As time passed, the main courses and desserts of the Christmas feast were gradually exhausted.
The banquet concluded in the late afternoon as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The Great Hall was littered with cups and plates, a scene of joyous chaos that was quickly and quietly transformed back to pristine condition by the house-elves' efficient household magic. During this feast, both the professors and the students who had remained at the castle were extremely happy.
After the meal, a full-bellied Harry and the Weasley brothers had a wild snowball fight on the grounds to work off their food. They played like madmen all afternoon, having a wonderful time. It was not until the sun had completely set and they were too cold to bear it any longer that they returned, panting and laughing, to the warm fireside in the Gryffindor common room, their clothes soaked through with melted snow.
This was, without a doubt, the most enjoyable Christmas Harry had ever had. But there was still one thing lingering in his mind, a mystery that pricked at his curiosity.
It was not until he was tucked into bed that he finally had the time to truly think about it—that shimmering, silvery Invisibility Cloak, seemingly woven from liquid moonlight, and the anonymous person who had sent it to him.
Harry took the Invisibility Cloak out of its plain wrapping paper again. He let the fabric flow through his hands; it felt smoother than silk and lighter than air.
The package had also included a note, written in beautiful, elegant handwriting, telling him that the Invisibility Cloak had once belonged to his father and that he should "use it well."
Use it well? Harry's heart pounded with a thrill of possibility. An Invisibility Cloak like this, no matter how you looked at it, was made for doing things you were not supposed to do. It was a perfect tool for sneaking around, for nighttime castle explorations.
Who on earth would be so keen on getting him to break the school rules that they would send him such a powerful magical tool?
Suddenly, Harry's eyes lit up, and he felt a surge of pure excitement. He realised that, by putting on this Invisibility Cloak, the entirety of Hogwarts would be completely open to him. In the future, he and Ron could go out at night without ever being discovered. Wearing the Invisibility Cloak, they could go anywhere, and Filch and Snape would never, ever know.
Harry secretly made up his mind and decided to act immediately.
While his roommates slept soundly, he put on the Invisibility Cloak and tiptoed silently out of the dormitory.
In a deserted classroom on one of the lower floors, many old desks and chairs were piled against the walls, casting large, dark shadows in the dim moonlight. An overturned wastepaper basket had spilled its contents—many small scraps of paper—which now lay buried in the thick dust on the floor. This place probably had not been cleaned in a very long time.
But in front of the wall facing the entrance, there was something that did not seem to belong in this dusty, forgotten classroom, as if someone had temporarily left it there because they had nowhere else to put it.
It was a very imposing mirror. It reached all the way to the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, and was supported by two large, beast-claw-shaped feet at the bottom.
Two silver-haired figures stood in front of the mirror. One looked very old, and the other looked much younger, but their actual ages were the complete opposite.
'Can you tell me why you have summoned me here, Headmaster Dumbledore?' Dracula glanced at the image of a world in chaos—a scene of roiling turmoil—that was continuously playing in the mirror. He took an unnatural step to the side, deliberately avoiding his own reflection.
'Also, was the Mirror of Erised not the last obstacle you set up to guard the Philosopher's Stone? Why have you moved it to this deserted classroom?'
Dumbledore stood in front of the Mirror of Erised, his eyes gazing distractedly at the images within the glass.
'Before Harry goes to the fourth-floor restricted area to face the final challenge, I need a test. I need to see what Harry desires most in his heart,' he said softly. 'It concerns whether he can make good use of his unique advantages to master the power needed to defeat his nemesis.'
'So you had Professor Snape stay up late, cooperating with Filch to patrol the castle, just to lure Potter to this classroom and allow him to "discover" the Mirror of Erised?' Dracula asked, a note of surprise in his voice. Inexplicably, he felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for Snape, an unwitting pawn in this grand, manipulative game.
Dumbledore nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the images in the magic mirror.
Seeing Dumbledore's focused, almost wistful look, Dracula's curiosity was piqued.
A wisp of transparent, almost invisible energy quietly emerged from his fingertips, entwining the runic characters engraved on the Mirror of Erised's frame. Then, he slowly gazed at the spotless, ancient mirror surface.
Several figures appeared in the mirror in turn: a middle-aged man with auburn hair and a full beard, a young girl with the same striking hair colour, and an elegant woman. The three of them looked intimate, and it could be roughly seen that they were Dumbledore's family.
But what surprised Dracula was that there was also another young man, separated from Dumbledore's family members by a noticeable distance. He had golden-blond hair and a pair of piercing azure-blue eyes. A rebellious, almost dangerous smile was etched on his handsome face as he leered at the old man on the other side of the mirror.
Just as Dracula was about to take a closer look, the images in the mirror suddenly disappeared, leaving only their own reflections.
'Professor Dracula, I think it is not very polite to peek into other people's privacy, is it?' Dumbledore turned to look at Dracula and said softly, his eyes no longer twinkling.
'Cough, I was just a little curious for a moment.' Dracula's face stiffened slightly as he was caught red-handed by Dumbledore, and he coughed awkwardly.
But then he could not help but ask, 'So… who is that golden-haired young man? He seems to have a very unusual relationship with you.'
Dumbledore paused for a moment, and his expression suddenly became a little lonely, shadowed with a deep, ancient sadness.
'He is just a young man who was infatuated with summer.'
Dumbledore's unusual, evasive behaviour only made Dracula more curious. He took a step forward, preparing to continue his inquiry about the golden-haired young man.
At this moment, Dumbledore seemed to have discovered something. He casually used a transparent barrier to hide their figures from the other side of the mirror. At the same time, he added a soundproofing spell to facilitate their conversation behind the magical screen.
Dracula frowned and looked towards the half-open door of the classroom.
It was empty. But then he heard them—very light, almost imperceptible footsteps, slowly moving towards the deserted classroom. Two sticky, greasy voices vaguely faded away down the corridor; it was Filch and Snape.
With his outstanding hearing, Dracula sensed that someone had quietly slipped into the abandoned classroom where he and Dumbledore were concealed. The light in his burgundy eyes flowed, and he gradually saw a young wizard, shrouded by an Invisibility Cloak, slowly coming to a stop in front of the Mirror of Erised.
'This is… Potter?' Dracula looked at the slightly blurred figure under the Invisibility Cloak in confusion. He frowned at Dumbledore. 'What is the relationship between the Invisibility Cloak on Potter and the one that belonged to Ignotus Peverell?'
Under normal circumstances, Invisibility Cloaks were woven from the fur of Demiguises or made with runes similar to the Disillusionment Charm. These ordinary Invisibility Cloaks had no effect on Dracula; he could easily see through them. However, the Invisibility Cloak on Harry was different.
Dracula had not immediately discovered Harry wearing it. He had to circulate his own magic power into his eyes to even see him. And even then, Harry's figure was still not very clear.
'That is right. This is one of the legendary Deathly Hallows,' Dumbledore said indifferently, as if it were just an ordinary piece of clothing. 'Harry's father once lent it to me for a time, for research. Now, it can be considered returned to its original owner.'
'That is quite a grand gesture, Dumbledore,' Dracula shook his head lightly, a new coldness creeping into his tone. 'Setting up these obstacles, using the Deathly Hallows, and even employing something like the Mirror of Erised to test a child's character.'
'When did the wizarding world fall to such a state that not only does no one dare to utter the name of a dark wizard, but you must even rely on a poor child who has lost his parents to defeat him?'
He stared intently into Dumbledore's eyes, his voice turning as cold and hard as frozen steel.
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