Nicolas Flamel and the Sorcerer's Stone, Mirror of Erised (4000 words)

The Great Hall.

Lucien sat at the long table, leisurely eating his breakfast.

There are only a handful of students now.

Most people went home for Christmas, and since it's a holiday with no classes, the students staying at school are either sleeping in or unpacking their Christmas presents.

Just as Lucien was about to put a spoonful of lean meat porridge into his mouth, he heard someone urgently calling his name.

"Lucien!"

"Lucien, thank goodness, you're here."

Harry and Ron ran up to Lucien one after the other.

Harry clutched the card with Dumbledore's image tightly in his hand and anxiously handed it to Lucien.

"Lucien, look! I was wondering why Nicolas Flamel sounded familiar—I'd seen him on Chocolate Frog Card!"

Lucien calmly took the card and glanced at it.

Hmm, not bad, I noticed that.

It wasn't a wasted effort.

We just need to use this as an excuse to let Harry know about the existence of the Sorcerer's Stone.

Then I can go directly to Dumbledore and talk to him about this.

Try to get in touch with the Sorcerer's Stone early, use it to brew potions, and repay the Qilin annual loan.

"You guys are amazing; you actually managed to find clues on the Chocolate Frog."

Lucien reached out and patted Harry on the shoulder, offering appropriate praise to the two children.

But Harry waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, no, it was just a coincidence; the Lucky Bird helped us!"

Upon hearing Harry's words, Lucien paused again, the spoon he was about to lift.

No, what is it?

Lucky Bird?

"Oh dear, let me tell you, Lucien, it's like this, this morning..."

Ron couldn't hold back any longer and began to tell Lucien about what had happened that morning.

He also told Lucien the whole story of the Lucky Bird that George had told him.

"Lucien, I'm planning to go to the Owlery later; the owl might still be there!"

"How about it, want to come along? Once I've got an inexhaustible supply of Galleon —oh no, I mean good fortune—I won't forget you guys!"

Seeing Ron so excited, as if he couldn't wait to go find the "Lucky Bird," he noticed...

Lucien silently took a sip of porridge, suddenly unsure where to begin his complaint.

George and Fred must play a lot of pranks on Ron.

But why does Ron still trust those twin brothers so much?

Isn't it themselves who are helping them, even though they are Transfiguration as owls?

Lucky Bird?

If you encounter a lucky animal at Christmas, offering it food will bring you lifelong good fortune and a life free from want.

Uh, the magical world, huh? Even legends can seem believable here.

Wait, those kinds of stories like animals becoming spirits to repay a debt of gratitude.

Animal-like beings such as fox spirits, clam spirits, and snake spirits transformed into humans.

Could this be part of a group of Animagus play...?

Lucien shook his head, gathering his scattered thoughts.

"I won't go; I still have some books to finish reading."

Harry and Ron weren't surprised by the answer; they were already used to Lucien's shrewish demeanor.

"Oh, by the way, Lucien, did you receive our Christmas presents?"

Lucien nodded; he had already seen the gifts.

The students usually gave candy or books, while the professors gave more varied gifts.

There are Transfiguration toys that can conjure up several different shapes, a bag of safe and harmless magical plant seeds, a handwritten copy of ancient spells, and potion recipes...

To Lucien's surprise, even Quirrell gave him a Christmas present.

Although it's just a very ordinary magic notebook, the content is really standard, with nothing outrageous or particularly amazing.

Hmm, I'll take it with me when I go chatting, and maybe Dumbledore can give me his opinion while I'm at it.

What if Quirrell or Tom adds some underhanded tricks, preparing to sabotage someone...?

Tsk tsk, lately, the knowledge Quirrell is teaching in the form of Dark Magic is appearing more and more frequently.

Although this aspect hasn't been discussed much, and I won't say it explicitly, well, the thought behind it... hehe.

It's probably an attempt to lure me into learning Dark Magic, leading me further astray.

Then they can use this to blackmail others or continue to indulge in Dark Magic, thus preventing them from hindering their plans.

But Dumbledore already knew about this.

At this point, Dumbledore gave him a special license to borrow many books from the Restricted Section, except for some extremely dangerous and evil ones.

Lucien had always felt that the classification of books between the Restricted Section and regular book sections was unreasonable.

Some books from the Restricted Section are openly displayed and sold at Flourish and Blotts.

Books that record the methods for making Polyjuice Potion are surprisingly placed in the regular book section for young wizards to read at will.

Of course, Hagrid also gave Lucien a Christmas present.

To be honest, Lucien really likes it.

Hagrid gifted a dozen or so bookmarks made from various materials, including feathers of the Diricawl, the Jobberknoll, and Unicorn Tail Hair.

The bookmarks were made using simple and unpretentious techniques, but Lucien could truly feel Hagrid's dedication.

Lucien knew that Hagrid had collected those materials in the Forbidden Forest.

What caught his attention most was an almost transparent bookmark.

Calling it transparent isn't entirely accurate; it's actually visible, but Lucien just can't see it.

Because those are bookmarks made from the Thestral Tail Feather.

Hagrid made a point of mentioning the bookmark, as if afraid Lucien would overlook its existence.

Thestral are very special and Magical Creatures; only those who have witnessed death can see them.

Therefore, they were once considered unlucky symbols.

Lucien had never witnessed a real, unforgettable human death.

"I received them, and I love all your gifts."

"Oh, right, Ron, the sweater Auntie knitted for me, I think it's really pretty, and it's very comfortable and warm to wear. Please thank Auntie for me."

I will visit you during the summer vacation.

As he spoke, Lucien lifted his robe, revealing a starry blue sweater underneath.

There's also a large "L" on the chest area.

When Ron saw the sweater, he actually showed a hint of envy.

"Why are all your sweaters such beautiful colors...?"

Hearing Ron's exclamation, Lucien couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Oh, by the way, speaking of Nicolas Flamel, I was just about to tell you about this."

Lucien pulled a huge, thick, worn-out book straight out of his pocket.

He then drew his wand and waved it, causing the pages of the book to flip rapidly before quickly freezing on a particular page.

Harry Ron was already used to Lucien pulling all sorts of strange things out of his pocket.

They both looked at the book.

"The Sorcerer's Stone can turn any metal into pure gold, and it can create Elixir of Life, granting the drinker eternal life..."

"The only surviving Sorcerer's Stone belongs to the famous Alchemy and opera enthusiast, Mr. Nicolas Flamel..."

Nicolas Flamel celebrated his 665th birthday last year...

Harry and Ron's eyes widened as they stared, and they exclaimed in surprise:

"Sorcerer's Stone!"

"Pure gold!"

"The Elixir of Life!"

"This person has lived for 665 years!"

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.

Ron muttered to himself:

"No wonder, no wonder, Hermione made us read a whole bunch of modern Wizarding World history books, all of them gave me a headache..."

"Yes, how can a figure from over six hundred years ago be considered modern...?"

Harry suddenly had an idea: he wanted to go to the library to find more information about Nicolas Flamel.

The Sorcerer's Stone was simply too fantastical for a child.

That's like turning stone into gold, that's like achieving immortality!

Harry also felt that the regular book section might not have more detailed books, so...

That Invisibility Cloak!

(Continue here ٩(ↀДↀ)۶)

A corridor somewhere in Hogwarts.

The moonlight tonight is very faint, barely illuminating some areas.

Harry, wearing the Invisibility Cloak, walked around in a daze.

He would glance back every now and then to make sure that neither Filch nor his cat, Mrs Norris, had suddenly appeared behind him.

Harry had just sneaked into the Restricted Section of the library, hoping to find more clues about Nicolas Flamel.

But as soon as I opened the first book, it started screaming!

Good heavens, Harry felt like that scream almost deafened him!

This naturally caught Filch's attention, who unfortunately happened to be patrolling nearby.

So Harry had no choice but to play a thrilling game of hide-and-seek with this guy who was eager to catch the wayward little wizard.

After much trouble, we finally managed to get away from each other temporarily.

However, Harry also lost his way in the panic.

Looking at the corridor he didn't know where he was, Harry couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

This was the first time he had actually used the Invisibility Cloak.

This was Invisibility Cloak left by his father.

Harry was thinking, just this once, just the first time, that he would use it alone.

So he didn't invite Lucien and Ron, choosing instead to embark on an adventure alone.

But this first attempt brought an extremely exciting heart-pounding experience.

Harry thought to himself that if Lucien were here, he would surely be able to lead him to the right path.

He didn't even notice that at the top of a certain stone pillar, a pair of dark green eyes flickered in and out of sight in the darkness.

Lucien, now an owl, looked down at a certain area below.

Yes, Harry's Invisibility Cloak can conceal the user's own magic.

Fortunately, I left a small mark when I patted Harry on the shoulder during the day.

The magic it contained was not concealed by the Invisibility Cloak.

Indeed, even wearing Invisibility Cloak doesn't completely block or isolate magic; it still makes one susceptible to its effects.

Harry will then likely enter a room and discover the Erised sunglasses inside.

Tsk, it's unlikely to be such a coincidence.

I guess Dumbledore has been "watching" Harry all along.

Just before he entered the room, she quickly stuffed the Mirror of Erised inside.

The vortex in the owl's eyes swirled slightly, continuing to track the magical mark on Harry's shoulder.

"No, I don't know why you chose to meet here, Severus..."

Suddenly, Harry heard a very faint sound coming from a corner of the corridor.

The voice was familiar, especially the stuttering way it spoke.

Harry cautiously approached, barely able to see the path ahead by the faint moonlight.

"You don't want me to be your enemy, do you, Quirrell?"

Harry recognized the voice immediately.

Snape!

He knew it all too well; in every Potions Class, he and Snape talked the most!

Of course, they were all question-and-answer sessions.

"I... I don't know, I know you..."

You know exactly what I mean.

"Your secrets, your schemes, I'm waiting for them."

"But, but I, I won't, I won't..."

Harry moved slowly, and he gradually made out the two people who were talking.

It was indeed Snape; the other person was Quirrell, who was wearing a purple turban.

Harry saw it; Snape was threatening Quirrell.

"You should think carefully about who you're loyal to, and then we'll talk..."

As Snape was speaking, he suddenly turned his head, his dark and deep eyes staring straight in a certain direction.

Although it appeared to be completely empty.

Seeing Snape looking in his direction, Harry quickly covered his mouth and nose, held his breath, and backed away little by little.

But Snape had already reached out and was just a hair's breadth away from touching Harry's Invisibility Cloak!

Harry's heart pounded as he leaned back.

"Coo coo!"

A loud hooting of an owl suddenly echoed in the corridor.

Then, Harry saw an ordinary owl fly out of the darkness.

After tracing an arc, it struck Quirrell's head hard.

"Ah!"

Quirrell was so frightened that he clutched his purple headscarf tightly.

Harry took the opportunity to step back several steps, completely away from Snape's outstretched hand.

The owl brushed past him and flew away.

But in that fleeting glimpse, Harry noticed that the owl's eyes seemed to be a rare green.

In such a short time, Harry couldn't tell exactly what kind of green it was.

But Harry intuitively felt that this owl seemed to be the same one as the one he had seen that morning.

Harry now shared Ron's belief: the Lucky Bird!

He had only walked a short distance when he ran into Filch again.

Faced with Filch approaching, Harry could only walk to the side corridor.

There is a door here, a very old door.

But Harry noticed just in time that there was a crack in the door!

Harry carefully squeezed in sideways, trying not to touch the door.

Fortunately, he was very small and thin, and almost couldn't get in.

Harry was actually somewhat relieved, relieved that he hadn't been eating well at his aunt's house and was so thin and small, which allowed him to squeeze through the door, avoid being caught by Filch, and avoid being expelled for violating school rules...

After entering the room, Harry turned around and looked around at the layout of the room.

This place is like an abandoned classroom.

There were many desks and chairs, but they were all covered in dust.

There is one...

Mirror?

A very ornate and grand mirror, one that seems completely out of place here.

Before Harry could examine the mirror closely, he witnessed a scene that horrified him.

In the room reflected in the mirror...

It wasn't just him!

Harry saw a group of figures standing right behind him!

But when Harry looked back, he saw no one; he was still alone in the room.

Harry looked back at the mirror with a puzzled expression, and this time he mustered up the courage to look closely.

He saw a beautiful redhead woman, and her eyes, Harry thought, were exactly like his own eyes when he looked in a mirror.

He saw a tall, thin, dark-haired man wearing glasses, with a single hair sticking up on the back of his head like Harry's.

He saw other people; some had the same eyes as him, some had the same nose...

Harry stared blankly at the group of people.

"You, you people are..."

Harry didn't know how long he had been watching until he heard some noises, at which point he snapped out of it and hurriedly left the room.

A few seconds passed.

An owl flapped its wings and flew in.

His body shifted mid-air, Lucien landed gently on the ground.

Lucien looked in the mirror.

Haha, there's not a speck of dust on it; it's completely out of place with its surroundings.

Dumbledore old, yet he still has to act as a mover of nature, or rather, a mirror, in the middle of the night.

Lucien saw an inscription engraved on the top of the mirror:

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."

Well, a mirror, a reflection, should be viewed upside down, so the translation should be:

"I show not your face but your heart's desire."

"I am not a reflection of your face, but a reflection of the desires within your heart."

Lucien lowered his gaze to the smooth surface of the mirror.

I didn't see my reflection in the mirror.

Instead, there were constantly turning pages, various illusory overlapping characters and incantations, spells that were either dazzling or simple, and cauldrons bubbling with bubbles...

Lucien stared at the mirror and caught sight of a math problem.

"∭E(x²+y²)dV. Where the integration region E is formed by the surface..."

The answer in the mirror is wrong.

"Tch, boring."

Lucien shook his head; he couldn't even solve a simple math problem.

The Mirror of Erised will remain so for the rest of its life.

Lucien had no intention of looking at the magic mirror any longer, one that could only reveal the observer's inner desires, and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Lucien looked up at a spot on the classroom ceiling and chuckled softly:

"Headmaster, how was my Animagus Transformation?"