Note:
{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}{~}
Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver post had to be nursed back to health by Professor Grubblyplank the care of Magical Creatures teacher, before they could fly off again.
No one could wait for the holidays to start.
While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the draughty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.
"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."
He was looking over at Jane as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Jane, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, forced herself to ignore them.
Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that Slytherin had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-
mouthed tree frog would be replacing Jane as Seeker next. Then he'd realised that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Jane had managed to stay on her bucking broomstick.
So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Jane about having no proper family.
It was true that Jane wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come round the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Jane had signed up at once. She didn't feel sorry
for herself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas she'd ever had.
Ron and his brothers were staying too, because Mr and Mrs Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.
When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.
While Hagrid manipulated the tree to where it needed to go, Jane, Ron and Jack talked about the christmas plans.
"Apparently everyone that stays over for the holidays has a sleepover in the common room. That way in the morning they can wake up together and all open presents." Ron told them "Fred and George told me, but I checked with Percy to make sure they werent pulling me leg again"
"That sounds brilliant" Jane smiled, she knew she wasn't going to get anything but it would be nice to open presents with the rest of the Gryffindor's that were staying at the castle.
"You're making me jealous" groaned Jack, "I wish I could stay but me parents want us home. How daft is this anyway. I'm in the Scottish Highlands, they want me to travel down to London, where they're going to pikc me up from the station and then we're heading to Inverness for christmas at me Grandparents with the whole family."
"Yeah it is a bit daft" Jane and Ron murmered
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" they heard Malfoy's cold drawl, he was stood a short distance ahead sneering at Hagrid.
"Hold on to yer robes, I'm movin as fas as I can" Hagrid gruffed,
"Yes well" sneered Malfoy at Hagrid. He waited a minute and then he turned to Jane with a cold smile.
"It must be so sad not having a family Potter" Malfoy sneered "Though personally I don't know who would want a mudblood mother or a blood traitor family" he sneered
Jane, who wasn't sure what the insults to her parents were, but who knew they had been insulted, dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.
"POTTER"
Jane let go of the front of Malfoy's robes at once.
"She was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' her family."
"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules ….,"
"He called her mother a M…Mudblood" said Hagrid, spitting out the insult. Snape paled drastically his black eyes turning colder and harder so that they looked like blackholes.
"Ten points from Slytherin Malfoy, and be grateful it isn't more. Potter next time that word is mentioned, tell a prefect or teacher, do not start a brawl in the corridors. Now move along, all of you." Snape snarled looking at Malfoy furiously.
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere, Malfoy looked Livid.
"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "One of these days, I'll get him –"
"Can someone explain, what just happened. Snape took points off Slytherin, off Malfoy, and what was so bad about Mudblood and whats a blood traitor" Jack asked
"Do not use those words" snapped Ron,
"They are really bad, a M.U.D.B.L.O.O.D is a really fowl name for someone who is muggleborn. It means dirtyblood. But no one, no one decent or civil use it. Even Snape was furious with it. And a Blood traitor is what my family are consideredto be, by the Malfoys and other pureblood families. We are traitors to out magical blood becasue we associate with muggleborns and don't hate all thing muggle" explained Ron.
"It hate him" snarled Jane looking fuious
"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Jack.
"Hello there" the Trio turned and saw Nearly Headless Nick gliding towards them,
"Hello" they replied.
"Why the gloomy faces, its nearly christmas afterall. Tell you what, why don't you go see the Great Hall. It looks an absolute treat."
So Jane Ron and Jack followed Nick's suggestion and made their way across to the Great Hall.
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations. And Hagrid seemed to be putting the last tree into it's stand in the corner nearest the door.
The Hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls and no fewer than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.
"How many days you got left until your holidays?" Nick asked as he glided over to join them.
"Just one," said Jane.
"Oh that reminds me – Jane, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."
"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.
"The library?" said Nick, following them out of the Hall. "Just before the holidays?, Surely your not being home work so close to christmas"
"Oh, we're not working," Jane told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."
"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here – I've told you– you need to drop this. It's nothing to you what that dog is guarding"
"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all" said Jack
"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. 'We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere – just give us a hint – I know I've read his name somewhere."
"I am saying nothing on this subject" said Nick flatly.
"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Nick looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.
They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Nearly Headless Nick had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.
Jack took out a list of subjects and titles he had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Jane wandered over to the Restricted Section. She had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books and she knew she'd never get one.
These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts and only read by older students studying advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts.
"What are you looking for, girl?"
"Oh nothing" Said Jane quickly, " I was just waiting for my friends"
Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at her.
"You can wait outside the Library dear, I will not have students mulling about in here" said Madam Prince as she waved her feather duster about, hitting Jane in the head several times without realising and causing Jane to sneeze repeatedly.
Jane left the library. She, Ron and Jack had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.
Jane waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for a fortnight, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.
Five minutes later, Ron and Jack joined her, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.
"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Jack. "And send me an owl if you find anything."
"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."
"I'm not sure about that, if they do know anything I will probably get a 5 hour lecture on the topic and made to write a 5000 word essay on what I learned" said Jack with a laugh, "but if i get chance, I'll ask" he assured them
Once the holidays had started, Ron and Jane were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. They had the dormitories to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork – bread, crumpets, marshmallows – and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.
Ron also started teaching Jane magical chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family – in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.
Jane played with chessmen Percy Wealsey had lent her and they didn't trust her at all. Jane wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at her, which
was confusing:
'Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him.'
On Christmas Eve, Jane curled up on one of the comfy sofas in the common room, Ron was curled at the otherside. Both of them were trying not to kick each other but as it was the only space left besides the floor they didn't mind.
Fred and George were sprawled on the rug in front of the fire and other people were curled in chairs, stretched on on the sofas or trying to get themselves comfortable on one of the many warm rugs.
Jane, like everyone else, was looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.
When she woke early next morning, however, the first thing she saw was a small pile of packages clustered on the floor close to her head.
"Happy Christmas," said Ron sleepily as he sat up rubbing his eyes. They were the first too awake and smiled at each other before letting out a loud cry
"WAKE UP EVERYONE, IT'S CHRISTMAS"
All at once people were scrambling out of the cocoons of blankets, wearing pyjamas or nighties and dressing-gowns.
"Merry Christmas to you too" said Fred as he rolled over and sat up
"Will you look at this? I've got some presents!" Said Jane happily, she was practically bouncing in her seat
"What did you expect, turnips?" Said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Jane's.
"Actually I wasn't expecting anything," said Jane as she examined one of the brightly coloured parcels with her name on it. She missed the confused or sad or shocked looks that appeared on people's faces.
Jane picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in shiny silver paper with gold sparkles. Written in a tiny, slanted writing was
To Jane from Dumbeldore.
Inside was a hand carved wooden flute. It had obviously been whittled by an expert craftsman. It was beautiful. Jane blew it – it sounded just like fawkes.
A second, very small parcel of brown paper and string, contained a note.
We received your message and enclosed your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.
Sellotaped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.
"That's friendly," said Jane, showing Ron, Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence as we're his brothers.
"Weird!" Ron said. "What a shape! This is money?"
"You can keep it," said Jane, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Professor Dumbledore and my aunt and uncle – so who sent these?"
"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, going a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel wrapped in red and gold, he laughed.
"Oy you lot" he said to his brothers, "Jane's part of the family now. Mum's made her a Weasley jumper."
Fred and George looked up
"Hey let's open them together, come on Percy" Percy did not look pleased at this but he did as he was told and together the five off them unwrapped their jumpers.
Jane tore open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in rust coloured orange with a large golden J on it, and a large box of home-made fudge.
"Every year she makes us a jumper," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."
"At least mum didn't accidently give you Ginny's jumper like she did with me last year.," Said Geroeg
"You still wore it though" Percy scowled as the others erupted into laughter
"Yeah you and Ginny refused to switch with each other, yours looked like a dress on her" Ron grinned
"It's really nice of her to make me one" said Jane, pulling the warm jumper over her head.
Fred and George too were wearing their blue jumpers, one with a large yellow F on it, the other with a large yellow G.
"Jane's is better than ours, though," said Fred looking at Jane.
"It definitely looks warmer than ours"
"She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."
"Come on Ron, get it on, they're lovely and warm." George demanded
"I hate maroon," Ron moaned half-heartedly as he pulled it over his head.
" You too Percy" said Fred as he seized Percy's moss green coloured Jumper.
"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Jane" Geroeg added moving to his twins side. The others in the common room laughing at their antics. Percy was scowling slightly.
"I – don't – want –" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the jumper over his head, knocking his glasses askew.
Jane's next present was from Jack, it was a large book about Quidditch. Then there was a large parcel from Ron that contained a large assortment of chocolate frog cards.
"There duplicate cards I got, I asked mum to send them, their for your collection, sorry it's not much"
"It's fine, honestly it's the thought that counts and to be honest it's one of the best Christmas presents I've gotten. Better than some of the things I've gotten of the Dursleys" Jane told him,
Then there was a parcel from professor McGonagall that contained a set of rose coloured woolen gloves, hat and scarf
At last there was only one parcel left, Jane picked it up and felt it. It was very light.
She unwrapped it. Something fluid and silvery grey went slithering to the floor, where it lay in gleaming folds.
Ron gasped and several others stared at it.
"I've heard of those," Ron said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every-Flavour Beans he'd got from Jack. "If that's what I think it is – they're really rare, and really valuable."
"What is it?" Jane 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 Fred, a look of awe on his face.
"I think you're right Forge"
"Cause I am Fred"
"Go on, Jane, try it on." Ron said
Jaen threw the Cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell. Everyone stared
"It is! Look down!" Ron exclaimed
Jane looked down at her feet, but they had gone. She dashed to the large window that would act as a mirror. Sure enough, her reflection looked back at her. There was just her head suspended in mid-air, her body completely invisible.
Jane pulled the Cloak over her head and her reflection vanished completely.
"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"
Jane pulled off the Cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing she recognized as Dumbledore's.
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. Jane realised that Dumbeldore did not want people to know he had given her the cloak. Ron was admiring the Cloak.
"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"
"Nothing, just…" said Jane as she stuffed the Cloak quickly into its original wrapping. She didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else, it had been her father's.
"I don't have anything of my parents and.."
"And it's special so you don't feel like sharing" George finished for her,
"We understand, right Ron" fixing Ron with a stern expression
"Oh yeah totally get it" Ron added hastily.
Half an hour later Jane and the Weasley's were back in the common room, after stowing their presents in their dorms, now fully dressed and still wearing their new jumpers.
"And you're not sitting with the Prefects today, either," said George.
"Christmas is a time for family." Said Fred As they frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his sides.
Jane had never in all her life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys, mountains of roast and boiled potatoes, platters of fat chipolatas, tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce – and stacks of magical crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic crackers were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats. Jane pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't 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 on 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. They watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to everyone's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lop-sided.
When Jane finally left the table, she was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a grow-your-own-warts kit and her own new magical chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Jane had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs Norris' Christmas dinner.
Jane and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight in the grounds. Then, cold, wet and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor
common room, where Jane broke in her new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. Jane suspected she wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help her so much.
After a tea 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'd stolen his prefect badge.
It had been Jane's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until she climbed into bed was she free to think about it: the Invisibility Cloak and whoever had sent it.
Jane leant over the side of her own bed and pulled the Cloak out from under it. Her father's … this had been her father's. She let the material flow over her hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said. She had to try it, now.
Jane slipped out of bed and wrapped the Cloak around herself. Looking down at her legs, she saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling. Use it well?.
Suddenly, Jane felt wide awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to her in this Cloak. Excitement flooded through her as she stood there in the dark and silence. She could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.
Jane thought for a moment, should she goes across the halway into the boys dormitory and wake up Ron?
Something held her back – her father's Cloak – she felt that this time – the first time – she wanted to use it alone.
She crept out of her dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room and climbed through the portrait hole.
"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Jane said nothing. She walked quickly down the corridor. Where should she go? She stopped, her heart racing, and thought. And then it came to her. The Restricted Section in the library. She'd be able to read as long as she liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. Jane set off, drawing the Invisibility Cloak tight around her as she walked.
The library was pitch black and very eerie. Jane lit a lamp to see her way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in mid-air, and even though Jane could feel her arm supporting it, the sight gave her the creeps.
The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope which separated these books from the rest of the library, she held up his lamp to read the titles. They didn't tell her much.
Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Jane couldn't understand. 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 Jane's neck prickled. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.
Jane had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, she looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting-looking book. A large black and silver volume caught her eye. She pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on her knee, let it fall open. A piercing, blood-curdling shriek split the silence – the book
was screaming! Jane snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, ear-splitting note. She stumbled backwards and knocked over her lamp, which went out at once.
Panicking slightly, Jane heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside – stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, she ran for it.
Jane passed Filch almost in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through her and she slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's
shrieks still ringing in her ears.
Jane came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armour. She had been so busy getting away from the library, she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. Perhaps because it was dark, she didn't recognise where she was at all. There was a suit of armour near the kitchens, she knew, but she must be five floors above there.
"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."
Jane felt the blood drain out of her face. Wherever she was, Filch must know a short cut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to Jane's horror, it was Snape who replied.
"The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."
Jane stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see her, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into her – the Cloak didn't stop her being solid.
Jane backed away as quietly as she could. A door stood ajar to her left. It was his only hope. She squeezed through it, holding her breath, trying not to move it, and to her relief she managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past and Jane leant against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close.
It was a few seconds before she noticed anything about the room she had hidden in. It looked like a disused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls and there was an upturned waste-paper 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.
Jane, her panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, moved nearer to the mirror. She was wanting to look at herself but see no reflection again. Jane stepped in front of it and had to clap her hands to her mouth to stop herself screaming.
She whirled around. Her heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed – for she had seen not only herself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people
standing right behind her
.
But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, she turned slowly back to the mirror.
There she was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind her, were at least ten others.
Jane looked over her shoulder – but, still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was she in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?
Jane looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind her reflection was smiling at her and waving. Jane reached out a hand and felt the air behind her. If she was really
there, Jane wouldd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but Jane felt only air – the woman and the others existed only in the mirror. She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes –
'her eyes are just like mine' Jane thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green – exactly the same shape, but then she noticed that the woman was crying; 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. It was just as unruly, just as jet black as Jane's.
Jane was so close to the mirror now that her nose was nearly touching that of her reflection.
"Mum?" she whispered. "Dad?"
They just looked at her, smiling. And slowly, Jane looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror and saw other pairs of green eyes like her, other noses like her, even a little old man who looked as though he had Jane's knobbly knees –
Janewas looking at her family, for the first time in her life.
The Potters smiled and waved at Jane and she stared hungrily back at them, her hands pressed flat against the glass as though she was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. She had a powerful kind of ache inside her, half joy, half terrible sadness.
How long she stood there, she didn't know. The reflections did not fade and she looked and looked until a distant noise brought her back to her senses. She couldn't stay here, she had to find her way back to bed. Jane tore her eyes away from her mother's face, whispered,
"I'll come back," and hurried from the room.
"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.
"You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror."
"I'd like to see your mum and dad," Ron said eagerly.
"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone."
"You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"
Jane couldn't eat. She had seen her parents and would be seeing them again tonight. She had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important any more. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?
"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd."
"I'm fine" said Jane quickly, at last picking up a slice of warm, buttery toast and taking a small bite. It was like chewing cardboard.
What Jane feared most was that she might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the Cloak too, they had to walk much more slowly next night. They tried retracing Jane's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.
"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."
"No!" Jane hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."
They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Jane spotted the suit of armour.
"It's here – just here – yes!"
They pushed the door open. Jane dropped the Cloak from round her shoulders and ran to the mirror. There they were. Her mother and father beamed at the sight of her.
"See?" Jane whispered.
"I can't see anything."
"Look! Look at them all … there are loads of them …"
"I can only see you."
"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am."
Jane stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, she couldn't see her family any more, just Ron in his paisley pyjamas. Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.
"Look at me!" he said.
"Can you see all your family standing around you?"
"No – I'm alone – but I'm different – I look older – and I'm Head Boy!"
"What?"
"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 Jane.
"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"
"How can it? All my family are dead – let me have another look –"
"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."
"You're only holding the Quidditch Cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."
"Don't push me –"
A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realised how loudly they had been talking.
"Quick!"
Ron threw the Cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs Norris came round the door. Ron and Jane stood quite still, both thinking the same thing – did the Cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.
"This isn't safe – she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on." And Ron pulled Jane out of the room.
The snow still hadn't melted next morning.
"Want to play chess, Jane?" said Ron.
"No."
"Why don't we go outside and build a snowman?"
"No … you go …"
"I know what you're thinking about, Jane, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."
"Why not?"
"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it – and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape and Mrs Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"
"You sound like Hermione. Bishop"
"I'm serious, Jane, don't go. Please"
But Jane only had one thought in her head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop her.
That third night she found her way more quickly than before. Jane was walking so fast she knew she was making more noise than was wise, but she didn't meet anyone. And there were her mother and father smiling at her again, and one of her grandfathers was nodding happily. Jane sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to
stop her staying here all night with her family. Nothing at all. Except –
"So – back again, Jane?"
Jane felt as though her insides had turned to ice. She looked behind her. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Jane must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror she hadn't noticed him.
"I – I didn't see you, sir."
"Strange how short-sighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Jane was relieved to see that he was smiling.
"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Jane, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."
"I didn't know it was called that, sir."
"But I expect you've realised by now what it does?"
"It – well – it shows me my family –"
"And it showed your friend Ron himself as Head Boy."
"How did you know –?"
"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"
Jane shook her head.
"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"
Jane thought. Then she said slowly,
"It shows us what we want … whatever we want …"
"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. 'The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Jane, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on
dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable Cloak back on and get off to bed,?"
Jane stood up. She thought for a moment about saying thank you for the cloak but stopped herself. Dumbledore hadn't signed the note for a reason.
"Sir – Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"
"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."
"What do you see when you look in the Mirror?"
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks."
Jane stared.
"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
It was only when she was back in bed that it struck Jane that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, she thought, as she placed her glasses on the besside table, it had been quite a personal question.
