AN: Yes, I know it's been a very, very long time since I have updated and I only feel horribly guilty about it. But after editing all of my previous chapters for minor errors and details, I have been inspired to come back to this! Let's get some creative juices flowing. I hope you enjoy this chapter and it makes up for my period of disappearance at least a little bit. Hopefully more to come soon
"What's this? Ron reached under the Christmas tree and came out with a package in his hand.
"You say something, Ron?" Cat asked from the couch.
The three had collapsed from exhaustion around the Common Room after their snowball fight. There was non-melting snow left everywhere and the children had forgotten about presents during their game.
"Yeah, there was another parcel hidden behind the tree," Ron checked for a name. "It's addressed to both of you."
Cat poked her head over the couch and looked at Harry lying on the floor. "Something for both of us?" Cat murmured. "Strange." She hopped over to Ron, took the gift, and went over to Harry. "Shall we?"
The twins gingerly removed the wrapping paper to reveal the hidden item within. They lifted a large amount of fabric with a beautiful pattern of glimmering moons and stars.
"It's a cloak," offered Ron upon seeing their mystification.
"It's so pretty."
"Try it on, Cat," Harry urged.
"Think I should?" He nodded. "Alright, then you'll have a go." Cat grinned as she stood and took the cloak fully into her hands. She twirled the material around and pulled it about her body. "How's it look?"
Her question was met with silence.
"Guys…?"
"I'm not sure how to put this," Harry began, "but it doesn't look like anything…"
"I don't understand. Is it that bad?" Cat frowned and started to remove the cloak.
"No, no! That's not what I mean, it's just—"
"It's just that we can't see you. We can't see you at all anymore," Ron gestured towards Cat.
"I don't know what you mean! This doesn't make any sense, I—" She glanced down to where her feet would have been and was shocked to find they were seemingly gone. She couldn't see any part of her and didn't know what was happening. "Where's my hand! My legs, my feet? Where have I gone?!" Cat ran across the room to make sure she could still use her missing limbs. In her haste the cloak slipped off and once again revealed her.
"There you are, Cat!"
She glanced at her appendages and smiled nervously. "Yes, here I am. Back in one, visible piece."
"Oh!" Ron exclaimed. "How could I have been so stupid? I know what that is!"
"You do?"
"What is it?"
The Potter twins were in complete disbelief and still a bit of shock.
Ron smiled. "That is an invisibility cloak. A right good one too; I've never heard of a cloak that made the person wearing it completely disappear from sight. Usually you'd still be somewhat detectable… Anyway, they're really rare. Some Christmas present, huh!"
"Yeah. Who is it from?" Harry went to retrieve the wrapping paper.
"I don't think it said," Cat answered. "Our names were on it, but I didn't notice anything else."
"You're right, there's no sender listed. Who could it be from?"
"I don't know… But I do know just how this will come in handy," Cat smiled slyly.
"With?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"With our inquiry into a certain person of interest; Mr. Nicolas Flamel."
Cat decided it would be best if she went into the restricted section since she could navigate the library pretty quickly and easily. Harry wouldn't agree to her sneaking off alone, so the pair waited until around midnight to begin their journey. Pulling their invisibility cloak around both of them, and making sure no feet were showing, they silently crept out of the portrait hole and made their way to the library.
Neither spoke a word or made a sound while roaming the halls. There was no sound at all, other than the occasional snoring portrait. There was no sign of Filch which implied this may be an easy task after all. Once they made their way inside the library and then into the restricted section they removed the cloak and ventured to whisper.
"I'll be over there in the Historical Figure section, you stay here and…keep watch," Cat hastily said in hushed tones. Harry nodded his assent and turned to face the entrance.
Cat quickly made her way to the section she believed might hold the key to Nicholas Flamel. She had only just begun skimming books when she heard Harry rustle around and glass shatter. Cat spun around to face Harry when they heard a familiar and unwanted voice:
"Hey! Who's in there? Students aren't to be out of bed!" Filch was outside the library door and would soon be right on top of them.
Harry and Cat scrambled to get under the cloak and completely covered before he could come in. They rushed to the entrance of the restricted section but Filch was already entering and fast approaching where they stood. The two were forced to back into a bookshelf and sidle along into a corner, hoping he wouldn't tread upon them.
Filch slowly turned in a circle with his lantern held high, searching everywhere for any sign of a student to be punished. Once his back was turned Cat and Harry stealthily crept past him and into the main section of the library. Seeing the door open to the corridor they bolted as fast as they could while keeping hold of their cloak.
The children paused by a suit of armor to catch their breath and looked around.
"Uh, Harry..." Cat began in a hushed voice.
"Yeah, Cat?" his whisper barely audible.
"Do you know where we are?"
Harry turned to his sister, frowned, and shook his head. Getting lost in the giant castle had not been part of the plan. Before either child could voice what their next step should be, a voice cut into their thoughts.
"Professor? You said I was to come to you about any wandering students and I'm sure there's been someone in the library just now. In the Restricted Section."
The two didn't know how Filch had made it to the corridor so quickly. Before they could give this a second thought, the professor responded, "Is that so? Well they can't have gone very far. I suspect we'll find them."
Cat could feel Harry tense upon hearing Snape's voice, frozen solid. She hurriedly pulled back against the wall, dragging Harry with her, as she saw two figures move around the corner towards them. As the adults came down the corridor, Cat tried to make herself as small as possible but watched as Snape's hand nearly brushed the fabric of the cloak. Once they were safe the Potters silently picked their way back, finding an open door to their left. A brief look around showed there were no other immediate places to go. The two held their breath as they squeezed their bodies through the door, just able to make it through the entrance.
They sighed in relief, looked at each other, and Cat burst into laughter. She quickly checked herself, closed the door without a sound, and erupted into a fit of giggles. Seeing Harry's confused face Cat remarked, "I don't know what came over me. It's silly, but that was so tense and I was so nervous I couldn't help myself but to laugh!"
Harry didn't seem to register what she had said but instead walked past her, his eyes fixed somewhere else.
"Harry? What are you—" Cat turned and saw what her brother was suddenly entranced by, finding herself under the same spell.
In the middle of what seemed to be an unused classroom was an enormous ornate mirror. It covered the space from floor to ceiling while standing on two strong clawed feet. The frame was heavy gold that shone even in the dark room. Eyeing the mirror with wonder, Cat discovered a carving near the top of the frame stating Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafre oyt on wohsi. "How strange," she murmured, "it almost seems..." Before she could finish her thought she was walking closer towards the mysterious mirror with Harry by her side.
Cat was still thinking over the inscription and the odd placement of the mirror when Harry suddenly grabbed her hand, pulling her from the mirror. The force brought her attention down from the top of the frame to the middle of the glass. Her eyes widened before she was spun around to meet Harry's own startled gaze.
"Was that—how could there—"
"I don't know but there is something more to this mirror."
Harry had first noticed the people reflected in the glass with no other bodies in the room to create them. Cat's mind was a buzz of confusion. Were the reflections real? Were they ghosts? Did this mirror possess a kind of magic they didn't yet understand? Following her curiosity she turned back and walked closer to the mirror. She tried to look into different faces but found she was drawn to the pair directly behind herself and Harry. It was like looking into an inverted picture. Above Cat was a man with messy black hair and glasses while a woman with red hair stood behind Harry.
"They look like us," she breathed. "Exactly like..." She trailed off as the realization set in. Looking at Harry's reflection she saw his eyes light up as he understood too. They hesitantly eyed the couple before whispering, "Mum? Dad?"
The figures nodded silently, smiling and crying, reaching out to touch their children's shoulders. Though they could not physically feel their parents, Cat and Harry felt a warmth from their presence. They looked closer now at the other faces and recognized the same green eyes or facial features. For the first time they were able to see their family.
The two stood in awe for some time, neither quite ready to leave. A distant noise finally drew their attention away and they knew they should hurry back to bed. "Don't worry, we'll be back."
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. Over breakfast Harry and Cat relayed their late night adventure. They did their best to describe the mirror they found, but couldn't fully put into words what they had seen.
"It was really them! We saw our parents and it was like they were there in the room, with us."
"The glass must be enchanted to show lost loved ones or families," Cat chimed in. "You have to see them, Ron!"
"Yeah, I'd like that. Let's go back tonight!"
For the rest of the day Cat and Harry were filled with excitement and joy over the prospect of returning to the mirror. They finally had an idea of who their family was, their real magical family, and this was undoubtedly the best Christmas they had ever experienced. Cat tried to continue reading into what books they had and Harry attempted to play Ron in Wizard's Chess, but the two were simply too distracted. When night finally fell the three stayed up in the common room and prepared for their little trip. Harry and Cat had paid great care to which corridors they took on the way back to the Gryffindor Tower to ensure they could find their way again. Picking up the cloak and drawing it over themselves, the three set out in search of the magic mirror. After much wandering about and retracing of steps, Cat and Harry recognized the suit of armor and then the door to the old classroom.
"It's here!"
"This is it"
The Potters hurried in, dragging Ron behind them, and rushed forward to the mirror. The cloak fell to the floor, forgotten, as the two looked earnestly into their parents' faces once more.
"Can you see them, Ron? They're here! They're still here," Harry called to their friend.
"No, I only see your reflections," Ron walked forward and squinted in an attempt to see anything other than the obvious.
"Try looking closer. Here, take my spot and have a look," Cat said, moving Ron into place and stepping back. "How about now?"
"Oh, wow! This is really wicked!" Ron was as enamored with the mirror as Cat and Harry had been. They were about to ask about his family reflected in the mirror when he continued excitedly, "There I am! I'm head boy holding the Quidditch cup! And, bloody hell, I'm Quidditch captain as well!"
Cat turned to Harry and they shared a confused look. This wasn't what they had anticipated and now the mirror's meaning became even more difficult to pin down.
"You think this mirror shows the future?"
"No. Our parents are dead, Ron. We don't have a future with them... Let me look again." Harry moved closer to the mirror with a sigh.
"Hold on, you two got to look at it all you wanted last night, give me some more time."
"So you can look at a Quidditch cup? No, Ron, move over so I can see my parents."
"No, you—"
"Guys, stop," Cat commanded softly but firmly. "I think we should leave. This mirror is starting to give me a bad feeling and...and maybe it's best if we don't come back." Harry started to protest but she continued, "At least for now. We don't know what it does or why it's here and I can't shake the feeling that if we stay here for too long, we'll never want to leave..."
She trailed off and headed back towards the door to retrieve the cloak. The boys followed and the three returned to their dormitory with one head giving a fleeting look back at the mysterious mirror.
The following night there was the sound of footsteps hurrying down the staircase from the boys dormitories. The sound made its way to the portrait hole but a voice called out and brought it to a halt.
"It's late and you shouldn't go back, Harry."
The familiar dark-haired head appeared from out of thin air. "What are you doing there?"
"Waiting for you. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist going back and that you would try to sneak off without me or Ron knowing." Cat peered over the couch and gave a small half-smile. "I would try to talk you out of going tonight but I know it won't work. So how about I go with you, one last time? To say goodbye."
Harry paused for a short time before conceding and Cat leaped over the couch. The two made their way through the castle a third time in three nights along the path they were starting to know well. Harry kept walking faster and faster, hurrying to make it to the room, with Cat trying to slow him down. She wanted to say something to him but the halls were dead silent and even the slightest whisper would carry.
Once they were inside the room Harry threw off the cloak and walked to the mirror again. He sat down in front of it and Cat watched from the doorway as his expression changed from desperate and pained to joy. She knew their parents were once again in the reflection even though she was too far to see them herself. She slowly made her way to sit beside her brother and share the view. They sat that way looking into the faces of their family for they didn't know how long before something interrupted their thoughts.
"Back again I see."
The children whirled around to find their Headmaster sitting on one of the desks. In the excitement to get to the mirror, they hadn't actually noticed anything else about the room.
"Hello, sir. We didn't see you," Harry murmured.
"Funny how that happens sometimes. You came to look deep into the reflections of this mirror and yet are having a hard time seeing."
"Yes, we are, Professor," Cat said softly and furrowed her brow. She felt she wanted to say something else but wasn't quite sure what.
"It would seem the two of you, like many others, have found the Mirror of Erised. I expect by now you have realized what it does?"
"Well...not exactly, sir. It shows me, er, us our family but Ron sees himself as head boy."
"This is true, Mr. Potter. What about you, dear, do you know what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Dumbledore turned his attention to Cat.
"I think so. I think it-that it shows," Cat struggled to get the words out and her voice started to break, "what we want more than anything else."
Dumbledore moved to clasp her shoulder. "Oh yes, yes, this is the mirror that will show you your heart's most desperate desire. I see you recognize the trouble and danger that can come from that, Miss Potter." Cat could only nod as the tears fell from her face. While Harry felt joy from looking into the mirror, Cat felt the overwhelming despair of realization that she could never have what she so painfully wanted: to have her whole family back. "The Mirror will be moved tomorrow and you two must not go looking for it. I'm afraid I must insist on this."
"Of course, sir," Harry replied quietly and began moving towards the door.
"Just a moment, please," Cat said. She turned and wiped her eyes looking into the mirror's reflection one final time. She stepped closer until she could see the faces of her parents. Their smiles tightened slightly and she nodded sadly. "I can't come back again so this is goodbye. I love you." A warm, fat tear erupted from her eye and she swiftly turned around before she could be sucked back into the mirror's magic. She had to turn and leave because she knew she wouldn't be able to go after seeing her parents' soft reply of "We love you, too."
