'If I'm not crazy, then why am I talking to yourself… uh… myself?'
Every one does it. It's natural.
'That may be true… but do Ron or Hermione make hand puppets of their different personas?'
"…."
'I thought not'.
WAIT! They do… I've seen them… they're just as bad as me*Starts ticking off things on a list* 'Compulsive lying, hearing voices…'
GET OUT OF MY HEAD!'Withdrawal from social contact … I just want to talk to you Harry. We have a lot to catch up on. Tell me… how's school, Quidditch'?
Alright, could be better… I just … NO! STOP THAT! Tricksy hobbitses… ahem… I can see what you're doing, you know, you and your clever mind games. I WILL NOT BECOME A SHEEP… uh…
'A sheep, Harry? How odd.'
I haven't been sleeping well, okay? Give me a break.
I will, as soon as you come to terms with certain things, your destiny, and sexuality… your insanity, Harry.
FACE IT HARRY!
You are CRAZY…*echo*… CRAZY… *echo*… crazy…
Harry Potter sat bolt upright in his four-poster bed, drenched with sweat and shaking violently. He recomposed himself. What a strange dream… something about sheep... and puppets.
"A dream, Harry?" A small boy of no more then three materialized next to him. The boy's appearance of youth was somewhat diminished by his long, beautiful, ebony beard. He was wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt, over all-in-one bunny pajamas. Harry jumped out of his skin. Metaphorically speaking, of course. The entire dream came flooding into his conscious state.
The boy pulled out a clipboard from behind his back. Plastered onto the clipboard was a list. On the list were things like Hearing voices that aren't really there, delusional, hallucinating and withdrawing from society. Many of these had little ticks next to them. "I have been watching for longer than you think, Harry." The little boy licked his lips. Harry shuddered. "Now, tell me. Can you see me?" Harry nodded. The phantasm ticked a box marked: Seeing things or people that aren't really there. Harry banged his head on the wall in frustration. The boy marked off "Self-mutilation". "No… don't do that... I wasn't…I didn't… you cant! Er…" The pencil in the child's hand was slowly moving towards "disorganized speech"
"Okay maybe we can come to some sort of agreement?" Harry's voice was unnaturally calm and even. The boy pretended to think about it, and, apparently coming to a conclusion, he said "Admit that you are mad, off your rocker, insane…"
"And what do I get in return?" asked Harry suspiciously. The boy was silent for a full minute before breaking into a manic laughter. "Absolutely NOTHING!" He doubled over. Harry felt a need to laugh with him. So he did. It began with a little titter… grew to a giggle, a chuckle, and soon he was roaring with laughter. He heard Neville stirring in his bed. "Harry, is that you?" The child abruptly morphed into a candle a lay on the floor flickering on and off. "Yes Neville, its just us here."
"Who were you talking to?"
"The boy in the mirror." Harry giggled some more.
"Oh… okay. I've never liked him… he's too quiet, and to tell you the truth, he smells." Harry just stared.
"Sleepy?" Asked Harry. Neville nodded, and dropped to his pillow.
The boy rapidly resumed his usual form after Neville was safely in sleepy time land. The child had reappeared wearing a hula skirt and a maroon, tasseled hat. Harry gave a nervous cough. "So, where were we?" said the boy, "Ah yes… your growing insanity. Now, why don't you tell me what started all of this… hmm? Tell me about your childhood. People aren't born mad, you know." Harry heaved a great sigh.
"Well, it all started on my first day at school… all the other children were so…" Harry noticed the boy scribbling notes on the clipboard. "HEY! What are you writing there, let me see! I demand you hand that over at once!" the boy didn't move. "FINE! You want mad, I'll show you mad…" Harry lunged at the boy with the intentions of inflicting as much pain as possible. The child evaporated and appeared again on the roof of Harry's four-poster. "Now, now, we must watch our tempers, mustn't we?"
"There is no we! Only ME!! I am the one that matters here… I am the one being accused of being crazy… not you… and maybe I am crazy… in fact… I probably am! You are not the one who wakes up in the morning and finds locks of people's hair under your pillow… you are not the one who can't have a private conversation even when you're alone, for obvious reasons… and you most certainly are not the one who read Quidditch Through The Ages backwards to see if it made sense in Latin, and no, it does not. So forgive me if I'm a bit quick to temper! OKAY? Just LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"You are alone." Said a voice. Harry looked around and the boy was gone.
He was facing the mirror.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Other credit's due: "Tricksy Hobbitses, from Lord of the Rings, Obviously. And the end with the mirror and the "You are alone" part come from the movie Secret Window.