Author's Notes: I'm sorry that I've been torturing my readers with such long updates. If it makes you feel any better, I've been torturing myself. I wrote a large part of the story a certain way, but it just did not work out. Now I know what JK Rowling must feel like (yeah, right, except for the rich, famous part!)

The reference to Mirabel speaking monkey is from the movie, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." The references to the magical wardrobe are, of course, to C.S. Lewis' Narnia books.


Chapter Thirty

"Mirabel stole my plum cake!" Lucius Jr. said indignantly. "Again!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Darling," Narcissa told him. "She's seated over here by me. She can't possibly reach your plate."

"She just wants it, and it disappears," he said, "by magic."

Mirabel laughed, clumps of cake falling out of her mouth.

"That's disgusting," her older sister said.

"There is certainly enough frosted plum cake for everyone," Narcissa continued primly. "Merciful Merlin, it's not as if there's a shortage."

Indeed, the circular dining room table was loaded down with enough roast beef, rolls, fruits, puddings, cakes and cookies to feed an army of wizards and witches. Yule dinner at Malfoy Manor was a serious event. Here, there were no silly crackers filled with jokes and hats. Everyone was dressed quite formally in velvet robes. We ate by the glow of hundreds of candles that floated and swirled around the table. The soft light glowed on the golden plates and utensils, the blood red table cloth, and the crystal goblets that held our Yule punch. From time to time a house-elf, dressed in a festive tea-towel, would refresh our drinks or bring more food.

Mirabel attempted to say something to her grandfather, but it was unintelligible as her mouth was full.

"Are you by any chance addressing me?" Uncle Lucius asked her with a mocking arch of his eyebrow. "I'm sorry, I don't speak monkey."

The other children laughed.

"Don't coddle her," my uncle told his wife. Even for the Yule feast, he wore robes of black silk, and his silvery hair gleamed in the candlelight. "However will she learn to behave like a civilized witch instead of some kind of display in a Muggle zoo?" Although his words were stern, it was clear that my uncle was quite relaxed and in a good mood. It had been a very nice Christmas. He seemed especially happy that my mother was absent from the feast, as she chose to stay with the older version of myself at Silverthorn Castle. It was clear that even after all these years, they did not get along too well.

Under the table, Draco tried to hold my hand, but I reached up with it to grab my goblet.

"Are you still mad at me?" Draco whispered to me. "I Obliviated you for your own good, you know. I thought I had made that up to you last night." He smiled wickedly. I knew, however, that he was still wondering how I had found out about the Obliviation spell in the first place.

"Whatever," I said coolly, taking another sip of punch.

It was rather difficult to remain angry with him, especially after such a pleasant night, and an even more pleasant morning. It had been quite delightful to watch the children open their magical presents. The children obviously realized that something was not quite "right" about me, as I appeared to have forgotten many details of their daily lives. After I hadn't recognized the name of Mirabel's stuffed toy unicorn, Draco told them that I had been testing Gilderoy Lockhart's youth potion, and was experiencing unfortunate side effects. Only Gaius knew the truth.

I absently felt my uncle's letter in the pocket of my robes, and fingered the vial of potion. I was dying to know what exactly my uncle Lucius had written. I was so deep in thought, that I almost didn't hear what Mirabel said next.

"I saw Grandma Miranda tonight," Mirabel finally announced clearly. "With Father Christmas. I saw them in my wardrobe mirror."

"You mean your magical wardrobe?" the other girl said, rolling her eyes. "You are such a fibber."

"She always tells stories that she crawls into her wardrobe and goes off into another world," Gaius explained to me. "She says she talks to animals, fauns and Father Christmas. I think it's because you read her those books."

"Muggle books," Uncle Lucius muttered disdainfully. "Fauns indeed."

"Everyone knows that Fauns don't exist," Lucius Jr. said. "The Satyrs in the Forbidden Forest killed them all."

"They did not! And I did see him!" The little witch banged her fork down on the table. "He had a long, white beard and glasses, just like the pictures. He wasn't dressed in red, though. His robes were purple with stars on them."

I and the rest of the adults stopped eating.

"Maybe he dresses differently in the Wizarding world," one of the boys said with a snicker.

"Sweetheart," I said to Mirabel, my breath catching. "Did he say anything to you?"

"He was looking for you, Mama," she said. "I told him and Grandma that I wanted a wand for Christmas, a real one. Not a toy one. I want a pretty, sparkly one like you have." She thought a moment. "And then I saw him in a mirror again when I was in the bathroom going pee-pee. I don't think that was very nice, do you?"

I thought this last comment would provoke yet another comment about uncivilized behavior at the dinner table, but Uncle Lucius merely told me, "Dumbledore must have been searching for you." He glanced around thoughtfully, and I knew he was thinking of the hundreds of mirrors in Malfoy Mansion. The place had seven levels of rooms, after all.

My stomach squirmed uneasily. What if I had missed my chance? Was it possible that I could be stuck here? I looked at Draco, and he took me by the arm and pulled me to my feet.

"Let's go," he said.

"I want to go!" Mirabel cried, sliding out of her chair. "Where are we going?"

"But…" I looked around at the puzzled faces of my children. I felt the sudden longing to stay here, in this beautiful Christmas evening. I was jealous of the older version of myself, who would soon be joining them. "I love you," I told them, before Draco rushed me from the room.

Mirabel's room was quiet, but I felt the slight hum of magic on the air. I caught a glimpse of walls lined with children's books, the stuffed unicorn on her bed, and what looked suspiciously like Muggle Barbie dolls dressed up in tiny witches' robes. The wardrobe mirror, however, was empty.

"How are we supposed to find Dumbledore?" Draco asked me. "Is there some way you can get his attention? We can't just run around looking in all the mirrors. This manor's bloody enormous. It would take us years."

"I don't know," I told him. Taking out my wand, I tapped the wardrobe mirror.

"I'll check the bathroom mirror," he said, disappearing into the other room.

In my grandfather's book, there had been a spell to view the person you wanted in a mirror. Could I remember it? "I hope this works," I muttered. Drawing my breath, I spoke the incantation, including Professor Dumbledore's name.

At first there was nothing. The mirror then began to glow with a blinding light. The edges of the mirror curled back like parchment burning with a blue-white flame. In the center of the glass, I saw Professor Dumbledore and my mother gazing at me. She looked like she had been crying. His wand was upheld to the other side of the mirror, and his blue eyes were grim with concentration. I stepped closer to the mirror. My mother's hands were already reaching for me.

"It's Father Christmas!" Mirabel cried from behind me. I hadn't realized that she had followed us to her room. "See, I told you! I want to go! I want to go into the magical wardrobe, too, Mama!"

She tugged at my robes. When I tried to push her away, she finally wrapped herself around my ankles, sitting on my feet.

"No, Mirabel! Sweetie, you can't-" She must have been doing her magical-Velcro trick, because I couldn't even move my legs. "Draco!" I screamed.

Draco was instantly there, his wand raised. He muttered something, and Mirabel popped off me and fell back onto her bottom. Her mouth opened to scream. I jumped toward the mirror. I fell toward the glass, feeling my mother's fingers claw into my arm. I rushed forward, the wind blowing around me, as if I had once again stepped into a tornado.

The deafening wind ended. My mother held me tightly. I could feel her heart beating wildly. "I thought I had lost you, like I did your grandfather," she said, her voice shaking. She pushed me away long enough to look into my eyes. "Did you do this on purpose? Did you attempt time travel even though we expressly forbade it?"

Wide eyed, I shook my head. It was quite disorienting, suddenly leaving Malfoy Mansion like that. I hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to Draco and poor Mirabel. I looked down at my Christmas robes, feeling as though I had been dreaming.

"Was that Draco I saw?" My mother asked. "And who was that little girl?"

"That was my daughter," I said. "Draco and I got married, er, we will get married, and..."

The mix of utmost surprise and horror on my mother's face would have made me laugh if it had been any other time. "That means…Lucius and I will be related?" she said weakly.

"Better to have him as a relative than as an enemy, my dear," professor Dumbledore said, remarkably calm considering the circumstances. "We almost despaired of finding you, Miriel. I'm afraid your daughter, as charming as she was, was not very helpful." Even through the exhaustion that etched deep lines into his face, his eyes were lit up with relief at my return. "I was not entirely surprised, to tell you the truth, to be informed that there is a strong resemblance between me and Father Christmas. I have long attempted to cultivate such an image to the students here at Hogwarts."

"This wasn't my fault," I told my mother. "The mirror sucked me in. If it hadn't been for Draco pulling me through, I don't know what would have happened." I turned and glared at the Mirror of Emit, but it was cold and silent.

"Did I not warn you about that thing?" My mother's voice rose with an edge of hysteria. She wasn't usually a screamer, but now her voice rose as shrilly as Mrs. Weasley's. I could tell that I was in for a lecture.

Professor Dumbledore held up his hand. "Please, Miranda," he said, his voice weak and husky. "I, for one, could use some strong tea, and perhaps some Pepper-Up potion. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. Would you please cast the spell to leave this mirror?" He picked up my grandfather's spell book and tucked it under his arm. I remembered with embarrassment how I had kept the book a secret from him.

My mother caught my eye, and I knew that this discussion wasn't over.

"Of course. Thank you for helping me, Professor," my mother told him. With a word and a wave of her wand, a huge plate of glass appeared before us. I suddenly remembered that we were actually inside the Mirror of Erised. We passed easily through it.

In the Headmaster's office, Professor Dumbledore barely had time to order his drinks from the house-elves, when I couldn't hold back what I had discovered about the future.

"We won the war!" I blurted out. "Well, we will win the war. We'll destroy Voldemort, once and for all. He won't be coming back, ever."

"Good heavens." Professor Dumbledore's breath came out in a rush, and he sat down abruptly into his chair. To my surprise, his blue eyes shone with tears. He drew out a purple, silk handkerchief and dabbed at his cheeks. His hand was trembling. When he got himself under control, he said, "I'm afraid that with Severus gone, I had begun to lose hope," he said. "But my dear, the knowledge you possess of future events is quite dangerous, especially in the wrong hands."

"Nobody would tell me any details about how the war was won," I reassured him. "And my Uncle Lucius made me drink an Occlumency potion, so that no one could see into my mind."

Surprised, the headmaster's blue eyes fastened onto mine for a few moments. "Remarkable," he finally said. "But I must warn you not to divulge your trip through the mirror to anyone. It would be disastrous should this ever leak out to the Ministry of Magic or to the press."

"What about the members of the Order?" my mother asked.

Professor Dumbledore rubbed his forehead in thought. "Considering Molly Weasley's public interviews against Miriel, this would not be prudent. Should Molly ever attempt to retaliate against your daughter in the future…"

"That woman!" my mother snapped. "I am getting sick of her nasty comments and innuendos. She is completely unreasonable. I don't know how poor Arthur stays married to her."

"Professor," I said, fishing the letter out of my pocket. "Uncle Lucius wrote this letter for you. He said that this was how you were going to rescue Severus."

When the headmaster finished reading the document, his face turned the color of pale parchment. "Well, it appears that Lucius has done quite well for himself," he finally said. "His plan for rescuing Severus from Alcatraz prison is most ingenious." He handed the letter to my mother. "Miranda, is this possible?"

My mother read for a moment, and said, "The nerve of that man! Gloating like this!" She looked at the Headmaster, stricken. "Albus, this makes it sound as though you won't… you won't survive the war."

"Please continue reading," Dumbledore said.

After a moment, she looked up, a dazed expression on her face. "I never would have thought of doing this. I mean-" she swallowed and nodded. "I suppose that it could be done, Headmaster. It's actually quite a simple idea. Do you think it would work?"

"What?" I asked. "I've been dying of curiosity."

"The plan requires your mother to transfigure the Mirror of Erised into a likeness of the Mirror of Emit, and then to magically modify it," the Headmaster explained. "Voldemort would believe that he possessed the Mirror of Emit, and when he sees his own desires of ruling the Wizarding world, he would believe that he viewed his own future."

"But how would that help Severus?" I asked.

My mother looked thoughtful. "If the mirror could convince the Dark Lord that Severus was necessary to achieve victory in the war, if it could convince him that Bellatrix was wrong and that Severus is faithful…"

"Would the Dark Lord really believe that it was the Mirror of Emit?" I asked, doubtfully.

"He might, for awhile," Professor Dumbledore said. "It would confuse him long enough to buy us time. It could make Voldemort too confident of himself."

"What about my daughter?" my mother asked, her brown eyes filled with worry. "Albus, it's just too dangerous. I can't bear the thought of Miriel even being around that hideous… thing. Isn't there anyone else who could deliver the mirror to him?"

"I'm afraid that with Severus gone, Miriel is our best link to the Dark Lord," the Headmaster told her gently. "Word has certainly gotten to him by now that she is an extremely powerful witch. She attempted to curse one of Harry's friends, which should please him. She also has claims to my trust. I cannot imagine that Voldemort would be foolish enough not to take advantage of that position here at Hogwarts."

"When I was in the future," I told them, "the older me talked to me in a mirror and told me that whatever happens, I'll come out of it safely."

"That should comfort you. I would never jeopardize your life, but I'm afraid we have no other options," the Headmaster said.

My mother gave an unladylike snort. "Professor Dumbledore, you risk Severus' life and sanity all the time. Forgive me if I don't wish to see my daughter serving you as a spy as well."

From his perch, the Phoenix flew over to me in an explosion of fiery feathers. Landing on the back of my chair, he began trilling. His song was golden and uplifting.

"An excellent point, Fawkes," the Headmaster said, smiling. "Fawkes wishes to welcome you, Miriel, to the Order of the Phoenix."

My mouth dropped open. "I'm in the Order of the Phoenix?" In spite of everything, it did sound kind of cool.

"Yes, well, if you're going to risk your life and face the Dark Lord, you'd damned well better be in the Order," my mother said bitterly, shooting a hard look at the headmaster. "And after this, Moody and Molly Weasley had better keep their mouths shut!"

Professor Dumbledore said, "Very well, the Order will meet as soon as possible. Tomorrow perhaps. We will not mention Miriel traveling through the mirror to anyone. I will take full credit and responsibility for Lucius' plan. Speaking of your uncle," here he took out the velvet bag which held my communication mirror. "I'm sure you will have use of this. It's highly unlikely that Lucius will join us in our fight against Voldemort on my recommendation only. My hope is that once Severus is present among us once again, your uncle will reconsider."

"Thank you," I said, taking the mirror. "Professor, the Draco in the future told me that he had given my grandfather's spell book to you after I disappeared."

The Headmaster nodded. "He was quite concerned."

"I'm, um, sorry that I didn't give it to you immediately," I said sheepishly. "I was curious to read it, and I thought I'd give it to you later- after I'd read the good stuff."

My mother sighed in exasperation, but Professor Dumbledore merely nodded. "Sebastian's book vanished at the same time he did," he said. "Its location has been a mystery to me for years. He was a clever wizard. The Mirror of Emit chose this time to reveal it to its master's heir. Most curious. Your mother worked with that mirror while under the service of the Dark Lord, yet she did not discern the book's presence within the mirror. There are many spells here that will help us in our fight against Voldemort. If you were a fully trained Mirror-Mage, I would most certainly allow you to have it. As it is, I feel it is safer with your mother and me."

I nodded. I really wished I'd had more time with the book. I could remember some of the spells, but there were many more that I would have loved to experiment with.

"Your mother and I have much to discuss," he said. "The house-elves will help you to pack your belongings."

"Oh," I said, disappointed. "You mean I still have to move away from Hogwarts."

"I'm afraid so," the Headmaster said. "Now more than ever you will need secrecy as well as protection. I've instructed Remus to prepare a room for you. He will lead you to your new home tonight. He must give you special instructions on how to enter it."

With those curious words, I was excused.

Somehow, the house-elves already knew that I was leaving. By the time I reached my quarters, they were busy shrinking things and packing them away. To my immense surprise, Twinky sat on the sofa, drinking what appeared to be a butterbeer. A six pack sat on the table. She ignored the dirty looks the other elves gave her. No doubt they were scandalized by her behavior.

"You is leaving Hogwarts, Missy," Twinky told me sadly with a hiccup. "Twinky is never having such a good witch." She burst into tears.

I sighed. "Twinky, don't cry. I'm sure Draco will look after you."

This only made her cry harder. With another sigh, I sat down and opened up a butterbeer. It was disgusting stuff, kind of like overly-sweet butterscotch, and it did little to cheer me up. The rooms already looked bare and lonely. I felt bad, somehow, that I hadn't had time to say goodbye to the older Draco. How many years would it be before I saw my children again? It would be quite a few before I saw Mirabel, as she had been the youngest.

After awhile someone knocked on the door, and when one of the house-elves opened it, Moony walked into the room. His old-fashioned sweater and pants were quite threadbare, but they still managed to look nice on him.

"Is this a B.Y.O.B. party?" he asked with a smile, glancing down at the empty bottles strewn on the floor. "For 'bring your own butterbeer?' You won't get too smashed on that stuff, you know. The most it will do is give you a sugar rush."

"Hi, Moony. You look quite different with clothes on. Don't try and make me laugh," I said. "I'm too depressed."

"I know it's a disappointment to leave Hogwarts," he told me, making himself comfortable in a chair across from us. "But the fact that you will have the best dressed Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher in the history of Hogwarts should give you some consolation."

I opened my mouth to tell him everything, but then realized that of course, I couldn't. I couldn't tell him about my trip through the mirror, or about Draco and my children. I couldn't tell him anything. I remembered how he made me promise not to go playing around with time travel in the first place.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his smile slipping a bit. "You look… guilty."

"Guilty? Me? No, nothing's wrong."

"You have got to be the worse liar in the Wizarding world," he told me. "It's hard to believe that you're related to the Malfoys."

"That reminds me," I said, standing. "I have to see Draco before I leave. And I have to say goodbye to Amalthea!"

"You're not getting away that easily," he said. "The last I heard, Poppy was still standing guard over Draco in the hospital wing. I don't think she's allowing visitors until he reverts back to his human form."

"What?" I asked, surprised. "What happened to him?"

"He got turned into- what was it now? A sea cucumber? Something disgusting, I'm sure. It seems that he had a magical skirmish with a few of the other Slytherins when he moved back into his old room," Moony replied. "Crabbe and Goyle are no longer protecting him, and his popularity has dropped quite a bit since his father... well, you know. I'm surprised you didn't know this."

"Those creeps hexed poor Draco!" I said. "Why didn't my mother tell me this happened while I was gone?" Stunned at what I had said, I bit my lip.

"While you were gone?" Moony's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Miriel, what have you been up to? And 'poor Draco?' It wasn't that long ago when you wanted to hex him yourself."

"Um, things are just different now," I said.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain magical mirror?" He asked with a warning tone to his voice. "A mirror that I specifically remember warning you about?"

"I have to go see Draco!" I said. "And Madam Pomfrey. Excuse me!" Before he could stop me, I ran out the door.


Many thanks to my steadfast and faithful reviewers!

Arsinoe de Blassenville: Thank you for your review. Yes, Lucius does make a rather hunky uncle! Ha! For the kids, I just thought of what my nephew would be like- with magic!

Sophierom: I'm so glad that you hung in there, and you're still reading! I really hope to finish this story by the time the HP and the Half-Blood Prince comes out.

Cyrna: Thank you so much for reviewing my story! I wish I could write more about Gaius and the dark mirror, but I'm afraid I have enough on my plate right now! Hmmm… that sounds like one of those sequel fics. Heh.

Beautywithin: I'm so happy that you found my story! I'm sorry I've been torturing you. I wrote a lot of the story where Mirabel accidentally goes back to the past with Miriel, but it just complicated the story line too much. It just didn't work. Anyway, thanks for your compliments!