Harry couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, and he couldn't think. He had seen his parents and could see them whenever he wanted, but he had been too much of a coward on the subject of Draco to go back. He had almost forgotten about Flamel, the matter no longer seemed so important. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? Not him anymore. And what did it matter if Snape stole it? After all, what he wanted to do with her, even if it brought Voldemort back to life, was none of his business as long as that mirror remained completely intact. He was so obsessed that he dreamed about it every night he didn't pass by it, obviously omitting the small detail of Draco Malfoy kissing him softly. During the day he couldn't think of anything else and definitely no one knew about his little secret,hismirror, it was his and no one else's, he wouldn't share it with anyone, ever, he wouldn't risk them trying to take away from him the only almost real image of his parents, of the Potters, of his family, the one that had been taken from him.

He didn't care about being selfish, not when it came to the people he loved the most despite never having met them, despite knowing about them only through a bunch of texts that wouldn't exist if they hadn't died and he hadn't stopped Voldemort. He thought it was fair, because he had saved them all and in exchange he had lost Lily and James, the normal thing would be for them to let him keep the mirror, the normal thing would be for it to belong to him by right. But he knew that many would not understand it, that they would try to take it away and that was why he had remained silent, patiently waiting for the night when he would finally have the courage to face the reflection in the mirror and finally understand what Malfoy was doing in that vision.

Night finally came, almost at the end of the holidays, he decided it was stupid to cower because of Malfoy and simply made his way to the classroom where he knew the mirror was. He was very careful not to make the slightest noise, he trusted his cloak but it didn't hide sound and it was best to be cautious, the last thing he needed was to run into Snape and be punished, no one would stop him from seeing his family, absolutely no one.

When he found the door he simply walked in without bothering to look around and then there it was, the mirror standing in the middle of the room, with his family greeting him, welcoming him, while Draco, who had remained sitting on the floor, stood up and greeted him with a smile. Harry hadn't realized how much he had missed seeing him.

He sat in front of the mirror, silent, his mother began to fix his hair in the reflection while Draco laughed at her useless attempts to make it look less disheveled, and his father, chatting with one of his grandparents, simply smiled warmly at him. And it was reassuring, he felt so complete, like he had never felt in his short life. He was surrounded by his family, and accompanied by the one who, he now had to admit, was his best friend, the only living person who had reached out to him from the beginning, without interest, without caring about his scar, looking only at the skinny boy with the worn clothes. He sighed, maybe if he thought about it more deeply he even owed him an apology, usually Draco was quite expressive with him and he, well, he just used to ignore him. He had been a terrible friend and probably the blond had already noticed it, that was why his change of attitude? She probably, maybe even should have gone to Malfoy Manor with him for the holidays, but she was terrified that things were going to get a lot more awkward, she was avoiding him, she knew it but what else was there to do?

Then he felt a wave of magical energy invade the classroom. He knew who it was but decided to pretend he hadn't noticed and waited. The hairs on his back stood up from such magical power, it was overwhelming and gave him a headache. He closed his eyes and took a breath, relaxing until that sensation vanished. He didn't know how he had done it, but his own power had protected him from Dumbledore's power, who finally, after a brief moment, dared to speak.

—So back to business again, huh, Harry?

He looked at the reflection in the mirror, but just as he expected, the image of his family was still there and nothing in that room, except for him, was reflected on the surface. Then he looked back over his shoulder; sitting at a desk against the wall, was Albus Dumbledore looking at him with a serene expression, as if he hadn't broken curfew. Harry didn't understand if he had simply appeared there, he supposed that yes, his powerful magic had given him away... or maybe it was that the professor was able to hide it and had only deployed it so that he would realize that he was not alone.

"Am I in trouble, Professor?" she asked, turning completely towards him, although she thought she knew the answer.

"Not at all," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see him smiling at him. "So," Dumbledore continued, climbing down from his desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"So that's his name..." she whispered, remembering what she had read about him while doing her research on Flamel. She didn't really remember much, she hadn't looked into the subject in depth.

—I suppose you've already realized what he's doing, right? —Harry suspected it, but remembering Malfoy and the kiss he refused to admit it, he was surely wrong,he hadto be wrong.

—Well... he showed me my family and... —he stopped suddenly, Dumbledore didn't need to know that other little detail.

"Now can you think of what the Mirror of Erised is showing us all?" Harry shook his head nervously as he glanced at the reflection of Draco, who had already laid down on his lap and was looking at him curiously. "Let me explain. The happiest man on earth can use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, meaning he'll look at himself and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?" Harry looked at the professor, then at the reflection in the mirror, closing his eyes in defeat.

—It shows us what we want, whatever we want.

"Yes and no," Dumbledore said calmly, completely ignoring his troubled attitude. "It shows us nothing less than our heart's deepest, most desperate desire. For you, who never knew your family, to see them surrounding you." And Draco Malfoy kissing me like it was okay, she thought ruefully as the blond smiled at her, mocking her misery without moving his head from her legs. "However, this mirror will not give us knowledge or truth. There are men who have been consumed by this, fascinated by what they have seen. Or have gone mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible." Harry looked at his parents one last time, finally understanding, and Dumbledore added, "The mirror will be taken to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask that you do not seek it out again. And if you ever come across it, you must be prepared. It is not good to get carried away by dreams and forget to live, remember that." Now why don't you put that magnificent cloak back on and go to bed? —the dark-haired boy nodded and stood up, thoughtful, he was about to start walking towards the exit when the old professor added— One more thing Harry, it's about Draco Malfoy —He automatically tensed, it was impossible for Dumbledore to know what he was seeing... right?

"What about him?" he asked, trying to regain his composure, as if this hadn't taken him by surprise.

—I understand that you are good friends —Harry nodded, pretending to be casual. —I would like to give you... a little advice, don't let him influence you too much, he was raised in a different way... and that could bring you problems —he smiled.— I would be more at ease if you tried to relate more with people like the Weasleys, or Miss Granger, I know that you get along very well with them —the green-eyed man frowned.

"With all due respect, sir," he said then, standing up as tall as he was, although he wasn't very tall, "I think I know how to choose my friends without problems, Draco has been really good to me and has in no way been a negative influence, on the contrary, he has helped me find my place in Slytherin and thanks to him I have even entered our house's Quidditch team." The man looked at him deeply, but his face did not reflect anything that Harry could read and Harry felt irritated by that. "But, I will take it into account," he added, being cautious, then smiled as if nothing had happened. "Now I think I should go, good night and... thank you." And he left there without looking at the man again.

He felt offended, really offended even though he had managed to hide it as best he could, but he was tired of everyone thinking he was completely useless, a kid who was easily influenced, a totally blind man who didn't know how to differentiate between good and bad. He wasn't a victim of anything, he had decided to stop being one the day he set foot in Diagon Alley for the first time, he wouldn't be a victim of his uncles or his annoying cousin, and much less of any of his classmates. There everyone respected him, especially the boys in his house who even seemed to adore him as much as Salazar himself and, although Draco was the exception - since he was the only one who dared to show him his mistakes or make fun of him - the truth was that he had always been respectful and he with the blond, it was something mutual. Harry influenced everyone except the blond and vice versa, it was as if the silent hierarchy that had been established with his arrival didn't allow it.

When the holidays were finally over and the blond's return was imminent, a nervous Harry Potter had decided to forget about the mirror and the kiss and concentrate on what was important, to win back Draco's friendship and see if that was what he felt was missing from their relationship. He had decided to be a better friend than he had been in the past months, to be a little more attentive, to leave a little of the indifference and be more honest with the grey-eyed man. It happened that in all that time, Malfoy had talked to him for long periods about his family, his house and his life in general, probably waiting for Harry to do the same and never achieving it. So he decided that, although he wouldn't tell him everything - out of shame more than anything else - he would tell him a little more about himself and they would strengthen their alliance. He was strong because Draco strengthened him among his own people and he had to thank him for that, because the blond's innate ability for politics - even among students - had saved him on more than one occasion, and besides the fact that he learned from it, it turned out that diplomacy was more fun than he thought and Malfoy handled it as well as if he had been taught it even before being taught how to say daddy or mummy.

If Draco noticed his change in attitude he didn't show it and Harry was grateful for that, too uncomfortable to have it thrown in his face. He wanted to believe that he was learning to be subtle, just as he was learning many things, not only about the refined attitudes of the Slytherins, but about the pureblood behaviors, more specifically about the Malfoys, the Blacks, and that occupied a large part of his mind to avoid remembering the mirror, which he had been tempted to go look for on more than one occasion, especially since he had started having nightmares, just the night he knew he shouldn't visit it again. A horrible nightmare with his mother's voice screaming his name and a green light that blinded him.

He knew that with all his duties, Quidditch and maintaining his friendship with the blond, he had put Flamel aside, but he felt that it was none of his business either, that if he hated Snape and was determined to stop him it was only to see him on the street when they discovered that he was a traitor, but didn't things fall by their own weight? He believed that they did and anyway Voldemort was dead, he had taken care of that and whatever the terrible professor was plotting couldn't be worse than what Voldemort had done for years. When the time came he could simply tell Dumbledore what he knew, although he doubted that the old man wasn't already aware; he had noticed how well informed he seemed to be about everything that happened in his castle and Harry was not surprised, he was powerful enough to hide in every corner or have eyes everywhere.

That was what he was thinking when Malfoy came into the room, laughing his head off as he said goodbye to Goyle and Crabbe who were heading to their own room, his words cut off by the lack of air. Harry then put aside the book on advanced transformations he had taken from the library and settled down on the bed. He hadn't gone down to dinner, too busy reading, and Draco had left with Parkinson, whom he must have left halfway because he had returned with Gregory and Vincent. The blond took a breath and laughed again as a small tear ran down his face from how amused he was. Harry looked at him with a frown and a half smile, eager to know what was so funny.

"That was the best thing ever," the blond finally said. "You should have seen it, you should have been there." He chuckled again. "Longbottom, he," more laughter, "we glued his legs together with a spell and the fool fell to the ground about thirty times on the way to his common room. Merlin, it was sensational."

"Neville is Ron's friend," he said, but smiled anyway, imagining the scene. "The lions aren't going to be very happy."

"And what about me?" Harry smiled and shook his head, going back to his reading. "I brought you something," he added, tossing a small object to Harry that landed on his book. Harry looked up as the blond headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He had brought him a chocolate frog. "That useless Longbottom dropped it one of those times he fell, and since you hadn't had dinner and missed out on the fun, I thought I'd bring you a memento of the moment."

The dark-haired boy watched him disappear behind the bathroom door and finally unwrapped his candy. He had had a whole box of them that Hermione had given him for Christmas, but he had run out of them during the first week back at school, handing them out to students he thought would be useful for creating an alliance. He opened the box carefully, made sure the frog didn't jump out, and ate it in one bite as he pulled out the card inside. Dumbledore again, he thought, because that had been his first card, his first chocolate frog on his trip to Hogwarts. And then he started, turned the card over, and reread the information about the headmaster. He wondered how he could have forgotten, but he didn't scold himself any longer, he stood up and ran to his desk where he took a book that Hermione had recommended to him at the beginning of the term, before they knew they had to look for Flamel. He opened the thick volume with yellowed pages and when he found what he was looking for he began to read:

The ancient study of alchemy is linked to the discovery of the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance that has amazing powers. The stone can transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which makes the drinker immortal.

Much has been made of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone in existence today belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who turned six hundred and sixty-five last year, leads a quiet life in Devon with his wifePerenela(aged six hundred and fifty-eight).

"Is something wrong with Harry?" Draco asked as he came out of the bathroom, already dressed in his pajamas.

"What the dog is hiding," he said, smiling broadly. "Under the trapdoor lies the Philosopher's Stone!"

—What? —she asked, bringing the book closer to read the page where the dark-haired boy had it open, then she turned to him and smiled —But how...

—We talked to Hagrid —Draco frowned— he told us that what Fluffly, his dog, was guarding, because it's his dog! —he exclaimed excited to have discovered the truth—, was Dumbledore and Flamel's business. Ron, Hermione and I searched for weeks and weeks, but nothing we found was useful and you, with this chocolate frog, look! —He showed it to him and the blond took it, frowning even more.

Harry finally wiped his smile away, Draco was angry.

"So you've been searching behind my back for weeks for the truth about the dog and the trapdoor," she mused, looking him straight in the eyes, her expression so cold that for a moment he thought he was in the middle of winter again. "In the company of a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw… and now you tell me that…" she looked at the book, "thanks to my chocolate frog you discovered the truth." Harry didn't dare answer as Draco's power began to rise and envelop the room, furious. His head began to throb and his knees trembled a little. Just as he did with Dumbledore, he made sure that his own magic was above Draco's and the pain subsided. "Do you know something? If you had told me before that you were looking for Flamel I would have answered you... I don't know... since when are you looking for the man?"

"Since the first Slytherin match," he answered, knowing where this was going.

—Ah... of course, November —he replied with an indifference that did not convince the dark-skinned man.— How much work would you have saved yourself if you had trusted me.

—You... knew about him?

—I know about a lot of things, my home education was the best.

"Are you upset?" Draco smiled.

—Of course I am. But I've already decided that I'm going to stop wasting my time on you. —He turned around. —It's clear that you don't feel part of Slytherin, you don't trust me, even though I'm your roommate, the first wizard child you met, the only person who extended a hand to you when you were sorted here, the only person who offered to guide you. —He sighed dramatically. —It's obvious that, if after all that you still don't trust me, or consider me a friend, nothing will, so it's not worth it.

—No Draco, you're wrong, I...

—Last lesson for you, Potter —She looked at him one last time, her hand on the handle of the exit door— Slytherins don't take crumbs, Malfoys don't take leftovers, Blacks don't lower ourselves, not even for the savior of the wizarding world. If you're not going to offer me the whole plate it's better not to offer me anything, because I'm not going to take it... and remember the first lesson, Slytherins are only loyal to those who show us that they deserve it and you —she smiled—, have already shown me that you're not worth it —and she left the room.