A/N: Sorry for the hold-up everyone, but I've had major computer problems.
Seems I have some sort of a virus that makes the computer delete random
programs so I have to install everything over again. I think it's better
now. We'll see.
Thanks to Facade; Aensland; WolfMoon; Dadaiiro; PhoenixFire; Calani; athenakitty; Layce74; Avlyn; Liz; Delta T; Serpena; Skysong; Pakerin Pyros; kevin; Maximum Poofy-Queen of AU; chaser; Lady Knight of Kennan; Sunrunner of Summer; kento; and I)ard/-)ngel!!!
For all who asked - Yes, I will be doing all seven years (hopefully by the time I get up to it, the six book will be out, but I'm not holding my breath).
Some of this chapter comes from Chapter 12, 'The Mirror of Erised', Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, British Edition
*....* = Manda
^.......^ = Elle
-.......- = note
CH19: Christmas Happenings
~The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Flammel, the noted alchemist. Flammel celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year and enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).
"My, my," Dumbledore muttered, chuckling. "Fate is a curious thing, isn't it."~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ah, Mr. Andrews, come in. Close the door behind you."
Harry cautiously pushed through the door and made his way over to the Headmaster's desk. He had been in Charms when he was summoned up here and, knowing from past experiences, being called up to the Headmaster's office in the middle of the day was never a good sign.
"What's this about, Professor. Because I swear, the worms in the glasses on the Slytherin Table were Fred and George's ide - "
"Relax, Harry. This has nothing to do with any mischief you may or may not of caused, though I probably should be punishing you for what you just told me....."
"Forgive and forget, Professor." Harry smiled sweetly and Dumbledore shook his head.
"Quite. Anyway, I need to inform you of some changes with your holiday plans - " Harry cut him off.
"What do you mean 'changes'? I'm going back to Oakwoods for Christmas, aren't I?"
"I'm afraid to say that is not possible."
"What?!? But I've always spent holidays there! And I haven't seen any of my friends in ages!"
"It's for your own safety, Harry. And I'm sure you'll enjoy spending you vacation here." He checked his watch, which Harry immediately recognized as a Lunar Watch. "It's almost time for you to be in Transfiguration, I suggest you get back to class.
It was in the hallway outside the Transfiguration classroom that Harry stopped short, a horrible thought coursing through his brain.
'Manda and Elle are going to kill me!'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luckily for the Boy Who Lived, his two Muggle best friends were hundreds of miles away and couldn't reach him to make his nickname redundant.
But they could try to slay him with threats.
^*EVAN HARRY ANDREWS!!!*^
*You are so luckily you aren't here right now, you would have all of us to answer to!*
^You PROMISED you would be back for the Winter Holidays!^
*Wait til I get my hands on you, I'll...I'll.....Well, I don't know what I'll do, but it will be awful!*
^And when Manda is at a loss for words you know you are in trouble!^
*That's right!*
^We had so many prank plans! Now, we have to wait until SUMMER!^
*Some of those pranks will be used for our revenge on you now.*
^You have been warned.^
*Manda* and ^Elle^
^*PS Happy Christmas from everyone at Oakwoods!*^
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Draco said as he read over Harry's shoulder.
Harry just mumbled something that sounded strangely like "Mimblewimble" and crumpled the note.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Harry? What are you doing here? I thought you would be seeing your friends off down at the station."
"I already did, Professor. But, there is something I have to do."
Dumbledore's eyes widened a bit as his student explained the situation to him.
"You know, you are probably the first person who ever asked to do that. Enjoy. I have a staff meeting to get to, but I'll see you at dinner."
Harry settled down in a chair by the window and dropped the Sorting Hat over his head.
'Hello, Mr. Hat!'
"Ah, I was wondering when you would be down to talk to me, Mr. Potter. I was starting to think you forgot."
'I never break promises. So, anything interesting happen to you lately?'
"Did you know this room is made out of exactly 3,458,272 stone blocks?"
'I'll take that as a no.'
"I told you before, it's a boring life as a hat. We'd better just talk about what you've been up to. How school been going?"
'Can't you just read my memories and find out yourself?'
"I can, I was just being polite."
'Oh. Everything's been fine.'
"I heard about what happened at the Halloween Fea - "
'How could you have?'
"I was here when you came in to talk with Albus."
'Oh, right. Go on.'
"Have you figured out what it means yet?"
'What what means?'
"I'll take that as a no."
'Don't mock me!'
"I'm rolling my eyes at you."
'You don't have eyes.'
"Which is exactly why I'm saying it and not doing it."
'Oh.'
"I told you before, you have many secrets that you have yet to discover. But you must figure out soon. Your destiny awaits you."
'I don't have a destiny.'
"Yes, you do."
'I'm destiny free, really.'
"No you're not."
'Yes, I am.'
"Urgg, you have a destiny whether you want it or not! The fate of the wizarding world lies in your hands."
'Goodie.'
"As much as it pains me to say this, it is time for you to go to dinner. Take care, Mr. Potter, and remember what I said."
Harry left the office that day with very jumbled thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas Day dawned bright and beautiful, the sun sparkling in the morning sky......
...........too bad Harry didn't awaken from his bed until around Noon. And when he did, there were more important things to think about than what the sun looked like.
Presents.
He immediately bounded from his bed and leapt into the pile of gifts.
He rip open a Broomstick Servicing Kit from Hermione (I shouldn't be giving you this, as you're on a different House Team, but...enjoy.), a huge box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans from Draco (Think we've got enough questions for every bean?), 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts' from Cho (I couldn't help myself!), '200 Tricks, Treats, and Traps' from The Twins (We'll put this to good use when we get back, mate!), a small wooden flute from Hagrid (carved it myself!), and, surprisingly, a sweater from Mr. Weasley (Fred and George told me all about you dear and I wanted you to get a nice family-made gift this year).
Under these was a gigantic parcel filled with odds and ends that his friends at Oakwoods sent, along with notes and cards that said they missed him and hoped they would see him soon and that they would beat him into the ground when he got home......You get the picture.
Elle and Manda sent him a plethora of CDs, which would have been great, but he still couldn't figure out a way to make his Discman work on Hogwarts grounds (he could ask a professor, but as tampering with Muggle machinery using magic was illegal, he'd have to figure out on his own).
After he was finished opening the packages, Harry got ready to head down to breakf - I mean, lunch. But before he left, however, a small, neatly wrapped present caught his eye.
He tore open the paper and something fluid and silvery gray slithered to the floor. Harry picked it up and examined it closely. It was strange to touch, like water woven into material.
Harry automatically recognized it as a cloak, but couldn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of his mind - that feeling you get when you know something, but can't remember.
He pulled the cloak over his shoulders and head, and went to admire his reflection in the mirror. He nearly fainted at what he saw. Nothing.
"It's an Invisibility Cloak!" he breathed.
Harry dashed back over to the wrappings it came in, searching for a card of some sort. A small note fell out of it, written in narrow loopy writing.
- Your father left this in my possession before he died.
It is time it is returned to you.
Use it well.
A Very Merry Christmas to you. -
Harry's mind was racing. 'Who sent this to me? It belong to my father?'
Finally, he settled on one key point. 'This and the Map? Together? Let the fun begin.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Christmas Feasts at Hogwarts are unequaled anywhere in the world. A hundred fat, roast turkeys, mountains of roasted and boiled potatoes, platters of fat chipolatas, tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce....the list goes on and on.
There were wizard crackers all along the table and Harry had a fight with Dumbledore, using the cans of silly string that had burst out of one. Up near the top of the table, Hagrid's face got redder and redder as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who giggled and blushed, her top hat lop-sided.
When the day was over, Harry felt surprisingly awake and alert and decided to do something to remedy that. After all, what better way to unwind then by exploring the out-of-bounds areas of the school in the dead of night.
He crept down corridors, keeping on eye on the Marauders' Map, dodging Filch and Mrs. Norris, and found himself in a deserted hallway, in front of an old suit of armor.
The Map showed that Filch was just around the corner, coming his way, and the cloak didn't stop him from being solid........
With the few options he had, Harry ducked into the door on his right.
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 up against the wall was something that looked out of place, like someone had just put it there to get 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. Their was as inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on woshi.
"It's backwards," Harry whispered to himself. "'I show not your face, but your heart's desire.'"
Cautiously, Harry approached the mirror and peered inside. He clapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from shouting. Because, instead of showing just his own reflection, the glass reflected others as well.
'They're my hearts desire?' he wondered. There was a woman standing right behind his reflection, smiling and waving. She was pretty, with dark red hair and green -
'Wait, her eyes are just like mine.' So they were. Bright green, exactly the same shape. He noticed she 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 in the back, just like.....
With a start, Harry realized he was staring at the people whose pictures he had carried around in the locket his whole life.
"Mum?" he whispered. "Dad?"
"Yes, they are, Harry."
Harry whipped around and came face to face with Albus Dumbledore.
"Professor! I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be up, and - wait, how long have you been there? I didn't see you when I came in - "
"Strange how short sighted being invisible makes you." At Harry's snort, he added, "Not everyone needs a cloak to become invisible." He slipped of the desk to sit on the floor, motioning for Harry to sit next to him. "So, you seem to have discovered the Mirror of Erised."
"Is that what it's called?" Harry asked, gazing over at the mirror.
"I expect you know what it does as well?"
"It shows - it shows someone's 'heart's desire'."
"That's right, Harry."
Harry sighed. "Figures mine would be the one thing I can never have."
"You wouldn't be the first," Dumbledore said quietly. "Many have wasted away before the Mirror, for it gives neither knowledge or truth. They were entranced by the what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible." He put a hand on Harry shoulder. "What you want most is a family. But, remember, you already have one. As long as you have people who love and care about you, you will always have a family.
"The Mirror will be moved tomorrow and I ask you not to look for it. You may come across it again in the future, but now you will be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Now, why don't you put that Cloak of yours back on and get off to bed."
Harry stood up. "Sir?"
"When we're in a relaxed atmosphere like this, Harry, you may call me Albus, if you wish."
"Alright, Albus, um, can I ask you something?"
"You obviously just did," Dumbledore smiled. "However, you may ask me one more thing."
"What do you see when you look into the Mirror?"
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woolen socks."
Harry could barely keep his chuckles in. "Really?"
"One can never have to many socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
"Well, we'll have to fix that sometime, Albus." Harry winked at the baffled Headmaster. "'Night."
Thanks to Facade; Aensland; WolfMoon; Dadaiiro; PhoenixFire; Calani; athenakitty; Layce74; Avlyn; Liz; Delta T; Serpena; Skysong; Pakerin Pyros; kevin; Maximum Poofy-Queen of AU; chaser; Lady Knight of Kennan; Sunrunner of Summer; kento; and I)ard/-)ngel!!!
For all who asked - Yes, I will be doing all seven years (hopefully by the time I get up to it, the six book will be out, but I'm not holding my breath).
Some of this chapter comes from Chapter 12, 'The Mirror of Erised', Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, British Edition
*....* = Manda
^.......^ = Elle
-.......- = note
CH19: Christmas Happenings
~The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Flammel, the noted alchemist. Flammel celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year and enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).
"My, my," Dumbledore muttered, chuckling. "Fate is a curious thing, isn't it."~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ah, Mr. Andrews, come in. Close the door behind you."
Harry cautiously pushed through the door and made his way over to the Headmaster's desk. He had been in Charms when he was summoned up here and, knowing from past experiences, being called up to the Headmaster's office in the middle of the day was never a good sign.
"What's this about, Professor. Because I swear, the worms in the glasses on the Slytherin Table were Fred and George's ide - "
"Relax, Harry. This has nothing to do with any mischief you may or may not of caused, though I probably should be punishing you for what you just told me....."
"Forgive and forget, Professor." Harry smiled sweetly and Dumbledore shook his head.
"Quite. Anyway, I need to inform you of some changes with your holiday plans - " Harry cut him off.
"What do you mean 'changes'? I'm going back to Oakwoods for Christmas, aren't I?"
"I'm afraid to say that is not possible."
"What?!? But I've always spent holidays there! And I haven't seen any of my friends in ages!"
"It's for your own safety, Harry. And I'm sure you'll enjoy spending you vacation here." He checked his watch, which Harry immediately recognized as a Lunar Watch. "It's almost time for you to be in Transfiguration, I suggest you get back to class.
It was in the hallway outside the Transfiguration classroom that Harry stopped short, a horrible thought coursing through his brain.
'Manda and Elle are going to kill me!'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luckily for the Boy Who Lived, his two Muggle best friends were hundreds of miles away and couldn't reach him to make his nickname redundant.
But they could try to slay him with threats.
^*EVAN HARRY ANDREWS!!!*^
*You are so luckily you aren't here right now, you would have all of us to answer to!*
^You PROMISED you would be back for the Winter Holidays!^
*Wait til I get my hands on you, I'll...I'll.....Well, I don't know what I'll do, but it will be awful!*
^And when Manda is at a loss for words you know you are in trouble!^
*That's right!*
^We had so many prank plans! Now, we have to wait until SUMMER!^
*Some of those pranks will be used for our revenge on you now.*
^You have been warned.^
*Manda* and ^Elle^
^*PS Happy Christmas from everyone at Oakwoods!*^
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Draco said as he read over Harry's shoulder.
Harry just mumbled something that sounded strangely like "Mimblewimble" and crumpled the note.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Harry? What are you doing here? I thought you would be seeing your friends off down at the station."
"I already did, Professor. But, there is something I have to do."
Dumbledore's eyes widened a bit as his student explained the situation to him.
"You know, you are probably the first person who ever asked to do that. Enjoy. I have a staff meeting to get to, but I'll see you at dinner."
Harry settled down in a chair by the window and dropped the Sorting Hat over his head.
'Hello, Mr. Hat!'
"Ah, I was wondering when you would be down to talk to me, Mr. Potter. I was starting to think you forgot."
'I never break promises. So, anything interesting happen to you lately?'
"Did you know this room is made out of exactly 3,458,272 stone blocks?"
'I'll take that as a no.'
"I told you before, it's a boring life as a hat. We'd better just talk about what you've been up to. How school been going?"
'Can't you just read my memories and find out yourself?'
"I can, I was just being polite."
'Oh. Everything's been fine.'
"I heard about what happened at the Halloween Fea - "
'How could you have?'
"I was here when you came in to talk with Albus."
'Oh, right. Go on.'
"Have you figured out what it means yet?"
'What what means?'
"I'll take that as a no."
'Don't mock me!'
"I'm rolling my eyes at you."
'You don't have eyes.'
"Which is exactly why I'm saying it and not doing it."
'Oh.'
"I told you before, you have many secrets that you have yet to discover. But you must figure out soon. Your destiny awaits you."
'I don't have a destiny.'
"Yes, you do."
'I'm destiny free, really.'
"No you're not."
'Yes, I am.'
"Urgg, you have a destiny whether you want it or not! The fate of the wizarding world lies in your hands."
'Goodie.'
"As much as it pains me to say this, it is time for you to go to dinner. Take care, Mr. Potter, and remember what I said."
Harry left the office that day with very jumbled thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas Day dawned bright and beautiful, the sun sparkling in the morning sky......
...........too bad Harry didn't awaken from his bed until around Noon. And when he did, there were more important things to think about than what the sun looked like.
Presents.
He immediately bounded from his bed and leapt into the pile of gifts.
He rip open a Broomstick Servicing Kit from Hermione (I shouldn't be giving you this, as you're on a different House Team, but...enjoy.), a huge box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans from Draco (Think we've got enough questions for every bean?), 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts' from Cho (I couldn't help myself!), '200 Tricks, Treats, and Traps' from The Twins (We'll put this to good use when we get back, mate!), a small wooden flute from Hagrid (carved it myself!), and, surprisingly, a sweater from Mr. Weasley (Fred and George told me all about you dear and I wanted you to get a nice family-made gift this year).
Under these was a gigantic parcel filled with odds and ends that his friends at Oakwoods sent, along with notes and cards that said they missed him and hoped they would see him soon and that they would beat him into the ground when he got home......You get the picture.
Elle and Manda sent him a plethora of CDs, which would have been great, but he still couldn't figure out a way to make his Discman work on Hogwarts grounds (he could ask a professor, but as tampering with Muggle machinery using magic was illegal, he'd have to figure out on his own).
After he was finished opening the packages, Harry got ready to head down to breakf - I mean, lunch. But before he left, however, a small, neatly wrapped present caught his eye.
He tore open the paper and something fluid and silvery gray slithered to the floor. Harry picked it up and examined it closely. It was strange to touch, like water woven into material.
Harry automatically recognized it as a cloak, but couldn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of his mind - that feeling you get when you know something, but can't remember.
He pulled the cloak over his shoulders and head, and went to admire his reflection in the mirror. He nearly fainted at what he saw. Nothing.
"It's an Invisibility Cloak!" he breathed.
Harry dashed back over to the wrappings it came in, searching for a card of some sort. A small note fell out of it, written in narrow loopy writing.
- Your father left this in my possession before he died.
It is time it is returned to you.
Use it well.
A Very Merry Christmas to you. -
Harry's mind was racing. 'Who sent this to me? It belong to my father?'
Finally, he settled on one key point. 'This and the Map? Together? Let the fun begin.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Christmas Feasts at Hogwarts are unequaled anywhere in the world. A hundred fat, roast turkeys, mountains of roasted and boiled potatoes, platters of fat chipolatas, tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce....the list goes on and on.
There were wizard crackers all along the table and Harry had a fight with Dumbledore, using the cans of silly string that had burst out of one. Up near the top of the table, Hagrid's face got redder and redder as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who giggled and blushed, her top hat lop-sided.
When the day was over, Harry felt surprisingly awake and alert and decided to do something to remedy that. After all, what better way to unwind then by exploring the out-of-bounds areas of the school in the dead of night.
He crept down corridors, keeping on eye on the Marauders' Map, dodging Filch and Mrs. Norris, and found himself in a deserted hallway, in front of an old suit of armor.
The Map showed that Filch was just around the corner, coming his way, and the cloak didn't stop him from being solid........
With the few options he had, Harry ducked into the door on his right.
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 up against the wall was something that looked out of place, like someone had just put it there to get 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. Their was as inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on woshi.
"It's backwards," Harry whispered to himself. "'I show not your face, but your heart's desire.'"
Cautiously, Harry approached the mirror and peered inside. He clapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from shouting. Because, instead of showing just his own reflection, the glass reflected others as well.
'They're my hearts desire?' he wondered. There was a woman standing right behind his reflection, smiling and waving. She was pretty, with dark red hair and green -
'Wait, her eyes are just like mine.' So they were. Bright green, exactly the same shape. He noticed she 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 in the back, just like.....
With a start, Harry realized he was staring at the people whose pictures he had carried around in the locket his whole life.
"Mum?" he whispered. "Dad?"
"Yes, they are, Harry."
Harry whipped around and came face to face with Albus Dumbledore.
"Professor! I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be up, and - wait, how long have you been there? I didn't see you when I came in - "
"Strange how short sighted being invisible makes you." At Harry's snort, he added, "Not everyone needs a cloak to become invisible." He slipped of the desk to sit on the floor, motioning for Harry to sit next to him. "So, you seem to have discovered the Mirror of Erised."
"Is that what it's called?" Harry asked, gazing over at the mirror.
"I expect you know what it does as well?"
"It shows - it shows someone's 'heart's desire'."
"That's right, Harry."
Harry sighed. "Figures mine would be the one thing I can never have."
"You wouldn't be the first," Dumbledore said quietly. "Many have wasted away before the Mirror, for it gives neither knowledge or truth. They were entranced by the what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible." He put a hand on Harry shoulder. "What you want most is a family. But, remember, you already have one. As long as you have people who love and care about you, you will always have a family.
"The Mirror will be moved tomorrow and I ask you not to look for it. You may come across it again in the future, but now you will be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Now, why don't you put that Cloak of yours back on and get off to bed."
Harry stood up. "Sir?"
"When we're in a relaxed atmosphere like this, Harry, you may call me Albus, if you wish."
"Alright, Albus, um, can I ask you something?"
"You obviously just did," Dumbledore smiled. "However, you may ask me one more thing."
"What do you see when you look into the Mirror?"
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woolen socks."
Harry could barely keep his chuckles in. "Really?"
"One can never have to many socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
"Well, we'll have to fix that sometime, Albus." Harry winked at the baffled Headmaster. "'Night."
