ᴀ ᴅ ʀ ɪ ᴇ ɴ ɴ ᴇ [1]

17. desperate desires

chapter seventeen

DESPERATE DESIRES

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"WANT TO PLAY CHESS, ADA, HARRY?"

"No," we say blankly in union.

". . .want to go down and visit Hagrid?"

"No. . . you go. . ." says Harry nonchalantly.

"He's probably still horribly hungover from yesterday, anyway," I add plainly.

"I know what you two're thinking about - that mirror. Don't go back tonight," Ron says, his voice strong and serious.

"Why not?" I ask from where I'm lying perfectly still on a couch in the Gryffindor common room, watching the flames of the fire flicker hypnotically.

I honestly don't know what I want. Half of me wants to go back, see if the mirror shows me something yet again different, to know what it is, and the other half wants to stay well away, forget everything that ever happened in that room.

"I dunno - I've just got a bad feeling about it. And anyway, you've had far too many close shaves already; Filch, Snape, and Mrs Norris. So what if two of the three can't see you? What if you run into them or knock something over?"

"You sound like Hermione."

"It's honestly quite annoying."

"I'm serious, Harry, Ada, there's something really messed up about that mirror. Don't go back."

I sigh, my annoyance at his Hermione-ish tone resolving my mind. I'm going back to that mirror tonight, and nothing Ron says is going to stop me. I turn my head to look at Harry, who's sitting on the floor with his back against the sofa, and see the determination in his eyes. I nod.

* * *

The third night, we find our way much faster than before, perhaps because we know where we're going and I'm not trying to mislead us. We're walking fast, almost running, making more noise than we know is wise, but we don't care and no one comes running.

We make it to the mirror room, Harry letting me go first in front of the mirror. I only get a glimpse, though, of a tall, faintly smiling, ethereal girl lying in the arms of another tall, strong boy, who's bending over her, shoulders shaking, in a large, crowded, cathedral-like hall, before a smooth, calm voice cuts through the silence, breaking my confusion at looking upon a half happy, half teary scene.

"So - back again, Harry, Adrienne?"

I freeze, feeling as though my insides have turned to ice, and turn slowly around. Sitting on the desks behind Harry and I is none other than Albus Dumbledore, smiling bemusedly. We must have walked right past him, not noticing in our urgency to get to the mirror.

"I-I didn't see you, sir," Harry stammers.

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," says Dumbledore, and I'm relieved to see that he's still smiling.

I exchange nervous a glance with Harry as Dumbledore slips off the desk, and makes his way over to us.

"So," Dumbledore continues, "you two, like hundreds before, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I expect you know what it does by now?"

"It - well - it showed Ada and I our family," Harry says awkwardly, and I see Dumbledore's eyes flash in my direction when Harry says my name, almost as if he knows what I actually saw.