Better Be Slytherin!

Over the next week, in fact, Snape only entered his mind a couple of times during lessons, and each time with the express purpose of showing him how to erect specific barriers, which he could do better from within, the professor explained. Afterwards, they played chess for an hour or two, or looked at pictures of Harry's Mum, and once, Harry asked if it would be all right to bring his sketch book and pencils, as he had an idea for a drawing. After giving him a funny look, Snape allowed it, and Harry happily drew the man's office again, although this time with the actual bottles and jars of wriggly, weird-looking potion ingredients, and this time with his Mum in front of a cauldron. He gave the picture to Snape at the end of Christmas break, and Snape appeared so overcome with emotion that Harry had to actually turn away so as to give him some privacy.

During the days, after working on his essays, and studying both his Occlumency book as well as the one on Elemental protection that Teddy had given him before the holidays, Harry continued exploring the castle. He stayed well clear of the room with Fluffy in it -- though he had yet to see the cerberus for himself, and wondered briefly if it were as horrible a beast as everyone said -- but explored the library a bit more fully than he'd been able to before. Under his Invisibility Cloak, after all, he could go into the Restricted Section, and no one would know . . . so long as he didn't try to open a book that screamed.

The most interesting thing he found was on the day after New Year's, when he spied Ron Weasley coming out of a room on the fourth floor, a few corridors away from the library. Weasley glanced all around before actually stepping out into the hallway, and he eased the door closed behind him, really quietly, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him going.

Odd, Harry thought. Ron had never struck him as the sneaky type. He peered at the door to the room Ron had exited, and wondered what was hidden inside. Two ways to find out, and one of them might lessen the gap between him and the boy he had once thought would be his friend. Thus, after letting the redhead move past him and go a few steps towards the main staircase, Harry removed the Cloak and rolled it up under his arm. He called out, 'Hey, Weasley. Find anything interesting in there?'

Weasley levitated about three feet, and spun to face Harry. 'What's it to you?'

'Nothin',' Harry replied. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the door Ron had exited from. 'I've been exploring the castle some, and just wondered what was in that room.'

'Nothing.'

'Really? You were in there kind of a long time.' Harry had no idea at all how long Ron had been in the room, but he made an educated guess, based on not having seen much of the other boy since Christmas.

Weasley's face reddened, almost as bright as his hair. 'It's none of your business what I do, Slytherin Sneak!'

Harry held up his hands, thinking of mentioning something about kettles and pots, but refrained. 'Sorry, I was just asking. Thought you might like to share adventures.'

The other boy's eyes narrowed, as if Harry were taking the piss, but then he shrugged in turn. 'I guess. Have you found anything?'

Harry nodded eagerly. 'I found a moaning ghost on the second floor called Myrtle, and the door to the kitchens, too.' Draco had showed him that, of course, but he figured, from the way Weasley put away food, he might enjoy a bit of information like that.

As he'd thought, Weasley perked right up, grinning back at him. 'Yeah? Where is it?'

'When you're facing the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall, take the right hand stairs, like you're going to the Puffies' common room, and then when you come to a picture of a big bowl of fruit, you tickle the pear and the door opens. The Hogwarts House Elves are really great -- they'll give you all kinds of food.' He'd gone to see them a few times this week, in fact -- exploring made him extra hungry -- and they always loaded him down with treats.

'Brilliant!'

Harry grinned. 'Yeah.' Then he gestured again at the door behind him, and asked hesitantly, 'So, what's in there?'

'You'll never believe it,' Weasley said. 'I'm not sure I do, myself.'

'Yeah? Show me.'

'All right, come on. It's brilliant, really,' he said easily as he led Harry to the door. 'I wanted to show someone, actually, but Fred'n George don't give a toss about the future, so they don't even care about what I found.'

'What is it?' Harry asked again, getting excited. Something that showed the future? Could he see himself defeating Voldemort?

'It's a big mirror, but it doesn't just show your reflection.' They entered the room, a dusty and gloomy affair, which looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket -- but propped against the wall facing the two of them was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

What the heck? Harry went closer to the mirror, but dared not look into the face, not yet. 'It shows you the future?' he asked quietly.

'It must do,' Weasley answered. 'I saw myself in it, when I looked, but I was Quidditch Captain, and Head Boy, too. I had the House Cup in my hands.'

'Wow.'

'Yeah.'

Drawing up his courage, Harry went to stand in front of the mirror. At once, he gasped and spun around to see behind him, but only Ron was there, still. But in the mirror . . . he slowly turned around to see a whole crowd standing behind him just like before. At least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder -- but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, under cloaks like his? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?

'What do you see?' Weasley asked.