Black Mirror

Black Mirror

Chapter 9

Mirror...Mirror...

Harry and Severus apparated to the gates of Snape Castle, leisurely walking up the tree lined drive. Harry would always be glad that Severus had gone against her wishes, surprising her with a brief but passionate 3 day honeymoon. She smiled unconsciously. Severus arched his brow in amusement, watching her expressive features. He knew what was going through her mind but couldn't help but tease her.

"A Knut for your thoughts; unless you would rather I used Legillemency?" His dark eyes studied her with a hint of laughter.

"Hmm...?" She looked up at him in confusion, startled by his lilting baritone. His lips were quirked into a wicked smirk. "I...um...was just thinking how much I love you."

"Indeed, and here I thought you were thinking about that bit of bed sport we indulged in last night. Or was it this morning?"

"Both," she replied, grinning wickedly, unable to conceal the blush creeping up her cheeks. Laughing softly, Severus stopped, leaning down to pull her into a deep kiss. "You're evil. You do know that don't you?" she whispered, playfully running her tongue over his lips.

"I never said otherwise." He sneered, drawing her back into his embrace.

Harry and Severus were so absorbed in one another that they failed to see the big black dog lying in a clump of bushes watching them. If anyone had seen him they would have sworn the dog's mouth was curved into a smile. Tilting his head, he wagged his tail, carefully inching his way out from his hiding place. There was a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Woof! Woof!" he barked, springing forward.

"Oomph!" Severus grunted as the dog almost toppled the two lovers off their feet, leaving muddy paw prints all over the tall wizard's robes, while furiously licking Harry's face.

"Padfoot!" Harry exclaimed, laughing, as Severus kept her from falling.

"Your exuberance at our return could have waited, Black." Severus scowled, pushing the dog off of them and cleaning the dirt from their robes with a flick of his wand.

"It's good to see you too, Sev." Sirius grinned transforming. "I can see you both had quite a good time." He winked at Harry who was blushing furiously. She knew his sensitive ears had overheard their conversation. "I was waiting for Albus to arrive when I saw you both coming. I couldn't resist a bit of fun."

"Is the Headmaster coming so soon to discuss the syllabus for September?" Harry asked, quickly diverting the subject away from her honeymoon.

"Well...no," Sirius answered, shifting uncomfortably between the two of them. "We had a bit of excitement while you were in London."

"What kind of excitement?" Severus questioned sharply.

"Is everything all right?" Harry demanded. She could sense Sirius sudden discomfort. "Have any of the captured Death Eaters escaped?"

"Everything is fine for the moment," he assured them. "But it seems we should have listened to Harry. There is something wrong with that damned mirror. We had a bit of an incident the other night."

"What happened?" Severus queried, dark eyes studying Sirius intently.

Sirius opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a soft pop as Albus Dumbledore apparated onto the drive and walked up to where they were standing.

"Ah...Severus, Harry, I trust you enjoyed your brief honeymoon?" He smiled warmly, blue eyes twinkling merrily.

"Yes, Albus," Severus replied, while Harry nodded in affirmation, unable to meet the old man's eyes.

"Has Sirius told you there was a bit of excitement here the night you left? I would have arrived sooner but I left for the conference at the International Confederation immediately following the reception. I was unaware of anything amiss until I received Tiberius' owl yesterday."

"I was just about to explain when you arrived," Sirius responded.

"No one bothered to even call us in London." Severus scowled, annoyed at being kept in the dark, as they all walked towards the doors of the castle.

"Then perhaps Sirius and the others can fill us in over a nice cup of tea. I am most anxious to hear the story from the beginning. Tiberius' message only referred to the mirror and asked me to come as soon as possible," Dumbledore explained, following the group into the manor.

Harry could sense Sirius was worried. She wanted to demand an immediate explanation about what had occurred but realized that her male companions would only view her actions as childish. Her common sense told her that if anyone had been harmed they would have been called back to the manor immediately. She had to repress a snicker when she thought about Sirius' head popping into the fire while she and Sev were intimately involved. Whatever had happened though was fairly serious. She knew some kind of Dark Magic had to be involved otherwise Tiberius would never have summoned Dumbledore. A vision of Phaedra's mirror flashed into her mind and she felt a cold chill pass through her when they reached the parlor. Remus and Tiberius greeted them as they entered. Tiberius summoned one of the elves to bring some tea and biscuits while they all got comfortable. It didn't take them long to tell the story.

"Where is Phaedra?" Harry asked, looking around for some sign of the little girl.

"She is with Molly Weasley," Tiberius answered.

"Phaedra is baking a surprise for dessert tonight to welcome you both home," Remus added, flashing Harry a brief grin.

"What have you done with the mirror?" Severus inquired, schooling his features into a mask.

Harry could feel his worry despite his cool demeanor. She knew he would never show the others any sign of consternation but would mull over all the facts before conferring with his uncle and Dumbledore on a plan of action.

"I have secured the mirror in one of the store rooms in the dungeon," Tiberius told him calmly. "There have been no further incidents."

"Has the child said or done anything strange since the incident occurred?" Dumbledore asked, eyes half closed in thought.

"She merely asked where it was. I told her it is in a safe place until we could determine what happened. She was quite distraught though. She believes her mother is in trouble and looking for her to help."

"Has she been acting differently in any way, Uncle?"

"No, Severus. We have been keeping her occupied."

"I told her that if her mother needed her Harry would be able to tell with her empathy to keep her from trying to find the mirror," Remus commented. "It seemed to help."

"Moony, you do know that she will ask me about the mirror when she gets home later."

"I know, Harry, but it was the best way to keep her mind off things. She is a sharp little girl and whatever is wrong with that mirror...well...I just wouldn't want anything to happen."

"Yet, you all told me that you could detect no spells on the mirror when she brought it home and nothing has happened since the other night?" Dumbledore pursed his lips, continuing to appear to be half asleep.

"As I stated before, Albus, we all tested the mirror prior to letting her have it in her room. Whatever charms are on that mirror they are very cleverly hidden. I pride myself on my knowledge of the Dark Arts yet I was unable to detect a thing." Tiberius frowned.

"Harry," Dumbledore leaned forward suddenly, "You told me that the mirror made you feel uncomfortable." His blue eyes had lost their twinkle and he was studying her sharply.

"Please don't laugh, Albus, but it just gave me the creeps. I felt as if I were being watched. I kept telling myself it was a trick of the light reflecting off of it. Now I'm not so sure."

"Honey, I think this is where you can tell us, ' I told you so,' and make us all look foolish," Sirius quipped, giving her a wink.

"I'm not saying anything." Harry grinned at her godfather. Severus gave a soft snort of amusement, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I believe we should all go and examine the mirror," Dumbledore remarked, rising. "I will be especially interested to see if Harry senses anything."

Tiberius led them all downstairs to the old dungeons. He stopped at an old wooden door, cleverly set into a recess in the wall. Muttering an incantation to unseal the wards, he unlocked it with a wave of his wand. The mirror stood in the center of the room, its glass reflecting the beam of sunlight coming through the tiny window near the ceiling. It looked innocous enough, but they all knew better. Dumbledore drew his wand, casting quiet incantations which Harry didn't recognize, while slowly circling the mirror.

"Can you find anything, Albus?" Severus asked, watching intently.

"There is a very faint magical residue," Dumbledore commented. "It is some kind of ancient magic and not easily detected. It explains why Tiberius couldn't find it. The spell has not been used in centuries and even with his extensive knowledge of ancient curses he would not have been able to detect it."

"Then how do you know about it?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"Child, you seem to forget that I have studied and learned from many ancient Sorcerers in my long life. The residue on the mirror requires an incantation which is no longer found in current texts. I only know of it as I have a Grimoire which was passed to me from my old friend Nicholas Flamel. He told me that he won it in a game of chance from an old warlock. The book was old then and that was about five hundred years ago."

"Albus, I would be most interested to see the book and I can tell by the look in Severus' eyes that he would too. When was it written?"

"I keep it locked in my private library, Tiberius. I believe it is a compilation of spells from before the Roman Empire and was translated from earlier papyrus texts which have been lost. I will be happy to let all of you examine it. However, it must remain within the walls of Hogwarts for safe keeping. Many of its contents are very dark."

"Why do I think this smacks of Lord Voldemort?" Harry moaned to no one in particular. "He knew a lot about ancient magic, especially of the dark variety."

"Harry, he's gone and this time he won't be back," Remus chided gently. "You made sure of that!"

"Yeah, right, but that doesn't mean he didn't leave us a few presents."

"I do not believe this mirror belonged to the Dark Lord. He was not fond of looking at his features. He believed vanity a weakness."

"More like old snake face didn't like his handsome looks." Sirius joked sarcastically.

"Unlike some people we know." Severus sneered, playfully rolling his eyes at Sirius, who just grinned back at him.

"Harry," Dumbledore interrupted the banter, "I want you to go over to the mirror and tell us if you can sense anything with your empathy."

"Okay," she agreed, warily circling the mirror. Frowning, she stopped in front of the glass, peering at her reflection.

"Harry..." Remus began, but she held up her hand to silence him.

"I'm not sure...," she mumbled, running her fingers along the entwined snakes making up the wooden frame before resting both palms on the glass. She sucked in her breath as waves of icy cold rushed down her spine. The room seemed to grow dark. Harry wanted to call out but was unable to move. A woman's voice was calling to her, but it seemed distorted, as if it was underwater. It was soft and sensual and would have been pleasant, yet a feeling of discord was consuming her. She got the impression of bells tinkling off key. Something was not right. Her emotions reeled and her mind was screaming at her to move back, yet she was frozen in place. She could feel herself being assaulted by feelings of overwhelming sadness and loss as the cold continued to permeate her senses. 'Is that my mum screaming?' she thought. The voices grew louder and an overwhelming sense of fear gripped her. 'Dementors?!' Her mind clicked into action as she could feel the pull on her soul as the cold poured deeper within every fiber of her being. 'Must hold on...have to...fight them. Think...yes...use thought magic...wandless...magic. Expecto Patronum!' she screamed silently. A sudden jolt accosted her body as she was flung across the room. Her body impacted violently with the stone wall. A loud crack resounded in her head as it smacked against the stone. Harry slid down the wall, crumpling to the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind her. She was aware of motion and yelling for a brief minute before her eyes rolled up into her head and she sank into a sea of blackness...

Severus leaped forward as Harry was flung across the room. He could feel the bile rising in this throat, his fear for his new bride evident in his dark eyes.

"Harry!" he yelled, vaguely aware of the others crowding around as he knelt beside her still form. Gingerly, he examined her still form with a brief wave of his wand. Harry's breathing was rapid and shallow; the back of her skull was indented. A trickle of blood oozed from her left ear.

"Albus, get Poppy!" Sirius called, looking over Severus' shoulder at the unconscious witch.

"I shall summon her immediately." Dumbledore moved swiftly from the room, his speed remarkable for his age, to Floo call the mediwitch. Tiberius followed on his heels.

"She'll be alright," Remus comforted, kneeling down opposite the two wizards. "Harry has been through worse."

"Her pulse is strong but irregular. I believe her skull is fractured," Severus said, dark eyes glancing between the two wizards. "We need to move her carefully."

"Petrificus Totalus!" Remus incanted, pointing his wand at Harry, while Sirius conjured a stretcher.

"Take her to the sitting room. I need to retrieve some potions for her from the lab," Severus instructed, while Sirius floated the stretcher from the room.

"I'll secure the wards," Remus stated. Pulling the door shut, the werewolf cast his wand, muttering the incantation to secure the room. The other two wizards turned in opposite directions. Severus returned a few minutes later just as Remus finished checking his work.

"Come on, Lupin, I need to get these potions into her as quickly as possible." Severus motioned the other man to follow as he sped towards the stairs, robes billowing out behind him, Remus following in his wake.

Healer McBride and Madam Pomfrey stepped from the fireplace just as the two men reached the sitting room.

"Good afternoon, Gentlemen," the healer greeted. "Minerva and I were up at the castle having tea with Poppy when Albus called and told us that Harry had been injured."

"Angus, her skull," Sirius gulped, "Sev thinks it may be fractured. "She's been unconscious for at least fifteen minutes now."

"I have brought the swelling reducer and the bone restoration potions along with a headache potion and pain killer," Severus explained, pulling several vials from his robes.

"Good Lad." Healer McBride nodded, running a healing crystal around Harry's head. He then ran his wand along the length of her body to determine if there were any other injuries and looked up. "You were quite correct in you judgment, Severus. She has a major skull fracture in addition to a broken collar bone and some bruised ribs. There has also been some minor bleeding within her brain along with bruising. I am going to magic the healing potions directly into her stomach rather than try to have her swallow in this state," he said, taking the vials from the Potions Master. With a quick flick of his wand their contents disappeared. "Now I think she should be moved into bed and I will leave her in Poppy's capable care." He smiled at the mediwitch. "Give her the headache potion when she wakes and if necessary she can have the pain killer then too."

"I'll see she is mended in no time," the mediwitch answered. "I expect she should awake within two hours, Severus," she informed him as he floated his unconscious bride towards the door. She followed him up the grand staircase and into his suite of rooms. He gently placed his young wife into bed and helped Poppy to remove her robes, replacing them with a nightgown. "I'll stay with her until you can return."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I do need to speak with Albus for a short while. You will notify us if she wakes up sooner?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Of course, Severus. I know you well enough to know you're worried even if you are trying to hide it!" she admonished, pushing him from the room. "You can put on that mask like expression for everyone else but it doesn't work with me. Now go and have your meeting."

"I shall return as soon as we are done unless she wakes sooner." He scowled in her direction, heading towards the stairs. He reentered the sitting room to find that Healer McBride had left and the others were discussing what had happened.

"How is Harry doing?" Tiberius questioned.

"As well as to be expected," he answered, taking a seat on the couch beside his uncle. "Poppy will let us know if she wakes."

"I was just telling everyone that I believe we should move the mirror to another location until it can be determined what kind of Dark Magic is at work within it."

"I agree, Uncle. I have never seen anything like this. Do either you or Albus have any ideas about what kinds of spells have been put into it?"

"I am sorry to say, Severus, that this is something I have never encountered," Albus remarked. "We will have to do some research. Did any of you feel anything at all when Harry touched the glass?"

"I was too shocked to notice, Albus," Severus remarked ruefully. "My attention was focused on Harry..."

"There is no need to feel guilty, Severus," Albus' blue eyes twinkled, "you have only just returned from your honeymoon. It is understandable that your first reaction would be for her welfare."

"I thought I saw a shadow for a minute," Remus responded, "but it could have been a trick of the light."

"You know, I still have the feeling that I have seen that mirror somewhere." Sirius expression was thoughtful. "I just can't put my finger on where."

"That is understandable, Black; your memories are still recovering from the time you spent in Azkaban. Even bad memories can be affected form prolonged exposure to the Dementors," Tiberius advised.

"Where do you propose we move the mirror, Albus?" Remus asked, seeing the troubled expression on Sirius' face.

"I believe that the school would be the safest place. However, I would suggest that we wait until we do some research. Moving it now may put us at risk. We don't know what charms may have been triggered when Harry opened herself up to the mirror."

"What about Phaedra? I do not wish to put her at further risk" Tiberius stated.

"I believe she will be safe enough for the time being. You can tell her that we have moved it until it can be fixed."

"Albus, she is a very inquisitive child." Severus arched his brow. "She will notice that the door is warded when she goes for her lessons in the lab."

"Nephew, I think we can get around that. We can put the mirror in the unused wing on the third floor closer to the house elves quarters. They can keep an eye on it until we have enough information to move the mirror."

"That might work." Severus nodded.

"But you said moving it could be dangerous." Sirius looked up in confusion. "What difference will it make whether we move it to Hogwarts or upstairs?"

"The mirror may have some kind of charm on it to prevent it being removed from the premises now that it has been activated," Severus answered. "At least this way we can put it in a secure place until we know."

"I agree." Albus nodded. "Until we have more information we should proceed cautiously."

"Severus, if you don't mind I would like to help guard the mirror," Remus said, an idea coming to mind. "It will be time for the full moon in another two weeks. I could use one of the third floor rooms for the transformation rather than go down to the dungeon. My heightened senses may be able to detect something and Sirius animagus form could be of help then too."

"I think that would be a splendid idea, Severus," Albus interceded seeing the younger man's scowl. "You know that Remus will be on the Wolfsbane Potion so he will have his mind. He would never consciously injure anyone and I know the efficacy of your brewing."

"I agree with Albus, Nephew, unless you don't feel confident that your potion will be up to snuff?" He goaded the younger man playfully.

"Uncle, you know as well as I that I take great pride in my brewing. There is absolutely no reason to doubt my skill with Lupin's Wolfsbane." Severus glared at the four wizards. "I shall see to setting up the room as soon as possible."

"Excellent! Now, I think it would also be a wise idea to talk with the merchant where the mirror was purchased. Molly was with her so she will be able to tell us where they went." Albus beamed.

"I will begin by checking what we have in the family library," Tiberius added.

"I'll go to the Burrow with Remus to pick up Phaedra. We can speak with Molly and then head to Diagon Alley to question the proprietor of the shop where they got the mirror. I can also check the Black family volumes in my vault and the ones which were not destroyed with Grimauld Place," Sirius commented, ready for action.

"Then I shall check both the library at Hogwarts and the Grimoire I spoke of earlier. Tiberius' if you could assist me in preparing a room in the lower dungeons for the mirror and my research it will save time. In the meantime Severus can use your family library. If necessary we can move it just after the graduation ceremony," Dumbledore said, rising to leave. "Severus, please let me know when Harry is awake enough to tell us what happened. I don't believe she will be up to it before this evening."

"Perhaps you would like to return for dinner? That way you can visit with Harry tonight and maybe secure some answers about what happened," Severus suggested politely.

"I shall be delighted." Dumbledore beamed.

They escorted the elderly wizard to the apparition point. He left for Hogwarts with Tiberius while Sirius and Remus headed off to the Burrow and Diagon Alley. Remus would keep Phaedra busy at Fortescue's with some ice cream while Sirius began the investigation. Severus returned to Snape Castle. Heading to the library, he secured two heavy volumes, and then went to relieve Poppy at Harry's bedside. He knew she still was in the process of getting the infirmary ready for the incoming students and needed to return to Hogwarts.

"She is still asleep, Severus," Poppy said, gathering her cloak from where she had put it on the small sofa. "Don't forget to give her the potions when she wakes."

"I shall see that she takes them immediately."

"Good. She may be a bit confused at first when she wakes, but that should pass. Keep her in bed until tomorrow and she should only have a light supper tonight. I will stop by just to make sure she is healed enough to get up but no strenuous activity for at least a week."

"I will make sure she follows your advice to the letter. We both know she has the habit of getting up too soon after an injury."

"As does her husband," Poppy replied, shaking her head, cracking a smile.

"Madam Pomfrey, I have always followed your instructions in regards to my healing. I just preferred the privacy of my quarters rather than taking up space in the infirmary during the term," Severus retorted. "Do you have any further instructions?"

"Yes. I know you have only been married for a few days, but you should forgo any intimacy until after I have checked her over tomorrow. She probably won't be up to it anyway." Poppy grinned at the slight red tinge and the chagrined expression on the pale wizard's face. "However, a little cuddling won't hurt." She winked, heading out the door.

Once she had left Severus settled himself on a soft chair by Harry's bedside. Opening one of the books from the library he began to search for any information that would help to solve the mystery of the mirror. It would help to keep his mind off of Harry's injuries until she awoke.

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