Advancing Against the Moonlight

"Professor, I cannot agree with your point of view."

Hearing Damon say this, Dumbledore was not offended and looked at him gently.

He was beginning to believe what Minerva had said—this child had more of a mind of his own than many adults, mature and steady to the point of being excessive.

Coupled with his exceptional talent, he truly ought to offer him some benevolent guidance.

"Then what is your opinion?"

"Professor Flitwick once told me that the power of example is extremely important, containing incredible energy, especially within a group. I wonder if you agree with that statement?"

Dumbledore nodded, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes—Damon remembering Flitwick's words and bringing them up now showed he was someone who respected his teachers, if this wasn't an act.

"Then, isn't this mirror also an example?"

"Take Ron, for instance. He sees himself becoming Quidditch captain, his goal made tangible. That will only fill him with motivation, so how could he lose himself as you say?"

"If I could see myself five years from now in the mirror, I would certainly gain more drive to work toward achieving it, rather than staring at the mirror all day."

Damon's words made Dumbledore hesitate, and he wasn't the only one thinking—Harry was nearly jumping up at this point.

That's right! He just wanted to see his parents, it didn't mean he would stand in front of the mirror doing nothing every day—in fact, even now, he only came here at night.

During the day, he still lived his life properly.

Why hadn't he thought to say this before? Was it because Dumbledore's words carried authority for him, so he couldn't even muster the thought to argue?

Harry looked at Damon, his eyes shining.

He then turned to Dumbledore, his gaze pleading.

Dumbledore met Harry's eyes, his stance beginning to shift.

"Professor, if you're still uneasy, I have a suggestion." Seeming to sense Dumbledore's hesitation, Damon continued, "Leave this mirror in my care. I promise to give Harry only two hours of use per week, since I won't be tempted by it."

"I think spending two hours a week with family shouldn't count as a waste, should it?"

Dumbledore still pondered after hearing this.

Damon didn't press further, placing a hand on the anxious Harry to signal him to calm down.

Dumbledore paused for only three seconds, but those three seconds felt suffocatingly long to Harry.

Fortunately, he got a good result.

"Alright, you've convinced me," Dumbledore said with a smile, "but we've agreed—only two hours a week. If I find you violating this or abusing the mirror, I'll take it back."

Amid Harry's quiet cheer, Damon smiled and agreed, directly using a Shrinking Charm to reduce the ceiling-high mirror to palm size, then levitating it into his hand with a Levitation Charm.

Dumbledore regarded him with renewed respect, praising subtly:

"An excellent Shrinking Charm."

Casting spells on magical objects was several times harder than on ordinary ones. In fact, when Damon first made his suggestion, Dumbledore hadn't believed he could do it.

Clearly, his understanding of this child's abilities needed updating.

"Thank you for the compliment. Well, it's getting late, so we'll head back now, Professor?"

Dumbledore nodded, but Harry spoke up to ask a question:

"Sir. Professor Dumbledore, can I ask you something?"

"What did you see when you looked in the mirror?"

"Me? I saw myself holding a pair of thick woolen socks."

Harry's eyes widened.

"One can never have enough socks," Dumbledore said. "Christmas has come and gone, and I haven't received a single pair. People insist on giving me books."

"And, it seems some students hold a certain prejudice against me. They gave gifts to every professor, but forgot me, the headmaster."

At this, Dumbledore dabbed at nonexistent tears with feigned sorrow.

Damon's reaction was straightforward.

He didn't directly respond to Dumbledore's words but led Harry out of the classroom, tossing out a line just loud enough for those inside to hear:

"Don't believe him. He's bluffing. At his age, still tricking kids—shameless."

"Oh."

The two boys slipped under the Invisibility Cloak and left the classroom. Moonlight spilled across the quiet corridor, an owl's call murmured outside the window, and they walked on, hearts full of joy and hope. Only the white-haired old man remained behind, frozen in thought.

In the dark classroom, a breeze stirred.

A few specks of dust rose, scattering like stardust in the moonlight.

Soon, all was still again.

But the mirror that once belonged to the old man had now changed hands for good.

—Perhaps that's for the best—

He thought.

Yet why, when this moonlight had shone for ninety-one years already...

Yet he still seemed unable to let go?

"Goodbye, Ariana."

In the darkness, a deep sigh sounded.

In the days that followed, the Christmas holiday grew calm once more.

On the first day, Harry desperately wanted to go see that magical mirror again, but remembering he could only watch for two hours each week, and that he couldn't find Damon now, he endured it.

Strangely enough, once he thought this way, the longing in his heart eased at once—he hadn't lost anything; instead, he'd gained two extra hours each week to see his parents.

This change made Harry's dreams sweet every night. In his dreams, he talked endlessly with his mother and boasted to his father about catching the Golden Snitch.

Everything was so dreamlike.

Only Damon—he still didn't return at night, appearing only once every two or three days.

Harry had considered using the Invisibility Cloak to follow Damon, but in the end, he gave up—out of respect for Damon, he didn't want to do it. Following someone he respected was undoubtedly a shameful act in his eyes.

He thought:

If Damon wanted to tell him, he would naturally speak.

The day before school started, Hermione returned. Upon learning what Harry had experienced during the holiday, her feelings became very complicated.

On one hand, she was horrified that Harry had gotten out of bed three nights in a row and wandered around the school; on the other, she was deeply disappointed that Harry still hadn't figured out who Nicolas Flamel was.

As for what Damon saw in the mirror and how he had begged the mirror from Dumbledore, the three of them didn't discuss it much—it was too incredible for them.

What they needed to do now was find information on Nicolas Flamel.

Dumbledore graduated at 18 and returned home to care for his sister Ariana. Aberforth Dumbledore traveled during this period after attending Kendra's funeral, and at the end of his year-long journey, he heard the news of Ariana's death.

So I infer that Ariana died when Dumbledore was 19 (in 1900), arriving at the number 91.

If there are any mistakes, corrections are welcome.