Dinner that evening fell into a strange silence.
The Great Hall, usually filled with noise, suddenly became so quiet that even the clink of cutlery seemed too loud.
Everyone was staring at the entrance.
Harley walked in.
Short robe. Twin tails. Green eyes. Half-sheer black silk.
For a moment, the four house tables forgot how to breathe.
Ron was the first to react.
"Harley?"
His voice cracked slightly.
Then he swallowed.
Hard.
The Gryffindors who were already familiar with Harley were still dazed, let alone the students from the other houses. Many of them had only heard rumors before. Seeing her now was an entirely different matter.
The Slytherin table was hit the hardest.
The students who had spent the entire day mourning their "lost love" suddenly sat upright.
One of them stared at Harley, his expression blank.
"I think…"
He clutched his chest.
"I think I believe in love again."
Someone beside him muttered, "Didn't you just say your heart was dead?"
"That was before I saw this."
Another Slytherin struggled desperately.
"No. We are Slytherins. She is Harry Potter. The Savior. A Gryffindor."
His friend did not even blink.
"This is Britain."
The boy froze.
His friend continued solemnly, "Our country has its own conditions."
The resistance collapsed on the spot.
At the staff table, Quirrell took one look, coughed twice, and limped out of the hall.
Inside his mind, Voldemort's voice was full of disgust.
"Disgraceful."
"No dignity. No restraint. No shame."
"A Savior dressed like that? Ridiculous."
Quirrell subconsciously glanced back.
Voldemort went silent for one second.
Then he roared, "Quirrell! Did you just look again?"
Quirrell lowered his head.
"My Lord… it was instinct."
Voldemort was quiet.
Then, through gritted teeth, he said, "Barely forgivable."
At the staff table, Dumbledore's expression was complicated.
He had lived for more than a century. He considered himself open-minded. He had seen enough strange things in the wizarding world that very little could truly shock him.
But this…
This was not in his plan for Harry Potter.
Not even remotely.
After a long silence, Dumbledore made a decision.
The Mirror of Erised had already been moved into the castle.
Perhaps it was time to let Harry look into it.
And Theodore as well.
Harry was already walking down a road Dumbledore could no longer fully predict. As for Theodore, the old wizard had long since realized that the boy was a mystery even he could not see through.
If the mirror could reveal Theodore's deepest desire, perhaps Dumbledore would finally understand what the child truly sought.
At that moment, Professor Trelawney, seated not far away, suddenly murmured in a hollow voice:
"The mirror cracks…"
Dumbledore's expression changed.
"The footsteps of the ancient return draw nearer…"
Then Trelawney lowered her head again, as though nothing had happened.
Dumbledore frowned.
A prophecy?
Or merely another one of Sybill's dramatic accidents?
The Mirror of Erised was ancient. Its legend could be traced back to Greece, to the age when stories claimed the gods themselves had once used such enchanted mirrors. Even if this one was only a later imitation, it was still a priceless artifact.
It had reflected ambition, immortality, conquest, love, regret, and madness.
What desire could possibly make it crack?
Dumbledore glanced toward Theodore.
For the first time, even he felt uncertain.
…
Later that night, Harry returned to the dormitory looking distracted.
Ron noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
Harry hesitated, then told them everything.
The empty room.
The great mirror.
His parents.
Alive. Smiling. Standing behind him.
Ron's expression turned serious at once.
"That sounds dangerous."
Harry looked at him.
Ron scratched his head, unusually solemn.
"We've read about things like this. Magical objects that show you what you want to see are never simple. You shouldn't open your mind to something unless you know what it is."
Harry lowered his head.
He knew Ron was right.
But the memory of his parents in the mirror was too warm. Too painful. Too tempting.
Finally, he looked at Theodore.
"Theodore… what should I do?"
Theodore leaned back slightly.
"Did the mirror have writing on it?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, but it didn't make sense."
"It is not meant to be read directly."
Theodore calmly recited the inscription, then reversed it.
"I show not your face, but your heart's desire."
Harry froze.
Theodore continued, "It is called the Mirror of Erised. It does not show truth. It shows longing."
Harry's face dimmed.
"So… it's fake."
"It is a dream," Theodore said. "Dreams are not worthless, but they are dangerous if you mistake them for reality."
Harry was silent for a long time.
Then he exhaled.
"I understand."
Ron looked relieved.
Theodore smiled faintly.
"Since you understand, you are qualified to look at it again."
Both Harry and Ron stared at him.
Theodore stood.
"Let's go. I am also curious what this mirror can show me."
…
The three of them found the room.
Harry stood before the mirror first.
Once again, he saw his parents.
This time, he did not lose himself.
He looked at them for a long while, then stepped away.
"I wish it were real," he whispered.
But he still stepped away.
Ron went next.
In the mirror, he saw himself covered in medals, holding an enormous golden trophy. Behind him hung a banner:
Ron Weasley — Nine-Time Wizard Chess Champion.
Ron grinned stupidly for a few seconds.
Then he laughed and stepped back.
"I'll win it myself. That'll feel better than staring at it here."
Hidden in the shadows, Dumbledore's eyes softened.
Both boys had done better than expected.
Then Theodore stepped forward.
Dumbledore's attention sharpened.
Theodore stood before the mirror.
The mirror stirred.
A faint magical force reached out, trying to touch his mind.
Then it stopped.
The mirror showed only Theodore's reflection.
Nothing else.
No desire.
No image.
No illusion.
Harry stared.
Ron stared.
In the shadows, Dumbledore's expression froze.
Theodore looked at the mirror and sighed softly.
"So even this is beyond you."
Words appeared on the system screen before him.
The Dao-heart trial begins.
The disciples of Jade Void Palace reveal their resolve before the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror.
When your turn arrives, the mirror cannot reflect your heart.
Your Dao-heart is too vast. Even reincarnation cannot contain it.
This mirror's world is too small to hold even a fragment of your heart.
Theodore's eyes moved slightly.
"What if I lower the defense a little?"
He loosened one tiny gap in the protections around his mind.
The next instant—
The Mirror of Erised erupted with light.
A vast, boundless world appeared within its surface.
And then—
the mirror began to tremble.
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