So, this was a really fun chapter for us to write. Also, you'll notice that a bit of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie. We felt that these specific parts were important. Anyway, we hope you enjoy!

Chapter 21

Harry and Draco duck into a side room to dodge an incoming Filch and Misses Norris. They carefully close the door, keeping their ears to the wood to listen for their pursuers passing footsteps.

Filch and Misses Norris finally pass by their hiding spot, sending Harry and Draco slumping against the doorframe.

"That was really close, Harry." Draco pants, his hands finding his knees as he bends over.

"Really, Draco? I hadn't noticed." Draco glares at his friend.

"You know, Potter, your sarcasm is not necessary."

Harry raises an eyebrow at the blond. "I think it's completely necessary, Malfoy. I'm completely defenseless without my sarcasm. It really is my only natural skill."

"First of all, you know that's not true. Second, why are we having this discussion here of all places?" Draco stands, gesturing to the room around them.

"It's us, do you really expect anything else?" Harry pushes off from the door and takes a few steps into the room, surveying the area.

Draco pauses for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You have a point." Draco sighs and follows after his friend. "Hey, look at this." Harry hears Draco walk purposefully over to something on the far side of the room.

Draco's footsteps stop, catching Harry's attention. Harry shifts his gaze over to where his best friend is standing. Draco is standing in front of a large, ornate mirror, seemingly entranced by what he sees.

"I know you're a narcissist, Draco, but really?" Harry chuckles and makes his way over to his friend, moving to stand next to him.

Draco doesn't seem to hear Harry's words and he startles when Harry comes up next to him. Harry starts to get nervous at his friend's odd behavior, especially when the boy in question begins to go pale. Well, paler than usual.

"What is it?" Harry asks and Draco glances over to him.

"You mean you can't see it?" Draco replies shakily.

"See what? All I see is you and me. Why? What are you seeing?"

"I- I see my father. He's patting me on the shoulder. He looks like he's proud of me." Draco pauses and squints at the mirror, studying it closely. "And there's something else. There are two wolves there too, off to the side. One's white and the other's black. The black one actually has a scar on its forehead, just like yours." Draco gestures to his own forehead and traces out a lightning bolt. "The black one's head is underneath the head of the white one, almost as if the white wolf is protecting the black wolf from something."

Harry looks at Draco in disbelief. "Here, move over. Maybe I have to be standing directly in front of it to see." Harry positions himself in front of the mirror as Draco steps aside.

All of a sudden the scene changes, the image of himself in the mirror blurring for a moment before solidifying into a picture of Harry standing between a woman with flaming red hair and green eyes and a man with messy black hair and glasses, just like Harry's. Harry concludes that these people must be his parents. HIs eyes open wide in shock.

"What? What do you see?"

"I see my parents… And- Well that's odd." Harry says, squinting at the surface of the mirror just as Draco had.

"What's odd?" Draco moves closer to Harry, hoping to see what Harry's talking about, but all he sees is his own face staring back at him. He huffs in frustration.

"It's the same thing you saw. The two wolves, one underneath the other."

"You're right, that is odd." Draco contemplates the implications of such a thing but comes up with nothing plausible. "What do you think it could mean?"

Harry, a misty look in his eyes, turns to Draco. "I have no idea." Harry shrugs his shoulders.

After a moment of heavy silence, where each boy is going over the possibilities of what they've seen, Draco says, "We should get going; The longer we're out the more likely we'll get caught."

"You're right. Do you think Weasley will tell a teacher about what he saw?" Harry inquires, stopping Draco who has begun walking over to where they had discarded the invisibility cloak.

Draco puts a hand to his chin and furrows his brows in thought. "I'm not sure. But it sure would be stupid of him to do so. He'd be getting himself in trouble too."

"That may be true, but it is Weasley. He doesn't really seem like the type to think about these things."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Harry nods and follows Draco to the door, picking up the invisibility cloak and draping it over the two of them. They quietly open the door, checking the dimly lit corridor for any signs of life. When they are confident that nobody is coming they step out of the room and begin making their way back to the dungeons. What they have learned over the course of the night resonates in their minds as they walk back to their dormitory. They definitely have a lot to think about.

~~~Time Skip~~~

Harry and Draco wake to Blaise standing in the middle of the room, yelling their names. Harry immediately reaches for anything on his bedside table that could be used as a projectile, his wandering fingers closing on his glasses. Before he can think about the implications of throwing his glasses across the room, they are careening toward Blaise. The dangerous projectile reaches its target, violently colliding with Blaise's face. They fall to the floor with a dull clatter and the sound of cracking glass fills the room. Harry groans from his hiding spot within the blankets, rolling back over, fully intending to ignore the predicament he's gotten himself into.

"Hey, Harry, your glasses broke." Blaise supplies helpfully, staring at Harry with innocent eyes. Harry raises his head from the pillow slightly, throwing a glare at the subject of his irritation. The intensity behind the look is lost as Blaise catches a glimpse of Harry's atrocious bedhead. Blaise chuckles.

Draco takes the initiative to speak first, being the most functional in the mornings out of the two of them. "It's the weekend, Blaise. Please tell me you have a good reason for waking us up."

"Well, I'm sorry princess for taking you away from your much needed beauty sleep, but Professor Snape needs to see you. He seemed rather insistent." Blaise begins inspecting his nails nonchalantly. "What did you guys do? I hope you haven't been getting into any mischief without Theo and me. The betrayal would be absolutely unforgivable."

Harry bolts up in bed, sending a panicked look to Draco, whose eyes shine with the same panic.

"Merlin, I wasn't serious. Did you guys actually do something?" Blaise, suddenly attentive, crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow.

"Um…" Harry supplies helpfully.

"Nothing!" Draco shouts. "We did nothing."

Blaise looks to Draco, and then to Harry, thoroughly unconvinced. "Okay." He says, drawing out the "o" obnoxiously. "I'll just leave you to it then." He turns on his heels and saunters from the room, no doubt to return to the common room.

"That idiot!" Draco seethes. "That gormless, blundering, moronic git!" Draco's voice steadily rises in volume, his face turning an impressive shade of red.

"Come on, we have no idea if that's what he wants to talk to us about." Harry contributes, his voice betraying his uncertainty. Draco scowls at Harry and the dark haired boy winces. "Yeah, you're right, we're done for." Harry puts his head in his hands and groans. "The longer we keep him waiting, the worse it's going to be. Let's just get it over with."

Draco sighs, getting out of bed and pulling out his clothes. He choses a black sweater and a pair of grey trousers before heading to the bathroom to change.

Harry rolls into a sitting position and slides off the bed, his feet hitting the cold floor, making him shiver. Harry decides on a Slytherin green sweater and black jeans. He changes while Draco is in the bathroom and is sitting on the bed, putting on his socks and shoes, when Draco comes back into the room.

Harry brushes past his friend to use the bathroom and brush his teeth, passing his broken glasses along the way. When he's finished, he exits the bathroom, going to pick up his glasses and surveying the damage.

"Damn." Harry goes to put them on, resigned to his fate, but Draco snatches them out of his hands.

"Oculus Reparo", Draco mutters, waving his wand at Harry's glasses. The cracks in the glass immediately disappear and the glasses are handed back to Harry. Harry places them on his face and is pleased to find that they're in perfect condition, perhaps even better than the condition they were in before, the many scratches on the glass having disappeared along with the cracks.

"Wow, thanks! I really have to learn that one." Harry says, receiving a grunt in response. "Come on, no more stalling." Harry takes Draco's hand and drags him from the room and down the stairs into the bustling common room.

They find Professor Snape speaking to one of the Slytherin Prefects in a hushed tone. The Prefect nods and says something in reply, his words too soft for Harry and Draco to hear. Snape's gaze lazily glides over to Harry and Draco, an unreadable look in his eyes.

Harry and Draco trudge over to their Head of House, stopping in front of him and meeting his gaze respectfully. "My office." Snape states in a steely tone, turning and expecting them to follow, his robes billowing ominously behind him.

They follow him down the hall and into his office, their anxiety mounting as they pass through the intimidating doors leading into the dreary room.

Snape sits at his desk, watching Harry and Draco intently. "I assume you know why you are here."

Draco stays silent, looking guiltily down at his feet while Harry gives a timid "Yes sir" in response.

"Well, Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy, what do you have to say for yourselves."

Draco, once again, remains silent. "Sir, I know an apology won't do any good in this situation. An apology is empty, it holds no meaning, especially now." Snape raises an eyebrow at Harry's initial response, obviously having not expected Harry to say such a thing. Harry continues. "What I can say is that I- We understand the implications of our actions. By doing what we did we not only brought down the reputation of our house, but no doubt lost Slytherin a significant number of House Points as well. I remember what you said in the beginning of the year. 'Something that hurts one of us, hurts us all'. Our actions reflect our house. We didn't think about the repercussions and we understand that our actions were stupid and uncalled for. We will accept any punishment you give to us." Harry takes a moment to observe Snape's reaction to his speech and is pleased to see a brief look of astonishment flit across his face.

"You are correct, Mister Potter. You and Mister Malfoy's actions were stupid and thoughtless; You could have been seriously hurt, not to mention you were completely unaware of your surroundings and allowed yourself to be caught. Thirty points from Slytherin each." Snape pauses to let his words sink in. "You, along with Ronald Weasley, will also be serving detention with Rubeus Hagrid tomorrow night. I expect you to show at least a modicum of intelligence in the future. Another infraction such as this will not be tolerated. As for the dragon found in Rubeus Hagrid's possession, his fate is yet to be determined. That will be all." Snape dismisses them, ignoring the shocked looks they give him. Regardless, they exit the room, calling themselves lucky. Ultimately, their punishment was incredibly less severe than they were expecting.

"That was unexpected." Draco mutters as they trek back to the Slytherin common room.

"I agree." Harry remembers what Professor Snape said about Norbert. "But what about Norbert? What do you think will happen to him?"

"I have no idea." Draco and Harry stop outside the doors to their common room and Draco's face takes on a contemplative look. "I could always contact my father. He may be able to ensure Norbert's comfort and safety."

"That's probably a good idea. Aconite." The doors swing open and Harry and Draco enter the room, quickly locating Blaise and Theo who are seated in the far corner playing chess. They make their way over to the pair and pull up two chairs so they can watch the game.

"So, how did it go?" Blaise asks, shifting his concentration from the game to his two friends.

"Not as bad as expected, seeing as we were caught out of bed after curfew. But we still lost sixty house points and we have detention tomorrow night." Draco answers, observing and analyzing the board.

"Sixty points!?" Theo exclaims. "It's definitely fair, but still, that's a lot."

"We know." Harry murmurs and sighs, running his fingers through his unruly hair.

Theo, picking up on Harry and Draco's sour mood, proposes a chess match. After the current game is finished, Harry and Draco will play against each other, and the winner of that game will play the winner of the previous game. Harry and Draco eagerly agree.

The next hour and a half is spent playing Wizards Chess, each player sporting a competitive attitude. Theo wins the first game, as expected, while Harry wins against Draco.

By the end of the match, Harry and Draco's foul moods have been completely forgotten, both boys being fully swept up in the game.

Harry and Theo play next, their match lasting much longer than the previous two. The conclusion of the game is unexpected; Harry has finally beat Theo at chess.

~~~Time Skip~~~

Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo are all in the library working on their Charms essay. They had been asked by Professor Flitwick to write about the practical uses for the Softening Charm. They went over the incantation, Spongify, and the wand movement in their last class.

Harry, having finished his essay a few minutes ago, was flipping through a copy of Wizarding Artifacts and Enchanted Objects, attempting to find a reference to the strange mirror he had seen the night before last.

He quickly gives up his blind search and flips to the index in the back of the book, scanning the lines of text until he finds a topic labeled The Mirror of Erised (pg. 192).

He turns to the designated page and immediately notices a rough sketch of a mirror. The sketch is a dead match for the mirror Harry and Draco found. He begins to read.

The Mirror of Erised is a magical artefact that is believed to have been created in the nineteenth century. The creator of this mirror remains a mystery to this day.

The Mirror of Erised shows the viewer their deepest desires, and although the mirror is not thought to have been created with malevolent intent, many wizards have wasted away in front of it, refusing to believe that what they see is anything but the truth. There are even reports of wizards becoming fixated on the mirror and going mad with desire, the ability to see their most desperate wants right in front of them, yet being unable to make said wants a reality.

Thus, I issue a warning to those who happen to come across this mirror. Do not allow yourself to be consumed by the images trapped between the mirror's frame. What you most desire may be closer than you believe. Ultimately, I believe that each one of us has the ability to guide our own future. Do not waste your life wishing for something that may never come to pass.

The passage continues on to detail the history of the mirror. Harry skims this portion, only partially interested in the topic. Once he finishes reading he pushes the book away, pondering this new information. 'That explains most of what Draco and I saw the other night, but what about the two wolves.'

Harry continues to lose himself in thought, failing to notice when Draco finishes his assignment. Draco leans over, peering at the book in front of Harry.

"The Mirror of Erised? Do you think that's what we found?"

Harry startles as Draco's words interrupt his thoughts. "Yeah, I think so. Here, take a look." Harry slides the book over to Draco who begins reading.

After a few minutes, Draco closes the book, looking over at Harry. "That's definitely it. But why on earth is it at Hogwarts?"

Harry shrugs, looking out the window and noticing the sky growing dark. "We need to go; Detention should be starting soon."

"Right."

Harry and Draco pack up their things and say goodbye to Blaise and Theo, who are still diligently working on their Charms work.

Walking through the castle, Harry and Draco chat idly about what they could possibly be doing for detention. They exit the castle, taking in the warm night air while they walk down the hill to Hagrid's hut.

"Hello Harry, Draco!" Hagrid greets jovially once they arrive.

"Hey, Hagrid." Harry returns the greeting, smiling when he sees Fang standing next to the Half-Giant.

"We're just waiting for Ron, and then we can get started." Hagrid states, looking toward the castle, searching for a head of fiery, red hair.

Finally, the group spots Weasley. He's running down the hill toward them, almost tripping at one point, which sends Draco and Harry snickering. Ron comes to an abrupt stop in front of them, huffing and out of breath. Yet he still manages a glare at Harry and Draco.

"'Bout time you got here. Now we can get going." Hagrid picks up a lantern that was placed beside his feet and begins heading toward the forest.

"Wait! We're going in there!?" Draco gives Hagrid a worried look at the prospect of entering the Dark Forest.

"Well, yeah."

"But there are werewolves in there!" Weasley shouts. It seems that Ron and Draco are finally agreeing on something.

"Don't you worry! You'll have me and Fang. Besides, werewolves are the least of your worries." Hagrid replies cheerfully, but his words do nothing to quell the three boy's anxiety.

"Well that's comforting." Harry mutters under his breath.

With that, the trio begrudgingly trudges after Hagrid into the Dark Forest, looks of worry evident on their faces.

As they pass through the treeline, Harry feels a growing sense of dread pooling in his stomach. He can't help but shudder at the sensation. He knows one thing for certain, there is something in the forest with them. A sinister presence that pushes on Harry's mind and permeates his very being. Something awful is about to happen, he can feel it.

Draco, picking up on his friend's sudden change in demeanor, places a comforting hand on Harry's arm, channeling all of the confident energy he can into the small gesture.

They continue walking for a while, trekking deeper and deeper into the forest, the trees becoming more sinister by the moment. Hagrid abruptly stops, kneeling down and running his fingers through a shiny, silver substance that is pooled on the forest floor, glistening in the moonlight.

Harry hears Hagrid hum in recognition as he rubs the strange substance between his fingers.

"Hagrid, what's that?" Harry asks shakily.

"What we're here for. See that? That's unicorn blood, that is. I found one dead a few weeks ago. Now, this one's been injured bad by something." Harry feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Glancing off to the side, he catches a glimpse of a large, cloaked figure gliding through the trees. He quickly turns back to Hagrid. "So, it's our job to find the poor beast. Draco, you'll come with me." Hagrid stands and turns to the three terrified eleven year olds.

Draco blanches. "You mean we're splitting up?"

Hagrid nods and smiles reassuringly. "Harry, you and Ron will be together."

"We get Fang, right?" Ron asks, his eyes shifting left, then right as he surveys the trees with panic clearly etched on his features.

"Fine, just so you know, he's a bloody coward." Hagrid chuckles. "Come on, Draco." Hagrid leads Draco off into the trees, leaving Harry and Ron staring at each other in disbelief.

"We should… Um… We should go." Harry says, turning and stalking in the opposite direction that Draco and Hagrid have gone. His stride shows much more confidence than he is feeling at the moment. 'Everything's about image, after all. I can't be seen as a coward in front of Weasley of all people.'

Ron follows behind Harry, his walk timid and unsure.

They continue walking for a few minutes, eventually reaching a small clearing. There is a large, gnarled tree at the edge of the clearing, however, what is most prominent (and the most concerning) is the cloaked figure Harry had seen earlier. The figure is hunched over a large, white animal. Harry quickly recognizes it as a unicorn, most likely the one they are looking for. Fang immediately begins growling.

The figure seems to be drinking the unicorn's blood. This is confirmed when the figure lifts its head, there are rivulets of silver blood dripping out of its mouth.

Suddenly, Harry's scar begins burning, the sensation even more intense than usual.

Ron screams, turning frantically and running away, screaming "HELP" at the top of his lungs and leaving Harry alone in the clearing with the eldritch figure.

The figure seems to glide over the unicorn, advancing on Harry. Harry tries to run, but, true to his luck, he trips over one of the gnarled roots on the ground. He crawls backwards in a panicked attempt to get away from the figure, which is drawing closer and closer.

'This is it,' Harry thinks, 'This is how I die. Alone in the woods at the hands of a terrifying and unknown creature. Just. My. Luck.'

Just as Harry is beginning to accept his fate, he hears heavy hoofbeats running in his direction. He looks to the side just in time to see a Centaur leap into the clearing, successfully scaring the figure away from Harry and saving his life. The Centaur turns to Harry, a stoic looks on his face.

"Harry Potter, you must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The forest is not safe at this time, especially for you."

Harry gathers his shaking limbs and manages to rise to his feet. "But what was that thing you saved me from?"

The Centaur's stoic look turns into one of melancholy. "A monstrous creature. It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure that the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life. A cursed life."

A crease forms between Harry's brows as he contemplates what he's just heard. "But who would choose such a life?"

"Can you think of no one?" This question sends Harry's mind whirling, going through all the information he has learned over the past year that may apply to this situation. Suddenly, it comes to him.

"Do you mean to say… Th- that the thing that killed the unicorn… That was drinking its blood… That was Voldemort?"

"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?" Harry knows the answer to this question immediately.

"The Philosopher's Stone." Harry says confidently.

Harry hears Fang's barking coming through the trees and the sound of rushing footsteps crunching against the leaves on the forest floor follow. Harry turns as Fang rushes into the clearing, Hagrid, Draco, and Weasley following swiftly after him.

"Harry!" Draco, a wild look in his eyes, runs over to Harry, enveloping him in a tight hug and squeezing tightly. Harry sinks into the embrace, finally allowing himself to relax. Draco, his best friend, is here and everything is finally going to be okay.

Draco detaches himself from Harry, his frenzied gaze raking over Harry's form as he grips his arms firmly. "Are you hurt, Harry? What happened!? I am so sorry I wasn't here. I should've insisted that I go with you! I was bloody terrified! When I felt your panic and Fang came out of the trees I was sure that something terrible had happened and I-"

"Draco!" Harry exclaims with a laugh, cutting the blond off. "I'm fine, not hurt at all, see?" Draco begins laughing right along with Harry, the sound slightly hysterical.

After Harry and Draco's exchange, Hagrid walks over to the Centaur who is still standing in the middle of the clearing.

"Hello there, Firenze. I see you've met our young Mister Potter. You alright there, Harry?" Hagrid looks over to Harry worriedly.

Harry nods. "Yes, Hagrid, I'm fine."

"Good." Hagrid sends a warm smile Harry's way.

"Harry Potter," The Centaur, now identified as Firenze, addresses Harry. "This is where I leave you. You're safe now. Good luck." With that, Firenze gallops away from the clearing, disappearing into the darkness of the Dark Forest.

A/N: As always, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and encouraged! Thank you to those who have been reading this story! We are so glad that you have stuck with us this far!

We have 3 or 4 more chapters planned out before the story is complete and then we will be adding an epilogue. I don't know about you, but the word "Finally" comes to mind. We hope you continue to read!

Much Love,

RavenGrey2107