"What is it, Harry? What's wrong?"
"The mirror! He gave me one of the mirrors! I've got to find the other one. It's in here somewhere. I know it is. He told me that if we could use it to talk last year. The other one's got to still be here." He started riffling through papers on the desk and checking in drawers. At last he found it inside the nightstand. "I've got it."
"But where's the other mirror, Harry?"
"In my trunk, I.I shattered it. I was angry."
"I might be able to fix it for you."
"Let's go then." Harry brought him back to his room. And took everything out of his trunk that was still in it. The shards of mirror and the frame were still at the bottom.
Lupin took out his wand. "Reparo!" The shards of mirror flew back into their frame, whole. "But question is, does the spell still work for communicating. Sirius and James were smart, quite like the Weasley twins. Brilliant minds but only interested in applying themselves as they wanted to. Sirius and James developed these mirrors themselves, you know."
"Oh. Here goes." Harry spoke firmly to the mirror, "I want talk to Remus Lupin. Remus Lupin."
"Harry, your face seems to have appeared in my mirror. Success."
"Great."
"Do you have any particular plans for the mirrors now that they're in working order?"
"I don't know."
"You could use them to communicate with whoever is here. Or to talk with Dumbledore. Or at Hogwarts."
"I'll have to think about that, it's a good idea."
Harry went back to Sirius's room the night before term started and sat at the desk in a large over-stuffed armchair. Everyone else was at dinner but he'd told them that he wasn't hungry. He looked through the papers and sheaves of parchment trying to find.something. He just wasn't sure what.
He found photographs. Hidden in an envelope in the very back of the desk. He looked through them. James, Sirius, and Remus stared back at him in the first three photos. Two of the photos had a headless fourth person with a little circle missing as though the head was blasted off with a wand. Harry knew it must be Peter. The next picture showed Harry's dad sitting in a chair in the common room, apparently asleep. But standing over him was Sirius, drawing on his face with ink and a quill. Another picture showed Lilly and James together, laughing. Harry looked through the rest of the photos, there had to be more than two-dozen.
"Harry? Lupin said I'd find you here. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"No, you're not. This is hard on you. I know it is. And I know what this is like. I remember when Gramps died. It was awful. Then it was just Gran and me."
"Are you packed? We're leaving early tomorrow."
"Almost. Harry, don't leave me out this year."
"What are you talking about, Neville?"
"You, Ron, and Hermione. You're always leaving me out."
"Of what?"
"Everything! I know I can't play Quiditch the way you and Ron can. And I know I'm not smart like Hermione. But I'm not useless. I could help. I helped last year."
"I know, Neville. I know you're not useless but-"
"It's no secret that you didn't want us there. We aren't that dense, well maybe Luna is but that's beside the point."
" 'Us' who?"
"Me, Ginny, and Luna. We know you didn't want us there. We knew that then too."
"That's 'cause I don't want you guys to get hurt."
"That may be part of it but that's not all of it. You don't think we can handle ourselves and Ron and Hermione agree with you. But we know what we're doing, Harry. If it wasn't for that bloody nose I would have gotten Lestrange! Or I would have died trying. You don't know what it did to me when I read in the paper that she escaped."
Harry remembered Neville's redoubled efforts at the D.A. meetings just after the article about the escape of the Azkaban prisoners. His progress from then on had become almost scary. Harry knew what he was going to do with the mirrors. "Where's everybody else?"
"Still eating, I think. Why?"
"Come with me back to our room. I've got an idea." Harry shut the door firmly behind Neville and then went to where the room they shared with Ron was. "You've got to swear not to tell or show this to anybody, Neville."
"I won't, Harry. You know you can trust me."
"Okay. Here." Harry had put both mirrors in his trunk and only Lupin knew they were there. He now took out one of the mirrors and gave it to Neville.
"Is this so I can check my hair or something?"
"No. These belonged to.my dad and Sirius. They used them to talk if they were in separate detentions. Anyway, I want you to have one. I don't know what's going to happen at school this year but.if we need to talk and we're separated you just look in the mirror here and say my name, or I like in mine and say yours. My face will appear in your mirror."
"Thanks, Harry. This means a lot."
Harry was pleased; he knew that Neville was the perfect person to have the mirror as long as he didn't break it. Harry pushed that thought out of his mind; otherwise he might snatch back the mirror. He and Ron we're always together so there'd be absolutely no point in giving the mirror to Ron.
The next morning Harry and the others were all woken early. They put last minute things into their trunks, choked down some breakfast, and were soon ready to leave. The Weasleys and Neville walked to King's Cross, accompanied by Elphias Doge.
Harry's escort to the station consisted of Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks, with Kingsley Shacklebolt checking their rear and sides for anybody following them. Once they were safely at the station Kingsley Apperated away but Moody and Tonks remained to say farewell.
"The mirror! He gave me one of the mirrors! I've got to find the other one. It's in here somewhere. I know it is. He told me that if we could use it to talk last year. The other one's got to still be here." He started riffling through papers on the desk and checking in drawers. At last he found it inside the nightstand. "I've got it."
"But where's the other mirror, Harry?"
"In my trunk, I.I shattered it. I was angry."
"I might be able to fix it for you."
"Let's go then." Harry brought him back to his room. And took everything out of his trunk that was still in it. The shards of mirror and the frame were still at the bottom.
Lupin took out his wand. "Reparo!" The shards of mirror flew back into their frame, whole. "But question is, does the spell still work for communicating. Sirius and James were smart, quite like the Weasley twins. Brilliant minds but only interested in applying themselves as they wanted to. Sirius and James developed these mirrors themselves, you know."
"Oh. Here goes." Harry spoke firmly to the mirror, "I want talk to Remus Lupin. Remus Lupin."
"Harry, your face seems to have appeared in my mirror. Success."
"Great."
"Do you have any particular plans for the mirrors now that they're in working order?"
"I don't know."
"You could use them to communicate with whoever is here. Or to talk with Dumbledore. Or at Hogwarts."
"I'll have to think about that, it's a good idea."
Harry went back to Sirius's room the night before term started and sat at the desk in a large over-stuffed armchair. Everyone else was at dinner but he'd told them that he wasn't hungry. He looked through the papers and sheaves of parchment trying to find.something. He just wasn't sure what.
He found photographs. Hidden in an envelope in the very back of the desk. He looked through them. James, Sirius, and Remus stared back at him in the first three photos. Two of the photos had a headless fourth person with a little circle missing as though the head was blasted off with a wand. Harry knew it must be Peter. The next picture showed Harry's dad sitting in a chair in the common room, apparently asleep. But standing over him was Sirius, drawing on his face with ink and a quill. Another picture showed Lilly and James together, laughing. Harry looked through the rest of the photos, there had to be more than two-dozen.
"Harry? Lupin said I'd find you here. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"No, you're not. This is hard on you. I know it is. And I know what this is like. I remember when Gramps died. It was awful. Then it was just Gran and me."
"Are you packed? We're leaving early tomorrow."
"Almost. Harry, don't leave me out this year."
"What are you talking about, Neville?"
"You, Ron, and Hermione. You're always leaving me out."
"Of what?"
"Everything! I know I can't play Quiditch the way you and Ron can. And I know I'm not smart like Hermione. But I'm not useless. I could help. I helped last year."
"I know, Neville. I know you're not useless but-"
"It's no secret that you didn't want us there. We aren't that dense, well maybe Luna is but that's beside the point."
" 'Us' who?"
"Me, Ginny, and Luna. We know you didn't want us there. We knew that then too."
"That's 'cause I don't want you guys to get hurt."
"That may be part of it but that's not all of it. You don't think we can handle ourselves and Ron and Hermione agree with you. But we know what we're doing, Harry. If it wasn't for that bloody nose I would have gotten Lestrange! Or I would have died trying. You don't know what it did to me when I read in the paper that she escaped."
Harry remembered Neville's redoubled efforts at the D.A. meetings just after the article about the escape of the Azkaban prisoners. His progress from then on had become almost scary. Harry knew what he was going to do with the mirrors. "Where's everybody else?"
"Still eating, I think. Why?"
"Come with me back to our room. I've got an idea." Harry shut the door firmly behind Neville and then went to where the room they shared with Ron was. "You've got to swear not to tell or show this to anybody, Neville."
"I won't, Harry. You know you can trust me."
"Okay. Here." Harry had put both mirrors in his trunk and only Lupin knew they were there. He now took out one of the mirrors and gave it to Neville.
"Is this so I can check my hair or something?"
"No. These belonged to.my dad and Sirius. They used them to talk if they were in separate detentions. Anyway, I want you to have one. I don't know what's going to happen at school this year but.if we need to talk and we're separated you just look in the mirror here and say my name, or I like in mine and say yours. My face will appear in your mirror."
"Thanks, Harry. This means a lot."
Harry was pleased; he knew that Neville was the perfect person to have the mirror as long as he didn't break it. Harry pushed that thought out of his mind; otherwise he might snatch back the mirror. He and Ron we're always together so there'd be absolutely no point in giving the mirror to Ron.
The next morning Harry and the others were all woken early. They put last minute things into their trunks, choked down some breakfast, and were soon ready to leave. The Weasleys and Neville walked to King's Cross, accompanied by Elphias Doge.
Harry's escort to the station consisted of Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks, with Kingsley Shacklebolt checking their rear and sides for anybody following them. Once they were safely at the station Kingsley Apperated away but Moody and Tonks remained to say farewell.