Reviews:
NathanHale2: More twists and turns are sure to be on their way in the coming chapters as more information gets revealed. The next chapter should answer a lot of things that are a little uncertain. As for the Attack Titan, I've had an idea for a new sort of power that Harry would possess.
PaperbackAlloy: Thank you. I hoped the little nuggets of teases of something being off about Harry's origin in past chapters would eventually pay off. The next chapter will hopefully clear up some questions about Ymir and her exact relationship with Harry.
Kyred: Hopefully this chapter and the next one will shed some more light on what's going on. Glad you still enjoyed.
Zamasu black: Thank you. Titan powers aside, yes, Harry would be the first to possess that kind of magic and his presence in future chapters will certainly make a stir of things.
Gnormann: Yeah, it is a bit weird. The reason why I put it like that is because I try to blend styles of writing in crossovers and that style of laughter seems to be used in manga.
MrSir17: Glad to have you as a reader! More of how Harry and Ymir's connection will be revealed very soon as chapter 12 deals a lot with Ymir and how things ended up the way they did. I can say without spoilers that Harry and Eren are two separate characters but that doesn't mean that Harry doesn't have some similar powers.
Procrastinatey: Thank you! That means a lot!
GreenTea4062: By all means. More information is about to be brought to light.
Kayo-San: Indeed it is, more turmoil awaits this chapter as well.
Austin: Well, I can say without spoilers that Harry and Eren are two separate characters. More information is coming in regards to Harry's connection with Paths. Some action is sure to be on the way soon as well. As for any more crossovers, I can't really promise anything.
DidHeJustNut: Indeed, I'm back. More hints regarding Eren will be dropped at one point and one way or another either through memory flashback or actual appearance, Eren will play a role.
Guest: Thank you! There are sure to be more revelations coming with this and the next chapter so I hope it continues to excite.
Patriot the wonder cub: Glad to hear it.
Boar Rushes Down The Mountain: So glad that you find this an interesting read. I haven't really seen too many fics in regards to Ymir Fritz and this was an idea that was brewing in my head for some time. I really wanted this iteration of Harry to feel both old and new especially in regards to some of the changes that were bound to happen. Without spoilers, I can say that some iteration of the coordinate will be a major facet moving forward.
Melina: Here's the next chapter, I hope to not discontinue this story either.
Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J. K. Rowling and Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan is owned by Hajime Isayama. I own nothing.
Chapter 11: The Forgotten Prince
Wh- what is this?! He took a hesitant step away from this enchanted mirror. Why are you showing me this, Ymir?!
'I'm not showing you anything.' The mirror Ymir's mouth moved in that out-of-sync style. Her expression offered up tender sympathy. 'This isn't like before where I was able to give you a glimpse into my perspective. You said the inscription read "desire," didn't you. This is just what you want to-,'
No! No it isn't! If he had shouted out loud his voice was sure to crack. I know what I want to see; this is just you trying to be funny by pulling some kind of trick on me! Just so you know, it isn't funny, alright!
'I can do a fair bit of tricks, but this isn't one of them.'
You're lying!
'Harry…' her mirror counterpart reached out to him and he shuddered when he felt a phantom grasp on his shoulder. 'Didn't I tell you before that I wouldn't lie to you?'
Well that was a lie, wasn't it?! He wanted to rip his gaze from that reflective glass, to not see what he felt was ready to spill from the corners of his eyes. I don't know who or what you are, but I know that you're a liar!
'Will you at least let me explain?' she pleaded. 'This isn't exactly how I planned on telling you, but if you just give me the chance, I can explain all of this.' Her gaze softened into melancholy regret. 'Don't you want to know who you are?'
I know who I am! His green eyes puffed with red. I know exactly who I am and I don't need some girl from some made-up island telling me any better!
'Please! Please just let me-!'
I don't care about what you have to say! Harry backed up some more, draping himself in the invisibility cloak once more to conceal his reflection. I was stupid for even talking with you to begin with. Do me a favor and stay out of my head from now on!
'You didn't mean that when you said it before.' He hated how assured of herself she sounded.
Yeah, well, I do now! Bloody leave me alone already! He was already out the door without looking back. The apparitions in the mirror had probably faded by now, but he had never felt like he was being watched more than he was right now. Those same eyes staring him right in the back of the head.
He all but sprinted the rest of the way back to Gryffindor tower, wanting to put as much distance between himself and that mirror room as humanly possible. Hogwarts' Sprawling maze of corridors had never seemed so complex before tonight, but he kept pressing forward toward where he thought the central staircase was. He didn't even pay any mind when he ran straight through Peeves the Poltergeist and the icy feeling that washed over him as the ghost juggled knight helmets while taunting the headless shells of armor.
When he did reach the staircase, he took the steps three at a time, all but jumping to reach the landing where Gryffindor Tower was located. The only thing that actually slowed him down was the lurking figure of Professor Snape at the end. He halted. And if his night could get any more chilling, Snape seemed to be in the midst of a conversation with the Fat Lady portrait.
"I shall ask one more time," Snape drawled out. "Did any student leave this common room? Filch is convinced that a student is out of bed."
"I told you, Professor, I woke up when I felt my portrait swing open, but there was no one around. I did have a few drinks with my friend earlier. Perhaps I sleep opened on accident."
"Doubtful," Snape leered. "I've already cleared the Ravenclaw Tower, all their students are accounted for. I'd like to do the same for yours. Go and fetch McGonagall."
He knew. Somehow, Snape knew he had a way of getting out. The Fat Lady disappeared for a moment before returning and informing him she was on her way.
No, no, no, no!
"What is all the commotion about, Severus?" McGonagall came dressed in a nightgown, her hair as in-place as ever.
No, no!
"It appears a student is out and wandering the corridors at night," Snape explained. "All my Slytherins are accounted for, as are the Ravenclaws and Filch is securing the Hufflepuffs. I'd like to do the same with your batch."
"One of my lions?" she seemed slighted. "There aren't that many here for the holiday, the Weasley twins are off visiting their brother in Romania."
"Your portrait painted me a different picture," Snape concealed a sneer. "If you've so much faith in them, there's no harm in confirming what you already know to be true, is there?"
Not about to back down from the verbal challenge, McGonagall spoke the password and the Fat Lady swung open. Both professors crossed through the threshold. The Fat Lady began to swing shut and Harry made his move. He jumped as silently as he could, quickly pulling the end of his cloak before the portrait could close on it.
"Wait here, Sererus," McGonagall instructed the Head of Slytherin. "I'll check the girls and then the boys dorms and confirm what I already know."
"It would save us time if the both of us each searched the dorms," Snape suggested, no doubt wanting to gun straight for his dormitory.
"No offense to you, Severus, but in the event you accidentally wake a student, seeing you in their dormitory would hardly be a welcoming sight." Harry would have chuckled had he not been on the verge of a panic attack.
"Tch!" Snape scoffed. "Very well, Minerva. It is your house. But do well to inform me of any findings. I'll be waiting right here."
McGonagall turned up her nose. "Duly noted, Severus."
Making her way up the stairs to the girls' side, Harry took the chance to maneuver around the furniture and away from Snape. Now all he had to do was - wait! Where was Snape going?
Snape had waited until McGonagall was out of sight and was heading up the staircase as well, but this time leading to the boys' side. He was going to go to the first-year dorm. Heart pounding against his ribcage, Harry silently followed him up the stairs. He was almost at the top.
Taking a risk, Harry stepped on the end of Snape's trailing cloak and the potions master stumbled on the steps, managing to catch himself before he could fall down completely. Harry clung to the side of the stairwell and raced past the disorientated professor. He thought his legs might have come uncovered with the strides he was taking back to the dorm.
As silently as he could, Harry cracked the door open, squeezed through, jumped to his bed, stuffing the invisibility cloak under his covers and plopping down on his side, letting his glasses fall off and closing his eyes tight. A few seconds later, he heard the door creak open just a smidge and could feel the stare directed straight toward his bed. Slowly, very slowly, the gaze retreated, the owner no doubt feeling bested. Harry took the time between that and when he heard McGonagall actually come to check on them to get his breathing under control and relax his tense muscles to better give off the illusion he was asleep. When she was content, she retreated as well.
Letting out an exalted breath, Harry felt that he could pass out on his bed right then and there and do his best to just forget about everything and just relax. To go to sleep now would be such a huge relief. He closed his eyes for real this time. His consciousness began to dim. Soon he would be seeing flashes of people zipping through the air with wires, swaying flowers with stains of red, defiant roars and thundering explosions, and a tremor so deafening that it was a miracle that he would even be able to sleep through -,
No!
Harry sat upright in his bed. His mind a haze reel as he fought off the temptation of sleep. This is what she wanted. She wanted him to go to sleep. And when he did, she would show him all those disjointed images and the craziness that came along with it.
But he was smarter than that! If that was the game she wanted to play, he'd beat her without even playing to begin with.
'So are you just going to refuse to sleep now?'
Just enough to the point that you can't mess with my head.
'That isn't healthy for you.'
I don't need you to tell me that.
'Look, I'm sorry! Will you please just listen to me?'
Harry reached for his nightstand where he had some holiday candy he and Ron had split. He popped some chocolate into his mouth and savored the sugary taste. Go. Away.
He feasted on candy for the rest of the night. Ymir didn't say a single word to him.
When morning did come, Harry thought that he might vomit all over the floor. It would have been a poor sight for Ron to wake up to.
The redhead let out a mighty yawn as he stretched. "Morning, mate," he groggily greeted.
"Hmm? Oh, yea, mornin'." A chocolate wrapper fell from his bed to the floor. It wasn't the only one.
"Whoa, you look terrible, mate." Ron paused. "Er, no offense."
"Tha's fine. Long night. 'Bout it, really." He fought to keep his head from listing backwards, the sugar rush having long since past. Ron nodded.
"So, you actually did it then? You got into the restricted section?" Harry nodded. "Wicked! Did you find anything useful for what you needed?"
Those eyes that had stared right back at him…
"No, not really."
"Oh. Well, that's a bit of a bummer, isn't it? Say, did you actually eat your entire stash of holiday candy?"
"Mm-hmm. I uh, got hungry after I got back. I guess I got a little carried away."
"No kidding." Ron eyed the mess at the side of his bed. "Did you keep any of the chocolate frog cards? I've got a bit of a collection going, but if you wanted to start one of your own…" he trailed off hopefully.
"No. Have at it."
After that unsettling image in the mirror and nearly getting caught by the professor who seemed to have it out for him, Harry was at least thankful the holiday break was still going. Not wanting to risk going to sleep for too long, he had devised a way to take sporadic naps throughout the day, just long enough to where he could catch up on all the sleep he had missed, but not to the point where he would drift off and start dreaming.
Twenty minutes; that's how long he granted himself periods where he could doze off. The weight and pain stirring in his head lessened with every little bit of relaxation. And for each and every time that he did so, he did not hear Ymir's voice once. Not a single memory came to invade his mind. And if one did, Harry already suspected that it would just have to deal with that accursed mirror. If he could just forget about all of that, just let it be a distant memory that he could bury in his head, that would be what he would truly desire.
So, why did he go back that night?
That was the question that Harry was subconsciously asking himself the entire time he wandered along the halls of Hogwarts while invisible. Maybe he was just doing it in order to prove a point to himself, to confirm what he already knew to be true. In fact, a large part of his mind was actually hoping that he would just get lost and not find that empty classroom again.
This is so stupid. This is so stupid. This is really, really stupid. He kept the mantra on repeat in his head in part to remind himself of how irrational he was being, and also as a way to maybe cancel Ymir's voice out if she decided to pop back in again.
A dwindling hope began to fill him as he wandered, thinking perhaps that finding that room was a one-time occurrence. But a quick sweep of the corridor painted a different picture for him. The windows lining the hall faced out towards the Black Lake. And if he remembered correctly… there was a door right at the end of the way. Inside, he found himself in a room devoid of anything except for a tall mirror with a backward inscription carved above.
Making sure he was alone, Harry shed his cloak and approached the mirror directly. He closed his eyes, imagining exactly what he wanted to see reflected back at him. Any second now he would open his eyes and be faced with what he actually desired. That was what he wanted, he would prove it right now!
'Are you going to open your eyes or not?'
His eyes flew open and he was staring back at himself, the visage of Ymir standing right there next to him.
'You can try fooling your mind, but not your heart.'
He turned away, picked up his invisibility cloak, and made for the exit.
'This doesn't want to make you hear me out in the slightest?'
Just do me a favor and stay out of my head, Ymir.
He left without saying anything else on the matter. When he actually went to bed that night, he didn't have a single dream. And somehow, that made it all the more unsettling.
After actually getting a good night's rest, Harry felt himself operating as normal. That was good. The holiday would be coming to an end in a few days, students would be returning, classes would resume, and he would be doing his best to try and forget everything that happened. And yet, the temptation to return to that mirror room drifted back into his head after every other thought.
"Gnnh!" Harry groaned after thinking about it yet again. Why was it so hard to just forget about it? Even if he did return, what was he expecting to see differently? That mirror wasn't confirming what he wanted at all, what he knew to be true. If there was some way in order to- Wait! There was!
Wasting no time, Harry made straight for the Hogwarts owlery where Hedwig was staying with the others. He was mindful to watch his step, avoiding any droppings that lined the floor of the tower.
"Hedwig!" Upon his call, the snowy owl flew down from her perch and onto his shoulder. She cooed affectionately. "Good to see you, too," Harry pet her feathers before going over to the table and pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill.
He began to write,
Neville,
I hope your holiday has been going well with you and your grandmother. Have you gotten a new wand over the break? I guess I'll see you once you come back in a few days, but there is something that I wanted to know about that maybe your gran can answer for me if it isn't any trouble?
Since our parents were apparently pretty close, I wanted to know if your gran has any stories or memories about my parents when they were alive, specifically around the time my mother was pregnant with me. This has been on my mind a lot recently and I just wanted to learn more about them if I could. If you could ask, that'd be a big help.
See you back at school,
Harry
"Alright, Hedwig," Harry sealed his letter and presented it to his owl. "Can you take this to Neville Longbottom and his grandmother for me?" She gave an almost affirmative hoot before snatching the letter in her beak and taking flight through the window, her mission set.
With Hedwig on her way and still being in the owlery, Harry next sought out a regular school owl that could be used by any student not able to bring their own. This next letter he wrote was very close to the same as he had for Neville but instead addressed it for the blonde ponce himself, Draco Malfoy.
He was glad that they were still on the level of being acquaintances since that seemed close enough for the Slytherin boy as well. As annoying in a conversation as Malfoy could be, Harry remembered reading about the Malfoy name while looking for his own bloodline. If there was a chance that Malfoy would be able to provide some new light to this subject, he was all ears. He sent this owl on its way as well.
'You're actually going to Malfoy for this?' Her tone carried perplexed disbelief. 'I'm right here for you.'
Can you not be?
He all but slammed the door behind him.
He headed to the library next, thinking he might be able to find his next source there. Peering around bookshelves, browsing past tables, and avoiding the suspicious look Madam Pince was sending his way, Harry soon spotted who he was looking for.
"Hannah. Hey, Hannah." He called.
"Sshhh!" Madam Pince singled him out from behind her desk. He shrugged it off and went over to the lone Hufflepuff student.
"Hello again, Harry," she smiled cheerfully. "Fancy meeting you here again."
Not exactly. "Yeah, I guess so. Hey, do you have a moment? There's something I wanted to ask you about - a favor of sorts."
"A favor?" she repeated. "What about?"
"Well, you remember the other day when we were in here I told you I was looking into some of my family histories?"
"Oh, yes, I do," she nodded. "How'd that go? Did you find what you were looking for?"
You don't even want to know the half of it. "Well, not exactly, no. You see, that book did well to mention a very long and extensive family line, but I was mainly interested in it because I wanted to know more about my parents. It mentioned when they were born, when they died and a little of when they attended Hogwarts, but that isn't really what I was interested in."
"Oh? So then what was?"
"I really wanted to know more about them after they had graduated from school here. I guess right around when they would have gotten involved in the war and when my mum would have been pregnant with me. And I remembered you mentioned that one of your parents knew mine from back then, same with Susan's. So, I was wondering if maybe you'd be willing to write to them and see if they could recall anything from back then."
"Oh, Harry, of course," she easily agreed to his reasoning. "I remember you telling me you had muggle relatives so they probably had no idea about what was happening back then."
A lot of people don't seem to know what's happening right now - me included. "Really? Thank you, Hannah. This is something that's been really bugging me lately so this really means a lot."
"Of course, it's no problem at all. I'll head up to the owlery right now and send some letters out. I'll let you know what they say when it all gets back to me."
"Thanks again, Hannah. I really appreciate this more than you know."
That same night, Harry found himself back in the room with the mirror. He closed his eyes as he approached, having memorized where the mirror was placed. Sighing, he opened his eyes. The sight remained unchanged.
Harry shook his head, making for the door. He said in a hoarse whisper, "No."
Ymir did not say a single thing. He slept without a single dream.
The following morning at breakfast, an owl swooped in directly over the Gryffindor table in a beeline straight for Harry. He recognized it as the one he had sent off to Malfoy. If for nothing else, the bratty scion was good at responding. The owl dropped the letter in his lap before flying up to the rafters. Wasting no time, Harry broke the fancy wax seal and pulled out the letter.
Potter,
Why in Merlin's name are you using a ratty school owl? I thought that you had your own. What is even the point of owning one if you're not going to use it properly? Luckily my house elf cleaned where this thing landed. Anyway, I heeded your request and passed the inquiry along to my father.
Since the war's end, the Malfoy name has made considerable donations and contributions to the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts, and several other notable establishments, including providing funding to the magical graveyard in Godric's Hollow.
That answered none of his questions. He kept reading.
Neither of my parents are able to make any direct link to yours. My father was under the effects of the imperious curse at the time so his memory of that time is unreliable at best and my mother was in no way involved with any of the fightings. That is all I have to offer in this little search of yours. And just keep in mind that I may ask a favor in the future in exchange for this.
-Draco Malfoy
Well, that did him no good. He was still right where he started in all of this. And sure enough, he was back at that abandoned classroom again that night.
He already knew what he would see if he looked directly into it. Instead, he kept his eyes focused at the inscription above. If he didn't look at what was staring right back at him, he wouldn't have to face it.
Perhaps there was some secret to the backward message above. If he could figure out a way to crack that then maybe, just maybe this mirror would work the way that it was supposed to.
When he felt that phantom touch on his shoulder once again, Harry whirled away from the mirror, his teeth clenched as he draped the cloak over himself and left, knowing against hope that he would be back at a later date.
When the final day of the holiday came around, the exodus of students that had left returned once again. A feast was planned for that night, but Harry's hunger didn't come in the form of any one dish of food. Looking around the common room of all the growing familiar faces, Harry spotted a rather rounded one after it bent back up from retrieving a toad. Harry waved him over.
"Hi there, Harry!" Neville positively greeted. "It feels like it's been so long since we've last seen each other."
"Yeah, I guess it has. You have a productive holiday?"
"A fair bit, yeah. Oh! See what I got!" Neville reached into his robes and pulled out a freshly polished wand. "Gran took me to Olivanders and we got this. Cherry and unicorn hair. It cost a pretty galleon, but we figured it was worth it."
"Oh, yeah, very nice, Neville," Harry at least offered up a genuine smile for the other boy. "What about your father's old one?"
Neville sheepishly tucked his new wand away. "Gran has it back at the manor. She understood that I'd have to grow into my own wizard eventually but she still kept it locked away in an heirloom box she has going just in case anything happens to this one."
"I see." Harry nodded. "Speaking of your gran, did you get the letter I sent?"
"We sure did," Neville replied. "I gotta say, my gran sure did have a lot to say about all of that." Harry led them over to an unoccupied table near the window.
"Really? Like that?"
"Well, for starters she started out by saying that it was a disgrace that no one ever bothered to tell you anything sooner." He avoided eye contact and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry."
"She's not wrong. Keep going." Harry urged, sitting forward in his seat.
"Oh, uh, okay. She said that your parents were some of the finest magicians she's ever known and that your mum was really ecstatic when mine wanted her to be my godmother."
"Did she say anything else?" Harry pressed. "Anything about when I was born?"
"She just said that you were born a day before I was." He pulled out his remembrall. It turned red. "Oh! She also mentioned the reason why Lily was so excited to be my godmother was because she and your father apparently had some trouble trying to have kids."
Invisible fingers seemed to have wrapped around his throat. "Sh-she did?"
Neville nodded. "My gran told me she was really embarrassed when they kept trying but nothing was really happening. And I guess she also got hit with a curse during a battle that really didn't help with what she wanted. B-but obviously that isn't true because well, you're here now. Right?"
Harry did his best to keep a neutral expression and just nod along. "Yeah, I'm here alright." He was surprised a little bit of bile didn't spill out of his mouth when he opened it. "Um, t-thank you, Neville. Tell your grandmother I said thanks to her as well."
"Uh, sure, not a problem, Harry. Say, are you feeling alright? You look a bit pale."
Was he alright?
"I'm fine. I'm just getting a bit stuffy in here is all. I might uh, take a walk around the grounds. Clear my head up a bit."
"Alright," Neville accepted that answer. "I'll be sure to save you a seat at dinner."
Thanking Neville again, Harry took a few shaky steps out of the common room and made his way down to the snowy grounds that surrounded the castle. He pulled his school robe closer to his body as he trekked down to where a certain hut sat close to the edge of the woods.
The closer he got, the louder the thunking sound seemed to grow. He soon found out why as he spied Hagrid outside swinging an ax down to cut pieces of wood in half in a single stroke. The giant of a man spotted him coming and smiled warmly with his beetle-black eyes.
"'Ello there, Harry!"
"Hello, Hagrid."
"Wha' brings yeh out this way in the cold?" he asked. "Dinner'll be startin' soon."
"I just wanted… just wanted to clear my head, I guess." He then asked. "How well did you know my parents?"
"Yer parents, eh? How's 'bout we head in? I'll put on a pot o' tea." He picked up the entire pile of split wood with one arm and led Harry inside his hut.
Fang planted his head right down on Harry's lap the moment he took a seat and began to drool all over his robes. Harry gave a lazy pat to the top of his head.
"Now, wha's this 'bout yer parents?" Hagrid asked as he started a fire with the freshly chopped wood and let the kettle rest over the flames.
"You told me before that you were the one who brought me from their house to the Dursleys. You must have known them for years, even during the war that was going on."
"O' course I knew 'em!" Hagrid poured them a cup each. "Brightest witch o' her age, yer mum. Came as bit o' a surprise fer all o' us when she first told everyone she had you."
"Why's that?" Did he want to hear this?
"Well try an' understand tha' durin' the wat everything was a lil' shush-shush," Hagrid took a swig of his tea. "James an' Lily went into hidin' and only really talked to who they needed, yeh see. Why, she didn't even announce she was even pregnant teh begin with. Tha's why it was so shocking hearin' tha' she had yeh."
His spine tingled. "Yeah. I guess that is shocking." His tea tasted blander than sand.
After finishing his tea, Hagrid offered him an escort back up to the castle so he could join the others at dinner. Harry gave him a wordless nod and made his way over to the Gryffindor table where Neville waved him over. The noise seemed deaf to him, even the usual animated chatter of Lavender and Pavarti and whimsical laughter from Fred, George, and Lee. Hermione looked like she had something to say to him, but his legs were robotic at the moment and he kept walking until he had sat next to the rest of the first-year Gryffindor boys.
Honestly, Harry wasn't even really paying attention to what they were talking about. If he felt the conversation or a question being directed towards him, he would answer or deflect with a simple, "Mmm" or "Yeah, sounds good." They could have very well been talking about aliens invading or the world ending and his response would have been either of those two replies.
The conversing promptly ended once the food magically appeared on the table and the students started feasting. Ron couldn't talk anymore if he wanted to with how full his mouth was. In contrast, Harry helped himself to only a single serving of what was closest to him. The food that had been so rich and the best he had ever tasted was now just clay in his mouth. He didn't even finish what he had on his plate believing that he might throw up if he continued.
Before the dessert was brought out, Dumbledore took to his podium and made a quick little speech about the start of second term and how at the end of the year exams were still on schedule and how it was more important than ever to keep up on their studies. How he wished he could just take those words to heart and only have to worry about final exams instead of… whatever else was going on with his head at the moment!
When dessert was finished up, Dumbledore dismissed them from the hall and bid them a warm welcome back. Harry found himself walking with the other Gryffindor's back toward the central staircase and toward their tower. His attention was caught by the cries of his name.
"Harry! Hey, Harry over here!"
Stopping and looking back, Harry saw who it was calling his name. Or rather, the two people who were calling out to him. Dressed in black robes with yellow trimmings, he recognized the pair of Hufflepuffs as Hannah and Susan. With nothing more to drive him forward, he allowed the two to meet up with him on the stairs.
"Hannah, what is it?" He knew. He knew exactly what this was about.
"I'm glad we could catch you," the blonde Hufflepuff expressed. "I wrote to my parents and to Susan just like you asked."
"Oh." I shouldn't have asked to begin with. "Did they… say anything of interest?"
Hannah shook her head. "Sadly not really. My parent wasn't really too heavily involved in the war so they really don't know too much other than what's publicly known. I'm sorry."
That's a relief. "Oh, it's no problem, really. Thanks anyway, Hannah."
"Although," his heartbeat accelerated by a fraction. "Susan's aunt had a helpful suggestion."
His throat felt dry. "What would that be?" Let it be useless.
"My auntie said that maybe Professor McGonagall might be able to shed some more light on that. She was closer to your parents after they graduated than just about anyone, well, save for some of their other friends."
"McGonagall, huh? Alright, well thank you, too, Susan. I'll keep that in mind."
Letting the Hufflepuffs go on their way back down to where the kitchen was located, leaving him on a dwindling staircase that quickly became a crossroads. Coming out of the Great Hall in a different set of emerald robes was the strictest looking witch in the entire school heading towards what Harry guessed was the teachers lounge.
Keep on walking. Walk right back to the common room. She was getting farther away. Walk away and forget about all of this. Just forget. Forget it. She would almost be out of reach. Forget it! Just forget!
"Professor! Excuse me, Professor McGonagall!"
Why?
"Problem, Potter?" she asked, facing the seemingly distraught student.
"Professor, I… I had a question."
She scrutinized him from behind her glasses. "A question? Very well, what is your question? Could it not wait until classes resumed?"
"It doesn't really have anything to do with your class, or well, any other class, really."
"This is a personal matter, then?"
"Yes."
She straightened up. "Very well. The lounge is vacant unless you prefer an office."
"No. That doesn't matter to me." Didn't it matter?
She led him to the deserted lounge and offered him a seat at one of the armchairs. "So, Mr. Potter, what is it that is on your mind?"
What isn't on my mind right now? "When you asked if it was personal, I meant it was about my parents." Her expression didn't flinch. "You see, Professor, I've been asking some people I know to ask people who knew them but… I haven't really been getting the answers that I was expecting to want." Deny it, please.
"I found out that they apparently had trouble even having a kid to begin with. And apparently my mother got hit with a pretty nasty curse during the war. And if I remember correctly, when you came to the Dursley house that day, you said that a lot of you didn't even know she was pregnant with me until after they went into hiding. I guess I'm just… just trying to make sense of everything."
McGonagall pursed her lips. "I see. Very well. You are confused as to how these events transpired, am I correct?" he nodded. "To begin with, yes, it is true that your parents had a bit of a rough start when it came to trying to start a family. They married shortly after they graduated school and were only just about twenty-one when they passed but in times of war, young parents are to be expected. That incident with the curse you spoke of, I was there the night of that particular battle."
"You were?"
She nodded. "A rather nasty curse it was. It had been deflected with another spell and the end result was not a pleasant one. Lily hadn't been fast enough to defend against it and it hit her. And…" McGonagall seemed to hesitate. "Well, I'm not sure if I'm the right person or not to divulge that bit of information. I'm not your legal guardian."
"Please." Harry thought he would have fallen to his knees if he wasn't already seated. "Please, Professor, I have to know what happened. Please…"
She properly adjusted her glasses. "What many people don't know is that when that curse hit Lily, she was pregnant at the time."
"You mean, with me?"
"No. This child did not survive, unlike yourself. I don't think even Lily knew she was with child until she found out from the healer. Lily and James went into hiding after they lost it."
"So… they were going to have another child aside from me? Do you… do you know if it was a girl or a boy?"
"I honestly couldn't begin to tell you, Potter," she shook her head. "It was too early in development to know for certain. Lily feared that she would never be able to have one again after all the complications even before that curse struck her, it seemed impossible. But, you sit before me right now, Mr. Potter."
Impossible.
He was silent. He let the invisible weight carry his head downward.
"And when exactly did everyone find out about her having me?"
"Lily and James didn't make it publicly known until you were about a year old. They had godparents in mind from before who they told and it became more widespread after that." She silently observed him. "Are you alright, Mr. Potter?"
"I-I will be. That's just… just a lot to take in at once. Thank you for telling me."
"Of course, Potter. Would you like me to escort you back to the common room?"
"No. No thank you. I can manage." And he did. Barely.
He had to keep his head down, if he looked up the whole corridor and staircase seemed to spin in a circle. His stride was wobbly and he almost crashed into several sets of armor in his wake.
It isn't true. It isn't true. None of it is true.
He didn't spend too long in the common room, just long enough to go and grab his invisibility cloak. Not long after that, he was back on the route he had now committed to memory in his head.
He didn't even look directly in the mirror, just sat down in front of it and crossed his legs. He could have been in that position for minutes or even hours. Time just seemed so unreal to him right now.
No.
Everything seemed so unreal to him right now.
What was even real anymore? How much of this was all just some sort of lie? How… how much of himself was a lie? He spared a look up at the mirror. He saw exactly what he expected to see.
What even am I?
"Back again, Harry?"
There was one more reflection added to the mirror and Harry quickly turned around to see the long silvery hair and beard, magenta robes, and half-moon spectacles of Hogwarts' Headmaster.
"Professor Dumbledore!" he was about to rise and explain before Dumbledore held up a hand.
"Please, do not get up on my account." He moved to stand next off to the side of the mirror. "There are a great number of sins in this world - alas, curiosity is not one of them."
"I-I'm sorry," Harry apologized. "I didn't hear or, er, see you come in."
Dumbledore smiled. "When one gets to be at my age, one does not need a cloak to move about unseen. I see you have been getting use out of it."
"...You were the one who sent this to me?" Under normal circumstances being caught out after bed by the headmaster would have seemed a nightmare. In the starkest of contrasts, Dumbledore just seemed curiously amused.
"Indeed, I was. James left that in my possession at my own request. I never got to return it to him. Still, for one use or another, I do believe that he would have wanted you to inherit that particular heirloom."
"Oh. I see." His gaze drifted back to the mirror.
"And I see that you, like many before have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. Have you figured out how it works?"
A little too well. "It shows us our heart's desire. Even if we don't want to believe what we're seeing, we can't deceive our own desires."
"Rather poetic, but still correct. The happiest man alive could stand before this mirror and find only his own reflection." Dumbledore folded his hands. "You see yourself somewhere else perhaps. You have something far more valuable than money, jewels, and a title of fame."
Those eyes stared directly at him. She even sat down next to him, awaiting his response.
"I see my family." He did not believe he told a lie.
"Ah." Dumbledore nodded. "Do take heed, Harry. Men have wasted away before this mirror - driven mad by the power that it holds. That is why by this time tomorrow, the mirror will have a new home within the castle and I urge you not to go looking for it."
"That's fine. I understand, Professor." Harry stood up, taking one last look at the mirror. "I've seen all I need to know."
Dumbledore took a quick gaze himself. His expression saddened for a spill. "Do take care, Harry."
Leaving the headmaster to ponder his own desire, Harry donned his cloak once more and exited the classroom. He did not leave directly toward Gryffindor Tower, instead, finding a secluded corridor and sitting down against the wall with his knees to his chest. He shut his eyes.
Are you there? He asked. He would not blame her if she wasn't. Every chance he got he had pushed her away, not wanting to believe something that could have just been another lie in his life.
'I never left.'
His heart expanded with a cooling heat at hearing her voice. He didn't respond right away. He wanted to be careful with this.
Ymir, if I'm going to trust you, I want you to tell me everything. No little half-truths, no dodging the question or putting off telling me what I want to know. Tell me, or better yet, show me the truth. It could have just been the cold from the stone, but Harry felt his body shaking. Tell me, just who or what am I. Can you do that for me?
Her reply was simple.
'Alright.'
Thank you for reading. Next chapter, Heeding his request, Ymir divulges to Harry exactly how far this connection goes as well as a great many other things. Chapter 12: Ymir's Story.