Disclaimer: Harry Potter and associated characters are property of J.K.
Rowling, not me.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Chapter 7: The Mirror of Malikith
As Harry and Hermione stood in front of the mirror, they became more horrified as the image that the mirror revealed was none other than Voldemort himself. Voldemort was standing in the middle of a circle of his Death Eaters in a dark room, his face white as death, with wide, scarlet eyes and a flat nose that was like that of a snake's. In front of him, was a kneeling person, with his head down, but they could tell who it was from the black greasy hair on his head. It was professor Snape.
They continued to watch as the scene unfolded before them. Voldemort was addressing Snape and they could hear his cold voice echoing through the room.
"Serverus, it's about time you showed your despicable face. I was starting to think you've left us for good," Voldemort hissed.
Voldemort drew his wand and pointed it at Snape before screeching "Crucio!"
Snape writhed in pain on the stone floor as the cruciatus curse hit him.
As Voldemort was torturing Snape, Harry's scar started to burn and Harry staggered under the pain, his hand going to his scar. Hermione saw this and quickly moved to support him before asking him if he was alright. It was several minutes before Voldemort relented and Harry's scar stopped burning. When they looked at the mirror again, Snape was slowly getting to his knees and he remained there not daring to look up at Voldemort. It was clear that he was trembling in fear.
"Forgive me master for my belated arrival, but I was collecting information for you and have come to give it to you," wheezed Snape.
"Then let's hear it. It better be good or I will punish you again for your tardiness."
"As you wish. It's about the boy. He's currently in Romania visiting the Weasley kid with that Granger girl. They were supposed to meet him, but my sources say that he hasn't arrived yet. It's possible that he may be dead."
"I don't think so Serverus - I can feel it. It must be because I created a connection with the boy when I failed to kill him 15 years ago. I have deemed your information to be worthless, but I have pressing business, so I shall withhold your punishment for now. Continue to spy on him and return with better information next time or you will be punished severely," Voldemort continued coldly as he dismissed Snape.
"Master is kind. I will return with more information that will be useful to you," Snape said as he bowed and retreated out of the room with his head down, his body still facing in Voldemort's direction.
Once he left, another Death Eater entered the chamber. This one was dressed in a full black robe with the hood up. He knelt before Voldemort and Hermione noted that the Death Eater was carrying a sword since she saw a black sheath sticking out from underneath his robe.
*Since when did Death Eaters carry swords? * she asked herself, but turned her attention back to the mirror as the Death Eater kissed Voldemort's robe and withdrew to what he thought was a safe distance and started speaking, all the while not daring to look up at his master.
"My lord, I have come with news. My spies report that the Potter and that mudblood met with an unfortunate accident along the way to visiting the Weasleys and that Potter has gained some very powerful abilities but everything is still going as planned. Your lordship will soon have the pleasure of killing him. As for the mudblood, I'll take care of her myself," they heard the Death Eater say. Oddly, the voice sounded somewhat familiar to both Harry and Hermione, but neither could really tell due to the echoing in the room.
"Excellent. Keep an eye on them and see that they aren't harmed until everything is ready. Then I will be sure to give Potter the slow death he deserves."
After this, the mirror once again swirled in a rainbow of colour before forming a second image. This time Harry saw himself in Hermione's arms. They both looked several years older and Harry appeared to be dead since Hermione wept as she held him. Around them was a group of Death Eaters, all of whom were lying on the ground, dead.
The scene disappeared and as the amethyst stopped glowing, the mirror returned back to normal, reflecting everything in the room as it was.
They stood there in silence staring at their reflection as what they saw in the mirror sank into their minds. When Harry finally looked at Hermione, he noticed that tears were streaming down her cheek.
"Hermione, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean what's wrong? We just saw you-know-who and you - " she didn't finish as she flung her arms around Harry and cried.
Harry held her and allowed to her cry on his chest. His pajamas were starting to become soaked from Hermione's tears but he didn't care. He knew why Hermione was crying and he found it touching that Hermione truly cared so much for him, yet he found the vision of him dying very disturbing. Did that mean that he would die when he finally faced Voldemort? Was Voldemort going to win? He didn't know the answers, but he drew himself away from his thoughts and turned his attention back to Hermione.
"Hermione, you don't need to worry about me. The mirror could just be showing us what could happen. It doesn't necessarily mean that what we saw will happen," he said as he comforted her.
"I - don't know. I can't really bear the thought of losing either of my best friends, you or Ron," she sobbed. "The - last - vision the mirror showed - was us and you were -. You know that you-know-who is coming after you again. I just don't want him to kill you."
"I know he will come after me. It's inevitable. It looks like it's my fate to face him, and I promise you that regardless of the outcome, everyone will be safe."
His last statement appeared to cheer Hermione up since she asked him if he noticed anything strange about the second death eater.
"No I didn't, why?"
"Because he was carrying a sword. Death Eaters don't carry swords. I saw a black sheath sticking out from under his robe when he was kneeling before you-know-who. It looked like the same sword the Count was carrying. Do you think the Count could be working for him?"
"No, why would he? He did save us in the graveyard like you said and he could have turned us over to you-know-who while we were in the carriage," Harry interjected.
"But, you-know-who told him to watch us, and I don't think it was any accident that the gargoyle in your room was able to come alive when you lit the candles."
"Hermione, it's getting late. Stop worrying and get some sleep. We'll be able to see Ron tomorrow and everything will be alright."
"Fine, but I'm sleeping in here then to make sure nothing happens. Besides, if the Count is working for you-know-who, it'll be harder to sneak up on both of us while we're asleep than if we're in different rooms," she said wiping away her tears.
"Suit yourself. You can get the bed, I'll sleep sitting next to the bed," Harry said.
"Why? It's a large bed and its not like I'm going to take up the whole thing and you'll catch a cold if you sleep sitting next to the bed. Just sleep on the bed."
"Alright, alright," Harry said, giving in.
They went over to the bed and Hermione laid down on the right side of the bed while Harry laid down on the left with his back to hers, but he couldn't sleep since he was still thinking of what he saw in the mirror.
*What could Voldemort be planning? * he thought. *Who was that second death eater? The sword he was carrying sounds like the Count's. and his voice did sound familiar. I should keep my guard up and make sure nothing happens to Ron or Hermione since Voldemort is sure to be watching all of us. *
Soon, Harry grew too tired to think of Voldemort's plans were and eventually he fell into a dreamless sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Harry woke up to find that Hermione was already awake and fully dressed. He also noticed that Hermione's blood and the pieces of the gargoyle they fought the night before had been cleared away as he couldn't see any debris or dried blood on the floor.
"Oh, Good Morning," she said cheerfully.
"Morning Hermione," he replied groggily. "What time is it?"
"It's about 8:00. You should get dressed. Walter will come and get us in a few minutes. Then we can go down to breakfast," she said, as she looked at him from the foot of the bed.
"Uh, Hermione, could you turn around so I can change?" Harry said as he got out of bed and went over to his trunk to rummage for some clothes.
She turned around and faced the wall as Harry changed into a pair of dark blue slacks and a striped shirt. When he was done changing, Hermione turned around and went to sit on the bed. Harry was about to join her when a knock at the door stopped him. He opened the door and it revealed Walter, who was still dressed in the same attire he was in the night before.
"Good morning Mr. Potter - Ah, Miss Granger, you're here. I was wondering where you were when your bed was empty last night," he said. "I trust you had a pleasant sleep?"
"No, we -," Harry was about to say before Hermione cut him off.
"Yes, it was quite refreshing, thank you."
"I'm glad to hear that. If you will please follow me, I will take you downstairs to breakfast. My attendants will get your things," he said before he snapped his fingers and a skeleton, probably one of the ones summoned from the graveyard, entered the room and picked up his trunk before exiting again.
Harry and Hermione then followed Walter who led them downstairs to the dining room. This time 3 places were set on the right side of the table. They sat where they were last night while Walter sat down in the chair that the Count sat in during dinner. This time their plates were silver instead of gold and they had teacups made of china instead of goblets.
"There is a note on the table that Lord Vladimir left for you before leaving last night for some business," Walter said, pointing to a note on the table.
Hermione picked up the note and Harry came over to her side so that he could read over her shoulder.
The note read:
Dear Mr. Potter and Miss Granger,
My apologies that I am unable to see you off to Bistritz this morning as I had some pressing business to attend to in another country. Walter will attend to your needs and take you to the town. I hope your stay at my castle was pleasant and that you had no trouble sleeping.
You are both welcome to come visit my castle anytime since I do not get very many visitors. Good luck to you, Mr. Potter, in your excursions against Lord Voldemort. I have a feeling I will be seeing more of you in the future.
Yours in Honour,
Count Vladimir Sepet
Harry didn't know what the Count meant when he said that he would be seeing more of him in the future, but he thought nothing of it. Hermione, on the other hand, thought it was rather suspicious that the Count was called away to another country at the same time they were leaving the castle.
Hermione put the letter in her pocket as Harry returned to his seat and Walter clapped his hands twice, signaling the start of breakfast. Attendants entered the room with their breakfast and Hermione gasped as she saw that they weren't the imps from last night but skeletons carrying trays and a teapot filled with some tea. The skeletons placed their breakfast on their plates and poured their tea before retreating.
Hermione started eating her breakfast as quickly as possible, though she lost most of her appetite when she saw the skeletons serving their food. The castle was starting to scare her, even though Harry, sitting across from her, didn't look frightened at all. It was a wonder that they hadn't been poisoned or killed during their stay.
"Miss Granger, is something wrong?" Walter asked, noticing the uncomfortable look on her face.
"Um, no, it's just that your servants startled me."
"My apologies Miss Granger, but my lord's servants are with him since I am unable to do so myself. Therefore, I must create my own servants to assist me in taking care of such a large castle. I am growing old and have problems getting to places that I normally could get to if I were younger," Walter said, smiling, which surprised her.
"This is very good, what is this?" Harry asked, sipping some of the tea in his cup.
"Why it's your own blend of English tea straight from England. The Count is quite fond of English tea, so he has some shipped here every month," Walter stated as he ate a piece of sausage on his fork. "By the way Mr. Potter, did you find the mirror in your room interesting?"
"Uh, yes, it was. What do you call it?" he asked in surprise.
"It's called the mirror of Malikith. He was the first lord of this castle, as my master may have told you last night," he said, looking at Harry. "He was a powerful warlock who had many abilities, some of the more unique ones, probably had something to with the mirror he built in your room."
"The mirror showed us some images after we placed a purple stone in the bottom of it. What exactly does the mirror do?"
"The stone is called an amethyst, it's a stone that gave life to all of Malikith's creations. As for the mirror, it shows you what is happening at that moment in time and what will come to pass."
Hermione looked like she was about to cry after hearing the last part of Walter's statement, but she held back her tears lest Walter question her again.
"The mirror has never known to fail in its predictions of the future, but that can always change."
They finished their breakfast shortly and Walter got up from his chair. He motioned for them to follow and they walked out of the castle where they found the carriage waiting. Their trunks were already loaded and Walter opened the door and they entered the carriage and sat down across from each other.
The carriage drove off and Hermione started talking with Harry about their stay in the castle.
"The stay in the castle was not as pleasant as we thought it would be. The Count is nice, but Walter is really creepy. I just hope I don't have to meet with him again," Hermione stated.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with Walter. His methods may be a bit - unorthodox, but it's not like wants to kill us or anything. He did point out the mirror to me before he left last night and we wouldn't know what Voldemort was up to."
"I guess, though I don't I'll ever get used to those undead attendants of his. The idea of a person who's supposed to be dead serving my food isn't very appealing to me."
"Really? You didn't seem to have a problem with the Count last night."
"But he's not dead. Besides, the chat we had last night was rather enjoyable. Though now we need to be careful from now on. We don't know what may come next and Walter did say that everything that we saw in the mirror could occur."
"Doesn't necessarily mean it will," Harry responded.
"Can you afford to take that chance?"
"No. I don't suppose we can," he conceded.
They continued the remainder of the trip in silence as Harry looked out the window at the scenery. It was rather peaceful. The road went through a valley with steep slopes that were covered entirely with trees and he could hear the birds chirping happily through the trees. Hermione, sitting across from him was still feeling nervous due to what Walter said earlier, but she relaxed when Harry moved over to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head on his shoulder and soon fell asleep as Harry continued to gaze out the window at the scenery.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Chapter 7: The Mirror of Malikith
As Harry and Hermione stood in front of the mirror, they became more horrified as the image that the mirror revealed was none other than Voldemort himself. Voldemort was standing in the middle of a circle of his Death Eaters in a dark room, his face white as death, with wide, scarlet eyes and a flat nose that was like that of a snake's. In front of him, was a kneeling person, with his head down, but they could tell who it was from the black greasy hair on his head. It was professor Snape.
They continued to watch as the scene unfolded before them. Voldemort was addressing Snape and they could hear his cold voice echoing through the room.
"Serverus, it's about time you showed your despicable face. I was starting to think you've left us for good," Voldemort hissed.
Voldemort drew his wand and pointed it at Snape before screeching "Crucio!"
Snape writhed in pain on the stone floor as the cruciatus curse hit him.
As Voldemort was torturing Snape, Harry's scar started to burn and Harry staggered under the pain, his hand going to his scar. Hermione saw this and quickly moved to support him before asking him if he was alright. It was several minutes before Voldemort relented and Harry's scar stopped burning. When they looked at the mirror again, Snape was slowly getting to his knees and he remained there not daring to look up at Voldemort. It was clear that he was trembling in fear.
"Forgive me master for my belated arrival, but I was collecting information for you and have come to give it to you," wheezed Snape.
"Then let's hear it. It better be good or I will punish you again for your tardiness."
"As you wish. It's about the boy. He's currently in Romania visiting the Weasley kid with that Granger girl. They were supposed to meet him, but my sources say that he hasn't arrived yet. It's possible that he may be dead."
"I don't think so Serverus - I can feel it. It must be because I created a connection with the boy when I failed to kill him 15 years ago. I have deemed your information to be worthless, but I have pressing business, so I shall withhold your punishment for now. Continue to spy on him and return with better information next time or you will be punished severely," Voldemort continued coldly as he dismissed Snape.
"Master is kind. I will return with more information that will be useful to you," Snape said as he bowed and retreated out of the room with his head down, his body still facing in Voldemort's direction.
Once he left, another Death Eater entered the chamber. This one was dressed in a full black robe with the hood up. He knelt before Voldemort and Hermione noted that the Death Eater was carrying a sword since she saw a black sheath sticking out from underneath his robe.
*Since when did Death Eaters carry swords? * she asked herself, but turned her attention back to the mirror as the Death Eater kissed Voldemort's robe and withdrew to what he thought was a safe distance and started speaking, all the while not daring to look up at his master.
"My lord, I have come with news. My spies report that the Potter and that mudblood met with an unfortunate accident along the way to visiting the Weasleys and that Potter has gained some very powerful abilities but everything is still going as planned. Your lordship will soon have the pleasure of killing him. As for the mudblood, I'll take care of her myself," they heard the Death Eater say. Oddly, the voice sounded somewhat familiar to both Harry and Hermione, but neither could really tell due to the echoing in the room.
"Excellent. Keep an eye on them and see that they aren't harmed until everything is ready. Then I will be sure to give Potter the slow death he deserves."
After this, the mirror once again swirled in a rainbow of colour before forming a second image. This time Harry saw himself in Hermione's arms. They both looked several years older and Harry appeared to be dead since Hermione wept as she held him. Around them was a group of Death Eaters, all of whom were lying on the ground, dead.
The scene disappeared and as the amethyst stopped glowing, the mirror returned back to normal, reflecting everything in the room as it was.
They stood there in silence staring at their reflection as what they saw in the mirror sank into their minds. When Harry finally looked at Hermione, he noticed that tears were streaming down her cheek.
"Hermione, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean what's wrong? We just saw you-know-who and you - " she didn't finish as she flung her arms around Harry and cried.
Harry held her and allowed to her cry on his chest. His pajamas were starting to become soaked from Hermione's tears but he didn't care. He knew why Hermione was crying and he found it touching that Hermione truly cared so much for him, yet he found the vision of him dying very disturbing. Did that mean that he would die when he finally faced Voldemort? Was Voldemort going to win? He didn't know the answers, but he drew himself away from his thoughts and turned his attention back to Hermione.
"Hermione, you don't need to worry about me. The mirror could just be showing us what could happen. It doesn't necessarily mean that what we saw will happen," he said as he comforted her.
"I - don't know. I can't really bear the thought of losing either of my best friends, you or Ron," she sobbed. "The - last - vision the mirror showed - was us and you were -. You know that you-know-who is coming after you again. I just don't want him to kill you."
"I know he will come after me. It's inevitable. It looks like it's my fate to face him, and I promise you that regardless of the outcome, everyone will be safe."
His last statement appeared to cheer Hermione up since she asked him if he noticed anything strange about the second death eater.
"No I didn't, why?"
"Because he was carrying a sword. Death Eaters don't carry swords. I saw a black sheath sticking out from under his robe when he was kneeling before you-know-who. It looked like the same sword the Count was carrying. Do you think the Count could be working for him?"
"No, why would he? He did save us in the graveyard like you said and he could have turned us over to you-know-who while we were in the carriage," Harry interjected.
"But, you-know-who told him to watch us, and I don't think it was any accident that the gargoyle in your room was able to come alive when you lit the candles."
"Hermione, it's getting late. Stop worrying and get some sleep. We'll be able to see Ron tomorrow and everything will be alright."
"Fine, but I'm sleeping in here then to make sure nothing happens. Besides, if the Count is working for you-know-who, it'll be harder to sneak up on both of us while we're asleep than if we're in different rooms," she said wiping away her tears.
"Suit yourself. You can get the bed, I'll sleep sitting next to the bed," Harry said.
"Why? It's a large bed and its not like I'm going to take up the whole thing and you'll catch a cold if you sleep sitting next to the bed. Just sleep on the bed."
"Alright, alright," Harry said, giving in.
They went over to the bed and Hermione laid down on the right side of the bed while Harry laid down on the left with his back to hers, but he couldn't sleep since he was still thinking of what he saw in the mirror.
*What could Voldemort be planning? * he thought. *Who was that second death eater? The sword he was carrying sounds like the Count's. and his voice did sound familiar. I should keep my guard up and make sure nothing happens to Ron or Hermione since Voldemort is sure to be watching all of us. *
Soon, Harry grew too tired to think of Voldemort's plans were and eventually he fell into a dreamless sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Harry woke up to find that Hermione was already awake and fully dressed. He also noticed that Hermione's blood and the pieces of the gargoyle they fought the night before had been cleared away as he couldn't see any debris or dried blood on the floor.
"Oh, Good Morning," she said cheerfully.
"Morning Hermione," he replied groggily. "What time is it?"
"It's about 8:00. You should get dressed. Walter will come and get us in a few minutes. Then we can go down to breakfast," she said, as she looked at him from the foot of the bed.
"Uh, Hermione, could you turn around so I can change?" Harry said as he got out of bed and went over to his trunk to rummage for some clothes.
She turned around and faced the wall as Harry changed into a pair of dark blue slacks and a striped shirt. When he was done changing, Hermione turned around and went to sit on the bed. Harry was about to join her when a knock at the door stopped him. He opened the door and it revealed Walter, who was still dressed in the same attire he was in the night before.
"Good morning Mr. Potter - Ah, Miss Granger, you're here. I was wondering where you were when your bed was empty last night," he said. "I trust you had a pleasant sleep?"
"No, we -," Harry was about to say before Hermione cut him off.
"Yes, it was quite refreshing, thank you."
"I'm glad to hear that. If you will please follow me, I will take you downstairs to breakfast. My attendants will get your things," he said before he snapped his fingers and a skeleton, probably one of the ones summoned from the graveyard, entered the room and picked up his trunk before exiting again.
Harry and Hermione then followed Walter who led them downstairs to the dining room. This time 3 places were set on the right side of the table. They sat where they were last night while Walter sat down in the chair that the Count sat in during dinner. This time their plates were silver instead of gold and they had teacups made of china instead of goblets.
"There is a note on the table that Lord Vladimir left for you before leaving last night for some business," Walter said, pointing to a note on the table.
Hermione picked up the note and Harry came over to her side so that he could read over her shoulder.
The note read:
Dear Mr. Potter and Miss Granger,
My apologies that I am unable to see you off to Bistritz this morning as I had some pressing business to attend to in another country. Walter will attend to your needs and take you to the town. I hope your stay at my castle was pleasant and that you had no trouble sleeping.
You are both welcome to come visit my castle anytime since I do not get very many visitors. Good luck to you, Mr. Potter, in your excursions against Lord Voldemort. I have a feeling I will be seeing more of you in the future.
Yours in Honour,
Count Vladimir Sepet
Harry didn't know what the Count meant when he said that he would be seeing more of him in the future, but he thought nothing of it. Hermione, on the other hand, thought it was rather suspicious that the Count was called away to another country at the same time they were leaving the castle.
Hermione put the letter in her pocket as Harry returned to his seat and Walter clapped his hands twice, signaling the start of breakfast. Attendants entered the room with their breakfast and Hermione gasped as she saw that they weren't the imps from last night but skeletons carrying trays and a teapot filled with some tea. The skeletons placed their breakfast on their plates and poured their tea before retreating.
Hermione started eating her breakfast as quickly as possible, though she lost most of her appetite when she saw the skeletons serving their food. The castle was starting to scare her, even though Harry, sitting across from her, didn't look frightened at all. It was a wonder that they hadn't been poisoned or killed during their stay.
"Miss Granger, is something wrong?" Walter asked, noticing the uncomfortable look on her face.
"Um, no, it's just that your servants startled me."
"My apologies Miss Granger, but my lord's servants are with him since I am unable to do so myself. Therefore, I must create my own servants to assist me in taking care of such a large castle. I am growing old and have problems getting to places that I normally could get to if I were younger," Walter said, smiling, which surprised her.
"This is very good, what is this?" Harry asked, sipping some of the tea in his cup.
"Why it's your own blend of English tea straight from England. The Count is quite fond of English tea, so he has some shipped here every month," Walter stated as he ate a piece of sausage on his fork. "By the way Mr. Potter, did you find the mirror in your room interesting?"
"Uh, yes, it was. What do you call it?" he asked in surprise.
"It's called the mirror of Malikith. He was the first lord of this castle, as my master may have told you last night," he said, looking at Harry. "He was a powerful warlock who had many abilities, some of the more unique ones, probably had something to with the mirror he built in your room."
"The mirror showed us some images after we placed a purple stone in the bottom of it. What exactly does the mirror do?"
"The stone is called an amethyst, it's a stone that gave life to all of Malikith's creations. As for the mirror, it shows you what is happening at that moment in time and what will come to pass."
Hermione looked like she was about to cry after hearing the last part of Walter's statement, but she held back her tears lest Walter question her again.
"The mirror has never known to fail in its predictions of the future, but that can always change."
They finished their breakfast shortly and Walter got up from his chair. He motioned for them to follow and they walked out of the castle where they found the carriage waiting. Their trunks were already loaded and Walter opened the door and they entered the carriage and sat down across from each other.
The carriage drove off and Hermione started talking with Harry about their stay in the castle.
"The stay in the castle was not as pleasant as we thought it would be. The Count is nice, but Walter is really creepy. I just hope I don't have to meet with him again," Hermione stated.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with Walter. His methods may be a bit - unorthodox, but it's not like wants to kill us or anything. He did point out the mirror to me before he left last night and we wouldn't know what Voldemort was up to."
"I guess, though I don't I'll ever get used to those undead attendants of his. The idea of a person who's supposed to be dead serving my food isn't very appealing to me."
"Really? You didn't seem to have a problem with the Count last night."
"But he's not dead. Besides, the chat we had last night was rather enjoyable. Though now we need to be careful from now on. We don't know what may come next and Walter did say that everything that we saw in the mirror could occur."
"Doesn't necessarily mean it will," Harry responded.
"Can you afford to take that chance?"
"No. I don't suppose we can," he conceded.
They continued the remainder of the trip in silence as Harry looked out the window at the scenery. It was rather peaceful. The road went through a valley with steep slopes that were covered entirely with trees and he could hear the birds chirping happily through the trees. Hermione, sitting across from him was still feeling nervous due to what Walter said earlier, but she relaxed when Harry moved over to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head on his shoulder and soon fell asleep as Harry continued to gaze out the window at the scenery.