For whatever reason, I apparently 'had to' hide out in the Gryffindor commons room. They probably assumed, I would've hid out in my room. They were probably right, if that were the case. The difference between the Gryffindor commons and the Slytherin was noticeable. Instead of a cool, and polished look, the Gryffindor tower was warm with various shades or red, yellow and orange, it was rounded with three windows showing out into the world. The commons had no second level like the Slytherin one, however it did have a little nook, between two sets of staircases, one case went up while the other went down, the little nook had scarlet red drapes that were held against pillars on either side, and there was a single bookshelf, with three desks with a pair of chairs. This commons was also a bit cluttered, in a cramp way, not being as open as the Slytherin one, it almost seemed small.
There were two fireplaces, each had a red couch, and a pair of large chairs on either side of the couch, circling either fireplace. with large tables between them, and a large rug that sat in the middle of the room. There were only three more large desks pressed up together with six chairs around it.
"I saw the other night, a mirror" Harry explained, "It showed me my parents" He whispered, going on in his normal tone, "I also saw Snape and Quirrell. " This made the hairs on my back stand up, as he went on. "Snape had told Quirrell, that he didn't want Snape as an enemy, he had Quirrell pined against a wall" I smiled a bit, in slight shock, did Snape suspect Quirrell or did he know? "I think he knew they were being watched, he reached out and tried to grab me, but I backed up." He took a breath, "I think Quirrell knows what Snape's up too"
I rolled my eyes, with a huff, "doubtful, Snape probably-" I then let out a gasp, unable to finish my statement. I need to look up how to undo this spell. The boys were looking at me, I gave a fake smile then went on, "he probably wanted something from Quirrell, he -Snape- was going on about he was missing some Wolfsbane, earlier" Thankfully, they bought the lie.
Ron then spoke up, "I don't think so, why would Quirrell steal from Snape? He'd probably knock something over, jumping at the sound of people walking in the halls. " he then went on, "Anyways, I saw the mirror too. I didn't see his parents, I saw something different, I had won the quidditch cup." This sounded familiar to me, like I've read it somewhere. It was eating at me.
"Show me" I ordered, both wanting to see the mirror, in hopes I'll remember what it is, and to see what I would see. Harry got up walking up the stair case, I assume to get his invisibility robe.
Leaving Ron and I in an awkward silence. We weren't familiar with each other. I gave him a smile then looked down at my book. He seemed to feel the weirdness, looking away.
Thankfully, the awkwardness didn't last for long as Harry returned, with half of his body gone, he had his invisibility cloak on. He looked to ron, "If anyone asks I went to get food" Harry then walked to the entrance, I followed behind. Getting under the robe he then pushed the door.
Walking down the halls, thankfully not being caught. Which was odd. Making it into the library, though it and into the restricted section, I get a slight bubbly feeling in my stomach, recalling the last time I was back here, I had accidentally stolen the diary. Would I be able to tell Tom, about Quirrel and Him, or would I just end up freezing, mid write? Harry had lead me to a door, take dark grey wood with black bindings going across it. Once inside and the door shut, Harry dropped the cloak.
Seeing the mirror, it was tall and pretty, with some dust on it, the glass was lined with a silver border. Walking closer I saw some writing on it, up at the top, that read, 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt wohsi'. It didn't seem like it was another language, but it seemed like the words were backwards.
"desire, hearts, your, but, face, your, not, show, I" I whispered to myself, then I looked at the glass itself. I didn't know what I was seeing. I saw myself. I also saw people in front of my reflection bowing, no kneeling before my reflection. She also had around my neck, a recognizable bird like pendent, a long lost family heirloom, the lost diadem. Next to my reflection, there was a dark figure on one side, and a white on the other. Both had a hand on reflections shoulders.
"What do you see?" Harry questioned, reminding me that he existed.
Should I tell him the truth? No, not till i know what this image of me meant, "I see myself, surrounded by books, I had aced my OWLS and NEWTS." I lied. Looking up at the words written, realizing they were, mirrored, not just backwards, I then whispered, "I saw not my face, but I saw my hearts desire"
"So, back again Harry? This time with as company" I spun on my heel to see none-other than Dumbldore.
"We-we didn't see you sir" I retorted, bowing my head apologetically, hiding my annoyance, for missing him.
"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you" he replied smiling at Harry, whom seemed very relieved by this. I was also, this meant we were probably not in trouble.
He then looked in my direction, walking past me to the mirror, "So like you both, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised"
The name clicked in my mind, it with the backwards statement, and the reflection, "It shows our desires"
"Correct, my dear. Let me guess," He whispered looking back at us, "Ron saw himself as head boy, Harry you saw your parents, and Amber,-" Harry then interrupted him, did Dumbledore know what I saw? Would he tell me?
"How did you know that sir?" Harry questioned, curiosity and shocked that Dumbledore had guessed, correctly.
The man's eyes sparkled, as he spoke softly, "I don't need a cloak to become invisible. Amber has figured it out, that it shows you what we each desire, care to to explain what you know my dear?" I shook my head, then Dumledore went to explain to harry, about this mirror. While I was trying to figure out what I desired. I've never put much thought into what I wanted. Nothing past passing classes. Why would I want people kneeling? What were the white and black figures?
"However, this mirror 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 it what, the mirror should them was real, or even possible." I began paying attention to Headmaster as he went on, "The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow. Harry I ask you not to go looking for it again. Now, why don't you put on that cloak back on and get off to bed, while I walk to her house. " He instructed.
"But sir- Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?" Harry asked.
The old man smiled, "Obviously, you've just done so" Dumledore, a cheeky fellow, who knew? "You may ask me one more, however" The old man chuckled.
Harry seemed un-phased by the cheeky-ness of the head master as he proceeded to ask another question, "What do you see when you look in the mirror?" Should he have asked that? I've read that Dumledore had gone through rough times, the lost of his parents and sibling. I presume hes desire was to see them again.
Dumledore turned away looking at the mirror, then responded, "I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." I was caught off guard by the answer. But it must've been a lie, right? He turned around, explaining, must've seen a pair of confused faces, "One can never have enough socks" he then sighed going on, "Another Christmas has gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books." He then gave a wink in my direction, "Nothing wrong with that, but still"
He then walked towards us, ushering us out the door. Harry took off, under his cloak to bed. Leaving me walking with Dumbledore. This was the perfect time to see if he could read my mind, and find out the truth about Quirrell.
"Sir, have you mastered legitimacy?" I questioned as we walked.
He responded with slight surprise, "I presume you're learning to? I'd suggest to learning Occlumency first. The process of emptying your mind and making it blank, so your own mind isn't read." He explained. I made sure to take a mental note of his tip on Occlumency.
I shook my head, "I'll learn it soon enough, but I'd like you to look through my mind" explained myself. He then stopped walking, I looked back at him.
"Why?" he questioned, a brow raised.
Voldemort is back and he's on the other side of Quirrell's head and they practically cursed my ability to tell you. Unable to muster the words I came up with a decent excuse, "I'd like to experience it, to be aware of how it feels"
He seemed to study me, seeing if I were truthful. He had a gleam in his eyes, was he using it already? I felt a slight numb feeling in the back of my head, a few moments of his staring. It felt like his twinkling light blue gaze were x-raying me. I started thinking, remembering incident, remembering the moment, the entire scene. The curse, Quirrell, and Volcemort. Come on please, see it! Voldemort is on the back of Quirrell's head!
"I'm unsure why they are kneeling before you, I presume the two figures are your internal, good side and bad side at peace? Or they are your largest influences, wanting you to pick one of them. It'd seem you have the lost diadem. Interesting your reflection is. Do you desire to rule? Do you feel superior to your peers?"
What? My reflection? I wasn't even thinking about that. Did He put some wall over those thoughts? Over that night? I looked down, realizing When the red eye'd creep, had thought ahead, did he anticipate this happening? Did that spell have an affect over my mind? I then looked back up at Dumledore, finally processing he had said, "at peace? I do feel superior to them, but I don't want to rule or I've never thought about it." do I want to? What are my desires?
In my room, I laid on my bed hugging a pillow, trying to process my thoughts. What my reflection showed, Voldemort and the spell he had used on my ability to tell. What did he say? Fidelius? Why haven't I heard or read of it? Was it a curse? I then looked over to my bag, would the diary know? Crawling to my bag, I pulled out the diary, along with a quill.
recalling to leaving him hanging with an unanswered question, I felt guilty and embarrassed. Then wrote on a page.
"Sorry, I left you without answering you I had an impulse to return to Hogwarts, then I had ran into accident" I went on writing down my current teachers along with the classes they taught. " Severus Snape has taken over potions, Pomona Sprout for herbology, Minerva McGonagall for transfiguration, Rolanda Hooch for flying, Cuthbert Binns for history of magic, Adalbert Waffling for magical theory, Filius Flitwick for charms and Quirinus - " I paused gripping my quill harshly, glaring at the first name of the DADA professor, the host for the dark lord.
"what happened? I felt something familiar, the night you had stopped talking?" The diary responded.
Felt? A book feeling? Could he be talking about the magic being thrown around? I let out a sigh, figuring I wouldn't be able to tell, and replied.
"I really wish I could tell you, but I can't."
~Tom's Point of View~
I read her reply, glaring at it. Not liking the uninformative response. The night she had left, my diary must've fallen open. I felt a faint, a very faint, familiar sense of magic. Mine. What has happened to my other half? Why did he seem weak? I knew for sure he was battling, and there were two others there. Amber, was obviously one of the other two, who was the other wizard? Was the unknown person dueling alongside Amber? Or was he alongside my other half? I doubt the girl would fight along side my half. I doubt she would keep me around if she knew who I was. I needed to know. Why couldn't this damned girl just tell me, confirm that my other half was alive. Barely, it'd seem.
"Why not? I'm aware there was a duel. You were battling two others"
Figuring if she knew I knew, she'd tell me, what happened. What shocked me is I felt saw something wet, fall on to the pages of the diary, was the girl crying? Had she been badly injured, or had something worse happened.
"You have no idea how much I want to tell, but I can't."
She had made sure 'can't' was emphasized. That's when I realized, she was under the Fidelius Charm. She literally couldn't tell me anything that happened, she couldn't confirm nor deny anything. I could only imagine how frustrating it was, knowing something critical but being unable to share the information, until, someone else says so. This had to have been my other halves doing. Why didn't he just kill her? I mean I was glad he hadn't otherwise I'd be stuck alone within these pages. I then wrote her back.
"The Fidelius charm, an old charm. That conceals information inside of a living person's soul, however you you'll be able to share this information, once the caster is willing divulge the information themselves."
She responded a few minutes later, she must've thought about what I had shared. I wanted so much to tell her she could tell me, but I knew if I were to she'd likely hand me over to Dumbledore, then he would find out I was still around. For whatever reason my half was weak, not wanting to be known about.
"I wish he had just killed me. At least that way I'd be dead, and not burdened with this." Was her simple reply. I wrote back, ,upon an impulse.
"I'm glad you're alive. Otherwise who knows where I'll end up, and who would write within my diary. Perhaps you should keep a low profile. Whomever, has put the spell on you, they seem to really not want you to talk. So, perhaps, avoid people that would make you want to divulge the secrets you hold."
Her next reply was almost sad to read, her just accepting my idea, as if she was debating on doing as well.
"I guess, that'd work. I could focus on my studies and actually focus on learning Legilimency and dueling spells. I think I'm going to go to bed now, I'll talk to you tomorrow"
"Good night, Amber sleep well"
It was good, she'd cut off her friends, focus on her work, and hopefully write more within this diary. Allowing me to absorb her energy, so I maybe able to make a move, of my own.
A Note from the Author; seeing the lack of popularity for this story, on this site, I will not be updating it daily on here. It will likely be once every two weeks.