I do not own Harry Potter, it would have been a Dark Fantasy if I did own the rights. I love a Dark Fantasy.

Hello guys, Badger here. I hope everyone is doing well. I'm sorry it's been a while since the previous chapter was published. To begin with I planned on making this chapter about the Dursleys and Sirius' trials, however I decided to save it for another chapter, so I had to spend some time to think about what this chapter to be about and now, after some time and consideration, I've been able to cook up a chapter, I think you will enjoy.

If you are sad that you won't see the Dursleys imprisoned today. Just wait. I promise, next chapter, we will see the trials take place where justice will be served. Until then, I hope you enjoy and I will see you at the end.

Chapter 5

The Strange Mirror

Amelia sat at her desk, reading through the reports from her Aurors. The Goblins over at Gringotts were still fuming over the break in and were demanding immediate action over the culprit who attempted to steal from them. However, if these reports were anything to go by, it was going to be harder then trying to find a needle in a haystack. In her Aurors reports, no one had been seen. Whoever it was that tried breaking into the vault clearly fed the moment the ward alarms went off and after investigations, so far, they have been unable to find a Magical Signature, to help them determine the assailants identity. Without a name, or a face to lead on, this case was going to go nowhere but dead end after dead end.

Putting the reports down, Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose, as she shut her eyes tightly. This case was giving her a splitting headache. Leaning back in her seat, she turned her attention to the owl that had flew into her office, a letter in its beak. An owl she knew well. As the owl landed on her desk, she gently took the letter from its beak, where it patiently waited just in case Amelia would give it a response letter. Amelia immediatley opened the envelope, where she was greeted with her nieces beautiful calligraphy.

Hello Auntie,

I received your letter. I did as you said and told Harry about his relatives, as well as Sirius. By the way, Harry didn't know about Sirius, so he was quite surprised. Anyway, Harry was quite overwhelmed by it all and I think he's nervous as to what might happen. Considering he tried telling people of their abuse before, but his uncle would always find a way out of it and take his anger out on him even more, I can't blame him. I do hope you're able to get his relatives locked up for a long time. Harry didn't tell us much, but Hannah said they deserve Azkaban and I can't help but agree with her.

Harry also gave us some interesting information, after we read the Daily Prophet. Harry went to Vault 713, with Hagrid, when he was collecting his school supplies. Hagrid wouldn't tell him what it was, only that it was important and that Dumbledore had asked Hagrid to collect it. If Dumbledore had wanted it, then it must be important, especially as someone tried breaking into the same vault later on.

That is all I wanted to say. I hope you're able to figure all this out. Love you.

Susan

Amelia put down the letter, leaning back in her seat once more, thinking about what Susan had told her. She was glad that her niece had done as she asked and told Harry everything about his relatives as well as Sirius. Though what was on her mind, was that Harry had been in Vault 713. Hagrid, under Dumbledore's orders, had collected something from the Vault, sometime before someone tried breaking in, most likely for the same thing. Yet again, she was in the middle of something that connected to Dumbledore in some shape or form. The Headmaster of Hogwarts was definitely going to have plenty of questions to answer. And Amelia was going to demand to see just what he had acquired from the Vault. And why it was so important in the first place.

…

Harry entered the Potions classroom, alongside Hannah and Susan, for their first Potions lesson. As soon as he stepped through the classroom door, Harry immediatley shivered, from how cold the classroom felt. The classroom had a foreboding feel to it. Whether it was how dark and dreary the room was, or all the jars containing all kinds of vile ingredients, but it made him feel very uncomfortable. He sat between Hannah and Susan on the front row of the classroom, where Professor Snape entered the classroom, slamming the door behind him.

"There will be no silly spell work, or foolish wand waving in this classroom" Snape said, his tone being one of warning, as he stopped in front of the blackboards "Some of you may look at Potion Making as one of the more…lesser aspects of magic…however, you may find that Potions can be more advanced, and more complex then any kind of spell that may or may not be taught to you within these castle walls…I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses, I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death"

Snape looked across the classroom, his piercing eyes glaring at each and every student, making sure every one of them was paying attention to what he was saying. Thankfully, unlike the dunderhead Gryffindors from his previous First Year class, everyone was giving him their full attention. It was that moment he locked eyes with Harry Potter. His eyes narrowed even more.

"Potter" He said "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"The…Draught of Living Death sir" Harry replied, remembering what he read in his potions book, though he was slightly taken aback by suddenly being called out

"Hmm, very good" Snape said, eyes narrowing even more as he stepped closer to Harry "Tell me Potter, where should you look, if I asked you to find me a Bezoar?"

"I would find it in…the stomach of a goat sir" Harry replied, again remembering his potions book

"Again, very good" Snape said, before placing his hands on the desk kneeling down so he was eye to eye with Harry "Tell me Potter, what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

"I…I don't know sir" Harry replied, now feeling slightly scared of the Potions professor "I…I didn't get that far into the book"

"Don't fret Potter, at least you came somewhat prepared" Snape said, moving away from the table "Still, 5 points for Hufflepuff"

Removing his wand, Snape turned on his heel. With a smooth wave of his wand, instructions formed on the board in white chalk, under the title: Cure For Boils. Snape turned back to the classroom, where he gave the students a piercing gaze.

"Today, you will attempt a Cure for Boils" He said "A simple concoction, yet it can have some severe side effects should you mess up…now, get to work"

As the students got out of their seats to grab the necessary ingredients, Snape kept a close eye on Harry. As soon as he locked eyes with the boy, Snape saw it. The eyes of a boy who had been abused by his relatives. Its only as he got closer, his suspicions were confirmed. He didn't need to enter the boys mind to know either. Snape had been neglected and abused himself, as a child. Even though Snape had never been physically struck by either his father or mother, the abuse he went through was purely emotional, he had suspicions that Harry had been abused physically.

Snape didn't dare look into the boys mind, mainly out of fear of what may be awaiting for him inside. He was going to have some words with Albus, as soon as he possibly could. The Headmaster had told him all those years ago that he had placed Harry with his relatives. Snape had bad feelings about it, as he knew the kind of person Petunia was and it seemed those bad feelings bore fruit. Considering Harry seemed to be friendly with Susan, who was the niece of the Head of the DMLE, it was possible she knew too. Amelia Bones was very observant. If she did know, heads were going to roll.

…

At the end of the lesson, Snape went around the classroom, examining each and every potion in the students cauldrons. It was clear which students were going to be a prodigy and who were going to be dunderheads. Ernie Macmillan being one of them. A Cure for Boils is supposed to be a clear blue colour, with a smooth thickness. The Hufflepuffs potion was a bright orange and was more like slime rather than a potion. Snape felt like banging his head against the desk, wondering how someone could mess up a simple potion so badly. But then he remembered Ron Weasley from his Gryffindor and Slytherin class and got even more of a headache. He then came up to Harry's cauldron.

"Hmm…" He said, placing some of the potion in a vial and examining the potion closer "The colouring is a little off and the potion is a little bit too runny but it should still work really well for boils…well done Potter, take another 5 points for Hufflepuff…now, I am happy to see that most of you have exceeded my expectations and brewed a decent potion…for Homework, I expect you all to write a two thousand word essay on the Cure for Boils, all about the brewing process, the benefits of the potion and any side effects if done wrong…class dismissed"

One by one the students began leaving the classroom. Harry walked with Susan and Hannah back towards the Hufflepuff Common Room, in hopes of getting a start on their potions essay, before their next lesson started.

"Did either of you feel very tense and nervous in that classroom?" Hannah asked, as they walked

"You felt that way too?" Susan let out a sigh of relief "I thought it was only me…the way Professor Snape stalked around the classroom, and the way he looked at everyone, I felt like he was some kind of wild beast waiting to pounce on its prey"

"I know he scared me a bit" Harry admitted "Especially when he started asking me those questions"

"Yeah, that was weird" Hannah said "Why would he…"

Hannah found herself being cut off, as the stairs they were on began moving. The sudden movement caused all three to stumble, where Harry had to grab Susan to stop her from possibly falling over the banister, where she would have dropped several dozen feet. She gave him an appreciative look, as they were able to steady themselves, just before the stairs stopped, leading up to the archway leading to another floor.

"What's going on?" Harry asked "I thought the stairs didn't move when students were on them"

"I don't know" Susan said "But let's get off before they move again"

Harry and Hannah nodded before they all rushed to get off, not wanting to be on them before they moved again. After checking to make sure the stairs were going to stay there, the three started making their way down the corridor, hoping to find another way to the Hufflepuff Common Room.

"I wonder why the stairs moved" Hannah commented "The stairs were specifically enchanted to make sure they don't move if students are on them…it helps prevent any injuries or students falling over the banister"

"I don't know, maybe it was just a…mistake" Harry reasoned

"Enchantments never make mistakes Harry" Susan replied "Something like that would only happen if…"

Susan stopped talking, as she took notice of where they were. The corridor torches weren't lit, making it darker then most of the castle and there were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and tucked away in the crevices of the stone. It took a moment, before she realised where they were.

"We need to go, we're on the Third Floor" Susan said "Remember, Dumbledore said this place was out of bounds"

"You're right" Hannah replied "And I don't wish 'to die a most painful death', let's get out of here"

The two froze when they heard a cat meowing behind them. They turned around, where they saw a black and brown Maine Coon cat, staring at them with large yellow eyes. Large yellow eyes that were watching them very intently.

"Isn't that…" Harry said

"Filches cat" Susan finished "Quick, we need to hide, before we are caught"

The trio turned and ran, not wanting to be found by the vile caretaker. They kept running until they found a door. They ran in shut the door behind them. Listening, they could hear Filch in the corridor, talking to his cat, clearly wondering what she was meowing for. The trio felt their hearts skipping a beat, holding their breaths, as they heard his footsteps getting closer. They let out a sigh of relief, as they heard the Caretaker pass by their door, his footsteps fading down the corridor. Susan leant her back against the door, taking a small breath.

"Thank Merlin" She said "That was a close one"

"More then close" Harry replied "We should wait here for a moment, until we are sure he's gone"

"You're right" Susan nodded

"Hey guys, look at this" Hannah said

Harry and Susan looked to see Hannah standing in front of a large golden mirror. It was the only thing in the dark room and it practically glowed in the darkness. As they approached, Harry got a good look at the engraving above the glass of the mirror 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'. Susan looked to see Hannah looking at her reflection with wide eyes.

"What's wrong Hannah?" She asked "It's just a mirror"

"It's not just a mirror" Hannah replied "I'm looking at my reflection and I see myself…but I'm a lot older…and I'm a healer for St Mungos and I seem to be head of my department"

Harry and Susan gave Hannah a confused look as they looked at the reflection where they could only see the three of them standing there.

"We don't see any of that Hannah" Susan said

"Try standing here" Hannah moved out the way, as she pulled Susan to the centre of mirror "Look into the mirror and tell us what you see"

Susan rolled her eyes and looked into the mirror, merely to humour her friend. However, to her surprise, she watched as her reflection began to change and morph into a new person. At first, she thought she was looking at her aunt, but then realised she was looking at herself. An older version of herself. And there was a man with her, though she couldn't tell who it was.

"I see me" She said "I'm…I'm Head of the DMLE, just like my Auntie…there is a man with me, I think he's my husband, but I don't know who it is"

"You mean Hannah wasn't joking around?" Harry asked "Can I try?"

Susan smiled and guided Harry to the centre of the mirror. Harry looked at his reflection and, at first, nothing happened. He was about to say nothing happened, when two people appeared behind him. One was an older woman with flaming red hair and eyes like his. The other was a male, who looked like an older version of himself with glasses, but he had brown eyes and no scar. It took a second, but he realised who he was looking at. His mum and dad.

"What do you see?" Hannah asked

"My parents" Harry replied, softly "They are smiling at me…they look…proud of me"

Harry watched as his mum in the reflection of the mirror placed a hand onto his shoulder. Harry, instinctively reached to place his hand on top of hers, where he actually felt his hand on top of someone else's. He looked, nearly expecting to see his mother standing behind him. Instead he saw that it was Susan's hand on his shoulder, who was giving him a sad smile. Harry gave her a small smile in return, before he looked back into the mirror, where he, once again, saw the smiling faces of his parents.

"What is this mirror for?" Harry asked

"I don't know" Hannah replied, before she got an idea "Do you think it tells the future?"

"How can it?" Harry asked, looking down at the ground pitifully "Both of my parents are dead"

…

And done, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Again, I apologise for the wait.

Before anyone says anything, I know that the room that leads to the Philosophers Stone is in the Third Floor corridor and in canon, they meet Fluffy. However, I'm doing something different. I'm going to try something new with this story. But we will have to wait until then. I know you don't like waiting but...tough luck.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter. If you have a story idea you would like to request, or you have a story you would like me to finish for you, then feel free to let me know. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time.

Badger Out