human again / hp.

Chapter 15

The dormitory was bathed in moonlight, its soft glow casting long shadows on the walls. I was deeply asleep, lost in dreams of home and the complicated swirl of emotions that came with it.

"Celeste," a voice hissed, urgent and insistent. "Wake up!"

I stirred groggily, blinking into the darkness. Harry's face hovered above mine, his green eyes bright with excitement. Behind him, Ron stood, looking sleepy and slightly annoyed.

"What is it?" I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. "What time is it?"

"Late," Ron grumbled. "Too late. This better be good, Harry."

"It is," Harry whispered, glancing around as if someone might overhear. "You won't believe what I found."

That woke me up. "What did you find?"

Harry leaned in, his voice low and urgent. "A mirror. But it's not just any mirror. I saw my parents in it."

That jolted me fully awake. "Your parents?"

He nodded, his expression serious. "It's hard to explain. They were there, standing right in front of me. Smiling. I could see them as clearly as I see you now."

"That's... incredible," I said softly, my heart twisting at the thought.

Ron, still half-asleep, scratched his head. "Are you sure it wasn't just a dream or some kind of enchanted trick? Hogwarts is full of weird stuff, you know."

"It wasn't a dream," Harry insisted. "I'll prove it. Come with me."

I hesitated, glancing at the window. The castle was silent, the kind of deep quiet that only came in the middle of the night. If we got caught, it wouldn't just be detention—it would be the kind of trouble that made McGonagall furious.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Yes," Harry said firmly. "You have to see it."

We crept through the castle, the chill of the stone floors biting at our feet through our slippers. Harry led the way with surprising confidence, as if he'd memorized the route after finding the mirror the first time.

"I couldn't get anything from the Restricted Section," Harry whispered as we walked. "Filch almost caught me. But after I got away, I stumbled on the mirror."

The journey felt endless, every creak of the floorboards or distant echo of something making my heart leap. When we finally reached the room, my nerves were stretched thin.

Harry pushed open the door, revealing a vast, empty space. At the far end of the room stood the mirror, its frame ornate and golden, glinting in the moonlight streaming through a high window.

"That's it," Harry said, his voice reverent.

We approached cautiously. The mirror was taller than any of us, its surface smooth and inviting. Above it, an inscription was etched in curling letters: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, squinting at the words.

"No idea," Harry admitted, already stepping in front of the mirror.

As soon as he did, his face lit up. "There they are," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Mum and Dad."

I stepped forward hesitantly, standing next to Harry. 

"Do you see them?" Harry asked, turning to me.

I shook my head. "No. I don't see your parents."

Instead, the mirror showed something else entirely. I saw myself standing tall, confident, and free. My family stood behind me—not glaring or sneering, but smiling. Accepting. It was a future I hadn't dared to dream about, and the sight of it made my chest ache.

"What do you see?" Ron asked, stepping up beside us.

I hesitated. "Just... something I wish for."

Ron frowned, moving directly in front of the mirror. "Blimey," he breathed after a moment. "I'm holding the Quidditch Cup! And I'm Captain of the team! Harry, this mirror's brilliant!"

"It's more than that," Harry said, his gaze fixed on the reflection of his parents. "It's like it shows your heart's deepest desire."

We stayed there for what felt like hours, taking turns in front of the mirror and marveling at the images it revealed. But as the night wore on, a strange unease began to settle over me.

"This can't be healthy," I said finally, pulling Harry back gently. "It's not real, Harry. Whatever we see in there... it's just a reflection. It's not something we can have."

Harry looked reluctant but nodded, stepping away. "I just wanted to show you. So you'd understand."

"We understand," Ron said, patting Harry on the shoulder. "But Celeste is right. Let's get back to bed before Filch really does catch us."

The next day, Harry was quieter than usual, lost in thought about the mirror. But when I joined him and Ron in the common room after lunch, he looked more animated.

"I heard something last night," he said in a low voice, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"What did you hear?" I asked.

"After I left the Restricted Section, when I tried to get back to the Common Room, I ran into Snape and Quirrell. He was threatening him."

"Threatening him?" I repeated, leaning closer.

Harry nodded grimly. "He said something about knowing where Quirrell's loyalties lay. He was angry—really angry. I couldn't hear everything, but it sounded like Snape's trying to get something from him."

Ron's face darkened. "The dog."

"It has to be," I agreed.

Harry looked between us. "So, Snape's after whatever the dog's guarding, and he's using Quirrell to try and get it. That's what it sounded like, at least."

"Figures," Ron muttered. "Snape's always been a slimy git."

"But why would Snape need Quirrell?" I wondered aloud. "He's a powerful wizard. Why not just take it himself?"

"Maybe he can't," Harry said. "Maybe whatever it is has protections even he can't break."

The three of us sat in silence, the weight of Harry's discoveries settling heavily over us.

"We need to find out more," Harry said firmly.

Ron groaned. "Why can't we just let the professors deal with it? You know, like normal students?"

But I couldn't shake the feeling that Harry was right. Whatever secrets Hogwarts was hiding, we were already in too deep to turn back now.