Nothing is mine.

In another version of this story, Dumbledore doesn't leave an extremely dangerous mirror lying around in a school for kids to find, and everyone is so much happier xD

I Show Not Your Face...

Snow swirled against the long tall window at the far end of the stark grey hall, huge sickle-sized flakes fluttering against the glass as they fell upon the vast mound of white covering Marzanna.

Red. Harry balanced the macaron on the palm of his hand. Cherry. Somewhere in the smooth colour hung both Gabby's bright smile and Fleur's tears; they twisted in his heart like a knife. It should hurt. Always.

He took a bite, forcing the sweet tang of cherry down through a dry mouth.

The macaron turned yellow.

Banana. Or lemon. Some of our baby bird's favourites. Harry pushed it into his mouth and chewed. Definitely banana.

Bella lined up all the chess pieces across the table, poking them forward one by one into a huge brawl with one finger and giggling to herself at the ensuing massacre. The sweet banana flavour curdled, hanging on his tongue like a lump of Petunia's tasteless boiled potatoes.

He swallowed, pulling the amber mask back down. 'Where are the rest of the Walküren, Bella?'

'Don't know,' she chirped. 'Chasca is probably sleeeeping.'

'And the Greengrasses are up to no good, no doubt,' Harry murmured. 'But it doesn't matter, no good or good, it's all done for the same purpose.'

I hope — I will make sure I see it. He closed his eyes, picturing the wash of golden light across a peaceful green world. The sun will rise on a world which gives everyone a chance to dream. Like I promised.

A loud crack rang through Nurmengard's hall and Charlie appeared between the tables.

'Mithras?'

Harry sighed and opened his eyes. 'What is it?'

'Two of Karsten's aurors wanted to know if they could follow you instead of joining Marie Renner.' He shuffled his feet. 'I said I'd ask for them.'

Bella perked up, leaping onto the bench. 'Pawns, Bell?'

'People, Bella,' Harry said. 'Just like all the rest, really.'

But I don't want just anyone following me around. If they understand, then they can come.

He frowned down at the empty box of macarons. 'I need a test.'

Charlie blinked. 'A test?'

'So I know the people following me are fighting for the right thing,' Harry said. 'I won't have anyone with me who's taking dreams away for nothing.'

But I have the perfect thing to see.

'Get your aurors, Charlie,' Harry said. 'Meet me on the beach where your brother died.'

'My—'

Harry spun the world back past him, hopping through the tower in the Black Forest and stepping out onto the cold white pebbles.

A single shimmering shadow swirled beneath a shining sun in smooth silver; it danced in the Mirror of Erised like a dying candle, no darker than a wisp of smoke, soft as summer skies. He trudged around the edge of the ruined pensieve and pressed his hand to the cold glass; the fierce sunlight poured through his fingers like molten gold.

'I don't need you anymore,' Harry whispered. 'There's nothing left to see, just the shadow of a dream.'

And the dreams of others.

He apparated across the bleak windswept dark towers of the British outposts onto the white sand of Santorini's shore. Somewhere beneath the sparkling blue waves, the despondent shrine of the ruined city hung, its weight a quiet shadow over the clear winter view. Bella drew spirals in the sand with her heel, twirling in circles across the beach before Charlie and two blonde-haired wizards in long brown leather overcoats bearing the double-headed black eagle.

Harry set the Mirror of Erised down in the sand facing away from them. 'Charlie—' he held out his hand '—your wand.'

'My wand…' Charlie stared at the white sands, his fingers balling into a fist. 'Alright.' He dipped his right hand into his dark robes and held out his wand.

Harry summoned it to his fingers and stepped behind the mirror, scrawling runes across the cold glass with the tip of his own wand. 'Your wand is in the mirror,' he said. 'But not really in the mirror. The mirror is the key, not the safe. If you can see it, you can take it back. If you can't see it, you won't ever get it back.'

'I just have to see it in the mirror?' Charlie's brow creased. 'But if it's a mirror, it's only going to show my reflection and my wand is gone. I need my wand.'

'What do you need it for?'

'To fight,' Charlie retorted. 'I can't do much without it, can I?'

If fighting for something is what your heart desires most, you'll see your wand.

'You'll understand in a moment.' Harry passed Charlie's wand into the Mirror of Erised. 'And if you don't, then you can go home.'

Charlie stared at him. 'You mean…'

'Back to the Burrow.' Harry waved him over. 'Come, it's ready.'

Charlie edged around the Mirror of Erised. 'Oh,' he whispered. 'This mirror. This is a dangerous thing.'

'All dreams are dangerous,' Harry murmured, touching his thoughts to Charlie's. 'Even when they're dust.'

Charlie stared into the shining silver surface. The Burrow's small homely kitchen mingled with its summer orchard and small patio, but beside Molly's bustling figure and Ginny's slim silhouette, only shadows hung, flitting back and forth before the still hands of the family clock.

Harry pulled their thoughts apart. Who wouldn't want to go home to their family? The faintest murmur of yearning stirred in his breast. Even if he passes, I think I'll try and make sure his dream doesn't die.

Charlie's wand appeared in his fist and he let out a huge sigh, clutching it tight in both hands. 'I passed?'

'You passed. If you had just seen the Burrow, just your own dream, you wouldn't have seen the need for your wand and it would have stayed in the mirror.'

'Who are you?' Charlie whispered. 'You must be British. But Daphne and Astoria killed all the others...'

'Does it matter?'

His gaze strayed back to the Mirror of Erised. 'No, I guess it doesn't.'

'That's why you passed.' Harry held out his hand toward the two German wizards. 'The same test. If you pass, you can fight with me. If you fail, you go home without your wand, there's no purpose in you fighting at all.'

'If you pass,' Charlie said, glancing at Harry, 'you can take Mithras's mark like I have.'

The two aurors shared a long look and shook their heads.

'Not willing to risk your wands?' Harry conjured himself a plain wooden chair and sat down in front of the Mirror of Erised. 'Take them back, Charlie.'

Charlie nodded and strode across the sands.

I don't want followers like Voldemort's. People chasing power for their own reasons who'll just betray you later. Harry stared down at the slim piece of ebony in his hand. We mustn't forget our mistakes, Tom, we learn from them.

'We want to try!' Bella skipped across as they vanished with a loud crack. 'What's the game?'

'If you lose, you lose your wand, Bella,' Harry said.

She giggled. 'Winning's only fun if you can lose too, Mithras! It's boooring if it's that easy!'

'Fair enough.' He pushed his magic into the air and turned the mirror around, twisting in the chair to sketch the same runes across the cold silver surface. 'I need your wand.'

Bella thrust her two-toned wand at him. 'Here's our wand.'

He passed it into the mirror. 'There.'

'If we get it back, do we get a mark again?' She flapped her left arm around. 'We miss our snake, we could watch it wriggle about when we were bored.'

'If you want.'

Harry touched his thoughts to hers, wiping his mind blank.

It's all our family, Bell! Our sisters! And our cousins! A host of shadows hovered in their thoughts, stuck to the marble floors of Grimmauld Place with a swathe of bright butterflies pinned in glass boxes. His face shone among them, cast half in amber and half lit in a rippling emerald flash, and about it endless colours flashed and flickered on forever. No more weird sisters now, Bella. Just cousin Harry.

Harry winced and tugged his thoughts back from the sharp twist and split of Bella's thoughts. Bella bounced on her feet, waving her wand over her head. 'We won!' She stuck out her left arm. 'We won, Mithras.'

He pressed the tip of his wand to her arm as Charlie reappeared with a pop. Little threads of black ink writhed beneath her skin, curling into the thorned stem and leaves of the rose and shifting into glowing gold as it bloomed.

'Pretty!' Bella poked it with her fingers. 'It doesn't move.'

'It's a flower.'

'The snake moved!'

'I can take it away if you don't like it.'

'No!' Bella shoved her arm behind her back. 'We like it.'

A faint flicker of humour curved Harry's lips.

Charlie drifted across the sand. 'This is very weird, you know.' He pointed at Bella, pushing his left sleeve up to bare his own rose. 'If anyone had told me I'd ever be fighting beside you…' He glanced at Harry. 'And I'm pretty sure you were an ice cream. Somehow. Only Unspeakables would know my brother died here.'

Harry measured the glint in Charlie's blue eyes. 'What if I was a colour as well as an ice cream?'

Charlie stared at him, small wrinkles creasing his forehead. 'The only Unspeakables left are all traitors, then.' He frowned down at the glowing golden rose on his forearm. 'I guess they'll just have to understand. Bill would do the same if it had been me.'

The broken gryphon's mask and Bill's furious blue eyes burning beneath long red hair rose from the well of Harry's mind. 'I'm sure he would have. We're going to make sure he didn't die for nothing.'

'That you didn't kill him for nothing,' Charlie whispered.

'That I didn't kill any of them for nothing,' Harry said. 'And that you didn't. And he didn't. And none of us did. Dreams shouldn't just disappear.'

Charlie swept his sleeve back down. 'Are we going back to Nurmengard? I don't trust Daphne and Astoria; the first thing they did when you appeared was make a plan to kill you, I doubt they've stopped preparing for it.'

It doesn't matter. If they try, well, I owe them a surprise. Wry humour tugged at the corner of Harry's mouth. A pistachio surprise.

'I don't feel all that fond of Nurmengard,' he said. 'But I don't want to go back to my home. There's nothing left there.'

Where else is there? Kart Hadasht? Unease gnawed at Harry's heart, chewing through it like fat little caterpillars through Petunia's rose leaves. Sacrificing all those children is nothing like what I want to do. It's burning beautiful dreams, not granting the chance to wish. A little shudder swept down his spine at the memory of the screaming red storm beneath the sea. I don't think I ever want to go back there.

'I think I might as well stay here.' Harry leant back in his chair. 'I can watch the sunset over the sea.'

And it will hurt. Just like it should.

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