Disclaimer: Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. own all rights to Harry Potter
Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far by reading, reviewing, favouriting and following it and my apologies for the long wait in between chapters.
A special thanks to the following who are the most recent people to review, favourite, follow and read the story; SarahAnn27, starwarsninja12, Scrappy8, Elyon Cedar, supertolix, kb13000231, davidinman, RoonilWazlib1234 and soniaphotos114.
Harry Potter-Weasley Chapter Eleven:
The presents had all been opened and what a haul it was. Harry had got a new pair of warm gloves and a woolly hat from Ginny, the customary fudge and Weasley jumper from his Mum, his Dad had sent a pack of cards with Quidditch players and their stats upon them which could be used for games of Guess the Player. His brother Bill had sent a leather wand holster and Charlie had sent along a fascinating book on dragons.
From Fred and George collectively Harry had received prank supplies, Percy had given him a diary in which to record his thoughts and experiences, he wasn't sure he'd necessarily use it but appreciated the sentiment and had thanked Percy anyway with his brother actually smiling at him.
Ron had given him a selection of sweets he'd asked Percy to pick up for him at Honeydukes. The selection containing Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Fizzing Whizbee's, sugar quills and liquorice wands. He had shown the invisibility cloak to Fred and George who had "ooh'ed and ahh'ed" in amazement and exclaimed their envy at the amount of pranks and sneaking around Harry and Ron could get into now without being caught. He had most definitely not shown the cloak to Percy however, knowing as he did how his prefect brother would disapprove of it.
After a snowball fight between many of the remaining Hogwarts students and even Hagrid which lasted much of the morning it was time for Christmas lunch in the Great Hall.
As Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall alongside Fred, George and a rather aloof Percy they marvelled at the wonderous decorations that hung from the ceiling and walls. There were miniature Christmas trees hanging in the air with lights twinkling on them, garlands, ice sculptures at the four corners of the hall and suits of armour decked out in paper hats and tinsel that belted out Christmas carols regularly.
As Harry passed one suit of armour it belted out his favourite Christmas carol, The First Nowell. He grinned and complimented it "nice singing". The suit of armour bowed haltingly and replied "thank you young sir".
Harry took a seat and remarked to Fred and George "Bill and Charlie weren't kidding, this is amazing!".
"I've never seen anything like it", Ron agreed. "It's like some kind of Christmas grotto or something".
The five Weasley brothers took their seats, the Twins sitting near Lee Jordan and conversing with him in low voices while Percy moved off to sit next to Professor Flitwick and talk about a Charms assignment he had due. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes as they watched Percy walk away "even on Christmas Day he's obsessing about school work", Ron commented with a long suffering sigh.
Harry shrugged. "It's just the way he is, he's not likely to change anytime soon, not now they've made him a prefect", he laughed "Fred and George's prank on his badge was good wasn't it".
Ron snorted and nodded. "One of their best yet 'Prat the Prefect' don't know how they come up with it".
"Welcome everyone to our Christmas feast", Professor Dumbledore declared once everyone was seated. Harry noticed Professor Snape roll his eyes and give a sour look at the jolly demeanour of the Headmaster and he idly wondered just why Snape was always so miserable. If he didn't enjoy teaching as Snape clearly didn't then he'd have left Hogwarts.
The Christmas feast at Hogwarts turned out to be just as amazing as the welcome feast and Halloween feast had been, even more so in Harry's opinion, than the Halloween feast given that he'd missed part of the Halloween feast due to the need to save Hermione from Ron's thoughtless comments.
"Harry, pull this!", Ron exclaimed.
Harry, who wasn't facing Ron, muttered "not if it's your finger Ron".
"It's a Christmas cracker you prat", Ron retorted.
Harry looked at the cracker and his eyes widened. "It's huge!", he stated in surprise.
They pulled the cracker between them and Harry won, using his seeker reflexes. "Hey no fair!", Ron complained "it's my cracker!".
Harry rolled his eyes in amusement and replied placatingly "I'll let you have the contents of my cracker, how's that sound?". Ron considered this and declared it would suffice.
The crackers contained some of the best presents Harry had ever seen. The cracker he'd first pulled with Ron had a toy snitch with which he could practise his catching moves and a wizard chess set which he promptly handed over to Ron who grinned. There was also a several funny jokes which he told to Ron, Fred and George and, a harmonica which he found to be well in tune and had fun playing Christmas carols on. Lastly, there was an admirals hat made of actual fabric rather than paper. "This cracker is incredible".
"So was mine", Ron said as he showed Harry his cracker contents. Ron had gained a Quidditch quaffle which he declared "will be perfect to replace that football you found that we've had to improvise with at home" and also contained a funny moustache and bowler hat which Ron immediately put on to much amusement and further contained a recorder which Ron seemed delighted with and used to harmonise with Harry in several Christmas carols.
"Show-off's", Harry heard a voice distinctly like Professor Snape's mutter but he ignored it. He was having fun and wouldn't let the sour faced professor get to him.
For the rest of the afternoon Harry and Ron lazed around in the Common Room feeling too full of Christmas dinner and too sleepy to do much besides have a rather slow game of chess or a doze near the fire as they watched Percy chase Fred and George about due to the Twins having stolen his prefect badge. "It's not a bad life is it really", Harry commented. Ron nodded sleepily "I second that".
On Boxing Day, Harry decided to put his new invisibility cloak to good use and look for Nicholas Flamel in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library.
Harry waited until Fred, George, Percy and the few other Gryffindor's currently at school, had gone up to bed. Once the Common Room was clear of himself and Ron, Harry dashed up to the first year dorm room, grabbed his cloak from his trunk and ran back down.
"Good luck and watch out for Filch and Mrs Norris", Ron whispered as Harry took off out of the portrait hole. Harry nodded "I will, don't worry about me".
Ron had wanted to come with him but Harry explained that he'd like to use the cloak on his own for this first time since it was one of only a few things he had of his Birth Father James following that terrible Halloween night at the Godric's Hollow cottage.
Standing on the Seventh Floor landing near the top of the staircase Harry checked that no one was nearby, pulled out his wand and whispered "Lumos". A bright white light bloomed at the tip of his wand illuminating the area in front of him by about fifteen feet and some ten feet to either side and behind him. Grinning, Harry crept down the stairs keeping a sharp look out for any professors or prefects that might be patrolling the castle.
Harry met no one until he turned the corner and started down the corridor that led to the library. Ten feet away from the library doors he halted at the sight of Peeves. The meddlesome and irritating poltergeist was shoving over suits of armour and causing a general commotion by loudly belting out Christmas carols with rude lyrics.
"Peeves!", roared Filch as he ran in to sight, a look of fury on his wrinkled face. His bony and ragged looking cat Mrs Norris padded behind him yowling at Peeves. "Bugger", Harry muttered in a whisper 'this is going to be a problem', he thought in annoyance.
Harry made the decision to hang back and wait to see if Peeves would move off. "Peeves if you don't stop I'll speak to the Headmaster!", Filch declared in anger.
"Dumbley Dumb Doolaly Dumbledore!", Peeves cackled "not scared of him I'm not!".
Filch scowled and then roared angrily as he was showered in water. Peeves had just lobbed a water balloon at him. "You'll pay for that Peeves!".
"Filchy Pilchy Filchy is a stinky grumpy lump!", Peeves cackled and zoomed off. Filch bellowed in rage and tore off after him yelling "I'll tell the Bloody Baron about this Peeves, you see if I don't! I'll have you out of the castle this time!".
Once the cantankerous Caretaker, his foul tempered and meddlesome cat and the troublesome poltergeist had disappeared from view Harry continued his journey towards the library. "That was close...way too close", he muttered as he pushed open the library doors.
Harry walked through the library towards the restricted section. The atmosphere was eerie due to the silence. No one talking, no sound of Madam scolding students. Not even the sound of book pages turning, just the sound of his footsteps upon the cold stone floor.
As Harry reached the restricted section he ducked under the rope barrier that separated it from the rest of the library. Holding his wand aloft and using the light emanating from it he began to search the bookshelves slowly and carefully.
He sighed in frustration at just how many books were squashed together on the various shelves. "Where do I even begin?", he muttered to himself.
Seeing no other option, Harry began pulling books off of the shelves at random. Most had no reference to Alchemy or the Philsopher's Stone at all while a few referenced them but not Nicholas Flamel or what he was famous for. "This is hopeless" he muttered irritably, not noticing the face of a man on the book he had just pulled from the shelf. He opened the book which let out a blood chilling scream.
The scream from the book caused Harry to jump back in alarm. He felt pain in his back as he fell heavily against a bookshelf which topped over with a loud crash.
Harry froze in horror as he heard footsteps and then the familiar, unpleasant voice of Filch the Caretaker. "There's someone in here my pretty. Don't worry they won't get away!". He watched as Filch pushed open the doors of the library and stalked in holding up a lantern as he peered through the darkness.
Harry was glad he was wearing the cloak and that it was so dark. If he was lucky he would be able to slip past Filch.
After searching part of the library Filch veered off to the right and began searching groups of tables and underneath them, no doubt for hidden students. Harry was sneaking past him when Mrs Norris started to yowl and paw at the air. He stood in horror, realising that perhaps, just perhaps, animals could see through the cloak.
"What is it my pretty?", Filch asked as he turned around at the sounds Mrs Norris was making. He squinted suspiciously past her, scanning the darkness of the library for the source of her distress.
Knowing he had no choice as one solid grab would pull the cloak from him, Harry bolted past Mrs Norris, crashed through the library doors and kept running as fast as his legs would carry him while all the time he heard Filch yelling "trespasser! Student out of bed! Someone stop them! Come back here and take your punishment!".
Harry felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest as he pounded through the corridors of Hogwarts seeking somewhere to hide and rest. Just as he had given up hope of a place to hide he saw a dusty, cobweb covered door to his left. Taking a chance on what might be inside he paused and tried the handle hoping desperately that it would be open.
As the door opened with a creak of rusty hinges Harry grinned and stepped inside closing the door behind him. He whipped the cloak off and placed it in his pocket for safe keeping. For a long while he stood facing the door, hands pressed against it gasping for air.
At length, Harry's breathing slowed down and his heart rate returned to normal. He turned away from the door and examined the room. It appeared to be an empty classroom with a few dusty, woodworm ridden tables with equally dusty chairs stacked on top of them. Thick cobwebs were scattered about the ceiling and the whole room an air of a place long disused.
It was dark in the room without any torches lit in the braziers so Harry lifted up his wand and scanned the room frowning as his eyes caught sight of a tall well polished mirror which stood inside of an ornate oak frame. As he approached it Harry noted that there were ornately carved legs upon which the entire frame rested and the mirror which was almost as tall as the height of the room had words written at the top of it just below the top of the frame. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi", Harry said out loud and pondered what the words meant. They sounded like gibberish to him.
As Harry walked right up to the mirror wondering what sort of language the words were in he froze in place at the sight he found himself staring at. You see, it wasn't merely his reflecting staring back at him but a his adopted parents who stood just behind him waving with warm smiles on their faces along with two other people he had barely remembered and generally just knew from stories and pensieve memories, the other two people were Lily and James Potter and they were standing either side of him each with a hand on his shoulders and smiling happily.
The image of his adopted parents and birth parents standing with him was so vivid, so real, that Harry whipped around. He was certain that he would find them behind him waiting to hug him and talk with him.
Harry's disappointment and confusion was immeasurable as he realised that he was still alone in the room. He turned back to the mirror and found the image to be as clear as ever. "How are they in the mirror but not here?", his brow furrowed in confusion and he traced the mirror with his finger tips. He knew his birth parents being there was impossible, they had been dead for ten years after all. Even his adopted parents Arthur and Molly Weasley being there would be highly unlikely. If his parents were here then surely he have found out before now and besides which they were in Romania with Ginny visiting Charlie.
As he thought about it more Harry was certain the image had to be fake in some way. He had spoken with Ginny that morning in a mirror call and if their parents had left her in Romania to head to Hogwarts she surely would have said as much. He resolved to call his sister anyway when he got back to the dorms just to make sure.
As he exited the room covered once again in the cloak, Harry's mind turned over the information in his head. He'd found no trace of Nicholas Flamel or the Philosopher's Stone which was frustrating in itself but now a new mystery had presented itself in the room just behind him, a mirror which showed impossible things.
Harry was still thinking over the confusing new information and the mystery which now presented itself. 'I know what I'll do', he thought with a grin 'I'll bring Ron along tomorrow night and show him the mirror'. He had taken special care to memorise the route he had taken away from the room and back to Gryffindor Tower in order to be able to find the room with mirror again. The mystery may be confusing but he couldn't deny how fascinating the mirror was.
Even as Harry slipped into the First Year dorm and closed the door he wondered just what secrets the mirror could be hiding within it's depths.
The night after the incident with the mirror Harry had managed to persuade Ron to come with him to view the mysterious mirror as well and so here they were creeping through the corridors of Hogwarts to the room and the odd mirror that lay within.
"Here we are", Harry whispered as they halted outside the room with the dusty and cobweb strewn door.
Ron looked at the door and commented. "If they're storing things in here then why is the door so dirty?".
Harry shrugged. "Don't ask me, just follow me in". He turned the handle and opened the door, holding it open in order for Ron to enter.
"It's just an empty classroom", Harry heard Ron comment as his brother followed him in. Harry didn't bother answering instead rolling his eyes and shutting the door. "Why bring me here when...", his brother stopped talking and Harry turned to see Ron walking towards the mirror as if in a trance.
Harry grinned and followed Ron over to the mirror standing just behind him. "See what I mean? Can you see Mum and Dad? What about my birth parents?", he asked.
Ron shook his head from side to side. "I don't see anyone except...except me and Dumbledore. We're shaking hands. That's the Quidditch Cup! I'm Gryffindor team captain...and I'm Head Boy!".
Harry felt confused and knew it would be showing on his face. How could Ron be seeing Dumbledore and himself as Head Boy? Where was their Mum and Dad? Where was his birth parents? Why was he not showing in the mirror?. Harry had no answers to these questions and was thinking them over as Ron asked enthusiastically "do you think this mirror shows the future?".
Harry considered the question and then shook his head. "I don't see how it can Ron, my birth parents Lily and James Potter are dead so even if it did then their standing next to me would make no sense".
"Oh yeah, sorry Harry", Ron apologised in an embarrassed way and turned to pay him on the shoulder.
Harry sighed. "That's alright, you didn't mean to upset me I know". He shook his head and stated "I just don't see why you're seeing something different to me in the mirror".
"Why don't you try again?", Ron urged as he moved away from the mirror and pushed Harry towards it "maybe it shows a different vision each time".
Harry followed Ron's advice and gazed into the mirror again. "No it's exactly the same image as I saw last night. Mum and Dad are standing just behind me and my birth parents are either side of me with a hand on my shoulder. It doesn't make sense, mirror's are meant to show the person who looks into it, not other people".
"Maybe we should leave it Harry", Ron cautioned "the mirror might be dangerous. That's probably why it's in this out of the way abandoned classroom".
"But if that was the case then why is it so easy to get inside this room?", Harry asked. Ron shrugged, not having an answer. He seemed just as bewildered by the strange mirror as Harry was.
Harry returned to the room with the mirror for the next few nights until the night of the thirtieth of December. On that night Harry had just entered the room and knelt down in front of the mirror. As he gazed deep into it's depths his silent vigil was interrupted by a familiar voice. The voice of Professor Dumbledore. "I see Harry that like many before you, you have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised".
Harry whipped around so fast it was remarkable he didn't get whiplash. He gulped hard and tried to think of excuses as to why he was in this room and staring at the mirror. "I...well...Professor Dumbledore, it's not what you think...".
Professor Dumbledore held a hand up cutting off Harry's feeble protests. "Harry please do not insult my intelligence. I have been aware of your visits to the room for the past three nights. You were seen by Mr Filch entering the room and he informed me of it personally".
Harry groaned and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he found that Professor Dumbledore was standing beside him. Though the Headmaster's face remained passive there was a twinkle in his blue eyes that told Harry he wasn't angry. Indeed, Dumbledore appeared to be...understanding of the reason for Harry's visits.
"I trust by now you are aware of what the mirror itself is and does", Dumbledore prompted.
Harry thought for a moment wanting to give the right answer. "It shows us what we want", he replied and then shook his head "no, that's not right. It shows us our deepest desire. The thing we want the most".
Dumbledore nodded. He patted the frame of the mirror and said. "The mirror shows us nothing more and nothing less than the greatest desire of our hearts, the one thing we want above all others".
Harry nodded. This made a lot of sense to him given that he and Ron had each seen differing images within the mirror. "I saw my parents and I also saw my birth parents", Harry replied seriously "am I right in thinking Professor that the reason is because I miss my parents and I wish I could know my birth parents?".
Dumbledore smiled kindly. "That's exactly right Harry. It shows your desire to be with your family and to bask in the comfort that they offer. It demonstrates how much love and care you have for your parents and how much you wish your birth parents were still alive in order to know them and talk to them".
Harry smiled slightly. "And Ron saw himself as Quidditch captain for Gryffindor and Head Boy. He was shaking hands with you and holding up the House Cup and Quidditch Cups".
"Signifying that he deeply desires to stand out from his brothers and the rest of his family. Two of his brothers have been prefects, one of them has been Head Boy and a further one Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Ginevra stands out of course due to being the first Weasley girl in many decades and yourself, well...", Dumbledore left the part about Harry open ended merely stating "I need not say anymore about you Harry".
Harry sighed. "Ron is a great brother, most of the time and yet he always feels inadequate and like he's not as important or interesting as the rest of us". He gazed up at Dumbledore and declared fiercely "but he is, he always has been. He's the finest strategist and games player in our whole family and few people know more about Quidditch than him".
Dumbledore patted his shoulder as Harry stood up. "It's not me you need to convince Harry, it's young Ronald. You must show him how much you care and see him as his own person with distinct strengths".
"I will, I swear it Professor. Ron will know just how much he is valued and loved", Harry declared seriously.
Dumbledore nodded approvingly and then stated. "I am glad to hear so Harry but now I have to tell you seriously that this mirror is being moved tomorrow and I must ask you not to go searching for it again", he gazed at the mirror with an unreadable expression. "This mirror, though pleasant to look at, offers neither truth nor wisdom. Men and women have wasted away before it dwelling on the past, the present, the future and the possibilities the mirror presents. It offers few solutions". He looked back at Harry "you must promise me Harry to leave this mirror alone. Always remember that it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live".
Harry could tell how serious Dumbledore was. He nodded and replied without hesitation. "I promise on the lives of my family Professor, I will not go looking for this mirror".
Dumbledore smiled. "Good. Now I believe it is time for you to be getting back to Gryffindor Tower. It is, after all, well past curfew. Come with me and I shall walk you back, to ensure no detours".
Harry couldn't resist a grin as the Professor said the last few words.
Hermione arrived back at Hogwarts on Saturday the fourth of January and her first words upon meeting Harry and Ron in the Gryffindor Common Room were "have you found out about the Stone and Flamel yet?".
Harry and Ron both shook their heads despondently. The chess pieces they were using got annoyed and began to shout at them. A fed up Ron knocked them all over and told them to "shut up".
"No luck in the library then?", Hermione asked as she sat down.
Harry shook his head and sighed. "I even tried the restricted section", he informed her.
Hermione's mouth hung open in shock and her eyes were practically popping out of her head as she demanded "how on earth did you get in there?".
"Well...", Harry began.
"You did get permission didn't you?", she put her hands on her hips and glared at Harry.
He laughed and nervously and replied "well...not exactly. Come up to our dorm room and I'll show you what got me in there".
Despite her Hermione seemed curious and followed them both up to the First Year boys dorm. "Ron shut the door and don't let anyone come in. I don't want anyone know I have this thing yet". Ron nodded, closed the door and stood near it like a sentry on guard duty.
"Alright then Harry Potter", Hermione said. Harry winced at the tone of her voice "I'm waiting, what's this big secret?".
"Not so much a secret as a secret object", Harry told her. "Wait a second while I fetch it from the trunk". He threw open his trunk and rustled about for a few moments casting objects here and there. Socks, robes, bags of sweets, quills, everything went flying from his trunk or was swept to the side of it as he searched for the object.
After a time, Harry grinned widely as he pulled out the shimmering silvery cloak. Turning to face Hermione he held it aloft. "Is that a...an invisibility cloak?", she asked in a stunned tone.
Harry nodded. "Watch this", he said and wrapped the cloak around his body. His body and limbs disappeared leaving his head floating in mid-air. "But where? How? Who?", the questions came tumbling from Hermione's lips.
He shrugged. "No idea", he said. He took the cloak off and handed it to her along with the note. "All that came with it was this short note. Apparently it was my father's, my birth father. According to the note it was left in the persons possession by my Dad and it's time I had it back".
Hermione examined the note with a puzzled expression. After reading through several times she gazed at Harry and asked "who would your dad have leant this to and why did it take the person so long to return it?".
Harry shrugged again. "I'm as baffled as you are Hermione. The only thing I can think of is that he leant it to one of the Professors but then why would they need an invisibility cloak? I mean my parents were the ones in hiding", he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
Hermione sighed. "I suppose it's just one more mystery to add to all of the rest this year", she laughed "do you know I never thought my school year would be quite this exciting!".
If only Hermione Granger could have know just how exciting the rest of the school year would prove to be she may not have used these exact words.