Dumbledore looked quietly at the young wizard before him, lowering his eyes with a smile. "Suggesting that everyone share, rather than keeping this mirror to oneself... this must have been your suggestion to Harry, wasn't it?"
"Since I was little, there haven't been many people I could share things with. Aside from Grandpa and Hermione, no one else would listen to me." Kate met his gaze with clear eyes. "So, coming here, I wanted to share beautiful things with more people."
"So to speak, you consider this Mirror of Erised to be a beautiful thing?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly.
Kate paused. "Sometimes, not everyone can perceive their own true inner thoughts. This mirror can help us see ourselves clearly."
"Even though, most of the time, people lose themselves in front of this mirror, or waste their time, or are driven mad." She spoke lightly, recalling the time she had first seen the reflection in the mirror clearly.
Dumbledore pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Then, when you saw the vision of your own heart, how did you feel?"
He didn't ask her what she had seen, as that was essentially a matter of privacy.
"Probably surprise, and then fear," Kate turned her head to stare at the mirror, appearing this candid in front of Dumbledore for the very first time. "I know clearly that everything in the mirror is fake, and what it shows is only my inner desire."
She didn't know why either; perhaps it was because, in the mirror, Dumbledore was standing behind her, rather than opposite her.
"So to speak, you are afraid of yourself," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, a hint of scrutiny entering his azure eyes.
Kate smiled faintly. "If a person lives without anything to fear, then it would be time for others to fear them."
She turned around, flashing him an innocent, child-like smile. "Professor, do you know what the first thing that made me feel fear was, ever since I've had memories?"
"I'm willing to hear the details," Dumbledore nodded slightly.
"It was at a dining table. A long one, big enough to seat over twenty people." She gestured exaggeratedly with one hand, yet her voice was completely calm. "I was sitting in a high chair, and my father and mother were right beside me, feeding me soup."
"But every time I sat at this dining table, I would notice one or two people missing from the table. Until the very end, even my parents disappeared, leaving only me and the butler."
As she spoke, Kate's eyes began to redden. "Professor, you should understand what I mean, right?"
Such a scene, like a nightmare, had constantly haunted her dreams during the first few years after she transmigrated. A person who grew up in a peaceful era, suddenly arriving in a family enveloped by countless fears, watching those related to her by blood disappear one by one.
The fear manufactured by Voldemort made it so that even a two-year-old infant couldn't sleep peacefully. This kind of experience, apart from herself, was known only to the old butler who had always taken care of her.
"Professor, my desire is closely tied to my fear. Does this mean I will never be able to realize the wish in my heart?" She saw Dumbledore's gaze soften. He even leaned down, crouched, and waved her over.
Kate bit her lip and walked over quickly. "Professor, I'm overthinking it, aren't I?"
"Child, the Mirror of Erised does not let you find joy, but rather makes you recall your fears."
Thinking about it carefully, Kate's initial refusal to enter Hogwarts was also due to her fear of the dangers in the magical world. Over the past year or so, Newt had also helped her relax as much as possible, ensuring she wouldn't feel alienated from her surroundings when she enrolled at Hogwarts. However, these were only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
Unlike Harry, the fear of Voldemort constantly lingered in Kate's heart. She could more intuitively experience the terror of Voldemort. It was also because of this sense of fear that she couldn't relax from the bottom of her heart, even to the point of fearing anyone who possessed great power—such as himself.
Dumbledore saw it very clearly. Whether it was Kate's fear of Voldemort, or her fearful reverence towards him, it was all due to the tragedies her family had suffered.
"Regarding your family members, you must understand that they were all warriors worthy of the Shafiq name. No matter how powerful the enemy was, they dared to face formidable foes head-on." Dumbledore continued, "Therefore, when you learn from your ancestors and learn to overcome fear, you will naturally be able to achieve your desires."
Kate sniffled, asking blankly, "Then how should I learn? Honestly... I actually only have a tiny bit of an impression left of my parents. I'm sorry..."
"No need to apologize, it's not your fault." Dumbledore took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. "As long as you have the will, you can come find me in the Headmaster's office when you encounter difficulties."
Was this... directly acquiring a pass to enter the Headmaster's office at any time?
Kate blinked. "I understand. Thank you, Headmaster." She took the handkerchief and wiped her tears, finally revealing a somewhat embarrassed smile. "Then I'll head back first. Goodbye, Professor."
Watching her leave, Dumbledore sighed softly. He walked up to the Mirror of Erised and looked at the person projected within it.
"She really is like you, Gellert." Eloquent and articulate, and also able to turn her own weaknesses into a means to win others' sympathy, using this to achieve her goals. Given time, Dumbledore could well imagine to what extent this little witch, brimming with personal charisma, would grow.
Fortunately, however, that child was very much like him, yet not entirely like him.
After finishing classes, Hermione told Harry and Ron about her discovery of Nicolas Flamel on the train.
"That's a real shocker, you actually didn't write to us during the holidays!" Harry nearly jumped up in anxiety upon hearing this. During the several days of the Christmas holidays, Hermione hadn't researched a single word, nor had she revealed a single thing to them.
"Well about that..." Hermione herself was a bit embarrassed. "I was busy celebrating Kate's birthday at her house. You guys have no idea, her house is as big as a castle!"
Ron scrunched up his face. "I've indeed heard before that the Shafiq family seems to be one of the top wealthy families in the magical world, even more lavish than the Malfoy family." By comparison, the Weasley family, who were also among the Sacred Twenty-Eight families, was quite poor.
"No wonder she gave me a new broomstick for Christmas," Harry couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. "And Ron even got a Wizard Chess set carved from jade!"
Ron propped up his head and sighed helplessly. "If I sold that Wizard Chess set, it could probably cover my family's expenses for an entire year."
Hermione looked at the two boys who were lamenting their inferiority and couldn't help but knock on the table. "Enough! We came to the library to find Nicolas Flamel!" Saying that, she pulled a massive, old book from the shelf and began flipping through it rapidly. "Look, Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"
The two boys looked at each other in dismay. "What stone? Never heard of it."
Hermione helplessly put her hands on her hips. Even though they had only been apart for a few hours, she was already starting to miss her time spent with Kate. "Listen, the Philosopher's Stone is something that can turn any metal into pure gold, and it can also produce the Elixir of Life..."
She patiently educated the two boys on what the Philosopher's Stone was. Meanwhile, on the other side, Kate had already returned to the Common Room. Originally, she thought that, just like usual, no one would pay her any mind after she entered the room. But unexpectedly, just as she was about to enter the girls' dormitory, she saw Malfoy—who had been whispering with Crabbe and Goyle—suddenly call out to her loudly.
"Hey! Shafiq!"
The same arrogant and obnoxious tone as always.
Kate initially didn't want to bother with this guy, but then she recalled the Christmas gift the Malfoy family had sent earlier. Her heart skipped a beat, and she involuntarily stopped in her tracks.
"Is there something you need, Student Malfoy?" she turned around with a look of impatience.
Crabbe was somewhat irritated by her attitude. He was just about to step forward when Malfoy stopped him with a single hand. He strutted over to her, his head held high. His stature, which was already a bit shorter than hers, became even more obvious when compared side-by-side.
"It's nothing major," he said. "There's another Quidditch match coming up soon. However, since you fainted in the Quidditch stands last time, the Head of House told me to keep an eye on you, so you don't end up being carried off again."
Huh? Snape would specifically ask him to do something so boring?
Kate frowned. She patiently stared at his haughty face for a moment before suddenly asking, "Are there any girls in your family?"
"Wh-What?"
Malfoy's face briefly flashed with panic, but he quickly retorted loudly, "I'm an only child! You must be confusing my family with some other family that has a massive population!"
Tsk, tsk. He was just one step away from mocking the Weasley family by name.
Kate's cheek twitched. She knew it; she shouldn't have held any expectations for this guy. As for the bookmark tucked inside that book—perhaps it was written by Mrs. Malfoy to Lucius. Having accidentally intruded upon the private romance of a married couple, it was probably best not to speak of it...
Too lazy to waste any more words on this guy, Kate turned to leave, only for Malfoy to suddenly place a hand on her shoulder. She knit her brows, grabbing his arm with her left hand to throw him off, when she felt the Lover's Chain on her wrist seem to vibrate slightly.
An illusion?
Turning back while suspiciously gripping his arm, Kate looked him up and down. "Anything else?"
"Ahem!" Malfoy immediately shook off her hand, coughing with feigned casualness. "The Christmas gift you sent was quite nice."
When did she ever send him a gift?
Kate's face was full of question marks, but then she suddenly remembered. Since all the major families had sent gifts over, the old butler must have already handled the matter of sending return gifts on her behalf. It was just that she was still young and hadn't yet reached the age to manage household affairs, so there was no need for the old butler to inform her about such a trivial matter as return gifts.
Although she didn't know what kind of return gift the old butler had sent, looking at this guy's expression, he seemed quite satisfied.
Fine, as long as you're happy.
She forced a fake smile, twitching the corners of her mouth. "You're welcome."
It wasn't specially sent to you, anyway.
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉