Trouble

Moon: Alright, next chapter, kind of choppy, but it's meant to be slower than the first few. Now, I'm going to have a timeskip to summer break after the end of this one because with the Philosopher Stone not at Hogwarts, Quirrel dead and the Cerberus moved there's really not much of note that happens in year one, and I don't want to bore any of my readers. Anyway, a little more on the mystery that is Carol Winchester in this chapter, and some presents that will become important later. I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 7: Christmas, The Mirror of Ersid, The Wounded Unicorn

Daniel Greengrass was not usually a man quick to anger or one who held onto it, but from the moment he received his older daughter's most recent letter, he'd been in a towering rage. Currently he was stalking through the hallways of Hogwarts, headed for the Headmaster's office. Lucius was right behind him. Angela Greengrass had been no less furious, and had almost insisted on transferring Daphne elsewhere, only for their daughter to plead to remain, for she had close friends here.

But none of that would would matter if Daniel Greengrass didn't get a sufficient answer for any of this. Not. One. Bit.

Dumbledore looked up from the papers he had been reviewing when he saw both Daniel Greengrass and Lucius Malfoy walk into his office. If two of them were here, something must be wrong. He put up a smile and said, "Ah, Mr. Greengrass, Mr. Malfoy, how nice to see you. Care for a lemon drop?"

Daniel slammed his hands on Dumbledore's desk, causing Fawkes to squawk in surprise. "Dumbledore, as you know I am on the Board of Governors. Tell me, why did I have to get a letter from my daughter to find out that she was nearly eaten by a Cerberus within school grounds? Not to bloody mention this was after it killed one of the teachers and a troll that also found its way into the school! I will demand a full-scale enquiry if I don't get a satisfactory answer now!"

Lucius decided to chime in at this point; anything that put Dumbledore in a bad light was going to be good for him. "One of the others involved was Tracy Davis, who nearly fell to her death earlier this month thanks to a faulty school broom," he intoned, "That would make two near death experiences for her in the same month. Frankly I'm surprised Peter Davis hasn't pulled her out. I'm thinking of doing the same for Draco."

"Please, sit." Albus said with some difficulty. Inwardly he cursed Hermione Granger for having to be rescued. If she'd just stayed at the table, he wouldn't be in this position. "I understand a few days ago that there was a serious security breach, though thankfully nothing came out of it-"

"Nothing came out of it-? Headmaster, my child could have died, if it weren't for Harry Potter and those other children." Daniel stormed. "Daphne told me that the starved Cerberus emerged from the very place you told the students would result in a 'most painful death'! This suggests you were keeping it there."

Albus cringed, his mind racing. He had to find some way of placating Greengrass without telling him the truth; his position in Hogwarts could be threatened otherwise. "My dear sir, you must understand that I've found reason to be worried this year," he said. "Over the course of the summer I received multiple threats of student harm if I didn't resign my position. I thought the presence of the Cerberus would deter any such threats from being carried out."

"Threats from who?" Lucius asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No one claimed responsibility for them," Albus responded, "I fear whoever was involved got inside the school and lowered a ward that allowed the troll in. I've patched the damage now, there's no reason Hogwarts is not safe."

"And the Cerberus?" Daniel demanded, his anger simmering.

"It has been removed from the school and placed in the Forbidden Forest." Albus replied, the classic twinkle back in his eye. "It will not hurt anyone there."

Daniel and Lucius looked at each other, words silently passing between them. At last, Daniel barked, "Alright. But understand me Albus, if I hear any more stories I'll be back, and I won't be so easily placated next time my daughter is in danger."

"The safety of the students is my top priority." Albus said calmly.

After Daniel and Lucius had left the office, Albus sighed and placed his head in his hands. That had been close. He'd be forced to curtail the 'test' he had planned for Harry this year with that ultimatum hanging over him. This was frustrating; he'd come no closer to discovering who had stolen the Philosopher's Stone or where it might be. His only consolation was that Voldemort obviously did not have it, for he had no regained his physical form.

He would have to wait to test the boy again, and he had a plan in mind. He knew that Lucius had been given something important from Voldemort and there was heavy amnesty between Harry and the man's son Draco. He would probably do something in the near future, and that would be a test for Harry.

Now, he just had to find a replacement Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

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November waned into December with no more life threatening incidents. The story of the Cerberus had circulated like wildfire, and other students were still talking about it even as Christmas break drew closer and closer. Dean and Blaise were more embarrassed by the attention than anything, while Hermione had retreated into the dorms where she milled over the events.

Harry, for his part, retreated from public eye as much as possible. He didn't like how much he'd been doing over the months he'd been here. While they were undoubtedly good deeds, a lot of attention wasn't something you wanted if you were a troublemaker. He just sat at a table in the common room, doing his homework and entertaining Maria. Sometimes Daphne or Tracy would come over and join him.

Draco was no more welcoming than he had been in September; he continued to pester Harry and try to get him into trouble throughout the weeks. The only time anything really came out of it was whenever Professor Snape turned the corner.

The worst bit was the replacement DADA teacher. Lockheart was easily the single most incompetent individual Harry had ever seen; he spent his detention answering the man's fan mail, for Merlin's sake. If anything, they were worse of now then they were with Quirrel. What did questions like what is Lockheart's favourite colour have to do with defence? And apparently the guy's idea of 'one of the most deadly creatures in the world' consisted of pixies, of all creatures.

Harry couldn't see how anyone this incompetent could do half the things his books claimed he could. What a waste of thirty gallons. He probably had a competent stunt double who did everything for him and he took the credit.

Eventually, winter break did come, and Harry put down his name to stay at the castle. Carrie and the others wouldn't mind; he really didn't want to return to the Dursley house now, especially not that he had real, magical friends he could interact with. Besides, he was planning to sneak out to Hogsmeade at some point this week.

Christmas morning did eventually come. Harry woke with Maria pawing his cheek, mewing happily. Harry chuckled to himself, "What is it, girl?" Maria hopped off the bed, padded to the door and then stopped, clearly waiting for him.

Harry smiled just a bit. A real smile from him, not a 'trouble' smirk or a scowl or a fake smile, was rare, as he was rarely truly happy. There had been moments of true happiness with Carrie, Miranda and Pierce, but they weren't here.

He got up and followed his kitten, who scuttled down the stairwell and into the common room, where he was surprised to see several presents waiting for him.

Harry carefully sat down and placed a hand on the nearest box, opening the letter. To Harry, Merry Christmas. We're missing you here. -Carrie Miranda Pierce. He smiled softly and opened the box. It was the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

"Thanks guys." He murmured. He then turned his attention to the other boxes, that were all addressed to him. He had gotten more presents today than he had in the past ten years. The one from the Dursleys was easy, just a fifty cent piece.

Harry picked another one. Harry – this is for you. I know you're not terribly into Quidditch but I thought it would be a shame to miss out on this. -Daphne. Inside the envelope were two pre-ordered tickets to the next Quidditch World Cup, which was far more money than Harry would have meant for Daphne to spend on him. He'd have to thank her later.

Next. To Harry Potter – our only meeting was a while ago, but I wanted to thank you for saving my sister's life – and to ask for a chance to get to know you better. -Astoria Greengrass.

Harry whistled. He remembered Astoria, all right. As far as Draco was concerned, she shouldn't be talking to him at all. Evidently, Astoria didn't care much for that rule. He chuckled a bit. If that was the case they would get along fine. The present in question was a book so big it could conceivably be used as a doorstopper, titled, 'The Lives of the Founders.'

He turned the book over, the cover having a colored image of all four Founders, and looked at the back. It sounded interesting; he had scant knowledge of the Founders themselves and he'd by lying if he said that hadn't intrigued him. He grabbed some paper and wrote Astoria a response.

There was another box, from Tracy. Harry opened it and saw a silver ring and some papers inside. To Harry James Potter – I thank you for saving my daughter Tracy, and do so offer my allegiance and assistance to the Potter family so long as you are its Head. -Peter Davis.

Harry stared blankly at the paper for a long second. "Oh. Wow. Okay." He ran a hand through his black hair, something he did when he was thinking. He really had no idea how to respond to that. Having allies would be good in a strange new world, especially since his muggle friend's assistance of him would be limited by their lack of magic.

Maria had hopped up on the table and was weaving between Harry's new books as he opened his next present. It was from Hagrid – and it was a photo album. Inside were several moving pictures – the first one was that of a man and a woman. His parents.

Harry stared at the picture for a long time. He reached out and brushed his fingers against the first image of his parents that he had ever seen. His father had the same smile he did; and his eyes were the same as his mothers.

Harry made a note somewhere in his head to pay Hagrid a visit later, for giving him something so precious.

He turned through the book and came upon an image of their wedding. Lily Potter's wedding dress looked like something out of a dream. His father was there, next to her. Standing next to him was a handsome man who, judging by his position, was his father's best man. Next to Lily was a woman who bore a strange resemblance to Neville. There were others there, too, a ragged-looking guy with a weary but real smile, a smaller man next to him, and a few other women who were Lily's bridesmaids.

Harry looked down. The Wedding of Lily and James Potter, from left down – Lily, James, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Andromeda Tonks.

Harry looked at the names, frowning a bit despite the very real warmth of seeing his parent's happiness. Those were a lot of people, all close to his parents. What happened to them? Couldn't one of them have taken him in, raised him in a magical world? Or at least visited him and given him some indication of their existence? Why did they leave him with his aunt and uncle, who hated magic and him and tried to pretend magic didn't exist?

Deciding to look into that later, Harry turned his attention to his last two presents. One of them was a box of chocolate frogs addressed to him from a 'secret admirer', something that baffled Harry to no end, and the other was a relatively sized box.

It was a cloak. Your father left this in my possession before he died. Use it well. There was no signature.

Puzzled, Harry put the cloak on over his shoulders. Maria let out a mew of surprise, and Harry looked down to see that his entire lower body had disappeared.

Harry took the coat off, heart thudding. This cloak made him invisible? This – this was priceless. The ability this gave him – wow.

He put Maria back in his room and put on the cloak. He hadn't been this excited in years. He started off into the castle.

There was a lot to look at. He went past the headmaster's office and down the halls. He threw apple cores at Flitch, who looked around wildly, yelling, as Harry swept down the hall, trying not to die laughing. He looked at the paintings and managed to get past Peeves without setting the poltergeist off.

He walked through the Great Hall and saw the handful of still at the school reading, talking and otherwise having fun. No one noticed him as he walked past.

The freedom of invisibility was something he'd never get used to. Eventually, Harry wandered down into the dungeon of the castle and went into a backroom.

Sitting in the middle of the room was a large mirror. There were words written on it that Harry couldn't read, but it was the mirror itself that he was looking at.

Reflected in the mirror was himself, a young adult with the lopsided smirk he knew he had. Standing behind him were Carrie, Miranda and Pierce. But there was also a redhead he hadn't met before, and an older Astoria and Daphne.

And in front of everyone there was a little black-haired girl with green eyes. When Harry looked at her, she smiled and waved energetically. Her eyes flashed with the same mischief as his. His eyes.

Harry stared at the mirror for a long time. This...this was a family. His family.

The impossibility of this weighed on his shoulders; the only thing he had wanted – something that had haunted his dreams, the one thing that had lay out of his reach – was his wish that he had a family. A real family, one that wanted him...loved him.

Love, something he'd been denied for as long as he could remember.

What was this thing?

"I see that you, like others, have discovered the delight of the Mirror of Ersid."

Harry spun around. Somehow, Dumbledore had come up behind him without him realizing it. Could he see him? Damn it! This was bad -

"It's alright." Dumbledore said in a placating tone. "I knew you'd find this place eventually – it seems to be in your nature. I know about your father's cloak."

Harry snorted, and removed the cloak that was keeping him invisible. "What is this thing?" He asked, turning his eyes back to the mirror, where the images waved at him. "What am I looking at?"

"The Mirror shows us our hearts desire." Dumbledore explained. "You, who have never known your family, see your parents alive and with you."

Harry looked sharply at Dumbledore. He opened his mouth to correct him and then shut it. For some reason, he didn't entirely trust the Headmaster, so he wasn't telling him anything important. "What do you see, Headmaster?" He asked instead.

"Me? I see a pair of thick, woollen socks." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

You're lying. Harry thought. I don't know why or how I know, but you're lying.

Well. Two could play at that game. He pretended to squint at the mirror and asked, "Headmaster, who are the two men there? Aside from my parents, there's a tall, dark-haired man and a battered man with a kind smile...I've seen them before, they were at my parents' wedding. I saw them in the picture."

At this, the irritating twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. In fact, for a moment he looked all his many years. "Ah...Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They were close friends of your father; they went to school with him."

"Are they still alive?" Harry asked. "Why have I never met them?"

"That...that is a difficult question to answer, Harry." Dumbledore responded vaguely. "It involves the story of the war, which I will not utter here. I must warn you...it is not a happy story, either. I don't think it's something that should be told on Christmas. At a later date...I'll tell you what happened."

What kind of answer was that? Harry thought, frustrated. So there was something big that Dumbledore wasn't telling him involving his parent's friends. That was something to look into later.

Dumbledore returned his attention to the mirror. "Harry, I must ask that you never come down here again. The Mirror shows us what we desire, but it gives us neither knowledge or ability. Men have wasted away in front of it and gone mad from seeing something out of their reach. Come, lunch will be on soon."

Harry gave the mirror one last look. "I see. Alright."

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Much later, Harry decided that he'd go out and see Hagrid. Perhaps the half-giant would be more willing to tell him about his parents and their friends then the Headmaster, and he had probably been in trouble due to the Philosopher's Stone 'going missing'. He owed him this much.

He had been headed down the stairs when he saw Carol Winchester again. He'd been -mostly- successful in avoiding the strange girl for the past month, but what was she doing out here?

Carol paused at the edges of the Forbidden Forest, looking around worriedly, before running into the trees.

Harry followed her, a sense of unease increasing dramatically. Why was Carol going into the forest?

The Forbidden Forest didn't look particularly welcoming, especially since the sun was going down, its dying light casting twisted shadows along the roots of the trees. Harry grimaced and watched where he was putting his feet as he tried to track Carol's progress through the woods. He could hear the noise of the other occuptants of the woods in the distance. He hoped he wouldn't have to save the day. Again.

Eventually, he turned the corner and saw a pure white horse lying on its side. A horn spiralled from its head, and there was a gash on its side, silver blood spilling onto the ground.

Carol stopped and knelt next to the wounded creature, murmuring something soothing. She raised a slender hand and held it over the wound, eyes closed.

Harry took an uncertain step forward. He'd never seen a unicorn before, and he figured there was a chance that whatever had attacked this one would come back.

"Harry?"

Her voice startled him out of his thoughts. Carol didn't open her eyes, but she must have heard his footsteps. He walked closer to her, unsure, glancing at the unicorn.

"Will it die?" He asked.

Carol shook her head. Before Harry's startled eyes, the wound started to knit closed. The unicorn nickered softly, sounding much calmer then before.

Carol opened her eyes and looked at him. The stark, deep blueness of them bored into him. "No. She'll be fine."

"How'd you do that?" Harry asked.

Carol shrugged. "Healing magic has always come easily to my family. Powerful healing spells. I don't know why; it's been like this for as long as I can remember."

"...brilliant." Harry said. "That's amazing..."

Carol looked down at the unicorn, who nickered again. She and Harry stood up and watched as the unicon pushed her way to her hooves and trotted off into the woods.

Carol suddenly flinched and put her hand on her side as though it was hurting her.

Harry looked questioningly at her, "Are you alright?"

Carol grimaced, and whispered, "All power comes with a price." Her hand trembling a little bit, she turned and looked into the woods.

Before Harry could ask exactly what that meant, she said, "Do you know who attacked her?"

Harry blinked, temporarily derailed, "Uh...I didn't see anything come or go."

"Not anything. Anyone." Carol said. "the thing that attacked her was old, malevolent, but weak – very weak, barely alive."

Harry looked around the woods. Surely someone that weak wouldn't have been able to get far. But then how would they escape the woods? There were more than unicorns out here.

There was a prickling sensation in his scar. He raised his hand to it. Carol looked at him and then said, "Then you know?"

"Know what?" Harry was getting agitated. "Look, I got enough cryptic conversation from the Headmaster earlier, care to be a bit clearer?"

Carol frowned and said, "The person who gave you that scar was here. That's why you're feeling pain there."

There was a rushing sound near Harry's ears, and the ground beneath him seemed unsteady. "But he's dead." He said. "Voldemort's dead."

Carol flinched at the name, and the trees around them creaked threateningly. The strange girl looked around and murmured, "Dead, but not gone. That's why he attacked the unicorn. Unicorn blood will keep you alive when you are dying, but it is a cursed life, for wounding something so pure." Her eyes were distant. "That's how the troll got into the castle."

The pain in Harry's forehead was getting worse. "Agh! How could that happen? If you're dead, you're dead!"

Carol's eyes scanned the trees and widened. "He's coming. We have to go."

She took Harry's hand. The surprise of her cool skin made him blink, and the pain receded. Harry followed her as she hurried back in the direction of Hogwarts. He risked a glance over his shoulder.

There was a mass of black smoke in the nearby trees...and Harry could swear he could see someone's face.

He turned his head back and redoubled his pace, not looking back until they cleared the treeline. Harry spun around and stared into the trees. The black fog was gone.

"What the hell?" He hissed. He didn't like this at all. That was too easy. Carol was still clutching his hand, looking paler than usual. They waited another tense moment, but the smoke never appeared.

Harry let out his breath, the cold winter air swirling around them. "That was too easy." He told her.

Carol nodded, still shaking a bit from the encounter, "We should tell Hagrid what's been attacking the unicorns...they'll need to hear this."

End Chapter

Again, short, but mostly fluff and a little angst. Next one will be longer and start some bridging between the muggle and magical worlds.

Read and Review please!