Chapter 30 - The Mirror of Erised
People in this Chapter.
Lewis James Potter, Harry James Potter, Ronald Weasley,
Severus Snape, Filch, Robert Weasley
They went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun. When they woke early in the morning,
however, the first thing they saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.
"Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.
"You, too," said Harry.
Rob woke up and said "Morning." With his presents there to.
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 had torn open the parcel to find a thick,
hand-knitted sweater in emerald green with a red H on it and a large box of homemade fudge.
One form his brother a home-made book,
a Family History book.
This last package had Lewis and Harry name on it,
but was the only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was noticeably light. He wanted to wait unwrapped
it with his twin.
"Where is Lewis?" Asked Harry.
"He must be down in the common room. I will go and check."
Said Ron running downstairs. He ran up to Lewis in the big chair in front of the fire. "Lewis come upstairs there something you might want to see."
"Sure sweety." Said Lewis and hugged Ron.
They walked up to the dorm and Lewis walked and seat down.
"Lewis, you know what to do with those right?" Asked Ron.
Lewis picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Lewis,
from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden
flute that matched Harrys.
"I got one to we can play them together." Said Harry.
This one was soft, he opened it and a hand-knitted sweater in emerald green with a Purple L on it and a large box of
homemade fudge. Lewis started crying, "This is my favorite and
best Christmas ever." Said Lewis.
There was one more a box with a note.
From Tom to Lewis and Harry. "Apparently Tom knows you were alive and said nothing. This one is to both of us."
Two globes with a model of their home with their
Mom and Dad and a 11-year-old Lewis and Harry standing with them with two small dogs.
Lewis and Harry were looking at it together.
"Guys you have one more mystery gift still." Said Ron.
Lewis felt the energy coming off it. "No way it can't be."
Said Lewis. "If this is what I think it is."
"What it is?" Asked Ron.
Lewis and Harry opened it together,
and something fluid and silvery gray went slithering
to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron and Lewis gasped.
"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice,
dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Bill. "If that's what I think it is - they're really rare,
and really valuable."
"What is it?" Asked Harry.
"I figured it was lost, but here it is." Said Lewis.
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," said Ron and Lewis together,
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.
"There's a note!" said Rob 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 Merry Christmas to you.
There was no signature. 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 once belonged to his father?
Ron handed the Note to Lewis. "You know who this note is from.
I have seen this handwriting before."
"Who handwriting is it?" Asked Ron.
"Our uncle did not give you the letter, did he?" Said Lewis.
"No, you mean the Dumbledore one." Said Harry.
"And the cloak did belong to Dad." Said Lewis. "but I figured it was lost, it goes back several generations."
"Yes, it belonged to one our relatives several generations ago,
his name was Ignotus Peverell. Ron, you know who this is,
and you know what this is." Said Lewis.
"There are real." Said Ron. "That supposed to be a legend."
"The Elder Wand and the Death Ring are real to,
and we have to beat Voldemort to it,
because combining them is the only way to beat him."
Said Lewis. "But it is Christmas, let's have some fun."
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 did not feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.
"Merry Christmas!" They all said.
Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters,
one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.
"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.
"Do you like green and purple better?" Asked Lewis.
"Yes, then we would match." Said Ron.
Lewis did a spell and his sweater turned to
Green and a Purple R on it.
"Your got letters on them to," George observed.
"I suppose she thinks you forget your name to.
But we're not stupid - we know we're called Gred and Forge."
"What's all the is noise." Said Percy.
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." Said Fred.
"I - don't – want – to." Said Percy.
Lewis did a spell and now walked up and grabbed it,
then looking at Percy, "That looks much better." Said Lewis.
Percy tried to take off the sweater but could not,
"Percy that attached to you for a day."
"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either"
said George. "Christmas is a time for family,
Even Rob is here to."
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 - and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.
Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it did not 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 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. 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.
When they finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexcludable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and their 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.
The twins 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 Lewis.
He suspected he would not have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.
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 had stolen his prefect badge.
It had been the twins' 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.
Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he had drawn the curtains of his four-poster.
Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it. Lewis seen this and walked over and sat on Harry bed. "This is our Dad... this had been our dad's hands."
He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. "Want to give it a try just us, not that we really need it but."
"Yes." Said Harry.
They had to try it, now. They slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around themself. Looking down at their legs,
he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.
Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through them as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.
Ron grunted in his sleep. 'I want to wake him,
but this trip is ours next time we can take Ron,
I will make it up to him.' Through Lewis.
'Yes, this trip is us time.' Through Harry.
'I feel bad for leaving him out, but this is us time
he will understand.' Through Lewis.
They seem to have through together - our father's cloak -
they felt that this time - the first time -– they wanted to use it next time he would share.
They crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.
"Who's there?" said Lilly. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.
Then they heard, "Sons show yourself." Said James.
They turned around and came close to the portrait and said,
"So this cloak was really yours." Said Lewis.
"Yes." Said James.
"Can we have our fun please?" Said Lewis.
"Just be careful." Said James.
Where should they go? He stopped, there heart racing in unison, and thought. They connected throughs.
Lewis through, 'The Restricted Section in the library.
We'd be able to read as long as we liked,
as long as it took to find out where Flamel was.
They set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around them as they walked.
The library was pitch-black and very eerie.
Harry went to light a lamp, but Lewis stopped him,
and through him the Lumos spell.
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 wand
to read the titles.
Lewis realized he was auto translating langue.
Lewis stopped Harry for a second and give Harry the ability to auto-translate any langue into English either written or heard.
'Look at that book Harry can you read it?" Asked Lewis.
Harry gave him a look, 'Yes "The Ultimate Guide to killing"
but it is in English.' Through Harry.
'No, it is in Atlantean.' Through Lewis.
Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. 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.
He had to start somewhere. He looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, before it opened.
Lewis grabbed it and shoved it back into the shelf.
'Forgot to let you know, got to do a spell on them before removing from the shelf.' Through Lewis. 'Or you set off an alarm that brings teachers.'
He heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside shelf,
they saw Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through them, and Filch walked into the room and walked away to the far side of the room.
'Harry as soon as I drop this open book, we need to move quick.'
Through Lewis. 'Are you ready, when I open this book it will be screaming, and it will be very loud, but it will get his attention.'
'Why get his attention?' Asked Harry.
'Trust me.' Said Harry.
Lewis pulled out a random book sat it on the floor and opened it and it started screaming, they moved away quickly,
and then they herd him running back.
They came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor.
They had quickly gat away from the library,
'He can't see us, but I would feel better away from here.'
Through Lewis. 'There is a room up ahead.'
Perhaps because it was dark, he did not recognize where
he was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens,
he knew, but he must be five floors above there.
They were hiding in a room with the door cracked.
"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 they were, Filch must know a shortcut,
because his soft, greasy voice 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."
They stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but they were so close. They walked straight past, and they leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before they could get their breath back.
'Are you ok Lewis.' Asked Harry.
'Yes, you?' Asked Lewis.
'Yes, that was so close.' Said Harry.
Then they started looking around the room.
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.
There panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, they moved nearer to the mirror,
wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again.
'Do you understand what that says up top?' Asked Lewis.
'No, it is not translating.' through Harry.
'Because it is in English, it is a visual puzzle.' Said Lewis,
'I show not your face but your heart's desire.'
Harry 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.
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.
"Do you see people behind me?"
He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving,
she and the others existed only in the mirror.
"What do they look like?" Asked Lewis.
"She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes are just like ours bright green exactly the same shape,
but then he noticed that she was crying and 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 ours does." Said Harry.
"Harry, you know who they are." Said Lewis.
"Mum?" Harry whispered. "Dad?"
"They are looking at me, 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 knobby knees - Harry was looking at his family,
for the first time in his life.
"Us, I can see them to." Said Lewis.
The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and Lewis stared hungrily back at them, their hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. They had a powerful kind of ache inside them,
half joy, half terrible sadness.
How long they stood there, they didn't know.
The reflections did not fade, and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought Harry 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,
"we well come back," and started to leave but noticed Lewis did not move at all. "Lewis, we got to go."
"We can't risk losing this." Said Lewis. Saying a spell and shrinking the mirror to the size of a quarter
and putting it in his pocket. "You can't say no you want this,
you need this as much as I. We got to go back the old fashion way or we well get Dumbledore attractions."
They quickly got back to the tower, and back to the dorm.
They took off the cloak, and Ron and Rob looking cross at them,
"You could have woken us up," said Ron, crossly.
"Sorry sweety, but it was the only thang of our Dads and we wanted the first voyage." Said Lewis.
"Do you want to see the Mirror?" Asked Lewis.
"Yes, where do we go?" Asked Rob.
"Nowhere." Said Lewis pulling a coin out of his pocket.
"What with the coin?" Asked Rob.
"Not a coin, a shrunken mirror." Said Lewis,
returning it to full size.
There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him. "See?" Said the twins.
"I can't see anything." Said Ron.
"Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them..." Harry said.
"I can only see you twins." Said Ron.
"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am now." Said Lewis.
They stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror,
he could not see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas. Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.
"Look at me!" he said.
"Can you see all your family standing around you?" Asked Lewis.
"No - I'm alone - but I'm different - I look older - and I'm head boy!" Said Ron.
"What?" Said the Twins looking at each other.
"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. Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry, Rob, and Lewis.
"Rob, you take a look." Said Ron, moving Rob in fount of it,
what do you see?" Asked Ron.
"I see Me, Harry, Lewis, You Ron, and the rest of our family,
in our house together playing games and having fun.
Like we did last Christmas." Said Rob.
"Do you think this mirror shows the future?" Asked Ron.
"How can it? All our family are dead." Said Lewis.
"Take more time I don't want to look into anymore,
you're seeing something much nicer." Said Lewis.
"Not sure what mine was." Said Rob.
"Your is last Christmas, we really did spend last Christmas together and the four before it." Said Lewis.
Ron and Rob started looking concerned.
"Want to play chess, Harry?" Asked Rob.
"No." Said Harry.
While Harry was sitting in front of the Mirror.
Lewis was in his window seat shaking.
Ron smacked Harry on the back of the head and
walked by to Lewis and sat with him.
"Lewis what wrong?" Asked Ron.
"Harry need this, but I don't want to see it again,
it is making me so sad." Said Lewis.
Harry was back to looking at the Mirror.
"I can't take it from him, and I will not take it as long as he needs it, and neither will you it has to be his choice."
"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?" Asked Ron.
"Sure." Said Lewis and walked down the stairs.
pg. 16