MIRROR OF ERISED
25TH DEC 1991
"Ohh! It's Christmas!" James said with a smile at the date written on the screen. The other students were also excited about Christmas that was to be spent in Hogwarts especially the decorations, meals and many more activities the students can do with their friends when they did not return back to their homes.
Harry's POV
It was Christmas Day morning. Hedwig, Harry's snowy white owl was sitting on a stacks of books in the Gryffindor common room near the lit fire with her eyes closed, enjoying the heat.
"Harry! Wake up! Come on, wake up!" Ron's voice called out from a distant away. Harry reached his hand out to the side and grabbed onto his round glasses and put them on his face before sitting up, throwing the red quilt off him and getting out of bed. He ran quickly out of the boy's dormitory and to the little balcony that looked over the common room.
Ron stood in the middle of the common room next to the sofa with a few things on the back of the chair. He was wearing a knitted jumper that looked slightly big on him. It was marooning-brown colour with a big 'R' for Ron in the middle of it/ he was wearing this but you could clearly see he was still wearing the same striped pyjamas that Harry wear underneath.
"Happy Christmas, Harry," Ron said with a bright smile.
"Happy Christmas, Ron," Harry smiled back. "What are you wearing?"
"Oh, my mum made it," Ron said as he grabbed onto a part of it with a soft smile, "Looks like you've got one too."
"Molly's famous Weasley jumper!" Gideon said.
"Very warm..." Fabian added.
"Very comfy and stylish..." Charlie continued.
"Comes in many colours..." Bill added on.
"Different sizes..." Gideon added.
"Created by the one and only," Fabian said.
"Mum!" The Weasley siblings said, while the Prewett brothers said, "Molls!" with jazz hands.
Harry looked shocked at this, "I've got presents?" He asked excitedly, gaining a confused look from Ron.
"He didn't receive any presents!" James and Lily roared in exasperation. They were shocked that the Dursleys never celebrated Christmas with their son that they took care, but the couple expected that to happen since Harry was not well taken care of since the beginning of the book.
"We're 100% going to give him as many gifts during his birthday, Christmas and also feed him until he is not skin and bones," James declared with determination. His friends, parents and Lily's friends nodded their heads in agreement, they truly pity the future Potter heir's upbringing.
"Yeah! What do you expect turnips?" Ron looked at him incredulously. The Potter boy rushed down the stairs. Ron pointed at a few wrapped up presents. "There they are," he said while watching Harry open them while munching on some candies.
Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it -- it sounded a bit like an owl.
"Thank you Hagrid," Lily thanked the half-giant with a smile, making him smile back at the muggleborn witch.
James and the others also smiled at the half-giant's thoughtful gift, even if it is not expensive, he was truly kind to the boy.
A second, very small parcel contained a note.
We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.
"That's friendly," said Harry.
Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.
"Weird!" he said, "What a shape! This is money?"
"You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was.
The Potter family along with their friends sneered at the gift given by the Dursleys.
"Hagrid and my aunt and uncle -- so who sent these?"
"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and -- oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."
Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.
"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."
"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.
"Thank you Molly!" James turned to the Weasley's matriarch with a smile, Molly blushed and waved off at the thankful gesture of the current Potter heir.
His next present also contained candy -- a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.
And the second last one is perfectly wrapped in red and green wrapping paper with golden ribbon. It was quite heavy, even if it was a medium sized gift. Harry pulled open the ribbon and tore through the wrapping paper. Inside contained a pair of new quidditch gloves, a snitch floating in a glass casing with words saying —'Gryffindor's Best Seeker' and a postcard with a Statue of Liberty picture in front with a picture of (Name) and her friends were ice skating at the back.
(A/N: imagine (Name) and Annabeth were ice skating with the others after their visit to Olympus)
"Lovely gift!" Euphemia smiled at the snitch in the glass casing. James and Lily smiled at the gifts their 'niece' gave their son.
Sirius ginned sadly at the photo that his daughter and her friends took. He wished that he could also be there spending time with her too since she had no other family members left aside from the Tonks to spend Christmas in UK.
"Who's that from?" Ron wondered as he moved closer to Harry.
"It's from (Name)," the bespectacled boy smiled. "And there's a small note in the postcard."
'Dear Harry,
Happy Winter Solstice or should I say Merry Christmas! Hope you're doing well. Hope you love the presents since I bought it in America.
Also, I hope you're doing well on the research! Please give Hermione and I the update when we return after winter break. I'll see you soon!
Love,
(Name) Black 🌸'
"She gave quidditch gloves, a—"
When Harry was reading the note, Ron dug through the long box with wrapping paper similar to the ones of Harry's. Inside there was a black box, he opened the lid to the box and gaped at the gift in awe.
"Bloody Merlin! NO WAY! She shouldn't have!" Ron shouted aloud in shock.
"What happened?"
"Yeah! What is it??" The Prewett twins wondered aloud. Their nephew's reaction also gave multiple curious looks from the others. They were wondering what present did he received since it was a long box.
"C'mon! The suspense is killing me here!" Sirius eagerly pleaded, wanting to know what his daughter gifted her friend.
"She gave me a Nimbus 2000! With a note saying:
'Dear Ron,
Sorry not sorry for buying you this, I couldn't help myself since you're a great friend.^^ And there's also some snacks I bought in America! Share with your brothers and Harry.
Love,
(Name) 🌸
P. S. Have a happy Merry Christmas and please thank your mom and brothers for me for their presents!'
Seriously, she's mad! She shouldn't have! But you know what, thank you so bloody much (Name)! Blimey, she is so amazing!" Ron was jumping up and down happily hugging his broom then he continued to unwrap his presents.
"OH MY GOD!" Charlie gaped at the gift his future brother received. "She gave him a broom!"
"No way... A Nimbus 2000!" James gasped aloud. "Padfoot, mate. Your daughter is now my favourite..."
"I know right!?" Sirius was in awe at the broom.
The Quidditch players sat there were shocked that the Black heiress gifted her friend a broom and the newest version at that.
"How rich is she??" Someone said aloud.
"Rich, rich!" Another exclaimed.
"We are the Blacks, we're filthy rich," Sirius shrugged. "Even I was disowned, I'm still rich."
"That's because your money didn't get cut off," Regulus reminded.
"She's also the current Black heiress, all the money and artifacts are all hers," Arcturus pointed out.
There only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.
Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.
"I-Is that my cloak!" James croaked with wide eyes. Fleamont's jaw dropped as he glanced to his son and wife.
"Oh, no! Now everyone's going to know out secrets!" Sirius moaned, messing up his shaggy hair with his hands in frustration.
"They can't take it off us can they, dad? It's a family heirloom," James turned and whispered to his father in desperation.
"You're right, son. It's a family heirloom, it should be kept in the family vault for the next heir once either of us are gone," Fleamont nodded his head. He then furrowed his brows, confused about the situation.
"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the bag of marshmallows gifted by (Name). "If that's what I think it is -- they're really rare, and really valuable."
"What is it?"
Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.
"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is -- try it on."
Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.
"It is! Look down!"
"Is this how you four always get away with everything!?" McGonagall said in shock.
The other students were shocked too to see the invisibility cloak for the very first time.
"Where'd you get it?" The Prewett twins exclaimed in amazement.
"It's a family heirloom, been passed down through the Potters for generations," James explained.
Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.
"Now that I think about it, I just recently lost my invisibility cloak, so whoever said that I gave it to them is a bloody liar," James huffed angrily.
"Must've been one of the teachers. Since McGonagall didn't know about it, and the only person who doesn't seem to be shock by the fact that they have an invisibility cloak is Dumbledore," Regulus pointed out to the Potter heir.
"Did you take the cloak, Dumbledore?" Fleamont turned to the headmaster with a stern look on his face.
"Mr. Potter, sometimes things we lose would land in more capable hands," Dumbledore brushed off the suspicious look on his face, trying to act neutral about the fact that he didn't steal a student's family heirloom.
"More capable hands!" Euphemia shouted at Dumbledore in anger. "That is a prized possession and heirloom of the house of Potter and belongs to my son! And you stole it!"
"Mrs. Potter--" The minister began, wanting to calm the situation down, but was cut off by James.
"Not right now, Mr. Minister. I'm sorry to be rude right now," James raised his hand up. "From what I can tell from this book so far, when Lily and I died, we could've used my cloak to flee or at least hide from that bastard. But you! Professor, took my cloak and you could've prevented us from dying!"
"Seriously professor! You stole something that could've saved two people's lives and saved two children from being an orphan!" Sirius growled at the headmaster. "My only daughter had to spend years away from me and never have the privilege to live a normal childhood. You took everything away from both Harry and (Name) and it's all your fault!"
"Mr. Black, there surely said that the prophecy had spoken. There is no preventing from what will come," Dumbledore tried to reason back.
"Even if the prophecy had said that someone will save the wizarding world, no one should have given their lives just for you to rule it and leave families broken! You used us as if we were chess pieces in your bloody game!" Lily sneered at the headmaster.
Those who thought that Dumbledore was their savior and the greatest that could protect them from Voldemort was shock about the revelation of his truth. They soon showed their distrust to the headmaster.
"He's just a wolf in sheep's clothing," Moody grunted out, hating the fact that he given some of his trust to the 'Greatest Wizard in the World'.
"So much loss for putting trust in him," the minister huffed incredulously at the situation so far. Many others sat fuming at the old wizard until the screen continued to play.
"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"
Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words: 'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Very Merry Christmas to you.'
There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.
"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"
"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?
"Yes, it is mine until it is give to you when you're ready. But he nicked it from me," James grunted out, Lily rubbed his arm to calm his anger.
Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.
"Merry Christmas!"
"Hey, look -- Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!"
Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.
"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."
"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."
"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.
"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid -- we know we're called Gred and Forge."
The Prewett twins laughed at their nephews' nickname for each other. The tension from before diminished as some were chuckling in amusement.
"Wait is that a new broom, Ron?!—"
"It's from (Name) right? She bought us new shoes too!—"
"We've accidentally burnt our last pair during our last prank!—"
Fred and George rambled on about the gifts their favourite first year gave.
"What's all this noise?"
Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.
"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."
"I -- don't -- want," said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.
"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."
"Merlin, future Percy is such a sourpuss!" Bill sighs and looked at his current youngest brother with a cringe.
They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce -- and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice.
Many laughed when the explosion happened.
Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.
Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.
McGonagall and Hagrid blushed beet red and shied away from the smirks and catcalling from the students.
When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner. Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. They also played with laser tags that was gifted by (Name) since she brought one and played with the Weasley twins before the holidays.
It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it. Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.
His father's... this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said. He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.
'Use it well.'
Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.
"Oh no," Lily grumbled in her seat. "He's going to be a menace more worse than James."
"Hey!" James gaped at his girlfriend in offense. Marlene, Dorcas, Alice and Mary laughed at the young Potter's predicament. McGonagall groans and sighs at her future student, wishing that she could retire early since so far they've been giving her more grey hairs.
Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back -- his father's cloak -- he felt that this time -- the first time -- he wanted to use it alone. He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.
"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.
Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked.
"Seriously!? The first thing he could think of using the cloak is to the library!?" James clawed his messy hair in frustration. Sirius was about to make a serious joke, but the terrifying stare on Remus' face made him back off silently.
The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps. The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.
"Famous fire-eaters, 15th century fiends..." Harry read off the books that he passed by each one.
They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be. He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open.
A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence -- the book was screaming!
Everyone covers their ears at the piercing shriek.
"Close it! Close it! Close it!" James and Sirius panicked in their seats, knowing that Filch would come rushing over and may send Harry to detention.
"I hate that damned book," Remus whispered, glaring at the book that he had encountered before that almost gave him a heart attack.
Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once.
"Blimey!" Harry whisper yelled to himself.
"Who's there?" Came a rough voice from the entrance of the restriction section. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside -- stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf. "I know you're in there. You can't hide." The voice who he came to figure out was Filch. As he came closer, the voice came again. "Who is it? Show yourself!"
"C'mon! Run for it!"
Many students sat at the edge of their seats anticipating on what would happen to the boy.
Harry passed Filch in the doorway; but as he was making his way back to the common room, he saw Mrs. Norris making her way towards him. Then, he took off as quickly as possible in the opposite direction, but soon came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. What he didn't know next was just his luck.
"What's next?!" Sirius sighs as he slumps in his seat.
Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, he had came across Quirrell and Snape in the midst of a heated conversation.
"Ahh! The damn cursed Potter luck!" James groaned in annoyance.
"Have you found how to get past the beast of Hagrid's yet?" Snape asked.
"B-b-but Severus, I..." Quirrell stuttered as he tried to reason.
"I guess that Black's child is not as bright as she is," Lucius huffed out.
"Shut your bloody mouth, Malfoy," Sirius growled at the blonde peacock. "At least, my daughter is not a bloody git to others unlike your replica!" The shaggy haired teen fired back with as much venom in his voice.
"Alright, that's enough boys!" McGonagall shot them both stern looks as she was annoyed by their petty bickering. Unfortunately, the situation did not calm down as both Malfoy and Black stood up.
"Want to fight?" Sirius sneered in anger.
Out of a sudden, vines sprouted from the chair and tied both boys around their hands and legs, holding them in place tightly as they struggled in the grips.
"What the bloody hell is this?" Lucius pulled at the vines, but a vine coiled up to his mouth and a large leaf clamped it shut. Some laughed at the current Malfoy heir's situation, mainly Rabastan, Barty and Evan. Regulus on the other hand tried not to look since he would also burst into laughter if he see his friends laughing too.
Then, a small screen popped out on the side, showing the Black heiress with an angry face, her hair was red, eyes shining gold.
"Didn't I say no fighting??" The girl deepened her voice, intimidating the crowd in the hall. "So, better sit your arses down and shut the hell up. Especially you Mr. Malfoy, or I'll shut it for you permanently."
The crowd sat in silence after the girl appeared. Once the small screen vanished, the movie continued and the vines loosen its grips and fell onto the floor and disappeared.
"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," Snape threatened as he had his arm wrapped around the other professor's neck against the wall.
"Kinky..." Marlene voiced out, making the tension in the hall to diffuse slightly. Some students laughed at the statement. Snape sneered at the blonde girl silently, hating the fact that they would find a way just to tease him.
"I don't know what you..." Quirrell began, but was stopped by Snape yet again.
"You know perfectly well what I mean. Your little bit of hocus pocus..." Harry walked slowly and carefully around them, trying to make his footsteps as silent as possible. However, Snape stopped in mid sentence as if he felt a small breeze passed by.
Everyone held their breath in panic as if they were together with the Potter heir in real life.
Snape turned towards Harry's direction and saw soft feathers of vapour. As he reached out to touch, inside the cloak where Harry stood behind, puts his hand to his mouth to hide his breathing. Luckily, Snape found nothing and turned back to the stuttering professor and said, "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie."
Everyone sighs in relief once the boy was safe.
"What is Godric's name are you up to Severus?" Lily turned to her ex-friend, not understanding his actions. Snape sat in shock, his friend was talking to him even after he called her a 'mudblood'. But, he snapped out of his shock and shrugged, only to look as confused at the others in the hall, particularly his friends.
"It's either Snape or Quirrell is loyal to Voldemort from what this situation is," James pointed out at the scene. "Well, moving on... We need to know who is on which side and what would happen next."
Some flinched when the Dark Lord's name was mentioned.
That had been close, very close. Then, sound of heavy footsteps was heard approaching the professors, causing them to break apart. Filch crept closer. "Oh, professors. I found this in the restriction section. It's still hot, meaning that there's a student out of bed. And I found a book opened." The three walked away in search of the student that came out at night.
Harry quietly walked down the hallway and into a room. Taking off the cloak, he sighed in relief. Turning and taking a look around the room that he entered, it looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket — but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.
It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
Dumbledore perked up slightly in his seat. As that happened, the minister and the aurors squints their eyes at the headmaster in suspicion, knowing that he had something to do with the mirror.
"What is that?" James pointed to the mirror, wanting to know why was it there and what the mirror could do. His father, however slightly cringed at the sight of the mirror. "It's the Mirror of Erised. Meaning that it shows anyone what they desired. This would cause many issues to those who look into it."
As Fleamont said this, everyone in the hall leaned forward, wanting to see what the Potter boy would see which is what he desired most. Whereas some gasped in shock about the stories that happened to those who came across the mirror in the past.
Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. He stepped in front of it.
He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed -- for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him. But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror. There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder -- but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?
He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air -- she and the others existed only in the mirror.
Many hearts broke at the sight of what the boy saw. Lily felt like crying as it was the first time her future son is seeing her, but only in a mirror's reflection.
She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes -- her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green -- exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did. Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.
"Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?"
James and Lily silently teared up as how vulnerable their son is. The Potter matriarch and patriarch smiled sadly at the scene.
They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees -- Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.
The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.
"We're going to live through this current war and finally have the chance to watch out son grow up, I promise you, Lily," James turned to his girlfriend, his eyes burning with confidence as he made a vow that he would protect them with his life.
"As do I," Lily nodded her head to her boyfriend.
How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.
A few minutes later...
"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."
"No!" Harry hissed. I know it's here somewhere."
They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armour.
"It's here — just here — yes!"
They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror.
There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him. "See?" Harry whispered.
"I can't see anything."
"Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them...."
"I can only see you."
"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am."
Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.
Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.
"Look at me!" he said.
"Can you see all your family standing around you?"
"No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!"
"What?"
"I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too." Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.
"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"
"How can it? All my family are dead — let me have another look —" Harry pushed Ron away from the mirror and stood there wishing he was with them.
The last statement broke everyone's hearts.
"Not all of us are dead," Sirius muttered as he clenched his fist in anger that his future self was imprisoned in Azkaban for what he did not do.
The screen turned black and showed Harry and many other students in the Great Hall having breakfast. The Weasleys chattered amongst themselves as they laugh at the jokes they made. Ron turned away from his brothers and sees Harry staring into a distance.
"Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.
"No."
"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"
"No... you go..."
"I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."
"Why not?"
"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it -- and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"
"You sound like Hermione."
"I'm serious, Harry, don't go."
"Yeah, he better not go there again. The mirror gives me the creeps," James shivered at the thought of his son going to see the mirror again.
But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him.
"So — back again, Harry?"
Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.
" — I didn't see you, sir."
"Creep," Sirius muttered at the appearance of the headmaster that he had trusted so much.
"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.
"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."
"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."
"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"
"It — well — it shows me my family —"
"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."
"How did you know —?"
"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"
Harry shook his head.
"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"
Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."
"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "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 all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."
Molly and Arthur's heart broke, they looked ashamed when Dumbledore talked about Ron and how they treated him in the future. They felt the need to apologize that they made their youngest son feel that way.
"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, 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 stood up.
"Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"
"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "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 stared.
"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
"Bullshit!" Barty laughed and snorted. "He didn't see socks, no one sees themselves holding socks happily."
The others shook their heads at the lie that the headmaster gave to the naive Potter boy.
It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.
A few days before Christmas break...
(Name)'s POV
The young demiwitch was seen walking into the classroom, Una in her original form hanging on her shoulder.
"Hmm? What is that?" (Name) asked her familiar since they were exploring the castle alone after having her tea and biscuits with McGonagall.
'It's a mirror. The thing I want to know is why is it even here?' Una tilted her head to the side in confusion.
"Wait a minute... it's been there for days??" Sirius blinked in disbelief. McGonagall was shocked that Dumbledore left the mirror there even before everyone left for the holidays. 'What was he planning?' She thought as she tilted her head in confusion.
"Yeah... Why is the mirror in the school though? Shouldn't it be locked up in a vault or kept at the Ministry of Magic?" Cassiopeia Black wondered as she turned to the headmaster that was sitting at his seat acting as if nothing was wrong that the Mirror of Erised is there.
Amelia and Moody shared a look, taking note that they should call an extermination to remove dangerous artifacts that are present in the school which may bring harm to the students.
The girl walked forward and stared at her reflection in the mirror with a curious look. It shows behind the girl several people appeared there. Her father, his friends, her friends and other family members were smiling and laughing with her.
"D-daddy?" (Name) whimpered out, tears threatened to spill out from her eyes. Her hair turned blue as sadness and grief overwhelmed her.
An older Sirius was seen smiling proudly at her as he pulled her into a side hug and pressed a kiss on her temple.
Sirius felt as if he was about to cry, seeing how sad his daughter see him after years of not seeing him.
Next to her father, a slightly younger male that looks like her was seen with a small smile that is barely visible. Both males looked to be siblings as they have similar facial structure and hair. 'Who's that guy?' The girl thought as her brows creased.
Regulus bit his lips to hold his sigh. His niece had never seen any photograph of him before and it saddened him. The Black brothers glanced at each other wishing that they would reconciliate their relationship when they were younger.
Behind her stood Thalia with her electric blue eyes sparkled as if she was alive. She was smirking at her with her spear swung on her shoulder.
"Thalia..." (Name) breathed out, she felt as if her body was shaking unconsciously. Una turned to her human, worried about her. She wrapped her tail around the girl's shoulder, calming her down as the demiwitch would have frequent panic attacks ever since she was torn away from her only family member left.
Sirius and his friends were sad that the girl was suffering alone in silence after she was left abandoned when all her family members died during the wizarding war.
Suddenly, the reflection in the mirror changed. It showed a much older (Name), she was at least in her early twenties. Standing next to her was a man, his face was blurred. However, his messy jet black hair and sea green eyes were obvious to her. The man was not wearing any glasses too. He was lean, muscular and he was also a head taller than her. Behind them was a black pegasus and a large cottage that was located near the seaside.
"That looks like your future son-in-law, Pads," James pointed out to his best friend who looked like he want to choke the boy who was standing next to his precious daughter.
The Black family were wondering who was the new figure that was standing next to their heiress.
The man was seen smiling down at her as she was holding a baby in her arms with a toothed smile. She was wearing a green sundress that falls perfectly on her figure. He was also carrying a male toddler on his shoulders that was looking at the baby in her arms. Una was seen standing on the wrapped cloth that was wrapped around the baby smiling down at her
(A/N: her outfit in the mirror)
"Aww... so cute!" Marlene squealed at the family of four, still wondering about who the boy is. However, seeing the eyes, she suspected that the man to be the Potter boy.
"You're going to be a grandfather in the future, Padfoot!" Remus exclaimed as he looked to his friend that was pouting at the thought that his daughter with someone he haven't met in the future. "No boys..." Sirius grunted.
McGonagall smiled unconsciously at the girl that she came to care in the future. The family that the young metamorphmagus would have looked pleasant if it happened.
Those who made bets that the Potter boy and the Black girl were together silently prayed that they did not lose any money.
Walburga's face showed dissatisfaction that her granddaughter would marry a muggle since the man does not look elegant or a pureblood at all.
"Sea green?" (Name) muttered silently as she continued to stare at the man's eyes. She quickly shook her head and looked up at the engraving and thought for a minute before her eyes widened. The roots of her hair also started to turn grey.
"I show not your face but your heart's desire..." The girl unconsciously took a few steps back almost knocking over a table. "The Mirror of Erised." She's heard of the mirror in one of the books at the library and heard what happened to people if they encountered one.
'What do you see, child?' Una questioned the girl that was shook in fear.
"See for yourself," The young metamorphmagus silently said, unable to explain further since she was still in shock and confused about what she had seen in the mirror. The familiar quickly intercepted into her thoughts to find out what she saw that made her so afraid.
'Child. Let's not stay here anymore,' the amphibian called out after seeing what the girl saw. She was confused on why the mirror can read through what she desired, but quickly brushed off the weird aura coming in the room.
"Yeah, lets..." (Name) stood shakily and walked out of the classroom, her face was pale as ghost.
"You know... Even if it is awesome to see what we desired most, I don't want to be in the room with that mirror at all," James shivered at the thought. His friends nodded their heads in agreement, even if they have the temptation to see it, it is best to avoid any contact with it.
Author's Note
Hello!! I'm back from the dead! Lol🤣🤣 Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Recently, my mental health went shit and then I got sick during Christmas week. Actually I wanted to post on Christmas day, but you know 🤷♀️ fever said what's up bitch to me.
AND Finally, Happy Freakin' New Year everyone!! What's your new year resolution for this year?? I may be late to update the upcoming chapters since college is starting again on the 3rd...
What are your thoughts on this chapter, comment down below! Please vote for this chapter if you like it! BYEEE~~~