Blooming Flowers
Hermione's Desire.
Returning to school was mostly uneventful, other than the fact that they almost missed the train. Voldemort kept kissing Severus, and there may or may not have been a quickie.
Once back at Hogwarts, everyone settled down, meaning Severus continued to cause fear, and his children drove everyone insane.
"Your children are a treasure," Salazar sighed happily.
"I believe some in this school will think otherwise," Severus replied, not even looking up from the papers he was grading.
"Like I care."
Severus did look up at the portrait then. Somehow, the background had changed from the comfortable study to a picnic by the Black Lake. The Founder was lounging on an emerald blanket, dressed in shorts and nothing else. It was a little distracting, to be honest... something Godric agreed on if the way he kept staring at his fellow Founder was anything to go by before he had left the portrait.
Please let me just be reading too much into it, Severus thought. He did not want to walk in on any kind of snogging, or worse.
"Between them, and the twins, I'm having so much fun," Salazar remarked.
"I'm happy for you."
"And here I thought only the desert could be that dry."
Grinning, Severus returned to his work.
"Although, I have noticed that your son has been a little off as of late."
"…Odd how?"
"He's been looking off into the distance, as though he's looking for, or hearing something."
Severus' face went thoughtful.
A few days later, Harry entered his father's office after being summoned.
"I didn't do it, and I have witnesses."
"…..The fact that you and your sister have the exact same response when being called into my office is concerning."
Harry blinked.
"Sit."
Harry sat.
"So what have you all been up too?" Severus asked.
"Trying to figure out what's behind the locked door on the third floor."
Severus blinked rapidly.
"I don't know if you're being serious or not, and I don't know which one would be worse."
Harry giggled.
"Alright," Severus sighed, "let's just say, hypothetically, you and the others are serious. Why?"
"Someone, or something, is trying to break into it."
"Did your trick tell you this?"
"Hogwarts did."
Severus raised a brow at that. Ever since Harry's "trick" manifested at the age of eight, he and the rest of the family had learned a great deal about magic itself…..and a lot less.
"And what did it—"
"She."
"Hogwarts is female?"
"Yep!" Harry nodded, his eyes suddenly getting the familiar dazed look before he looked over at the empty portrait. Severus followed his gaze and raised a brow again when his son looked back at him. Surprisingly, the child didn't say anything about it.
"What did Hogwarts tell you about what was trying to break in?" The Potions Master got back on track.
"Erm, she's not sure, mostly because I don't think she understands what it is."
Severus hummed to himself and then he sighed.
"If I look into it, will you and the others stop?"
"Can't promise anything," Harry grinned.
Severus gave his son a look.
~.~
"Planning more night escapades?"
All four children looked up at Madame Pince towering over them. Her stern expression was unusually soft and a little amused.
"Night escapades?" Harry repeated after a moment.
Pince didn't answer, but looked over the book the children were reading.
"Curious about stones?"
Harry nodded.
"I got some really interesting stones for Christmas, and was curious about them."
"Oh?"
Nodding again, Harry reached into his robe pocket and pulled out three of the stones. They were certainly beautiful. There was even a blue one with an inner light that made it seemed like a swirling ocean. Pince recommended a few books before leaving the children to their task.
"I think she knows," Draco whispered once the librarian was out of earshot.
"Well, if she does, we'll find out soon enough." Harry said, unconcerned about his father finding out. Besides, it wasn't like they were doing anything bad... for now anyway. "Oh! Before I forget, Hagrid sent me a letter asking for us to visit again."
"When?"
"Friday."
"Hmmm," Hermione hummed.
"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked.
Beside him, Ron was doodling on his parchment. The young Weasley had lost interest in their conservation, seeing as they weren't getting any further.
"A few questions I want to ask him."
Friday came, and when they arrived at the gamekeeper's hut, they were surprised to find all the curtains closed, and it was insanely hot inside. Tea and sandwiches were waiting for them.
"What else is guarding the Sorcerer's Stone, apart from Fluffy?" Hermione asked bluntly.
Hagrid choked on his tea.
"I can' tell you!" the gamekeeper said. "Firs', I don' know meself. Secon', why are you inten' on knowin'?"
Hermione and Draco looked at Harry who had told them about his talk with his father. And while they no longer wanted to get through the door since Dad had been very serious, they were still curious.
"Curiosity," Harry shrugged.
Hagrid give him the driest of looks.
"What?"
~.~
Severus kept an even closer eye on Professor Quirrell than usual.
~.~
She couldn't sleep. Groaning softly, she rolled over for the third time onto her back. Staring up at the canopy, the young girl decided she may as well do something. Quietly as not to disturb her roommates, Hermione gathered the current book she was reading, put on her slippers and made her way down to the common room.
As expected, it was empty. After comfortably settling in a chair, she opened her book to the page where she left off and started reading. Ten minutes later, she closed the book, having read the same line repeatedly.
What do I do now?
With her brother sleeping, it was somewhat boring, and she would rather not finish off her homework. Despite what Ron thought, she did not live for it.
Hmmm, guess I'll explore a bit.
Maybe she would finally get sleepy enough after that. Hermione got up and paused to consider getting her dressing gown before dismissing it and climbing out of the portrait hole. Thanks to the twins, she knew the best shortcuts around the castle and was surprised when she nearly tripped over Mrs Norris in an empty hall.
Crud, she thought as she watched the cat run off to tell her Master, meowing loudly.
Grumbling, she turned on her heel and started hurrying down the hall, looking for a place to hide. She ran faster when she heard Filch's voice, asking Mrs Norris where the student was.
Luck was on Hermione's side. She spotted a door and quickly entered it before closing the door. Back pressed against it, she listened as footsteps hurried past and disappeared down the hall. Sighing in relief, Hermione looked around.
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 her 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.
Hermione moved closer to the mirror, to get a better look of the words. She stepped in front of it.
It took all she had not to scream, and even though she knew better, Hermione whirled around. The room was empty.
Heart pounding, she turned slowly back to the mirror.
There she was, reflected in it, looking very much terrified, and there reflected behind her, were others.
Her Daddy, Papa, brother, Draco, Uncles, and Aunts, even Fenrir and his Pack. Smiling, and waving at her. However, what shocked her more was the two directly behind her.
Her Father, Greg. And standing next to her was a woman she knew all too well despite being much younger the last time she saw her.
Her mother.
Hermione didn't realize that she was moving closer to the mirror, until she bumped her nose against it.
"Mum?"
Her mother smiled, and waved.
Numbly, Hermione waved back, a feeling of great joy, and horrible sadness in her heart.
~.~
She did not sleep at all that night, or the following nights.
~.~
"You okay, Mione?"
"I'm fine, Ray, just thinking."
"About what?"
"Things."
Draco and Harry looked at other.
"Do you thinks she's being bullied again?" Draco whispered to Harry.
"I don't think so," Harry whispered back and shrugged. "If this keeps up, I'll tell Dad."
~.~
For the fourth night in a row, Hermione was back in the same room, sitting down in front of the mirror, wrapped in her dressing gown.
"Good evening Miss Granger, back again I see."
Hermione jumped, and looked over her shoulder, it was the Headmaster.
She had not seen him.
"Headmaster," Hermione said. To her relief, he was smiling.
Still smiling, Dumbledore moved closer to her. "So, it seems you, like hundreds before you. Have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."
She already knew that, having researched the words from the books she had read in the Restriction Section.
"And I expect you've realized what it does as well."
Hermione nodded.
Dumbledore hummed. "And what did you see, if you don't mind sharing."
Hermione bit her bottom lip, glancing up at him.
"What I wanted to see," she then said after a moment of long thought.
Dumbledore nodded.
"This mirror shows us nothing more or less then the deepest, more desperate desire of our hearts. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what is shows is real or even possible."
Hermione looked back the mirror. Her mother was laughing with her Daddy, while Greg was obviously teasing her Papa. Everyone just looked so happy.
"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."
Hermione stared at the mirror for a long time before she finally stood up. She headed for the door, stopping and looking over her shoulder at the Headmaster. A thought accorded to her, before she let it go. She had feeling he wouldn't have been very truthful anyway.
~.~
She didn't tell her brother or father about the Mirror.
~.~
"Um, Hagrid, that's a real dragon."
"Yes it is!"
Hagrid looked very proud and happy. On the table, the newly hatched dragon chirped and stumbled as it got used to its limbs.
As of as late they had noticed Hagrid's strange behavior, and how his hut was like a furnace when they visited. Finally, the large man had broken down and confessed when Draco caught him reading a book on dragons. Problem was, keeping a dragon as a pet was illegal.
"He's sooo cute!" Hermione coo'ed.
Cautiously, she held out her hand toward the baby dragon. It saw her hand and moved closer, sniffing at it. Chirping happily, he licked it. Squealing, Hermione moved closer and soon, Draco and Harry joined her, cooing over the dragon who seemed rather happy about the attention.
Meanwhile, Ron was asking Hagrid where he got the egg. The large man was describing the person when movement at the window caught their attention.
"Hey, isn't that Mathew!?"
It was indeed, and upon seeing them, he ran off. No doubt to tell someone what he just saw or worse, that it was already past curfew.
"Yer Da is goin' ter kill me," Hagrid groaned.
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