A dark and stormy night was the perfect time for a bit of rule-breaking. At least, that was Harry's opinion.
He crept along the fifth floor of Hogwarts Castle, heading towards the library, the Invisibility Cloak concealing his movements. Reaching the library door, he gave it a gentle push, finding it locked.
Really?
Harry paused, then pulled out his wand. "Alohomora!"
Click.
The lock disengaged.
Harry was speechless. Did they really need to use such a cheap lock at a wizarding school? Unless... unless someone deliberately used this lock, but why? Surely not to let me in?
Harry shrugged and cautiously slipped inside.
The library was deserted, illuminated only by moonlight filtering through the windows. The feeling of being both invisible and subtly exposed created an almost spectral atmosphere.
Wait a minute… there actually might be ghosts here.
Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts and headed for the Restricted Section.
The library's layout was straightforward, and the Restricted Section wasn't small; it was easy to find even in the dark. He slipped into the forbidden aisles, glanced around to ensure he was alone, and then pulled out his wand. "Lumos."
That's right, Lumos. From now on, I'm a melee mage. But a melee mage only engages when they can win; otherwise, they're just a mage.
No matter what, he couldn't beat Cerberus with brute force. Finding its weaknesses was the best approach.
Harry scanned the shelves, his eyes darting back and forth. "Hmm… Dark Arts for Dummies, Eighteen Ways to Make a Horcrux, Corpse Alchemy 2.0…"
Just as he thought he might not find the book he wanted, he spotted it. "How to Easily Deal with Highly Dangerous Magical Creatures and Resell Them."
The title was frivolous, but the knowledge inside was potentially invaluable.
Harry placed the book on the floor, using his wand to illuminate the pages as he flipped through them.
Swish, swish, swish…
"Found it… Cerberus has an extremely sensitive sense of smell; it's disgusted or even fearful of strong, pungent odors… Isn't that just a normal dog's weakness?!"
Harry's lips twitched. It seemed their entire approach had been misguided. No matter how big or strange Cerberus looked, it was still just a dog.
Harry continued flipping through the book. "Cerberus is extremely sensitive to sound; noise makes them uncomfortable, while rhythmic music might, to a lesser extent, make them feel comfortable."
"Hmm… does that dog like music? Noise won't do either, or I'll get caught... then I'll have to make something more stimulating."
Harry recalled the potion Snape had taught him to brew; the stench of rotten eggs would be unbearable for something with an enhanced sense of smell.
Just in case, he mused that he should learn a couple of songs.
Deciding he'd done enough for one night, Harry considered returning to his dormitory; it was curfew, and getting caught would be disastrous.
But just then, he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.
"Oh no, this can't be good..."
Harry quickly returned How to Easily Deal with Highly Dangerous Magical Creatures and Resell Them to its place on the shelf, threw on the Invisibility Cloak, and hurried towards the door.
He should have hidden and waited until the coast was clear, otherwise he risked running into someone.
Harry exited the library and hurried through the hallways, but as he turned a corner…
He saw Snape with one hand gripping Quirinus Quirrell's neck, pinning him against the wall. "You do not wish to be my enemy, do you, Quirinus?"
Wow! Voldemort was demonstrating patience; he didn't react even after being manhandled by his former subordinate. With all his possessions stolen by Tom, he was practically a "Ninja Turtle."
Snape probably never imagined he was doing this to Voldemort; he still thought Quirinus was just Tom's henchman.
Wow, that's explosive! What if I get caught? Will I be killed to cover my tracks?
Thinking this, Harry fled.
Once he felt safe, he ducked into the nearest room.
The room was unlit, but visibility was decent; it appeared to be some sort of storage space.
Harry peered curiously at the items, noticing an old, elaborately crafted mirror ahead. Reaching the mirror, he saw an inscription on the frame: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."
Translated backwards, it meant: "I show not your face but your heart's desire."
However, Harry didn't notice the inscription; he was engrossed by the image in the Mirror of Erised.
He stood there silently, watching, for what felt like an eternity.
"What did you see?"
Startled, Harry turned to see Albus Dumbledore standing behind him, wearing a brightly colored, star-spangled robe. The old wizard looked at him kindly.
"Professor Dumbledore?!"
Harry felt a mixture of panic and excitement, as if he had been caught red-handed.
However, Dumbledore didn't seem inclined to reprimand him; after all, he had been following Harry all night, and would have done so already.
Dumbledore walked over to Harry, glanced at the Mirror of Erised, and said, "It is an old artifact. Because it is not used much anymore, it has ended up here."
"What did you see in it?"
Dumbledore continued in a gentle tone.
Realizing Dumbledore wasn't going to punish him, Harry answered honestly, "The people inside call me second-in-command."
"..."
Dumbledore fell silent.
"I am spending Christmas with my master and Malfoy."
As Harry spoke, he smiled involuntarily.
Hearing Harry's words, Dumbledore considered that the boy wasn't entirely lost yet. "It allows us to see what we most desire, but it is ultimately an illusion; we would be foolish to live in a dream forever..."
At this point, Dumbledore suddenly realized that what Harry saw might actually come true.
Fortunately, Harry gave him an opening, changing the subject. "Professor, what did you see?"
Dumbledore smiled. "I saw myself holding a pair of thick, wool socks."
Harry was puzzled. "Wool socks?"
"Yes, and by the way, I received a pair of wool socks this Christmas, from my favorite student."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and began to boast to Harry.
Seeing Dumbledore's childlike expression, Harry felt unsure of what to say. He stood up. "Professor, I will head back to my dormitory."
But as Harry turned to leave...
"Harry, what you have been seeking lately... is it the Sorcerer's Stone?"
Dumbledore's sudden question stopped Harry in his tracks.
"The Sorcerer's Stone is in there?"
Harry looked at Dumbledore, completely bewildered.
Dumbledore, equally bewildered, stammered, "You did not know? I thought Tom had already informed you, and even sent you to..."
Oops, I let that slip.
Dumbledore felt embarrassed.
But it wasn't entirely his fault. Even though Tom was not as bad as he used to be, Dumbledore still believed that Tom was interested in the Sorcerer's Stone. After all, Tom's ultimate goal had never changed—the pursuit of immortality.
"Alright, you may return to your dormitory now."
A slightly annoyed Dumbledore waved his hand, signaling him to leave.
Although Harry wanted to extract more information, he had no choice but to go.
Dumbledore remained alone and sullen with the Mirror of Erised.
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