Harry's Last Look into the Mirror of Erised

The illusion in the mirror was like a mirage, beautiful yet unattainable, with a piercing falseness.

Skofot stared blankly for a long time. Finally, the faint warmth of bewilderment in his eyes, like a candle flame blown out by the wind, rapidly cooled, subsided, and was once again covered by his usual calm and coldness.

He averted his gaze, no longer looking at the seductive mirror.

Something deep within his heart seemed to have been touched, but he forcefully suppressed it.

Desire? That's the most useless thing.

He calmly instructed the System in his mind, "Note it down. Inform me when Harry Potter looks into this mirror for the last time."

[Understood.]

As the System's response faded, another message immediately appeared.

[Your Card Draw cooldown has ended.]

Cooldown finished?

Skofot's brow twitched slightly. It was faster than he had anticipated.

It seemed the Emotion Points gained from his previous actions were indeed considerable, accelerating the process.

"Draw card," he said without hesitation.

[Emotion Points -100]

[Emotion Points: 1585/100]

A virtual panel materialized. A new card solidified and froze in a spin.

[Juggler -- Character Introduction: A cheerful killer who craves sweets.

Buff: Board Game Master

Description: You can master most board games.

Buff: Carnivore

Description: You can digest raw meat and are no longer susceptible to prion diseases, but you hate vegetables.

Debuff: Madness

Description: Your mental state will be affected to a certain degree.

Debuff: Radiant Smile

Description: You will involuntarily want to smile.]

Juggler? Cheerful killer?

Skofot stared at the description of this new card, clearly stunned for a moment.

Immediately, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably, extremely naturally curved upwards in a distinct arc, revealing what could only be described as a radiant smile.

A killer who craves sweets? Board game master? Can eat raw meat but hates vegetables? And debuffs of madness and an uncontrollable urge to smile?

This combination... was bizarre, chaotic, even somewhat comical.

But as he looked at the card, he didn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, an ineffable... sense of fit surged within him.

It was as if the card's chaotic and disordered traits subtly resonated with certain suppressed, unwillingly acknowledged dark aspects deep within his heart.

Madness? I've been living in it for a long time.

Smile? Like a lunatic.

He felt it was acceptable.

In fact, it was somewhat in line with his own style.

He didn't equip it immediately. He simply put away the new card, which exuded an aura of chaos, and closed the System panel.

The radiant smile on his lips slowly receded, returning to his usual expressionless state. Only the depths of his eyes retained a lingering trace of cold amusement.

Time for class.

He cast one last glance at the massive Mirror of Erised. In the mirror, the "him" surrounded by blurred family members, with a warm smile, still existed, like a silent mockery.

Skofot turned and left the abandoned classroom without hesitation, shutting the illusion in the mirror, along with that momentary daze, behind him.

The shadows of the corridor swallowed him again as he walked towards the classroom with steady steps, as if nothing had happened.

Only the newly acquired [Juggler] card in his System inventory quietly foreshadowed some uncontrollable changes that were about to occur within him.

[Harry's last look at the Mirror of Erised.]

When the System's prompt sounded in his mind, Skofot was leaning in the darkest corner of the Slytherin common room, idly playing with a Sickle generously provided by Malfoy.

His movements paused, the coin freezing between his fingers.

The opportunity has arrived.

"Purchase [Teleport Card]."

[Emotion Points -5]

[Emotion Points: 1580/100]

He didn't hesitate at all, locked onto the coordinates of that familiar abandoned classroom, and activated the teleportation.

A subtle spatial fluctuation came from behind Harry Potter.

Harry was staring dazedly at the warm smiles of his parents in the mirror, immersed in a fantasy reunion, and was startled by the sudden commotion. He whipped around, and the invisibility cloak slipped off his shoulders.

Skofot Leoqi had appeared there at some unknown time, silent, like a ghost coalescing from the shadows.

His face was expressionless, but he let out two low, ambiguous chuckles from his throat, which sounded particularly chilling in the quiet room.

"Who?!" Harry stumbled back two steps, his heart pounding. He instinctively raised his wand, pointing it at the Slytherin who always made him uneasy. "Leoqi? How did you..."

Skofot didn't answer his question, only took a small step forward, his gaze sweeping over the large mirror, then returning to Harry's bewildered face.

"What did you see, Potter?" His voice was calm, but carried an undeniable inquisitiveness.

Harry pursed his lips, watching him warily, but perhaps it was the softness in his heart regarding the topic of "family," or perhaps Skofot looked… normal enough at the moment?

He replied in a low voice, "My family."

Skofot nodded, as if he had expected it. He tilted his chin, pointing to the mirror, "Me too. Family."

Harry froze for a moment, then instinctively asked, "You... you saw your family too?"

He found it hard to imagine this gloomy, eccentric boy having a warm family like the one in his mirror.

Skofot didn't answer directly, instead asking, "Why do you come every day?"

"Because... because I can see them here." Harry's tone was filled with longing and sadness.

"This mirror," Skofot's tone remained flat, but he began to sway gently, like a strangely rhythmic pendulum, The corners of his mouth involuntarily curved upwards into a bizarre arc, "doesn't show reality, but what our hearts desire most."

Harry looked at the increasingly obvious, almost neurotic smile on his face, feeling a chill creep up his spine. "So what?"

"So what?" Skofot repeated, as if he had heard something incredibly laughable.

He finally couldn't hold back, and two short, sharp laughs escaped his throat. His shoulders twitched slightly, and he indeed looked a bit abnormal.

"Haha... So, Potter, indulging in these false images is just wasting time."

He swayed, taking half a step back, creating a little distance between himself and Harry, but his gaze fixed on Harry's face even more sharply. "Why not... do something practical?"

"Practical?" Harry felt a chill down his spine from his laughter and tightened his grip on his wand. "What's practical?"

Skofot's smile widened abruptly, and a look of almost fanatical light flickered in his dark eyes.

He suddenly lunged towards Harry, so fast it was astonishing, their noses almost touching!

Harry was startled by his sudden movement and tried to recoil and struggle, but Skofot's hand clamped onto his upper arm like a vise, its grip so strong he couldn't move.

"Practical..." Skofot stared intently into Harry's terrified green eyes, He lowered his voice, each word squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a cold, mad aura, "is murder."

Harry's eyes snapped wide open, his blood seeming to freeze instantly.

Skofot, however, suddenly released him, jumped back a step, and spread his arms wide, like a mad actor taking a bow on stage.

He let out a loud laugh in a tone that was almost singing, yet utterly terrifying, "Kill them! Kill everyone who wronged them! Hahahahaha!!"

The mad laughter and horrifying pronouncements echoed in the empty classroom.