Harry's mind was still wondering. Despite Christmas being already over and it's already mid January, he couldn't help but have the thought of curiosity lingering at the back of his mind. Who would suddenly gift Harry Potter, out of all students….a knife? A fine looking black knife actually, a symbol of a dog's paw engraved on it, and in addition, it was gifted to "Prongs Jr". Having the Junior part, he could only assume he was the son of Prongs, so his father…. was Prongs? Why was his father even called Prongs in the first place?

Harry ruffled hos hair in frustration. Every time he thought of something new, just led to another unanswered question, or questions. The black knife was sitting comfortably in his trunk, well-hidden. He had considered the thought of keeping it on him as a way to scare off anyone who wanted to be all buddy buddy up with him. But the last thing he needed was to get punished by a teacher for holding a dangerous object. He sighed, thinking off the wasted potential that knife could already give him now.

He was a quiet person, he barely talked to anyone and since he was the famous 'Boy Who Lived', a lot of students took the chance and tried to chat with him, to show that they're 'friends' with the child star or the Wizarding World. Despite him being already quite known in Hogwarts for standing to the heir of one of the most knowns Pure Bloods, Malfoy, and the self proclaimed strongest witch, Snyde. Although he did notice that there were only a few Slytherin students who would come to him, compared to the large number of Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs ad Ravenclaws. But unfortunately for them, making friends wasn't really his cup of tea after all…

"I'm telling you Hermione if we can use the toy gun Forge got for me- "Ginny tried to reason.

"And for the twelfth time Ginny, you can't use it to prank Malfoy!" Hermione cut her off immediately.

"But think about it Mione, Malfoy always bullies the other students, especially Muggles and Halfbloods!" Ron argued, pointing at Harry and at Hermione. The bushy haired girl swiped Ron's hair away.

"And if you do that, the last thing we need is to have Malfoy's father probably coming to us! You know how strong Malfoy's family's influence has!" Hermione ended her sentence by slamming her quill down, a few students staring at them.

"Quiet you lot!" the librarian hissed. Ron, Ginny and Hermione zipped their mouths shut.

Bounded Souls

Chapter 8 - Despair

Harry sighed as he put down his quill and rubbed his temples. All he wanted to do was work on his Herbology essay, so he went to the Library as Ginny tagged along. Along the way he managed to bump into Ron and Hermione, and they decided to follow him since they were already on their way to the library, well to be precise, Hermione was on her way, Ron was just bored so he tagged along as well.

And now here he was, it was just him doing actual work, Hermione was busy arguing with the two redheaded siblings, explaining more on why pranking Malfoy is a bad idea.

"Ok what about you Harry?" Ron called out as he turned to the messy haired student. "What do you- "

"For the last time Ron, I do not care about Malfoy," Harry sighed. "He may be a snobby prat, but he isn't worth my time,"

"Then what about last time? You hexed him! You should've seen the look on those Slytherin's faces! Draco Malfoy, hexed by a first year of all students!" Ron laughed.

Harry thought about what Ron said. It was true that he actually hexed him, but that was only because he couldn't handle the sight of him so near to his face.

"Then what about Merula Snyde?" Ron taunted. Harry noticed Ginny flinched at the mention of her name. The memory of them being strangled by the Devil's Snare replayed in his head, Ginny's look of fear on her face. Anger washed over him, and he tightened the grip on his quill so hard that it bend, he felt a tug on his shirt and looked down to see Ginny's fingers holding onto the edge of it while looking down at the book she was reading before her argument with Hermione.

"She's not worth my time either," Harry said. He saw Ginny give a small smile. Snyde wasn't worth his time…for now, but if she ever tried to do anything like the Devil's Snare incident again, he would make sure that she will regret the day she was born.

That was how it was for Harry Potter. It was always just trying to his best to ignore everything that was around him, whether if it was in school or at home. He only cared about himself, but as always, things are different in Hogwarts. He managed to become friends with a very annoying, talkative redhead.

His thoughts were interrupted as Hermione's face turned into shock when she saw the clock on the wall. She immediately started gathering her books into her bag.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked.

"Charms," she replied as she put in her quill and closed her bag shut. "I asked for extra lessons because I had trouble with a few charms, so Professor Flitwick agreed to tutor me," she said.

"On a Sunday?" Ron asked in disbelieved. Hermione's hands found their way to Ron's ears and started pulling them.

"OW! Hey what's wrong with you!" Ron said in pain as his ear kept being pulled.

"Professor asked me to make you tag along, you need more help than I do so let's go now," Hermione insisted as she finally dragged a complaining Ron away from his seat.

"What no! I don't want to go! It's a Sunday you- OW!" Ron exclaimed in pain.

"Quiet!" the librarian hissed once more. Harry sighed as he went back to working on his essay.

"Are you just going to write your essay?" Ginny asked as she placed her chin on the table, pouting her lips.

"Yes, the essay that we're supposed to write…" Harry said as she turned to Ginny. "Have you done yours?"

"I already finished mine,"

His hand stopped writing.

"What? When?"

"Yesterday while you were busy hiding from Colin Creevey," Ginny said.

Harry's mind wondered for awhile until an image of a boy with golden hair appeared in his head. His face scowled immediately at the thought of it. Ever since saving his camera from Snyde like that, Harry became some sort of a hero to Collin, which meant that he could almost never leave him alone and would always take the chance to snap a picture of him while he wasn't looking.

"Oh…. him," Harry spat out. Ginny noticed the look on his face and sat up straight. From the corner of his eye, Harry could see the goofy smile that Ginny was giving him. He contemplated on ignoring it for a while, but he knew Ginny to well.

"What is it this time?" he grumbled.

"Somebody's famous~," Ginny grinned.

"Tell me something that's new," he said. "That guy wouldn't stop bothering for days, it's almost a blessing that he isn't in here right now,"

Ginny snickered, finding his situation funny. She just laid her head back down on the table as she watched Harry work. It was obvious she was bored. Harry knew she could probably do other stuff that could be fun but yet she still chose to accompany him, and that's what made him feel grateful to have a friend like her.

"By the way…" Ginny started, "Have you read anything more about the Philosopher's Stone?"

Harry's hand stopped writing. He opened his mouth and wanted to say that he didn't care, but…. that would be a lie. He didn't know why just reading about something that may or may not even exist intrigued him so much.

"I mean, I don't even know much about it but…why the question about it?"

Ginny sat back up straight again.

"Why else, you and I both know why, Professor Snape and Quirrel,"

The memory of them walking into Snape and Quirrel arguing replayed back in his head.

"And if you haven't forgotten, Snape and Quirrell were both talking about a some sort of stone," Ginny raised an eyebrow, "Not to mention a beast that almost got Snape's leg…." she gulped on that last word. Harry put the quill down. He forgot about Ginny's fear of seeing blood. She noticed the look on Harry's face and took a deep breath.

"Don't worry," she said after she exhaled, "I'm fine trust me,"

Her words were confirmed when she gave her usually goofy smile. He thought back to her words and picked up his quill.

"But why do you think Snape wanted the stone?" Harry asked.

"Do you think it has something to do with you?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"I mean think about it, Snape has been nothing but resentful towards you since day one and from the looks of it, greasy haired git had history with your father, a bad one," Ginny explained. "Snape could be trying to get back at you,"

"But is a Hogwarts teacher really someone who wouldn't let go of the past? It's been so many years, I doubt Snape would hold a grudge that long," Harry scoffed.

"I mean, you never know," Ginny started, "Some grudges are just meant to be avoided for a reason and who knows what would happen if the stone would fall into the wrong hands,"

Harry did not reply, he heard what Ginny said, but there was something else lingering at the back of his head.

Sure Snape and Quirrel were talking about a stone, but was it really the Philosopher's Stone? But it could be especially important since they have some sort of monster guarding it, a monster that attacked Snape and nearly took a lunch out of his leg. But only a dangerous monster could possibly be guarding a dangerous object.

"But right now, we don't exactly have any real proof, but if we do," he tightened his grip on the quill. "Then I'm making sure Snape won't get his hands on it,"

"We're," Ginny corrected him.

"What?" Harry asked, momentarily confused.

"How many times do I have to say it until I drill it into that thick head of yours," Ginny sighed, "We're in this together, you won't be doing it alone,"

"Harry Potter….Harry Potter…."

Harry's eyes shot open instantly. He could feel sweat slowly dripping down his forehead and panted a bit. Who in the world would start chanting his name is such a whispery voice. For a moment, he had considered…..could it be Lord Voldemort? But no…the voice was different. Voldemort's voice was something that striked fear from within Harry, but this voice, it sounded as if…..it was in dire need of help. This wasn't the first time voice started playing in his head, and he didn't like it. Ignoring it, he closed his eyes and covered his entire head with the blanket, in hopes of blocking the voice.

"Find….me…."

Or maybe not. He gritted his teeth as he pulled his blanket harder, this time covering his ears. All he wanted to do right now was have a peaceful sleep…..

"Harry Potter…"

…which right now does not seem to be the case.

"One look into the glass, one look into the deep greed of your heart, one trial to overcome the greed, one shall obtain the stone which grants gold, and the string of life shall not be cut"

Harry's eyes shot open. Stone? He repeated what the voice said. The stone which grants gold and the string of life shall not be cut. A realization was hit. The Philosopher's Stone! Harry sat up straight and turned to his trunk. He looked around, his roommates were all fast asleep, as if some weird voice never rang in their head. He moved the blanket aside and opened the trunk, his father's Invisibility Cloak. Grabbing it, he head straight out of the room.

"Come Harry…"

The voice whispered. He was amazed as he walked under the cloak, from the outside, no one would see a thing, but from in it, he had a clear view, just slightly blinded by the translucent view of the black cloak.

"Harry…Potter…"

He tried his best to follow the voice. It was as if the voice kept coming from certain directions. The voice was just a path for him to follow. He kept walking to parts of the castle where he wasn't even familiar with. Ignoring how he would find his way back, his legs kept taking him where he needed to go

Left….right…down the stairs….into a creepy corridor….left….right…..down more stairs…more stairs and so on.

As he walked, he thought more about what he heard.

A glass, a deep greed and a trial. Three things that the voice spoke that absolutely made no sense to Harry. The only thing which Harry understood find was the fact that he might be able to get the Philosopher's Stone, something he didn't think would exist in the first place. But another question he had to ask himself, why was he still obsessed with the stone? The weird feeling that just won't go away. Ginny was right when she said that stone was dangerous but was that the only reason he wanted to find the stone.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as his scar stung a little. Wincing, he held his forehead. It wasn't as bad as searing pain as he felt before, in fact, it wasn't really that painful at all, it was as if someone touched his forehead in a slightly forceful manner. It was then he realized something.

"Where….am I?" He looked around, it was a dark and dusty room with steps. He slapped himself, he wasn't aware at his surroundings, he only knew to follow the voice and have full trust in his legs. His head turned around the room, trying to figure out where he was.

"Harry….Potter…." The voice seemed louder in his head. And it darted immediately to a certain part of the room. And there it stood, a large mirror. It's glass was clean, even reflecting some of the moonlight that shone from the windows. It's frame was brown and dusty, Harry slowly walked to the large mirror and saw that there was a text engraved.

"ERISED"

As Harry walked up to the mirror, his own reflection came up to the mirror. He was able to take a good look at his tired face, his dusty glasses, and his very messy hair. On instinct, he pushed away a lock and it revealed his red lightning bolt shaped scar. He stared deeply into the mirror, why was there such a thing in the middle of a dark room? He remembered the what he heard.

'One look into the glass'

Could this be the glass? His eyes widened when something happened, two figures came into the mirror. Harry turned around in that second, fear filled him as he thought he got caught being out of bed during curfew….but no one was there. He rubbed his eyes as he checked the mirror once more. The two figures were still standing there…. But he couldn't think of anything. An incredibly beautiful woman with long red hair flowing down past her shoulders and a man with messy hair and what looked like a shaven beard, having a face that was almost identical to Harry's.

He couldn't believe it. His parents were standing there. For a second there, he had thought that this was just a dream, but one hard pinch to his arm proved it wrong. His mother and father smiled so warmly as they both put a hand on mirror Harry's shoulder. Disappointment filled him as he felt nothing as his shoulders, but he still reached up and held his shoulder, closing his eyes, imagining it that it was his father's or mother's hand, not his. He felt as if he could stare at the mirror forever. It looked a real family, a father, mother and their son.

"Beautiful isn't it," a familiar voice spoke out, but Harry didn't flinch nor did he reply, his focus was only on the mirror. Albus Dumbledore took steps that echoed throughout the room and stood next to Harry.

"The Mirror of Erised is something wanted by many after all," he explained, "One look and it shows us what we truly desire from the bottom of our hearts, whether we choose to accept it or not, thus, where it got it's name,"

Harry didn't say anything. He wanted to stay at where he stood forever. This was the only time where he was able to see his parents' faces without dreaming.

"Why and how," was all Harry could say. He didn't care about how he spoke to the headmaster of the Hogwarts, his mind was focused elsewhere.

"That…my dear boy, is something no one knows as well," Dumbledore explained, "This mirror is a special gift from a very old friend, but to this day, the magic behind it is still unknown. But what is known…is that the mirror is what brought downfall to countless of witches and wizards,"

That caught Harry's attention.

"Downfall?" His eyes still fixed on the mirror.

"Everyone has their own desires Harry, something that we truly wish to have, it is what gives the ambition we need to meet our desires, but at times, the ambition itself is what blinds us. We can get foolishly blinded easily by our own desires and something that we truly wish, can also be something that brings us down for good,"

"How does one not get blinded then?"

"That is something that can only be answered by ourselves. Answer from another will be useless for yourself, that is why I'm having this mirror moved," Dumbledore said. Harry's eyes widened as he realized what the headmaster just said.

"Wait! No! You can't-"

"That…" Dumbledore interrupted a frantic looking Harry, "is how one gets blinded,"

Harry didn't say a thing. He got the chance to see his parents and now he was going to lose it. But what else could he do. Even if he hated to admit it, he couldn't just sit there and stare at it forever. Nothing would change.

"Now I believe it's time for you head back to bed, I will show you the way out," Dumbledore smiled as he raised his hand to the exit. Harry nodded with a heavy heart and started to make his way to the exit. Before walking any further, he took one last look at the mirror, only it was then that it caught his eye. At the bottom frame of the mirror, was an engraved text, but some of the letters disappeared, but all he knew, was that the word, had a D in the beginning and a G at the end.

As always, thank you for reading this chapter!