Patrick Stump and the Flying Car Brigade

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

I climbed up the staircase and found the abandoned classroom once again. By this point, the motions were more than familiar to me. I didn't even need the Marauder's Map to find my way. I knew that it wasn't the best idea to keep going to the mirror over and over again. After all, I could get caught, even though I never had.

As I reached for the door handle, I realised that the door was locked. I took out my wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohamora!" I exclaimed, and the door opened. Whoever had locked the door hadn't bothered to put an Anti-Alohamora Charm on it.

I entered the room, and as I did, I saw that Filch's cat, Mrs Norris, was following me. I was a little worried, since Mrs Norris often went off to fetch Filch, but she liked me. I stroked her fur, and she cuddled up against my leg. I then walked up to the mirror, while Mrs Norris stayed back and watched.

As usual, the mirror first showed me my heart's desire, which hadn't changed since the start of the school year. If anything, it had grown stronger. All I wanted was to stay at Hogwarts, even though that desire now seemed out of reach. It would only be a few more months before my dream was completely crushed. As I scanned over the reflection, I noticed that Brendon was among the students waiting to cross the lake. In my dreams, even Brendon had returned and was ready to graduate with his classmates. I also noticed Pete smiling as he watched me cross, and I could only hope that our relationship would last that long. Does he know the way I worship our love? I wondered. It was all just an illusion, but it was one that I desperately wanted to come true.

"Patrick?" I heard Sirius say as the vision faded away. "What are you doing here?"

"I just need to talk to someone," I said. "Everything's gone wrong, and I don't know what to do."

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

I sighed and began to explain. "One of my closest friends became a Death Eater," I said. "I tried to convince him not to do that, but he dropped out and joined them anyways."

"That's a tough situation, but sometimes there's nothing you can do," Sirius said.

"One of our friends joined the Death Eaters too," Lupin added.

"Yes, Peter Pettigrew," Sirius said. "He betrayed James and Lily Potter, and he's the reason why I was in Azkaban. It's noble of you to try to help your friend, but he's not going to turn back if he's truly become a Dark Wizard."

"The Dark Arts are not that simple to defeat," Lupin said.

"I wish they were," I said.

"Don't think that it's your fault that he joined their ranks," Lupin said. "It's not your fault."

"I think that it might be," I said. "I suggested to his girlfriend, Miss Jackson, that she should break up with him. She did, and that's when he started acting strangely. That might have been what led him to become a Death Eater."

"That's still not your fault," Lupin argued. "It was still Brendon's choice."

"Wait a second, is that Mrs Norris?" Sirius interrupted.

"Yes," I said, taking Mrs Norris and picking her up. She purred softly in my arms, looking up at the crack in the mirror.

"She looks even uglier than she did when I was in school," Sirius observed.

"She's not ugly!" I exclaimed.

"I beg to differ, but but how is she still alive?" Lupin asked. "Cats are not supposed to live that long."

Mrs Norris hissed at the mirror. "I don't know, but you're making her angry," I said.

"She never liked us very much," Sirius explained. "We got in trouble with Filch many, many times."

"She sure is an action cat," Lupin added.

"This is off-topic," I said as Mrs Norris jumped out of my arms and ran off. "You still haven't told me what I should do about Brendon."

"Promises are made if you just hold on," Lupin said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, but before I got an answer, another voice interrupted Lupin.

"Patrick, stay away from here," the voice said. "You still have a long life in front of you. There's no need to meddle in the realm of the dead."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Albus Dumbledore," the voice responded.

"Are you really Professor Dumbledore?" I asked. Professor Dumbledore was the headmaster before Professor McGonagall, as well as the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. My father had mentioned him on several occasions.

"Yes," Professor Dumbledore replied. "I will tell you the same thing that I told Harry Potter eighteen years ago. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Remember that, and you will go far."

"I don't know what to do!" I complained. "Everything's gone wrong. I need more dreams and less life."

"You'll understand one day, Patrick," Professor Dumbledore said. I wanted to protest, but all of the voices suddenly went silent. I stood in front of the mirror a few minutes longer, expecting them to return, but none of them did. I left the room, and thankfully, I didn't run into Filch as I returned to the Hufflepuff Common Room. For some reason, talking to Sirius, Lupin, and Dumbledore didn't help. I still didn't have an answer, and I was still afraid that things weren't going to get better.

Maybe Professor Dumbledore was right. Maybe it would serve me better to focus on life instead of impossible dreams, but this was an impossible year. Maybe my impossible dreams would come true. It would be a welcome change after all of the drama that this year had brought. Nevertheless, I still had a lingering sense that wasn't the case. Sometimes, before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger, and this was one of those situations. It could only go down from here.