Today Isn't Easter

In fact, there was none of the loneliness or chilliness unique to winter at the Christmas feast that day.

Everything was lively and bustling.

Plates were piled high with countless dishes, and every few steps there were all sorts of magical toys for people to enjoy.

When some magical crackers were lit, they boomed like cannon fire, enveloping people in blue smoke while blasting out a rear admiral's hat...

At the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointy wizard's hat for a flower-adorned bonnet. Professor Flitwick had just told him a joke, and he was laughing heartily.

Hagrid, the gamekeeper, seemed to have been bottling things up. He drank one glass after another, and secret after secret tumbled out of his mouth. The students below stopped chatting and simply eavesdropped.

If Dumbledore hadn't stopped him, the gamekeeper might have revealed every last secret he knew about Hogwarts...

There were no houses, only teachers and students. Everything was warm and welcoming on that Christmas night.

Looking at the harmonious scene, Glenn thought that this was what Hogwarts should be like, if only it weren't for all those tangled interests and conflicting positions.

This was how a school like Hogwarts was supposed to be.

Unfortunately, harmony in a school of magic was only temporary. The constant occurrence of all kinds of extraordinary things was the true lasting theme.

For example, the next day at noon, Harry told Glenn some shocking news: "My parents came back to life!"

"..." Hearing Harry say that, Glenn fell silent. For once, he had no idea what to say.

Had he gone a little too far with his guidance yesterday? Or had those House-elves decided to poison the food because the boys wouldn't eat what they'd made?

"Are you sure you haven't got it wrong? Yesterday was Christmas. Easter's still a while away," Glenn asked with a frown.

"I'm absolutely sure. I saw them in the mirror!" Harry said excitedly.

Seeing how thrilled he was, Glenn didn't want to say much more—mainly because he was rather curious himself about how Harry's parents had come back to life.

Even if they hadn't truly come back, and were only in ghostly form—or something worse—as long as they were conscious enough to say a word, that would save him a great deal of trouble.

If they could provide clearer information, he might even be able to bring his trip to Hogwarts to an end. When the target was clear, charging straight into the enemy's lair and killing them all might not be the worst option.

So when Harry said they could go back again that night, Glenn naturally agreed.

When night fell, Glenn arrived at the agreed-upon corridor on time.

If there was one hardest thing about pretending to be a first-year, it was having to act as if he hadn't seen anything.

Although there was nothing to see with the naked eye, through Revelio he could make out two blue, glowing figures stumbling toward him.

From the way they were acting, they seemed to be hoping to give him a fright.

Rather than waste time, Glenn had no choice but to turn his back and put on an air of complete ignorance.

The next moment, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

When he turned around, Harry and Ron were standing in front of him.

"Ha! We scared you, didn't we?"

"That scared me half to death," Glenn said without expression.

"I told you Glenn's nerves were too strong to scare," Harry sighed.

"Too bad. I thought this Invisibility Cloak would help us catch you off guard," Ron said, enviously stroking the cloak in his hand, which belonged to Harry.

Glenn took another look at the Invisibility Cloak in Ron's hands.

"Who gave it to you?"

"Oh, apparently Harry's father," Ron replied without thinking.

Wait—had he really come back to life?

"Er, it wasn't my father," Harry said, though he wished it had been.

But to be honest, it probably wasn't. In the package containing the gift, there had also been a letter: Your father left this with me before he died. It belongs to you now, so use it well. I sincerely wish you a merry Christmas.

"But if it wasn't your father, who could it have been?" Seeing that Harry seemed a little down, Ron continued, "There was no need for them to send it anonymously. And like you said yesterday, you saw your parents, didn't you?"

Hearing this, Harry's spirits lifted a little, and he and Ron began discussing it back and forth.

Glenn didn't join in.

As for who had given Harry the gift, he already knew.

It had nothing to do with intuition or deduction. He had simply seen him.

Through the thick wall, in the classroom next door, Glenn spotted a blue, glowing figure.

Judging by that long beard that reached his waist, who else could it be but Dumbledore?

After that, because Harry was young and small, he covered Ron and Glenn with the Invisibility Cloak. They wound through the dim corridors, trying to find the room Harry had discovered the night before.

Perhaps because they had a poor sense of direction, they wandered the corridors for well over an hour without finding it.

During that time, worried that they might run into Filch, Harry and Ron walked very slowly, often taking several seconds to make each step.

To be honest, they nearly walked Glenn right to sleep.

Professor Dumbledore, who was following behind them, would probably have been unable to resist guiding the two students sneaking out for a midnight stroll himself if he hadn't wanted to avoid being spotted.

"I'm freezing," Ron said. "Let's give up and go back."

It was the middle of winter, and the temperature was very low. He felt as if his feet were about to freeze solid.

"No!" Harry said hoarsely. "I know it's somewhere nearby."

Just as Ron was about to say something else, Harry suddenly exclaimed, "It's here—it's here—I'm sure!"

It was a room much like a storeroom, filled with scattered magical objects.

Without another word, the moment he stepped inside, Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak off his shoulders and dashed to the mirror.

"Can you see them? My parents are smiling and waving at me! And there are other family members, too... Those old people with green eyes might be my grandparents or something..."

Hearing this, Ron curiously stepped closer, but after only a few seconds, he backed away with a puzzled look.

"I can't see anything."

"Look properly. Come over here and stand where I was." Harry moved aside, but the moment Ron stood in front of the mirror, Harry could no longer see his family. All he saw was Ron standing there in his pajamas.

Ron, meanwhile, stared at his reflection in astonishment.

"Can you see your family gathered around you?" Harry asked.

"No—there's only me—but it's not like me now. I seem a bit older... and I'm Head Boy!"

"What?"

"I'm holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup, too—and I'm captain of the Quidditch team!" Ron said excitedly. "Do you think the mirror might be showing the future?"

"Does that mean I might be reunited with my family someday?" Harry asked hopefully.

For some reason, time seemed to slow down.

Ron suddenly realized how cruel his words had been.

If the mirror really showed the future, that would be wonderful. But what if it didn't?

At a loss, he looked at Glenn.

"I think the mirror has nothing to do with seeing the future, Harry. Hermione and I read about it in the library before. There's a mirror called the Mirror of Erised. It shows people what they want to see, but what it shows isn't real," Glenn said.

Hearing this, Harry opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out, so he closed it again.

Even so, since he and Ron had gone to all the trouble of coming here, it would be a waste not to keep looking.

So Harry stayed for about another hour before finally deciding to leave, reluctantly.

"Then what did you see in the mirror, Glenn?" Ron asked curiously before they left.

Glenn had meant to say that he'd seen a crowd of dark wizards gathered together, but then reconsidered. That would be too much for two eleven-year-old boys to hear.

"A nice meal."

"I want that, too."

After a brief chat, Harry beckoned Ron to leave.

As for Glenn, since the Slytherin dormitory was in the opposite direction from Gryffindor's, and not far away, he brought up the rear and left last.

Perhaps because all three first-years were already on their way out, Dumbledore's figure was no longer visible through Revelio. After all, making an old man stay up all night keeping watch was asking a bit much.

"Too bad. They hadn't really come back to life after all," Glenn thought with a sigh.

But that made sense. He hadn't put much hope in it to begin with. Coming back to life was far too fantastical.

Just before closing the door, Glenn glanced once more at the Mirror of Erised facing it.

A pair of elderly people appeared in the mirror. One of them was Professor Figg.

"Miriam, let me introduce you. This is my most outstanding student..."