The train ride back to Hogwarts seed to go by in a blink of an eye. There was one topic that dominated in our cabin, the Firebolt.
"100 galleons," Alicia yelped. "That's practically what my Cleansweep six cost brand new."
"It surprised too," I replied. "But, my dad explained that materials are an important component in charm-crafting. And considering that the Firebolt is going to be the fastest broom in the world, it only makes sense that the materials are expensive."
"My parents are gonna go nuts if I ask them for the money for another broom," Alicia grumbled. "They just bought my Cleansweep last year."
Seeing a carefully neutral expression on Cedric's face made realize I had stuck my foot in my mouth when I ntioned the money. I guess I had taken how well off my family was for granted. All I had to do was ntion it to my parents if I ever wanted anything, and they got it for . Considering Cedric's Dad worked for the Ministry, coming up with a 100 galleons was probably a bigger deal to him.
My eyes brightened as an idea occurred to . "What about your share of the stash from the Grendel's vault?"
Alicia looked embarrassed and mumbled, "I kinda spent it all."
"How in rlin's na did you spend it already?" I asked.
"A girl had needs," she defended.
Hoping that she wasn't alone in her spending, she looked to the others.
Cedric shook his head, "My dad took mine and opened an account at Gringotts. But, he doesn't want to touch it till I co of age."
Anna, being the daughter of a tycoon, was in a similar boat to . She shook her head, "I haven't touched mine."
Seeing how uncomfortable Alicia and Cedric were, I decided to backpedal, "Well, you'll have plenty of ti to co up with the money. It's going to take so ti before I get skilled enough to enchant at that level."
Inwardly, I was already planning on how to make sure my friends could get the money. Knowing Cedric, he would reject any attempt at what he viewed as charity. I would have to give this so thought. One way or another, I was going to make sure he ended up on a Firebolt. I was looking forward to the day he could match his seeker skills against Harry when they were on even footing.
Before I knew it, we were back at Hogwarts having dinner. A small pang of pity shot through as I caught sight of Harry looking delighted to see his friends back at school.
If things went according to canon, Harry spent much of the break gazing at The Mirror of Erised, at least, before Professor Dumbledore took it and enchanted it to be the final layer of defense for the Philosopher's Stone.
Thinking about the Mirror made tempted to go and check it out. I even knew of an easy shortcut that would let bypass all the other obstacles, the Room of Requirent. The room might even allow to summon the Mirror directly.
For whatever reason, during the next couple of days, the idea of visiting the Mirror of Erised haunted my thoughts. It was like a ntal itch I couldn't scratch. One evening, unable to fall asleep, I finally decided to check the Mirror out and see if it did everything the books claid it did.
Not wanting to be caught out of bounds, I applied the Disillusionnt Charm. After feeling the sensation of an egg running down my neck, I paused to examine my camouflage.
I had co a long way with the charm. The chaleon effect was nearly perfect. But, I knew it could be taken further. Supposedly Professor Dumbledore could cast one powerful enough to make him fully invisible. I wasn't quite there yet, but I was looking forward to the day I achieved perfect mastery of the spell.
Knowing I would probably need help, Athena tagged along. I knew better than to try and use the Disillusionnt Charm on her. The one ti I tried it out on her, I instantly regretted it. Her caterwauling nearly burst my eardrums.
Carefully sneaking through the castle, I made it to the Room of Requirent without incident. I closed my eyes and tried to summon the Mirror of Erised.
For the first ti since I've been at Hogwarts, the Room of Requirent failed . I can't say I was too surprised. I assud that it didn't work because Professor Dumbledore put down so pretty strong spells on the Mirror, preventing it from being summoned.
Since Plan A didn't work, I moved onto plan B. I had discovered quite a while ago that the exit to the Room of Requirent could be moved through the castle. The plan was to get the exit to open by the Mirror, bypassing all the layers of defense surrounding the Mirror. The only other thing I needed to do was have Athena keep the door open, so I didn't get trapped down there.
After concentrating on my desire for the exit to open next to the Mirror of Erised, I reached out and opened the exit to the Room of Requirent. I smiled when I noticed that the exit was no longer in the 7th-floor corridor but rather a larger stone chamber dimly lit by torchlight.
Looking down at Athena, I whispered, "Stay here and keep the door open."
The first thing I noticed was that the chamber only had one entrance. It was blocked by eerily black flas that promised to sear the flesh off anyone who hadn't drunk the correct potion. Thankfully, I was able to bypass Professor Snape's puzzle.
Satisfied that no one was coming through the black flas, I turned my attention to the only object in the chamber, the Mirror of Erised.
When most people hear the term mirror, they tend to think of a small mirror hanging above a sink in a bathroom, or perhaps a larger one in the bedroom. The Mirror of Erised put those to sha. It was enormous, standing at around fifteen feet. Perhaps only Hagrid could view a mirror of that size as normal. Its ornate golden fra was supported by two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi
As I drew closer, I could feel my heart beating in my chest. Part of wanted to turn back. Having one's innermost desires laid out in front of them could be both enlightening and troubling at the sa ti.
Professor Dumbledore warned Harry that the Mirror had driven people mad before. Still, even with that warning rumbling through my head, I drew closer to the Mirror. I had to know. I wanted to see what it would show .
For a split second, I only saw myself in the Mirror. Just as I was wondering if the Mirror was broken, the scene changed.
It was everything I thought it would be and more. They say a picture was worth a thousand words, but the images shown in the Mirror were worth tens tis that amount.
The first thing I saw was a very familiar image. It was the family room in my house. Everyone in my family was there, all having a good ti. The more I studied the image, the more it changed. It started adding people, it wasn't just my family, but all my friends as well.
One strange detail I noticed while I was in the gathering happy as a clam. I noticed it wasn't the only image of . Taking a step back, I noticed an older shadowy version of myself was watching the gathering.
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I seed to be sitting on my Hawk Throne with one hand supporting my chin as I lazily gazed down at my friends and family. If I had to put an age to my older self, I would say my mid-twenties.
Focusing on the shadowy version of myself, I started noticing more details. Like a shallow scar running through my left eyebrow and down my cheek. Or the ring with a gem that shifted colors on my right hand.
If those details weren't strange enough, the older version of myself glanced up and made eye contact with .
Without thinking, I took a step back from the Mirror. What in rlin's Addled Mind was that?
His steely grey eyes seed to focus on for a mont before he playfully winked. Like he was amused by my reaction. He waved his other hand, and the family scene he was watching over started morphing.
The next scene showed another desire that I kept buried deep down—the downfall of the Whitehorn family along with their syndicate. Part of wanted to look away from the nightmarish scene, but another part of , a colder part of that I rarely let out of its cage, kept my eyes glued to the Mirror.
I was standing wand in hand in a dark room with seven large chairs in a U shape. Shadowy figures whose facial features I couldn't make out sat in six of the chairs. But one I recognized, it was Declan Whithorn, head of the syndicate. Standing on either side of his chair were Michael and Delvin.
What happened next was grisly, even for . The in the image started tearing through them like a sickle cutting a path through wheat.
Spells that I didn't recognize were being fired off one after the other—each producing a different effect. One shadowy figure exploded into a bloody pink mist. Another had their face lted off. Declan ended up being hit by a slicing spell that cut him from head to groin. He collapsed into two separate pieces spilling his guts across the floor.
Delvin, his cowardly son, died quickly with a look of terror on his face when he was hit by a green jet of light. The scene ended with towering over Michael, who was tearfully blubbering on his hands and knees. The cold sneer on my face told Michael wouldn't survive.
Bile rose in my throat, and my stomach threatened to empty its contents. "That is not ," I pointlessly shouted at the mirror version on . "I would never."
My voice trailed off as the Mirror showed a nearly identical scene. It didn't go down the sa as the previous tis. But it didn't change anything. The mirror image of ripped through them, gleefully tearing them apart. Over and over, the Mirror showed this scene, ruthlessly pounding it into my head that part of , however small, wanted this.
I don't know how many tis I viewed it, but I was starting to understand how the Mirror of Erised could drive soone mad. The Mirror didn't just show you your main desire. It showed all of them. Even the ones you weren't proud of, the ones you wouldn't act on, the desires you knew were wrong but still had.
Only after finally admitting to myself that yes, a part of wanted to do horrible things to the Whitehorn's and their syndicate. The part that would do anything to protect my family, the part that would ruthlessly crush anything that threatened my family. Did the Mirror move on and showed other things I desired.
The next scene was thankfully less violent; it was a picture of waving and receiving awards and accolades for breakthroughs in magic. All while being congratulated and welcod by the best minds in magic.
The Mirror moved on and showed leaving behind my contribution to the Library of Ravenclaw. It was so impressive that it overshadowed all the other heirs, even Ravenclaw herself.
On and on, the Mirror showed the things I wanted. Most were good, but so were dark and better left unspoken. So were obvious, like being the youngest international dueling champion or mastering magical disciplines. Others were more confusing, like winning the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup for Ravenclaw when I wasn't even on the quidditch team.
Just when I thought it was over, the Mirror started showing images of what every teenage boy thinks about, girls. Apparently, part of wanted to be a real Casanova because there was no shortage of girls, most of whom were my classmates.
My cheeks burned red in embarrassnt when I saw an image of Jessica, teasing about what she wore under her Hogwarts robes. When Anna joined her, I nearly passed out. I tried to cover my eyes with my hands, you know, out of respect for my friends. But for so reason, the gaps between my fingers refused to close, showing everything, EVERYTHING.
The more scenes that were shown to made sheepishly realize that compared to Harry Potter, who only saw his parents in the Mirror, I was a greedy son of a bitch. Apparently, I wanted everything.
I'm not sure how long I was standing there, srized by the images shown, but a noise startled and brought out of it.
I shook my head, trying to clear the fuzziness. Once my head was clear, I took several deep breaths. The kind when you're underwater for way too long, and you surface gasping as if you want to inhale all the oxygen in the world.
Turning, I saw Athena staring at with concern. She must have turned up the volu when she saw how deep the Mirror had drawn in.
Turning back to the Mirror, I frowned. Whoever invented the Mirror of Erised was a real bastard. No wonder wizards could be driven mad looking into this thing. Who knows what long-term damage could be done if soone was allowed to stare at the Mirror uninterrupted. I bet soone could easily starve to death, so drawn in that they lose perspective of everything. Or perhaps they would beco so lost in the illusions the Mirror showed, preferring it to reality. Perhaps that was its original purpose before Professor Dumbledore repurposed it to defend the Stone.
Although, I knew I should leave it alone. I decided to try one more thing. I was a little tempted to see if I could get the Philosopher's Stone. All I would want is a piece, sothing I could experint on.
The Stone could make anyone who drank the water it produced immortal. Yes, it was a shitty version of immortality. But still, it was a powerful piece of magic, and I had a weakness for those.
This ti, I was warier when I looked into the Mirror. I wasn't about to get sucked deep in again.
The Mirror showed what I wanted, holding the Philosopher's Stone. But, similar to Quirrell's experience, that was all it did.
As I watched myself experinting and learning the Stone's secrets. I realized I would never in a million years pass Dumbledore's test of wanting to find the Stone, but not use it. It just wasn't who I was. If I had the Stone, I would use it or experint on it, hoping to perfect the immortality it gave.
As soon as the thought appeared, the older version of myself appeared behind the version of myself experinting on the Stone. For the second ti, he winked at , like he knew sothing I didn't. He pulled out a familiar aspen wand dispelling that version of .
Seeing him smirk at made the hairs on the back of my neck rise up. He, I an , whatever it was, was starting to seriously weird out. So, I slowly backed away and let out a sigh of relief when the image faded away.
Turning to Athena, who was still holding the door to the Room of Requirent open, I said, "I think I've seen enough for tonight. Let's go back."
Athena happily chuffed, pleased to be leaving the creepy Mirror behind.
When we got back to the dorm, I realized it was nearly morning. Just how long had I been staring at the Mirror before Athena snapped out of it?
Already, I could feel the urge to return to see what else it would show . A small part of argued that perhaps the Mirror's power could be harnessed in so way. Maybe I could use it as a guide to get things I wanted.
I shook my head, snapping out of it. I privately swore never to go back. It was just too dangerous, too addictive, and not worth the danger. I sounded like soone strung out on pixie dust and was making excuses to get my next fix.
As I laid in bed waiting for the sun to rise, I couldn't help but think about everything I had seen. In a way, the Mirror had given a brutally honest glimpse into who I was, of what I wanted.
So of the things the Mirror showed were pure childish fantasies. Like being the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team and winning the Quidditch Cup. Sure, I had fantasized about it when I was younger, but that wasn't really sothing I thought about anymore. Maybe the Mirror doesn't care. Maybe as long as you've wanted it, it will show it to you, trying to entice you to sink deeper within the delusion.
So of the other stuff it showed weren't even things I actively thought about. Sohow it reached deep within my subconscious and pulled them out.
Of course, most of what was shone was spot on for what I wanted. But, the one thing my mind kept going back to was the older version of myself. I knew not to take the things I saw seriously; the Mirror was just trying to tempt . But still, he sohow felt different.
The obvious conclusion was it was a version of myself that mastered magic and was at the height of power, everything I wanted to be. Still, the way he looked at , it was like he was so real.
I shivered as goosebumps flooded my arms.
Thankfully, the sun's rays peeking through my windows distracted from my thoughts. Sohow in the daylight, last night's events seed more distant. Knowing that it would be a long day, I dug through the many potions I had brewed, looking for a wide-eye potion.
Normally I would power through the day, but I had potions later today, and the last person who dozed off in class ended up with a month's worth of detentions testing antidotes. The wide-eye potion would keep awake, and even with the cost of being twice as tired when it wore off, the effects were more than worth it.
The next couple of days sucked. The urge to return to the Mirror of Erised was nearly overpowering. I was halfway tempted to erase the whole experience from my mind but ultimately decided against it. If I couldn't handle sothing like this, how was I ever supposed to master magic?
While the driving urge to return to the Mirror slowly faded away, I was left with so very confusing dreams, most of which I couldn't rember the contents other than rembering that they were strange.
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