Mirror Mirror, On the Wall

"I've got to go and give in my charms homework." Hermione announced, picking herself up of the squashy armchair. "Do you want me to hand yours in as well?"

"Yeah, OK, thanks!" Harry said, handing her a long piece of parchment. "Ron?"

"Hang on, hang on." Ron muttered, scribbling something on his homework. "There all done!" He handed Hermione his parchment.

"What does this say?" Hermione asked, squinting at the parchment and turning it upside down.

"Well, if it's illegible, Flitwick won't know I just made it up!" Ron justified, grinning, looking satisfied. Hermione gave him a stern look. Harry knew she despised cheating.

"See you in a minute." Hermione said and pushed the portrait open, leaving the common room.

"How long does it take to hand in homework?" Ron grumbled, looking at the clock. It was 7 o'clock. Hermione left for Flitwick's room at 5:30 PM.

"I don't know. She should be back by now." Harry said, getting up. "Come on, let's go find her."

They walked through the almost deserted corridors until Harry heard the laughter again. He stopped and placed his hands over his ears, although the sound just came through louder.

"What?" Ron asked, looking at Harry.

"Voldemort." Harry muttered and ran off.

"Hey wait!" Ron said, sprinting after him.

Harry ran towards the laughter.

"Hermione!" he shouted, but no reply. He ran some more and found himself in the charms corridor, facing the mirror.

"Hermione!" he shouted again. This time a reply.

"Harry! Go get Dumbledore! It's a trap, Voldemort..." He heard her scream out loud. It came from the mirror. He sprinted over to it.

Inside the magnificent frame, he could see Hermione. Her image was slightly wavy and blurred, as if a wall of water was separating them. She looked like she was trying to get out of the mirror.

"Help!" she screamed, banging on the glass. Then she saw Harry.

"No, go back, it's a trap, Voldemort is here!"

She banged on the mirror again. Ron rocketed round the corner, saw Hermione trapped in the mirror and all the colour drained from his face.

"Go get Dumbledore!" Harry ordered. Ron nodded and raced off towards Dumbledore's office.

Harry stood facing the mirror. Hermione was still trying to tell him to leave but he was too persistent. Taking one quick look around him, he climbed into the mirror.

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"Well, well, well, it seemed my little trick worked." A voice said. A shiver ran down Harry's spine. Spinning round, he was greeted by the chalk white face of Voldemort.

"Hello Harry." he said, smiling menacingly. "I presume you have come for your little friend Hermione?" He stepped aside to reveal Hermione being held by a death eater. She took one look at Harry and her face fell. Tears fell silently from her eyes.

"I told you to go." She whispered. The death eater holding her hit her as she spoke. She fell to the floor with a cry of pain. Harry rushed towards her and helped her up.

"I told you to go!" she repeated.

"I'm going to rescue you. Somehow." Harry told her.

"How very touching." Voldemort sneered behind them. "But, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you both. Goodbye Harry." He raised his wand, about to strike with a deadly curse. "Run!" Harry yelled and he and Hermione ran across the ground. Thinking quickly, Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered

"Concelium." A thick fog surrounded the area, shielding them from the view of Voldemort. They could hear his screams of

"Find them! Find them!"

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her behind a large stone statue where they crouched motionless. Harry's heart was pumping in his ears. Hermione was still holding his hand tightly, afraid to let go. They stayed there for at least 5 minutes, silent and still, wondering when or if anyone would help them.

"Found you!" a voice shouted. Harry swung around and came face to face with Voldemort. Hermione screamed and they began to run again.

"You can run Harry, but you can't hide!" Voldemort called into the fog, which was beginning to lift. "Avada Kedavra!"

The last thing Harry remembered was a flash of blinding green light and a great rushing of air before falling to the ground.

And sprawled on the ground, Harry and Hermione lay. Voldemort surveyed the scene and began to laugh. At last the boy who lived had died.

Harry didn't want to wake up. The cloud he was lying on was warm and very comfortable. Cloud? He sat up quickly.

"About time Harry." a man's voice said.

"Dad? Mum?"

"We're right here Harry."

Harry looked and he saw his mother, kneeling beside him. "You OK Harry?"

"Yeah, but you're..." Harry couldn't finish the last sentence.

"Dead, we know." James Potter finished for him "Isn't life great?"

"So, I'm dead?" Harry asked, getting up. His head felt like lead

"Well, not entirely. You see, some of Lily's magic was left in you, after Voldemort took some of your blood." James explained, putting his arm around Harry's shoulder. He felt real, solid and warm. "You are also in the village of Godric Hollow, which had a spell placed around it, before you were born, to protect it from Voldemort. It saved you the first time."

"Yes, and it saved you again." Lily continued, placing her arm around Harry's other shoulder. She was also warm, solid and real.

"So, if I'm not dead, what am I?"

"To put it simply you nearly died. You're going back Harry."

Harry stood in silence for a moment. Then he remembered.

"Hermione! Is she dead?"

James and Lily avoided looking directly at him. Tears welled up in Harry's eyes and he made no effort to stop them.

"It's all my fault!" he sobbed.

"Oh, no! Harry, what you did was very brave!" Lily said, hugging him. "But life goes on Harry. You have to carry on and remember Hermione for all the right reasons. For her friendship, loyalty, trust."

"And good looks!" James said, earning a glare from his wife. "Well, look."

He waved his hand and some of the cloudlike substance he was standing on drifted apart to reveal the scene which lay before them. Harry and Hermione spread-eagled on the floor.

"This is too weird. How can I be down there and up here?" Harry said, wiping his eyes with his robes.

"The you here is your spirit, your soul, everything that is you." Lily explained. "Down there is merely your body."

Harry stared down at himself for a moment. Determined to beat Voldemort, he looked up at his parents.

"I'm ready to go back." He said, standing up.

"But first listen to me." James said in a very serious voice and taking Harry by the shoulders. "You're wand will not work against Voldemort, like what happened last time. You will not be able to battle him. Instead you must use Hermione's wand. You will not be able to destroy him, but you will be able to get away and delay his return to power. Now, to open the portal back to Hogwarts, you must say Portalius. To defeat Voldemort this time, you must break his wand. That will enable you to battle in the future. Now go."

Lily hugged Harry and kissed him.

"Good Luck!" she whispered. A bright glow surrounded Harry until it was so bright he had to close his eyes. He felt himself floating downwards until...