Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Another Year Gone
It didn't matter where I looked or how I moved. Everything I did was reflected for my viewing pleasure. I hadn't stepped foot in a house of mirrors since my first childhood. But there was no misplacing the gallery of reflections. Some were normal. Others stretched me tall. And then there were the ones that made me look like a particularly fat hobbit. Why was I here? How did I get here; might be a more important question.
I wasn't alone either. Splattered throughout the Holly reflections was another. A woman, by the looks of it. Brown hair. Tall black boots, and… A different reflection in a different mirror caught my eye. Was that Cornelius Fudge? Why was he wearing a clown costume?
Confused by everything I saw and just this place in general, I started walking. Looking left, right, up, and down; I looked everywhere except for straight ahead. Naturally, that lead to me walking straight into a mirror. Instinctually, my eyes snapped shut upon impact. Why would anyone think this is fun?
When I was ready to open my eyes, I wasn't greeted with the image of the freckled red-haired girl I was expecting. Brown hair, eyeliner, and red painted lips. Our eye color was the same, but the similarities stopped there.
"Sorry", I started to say as I jumped back; thinking it hadn't been a mirror I'd walked into. But the woman jumped in the manner as I had. Her mouth formed the same word I had spoken. And at the same time too. She frowned when I frowned; wrinkling her nose just as I was. That can't be right.
Slowly I raised my hands; studying one side before turning them over. My skin wasn't tanned like the woman's skin. Something she must have noticed too as she studied her own hands. Next, I grabbed some of my hair; pulling a few strands apart from the others so I could see them. Still ginger. That's a relief.
Looking back at the mirror, the woman copied me and we made eye contact. Or maybe I was copying her. Slowly, tentatively, I stepped closer to the mirror. The woman did the same; her hand raised. With the glass between us, we pressed our right hands together. What magic was this?
In the mirror, a hand reached out from the shadows and clasped the woman on her shoulder. She gasped, and I spun around. But there was no one behind me. My heart hammering, I Turned back to the mirror in time to watch as the woman was shoved to the ground. Out of the shadows stepped a full person. But for whatever reason, their face was blurred with no distinguishable features. The woman, however; seemed to recognize who was looming over her. She started to shed tears as she said something to the person. But I couldn't hear her. I couldn't hear either of them.
The shadowed person said something back; talking with animated and rough gestures. I blinked and suddenly there was a knife in the person's hand; a long wide blade. He stepped over the woman's shaking form and- No! I remember this.
Hands balled, I started pounding on the mirror. "Stop it!" I yelled. But the people on the other side continued as if I wasn't there. But that didn't stop me from trying. "Leave her alone!" I punched the glasses as hard as I could. Multiple times. But it didn't make any difference. Neither of the two people looked my way. Nor did the mirror take any damage. The only thing I accomplished was giving myself sore knuckles.
Pinning the woman down, the man raised the knife in front of him; grasping the handles with both hands. "She's sorry! I'm sorry! You don't have to do this!" Came my desperate plea.
At the first sight of blood, my breath caught in my throat and I turned my back to the mirror. Having experienced this first hand, I didn't need to watch it play out. But nothing could spare me. On every mirror, including the tall stretchy ones and the short fat ones, the person straddled the woman as he plunged the knife into her abdomen and chest over and over again; staining the mirrors with specs of ruby red.
Doing the only thing I could, I slammed my eyes shut. Did I have my wand? Maybe I could break the mirrors that way. Oh, Merlin! Why was I here?
A strong hand with long fingers clapped down on my shoulder; yanking me from my thoughts. Gasping, my eyes flew open as I was twirled around to face the person who grabbed me. There; looming over me was Lockhart/Riddle. His hair was dyed brown and a malicious gleam danced in his blue eyes. "No", I muttered; refusing to believe what I was seeing.
"You made a fool of me, my dear", Lockhart/Riddle sneered as I quaked under his hand. It was unclear who was speaking. In the mirror behind him, the person had left the woman to bleed out on the floor. "It's all your fault", Lockhart/Riddle continued.
In place of a knife, Lockhart had a wand. "I will find you", he whispered as he dug the tip of the wand into a pulse point on my neck as he started to build up his magic. "I WILL FIND-"
Gasping for breath and shivering in a cold sweat, I shot up in my bed. Chest heaving, my hands rushed to my torso. Nothing hurt. There was no blood or gaping wounds. I was still whole. Thank Merlin.
With that small mercy, I was able to accept that it had been a nightmare. I did not have brown hair. Nor was I wearing too much makeup. Taking a scan of the room I was greeted with the familiar sight of four beds (not counting my own) with a person sleeping in each one; luckily, undisturbed. No Lockhart possessed or otherwise. And not a single mirror in sight.
Final exams for the sixth years and years one through four were over. So were the NEWTS. But the seventh years were still recovering from their ordeal. Both Flint and Percy had dark bags under their eyes and looked like they could hibernate for a month if allowed. But despite his exhaustion, Percy insisted on having one last YUP meeting.
Standing in front of Flitwick's podium, Percy addressed everyone. "Congratulations to Diggory and Zabini for being re-elected as YUP's treasurer and secretary for next school year". Percy paused for the appropriate amount of time as everyone clapped. Diggory waved his handed to acknowledge the praise, while Zabini refused to react. "And let's not forget our new vice president, Mr. Longbottom". Neville ducked his head as people whooped and hollered. Well, some people did. Others were a little more reserved. Bulstrode and Davis weren't included in that group; taking turns to hug Neville one after the other.
"Before I turn over the floor to YUP's new president, a few reminders. YUP will be holding elections for the house representative positions at the start of next year. That way, if we have any new members, they can participate. However; if you would like to be considered, or if you are a representative and want to be re-elected, please contact one of the officers". Percy continued, glancing around to gauge how many looked interested. Adrian and I sat together with the second-year girls to our left and Fred, George, and Lee sitting in front of us. None of us perked up at the announcement. But on the other side of the room, Hermione sat up straighter. Glad to see she wasn't completely disenchanted with YUP. Especially considering Buckbeak's death.
It had been touch and go with the golden trio for a while. The three came dangerously close to dividing themselves from YUP on principle. Well, except Ron. Instead, Ron was placed in an awkward position of being pulled between two loyalties. Remaining devoted to his family and maintaining his support for his friends. But, even though it was messed up, the Lockhart sighting had helped. It was hard for the three third-years to keep up their anger at YUP for not helping a condemned hippogriff when their vice president was constantly looking over her shoulder; fearing the worst. Or while their president was worried he'd one day wake up and find himself a sibling short. Still... Buckbeak had technically become the first casualty in this order of things. Hell, even Quirrell outlived the poor beast. It was something I wasn't ready to fully think about yet.
"I'd just like to say", Pery started again. This time, his eyes landed on Flint and stayed there. "Thank you. All of you. For coming together and working hard to make YUP's first term a success. It was an honor to be your president". People politely applauded; a round that was led by Flitwick. It was a reminder to Percy that Flint wasn't the only soul in the room. "Uh... But this isn't goodbye", Percy recovered; including everyone in his gaze once more. "Longbottom and his grandmother kindly offered to host a garden party for YUP over the summer". Or rather, Augusta Longbottom offered and Neville was just the messenger. "I hope to see you all there. Now, your new president would like to say a few words". Percy moved away from the podium, gesturing that it was open before he took a seat next to Flint, nodding pleasantly at Macmillan as he did so.
At first, I refused to move. And then I only did so after Adrian nudged me to get moving. Once I was on my feet; walking to the front of the classroom with dragging steps, my friends cheered and clapped. Their enthusiasm was a complete contrast to how I felt about the situation. The room stilled once I was standing in front of the podium; frowning at them all. "The first thing I want to say is that you all suck".
Unaffected by my hostility, the Slytherins and Ravenclaws in the room smirked in accomplishment while the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs applauded themselves. Fred, George, and Lee were the loudest of them all. The only ones that seemed disappointed by my expressed sentiment were Flitwick and Percy. Both of which, were shaking their heads at me.
"It shouldn't be possible to vote someone in who wasn't running", I said; pointing an accusing finger at anyone that looked even a little suspicious. "Everyone who voted for me, expect revenge". Everyone except Neville, who gulped nervously, rolled their eyes. "With that said, YUP's first meeting will happen on Wednesday, the first week back. We want to get as many first years as we can to join, so the club will be very busy in September.
"One last thing before we're done", I kept going; only pausing a little to eye Ron who looked like he was sleeping. I wish I could be sleeping. "Padma has brought it to our attention that some Ravenclaws have been hiding Lovegood's things around the castle".
"Oh, it's all in good fun", Luna blurted out; looking at nothing in particular. Just as dreamy as ever. She seemed completely unaware of the concerned look Flitwick was sending in her direction Or the murderous expressions Hestia and Flora adopted.
I decided to move on as if Luna hadn't said anything. Let her friends and Flitwick address the issue as a whole. Luna would probably respond better if it came from them. "If anyone would like to help track down all Lovegood's stolen things, please stay behind. And that's it. Have a nice summer".
Despite the dismissal, no one moved. Not a single one.
"I found a shoe!" Finch-Fletchley yelled from across the third-floor corridor as he held up a checkered trainer for everyone to see.
As Luna ran over to confirm it was hers, Percy checked it off the list we'd made before everyone started searching the castle for things ranging from radish charms to textbooks. "There are fifteen things still missing", Percy announced, before moving on to the next area with the others. Still fifteen missing? How had Luna survived the year without her stuff? Is this why we've seen her walk barefoot through the castle before?
Adrian hung back; falling in step with me. "Why hasn't it occurred to anyone that summoning charms would be more efficient?"
He sounded generally curious. I couldn't detect a smidge of criticism in his voice. "They're having fun", I said; bumping shoulders with him. It would've been nice to hold hands. But knowing how Adrian felt about public displays of affection, believing them to be damaging, I refrained. "Besides, this gives Percy and Flint time to give the castle a proper farewell".
And the two seventh years have been doing just that. Between Percy organizing the search, and Flint whispering to Montague about something Slytherin-related, they still found small moments in each room we searched; talking about memories they shared or events that stood out as they exchanged fond glances. I don't think anyone else noticed. But then again, I was the only one who knew to look.
"I'm going to miss him", I said; staring at my older brother's back.
Adrian glanced down at me; frowning in confusion. "You live with him". And he was correct, of course.
As far as I know, Percy had no plans of moving out. Missing someone whose bedroom was only two floors above mine, was foolish. It wasn't like we were graduating classmates who would never see each other again. I'd see Percy at the diner table. I'd see him as we stood outside the bathroom, waiting for Ron to hurry up.
However, this was still the end of an era. No more prefect Percy. No more head boy Percy. Or big head boy, as Fred and George liked to tease. "I like having him around", I explained as Adrian and I stopped in front of a window that overlooked the clock-tower courtyard. Outside, we could see students talking and laughing. Not a single textbook in sight. "Fred and George would never admit it, but Percy's our counter-force. He keeps us balanced. Besides, who will entertain Fred and George next year? Filch can't handle it on his own. It is a two-person job".
Leaning on the window sill, Adrian moved his head closer to mine. My hair brushed his cheek as we both stared out the window. "The tri-wizard tournament wouldn't be entertaining enough?" He asked in a soft murmur.
I frowned at the reminder. Right, that was fast approaching. Would the contestants stay the same? What about the three challenges? If McGonagall has any say in the proceedings, I couldn't see her being okay with allowing students to be sent to the bottom of the great lake. Even the dragons would test her tolerance. And then there was Barty Crouch Jr. to consider. Would he be able to put Harry's name in the goblet? Neither Lupin nor Sirius had lost their jobs. Meaning there was no new teacher for Crouch jr. to impersonate. Maybe Harry wouldn't be forced into the limelight, next year. Maybe You-Know-Who wouldn't be resurrected. And then Cedric wouldn't be killed.
Suddenly tired, I let Adrian take some of my weight. "We'll need to talk about next year". My voice was equally as soft as he had been.
By now, the others had fully moved on to the next area. Standing alone in the corridor as we were, Adrian had no hesitation as pressed his lips to my temple. "This summer", Adrian agreed; murmuring in my ear. "I have a plan in mind".
"Of course, you do", I said with an unattractive snort. Not that anyone could tell, going off the look on Adrian's face. "What happened to setting Regulus aside and just being Adrian?" I teased, fully turning from the window to face my boyfriend; throwing the words he'd spoken at the end of our third year back at him.
Without permission, knowing he didn't need it; Adrian swept a bit of hair behind my ear. "I found something more important. I remembered the family I already have. I thought about the future we're striving for that's bigger than you and me. Both Adrian and Regulus are needed to safeguard everything I value".
Raising to my tip-toes to give me a few extra inches, I wrapped my arms around Adrian's shoulders and took in his scent of mint and pine. A few seconds passed before Adrian returned the hug. Probably double-checking that we were still alone. Something about Adrian's words struck me in a way that evoked a type of contentment. This path we were on, it was getting narrower and narrower the further we traveled. It wouldn't be long before it'd be impossible to turn back. But I found myself to be okay with that. At this moment, it didn't matter if Lockhart hunted me down in the future. It didn't matter that You-Know-Who might be on the move. It didn't matter what would be thrown at us tomorrow or in the months to come. Because at that moment I had seven siblings all alive and well. Two parents who cared more than I could probably ever fathom. Friends who were willing to stand up for each other. And a person, a special person, who was willing to accept the good and the bad to forge something new.
"I love you", I blurted out; feeling completely moved.
But then Adrian tensed and my brain caught up with my mouth. Slowly, we moved apart until there was enough space for eye contact. Heat rushed to my face as we blinked into each other's equally shocked faces. Pink-tinged Adrian's cheeks as his mouth opened ever so slightly.
Shit. What have I done? That was the first time I'd told him that. That was the first time either of us had said those three words. And I had gone first! In Jessie's relationships, it was always the boyfriend who went first. Of course, it usually ended with Jessie dumping them soon after… Oh, Merlin. Please don't let karma rear its ugly head. What if this wasn't the right time? What if I'd just mistakenly broken another stupid pureblood etiquette rule? What if-
My panicked musings were cut short by Adrian crashing his lips onto mine as he gripped me tightly; initiating like he never has done before. Gone was the boy who was so adamant that we kept our affection behind closed doors to protect reputations.
My toes curled in my shoes and it wasn't long before I was participating. I'm not sure how we managed to keep going without coming up for air, but we did. Breathing each other in, instead. By Merlin! If saying three little was all it took to get Adrian to kiss me like this, I wish I had blurted them out a lot sooner.