Waltz of Sinners

8

Sera laid wide awake on her bed her mind whirling with plans after plans. She hadn't expected the night to go as it had but she was glad. She would need all the allies she could get if she wished to make it out alive after all Dumbledore was both a political figure and a powerful wizard. As for Voldemort she had no idea what to make of him. The man obviously wasn't a maniac when he began, he had ideals and goals before the decent into sheer madness but even then the question arose: 'why target the Potters and Longbottoms.'

She sighed before getting up. Her eyes landed on the invisibility cloak and a grip made its way on her lips. She silently slipped out of the bed step light from years of sneaking around the Dursley house for food and quickly threw on the invisibility cloak. She wandered aimlessly around the castle, it feels different at night. The long hallway drenched in darkness only illuminated by soft lights on the wall gives a rather ominous feel. She walks up staircases and ducks in and out of corridors and feels as if she is going in roundabout. She could almost feel the amusement from the stone castle almost as if it was sentient. Curious, she reaches out and the magic around the castle and feels it curl backward almost like a cat, playful but wary so Sera waits and lets her carefully controlled magic loose waiting for it to reach and the magic around the castle pulse as it come into contact with her own.

"Hello" she spoke softly lips curving upwards

The foreign magic curls around hers almost shy playful nudging her own.

"You're very beautiful"

She admits truthfully and lets her intention bleed into her magic like she has read in the books and it seem to work because the magic of Hogwarts cradles her own softly and Sera feels a giddy smile curve her lips. She closes her eyes and breathes in and focusing on Hogwarts magic and that's when it happen her vision zooms in the castle hallway rapidly switching around from one hallway to another turning quickly enough to give her a headache until it reaches a small room with a large antique mirror. Sera blink her eyes open.

"You want me to go there?" She whispered questioningly and the magic seems to agree

"Can you guide me?" she questions softly

At first nothing happened then the candles of the hallway opening on her right seems to shine brighter. Sera smiled tucking her cloak closer she followed.

It led her to a room with a slightly a jar door. Sera narrowed her eyes, her hand automatically seeking her wand. The Hogwarts magic seems to urge her to step inside but Sera could sense high amount of magic coming from behind the door but it didn't seem hostile and Sera prided herself on being very accurate in sensing emotions, that was one of the first thing she perfected when she first discovered magic. It made it easier for her to navigate through the Dursley house or avoid Dudley when he was in one of his Sera hunting mood.

So she steeled herself, trusting the friendly magic to not lead her to her death and pushed open the door. The room appeared to be the same as she had seen, it was just another classroom, abandoned desks and chairs scattered about the room and at the opposite wall stood the same grand mirror she had seen. It was magnificent, standing on two clawed feet and an ornate gold frame and Seraknew instinctively that this was the artefact that had been producing the huge amount of magic she had felt.. She moved forward, her curiosity getting the best of her. There was an inscription above the mirror.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

It wasn't like any language Sera knew and it took her an embarrassingly long minute to realise that the words were simply written backwards.

I show not your face but your hearts desire

She took off her cloak and stepped in front wondering what the mirror would show her. Perhaps her older self, burning the Dursley house or maybe her standing over the dead body of Dumbledore but she was a bit stunned when her reflection stayed for a moment before shifting, the glass looking as though it rippled as the image changed. It once again showed her reflection but this time she was older wearing a very revealing red dress with long auburn hair cascading down her back past her hips as she sat calmly on the balcony railing. She looked content, and happy. This older version of her had the scar on her eye in open with no glamour hiding it. She looked braver than Sera have ever felt, like she knew her place in the world and nothing was going to change it. There was no time turner around her neck only a chain that complemented her dress.