Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not J. K. Rowling. I'm just playing around in that world.

Chapter Ten: Christmas

"So, you have no idea where Harry found the name Nicholas Flamel?" Hermione looked over at her dorm mate.

Emmalee-Grace sat on the edge of her bed, watching Hermione pack. "Not a clue. Then again, it could have been before I met him. But that doesn't explain why I'm sure I've read it someplace, myself."

She glanced over at the enormous stack of books between her bed and Hermione's. They had scoured all of them in an effort to find Nicholas Flamel after Hagrid had let the name slip. However, nothing had turned up.

"I keep feeling like we're missing something." Emmalee-Grace bit down on her thumbnail. "Don't worry, though. I'm sure by Christmas Break's end, we'll have found Flamel. You go enjoy your time with your parents."

"It's too bad you and Harry have to stay here. I know you both miss your guardian."

The raven-haired girl shrugged. "It's alright. We'll see him again, once summer arrives. And I'm sure he'll send us presents to make up for this."

Hermione smiled. "I'll see you in January, Emmalee-Grace. Enjoy having our dorm all to yourself."

"See you in January, Hermione." Emmalee-Grace waved her friend out of the room.

Sighing, she turned to the new stack of books on her bed, hoping one of them held the information they were seeking.

Emmalee-Grace was awakened early on Christmas morning by Aconite gently shaking her shoulder.

"Master Sev is waiting for you. We need to go, now. Get dressed and meet me downstairs. I'll go get Master Harry."

With those words, the house-elf walked out of her room. Emmalee-Grace jumped out of bed, pulling on the first outfit that came to her hand, a pair of jeans and a thick, pewter sweater. She hopped down the stairs, trying to put on her shoes at the same time.

Somehow, Harry still had beaten her down to the Common Room, Aconite at his side. Harry was dressed like Emmalee-Grace, in jeans and a sweater, though his was crimson.

"I figured it would be something like this," he explained, lifting the present they had both pitched in to buy.

Emmalee-Grace glared at him. "You could have told me that. I would have been more ready for the early morning wake-up call."

"Come on. We mustn't keep Master Sev waiting," grumbled Aconite.

Clearly the house-elf was not thrilled about the time, either.

"Lighten up, Aconite," said Harry, smiling. "It's Christmas, after all."

The house-elf didn't answer. Instead, he led them out of the Gryffindor Common Room and down to Professor Snape's office in the dungeons.

"Happy Christmas!" Sev exclaimed, the moment the door closed behind them.

No longer dressed in the billowing black robes of Professor Snape, he was far more relaxed than he had been in months. Like Harry and Emmalee-Grace, he wore jeans and a sweater, though his was forest green.

Harry grinned. "Happy Christmas, Sev."

Emmalee-Grace took the present from Harry's hands and held it out to their guardian.

"You two didn't have to get me anything, you know." Sev shook his head. "You didn't last year."

"But was wanted to get you something this year," said Emmalee-Grace. "And you'll get another one on January 9th."

Harry nodded. "It's our way of saying thank you, after all. You didn't have to take in either of us, Sev. We just want to give something back."

Sev walked over, placing his present on his desk. Dropping to one knee, he pulled both of them into a tight hug.

"Just being able to spend time with both of you is thanks enough for me. I don't need any repayment. It is my honor and pleasure to be guardian to both of you," he whispered.

Harry and Emmalee-Grace both returned the hug. Tears shimmered in Emmalee-Grace's eyes.

"Now, who wants their presents?" Sev gave a laugh as he pulled back.

As Harry and Emmalee-Grace walked back to Gryffindor Tower, they knew Sev had been happy with the new chess set they had purchased by Owl Order. The new potions supplies would wait until his birthday.

Emmalee-Grace had already hung her new necklace around her neck. An onyx raven spread its wings, the chain connecting at the wing tips. Her own new chess set, made of silver, with sapphire eyes, rested in its box in her hands.

A new deck for Exploding Snap was in Harry's back pocket. A new watch rested on his wrist, with a cover that looked like a Golden Snitch. It had a small photo frame inside, with a picture of Sev, Emmalee-Grace, and himself, as well as his grandfather, taken last Christmas. The watch didn't just tell time, either. The face had three gold hands, used to tell the time. However, it had a fourth hand, which was thinner than the others and made of silver. All Harry had to do was ask where a person was and the silver hand would grow thicker and guide him.

"Wish I'd had this during the first week. With the professors in their classrooms, or at least near them, it would have made it easier to find our classes," said Harry, still grinning.

Emmalee-Grace nodded. "At least your watch is useful. I'm not sure about my necklace."

"You never know," replied Harry.

They returned to the Common Room to find Ron coming down the stairs, followed by his brothers, Fred and George.

"Where were you?" Ron asked.

Harry answered, "Getting our gifts to our guardian sent off. It just showed up last night."

"We'd have sent it directly to him, but we needed to add a personal touch," added Emmalee-Grace.

The Weasleys seemed to accept their explanation, before turning to the presents under the Gryffindor Christmas tree.

"Hey, Mum even sent you two Christmas presents!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry and Emmalee-Grace looked at him. "We have presents under the tree?"

Fred and George nodded. "Quite a few."

They both hurried over to examine the other gifts. Hagrid had sent both of them wooden flutes. Harry's sounded like an owl, while Emmalee-Grace's was a bit higher pitched. Hermione had sent both of them several Muggle sweets, sugar-free because of her dentist parents, as well as a Muggle fiction book she thought Emmalee-Grace might enjoy. Mrs. Weasley had sent more sweets, homemade fudge, especially. Also, there were two new sweaters, one for each of them. Harry's was an emerald green, almost the same color as his eyes. Emmalee-Grace's was an equally dark blue.

"At least she didn't put a letter on yours," remarked Fred.

George nodded. "We know our own names, don't we, Gred?"

"And it's not maroon," added Ron. "She forgets how much I hate maroon."

"Hey, Harry, who's this one from?" Emmalee-Grace slid another package over to him, as Fred and George took off to find and annoy Percy with his own new sweater.

Harry picked up the attached note and read it.

"No clue. Just that this was my dad's and I should use it well."

He carefully opened the package, revealing something that looked like liquid silver. Slowly, he lifted it, revealing a cloak.

Ron dropped the chocolate frog he had been eating. "I know what that is! Put it on, Harry!"

Harry wrapped it around himself.

"An Invisibility Cloak!" Emmalee-Grace exclaimed. "Mum used to tell me about them!"

"I'm invisible?" Harry exclaimed.

"So, where exactly is this mirror, Harry?" Emmalee-Grace whispered, trying carefully not to step on Harry's feet.

Harry turned and scanned the hall, spotting the suit of armor.

"There. It's in that room there."

Once inside, Harry practically flew to the mirror, to see his parents smiling down on him.

Emmalee-Grace hung back, examining the mirror as Ron took his turn looking into it.

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," she whispered. "Welsh, maybe? Certainly not Latin."

She pulled a small notebook from her pocket and wrote down the mirror's inscription.

"Hey, Emmalee-Grace, did you want to look? Maybe we can figure it out then," said Harry. "After all, I see my family, but Ron sees his 'future' or so he claims."

Slowly, she walked over to stand before the mirror, Harry and Ron on either side of her. She had to blink back tears as she stared at her reflection. Both boys still appeared, and Hermione was in the mirror, too, standing next to Ron, smiling.

It became impossible to fight back those tears as she saw the woman standing directly behind her. Long, elegant hands rested on Emmalee-Grace's shoulders. Red hair was neatly confined in a bun at the base of her skull, hair, Emmalee-Grace knew, would almost reach her knees when it was allowed to tumble free. Tears shimmered in her pale grey eyes, eyes identical to her daughter's.

"Mama," whispered Emmalee-Grace, placing her own hand on her shoulder.

Another person stood at her mother's side. His appearance, however, left Emmalee-Grace as puzzled as the mirror's inscription. One moment, he looked like Severus Snape. The next, he was Virgil Netherson. But it was his third appearance that confused her the most. He resembled the photos she had seen of a younger Michael Potter, or even those she had seen of Harry's father, James. Except, his eyes weren't hazel, like James's, or a medium grey, like Michael's. Instead, they were the same dark grey, almost black, that belonged to Sev.

Slowly, she backed away from the mirror, until they vanished.

"I think we'd better get out of here," she whispered. "I don't like that mirror."

A noise sounded behind them and the three of them disappeared back under the cloak. Just as they pulled the cloak around them, Mrs. Norris cam walking into the room. Carefully avoiding her, they left and sprinted back to Gryffindor Tower.

"So, Dumbledore says it shows the 'deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts?'" Emmalee-Grace demanded.

Harry nodded. "Why?"

"Of course!" She pulled her notebook back out of her pocket, placing it on the table. "If it's a mirror, it's perfect. The inscription isn't in another language. It's in English!"

Ron stared at her like she'd sprouted a second head. "That wasn't English!"

Emmalee-Grace smiled and slid her notebook over to him. Three lines were written on the page.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire

I show not your face but your heart's desire

"It's written backward!" She laughed.

Harry shook his head, laughing himself. "But that still doesn't help us find Flamel."

Whew. That chapter took a while to write. I had the hardest time figuring out what Emmalee-Grace would seen when she looked in the mirror. I also apologize if Christmas morning seemed a bit sappy, but that's how it came out when I wrote it. Thirty-two reviews and counting for this story! That's more than any of my others got, and those are finished. This one isn't even close! So, can I get a few more?