That evening, Lilah, Harry, and Hermione agreed to stay at their own tables as they were expecting their heads-of-house to escort them to the headmaster's office once dinner was finished.
At ten minutes until seven, Professor McGonagall approached the Gryffindor table. "Mister Potter, whenever you're ready, please follow me to Professor Dumbledore's office."
"May Hermione come along?" Harry asked. "She, Lilah and I planned on going to the library to study together after this."
"She was not asked to attend, Potter," the professor said bluntly. "She's a perfectly capable witch, she can wait in the library by herself for just a few minutes, I think."
"Don't worry about me, Harry," said Hermione. "I'll be fine by myself... alone." The last word she said was almost inaudible, but Professor McGonagall was able to hear her, and was able to sense that she didn't really want to be left by herself.
The professor's lips curved into a faint smile. "You may follow us, Miss Granger, but you'll have to wait outside the headmaster's office as this does not concern you. It should take but a couple of minutes, and Mister Potter and Miss Darling will re-join you once the meeting is finished. It's the best I can do - you may take it or leave it."
"I think you should take it," Harry whispered to Hermione.
"Okay, I'll go with you," Hermione answered quietly.
"Very good," trilled the Professor. "Follow me, please."
Meanwhile, Professor Sprout addressed Lilah at the Hufflepuff table. "Are you ready to go to the Headmaster's office, Miss Darling?" she asked in a kind voice.
"I'm ready as I'll ever be, Professor," answered Lilah.
"It'll be short and sweet, my dear," replied Professor Sprout. "If you'll kindly follow me."
Professor McGonagall, Harry, and Hermione stopped in front of a large bird-gargoyle statue. Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy were already there. Neither of them looked particularly pleased about being summoned to the Headmaster's office. And a few seconds later, Professor Sprout and Lilah joined the group.
Professor McGonagall then spoke the password to enter the headmaster's office: Sherbet lemon.
The gargoyle statue shifted to reveal a hidden spiral staircase.
"Miss Granger, I'll need you to wait here for just a moment," Professor McGonagall reminded Hermione gently. "I promise this will not take long." She, and everyone else except Hermione went up the stairs to Professor Dumbledore's office.
Professor Dumbledore stood up from behind his desk when all the participants entered his office.
"Good evening, everyone," he greeted. "I sincerely hope that after tonight, we can all put this mess behind us. I see two supremely talented young wizards, and one supremely talented young witch, whose gifts are far better suited for bettering the wizarding world."
The eyes behind his half-moon spectacles seemed to sparkle. "Now who would like to go first?"
"I'll go," volunteered Lilah.
"Very well, young lady," said Dumbledore. "Go ahead."
Lilah looked at Malfoy in his cold eyes. "I apologize for hitting you, Draco. It was wrong of me, and I will not touch you in anger again - either physically or using magic. I should have been better than that. I'm sorry."
"Well done, Miss Darling," murmured Dumbledore. "Succinct and sincere. Mister Malfoy, it's your turn, my lad."
Malfoy first looked at Lilah. "I apologize for calling you 'mudblood', Miss Darling. It was wrong of me..." Draco was struggling to find the words to say. He still didn't like Lilah, so he thought of something empty but nice-sounding to say so as to please Dumbledore. "You deserve better than that. I'm sorry."
He then turned to Harry. "I apologize for tripping you, Potter. You also deserve better."
The three students shook hands to seal the meeting.
"I think that should take care of that, don't you agree?" Dumbledore said. "I hope we don't have to meet like this again. You are all dismissed." He then looked at Lilah and Harry. "Except for you two. Please stay behind for just a moment."
After the door to his office shut, Dumbledore's face brightened into a rather cheerful smile. "I have something very, very special to show you two. I don't just show any pupil this object, but I feel I can trust you with this. And I will only show you this once, so please do not ask again after tonight. Is that agreeable?"
"Yes, Professor," replied Harry and Lilah.
"Very good," Dumbledore chuckled. Come with me, please.
Harry and Lilah followed Dumbledore down the stairs. Hermione was seated on the floor, reading some sort of textbook. When she saw Harry and Lilah with Dumbledore, she rushed to join them.
"Where are you all going?" she asked sweetly.
Dumbledore gave her a kindly look. "Miss Granger, you may accompany us, if you'd like. I feel you're also trustworthy enough to see what I'm about to show Mister Potter and Miss Darling. But as I told them, this is only between ourselves, and after tonight, I do not want you to ask me to show you again. Is that acceptable to you?"
"That's acceptable, Professor," replied Hermione.
"Very good, Miss Granger. Follow me, now," replied Dumbledore.
They had made their way up to the fourth floor and traversed several dark corridors. Finally, Dumbledore led them to a dark room which must have functioned as a classroom at one point. The room didn't have much in it, just a few desks and stools tucked away, but on the opposite end of the room was a very curious-looking mirror.
"Each of you, I would like for you to stand in front of this special looking glass. One at a time, please. Then tell me what you see."
Harry went first. He looked into the mirror, and saw a young woman with reddish hair, and a young man with jet black hair. They were smiling and waving at Harry. A few other, less familiar people appeared behind them... the eyes of the woman were familiar, they were emerald green. And the black-haired man had a face much like Harry's, except without the lightning-bolt shaped scar.
Harry gasped. "It's my family. They're alive and well..." He started to sniffle. "Mum? Dad? It's me... Harry! Can you hear me?" He waited for them to respond, but all they did was smile and wave at him. "Can you hear me? Mum? Dad?" Harry begged them to acknowledge him, but they never spoke a word. Overcome with emotion, Harry turned away from the mirror, a single tear running down his cheek. He loved seeing their faces, but he felt so disappointed that they could not actually communicate.
Dumbledore smiled at Harry. "This is a special mirror, my boy. Why don't you think about what this mirror actually does while your pretty lady friends take a look?
Hermione went next. She stood in front of the mirror, and saw a beautiful, slender, bespectacled woman - she seemed to be in her mid-twenties, with chestnut brown hair, but rather than wild and bushy, her flowing hair was smooth with some light, bouncy ringlets. She was wearing a simple white blouse and a grey wool skirt. She looked like she was in an office of some sort, with a lot of books. She took a closer look at the office... not only were there lots of tomes and scrolls, but many magical artifacts. She spotted a plaque on the desk that read: "Professor H.J. Granger, Headmistress".
"I'm... the youngest-ever Hogwarts headmistress!" she exclaimed. "Is this... the future?" she asked Professor Dumbledore. The headmaster chuckled. "It is, and it isn't... I'll let you mull that one over, my child." He then gestured to Lilah. "Your turn, Miss Darling."
Lilah slowly approached the mirror. She peered into it, and what she saw positively stunned her. Like Hermione, she saw a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties in the mirror, but she wasn't alone. The beautiful blonde woman was accompanied by a young man with messy black hair and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, and in the woman's arms looked like a baby girl. She figured it was a girl due to the pink swaddling.
"Oh Merlin!" Lilah gasped. It's me... and Harry... and a child! OUR child! She thought those words, but could not bring herself to say them. Tears started welling up in her eyes. She whispered her findings to Dumbledore, who merely smiled gently.
"What did you see?" Hermione asked Lilah. Lilah blushed very deeply, and whispered into Hermione's ear. "Oh my goodness!" Hermione squeaked. "I won't tell anyone, Lilah. I promise," she whispered back, grinning from ear to ear.
"Have any of you figured out the purpose of this device?" Dumbledore asked the students.
"It's sort of like seeing the future," said Lilah.
"But not necessarily, my child," replied Dumbledore.
"I saw the past," said Harry. "My parents are no more, but I could see them clear as day."
"It's not exactly seeing the past either, young man," the professor replied.
"There is an inscription on the mirror," noted Lilah. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi... I'm not rightly sure what that means…"
Dumbledore chuckled. "Well done, Miss Darling. That phrase is key to determining the purpose of this mirror."
Harry shrugged. "It isn't any language I recognize."
Hermione simply stared at the inscription, her expression indicating that she was deep in thought. "I don't recognize it either, Harry," she finally said.
"What do you suppose it is then?" asked Lilah. "It's certainly not English or German, the only languages I know."
Hermione's face scrunched. "I'm thinking still." About thirty seconds later, her face brightened. "It's backwards! 'I show not your face, but your heart's desire."
Dumbledore clapped his hands. "Masterfully done, Miss Granger. This mirror shows the beholder his or her deepest desire. But this can be a dangerous tool, as many a foolish wizard tried in vain to make their desires a reality. Sometimes, at the cost of their very lives, even. It is rare indeed for these reflections to come true. Now you see why I must have you never ask to see this device again."
"Thank you for showing us this special mirror, Professor," said Lilah. "Is there a certain reason why you showed us?"
Dumbledore chuckled. "Because I wanted to confirm my suspicions about some of my finest pupils. You are all pure and innocent, and have no desire for power for power's sake." He smiled at the two little witches and the little wizard. "I understand that you have some studying that you'd like to do together. I won't keep you further... off you go, then."
The three friends headed to the library to study History of Magic together.
They cracked open their history textbooks, but Harry was rather distracted and couldn't fully focus. Lilah and Hermione both had to redirect Harry's attention a couple of times.
Eventually, Lilah had enough. "Harry," she sighed. "You're not focusing. What's wrong?" She tried to be as gentle as possible even though there were a few lines of frustration on her forehead.
Harry looked at Lilah. "It's the mirror, Lilah... I can't get over seeing my dead parents... it looked so real, so right... but it was nothing more than a tease, really." Lilah saw the disappointment in Harry's face - the same disappointment she saw in his face after he got sorted into Gryffindor.
"And what you saw... you never told me..." But you told her, Harry finished mentally. He didn't really feel betrayed or even jealous, but he did feel slightly disappointed.
Lilah's face turned bright pink with guilt and embarrassment. "I'll tell you later, Harry, I promise. I don't think I am quite ready to share that with you right now."
Harry smiled. "Okay, Lilah. I understand. We can talk about it another time."
Lilah beamed at Harry. "Thank you, Harry. I promise I will tell you sometime."
Hermione shook her head in exasperation, her bushy brown hair flopping wildly. "If you two don't mind, we need to get back to studying. We didn't come here for idle chit-chat, after all."