Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? I am so so so so so so sorry about how late this chapter is considering we literally only have a handful left before this fic is done. These past two months have been...rather turbulent is a bit of an understatement. Chaotic is a bit more accurate. Physically, emotionally, and mentally draining is more on the money. But I've managed to finish this chapter and my life will hopefully calm down enough to allow me to finish this story at a good consistent pace. Thank you all for still sticking with me and please enjoy this chapter.
Like always, I enjoy comments, in fact I thrive off of positive comments and love constructive critique ones cause it shows an author that their readers are actually paying attention and enjoying their work. Thanks for reading this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books.
Warning: No beta, we die like Stingbulbs.
Chapter 8: Winter Wonderland
XXXXXX
"We should spend some time during break searching for who Nicolas Flamel is," Hermione stubbornly insisted at the bored looking boys seated before her.
The quartet was currently lounging around the empty common room. Most of the students were already in the great hall having a final meal before boarding the train back to London for winter break.
"But that's homework, Hermione," Ron whined from where he was draped over one of the many plush couches, "Do we really have to do homework over winter break? We should be relaxing and eating all the wondrous holiday food we can."
"I agree with Hermione," Harry said, pointedly ignoring the look of betrayal Ron was sending his way, "If we know what the dog is guarding, then we'll know why Snape wants it and then we can stop him."
"You mean we get the professors to stop him," Hermione glared at Harry, "You've already gotten into enough trouble this year, you shouldn't be adding to it. What if you get expelled?"
"They're not going to expel Harry for exposing a professor like Snape for being a rotten thief," Ron scoffed.
Seth released a long suffering sigh. "And how many times do I have to tell you guys that I don't think the thief is Snape."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all gave him pointed looks that had him raising his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright. Geez, tough crowd," Seth grumbled out. "And don't worry Ron, you don't have to do any work over break."
"Why's that?" Ron asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
"Yes Seth, why is that?" Hermione glared at him, a scolding waiting at the tip of her tongue.
Seth shrugged. "Cause I already know who Nicolas Flamel is."
The three of them gaped at him in shock.
"You do?" Harry shouted in surprise.
"Yup!" Seth nodded, "He's a nice guy, a bit old and kooky, though who wouldn't be when you're a six hundred plus years immortal."
Hermione continued to gape at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "How?"
"Well, you remember those Preserves I was talking about way back when?"
She nodded even though Harry and Ron both looked confused.
"They're not dragon preserves like you might think, they're actually Magical Creature Preserves full of fairies, centaurs, trolls, and all other sorts of species," Seth explained, "My family's been in charge of the one in America for a while. Anyways, long story short, we ran into Flamel when we needed some help with an alchemy related problem and yeah."
The three continued to stare at Seth as their brains struggled to comprehend the information bomb he'd just dropped on them.
"That literally answers everything and nothing at all," Hermione finally concluded.
"The only thing I got out of that was that I don't actually have to do any work over the break so I'm going to head down for food before it's all gone," Ron declared as he got up from his seat. He walked over to Harry and grabbed the boy by the arm to drag him towards the portrait door.
"But wait! We don't know what Snape's trying to steal!" Harry protested.
"Well I guess it can wait since it seems like Seth already has all the answers," Hermione said, "Nothing we can really do about Snape until after break is over."
Harry sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Alright, fine."
Ron cheerfully grinned. "Great! Now let's go. I can already hear a whole pan of shepherd's pie calling my name."
Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "You and your stomach, I swear."
Seth laughed as the four of them left the common room to share one last meal together before winter break officially began.
Hermione was the only one of the four heading back home. Harry was staying behind for obvious reasons while Ron stayed behind to keep him company. Seth wanted to stay so he could finally get the chance to explore the castle without restrictions and classes getting in the way. His family was initially hesitant but he was already a full grown adult despite the child body so they couldn't begrudge him of this chance.
They only made him promise not to cause any trouble for the people staying behind, even got it all in writing with a signed contract charmed with fairy magic and everything. Seth willingly went along with it, though his grandparents and sister were highly suspicious by his lack of protests.
Of course, they didn't know that because he was a Shadow Charmer, he was less inclined to be influenced by light magic but he wasn't gonna tell them that. His fingers were crossed behind his back as well to cover all his bases.
XXXXXX
Now with the winter break in full swing and the population of the castle significantly reduced, Seth was finally able to do what he'd originally come to Hogwarts for - exploring!
And man, was there a lot to explore and discover.
The first order of business when he woke up on the first day of winter break was finally finding that gosh darn kitchen. He knew with a thousand percent certainty that there was one because how else would their meals exist if there wasn't a kitchen. Magic was many things but an infinite food generator was not one of them.
It took him a while and a lot of walking up and down the same hallways multiple times until Professor Sprout spotted him. She inquired about his aimless wandering and eventually took pity on him, showing exactly where he needed to go and what he needed to do.
In the kitchens, he got mobbed by a shit ton of house elves all eager to serve him. It took some time but he was able to claim a space for himself and soon got to work, finally making Grandma Sorenson's special triple chocolate chip cookie and a good ol'American Cheese Burger.
After a hearty lunch of burgers and cookies, Seth set off to discover some more secrets of the castle. Apparently Professor McGonagall got wind of what he was planning to do for the winter break as she strode past him in the main hallway, making a passing mention about a disappearing room on the seventh floor that would become anything you needed.
He immediately made a beeline for the approximate location, trekking up way too many stairs that were feeling particularly temperamental that day. When he finally arrived, there was only a blank stonewall and no indication for how to summon the disappearing room.
After spending an inordinate amount of time examining the walls, the fixtures, and the decorations, he paced back and forth wondering how the hell could he get into this room.
It seemed that pacing was the way to go since by his third pass, a door suddenly appeared on the wall. Seth took a moment to gape at it before quickly scrambling to open the door.
He spent even more time exploring the capabilities of the room. Every day, he'd stop by just to see what else it can do, how else it can be shaped. He'd always make sure to stop by after dinner cause then he'd be able to work on his stealth aka try to find new ways to avoid Filch's cat. He had no clue what kind of cat that thing was but it definitely had to be some kind of magic creature because the amount of times it randomly showed up to give him a heart attack was just insane.
Slowly but surely, with each passing day, Seth made his way through the castle floor by floor, hall by hall, mapping out the various towers and rooms on multiple pieces of paper that he glues together bit by bit.
He would also occasionally wander through the Forbidden Forest where he ran into the British variation of the magical creatures he was accustomed to and then some. He had a jolly good time studying the creatures he'd never seen before and noting the differences between the ones he had. The only issues he had were with the centaurs who all seemed like a salty and stuck up bunch no matter which country you were in.
The other professors had also caught onto his exploration expedition, sometimes passing by to give him hints on where to start or what to look out for. Professor Sinistra spoke of the many different towers that offered different yet increasingly impressive views of the stars.
Professor Dumbledore once mused on the various secret passageways in the castle but couldn't quite remember how many there were or what floors they were on.
Madame Pomfrey actually pulled him aside to lecture him about his safety and made him promise not to go anywhere near the Whomping Willow tree. Of course he agreed only to immediately head out for the famed tree known to smack both unsuspecting and bold students like flies. It was only thanks to his magically diminished presence that he was able to reach the base of the tree before it went nuts trying to chase him away.
XXXXXX
A magical feeling was in the air when Seth woke this morning, courtesy of Ron shouting and banging around excitedly in their shared dormitory room.
All three boys eagerly bounded down the stairs, oohing and aahing at the beautifully decorated Christmas tree by the fireplace. Harry more so than the other two as he stared in disbelief at having actually received presents instead of just a sad little Christmas card from his terrible relatives.
Ron took charge, grabbing the gifts under the tree and distributing it based on its recipients. Harry continued to stare wide-eyed at the small stack of presents in front of him.
Seth shook his head at him in fond exasperation. "What did you think you were going to get for Christmas? Air?"
"Honestly, I only expected a leftover Christmas card with a five pence taped to it like last year...and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that..." Harry said, smiling wryly while holding up an envelope and pulling out said card and five pence that were inside.
"What is that?" Ron asked, pointing at the small silver five pence coin, "Is that supposed to be money? Why is an old woman's face on it? Why isn't she moving or speaking?"
Harry handed the five pence over to Ron in amusement. "Here, you can have it."
Ron looked at the coin as if he'd been given a sack full of galleons and told to 'go nuts.' Harry and Seth laughed as they watched him fiddle around with the coin like it was either a bomb about to explode or the best thing to ever happen in his eleven years of life.
Seth turned his attention to his own pile of gifts, shooing Harry away to go through his own pile which he eagerly did with all of the excitement of a newborn puppy. He shook his head in amusement before turning to his own small stack, going through each one with the extreme caution one would exercise when handling a dragon egg.
So far, none of his presents actually exploded or melted or caught fire or disappeared in a puff of smoke or used some magic to spontaneously take over his body and make him tap dance like Vanessa had threatened to do that one time.
They were all rather pleasant and low key. No magical objects or magic related items, just normal presents he would've gotten if Fablehaven had never become such an important part of his life.
Kendra and Grandpa most likely convinced everyone to follow their lead because they didn't want any crazy gifts to traumatize whatever young, impressionable children were around him at the time he opened them.
He was surprised to find a simple envelope among the mundane pile of books and non magical gizmos. He was even more surprised to find it was a letter from Draco Malfoy thanking him in the most passive aggressive way possible for the muggle chemistry set Seth had jokingly threatened to send him if the Slytherin didn't lay off Harry in the days leading up to winter break.
"Man, never thought I'd actually see a male tsundere in real life. I always thought that was just in anime," Seth quietly mused to himself.
"What's that you got there, Seth? A letter from your family?" Harry asked, his attention latching onto the amused chuckling and quiet muttering of his friend.
For a moment, Seth debated on whether he actually wanted to tell them who the letter was from. Then he immediately decided not to since the mention of anything remotely Slytherin would definitely ruin the holiday mood.
Also, he was probably expecting too much of the two boys who were for sure going to be set in their ways until life slapped them upside the head. Like it did with him and that whole fiasco with the demon prison though it took a few years before that sunk in and he stopped unconsciously acting like a little shit.
Now he did it deliberately and only if the consequences of his actions weren't going to come back and bite him in the ass. Magic was great and all but man, do the never-ending loopholes suck.
"Yeah, it's just a letter from my family wishing me a happy holiday followed by a lecture to not cause any grief for the school," he responded nonchalantly with a shrug. "Not like that's ever stopped me from getting up to some sort of mischief."
"Did someone say mischief?"
The three boys turned to see the Weasley Twins grinning like Siamese cats as they stood at the bottom of the staircase like creeps.
"While I do love some good mischief makers in the making," Fred said, proudly displaying his red and yellow sweater, "I do believe certain types of mischief just go one step too far, Fred."
"Indeed, you're right, George," George nodded in agreement as he puffed his chest so that the lion on his sweater stood out, "Ickle Ronnikins, where in the world is your sweater? Do you want to break our dear mum's heart?"
Ron flushed red in embarrassment. "She sent me one in maroon even though she knows I hate maroon."
Fred tutted in disappointment. "That's no reason not to wear it."
George nodded in agreement, pointing at similar looking wrapped packages sitting between Harry and Seth. "Why, she's even sent sweaters to your friends here!"
"And I'm sure they'd appreciate them even though they aren't her sons," Fred shook his head with an exaggerated frown.
Harry and Seth turned their attention to the aforementioned packages and carefully opened them (or in the case of Seth, rip the wrapping to shreds). There was an emerald green sweater for Harry which happened to be the same shade as his eyes and a crimson sweater for Seth which had a little dragon for funsies. Both packages had a small container of holiday fudge enclosed.
"Ron, your mum is the best," Harry said as he stared at his gifts in awe.
"Glad to know someone appreciates our mother," Fred nodded in approval.
"Unlike a certain ungrateful son," George teasingly said with a joking glare.
"Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to the feast!" Both twins crowed in unison before walking out of the common room.
"Well...that happened," Seth deadpanned with a shake of his head. "Anyways, do we all wanna head down to breakfast as well?"
"Hold on," Ron interjected, lifting up another wrapped package that had been well hidden under the tree, "There's another gift here. And it's for Harry!"
He handed the package over to Harry who took it and looked it over in confusion. "There's a note here," he said, removing the delicate piece of paper carefully from underneath the string.
"What's it say?" Seth asked, eyeing the package in curiosity as there was a strong magical presence coming from whatever object was held within the paper confines.
"Your father left this in my possession when he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well," Harry read off the paper. "It doesn't say who it's from though."
"Well what is it?" Ron eagerly asked.
Harry carefully opened the package, pulling out a long silver cloak that shimmered with each movement made. He held it up in confusion, not really knowing what to do with it.
"Why don't you try it on?" Seth suggested.
Harry nodded and threw the cloak over his body. Everyone startled when Harry's body disappears from view from the neck down. It was like he'd become invisible.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, "That's an invisibility cloak! It's a super rare item with only a handful in existence in the whole Wizarding World!"
"And Harry's father just happened to have one? Interesting..." Seth remarked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "There's also the matter of who had this cloak before and why would they give it to you know?"
Harry shrugged, removing the cloak and carefully folding it up. "I don't know but..." He smiled happily down at it as he held the folded cloak reverently in his hands. "I'm glad I have another piece of my family to hold onto."
Ron and Seth fell silent as they were once again reminded of Harry's family situation. Then the solemn silence was broken by the abnormally loud rumbling of Ron's stomach. Seth and Harry whipped their heads to a sheepish looking Ron in surprise.
"Shall we head down to breakfast?" he sheepishly asked, "I think I'd really like to get some food now."
Seth and Harry broke down in laughter much to the embarrassed protests of Ron. After taking a moment to put their gifts safely away and wrestle Ron into his maroon sweater, the three boys made their way downstairs to the Great Hall for a grand breakfast feast.
Because there were only a very small amount of students staying behind for the holidays, Seth managed to convince the professors to allow them all to sit at the same table. Due to the jolly atmosphere of Christmas, none of the other students were opposed to the inter house mixing. In fact, only two curses were tossed and that was only because a Gryffindor sixth year dared to steal bacon off a Slyltherin fifth year's plate. They were probably going to end up in a secret relationship before the year was done if American rom coms are anything to go by.
It was a loud and fun time where kids and teenagers enjoyed being kids and teenagers, just like they should be doing if it hadn't been for centuries of conditioning and inter house competition being taken many steps too far. But that was enough heavy thinking for Christmas.
Now it was time to build snowmen and engage in snowball fights till the chill finally got to their bones and ushered them back inside for hot chocolate by the fire.
The three boys spent the time between breakfast and lunch building all sorts of snowmen in the courtyard of the castle. Harry focused on building the traditional snowman while teaching Ron how to build his own as well. Seth had a laugh building a snowmen army with each snow soldier decorated with hilarious expressions and accessories courtesy of some older muggle born students wanting in on the fun as well. They actually managed to freak out a few of the pure blood students by charming the snowmen to jump scare anyone who happened to pass by.
After a hearty lunch, the trio worked off the excess by engaging in a free-for-all, no-holds-barred snowball tournament that the Weasley Twins began when they ambushed a passing group of Hufflepuffs who somehow dragged in a nearby gaggle of Slytherins and Ravenclaws until it was just a mess of students throwing snowballs and snow charms at each other with howling laughter filling the air.
The chill of the snow eventually got to everyone and they all rushed inside for some hot chocolate by a grand fireplace that Dumbledore conjured in the Great Hall. Dinner was a more subdued affair compared to breakfast due to everyone being tapped out of energy.
But it was still a friendly and jolly time with Harry, Seth, and Ron trading magical firecrackers with each other and marveling at the prizes they received. They even had a good laugh when a heavily tipsy McGonagall gave a rather flustered Flitwick a kiss on the cheek while a heavily drunk Sprout dragged a reluctant Snape in for a hug between her and Sinistra.
Sometime before they left the hall, Hagrid stopped by to give Harry a last minute Christmas gift - a photo album full of as many pictures as he could find of the boy's parents through the years. Harry looked close to tears as he flipped through the pages, taking in the sight of his parents as bickering young students to a happily married couple swaying together in front of a fountain as fall leaves danced around them.
He graciously thanked Hagrid for the gift and the two shared a hug before the boys were sent to their dorms for the night.
After another hour or so of wizarding chess and way too many rounds of exploding snap, Ron passed out on his bed from all the food and fun. The ginger-haired boy snored away while laying in a jumbled mess upon his bed. Seth smiled in amusement as he closed the curtains of Ron's bed.
"Ready to call it a night?" He called out while slowly meandering to his own bed.
"To be honest, not really," Harry responded with a sort of giddy excitement about him. "Now that I have this invisibility cloak, I kind of want to see what the castle's like after curfew."
"I can tell you right now that it's a lot more stressful and boring than you think," Seth wryly stated.
"Isn't that a bit contradictory? How can something be both stressful and boring?" Harry asked, tilting his head like a confused puppy.
Seth resisted the urge to pat Harry on the head and just shrugged. "Magic."
Harry still looked confused, not understanding at all what Seth meant but nodding along as if he got it anyways. He gathered the invisibility cloak in his arms. "Well stressfully boring or not, I want to see what Hogwarts is like after dark."
A dreamy look of wonder settled on his face as his imagination ran wild. "I wonder if the castle is completely different at night? Do the staircases still change? Do the portraits sleep? What do the ghosts get up to? I wonder if Filch will still be on patrol given that it's Christmas?"
Seth scowled at the mention of Filch, mind bringing up an instance just the day before when the cantankerous caretaker tried to get him and the twins tossed into detention just because they were exploring some abandoned halls. They weren't even going through the forbidden corridor nor was it past curfew as it was three in the afternoon when they got 'caught.' If Professor Flitwick hadn't shown up when he did, Seth didn't know what he would've done to the bitterly grumpy man. Even the twins were a step away from outright hexing the fuming half bald man that wouldn't stop spitting in their faces.
Then a devious idea formed and he visibly perked up, previous feelings of exhaustion clearing away at the chance for some much needed karma. "I don't know. Why don't we go find out?"
Harry's head whipped over to look at him in surprise. "Really? You'll come with me?"
Seth nodded, smiling serenely in a way that would usually raise alarm bells in a more experienced person's mind but to Harry it only looked like the smile of an older brother indulging the whims of the younger. "As much as I'd rather sleep, I can't let a trouble maker like you go out and break the rules alone."
"Hey!" Harry cried out indignantly at being called a troublemaker.
"Besides, if you get caught again, Hermione's going to find out and don't deny it cause she will. Girls are scarily intuitive like that," Seth wagged a finger to stop any further protests, "And when she finds out, she's going to scold you for putting yourself at risk of expulsion and then I'm going to be on the receiving end of a lecture for letting you do something so irresponsible in the first place!" He crossed his arms with a scowl. "Honestly, what does she think I am? Responsible? Give me a break."
Harry huffed out a laugh at Seth's petulant grumbling. "Well someone has to be the responsible one in our group and according to Hermione, it's never going to be me or Ron."
Seth groaned. "Let's just go before I change my mind and decide sleep is worth the three hour lecture I'll get when you inevitably end up in trouble."
Harry squawked in protest as the two boys head out of their dorm, only quieting down when they stepped outside the common room and into the darkness of the castle. The halls were dimly lit by the moonlight wherever there were windows or the ever burning torches placed strategically on the walls.
Seth gestured for Harry to throw the invisibility cloak over them and the two huddled underneath until they were completely undetectable to the naked eye. Then they were off, walking down the halls and stairways at a steady pace but making sure to stay quiet as the cloak only messed with the sense of sight and not the senses of hearing or smell.
None of the professors were patrolling tonight, most likely because they assumed every remaining student would be tired from all the Christmas festivities. Though there was the other plausible explanation that they most likely had too much fun themselves and would rather sleep off the hangover than suffer through their duties with a potion induced headache.
They somehow managed to meander their way from the east towers to the west towers where partway through, Seth guided Harry to where Filch's office was. They cautiously entered, wincing at the creak the door made but sighing in relief when they saw no sign of either the Scrooge rip-off or his demon cat.
Harry watched in question as Seth flitted about the room, unlocking various drawers and pulling them open to reveal the contraband goods hidden within. It was only when Seth held up a can of itching powder and a dung bomb with a devious smile that Harry clued into what the other was planning. He nodded eagerly along with the unsaid sentiment and the two got to work, rigging Filch's office with all manner of pranks and illicit goods that the man had confiscated off of unsuspecting students.
They had just finished rigging the ultimate pranked room when agitated voices could be heard from the outside hallway. The two boys froze when the voices got closer and they could make out the owners of said voices, Professor Snape and Filch. Harry and Seth exchanged glances, both looking like deers caught in the headlights, before scrambling for the invisibility cloak and quickly rushing out of the office.
Unfortunately for them, the door slammed open with an echoing thud, catching the attention of the two men. Fortunately, the door clocked Snape in the face and knocked him down onto his back. Filch immediately began screeching about students being out of bed as Mrs. Norris hissed with hackles raised beside him.
Seth grabbed Harry by the shoulder and whispered frantically, "Go! I'll distract them and buy you enough time to make it back to the common room."
Harry tried to protest. "But-"
"But nothing," Seth cut him off, shaking his head as he grinned reassuringly. "Don't worry about me. I've got plenty of experience with escaping trouble. Now go!"
Seth shoved Harry ahead as he slipped out from underneath the cloak. He quickly darted into the shadows, manipulating them so that Filch could see a figure running through the hall but not enough where he could tell who that figure was.
"Student out of bed! Stop right there you miserable miscreant!" Filch shouted as he rushed off after Seth with Mrs. Norris at his heels.
Seth chanced a glance back to see Snape still gathering himself on the floor and Harry nowhere in sight, hopefully already on the way to the common room and not following along in a misguided attempt to help. He strained his ears, stretching his senses through the shadows to hear if there were more than two sets of footsteps. When he heard only his light running and Filch's loud stomping, he sighed in relief and continued leading the fuming old man on a wild goose chase through the winding halls of the castle.
He finally managed to lose the caretaker and his cat after the third spiral around the area of the great hall. Seth slowed his pace to a calm walk as he made his way through the staircases of the east towers that quietly shifted around until he stood before the Fat Lady's portrait.
The Fat Lady jolted awake and gave him a look of disdain but still opened the door when he offered the password and a sheepish apology. His calm turned into panic when he stepped into the common room and up to the dorms without a single sign of Harry along the way.
He rushed back downstairs and was about to run out the door again when Harry came barreling through with an air of excitement and desperation that definitely wasn't there when they'd separated.
"Where the hell have you been? What the hell took you so long?" Seth asked, rapid fire with a mother hen concern he'll forever deny till the day he died.
But Harry just smiled at him, giddy with excitement that had him bouncing in place until Seth placed his hands on the boy's shoulders to get him to calm down.
"You are so lucky that we're on break right now or else you wouldn't like me after only four hours of sleep," Seth said in a joking yet serious manner. "Now please articulate your answers in words and not through emulating the energizer bunny."
Harry spent the next few moments trying to voice his thoughts and feelings, mouth opening and closing repeatedly like a fish gasping for air. "I saw my parents!" he finally blurt out.
Seth's mind short-circuited. Now he's the one gaping like a fish gasping for air as Harry spewed a torrent of word vomit that he struggled to comprehend.
"Okay, okay, let me get this straight," Seth cut the babbling boy off, "You got lost on your way back to the common room courtesy of a particular feisty staircase. Then you wandered around until you came to a room with only a large mirror inside where instead of showing your reflection it showed your parents. Does that sound about right?"
Harry nodded eagerly, head bobbing up and down in such a comical way that Seth would laugh if the whole situation wasn't so absurd. Gods, he loved magic but sometimes it actually sucked in how much it made his brain hurt.
He looked at Harry with a serious expression that had the boy stop his excitable bouncing.
"Show me."
XXXXXX
"Why didn't you two wake me last night?" Ron asked, looking a bit peeved as they made their way through the empty, dark, and freezing hallways.
Harry shrugged. "I wanted to but Seth wouldn't let me."
"It was three in the morning," Seth explained, completely unapologetic as he declared, "Sleep was more important."
Ron looked at him incredulously. "Sleep was more important than seeing Harry's parents?"
"Sleep is and will always be the highest priority on my list, only tied with chaos creation and annoying the hell out of my sister," Seth stated resolutely.
"Mate, what kind of friend are you?" Ron asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"The kind of friend who would rather be functioning to the best of his abilities so we don't get almost caught by Filch again and be on the receiving end of a nagging lecture," he remarked matter of fact. "Besides, Harry said he saw them in a magic mirror meaning that they aren't going to go anywhere any time soon so yes, sleep was more important than seeing Harry's parents."
Ron just threw his hands up in exasperated defeat. "I will never understand you. Hermione too but you especially..."
"Come on you two!" Harry quietly called out to them, "Hurry up!"
Now running off of five hours of sleep, some cat naps, and a shit ton of sugar and caffeine, Seth trudged after Harry who was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement with Ron still shaking his head as he followed after them.
After a few more twists and turns, the three boys entered a room in the farthest corridor of the southern wing. It was a large space, devoid of anything within save for a few supporting columns and a giant mirror that sat in the center.
Harry latched his arms around Seth and Ron, dragging them across the room to stand in front of the mirror. He unlatched his arms and held them out in presentation as if to say 'ta-da!'
Seth took a moment to examine it, cautiously taking in its features. The mirror was very tall with ornate features and an air of ancient magic about it. There were clawed gold feet at the bottom and the gold frame was inscribed with a phrase reading 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.'
He frowned. I show not your face but your heart's desire? That didn't sound like magic anyone should be messing with let alone an abused kid with a plethora of deep-seated issues waiting for puberty to unleash them.
"I don't see anyone Harry, just you," Ron said.
Harry's expression fell. "What do you mean? They're right here," he insisted, looking back at the mirror and gesturing at it.
"I don't know what to tell you mate, but I don't see anyone else," Ron said, shrugging helplessly.
Then Harry smacked his head in realization. "You're not standing in front of it so of course you won't see them. Come on then."
He grabbed onto the other two by their hands and tugged them over.
Seth tried to protest. "Wait I don't think-"
Then he was cut off by the image he saw as he stood directly before the mirror. His breath caught in his throat and his mouth closed with an audible click.
Harry looked at them eagerly. "Do you see them now?"
Ron shook his head in wonder. "No, I don't. But-" He grinned widely at the image he saw before him. "Look at me!"
"Can you see your family standing around you?" Harry asked, eyeing the mirror and Ron anxiously.
"No, I'm all alone but...I'm different. I look...older...and I'm head boy!"
"What?" Harry cried out incredulously.
"I'm head boy, I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to," Ron exclaimed in excitement, "And I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup and I'm also the Quidditch Captain!"
He tore his eyes away from the mirror and looked at Harry in excitement. "Do you think this mirror shows the future?"
Harry frowned. "How can it? My parents are dead. Let me have another look-"
"You had it all to yourself last night," Ron protested as the two boys engaged in a shoving match over their place in front of the mirror, "Let me have it for a little longer."
"Don't push me-"
"Ow! Your elbows-"
"Stop shoving-"
"Guys!"
Ron and Harry abruptly paused in their impromptu game of chicken to look at Seth who hadn't spoken during their entire exchange. His entire posture was tense, his fists were clenched tightly by his sides, and he was doing his best to look at anywhere but the mirror.
"Can we go back to the dorms now? Please?"
Ron blinked, as if snapping out of a trance. He quickly released his hold on Harry's shirt and stepped away from the mirror as if burned by its presence. He looked very confused and a bit disturbed by what just transpired.
Harry looked at Seth in shock and disappointment. A faint meow stopped any protests from tumbling out of the boy's mouth.
"It's Mrs. Norris!" Ron exclaimed in quiet agitation, "Come on, we've got to go!"
"But-" Harry tried to say but Ron was having none of it as he grabbed onto his hand and dragged the boy out of the room.
Seth swiftly followed without any urging needed, though he glanced at Harry in worry when he caught him looking back longingly as they got further and further away from the mirror.
XXXXXX
The next day it was gently snowing prompting the castle's small group of residents to rush out and enjoy the winter weather.
Harry stared out the window of their dormitory with a pensive expression.
Seth looked up from where Ron's rook just smashed his pawn to pieces and sighed when he saw Harry in the same position he'd been in since the early morning. Ron followed Seth's gaze and his brow furrowed from worry.
"Want to go a round of chess, Harry? Seth's defense strategy is complete pants."
"Hey!" Seth cried out, highly offended by Ron's statement even though he knew it was just an attempt to distract Harry. "Don't you know that the best defense is a good offense?"
"That would be true if your offense wasn't also complete pants as well," Ron retorted with a grin.
"Why I ought a-"
Harry shook his head and mumbled, "No thanks. I'm good."
"How about we go visit Hagrid then?" Ron suggested.
Harry sank further into his pensive mood. "No...you guys can go..."
"I know what you're thinking about Harry and I highly recommend that you don't go back to the mirror tonight," Seth firmly stated.
That seemed to get a reaction out of Harry as he lifted his head up to look at Seth with a deep frown. "Why not?"
"I'm getting a bad feeling about that mirror. It's a form of magic that no one should be messing with which is probably why it was hidden far away in that room," Seth explained.
Ron nodded along vigorously in agreement. "And let's not forget how many close shaves you've had. Snape, Filch, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around every night. So what if they can't see you? They can still hear you, smell you, and worse, what if they manage to walk into you or you knock something over?"
"You two sound like Hermione..."
"As much as I resent that statement, I'm serious, Harry. Don't go," Seth stated with a firm finality in his tone.
But Harry fell back into his pensive silence, ignoring them both with only a single thought on his mind. Ron and Seth exchanged worried glances with each other and could only watch him helplessly.
In the following week, Harry would go back to the mirror every night. He would sit there and stare longingly at the image of his parents smiling back at him.
Sometimes when the silence of the room became too much, he'd speak softly to them about all manner of topics. What he'd done that day, what his friends had been up to, what he'd learned so far in this magical world he had no idea existed until earlier that year...how he missed them so very, very much.
Every day, Seth and Ron would do their best to dissuade him from going but Harry would brush off their concerns like water rolling off a duck's back. Nothing else registered in his mind except for that enchanted mirror with the loving image of his parents etched on its reflective surface.
Eventually Ron gave up and focused on enjoying his break with his brothers and the rest of the remaining students. But Seth refused to do so as well. If he couldn't get Harry to stop then he would just have to keep an eye on the boy's well-being and make sure he didn't fall into the obsession and despair that came from messing with that kind of magic.
However, it couldn't hurt to enact a contingency plan or two.
XXXXXX
Seth peeked through the doors of the potions classrooms, doing a mental fist pump when he spotted Professor Snape writing at his desk. He walked into the room and down the rows of workbenches until he stood before Snape.
Snape looked up and glared at him. "Is there something you wanted, Mr. Sorenson?" he sarcastically drawled out.
"Yes, actually, I had a question regarding a potion I read about that I'm interested in brewing," Seth responded, expression carefully neutral.
Snape sighed. "What is it, then? I don't have all day to answer your inane questions, especially since it's supposed to be a holiday for both students and professors."
"Why the hell do you hate Harry so much?" Seth asked, jumping the shark and hoping he landed on the other side.
"I beg your pardon?" Snape sputtered out, looking completely flabbergasted.
"Okay let me rephrase that then, why the hell are you bullying a kid over misplaced rage and, I'm just assuming here, a one sided love," Seth pressed on because he opened the can of worms now so he might as well commit.
"Bullying...misplaced rage...one sided love?!" Snape repeated almost robotically, then he swiftly stood up from his chair, glaring down at Seth with the full force of his silent fury. "Don't presume to question me on something you know nothing about," he hissed, face turning red with fury.
"Oh, no, you're completely right. Far be it from me to lecture an adult about taking his issues out on a kid for something he doesn't even know about," Seth sarcastically retorted, "It's real mature for a grown ass man to insult and belittle an abused boy who has the worst self esteem I've ever seen just because his mom didn't date you."
Snape sputtered some more. "W-What do you-"
"Your first question to Harry was asking him what you'd get if you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood. Then your response was a powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death," Seth said, crossing his arms as he explained, "While I admit that it took some time and a lot of thinking around in circles but once I asked my sister about the language of flowers, it all made sense to me"
Snape slowly paled the more Seth spoke.
"According to my sister, in Victorian flower language, asphodel is a type of lily meaning 'my regrets follow you to the grave' and wormwood means 'absence' and typically symbolizes bitter sorrow, add to that the Draught of Living Death and the ability to read between the lines aka speak Slytherin cause holy shit, I actually need a dictionary just to have a straight conversation with you guys," Seth ranted before clearing his throat as he realized he was getting off topic.
"As I was saying, what you were basically telling Harry, besides bullying him for existing, is that you regret his mom's death and that regret has made your life seem like a living hell," he concluded, leaning forward as Snape dropped down heavily into his chair. "Does that sound about right? Tell me if I got anything wrong cause I just now decided to start writing a dictionary on Slytherin speak and need it to be as accurate as possible."
Snape gaped at him, his mouth opening and closing though no words came out of it. He looked a bit like a pale, greasy fish to be honest.
"Judging by your silence, I'm right aren't I?" Seth smugly asked, then he frowned. "But what I still don't understand is how your love for Harry's mom turned into such pettiness that you would bully her kid, unless Harry physically reminds you of someone you hate."
Seth's eyes widened in realization, mind flashing to the pictures Hagrid had given Harry. He scowled fiercely at Snape, pointing an accusatory finger at the trembling professor.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," he barked out at him in disappointment, "Taking a grudge towards a dead man out on a defenseless and clueless child. This is another reason why the other houses continue to hate Slytherins, cause they do petty bullshit like this instead of using their so-called prestige to prove they're worthy of it."
Seth whirled around, turning his back on Snape with a huff. "You're at the top of your game for potions, Professor Snape. I'd hate to see you stagnate just because you couldn't be the better man or even a mature adult. Because the only remnant of your past left is a boy who would trade all the magic in the world just to know about the parents who left him too soon."
Then he stormed out of the class leaving a still pale and gaping Snape behind. He slammed the potions classroom door for good measure which only serves to soothe a miniscule amount of his burning rage.
XXXXXX
When Seth woke up that night, it was to the sound of the common room's portrait door closing with an audible click.
He sighed, knowing exactly what he would find if he were to get up and walk over to Harry's bed. For a moment he wondered if it was worth the effort to try to drag Harry out of his obsession when he'd already made it quite clear what he thought of his friends' interference. Getting pudding thrown in their faces was most certainly not appreciated in any context outside of a food fight. Thankfully this was at the tail end of breakfast so no one besides the three of them were there to see what occurred.
Then he mentally slapped himself in the face for even considering that he abandon a friend in need. With that in mind, he quietly slipped out of bed and threw on a warm jacket before trekking out of the Gryffindor Tower.
Once the Fat Lady's portrait closed behind him with an annoyed huff, Seth bent the shadows around him and sunk into them. Then he swiftly traveled through the halls and into the mirror room. He carefully and quietly stepped out from the shadow of one of the columns in the room.
"What do you think the mirror shows us all?"
Seth froze where he was when he heard the wise and wizened voice of Professor Dumbledore echo through the mostly empty room. He pressed his back against the column and carefully peeked around it to see Harry sitting before the mirror as usual but with Professor Dumbledore standing beside him.
"I'm not sure what you mean, sir," Harry said in confusion.
"How should I put this? The happiest man in the world would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is," Dumbledore explained, "Does that help?"
Harry nodded. Then after some thinking, he carefully responded, "I think it shows us what we want...whatever makes us most happy."
Dumbledore hummed. "Yes and no. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your parents, see them standing beside you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of them all. And as for Seth Sorenson's deepest desire, I believe that is something you'll have to ask him yourself. This mirror, however, will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."
Harry frowned, nodding along in slow understanding at what Dumbledore just said.
"The mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry," Dumbledore said, "I ask that you not go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"
Harry slowly stood as the cloak unfurled in his hands.
"Sir, I...um...can I ask you something?"
Dumbledore smiled. "I believe you have just done so but you may ask me one more thing."
"What do you see in the mirror?"
Dumbledore hummed in thought. "I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."
Harry stared. Seth stared as well but unlike Harry, he could see the minor facial cues that told him that there was something impactful and highly personal about the old professor's desire.
"One can never have enough socks," Dumbledore said with lighthearted cheer, "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books. Now...off you trot and do be sure to apologize to your friends for that rather interesting use of pudding this morning."
Harry flushed at the reminder of his poor behavior. "Of course, Professor. Good night."
Then he hastily threw the cloak over himself and disappeared from sight. Footsteps echoed through the room, closely followed by the opening and closing of a door.
Seth decided to follow his example, shadows beginning to rise unnaturally as his feet slowly sank into the darkness.
"Are you planning to leave without saying hello, Mr. Sorenson?"
Seth bit back a curse as he lost his hold on the shadows. They fell like liquid wax back to the surfaces they were pulled from. He slowly stepped out from behind the pillar, schooling a sheepish expression as Professor Dumbledore looked upon him in amusement.
"Heeeey Professor Dumbledore. Fancy seeing you here," Seth said with the most innocent expression he could muster even though they both knew the headmaster could see right through it.
"While I'm not one to condone the breaking of school rules, I believe an exception can be made considering it's still the winter holidays and you were acting out of concern for your friend," Dumbledore said sincerely. "Thank you for that and I hope you will continue to support Mr. Potter as the years go by."
Seth looked at the headmaster in confusion but still nodded in agreement. "Of course. Harry's my friend and I always stand by my friends no matter what."
"Now it's best you head off to bed as well. I have it on good authority that sleep is one of your highest priorities," Dumbledore remarked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"You got that right," Seth said. Then he turned to walk out the door of the room but paused when he reached for the handle. "Hey Professor?"
"Yes, Mr. Sorenson?"
Seth turned away from the door to face Dumbledore with an inquisitive expression. "There's a question that's been bugging me since the moment I got my letter for Hogwarts."
Dumbledore nodded as if knowing what he meant but still asked, "And what may that question be?"
"How was I able to come here in the first place when there's already a magic school in America?" Seth asked, "Everyone I've talked to says it's because of politics and such but I feel like there's more to the story than they're letting on."
Dumbledore hummed thoughtfully. "You're very perceptive for your age, Mr. Sorenson, and it's quite clear that there is more to you than meets the eye. However..." He locked eyes with Seth and his gaze seemed to stare straight down into the Shadow Charmer's soul. "You need not trouble yourself with the ramblings of old men and women because sometimes, they're just ramblings."
Seth narrowed his eyes at the hand wavey answer but nodded in acceptance anyways. "Alright then. Good night, Professor."
"Good night, Mr. Sorenson."
Seth opened the door and stepped out. Then paused and poked his head back in before the door closed. "Oh yeah. I don't know the complete etiquette of the wizarding world yet but call me Seth. Mr. Sorenson's my dad or grandpa."
Dumbledore nodded in amusement. The old wizard seemed to be easily amused, Seth noted. "Very well then Seth. Good night and pleasant dreams."
"You too, Professor. Good night for real this time and see ya later!"
The door closed behind Seth leaving Dumbledore standing alone in the room with the mirror. The headmaster turned to face the mirror with a pensive expression that grew troubled and saddened when he glanced over to the door Harry and Seth left through.
"I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Hopefully a better today than what was yesterday and yet, I have the feeling that may not be the case for a very long time."
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! It was definitely longer than usual cause I had two months to work on it and it just kept building and building until I finally finished it just this week. I'm glad I was able to get this chapter out and now that my work life's starting to calm down a little, I'll definitely have enough energy and motivation to finish this soon since there's only three chapters left according to my plans. Thanks for sticking with me and see ya'll next time!
