Disclaimer: I don't own the 'Harry Potter' books, though I have been asked to write my own series of 50 adventure novels.

AN: This carries on directly from the last chapter. Read that one first if you haven't already. Next chapter is Christmas! Not very seasonal but we haven't exactly been having very summery weather here

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Show Me

I cried that night. I sat through dinner pretending that everything was fine and then I waited until the others had gone to bed. I crawled onto Andromeda's lap and sobbed. The only other person in the common room was Ted, who shouldn't have really been there anyway because it wasn't his house, and who was sitting with his arms around Andromeda. He didn't seem to mind that I was interrupting his and my cousin's private time. The three of us sat huddled together like one of those muggle families where the Mother, Father and child all sit together on the sofa for a cuddle, only we weren't all family.

Andromeda was one of those people that understood everything about me. She was going through a similar thing with her sisters after having a row with Bellatrix when she joined the Death Eaters. It was similar to the argument between Sirius and I, except that Bella had actually done something wrong and I hadn't. I knew that Andromeda would never tell about Bellatrix though. They still had a mutual understanding that as long as Bella didn't tell anyone about Ted, Andy wouldn't say anything about the Death Eaters. Andromeda probably would never deliberately send her own sister to Azkaban anyway. Ted was another matter. He knew that I was upset and tried to comfort me, but he just didn't get it. He didn't have any brothers or sisters – the closest he had to one was Ryan, who was his best friend.

I still hadn't said anything about the mirror so my cousin just thought I was upset about the row with Sirius – I'd heard Sirius ranting on about it at dinner and guessed she'd heard it too.

"Reggie, Sirius will get over it soon. He'll soon realise that you're friends with people from lots of different types of families, just like he is," said Ted. "Did you tell him that Robert and Steph weren't in Slytherin?"

"He wouldn't listen. He never does. He hates me!" I bawled.

"No he doesn't, Reg. He's just being stubborn like he is at home," said Andromeda.

"But he said…" I started.

"I know, I know. He didn't mean it like that," she said.

"I expect he was just angry. Probably heard one of the rumours that's been going around about you," said Ted. I knew what he meant. Rosier and Mulciber in my dormitory had decided to tell everyone that I hated Sirius and that I thought he was a 'blood traitor'. Sirius obviously wasn't a 'blood traitor' because a blood traitor was a term used to describe a pureblood that had married a muggle (at least that's what I thought it meant) and Sirius hadn't done that – at least not yet. However, the two trouble makers had then told their older brothers in Sirius's year, who had then gone and told everyone in the whole school. Sirius must have overheard them.

"I hate those two," I said. The others knew I was talking about Evan and his friend so didn't question me. "Can't they just leave me alone? Isn't it enough that he and Barty have told everyone I'm the stupid idiot that fell over outside the library? Why can't everyone just be happy like in the mirror?" I sobbed.

"What mirror?" asked Andromeda, whilst trying to simultaneously hush me and wipe the tears away from my cheeks.

"The one upstairs that makes you see things that aren't real!" I cried. Andromeda and Ted looked very confused. "It's in a magic room and it makes you see all our family together, but they're all weird and happy and smiley."

"Show me where," said Andromeda. I told her what floor it was on. Ted picked me up and carried me, while I gave directions and Andromeda followed. Soon we were standing in the room that the mirror was in. The three of us stood in front of it. It showed a picture very different to the one that it had shown before. I could still see my happy smiling family, but it appeared to be Ted and Andromeda's wedding. Why on earth were mother and Auntie Druella wearing happy, "we're so proud of you, Andromeda," grins on their faces? It just wasn't right at all.

In the mirror, I was standing next to them, holding a baby girl with bright pink hair in my arms. Cissy was wearing a bridesmaids dress and was congratulating the happy couple. There were other differences between the reflection here and the one I had seen before: Steph was standing near me, but Ryan was present too. Ted's family were also there.

"Wow look, we're getting married, and that girl must be our daughter!" said Ted, pointing to the little baby. "Do you think this shows the future?"

"How can it? Look at them," said Andromeda. She was still staring at my Mother, who was waving to us.

"I think it shows us the thing we want to see," I said. "Before, it showed everyone just smiling and getting along. That's what I want. Now it shows your wedding, which is what you want the most, and I must be wanting that too!"

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," Anromeda read aloud the squiggly writing on the mirror. "You're right, Reggie. If you read this backwards, it says 'I show not your face but your hearts desire'. It's showing our hearts desire!"

"But that must mean that your heart's desire is to get married," I said.

"No," said Andromeda sadly. "I want our family to be accepting of Ted, and be happy that we're getting married. Merlin, I wish it could happen, but I doubt it ever will."

"Lets go back. I think we'll go mad if we stare at this thing for too long. It isn't a good idea to dwell on things that will never be."

"Well said, Ted. Let's go to bed," said my cousin.

…..

AN: Thanks to 'SaraHunterOfArtemis' for the writing. I typed it into google too to see what came up. Thanks also to 'HP Fann 7' and to 'BlackWolf2013' for the reviews. I had an excellent time at camp. Got 12 crates high at crate stacking – highest were 21 for the cubs and 22 for the scouts. I didn't want to go higher in case the tower fell on the person throwing the crates up. I also got two A*s and two As for my A level results and a B for my extended project, and have definitely got into my first choice University! Go results day!

I've had an amazing week, so please review and make it even more amazing!