I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: This short one-shot is inspired by the word 'stain' as part of the weekly word challenges in the Facebook group for Fanfiction authors, FFN Writers Unite. I hope you enjoy reading it!
"Sir – Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"
"Obviously you have done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You might ask me one more thing, however."
"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"
And time froze.
Ever since his first encounter with the magic mirror he had feared what vision it would reveal to him. He had immediately worked out what the mirror's function was and he desired to see its reflection just as much as he was reticent to do so. He knew too well the reason. He did not want to see the monster, the indelible stain within him. Dumbledore wondered what was the thing he wanted the most. At that time he wanted so many things. His curiosity won again and carefully he placed himself in front of the Mirror or Erised.
His heart sunk. There in front of him, the mirror showed his innermost desire, his innermost fear – the other Dumbledore, the real one, holding the Deathly Hollows. He wept in silence. Oh it had happened so many years ago, so many things had happened since then, and still he couldn't desire anything else as much as this? It was true that this time around he desired the Hallows for another reason, but still he could see his other self planning immortality, plotting to rule the world.
He was too young, too full of himself, and with great but mistaken ideas of how the world should work. If only his mother hadn't have died… he always wondered if the results would have been the same. But that did not happen, and he ended up giving up his planned trip with Elphias in order to take care of the house and his younger sister. Yet he ended up falling in love with Gellert Grindelwald. He was as unable to identify whether Gellert corrupted him or otherwise as he was unable to recall who was Ariana's murderer.
The blood on his hands made him aware of the monster within him. It was for that reason that he never fixed his broken nose, to remind him forevermore of the reason he should never seek power. Yet still power came to him and everyone kept looking at him to take care of those abusing their positions of power. He might have succumbed to the weight of guilt if it was not for Elphias. Then he learned that love was more powerful and fought inner battles to keep the monster at bay. But still he could not avoid a reunion with Gellert forever, and then he faltered again when he saw the Elder wand in the hand of his crush.
He managed to keep his head in its place and incarcerate the dark wizard in his own castle, but he kept the wand. Oh he wanted so badly to recover all of the Deathly Hollows! He often wondered if he had not had the Invisibility Cloak whether James Potter would have had a chance to survive.
Dumbledore looked again at his image in the Mirror where he was the Master of Death with Ariana at his side. It was what the Mirror showed but he knew best. He could see it sometimes in other mirrors too – a bloodstained monster – and no matter how much he tried to undo his mistakes, the innocent blood in his hands did not disappear.
He reflected about his reflection just seconds before lying to Harry Potter.
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."
Thanks for reading.
