AN: Not only this is my first ever story, but english isn't my first language. Have fun!
The evening was dark, and without the moon, the storm was raging like it wanted to end the world; some younger, more good-hearted students were worried about animals in the nearby forest. The weather was so bad it forced Hogwarts' groundkeeper to spend a few nights at the school. Hagrid didn't know what would happen to his little house; he didn't want to lose the place he had so many memories of.
Headmaster Dumbledore announced Monday's classes would be cancelled; Hogwarts' staff wouldn't have time to conduct them when they had to reinforce the magic around the castle to make sure it was secure. Harry was sad to hear that, it was his first day at school, and there were already problems.
Thankfully horrendous rain didn't stop school cooks from making delicious food. Harry was slowly eating his dinner, a perfectly cooked chicken with grilled tomatoes and potatoes, when something suddenly caught his attention. Ronald Weasley, who was on the opposite side of the table, was quickly digging ribs. Harry was looking at him with a small amusement, not even his cousin could eat his food this quickly. Despite the atrocious weather, most students near him seemed not to care that much.
His fellow Gryffindors were all discussing current matters, it was Quidditch that they mostly talked about. Harry didn't know much about it; he supposed it was the main sport of the Wizarding World. His uncle was a big fan of boxing, he was always asking Harry to prepare food for him when he was watching sport. Even though Quidditch didn't sound very exciting, Harry decided he could at least give it a fair chance. He didn't expect it to overcome his fascination with one-on-one combat, but there was no reason to not at least try it.
Harry wasn't the only one watching the way Ron was eating his food. Hermione Granger, sitting to his right side, was observing Ron with her eyes wide open. Harry felt relieved when he realized at the train he wouldn't be the only one at the school who didn't know about the magic. Hermione was a very nice girl and Harry would love to become her friend. The bushy-haired muggleborn wasn't the only girl Harry met on the train. There was also Lyria Malfoy, who cornered him against the wall and insisted he sit with her. Harry never knew girls could be so aggressive and bold; it was a true test of confidence to say no to such an intimidating person and Harry barely passed it.
"Man, I love ribs. I could eat them every day, " Ron said with a mouth full of ribs and eggs. "Percy, we need to ask Mum to make them for Christmas."
"You can do it yourself, Ron. Don't you remember? We are supposed to send mum and dad a letter every two weeks." Percy lectured his younger brother while trying to get some of these ribs on his plate.
When redheads were fighting over the food, Harry was looking at the cakes; they all looked delicious and he couldn't wait to try them all. Every dessert was different, but to not get any unnecessary attention on his first day, Harry was trying to slightly lean from side to side to check them all. His eyes happily wandered around, he still couldn't believe it wasn't a dream. Not only was he a wizard, but finally after all these years he wasn't just the boy who lived in the cupboard. He was the Boy Who Lived; he was their hero and saviour.
Harry's eyes eventually wandered toward his new teachers. He wondered what subjects each of them would teach him. The little man with glasses didn't look like someone who would teach him magic; Harry knew it was wrong to judge people by their looks, but he couldn't help himself this time. The man sitting behind him perfectly matched Harry's vision of an evil wizard; he was convinced the man fancied the colour black. Harry was sure the man would teach them a lot of nasty stuff. He was busy talking to Professor McGonagall who was sitting next to him. Behind the greasy man was Professor Marikawa, whom headmaster introduced as a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She was slowly pushing around her food on the plate, she didn't look very interesting, or as weird as previous teachers, she looked surprisingly normal. Her clothes looked like something his aunt would call very inappropriate for a lady, every woman he had seen in Diagon Alley wore some kind of robe, or dress. Black oversized coat and white shirt aren't something Harry imagined magical woman to wear. Suddenly her hand stopped and her head slowly went up. What happened next gave Harry shivers down his spine; the woman was staring at him in an unbothered, almost detached way. Harry tried to find some courage in himself but failed; he quickly moved his head away and started digging his food. He prayed he didn't somehow offend her; the last thing Harry wanted was to be on the teacher's shitlist.
The dinner went pretty well, Harry tried a few cakes and made a couple of small talks with other students. According to Ron's brother, this might be the first time the start of the year would be delayed. Harry had a pretty good idea what he would do the next day; Hogwarts was too majestic not to check every corner of it. He couldn't wait to discover all of its secrets. Eventually, Prefects took all first-year Gryffindors to the Common Room and explained a few of the most important rules, the importance of the points, their duties as Hogwarts' students and penalties for breaking the rules. The moving stairs were the most magical thing Harry had seen so far, he liked them even more than the talking paintings, or ghosts.
All first-year Gryffindors shared one bedroom; each residence had a nightstand and a small dresser beside their bed. Harry didn't take many things with him to Hogwarts, he quickly opened his suitcase and started unpacking his belongings. Inside were only a few oversized pairs of clothes, and other basic everyday-use items; other boys surprisingly didn't take with them that much clothes either. Harry felt a big relief, he didn't want to admit it, but he was ashamed of himself; he was slightly curious about how different his life was from Ron's. As far as he knew, Weasleys were very poor, at least according to Malfoy who bragged about her family's wealth to humiliate Ron. Harry would make sure to stay away from the arrogant girl, he didn't like people who thought they were better because of how much money they had. His uncle was like that, the only thing that mattered to him was money and how people perceived him. Vernon wanted everyone to see how perfect his life was, how beautiful his home was, how new his car was and how perfect his son was. All these years of hard work and overtime would go for nothing if his neighbours didn't know how perfect Dursleyes were; that's why Vernon couldn't allow them to know about their little, dirty secret under the stairs, the only taint on his family.
"When does the breakfast start?" Seamus asked the rest of the boys while checking the softness of his bed.
"7:30 am in the Great Hall." From all the things they had been told today, Harry wasn't surprised Ronald would remember where and at what hour he could eat.
The weather was as bad as a few hours ago when they were still on the train travelling to the Hogwarts. Harry's bed was under the window; he imagined he would hear raindrops for the rest of the night. Young Gryffindor kneeled on his bed and with wide-opened eyes started looking at Hogwarts' grounds; he was amazed by the view from his window. The lake, despite the hostile weather stayed peaceful, and the old trees in the forest proved how strong their roots were. This was supposed to be the thing Harry would see every morning. Harry didn't know how he was supposed to go from Gryffindor's bedroom to the cupboard; he rejected the idea of ever going back. This was his first day at Hogwarts and it already felt like a home. It felt like the right place. With a smile on his face, Harry laid down on his bed and started admiring the beautiful ceiling; he could see many beautiful carvings on the wood. There was a female knight on the horse who was surrounded by nine hooded figures; what was the meaning of it, Harry didn't know. She wasn't the only woman he could see from his bed, this one was wearing a beautiful dress and was crying while the wind tousled her hair.
It was getting late and Harry was tired; other boys were already in their pyjamas, he took off his Gryffindor robes and slipped into his usual sleepwear. The cool sheets welcomed him as he laid down, his eyes lingered for a moment on the moonlit grounds outside. Hogwarts was alive even at night, its magic was a comforting hum in the background. He took one last look at the Hogwarts grounds and closed his eyes. It wasn't another dreamless night, but no dream could match Hogwarts.
Breakfast at Hogwarts was as impressive as dinner was; Harry's plate was full of toasts with jam and honey, they were delicious. First-year Gryffindors were all discussing what they would do on their first day, Harry planned to walk around the corridors, and maybe talk to some older students; unlike the Weasley twins, he definitely didn't want to go outside and check out the lake. He wasn't even sure he believed them about a giant squid. Headmaster Dumbledore told them that all students were prohibited from leaving the castle; Dean tried to talk other boys into going outside but quickly changed his mind when he realised how strong the rain was.
"What are your plans for today, Hermione? I was thinking about just looking around and maybe checking where our classrooms are," said Harry while looking at the girl on his right.
"Oh, that's a great idea, Harry! I was thinking about going to the library, why don't you join me? Professor McGonagall told me there is no better source of knowledge in the entire Magical World." Hermione's excitement was very understandable. "We can look where tomorrow's classes are, and then go to the library. What do you think, Harry?"
"Man, don't tell me you are going to study with her on your first day," Ron said while chewing sausage.
"You can join us if you want, Ronald. I'm convinced that unlike you, Harry takes his education very seriously."
Ron took another sausage. "Seamus wants to see the Quidditch pitch and I think I will go with him." He took a bite and looked at Neville who was desperately trying to stay out of conversation. "You are coming too right, Neville?"
The last thing Harry wanted was to get into trouble on his first day; there was a reason why Professor Dumbledore didn't want them to be there, and Harry didn't plan to know how bad the weather truly was. Studying with Hermione wasn't such a great option either. Ron was right, he didn't want to waste his free day on books; what he wanted was to find the highest place in the castle.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Ron. I think I will just go back to the common room… Grandmother would kill me if I broke the rules on my first day," Neville said while imagining his grandmother sending him back home.
"Good point, bushy brows. Don't do anything stupid, Ronnikins. You don't want mom to home-school you, don't you? You should be able to see it from the fourth floor." Harry was happy to hear George and Fred were a voice of reason. "We don't want to see our dear mother taking you home, at least for now," Fred said while trying to hide his laugh.
For the next few hours, Harry and his roommates were walking around and looking for their classrooms. It took them much more time than they predicted it would; they quickly realized that Hogwarts was a labyrinth, and without some kind of map they would never find their way back. Fortunately for the boys, they found Hogwarts' groundkeeper who not only happily showed them the way to the Gryffindor common room, but also showed them the school's kitchen full of house elves. They were small, ugly creatures straight from scary movies; Harry had a hard time believing they weren't secretly evil. After dinner, the boys spent the remaining of their free time in the common room.
The night was already dark, everyone was in their beds when suddenly a flash of lightning woke Harry up. He opened his bed curtains and tried to look for a grand clock to check out what hour it was. The clock was above the extinguished fireplace. It was beautiful, Harry was so curious what was the story behind all these wood carvings. He didn't see very well in the darkness, it didn't help that his eyesight wasn't the best, but he was able to tell it was a few minutes past midnight. Suddenly, Harry realized something; he wasn't alone. There was no reason to be terrified, but Harry couldn't help but freeze at the thing that sat in front of the opened door. It was a cat with pointy ears; he couldn't understand how, but he somehow knew that it wasn't a cat, but a real predator, a lynx. Harry couldn't understand what a wild animal was doing there. He couldn't understand why he was so scared either. It could belong to an older student, but he knew it wasn't the case. His survival instincts were screaming at him to run away, to get away from the animal as far as he could.
Something unexpected happened. Harry was standing before a giant door and felt a strong urge to open it. Without a second thought, Harry pushed the door and entered the room. Inside was dark, with a hole big enough to let in enough moonlight to illuminate a mirror under the wall. It looked like it belonged in a museum, it wasn't something that should be closed behind the door. On the frame were symbols he couldn't read, but their meaning naturally came to his mind.
I show not your face but your heart's desire.
The mirror showed him a green fire and a girl in the middle of it. To Harry, it looked like a girl was fighting something, a monster, perhaps. Then it showed him a blue crow on the street lamp. He was watching it from the bedroom he didn't recognize, but he subconsciously knew, it would one day be his. The mirror changed again, but this time to him writing in a notebook.
"What do we have here? A student, so obsessed with his reflection, that didn't even realize he is not alone, " said an adult female voice. Harry didn't expect anyone else here; to be honest, he had no idea where he was. He slowly turned back and saw a woman, with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall. "What is so fascinating about this mirror anyway? Oh, I nearly forgot, shouldn't you be in the bed, boy? How many points should I take? Don't answer, I won't let you choose. Twenty points from Gryffindor for breaking the most basic rule. Will you explain your behaviour, Potter?"
The redhead woman seemed to be pretty eccentric. Harry started to think about the most believable excuse he could give her.
"Cat got your tongue, boy? It is nearly 4 am, and I do not want to waste my time babysitting a child."
"I don't know how to explain this. I don't even know where to start." Harry was truly lost and had no idea what was happening. "I think I sleepwalked there. I can't think of any other explanations. I'm sorry." It was true, or at least it was what Harry believed to be true. He wasn't sure he should mention the lynx. Now that he started to think about it, he wasn't sure the lynx had been real. Was it possible that the animal was just his imagination? But that didn't help to answer his other question that kept bothering him: what was he doing for the past four hours? Harry wasn't used to long walks; shouldn't his legs and feet hurt? He had so many questions, but couldn't answer even one of them.
She glared at him without saying anything; the entire situation was quite creepy. Suddenly, her head tilted, she went up to the mirror and put her hand on the frame.
"Curious thing, won't you agree Potter? It shows not your face but your heart's desire…" She once again took a look at him. He didn't understand how but he knew that in her eyes, he was nothing but a pest that could be squashed at any moment. She could end him right now.
"Humor me, Potter. What does your heart desire? I'm sure it is something magnificent," she asked mockingly.
Harry didn't know why, but he felt he shouldn't share with her what he had seen in the mirror. It felt unnatural and sinister. It felt like a great sin. "I think I should go back to my dormitory. It's late."
"Children are truly useless," she whispered under her nose. "They somehow always make my life harder." She looked deeply into his eyes, and a small shock appeared on her face. "It's time to go to sleep. I will be a good teacher and give you your points back, Potter. We do not want you to become a public enemy number one. That would be truly terrible. The mirror will stay here for some time but do not look for it again. Oh, and try not to tell anyone about this."
When Professor Marika started to walk out of the room, Harry found some confidence in himself to stop her. "Professor, what did you see in the mirror?"
"I do not believe it's your business, Potter. Now, let me walk you to your common room. It's late, and I am sure you want to have at least some sleep."