Written for Rose Weasley's 'I show not your face' Challenge.
He wasn't looking for anything specific when he found it. Vincent Crabbe had just been wandering the castle. He hadn't even really been paying attention, not that he did usually. He wasn't as stupid as everyone made him out to be. He was no scholar, that was for sure, but he wasn't a complete load of bricks.
He wasn't quite sure where he was, he had never been to this part of the castle before. It was high up somewhere, somewhere near the height of the astronomy tower, he could tell that much from the windows. There was nothing in the room but a tall, mirror.
He didn't have any idea why a mirror would just be sitting on it's own in a room. In fact he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the images in the mirror. His parents stood behind him, bound and gagged, seemingly hissing at him. They were being carried off by Aurors.
People always assumed because they were Slytherins and because they were the children of Death Eaters, they would all follow in their footsteps, but how can you look up to someone who is not afraid to torture you from the time you could walk.
No, Vincent Crabbe was not the smartest person in the world. He was rude, and cruel, and a bit of a glutton. He was also pained, and wishful, and regretful. He knew if he could jump into the reality of that mirror his life would become infinitely better.
They had taken the mark over the summer. Voldemort is recruiting. He felt bad for Malfoy the most, the only one who got a real challenge. He failed, and his family was paying for his failure. He's seen what happened to those who fall out of favor with their Dark Lord now. He didn't want to follow in his parent's footsteps. He didn't have much of a choice. There was no longer a Dumbledore to offer him an out, like Draco was offered.
He would have taken it. He didn't have as much pride as Malfoy, and as mentioned before, he wasn't a complete ton of bricks. If he could get out of this life he would not hesitate. What could he offer the Order of the Phoenix anyways? He would not make a good spy, he wasn't that smooth. He wasn't smart, and he wasn't even all that good at magic. So he was stuck being the muscle for the Dark Lord. It was either that or death. He didn't fancy either option.
He sat in front of the mirror for hours. He could lose himself here. It felt good to see his parents in chains. It's where they belonged. No, he did not have a sense of familial belonging that normal human beings had. Some people would say that he must have some sort of love for them, because they were the people who raised him. Raised him to be what? A two-bit henchmen who could not think on his own. They sure set the standards real high.
He couldn't vocalize how much he truly wished for this reality to be true. He knew when Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord it would only be a matter of time. Yes, when. Vincent wasn't naïve enough to think Voldemort was actually going to win this. He knew he's probably with the two of them. Shown in the prophet, tied up and gagged, snarling at the camera as they took him to his cell where he could rot.
He would never tell anyone of his trip to the mirror. This was something a little more private. He couldn't even tell anyone how to get there if he tried. The castle was so huge. At least now he had something he could dream about, finally had something to wish for whenever he went to bed.
I have to admit I was a bit put off when I was told I got Crabbe. This was a difficult one, but I tried giving some depth to the character I guess. Hope you enjoyed.
