The Face in the Mirror

Harry Potter lay in his bed, unable to sleep. He pulled the silky green sheets closer to him and tried to think of happy thoughts. Next to him, his best friend, Draco Malfoy snored contentedly. Harry's thoughts kept returning to the note attached to the Invisibility Cloak he had anonymously received for Christmas. Use it well. What the hell did that mean?

Deciding that he was going to get no sleep that night, Harry got out of bed and quietly searched through his trunk for the cloak, remembering the look of sheer jealousy on Draco's face. Harry smiled at the though of it. Sure, Draco was his best friend, but there was still a level of competition that was just a bit higher than friendly.

Harry put the cloak on, savoring its watery satin feel. He tip-toed out of the room he shared with Draco and walked out of the Slytherin Common Room. It was much warmer once he got out of the dungeons. Wondering where to go, he started walking up the stairs. He lost himself in thought of how beautiful the castle was, of how he was so lucky to be in Hogwarts. Harry found himself in the library. Sweet, he thought. The restricted section belongs to me. He ran his fingertips along the dusty spines of books, some older than Dumbledore, which was saying something! He picked up a book at random and opened it. The book shrieked, and Harry slammed the book shut, scarred for life. He heard Filch hearing him, and ran out before he was caught and expelled.

With nowhere to turn, Harry ducked into a room. It was completely empty, save for himself and a dusty old mirror with an inscription on it. He took off the cloak and looked at himself in the mirror. Someone was behind him. The mirror didn't lie, but when Harry turned to check over his real shoulder, he was the only person in the room. He turned back to the mirror in confusion. A couple looking very much in love smiled warmly at him. I've seen them before, Harry thought to himself furiously. Where have I seen them before? Then it struck him: these were his parents!

Harry sat in front of that mirror for God knows how long. Then he went back to show Draco. "Draco, wake up!"

"What?" Draco grumbled, burying his head under a fluffy pillow.

"My parents!"

"They're dead," Draco said, not caring.

"I saw them! Not as ghosts, but really there!"

"I don't care," Draco muttered. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Draco, please," Harry said, pulling the sheets off of the blonde boy. "It's important to me."

Draco looked at him. "Fine. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can go back to sleep."

So Draco hid under the cloak with Harry as he led the way to the room. "In here!" Harry said, very excited. "In here!" He stood in front of the mirror and pointed. "That's my mom, Lily. And my dad, James."

Draco looked in the mirror and frowned. He cocked his head to one side, then to the other.

"What?" Harry asked, seeing the expression on his face.

"I don't see them."

"What do you see?"

"A girl."

"What?" Harry shoved Draco out of the way and peered into the mirror again. "No, I see them. My parents!"

"Let me see," Draco said. He frowned. "No, there's this girl again. She's beautiful."

"My mom is beautiful!" Harry said. "Maybe you only see her."

"Your mom is blonde?" Draco asked.

"No... she has-"

"This lady is blonde. And stormy gray eyes." Draco sat in front of the mirror, drawing his knees to his chest. "I don't ever want to leave."

"Draco..." Harry asked delicately. "Are you seeing yourself in the mirror?"

Draco smiled. "Yes, Harry. Now leave me. I want to sit here and gaze at my beauty."