Oh Ho, Caught

"Could this mirror predict the future?" Ron turned to ask Harry.

Harry shook his head and looked at Muya.

Muya had no choice but to share her own guess. "I think it can reflect some kind of desire in our hearts."

"All right, it's getting late. Let's hurry back and get some sleep." Muya pushed the two of them out of the room.

The next morning, Muya woke up and saw that the snow from yesterday had yet to melt, so she dragged Fred and George out to play in the snow again.

"Oh, take this, Fred!" Muya packed a snowball and ambushed Fred from behind while he was passionately trading barbs with George.

Unfortunately, Fred dodged it with a quick sidestep, then said pitifully, "Little Badger, how could you do this to me?"

"Hey!" Seeing the chance, George landed a snowball squarely on Fred's back.

Muya could not help covering her face and laughing. Soon, it turned into a three-way battle; she had to guard against Fred on her left and George on her right.

Once they were tired out, the three of them lay together in the snow, giggling away.

Around dinnertime, Muya very unfortunately came down with a fever, and Vester was the one who discovered it.

Not long after she entered the School Hospital, Snape arrived in a rush with a potion. "I hope Miss Muya's brain hasn't been frozen stupid by the snow." That was a devastating opening line, just as expected of Snape.

"Not yet, Professor." Muya shakily stretched out a hand to greet him.

Snape glanced at Vester, then looked at Muya with a deep frown. He handed the potion to Vester. "Make her drink this." Then he left.

Watching his retreating figure, Muya felt that he seemed rather busy today. Better busy than not.

"Mya Mu, here." Vester helped Muya sit up, then uncorked the potion. Just the smell alone made Muya feel that it would be terribly bitter.

However, Vester had thought of that too. He took a piece of Snow Treasure Candy from his bag. It looked like the kind Muya had given him at Halloween.

"Can you eat the candy after you finish the potion?" Vester placed it in Muya's palm.

Muya looked at Vester and smiled. "Vester, you sound like you're coaxing a child!"

"You are a child," Vester said quietly.

Muya took the potion and finished it in two or three gulps, then quickly stuffed the candy into her mouth. "That was awful." Muya stuck out her tongue and swore inwardly that she would never get sick again.

Then Muya told Vester to hurry to the Great Hall for dinner. He asked whether she wanted him to bring something back for her, but Muya said no. He gave her another piece of candy before leaving.

Not long after Vester left, another group arrived: Harry and the others.

"Little Badger, we're sorry."

"It's all because of us that you caught a cold." Fred and George bent over beside Muya's bed like two golden retrievers.

"Please forgive us!"

Muya rubbed her forehead. "I forgive you." Then she patted their heads.

Muya looked at Harry and Ron, who were standing nearby in a daze. "Hi, Harry, Ron. Did you come to visit me too?"

"Oh, right." Harry set the basket in his hands on the cabinet. "These are the cucumbers and strawberries you planted. Hagrid helped pick them, and asked us to bring them over."

"Thank you."

"By the way, Mya Mu, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?" Ron took out a bowl of pumpkin porridge that was still warm.

"Oh, Little Ronnie, when did you bring that?" Fred and George looked at Ron.

"Ahem." Ron avoided their gazes and handed the bowl and spoon to Muya.

"Thanks, Ron." Muya took them and smiled at him.

"N-No problem."

After staying for a while, Madam Pomfrey ushered them out.

Muya had actually been feeling drowsy for a while, but Harry and the others had been talking, so she responded now and then. Now she could finally sleep.

At dawn, Muya opened her eyes and found that her fever had broken. Snape's potion was really effective.

She got dressed and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, sneezing several times along the way.

Muya accurately took the seat beside Vester. "Good morning, Vester."

Vester nodded. "Good morning, Mya Mu. Feeling better?"

"Mhm. Achoo!" Vester laughed softly and moved the hot porridge in front of Muya.

After breakfast, Muya went to find Harry and the others. Before Hermione left, she had assigned Muya an important task: supervise Harry and Ron as they did their holiday homework. Muya felt that Hermione was really like their mother.

Muya arranged to meet them in the library. Ron quietly told her that Harry had gone to look at the mirror again last night.

Ron said the mirror gave him a strange feeling. He had tried to persuade Harry, but Harry had not listened.

Muya did not know how to persuade him either, so she decided to go there that night and see whether she could talk him out of it.

Supervising Harry and Ron's homework was truly difficult. They asked her about so many things they did not understand that it felt as if she had done the assignments twice.

At last, they finished all their homework before dinner that day.

That night, as soon as Harry entered the room where the mirror was kept, he saw Muya inside eating chips. "Harry, you're here!"

"Mya Mu? Why are you here?" Harry went over and sat beside her, in the same place where he had sat the night before.

"Achoo. Have some chips, Harry." Muya handed all the chips directly to Harry, then looked toward the mirror. This time, she saw her current group of friends, along with vegetables and fruit growing astonishingly well.

"Oh, Harry, Mya Mu, you're here again." Dumbledore's voice came from behind them.

"I've only come twice." Muya patted off her clothes and stood up. Oh ho, caught.

"Oh yes, I saw you two the first time as well." As Dumbledore spoke, he climbed down from the table and sat with them.

After brushing the chip crumbs from her clothes, Muya sat back down. Dumbledore looked at the bag of chips in Harry's hand. "Any left?"

Harry nodded and handed him the bag. "Oh, tomato flavor."

"Like the thousands who came before you, you have discovered the allure of the Mirror of Erised."

"We didn't know it was called that, sir," Harry said.

"The Mirror of Erised? Other than showing people the desires in their hearts, what else can it do?" Muya asked Dumbledore.

"Oh, the happiest person in the world can use the Mirror of Erised as an ordinary mirror. In other words, what he sees in it is his own reflection."

"You're right, Mya Mu. It does have other uses, but its most important function is to let us see the deepest, most urgent, most intense desires in our hearts. Many people have become obsessed with this mirror, and some have even been driven mad by it." Dumbledore gave Harry a meaningful glance.

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it next time.