Magical - Harry Potter Fanfiction

9| The Mirror of Erised

I had so much fun today. I'm glad to say this was my first Christmas at Hogwarts. I'm in bed, Ron's snoring. I can't sleep.

"Char, you awake?" I hear Harry whisper.

"Yeah, I can't sleep," I told him.

"Me neither, but I've got an idea," Harry said. 

Harry lit a candle and pulled his Weasley sweater over his pyjamas. 

"Let's go to the library, we didn't go today and told Hermione we would look while she's gone, and she's getting back tomorrow," suggested Harry.

"If Filch sees us, we're done for," I tell him.

"We can use the cloak," said Harry.

I nodded.

I put my Weasley sweater on over my pyjamas. Harry and I put our shoes on and left the common room.

When we got to the library, we went straight to the restricted section, we hadn't looked there yet. Harry moved the latch and we went in, the library was dark and eerie.

Harry lit a lamp so we could see the books and we began to look at them. All the book covers were interesting, to say the least. Some had peeling covers, some had words on them we couldn't understand, and one had a large stain on it that looked horribly like blood. I may be imagining it, but it sounded like there was a faint whispering coming from the shelves like they knew someone was there that shouldn't be.

We had to start somewhere, and staying together wasn't helping. I got out from under the cloak and started to walk into another row.

"Charlene, where are you going?" Asked Harry.

"We need to split up or we won't get anywhere," I whisper yelled.

"This place is creepy at night, what if you get caught?" Harry said.

He held out his hand and I took it and went back under the cloak. Harry looked around on the bottom shelf. He picked up a large, heavy-looking book and opened it. As soon as he opened it, a bloodcurdling scream filled the room. Harry tried to shut it, but he couldn't.

I quickly helped him shut it and we put it back right where Harry found it.

"Jeez," I said.

Harry grabbed another heavy-looking book. He was trying to hold it but instead dropped it, stumbled backward and knocked over the lamp, which then went out.

I picked up the cloak from the floor and gave it to Harry.

"Meow." 

It was Mrs Noris.

Harry pulled the cloak over the two of us again.

"Who's there? Who's out of bed?" Snapped Filch.

I cocked my head to the door leading back into the corridor and Harry got the signal. We quietly made our way closer to the door and Filch walked right past us. Luckily, we got out scott free.

"Let's go back to the dormitory," whispered Harry.

I nodded. We turned a corner and Snape and Quirrell were right there.

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," Snape Snapped.

"Why not?" Asked Quirrell.

"You know perfectly well why. Pull yourself together," said Snape calmly.

I was so focused on staying silent that I didn't even realise that Filch had arrived at the scene. Shortly after, he disappeared with Snape and Quirrell.

"Let's hide here for now. It's just an empty classroom," said Harry, opening a door then closing it after we had walked through.

After we had entered the classroom, Harry pulled the cloak off of us. Before us stood a magnificent mirror. It was as high as the ceiling and it had a gold frame. Written at the top was a sentence in a foreign language Harry nor I could understand.

Harry stepped closer to the mirror. He looked in it and wouldn't tear his eyes away.

"Harry?" I said.

He didn't answer.

"Mum, Dad?" Said Harry, staring straight into the mirror.

He finally backed away. I don't know how long he stood there. But he finally backed away.

"Stand here, I want you to see them," he said.

Harry moved me by the shoulders to the exact spot where he was standing.

"Can you see them?" He asked.

I looked straight into the mirror. I couldn't see his parents at all.

Behind me were two adults. One of them was my mum, and there was a man with his hand on my shoulder. It was my dad.

"Can you see them, Charlene?" Asked Harry.

"Dad?" I said.

"Your Dad?" Asked Harry.

"But my parents, they're there," he said.

I shrugged.

"I don't know Harry," I said kindly.

"Let's go get Ron," I said.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

We went back up to the common room and woke Ron up.

"Ron! Wake up! You've really gotta see this, you've gotta see this!" Yelled Harry.

"Ron!" I snapped, pulling the pillow out from under his head.

He sat up in bed as Harry and I threw the covers off him.

"Ron! Come on, get out of bed!" Harry panicked.

"Why?" He asked groggily, obviously annoyed about getting woken up.

"Charlene and I need to show you something, come on!" Harry demanded.

We finally got him out of bed and took him back to the empty classroom containing the mirror. The three of us stood in front of it.

"What am I supposed to be seeing?" Asked Ron.

"My parents are dead, and so is Charlene's Dad, and we can see them in the mirror," Harry said.

"I just see us," Ron said.

Harry nodded and we moved out of the frame of the mirror.

"It's me. I'm Head Boy and I'm holding the Quidditch cup! I'm Quidditch caption too! I look older, I look good!" Said Ron excitedly. 

"I think this mirror might be bad news," Ron said.

I nodded in agreement I understood the appeal, especially to Harry.

Harry's P.O.V.

Charlene and Ron went back up to bed, but I wanted to stay

As I sit down in front of the mirror, I feel a tear to my eye. I imagine how my life would have been if my mum and my dad were still alive. 

Then I hear a voice.

"Back again, Harry?" Dumbledore said quietly. "I see you've discovered the mirror of Erised. I'm guessing you know what it does?" 

I gave him a puzzled face. He came over to me.

"I'll give you a hint," He started. "The happiest person ever would look into the mirror and see only themselves the way they are."

"It shows us the things we want?" I guessed.

"Sort of," began Dumbledore. "It shows the deepest and most desperate desires of hearts. Miss Connor, who has never known her father, desperately wants her family together again. Mr Weasley has many brothers and feels overshadowed by them all, so he sees himself with many awards and prizes, showing him being arguably better than his brothers. People have wasted their lives looking in it. Your friends were right, this mirror is bad news. Tomorrow it will be moved. Please don't look for it again, Harry."

I looked into the mirror one more time, then back at Dumbledore, but he was gone.