Complete Story
On the third night, he found his way more quickly than the previous times. He walked faster than would have been wise, because he knew he was making noise, but he didn’t meet anyone. And there were his mother and father, smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers was waving cheerfully. Harry slid down to the floor to sit in front of the mirror. No one was going to stop him from spending the night with his family. No one. Except... So back again, then, Harry?
Harry felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced behind him. Sitting at a desk against the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked right past him, and he’d been so desperate to get to the mirror that he hadn’t noticed him.
“No... I hadn’t seen it, sir.” “It’s funny how nearsighted one can become when invisible,” said Dumbledore, and Harry felt relieved to see him smile. Then Dumbledore continued, stepping down from his desk to sit on the floor with Harry, “You, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised .” “Wish.” “I didn’t know that was its name, sir.” “But I hope you’ve noticed what it does, haven’t you? Well... it showed me my family and—” “And your friend Ron was reflected back as captain.” “How does it know...?” “I don’t need a cloak to be invisible,” said Dumbledore gently. “And now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?” Harry shook his head. “Let me explain. The happiest man on earth can use the Mirror of Erised just like an ordinary mirror—that is to say, he will look into it and see himself exactly as he is.” “Does that help?” Harry thought. Then he said slowly, “It shows us what we want… whatever it is we want…” “Yes and no,” said Dumbledore calmly. “It shows us nothing more and nothing less than our heart’s deepest, most desperate wish. For you, who never knew your family, to see them surrounding you. Ronald Weasley , who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself alone and the best of them all. Yet this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. There have been men who have been consumed by it, fascinated by what they have seen. Or driven mad, not knowing whether what it shows is real or even possible.” He continued, “The mirror will be taken to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to seek it out again. And if you ever come across it, you must be prepared. It is not good to be carried away by dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don’t you put that magnificent cloak back on and go to bed?”
Harry wished he could forget what he had seen in the mirror, but he couldn’t. He began having nightmares. Over and over again, he dreamed that his parents disappeared in a flash of green light, while a high-pitched voice laughed.
The night before classes started, both Ron and Hermione told him it was best not to look for the magic mirror again and that soon when classes started he would forget those bad dreams, but that night was still to come and Harry really didn’t want to dream about the green light and the high-pitched laughing voice again, but in the end Hermione said goodnight to them and the three of them returned to their dormitories.
Harry laid his head on the pillow, and the next thing he knew, he was wandering down a dark corridor that led to a glow shaped like a mirror. But behind him, he heard Hermione’s voice say, “Where are we?” Ron said, “I don’t know!” Harry looked at them and said, “There’s a light up ahead, let’s go for it!” The three boys walked close together, terrified, waiting to see what they would find when they reached the light at the end of the corridor.
The door didn’t look like a door; it was more like a mirror that emitted a silvery, incandescent light. Upon touching what appeared to be the mirror’s glass, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spun around and found themselves looking at their reflections in an old Muggle shop . The shopkeeper asked, “When did you three come into my shop, and what are you looking for?” The children looked at each other, and Hermione replied, “I’m sorry, ma’am, we were just looking, but we’ll be right back!” The three of them headed for the door and left the shop, finding themselves on the sidewalk of a small town that none of them recognized. Ron took a few steps when he felt a sharp pain in one of his feet and let out a loud curse. Harry and Hermione were barefoot, as was Ron, and all three were wearing oversized shirts and shorts.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, then glanced both ways down the cobblestone street until they saw a very tall, elderly man with a beard walking toward them. This man was wearing the strangest Muggle clothes they had ever seen, and the three of them almost burst out laughing. But then the man spoke to them and said, “Well, did you arrive all right?” Harry looked up from the man’s outlandish attire to his face and said, “Professor Dumbledore?” The man smiled at them and said, “Please follow me.” The three children followed the professor down the street for a few minutes.
Hermione was looking at the village and the rustic houses on either side of the road when she asked, “Professor Dumbledore, where are we?” The man turned his head to look at the girl and said, “This is the quaint little village of Godric ’s Village !” Ron asked, “What are we doing here?” Dumbledore replied, “Taking a walk!” The children looked at each other, unsure how to respond, and before they could ask anything else, Dumbledore opened the gate of a house and said, “Come in!” The three of them followed Professor Dumbledore inside, and he reached the door of the rustic house, but turned and said, “Please behave yourselves and be very polite!” Then, without another word, he knocked on the door, and when it opened, he went inside, while they stayed outside in the garden, looking around.
When Professor Dumbledore left the house, he said, “You’ll be spending some time here. Enjoy your stay.” Then Dumbledore crossed the garden and stepped back out onto the cobblestone street, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The children looked at each other, confused about what Professor Dumbledore meant, but before any of them could speak, they heard a woman’s voice say, “Hello, children! Professor Dumbledore has asked us to look after you for a while. My name is Lily Potter; this is my husband, James, and this is my son, Harry.”
Ron and Hermione glanced at the woman, the man, and the child, then abruptly turned their heads to look at their friend Harry. But Harry was staring at the woman and the man, noticing that the woman’s eyes were identical to his own and the man’s hair was just like his. His thoughts were interrupted when Hermione nudged him in the ribs to hear his friends introduce themselves to the adults. Hermione said, “Good morning! My name is Hermione Granger .” Ron said, “Hi, I’m Ron Weasley !” But Harry remained silent, staring at the adults. When they noticed him, they approached and saw him begin to cry. It was then that Lilly took her young son and placed him in Hermione’s arms. Hermione gazed at little Harry and then looked at Ron, who couldn’t understand what was happening. They both watched as the adults approached Harry until Lilly hugged him tightly and said, “Harry? Are you Harry?” Harry was so excited that he could only nod his head, then he hugged his parents tightly and began to cry uncontrollably.
Hermione took Ron by the arm and led him inside the house where they waited for Harry and his parents to enter. When they finally came in, Hermione mustered her courage and asked, “How...?” But James raised his hand and said, “Professor Dumbledore asked us not to ask you any questions... he just said you need to spend some time here with us, and that’s all that matters to us. So please, no questions!” The children looked at each other and nodded.
Lilly held 11-year-old Harry in her loving arms, and James picked up 1-year-old Harry and held him in his arms, then asked, “I just want some basic information! Are you Harry’s classmates at Hogwarts?” Ron said, “Yes! All three of us study at Hogwarts and we’re in Gryffindor House . My parents are Arthur and Molly.” Weasley , then Hermione says: I’m Muggle -born , my parents are dentists. Lilly smiles at James’s dismayed expression about “dentists” and then Lilly says to Hermione: I’m Muggle -born too , and I know what dentists are; she turns to James and says: Relax! Dentists are healers who take care of Muggle teeth . James, surprised, says: Really?! And both Lilly and Hermione nod their heads with knowing smiles.
Around mid-morning, as the sunlight moved from the center of the room toward the window, a loud roar was heard, followed by two smaller ones. Hermione glared at Ron, and Lilly asked if they had already eaten breakfast. Ron looked at Hermione’s angry face, then, looking down at the floor, said, “Sorry! But no. I haven’t eaten yet!” Lilly looked questioningly at Hermione, who shook her head. Then Lilly said to Harry, “Harry, I need you to let go of me so I can go make breakfast,” but Harry didn’t want to let go of his mother. It was then that Hermione stood up and said to James, “Please, give me Harry.” James handed the little boy to Hermione, and they heard Hermione say to Harry, who was with his mother, “Harry, all done. Now go and hug your dad!” Lilly and James smiled, and Harry left his mother to fall into a tight hug with his father, James.
Half an hour later, Lilly calls them into the kitchen to serve breakfast, and Ron says, ” Wow ! Mrs. Potter, this breakfast is as big as the one my mother makes for my six brothers, my parents, and me!” Lilly replies, “Thank you, Ron! But this breakfast is just for the three of you, so you can have as much as you like.” When Ron looks at Mrs. Potter, he says, “Yes, thank you very much!” And when he looks at Hermione, he sees her making that gesture that says, “Careful not to have more than two helpings!” So Ron sits down in silence and helps himself to the wonderful feast prepared by Mrs. Potter.
While the children are having breakfast, James begins recounting his pranks from his student days at Hogwarts with his friends; Ron, Hermione, and Harry listen with amusement. When James finishes his stories, Ron tells them how the three of them met on the Hogwarts Express, Dumbledore’s warning about the third floor, the midnight duel and what happened with the monstrous three-headed dog on the third floor, the Quidditch match , and the Mirror of Erised . Lilly interrupts Ron, saying, “These three have gotten into more trouble in a few months than you and your friends did in seven years at Hogwarts.” James smiles and says, “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing!”
Ron and Hermione volunteered to do the dishes so Harry could spend more time with his parents talking about personal things. At midday, Hermione helped Lilly prepare lunch, and in the afternoon they played some games like normal families do. Harry, Lilly, and Hermione taught James and Ron some Muggle games , but they were constantly confused and ended up doing the opposite of what they were supposed to do.
At dusk, they went for a walk through the village and visited the Muggle church next to the cemetery. They strolled through other streets, greeting people who were undoubtedly from magical families. That evening, they had dinner together, and when James, trying to act like a responsible father, said, “Look at the time! Well, children, it’s time for bed!” Lilly looked at him with a smile, and James said, “Isn’t this what I’m supposed to do as a father?” Lilly took Harry and Hermione by the hands and said to Ron, “Come with us.” James said, “Please bring little Harry here!” They all went up to little Harry’s room and watched as Lilly placed him in his crib, and he fell asleep instantly. Afterward, they went to the guest room, where Lilly pointed to a bed for Hermione and said, “You can sleep there!” Then she turned to Ron and Harry and said, “You two will share that bed!” After tucking them in and giving Ron and Hermione a goodnight kiss; James and Lilly gave their son Harry a big goodnight hug and kisses, and he fell fast asleep.
In the morning, when Harry woke up, he was in his four-poster bed with dark red velvet curtains, and when he drew back the curtains, he saw Ron waking up in his own bed. Harry thought he had had a wonderful dream and got up to go have breakfast with Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall.
When the five children left the bedroom, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore appeared. McGonagall asked, ” Albus, do you think Potter will believe it was just a dream, or was it real?” As she spoke, she slipped a Time-Turner into her pocket. Professor Dumbledore replied, “For Harry, this will be the best memory of his life, and this memory—which he won’t know if it was real or not—will be very useful to him one day. You’ll see!”
END.
