Chapter 2: Meeting of the Mirror and Dragon

Eriol found himself trailing along behind the same giant from his previous meeting. They had introduced themselves formally to each other by now and chatted a while, musing over the irony of it all. However conversation had faded as they walked the busy streets of London. Hagrid stopped in front of the same bar where they first met. Eriol's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Hagrid noticed.

"Feelin a lil deja-vu I reckon." he chuckled.

Eriol nodded.

"I suppose all yer questions will now be answered laddie." he said leading him into the bar.

The giant was greeted by the same people as usual and Eriol found himself walking straight into the doorway he had attempted entering before. He looked at the walls of the small courtyard.

He lifted his hand to the walls. "I can feel it again.." he whispered.

Hagrid's eyebrows raised in scrutiny, "You're a strange one. Most first-years aren't even aware of this area.."

"Second year." Eriol corrected him, "I tested into it, but still have to go through some sorting ceremony thing."

Hagrid turned his attention to the wall in front of him shrugging slightly. As if entering some secret code, he tapped the bricks in various places and stood back. Eriol was unimpressed until the wall began peeling itself apart revealing a secret archway that had not been there minutes before. Beyond the entryway the young mage could see flocks of people dressed in various robes and shops lined end to end down the cobbled street.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley.." Hagrid boasted standing tall.

Eriol smiled to himself as if justifying the tremendous amount of magical energy he had felt earlier.

The giant next to him motioned to the Alley. "I suppose you'd be wantin to get yer supplies then.." he drawled handing the smug looking mage the list that accompanied his letter.

Eriol smiled. "Cash or charge?"

~*~

Buying his supplies had been easy enough. Finding the 9 3/4 platform at King's Cross had not been. At first he hadn't understood Hagrid's directions. He clearly saw platform 9 and 10, but nothing in between. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of frizzy light brown hair disappearing into a pillar, that he knew what he had to do. He followed suit, suddenly realizing that the hair probably belonged to the girl he had met before. He had many things to ask her..if he could find her.

Sure enough, he found himself before a steaming train. It's sign on the front was clearly destined for the school known as Hogwarts. He was in the right place. Kids his age and older swamped the platform. Some getting on the train, some arriving and others saying their final good-byes. Eriol decided to find himself a seat as soon as possible.

Finally taking care of his carted luggage, the boy climbed onto the train. Every cabin he looked into was full, or housed kids he wasn't too sure of sitting by. Nearly reaching the end, he found a cozy empty section. He seated himself by the window and his first instinct was to inspect the wand he had been 'forced' to buy. He looked it over in his hands. It really didn't seem any special. If anything it was very inferior looking, compared to his sun staff and he was almost insulted that he would have to stoop to such a basic level of magic. He sighed fingering the key that hung around his neck.

There has to be a good reason why I'm here..I might as well try to learn something, he thought to himself.

"There you are Harry! I been looking all over for you!"

Eriol barely noticed the red-headed boy before he found himself being tugged on.

"Excuse me!" demanded Eriol, freeing himself of the other's grasp.

The tall freckled boy turned to him with an almost annoyed look on this face.

"Really Harry, Hermione and I have been looking all over for you!" he said posing with his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid I'm not the Harry you speak of." replied Eriol calmly, almost accustomed to constantly being compared by now.

Then he grew curious.

"Did you happen to say Hermione?" he asked again, the name sounding very familiar.

The red-head nodded, but his eyes were fixed scrupulously on the raven-haired boy before him. He looked intently at his forehead.

"It's that frizzy haired girl isn't it, you know her?"

The boy nodded again although not being able to pry his eyes from between Eriol's bangs. He finally spoke.

"You really aren't Harry are you!? The scar..it's not there." he mumbled, his eyes squinting.

Eriol was just about to explain himself when Hermione approached the two of them.

"Ron! Harry and I were waiting for you up front, what are you doing here?" she snapped before turning to see the source of Ron's attention.

She gasped.

"It's you!" spilled her words complete with accusing finger.

"It's who?" Another boy with glasses appeared behind her, peering over her shoulder.

He met Eriol's gaze and the world seemed to go quiet. He stepped up to our mage and the two sized each other up.

"It's like looking in a mirror.." he whispered.

Eriol was too dumbfounded to utter a sound.

Ron spoke up again, "Hermione do you know this bloke?"

She shook her head affirmatively. "It's that guy I told you about Harry!"

Ron followed her gaze to the two gaping boys. The whistle of the Hogwarts Express blew and the room seemed to shift as the train began to move. The group decided to abandon their previous spot at the head of the train and interrogate their strange visitor instead. They all took up spots in the cabin. Harry sat directly across from Eriol. They both adjusted their glasses almost simultaneously. This issued a smile on Harry's part. He extended a hand to the wary Eriol.

"I'm Harry Potter, and what might your name be?"

Eriol smiled back cordially, "I'm Eriol, Eriol Hiiragizawa."

Harry nodded and introduced his friends, motioning to them accordingly.
"This is my best mate Ron Weasely and this is Hermione Granger, whom I take you have met before." His friends nodded in greeting.

With formalities out of the way the air became lighter. The trio seemed very interested in Eriol's magical history. Hermione finally got her question answered as to how his companion had sensed her magical ability earlier.

Eriol shared his past experiences with his newly acquired friends and they listened to him in disbelief and awe.

"So then it was you who plunged the world in darkness!?" squealed Hermione, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.

Eriol nodded, his face beaming in his usual way.

Harry turned to Ron, confirmation in his voice, "And all this time we thought it was one of Voldemort's threats."

Ron nodded after cringing slightly at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, "The Ministry had a hard time covering that one up."

Hermione nearly tugged on Eriol's robes for attention, "Say..how did you do it exactly?"

The other two waited anxiously for his answer. Our mage shrugged and held out the key that hung around his neck.

"With this.."

"A key?" exclaimed the trio almost in unison.

"Well actually it's more than that..this is just one of it's forms." He explained while his friends blinked absently.

He was just about to continue his lecture when a pale blonde head poked into the room.

"Well well..if it isn't Hairy Potty, the Mud-blood and Weasel boy!" exclaimed the overly sarcastic voice from the doorway.

Before Eriol's eyes stood the palest boy he had ever seen. His silvery blonde hair, slicked back with only a few strands to fall before his eyes gave the boy an air of aristocracy. The sharp features of his gaunt face and the piercing light blue-gray of his eyes suggested a rare pedigree of some sort. Lastly the long, thin fingers that rested on the slim hips of his delicate frame screamed the part of a spoiled rich boy who had never spent a hard days work out in the sun.

Eriol was captivated immediately.

Behind the boy appeared two portly and menacing looking goons, as if to guard their snotty master from any physical harm.

Ron shot up from his seat immediately, with fists balled at his sides, "What do you want Malfoy?!" he growled, seeming more like a warning than actual question.

"Pansy was bothering the bloody hell out of us, a few carts back, so we decided to find another compartment to invade. It so happens that this one struck my fancy. It looks suitable enough, don't you agree Crabbe? Goyle?" he said motioning innocently to his two body guards in a half shrug.

He turned his attention back to the reaction of his victims only to notice Eriol sitting in the corner for the first time. His face squinted slightly as he pushed by Ron's angry mass. He came to a stop in front of the mage.

"It looks like Potter has himself a twin! A hopeless fan perhaps?" he taunted stroking his chin thoughtfully. "What do you call yourself, Mini-Potter.."

"The name's Eriol Hiiragizawa.." came the reply and slowly Eriol stood to face his aggressor, "Hmm.." he hummed looking Draco up and down. "If any one of us is 'Mini' it most definitely would be you Mr. Malfoy."

Draco noticed their slight height difference for the first time.

"I hope it's our height you are referring to.."

Eriol smirked, "Maybe.."

The dragon nearly blanched, though in time his slightly astonished face melted into a confident smirk as their eyes locked in battle for what seemed like ages. Soon enough, he extended his hand.

"You can call me Draco..Mr. Hiiragizawa." he said finally grasping the other boys hand tightly.

"Just Eriol is fine, Draco.." a mutual gleam in his eyes.

The boys released their clasp and Draco sighed, sounding as defeated as a Malfoy possibly could. He turned raising a single hand in departing gesture to his goons before walking out of the cabin, "Let's move on boys. There is nothing here for us."

Harry addressed Eriol, after picking his jaw up off the floor, "Just how did you manage to DO that? I mean..how cold you stomach him? Much less make him leave without throwing a tantrum?"

"I'm surprised you didn't burn yourself on his Slytherin hide.." Ron chimed in, his gaze still fixed angrily on the doorway.

Eriol merely lolled his head to the side, throwing his audience one of his casual trademark smiles, "It could be, that we might have reached a mutual understanding."

The three blinked just as the whistle on the train blew. They had finally arrived at the train station, and in the distance loomed the towers and peaks of Hogwarts castle.