Like Father, Like Son

One shot, Post Deathly Hallows. Albus Severus is just like his father, even right down to the curiosity. So when he's on the run from Filch in the halls, he enters a room to find a magical mirror-the Mirror of Erised. What will he see?

I am reposting this again as a one-shot. I was going to make it a short five chapter story, but I couldn't think of anything good to end it with, so I'll leave it as a one-shot. Please read and review!!

Um...can we pretend Dumbledore isn't gay in this? Because it will ruin the end of the story...

HP

It was halfway through the semester, and Albus Severus Potter aimlessly walked on the grounds of Hogwarts, completely bored. Albus loved Hogwarts; it was everything he'd imagined from what his parents had told them. He'd been a little paranoid at first, thanks to his older brother James. He'd learned not to take many of the things he said about the castle or the grounds seriously, but relied on the letters his parents sent him, he cousin Rose, and his Head of House, Professor McGonagall.

He stopped at the edge of the lake, taking in its view. He could see out in the distance the ripples from the Giant Squid surfacing the top of the lake, and could hear the sound of other students on the ground around him, enjoying one of the last days of November.

He looked up at the sky; clouds had been rolling in all day, and it was threatening to rain. He sighed, and looked down towards Hagrid's hut. He liked Hagrid, even though his cooking wasn't the best in the world. He'd also been a good friend of his father's when he'd been in school. Like father, like son it seemed...

It was weird, being the son of Harry Potter. Even though his father didn't speak about it much, Albus knew all about his parent's past. He knew about what happened to his grandparents when his father was just a baby. Of course, it wasn't hard to know when it was in almost every history book he'd ever looked at. Professor Binns had never mentioned the Great Battle of Hogwarts when Lord Voldemort had been vanquished for good, but the poor ghost hardly ever taught about anything besides Goblin Wars.

Thunder clapped in the distance, making Albus jumped. He'd been so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice that it had started to drizzle lightly. He sighed, and decided that it was time to head back into the castle. But it seemed with each few steps he took, the rain was starting to get harder. By the time he reached the courtyard, it was a downpour and everything turned to mud in seconds.

Albus reached the warm Entrance Hall, and stopped to catch his breath. He looked down and saw he was covered in mud from his knees down.

"Great," he muttered. He pulled out his wand and was getting ready to perform a cleansing charm when he heard the caretaker, Mr. Filch yell at him from the entryway to the dungeons. Panicking, he took off in a sprint up the stairs, Filch behind him with a mop in his hand.

"Come back here!" Filch yelled angrily. "I've had enough of you little monsters tracking mud in here everyday!"

Not daring to look back behind him, he skidded into the fourth floor corridor, turned around a corridor, and tried to open the closest door to him.

Of course, it was locked.

Albus whipped out his wand and whispered quickly, "Alohomora!"

The door unlocked and rushed in, shutting the door and locking it just in time for Filch to round the corner. He heard him stop in front of the door and moved the doorknob. Albus held his breath, and waited for Filch to barge in.

But he never did. Apparently, Filch thought he'd gone elsewhere, and Albus barely heard Filch shuffle away, muttering about punishments. Albus let out the breath he'd been holding in relief and closed his eyes briefly. He opened his eyes again and looked around the room.

It was a large sized room. It had apparently not been in use for years, judging by the cobwebs that hung from the chandelier in the middle of the room. It was bare, except for a grand-looking mirror sitting in the middle of the room. The mirror looked like the room; covered in dust and cobwebs, even on the clawed feet is stood on. The dust on it made it look a dull golden color, but the mirror itself was clear.

Albus inched closer to it, curious about the mirror. What would a mirror this majestic looking be doing in an old room like this? Surely it would be somewhere else; the Headmistress' office, a common room, anywhere. He looked up at the top, where there were words carved into its frame. He couldn't make it out due to the dust, but looked into the clean glass of the mirror. What he saw made him jump and look behind him, and back to the mirror.

There was nobody with him in the room, but the reflection showed two other people besides himself.

They were both wizards, by the looking of their wardrobe. The taller of the two wore midnight blue robes that had twinkling stars on the bottom of them. He had extremely white hair and beard, which were so long they came down to near the stomach. Behind the half-moon glasses he wore were piercing blue eyes, and his nose looked as though it had been broken a few times. He smiled softly down at him, and nodded.

The other man was much younger than the other was. Everything he wore was black. His robes, his boots, and even his hair were midnight black. It was greasy looking, and his eyes were black, except for a slight glint of white. At first, he was glaring, making Albus feel a bit uncomfortable. But then, his expression changed, making the man seem less intimidating that he did before. He jerked his head a little as indication of a nod.

"Albus?"

Albus nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing a few feet from him with a surprised look on her face.

"Professor! I'm sorry, it's just...I was trying to hide from Filch, and this was the closest door, and...and..." Albus babbled quickly, hoping he wasn't in trouble. "Then I saw this weird mirror, and-"

"It's ok," Professor McGonagall said, smiling softly at her student. She didn't know why, but she was very fond of Albus. Perhaps it was because he was Harry's son, or because he was part of her house. "You're not in trouble."

Albus nodded in relief. "What is this mirror?" he asked.

"It's the Mirror of Erised," McGonagall said quietly. "It's been around for centuries. You aren't the only student who's came across this mirror. In fact, I was once told your father even ran across the mirror, exactly in his first year as well."

'Really?" Albus said astonished. His father had never mentioned that to him before. "So...what does this mirror do?"

"It allows you to see something you really desire," she said. "What did you see, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I saw two wizards," Albus said confusedly. "One was very old, and had a long white beard, and the other was younger, all wore all black."

McGonagall smiled softly at him. "Have you ever wondered where you got your name, Albus?"

"All of the time," Albus said. "Dad told me before the beginning of term a little."

"What did he tell you?" McGonagall asked.

"He said...he said I was named after two of the Headmasters of Hogwarts," Albus said, trying to remember his father's words on the first day of September. "He also said one was a Slytherin, and that he was one of the bravest men he knew."

McGonagall smiled. Of course, Harry had told her 19 years ago after the final battle about what had happened to Severus Snape. He told her about what he'd seen in the Pensieve, and how he'd been asked by Dumbledore to kill him after he'd destroyed one of Voldemort's horcruxes. She'd been wrong about many things, including Severus. She'd been surprised when she'd found out that Harry and Ginny had named their second child after both Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, but knew that Harry thought it was the only way he could honor them both.

"Albus, those men you see in the mirror are the two men you were named after. The first man you described is Albus Dumbledore; that's where you got your first name. He was Headmaster of the school for a long time, until your father's sixth year at school," McGonagall said softly. Even after all these years, it was still hard to talk about him. She sighed and continued. "The other man's name is Severus Snape. He was in Slytherin, but he had qualities of a Gryffindor as well. He was a very brave man, and died trying to protect the Wizarding World, for the light side during battle, and for your father."

Albus looked up at her, understanding a lot, but curious with a few things. "Ask your father during Christmas break, Albus," Professor McGonagall said quietly. "He can probably tell you more than I can."

Albus nodded, knowing that it was time for him to leave. "Thank you, Professor," he said quietly. "But before I go, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter," she said.

"What do you see when you look into the mirror?"

"Like father, like son," McGonagall said chuckling. "Your father asked Professor Dumbledore the same question. But to answer your question, I see a gigantic chess board."

Albus looked at her in confusion, causing her smile.

"Ask your father about that as well," she said softly. "Your father has plenty of stories of this castle, I daresay."

Albus nodded again, and saying goodbye to his Head of House, quickly left her in the room.

She sighed, feeling guilty about lying to the boy. She would probably go to the Potter's later, to let them know ahead of time about the conversation she'd just had with Albus. She moved closer to the mirror herself, not seeing a chessboard, but seeing the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore alone looking at her. Smiling sadly, remembering the good days, she whispered, "I love you," to the mirror before turning and leaving the room.

HP

This was just a short drabble that popped into my head, and its also the first time I've tried writing Post-Deathly Hallows...review and tell me if you like it!!