Chapter 57: The Mirror of Erised

Just as the three were studying the Invisibility Cloak, Fred and George burst in through the door, and Harry quickly hid the cloak.

“Merry Christmas!” Fred and George shouted.

Then they all put on the Weasley family’s distinctive sweaters and went off to the Christmas feast.

Harry and Allen had never attended such a grand Christmas feast before, and they were fascinated by all the food; by the end, they both cursed their stomachs for being too small.

The most fun were the massive piles of wizarding fireworks; when pulled apart, they exploded with the boom of artillery, engulfing people in bursts of random-colored smoke, then spewing out small gifts from within.

Allen had completely emptied his mind, no longer thinking about any of the chaotic matters, no longer analyzing the spells embedded in the wizarding fireworks—he simply wanted to relax fully for one day.

He laughed as he pulled open one wizarding firework after another, letting waves of colored smoke repeatedly engulf him, while all manner of tiny gifts kept exploding out of the smoke, giving him the thrill of opening blind boxes.

Soon his arms were full of all sorts of items blasted from the wizarding fireworks: a naval cap, a set of wizard chess, a bizarrely shaped doll, and more.

Then the three of them spent the afternoon having a snowball fight with the Weasley twins on the courtyard, and the twins had cast spells on the snowballs to make them automatically target opponents.

Harry’s trio suffered heavily; Allen tried to mimic the twins’ spell on snowballs but failed—the enchanted snowballs floated through the air like drunks, tracing strange paths, and none hit their targets.

Fortunately, they had one more person than the Weasley twins; under their fearless charges, the twins stopped casting spells and were driven back step by step, until they were utterly soaked and freezing, finally ending the battle and staggering breathlessly back to the common room fire.

After the delicious, lavish dinner, none of them wanted to move—they all felt too full and drowsy.

This was the happiest Christmas Allen had ever experienced, and the happiest day since he came to this world; today, he felt he had released all his pressure, and he wished this joy could last forever...

Finally, reluctantly, he climbed into his bed and soon fell into a deep sleep...

The next morning, Harry immediately pulled Ron and Allen together to recount his miraculous experience from last night.

They learned that Harry had sneaked through the castle wearing the Invisibility Cloak and accidentally discovered a magical mirror called the Mirror of Erised in one of the rooms, where he could see his family.

Both Allen and Ron were deeply curious about the magical mirror, so Harry planned to take them to see it that night, so they could also see their own families.

Time soon arrived at night.

The Invisibility Cloak was still large enough to cover all three of them, but it made walking extremely slow.

Walking through Hogwarts under the Invisibility Cloak was a strangely fascinating experience; they passed by portraits and ghosts, yet neither the figures in the portraits nor the ghosts reacted at all.

They eventually found the room where the mirror was kept.

They pushed open the door; Harry shrugged off the Invisibility Cloak and dashed to the mirror.

Allen carefully shut and locked the door, stowed the Invisibility Cloak away, then turned to examine the magical mirror Harry had described.

It was a grand mirror, reaching up to the ceiling, with an ornate golden frame resting on two claw-shaped feet.

“See it?” Harry whispered to them.

Allen and Ron stared at the empty mirror and asked, puzzled: “See what?”

“My family! There are so many people in the mirror!” Harry said, growing anxious.

Allen and Ron looked again, carefully, but still saw nothing.

“Stand here!” Harry grabbed Ron and pulled him to his own spot.

Ron saw none of Harry’s family—only himself, successful and accomplished.

Allen still saw nothing, but he seemed to understand something.

He shoved Ron aside, stepped into Ron’s former position, and gazed into the mirror—but to his surprise, there was still nothing: no sign of Harry’s family, no vision of Ron’s future success, not even his own reflection...

Just as he felt confused, Harry shoved him aside.

“Look! My family’s back!” Harry exclaimed excitedly.

Allen frowned—he still saw nothing, and he was growing increasingly confused.

Ron shoved Harry aside and happily described the vision of his own future success in the mirror.

Harry, uninterested in Ron’s vision, wanted only to see his own family, so he tried to push Ron away again; Ron refused to yield, and the two began whispering angrily at each other...

Allen’s frown deepened; those involved are blind, those watching see clearly—he had sharply sensed something strange about Harry and Ron.

Suddenly, he understood something.

This mirror seems to show the deepest desire of one’s heart!

Harry’s deepest desire was to see his family, so he saw them in the mirror.

Ron, the youngest son in his family, had always longed to prove himself, so he saw himself triumphant and renowned.

Then why could I see nothing? Allen could not understand this.

He decided to try again.

But Harry and Ron had already agreed to take turns using the mirror; when Allen asked, they gave no reply, only watching him warily—they no longer wanted a third person involved, they refused to give up their turn.

Allen looked at his two friends, now strangely unfamiliar, and something within him clarified.

Quietly, he drew his wand and pointed it at Harry, who was waiting his turn at the mirror, and whispered: “Stupefy!”

Then he rushed forward, caught Harry, cast a Levitation Charm, and gently laid him down on a wooden board in the room, carefully placing his own coat beneath him for cushioning; Harry finally came to, his eyes darting wildly in fear.

Allen gave him an apologetic glance and whispered for him to calm down.

The commotion had not drawn the slightest attention from Ron, still standing before the mirror, entranced.

Allen used the same method to incapacitate Ron and laid him down safely.

He finally stood before the mirror once more—but still saw nothing in it.