Rose
The rest of December passes in a cold blur, and before I know it, Oliver and I are saying goodbye to our friends who are leaving for the winter holiday. Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and we are actually able to eat together in the Great Hall. It's the morning of Christmas Eve, and Oliver and I are eating together when he asks me.
"Rose, I want to be with you first thing on Christmas morning. Will you break curfew with me? I want to be with you when the clock strikes midnight."
I feel my face go hot, and immediately my thoughts drift into us sneaking off and making out, his hands holding me tight as his mouth devours mine and the clock chimes, reminding us that we should be in bed.
"Rose?" Oliver's voice interrupts my daydream. "Will you join me tonight? We can meet at 11:30. There's a little alcove behind the Grand Staircase that we can hide in in case anyone comes around, but the rules are much more lax during Christmas break. Except for Filch. He's always a stickler."
I smile, chuckling. "It's a deal. Let's do it," I say, deciding to throw caution to the wind. I know Oliver wouldn't ask if it wasn't something important.
That evening, I slip out of bed at quarter to 11:00 and throw on a pair of dark blue jeans and a fuzzy purple turtleneck. I pull on my slipper boots and walk out of the dormitory. I'm one of the only Slytherins that stay over Christmas break, so getting out of my common room is easy. As I walk towards the alcove to meet Oliver and check my watch, I hear footsteps approaching.
I curse under my breath, looking for a spot to hide, but there's nothing down here. The footsteps are coming from the direction of any classrooms and the Great Hall is locked up tight at night. I decide to run up the Grand Staircase, hoping that whoever it was won't hear me, but with how empty the castle is and the hard bottomed soles of my shoes, I'm not very quiet.
"There's a student out of bed, my sweet," I hear Filch's voice drawl behind me, and I curse, taking the first landing I can that has doors I know will be unlocked.
I slip into the nearest door, closing it quietly but leaving a slight crack in the door, trying to catch my breath. Filch and Mrs. Norris run past me and I sigh, turning my back to the door. I slide down the wall, and take in my surroundings.
I'm in an unused classroom. The desks are all pushed against the walls and there's a full length mirror in the middle of it. A beam of moonlight from an unseen window shines directly on the mirror, giving it a mystical glow. I frown, then walk towards the mirror. I'm sure that run escaping Filch left me a sweaty mess, so I plan to at least try to make myself not look so sweaty. Whatever Oliver wants to tell me, I want to look somewhat decent for it.
When I get to the mirror, I look up at the top and see the inscription that reads "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." Shaking my head, I sigh, then glance at my reflection and yelp.
Covering my mouth, listening for any sound of Filch coming back, I glance closer at the mirror. There's more than just me in there. There's a woman who looks exactly like me, down to the freckles across my nose… And a man who looks exactly like Harry. Except the eyes. The man in the mirror has brown, no, hazel eyes. They have a kind smile in them. And… a boy steps out from behind me. I gasp. It's Harry Potter.
"What… what is this?" I wonder aloud, then look more closely at the inscription on the mirror. I notice a pattern with the words. After a few minutes of puzzling I am able to recognize that it's an English sentence but the words are backwards and the spaces are a little mixed up. "I show not your face but your heart's desire."
Understanding dawns on me. I have wanted to know who my birth family is since I learned I was adopted ages ago. I'd definitely say that's my heart's desire. This is my birth family.
I'm a POTTER!