Death?

It was the third night after Christmas, Harry sat on the floor in front of a mirror in an abandoned classroom on the sixth floor.

"So—you've come again, Harry?" Dumbledore revealed himself and sighed.

Harry, upon hearing Dumbledore's words, reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, surprising Ryan, who was observing everything from the dormitory. It's amazing how a person's hair can actually stand on end.

"I—I didn't see you, sir," Harry stammered.

"That's strange, you've even become nearsighted after becoming invisible," Dumbledore said with a smile. Harry, who hadn't lost his ability to read people, noticed Dumbledore's attitude, breathed a sigh of relief, his frizzy hair softened again, and the goosebumps on his body disappeared.

"Does this magic mirror allow us to see the future?!"

"I've brought my family back to life!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.

After calming down, Harry immediately realized that the Magic Mirror was related to Dumbledore. Knowing about the existence of the Resurrection Stone, he couldn't help but ask about his deepest desire.

"Harry, the dead cannot be brought back."

"Beautiful flowers will bloom, but they will eventually wither; all living things in this world are but fleeting travelers."

"Harry, don't grieve for your deceased loved ones. One day, we too will go on this journey. Death is just another great adventure," Dumbledore said earnestly.

"No, that's just cowardly talk. Magic is a miracle, the key to changing the laws of the world," Harry said. He forgot that the person in front of him was Dumbledore. He only knew that this person was denying him, trying to make him submit and accept the abhorrent existence that his family could not return.

"Death is not the end of everything; it is merely a change."

"Flowers bloom, then wither; stars twinkle, then vanish; this Earth, the Sun, the Milky Way, and this vast universe will all die one day. A human life, compared to these, is but a fleeting blink of an eye. In that brief time, people are born, laugh, weep, fight, are wounded, rejoice, grieve, and...hate someone, love someone—these are all fleeting encounters. Ultimately, all will return to the eternal sleep of death," Dumbledore said. And Ryan noticed that at that moment, the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's hand emitted a faint, invisible glow, a magnificent, great will influencing him.

Is it Bleach?

Even Dumbledore himself didn't notice!

This is the truth behind Nicolas Flamel's acceptance of death, and he was also affected by it.

The Philosopher's Stone, and the immortality it grants, is not what is described in the Harry Potter fanfiction about Ryan's previous life—it simply grants immortality, but also continuous aging, with some even suggesting it comes at the cost of diminishing one's magical abilities.

But this is not the real thing. The Philosopher's Stone is not a simple alchemical tool; it is more like the golden core or Primordial Spirit in fantasy novels.

As long as it is in the hands of a wizard, it is indestructible and can create immortal artifacts.

Taking his elixir of immortality not only grants immortality but also keeps one's body youthful, making it the closest thing to perfect immortality.

The idea that they're tired of living is utter nonsense. The world is developing rapidly, and if people were truly tired of living, it wouldn't be at this point in time.

The idea that those people in my past life imagined immortal beings, the so-called "twilight of thought," and that immortality is a painful concept, is nothing more than sour grapes.

Immortality is the greatest collection of desires in the world, encompassing everything else.

"Well, what exactly is the purpose of this magic mirror?" Harry said, quickly realizing that the mirror probably didn't have the ability to Prophecy the future. He also found the headmaster a bit strange, so he returned to the original topic.

"Harry, look at the top of the mirror." Dumbledore snapped out of his reverie, as if he hadn't said those words before.

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi, it doesn't make any sense at all," Harry read, frowning.

"If you reverse the sentence and break it down, it becomes 'I show not your face but your heart's desire,'" Dumbledore explained. "Its name is also the Mirror of Erised, 'Erised' meaning 'Desire.' Now, I guess you know its magic."

"He can see my inner desires," Harry said.

"And it also makes your friend Ron see himself as the Head Boy," Dumbledore said mischievously.

"How did you know—" Harry asked in surprise.

"I don't necessarily need Invisibility Cloak to become invisible," Dumbledore said gently, while Ryan couldn't help but purse his lips. This old geezer wasn't even here yesterday; he saw everything through this mirror.

"Harry, you and your friend Ron stayed here all night yesterday, and my knees are still hurting." Dumbledore rubbed his knees.

"Sir, did you stand there and keep us company all night?" Harry asked. Dumbledore, nodded. Sitting in the Headmaster's Office to keep us company was practically the same, Dumbledore thought.

"Harry, you must understand that this mirror can neither teach us knowledge nor tell us the truth."

"It will only waste your time. If your friend Ron really has the potential to become student council president, but he spends too much time on it, then his bright future will never come true," Dumbledore said earnestly.

"Then what about my dreams, or rather my desires?" Harry thought of his family again.

"Harry, it's good to hold onto your dreams, but when you go too far, holding onto them becomes pointless and even dangerous. When you cling to a dream that can never be achieved, or a dream that shouldn't be achieved, life slips away. And what you crave most is precisely what you can't have. Although losing family members is very unfortunate, staring at something you can never have will only hurt you." Dumbledore paused, as if thinking of himself.

"The mirror will be moved to a new place tomorrow, Harry, so please don't look for it anymore. If you happen to see it someday, be prepared. It's no good to indulge in fantasies and forget about real life, remember that. Well then, why don't you put on that wonderful invisibility Invisibility Cloak and go to sleep?" Dumbledore continued to say to Harry.

"Sir... Professor Dumbledore ...may I ask you a question?" Harry suppressed his own thoughts, his curiosity rising within him.

"Of course, you just did it." Dumbledore smiled. "However, you can ask me one more question."

"What did you see when you looked in the Magic Mirror?" Harry asked.

"I—I saw myself holding a pair of thick wool socks."

"I never have enough socks," Dumbledore said. "Christmas come and go, and I don't receive a single pair. People insist on sending me books."

Harry's eyes widened.

Before we knew it, it had been on the shelves for almost a month.

There are no inside stories here. Thank you all for your support. I will not leave this book unfinished, nor will I continue writing it like this until the 7th grade. Voldemort will be killed, provided that no innocent people are injured or killed as a result.

This book will not contain any poison or have any tragic ending.

(Thanks also to students 2019080153744698 and Yuchi Jinyin for their monthly tickets, and to other students for their recommendations and subscriptions.)