Mirror Mirror

Harry sits up from his bed as something brushes over his Occlumency shields... Nanthisk and Nick were still asleep, leading him to believe it was singularly focused on him alone.

He shivers as it occurs with more force, scratching at his shields like a crowbar prying a window open... He could tell by the pull it wasn't innately dangerous however, so, he grips Trorg's statue in his pocket and makes his way out of the dungeon.

There were only two real culprits this could be, either Quirrel or Dumbledore... Due to the fact the spell was easily bypassing all the school's wards, he was leaning toward the latter.

Following the compulsion spell, he soon finds himself in a secluded room with a single familiar mirror standing in the centre. The Mirror of Erised.

When the urge to stand in front of it became larger, he realised what was happening... Dumbledore wanted to discover his true nature via the artifact. Well, might as well give him something to think about...

Stepping in front of it, the image of a demonic version of himself and Kali appears, though this time there were some other blacked-out figures standing behind them. He felt the compulsion push him to speak about what he saw.

"That's not my reflection... I see, love and prosperity across the world, a place where muggles and magicals live in harmony." he says, feeling amused at the forcefulness of the next spell, "I see myself, smiling and waving with a woman, she has-, red hair? There's two children, a boy and girl...? Just what is this thing?" he wonders aloud, and can only grit his teeth when the compulsion slams harder as if it were screaming in his mind.

"What do you want from me, mirror!? To make fun of my dreams!? I don't care if you don't believe it, but there will eventually be peace!" he shouts before stomping away and slamming the door behind him... Then bursting into laughter once he's alone.

Inside the room, Dumbledore slides off the cloak of invisibility with a furrowed brow. "Perhaps the mirror malfunctioned...? No-no... What an irritating quandary."

-------------------------

The next morning Kali arrives and sits herself on Harry's shoulder, quickly noting the larger amount of free space that students were giving around him.

"So... It finally happened huh, master?" she drawls.

"Meaning?"

"You finally killed someone..." she states, turning to look at the rest of the hall who were either glaring daggers at him or simply looking uncomfortable in his mere presence.

"No... But I got close one of the Pure-Bloods decided to use the torture curse on me. I returned the favour, and now the three look like they're being IV-dripped cocaine." he glances at Malfoy, Crabb, and Goyle, who were all struggling to put food in their mouths without spilling it.

"Ah... That makes sense since you haven't been run out of the school yet. I have some news by the way, our lawyers have finally put forth a proposal to the Wizengamot. Hopefully we'll hear something this year, though, with how slow this society is, I sincerely doubt it."

Harry sighs, "I've been doing some reading and I think I know what I want to do with the Grail."

"Hoh?" she perks up.

"Since it seems to only work for the most devout Catholics, we need to alter it... And I've discovered just the ritual, one the Celts used in a past attempt to rid Ireland of the monotheistic invaders. And would you look at that, Saint Patrick's day isn't far away."

"Hm, what will you need?"

"As many clovers with four leaves and above as you can find, the right hand and tongues of five devout Christians, the blood of an unworthy priest, and a box of snake eggs."

"As you wish, but I'll have you explain why you need these things on the day."

He nods and idly turns his attention to the Gryffindor table, where Hermione turns away as their eyes meet. He snorts and shakes his head, as disappointed as he is annoyed.

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Later in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione raises her head from her book with a severe frown. She'd been unable to forget that day, and she felt almost scarred by it and everything else that had happened.

She hadn't even dared go back to the library, both because she couldn't forget the Slytherin trio's screams and the fact she feared meeting Harry there. She felt like her world was crumbling around her, and she couldn't do anything about it.

How did such a nice, heroic boy turn out like that?... No, she knew the answer, she just didn't want to admit it to herself. The things his relatives had put him through, that Dumbledore had put him through, of course he would act like that when attacked, especially with an Unforgivable Curse.

She was conflicted. Part of her wanted to visit him and return things to normal, studying and complaining about how stupid everyone is. Yet, the way he'd threatened her lingered in her mind, that manic grin on his face as he did so... It honestly wouldn't surprise if it turned out he was possessed.

"You alright Hermione...?" Neville asks as he sits in the chair beside her, "You look like you haven't been sleeping right."

...

"Neville... Can I ask you something?"

He nods, "Sure, whatever you need."

"If, say, hypothetically, someone you knew was hit with the torture curse, would it be right to do the same to them...?" she slowly, quietly questions. At his quickly darkening expression, she realises that she must've hit a nerve.

"Hypothetically?" he retorts more harshly than she'd ever heard him speak before.

She nods, "Hypothetically... If you don't like the question then forget about it-"

"No. I have an answer, I'm just wondering where it's coming from." he says, quickly inferring it involved Harry Potter in some way, considering the sudden distance between her and him, and the recent s situation involving Malfoy.

"If someone tried to use the curse on me, I'd torture them until their brain leaked out of their skulls." he growls, "Anyone who uses them on people deserves the same done to them. They're evil, and not even the kiss is enough punishment for them."

...

"I see... Thank you..." she mutters, now sure she'd made a mistake... If Neville, someone who believed completely in Dumbledore thought that, then Harry must be in the right somehow, even if she found it completely abhorrent.