The Mirror of Erised

"The development of runes has always progressed from the simple to the complex. From the earliest runes to modern spells, many branches emerged along the way, such as their application to Transfiguration..."

[You have acquired new knowledge of runes. Runes EXP +7]

[You have acquired new knowledge of runes. Runes EXP +3]

[You have acquired new knowledge of runes. Runes EXP +8]

[You have acquired new knowledge of runes. Runes EXP +5]

[Your Runes proficiency has reached LV2. You may acquire an additional ability.]

[LV2 additional ability, Rune Dissection: You can more easily identify runes within spells and ritual structures that involve them.]

Quirrell explained the dissection of runic structures used in Transfiguration in meticulous detail. He almost seemed afraid Will would fail to understand, deliberately breaking everything down into the simplest possible terms. This allowed Will to master the material without trouble and earn a great deal of experience along the way.

He listened hungrily to "Quirrell's" explanations, constantly posing questions of his own. By now, he had stopped wondering who was actually teaching him. All he knew was that he was genuinely learning.

Watching Will's eagerness, Quirrell kept nodding in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Professor. Goodbye."

Forty minutes later, Will emerged from Quirrell's office with his Runes proficiency already at LV2 (12/200). The Dark Lord certainly lived up to his reputation. In the first few Harry Potter books, Voldemort had essentially been a children's-story villain who showed up only to be defeated. But now that Will was actually in this world, even a tiny scrap of his knowledge proved immensely valuable.

He had now grasped how runes could be converted for use in Transfiguration. Very little work had been done in this field, and it lacked any systematic theory; it was only a small beginning. Yet Voldemort had researched even this, a testament to his accomplishments in magic back in the day.

Once outside the office, Will no longer felt sleepy at all. There would be plenty of time to sleep when he was dead. Right now, he needed to strike while the iron was hot and study some more.

He raced to the Room of Requirement and consolidated everything he had learned in his notebook, constantly leafing through the several books on runes beside him and recording his conjectures.

[You have acquired new knowledge of runes. Runes EXP +3]

Runes... Transfiguration... spell structures... ritual structures...

Will kept feeling as though something was echoing in his mind and all around him, yet he could not grasp that elusive thread of inspiration. Time flowed past like water. Only when his stomach began protesting incessantly did he give up hope of finding a breakthrough that day and leave the Room of Requirement in frustration.

It was already dark. Will had missed both his afternoon Herbology class and his evening Astronomy class. He walked along, lost in thought, and by the time he came to his senses, he no longer knew which floor he was on.

The door to a nearby room stood half open. On an inexplicable impulse, Will pushed it open and walked inside.

The room looked like a disused classroom. Desks and chairs were piled against the walls, forming great masses of dark shadows. Will scanned the room, and the moment his gaze landed on one particular object, he knew where he was.

It was a magnificent mirror, reaching all the way to the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame supported by two clawed feet.

An inscription ran across the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

The Mirror of Erised. Will recognized it at once. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped in front of it. Since he was already here, how could he resist taking a look?

Besides, Will had always been interested in this marvelous mirror.

What do I desire most, deep down?

The surface of the Mirror of Erised was like a sheet of pure, smooth crystal, quietly and clearly reflecting Will's face.

It was a much older version of him. His fine-featured face was utterly expressionless, and his silver-gray eyes seemed colder still. Clad in jet-black wizarding robes, he was walking along a gloomy, dimly lit path.

As Will continued watching, his reflection kept walking. There was no telling where the path led. With each step, "wizards" appeared on either side: the adult Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and quite a few other Hogwarts students.

Then came several translucent figures, like strange ghosts: Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and others...

After that, he saw Sylvia as well.

Finally came a vast expanse of battered, heavy black gravestones, each engraved with a wizard's name: Tom Riddle, Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, Herpo the Foul, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff... Merlin...

This... Will was rather taken aback. What does this mean?

He had expected to see himself grinding his skills to their limits, then standing equal to a god through the accumulation of countless additional abilities.

This scene...

Will's silver-gray eyes swept over the scene again. His reflection was still walking down that dark, eerie path. This was what lay within his heart. After a moment's thought, Will let out a long breath.

"So it's—to surpass everything."

His reflection kept walking. Even the gravestone bearing Merlin's name had been left far behind.

A wizard who pursues knowledge, as the Sorting Hat said? That isn't bad, either.

The corners of Will's mouth slowly curved upward.

"My boy, what did you see?"

A gentle, kindly voice sounded behind Will.

Will turned around and greeted the white-bearded old man in white nightclothes.

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore."

"I saw myself becoming the greatest Wizard in the world." Will did not conceal much.

"My boy, like thousands before you, you have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised." The cup in Dumbledore's hand gave off the aroma of hot chocolate. "Of course, many of them also wished to become the greatest Wizard."

Speaking kindly, Dumbledore approached the Mirror of Erised and gazed into it.

The aroma of hot chocolate grew stronger, and Will's stomach betrayed him with another growl.

"It seems you're famished, Will." As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, a long table appeared beside them, laden with food: Will's favorite steaks, sausages, roast meat... and a large jug of steaming hot chocolate.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

"You're welcome. Young people do sometimes get so caught up in things that they forget to eat." Dumbledore sat down opposite Will and watched him tuck into the food.

"I told Sprout and Sinistra"—Aurora Sinistra, the Astronomy professor—"that you needed to be excused from class. They thought you were ill." Dumbledore chatted with Will as he drew over a plate of syrup-drenched biscuits. "Sprout even wanted to visit you in the Hospital Wing."

Only then did Will learn that Dumbledore had actually arranged leave for him.

"Sorry for the trouble, Professor."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Quirrell was right. Clever, outstanding students always receive a few privileges."

"You knew?"

"I know about most things that happen in the castle. Often, that is the only way to ensure the students' safety," Dumbledore explained. "Your private affairs excepted, of course."

Will did not think Dumbledore was enough of a pervert to spy on everyone. This was a respectable wizarding world.

"Also, Miss Lestrange kept knocking on the door to the Room of Requirement. She only went back to rest after I came by."

Will stopped eating, a rare look of apology crossing his face. "I really shouldn't have sealed off the Room of Requirement."

At Will's reaction, Dumbledore inwardly sighed with relief and continued, "My boy, I must remind you not to become excessively absorbed in the pursuit of knowledge. Do not lose yourself in that pursuit, or you may become a slave to knowledge."

Will keenly noticed that Dumbledore's expression had turned unusually grave as he said this. A faint sense of foreboding stirred in his heart...