Disclaimer: I am continuing this story now but I am sorry for the wait as I had to deal with birthdays and summer chores and could not get a lot of free time to write them for a while and with a few new additions to my favourite story section and alerts for others I was distracted. For those who had reviewed my last updated story I am pleased with some of them but I will fix a few mistakes later as I just want to get these longer stories done soon and to continue with my other 1 chaptered stories.
I do not own anyone or anything related to Rowling's books.
"The Mirror of Erised," read Snape out loud.
Nickolas perked up at this as he remembered the name from somewhere but listened some more while trying to remember why he knew this.
Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.
Harry chuckled at the twins actions while Snape narrowed his eyes at the mentioning of Quirrell but continued reading.
The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. No one could wait for the holidays to start.
Perenell looked sympathetic at the owls troubles but kept quiet.
While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.
David said to Snape curiously "Why don't you place some kind of heating spells on the walls to save students from Flu or the cold during lessons in the winter and in the halls but have them controlled by the teachers" Snape raised his eyebrows at this idea and replied "We had not thought of that before but it may work if we are careful as some potions can react badly to certain conditions and the cauldrons are already heated and too much heat at certain times may cause problems for students who are brewing certain types of potions that can cause accidents" David nodded in acceptance of the answer and listened to the rest of the story.
"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."
The adults narrowed their eyes at the boys words while growling slightly and Snape thought to himself "I will have to speak to Draco when he comes to school about his attitude and try to curb his idiotic tendencies at goading people".
He was looking over at Harry as he spoke.
Perenell eyes flashed at this and held Harry close for comfort who was looking a little down at the jibes he was hearing about himself but smiled at Perenell in thanks which she returned.
Crabbe and Goyle chuckled.
Neville was thinking "Idiots"
Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them.
Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next.
Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick.
Nickolas and Neville chuckled at how daft the Malfoy kid was being about it all.
So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.
Nickolas and Perenell shouted out "WE ARE HIS FAMILY YOU DISGUSTING BRAT" as Harry looked at them in shock and said " really you are" in a small but astonished voice which Perenell said to him kindly "yes Harry as soon as we are done with this book Me and Nickolas will make sure you are a part of our family and not be going back to those horrid people ever again" to which Harry jumped up and hugged both of them shouting out " Thank you Auntie Nell, Uncle Nick" The elderly couple had wide smiles and tears of joy on their faces at their names made by Harry and along with Harry he felt so happy at this new development were they all sat together on the 3-person couch surrounded by the smiling group who were with them.
It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had.
Harry was told by Perenell who said " we can make it better for you as you will be with us this Christmas we promise you that Harry" to which Harry beamed about and hugged his new aunt and uncle tighter in happiness.
Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.
David nodded in thought at how much trouble the red headed idiot will be with Harry while his daughter may be with them during Christmas and not keep them in line while his wife was thinking along similar lines but smiling slightly at how thoughtful the Weasley parents were at visiting their son.
When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.
Nickolas and Harry chuckled at Hagrid's description.
"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.
"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them.
Jean groaned at the brats actions.
"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."
Augusta's eyes flashed at the insult towards the Weasley family who she knew were great people despite their poor living style.
Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.
Snape groaned at the possible outcome of this and his old-self's personality at the moment.
"WEASLEY!"
Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.
"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."
"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."
Snape said to the group " I am sorry for my book-self's actions and will try to not to be so harsh towards the children" The group nodded in thanks for this.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.
"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —"
Hermione said "It will do no good to be angry about it as you probably would not succeed in getting Malfoy back as it will make you just as bad as him by going down to his levels" The women in the room nodded at this while the males minus Snape thought differently.
"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."
Harry said to Snape quickly "sorry sir about that" Snape nodded in understanding of how Harry may have been feeling at the time.
"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."
So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.
"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?"
The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.
The Children smiled at the picture of the great hall at Christmas time along with the magical adults who also had their time at a Hogwarts Christmas when they were younger especially the Flamels who looked at another in warmth.(A/N: Will be explained later so be patient).
"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."
Nickolas raised his eyebrow at Hermione's actions as he would have thought that she could have at least taken a break from all the studying but did not say it out loud.
"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.
Jean smiled at this and hoped to see this in person some time.
"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?".
"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."
Nickolas stood up and said Jokely to Harry " Why Harry I thought you did know me Oh how I am wounded by your words" he finished dramatically to which most of the others chuckled about whereas Harry rolled his eyes at the joke towards him but did smile in good humor and played along " Oh but I do know who you are your old saint Nick" Harry finished mischievously with a joking twinkle in his eye that had everyone else laughing at along with Nickolas pouting about how he was beaten by His own joke but then got a funny idea and said "Oh come here you little prankster" and Nickolas grabbed Harry and began tickling him madly that sent Harry laughing and giggling like crazy under his new uncles tickling but the two stopped and sat back in their seat but still had wide smiles on their faces about their actions that everyone else smiled about how good the two were to each other.
"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it.
It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."
"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.
Nickolas raised his eyebrows at Hermione to which she quickly replied " I know now who you are sir" to which he nodded at.
"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."
"I'm sayin' nothin', said Hagrid flatly.
Snape nodded at this as Hagrid should be more careful about who he talks.
"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.
They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal?
Snape grimaced at how he was being blamed for this mystery.
The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book.
He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.
Nickolas said to the three children "Well I am a bit before those times so obviously you would not find me in those books" to which Hermione blushes at her lack of wisdom.
Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.
David shook his head at the boys stupidity and laziness.
Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Nickolas spoke to Harry and said "you should not be reading them at your age and experience anyway for a reason as some of the magics in those books are dangerous and unsafe for some people who are not knowledgeable about such subjects contained in the books and could be disastrous in those people's hands and if you want to learn about them ask someone who knows about it so they can help you" Harry nodded at this and made a note of it.
"What are you looking for, boy?"
Harry grimaced at the word 'boy' as it was used a lot from his relatives when he lived their.
"Nothing," said Harry.
Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.
"You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!"
Perenell shook her head at this but did not comment out loud.
Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library. He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.
Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.
Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.
"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."
"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is,"
David had a curious look on his face which made his family look at him so he explained " I used to hear stories from my dad about Nickolas Flamel as he taught Chemistry in a High School, that's a secondary school for preteen and teenagers of the ages of 11-17or 18 for the magical people in the room and Chemistry is like the Mundane version of potions and in my younger years I enjoyed the stories a lot so I would have told you about him if you asked.
Hermione asked "How come Grandpa never told me these stories when I was staying with him and grandma a few years ago when you and mum were at a dental conference" to which David sighed at but said to his daughter "Because he stopped being a teacher a few years before you were born as he had an accident during a class when he tried to do a few things that Nickolas Flamel had rumored to have done himself but ended up accidentally creating an explosion that had killed one of his students which he felt guilty about for years and he promised to never do anything like Flamel again and never tell another of his stories while he quit being a teacher".
Hermione was shocked at this information and hoped to help her grandfather who she cared for dearly as he was the one who made Hermione love learning things but never knew why until now but she kept quiet and thought about this some more but was cut off from her thoughts by Nickolas saying " I am sorry for this but what did your father try to do David" David was silent for a few moments and said " he tried to make Archean blaze powder" Nickolas was looking shocked at this and hurriedly explained to the confused people " What Archean Blaze Powder or ABP for short is a powder that can make any explosive or compound twice as strong and I had created this years before I had created the stone and is one of my few lesser known Achievements which I had only made it as a way of making better weapons and items like if it was mixed with a building item like cement it would make the item stronger and more stable when the structure was built or complete or make an explosive like gun powder more potent when used in a bomb or cannonball but if what I think is correct David's grandfather must have mixed the ingredients in the wrong order as it is very dangerous to make if you screw up the recipe for it" Everyone was gobsmacked minus Perenell at how an item could be used and how dangerous it would be and Snape asked " would I be able to see this as it may help in my Potion making as I am in need of something like this but could not get it anywhere" Nickolas nodded but told him they would speak later about this and so the group continued hearing about Harry's first year.
"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione.
Hermione shook her head at how unwise she was being but kept silent while David explained to the magical people what a dentist was.
Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel.
Harry looked a bit frightened at the look from Hermione but replied "Is it not okay to enjoy the Holidays at all" to which Hermione blushed at and mumbled a "no its fine" while berating herself at how she was acting.
They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows —
Harry's stomach grumbled at the mentioning of food to which Perenell picked up on and snapped her fingers and a small tunic wearing creature appeared that said "Madams Perenell needings Floppy for something" to which Perenell smiled and said " Yes could you bring us some snacks and tea for everyone Floppy" The little creature in the tunic nodded and disappeared to which Perenell explained to the shocked non Magical people who had seen the creature "That was Floppy my House elf who is a part of a species of elves that serve magical people and before you go on about slavery and such things they need to serve and care for us as it is a part of their life contract with their owners who in return of their ownership give them jobs and such to make them feel happy at helping their owners in some ways and they also live off our own magic and if the elf in question is no longer needed the owner must give them their clothes as it breaks the contract between both the elf and human but the elf must find a new owner soon as without he magic of their old owner they will die but their are some families that treat their elves horribly and make them punish themselves badly but that is only those who are the elite of Pureblood arrogance like the Malfoy family". The non magical people think on this especially Hermione who deflates at how she may have acted if she had not known the full details of House elves and made terrible mistakes in the future as it seems that she would have been excessive in trying to help the elves but really hindering them and further promises herself t be more open minded and not so obsessive over some things.
and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled,
Harry smiled at this along with Neville.
which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.
Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned,
Harry was startled by Perenell's warning look and quickly apologized about his future comment.
it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.
Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all. He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing.
Nickolas said to Harry " just ignore the pieces voices as they are meant to throw you off track and they are charmed to make it more difficult for an inexperienced player or make the owner of the chess set more able to win he game" Harry nodded and made a note of it.
"Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him."
On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.
Perenell frowned at this and said to Harry " Of course you'll have presents and you will get some from us this year as-well" Harry nodded in thanks.
When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.
"Happy Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.
"You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"
Nickolas shook his head at the way Harry was in the book.
"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's.
Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it — it sounded a bit like an owl.
Harry smiled at Hagrid's gift and promised to get him one for Christmas.
A second, very small parcel contained a note.
We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.
Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.
The adults growled in anger at the Dursley's so called gift while the two other children (Neville & Hermione) narrowed their eyes at Harry's treatment by the Dursleys.
"That's friendly," said Harry.
Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.
"Weird!" he said, 'What a shape! This is money?"
"You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle — so who sent these?"
"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mum. I told her you didn't expect any presents and — oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."
"A what" Harry said confused.
Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.
Perenell and Jean smiled at the kind gift.
"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."
"What's wrong with that" Neville said confused as well as Harry was himself.
"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.
His next present also contained candy — a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.
Harry smiled at Hermione and said " Thanks for the chocolate Hermione" to which she replied "Your welcome".
This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.
Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds.
Nickolas's attention sharpened at this.
Ron gasped.
"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione.
"If that's what I think it is — they're really rare, and really valuable."
"What is it?" Neville said impatiently.
"What is it?"
Both boys blinked at this but chuckled at how they repeated the same thing.
Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.
"It's an invisibility cloak,"
The adults and Neville looked shocked at this but waited for more information.
said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is — try it on."
Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.
"It is! Look down!"
Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible.
He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.
Nickolas was thinking on who would give Harry a cloak of this kind but could not find an answer so he waited for some more information on it from the book.
"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"
Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:
Your father left this in my possession before he died.
It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
A Very Happy Christmas to you.
Nickolas was pensive and thinking on the who he knew had that style of writing and why he had it in the first place.
While he was thinking this Harry was shocked at him getting a gift that also belonged to his father and was excited at how he would be getting it at Christmas.
Everyone else was thinking as-well about the now known mystery gift and who could have given it to Harry.
There was no signature.
"I wonder who sent it," Neville said out loud voicing everyone else's thoughts.
David then said "I think that it could have been someone Harry's parents trusted or knew but they were waiting until Harry came back to the magical world and could send it to Harry from were they were" Everyone else nodded at the answer and continued to listen to the book.
Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.
"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"
"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?
Harry smiled at this and he actually felt warm inside at finally getting something from his parents that belonged to them once before they passed away which he was a little sad about but then thought on how he will have a new family to spend his holidays instead of wistfully thinking on how he could have had Christmas's with his parents if they lived now with him.
Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in.
Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.
"Happy Christmas!"
"Hey, look — Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!"
Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.
"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."
Perenell frowned at this as it is a nice gesture but she had an uncomfortable feeling about this woman but did not say it.
"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."
"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.
Harry frowned at this and said "If he doesn't like the color then why does he not send a letter or tell his mother that he likes a different color and not that one he has right now before Christmas or at home" Hermione answered for him " He probably thinks she will forget or not even bother to change the color" Harry nodded at this and returned to listening to the story.
"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge."
Nickolas chuckled deeply at that and so did most of the people in the room at the red headed twins antics.
"What's all this noise?"
Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.
"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."
"I — don't — want —" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.
Augusta frowned at this as she cannot fathom why the boy did not put on his gift from his mother.
"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."
Both Flamels pointedly looked at Harry at this reminding him of their announcement earlier to which Harry smiled at and hugged the two tighter.
They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.
Nickolas smirked at the Twins fooling around.
Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner.
Perenell looked at Harry with a grimace at how he was treated at the Dursley household to which Harry picked up on and then whispered to her and said
"I know why you are looking at me like that and I do not care about those people at all and I will not see them again if I am with you Auntie Nell" Perenell smiled warmly at Harry and have his shoulder a squeeze of thanks for his calming words.
A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce
Floppy returned with a pop at that moment with a couple of tray's filled with tea,cakes and sandwiches levitating above her that she set on the nearby coffee table and when done the little elf bowed and popped away and everyone took a filled tea cup and a few sandwiches or cakes for themselves and enjoyed the refreshments before continuing with the listening of the story.
– and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.
These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet,
Nickolas shook his head mumbling "Albus" and listened some more.
and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.
Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice.
Jean winced in worry at how the boys teeth would be sore after that.
Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek,
who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.
Nickolas shook his head at the two adults who he knew from Albus had done this every Christmas since they were on staff together and Augusta was thinking on how drunk the two must be.
When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner.
Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds.
Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron.
Nickolas leaned in towards Harry and said " I will have to teach you how to play chess sometime if you want" Harry nodded in thanks and agreement.
He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.
Neville grimaced at his friends troubles.
After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.
Everyone chuckled at this, imagining the picture of the twin Weasley's running about each saying "I've got your badge" over and over while confusing and frustrating the stuffy older sibling into chasing the two.
It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.
Nickolas was still pondering this.
Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.
His father's… this had been his father's.
Harry looked sad at how he may have felt at that moment but cheered up at hearing the next few sentences.
He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air.
Use it well, the note had said.
He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed
and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.
Use it well.
Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.
Harry blinked at this and thought on how he could be spotted if it fell off or the cloak was dropped in accident.
Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back — his father's cloak — he felt that this time — the first time — he wanted to use it alone.
Harry nodded at this and felt it was only right that he would be using it alone for his first exploration of Hogwarts at night while invisible.
He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.
"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.
Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library.
Nickolas groaned at this and looked at Harry and said " I told you it is dangerous to go there and you should be able to know that it is restricted for a reason" Harry nodded at this and mentally thought to be more careful and not so stupid as to go somewhere he was not to go to unless he knew what to do if he went there.
He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.
Nickolas was about to speak again at this but was cut off by the children all saying "we know who you are sir so please stop that" Nickolas pouted at this and his wife snickered at his face but looked back innocently when her husband looked at her which set the others off laughing until they went back to listening to the book.
He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked.
The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.
Harry shivered at this knowing why as remembering seeing a film with the Dursleys when he was 9 years old a year ago and he had to watch it as Dudley said so to Vernon and Petunia as a way for Harry's cousin to scare him as in the film a floating hand was seen in it and had jumped in the air by itself and had strangled a victim till they died and it made him have nightmares for weeks afterwards until he got over it. Perenell hugged Harry tighter when she felt him shiver thinking he was cold but was rewarded by a smile from Harry anyway.
The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.
They didn't tell him much. Their peeling faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all.
One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.
Nickolas shook his head and knew that it may have been as it might be a dark book on evil spells from what he remembered from his studies of certain spells contained in the restricted section of the library.
The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.
Nickolas looked nervous and suddenly remembered of the security spells in that section and hoped that Harry would be okay.
He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye.
Nickolas looked alarmed as he remembered that book himself and hoped Harry would not read it or take it as it was filled with very dangerous spells.
He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open.
A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence — the book was screaming!
"Merlin's beard. Just drop the book and run!" Nickolas shouted out nervously causing others to look at him which he explained " Harry will get caught by Filch if that man hears the noise and it may not be good for Harry if he is caught in the restricted section at night by Filch" everyone nodded and waited to find out what happened next.
Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note.
He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once.
Neville groaned at this and said " It would leave a trail for Harry if Filch finds it and starts looking for Harry" Harry looked sheepish and makes a note to himself about making sure not to do that again.
Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside — stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.
He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armour. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armour near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.
Perenell said to Harry " you should calm down and think right when you can then you can get safely back to your dormitory.
"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section."
Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice
David shook his head at this as it did not sound like a nice voice that you did not want to hear at night in an alley at all.
was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied,"The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."
Snape himself raised an eyebrow at this and said " I realize that you would be even more scared by my other self being there but you do know that I would not harm you at all" Harry nodded in appreciation.
Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him — the cloak didn't stop him from being solid.
Harry nodded at this and was complimented by Nickolas saying " Good Harry you at least can know that if you are in trouble and you can also stop that by being next to a wall or flat surface that would fool most people as they would not walk into a wall on purpose" he finished with a smile.
He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything.
They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away.
Harry sighed in relief at this.
That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in.
It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.
It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
Some people looked confused at this but Nickolas perked up and remembered the title at the beginning of the chapter and Hermione looked to have found something out so she said " Its backwards the letters like Leonardo Da Vinci did himself" from the confused looks of the magical people except The Flamels who perked up at the name which she would ask about later and continued "Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius who lived in the Italian Renaissance period and was an inventor, painter and a researcher who had created many wonderful things but some of them were never tested due to the prejudiced people who did not see how great they were at the time" The Magical people nodded at this but Nickolas said " Miss Granger I think that you are mistaken about a few things as Leonardo was also a Squib who came from a magical family but was forced to change his name and I knew this because I knew him when he was alive" Hermione looked shocked at this and asked "How did you know him Sir" Nickolas smiled and said " I knew him as I was alive back then and you will know why soon in this book so no asking but some of Leonardo's ideas did work and was presented and used but it was kept secret due to a small war back then that involved him and a colleague of sorts of his and I cannot say as I had sworn an oath not to say about it in detail " (A/N:Look up Assassin's creed 2 and its sequel Brotherhood for more information).
Hermione nodded reluctantly at this and with her and the rest of the group they continued to listen to Snape read from the Book.
His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again.
He stepped in front of it.
He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed — for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.
Hermione looked sad at this as she remembered her translation of the sign on the mirror but kept quiet.
But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror.
There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder — but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?
He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving.
He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air – she and the others existed only in the mirror.
She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes —her eyes are just like mine,
Snape looked shaken as he read this and closed his eyes thinking "Lily" but was startled by a small gasp from Harry who looked shaken himself at this and made Snape look at the no Lily's Child in sympathy.
Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green — exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.
Harry felt and ran his hand through his hair as he knew who the people in the mirror were.
Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.
"Mum?" he whispered. "Dad?"
They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees — Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.
Harry hugged Perenell and Nickolas tightly while keeping his eyes shut in the emotional pain going through him while the two were comforting the small boy with the woman rubbing his back and the man stroking his hair and neck meanwhile the others were in emotional states of their own with Neville hugging his Gran in pain of his own loss and Hermione hugging her parents tightly as-well thanking herself she had them with her. Snape himself was still thinking on his old red haired best friend and wishing she were here now with him but he opened his eyes and gave a loud cough to get everyone's attention which it did and said painfully "I think that we should continue this chapter then take a break from this for now once the chapter is done" everyone nodded silent for now as Snape continued reading.
The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them,
his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.
How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.
Nickolas spoke out slowly and said "you should not as it will only get worse for you" Harry looked confused but did not say anything as he just nodded.
"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.
"You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror."
"I'd like to see your mom and dad," 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," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"
Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents
Harry grimaced and was getting what his new uncle was meaning.
and would be seeing them again tonight.
He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore.
Nickolas shook his head as Harry was about to open his mouth to apologize meaning to Harry "Its fine I know what you mean".
Who cared what the three headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?
Snape grimaced at this and hoped that his false accusations will stop soon.
"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd."
What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.
"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."
"No!" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."
They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armor.
"It's here — just here — yes!"
Jean spoke out " You should have done this when it was warmer if you went there which you should not mind you" Harry looked embarrassed but did not speak out loud in agreement so he just nodded lightly.
They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror.
There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.
"See?" Harry whispered.
"I can't see anything."
"Look! Look at them all… there are loads of them…"
"I can only see you."
"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am."
Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.
Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.
"Look at me!" he said.
Nickolas had a thought on what the boys own vision would be.
"Can you see all your family standing around you?"
"No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!"
"What?"
"I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too."
Nickolas grimaced at probably why the boy can see this but does not say out-loud to the others.
Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.
"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"
Nickolas shook his head at this as it is not possible to do so.
"How can it? All my family are dead — let me have another look —"
"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."
"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."
"Don't push me —"
Harry looked sheepish at how he was acting but did not speak out loud about it.
A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion.
They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.
"Quick!"
Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing — did the cloak work on cats?
Hermione was thinking "No but they can smell and hear the people under it" while grimacing.
After what seemed an age, she turned and left.
Hermione sighed in relief at the boys near capture by the cat.
"This isn't safe — she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."
And Ron pulled Harry out of the room.
The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.
"Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.
"No."
"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"
"No… you go…"
David said out-loud "That mirror is a menace and danger to Harry" Nickolas nodded in agreement and thought "I will have to talk to Albus about that mirror and see it destroyed".
"Why not?"
"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it — and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"
"You sound like Hermione."
Said girl raised her eyebrows at Harry who blushed and apologized which she nodded at.
"I'm serious, Harry, don't go."
Snape shook his head at the familiar word 'serious' and continued.
But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him.
That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.
And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all.
Except —
Harry wondered what it was.
"So — back again, Harry?"
Harry looked shocked at him being caught but was cut off from this by Neville saying "Well with how Harry's luck is so far it was a matter of time until he was caught" Harry pouted at this and huffed at the others who started to chuckle at how Harry was acting.
Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore.
Nickolas was surprised at this but kept quiet.
Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.
Harry grimaced at how the mirror made him act.
"I — I didn't see you, sir."
"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.
"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."
Snape raised his eyebrow at that as it did not sound like a delight to be nearly compulsed to look at things you will never have but did not speak out loud about it.
"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."
"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"
"It — well — it shows me my family —"
"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."
"How did you know —?"
"Yes how unless he..." Nickolas thought in confusion but stopped and found his answer at the next sentence.
"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"
Nickolas and Snape both looked at each other and silently communicated to speak to one another about this later about Albus Dumbledore's actions at the moment.
Harry shook his head.
"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"
Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want… whatever we want…"
"Yes and no,"
David looked annoyed at this and kept thinking of what he could mean.
said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them.
Augusta thinks to herself "I will have to speak to Molly next time I see her about how she has been treating his own son and how to deal with the child's insecurities" (A/N: Yeah right she can talk and if you want to hear a rant about Augusta then read my last updated story - Mystic Life Year 2 chapter 13 for some bashing of the woman).
However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.
Harry looked down at this but a moment later he steels himself and continues to listen.
"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,
"Smart words," Jean said in agreement.
remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"
Harry stood up.
"Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"
"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."
"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"
Nickolas looked sad at this as he knows what would be seen but does not want to say it at all out of respect for Albus.
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."
Nickolas snorted at this as it does seem like something Albus would say in good humor.
Harry stared.
"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
Perenell looks at Nickolas and both silently decide on what to send the man for Christmas for the fun of it.
It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful.
But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.
Harry nodded at this and was startled by Snape saying "That's the end of this chapter" Everyone nodded and went to take a break for a while where some others went to talk about certain things that needed discussed.
Read and Review and for those who want to talk about this chapter send me a PM or Review also I had to put in a few things to make it a bit more interesting other than just characters reading the books and talking about it anyway I will update again soon in a couple of days but it may be my other story as I might switch between the 2 of them every chapter each.
PLEASE SEND MORE REVIEWS FOR MY STORIES AS I LIKE READING THEM FROM YOU FANS BUT DO NOT SEND FLAMES AS I WILL NOT BE HAPPY WITH YOU (Cross look and frown on face while wagging finger in air). Also WizardsGirl please hurry up and do another chapter if you are reading this as I want to see my character soon in your fic WASI - When A Stranger Interferes for the confused and I do not mean to be pushy but I am a bit impatient at times.