice sounded deeper from when you had spoken last, but maybe it was just your imagination. "Being here, understanding that you can learn from their mistakes; that's enough."

You turned away from the mirror to face him. Shaking your head, you swallowed back tears. "No, it isn't. Not for me, at least. I need to prove that I'm not like them. I need them and everyone else to know that I'm different."

He licked his lips as he searched your face for signs of sincerity. "I know you, (Y/N)," he spoke just above a whisper. "I know that you're not a bad person. You couldn't be even if you tried."

Suddenly, the tears you had been holding back came rushing out of your eyes, cascading down your cheeks in shallow rivers. You brought your hands up to wipe them away and Harry's hand left your shoulder in favor of pulling you tighter against his warm chest. As he held you, his hand ran up and down your back soothingly. "Hey," he shushed, his chin resting on your head. "You're alright."

"I'm sorry," you sniffled, suddenly remembering why you had been hesitant to talk to him in the first place. "About freaking out about you and Cho. I shouldn't be all up in your business, anyway."

He pulled away and used the back of his sleeve to catch a stray tear. "I've been meaning to explain that to you," he licked his lips quickly. "Cho kissed me, not the other way around."

"Oh," you mumbled under your breath. "But--" 

"She said that I reminded her of Cedric...when he was still, you know, alive."

Oh. Oh wow.

"That's...really sad," you sniffled. "And sort of creepy."

You both looked at each other before locking eyes with the photo of Cedric tucked into the corner of the mirror. You couldn't imagine losing someone you loved so much, especially while you're so young. "Yeah, I know," Harry breathed.

Not knowing what else to say, you looked up at Harry who was smiling hopefully down at you. 

"I hope I haven't made things weird between us."

"N-no," he assured, quickly. "Not all. You're absolutely perfect."

"That's good," you hummed mischievously, leaning up closer to his face. "Because I'm so ready to knock you on your ass at the next meeting."

Harry chuckled and ran a hand through his dark hair. "You're on, Firethorn." 

 (A/N: I keep forgetting that Harry is like socially awkward and not a suave little british dude. I'm going to go back to 4th year and fix a lot of his dialogue cause looking back at it...ugh. Happy reading!)