Christmas was on the way. One morning in the middle of December, Harry, Diana and Tilly walked out into the courtyard to see that it was covered in a blanket of snow.

"FINALLY!" Tilly screamed. Harry later learnt that winter was Tilly's favourite time of the year, and that snow was pretty high on the list of things she loved more than anything.

The rest of the morning was spent sliding down hills and throwing snowballs at each other. Diana and the twins ended up betting on how long of a distance they could hit Professor Quirrell's head from.

Throughout the school, there were plenty of places to keep warm, the potions classrooms made no effort to do so.

When waiting outside for class Harry and some of his classmates were joking around with how the cold air made their breaths visible. Most were imitating dragons or pretending they had ice powers.

"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."

He was looking directly at Harry when he said this. Harry has been trying to ignore Malfoy for the most part. Since the Quidditch match, he had been acting even more bitter to Harry than usual and honestly it was getting kinda old.

Harry actually didn't feel all that torn up about not going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. He was honestly very excited to spend the holidays with people that he liked.

He found out that Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because his parents were going to Romania to visit one of his older brothers. Sebastian Daley (who Harry has gotten to know through Potions) was staying because his mothers' were having their house redone after a bad storm.

Even Diana was staying too, but when Harry asked her why she would change the subject.

Harry, Ron, and Sebastian were walking out of the dungeons when they spotted Hagrid dragging a large tree down the hall. Diana was holding onto the side, pretending that she was helping.

The three boys were saying their hellos to Diana and Hagrid when Malfoy came up behind them.

"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Beatrix? Hoping to be a gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose?"

"Better a gamekeeper then… what is that father does for a living," Diana paused, pretending to think. "Kicks puppies while living off his dead relatives' money?"

Diana's comment seemed to annoy Malfoy, and he retorted back.

"Maybe becoming a gamekeeper would be a good thing," Malfoy sneered. "You could invite your stupid Weasley friends to come live with you. That hut would be like a palace compared to what they're used to."

Ron and Diana both moved to hit Malfoy just as Snape rounded the corner.

"BEATRIX, WEASLEY!" He said firmly. Which caused Ron and Diana to back away from Malfoy.

"They were provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, in their defence. "Malfoy was insultin' Ron's family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape in usual apathetic tone.

"Five points from each of our houses, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

"One of these days, I'll get him", Diana said with her arms crossed. "And if someone else gets to him before I do, I'll certainly be there to point and laugh."

"He and Snape are the worst", Harry said.

"Worst of the worst, if you ask me", Sebastian added on.

Despite being the usual stereotypes that came with being a Slytherin, Sebastian was polite and didn't like his head of house very much and disliked Malfoy even more. This was part of the reason Ron wasn't as hostile towards him like he would be with students in that house.

"Come on yeh lot, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

The lot of them followed Hagrid in the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were working on the various decorations throughout the Hall.

Tilly was there as well. She was helping to charm and transfigurate different ornaments.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree, put it in the far corner, would you?"

The Hall looked pretty amazing, to say the least. Then again, Harry didn't have much to compare with. The decorations that Aunt Petunia would put through the Dursley home always managed to make Harry cringe every year.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Harry.

Tilly spotted them and made her way over.

"Harry, Diana, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, good idea."

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall.

"Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, yes we're swamped," Harry told him with a big smile on his face.

The three of them all smiled at each other. The lot of them thought they were being cheeky and doing an excellent job of keeping what they were doing a secret. But remember that these three were all around twelve years old, which means they were doing pretty much the opposite.

"Yeh lot aren't doing what I think you're doing?" Hagrid said, looking shocked.

The three of them tried to avoid making eye contact with Hagrid.

"Listen here, I've told yeh, drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"We have no idea what you're talking about." Diana.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?"

Harry added while giving Hagrid his best puppy dog eyes.

"We must've been through hundreds of books already, and we can't find anything, just give us a hint, I know I've heard that name somewhere before." Tilly finished.

"I'm sayin' nothin, said Hagrid flatly.

Diana waved off Hagrid's comment and the three of them headed to the library. Leaving Hagrid with a nervous look on his face.

They had been spending most of their free time looking through various books in the school library. It was honestly starting to take a toll on them. They had been looking, for what felt like years to them, but hadn't found anything on Nicolas Flamel.

They had been trying to get through at least one bookcase each day, but given how big the library was they didn't feel like they were making much progress.

"There has to be a better way to do this?" Diana said while angrily flipping through another book.

Harry silently agreed with Diana. It felt like by the time they found anything on this Flamel person, Snape would have gotten whatever he was after and be long gone.

Harry looked over to another part of the library. The Restricted Section. That section of the library apparently had a bunch of books about dark magic and other advanced subjects. You were only allowed in if you had a signed note from a teacher or you were an older student studying for an advanced class.

Harry couldn't help but think that the information they were looking for was in there. He started wondering over, but hesitated for a second and was caught by Madam Pince.

"What are you looking for?"

"Nothing," said Harry.

Madam Pince, the librarian, brandished a feather duster at him.

"You'd better get out, then. Go on, out!"

Harry mentally hit himself for hesitating. He, Diana, and Tilly had already agreed they'd better not let anyone know what they were up to for now.

Sure, Madam Pince may have been able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.

Harry made his way back to Tilly and Diana, who both looked like they were ready to give up for the day.

"You guys are gonna keep looking while I'm on holiday, right?" Tilly asked as they walked to lunch. "And send me an owl if you find anything?"

"You can ask your Dad and godparents about Flamel?" Diana joked. "It'd be safe to ask them."

Tilly smiles.

"Maybe Hela, but I don't think Dad and Jack would know anything unless Flamel was some kind of car or cooking ingredient."

When the holidays actually started, Harry and Diana quickly got distracted by the festivities. They pretty much had the whole castle to themselves and were making full use of the lack of people.

For the first couple of days, they mostly ran around the castle, playing hide and seek, and other games. Ron even taught Harry how to play Bromus (more commonly known as wizard chess to half-bloods). It was pretty much chess, but with the gimmick of the pieces moving on their own.

Harry ended up borrowing a set from Diana, who had gotten them second hand from her uncle the year before.

Diana and the pieces would try to give Harry advice while playing until Ron told her to buzz off. She did so reluctantly and said that she had a job she needed to finish.

On the night of Christmas Eve Diana ended up staying in Gryffindor Tower with Harry and the rest of the Weasleys.

She and Harry eventually passed out on the common room couches after playing one too many games of Bromus.

When Harry woke up the next morning, he wasn't really expecting any presents, but to his surprise when he looked around the room, he saw a pile of presents sitting next to him and Diana.

He started shaking Diana, which caused her to wake up.

"Whazzz happening?" She asked, still not completely awake.

"It's Christmas, and we got presents!" Harry said excitedly.

"Of course we did." Diana, while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What else did you expect?"

The two of them took turns when opening their presents.

Harry picked up his first present. It was wrapped up in brown paper. Inside was a small wooden flute from Hagrid. When Harry tried playing, it let out an owl woot.

Diana opened a small box from her father that had a couple of drawing books and coloured pencils.

"This is sweet of him", Diana explained to Harry. "We don't normally celebrate Christmas in my family."

Harry was honestly kinda surprised by that. Growing up, every family at Privet Drive celebrated Christmas. It never occurred to him that some families just wouldn't do so.

The second package was a small envelope with a note from his Aunt and Uncle.

We received your message and enclosed your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.

The note had a fifty-pence piece poorly taped to it.

"Bit formal, aren't they?" Diana asked, and Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you want this?" Harry asked and held up the fifty-pence.

Diana shook her head and suggested trying to give it to Ron or something.

Diana's second present was in a large green envelope with a yellow bow stuck to it. Inside was a bunch of sheet music.

When Harry pulled out his third package, Diana seemed to know what it was.

"Oh my gosh, she didn't?" Diana said while trying to hold her laughter. "Mrs Weasley sent you a sweater! That basically makes you a Weasley."

Harry put on the emerald green sweater over his clothes. He realised that this was probably the first piece of clothing he had gotten that was meant for him and him alone. That put a big smile on his face.

Diana tore open another package that looked similar to Harry's. She pulled out a light purple sweater and gushed about how Mrs Weasley remembered her favourite colour.

The two of them started nibbling on the fudge that Mrs Weasley had also sent. Diana stopped Harry before he could open his next present and went over to the backpack she had with her the night before and pulled out a couple more packages.

"This one is from me, and the other is from Tilly."

"You two didn't need to get me anything", Harry said.

"Weeeell, we missed your birthday this year." Diana joked. "Just making up for it."

Diana's present was small enough to fit in the palm of Harry's hand. He opened it to find a diamond-shaped piece of wood that had a drawing of an owl burnt into it.

It also had a key ring connected to it, so that Harry could put it on his book bag or something.

Tilly's present was a box of lollies, a pile of chocolate frog cards (with a note saying Tilly hoped that there were some that Harry didn't have yet), and a new copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.

Diana opened her present from Tilly. It was another box of lollies and a homemade bracelet that was made to look like the planets of the solar system which Diana really seemed to love.

Harry opened his last gift, and a heap of shiny grey fabric poured out.

Harry and Diana both took turns feeling it.

"I think I know what it is."

"What is it?"

"I could be wrong. They're supposed to be super rare." Diana said. "Try it on and see."

Harry wrapped it around his shoulders. It felt a bit weird, to be honest. It was like water had been woven into material somehow.

Diana let out an excited yell and told Harry to look at his reflection in the window. When he did, his eyes went wide.

Everything but his head was completely missing.

"I knew it!" Diana suddenly yelled. "It's an invisibility cloak!"

He pulled the cloak over his head, and that disappeared too.

"There's a note!" Diana continued. "A note fell out of it!"

Diana picked up the note and held it out for Harry to take.

Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.

A Very Merry Christmas to you.

Harry stated at the note. There was no name on it or anything. Who would want to send him something like this?

"Think of the possibilities", Diana said while admiring the cloak.

"Diana, no", Harry said, and she gave him a cheeky smile.

Fred and George then came running down the stairs, followed by Ron. Harry quickly put the clock out of sight.

"Merry Christmas!" The Twins said as loudly as they could.

"Hey, look, Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred and George were both wearing matching blue sweaters with an F and G on them.

"Yours and Harry's are better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

"Jealous that your mum loves Harry and I more?" Diana said while putting an arm around Harry.

Fred and George smiled at her obvious joke, but Ron didn't seem to appreciate it.

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

"I hate maroon," Ron complain as he halfheartedly pulled it over his head.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," Diana pointed out.

"I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid, we know we're called Gred and Forge." Fred said proudly.

"Forever the comedian, aren't you Fred?" Diana asked.

"What's all this noise?" Percy yelled from the top of the staircase. He made his way down and spotted Diana.

"You know people from other houses aren't allowed in here, right?" Percy asked, and Diana poked her tongue out at him.

"Come on, Perc!" Fred said. "Don't worry about it! It's Christmas, after all!"

George looked at the sweater hanging over Percy's shoulder.

"P for perfect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry and Diana got one."

"I-don't-want," said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said Fred.

"Christmas is a time for family."

They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater and an annoyed look on his face.

The next couple of hours were probably the happiest hours of Harry's life. He couldn't remember the last time he had such a warm feeling in his chest like this.

Harry, Diana and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having an over the top snowball fight. It ended with laughing or gasping for breath.

What they had for dinner was probably some of the best stuff he's ever tasted in his life.

Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred, and I exploded like a piece of dynamite. Tons of blue spread out all around them, along with several white mice and an admiral's hat.

Everyone else seemed to be having a good time as well. Especially the teachers.

Dumbledore had switched his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet and was chuckling at a joke that Professor Flitwick had gotten from another cracker.

Everyone watched as Hagrid got redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine. At one point he gave Professor McGonagall a kiss on the cheek, who, to Harry's surprise, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.

McGonagall was a bit more relaxed during the holidays. She even took Diana's guitar back from Snape.

Diana spent a lot of the night playing various songs for everyone. Whenever she would finish a song, Dumbledore would clap happily, and Diana would do an overdramatic bow for everyone.

It had been the best day ever. Harry didn't think he had ever smiled as hard as he had that day.

Only one thing was bothering him. The invisibility cloak. It belonged to his father. Harry held the cloak in his hands. It was super soft. Softer than any material Harry had ever felt before.

Use it well.

Harry realised that he has the whole school to himself. He could go anywhere he wanted.

Harry wrapped the cloak around himself again. He looked back to Diana, who was sleeping in the Gryffindor common room. He thought about waking her up but decided against it.

He should do this on his own. He wanted to do this on his own.

Harry stepped out of the common room and heard the Fat Lady.

"Who's there?" Harry stayed quiet.

Where to go? He could go anyway….And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library.

There would be no one there to stop him, and he could go looking for as long as he wanted. He set off, holding on to the cloak as tightly as he could.

The library was so quiet. Not the regular library quiet, where you could always hear at least a couple people mumbled to each other. There was nothing in there.

Harry started looking through the books, but that didn't really seem to help. A lot of the book's titles had faded. Some didn't even have titles. One had a stain on it that looked a little too much like blood. He took a large black and silver volume from one of the lower shelves.

It was a lot heavier than Harry expected it to be. It fell to the floor with a thud and let out a painful scream. Harry quickly closed it, but it just kept screaming. Harry stumbled back and knocked over the lamp he was using.

Harry started rushing towards the door and passed right by Filch. After he got a little further away but realised that he had gotten himself lost.

"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 froze. It was Filch. How did he catch up to Harry so fast?

"The Restricted Section?" That was Snape's voice. "Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

Harry backed away as quietly as he could. There was a door to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, Filch and Snape walked right by him. After they were out of sight, Harry let out the breath he was holding.

Harry turned around and found himself in an unused classroom. All the chairs and desks were pushed to the sides of the room, and on the other side of the room, something propped against the wall facing him.

It was a big old mirror that reached close to the top of the ceiling. The frames looked like gold and were shaped like vines twisting around each other.

The was an inscription carved near the top. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

Harry tried moving closer to the mirror to see his reflection. He couldn't see it for a second but realised that he was still wearing the cloak. He pulled it off and suddenly saw something that shocked him.

One second there was nothing, but then out of nowhere, there were a bunch of people standing behind Harry.

He jumped back in surprise, and then they were gone. He turned around to see that no one was standing behind him.

Harry's heart was beating a million miles an hour. He turned back to the mirror slowly.

Harry looked back at himself. Wide-eyed. He saw at least 10 people standing behind him. He turned again, and no was there.

He looked back and saw a tall woman standing to his left. She was giving him a proud smile and friendly wave.

She was beautiful. The woman had long red hair, freckles all over her face, and green eyes.

"Looks just like mine." Harry thought to himself. He reached out to the mirror, but only felt cold air.

For some reason, the woman was crying, but she was happy crying.

Harry looked to the right and saw a tall, dark-skinned, black-haired man standing next to the woman with his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was extremely untidy. It stuck up all over the place, just as Harry's did.

Harry moved and put both of his hands on the mirror.

"Mom?" Harry whispered with tears in his eyes. "Dad?"

They just looked down at him, with proud, loving smiles on their faces. Harry looked towards the other people in the mirror. Some had the same pairs of green eyes as him. Some had the same nose. Others had the same skin tone as him. Half of them were wearing these amazing colourful outfits that Harry had never seen before.

The one thing they all had in common was that they were all smiling at Harry.

Harry was looking at his family. A family that cared about him and were happy to see him. Not the Dursleys. His family.

Harry pressed harder against the mirror. Maybe he would fall right through into that wonderful dream world.

Harry didn't know how long he spent looking at the figures, but he eventually moved away.

"I'll come back,"

Harry ran all the way back to the common room and shook Diana awake. She started mumbling about not wanting to get up, but Harry pulled her up off the couch.

Harry started dragging Diana down to the classroom, and she was still half asleep.

"I'm freezing," Diana said, "Can't this wait till the morning?"

"No!" Harry hissed at her. "Come on, it's just a little further."

Harry pushed Diana into the classroom.

"See?" Harry whispered.

"Give me a second", Diana said while rubbing her eyes. "I don'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."

"There's no need to push!"

Diana looked at the mirror for a second before letting out a sheik and jumping back. Whatever she saw in the mirror scared the living daylights out of her.

She started backing away from the mirror and looking around the room. The more she looked around, the more panicked she looked.

"We should leave!"

"What! Why?"

"There's something evil about this thing."

"That's stupid! Let me have another look."

Diana suddenly grabbed Harry's arm.

"Back off!" He shouted and pulled her hands off him.

A noise from outside the room caught their attention. Diana threw the cloak around the two of them before Mrs Norris wandered into the room.

When Mrs Norris left the room, Diana pulled Harry out of the room, and she took him back to Gryffindor Tower. She went back to Ravenclaw Tower without saying a word to Harry.

The next morning the two of them gave each other the silent treatment during breakfast.

Diana was the first to break the silence.

"I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."

"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 a teacher." That made Diana's cheeks go red with anger.

"I'm serious, Harry, don't go."

This didn't stop Harry. That night he went and found the room again.

His Mum and Dad were smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily.

Harry sat on the floor for a while, just looking up his family until.

"So, back again, Harry?"

Harry turned to see Professor Dumbledore sitting at one of the desks. Harry did even notice him come in.

"I didn't see you, sir."

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, while giving Harry a warm smile.

"So," said Dumbledore, he stood up from the desk and went to sit on the floor next to Harry. "You, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."

"But I expect you've realised by now what it does?"

"It shows me my family, but don't understand-"

"How did you know — ?"

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

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?"

"It shows us what we want… whatever we want..."

"Yes and no," 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. Miss Beatrix sees the family she once had as if she never lost it in the first place.

"However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Many 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."

"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 dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry tried to ask Dumbledore what he saw in the mirror, but the Professor just started going on about socks.

When Harry got back to bed, he suddenly felt a rush of guilt. He thought back to how Diana reacted to the mirror. Was what Dumbledore said true? Did Diana see her family just like Harry did?

Harry shoved Scabbers off his pillow and tried to go to sleep. He would try and work things out with Diana in the morning.