The next morning, Alessia rose early after having fallen asleep at around midnight. Despite being tired from the exciting day, she had tossed and turned. After Harry, Alessia, and the Weasleys had returned to the Gryffindor common room, Harry broke in his new chess set and lost horribly to Ron even though Percy had tried to help him. Following a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, Harry and Ron were too full and too sleepy to do much before bed. They watched Percy chase Fred and George around the tower with their brother's Prefect badge in hand while Alessia sat, curled up under her blanket, reading the book Nikos gave her. She had gone to bed with the thoughts of how she also strived to have a sense of belonging like the characters in the story, which she certainly did not feel.
Groggily, Alessia changed into a white blouse and an olive green cardigan, the latter of which her grandfather had gifted her the day before. Lacing up her boots, she heard a tapping on the window. She half expected it to be Altheda with a letter from Persephone telling her they had arrived home, but it was an unfamiliar owl - one of the Hogwarts ones. It had a small box and letter attached to its leg.
Opening the window to a gust of icy wind, Alessia untied the parcel from the owl and it flew off into the cloudy sky. She sank onto her bed and tore open the envelope to read the note:
This is your finished allergy potion. Drink 10 mL per day until the bottle is empty. (The cap should be the right amount.) There should not be any side effects.
Professor Snape
Alessia took her dose of the potion ("Eugh!") and then tore the parchment off at Professor Snape's name. She descended the stairs holding her blanket and copy of Sense and Sensibility. The fire was freshly lit and the common room was empty. After setting down her book and blanket, Alessia knelt down before the fire and placed the parchment in the flames, letting it turn to ash. She couldn't risk letting her gossipy roommates find the note when they returned.
Setting herself up in a crimson armchair and sniffling a little from the still present Christmas tree, Alessia continued her reading from where she left off. She was halfway through the first volume. Putting down the book, she let herself admire a line of writing. It was powerful. It made her feel - feel something more than the perpetual discomfort she had here away from home. Unaware of the gentle footsteps behind her, she sighed.
"Boo!" Fred shouted, grabbing Alessia's shoulders. She jumped and the book toppled off her lap, onto the floor just before the fire.
"Bloody hell," she muttered, reaching for the book. George picked it up first and read the title.
"What's this?" he inquired.
"Present from Nikos," Alessia replied, rubbing her nose. "He always gives me Muggle books."
George placed the book back into her outstretched hand. "What's it about?"
"Simple version of a description or complex version?"
"Simple."
"Loss of love, loss of family, loss of home, morality, betrayal, pain, et cetera, et cetera," Alessia listed, her voice coarser than normal.
"Sounds…" Fred said.
"Like life?"
"I was going to say 'depressing'."
"So is life."
Alessia sat silently next to Harry at breakfast, barely picking at her food. He and Ron were discussing a mirror that Harry had come across last night after trying to find Nicolas Flamel in the Restricted Section.
"You could have woken me up," said Ron, sounding cross.
"You can come tonight, I'm going back. I want to show you the mirror."
Harry nudged Alessia with his elbow. She'd been absently poking the same scrambled egg for the last minute. She looked up at him, "What?"
"Want to come with us?"
Alessia shrugged half-heartedly and rubbing her itchy eye. "C'mon," Harry said. "You should."
"I'd like to see your mum and dad, Harry," Ron said eagerly.
"And I want to see all your family - all the Weasleys - you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone."
"You can see them any old time. Just come round my house this summer. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Why aren't you two eating anything? The food's delicious!"
Alessia returned to reading Sense and Sensibility. Harry just looked like he was in deep thought.
"Are you two all right?" Ron asked. "You look odd."
"Do you actually care about me? You've no reason to," Alessia stated coldly before leaving the table.
She spent the day huddled in a corner, reading her book away from the others, still sniffling from her allergy. It was clear to even Fred and George not to bother her. When they had spoken to her about the book that morning and she had told them life was depressing, the normally cheerful and quick-witted twins had sat in silence, unsure of what to say or do. Later that evening, Harry kept glancing over at her and finally approached her armchair.
"So," Harry began tentatively. "Did you want-"
"Yes," Alessia replied shortly. "Between the two of you, you're sure to get caught. At least if I come, I can talk us out of trouble or open a bloody door that doesn't lead to something that'll probably kill you."
With Harry, Ron, and Alessia huddled under the Cloak that night, they had to walk slowly and retraced Harry's steps from the library, wandering in the dark passageways for what felt like an eternity.
"I'm freezing," Ron whined. "Let's just forget it and go back."
"No!" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."
After they passed the ghost of a tall witch, Ron began to whine more about how his feet were ice cold. Alessia snapped at him to shut up.
"It's here - just here - yes!" Harry whispered.
They pushed the door open. Harry slid the Cloak off of them and sprinted towards a mirror. Alessia approached the magnificent, gold ornate object slowly, reading the inscription at the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
"See?" Harry whispered as Alessia reached his side.
Her face was blank. Deep in thought, she stepped closer. Her dark reddish-blonde waves hung like curtains around her face. She'd only ever seen pictures of the tall, burly man standing next to her in the mirror. His sandy blond hair was combed neatly to the side. The man's light green eyes were bright from the smile on his face. His skin was fair and dotted with freckles like Nikos's.
"Dad," Alessia breathed.
On her other side was her grandmother. Lucilla McLaren-King was just as Alessia remembered her. The woman's long rich brown hair was pulled neatly into a bun, silver littering the strands. Her olive skin was tanned lightly, giving a gold appearance, and very wrinkled. She had high cheekbones and rounded features, which contrasted with Persephone's structured jawline. Grandma Lucilla had always told Alessia that Persephone took after Theron in looks, making her look more Greek than Eastern European, but Eris took after the Italian, Russian, and German in her, allowing softer, oval features. Alessia had forgotten that her own skin tone was so much like her grandmother's. Even her eyes had light green at the edges of her irises, blending with the light brown.
Alessia looked back at her own reflection, her face still impassive. She was smiling widely back at herself. She noticed another figure - a familiar one.
Alessia turned on her heel, leaving Harry to stand alone. Ron stepped up. "I don't see anything," he said. Alessia was leaning against the wall, her eyes expressing grievous pain, and sank to the floor. She stifled a sneeze, now looking rather frustrated.
"Look!" Harry beckoned. "Look at them all… there are loads of them…. "
"I only see you."
"Go," Harry said. "Look in it properly." He stepped aside. "There. You see them don't you?"
"That's me!" Ron declared. "Only I'm Head Boy, and I'm holding the Quidditch Cup. And bloody hell! I'm Quidditch Captain too."
Ron tore his eyes away from the mirror to look at Harry, his face in a wide grin.
"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"
"How can it?" Alessia whispered just loud enough so that her voice carried to the boys. "Harry's family is dead. So are my dad and grandma."
"Let me have another look!" Harry demanded. Alessia stood up, looking in the direction of the door.
"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time," Ron said loudly.
"You're only holding the Quidditch Cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents!"
"Don't push me!"
"Shut up!" Alessia hissed in a low voice. "Someone's in the corridor outside." She grabbed the Cloak. "Quick! Under here!"
The boys slipped under it just as Mrs. Norris rounded the corner. They all stood still, wondering the same thing. Did the Cloak work on cats? The feline paused before them, staring. Then she left.
Ron let out a sigh of relief. Harry reminded them, "She might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us."
"This isn't safe - we have to go," Alessia stressed. "Come on."
She and Ron pulled Harry from the room.