As promised here is the bonus celebratory chapter!
Not much to say here so go have fun reading this :)
The Mirror Erised and Christmas.
After their midnight adventure Harry and Hermione had both latched on the library in such a way that nobody had been able to lure them away for two full weeks, not even the twins with their newest pranking scheme.
"None of these books say anything useful of a Cerberus", complained Harry as he shut yet another book.
"Tell me again what are you looking for?", asked Draco as he eyed the mountain of books around Harry and Hermione.
"A way to get past it."
"And why, pray tell, would you want to get past it?", asked Draco, sounding as if he'd asked the question many times already.
"It's not for getting past it, it's for a way of defending ourselves in case it gets loose!", countered Hermione as she shot Harry a glare.
"For you perhaps, but I want to know why Hogwarts would risk its students and staff like this, there has to be a good reason", said Harry.
"Do you think Snape's trying to steal it?", said Ron suddenly.
They all looked up at him.
"I just thought about it", he began, "Remember the night the Troll got in? Snape has been limping around ever since then, I bet you he tried to get past the monster and almost got his leg bitten off!"
Hermione and Draco gasped, seemingly thinking the same as Harry did right, but opted to stay quiet as they began speaking.
"The Troll!"
"It was a diversion!"
"He let it in on the grounds!"
"I knew a Troll couldn't get in on its own!"
They continued to unravel the Troll incident in short sentences for a while but Harry had long tuned them out. Somebody was trying to steal whatever the Cerberus was guiding – and that somebody was most likely to be his father.
But why?
Harry had been aware of his father's robbery schemes since he had memory and this would be the first time he hadn't been told. Was it because his father didn't want him in the way? Was it because of his new friends?
No. His father would have told him because he knew of Harry's curiosity and knack for solving mysteries – that summer in Mongolia had proven as much – and Harry doubted his father would be upset enough over Harry's friends to let him out on his plans – or least he dearly hoped so.
"It's not Snape", he finally said, interrupting the group that had been celebrating as if they'd solved the whole mystery – except for Draco, it was his Head of House they were talking about, discretion had to be used, even if he was nodding along with the others.
"Of course it is!", argued Ron.
Harry shook his head, "I've known Snape since I was four and he's not a thief."
This seemed to surprise all of them except Draco.
"What? You didn't know?", said Harry as he glanced around their surprised expressions, "Why did you think I never talked along when you were calling him 'greasy git'?"
"Because he was your Head of House?", suggested Ron while Hermione suggested, "Because you respect your Professors?"
Rolling his eyes he spoke again, "No, I've known and spoken to him since I was little and even had some potions classes with him before coming to Hogwarts. And yes, he might be ambitious, but capable of theft?", he shook his head again, "I don't think so."
"Then explain his limp!", said Ron, Neville nodding furiously at his side.
"Simple, he went to check if the Cerberus was still well and there, the Troll was obviously a distraction and he saw it as such, therefor he went to check on – whatever the creature is protecting."
Neville gulped, "You mean there is still a thief here at the school?"
Nodding Harry closed his book, "The thief was obviously underestimating Hogwarts security and didn't expect the Cerberus, I think it is safe to assume that whatever it is protecting will still be here when we are back from the holidays."
The Christmas holidays were only a few weeks away. Everybody except the Weasleys were leaving for home.
Draco nodded, "Sounds reasonable, Ron could still check though, listen behind the door every now and then to see if it's still there and alive."
Ron nodded in acceptance and Harry couldn't help to remark to himself how much the relationship of the two had changed over time.
"And I'll check at home for the book on Cerberuses that Dad brought me a few years back when we went to go to Greece to meet a guy who bred them", added Harry.
"You have seen them before?", asked Hermione, interested.
"No, about a week before we left we received news that the guy had been eaten in his sleep by one of his beasts."
"Oh", said Hermione, looking a bit green.
And so it was decided. During the holidays Ron would check on the beast and before that they would take turns to listen behind the door.
Draco took the first turn, Hermione the second, a reluctant Neville the third and Harry took the fourth.
As such he was one afternoon walking from listening to the Cerberus growl behind the door when he heard the familiar wheezing sound that was Filch getting near the corridor he was in.
Thinking quickly Harry ran to the nearest classroom door and hastily hid inside.
Closing the door behind him he immediately saw a huge mirror at the end of the class standing high and majestic.
Slowly going near it Harry could discern the words 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi' carved on top of it.
Harry grouched up his face, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Stepping closer he now saw his reflection but almost jumped when he saw the people standing behind him.
Turning around and feeling through the thin air he didn't see the people that were still in his reflection.
Looking closer at the reflection he stared at the two people with him in it.
The first was his father, beaming proudly at him, that same look Harry relished each time he saw it. But the second was an unknown woman with red hair and – green eyes.
Almost gasping as the realization hit him Harry said softly, "Mum?"
The woman in the mirror only continued to smile lovingly at him.
Always wondering how his mother had looked Harry took in as much as he could from her features. Harry had almost inherited nothing from her except for the green eyes.
Taking a few steps back a said softly, "I can't come back – I'm-", he stopped himself from saying the word, turned around and ran from the room. His father had once told him of the Mirror of Erised and how it had driven men to madness. Harry berated himself for not noticing earlier what it was.
The next days went by in a blur and before Harry knew it he was packing to go home for the holidays.
"I'll send you something for Christmas", he promised his friends as they sat near the Quidditch field after the latest Gryffindor team practice.
"It's such a pity that you don't know where you'll be, I'll have to wait until after the holidays to give you your present", said Hermione as she dodged one of the snow balls the twins had bewitched to throw themselves at people.
Shrugging Harry threw himself into the snow as at least a dozen snow balls flew towards him, "It's not like it matters to me really."
"I still can't understand why your Dad doesn't celebrate Christmas", said Neville just before a snow ball hit him square in the face.
"Some people are just as weird as that", said George, grinning as one of the snow balls chased Ron around.
Sitting in the snow and making up his own snow balls Harry said, "And some people just make a huge fuss out of it, I don't really see the purpose of it."
"The purpose of it? That's the point, it doesn't have a purpose!", said Fred indignantly.
"Well, it does make people happy by congregating as family and receiving presents", mused Hermione.
"So its purpose is to make people happy? That doesn't make sense", Harry shook his head, took his wand out and bewitched his own snow balls the throw themselves at Fred and George.
"Trust Harry to take to fun out of Christmas", Draco copied Harry's actions and also bewitched some of his snow balls.
The twins both ducked and threw themselves face first into the snow as at least twenty snow balls came flying to them.
"Yeah Harry-", began George, picking himself out of the snow.
"Spoilsport!", finished Fred, still spitting out some snow he'd somehow almost swallowed.
By the end of that week Harry was packed and eventually placed on the train where he played Exploding Snap with Draco, Neville and Hermione, the latter who was still learning the game. And then they were and King's Cross station and Bella was waiting for him under her usual thick black veil that covered most of her body.
They walked to the place that was connected to the Floo network and flooed back home.
Brushing the soot from his robes Harry looked around the study, expecting to see his father.
"Where is he?", he finally asked when he was only greeted by his Grandmother's portrait.
"Your father is waiting for you in the library", said Bella as she began taking off her veil.
Harry lost no time and immediately went to the library where his father was sitting in his usual armchair, waiting for him.
Voldemort motioned at the armchair across him for Harry to sit down.
Barely sitting for a minute and just as Voldemort opened his mouth to speak Harry asked, "Did you set Severus to steal whatever they're guarding at Hogwarts?"
This question had been burning Harry since the moment he discovered someone was trying to steal it in the first place.
Voldemort blinked, clearly not having expected that, "I beg your pardon?"
"Severus, have you set him after the thing that the Cerberus is guarding? Yes I have seen it, thank you for warning me against it by the way", said Harry sarcastically.
If Voldemort hadn't been so serious he would have probably found Harry amusing, "No", he said calmly and saw Harry relax into his armchair, "I'm not after the item the creature is guarding, I do not need it", he said cryptically.
It was Harry's turn to blink now, "Not need it?"
Voldemort nodded, "Indeed, besides, Severus would do no good in trying to steal anything for me right under Dumbledore's nose, it would blow his cover."
Harry felt both relieved and confused. Relieved that it wasn't Severus as he'd told his friends, and confused at who the real thief might be.
"But what is it guarding, Dad?"
"Nothing you'd need either", answered Voldemort cryptically and Harry narrowed his eyes at him, "Besides, how can I ruin your mystery by giving you all your answers?"
Harry suddenly found himself flush, his father had already caught up that he was after a mystery.
"Now Harry, I believe we have other things to discuss", said his father, eyeing him closely.
Harry hung his head, here it came, the lecture against his friends.
"The voyage to Germany, we have to decide where we are going besides Berlin."
Harry snapped up his head, "What?"
"Berlin, Harry, we'll be there for the main reason of the voyage but after that we'll have free time to go somewhere else before we go to Munich to have a look at the tomb."
Harry was gawping at him.
"Aren't you going to ask me about my frie- I mean acquaintances?"
"Acquaintances? What acquaintances?"
Damn him and his mind games, thought Harry. He was going to be forced to explain himself now, this was probably what it all had been about since the beginning.
"The Gryffindors – I've been speaking with Gryffindors – and – and a – a Mudblood", he admitted, his head hung, almost as if he'd confessed to a crime.
"I do believe that there is a good reason for this", said Voldemort, now sounding serious.
"I – I hate the Slytherins", confessed Harry and rambled on without daring to look up at his father, "They keep trying to lick my boots and gush over me and invite me over the all kinds of weird places and some are even following me around in the common room – it's – it's pathetic – and disgusting", finished Harry with a scowl as he looked at his hands on his lap.
"So you thought it a good idea to hang out with Gryffindors as to scare the Slytherins away?"
"It started with wanting a normal intelligent conversation away of the Slytherin common room, that is how I came to know Hermione – the Mudblood, she has brains, she ought to be in Ravenclaw. She has read so much she disguises it expertly that she's actually a Mudblood. And then came Neville, his parents are Aurors, but he doesn't resemble them – or a Gryffindor – at all. But he can take the boredom away when Hermione drawls on for hours about the same topic. Then the three Weasleys-", Harry paused and took a deep breath, "They actually came to ask me at the end of the first month why their parents had told them not to come near me – I didn't tell them anything, but I managed to convince them with Draco's help that their parents judging was flawed and from then on they somehow became members of our little – group."
Taking a risk after a few moments of silence after finishing Harry looked up to his father's face. To his surprise Voldemort wasn't angry – though neither was he happy, his face was expressionless.
"I am glad that you at least are still truthful to me, you know how I hate liars."
"I could never lie to you father", said Harry truthfully, looking him in the eyes, "Even when I know you wouldn't approve of the people I have been talking to."
"No, not just talking to, Harry, you have become friends with them", said Voldemort, clearly not happy about it.
Harry had to fight the urge to hang his head in shame, "Father – who else was I supposed to speak with? The Slytherins are insufferable and all the children who are related to members of the Order and their friends openly or either avoid me or hate me."
"Hate you?", Voldemort raised an eyebrow, "Have any of them-"
"No", Harry shook his head stubbornly.
Voldemort glared at Harry.
Letting his shoulders sag, "Fine, some insult me, but it's nothing I can't deal with, they have yet to outsmart Draco's insults", Harry smirked.
"I never really approved of the friendship", muttered Voldemort.
"So knowing that I wouldn't approve of your new acquaintances you still went on and became friends with them?"
Harry hung his head this time, it was the closest he'd ever come to apologize.
Voldemort sighed. The boy was obviously lonely at the school and he couldn't do anything about it now, the damage had been done and now his only son had made friends with blood-traitors and a Mudblood.
He must have gotten it from his mother, he thought. Knowing his son better than to argue with him once he's set himself up with something and also knowing that there was no true better alternative – not until the Slytherins snapped out their star-struck attitude, and that wouldn't happen soon – Voldemort asked Harry the most important question that mattered to him.
"Harry, where does your loyalty lie?"
Harry looked up, a fierce look overcame his emerald eyes as he tore out from under his robes a locket. The same locket of Salazar Slytherin himself, that Voldemort had given Harry when he was eight.
"With you father, forever, no matter what."
Voldemort smiled, "That is enough."
Harry beamed at him.
"Just refrain from ever mentioning them to me", said Voldemort, "And do try get yourself better company."
Harry nodded fervently.
"Good, now while at Berlin-"
The conversation about their trip to Germany went on for hours and through dinner time up until it was time for Harry to sleep. The next day most of their packed items were gathered up for the trip to Germany the next day and Nagini came slithering out of the dungeons with a huge lump in her body, obviously caused by eating somebody. Voldemort had to feel proud as he watched Harry follow Nagini around the Manor in morbid fascination as she recounted how she'd chased down the prisoner in the dungeons, played a bit with her food and then eaten it.
Even after spending so much time with blood-traitors and a Mudblood from Gryffindor Harry was still the same.
They rose early the next day and portkeyed to a safe location in Berlin and spend the following few days with the people Voldemort was making a business agreement with. After that they decided to go to near Leipzig, where an all wizarding little town was located.
"Watch your step!", Harry heard his father warn as he ran through the thick snow on the streets.
"I'm going to the shops!", called Harry as he entered a sweets shop. His father was going to find a safe house for during their stay at the village and it was going to give Harry the whole morning free.
After buying as much sweets as his pockets could hold Harry went to the trinkets shop, followed by the Apothecary, and finally the Antique shop.
Gazing around all the ancient objects in the store Harry picked up an emerald compass and inspected it.
"That one belonged to a very prominent German wizard, he was known to like Muggle trinkets so he had an emerald Muggle compass made for himself", said the shop keeper with barely any German accent.
"Why would a wizard want a Muggle compass", said Harry, placing down the item and looking up. His emerald eyes immediately caught a beautiful pendant hanging at the end of the shop, behind the counter.
"There. That pendant over there, how much?"
The shop keeper immediately saw what he was referring to.
"No, no, I'm afraid that one is cursed."
Harry only grew more interested, "Cursed how?"
"I – I'm not sure – the previous owner of the shop – my father – told me so", said the man.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Then how can you be sure? How much?"
"I – I-", the shop keeper seemed to be struggling.
"How much?", Harry demanded.
"Five hundred Galleons", he finally gave in.
Digging into his pockets that didn't have sweets Harry somehow managed to get five hundred Galleons out and still have a few left over.
Depositing the pendant in Harry's hands the man took a step away, almost as if expecting Harry to drop dead on the spot.
Ignoring him Harry went outside and began to examine the pendant in day light. Finding a clasp at the side Harry pried it open and saw inside it engraved 'Gellert Grindelwald'.
"Huh, the poor chap didn't even know that he had something that probably belonged to Grindelwald himself", murmured Harry as he examined the rubies adorning the outside of the pendant.
"Harry!", he heard his father call and quickly placed the pendant around his head and hurried after his father.
So I tried my best with the Harry-Voldemort dialogue part and actually had to re-write it more than once. That's the end product. Hopefully it isn't too bad.
Please feel free to nitpick me as much as you want. Britpicking is also welcomed.
Please review!
