Chapter 9

It had been a few days since Harry had returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays. The Tonks family had made a lasting impression on the boy, but Harry still couldn't believe that the headmaster had been able to corrupt an artefact like the invisibility cloak. It was unknown what enchantments Dumbledore had put on the cloak, and following Andromeda's advice, Harry was reluctant to put the cloak on.

"Damn old man, he won't leave me alone," Potter pondered angrily as he sat by the fireplace in the faculty lounge.

Luckily, there were no classes today and Harry could do whatever he wanted, especially since Slytherin had already done all of his homework. Deciding to unwind a little, Harry left the faculty lounge and went for a walk around the castle. Luckily, there were still three hours before bedtime. Walking down another corridor, Potter saw a door slightly ajar. Harry decided to find out what was in this room.

Potter took a quick look around the room. It looked like a classroom that hadn't been used in a while. There were desks against the walls and an overturned wastebasket lying in the middle of the room. There was an object leaning against the opposite wall that looked completely foreign to the room. It seemed to have been placed just to keep it out of the way. It was a beautiful ceiling-high mirror in a gold frame decorated with ornaments. The mirror stood on stands that looked like two legs with long claws digging into the floor. On the top of the frame was engraved an inscription:

"Einalei echehar ogeoma sesh avon otsile brit aviza kopya."

"Curse, this is the Mirror of Wishes." According to legend, it was created by Morgana. Hmm, strange, what's it doing here? - Potter recognised the artefact immediately, for Harry had recently been reading a book on artefactology, and one of the chapters was devoted to this mirror. So Harry dared to look into the mirror. In front of him was his reflection.

But after a few moments, the image changed. Harry saw himself, only older. A copy of Potter was sitting on an exquisite throne. A few moments later, two figures appeared in Harry immediately recognised Morgana and Hela. The two black-haired beauties kept their adoring gazes on the grown-up Harry. A few moments later, the two beauties climbed into the boy's lap. Watching all this, the freshman was greatly puzzled.

The boy didn't know that this mirror was part of Dumbledore's cunning plan. The old headmaster wanted to pit Harry against Voldemort when the dark wizard tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone. The Slytherin only suspected that the Headmaster was somehow involved in the mirror situation.

Watching the room with the mirror through a special tracking artefact, the old man frowned slightly as the vision was not one that Dumbledore wanted Harry to see.

" Hmm, that's not quite what I had envisaged. Nevertheless, Harry, my boy, you want very much to have a loving family. But these girls in your vision are not right for you. You need someone to lead you, my boy, down the path of light. I will have to talk to Molly again,' thought Albus Dumbledore, England's chief manipulator.

The next night Potter found the room with the mirror again much quicker than the night before. Harry didn't walk, he flew to get to the mirror as quickly as possible. Although he realised he was making too much noise, he didn't care, especially as no one was in his way.

This time Harry decided to think about his parents. A few moments later, the older Potters came into view.

His mother and father brightened when they saw him, and one of the grandfathers nodded his head, smiling happily at the sight of his grandson. Harry sank to the floor in front of the mirror and told himself that he would come here tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, and.....

Tonight he was going to stay here all night. And nothing was going to stop him from staying here until morning. Nothing and no one. Except--

- So you're here again, Harry?

Harry felt his insides turn to ice. He looked around slowly. Sitting on one of the desks against the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. It looked like Harry had walked past him and didn't notice the professor because he was in too much of a hurry.

- I... I didn't notice you, sir," he muttered.

- It's strange how short-sighted invisibility makes a person," Dumbledore said, and Harry noticed that the professor was smiling. - Dumbledore got up from his desk, walked over to Harry and sank to the floor beside him.

- 'So, you, like hundreds of others before you, have discovered the source of pleasure hidden in the mirror of Einaledge.

- But I hope you already know what that mirror shows. - Dumbledore inquired. After a little thought, Potter decided to tell the truth, and the Slytherin decided to play along with the Headmaster for now.

- It's... well, it's showing me, my family...' Harry began uncertainly.

- 'I'll try to give you an idea. So, listen. The happiest man in the world, when he looks into the Einaledge mirror, will see himself as he is, that is to say, it will be the most ordinary mirror for him. Do you understand me?

Harry thought for a moment.

- It shows us what we want to see," he said slowly, "everything we want to see.

- Yes and no," Dumbledore said softly. - 'It shows us no more and no less than our deepest, most desperate desires. You, who never knew your real family, saw your relatives standing around you. However, the mirror does not give us knowledge or truth. Many people have had their lives broken by standing in front of a mirror. Some because they were mesmerised by what they saw. Others have gone crazy because they couldn't figure out if what the mirror predicted would come true if the future was guaranteed or just possible. This mirror is the most dangerous of Morgana's creations, as you must know," Dumbledore was silent for a moment as if to give Harry time to think.

- The mirror will be moved to another room tomorrow, Harry," he continued. - And I ask you not to look for it again. But if you ever come across it again, you will be ready to face it. You'll be ready if you remember what I'm about to tell you. You can't cling to dreams and daydreams, forgetting the present, forgetting your life.

Harry picked himself up off the floor.

- Sir... Professor Dumbledore," he began hesitantly. - 'Can I ask you one question?

- It seems you've already asked one question. - Dumbledore smiled. - 'However, you may ask another one.

- What do you see when you look in the mirror? - Gasping, Harry muttered.

- I?» - The professor intervened. -I see myself holding a pair of thick woollen socks in my hand. Harry looked at him perplexed.

- A person can't have too many socks," Dumbledore explained. - It's been another Christmas and I haven't received a single pair. People only give me books for some reason."

After saying goodbye to the Headmaster, Harry left the room and headed back to the Slytherin dungeons.

" Yeah, what about socks? Mr Headmaster, despite your vast life experience, you still haven't learnt how to lie. Well, I'll play along for now, Dumbledore, but this is the first and last time. Next year, Mr Headmaster, you won't get that from me. And I'll have to write to Morgana about her mirror being at Hogwarts,' Harry thought as he walked back to the faculty lounge.

"Well, the game has begun. Next move, your Tom, don't disappoint me," thought the Headmaster as he sat down in his chair and started eating his favourite lemon wedges. Finished with the lemon wedges, the old wizard pulled out a sheet of parchment and began writing a letter to Molly Weasley, his most loyal and fanatical follower. It was important to the Headmaster of Hogwarts to start paving the way for Harry and Ginny's rapprochement. The other girls, according to Dumbledore's plan, were completely unsuitable for Harry. Molly Weasley agreed. The woman's passionate desire was to get to the Potter family's wealth.

******

After visiting Morgana's mirror room, Harry immediately wrote a letter to his mentor describing the incident at the mirror, omitting the moment with the first vision. Harry wasn't sure how Morgana and Hela would treat him in the future.

- It's just a vision that won't necessarily come true, Harry tried to convince himself. To distract himself from his thoughts, the first-year student went for a walk around the castle with his friends.

******

Morgana had already finished sorting through the numerous reports when a post owl suddenly flew into the room and spread out stacks of scribbled sheets of parchment. She untied the letter from the bird's paw and began to read Harry's message carefully. When she reached the middle of the letter, Morgana jumped up sharply from her seat. The black-haired wizard's face showed a look of intense indignation turning to rage.

- I don't know how or where you found the Mirror of Wishes, but it has no place among young wizards and warlocks. I'll find out soon enough, though. I will not allow my dangerous artefact to be used in any manipulation, especially involving Harry. I will pull your beard over one spot and make you sit down," the black-haired wizard said angrily, and then quickly left the room. Soon the clap of transgression sounded. Morgana was on her way to Hogwarts.

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