Pandora's Box

Upon learning how the Mirror of Rebounds had, once again, hypnotized Harry, it took a great deal of arguing to keep Severus the ghost from carting it directly to Dumbledore so the old wizard could place it securely under lock, key, and multiple charms.

"The problem is," Severus the elder said, his voice both commanding and diplomatic, "Harry doesn't know how to control it. Throughout the history of the Snapes, for as long as we had had the mirror--and for those of you lacking in knowledge of the family history," here he gave Harry a pointed look, "it was invented by Hyacinthe the Druid during the eighth century--as long as we have had the Mirror of Rebounds, the more powerful users have always been the ones drawn to it for any implicit reason. It calls to them. Harry's curiosity is not abnormal considering his Snape blood. The mirror is especially attuned to the Snape blood and may only be used by them. It's a family artifact and legend; one every family member is informed of, though hardly known outside the immediate family. We like to keep it that way, too."

Severus the elder paused a moment to catch his breath and to see how captivated his audience was. Harry watched him with wide-eyed fascination. Severus the ghost did the same, but tried to appear as if he listened out of boredom only. Severus the elder continued with his lesson. "Why is it called the Mirror of Rebounds? Can anyone inform me what the word, 'rebounds' mean?"

Harry raised his hand, but the others ignored him. He sighed and dropped it.

"Rebound," Severus the elder continued, "means to spring or to bounce back. It pertains to the ability to see everything so long as it took place. This is the key to its entire purpose, so I'll repeat it: It sees everything so long as it happened. This means the Mirror of Rebounds records history within its depths, and the right people may call upon those records. The mirror rifles through its records in an effort to find what a person seeks, and then replays that information if it exists. This could very well be the key to where Pandora went."

Harry's hand rose in the air again. The others continued to ignore him.

"I don't trust it!" Severus the ghost snapped. "What exactly is the extent of the mirror's abilities? I was not born into the family and I have never been attracted to it. Still, it showed me Pandora fading away and James' death." The others looked at him coolly. Severus the ghost drew his lips back from his teeth and snarled. "I also saw Voldemort in the mirror, and he saw me too."

Harry was the only one who was not surprised with this revelation, but the forcefulness in which Severus the ghost spoke did surprise him. As it was the one thing that Severus had never mentioned about the mirror when he explained the past. Severus the elder frowned at his namesake. Severus the ghost flew over to the Mirror of Rebounds to point at the fine crack that ran across the mirror's surface. "When Voldemort saw me, I felt his anger at that moment and the glass cracked. How did that happen? Why did it show me these things if I supposedly do not have the ability to? I am a Snape through adoption, and therefore do not have this blood ability."

The finger that rigidly pointed at the crack in the mirror's glass swiveled to point at Harry, who flinched. "Voldemort and Harry are connected through that scar of his. Somehow, when he managed to vanquish Voldemort at one year of age, doing what not even Pandora could succeed at, some of Voldemort's powers transferred to him. What if they are also connected through the mirror and Voldemort is trying to pull him through?"

"I hardly believe that is likely."

"Oh no?" Severus smiled cruelly. He turned to face Harry. "Tell them of Tom Riddle's diary and the Chamber of Secrets," he commanded.

Harry's stomach did a flip-flop as he remembered. "Tom Riddle encased his memories in a diary, and that was found by my best friend's little sister, Ginny Weasley. Tom Riddle used her to do all sorts of horrid things, and he pulled me into the diary several times. He was sixteen at the time, and I don't think he actually knew what he had turned into, unless he got that information from Ginny. Almost to the close of the school year, he was drawing so much energy from Ginny that he was becoming solid and real. He summoned and controlled a basilisk, and, well . . ." Harry shifted his gaze from the mirror where his relatives were over to Mirror of Rebounds which Severus floated beside. "Do I have to continue?" he asked in a tiny voice, feeling embarrassed with the idea of telling anyone he had defeated the basilisk using Godric Gryffindor's sword.

"No, you may stop. I am sure they get the idea. As you can see, even through a simple diary that Voldemort, when he was only sixteen, placed spells and charms on, Harry was drawn to him and nearly killed. How much more dangerous can this mirror be? If Voldemort was powerful enough to see me, then surely he has the power to see Harry. They're connected together!" Severus whirled around from the mirror the family was within to face Harry. "HARRY!"

Harry jumped as Severus the ghost snatched up cradled the Mirror of Rebounds behind himself. It would have been out of sight if Severus were not transparent. Harry guiltily realized he had been staring at the Mirror of Rebounds. Severus the elder sighed.

"I understand your wariness towards the mirror. In some ways, I agree. The Mirror of Rebounds is a dangerous artifact and we do not fully know what Hyacinthe the Druid meant for it to do. He was killed shortly after the Mirror of Rebounds was made when a Roman carriage ran over him.

"However, I have always been one to say there is always an exception to every rule--you know I do; that is why Pandora was always free to do what she wanted, from marrying a Muggleborn wizard instead of Tacitus Malfoy as everyone expected since the one child I had was a daughter, to adopting you.

"There is always an exception to every rule, and so long as that exception does little or no harm, it should be allowed. Of course, the exception to what is happening now may or may not be a good thing. Harry himself is the exception to the rule. However, we must wonder if it's his Snape blood the mirror calls to after so long, or if it's Voldemort. And therein lies our problem: we do not know. Information deliberately not sought and even hidden is often dangerous information, that which could cause us a great deal of grief. But is this grief caused from knowing, or not knowing?"

Watching Severus the elder verbally coax Severus the ghost, Harry found himself admiring the cunning that allowed the man to be Sorted into Slytherin. Severus the elder's voice rose and fell easily. It was nice to listen to, easy to follow, and easy to be swayed by. Harry found it difficult to think of Severus the elder as evil, conniving, and vicious as the Slytherins Harry knew at school.

A sudden thought occurred to Harry then. Perhaps there was more to the Sorting Hat wanting him to be in Slytherin than just his potential of becoming a great wizard; his family background may have had a lot to do with the Hat's reasoning. He made a mental note to speak with his great-great-grandfather after the current mess was resolved.

"Perhaps what you saw was meant to be seen. Perhaps Pandora wanted you to see these things. Perhaps someone dead from long ago wanted you to see what you did. It is highly likely that whoever manipulated the mirror--or perhaps the mirror itself--was trying to inform you of something. Still and all, it is highly unlikely the Mirror worked for its own avenues. It is, after all, an object that does not have intelligence incorporated into it. It is far more likely that someone, somewhere, is trying to inform us something. Now, if we ignore the theory that perhaps it is Voldemort who calls Harry, it leaves only one other likely avenue. That is Pandora.

"She gave you the mirror for a specific reason. Of all the precious, valuable, and irreplaceable things that existed within Dinsmore, she gave you a single box and the Mirror of Rebounds. She must have felt they were important for whatever was going to happen in the future. She told you she was going to her mother's family. The mirror could be used to show us that family, or if Pandora is alive even now. The mirror can show us Pandora as she was but a few seconds into the past. And what if it is Pandora herself who is trying to tell us something?"

The look of pain that crossed Severus the ghost's face caused Severus the elder to stop speaking. Severus the ghost shot a look at Pandora's Box where it always sat. He chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully for several long moments. Everyone watched Severus the ghost's display of frustration. Finally, Severus the ghost said, "Are there any relatives currently residing with us who are highly experienced with handling the Mirror of Rebounds? I want someone who know what they are doing to be with Harry."

Startled at the quick change of Severus' attitude, Severus the elder was silent. It was Oliver who responded. "Besides Cousin Quigley?"

"Cousin Quigley is an expert on the Mirror of Rebounds?" The look on Severus the ghost's face clearly stated he did not believe Oliver.

"Surprisingly yes. There are reasons why he took to drink so fondly, and most of it was brought on by the Mirror of Rebounds."

"And the Bloody Barron," Anastasia added. Edwina nodded in agreement with her sister as Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Well, I believe that might have to do with the fact he was the only Snape to have ever winded up in Hufflepuff," Oliver said pointedly.

"Nevertheless," Severus the elder cut in before Anastasia could reply, "while Quigley may indeed be the most experienced with the Mirror of Rebounds, he is not at all dependable when he is under the influence of alcohol--which is all the time. Someone fetch Uncle Costello. He is well-versed in using it." Edwina, having nothing to say all that time, left to do as her grandfather requested. Severus the ghost floated over to the small table where Pandora's Box sat, sat the Mirror of Rebounds beside it, and then dragged the table over so it stood between Harry and the portraits.

He turned the mirror's reflection from Harry. "We don't want you losing your mind just yet," he said. He hovered beside Harry and waited for Uncle Costello to appear. A few moments later Edwina arrived with Uncle Costello. Like every one of the other Snapes--except Cousin Quigley and Aunt Peggy, both of whom had winded up with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes, Severus the Elder who had blue eyes so dark they were almost black, and Pandora's children who inherited some of Francis' prominent features--Uncle Costello had black hair, blue eyes, and the wide bone structure that made Snapes appear stocky.

He scowled distastefully at the crowded mirror, and Oliver moved over to the side to allow him room. "Now, what's this about my having to verse Harry in the Mirror of Rebounds' use?" he asked.

"Harry's drawn to it," Severus the elder said as he pointed to the subject of his sentence. "It calls to him, and we don't know if it is a natural Snape thing or, because of the events that have occurred, Pandora trying to reach us, or because of his natural ability to attract trouble--" he ignored the squawk of protest from Harry "--since then it may be Voldemort. We want you to show Harry how to use the mirror safely."

"Ah." Uncle Costello looked at the mirror for a moment before he elbowed Edwina and Anastasia for more room. "Firstly, those the Mirror of Rebounds calls to need no incantations to force its hand, as others have had to resort to in the past. You merely stare into it and think of what you care to see. The part of the mirror that calls to you will sense what you seek.

"Secondly, there are certain regions the Mirror of Rebounds cannot reach. Whatever you see is the past and cannot be changed. It will not be affected by anything you do. The mirror will not look into something that does not exist; there are areas in the world that have a great deal of legends, but the Mirror of Rebounds proves their existence. Atlantis existed. Avalon did not. Therefore, if what you seek is apart of something that does not exist, you will find nothing."

"What about seeing the future?" Oliver, from off to the side, asked.

Uncle Costello scowled. "Unless," he said with recognizable Slytherin sarcasm, "the person using the Mirror of Rebounds does so shortly after finishing a good two gallons of straight vodka, then it is highly unlikely one will see the future." He turned to Harry. "Now, to use it, you must twirl the mirror backwards. It will not work if you twirl it forwards, because that is a forwarding motion. We need to go backward in time."

Harry looked at the Mirror of Rebounds. He felt like an idiot. "Twirl?" he echoed.

"The glass is suspended and hinged between two poles. Push it backwards and it will twirl." Harry hooked a finger at the base of the glass, but Uncle Costello shook his head. "No, you want the mirror turned towards you." Harry did. In the dark, bleary depths of the glass, he saw the outline of his face. "Now twirl it."

Harry again hooked a finger behind the base of the mirror and snapped it forward. The mirror pirouetted backwards slowly, and then picked up speed. Harry glanced quickly over at Uncle Costello to see if this was normal, but Uncle Costello impatiently gestured him to concentrate on the mirror. Harry gulped and looked at it. The mirror became a dark blur as it whizzed faster and faster on its axle.

A low, audible hum of its movement filled the air. Harry wanted to look at Uncle Costello to see what else he was supposed to do, but he remembered those whom the Mirror of Rebounds called out to only had to think of what they wanted to see. He remembered the dim outline he always saw in the mirror, of a figure that weaved unsteadily. A small prick of white light appeared in the very center of the dark mass of twirling glass, and then exploded into a supernova.

Harry stumbled backwards as the light expanded to fill the room. In the very center of the light, he saw the person from earlier. He recognized the figure swathed in light blue robes that leaned against the wall for support. Unlike last time, where shadows had hidden most of the details, what Harry now saw was as bright and clear as day.

The person was a man in his mid-thirties. Perched on top of rumpled blonde hair was a pair of goggles. The head was tilted forward with the chin brushing against collarbone. The man was too weary, too weak, and in far too much pain to hold it upright. The arm wrapped around the torso was covered in blood as the red liquid gushed down the front and pooled at the person's feet. At each stumbling step the man took, his horizontally slashed robes parted slightly to reveal white intestines that threatened to spill through the jagged cut that ran across his stomach from hip to hip.

After a few more steps, the man collapsed to his knees at the very top of a flight of stairs. He wrapped both arms around his stomach and trembled.

"Francis Potter!" Severus the ghost whispered in shock.

At the sound of Severus' voice, the man looked up. His turquoise-colored eyes were glazed over with pain and shock. They widened slightly, as if he could see Harry and Severus standing before him. Francis' upper body swayed back and forth slightly and then pitched forward.

Harry reacted instinctively. He leapt forward with his arms out to catch the falling body. In his wild attempt to help someone who supposedly died almost fifty years ago, he knocked Pandora's Box over with his swinging arms.

It fell on its side. The lid popped open upon jarred impact. Shades of deep green and baby blue colors, entwined together and yet separated completely, flooded from it, drawn like a magnet to the vision Harry reached for. A sudden flash of pain shot through his scar and nearly blinded him in its intensity. His arms passed through the supernova as the colors absorbed themselves into the spinning mass of white and they met with a solid body. Francis tumbled into Harry's arms. Off-balanced from the dead weight falling against him and dizzy from the piercing agony in his forehead, Harry fell backwards onto the floor. As he hit his head on the bed frame, he saw Severus the ghost scoop up and slam Pandora's Box shut. The flooding colors stopped and the supernova the Mirror of Rebounds gave off dissipated like fog beneath a hot sun.

The pain from Harry's scar disappeared as suddenly as it had come, leaving Harry slightly nauseous. He numbly looked at the limp body he held. He felt a warm stickiness where Francis' stomach was pressed against his thighs. His stomach heaved momentarily.

It took Severus the ghost barely a second to assess what just happened. With the wave of his hand, Harry's wand, which sat next to his Hogwarts homework on his desk, flew across the room and bounced off the side of Harry's head.

"You're going to learn a healing spell this instant," Severus said as he lifted Francis' body off of Harry and gently set it on Harry's bed. "We've got to close this wound, and as soon as that is done, I'm off to get Madam Pomfrey."

Harry stood up. He clutched his wand close as he nervously watched Severus peel away Francis' robes to reveal the gash in his lower torso that had Francis almost sliced horizontally in half. Harry felt another wave of nausea at the sight of blood and organs meant to stay within the abdomen cavity.

Severus turned to Harry. "You need to have the very tip of your wand just touching the wound. Not yet, you need to practice the words yet. Restituo Valetudo. And roll your R's, boy."

Precious seconds ticked past as Severus forced Harry to repeat the words until he could pronounce them without making a mistake. "We cannot afford you to mess up. Now, point the wand like I told you to." Harry did, and Severus enclosed his hand over Harry's. Chill invaded Harry's arm and it went numb as Severus positioned the wand the way he wanted. "All right." He slowly released Harry's arm and stepped back. "Now say it."

"Restituo Valetudo." A light pink light appeared at the tip of Harry's wand. Before his eyes, the ugly slash across Francis' lower torso began to knit together. Energy swiftly drained from Harry as the wound healed. His hand shook from the exertion of holding his wand in position. After the wound was covered with a thick scab, Harry dropped his wand and fell to his knees, gasping desperately for air.

"That," Severus explained casually as if Harry had not collapsed from exhaustion, "is why I was not able to cast the spell. It requires a direct transfer of healthy energy from one person to another to repair damage. I, as a ghost, cannot supply that." He whirled around suddenly to face their stunned relatives still in Harry's mirror. "I need someone to begin writing up the ingredients for a blood-restoring potion. I need to have it when I get back with Madam Pomfrey so I may gather the ingredients immediately." He disappeared then.

Harry stared at his great-grandfather. Francis' breathing was erratic and shallow. He hoped Francis would live long enough for Madam Pomfrey to arrive in time. Harry heard a giggle from behind, and turned around to see the twins grinning ear to ear while everyone else ogled them disbelievingly.

"We were just thinking," Edwina began, her mouth stretched wide in an exuberant smile.

"About Father," Anastasia added with an identical smile.

"Uncle Costello said the past couldn't be changed."

Anastasia pointed at Francis. "And we just realized why Father's body was never found."

"Mum never found out how Father died when she used the Mirror of Rebounds."

"But Father didn't die, and the Mirror of Rebounds can't show what never happened!"

Edwina clapped her hands. "And Father never died because Harry pulled him from the past into the future!"

Uncle Costello frowned. "It's supposed to be impossible to do something like that."

Severus the elder shrugged as he moved away from the mirror to ask Great-Grandmother Mabel about a blood-restoring potion. Ultimately, he had the last word. "And I have always said there is an exception to every rule!"

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author's notes: According to my editor, Restituo Valetudo roughly translates as Restore Health. And I wasn't too mean on this chapter; I mean sure, it's a cliff hanger, but at least I healed Francis first! (And admit it, how many of you actually saw that coming, eh? Eh?)