The True Meaning in the Mirror and Spreading Like Wildfire (Part 1)

Quirrell's (or rather, Voldemort's) gaze was unconsciously drawn by the sudden turn of events, his wand faltering for a moment.

The scene reflected in the mirror, however, froze everyone in the stone chamber instantly!

The mirror did not show the stone chamber, nor did it reflect any of their shadows!

There was only one figure in the mirror!

It was a youth with a tall, upright posture and an extraordinary aura. He wore Hogwarts robes but possessed hair as black as ink jade, extremely rare in the wizarding world. His eyes were calm and deep, as if containing a sea of stars. He slightly lowered his head, gazing intently at his palm—there, lay a warm, white stone quietly emitting a soft, moonlight glow. His fingertips gently brushed the surface of the stone, his movements conveying an indescribable sense of cherish and... tenderness.

The figure in the mirror was Linley! But his expression was one of focus and gentleness Hermione had never seen before, as if what he held in his palm was more precious than the Philosopher's Stone!

"Impossible!" Voldemort's greasy voice, for the first time, carried a sharp edge of surprise and disbelief. "The Mirror of Erised... only reflects a person's deepest desires! This... what is this?!"

Hermione was also completely stunned, tears still clinging to her eyelashes. The scene in the mirror struck her mind like lightning! Linley... his deepest, most intense desire... was... that Moon White Stone? The Moon White Stone that she always wore, symbolizing their connection?!

A warmth so immense it almost made her dizzy, accompanied by a strong throb and unbelievable sweetness, instantly swept away all fear and sorrow! The Moon White Stone on her chest suddenly became scorching hot, as if responding to the scene in the mirror, emitting an unprecedented gentle radiance!

Just then, the scene in the mirror changed again! The "Linley" in the mirror raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the mirror's surface, falling directly and incredibly clearly into the real world—onto Hermione, who was supporting Linley, her eyes teary! In that gaze was a soul-piercing, unreserved, deep as the sea tenderness and... the resolute determination to protect!

Boom--!

Hermione felt her very soul tremble! The soul-piercing gaze from the mirror overlapped instantly with Linley's weak but still protective stance before her! So... his deepest desire was... her? Or rather, her who possessed the Moon White Stone?!

This realization, like the hottest lava, instantly melted all the ice, making her heart pound wildly, almost breaking through her chest! The light of the Moon White Stone grew brighter and brighter, even beginning to actively guide the restless magic within her!

"Damn mirror! Damn desires!" Voldemort roared in fury. He couldn't comprehend such "weak" desires, feeling only mocked. "Quirrell! Destroy that damned mirror! Then kill them!"

The controlled Quirrell let out a beast-like roar, his wand suddenly turning towards the giant Mirror of Erised: "Reducto!"

A blinding beam of the destructive spell shot towards the mirror!

The moment the beam was about to hit the mirror's surface, something extraordinary happened again!

The "Linley" figure reflected in the mirror, who was gazing at Hermione, suddenly moved! As if he had come alive, he abruptly raised his hand, not to defend, but to point—at Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, in the real world!

A beam of pure silver starlight condensed into a light, like an arrow shot from the mirror's universe, ignored the distance of space, and struck Quirrell's wand-wielding arm with pinpoint accuracy, arriving after the Reducto but hitting first!

"Ah--!" Quirrell let out a piercing, distorted scream! His entire right arm, along with his wand, upon contact with the silver starlight, dissolved and collapsed rapidly from the point of contact, turning into dust, like a wax figure thrown into flames! The speed was so fast that even Voldemort didn't have time to react!

"No--!!" Voldemort shrieked in terror and rage! Quirrell's body convulsed violently due to the horrific injury and Voldemort's loss of control, the face on the back of his head contorting in pain!

The "Linley" figure in the mirror quickly blurred after unleashing this attack, and finally disappeared as the mirror's surface was once again shrouded in thick mist. As if the astonishing scene that had just occurred had never happened.

But Quirrell's lost right arm and the severed remnants of his wand, as well as Voldemort's pained and twisted face on the back of his head, all testified to the reality of what had just happened!

"Now's our chance!" Harry reacted abruptly, suppressing the shock from the incredible scene! He saw that Voldemort seemed to have temporarily lost control due to Quirrell's severe injury and the backlash of power! This was their only chance!

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted with all his might, pointing his wand at Quirrell's only remaining left hand! A red light shot out!

However, the severely injured and dying Quirrell erupted with Voldemort's final madness! An invisible dark magic with an aura of destruction violently burst forth, sweeping through the entire stone chamber like a shockwave!

"Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione screamed almost instinctively, casting the binding spell with all her might at the center of the shockwave! Her spell was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot against Voldemort's dark magic, instantly scattered! But the moment her magic poured out, the Moon White Stone on her chest erupted with unprecedented light! A gentle yet resilient silver barrier instantly unfolded, barely protecting her and Linley behind her!

Boom!

The dark shockwave collided with the silver barrier, erupting in violent energy turbulence! Debris flew everywhere! Harry and Ron were directly thrown backward, crashing heavily against the wall, temporarily losing consciousness.

Hermione was also shaken by the immense impact, her blood and essence churning, but she held on tightly, not taking a single step back, firmly protecting the unconscious Linley behind the barrier! The light of the Moon White Stone flickered intensely on her chest, as if it might extinguish at any moment.

At the center of the shockwave, Quirrell's body collapsed like a broken doll, the face of Voldemort on the back of his head contorting as he let out a final, unwilling, and venomous roar: "I... will... return!" Then, a black smoke as thick as ink surged from Quirrell's body, carrying a bone-chilling coldness and a nauseating dark aura. Like a wounded venomous snake, it swiftly and silently penetrated the cracks in the stone chamber's walls and vanished without a trace!

The stone chamber instantly returned to silence, leaving only the swirling dust, the pungent smell, and the groans of the injured.

The light barrier Hermione had maintained dissipated the moment Voldemort's remnant soul escaped. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed beside Linley, gasping for breath, her whole body trembling. The light of the Moon White Stone dimmed, but it still conveyed a warm touch.

"Harry! Ron!" She forced herself to look at the two who had been thrown back, her voice hoarse.

"I... I'm fine..." Harry struggled to get up from the rubble, dizzy. Ron also groaned and sat up, clearly having taken a hard fall, but he was still conscious.

Hermione's heart eased slightly, and she immediately turned all her attention back to Linley in her arms. His eyes were tightly shut, his face as pale as paper, his breathing so faint she could barely feel it. The bloodstains at the corner of his mouth had dried, like a glaring wound. The light of the Star Stone pendant was as weak as a candle in the wind.

A great fear gripped Hermione's heart again. "Linley! Wake up! Don't scare me!" She gently patted his cheek, her voice trembling with sobs.

No reaction.

Hermione forced herself to calm down. Trembling, she carefully unbuttoned Linley's robe, intending to check his chest wound. When the collar was lifted, revealing his blood-stained shirt, her breath almost stopped. Beneath the shirt, near his heart, his skin was a terrifying black, as if scorched by an invisible flame, surrounded by web-like cracks. Faint silver light flickered beneath the cracks, resisting the erosion of dark power—it was the Star Stone's last essence protecting its master.