A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Bang!

Urgent knocking echoed from the wooden door.

Dumbledore calmly pulled a curtain over the Mirror of Erised, concealing it from view. His serene demeanor returned as he settled back into his chair.

"Come in."

Professor Snape stormed in, his face a mask of fury. "Headmaster, someone has entered the restricted area and triggered my enchantments.

"I sensed it immediately, but Hagrid's blasted dog was blocking the door. It refused to move and nearly bit my leg—"

Snape's rant trailed off as his gaze landed on the desk, where six steaming cups of milk sat neatly arranged.

"You've caught them?" Snape narrowed his eyes. "Who was it?"

Before Dumbledore could respond, Snape added, "It must've been Stark and his gang of delinquents, right?"

"Gang of delinquents?" Dumbledore pressed his fingertips to the bridge of his nose, adjusting his glasses. "That's an interesting description. As far as I know, they're all excellent students. Don't you think so?"

"Excellent?" Snape's voice rose in anger. "Stark may have a touch of cleverness, but Diggory just grins like a fool, the Weasley twins are insufferable troublemakers, and Cho Chang merely tags along with them.

"Oh, and let's not forget—they've been selling maps at school. Are you planning to do something about that?"

"Hogwarts maps?" Dumbledore sipped his milk, seemingly unperturbed. "William discussed it with me last year. I approved it and even offered him some suggestions."

Snape scoffed. "And what about their midnight wanderings tonight?"

Dumbledore appeared prepared for the question. Smiling, he replied, "I deducted points—five from each of them."

Snape stared at him, speechless. Five points? He often deducted more than that from Harry before his lessons even began.

As he opened his mouth to speak again, his attention shifted to the large mirror in the corner, partially obscured by the curtain.

"You've brought out the Mirror of Erised again?" Snape frowned. "I recall you once telling me… not to become obsessed with what one sees in it. That indulging in illusions is dangerous."

"Indeed, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "I'm pleased you remember the advice I gave you all those years ago."

But Snape continued to stare at the mirror, as though fighting the urge to look.

"Would you like to take a glance?" Dumbledore's tone remained unchanged. "I could allow it—no harm done."

"NO!" Snape suddenly shouted, his voice trembling. "It's gone… they're gone… it's all gone. What's left is nothing but lies."

Dumbledore sighed deeply.

Snape turned away, his eyes hollow, as though struggling to banish the thoughts overwhelming him. He wrestled with the powerful urge to gaze into the mirror's depths.

Other than the rare times he wrote letters to her, Snape hated showing this vulnerable side to anyone, Dumbledore included.

After a moment, he composed himself, his demeanor reverting to its usual icy state.

In a mocking tone, he asked, "Headmaster, I'm curious. When you look into the Mirror of Erised, what do you see? A blank void, or… just yourself?"

Before Dumbledore could reply, Snape continued with uncharacteristic seriousness. "I suppose, for a wizard as great as you, there's nothing to see. No weaknesses, no emotions for others to exploit. Am I right?

"Just like…"

"Voldemort?" Dumbledore interrupted, his tone measured.

"Don't say that name in my presence!" Snape growled.

Dumbledore sighed again, his expression tinged with sorrow. "Severus, your words remain as sharp as ever.

"We're not so different, you and I. We both know pain.

"Life is messy, full of grief and tangled emotions. I, too, have feelings I long to see reflected in the mirror.

"Life's mysteries can be confounding, I understand. But there's no need to wound an old man with your words to find solace for yourself, is there?"

A brief silence fell between them.

Dumbledore rose from his chair. "Now then, did you bring the potions?

"We need to examine the damage done to the challenges and make repairs."

With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore opened a door engulfed in Fiendfyire. He flicked his wand, extinguishing the flames, and the two stepped through.

"Are you planning to make your office the final challenge?" Snape asked.

"Of course not… I've thought of an even better idea. You've seen it."

"The Mirror of Erised?" Snape hesitated but did not object.

They continued down the corridor, passing a table where a few bottles of nettle wine remained. The poison and potions, however, were gone.

"Thieves," Snape muttered under his breath.

Then he remembered hauling off a dragon's leg earlier and decided not to begrudge William for taking a few potions. If Snape could overlook a small loss, they'd be even.

Pulling fresh potions from his pocket, Snape carefully arranged them in their original order.

Dumbledore picked up a piece of parchment William had left behind and studied it for a moment. Snape leaned over to read as well.

After a few minutes, Snape asked skeptically, "Do you understand it?"

Dumbledore paused, then nodded. "Of course. It's a simple logic puzzle… something many great wizards lack the ability to solve.

"Why? Do you need me to explain it?"

Snape gave Dumbledore a long look. "Then I think I've figured it out too."

Deciding to make the challenges more difficult, Snape retrieved additional bottles from his pocket. He arranged twenty bottles into two rows, labeling them 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16.

Above the rows, he wrote "Snape" and "Dumbledore."

Once finished, he conjured a quill and added a line to the parchment:

"Drink from the bottle marked 'Snape' to return to your original location.

Drink from the bottle marked 'Dumbledore' to move forward.

The rest are poison!"

Snape filled the bottles with antidotes and poison according to his own "guesses" about the solution.

Dumbledore watched silently, as calm as an old gatekeeper.

They continued down the corridor and found the Black Queen, still waiting for her missing chess pieces.

"She's still expecting the chess pieces to return," Dumbledore observed with a shake of his head. "When I inform Professor McGonagall to replace them, I'll suggest adding facial expressions so we can tell what she's thinking."

Snape shot Dumbledore a sideways glance but said nothing.

Moving on, they eventually found the scattered keys.

Snape, still in his black nightclothes, bent to pick up a few. He handed one to Dumbledore and ran his fingers over the tiny, damp wings of another.

"It must've been some sort of wide-range spell," Snape mused. "The keys are still wet. Water was used as the medium—not very powerful, but… it's a spell I haven't seen before."

"It's one of William's creations," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Snape fell silent for a moment before looking up, his tone monotone.

"Stark is only a second-year and can already invent offensive spells like this. If you keep indulging him, aren't you afraid he'll become the third Dark Lord?"

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