Memories on A Wintry Night

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, the Slytherins awoke to find the grounds covered with a thick blanket of snow that had fallen in the night. Goyle employed his fire spells to melt a clear path. The lake had frozen solid, and the snow-covered hill beckoned all the students, who were waiting for the weekend.

The roaring fires in both the Slytherin common room and their individual dormitories made the House a cozy haven of light and warmth. Elsewhere, only the Great Hall was remotely comfortable. In the rest of the draughty castle, the corridors were ice-cold, and the bitter wind constantly rattled the classroom windows. It was just as well the dorm had a stove, otherwise it would have been unbearable.


00O00

"You must come with me for the hols, I've told mum so much about you," said Sadie, smiling at him with the lips of her green mask. She leaned close so that her purple hair tickled his cheek; "your mother should come too. Mum knows about her and she's welcome."

"Great! We'd love that," said Harry.

Hedwig flew into the Great Hall and dropped a letter onto the table.

Dear Harry,

We hope your school year is going well. We cordially invite you to join us for the Solstice Eve celebration at Malfoy Manor.

Best wishes,

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy

Ah… could this be awkward. He showed Sadie the letter and she gazed at it through the eye holes in her mask. Her disfigured green face stretched slowly to form a smile. "Well that is kind of them. Um… you can do both if you wanted, Harry. Go to the Malfoy's Solstice Eve celebration and stay the rest of the hols with us. Cora can stay with us the entire break if Dumbledore lets her." She flicked a strand of purple hair away from her green mask. "He should let her."


00O00

"I do feel so sorry," Weasley said loudly as he walked past the Slytherin table the next morning at breakfast, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts because they aren't wanted at home."

"What are you driveling about, Weasley?" said Draco in that drawl he reserved for Gryffindors. "Potter gets to visit Malfoy Manor. Something you can only dream of."

Weasley had been even more irritating since the Quidditch match. He'd been disgusted that Gryffindor had lost so stunningly and were still in third place for the cup, and had tried to make people laugh by saying that a wide-mouthed toad would soon be replacing Harry as Seeker. This made no one laugh except himself, because everyone was impressed with the way that Harry had managed to stay on his out-of-control broomstick. Jealous and bitter, now Weasley couldn't find anything to taunt Harry about.

In the Potions dungeon, the Gryffindors arrived, Professor Snape came out of his office, and the lesson began. They set to work on the Hair-Raising Potion.

"How long must the rat tails simmer in the potion?" demanded Snape.

Sadie, Theo and Hermione Granger bounced up and down on her seat jerking her hand up in the air.

Snape ignored Hermione. "McIntyre!"

"One hour, Sir."

"Correct."

Hermione looked disappointed. Sadie gave her a small smile with the lips of her mask, but she just gazed dolefully back.

Sadie had come on in Potions much more than Harry had. She had an affinity for the subject. It was part of her interest in magical experiments and her desire to be some kind of Dark Healer.

Longbottom and Weasley were at a bench together. The pair had worked in tandem ever since the other Gryffindors had realized that they were both hopelessly inept at Potions and that the rest of them stood a better chance of earning good marks by not being anywhere near either one of them. They lost Gryffindor many points, but that would have happened regardless.

Hermione started trying to give them instructions she thought were helpful. "You're stirring it all wrong, Ron…"

"Shut up, you living nightmare with no friends. Can't you see no one in Gryffindor or Slytherin can stand you?"

Hermione stood stunned for a second, her eyes tearing up. Harry felt sorry for her, annoying as she was. It wasn't surprising she had no friends, especially in Gryffindor where they weren't interested in studying.

Crabbe and Draco sniggered.

"Oooh, what a burn!" said Crabbe. "No one disagrees with that."

Sadie hurried over to the Gryffindor girl, her purple hair swishing behind her, and patted Hermione on the arm. "Hang in there, honey" she said softly. "He's just a mean boy."

Hermione sniffed and nodded, her bottom lip still quivering.

"What would you know about it, you hideous, self-mutilated freak?" Demanded Weasley. "Get yourself a new face." The other nine Slytherins raised their wands at that, but Snape gave them a cold glare and they desisted.

"Weasley, for your constant ill behaviour in my class despite warnings, you now lose Gryffindor twenty points and earn yourself the last detention I am giving this term. Quite a distinction. Normally I show first years leniency."

The Gryffindors all scowled at Weasley. Even Neville looked annoyed. Sadie went back to Harry's bench. Her green mask of a face was impassive, but Harry kissed her lightly on the cheek anyway to comfort her.


00O00

When they went up to dinner, the Great Hall looked fantastic. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and a full dozen Christmas trees stood around the room. Some of the trees sparkled with tiny icicles; others glittered with hundreds of candles. Another tree was decorated with thousands of golden bubbles.

"Wizards are creative with holiday decorations," Harry said as they sat down.

He looked up as a fluttering caught his attention and gave a smile at the sight of multi-coloured butterflies floating about his head, flying in swirling patterns. He rose a hand to catch one, but his hand passed through it, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

"I didn't cast that," Pansy replied, blowing a large bubble of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. It cracked loudly and a bright blue bubble floated off towards the ceiling. "Sadie's parlour tricks are working now. Aren't they, darling?"

Sadie's green face stretched into a grin. "Why thank you. Perhaps I should start charging for them?" She winked.

Draco snorted. "So, Sadie, want to explain why you'd stand up for Granger?"

"Because the poor thing doesn't have any friends to stand up for her. She really has no idea how she comes across... So sad." Sadie sighed.

"Yeah, Draco, a little consideration for others isn't a bad thing. Even if it's for a Gryffindor," said Harry, sticking out his tongue at Draco. Draco playfully poked him.

That night, Harry was again woken by nightmares. Images of flashing green lights and high, cold laughter... The dark of the dorm room felt cloying, and the drapes of his bed reminded him of walls bearing down on him. Discomforted, Harry slipped on a robe and his shoes, making his way out into the Common Room.

Normally, the room had a fire going and at least one or two students to liven it up. When empty and dark, the furniture seemed to take on a tall, gloomy feel, like rows of ominous, judging figures. Shadows danced around, disturbed by the eerie light coming from the windows to the lake, and dark shapes darted past.

Harry wanted his mother. He had to look for her. He dashed out of the passageway and into the hallway, making his way up the various stairs. He took less used paths, and kept to areas where he could duck away behind objects or into a dark corner, but as time went he began to feel more confident about his ability to get around unnoticed. After all, there were only a few members of the faculty, and this castle was huge.

Unsure where to go, Harry peeked into an empty classroom. Was his mother here?

The room wasn't empty, however. Standing in the centre of the room, lightly reflecting the pale moonlight filtering in from the windows, was a full-length mirror. Curious, Harry walked up to it, eyes idly tracing his reflection.

He gave a little start. He saw a crowd of people in the mirror. He saw his mother beaming at him, with her green arms around his reflection… And Sadie. Sadie's green face was alight with happiness as well. And there were Harry's other friends from Slytherin crowded around them. Somewhere in the distance, Quirrell was being led away… defeated at last. Of course it had to be him who was the villain. Harry didn't want it to be Snape.

Draco and Tracy made their way to the front to stand on either side of Cora. Every single one of them was smiling and waving. At him.

Harry waved weakly back, and raised one hand to wipe at the tears. Reflection-Draco rolled his eyes and punched Reflection-Harry's shoulder playful, though the real one couldn't feel a thing. His mum's arms wrapped tighter around him and Sadie. Harry couldn't wait for the three of them to be together.

A part of him wanted to rush back to the dorms, shake his friends awake, and drag them up to see this. Another much louder part of him wanted to stay right here and never move again. That part won out. After all, they wouldn't thank him for waking them up at such a miserable hour, would they?

Settling down in front of the mirror, arms wrapped around his legs

Harry had no idea how long he sat there, staring, before he was jerked out of his stupor by a noise behind him. By that point the first rays of dawn were making their way out through the window. The boy spun, irrationally furious at whoever had woken him up, and found Snape standing there, eyes wide as he took in the small form on the floor.

Before he'd even thought the action through, Harry was on his feet. "Sir?"

Snape ignored his words, making his way around the room until he could see the mirror's reflection, and Harry wondered if he could see his family too. "Indulge me for a moment, Mr. Potter." Snape's voice was the quietest Harry had ever heard it, and felt almost...cleaner. Like it had been stripped of something dark and festering. "What do you see?"

Vaguely wondering if he'd fallen asleep and this was a dream, Harry glanced back at the mirror.. "I see my mother and my friends." The urge to add a 'sir' at the end hit him, but Harry resisted. Somehow he felt that would break the strange atmosphere between them.

A broken, bubbling noise made its way from Snape's mouth, and Harry realized with a lurch that it was supposed to be a laugh. A very bitter, sad laugh, that had rotted and died somewhere dark long ago. "You are wiser than I was at your age." Snape came up so he was standing in front of the mirror. "Do you know what this does?"

Harry gulped, and gave a little half-shrug. "It shows us people we love?" He ventured. After all, Harry knew he was seeing was exactly who he loved.

"Close." The professor replied, and his hand came up as Harry's had earlier, and like his only met glass. That seemed nearly enough for the Potions Professor, though, and the barest ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "It shows us our very deepest desires. The things we want more than anything else."

"May I ask who you see, Sir?"

The professor didn't respond, but he had no reason to. Instead he dropped his hand and took a step back. Finally, the formidable professor turned to look at the boy. His eyes were, for the first time in recent memory, soft and nearly warm. Some little part of Harry thought that the change made Snape seem much less like the scary, bat-like man he knew... "Many men and women, magic and muggle, have gone mad watching this mirror, Mr. Potter. Let's go." He placed on large hand on Harry's back and gently led the slightly reluctant boy out of the room.

Poor Snape. Had he lost someone he loved? Well Harry no longer suspected him of foul play in the Quidditch match. Quirrell must be the villain.