62 Mirror of Erised

Unfortunately I don't see Harry, Hermione, or Clarity throughout the day. I guess they're hanging out with their Houses. Or putting their Christmas presents to use. Which is exactly what I'm doing! And by that, I mean that other than swinging by the Great Hall for breakfast- and then lunch at noon- I mainly spend my day trying to learn the Confringo spell.

Despite what the other students might think, I actually have a difficult time learning the 'proper' way to do spells. Usually it's just me using my natural movement of magic to get the same results as the spell. Even back when I studied spells with Harry and Clarity at her house, it took longer for me to learn them. Though I admittedly got a much better result than them when I finally managed it.

But it's a pretty advanced spell, so it might take me a while to learn it. Hopefully my natural proclivity towards explosions will speed up the process. But even if it doesn't I can still use my natural magic to cause explosions on my own.

And so, with occasional breaks to talk or otherwise hang out with Tracy, That's how I pass the day. Of course I'm tempted to take my 'invisibility cloak' on a test drive, but most people are in their dorms so I can't surprise enough people to make it worthwhile to leave myself. Maybe tomorrow or something.

Before I know it, Tracy is dragging me down to the Great Hall for dinner. And what a dinner it is! The tables are practically overflowing with food! Whole roasted turkeys line the center of each table, mountains of roasted and boiled potatoes, platters of sausages, buckets of buttered peas, silver boats of rich gravy. And to top it all off, stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.

Unlike the party favors the Dursleys usually got- *cough* get, these ones are impressive. The first one I pull doesn't just bang, it blasts like a cannon and engulfs me in blue smoke! And the prize inside is one of those hats from a detective show! I think that they're called fedoras. At the Gryffindor table, I see Harry pull one with Fred and he gets an admiral's hat, and a bunch of white mice pop out too!

A few more pulls shows that there's more than just hats and mice in the poppers. Luminous balloons, a chess set (after the mice I'm not even going to question it), and some more hats later and I decide that I'm done with them. For now. I make sure to pocket a few for experiments later.

Full of the best Christmas Dinner I've ever had, I fall asleep quickly. My night is undisturbed by any dreams.

The next morning, Harry basically charges at me the moment I walk through the doors to the Great Hall. Grabbing my shoulders, he pulls me to the side, a manic look on his face.

"I saw our parents."

I just blink at him. Slowly. "Breakfast?"

He facepalms before guiding me to the Gryffindor table, much to their offense. A Prefect with familiar ginger hair looks like he's having heat stroke, his face is so red. The twins, who judging by the hair are related to him, are simply snickering at his obvious anger. Ron scowls at me as Harry guides me to a seat, then places himself between the two of us. And a few seats down from us is Hermione, who simply waves to say good morning.

"Not good until I have my breakfast." I grumble as I grab some chicken and pile it onto a waffle before dousing the whole thing in maple syrup. I snatch Ron's cup of orange juice before he can take a drink. After taking a large bite and washing it down with my rescued drink, I let out a sigh before looking at Harry, who's trying to calm Ron down. I wonder why?

"So. What was that nonsense you were talking about?"

Frowning, he looks around before motioning for me and Ron to lean in. "So, last night I went out in my Invisibility Cloak- oh, right." He stops and looks at me before I hold up a hand.

"I already know about it. I got one as well 'so we match' they wrote. Though I haven't gotten around to using it yet."

He absorbs that information with a blink before dismissing it. "Oh. Ok then. Well anyways, I went out covered by my Invisibility Cloak last night, and I found a strange room. The only thing in it was a mirror."

I sip from my orange juice. "Sounds cursed."

He scowls at me, causing me to blink. Huh. I guess this is actually serious. Whoops.

"It is not cursed." He takes a deep breath to calm himself before looking into my eyes. "When I looked at the mirror, it didn't show my reflection. Instead, it showed our mum and dad, standing beside me."

I just stare at him for a moment, processing what he just said before hesitantly speaking up. "Did they… do anything?"

He shakes his head. "They just waved at me. But you deserve to see them too. They're both our parents after all. You said you have an invisibility cloak too?" At my nod he continues. "Use it tonight and meet me at the bottom of the Grand Staircase."

He grabs my arm as he stares at me with feverish, excited eyes. "We're both going to see our parents, Misha. It will be like a family reunion!" All I can offer is an uneasy smile in reply.

+~+

It takes a while, but eventually the three of us manage to find the room with the mirror. I say three because, for some reason Ron is here as well. Something about meeting his best friend's parents. And Harry let him come because he was worried he would end up waking someone else up if he wasn't allowed.

Shaking my head, I get rid of my irritation, instead focusing on the mirror. It's certainly impressive. It's as tall as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame and standing on two clawed feet. At the top I can make out an inscription in latin or something. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

Harry immediately casts aside his cloak and walks up to the mirror, smiling at his reflection before turning to me and Ron. "Look! Both of you, come look! They're there! Mum and dad!"

I walk forwards until I can see the mirror perfectly. But the only thing I see reflected in it is Harry. Exchanging a glance with Ron, I can see that we're on the same page for once. Looking back at Harry's excited face, I sigh.

"Harry… we don't see anyone." He freezes as I continue. "The only thing either of us see in it is you, standing in front of it."

He shakes his head in denial. "NO! It's just because you aren't standing in the right spot!" He grabs Ron and pulls him to where he was standing. Right in front of the mirror. Once there, he gasps, making Harry smile.

"See? They're there. Not just Misha and I's mum and dad, but a bunch of our relatives too!" His excitement is palpable, but Ron shakes his head.

"I don't see your family Harry, or mine. I see myself, but older. Not only am I Head Boy, but also captain of the Quidditch team! And I've brought home the Cup!"

Harry frowns. "You must have done something wrong. Here, let Misha try it out." He pulls a struggling Ron away, and I guess now it's my turn to look into the mirror.

I take a breath before stepping forward. It's already clear that it shows different people different things. So now I guess I'll find out what it shows me.

And I'm right. I don't see our parents. Nor do I see some future me accomplished in my interests.

I just see myself with an amused expression looking back. They look me up and down before nodding their head and giving me a thumbs up. And then they blow away as if on the wind, and the only thing left is me as I am. With a confused expression instead of amused.

Thank you to Hedgeboar for the support!