Chapter 84 - The Mirror of Erised
After curfew had already started for a couple of hours, I went to the Hufflepuff common room. After confirming that it was empty, I raised my wand and quietly cast several charms on myself.
"Disillusionment."
"Silencio."
My body blurred lightly with the surroundings, the sound vanished and then another charm to hide my scent completely.
After that, even if someone could not see me, hear me, or smell me, they still might sense magic itself, so I carefully controlled my magic as much as possible.
I quietly stepped outside my dormitory room and the Hufflepuff dormitory entrance.
The corridors were dark and silent. I quietly walked through the castle. The halls of Hogwarts at night always felt different. Portraits snored softly in their frames while few candles flickered dimly.
Soon I reached the Gryffindor tower.
Near the dormitory entrance, I could feel someone standing there, even though I could not properly see them.
Still, the invisibility cloak was not fully invisible to me.
I could somehow sense the cloak and Harry underneath it.
I did not understand exactly why.
Maybe it was because of the destruction of the Horcrux and being blessed by magic, or mother magic as the goblins say.
I cancelled the charms on me. As I suddenly appeared on the corridor, I heard a soft gasp from Harry. Either it was of surprise or of being scared. I looked toward the empty air.
"Are you ready, Harry?"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly the air distorted slightly, and Harry's head appeared floating in the darkness.
Honestly, it looked horrifying.
If somebody weak-hearted saw that floating head at midnight, they would probably faint on the spot.
Harry blinked at me in shock.
"How did you find me?" he whispered.
I folded my arms proudly.
"It just means your brother is an outstanding person."
Harry narrowed his eyes immediately.
I continued seriously, "You should feel honored to stand in the presence of the great Arthur Dursley."
Harry made a face at me. Clearly, he understood I was joking and avoiding the real answer.
"Stop making faces," I whispered. "Now let's go."
"Do you want to come inside the cloak?" he asked.
I replied, "Okay."
Then immediately Harry pulled me under the cloak too. The world outside became slightly blurry, though not fully distorted. The cloak covered us perfectly from head to toe.
Still, I noticed something important. The cloak hid sight very well, but it probably did not fully remove sound or smell.
Quietly, Harry led me through the castle corridors.
Soon we reached the room. The door was already half open.
Harry excitedly moved forward to push it fully, but I stopped him with one hand.
I raised my wand carefully.
The door slowly opened by itself without making noise.
The room inside was silent and empty, except for the mirror.
It stood there alone under the moonlight like some ancient waiting thing.
At first glance, it looked almost like a giant dressing mirror.
But something about it felt wrong.
Or perhaps not wrong.
Too magical.
Harry quickly pulled me toward it excitedly. He wanted to see his parents again, even if he already knew they were only reflections.
As for me, I also wanted to know few things.
What would the mirror show me?
What desire existed deepest inside me?
And most importantly, how dangerous was this mirror truly?
As we walked toward the mirror, our reflections briefly appeared clearly upon its surface.
Me and Harry, exactly as we were standing there. But then the image blurred strangely.
For a brief second, it looked as though the mirror was trying to change the reflection into something else. It blinked between our normal reflections and another image which could not fully form.
It was strange, very strange.
I narrowed my eyes at the mirror.
For Harry, it worked immediately. But for me, it struggled.
Either I don't have any desire or it could not find my desire.
I highly doubted I had no desires, which means it had to be the second option.
Which also meant something important, that this mirror did not affect me the same way it affected others.
Whether it was because this was technically my second life or because of the special powers I got after being reborn here.
Whatever the reason was, it made me feel slightly relieved. And honestly, a little proud too.
Even Dumbledore and Voldemort were affected by the Mirror of Erised to some degree. They could resist it, yes, but they could still feel its pull.
But this mirror could barely even show me anything properly. My mind itself had become resistant to magical illusions.
Beside me, Harry gasped softly.
"Arthur… look…"
He stepped closer to the mirror and slowly raised a hand toward it.
"This is Dad… and Mum…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"They're here… can you see them?"
I looked at Harry instead of the mirror.
His face carried both happiness and sadness together. A child was seeing his parents again, even if they were only reflections.
I gently placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Harry," I said softly, "the mirror shows what you desire most. What your heart wants the most."
He kept staring at the mirror.
"You want to see your parents again. That's why it shows them to you."
Harry slowly nodded.
Then he looked at me.
"What do you see?"
I shrugged lightly.
"It tried to show me our family together. Everyone safe. And apparently me becoming Minister for Magic too."
Harry snorted suddenly.
"And with your three girlfriends standing beside you."
I immediately smacked the back of his head lightly.
"Ow!"
"Don't joke about them," I said seriously.
Harry rubbed his head dramatically.
"I thought I was big now."
"Yes, yes, very big," I muttered. "Still don't joke carelessly about girls. Especially witches. They can actually hex you."
Harry grumbled quietly, "Okay…"
Then I looked back toward the mirror.
"The Mirror of Erised," I muttered.
Harry blinked.
"You can read that?"
"It's written backward," I replied. "Erised is Desire reversed."
Harry looked surprised.
"So it literally means the Mirror of Desire?"
"Exactly."
I stared at the ancient mirror carefully.
"But why has it been kept here? I don't think it should be here, right?", Harry asked.
"Which means someone intentionally put this here for you."
"But why?"
I gave him a look.
"Think, Harry, who could it be? Who gave you the cloak along with the charm on it and put the mirror here, so that you could see it?"
He thought for only a few seconds before realization crossed his face.
Harry slowly whispered, "Professor Dumbledore?"
I nodded once and tilted my head slightly toward an empty bench in the corner of the room.
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End of Chapter 84 - The Mirror of Erised