A/N:  This is just an idea I got when drawing a sketch of Caytin and I for Through the Mirror.  I had decided to title it "The Mirror Dwellers," and then my Muses came back and started working overtime, and before I knew it I had invented two new races of humanoid/otherworldly/demon-like things.  ("Demon" *not* in the sense that you would think.  Just "demon" as in "not-human.")  So anyway, I just had to write this.  The theme song is My Way or the Highway by Limp Bizkit.

Disclaimer:  I own nothing except the plot, the Mirrors, and the Mirror Dwellers.  *cough*And the Weasley twins*cough*  *Snape slaps Alexa upside the head and says "Fool girl!  Rowling owns them!  You haven't seduced them yet!"*  Oh yeah… damnit.

My Way or the Highway, by Limp Bizkit

Check, check, check check... out my melody

Special
You think you're special
You do
I can see it in your eyes
I can see it when you laugh at me
Look down on me
You walk around on me
Just one more fight
About your leadership
And I will straight up
Leave your shit
Cause I've had enough of this
And now I'm pissed

Yeah
This time I'm 'a let it all come out
This time I'm 'a stand up and shout
I'm 'a do things my way
It's my way
My way, or the highway

Check out, check check... out my melody

Just one more fight
About a lot of things
And I will give up everything
To be on my own again
Free again

Yeah
This time I'm 'a let it all come out
This time I'm 'a stand up and shout
I'm 'a do things my way
It's my way
My way, or the highway

Some day you'll see things my way
Cause you never know
Where, you never know
Where you're gonna go

Check out, check check... out my melody

Just one more fight
And I'll be history
Yes I will straight up
Leave your shit
And you'll be the one who's left
Missing me

Yeah
This time I'm 'a let it all come out
This time I'm 'a stand up and shout
I'm 'a do things my way
It's my way
My way, or the highway

Some day you'll see things my way
Cause you never know
Where, you never know
Where you're gonna go

Check out, check check... out my melody

Chapter 1:  At the Dursleys

            "Will you hurry up with that damn breakfast, boy?" shouted Vernon Dursley at his nephew, Harry Potter.

            The Dursleys didn't seem to like Harry too much.  They were as normal as normal could get.  That is, if you consider a beefy man with no neck who gets his pleasure in making people squirm, a tiny horse-faced woman who spent her time spying on the neighbors and coddling her dolt of a son, and a fifteen-year-old boy roughly the size of the Titanic, normal…  However, their nephew wasn't normal.  Oh no, he was downright *weird. *

            Harry was a wizard and went to a school for other freaks like him.  This school was called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Of course, the Dursleys covered this up by saying he went to St. Brutus' Center for Incurably Criminal Boys.

            Harry's mother and father had also been a witch and wizard.  When Harry was only a year old, Lily and James Potter had been killed by an evil dark wizard named Voldemort.  Voldemort had then turned his attentions to Harry, but by a strange twist of fate and his mother's love, Voldemort was unable to kill Harry.  Instead, the spell backfired and hit the Dark Lord himself, reducing him to *almost* nothing.

            Harry had fought many forms and memories of Voldemort over his four years at Hogwarts.  In his first year, he saved the Philosopher's Stone from his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, whom was sharing his body with the evil sorcerer.  In his second year, he had gone to the Chamber of Secrets and fought a sixteen-year-old memory of Voldemort, brought back by a diary, and a deadly basilisk, with only a phoenix, an old tattered hat, and Godric Gryffindor's sword.  In the end, he had rescued his best friend's little sister, Ginny Weasley.

            In his third year, he found out that an escaped convict of the wizard prison, Azkaban, was chasing him.  He later found that this convict was his godfather and had been framed by his former friend.  This "friend" had posed as Ron Weasley's rat for twelve years (Ron was Harry's best friend), and was a servant to Voldemort.

            Then, in his fourth year, he had competed in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and when he and his schoolmate, Cedric Diggory, touched the Cup marking the end of the third task, they had been transported to a cemetery where Voldemort was getting ready to perform a sinister ritual.  Voldemort had then ordered his servants to kill Cedric.  Harry still blamed himself for Cedric's untimely death.  Voldemort had then used Harry's blood to come back to full strength, and challenged him to a duel.  Harry escaped by a mere stroke of luck.

            All in all, Harry's past four years had been hectic, to say the least.

            "Boy!  I thought I told you to hurry it up!  I haven't got all damn day!" Vernon yelled again.

            "I'm hungry!" whined the whale that the Dursleys called their son, Dudley.

            Harry secretly thought to himself that neither his uncle or his cousin really *needed* the food.  But Harry spooned the eggs and bacon out on to the plates as quickly as he could.  He was anxious to get back upstairs, for today was his fifteenth birthday, and he had loads of gifts from his friends, waiting to be opened.

            As soon as he finished eating, Harry raced up the stairs to his bedroom.

            The first gift was a package from Ron, and another from Mrs. Weasley.  He opened these, and found a bright orange sweater with "CHUDLEY CANNONS" flashing across it.  Harry chuckled; the Cannons were Ron's favorite Quidditch team.  From Mrs. Weasley he had received a huge, beautiful birthday cake.

            From Sirius, his godfather on the run, he received an instruction book to flying tricks while using the Firebolt, his top-of-the-line racing broom, and several wizard photos of his parents and their friends from when they were in school.  Harry smiled faintly at this… In the first picture, Sirius was young and happy-looking, as was his former professor, Remus Lupin.  Also in the picture were his mum and dad, and a younger Peter Pettigrew… and even Peter looked happy.  Remus, Sirius, and Harry's dad were wearing their Quidditch robes, and holding up a large silver cup… the Quidditch cup.

            Harry moved on once again to open the present from his other best friend, Hermione Granger.  She had sent him an ancient, shabby-looking mirror.  It didn't even carry on a conversation, like most mirrors in the wizarding world did.  Harry couldn't understand why Hermione would send him a mirror… it wasn't like he was Draco Malfoy.  Draco was their number one enemy in school, and was completely full of himself.  Undoubtedly, knowing Hermione, she had thought that since it was so old, it had a rich history.

            From his half-giant friend, Hagrid, he received several rock cakes, which he quickly set aside.

            As he was getting ready to go back downstairs, yet another owl flew in Harry's window.  The owl was tiny, and hyper.  Harry sighed.  It was Ron's owl, Pig.  Luckily Harry was able to catch Pig fairly quickly, and tore the letter away from him, then quickly opened it and read.

Dear Harry,

I hope you like the shirt and the cake Mum sent you!  We'll be picking you up August 1st at three o' clock, and we won't take no for an answer. Dumbledore gave us special permission.  But when we go to Diagon Alley, you have to wear a stupid glamour.  Hermione will be joining us after Diagon Alley.  Luckily, she didn't go to Bulgaria to visit that stupid git Vicky.  I don't know what she sees him!  Well anyway, Bill and Charlie are here too.  They say Happy Birthday, and so do the rest of my brothers, and Ginny of course.  She asked me to enclose a gift she got for you.  I think you'll like it.  Fred and George also tried to send you something, but Mum confiscated it.  I think it was one of their new products.  Oh and Fred and George got me new dress robes!  They're ice blue and they're really nice…I can't understand why they would though…  Well we'll be seeing you tomorrow at 3!

Your best friend,

Ron Weasley

            Harry smiled, and dug further in envelope for Ginny's gift.  He found a tiny box, and as soon as he touched it, it expanded to a fairly large box.  He quickly tore into it, and found his very own set of Quidditch balls, Snitch and all.

            "Wow, Ginny… how did you ever afford this?" Harry said to himself, staring.  He would have to remember to extend special thanks to her, and pay more attention to her.

            He then smiled again as he realized that he was finally getting to leave the Dursleys, at least for the summer.  All he had to was last one day.

            "Boy!  Get down here!  Your chores aren't going to do themselves!" Harry heard his Aunt Petunia yelling up the stairs to his room.

            Harry sighed and reminded himself that it was just *one* day.  One more day… and he would be at the Burrow again.

            So Harry was put to work trimming the hedges in the backyard, painting the fence, mowing the lawn, cleaning the entire house to Aunt Petunia's approval, and of course, cooking lunch and dinner,  and washing dishes.

            At dinner that evening, Harry announced that he would be leaving the next day. 

            "And who will do you chores, boy?  You will *not* be going anywhere!" Vernon thundered, enraged that Harry would even *think* of going off with his weird-o friends.

            "Oh, well then, I'll just tell my godfather that you won't let me visit my friends… He would be willing to risk getting caught out in the open if he thought I were being mistreated.  You know… he was imprisoned for killing twelve Muggles and one wizard with a single curse," Harry said, working the old godfather angle, as the Dursleys still didn't know that Sirius was innocent.

            Vernon's face turned purple and he looked as if he were about to explode, but all the same, he said, "Okay, you go to that freak's house, and you tell that good –for-nothing godfather of yours that you're visiting your friends.  Those freaks had better arrive the *normal* way, and they are *not* coming inside this house."

            Harry chuckled silently.  Apparently, his uncle didn't want a repeat of the summer before.

            The last time the Weasleys had picked him up, it had been by Floo powder, and had ended up in Dudley having a four-foot long tongue.

            As Harry was lost in his thoughts, a large barn owl swept in and dropped a letter with the Hogwart's crest on it in Harry's plate.

            "Oh what's this, boy?  You get in trouble again?  Read it aloud," Vernon commanded.

            "It's probably just my school supplies list," grumbled Harry as he tore open the letter.

Dear Mr. Potter,

You will be happy to know that you have been named a Prefect this year.  Your high marks, and tremendous achievements have landed you this place of honor, despite the way you seem to have carried on your father's… traditions.  You will find your badge and supplies list enclosed.  Do have a good holiday for the rest of the summer.

Sincerely yours,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

 

            Harry's silver Prefect badge then tumbled out, along with his supplies list.

            "Oh, so you're one of the freakiest of the freaks, then?" Dudley taunted, while stuffing his face with bread.

            Harry knew that if the Dursleys said one more word, he would explode and possibly do something he might regret, so he announced that he was going to bed.

A/N:  Ok so that's the first chapter.  I know, it's mostly background information, but it was necessary for setting the story.  I think this might possibly be one of the longest chapters I've ever written… sorry but all my chapters won't be this long, lol.  And I'd like to thank Congerking for beta reading for me.  Review, please!  Feed my addiction!