[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-21":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wizard War at Hogwarts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2357994,4612,"Chapter 21: The Other Use of the Mirror","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-21",21,"\u003Cp>Harry lay in bed, idly flipping through his book, eager for Neville to return so the mirror could be freed for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My father, my mother—they’re the people who love me most, so they stand closest in the mirror, their faces so clear,” Harry thought. “And apart from this mirror, I’ll never see them again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great pain surged toward his heart, but the thought of being able to glance once more at the mirror eased it slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Sir Crowley—he’s in Tang Dun; I can visit him during holidays,” Harry recalled the mirror’s vision. “Professor Snape also likes me—perhaps because he values my aptitude for potions. He even advised me to see Professor Binns, which helped me greatly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried hard not to think of Aunt Petunia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why hasn’t Neville come back yet?” Ron muttered irritably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe I should sleep for a while, then sneak over to the mirror in the middle of the night,” Harry thought of a good idea. “I’ve got the Invisibility Cloak—I don’t have to worry about Filch watching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep. He dreamed he was in a forest, gently turning the Resurrection Stone, and his parents appeared, stepping forward to embrace him. He could even feel that embrace, though it was slightly cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Harry opened his eyes, everything was dark. He knew this was the perfect moment. He pulled on the Invisibility Cloak, slipped quietly out of bed, and tiptoed out of the dormitory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he walked, Harry couldn’t help recalling that dream. Perhaps his frantic pursuit of the Deathly Hallows had always been drawn by the Resurrection Stone’s power. But now he had the mirror—so long as he could see his parents, he didn’t care how it was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry had come out barefoot; his footsteps were silent. Filch was nearby, yet didn’t notice a thing. When he quietly reached the classroom door, he was disappointed to find someone still inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Qiu stood before the mirror, swinging a sword and muttering incantations under her breath. Harry noticed this seemed to be a real sword—one unlike any he’d seen, styled in the manner of Tianchao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to his astonishment, as she moved the sword, a cold layer of moonlight began clinging to its blade, filling the room with a chill. Then, every motion she made emitted faint white frost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry instinctively stepped back. It was winter—he didn’t want to be caught in the cold wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Qiu suddenly cried out sharply, leapt high into the air, and gathered frost at the tip of her sword. She lunged forward a long distance until the blade struck a pile of old desks, then flipped gracefully to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After landing, she seemed dissatisfied and jumped up to land again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhang Qiu turned toward the mirror, Harry couldn’t help calling out to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Qiu, what are you doing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Qiu clearly startled, quickly hiding the sword behind her back—but when she saw it was Harry, she stopped concealing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m practicing swordplay. More precisely, this is called video practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My master divined that there would be a mirror here that grants wishes,” she explained. “As long as I keep telling myself that my greatest desire is to master swordplay, I can see in the mirror the version of myself who has perfected it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you just…” Harry was surprised—he’d never realized the mirror held so many possibilities. “You were just practicing by following what you saw in the mirror?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly,” she admitted openly. “With the mirror’s help, I can correct mistakes instantly—it’s very effective.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then if I told myself my greatest desire was to obtain the Resurrection Stone,” Harry said, “would the mirror show me where it is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” Zhang Qiu said. “The mirror only generates images based on your existing knowledge. Sometimes it accesses images buried deep in your memory or subconscious—but ultimately, they’re still things you’ve seen before, not things conjured from nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So because I saw my parents and grandparents when I was very young, the mirror shows their images,” Harry mused. “But since I never saw my maternal grandparents, they don’t appear in the mirror.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct. I’ve seen the complete Hundred Phoenix Return Nest in a sword manual, so the mirror can show me how I’d look after mastering it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if you saw it in a book?” Harry was intrigued. He’d be brewing the Weed-Removing Potion in Potions class on Friday. Even brewing it himself, he had no full confidence—not to mention having to bring Ron along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Harry thought, he had no ingredients on hand now. Even if he watched the process once, it wouldn’t serve as practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, why are you practicing swordplay here?” Harry asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Tianchao, we divide magic into two parts: Sword Cultivation and Spell Cultivation. The former relies on magical swords for combat; the latter uses incantations to assist daily life and production,” she explained. “When I faced the troll last time, I realized I’m still weak in combat. So when I found this opportunity, I decided to practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s already past one in the morning,” Harry said. He’d checked the clock when he left—he’d assumed no one would be here at this hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never mind that. Do you want to use the mirror? I can let you have it,” Zhang Qiu said with a smile, tucking the sword behind her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not tonight. I’ll head back,” Harry said, slightly embarrassed. “Tomorrow I’ll bring a cauldron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in bed, Harry felt ashamed. While he had drowned in the mirror’s illusion of happiness, Neville and Ron had fantasized about false achievements—but Zhang Qiu had wisely used the mirror to practice magic and strengthen her real-world abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Harry arrived at the abandoned classroom carrying a cauldron and bottles covered in sticky notes. He saw Neville and Ron there too; Ron grumbled, “You’ve been staring for fifteen minutes—it’s my turn now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem,” Harry said. “I think you should let me have it now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, why are you carrying a cauldron?” Ron asked. “Potions class isn’t until the day after tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely,” Harry said. “My greatest wish right now is to successfully brew the Weed-Removing Potion the day after tomorrow.” He placed the cauldron before the mirror. “Think about it—if I fail, Snape will deduct points; if we lose points, we lose the House Cup—we’ll be the traitors of Gryffindor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry frightened himself, constantly imagining he must succeed in brewing the potion. Slowly, images began forming in the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw himself in the Potions classroom, bottles of ingredients beside him, a cauldron simmering over a small flame, Snape pacing the room. The Harry in the mirror was supremely confident, picking up bottle after bottle with fluid ease, adding each ingredient at the perfect moment. Outside the mirror, Harry could initially follow his movements—but soon he was flustered and overwhelmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Harry wasn’t using real potion ingredients; the bottles contained only water. So even if he failed, there would be no dire consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My god, what are you doing?” Ron stared, dumbfounded as he watched Harry practice potion-making before the mirror. “Did your parents teach you this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not,” Harry explained. “As long as I keep telling myself that my greatest desire right now is to brew the Weed-Removing Potion, I can see myself succeeding in the mirror.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why not keep watching your family?” Ron asked curiously. “Yesterday you were desperate to spend more time with them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The version of me in the mirror—even if happy—isn’t real,” Harry said seriously, recalling the lesson he’d understood yesterday. “The first step toward achieving a great wish is to set a small goal, make a new plan, and start changing now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neville sheepishly tucked his wooden stick away. “You’re right,” he said. “I won’t look at the mirror anymore. You go ahead and practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a long time afterward, Harry thought of nothing else. On Friday’s Potions class, he earned three points from Snape for his perfect Weed-Removing Potion—a feat that stunned many Gryffindors, since Snape was famously stingy with points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that day on, Harry resolved to spend at least one hour daily before the mirror practicing advanced potion-making. After mastering the Sleeping Draught, Swelling Potion, and Wit-Sharpening Potion from his textbook, he began attempting the Infernal Brew and Elixir of Joy from another book—of course, using water as a substitute. Harry knew that due to differences in viscosity, the tactile feel of real potion ingredients differed greatly from water. But for Harry, who had no ingredients, simply mastering the order of additions and stirring was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the end of the Christmas holiday, Harry felt his life had become highly disciplined. Except on weekends, he wasted no minute: as soon as he finished dinner, he went to the library with Zhang Qiu to do homework. If they finished early, they’d read extracurricular books together, quietly discussing the knowledge within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every day from 8:30 to 9:30, he absolutely went to the abandoned classroom to practice advanced potion-making by mirroring his own reflection. After 9:30, the mirror was yielded to Zhang Qiu, who seemed to practice late every night. Harry noticed her sword technique growing stronger—on several occasions, she had cleaved right through stacks of old desks piled against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes Harry watched her sword practice; sometimes he returned to the dormitory to play chess with Ron. Neville remained invisible, often asking to borrow Harry’s Invisibility Cloak. After his experience with the mirror, Harry gradually set aside the secret of the Deathly Hallows. He had no objection to lending the precious cloak to Neville, for he believed the pure friendship between children was more precious than any legend.\u003C\u002Fp>",1616,"2026-06-21T04:54:27.874Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","068750de377b606311332ea5f94e2a9b98ae1455496fbd2f5a518e6350a6e435","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-22","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-20",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]