Okay, here we go again... Chapter 17. The Mirror of Erised and Halloween Time.

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Harry and Vanella sat in their corner of the Slytherin common room in silence, doing random assignments for their classes. Harry set his quill down. "Now I have almost as much detention as you."

Vanella snorted. "I can't believe someone as smart as you can be so incredibly stupid."

Harry smiled and Vitesse hissed. He looked casually around the rapidly emptying common room. "Hmm."

Vanella looked up, perturbed. "What 'hmm'? Why a 'hmm'?"

"Just thinking."

Vanella gave him a Look. The exasperated kind you give someone when you want them to finish their sentence. "Just thinking... about what?"

"Nothing. Just... random thinking is all."

She leaned back in her chair. "Harry..." She shook her head. "If you're thinking about anything that will get you in even more trouble, forget about it."

Harry shrugged. "I'm just... thinking about going for a walk."

"It's past curfew."

"Yea, but you're boring. We can't even practice spells tonight because you can't stand up. I want to explore this insanely huge castle some more."

Vanella gave him a tired-yet-firm look. "I don't suggest it."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I know you don't. But I want to go for a walk. I have the cloak. Trust me, I'm fine."

She shook her head. "Whatever, Harry. Just remember, one more week and you'll have just as much detention as I do. I can't believe you cursed Malfoy, you bloody idiot."

Harry gave her a sheepish look. "It's not my fault he didn't block it. Quirrell over-reacted. It could have been worse. Really."

Harry had sent Malfoy a nice curse, and Malfoy hadn't blocked. Now Malfoy was in the hospital wing, jiggling like Muggle Jell-O, and Harry had another week's worth of detention with his Head of House. It could have been worse. Really. Harry could have sent a worse curse, and could have gotten more detention.

Vanella rolled her eyes. "Just go."

Harry ran quickly up to his dorm and got under the Invisibility Cloak, exiting the dorm and the Common Room, unnoticed by a few sleeping boys and studying students. With a sly grin, he walked down the hall.

After almost an hour of aimless wanderings and 'random' thoughts without disturbance, Harry was surprised by a quiet hiss from his robes. He had forgotten that Vitesse was with him.

"The cat is up ahead," Vitesse warned. "She will sense us."

Harry looked around, panicked, but no doors were near. There was one near the end of the hall, if he could get to it...

Mrs. Norris rounded the corner, and Harry's eyes grew. Not far behind her was Filch.

"Oh, dear, dear gods," Harry whispered in Parseltongue. Despite the appearance of apathy to the topic of detention, he didn't want more. Snape had given him a warning about all of his detention, and Harry knew Snape wouldn't be pleased if Harry achieved even more.

"What is it, Mrs. Norris?" Filch's voice came dancing down the corridor. "A student out of bed?" he asked with a cruel smile. What he saw in the hallway caused his smile to disappear. He saw nothing; no student, nothing.

Harry bit his lip and tried to walk slowly up to the doorway, which was not too far in front of Mrs. Norris, but quite a ways away from Filch. With sheer determination, he tip-toed up to the doorway and put his invisible hand on the knob.

Mrs. Norris hissed.

Harry turned the knob.

Vitesse hissed.

Harry attempted to silence her before opening the door the minimum amount and trying to squeeze through. Filch didn't notice the door opening. Mrs. Norris did, but couldn't do anything.

Harry slipped inside without too much difficulty and closed the door behind him. With a quick look around the room, he moved to the corner to hide invisibly.

The door opened almost immediately after he settled in a corner. "No one here, Mrs. Norris."

The cat stepped in and looked around, glowing yellow eyes searching. She then retreated out of the room. Filch glanced around before closing the door tightly.

Harry let out his breath. "So close."

"Too closssssssssse."

Harry nodded and stood, tossing the Invisibility Cloak to the side. He yawned and stretched, then stood. It was then that he noticed the mirror. Large and tall, appearing antique, it stood against a far wall. With a tilted head, Harry walked up to it, eventually stopping in front of the reflecting glass.

What he saw startled him beyond belief. A woman and a man were standing behind him! He spun around quickly and saw nothing but air and empty room. With a confused look, he turned back to the mirror. The two were standing behind him in the reflection.

He studied them, then he studied the mirror. The Mirror of Erised was written across the top of it.

"Look at this..." Harry said to himself. He took a closer look at the people standing with him. The woman had a hand on his shoulder. He reached his up to touch hers but felt nothing.

But her eyes... Her eyes were strangely familiar...

"Mom?" Harry asked the mirror.

The woman smiled at him and nodded.

Harry studied the man. He didn't look nearly as happy as the woman did. His smile looked a little false. Harry tilted his head in concentration. Behind all three of them was a strange shadow. Only, it wasn't a shadow. It just seemed like... a big black mass.

Lily and James Potter, Harry knew. These two were Lily and James Potter. He sat down on the cold floor in front of the mirror and just stared at the picture. His mom and dad! It was incredible... unfathomable. Suddenly he got an idea.

"Vitesssse!"
The snake hissed.

"Vitesse, it's my mum and dad!"

Vitesse poked her snake head out of Harry's robes and looked around the room. "Where?"

Harry set Vitesse down in front of the mirror and stepped away. "Look!"

Vitesse shot him a Look, and Harry couldn't tell on the snake-face, but guessed it was a 'you've gone bonkers' look. "I don't see any humans."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Than what do you see?"

Vitesse cocked her head. "I see... me, with my family of Cobrassss, living in the jungle, hunting prey..." Her tone was as wistful as a hiss could get.

Vitesse caught Harry's confused look and slithered over. "We should leave. This doesn't seem right to me."

Harry shot a look, and Vitesse explained.

"I don't feel alone, Harry. I think someone else is here. We should not come back."

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But Harry did not listen to his wise snake. Every night, after Vitesse was peacefully asleep under the bed, he sneaked out to the room. Wednesday night, Thursday night, and finally, Friday night.

Harry sat, staring at the mirror once again on Friday. Actually, by then, it was probably early Saturday. Harry was standing to go when a voice called out to him from a desk in the corner.

"Harry."

The owner of the name started, causing an amused chuckle from the tormentor. Then Headmaster Albus Dumbledore appeared, sitting on the aforementioned desk.

Harry gaped. "Er... Professor Dumbledore, sir..."

The age-wizened Professor chuckled at the guilty tone. "You will not be getting detention for this, Harry, do not worry." He became serious. "Do you know what this mirror is, Harry?"

Harry averted his eyes, making them dart around the room. Hesitantly, "The Mirror of Erised, sir?"

Dumbledore chuckled, twinkles in his blue eyes. "Let me rephrase the question. Do you know what this mirror does, Harry?"

Harry thought for a minute before shaking his head. "No, sir."

"Let me give you a hint.

"You, Harry, see yourself with your parents. You, having never really seen your parents, wanted nothing more than to see yourself with them, alive and happy.

"Vitesse, who was always caged or owned, saw herself wild and free with her family in the jungle.

"The happiest man in the world could use this as merely a mirror. He who wanted nothing could use it as a mere mirror and see himself with nothing more.

"Does that help you?"

Harry thought it over. "It... it shows us what we want most in the world. The happiest man alive wants nothing, so he would only see himself."

"It makes sense to you?"

Harry nodded.

"But the thing about this mirror, staring at something that may never happen will never help you. If you dwell on it, you could very well go insane. It isn't a good thing for you, Harry. You have to stop coming down here.  And, after tomorrow, the mirror will be brought to a different place.  Do not go searching for it." Dumbledore put on a stern face. "You should have listened to Vitesse. She is a very smart snake."

Harry nodded. He looked at the mirror from where he was standing. It reflected the wall. "Can I ask you a question, Professor?"

"If I can ask one first."

Harry nodded again.

Dumbledore looked at him, twinkle-less. "Why did you keep coming down here? You could have closed your eyes and concentrated anywhere in the castle and seen it with your photographic abilities. Why didn't you?"

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. "I... it's... I guess it's not the same. I honestly don't know, Professor."

Dumbledore looked away, then returned his sky-colored eyes to Harry's glowing emeralds. "What is your question, Harry?"

Harry hesitated. "What do you see, Professor? When you look into the mirror."

Dumbledore smiled, twinkling merrily. "I see myself surrounded by wool socks. You can never have too many wool socks."

Harry stared.

"Run along, Harry. It's past curfew."

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Weeks passed without much incident. Before long it was the day before Halloween, and they were getting out of classes early to prepare for the feast. Harry and Vanella's detentions were over, although both, as well as Ron and Malfoy, were on the list for Filch's upcoming detention still. It was a Thursday afternoon, heading from Herbology to the Great Hall for lunch. Vanella was, of course, walking again, and, as it were, Harry and her were walking together behind Ron and a few of his Gryffindor 'buddies.'

Not far behind all of them, Hermione Granger walked alone, holding her books to her chest.

At the current moment of their walking, Harry was absent-mindedly listening to Ron Weasley's conversation with Seamus Finnigan.

"... if she wasn't such a Know-It-All, she'd probably have friends. But she has to be such a witch about it! In a bad way, too! She's just... ugh!..."

And it went on. Harry knew Hermione could hear, as could Vanella. The clan in front of the two did not, however, and kept up with their hurtful conversation. The reason for their sudden insulting of Hermione was probably caused by her recent stand-off with Ron in Herbology. Hermione humiliated him during a certain series of question-answering by Professor Sprout.

It wasn't long until Harry heard Hermione's defenses break down, and she ran by all of them sobbing. Harry shook his head in anger and hit Ron in the arm.

"You bloody idiot! How could you do that with her standing there?" Harry whacked him again, followed by Vanella's foot hitting Ron in the back of the ankle. Harry guessed she wanted in on the Weasley-beating.

Both beaters ran off, chasing Hermione, but she was gone already.

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Author's Note: I got somewhere. And it was a fast update today. I sat down with an apple and some chocolate and got some work done. I'm very proud of myself. April vacations do serve a purpose other than sitting around watching little sisters. Yay. Anyways, in the next chapter comes the troll. What fun. And hopefully, I'll find some other topic to stick in there. I know, the Mirror of Erised came during Christmas in the cannon (right? If not, it was somewhere around there) and the troll was before it, but this is not the cannon series, so I'm doing it this way. Maybe detention with Filch - er, Hagrid - will come next. What fun. I said that already. Oh, well.

Only three reviews; after all, I just updated earlier today.

ReflectionsOfReality: It's alright. I didn't take the American thing personally, I already knew about the Philosopher's Stone, but I used the Sorcerer's Stone solely on the basis that the book I own does. I figured it was different in the UK and such, but I figured that everyone, including myself, would understand if I used either one. I'm under the impression that if a book was written a certain way, it should stay that way, not be changed into American terminology. I've read books with British terms before without a problem, so I think that if I can understand these terms (though I suppose it may be because the book I read, which was, I believe the Gloria Nicolson series, or something like that. I can't really remember, but I know it had a dictionary of terms in the back, which helped very much) than the majority of American citizens can as well. I'm not the brightest of us all, no matter how smart I may -- or, more likely, may not -- be. Yes, well, responses to my ramblings tend to create long-winded responses. Thanks for the review though! Yikes, as for my Algebra, I am so glad it's vacation until Monday! I'm not exactly anxious to catch up on everything...even if I have to. Anyway, thanks again.

Angelique du Coudraye: I do call it a late update. Most have about two weeks between them, I know, but considering that most of my updates were within the space of hours (one week, I had updated about three times a day), having two weeks between mine is horrible. But anyway, I'm glad I could just sit down and write this chapter; it's much easier without pausing. Eek! I don't know if I could continue my train of thought after a month! Maybe, but that's alright. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer to get chapter 16 up, and I'm glad I've gotten this one up now. Eventually I'll quit procrastinating. (Hmm.) I swear. Anyway, thanks for the review!

Achin 2 Lick Clays Neck: Thank you! Ah, you're right, it is set on no anonymous reviews. I'll have to change it. Anyways, thanks!

Alright, I'm done. It wasn't the longest chapter in the world, either, but I'm sorry. I got everything I wanted to into this one and plan on action in the next. Curses galore! I really do love coming up with those... Anyway, enough with my constant rambling; I'm sure you've all got better things to do... actually, I ought to work on chapter 18. Ah, but my sister is sick. I'll try to work on it, I promise! Chapter 18: Halloween, Trolls, and Unicorns. Ooo! Fun!