We Met In The Shadows.

The Strangest Night I Had

As the door closed softly behind him, Harry felt the cloak slip off his shoulders. He heaved a sigh of relief, having managed to slip past Snape and Filch undetected. They walked past the door, unaware of him. The door shut with a soft thud. It took Harry a few seconds to catch his breath before he began noticing the room.

It seemed to be an abandoned classroom. Chairs and tables lined the walls, with lots of space to move around in the centre. At the front of the classroom, there was a large mirror propped against the wall. It was impressive, stretching nearly as far as the ceiling would go. However, there was something even more peculiar in front of the grand mirror – a girl. She was staring at Harry with an unreadable expression.

She had wavy golden hair that flowed down to her shoulders. Her eyes were an icy blue, and they were currently boring into his. She furrowed her brows, before speaking.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" asked the mysterious girl, surprising Harry.

He said, "Uh... I was just exploring the school. W-what are you doing here?"

"That's none of your business, Potter. Now go away," said the girl, "before you get the both of us caught."

Harry, however, was curious. He had seen the magnificent mirror the girl had resumed staring at. The gold-embellished frame of the mirror was standing on two ornate golden feet. It had an engraving on the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi , it read.

Harry had little idea as to what it could mean, or what language it was written in. The girl turned and huffed.

"You're still not gone? What do you want?"

"Why are you sitting in front of this mirror?" Harry asked.

"I already told you, it's none of your business. Why don't you leave already?"

"Uh, I will, if you tell me what you're doing." Harry, gathering up his Gryffindor courage, managed to stand his ground under her piercing gaze.

"Fine. You had better leave after this." said the girl, clearly irritated. "Stand here, where I was standing, and look into the mirror. Tell me what you see."

Harry obliged, and stood in front of the mirror. When he looked into the reflection, he could see two older people standing behind him. The woman on his left had dark red hair and emerald eyes, similar to his. She was very beautiful. The man on his right had black hair, which seemed to be really messy and unkempt. He looked at the man and woman, who smiled in return. That's when it dawned on him– the man and woman seemed hauntingly familiar, because they were Harry's parents.

"Mum... and Dad?" Harry asked in disbelief. The couple nodded and smiled at him.

"So you see your parents? I thought so." The girl looked at Harry and smiled slightly.

"Wh-what is this mirror? Why can I see my parents?" Harry was still stunned from seeing his parents, he couldn't peel his eyes off them.

"Haven't you realised yet? This mirror shows the deepest desires of your heart. You're an orphan, so it's only natural you would want to meet your parents." she said.

"Why- wait. How do you know so much about me?" Harry was surprised.

The girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "How dense are you, Potter? Everyone knows the basic details about you. You're famous, for Merlin's sake."

"Right. I'm not used to this fame yet." Harry commented. He did not like his celebrity status, and he definitely did not like how others kept on recognising him. It was disconcerting.

"What do you see?" asked Harry.

"That's personal. I hope you understand that I'm not comfortable sharing this with you." the girl said, with a sheepish shrug.