Chris Carter and 1013 Productions own the X-Files. JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic own Harry Potter. All I own is this story line, every Harry Potter DVD and a complete collection of X-Files DVD's.
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A/N This story is set anytime during Sorcerers Stone through Prisoner of Azkaban of HP (although it contains information in all the books) and after X-Files episode "Emily", but before "Requiem".
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The conference was late in the afternoon, during the lull between the last class and dinner, and it was brief. The upshot was that Voldemort's followers were definitely mobilizing, but whether this was being done on his own orders was unclear.
"There is evidence their communications are haphazard," Dumbledore said as he stood and addressed the attendees. "Wizards on one side of the ocean don't seem to know what wizards on the other side of the ocean are doing. Therefore, I conclude that his followers are not all acting in concert. But I'm afraid I don't have any explanation for this."
Examining and diagnosis was second nature to Agent Scully. And as she sat in the chair she'd chosen, a little bit apart from the others, and watched him with her professional eye, she grew concerned. After the meeting she approached Dumbledore.
"Ah, Agent Scully," he said as he saw her approach. "I just spoke to my witch colleague who's guarding your mother, and she's fine. And, your brother, Bill, had no problems when he left her last night..."
Scully nodded. "Thank you. But I'm not here about that. Sir...are you feeling alright?"
He removed his spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily, then smiled gently at her. "You're a consummate professional. It's been truly a delight to have you here these past weeks. But you must surely know, for a man of my age, to teach those classes..."
"You shouldn't have pushed yourself."
"Nonsense," he said. "I loved teaching a class again, after all these years. Those students are such eager learners! I don't know why Severus complains about them so much."
"May I offer an opinion? You didn't sleep last night, did you?"
He took her arm and pulled her aside. "I don't mind admitting to you that I'm rather baffled. I don't know what these findings mean. And I don't like living with mysteries like this for too long. I have the safety of my school to consider. And so yes, I slept poorly."
Scully nodded. She was honored that he trusted her enough to admit his doubt to her. "You know what I'm going to prescribe. An early bedtime and a good night's sleep."
He chuckled. "They say new experiences are broadening. I've never been seen by a doctor before, only by healers. But I'll take your advice and see what it does for me. Who knows? I might become a proponent of muggle medicine."
But Dumbledore's good night sleep was not to be.
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Earlier that morning, after breakfast, Scully had gone back to her room and stayed there. She didn't want any company--not Snape, not Mulder, not anybody. She wanted to be alone to think her own thoughts. But at dinner Snape pressed her to see him that evening. She told him she needed to do some research. So he told her he would find her when the library closed. But she found it very hard to concentrate on her reading, and needed to burn off some nervous energy. Besides, she didn't like being confined to the area of the library. And so she was meandering the halls around the perimeter, knowing Snape could catch up with her if he really wanted her. She hadn't really spoken to him since he left her at her door and she had a very unprofessional bout of nervousness at the thought of seeing him again. She wasn't supposed to be wandering the halls unattended, but there hadn't been any attacks lately and she was a little careless.
Then she decided she needed to use the ladies' room. She didn't want to use the staff bathroom because it was so far away, and she thought she remembered that there was a student lavatory somewhere around here. But she turned one corner, and then another, and pretty soon she started to have the feeling she was lost. She turned around, looking for something that looked familiar, but didn't. With a sigh of annoyance at the labyrinth of corridors, she retraced her steps. And as she turned yet another corner, she saw Hermione, with Harry and Ron in the distance, walking. Hermione would be able to direct her. Scully hurried her steps to catch them up.
Hermione started to lead Scully towards the ladies', when they heard a strange noise, like moaning. When they turned in the direction of the noise, a bluish mist could be seen coming from a rarely used room at the end of the hall. Scully placed her books down on the floor and started approaching the room cautiously, with the students behind her. The door was ajar and Scully instinctively reached for her gun . She motioned for the children to back up away from the door and called into the room, "Who's there?" There was a brief silence, then the moaning resumed. Scully took a deep breath, pushed open the door with her foot, and what looked like the ghost of a teenage girl flew out. Scully ducked, even though she knew it was a ridiculous thing to do, and she called out again. This time there was silence, but the bluish mist intensified. She stepped cautiously into the room. It seemed to be an abandoned old classroom, but a glare of light out of the corner of her eye made her turn. There, in a mirror, was herself holding hands with a little girl wearing corduroy overalls and a ribbon in her hair and a little gold cross around her neck. The little girl was looking directly at Scully.
Scully let out a strangled gasp that made the students peer around the door. Looking down briefly at her side, she saw nothing--the little girl was only to be seen in the mirror. She walked towards the mirror with the image of the little girl at her side, and knelt down slowly, until they were at eye level. She put out her hands towards the little girl, who held up her hands towards Scully. But when their fingers met, all she could feel was glass.
Scully ran one hand along the glass to the edge, and tried to feel around it. She was afraid to look behind the glass, for fear the girl would disappear, but she was getting frustrated. "One of you," she called over her shoulder, "Help me get her out of the glass."
Harry became a little alarmed. He didn't know who she was talking about, but he had seen this mirror before, and knew it was a trick. "Agent Scully, I can't do that."
"Then go get Professor Dumbledore, or Professor Snape, or someone who knows how. She needs to come out of there!" Scully sounded urgent, and Harry was frightened. He sent Hermione to find someone. When he and Ron were alone with her, he walked over to the glass, hunkered down, and tried to explain.
"Hermione is going to get someone, but Agent Scully, listen to me. This is the mirror of Er--"
Scully's brow was puckered up in a frown of concentration as she continued to run her fingertips over the glass, up and down, side to side. She spoke politely but firmly. "Harry, please, I'm trying to think..." her voice trailed off as she continued to be mesmerized by the little girl in the glass. She was becoming increasingly upset, moving her hands around the mirror, but not daring to turn away from it. Harry watched helplessly. He understood why she couldn't tear herself away.
He was grateful to hear running footsteps and for the first time in his life was relieved to see Snape as he rounded the corner and knelt down by Scully. She grabbed his arm.
"Professor, get her out of there--do some magic or something, but get her out now!"
"Agent Scully, what do you mean, 'she'?" Snape asked her in a tone of voice none of the students had ever heard him use before.
"Please get her out!" she was pleading. Snape put his hand under her elbow and made as if to help her to her feet, but she cried "No!" and wrenched her arm away.
By this time Hermione arrived with Dumbledore and a few others. The Headmaster crouched down on the other side of Scully, and, without touching her or taking his eyes off the glass, spoke. "You've suffered a grievous loss." It wasn't a question. Scully bit down hard on her hand and nodded slowly.
Dumbledore resumed speaking, "Agent Scully, what you are looking at is the Mirror of Erised. It shows the viewer their heart's desire. But you must understand. This is only an illusion. The little girl isn't really in the mirror. She is inside of you."
"But you see her, Professor Dumbledore. You see her, so she must be there."
"I do see her. But it's still a magic mirror, Agent Scully. "
Scully closed her eyes, but she wouldn't let go of the mirror. Dumbledore waited patiently as she struggled to compose herself in the middle of a crowd of curious onlookers. Mulder was the last to arrive. The others cleared a path for him, and Mulder approached the mirror and Scully fighting for control over herself.
Dumbledore directed his question to Mulder. "Scully's been caught under the spell of the mirror of Erised. It shows one their fondest wish. Would you have any idea who the little girl is that Agent Scully can see? I'm afraid she is unable to help us right now."
Mulder slowly shook his head, and without taking his eyes off the glass said quietly, "Scully, are you seeing Emily?"
Scully nodded and opened her eyes, but didn't look at him. She was entranced by the image in the mirror.
McGonagall asked him, "Who is Emily and what is she to Agent Scully?"
Mulder straightened up and answered, "Her daughter."