21: Invisibility Cloak and The Mirror

Eternal life is a pursuit sought after in every corner of existence. 

The Philosopher's Stone, though not granting immortality in the strictest sense, comes close enough.

"If I had the Philosopher's Stone, it would greatly aid in my alchemical creations."

Of course, John was merely musing. The Philosopher's Stone seemed to be a legendary artifact, with no one having seen it in reality.

This thought, however, did remind John that delving into alchemy might help him master **Goblin Forging** more quickly.

"The Restricted Section might have something useful. I should check it out."

Acting on this idea, John cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself.

Leaving the Room of Requirement, he made his way towards the library on the fifth floor.

To ensure he wouldn't be caught, John took out the Marauder's Map.

"Harry's out?"

John noticed Harry leaving the Gryffindor Tower, guessing he was out for a night stroll.

Seeing his direction, it seemed like Harry might have a similar goal.

However, upon reaching the Restricted Section, John didn't see Harry.

Puzzled, he then saw the latch of the Restricted Section door open on its own.

"Invisibility Cloak."

With the answer in his mind, John remembered that Harry had an Invisibility Cloak, which he must have received by now.

Before the door closed, John slipped in behind him.

Feeling a mischievous urge, John didn't reveal himself immediately but watched as Harry took off the cloak.

Harry's lantern swayed back and forth as he searched the shelves for any trace of Nicolas Flamel. He was so nervous that he even heard faint whispers from the books, unsure if they were real or just his imagination.

Searching through the vast collection of books, Harry needed a place to start.

He carefully placed the lantern on the ground, peering at the bottom shelves for something intriguing.

Suddenly, he spotted a large black and silver book and, without thinking, pulled it out forcefully.

"Stop!"

John saw the book and tried to stop Harry, but it was too late. Startled by the sudden shout, Harry instinctively opened the book.

"Ah—!"

A piercing, blood-curdling scream shattered the silence.

The entire book screamed, making Harry's ears hurt. He quickly snapped the book shut.

But it was too late; the screaming didn't stop. Panicked, Harry knocked over the lantern as he retreated.

In his panic, he forgot about the voice that had spoken earlier.

Putting the book back on the shelf, he threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself and bolted for the exit.

Filch, drawn by the noise, arrived with a furious look in his eyes. Harry barely managed to slip under Filch's outstretched arms.

Running blindly, Harry lost his way without the lantern to guide him.

Harry finally skidded to a stop in front of a tall suit of armor, still hearing Filch's tattling voice echoing in his ears.

Around the corner came Snape and Filch. Harry could only step back cautiously, making no sound as he squeezed into an open door on his left.

Pressing against the wall, Harry listened to their footsteps recede, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He removed the Invisibility Cloak.

Just when he thought he was safe and began to look around the room, the slightly ajar wooden door opened.

Harry didn't see anyone enter, feeling as if the room were haunted.

His hairs stood on end, and he stepped back in fear.

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder. He opened his mouth to scream, but another hand covered it.

"Shh, you'll get us in trouble."

"John?"

Recognizing the familiar voice, Harry turned to see John Wick seemingly appear out of nowhere.

John sighed, regretting his earlier prank. Now Snape knew someone had been in the library and was still wandering around.

"Was that voice earlier yours? How did you do it? Do you have an Invisibility Cloak too?"

Harry's rapid-fire questions showed his astonishment. John, feeling overwhelmed, decided to change the subject. "How about we check out this place first? I've never been in here."

Hearing this, Harry began to take in his surroundings.

It looked like an unused, abandoned classroom. Many desks and chairs were piled up against the walls, casting large, dark shadows.

There was also an overturned wastebasket, but what caught their attention was something on the wall directly opposite them, standing out from its surroundings.

John also noticed the mirror. It was a very grand mirror, almost as tall as the ceiling.

It had an ornate gold frame, supported by claw-like feet at the base.

At the top, there was an inscription. John read it out loud, "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."

It was a very strange mirror.

Being a Gryffindor, Harry fearlessly walked towards it.

The next second, Harry stood in front of the mirror, utterly terrified.

"What's wrong?"

John approached, not understanding. Harry's breathing became rapid, and the color drained from his face.

"There are lots of people in the mirror, at least a dozen. They're all standing behind me."

Harry's words made John pause. He leaned in to take a look.

At first, he saw nothing... but then!

John saw tables full of Spicy delicacies beside him in the mirror. His eyes widened.

Rubbing his eyes, John looked again and saw himself enjoying the food.

Not only that, the reflection of John was wearing luxurious wizard robes, appeared to be in his twenties, holding the Elder Wand, and had a First Class Order of Merlin pinned to his chest.

Recalling the plot from his memory, John muttered to himself, "The Mirror of Erised?"

He remembered that this mirror wasn't supposed to appear until much later. Why was it here now?

"John, I think they're my family."

Harry saw a gentle, beautiful woman behind his reflection in the mirror. She was smiling, her eyes filled with love.

Next to her was a man with black hair and glasses, his hair as messy as Harry's.

Harry felt they were his parents. Not just his parents, but other relatives too, sharing his green eyes.

These were the people Harry longed for most. He gazed hungrily at the mirror, unwilling to look away even for a second.

He placed his hands on the mirror, as if doing so would let him join his family inside.

Seeing Harry becoming entranced, John pulled him away from the mirror.

"We should leave. Filch and the others might come back."

Though reluctant, Harry agreed.

He put on the invisibility cloak and invited John to leave with him. John smiled mysteriously and said, "I don't need it."

Taking out his wand, John gave it a gentle wave and vanished before Harry's eyes.

In disbelief, Harry tentatively called out, "John, are you still here?"

"Of course I am."

Hearing the response, Harry reached out and felt John's face.

"Careful, you almost poked my eye."

Hearing this, Harry sheepishly withdrew his hand.

Before leaving the room, John paused and looked toward the side of the mirror, where a silver-haired old man seemed to appear but then vanished in a blink.

"Dumbledore?"

Certain that he hadn't imagined it, John realized that Dumbledore had placed the mirror there.

With that realization, he felt reassured that Harry wouldn't be in danger.

At the stairwell, John parted ways with Harry and made a trip to the Restricted Section of the library. There, he found a book on ancient alchemy, "The Supreme Alchemy," and brought it back to his dormitory.

After reading for a while, he began to feel dizzy.

The content was too profound, much like "Goblin Forging," requiring a solid foundation of knowledge.

"Trying to do too much at once won't work. I need to start from the basics."

Placing the book under his pillow, John opened the Marauder's Map and saw Quirrell heading out of Hogwarts.

John hesitated, wondering if he should follow.

But after some thought, he decided against it.

Even without considering Voldemort, Professor Quirrell alone was not someone he could handle.

Unless he had the element of surprise, the difference in their magical power was too great.

And without a powerful attack spell like the Killing Curse, if he were discovered, it would likely be a fight to the death.

The Christmas holidays were still not over.

During this time, John made several trips to the library, bringing back many books on basic alchemy.

He intensely supplemented his alchemical knowledge, but it still wasn't enough.

However, in one of the books about ancient alchemy, he found a mention of Nicolas Flamel.

"Nicolas Flamel, known as the sole creator of the Philosopher's Stone."

Reading this, John's thoughts raced.

He remembered that in Harry Potter's first year, what was being guarded was the Philosopher's Stone.

And this item could save John a lot of time, allowing him to directly utilize the highest level of alchemy.

"The Philosopher's Stone..."

As he touched the entry about the Philosopher's Stone, the thought of immortality crossed his mind but quickly faded.

He recalled that immortality had significant drawbacks: not only did it erode emotions, but more importantly, it made the body extremely fragile.

Such an existence would be worse than death for John.

"Maybe I should tell Harry and the others."

These days, Harry and his friends were close to giving up.