Author's notes: This will be a shorter chapter than normal due to it being on the one event of Harry's first year. To answer some of the reviews about Harry's unconventional spell and martial arts skills, remember that this is a very AU story. I understand that masters won't let young children near weapons at the age Harry would've been when he started, but for my story, they just did due to being an AU story. As for his spell work, he won't have actually practiced his 'school spells'. He will have done a bit of reading, but he will have mainly been getting in tune with his magic and learning ways to protect himself. He would've deliberately kept away from school stuff as he would want to get away from the Dursleys. If he knew everything, he wouldn't have gone as it wouldn't have been the perfect place to get away to. He would've just left to go train somewhere else. He wanted a fresh start, and if he learned everything early, there would be no fresh start. Sorry for not mentioning this in earlier chapters. Thanks for the reviews, and before I forget, yes, the Flying Lesson scene will have taken place, Harry is the Gryffindor seeker, but I didn't put it in as it wasn't necessary for the plot of my story. Now, with that out of the way, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters, J. does, and on with the story!

Chapter 8: The Mirror of Erised

After Halloween, many things had happened to Harry, and they weren't brilliant. They included getting routine mental attacks by Snape and Dumbledore; having his Nimbus 2000 broom jinxed in the first Quidditch match of the season, nearly killing him in the process had it not been for Hermione's quick thinking; and learning about what lay in the third floor corridor.

Harry and Hermione had accidently found themselves there one day after the staircase moved abruptly and they entered the first door they could find...the door to the third floor corridor. They found a three-headed dog, known as a Cerberus, in one of the rooms there, and after they escaped, they discussed what they had seen. Harry and Hermione both noticed that one of its paws was on a trapdoor, which meant that it was guarding something special in the school. But what was being guarded? They didn't have an answer for that. However, after talking to Hagrid about a professor possibly jinxing Harry's broom, they got onto the subject of the Cerberus. Harry wondered whether the person who let the troll in was trying to get past the Cerberus, which lead Hagrid to say that the beast was his, that it was named Fluffy, and that what it was guarding was between Dumbledore and a 'Nicholas Flamel'. Harry thought that the name sounded familiar, and after looking through his Chocolate Frog cards, he found a mention of Flamel on Dumbledore's card. Hermione then did some research and found a book that stated that Flamel was the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone. They both agreed that the Stone was what Fluffy was guarding, but from who, they didn't know.

After an exchange of letters with Ginny detailing Harry's and Hermione's findings, Ginny came up with the idea that maybe, Dumbledore believed that if Voldemort was still alive, he had found out about the Stone and was after it, so Dumbledore hid it away, hoping to keep it safe. Harry thought that this was a plausible idea, but one thing didn't sit right with him. Why would Dumbledore hide the Stone in a school full of students? It didn't seem logical. Add on the fact that Dumbledore warned the students of looking in the third floor corridor, and it seemed like the old man was trying to test the students...or maybe a specific student...Harry. Ginny also thought that his theory on Dumbledore testing him might be plausible as well, considering how he was trying to manipulate and control which path Harry took, so why not try to tempt him with going to find whatever was in the third floor corridor.

Soon, it was Christmas time, and while Hermione went back home to spend Christmas with her family and Ginny went to Romania with her parents to visit her brother Charlie, Harry was left alone. He found himself walking around the corridors and grounds thinking about certain aspects of his life, as well as doing his customary afternoon martial arts training. He still wondered how he had let Ginny and Hermione, albeit to a lesser extent, into his life so easily. He had never been one to be trusting before them, so why now? He even hated Hermione a few days before becoming her friend, so how did that work?! These thoughts kept running through his head nonstop until one day, they lead him to an unknown portion of Hogwarts that he had never seen before. He found himself facing an old door which was slightly rusty and chipped. For some reason, he had an urge to enter the room, and did so, opening the door cautiously, checking for any ambushers, before entering completely. As he looked around the room, he found what looked to be an old, full portrait-sized mirror. Above it was a Latin inscription that he unfortunately couldn't understand very well as it all looked to be backwards, and split in odd places to make incoherent words. As Harry continued to stare into the mirror, he was met with a shocking sight...

Right before Harry's eyes, his reflection grew older until he looked to be in his mid-thirties. Just then, a young girl appeared by his side...It was Ginny. Soon, the Mirror Ginny too grew older until she was almost the same age as the Mirror Harry. The Mirror versions of the two children entwined their hands and looked at each other lovingly. Just as sudden as Mirror Ginny's appearance, a little bundle appeared in her arms, resembling a little baby, and a girl by her clothes and face. She had Ginny's red hair, and Harry's emerald-green eyes. The real Harry merely stared at the reflection before him in shock. What did this all mean? Why was he seeing himself and Ginny older with a baby girl in her arms? While it was obvious that the older couple were obviously in love, due to living in the conditions he had, the real Harry had no idea what he was seeing as he had just never seen this before. No love. No compassion. No care. Not until he had met Ginny, yet he still was clueless to all of this. Hell, he was still an 11 year old boy who had no experience in this sort of thing. How else was he supposed to react to seeing an older version of himself with an older version of his friend? Not brilliantly, no. And just when things couldn't get anymore strange, a voice appeared behind him having seemed to have come from nowhere.

"Ah, Harry, my boy. It seems that you, like so many others, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised? I assume that you might know what it does. I'll give you a hint; the happiest man on Earth would look into the Mirror to see only himself, exactly as he is..." Dumbledore said in his fake grandfatherly tone of voice, making Harry feel uncomfortable around the Headmaster, but he would play the old fool's game...for now...

"It shows us what we want...Whatever we want?" Harry suggested, albeit not knowing what it showed at all. Why would he want himself to be older holding an older Ginny's hand anyway?

"Yes...and no...It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts. Now, you never knew your parents, yet you see them, standing beside you," Dumbledore explained, but his last sentence made Harry very suspicious. The Headmaster seemed convinced that Harry had seen his parents, so it seemed that his 'helpful' attitude might be another ploy at trying to gain control over him. Well, he'd leave the old man to keep thinking that he was right, even though he wasn't, but that still didn't take away the fact that apparently, Harry's deepest desire was to be older with Ginny...But why would he desire this? He guessed that he might never know if he continued like this.

"Now Harry, the Mirror gives us neither knowledge, nor truth. Men have wasted away in front of it, and have even gone mad with wanting their desires to come true, only to fail. That is why it will be moved to a new home soon, and I must ask you...not to go looking for it again. It doesn't do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live, Harry. Not at all. Well, I best leave you. Goodbye, Harry. If you need anything, do not hesitate to come and see me," Dumbledore said before exiting the room, leaving Harry alone once more with his thoughts.

What Dumbledore had said shocked Harry to his core. First, Dumbledore obviously had expected this, so how else was he spying on Harry as he must've done to know where he was going and when. Second, Harry seemed to desired to be older and be with Ginny, but in what way was totally beyond him at this point in time. And thirdly, it seemed as though Dumbledore was daring Harry to go looking for the Mirror again. Why else would he gaze at him, pause, then say in a daring tone 'not to go looking for it again'? It was obvious that Dumbledore was trying to manipulate Harry again and try to get him to go down through the trapdoor. This only served to prove his suspicions correct. This was all a test...for him, and Dumbledore was watching to see if Harry would pass or not. With those thoughts in his head, Harry left the room, looking back one last time at the Mirror of Erised and the blissfully happy older Harry and Ginny.