The Mirror of Erised

Christmas was coming. They could feel it in the blanket of snow that seemed to appear overnight mid-December, freezing the lake solid, and in the cold wind that accompanied them in the corridors between classes. While most of the rest of their house sought refuge by the roaring fires of the Gryffindor common room or the Great Hall, when they weren't bundled in layers to combat the draft, the Weasley twins entertained themselves by bewitching several snowballs to follow Quirrell around and bounce off the back of his turban. Hagrid, meanwhile, had his hands full tending to the owls that had braved the stormy skies to deliver mail. Poor things had to be nursed back to health before they were deemed fit enough to fly again. 

Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons were the worst to have to endure in the cold; though covered properly to stave off the chill, students still struggled to prepare and brew their potions, hands either too frozen or hindered by gloves too thick to allow for proper function. But they endured it to the best of their abilities, ignoring the way their every exhale hung in the air while they huddled as close to their hot cauldrons as they could. 

"I do so feel sorry," Malfoy said during one of these Potions' classes, "for all those who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, especially those who aren't wanted at home." 

His steely eyes were fixed on Harry as he spoke, and he earned a couple of chuckles of agreement from Crabbe and Goyle. Harry and Cheyenne exchanged a silent look but made a point not to react while they measured out some powdered spine of lionfish. Ever since their match against Slytherin, Malfoy had been even more unpleasant to deal with than usual. At first, he'd tried to get everyone laughing at the idea that a wide-mouthed tree frog would soon be replacing Harry as Seeker but had quickly switched tactics once he'd realized nobody found this funny, particularly since everyone was still impressed by how long Harry and Cheyenne had managed to hang onto Harry's bucking broomstick. Enraged and jealous, Malfoy had gone back to taunting Harry about not having a proper family. 

But it was true that Harry wouldn't be going back to Little Whinging for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the common room the previous week, making a list of the students who would be staying at the castle for the holidays, and Harry had signed up immediately. It was one of the decisions Harry made that Cheyenne knew he wouldn't regret; in fact, both were completely certain this Christmas would probably be one of the best ones he'd ever have. Especially since Cheyenne, Ron, and his brothers would be staying, too; Mr. And Mrs. Weasley had planned a trip to Romania to visit Charlie, while Arabella, herself, had some old friends out of town she wanted to see for the holidays, so she'd encouraged Cheyenne to stay at Hogwarts, too. Cheyenne, of course, was over the moon at the prospect of spending Christmas with her best friends, away from home for the very first time. 

At the end of their Potions lesson that day, the quartet of friends were so happy at the chance to escape the icy prison that was the castle dungeons that they were caught off guard when they found their path blocked by a rather large fir tree. They quickly determined, thanks to the two enormous feet they spotted beneath the tree's lowest hanging branches and the heavy breathing they could hear just ahead, that Hagrid must be the one behind this. 

"Hi Hagrid," Ron stuck his head through the branches, getting pine needles stuck in his fiery hair, "Need any help?" 

"Nah, I'm all right." Hagrid paused to look back with a grateful, but tired, smile, "Thank ya, though." 

"Would you mind getting out of the way?" Malfoy's cold drawl drifted up from the dungeons behind them. "Oh, are you trying to earn a bit of pocket money, Weasley? I suppose dreaming of being a gamekeeper yourself one day is prudent, isn't it? That old hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace to you, given what your family is used to." 

Ron's ears turned pink, and he whirled to dive at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs behind him. 

"WEASLEY!" 

Ron scowled as he released the front of Malfoy's robes. 

"Malfoy provoked him, Professor Snape." Hagrid said, leaning to the side so he could be seen around the fir tree, "He was insulin' his family." 

"Need I remind you that, no matter the circumstance, fighting is against school rules, Hagrid?" Snape replied in a silky voice, fixing his dark stare on Ron, "That will be five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and consider yourself grateful it isn't more. Now, move along, all of you." 

Smirking triumphantly, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle shoved roughly past the tree, scattering pine needles over the stone floors. 

"I'll get him." Ron grit out from between clenched teeth, glaring at Malfoys retreating back, "one of these days, when he's least expecting it, I'll -" 

"I hate them both," Harry interjected, "Malfoy and Snape." 

"Ah c'mon, cheer up, it's almost Christmas." Hagrid smiled cheerfully down at them, then cocked his head, suddenly thoughtful, "Tell yeh what, how's about the foura yeh come with me an' see the Great Hall, be a nice treat." 

Exchanging excited smiles, the quartet followed Hagrid upstairs and into the Great Hall, where Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations. 

"Ah, Hagrid, the final tree, thank you – put it in the far corner there, would you?" 

The hall was breathtaking. The walls were covered with an infusion of mistletoe and holly, each side of the hall lined by a dozen towering Christmas trees, some decorated with tiny, sparkling icicles, others with hundreds of warm, glowing candles. 

"How many day've you four got until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked once he'd set the tree down. 

"Just one," Hermione said promptly, "Oh, that reminds me – Harry, Ron, Chey, we've still got half an hour before lunch, so we should head up to the library." 

"Right." Ron tore his gaze away from where Professor Flitwick, who had conjured up a stream of beautiful golden bubbles, was trailing them up over the branches of the newest tree. 

"The library?" Hagrid quirked a brow as he followed them out of the hall, "Just before the holidays? You're all a bit keen, aren't yeh?" 

"Oh, this isn't for school." Harry smiled up at him as Cheyenne nodded. 

"We've been doing research on Nicholas Flamel since after our Quidditch match." 

"You what?" Hagrid froze, eyes wide, "Now you listen here – I've told yeh – just drop it. What that dog's guardin' is nothin' fer any'a yeh to worry yerselves over." 

"All we want to know is who Nicholas Flamel is, Hagrid." Hermione paused on the stairwell leading upstairs to peer back at him. 

"Unless, of course, you'd like to save us the trouble and just tell us...?" Harry suggested, "You know, we've probably been through hundreds of books already and we just can't seem to find him anywhere..." 

"Even just a hint might help." Cheyenne agreed, peering pleadingly up at the giant, "We're sure we've read his name somewhere." 

"I'm sayin' nothin'." Hagrid shook his head stubbornly. 

"Guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves, then." Ron shrugged as they set off for the library, leaving Hagrid to stew in the entrance hall. 

The quartet had, indeed, been searching every book they could think of for Flamel's name, practically from the moment Hagrid had let it slip, just so they could figure out exactly what Snape was trying to get his hands on. The only problem was it was difficult to know where to even begin, since none of them knew what Flamel might have done to get himself immortalized by the written word. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of our Time, not even Important Modern Magical Discoveries, or A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And let's not even get into the sheer size of the school library itself, stocked with tens of thousands of books, upon thousands of shelves and categorized within hundreds of narrow rows. 

Hermione took a list of subjects and titles she'd decided to search through from her pocket while Ron just strode up and down the rows of books, seemingly pulling them out at random. Like Ron, Cheyenne walked the rows, but carefully scanned each book title, selecting what she thought would be useful, and Harry wandered over toward the Restricted Section. He and Cheyenne had wondered a while back if maybe Flamel was in one of the books in there, though they knew they wouldn't be able to go in and check, since students needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to access the restricted books and they were sure none of their teachers would grant them one. The books in that section contained powerful Dark magic that wasn't taught at Hogwarts and were only read by older students in advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

"What are you looking for, boy?" Cheyenne paused as she rounded one of the rows of books and looked up at the voice, frowning as Madam Pince glared over the top of her spectacles at Harry, who turned, looking as though he'd just been pulled back from his thoughts. 

"We're not entirely sure." Cheyenne quickly jumped in, walking over to join them; Madam Pince fixed her glare on the young woman now and Cheyenne smiled warmly, "But, we'll let you know if we need your help, Madam Pince, thank you." The old librarian narrowed her eyes as Cheyenne quickly grabbed Harry by the wrist and hauled him several rows down, out of earshot. 

"You should really be more careful, Harry." Cheyenne sighed once they were out of sight, looking back at him, "You know how Madam Pince gets if she sees students lurking around the Restricted Section." 

"I know..." Harry sighed himself, leaning back into the shelves while Cheyenne scanned the books across from him for anything interesting, "And I know we all agreed we wouldn't ask her about Flamel, but it would make things a lot easier. She'd know what books to look in." 

"Yes, but we can't let word get out about what we're doing, especially not to Snape." Cheyenne murmured, frowning to herself as she wandered further down the aisle. So far, nothing had caught her eye, nothing that would prove useful in their search, anyway. They'd been searching for two weeks straight, but so far, it'd proved fruitless. Granted they'd only been able to come to the library during odd moments between lessons, but still...what they all needed was a proper chance to look without having to rush or worry about Madam Pince breathing down their necks. "Tch, I can't seem to find anything that stands out today..." Cheyenne straightened from checking the lower shelves, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face as she rejoined Harry. 

"You couldn't find anything either?" The duo looked up, noticing Ron and Hermione had joined them. Cheyenne shook her head sadly, "No, unfortunately not..." Hermione sighed, and they left the library. 

"You'll all keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" She looked between Harry, Ron, and Cheyenne, "And be sure to send me an owl if you do find something." 

"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," Ron added with a nod, "It's sure to be safe." 

"Very safe." Hermione agreed, confident, "They are both dentists." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Of course, once the holidays had started, neither Ron, Harry, nor Cheyenne could bring themselves to think much about Flamel amidst all their fun. All three of them had their dormitories to themselves (thought it did get rather lonely for Cheyenne after a couple of nights, prompting her to sneak over to the boys' dorms to sleep during their vacation) and the common room was a lot less crowded, giving them free reign of the soft, squishy armchairs closest to the fireplace. And, of course, without lessons to preoccupy them, it gave Cheyenne the time to get to know the playful upperclassman that had caught her eye; when she wasn't sitting around the fire, snacking on anything they could spear on the end of a roasting fork, she was spending time with Fred, either hanging out in the common room or on a private tour of the castle's many hidden passageways. 

Ron had also started teaching Harry and Cheyenne wizard's chess. It was almost exactly like Muggle chess, except that the figures used in the game were alive, which made it more like directing troops in battle than just a simple board game. Ron's set was old and quite battered, which wasn't all too surprising since he'd been given it by someone in his family – in this case, his grandfather – just like everything else he owned. Funny thing was the old chessmen weren't really a drawback; Ron knew them all so well he never had trouble getting them to listen to his orders. 

Harry and Cheyenne, meanwhile, had borrowed some chessmen from Seamus Finnigan to play with, though none of them really trusted either. While Cheyenne was used to regular Muggle chess, she wasn't quite so confident with this game, even after some encouraging words from Fred, and Harry was still trying to get used to it himself; it didn't help the pieces kept shouting different bits of advice at them, from which pieces they should move, to what moves they could make or even arguing among themselves about what their best play was. 

On Christmas Eve, the duo went to bed excited for the food and festivities the next day would bring, their only expectation when it came to presents maybe being one or two from each other and Arabella. So, imagine their surprise when they awoke early the following morning to find a small pile of packages waiting for them at the foot of each of their beds. 

"Merry Christmas, you two." Ron smiled sleepily at them as they scrambled out of bed and pulled on their bathrobes, glancing at one another. 

"M-Merry Christmas, Ron." Cheyenne couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, "What...we got presents...?" 

"Well, what were you expecting, turnips?" Ron chuckled as he turned to his own pile, which was bigger than both Harry and Cheyenne's combined. Cheyenne couldn't help but giggle as Harry knelt next to his pile for a closer look. 

"I guess we just thought we wouldn't get anything except from each other and nan." She sat on the end of the bed and picked up one of the parcels; it was wrapped in thick brown paper, with Hagrid's familiar scrawl along the top letting her know it was from him. Smiling to herself, Cheyenne tore the paper away, revealing a wooden owl charm, which looked as though Hagrid had carved it himself. She immediately slipped the necklace over her head, eager to wear it. 

Her next several presents were from Harry, Arabella, and Fred; Harry had found her a couple of books on magical creatures and herbs; Arabella, meanwhile, had sent her a locket with a picture of her parents inside, so she'd always carry them with her. Cheyenne didn't hesitate to put it on as well. And Fred – Cheyenne's heart skipped – he'd bought her a dark crimson scarf with gold accents and a matching pair of gloves. 

"That's friendly." Harry said, drawing her attention; Cheyenne looked over and quirked a brow at the fifty-pence piece, which was, apparently, from his aunt and uncle. She frowned while Ron was immediately captivated by the coin. 

"What's with this shape? Is it supposed to be money?" He turned it over in his fingers while Harry and Cheyenne exchanged amused looks, "Weird!" 

"You can keep that if you'd like, Ron." Harry said, laughing softly as he looked at his and Cheyenne's remaining presents, "We each got a present from Hagrid and Arabella, I got something from my aunt and uncle – but who sent these?" 

"I think I know who those are from," Ron nodded to a couple of lumpy looking parcels, his ears pinkening, "My mom...I told her the two of you weren't expecting many presents and – oh no," He groaned and covered his face with his hands, "she's made you both Weasley sweaters." 

Harry and Cheyenne tore open the parcels to find a couple of thick, hand-knitted sweaters in emerald green and ruby red, as well as a large box of homemade fudge each. 

"She makes us all a sweater every year," Ron sighed as he unwrapped his own, "and mine's always maroon." 

"These are beautiful." Cheyenne beamed as she stood to exchange her bathrobe for the sweater, wrapping the scarf from Fred around her neck to complete the look while Harry sampled the fudge. 

"It is and this is very kind of her. Thank her for us, will you?" Harry smiled at Ron, who nodded while Cheyenne admired herself in one of the mirrors. 

Arabella and Cheyenne's presents to Harry included a box of his favorite muggle candy and his own copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. Hermione, meanwhile, had gifted him a large box of Chocolate Frogs and Cheyenne a book titled Healing at Home with Herbs by Phyllida Spore. 

But Harry still had one parcel left; setting Hermione's gift aside, he bent to pick it up and ran his hand over it, cocking his head at how light it felt as he unwrapped it. A beautiful, silvery gray cloak flowed out of the packaging onto the floor, where it lay in a heap of gleaming folds. Cheyenne looked at it, curious, while Ron gasped. 

"I've heard of those," His voice was hushed, as though this was the biggest secret he'd held witness to, while he dropped the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd been gifted from Hermione, "If it is what I think it is – they're incredibly rare, and really valuable." 

"What is it?" Cheyenne furrowed her brows as Harry picked the cloak up off the floor, marveling at the feel of it, as though it was water that had been woven into cloth. 

"It's an Invisibility Cloak." Ron said in awe, "I'm sure of it – Harry, try it on." 

Harry glanced at Cheyenne, unsure, but she smiled encouragingly, and he threw the cloak around his shoulders. Her eyes widened as Ron yelled out enthusiastically. 

"It is! Look down!" 

Harry looked down, but his body was gone. He quickly went to the mirror and when he looked at his reflection the only thing staring back at him was his head, suspended in midair. Then, when he pulled the cloak up and over, he disappeared completely. 

"There's a note with it." Cheyenne got up to retrieve it from the floor, holding it out to Harry, who pulled off the cloak and seized it from her. It was written in a narrow, loopy hand neither of them had ever seen before and read: 

Your father left this in my possession before he died. It's time it was returned to you. Use it well.  

A very Merry Christmas to you. 

But there was no signature. Harry and Cheyenne stared at the note, then at one another while Ron admired Harry's new cloak. 

"Oh, I'd give anything to have one of these." He signed enviously, but then noticed neither Harry nor Cheyenne seemed quite as enthusiastic as he was, "What's the matter?" 

"Nothing..." Harry said slowly, still processing everything; Cheyenne put a comforting hand on his shoulder to let him know she was there for him, knowing it had to be a shock. Who could have possibly sent him this cloak and...had it once belonged to his father like the note had said? 

Before either Harry or Cheyenne could say or do anything else, the dormitory door suddenly flung open behind them, and Fred and George came bounding in. Harry hurriedly stuffed the cloak out of sight before they could see it, not ready to share it with anyone else just yet. 

"Merry Christmas!" George beamed, already wearing a thick blue sweater with a large yellow G on the front. 

"Hey, look – Harry and Chey've both got a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred grinned, dressed in an identical blue sweater, though his had a large yellow F; he strolled toward Cheyenne to inspect hers', "I can see why red's your favorite color, it looks good on you." He hummed. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she smiled shyly, tucking some hair behind her ear. 

"Theirs're better than ours, though." George sighed as he looked Harry's sweater over, "Mum obviously puts more effort in if you're not family." 

"Why aren't you wearing yours', Ron?" Fred demanded, turning to his younger brother, "C'mon, put it on, they're nice and warm." 

"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it on. 

"Doesn't look like either of you have a letter on yours." George turned Harry's sweater over in his hands and shrugged, "Suppose she thinks neither of you would've forgotten your names." 

"Yeah, but we're not stupid," Fred chuckled, "We know we're Gred and Forge." Cheyenne snorted and quickly covered her mouth as Fred smirked at her out of the corner of his mouth. 

"What's all this noise?" 

The new voice drew the group's attention and they turned, spotting Percy frowning disapprovingly at them from the doorway. Judging by the lumpy sweater folded over his arm, it looked like he was only about halfway through unwrapping his own presents. Fred's smirk widened into a grin as he seized the sweater from him. 

"P for prefect! Go on and put it on, Percy, we're all wearing ours', even Harry and Chey have their own." 

"I don't want -" Percy began to protest when the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew. 

"You won't be sitting with the prefects today, either" George continued, "Christmas is a time for family." 

And with that, they frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms trapped in his sweater. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Neither Harry nor Cheyenne had ever been to such an amazing Christmas dinner; the entire Gryffindor table was laden down by hundreds of fat, roast turkeys, mountains of roast and boiled potatoes, platters of chipolatas, bowls of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce, and, finally, stacks of wizard crackers piled together every few feet along the table. Unlike the little plastic toys and flimsy paper hats that came from the unimpressive party favors the Dursleys and Arabella usually bought, these crackers went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed their table in a cloud of blue smoke, before clearing to reveal several prizes and several live, white mice each. Cheyenne even caught Dumbledore exchanging his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet at one point while he chuckled merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick just told him. 

For dessert that night, the group enjoyed flaming Christmas pudding and had a laugh at Percy's expense when he nearly broke his teeth on the silver sickle he found in his portion. Harry and Cheyenne even had a bit of a laugh watching Hagrid, now so red from drinking he could rival Rudolph's nose, plan a kiss on Professor McGonagall's cheek, causing their Transfiguration teacher to giggle and blush in response. 

By the time the duo finally left the table, they were each laden down with a stack of things they'd received from the wizard crackers, some of which included a couple of nice hats, a set of non-explodable, luminous balloons, and even a brand-new Wizard's Chess set. Neither were even quite sure where the white mice had ended up, though they had a rather nasty feeling they would, more than likely, end up as Christmas dinner for Mrs. Norris. 

That afternoon was spent out on the grounds, where Harry, Cheyenne, and the Weasleys worked off their Christmas dinner having an epic snowball fight before they returned to the castle to warm up. Once in drier, more comfortable clothes, Harry broke out his new chess set and sat down to play off against Ron; while Percy and George sat down to watch, though, Fred told Cheyenne he wanted to show her something and brought her over to one of the windows on the other side of the common room. 

"Check this out." He pushed lightly on the windowpane and Cheyenne watched the glass swing outward; curious, she stepped up beside Fred, peering out into the cold, wintry evening. Her eyes widened in wonder at the sight before them: beautiful mountains of white stretched out in all directions, aglow with the fading sunlight as the shimmering white orb slowly sank behind the western horizon. As the sky slowly deepened from an icy grey to royal and, later, midnight blue, the sunlight dancing off the snow-covered trees reminded her of the landscape you might find on a Muggle postcard, and she suddenly wished she had a camera to capture it. She would have loved to share such a beautiful image with Arabella. 

"Wow," She whispered, breath hanging in a cloud before her, "It's beautiful." 

"Mm hm," Fred hummed softly; Cheyenne slowly pulled her gaze from the window to smile up at him and was surprised to find him already staring at her. Heat rose to her cheeks again, but she didn't break his gaze. 

"W-what is it...?" She murmured shyly. He just smiled and shook his head, then glanced up knowingly; she followed his stare and her blush deepened when she spotted a branch of mistletoe hanging just above them. 

Lowering her gaze to meet his again, stomach a flutter with nerves, Cheyenne tilted her chin up in a silent invitation; Fred's smile widened, and he closed the space between them. The kiss was slow, tentative, but still sent Cheyenne's heart racing, so hard and fast she could feel it in her eardrums, even after they'd broken apart to breathe. As she opened her eyes, she couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up from deep in her throat, her cheeks burning; Fred chuckled softly to himself as well, his cheeks flushed pink, though she couldn't quite tell if it was from the cold or their kiss. 

"Oi, Fred, Chey!" Ron called from the sofa, breaking through their cozy little bubble, "You two hungry? We're gonna heat up some of this turkey." 

"Hold your horses, we're coming." Fred told him before turning back to Cheyenne, inclining his head toward the others, "Shall we?" 

Cheyenne smiled quietly and nodded, not wanting this moment to end either, but knowing one of the others would come get them if they didn't go back, "Yeah. And Fred?" She waited until he'd turned to close the window before she leaned in to kiss his cheek, "Thank you ~ that was a wonderful Christmas present ~" 

"I should really be saying that to you." Fred smirked, earning another giggle from her before she turned on her heel and skipped back to the others. He watched her go for a moment before latching the window and following. Since she was crammed on the couch with Harry and Ron, Fred opted to sit on the floor next to her, flirting and chatting while they all shared a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake. She would giggle and blush, throwing a couple of playful jabs in return that would make him roar with laughter. 

Their behavior, naturally, did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group, well, aside from Ron, who was much more interested in the food than anything else. Percy and George just exchanged a silent look, with George chuckling under his breath while Percy shook his head, a quietly amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Harry, feeling a bit uncomfortable (and rather annoyed, too) just tried to stay out of their conversation as best he could, instead engaging Ron and George whenever it got to be too much. At one point, though, Fred decided he wanted to do something new to make Cheyenne laugh and stole Percy's prefect badge to play keep away with George. They would carry on the game for the remainder of that evening, with the twins goading Percy into chasing them around Gryffindor tower until everyone decided to retire to bed. 

This had undoubtedly been one of Cheyenne's best Christmases; now, don't get her wrong, she'd had some amazing holidays at home but today...well, it was hard to really describe it. She still tried, though, when she got up to her dorm and took out some parchment to write Arabella; it took her several attempts, since she'd get to the part about the mistletoe, get all giggly, and end up gushing over it so much she'd have to crumple up the letter and start over again. 

"I'm turning into a lovesick schoolgirl, aren't I?" Cheyenne giggled as she finally tucked the letter into a fresh envelope, smiling at the silhouettes in the window; two pairs of bright yellow eyes blinked back at her, and she sighed as she set her quill aside and moved to sit on the sill, rubbing each of the owls' heads with her fingers. Hedwig nipped affectionately at her hand and Hermes cooed quietly, peering sleepily up at her while she smiled, suddenly sheepish, "Sorry you both had to see that...'s not every day I have my first kiss, you know? Sure nan wouldn't want me gushing on." She paused, thoughtful, then laughed, "'pose I'll save that for 'mione when she gets back. But, for now, think you can handle this for me, Hermes?" She offered the letter to the tawny owl, who hooted as he took it in his beak and hopped onto Cheyenne's knuckles, ruffling his feathers while she leaned over to unlatch the windowpane, "Come back safe." She told him as she held her hand up to the opening and, with a squeeze of her hand, the owl sprang forth into the cold December night; Cheyenne leaned on her forearm, watching until he'd disappeared into the distance before she latched the window once more. 

"Don't suppose you'll be going out tonight, eh?" She turned back to Hedwig, who shot her a somewhat incredulous look from beneath one of her wings. Cheyenne laughed, "Yeah, it's way too cold to hunt." She agreed, getting up to get ready for bed while she debated whether she should stay with Hedwig or return to the boys' dorm. She'd brought both her and Hermes up here so they wouldn't have to sleep in the Owlery over the holiday, but with Hermes gone, she worried if Hedwig would be a bit lonely by herself. Well, no one should be alone on Christmas. 

It wasn't until she turned down her bed that Cheyenne suddenly remembered the turkey left over from dinner, which she decided to leave on the sill for Hedwig; it was lukewarm by this point, but she figured a chilled meal was better than sending the snowy owl out into the cold. 

"G'night, Hed," Cheyenne smiled as she set the meat down and rubbed the side of her head; Hedwig cooed and nipped lightly at Cheyenne's fingers again, which made her smile as she crossed back to her fourposter. Crawling under the covers, she drew the curtains and let herself fall back into her pillow; full, content, and warm, she almost immediately drifted off to sleep, unaware of the adventure her best friend had decided to pursue solo that night. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

To say Cheyenne and Ron were surprised and frustrated at Harry's retelling of the previous night would be an understatement. While it'd been a thoughtful gesture on Harry's part to search the Restricted Section to further their search for Nicholas Flamel, knowing what he'd had to go through was still worrying, knowing he could have been caught by one of the teachers, or worse, Filch. Their worry, however, was put on the back burner when he mentioned the mirror and his parents, which immediately piqued their interest. 

"You could have woken us." Ron frowned. 

"I'm going back tonight, so you can come with me," Harry amended; Cheyenne frowned at the way he fidgeted, like he was anxious to return to it, "I want to show you both the mirror." 

"I'd like to see your mom and dad," Ron agreed, smiling eagerly. Harry nodded, smiling faintly. 

"I'd like to see all your family, all the Weasleys, too, as I'm sure Chey would," He looked at her and she could only nod her confirmation before he turned back to Ron, "You should be able to show us your other brothers and everyone." 

"Ah, you two can see them any old time," Ron snorted, waving a hand dismissively, "You'll just need to come round my house this summer. Besides, maybe it only shows dead people, and we can see Chey's parents." He shrugged and continued to shovel cereal into his mouth, "Shame about not finding anything on Flamel, though." He paused then, noticing for the first time that Harry hadn't touched any of the food on the table, "Have some bacon or something, Harry, why aren't you eating?" 

Harry glanced away, his gaze on the entrance hall. Cheyenne didn't like the look in his eyes, like he was completely enraptured by something and couldn't get it out of his head. She would've been thrilled if he'd had his eye on someone; more than anything, she wanted her best friend happy, but given what'd happened in the last twelve hours, some instinct tickled at the back of her mind, telling her there was something wrong with that mirror. 

"Harry," She put a hand on his, feeling her heart ache at the way he flinched, "you shouldn't dwell on that mirror too much, you'll get back to it soon enough, okay?" She smiled quietly, "Please try to eat something...I'm sure your parents wouldn't want you starving yourself." 

Harry grimaced, but at Cheyenne's insistence he had some toast and orange juice, which seemed to appease her enough not to push the subject further. It didn't stop her from coaxing him to eat something at lunch or dinner, though, or ask what was on his mind while they spent the day in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. He was hesitant to talk about it at first, but he eventually relented, admitting he was scared he wouldn't be able to find the room where the mirror was housed again. Though still concerned, she decided to keep her thoughts on the matter to herself for now, especially seeing how much this meant to him, and reassured him instead that they'd find it together. 

And yet, Harry would spend the remainder of that day as a ball of anxiety, fidgeting in his seat when he wasn't pacing around the common room, waiting impatiently for the sun to set and Ron's brothers to head up to their dormitories for the night. He was particularly short tempered with Fred, who stayed up the latest to spend time with Cheyenne, shooting him looks every few seconds until he bid them goodnight and retired to bed. He was barely out of sight before Harry was on his feet, his Invisibility Cloak already in his hands. 

With the three of them under one cloak, the trio had to tread rather slowly through the castle, much to Harry's agitation as they tried to retrace his route from the library. 

"I'm freezing," Ron whispered after nearly an hour of wandering the dark corridors, "Let's just forget it and go back." 

"No!" Harry hissed out from between clenched teeth, his eyes desperately scanning the walls, "I know it's here somewhere." 

Cheyenne let her gaze wander up the dark passage as they passed the translucent form of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, wondering vaguely if this was a good thing. As much as she knew Harry was invested in this magical mirror, she still couldn't quite shake the feeling that it just wasn't right. Maybe if he couldn't find it again, he'd give up on it once and for all. 

"It's here!" Harry said suddenly as they passed a suit of armor, his eyes growing wide in anticipation when they fell upon the door just beyond it, "Yes, here!" 

Letting them into the abandoned classroom, Harry immediately dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran for the mirror. While Ron made sure the door was closed behind them, Cheyenne surveyed the room, taking note of the huge, shadowy shape against the back wall and the overturned wastepaper basket in the corner before she finally turned her attention to the object of her best friend's interest. 

It was a beautiful mirror, towering high into the ceiling with a thick ornate gold frame and seated on a pair of clawed feet. As she looked, she could swear she saw words inscribed along the top of the frame; reaching into her robe, she pushed her reading glasses up her nose as she took a tentative step forward for a better look. 

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. 

(A foreign language?) She wondered, testing the words out with her lips to understand them; they didn't seem like any language she'd heard before, yet they seemed so familiar. Furrowing her brow, she peered closely at the first word before something suddenly clicked in her mind, (Erised...is that...is that desire spelled backward?) 

"- let me have another look –" Harry's voice disrupted her thoughts, and she turned as he tried to take Ron's place in front of the mirror. 

"You had it all to yourself last night, give me a bit more time." Ron argued, keeping Harry at arm's length. 

"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's so interesting about that?" Harry shoved him, "I want to see my parents." 

"Don't push me!" 

"Guys, keep it down!" Cheyenne warned as their voices started to get louder, "Are you trying to get us -?!" A noise out in the corridor cut her off and she looked over her shoulder, wide-eyed, "Quick!" She whispered, grabbing the cloak and throwing it over the three of them just as a pair of luminous eyes rounded the door. The trio froze, glancing at one another uneasily, wondering if the Invisibility Cloak worked on cats as Mrs. Norris stared straight at them. They stood there for what felt like ages before she finally turned and left. 

"That was too close," Ron murmured, looking at Harry and Cheyenne, "I bet she heard us and has gone to get Filch." 

"He's right," Cheyenne whispered her agreement as she and Ron each took one of Harry's arms, "C'mon." And with that, they dragged him from the room. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Harry was more withdrawn the following day. He rejected any of Ron's suggestions, including playing chess or going down to Hagrid's hut for a visit; all he wanted to do was sit in one of the chairs in front of the fire, staring into the smoldering coals with glazed, far-off eyes. Cheyenne and Ron exchanged a worried look before Ron turned to confront Harry, hoping he'd be able to talk some sense into him before something worse happened. 

Cheyenne, meanwhile, decided she needed to get to the bottom of all this; she'd been wary when Harry had first described the mirror to her and Ron, feeling like it was too good to be true, but after seeing it for herself, her interest was piqued. She hadn't had the chance to investigate the glass herself, but after hearing what the boys had seen and reading the inscription, she knew she had to figure out exactly what this mirror could do. Harry's life could very well depend on it. 

"Where are you going?" Ron looked up as she got to her feet. Cheyenne paused, wondering if she should tell the truth, though a quick glance at her best friend convinced her to hold her tongue. 

"I'm a bit bored, so I think I'm going to head down to the library and find a couple of new books." She inclined her head toward Harry when Ron furrowed his brow, "Looks like we're going to be spending the day inside again and I've already finished all my homework. And I'm not really in the mood for chess." She turned toward the spiral staircase, "I'm just going to grab my cloak and head out." 

"Okay." Ron agreed, slouching back in his chair. 

Cheyenne made sure to grab a small piece of parchment and a quill when she was in her dorm, which she stashed in her robes before donning her cloak and returning to the common room, "If I don't come back before lunch, I'll meet the two of you in the Great Hall." Ron waved a hand absentmindedly as she strode past them and out through the Fat Lady's portrait. 

Though it'd been dark when she'd last been on this path, not having to hide under the Invisibility Cloak with Harry and Ron made it easier to find and trace back to the unused classroom on the fourth floor. Pausing in front of the suit of armor, she scanned her surroundings to be sure she was alone before she moved down the narrow corridor and through the door, closing it behind her. 

"Okay," She whispered, eyeing the mirror mistrustfully as she took her reading glasses from her pocket and pushed them up her nose, "Let's see what we can figure out here." 

Dusting off one of the unused desks in the back, she laid her piece of parchment down and scribbled down the inscription etched along the top of the frame, peering up now and again to be sure she spelled each word correctly. Once done, she straightened to read through the words again, pushing her lips out into something of a pucker and absentmindedly twirling the quill between her fingers. 

(The last word is desire spelled backward, right?) She pondered, writing it underneath the first line, (So...the rest of this line must be backward, too...?) She put the end of the quill to parchment, mouthing the words to herself as she wrote, "Ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire..." She paused then, frowning, "What? Now this just sounds like gibberish..." She groaned under her breath and flopped down in a nearby chair while she read the line over a couple more times, "There has to be an order to this, some meaning..." She leaned her elbow on the desk, knuckles pressing against her lips, "It wouldn't have been etched on the frame if it didn't mean something..."  

Sounding them out in her head, Cheyenne took note of the first word and sat up straight, "Wait...these are two words put together....so if I separate them..." She did so, "I show..." She let her gaze drift over the rest of the sentence, "Backward...and jumbled into nonsensical words. They were rearranged into different words!" She looked for common words in each of the remaining ones, writing them down as she went until she had a full sentence, "I show not your face but your heart's desire." She read aloud, then paused, letting it sink in while her gaze drifted toward the mirror in front of her. 

"Quite clever, aren't you, Cheyenne?" A quiet voice said from the door; Cheyenne jumped to her feet and whipped toward the sound, eyes wide. Professor Dumbledore smiled at her, kind blue eyes crinkled at the corners and hands folded behind him. 

"P-Professor Dumbledore, I -" She stammered, her mind blank as she tried desperately to come up with an explanation for her being here, "I - I was just, uh, I – I mean..." She gestured uselessly, unsure exactly what she was trying to say. Dumbledore chuckled quietly. 

"No need to explain yourself, Cheyenne, I already know." He reassured her; she swallowed thickly, feeling her heart sink. 

"Y-you mean you already know t-that..." She let the words trail off as he nodded. 

"Yes, I already know of your and your friends' visits to the Mirror of Erised. Harry's become quite enamored with it, hasn't he?" His expression softened when Cheyenne gave a slow, careful nod, "I can assure you none of you are in trouble for this, Cheyenne. Who hasn't broken a rule or two as children?" This seemed to ease the tension from her shoulders, which pleased him. 

"So..." She started slowly, turning her attention back to the item in question, "It's called the Mirror of Erised...?" Dumbledore merely hummed his agreement, "And it...it really shows what one most desires in this world? What we desire in our heart of hearts?" 

"I assume you can answer that one for yourself, given the inscription you've translated and what both Harry and Ron have seen, both in Harry's vision of his family and Ron's as head boy." 

Cheyenne turned back to the headmaster, surprised, "H-how did you -?" 

His eyes twinkled, "I don't need a cloak to become invisible like the three of you," He told her gently, "There is a part of me that is intrigued at your distrust of this mirror, though I cannot say I'm entirely surprised by it, either." When Cheyenne cocked her head, he chuckled, "You are very much Arabella's granddaughter, in both your sense of responsibility and composure. She wasn't one to trust in anything that could be too good to be true either and with good reason." Dumbledore turned his attention to the mirror as he wandered into the middle of the room, "After all, this mirror can give us neither knowledge nor truth and many men have either wasted away before it, entranced by what they see, or been driven mad not knowing if what they are seeing is real or can be achieved." 

Cheyenne nodded silently in understanding, taking a few careful steps forward before pausing. Dumbledore watched her, inclining his head toward the glass when she glanced his way, almost like a silent invitation for her to have a peek herself. 

"Your friends have already had the chance to look," He pointed out gently when she continued to hesitate, "You should get to see what you desire before it's gone." 

Cheyenne frowned, "Gone...? Are you getting rid of the mirror, Professor?" 

Dumbledore shook his head, "No, it is simply being moved to a new home tomorrow, somewhere it will be safer." He chuckled again, "I know you're wary, but also curious, and knowing what you do now will better prepare you for what you might see." 

Cheyenne smiled quietly; a part of her was grateful for Dumbledore's offer, though another part was still cautious. What would she see in the mirror? Did she even know what her heart's greatest desire was? 

(Well...) She took a deep breath, (I guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there?) With a nod of confirmation, she took her position in front of the mirror. Her heart skipped a beat. 

Her reflection stared back at her, wide-eyed; Dumbledore was there as well, that same patient smile on his lips as he watched her examine the dozen or so others reflected behind her, her eyes moving quickly from one person to another. Her gaze finally settled on a trio just to her left, comprised of a man, woman, and a small, familiar boy with untidy black hair. 

"Harry..." She whispered to herself when she recognized her best friend, even though he was turned away from her, facing the adults, who were smiling down at him. Cheyenne let her gaze lift to the couple, taking note of the way the man's black hair stuck up in the back, just as Harry's did, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses; the woman pulled Harry to her chest, a few strands of auburn hair falling over his shoulder. As she watched, Cheyenne could swear the woman lifted her gaze to meet hers', bright green eyes wet with tears, and smiled at her. It was so warm, so heartfelt, the young woman couldn't help but return it, even as her throat seized with emotion, eyes blurring with tears. "I wish this could be true...that you could be with your parents." She sighed. 

"Hmm, that is interesting." Cheyenne accepted the handkerchief Dumbledore offered and dabbed at her eyes, "Though orphaned yourself, the mirror does not show your parents, but Harry with his, instead." He peered down at her, thoughtful. 

"There will always be a part of me that wishes to have known my parents." She sniffed, "But I got off considerably easier than others, than Harry. I still have a home, someone who raised and loved me from a toddler, while he..." She broke off, clenching her fists at the thought of all Harry had had to endure before they'd come to Hogwarts, "If anyone deserved to have known their parents, to grow up in a happy household, it's Harry, especially after the hell he's had to go through. I know my parents through the stories nan's told me, but he hadn't an inkling about his until now." 

Dumbledore hummed quietly to himself, stroking his beard, "Quite remarkable." He murmured as Cheyenne cleaned her face and handed his handkerchief back, her brow furrowed. He just smiled as he tucked it back into his robes, "Well, either way, it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. You'll remember that, won't you, Cheyenne?" She nodded, "Good. Now, I'm sure your friends are waiting for you upstairs, you shouldn't keep them waiting." She started to nod, but then hesitated, as though she wanted to ask him something, "And don't worry too much about Harry, I'll be sure to set him straight when he returns tonight." 

Cheyenne sighed in relief and gave the headmaster a small, grateful smile, "Thank you, sir." Inclining her head respectfully, she turned toward the door, "Have a good day." 

"And you, Cheyenne."