A/N: Nicolas Flamel was an actual historical figure from 14th century France. Although he didn't live 6-plus centuries, he was exceptionally long-lived for his era (he lived well into his eighties) and he indeed had a wife named Perenelle.

I threw in another figure from Middle Ages Europe into this one - Roger Bacon, one that I'm surprised isn't more prominent in canon as he came a century before Flamel, and he too is associated with the so-called 'Philosopher's Stone'. For purposes of this story, Kellen has a certain degree of familiarity with Bacon, but not enough to realize that the Philosopher's Stone is the object that is being guarded. He'll have an 'oh duh' moment in a future chapter, and I think I'll let another character put two and two together because he can't have all the glory, but I'm also trying to make it obvious that he has an encyclopedic knowledge that even Hermione doesn't come close to having.

Hermione and Kellen spent the next couple of days visiting her grandparents, and they spent a fairly quiet New Year's together. A couple of days after the new year, it was time to return to the castle, and Hermione's parents saw the children off at King's Cross Station.

Although it was a bittersweet departure, the children were ready to re-join their friends back at Hogwarts as they would have at least one full day together before classes resumed. When Hermione and Kellen reached Hogwarts, Harry greeted them in the Gryffindor common room with the promise of showing them something very, very special.

"I've been trying to find more information on this Flamel character while you were gone… unfortunately, we haven't had a whole lot of luck finding out what's so special about him," Harry said somewhat dejectedly.

"On the train ride back to King's Cross Station, I found Professor Dumbledore's card after unwrapping a chocolate frog," Kellen added. "It gave a short, but rather interesting biography. It said that he and Flamel teamed up in the field of alchemy, but it didn't say specifically what they did…"

His eyebrows furrowed, as if he was deep in thought. "Now, if memory serves, alchemy was the precursor to modern chemistry. The most famous application of alchemy was to supposedly turn ordinary metals, such as lead, into gold. I know that sounds completely preposterous, but often times, truth and fiction are intermingled so it's entirely possible that bits and pieces of alchemy were more than mere myth."

He grinned. "I'm not very familiar with Nicolas Flamel, I'm afraid, but I have heard of another gentleman named Roger Bacon. He's perhaps the foremost name in all of alchemy, and for his time, he was surprisingly learned – he predated the Renaissance era by a good two hundred years. He was also fascinated by another art called 'necromancy' – that is, bringing the deceased back to life."

"D'you think this Bacon fella might be worth researching further?" Harry asked Kellen.

"Absolutely," Kellen replied. "Just be sure you're looking for the right Bacon. There's an early seventeenth century English statesman named Francis Bacon, which I don't think would be particularly useful in this context. He has contributed to the scientific community in his own right, but if there's a Bacon that should be known to the magical world, it's definitely Roger."

And I thought I was a nerd, Hermione thought to herself. She looked at Kellen. "So, are you insinuating that Flamel and Dumbledore are hoarding a fortune somewhere?"

Kellen shrugged. "How should I know? Like I said, I don't know much about Flamel, but Professor Dumbledore doesn't seem to be the type to accumulate wealth for the sake of being wealthy. I mean I'm sure he's got plenty of galleons to spare, but if I had to guess, whatever projects he and Flamel worked on likely didn't have much – if anything – to do with creating a tidy nest egg for retirement. Probably something much more noble than that."

"I think you're right, Kellen," agreed Hermione. "So, in addition to Flamel, it may behoove us to look for any additional information on Roger Bacon, although it seems like Kellen already knows a fair bit about him already." She looked at Harry. "Harry, you mentioned something about wanting to show us something. You've got me curious."

Harry grinned. "It's something I can't really describe – it's something you just need to see for yourselves. Can you meet me here after lights-out tonight? It's sort of a secret, but I have means of getting us there undetected."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not particularly interested in breaking rules, Harry. I know you're not the maverick Kellen is, but I've never lost our house points before and I kind of want to keep that record intact."

Kellen chuckled. "You can count me in, Harry. You know I'm always up for a little adventure." The two friends high-fived each other.

Harry smiled at Hermione. "I respect your stance, Hermione. I won't bug you again."

Hermione returned Harry's smile. "Thank you, Harry." She then arched an eyebrow. "You said undetected. Did you learn an invisibility spell or something when we were gone?"

Harry grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Even better. I got an invisibility cloak for Christmas. I'm not sure who gifted it to me, but apparently it used to belong to my father, and it's utterly brilliant. It's large enough to fit two, likely even three students."

Hermione giggled. "Well… I may end up regretting this, but you've piqued my curiosity. I suppose, just this once, I can break curfew to see what this is all about."

Later that evening, after everyone else in Gryffindor had gone to bed, Harry and Kellen donned the Invisibility cloak and met Hermione in the common room.

"Hiya, Hermione," Harry whispered. He briefly opened his cloak to show Hermione that he was there. "You'd better huddle up."

Hermione rushed over to the boys and got inside the invisibility cloak. Harry was right, it was large enough to cover the three Gryffindors, even with a little room to spare.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked in a hushed tone.

"It's an unused classroom by the library," Harry answered back in a low whisper. "There's a special object I want to show you – I don't know what it's doing in that room, but I figured you both wanted to see it at least once before it gets moved elsewhere."

The three friends tiptoed their way up toward the library, but to Harry's disappointment, the door to the unoccupied classroom was locked.

Harry let out a slightly frustrated-sounding sigh. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in mild exasperation. "It wasn't locked the last time I was here, a few days ago. I'll bet Filch got reamed a good one for that."

"I left my wand in my room," Hermione replied. "You're the resident genius, Kellen. Any ideas?"

Kellen rolled his eyes. "Amateurs," he said under his breath. He closed his eyes, slowly waved his hand – no wand needed – and click! The door unlocked.

"Awesome!" Harry whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you!"

Harry opened the door, and to his relief, the object he desperately wanted to show Hermione and Kellen remained in there.

There stood a looking glass, perhaps seven feet high and three feet wide, and a strange inscription on the top of the object: "Erised stra ehru oy tube cafru oyt on wohsi".

Harry closed the door behind him and locked it to give them as much privacy as possible.

"How many times have you been in this room, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Twice," replied Harry. "First time by myself, and once again with Ron." He stepped in front of the mirror. "Let me show you how this works," Harry said. He stepped maybe two paces away from the mirror, and squared himself in the center of it.

"Hello Mum," Harry whispered. "Hello, Dad. I love you. I miss you so much." He started to sniffle some, knowing full well that his long-gone parents and other relatives were unable to communicate to Harry.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Kellen asked. "You kind of look like you've seen a ghost."

"You have no idea how right you are," Harry said. "I see my parents in this mirror. They've been gone ten years, but I see them smiling at me – like nothing ever happened. There's some other relatives in here that I've never met, but my parents are front and center. I really, really miss them." A couple of tears fell down Harry's cheeks.

"Your parents sound like they were great wizards, Harry," Kellen replied. "They may be gone, but I have no doubt they're proud of you. Proud of you for following in their footsteps and being a terrific friend."

Harry embraced Kellen and began to sob gently. "My parents would have loved you too, Kellen. You're far more talented that I could ever dream of being, but you still have always treated me with kindness… you truly look at me as an equal."

"There's more to being a wizard than crafting potions or waving a wand, Harry," Kellen whispered back. "You're honest, you're brave, and you have a truly good soul. You're a valuable asset to the wizarding world just by being you." He gestured with his head to move over a bit. "Let's let Hermione take a look," he suggested.

Hermione planted herself where Harry was just a couple of minutes before. She audibly gasped at what she saw – she saw a beautiful, slender girl of about sixteen in a crisp white dress shirt and a simple grey skirt, with long chestnut hair draped in loose ringlets instead of a frizzy jungle. Her amber eyes sparkled, and she had a bright smile to match. And on her left was a handsome teenage boy of about the same age, with neatly-combed dishwater blonde hair and sparkling bluish-green eyes, smiling brightly as well. He was in a black long-sleeve turtleneck shirt and dark trousers.

"Oh my goodness!" squeaked Hermione. "It's me and Kellen… we're dating!"

"Let me see," said Kellen, but as he stepped next to Hermione, he only saw their current reflections in the mirror. "Oh," he said with a note of disappointment in his voice. "I guess it only works on the beholder." He then turned and smiled at Hermione. "I'm sure you looked beautiful in that mirror," he said with a slight chuckle.

Hermione nodded. "And you looked devastatingly handsome," she giggled.

"Do you need another minute?" Kellen offered. "I can wait if you want to enjoy the moment."

"If you don't mind," Hermione replied gratefully. "I might not ever get to see this again." Kellen smiled at her and nodded.

A couple of minutes later, Hermione stepped away from the mirror. "Okay, Kellen, your turn." She smiled as she gestured for him to stand in front of the mirror.

Kellen stood where Harry and Hermione already stood, and then looked deeply in the mirror. His mouth started opening, and his eyes began to well with tears.

Kellen was not prepared for the visage he saw. He was back on the family farm in Minnesota, as he was dressed in a cowboy hat, a flannel shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots, but he looked older – even older than how Hermione envisioned Kellen. Perhaps in his late twenties, he guessed. And the woman next to him had to be Hermione, he thought, as the hair and eyes gave it away. She was dressed in a lab coat – perhaps she was a veterinarian, like his mother, or maybe a physician or a dentist, like her own parents. And there was a small child of maybe three years old in his arms. They all looked to be very, very happy – but this time, as Muggles.

"Hermione," Kellen whispered. "I saw something rather similar, but rather different. We're together, married even, but…" he started, but his voice cracked. He started to sniffle, and a tear fell down his cheek. "we're Muggles. We're back in Minnesota, on the farm."

Hermione cupped a hand to her mouth. "Oh Merlin!" she squeaked softly. "You'd throw away your magical gifts for a chance of happiness… with me?"

Kellen nodded. "Every last bit of it." He sniffled again and took another look into the mirror. "We look very, very happy, and we have at least one child…"

"What did I look like?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious.

"You're in a lab coat, so you're likely either a veterinarian or a physician or something. Maybe even a dentist," Kellen surmised. "Whatever it is, it's a nice comfortable job."

"And you're just a farmer then?" Hermione asked.

"Not just a farmer. There's more to farming besides riding a tractor and planting and harvesting crops," Kellen elaborated. "There's seed hybridizations that produce better yields, there's the business administration side – farming is a lot more complicated than meets the eye." He cleared his throat. "My dad isn't quite as educated as my mum or your parents, but he still has a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering. I would wager I'd have at least a master's in mechanical engineering myself."

Hermione smiled. "I didn't mean any disrespect, Kellen. Forgive me."

"None taken," replied Kellen as he returned the smile. "I know you meant well."

Hermione came back to Kellen and the two friends embraced. "If I had to live a Muggle life again, I'd be delighted to live it with you," she whispered. "Even in Minnesota."

Suddenly, the three children heard some soft chuckling from somewhere in the classroom, but none of them had any idea where it came from.

There was a crate in the far back corner of the classroom, and Professor Dumbledore had apparently been sitting on it the whole time.

"Professor Dumbledore? You were here… the whole time?" Harry asked, completely awestruck.

"I was, Harry, I was," confirmed the wizened Headmaster. Dumbledore smiled. "So, I must ask you three – do you know the purpose of this mirror?"

Kellen grinned. "I think I know, sir."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well, what do you think then, Kellen?"

Kellen's smile broadened. "This looking glass is enchanted to show us what we want more than anything in the world, our deepest desires, if you will. It couldn't tell us the future because Harry saw his parents, who have been gone a decade. And both Hermione and I saw the two of us in the mirror when we looked at it, but they were also very different depictions when we each stepped in front of it. She saw us dating as Hogwarts upperclassmen, but I saw us as a married couple back in Minnesota – no magic, except for perhaps love."

"Very good, Kellen," chuckled Dumbledore. "It didn't take you long to figure that one out, did it?"

"He's very astute, sir," Hermione said. "I've never met anyone quite like Kellen. He has a knack for figuring things like this out.'

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Hermione, you and Harry have a very, very special friend in Kellen. He's blessed with a superb intellect, but he's also incredibly brave and protective, and loyal and industrious. He even has a dash of cunning and ambition in him."

"So what you're saying, Professor, is that Kellen could do well in any of the four Houses," Hermione surmised.

"Exactly, Hermione," the Professor replied with a grin. "He reminds me a lot of someone I know… myself. When I was sorted many, many years ago, I had to help that poor hat decide because it was almost equally torn among all four houses."

"I can see that," said Harry. "But I'm just glad he's a Gryffindor, having him in our house just feels, well, right."

"I get where you're coming from, Harry," replied Professor Dumbledore. "But you also need to look at the bigger picture. Relations between Gryffindor and Slytherin are slowly beginning to thaw. I haven't seen this many friendships between the two houses in all my years as a Hogwarts faculty member. We've barely begun to scratch the surface, but it's progress just the same."

"Kellen selflessly saved the lives of two Slytherin witches," Hermione added. "He didn't do it to prove a point, he did it because it was the right thing to do."

"You're absolutely right, Hermione," Dumbledore agreed. "I admire Kellen's attitude. He chooses to judge a witch or a wizard by their actions rather than by their house. There are some terrific students in Slytherin, after all, and all it takes is just one person to reach out to them."

"Daphne and Pansy turned out to be really nice girls, Professor," Harry said. "I know there are those in Slytherin that embrace the Dark Arts, but I really think that Daphne and Pansy are better representatives of their house."

"I'm inclined to agree," replied Dumbledore. "However, as long as there are certain families in charge, there won't be full transparency between Slytherin and the other houses, but if we can continue to build off this, I see no reason why having Slytherins and Gryffindors sitting at each other's tables can't be a somewhat more common sight. I've always hoped for interhouse harmony, and I'm pleased to see the progress that I've seen."

The Professor's eyes twinkled. "Now, I know you're not supposed to be here, but this will be our little secret, so long as you promise me one thing."

The three children nodded.

"I beg you to not search for this blasted device again. It looks seemingly harmless, but it is also a dangerous tool as it can ruin even experienced wizards – searching for something that they may never find. It does not do any of us good to dwell on dreams and desires. I will have this mirror moved to a secure location tomorrow."

Dumbledore smiled. "Now, let's get that invisibility cloak back on, and the three of you can head back to bed? I'll be seeing you another time. Off you go then, and have a good night."

"Good night, Professor," the children said as they exited the room.