December 29th
Although she regretted not going home for the holidays, Emaline had a wonderful Christmas. And with her friends. The new year was on its way. One day, although she wasn't very good at it, she went ice skating for the first time on the enormous Black Lake. But she was definitely getting better at it every day. The first time she tried ice skating was in her first year at Ilvermorny where she stayed for Christmas. On the Shrouded Lake. The first time she tried it, she fell through some thin ice and encountered a group of Naiads, water spirits that presides over the lake and they saved her from freezing to death.
Harry showed her his father's Invisibility Cloak and she was amazed by what she saw. He told her about a mirror that can show a person what they desire the most. Being the Thunderbird that she was, Emaline decided to go and look for it. Now. She slipped out of bed in the dead of night and grabbed her wand and snuck out of the common room. She crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, where the only light came from the domed ceiling painted with stars, and opened the enormous door. "Who's there?" the bronze eagle knocker said. Emaline said nothing. The knocker then reverted back to its inanimate state. It was almost pitch black in the corridor, so Emaline took out her wand. "Lumos!" she said. A small light emerged from the tip and she began to walk, moving slowly and silently, trying very carefully not to make a sound. People in the picture frames looked like they were sleeping and snoring. "Put that light out!" one of them said as he woke up with the light in his face.
"Sorry," Emaline said. "Good night."
She began hearing footsteps. Emaline found a nearby broom cupboard and went inside. She suddenly heard meowing. It was Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris. "Anyone here, my sweet?" he said. She took out her wand and slid it underneath the door. Since it was black, she was not able to see the wand tip. "Confundus!" she said. The cat seemed confused. She was walking around Mr. Filch wobbly. "Come on. Stupid cat."
Emaline waited Mr. Filch was completely gone and then left the broom cupboard. The light from her wand immediately reappeared. She found the door that Harry had described. Just down the hallway. Once again, she heard coming footsteps nearby. She jumped behind a high wall. "Severus, I-I-I-" said a familiar voice. It was Professor Quirrell. He was being confronted by Snape, who grabbed him by his jacket. "You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," he said.
"What do you mean?" he stammered.
"You know perfectly well what I mean." Snape stopped what he was doing and looked behind the wall. No one was there. She had already jumped over the wall when Snape and Quirrell were looking. "We'll have another little chat soon," Snape said as he returned his attention to Quirrell. "When you've had time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie."
She backed away as quietly as she could. A door stood ajar to her left. It was her only hope. She squeezed through it, holding her breath, trying not to move it, and to her relief, she managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Emaline leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before she noticed anything about the room he had hidden in. This was definitely the room that Harry described. It was an empty classroom with desks and piled against the walls. In the middle of the room was a magnificent mirror. It reached to the ceiling. There was an inscription carved around the top. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." she read it aloud. It was spelled backward. She was able to decipher it as "I show not your face, but your heart's desires."
"This is it," she thought. She walked to the middle of the room and stepped right in front of it. She could feel her heart pounding. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she found herself in a dark forest. Looking up above, she saw the night sky, littered with thousands of stars. The biggest full moon that she had ever seen began to rise up through the mountains but when she turned around to see it, there was nothing there. The room was empty. But when she turned back around to face the mirror, she saw the Milky Way, a vast but faint ribbon of light stretching from horizon to horizon. Before her laid a path. She thought to herself: "What would happen if I hadn't turned back? What would happen if I just kept going? Where would this trail lead me? Where would I end up?" What she saw at the end was an enormous castle on the mountain, which looked familiar to her. It was Ilvermorny. She began walking towards it. At the end of the path, she saw herself, much older and she was teaching Astronomy at Ilvermorny is a magnificent classroom which she too also found familiar: Professor Aurelio's classroom. Could this be her future?
How long she stood there, she didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought her back to her senses. She couldn't stay here, she had to find her way back to bed. But that same question stood flittering in her mind: "What would happen if I didn't turn back and just kept going?" and she began to return to the common room. By the time she came back, there was a powerful ache. Half-joy and half-sadness but at the same time, a sense of peace.
December 31st - New Year's Eve
It was the last day of the year. Emaline was unable to eat for she could not stop thinking about what she saw in the Mirror of Erised. She almost felt compelled to go and see it again. Harry felt the same way after seeing his parents.
"Are you okay, Em?" Margot asked her. "You're looking a little forlorn."
"I'm okay. It's just...when I saw the mirror, something inside of me changed. I don't know what. I want to go back and see it again."
"I know what you're thinking, Emaline but don't." Margot warned, "There's something not right about that mirror. Please promise me you won't go again. As your friend?" Emaline took a deep breath and sighed.
"Okay, Margot. I won't."
"Thank you. That makes me very happy," Margot smiled, "We're going to Hagrid's tonight with the Gryffindors for New Year's Eve, He's gonna set off some fireworks at midnight. Wanna come?"
"Absolutely. I'd love to see Hagrid again."
Later that night, after dinner, the girls joined Harry, Ron, and his brothers and they walked down to Hagrid's Hut. There was a light snowfall. He had a roaring bonfire outside with some chairs around it and lots of fireworks out in the middle of a field.
"Evenin' everyone! Happy New Year!" Hagrid said.
"Happy New Year, Hagrid!" said Harry.
"You're just in time. Come and sit around the fire. I just made a pot of tea. I also have some snacks and some Butterbeer if you're interested." Just as they were getting settled, a knock came at the door. "Emaline, can you get that? It should be Dumbledore." And it indeed was. "Good evening, Hagrid and Happy New Year," he said as the door opened. "Emaline, would you mind coming with me for a minute?"
"Of course, sir," she said. She walked outside with him and took a seat.
"How did it feel to find the Mirror of Erised, like many hundreds before you?" She had the most astounding look on her face.
"How did you know, sir?"
"I have eyes in the back of my head, Ms. Goode. I know my school well. By now, I think you realize now what it does?" Emaline shook her head.
"It showed what could be future. Is that what it does?"
"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does this help?"
Emaline thought. Then she said slowly, "It shows us what we want...or tell what we want..."
"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest most desperate desire of our hearts. You hope to seek new discoveries and share them with the world. You hope to reach a state of happiness, knowledge, and wisdom, as any philosopher would. I believe the Ravenclaw mind in you is full of questions but the Thunderbird wants to find the answers. That is a question that all philosophers want to have answered. But, I believe, it's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, then all he gains is a little thought. But if you give him a question, then he will look for his own answers."
"That is so true, professor. I guess that's what philosophy does; gives us more questions than answers," she said.
"You're right. However, the mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. That is why, tomorrow, it shall be moved to a new home and I ask you, Emaline to not go looking for it again. I've said the same thing to Harry before and now I say it to you: It does not dwell on dreams then forget to live. Now let's head back to the Hut and welcome in the New Year."
"Professor Dumbledore?" Emaline said, "Can I ask you something?" She stood up.
"I think you just did, my dear. But you are free to ask me another."
"What is it that you see when you look in the mirror?"
"Well...I see myself holding a pair of socks. Nice, thick, woolen ones."
Emaline had the most confused look on her face and stared. "Socks, sir?"
"One can never have enough socks, Emaline," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
"Ah, Emaline and Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid said as they walked inside the hut, "It's almost time! I have to get the fireworks ready." Harry and everyone else was eating snacks and talking and drinking Butterbeer and having a good time.
"What did Dumbledore want?" Margot asked as she sat down next to Emaline.
"He made me promise not to go looking for the mirror again. And...he also gave me some really good advice and wisdom."
"Dumbledore's a genius, ain't he?" said Harry.
"He sure is. He's one of the wisest people I've ever met."
"Hey guys," said Alice, who was looking at her watch. "I think it's time. One minute until the new year. Hey, Emaline. Do you have that ukulele?"
"I do." She took it out and began tuning it. Hagrid took out some matches and started lighting the fireworks. "Here we go!" he said.
"Ten!" everyone counted down,
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
"Seven!"
"Six!"
"Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Hagrid and Mr. Filch ignited the fuse and the fireworks launched into the air and everyone cheered. Fireworks began to fill the night sky with many colors. Emaline began to sing "Auld Lang Syne" with her ukulele and started playing. As they were singing, it began to snow. "Happy New Year, Emaline!" Harry said.
"Happy New Year, Harry." She gave him a hug. "A-choo!" she said.
"Are you okay, Em?" said Alice.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little cold."
"Hey, Hagrid," said Tulip. "If you don't mind, we're heading back to the Ravenclaw common room."
"All right then," he said, "Good night and happy New Year!"
The girls took some unused snacks from Hagrid's party and brought them back to the Ravenclaw common room. They had a little Butterbeer drinking party and ate their snacks up until three in the morning when everyone finally fell asleep on the couch and the fire was still burning. The only light in the room came from the stars painted on the domed ceiling.
At about 6:00 in the morning, everyone got together to watch the first sunrise of the new year. It was very cold outside.
"I'm cold!" Ron complained. "My face is numb!"
"Whatever, mate. If you don't wanna see the sunrise, just go inside," Fred said.
"Are you sure we'll see the sunrise from out here?" said Harry.
"I'm sure of it," said Emaline.
"See? It's starting to get light," The sun then began to rise up from beyond the mountains, lighting up the entire valley. And everyone began making wishes
"I hope this year will be a good year," said Emaline
"I want Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup," said George.
"Me too," said Fred.
"I want to know more about Nicolas Flamel," said Harry.
"I want Ravenclaw to win the Quidditch Cup," said Alice.
"..." Everyone was looking at Ron.
"Oh? Aren't you going to wish for anything, Ron?" said Tulip.
"What?" he said, "Aren't you supposed to make wishes on the first sunrise of the year?"
"Yes," said Margot. "People usually make wishes."
"Okay then. I wish Emaline could stay with us until the year ends." She looked at Ron and smiled.
"I wish I could stay the entire year, too."
This may have been the best New Year's Emaline has ever had.