"You saw that, right?" Harry whispered urgently. "Snape is definitely up to no good. And Professor Quirrell was trying to stop him, so Snape was threatening him."
Harry sounded almost relieved—like several confusing puzzle pieces had finally snapped into place.
Victor sighed quietly.
From Harry's angle… yeah, it looked bad. Very bad. Snape pinning Quirrell to a wall in a dark corridor was hardly subtle, and Snape had the unfortunate habit of looking guilty even when he was breathing.
"That's one way to interpret it," Victor said carefully.
Harry frowned beneath the cloak. "One way? He literally threatened him."
"I'm not saying Snape is pleasant," Victor replied dryly. "Or friendly. Or socially functional. But that doesn't automatically make him the villain of the week."
Harry looked unconvinced. "Then why would he do that?"
Victor hesitated.
Because Snape was trying to protect him, obviously—just in the most threatening manner imaginable.
Dumbledore had asked him to keep a close watch on Quirrell, whose behavior had grown increasingly erratic. To observe. To probe. To see whether something darker lurked beneath the stammering façade.
And whether Voldemort had anything at all to do with it.
'Yeah. Couldn't say that.'
"Let's just say," Victor said instead, "that Hogwarts has a talent for making the wrong people look suspicious. Sometimes on purpose."
Harry mulled that over, then shook his head. "No. It has to be Snape. He hates me, he hates Gryffindor, he was injured trying to get past the dog, and now this?"
He ticked the points off on his fingers, clearly very satisfied with his logic.
Victor mentally applauded.
Ten points for deduction.
Minus fifty for the conclusion.
"Wait—someone's coming," Victor whispered.
Before Harry could ask who, Victor tugged him sideways. They slipped into the nearest room just as footsteps echoed down the corridor. The door closed softly behind them, plunging the space into quiet.
Harry's heart was still thumping when he realised where they were.
"…This room," he murmured.
It was empty and dusty, save for one thing standing against the far wall—a tall, ornate mirror, its golden frame carved with strange symbols. A tattered black cloth lay pooled at its base, as if it had been hastily yanked away.
Harry slowly pulled the Invisibility Cloak off his head.
The moment he looked up.
He froze.
In the mirror, he wasn't alone.
Reflected back at him was himself… surrounded by people. A man with messy black hair and kind eyes had a hand on his shoulder. A woman smiled at him, warm and familiar.
Harry's breath caught.
"Mum," he whispered. "Dad…"
'The Mirror of Erised,' Victor thought, eyes flicking to the magical mirror. One of the most remarkable artefacts in the castle—and one of the most dangerous.
It didn't show the future. It didn't show the truth.
It showed desire.
The deepest, most aching want buried in a person's heart—the thing they longed for so fiercely it could eclipse everything else. Stare at it too long, and people forgot to live. They stayed, day after day, chasing a reflection that could never step out of the glass.
That was the real danger.
Not dark magic.
Not curses.
But the quiet way it convinced you that what you wanted mattered more than what was real.
Harry stepped closer, almost without thinking, eyes locked onto the reflection. His hand lifted, as if he might be able to touch them through the glass.
"They're… smiling," Harry said softly. "They're happy to see me."
After a moment, Harry remembered himself and glanced sideways. "Do you see them too?"
Victor shook his head. "No."
The mirror reflects each person's desires, and no one else can see them.
Then Victor leaned closer and looked into the mirror himself.
Honestly, he had no idea what he was expecting.
World domination?
Unlimited power?
A peaceful life with no Dark Lords, no prophecies, and maybe a decent sleep schedule?
That was what Victor expected to see.
Instead… nothing.
He frowned slightly.
'Huh. Even the mirror doesn't know what I desire?' Victor thought. 'That's… new.'
Then the surface of the mirror shifted.
Images began to form.
Victor's eyes widened—just a little.
Because now the mirror showed him standing there, surrounded by women. Hermione was there. Luna too. And then… more women. A lot more.
'…Wow,' Victor thought flatly. 'Really?'
He stared at the reflection, unimpressed.
'This mirror is making me look like a pervert,' he thought, annoyed. 'Sure, fine, that's one desire—but what about wanting to be strong? Or having a happy family? Or, I don't know, not dying horribly?'
The mirror, unbothered, continued showing only that.
Victor looked away with a sigh.
'Stupid mirror,' he muttered. 'Selective interpretation at its finest.'
"What is this mirror?" Harry asked softly, eyes still fixed on the glass. "Why is it showing my parents? They're right there… Mum, Dad…"
He turned toward Victor, confused. "Why can't you see them? Why can only I see this?"
Victor glanced back at the mirror, then away again.
"Yeah… about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm definitely seeing something else."
Harry blinked. "Something else?"
"Trust me," Victor replied flatly. "You're better off not knowing—for the sake of your mental health."
*****
A/N : 🔥 On Patreon, the story has already been updated up to Chapter 49 🔥
⚡ A 15-chapter early access is available for those who want to read ahead ⚡
👉 patreon.com/JakeA30