"I see that you have discovered the Mirror of Erised," Dumbledore said. His expression gave no clue as to his reaction to the three of them being in the room after hours.
Harry glanced back at the mirror for a moment, longingly, then sighed. "It's a lie, isn't it?"
Dumbledore looked surprised. "Older men have not come to that conclusion nearly as quickly. How did you come to realize this?"
"Hermione deciphered the inscription...something about the heart's desire," Harry said.
"It shows the heart's deepest desire," Dumbledore said. "Unique to each person who views it. That is what makes it so addicting."
He frowned. "Hundreds of men have been obsessed with the mirror...to their detriment."
Hermione spoke, "It's not good to look at it for too long, is it, Headmaster?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"Steven has been coming here for a month," Hermione said. "And his grades have been dropping. He's changed, and not for the better."
"Perhaps I had better speak with Mr. Universe," Dumbledore said. "And I will have the mirror moved."
Hermione nodded gratefully. "He's been a really good friend to all of us. I'd hate for him to be hurt."
Harry and Ron nodded their agreement.
Dumbledore sent them on to their rooms without assigning a penalty for breaking curfew. The thoughtful look on his face as they left made Harry wonder if he'd simply forgotten.
Steven was quiet and withdrawn for the next week, but apparently Dumbledore didn't tell him of their role in keeping him from the mirror. Soon he was talking to them again, and things returned to normal. The only difference was that Hermione continued to spend more time with them; her place in their group finally cemented in place.
Impressing Dumbledore for something other than schoolwork had finally impressed Ron, if only slightly. Privately he was willing to admit that she was somewhat bright, although he'd never tell her to her face.
They told Steven about the Cerberus on the third floor, and about learning that it could be soothed by music. He seemed intrigued.
Hermione seemed to think that giving him something to think about other than how much he missed his family could only be a good thing.
The winter break came faster than Harry could have believed. While most of the other students returned home for the Holidays, Harry was more than happy to remain. Life at the Durselys' wasn't anything he would voluntarily go back to.
Steven had to remain as well, but he seemed increasingly glum. Without the distraction of schoolwork and friends, he seemed to fade into a ghost of himself.
Ron had stayed as well, and they did everything they could to keep Steven engaged. Ron taught them both to play wizard chess.
Steven tried to teach them to play the Ukulele, teaching them to strum through a few notes of the Hogwarts school song. He tried to teach them songs he knew, but they were unfamiliar to both boys. The Dursleys hadn't approved of American music, and Ron didn't know muggle music.
They got permission to have him in the Gryffindor common room, and Steven found a couple of the older muggleborns who'd remained behind. They appreciated his music.
On Christmas day, Harry was given an invisibility cloak.
It was the perfect gift.
"I really liked the Beedle Bard book," Steven said quietly as they made their way under the cloak toward the third floor.
Ron shrugged. "I figured you wouldn't have heard about it, being from another world and all. Worse than a Muggle, that is."
Harry didn't comment. If it hadn't been for Hermione's help, Ron would have just gotten Steven candy.
Of course, everyone liked candy.
"And you and Hermione..." Steven said. "I...can't thank you enough."
Getting the photographs off Steven's cell phone had required a massive undertaking, considering that the technology to create a cell phone like Steven had didn't even exist in the world yet. Apparently Steven's world was more than twenty years in the future.
Steven had brought his phone charger, but apparently his world and this one used different electricity, or maybe it was a difference between the United States and Great Britain. Harry wasn't clear about it, but the Grangers had found a converter that allowed the telephone to recharge.
Getting the photographs off the phone without damaging it had required help from certain muggleborn specialists in Diagon Alley.
The pictures were only as good as what was on the phone; none of them moved around or talked or anything, but the expression on Steven's face when he'd gotten them had been worth every galleon it had cost.
At least he would have something to remember his family by.
"It wasn't that much trouble," he lied.
"Still..."
"We're here," Harry said. Glancing up and down the hall, he pulled the invisibility cloak off of them. The last thing they needed was for the Cerberus to smell them and then rip the cloak.
"You ready?"
Harry pulled the door open, and the growling started inside as the giant three headed dog leapt to his feet.
Steven didn't seem worried at all. Instead he simply began to play, singing in a low voice.
It was some sort of lullaby, about dogs and loyalty and laying down to rest. It had the sound of one of Steven's songs, the ones he seemed to compose effortlessly.
Yet it seemed to do the job. The Cerberus lay down and all three heads fell into a deep sleep.
Harry was a little hesitant. It was possible that the dog was just pretending, whatever Hagrid had said, and it would leap up the moment they entered the room.
"It fell asleep on the trap door," Ron hissed, with a fearful look at the hound.
Before Harry could respond, Steven was already in the room. The dog didn't jump up and it didn't attack him. Of course, that might just be because it was Steven; he had a way with creatures. It hadn't helped with the troll, but from what he'd heard from Hagrid, Steven had the touch.
The only way to know whether it worked for all of them was to show courage. Cautiously, Harry stepped foot in the door.
"It worked," he said. "We can come back later."
Steven acted as though he hadn't even heard him. Instead he simply walked over to the Cerberus, turned around and pushed with his back to the dog's side.
"Move over," he murmured, even as he continued playing.
For once, Harry found himself as slack jawed as Ron as Steven simply pushed the huge dog to the side. It stirred despite his playing, but settled down almost immediately.
Opening the trap door without Steven was harder, but he and Ron eventually managed it.
The door dropped down into a dark pit, with strange smells coming up from below.
In the distance they heard a sound; it took Harry a moment to realize that it was coming from outside the room and not from the mysterious place under the trap door.
He and Ron carefully set the door down, and they backed out of the room, Steven's playing getting softer and softer as they backed away.
They barely had time to get the door closed and the cloak around the three of them before Professor Snape came around the corner. He was obviously looking for something; he stopped at the door and seemed to think about steeping inside.
He winced after a moment and subconsciously rubbed his leg before moving on.
They made their way down to their common room. Steven hadn't let them in the Hufflepuff common room as he hadn't thought to get permission.
"It's Snape," Ron said. "He's the one after the Stone."
"I saw him threatened Quirrell," Harry admitted, "In the forbidden forest."
"It's not Professor Snape." Steven was adamant. His Hufflepuff qualities were obvious, although why he would be loyal to someone like Snape escaped Harry.
"Hermione saw him trying to hex Harry at the Quidditch match."
Steven frowned. "Professor Snape is the head of Slytherin, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Aren't Slytherins supposed to be sneaky? You'd think he'd be a little less obvious if he was really going after the stone."
Harry frowned. Snape certainly wasn't stupid.
He felt a tug at his shirt and he looked down. He suppressed a shudder.
Steven's gift still sort of freaked him out. A watermelon shaped like Steven stood beside him, with dark seeds for eyes. It had bumps on its rind where Steven had hair.
It waved at him and he sighed. "Yeah. It's time for bed."
According to Steven, and army of these things had even given his mothers...or whatever they were, trouble. Even more disturbing, Steven said that if it was killed it made for a great snack.
Even Ron had shuddered at that.
This one was supposed to watch over him when he slept. It was freaky and unnerving, and Harry was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink with it watching.
He was wrong.