The Self in the Mirror

Sean doesn't seem to have changed much as he's grown up. Apart from having more defined features, deeper eyes, and a more handsome face, he's basically a larger version of Sean now.

He wore a charming, faint smile, one of Sean's usual expressions.

"My dream is to grow up?" Sean looked at his grown-up self in the mirror with curiosity, somewhat puzzled.

Because, for the time being, he doesn't have an urgent desire to grow up. Being a little wizard is quite nice, and he can be a naughty kid from time to time without any psychological burden.

Why does the Mirror of Erised show this? Is it because what I long for most deep down is to grow up?

Sean didn't think so. What he wanted most right now was to become stronger and hang banners all over Hogwarts.

Riddler, get out of Hogwarts!

Besides, didn't Dumbledore hide the Philosopher's Stone inside? Why couldn't he get it? And the mirror didn't show him living a life of debauchery and immortality.

He moved his face closer, wanting to examine the Mirror of Erised more closely.

Suddenly, Sean, who had grown up in the mirror, pressed his face against hers, and those lake-blue eyes that Sean knew all too well were suddenly stained with blood.

Startled, Sean quickly took a step back and then frowned deeply.

Sean, who had grown up in the mirror, smiled again, but this time the feeling was completely different. He stood up straight, put his hands casually behind his back, raised his eyebrows, and looked like an unruly and arrogant person, with an uncontrollable sense of violence emanating from him.

What the hell... Is the Mirror of Erised malfunctioning? Sean stepped back a little, his brows furrowed.

That's not right. The Mirror of Erised should reflect the deepest desires hidden in people's hearts, and many people are trapped in illusions because of this characteristic of the mirror.

But this photo of myself makes it look like a ghost story...

Sean knew himself very well. He wasn't the kind of saint who had no desires. He loved knowledge, longed for emotions, looked forward to his own growth, and hoped that people he didn't like would suffer. Of course, he would also be extremely happy to have an endless Galleon.

This is unreasonable.

A bewildered Sean instinctively moved away from the Mirror of Erised. He called out to Naja the Occamy, then leaned against the little cutie and began to think.

He needs to sort out what happened today.

He was first tricked out of his dormitory by Grindelwald, then encountered the usual reckless Gryffindor trio, and then was controlled by the Obscurus Aurelius.

The underground transparent Stone Chamber was clearly designed in advance, which also fits Aurelius's description of monitoring and training young wizards.

So the question is, why did Grindelwald trick himself into coming out?

What was Dumbledore planning for so long to obtain from Riddle?

What could Riddle possibly have that these two would need? Horcrux? Impossible. The two old men definitely knew how to make Horcrux, and they clearly looked down Horcrux such things.

That's strange...

Moreover, Sean was still somewhat bothered by what Riddle said at the end.

Although he was expressionless, and Riddle's persuasive abilities were clearly far inferior to Grindelwald's, the information he revealed always left room for speculation.

"You are merely a container, used to hold the decay that the old era could not contain, and then to adorn the evils of the new era!"

Containers, two eras, decay and sin...

What role did the Prophecy self actually play?

Sean was silent for a while, but he decided not to think about it anymore.

Riddle's words were clearly not reliable; he simply wanted to plant a seed in his own mind, making Sean doubt himself, and at the same time, this distrust would spread to Dumbledore.

Sean didn't completely trust anyone, but in his eyes, Professor Dumbledore was probably a million times more reliable than Riddle, so there was no reason to listen to his last words.

Yes, in Sean's view, Riddle was already a dead man, and if this body was some kind of means by which he had used it, then the soul attached to it could not escape either.

After all, the two old men set up this trap and even brought in Aurelius as an accomplice.

If the other side gets away, a few old men might as well dig a hole together and jump in.

Just as he was about to get up, he saw black matter wriggle in from the huge hole that Riddle had blasted open, and then it transformed back into Aurelius.

Obscurus seems to work quite well...

Aurelius smiled at Sean, "Kid, Albus wants you to go to the Headmaster's Office."

And you, sir?

"Oh, I'll take you there."

Obscurus, it unfolded again, then enveloped Sean as he arrived at the Headmaster's Office on the Seventh Floor.

"Toffee." After Aurelius uttered the command, the Gargoyle jumped aside, and the two went up the spiral staircase into the office.

Dumbledore was standing in the middle of the office, with what appeared to be a corpse at his feet.

"Oh, Sean, you're here." He turned around and greeted him.

"By the way, Aurelius, Newt heard you're here," Dumbledore said to Aurelius.

Aurelius smiled sincerely, "Then I must go see him."

"Then please give me your regards."

Watching their conversation, Sean suddenly felt a sense of unease. It seemed that Dumbledore was trying to... get Aurelius out of the way?

Only an old man, a young boy, and the corpse in the middle remained in the office.

Dumbledore beckoned to him. "Sean, you can take a look."

Curious, Sean went closer and immediately frowned. The corpse had clearly suffered a great shock; its shape was twisted and its flesh was mangled.

He shifted his gaze to the face, then his eyes widened.

Although the face was pale and blurry, and many parts were broken and swollen from the impact, Sean still recognized the person; it was Quirrell's face.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Sean looked at the calm old man beside him.

"In fact, this is just a vessel for Riddle," he explained. "I must admit, Riddle's talent in this area is astonishing. This body originally belonged to Quirrell, but Riddle somehow took control of it and even managed to pull Quirrell's soul up to take the hit before he died."

"However, this method also has its drawbacks," Dumbledore chuckled easily. "For example, the immense stimulation and pain can make this body, which carries two souls, very unstable."

Sean suddenly realized—his Stinging Hex?

Seeing his sudden realization, Dumbledore smiled and nodded, "Riddle is too confident, so confident that he's arrogant and has lost his mind. I had prepared some small gifts for him, but I didn't expect him to be so impatient."

There's another trick up his sleeve? Sean's lips twitched. This old man is really cunning...