Chapter 62: Mirror of Erised

After getting the information he needed from Peeves, Luke stopped dwelling on the matter.

No matter what, he was now the person closest to inheriting the legacy of the Hogwarts Founders.

Two encoded journals. A detailed location for the legacy. The conditions for accessing it.

In a way, he had already pushed open the door to a life-changing opportunity, even if just by a crack.

"Parseltongue… is it really such a rare and special talent?"

Back in his dormitory, Luke scribbled on a small notebook.

The lines were simple—horizontal, vertical, dots, and strokes—seemingly random, devoid of clear meaning.

"It shouldn't be. The talent for Parseltongue has been consistently passed down through the generations of the Gaunt family. If it were truly that powerful, it wouldn't have such a stable inheritance pattern."

His quill scratched softly across the page as he wrote. Booker, lying nearby, tilted its head to take a look but couldn't make sense of it. With a sigh, it nestled beside Luke's hand, yawning before closing its eyes.

"Either Slytherin's 'Parseltongue' ability is fundamentally different from this 'Old Snake Speech,' or…"

Luke paused, his hand hovering mid-air, his expression calm yet his gaze betraying a hint of astonishment.

"Could Slytherin's 'Innate magic' be unrelated to his so-called 'gift'?"

The thought felt absurd, but it wasn't entirely implausible.

"Forget it. This is just brainstorming, not solving a case."

Shaking his head, Luke closed the notebook and stretched.

The soothing sound of running water from outside the window usually helped him relax, but tonight, it wasn't working.

In the original trajectory of events, Dumbledore would now be setting up his plans while Voldemort worked to dismantle them. Harry was the key piece in this chess game.

In Luke's plan, Draco was at the forefront, drawing the attention of the aristocratic faction. Luke had no doubt that Lucius Malfoy must be having a hard time these days.

Meanwhile, Harry was supposed to be drawing the attention of both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

However, based on recent events, Dumbledore had already noticed Luke. He had even acted as a witness for the annulment of the Lance family contract, shifting part of his attention to Luke.

For now, Dumbledore had not approached him directly, likely observing from afar.

Voldemort, on the other hand, had given Luke a spell, clearly trying to tempt him—using power as bait to lure him into becoming a servant.

While Voldemort's ideology might have some allure, it was his combination of power and philosophy that gave people an excuse to indulge in their darker impulses. This, perhaps, was why Voldemort had been able to gather followers.

Luke could only speculate, as he didn't know for sure.

Still, since Luke hadn't taken the bait, Voldemort would likely take further steps. Luke had mentioned how troublesome ghosts could be and had expressed doubt about the spell's safety or effectiveness. It seemed inevitable that Voldemort would use the spell on a ghost, hoping to catch Luke's attention and draw him closer.

But what kind of ghost would he choose?

Ordinary ghosts—or perhaps Peeves, whom Luke had specifically mentioned?

Luke thought it would likely be the latter. After all, to demonstrate strength, one needed a sufficiently challenging opponent.

In that case…

Luke chuckled softly.

Voldemort might be formidable, but Luke doubted Peeves would be an easy target. Especially in Voldemort's current weakened state, where he was reduced to clinging to someone's head for survival. Peeves, unpredictable and powerful in his own way, might very well give Voldemort a hard time.

Add to that the exhaustion from the energy Voldemort had spent interacting with the class earlier. His next move…

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound of knocking interrupted his thoughts. Luke's expression sharpened. He quickly placed the notebook back in the drawer and went to answer the door.

"Crabbe? What's up?"

Luke stared in surprise at the chubby boy standing outside his door. Of all people, he hadn't expected Crabbe to come looking for him.

"The Weasley twins are looking for you, Luke," Crabbe said in his usual simple manner. "They're waiting for you in the entrance hall."

He was just delivering the message. After speaking, Crabbe bade Luke farewell and left, likely headed to the Great Hall for dinner.

Luke had initially planned to head to the Great Hall himself, but knowing the twins, they wouldn't call for him without reason. He decided to delay his meal and meet with them first.

Glancing back at Booker, who was still napping, he carefully shut the door and left the Slytherin common room.

Upon arriving in the entrance hall, Luke's gaze first fell on the house point hourglasses. The Slytherin hourglass had far more gemstones than the others, as usual.

It wasn't surprising. Snape frequently deducted points from other houses, and the other Heads of Houses weren't nearly as strict as he was. This made it easier for Slytherin to gain points and harder for them to lose any.

Thanks to Luke inadvertently drawing attention away from Harry and the others, Gryffindor hadn't lost too many points this term. Combined with Hermione's relentless efforts, Gryffindor's points were closely trailing Slytherin's.

Luke couldn't quite remember what the reward was for finishing first in house points, but if possible, he wouldn't mind seeing Slytherin come out on top. Still, he knew the odds weren't in their favor with Dumbledore's tendency to give Gryffindor a last-minute boost.

"Hey, Luke!"

Fred waved from across the hall.

Luke walked over to join them in their corner. Without saying a word, he raised his wand and cast a soundproofing charm around them.

He was really taken aback by Voldemort's sudden arrival last time. Thankfully, he hadn't heard anything sensitive. If he had, Luke couldn't be sure if the twins wouldn't meet an untimely end one day.

"We found something really fun!"

George announced excitedly before Luke could ask.

"What sort of fun thing?"

"This afternoon, we decided to head to Dumbledore's office to tell him about Quirrell," Fred began. "But he wasn't there. On our way back, we passed by an old classroom, and inside was this really strange mirror."

Luke's hand twitched slightly. He already knew what it was.

"When we went in, I looked in the mirror, and I saw myself holding some amazing prank toys. Loads of people were buying them, and I was raking in heaps of gold! I even built a huge house!"

George exclaimed, his excitement spilling over.

"Mine was similar to George's, But instead of a big house, I had an incredible shop. There was a sign with a little clown on it, tipping its hat and making rabbits appear and disappear above its head."

Fred's eyes glimmered with longing as he spoke.

Luke, however, fell silent. He quietly watched Fred, his expression unreadable.

In his memory, Fred and George did open a fantastic shop. It was wildly successful, and they made a fortune.

But later, that shop no longer had Fred's presence.

"Fred and I think it might show the future," George said, throwing an arm around Luke's shoulders with a grin. "So we wanted to take you with us to see it. Ha! We haven't even told Lee Jordan yet!"

"You're our big boss, after all," Fred added with a wink.

Looking at their bright, carefree smiles, Luke forced himself to return one of his own.

Once you truly got to know them, who could possibly harden their heart and accept the thought of these two being separated forever?

*****

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