Mirror of Erised
By memories of pain at: ffn
u/598281/memories-of-pain
On 8 December 2011 she put this up for adoption and not long after that apparently she left us for her next great adventure. I found it and decided to Beta read and make minor corrections. I decided to post it out here in Ye Olde Dust Bin because I think it deserved someone taking the idea and running with it. I'm not sure my health will let me start something and follow it through, life is catching up with me.
Chapter 1Mirror of Erised
Harry winced as the sharp shards of glass opened up his skin. For a minute, he was less focused on Quirrell and Voldemort. He thought he had seen his parents' shapes in the Mirror again. Quirrell threw him off and Harry had landed against the mirror, which smashed to the floor. Harry's blood was spreading over the mirror's surface, but Harry already leaped up and grabbed Quirrell. Just a little longer, Harry thought as his breathing was becoming hard he fastened his grip on his old teacher. The edges of his vision started to blacken, and a rushing sound echoed through his ears.
…
Consciousness came slowly. He heard some strange noises that he couldn't quite place. The smell of clean surfaces and flowers reached his nose, and he sucked in a deep breath. The smell was familiar and comforting somehow. His back aced as he tried to move.
Harry opened his eyes, blinking at the large amount of light. "Amazing," a voice came from his left, and he turned his head to see if he could find the source.
"But how,I have never heard about something like this happening in all my life." The voice seemed to come from beyond the screen that had been placed around his bed. Harry recognized the Infirmary.
"I have never heard of anything like this happening either," a different voice replied. It seemed to belong to Albus Dumbledore. "But we don't know much about the Mirror of Erised. It might have been a reverse spell effect when the mirror was created. Unfortunately, this was the only one, so we'll never know." There was a small pause.
Harry took this time to look around. There was a small pile of sweets stacked at the foot of his bed. A few empty wrappers seemed to be between them as well. Harry smiled and tried to turn on his side, as his back continued to ache. He slowly turned himself, moving his left arm towards the right side of the bed, so he could grab the edge.
A sharp pain shot down his spine and through his ribs, and he hissed in pain. Harry squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of dizziness nearly overcame him. He took a deep breath as someone came rushing over. "Ah Mr. Potter you are awake," Madame Pomfrey rushed around to help Harry back into his first position. "How are you feeling?"
Harry groaned, "Fine, just a little confused, and my back is acing."
Madame Pomfrey nodded. "I would have been surprised if it hadn't. You fell on quite a bit of glass young man. Now if you'll turn on your stomach, I can apply some cream that will ease the pain and speed up the healing process."
Harry turned carefully, making sure to move slower than last time. He winced slightly as the nurse applied the cream on his back. Fortunately, the effect was instant. As the pain in his back faded, Harry's head cleared, making way for panic and worry.
"Could I speak to Professor Dumbledore please?" Harry asked, as he cried to control his voice to stay even. He could feel his heart start to race as the Nurse frowned.
"You are in luck mister Potter," she said, checking his pulse as she helped Harry turn back in a sitting position. "It seemed the Headmaster wished to speak to you as well. I was about to send him away when you awoke. He is waiting for you if you wished to speak with him."
Harry nodded. Madame Pomfrey gave him a searching look before clicking her tong disapprovingly and moved beyond the screen. No sooner had she left when Professor Dumbledore appeared on his side of the screen.
"Professor, please, I'm sorry, I really tried…"
"Harry, calm down my boy," Professor Dumbledore said raising his hands. "Everything is fine. You did well and showed remarkable strength keeping Quirrell at bay like that."
Harry looked at the headmaster intensely. "Have we done it then? I don't think I could have kept Voldemort away from the stone much longer."
Professor Dumbledore looked at him searchingly. "Not the Stone my dear boy, but you were what he wanted. I was afraid that I would have been too late. Especially after all the blood you had lost falling on the Mirror…, and that is something I wished to speak to you about as well."
Harry continued to have mixed feelings. He was glad that Voldemort hadn't gotten to the stone, but what about Ron and Hermione? Would they get punished for being out of bounds? Would he get punished for destroying the Mirror? And what about Quirrell? Harry felt slightly dizzy with all the questions inside of his head.
"It seems that something is troubling you Harry?"
Harry looked up into the Headmaster's eyes again. "We won't get expelled for this will we? I mean it wasn't Ron and Hermione's fault," he continued quickly as Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak. "They followed me, so they shouldn't get punished for it, and they were really helpful as well. That and I do hope they're okay. They are all right?" He looked pleadingly at his headmaster.
"Calm yourself Harry. Your friends are fine. They gave about the same speech as you did, as a matter of fact," He seemed amused though. "You three will not be expelled from Hogwarts and not punished for what I would say is Gryffindor behavior."
Harry frowned. "But I smashed the Mirror of Erised. And I… well… what about the Stone?" Avoiding the subject of professor Quirrell. He had killed the man, but Dumbledore didn't seem to know.
Dumbledore smiled kindly at him. "The Mirror was an accident. Luckily, enough it was smashed after you had gotten the stone, or I don't know what would have happened to it. It was an accident Harry. Accidents do happen."
Harry nodded, exhaling the tense breath he had been holding. Suddenly, he could only feel tired, and he leaned back heavily against his pillow. The guild still coursed through his body, but the fear of having to leave Hogwarts forever disappeared slowly. "Could I talk to Ron and Hermione please, sir?"
It was as if the headmaster wanted to say something else, but seemed to rethink his options before nodding. "I will talk to Madame Pomfrey and will have your friends send over to you. Rest well my boy." He padded the bed absentmindedly and moved away from the bed.
Harry felt his eyes droop a little, but he willed them open as he tried to stay awake. He had to talk to Ron and Hermione, to see with his own eyes that they were all right. However, the absence of the headmaster seemed to bring back a wave of sleep.
Harry startled awake and looked to see that Ron and Hermione were standing next to his bed. "Harry," Hermione whispered, clearly looking quite frightened, but of what Harry wasn't sure. "How are you? When Professor Dumbledore brought you in…" she shuddered, trailing off.
Ron nodded beside her. "You look horrible mate! So what happened?"
And Harry proceeded to tell them what happened with Quirrell and the Stone. They were as shocked as when Harry was when he told them about Quirrell. Hermione even screamed a little when he told them how Voldemort had been under his turban. But when Harry told them about how he had accidentally smashed the Mirror, Hermione just shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault Harry!" she said in a shaken voice. "The Stone had already been taken out, which was lucky. I don't want to know what would have happened if the Stone had still been inside while the Mirror got smashed." She shuddered and shot a glance at Ron, who had been quite silent so far. He was just staring at Harry in complete shock and amazement.
"What I want to know is who the others were?"
Harry frowned, "What others?" Harry couldn't remember anyone else but Quirrell, Voldemort and him being in the hall. Who else saw him kill Quirrell?
Ron looked at him quizzically. "You mean you didn't see them? Professor Dumbledore brought back two others when he retrieved you from the chamber."
Hermione looked at Harry with a new sort of determination on her face. "You're not hiding anything from us are you? I mean you told us about Quirrell…" She continued, cutting him short. "But it seems unlikely that you wouldn't know who the other two were."
Harry shook his head. "I swear I don't know," he said a slight panic in his voice. He didn't want to lose his two friends. "The last thing I remember is trying to hold Quirrell off of the Stone." The force of his voice was overwhelming for his two friends.
"Calm down Harry," Ron said, while Hermione looked at Harry in worry. "We believe you. When have you ever lied to us? It just seems strange that you hadn't noticed two other people in the room." He looked at his best friend with mixed emotions.
Harry nodded, taking in a shaky breath, but before either could say anything else Madame Pomfrey came round the screen. "You need rest Mister Potter, I must ask your friends to leave." Hermione and Ron left reluctantly, shooting their friend worried glances.
…
That night Harry slept uneasily. His dreams were taken over by nightmares about Voldemort and Quirell. He woke up screaming in the middle of the night as he woke up by the blinding green light. Tears streamed down his face, as he pulled his legs up to his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered as a rush of clothes announced the arrival of the Madam Pomfrey. "I'm so sorry!"
A hand reached out for him, and he tried very hard not to flinch away when it landed on his head. The hand had a strangely calming effect as it started to run through his hair. "Harry," a voice whispered, which was different from Madame Pomfrey. It was sweet, kind, and very familiar. "It's okay sweetie. It was only a bad dream."
Harry' eyes flew open. He knew that voice, but it couldn't be. He looked up to see a beautiful woman standing over him. Her red hair still seemed to shine in the darkness, and her green eyes seemed to be so much like his. Recognition must have shown on his face because she smiled softly at him. Harry, however, pulled himself away from her grasp. "Who are you?" he spoke hoarsely.
Pain and sadness crossed her face quickly before she smiled again. "Harry…" she whispered as she tried to reach out for him another time. But Harry nearly fell out of bed as he tried to get away from her.
"How do you know me?" he said looking at her suspiciously, raising his voice a little as he tried to alert the nurse. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
"Harry, I…" silent tears fell from her eyes and Harry felt slightly guilty making the woman cry, but he still kept far away from her. A man stepped around the screen. The man was tall, with dark massy hair. "Lily?" he spoke. "What…?" He stopped to stare at the scene before him.
"No." Harry whispered, shocked at the two people in front of him. "No I don't believe it. I will not believe it. Why can't you just leave me alone?" His screams alerted the nurse, but the damage had already been done. After everything he had gone through, Harry's mind broke...
Chapter 2 Lily and James
Lily Potter-Evans wasn't a person to get stressed to easily. When Peter betrayed them to Voldemort, all of her thoughts were temporarily occupied with revenge on the rat. But as soon as she fled up the stairs to the nursery her thoughts went out to her husband and child, who she had been cradling in her arms. As she whispered words of comfort to her son, she wished for his protection. Then as she stood over her child facing Voldemort, she hoped with all her heart that her son's life would be spared. She faced death, knowing she would not see him again.
Lily was surprised and shocked when she awoke in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. In addition, she was older than she had been when she died. She was, in fact, ten years older. More shocking so was her husband, James Potter, who was lying beside her in another bed. "Impossible," she whispered to herself. The privacy screens held the Hogwarts crest on them, and even the sheets were the same as what she remembered from years ago.
Suddenly a nurse rounded the screen. Madame Pomfrey seemed slightly taken aback, but recovered soon enough. She stepped around the bed and started casting several diagnostic charms over Lily. "Poppy?" Lily asked in a shaking voice. The nurse nodded, blinking away a few tears that were about to fall. "But how can this be? The last thing I remember is facing Voldemort."
Poppy Pomfrey flinched slightly at the name and let out a sigh, before sitting down on the bed. "I don't know dear," she said her voice sounded tired. "All I know is that you two died ten years ago. Then, suddenly, the headmaster enters with the two of you floating behind him, carrying Harry along." She shuddered. "He looked so old in that moment."
"Harry?" Lily asked, the name rang a deafening bell. "My child, Harry is here? How is he Poppy? Is he all right? What happened to him?" A combination of pride and fear spread through her.
Poppy bit her lip as she stared at the screen on the other side of the room. "He's been asleep for three days now. I hope he awakens soon. I've been trying to get him fully checked ever since I laid eyes on him, but he is quick." She took Lily's hand and her eyes full of worry. "I'm not sure of what to do about him. He's been damaged Lily. I'm so sorry."
"Damaged?" Lily asked, her voice sounded very far away to her ears. "What do you mean damaged? Did they hurt him? What happened? Who took him in when James and I… well died?"
"Calm down Lily please," the nurse replied. "I don't know who took him. For his own safety, I think only Dumbledore truly knows." She tried to hold Lily in the bed, but Poppy could hold her. Lily ran behind the screen shielding the bed. She saw her son once again for the first time in ten years. Harry was asleep as the nurse had told her, but his face was pale and his eyes sunken. The covers were drawn back slightly to show some fresh bandages around his torso.
"NO!" Lily cried, tears streaming down her face. "No, oh my baby, what happened to you?" She sat herself down on the edge of his bed and pulled him up into her arms. His breath went against her neck, and she felt his chest rising and falling against her own. He moaned softly as Lily held him, but she only wanted to reassure herself that Harry hadn't died. "No. James! JAMES! Wake up."
On the other side of the room, they heard a groan. "Lily? Where are you?"
"I'm here James," Lily replied trying to make her voice sound even, but failing miserably. There was a moment of silent where they only heard some fabric moving. Something dropped and rushed footsteps were heard. James Potter appeared on the bed side of the screen, his expression full of confusion and panic.
"What happened? What are we doing here?" He looked at his wife and then at the child she was holding in her arms. Madame Pomfrey was observing his reactions as he put two and two together. His shoulders drooped, and his face turned from confusion to slight horror. "Is that?" Lily nodded. "He's not…?"
"No," Lily said and she watched her husband sink onto the bed. "I can't believe that we're here again." James nodded and frowned slightly. "But how?" he asked looking at the nurse. "The last thing I remember is facing Voldemort. I can't remember anything else apart from dying."
"I don't know either," Madame Pomfrey replied. "But I have send word to professor Dumbledore. He will know." They didn't have to wait long for Dumbledore to arrive. When he did, his face was grave but it lit up slightly when he saw James and Lily.
"Welcome back my children," he said the twinkle in his eye back in full force. "It is truly a miracle. I have yet to find out what happened, but it seems your son has somehow brought you two back to life." A stunned silence followed at those words. James and Lily were staring at the headmaster in shock, Lily still clutching her son to her chest, while Madame Pomfrey just stared at Harry.
The silence was broken by two students entering the Hospital Wing. "Excuse me," the girl said as they halted when they say the headmaster. Dumbledore turned and smiled at them when Madame Pomfrey rounded the screen. "Ah Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, how are you two today," the headmaster asked kindly.
Ron blushed, matching his hair with his face. Hermione blushed too, but kept her head straight and smiled politely in return. "We are well professor Dumbledore," she replied formally with a slight bow of the head. "We just wanted to know if Harry had awoken yet." When she mentioned Harry, Ron nodded and both showed worry for their friend.
"Mr. Potter is still asleep," Madame Pomfrey replied kindly, moving swiftly to the two children. "He is still recovering. Have you two been eating enough?" she asked strictly, looking those two over with a critical eye. Ron and Hermione nodded quickly. "Good, now off you go, you may visit Mr. Potter later today. And Mr. Weasley, tell your brothers to refrain from sending my patient toilet seats." Ron nodded and they both left, though both tried to see beyond the screen.
The headmaster turned back to James and Lily, who were still staring at him. "Those were Harry's friends. I believe they help him a great deal." The twinkle in his eye dimmed a little as he stared at the young boy in Lily's arms. "You two will need some rest, and I think Madame Pomfrey will want to check you over for any side effects."
They had to drag Lily away from her son, but James guided her back to the bed. "We'll have more than enough time when he wakes up," he whispered into her ear as he held her close. Poppy tested them quickly to any side effects they might have, but came up with nothing, so she gave them a mild sleeping draught, so they could return to full strength.
Chapter 3 Nicolas
Harry rested himself against his pillows once more. His friends stood next to him as they watched him with apprehension on their faces. "They won't leave you now Harry," Hermione whispered, squeezing his hand. Harry turned to her and she shuddered almost at the look he gave her. It felt strange talking to his friends about his parents. They had, after all, parents of their own and would never be able to understand the position he was in. After everything they had been through as one, especially after trying to save the stone together, he had still not told them about the Dursley's true nature. If his parents were to disappear again, he wasn't sure if he could bear it to go back there.
"I value your opinion my friends," Harry said and watched as their expressions turned into those of worry and astonishment. "But you do not know many things about my home life. I will not tell you either. It is not a matter of trust." He added when he saw the looks on their faces. "I trust you two with my life as you have proven yourself to be true friends. I feel honoured by your loyalty."
Harry let a silence fall as he observed to his two friends. He felt saddened by his betrayal to them, but if they knew the truth, they would certainly abandon him. No, what happened in the Dursley house would be his burden and his alone. Harry blinked, making up his mind and turned to smile at them. "So, Slytherin won? It seems a bit unfair that we would not get any point for saving the Stone."
Ron brightened grasping the conversation tightly with both hands. "Yes we should get points, shouldn't we? You should hear the rumours though which are frying around the school. Do you think you will get out before the feast? The food will be great!" Hermione rolled her eyes.
…
Harry looked at his parents. The feeling to bond with them was almost overwhelming. He tried to shake it off though. He had too. If they didn't want him, or they would disappear again? No, it was better this way. "I'm not sure what happened. I only remember seeing your faces in the mirror just before I fell onto it. Professor Dumbledore is unsure as well and plans to investigate the matter more deeply."
Lily and James seemed troubled by his words and Harry felt a slight panic gripping his heart. Had he disappointed them somehow? What if they didn't want him? What if they refused to take him in because of this? "Please don't send me away," Harry whispered, pulling his knees to his chest. A single tear escaped him. "Please don't send me back to the Dursley's."
A gasp was heard and suddenly Harry was enveloped in a two-sided hug. His parents were on either side of him, holding him tight. An almost foreign emotion filled him. His heart started beating faster, and he felt nearly overwhelmed by the sensation of love and affection coming from his parents. "Harry, you will live with us," his father whispered. He felt his mother nod into his side. "The moment the house is ready we can move in."
Harry shook his head. "The house was destroyed. There is nothing left." His father shook in his side. Harry looked up to see him laughing silently. "The one at Godric's Hallow was only a safe house," he replied to Harry's frown. "We have two more houses."
Harry looked at his father in surprise. "Two more houses?" He watched his father nod and he felt his surprise grow. "But… how?" James frowned and Harry felt his surprise slowly turning into fear. Had he disappointed his father or offended him in some way?
"Harry," James said, his voice calming Harry slightly. "What do you know about the Potter family?"
Harry looked down, shame burning inside of him. "Nothing," he whispered and he felt tears prickling in his eyes again. "There was no one to tell me anything about the Potter family. All I know is that we were attacked by Voldemort and that he killed both of you. No one knows why and no one knows how I survived." His voice trailed away as he was left to him thoughts of that night. Just the high pitched laugh and the blinding green flash.
Harry shuddered and his mother tightened her grip around him. "We are here at this moment sweetheart. And we have all summer to tell you all about the family." Harry started crying in earnest now. "Shh, we have all the time in the world now. We're not going anywhere."
It took a long time for Harry to finally calm down. The comforting words of his parents did him well, and soon they were smiling and laughing as Harry told them about Ron and Hermione and the Weasley's. Lily fingers went through her son' hair every few minutes, which Harry found reassuring. James was laughing and hugging him every now and then.
Professor Dumbledore rounded the screen, announcing himself with a small cough and a smile. "It is good to see a family reunited after being apart for so long." His words barely made sense to Harry. Happiness left his body feeling light. Dumbledore stared at Harry and as Harry looked at him, the feeling seemed to return to him in full force. "I have someone here with me that wished to speak to you about the Mirror Harry."
As soon as Dumbledore said this another man rounded the screen. He was almost as tall as Dumbledore was. His hair was pure white, and his warm brown eyes reminded Harry of melted chocolate. A short beard graced his narrow face. It seemed the man was around his sixties, but one look at his chocolate brown eyes and Harry knew that this man was much older.
"Nicolas Flamel," the man introduced himself as, shaking Harry's hand with a grip that shouldn't belong to a 666-year-old. "It's an honor to meet you sir," Harry replied feeling quite flustered to be in the presence of the man. Flamel smiled, looking somewhat pleased with himself, for some reason, that was unknown to Harry. "It is an honor to meet you to my boy. I have you to thank that Voldemort could not use my stone for the purpose unknown to many, that and the mystery you have given me to solve."
Harry looked at him questioningly. "I'm sorry but I don't understand." Nicolas' smile became even wider. "You, my boy, are a mystery. How were you able to bring your parents back from the dead?" He looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow and a twinkle in his eye. "And instead of having them back at the age when they died, they have aged with you. Now I understand that you made your Quidditch house team when in your first year, and you solved the mystery of the Stone as well."
"That's my boy," James said, hugging his son with a bright smile on his face. Harry felt himself swell a little with pride. His mother placed a kiss on top of his head.
"You have very amiable qualities. Something that is not shone in your grades," Nicolas continued after the display of affection. Lily gave her son a stern look at which Harry blushed. "Because of this, I wish to test you on some things, with your and your parents' permission of course." James looked pensive, and Lily bit her lip. Harry frowned, "May I ask, what these tests would be?"
Nicolas smiled again answering, "A few diagnostic spells, a block tester and if given permission, a blood test."
James sputtered in protest, and Lily proceeded to hug her son tightly. Harry, after giving it some thought, nodded. "I give you my permission." His answer seemed to shock and unsettled everyone but Nicolas. "Harry," cried both his parents and Dumbledore blinked a few times. "Is that necessary Nicolas? I mean a blood test, what for?"
Nicolas turned to his friend and smiled, "Just to prove a theory I have. If the blocking test comes out negative that I will not have to, but if it's a positive. The blood test will give me a confirmation of my suspicions." He was looking at Harry once again, and Harry nodded at him. Something inside of Harry seemed to trust Nicolas beyond anything. The feeling seemed to scare Harry slightly, but he accepted it as something beyond his control and just went along with it.
Harry swung his legs over the end of the bed and hopped off. The cold stone floor was pleasant under his warm feet. "You may speak to my parents about it, but you have my consent to test me on anything you think is necessary," Harry said stretching a little to loosen his muscles. "I trust you will have come to an arrangement, by the time I return from the bathroom."
Chapter 4 Posted December 6, 2011
It brings me great sadness to inform you of my decision. I am, unfortunately, stopping with FanFiction. I have greatly enjoyed my time writing for this awesome website. I wish everybody luck and strength in their future endeavours and I hope that you will continue with an open mind and heart. There is always strength out there that can help you along.
I have two unfinished stories running. If you wish to continue with it, you have my blessing. I encourage everyone to continue writing. There is a lot of talent out there and all of you writers that write on this website, you are talented! Writing the way you do, if you invest the time and passion in a story of your own, you might find your own work in the shops one day. Do not underestimate your talent! It turns into a way of life, and I can tell you from my own experience, it is not something you can magic your way out off. So please find the strength to look up and say; "this is my work and I'm proud of it!" If you are writing your own work, congratulations and good luck!
So, to all you wonderful writers and readers out there, love life even in dark times and keep staying healthy! Love you all, xx.
Her Profile Updated December 27, 2011 reads:
With sadness in my heart I must tell you all about the departure of my dear friend who was memories of pain.
Taken from us too soon she had the biggest heart of all.
On her request I will continue the story of Reading Enriches the Mind.
I can only hope that I will do her justice.
Remember her with fondness and thank you all for your support and kindness.
Williams Angel
MSgt SilverDollar A/N: I think this idea has great potential and definately deserves more than the 45 reviews it currently has.