Chapter 12: The Mirror of Erised

"The Mirror of Erised" Sprout read.

"What's that?" Sirius asked.

"Let me read Mr. Black" Sprout said as Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"But before that," Sirius said turning to Harry. "How will this be on my nerves?"

"Are you going to ask that EVERY chapter?" Harry asked.

"I think I might" Sirius said.

"I'd like that answer too" Molly said giving Harry and Ron a look.

"I'm not in any PHYSICAL danger" Harry said.

"Then why are you shifting uncomfortably?" Remus asked.

"Because the Mirror shows my weak point!" Harry admitted as he leaned back and pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them.

"It's not a weak point Harry" Dumbledore assured Harry.

"Read" Sirius told the Herbology teacher wondering what Harry meant by that.

Hermione gasped horrified as she realized what that meant now as Harry and Ron laughed just as Molly was about to scold the twins but stopped at the weird behavior of the Golden Trio.

What?" the twins asked.

"You'll see in the last chapter." Harry promised wondering how they would react at the news that they had thrown snowballs at Voldemort.

"It's called a heating charm Severus" Flitwick told the Potions instructor.

"Who would?" everyone but Dumbledore chorused.

"I was going too!" Ginny exclaimed with a pout.

"All I knew about you was from those few minutes on the Platform. It's not like Ron talked about you."

Apparently that wasn't the right thing to say because all that got was Ginny whacking Ron with a pillow causing Ron to send him a death glare.

"Ginny. Sit back down" Molly instructed.

Ginny went back to her seat and pouted. Harry gulped as he wondered just how she was going to take the next book.

"Ron?" Fred asked.

"Asking to help?" George added.

They turned to each other.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed before diving out of the loveseat between the couch that Ginny was sitting on with their parents and the five-seat couch Hermione was sharing with Ron, Sirius, Harry, and Remus and dove under the table.

"What?" Ron asked indignantly.

"It's the end of the world!" they chorused.

"Guys. It was the end of the world when Sirius offered to read" Tonks said.

Sirius tossed a throw pillow at her and reached over Harry to whack the laughing Remus upside the head.

"Actually, it was the end of the world when Lily dated James" Sirius said remembering what Lily had said that day she and Snape fell out.

"Huh?" Harry asked confused.

"They used to detest each other until James deflated his ego a bit" Remus said. "When he was your age, he had a big head."

"I'll tell you what's the end of the world." Ron said. "It's the day when Tonks and Lupin marry, Harry crushes on Ginny, Hermione kisses me over my agreement with Spew, Dumbledore dies, and Snape earns Harry's respect…what are you writing Professor?"

Dumbledore had pulled out a quill and parchment from the nearby desk.

"Just a few notes" Dumbledore said having written down Ron's assessment so that they could remember this for future reference.

"If you had taken points from Malfoy for provoking the fight, I'd call it fair" Sprout told him.

"I have noticed that he provokes many of the fights" Flitwick added.

"He'll be punished for lying to me and any other instigations he pulls" Snape assured them.

"I'll believe it when I see it" Ron muttered.

"Ron?" Fred asked.

"In a library? George added.

"WILLINGLY!?" they chorused.

"Christmas IS a time for miracles" Ginny joined with the teasing.

"When is 'Pick-On-Ron' time over?" Ron sighed.

"Oh" the twins said "That's okay then."

"It DOES sound familiar" Remus mused.

"Wrong answer" Tonks said.

"Not possible" Sirius said with a sigh remembering that the main reason it took so long to perfect the transformation was searching for the right books. Somehow, James had found the right title and managed to get McGonagall to approve of the book to check it out by telling her he was looking to give it a shot when he got out of school. When Sirius had asked how he got the book title, James had merely smirked.

"At least," Remus added having caught James getting the book title due to his senses. "Not without a certain cloak."

"He used the cloak!? Why didn't I think of that!?"

Snape started to say something, but refrained as he had done the same thing about the Marauders.

"It is fun to talk about" Sirius confirmed with a look in Snape's direction proving to the Slytherin that he wasn't the only one plotting someone's expulsion.

"So you suck at chess?" Sirius asked.

"Big time" Harry said glaring at Ron.

"We should play" Sirius said causing Remus to laugh hard "It's not that funny Remus."

"We missed the joke" Tonks said.

"Sirius also sucks at chess" Remus explained. "And apparently Harry got James' talent for that game too. As for it being funny, Sirius, remind me to show you and Harry a memory of you and James playing."

"How bad was it?" Ron asked.

"One game ended with only one piece left each: both the king" Remus said.

It was Ron's turn to laugh hard.

"Maybe I stand a chance against you" Harry told his godfather. "when we're done with the books."

Those laughing at the state of Harry, James, and Sirius's chess skills sobered up quickly.

"Maybe if you had told me the whole truth about those relatives, I would have been more understanding" Ron said.

Sirius smiled at Hagrid's generosity as did Remus.

Molly slapped her forehead as Ron's brothers and sister, joined by Harry and Hermione laughed as Arthur turned red, but had a proud smile on his face.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Hearing this again," Harry explained. "You know who you JUST sounded like?"

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Your Dad" Hermione answered.

"Like father, like son" Arthur said proudly.

"What do you mean 'oh no'?" Molly demanded of her red-faced son unaware of the grateful smiles the two Marauders were sending her.

"I didn't think you'd go THAT far!" Ron explained. "the extra knitting that is."

"Okay Ronald. First, it was no trouble. I'm GLAD to do it. And second…"

"MUM!" Ginny interrupted frantically and gave her mother a look that read: remember your promise.

"And second I had plenty of material left" Molly continued giving her daughter a 'don't worry' look.

However, Hermione knew Ginny better than that and realized that it had been GINNY who made Harry's first Weasley sweater, but due to her crush on Harry, she didn't want him knowing it.

As did the Marauders.

"The Potter family's greatest treasure" Sirius said "it's been in your family for…how long did he say, Remus?"

"Twelve generations at LEAST" Remus answered.

"That can't be right" Moody said. "No invisibility cloak can last that long."

"There IS one out there" Dumbledore pointed out.

"That's just a children's story though Albus" Molly argued.

"I don't know Molly" Arthur said. "Remember the title of the seventh book?"

"Can we get there when we get there?" Sprout asked.

"Sorry" Sirius said.

"Remember the first time we saw James put it on?" Sirius laughed.

"He had that thing in school?!" Snape asked.

"Of course" Remus said "How do you think we pulled off so many of our pranks without being caught red-handed?"

"You pranked too!?" the twins chorused.

"Why do you think I never fell for any of your gags?" Remus asked.

"We thought it was your werewolf super-senses" Fred admitted as George nodded.

"They helped" Sirius admitted.

"About Dad's first time?" Harry asked.

"I was planning a prank and Remus here mentioned that Filch could catch us and your Dad said that he had a way around Filch. He then pulled out the cloak."

"I'll never forget what you said" Remus chuckled. "'How's the bloody hell is a silver cloak going to help us?'"

"Then he said 'Fine. Be that way. I'm going to the kitchens'" Sirius continued. "he then put on the cloak and vanished causing Peter to fall off his bed in shock and then the door opened and closed by itself."

"Then you said 'He has an invisibility cloak?'" Remus continued "and raced after him only to crash into him as he hadn't left the room because he wanted to see your reaction."

"Who besides you two would James Potter trust with that?" McGonagall asked the Marauders.

"I had asked to borrow it to examine why such an old cloak survived almost 13 generations" Dumbledore said.

"THAT WAS YOU!?" Snape, McGonagall, and Molly chorused.

Fred and George pouted.

"Out of curiosity," Harry asked. "Were you two even wearing the right sweaters?"

"He knows us so well" Fred said with a hand over his heart dramatically to his twins.

"That he does. We went right with him at least" George added with a proud look on his face.

Ginny went red with embarrassment. She had put so much effort in that sweater due to her crush she hadn't realized it was looking like her mother would favor Harry.

"No he doesn't" Harry, Hermione, and the other Weasley kids chorused.

"He doesn't like public affection" Ginny added to her mother "And the sweaters show it."

"It's a teenage boy thing" Arthur explained.

Molly slapped her forehead and muttered something along the lines of how she gave birth to her brothers.

The Weasleys frowned at the mention of Percy.

"One of the things I miss." Sirius sighed. "Christmas at Hogwarts."

"Don't worry Sirius" Harry assured his godfather. "This Christmas, we'll have a party here very similar."

"MINNIE!/PROFESSOR!" Sirius and Remus gasped in shock.

"During the holidays I can indulge myself if I want to" she stated before muttering again that Harry was too observant for his own good.

"I miss those days" the twins chorused.

"You just HAD to give him that chance, didn't you?" McGonagall sighed to Dumbledore.

"James had asked me to give it to Harry when he got to Hogwarts should something happen." Dumbledore explained "I had figured that Christmas was a good a time as any."

"So you respect James' wishes about the cloak but not his and Lily's wishes about where to leave Harry?" Remus asked.

"Professor Sprout. Please" Harry begged.

"That makes sense" Ron pouted still a bit upset he didn't get to go with Harry on the first run, but understood that it was a family thing.

"Your first run and you go to the LIBRARY?!" Sirius gasped. "I at least went to the kitchens."

"Defense mechanism" Flitwick explained.

"PLEASE tell me you don't run into Fluffy again" Sirius begged.

"Not quite" Harry said.

"Huh?" Everyone who didn't know what it was asked.

Remus got up and walked over to the sofa with the heads of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

"Can I see Professor?" he asked.

She held it out to him and he examined the writing. Dumbledore then handed Remus a piece of the parchment with Ron's earlier Apocalypse prediction and the quill. Remus wrote down the inscription and motioned for her to continue while he tried to use his Ancient Ruins background to figure out what it said.

"I thought you said you weren't in danger" Sirius demanded of Harry.

"I'm not" Harry said pulling his legs back up and hugged them as he closed his eyes and pictured the image he had seen.

"Huh?" Everyone but Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, and Ron asked.

"Lily" Everyone who knew Lily Evans Potter gasped.

"James" Sirius whispered as he turned to Harry.

Remus checked the copy of the inscription again and then realized something.

Erised was 'Desire' spelled backwards…or mirror imaged.

He then copied the longer inscription backwards.

Ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire.

I show not your face but your heart's desire.

Remus turned to Harry and realized just how alone the boy had been all these years if his heart's desire is to see his parents again.

"Mate?" Sirius asked.

"If it's not explained, I'll explain" Remus said before wrapping an arm around Harry.

Sirius scooted a bit closer to Harry and formed a bit of a group hug with the teen and the werewolf.

"I don't think that's a good idea" Moody said.

"Give us a break" Harry said. "We were 11 and had no idea what the dangers were."

"What dangers?" Molly asked.

"It's explained later" Dumbledore assured her.

"How was I to know that's not how the mirror works?!"

"Ron!" Molly scolded.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Molly scolded again joined this time by Hermione.

"You lot should know by now that I'm not known for my tact" Ron defended.

"So THAT'S the danger" Sirius realized. "It's a distraction."

Remus tilted the parchment a bit so that Sirius could read what the inscription truly said.

"I show not your face but your hearts desire" Sirius whispered before hugging Harry a bit closer.

"WHAT?!" the twins chorused mortified.

"Don't worry Ron!" Fred said.

"We'll cure you!" George said. "Fred. We need the extendable ears and those new canary creams STAT."

"Maybe some dungbombs too."

"There is nothing wrong with being Head Boy" McGonagall said

"I was one. Remember?" Bill said shooting his brothers a warning look.

"And so was James" Remus said.

"Stunned everyone" McGonagall added.

"It was a last attempt to teach James to show responsibility publicly. I figured he showed it privately but he still needed a few lessons that only being head boy can teach."

Molly and Arthur exchanged a look before turning smirks to the twins.

"NO! WE REFUSE!" Fred and George exclaimed horrified figuring that their parents could be thinking about recommending one of THEM for the position.

"This year's has already been chosen" Dumbledore said.

"Can I continue now?"

"Of course" Dumbledore told the Herbology teacher.

"I'm going to the loo" Ron said making a break for it.

"Sit down" Hermione said.

"If I have to endure this, so do you" Harry added.

"That's better" the twins said.

"Oh dear" Molly gasped as she too realized the danger of the mirror.

"Finally showing some sense" Hermione sighed.

"What's wrong with that!?" Hermione demanded.

"There's ALWAYS an 'except'" Sirius sighed.

"Whew" Everyone relaxed.

Said brothers turned to Ron who was red in the face and sinking lower into the couch wishing he had Harry's cloak. The older Weasley boys looked at each other and decided that when lunch time came around, they were going to have a brother-to-brother chat with the youngest.

"That's personal!" Hermione reprimanded.

As did everyone else in the room as Dumbledore chuckled.

"Well, we know better for this Christmas" Sirius said.

McGonagall rolled her eyes knowing the truth. She had helped Dumbledore move the mirror to the new location and had caught him fingering his reflection and whispering the name 'Ariana.' At the time, she had believed her to be an old lover until she had a chat with Aberforth a couple of years later and saw the picture of the girl in his office. Of course, all Aberforth would say on the subject that she had been their sister who died a few years before Albus defeated Grindelwald.

"Okay" Sprout asked. "Who's next?"

"Actually, I'm a bit hungry." Charlie said with a wink towards Bill "Can we break for lunch?"

"Of course" Molly said as she went to the kitchen to make lunch.