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Chapter 77 - Chapter 77 : The Mirror's Reflection

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"It's an alchemic charm." Harry stated blushing. "This specific one is of the enhancing type and it's designed to help you with your spell work." Harry explained. "The sigil allows it to store the unused magic which gets left behind when casting a spell; you can then use it anytime you want by simply clutching the charm when you cast another spell…" The boy concluded blushing deeply. Severus just stared on.

"And you made this by yourself?" Severus asked, looking at the charm with awe, sitting back in his armchair.

"Well, I asked Nicholas to send me the ingredients by owl but I designed the sigil and put the charm together, casting the spells needed for the past month or so myself. I know it's not much but…"

"Harry." Severus stopped him and looked straight into his eyes. "This," he started pointing at the charm "is a very rare, very valuable magical artifact. And for you making it by yourself…"

"But it's basic sigil-smith." Harry stated. "Any alchemist can…"

"And how many alchemists are there? That are active today I mean." Severus asked seriously. "And from them, how many do you think would part with such a charm willingly?" Harry looked at him confused, never having considered the fact before; how many other alchemists were there? "Very few, I can assure you." Severus offered as if reading his mind. "And none of them at Nicholas's level. Trust me when I say, this charm is… it's exceptional, Harry." Harry blushed even more.

"Thanks." He muttered inaudibly as Severus pulled him into a hug.

"Have I mentioned you're a genius lately?" And they both laughed. Harry soon had to leave as it was now almost curfew; he placed both books in his bag and bid Severus goodbye, leaving him staring at the charm before having to go out for his rounds. Harry himself skipped to the Gryffindor tower. The moment he entered the common room, he headed straight for his bed, as fast as he could without actually running, pulled the curtains around him and pulled out Nicholas's present from his bag; he wasn't sure how long he had been reading -it must have been hours- but his attention was suddenly captured by the sound of a trunk opening and closing, disturbing the otherwise quiet room. The green eyed wizard peaked behind his curtains slightly and barely managed to catch sight of his brother before he disappeared under the invisibility cloak; and it had been such a lovely day so far…

Harry held back a sigh and stood up to follow his brother, quickly casting tracing spell on him as he walked through the common room's opening; he would just have to be extra careful and hope Adrian didn't choose to go past the areas Severus would be patrolling for the night. Which meant what? The area around the library? Goblins' gold! Could his brother truly be heading… No way! But, as Harry came to realize, Adrian was indeed heading for the library. Hiding in the shadows, the younger Potter twin followed his brother's trace through the school and waited outside as he entered the library; it would be no use to follow him in there. He didn't have the cloak and besides, he had a pretty good idea where his brother was headed. If he was right he would only have to wait for a couple of minutes before…

An expected piercing scream broke the silence of the night into teeny tiny pieces. Maybe Adrian should heed Hermione's advice for once and read Hogwarts A History. If he had read it, he would have known that all books in the restricted section scream bloody murder if a student tried to read them without permission. Not one to disappoint, Filch appeared through a hidden passageway -Harry made a mental note to remember that one- and run straight for the library, his cat Mrs. Norris following closely. The trace he had placed on his brother clearly indicated he had ran right under Filch's extended arm -the irony- and was now running towards the East Wing and away from the Grand Staircase. Something told him that his brother was completely lost.

Harry waited for Filch to exit the library and enter the same hidden passageway through which he had come from before following his brother. While moving thus hidden, he could hear two pairs of footsteps coming his way; one had to be Filch while the other…

"The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them." Severus's falsely cold voice echoed through the corridor as Harry hid into an empty classroom waiting. When the two men passed him by, he exited the room and kept following his brother's trace. Adrian seemed to be hidden in a classroom two doors from the one he had chosen; he also showed no indication he would leave anytime soon. But what could he be doing in that empty classroom?

Whatever it was, it had already taken him half an hour at least, Harry thought after some more wait. The cluttering of an armor was heard in the distance -probably Peeves was back to his old tricks- and that seemed to remind Adrian he had to move; he exited the classroom almost inaudibly and run back the way he came. Harry would have followed him, but he couldn't help his curiosity piquing; what could lie in that room? He quickly stepped through the door his brother had left slightly open and looked around. On first glance, it looked just like what you'd expect from a presently empty classroom, the desks and chairs pilled up near the wall, their dark forms quite clear in the background. What was out of place however stood right in the middle of the room, claiming his attention.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved on top; Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. What kind of language was that? It wasn't old English for sure… Harry pondered the writing for a few seconds until it hit him. This was a mirror after all; why not read the inscription backwards? I show not your face but your heart's desire. That made more sense in a way and raised more questions at the same time. But what could the inscription mean he wondered, as he finally looked into the mirror. His breath caught in his throat; his reflection showed him as he really was, without his concealment charms. Could he have forgotten to cast them? Of course not! He remembered it quite clearly! As he looked at the mirror again, he noticed his reflection wasn't on its own. He looked behind him, but the room was empty.

Still next to him on the mirror, with one hand on his left shoulder, stood Severus. But not the Severus everybody knew and feared; it was Sev as Harry knew him, his real self. And next to them stood Harry's family; they were all smiling, no trace of the ever present fear in their eyes. Sirius and Prongs didn't look at Sev with disgust and Remus seemed healthier than ever. Harry smiled at the reflection, thinking just how great it could be if… Suddenly he frowned and shook his head. What did the inscription say again? I show not your face… So is that what my heart desires the most? Harry wondered. To be free to be myself and accepted for it? The green eyed wizard touched the image with his fingers once, tentatively. He then sighed and turned his back on the mirror and its false promises; if he ever wanted to make his wish come true, what he really shouldn't do was stand there and waste away wishing; he would have to act. He closed the door behind him and walked away, hating the mirror just a little. And when his brother and Ron disappeared the next night, Harry didn't bother to follow them.

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