The Magical Mirror of Erised

As the end of term approached, Snape seemed to have flipped a switch after docking Evita points last time, leaving the poor little badger completely at his mercy.

Three nights a week, Evita had Quidditch practice. On the other four days, Snape occupied either her lunch break or her evening. She brewed Potions until her eyes blurred, but she still couldn't figure out what he was trying to do.

Was he trying to wear her down physically so Hufflepuff would lose its Seeker and Slytherin could win? How utterly terrifying!

Evita's thoughts wandered further and further astray, her expression growing solemn. But why didn't Snape give her detention? Surely he couldn't be seriously giving her extra lessons... Haha.

Surely not? Horror spread across Evita's face, and her hand slowly stopped stirring the liquid in the cauldron with its long spoon. She had been consoling herself with the mental victory that at least she was learning something...

No wonder Lily had praised her enormous progress in her recent letters... But anyone would improve under such high-pressure teaching. Evita began to choke up.

Lily had no idea what terrible, awful things her dearest friend had been through at school. She had seen only the improvement in her Potions skills! She had even written two whole pages of praise on parchment.

Evita continued thinking. Granted, Snape was indeed highly skilled at Potions, but was he really not at fault at all?

Lily would prepare snacks and discuss ways to improve Potions with her in a gentle voice... Could Snape do that? No, he couldn't!

All he did was mock her, sneer at her, and threaten to take points, leaving poor, weak, helpless Evita to stare bitterly at her cauldron alone, while also facing his deadly questions every now and then.

What a tremendous psychological burden that was for a little girl!

Still... Evita was Evita, after all. She pretended to ponder for a while, then soon got to work with practiced ease. Of course, the improved recipe was Lily's, fresh from the reply she had received that morning.

Bet he hadn't seen that coming! She had anticipated Snape's move. She had known they would be brewing this potion today and had prepared a way to cheat in advance!

Although cheating was wrong, she no longer cared in the slightest. She only wanted to know when this one-on-one "instruction" would end.

"The properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making are..." Evita said confidently. "Adding some Moonstone Powder to a potion can..."

Snape gave a cold sneer. "Who taught you that?"

Evita's eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself and said calmly, "Professor, I believe I'm self-taught."

"Lorand," Snape said, curling his lip in disdain, "given your inept mouth, I imagine the first thing you would have said was that Moonstone Powder can speed up a potion's reaction rate."

Evita: ? What a bizarre way to get caught!

"Hand me an essay on moonstone before next week," Snape said, his mouth twisting. "You should be glad it's almost time for Dark Magic Defence Class."

"Two points from Hufflepuff for your dishonest attitude today."

...Next time, she would definitely include the part about speeding up the reaction rate!

Evita dragged her feet to Dark Magic Defence Class.

It was worth mentioning that the evil curse which caused Hogwarts to change its Dark Magic Defence professor every year had triumphed once again. No new professor had been found, and everyone steered well clear of the position. In the end, until a new professor was found, the professors of the other subjects took turns covering the class, except for Snape, who still had quite a few potions to brew.

As a result, probably no other group of students could match the treatment this year's students received, for even Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard, covered their Dark Magic Defence Class a few times.

After reaching the classroom, Evita put down her schoolbag and greeted the classmates around her. Dumbledore soon arrived as well, bringing a wardrobe with him. In a lighthearted tone, he said:

"This is a Boggart. It turns into whatever the person who encounters it fears most, and no one knows what shape a Boggart has. Now, can anyone tell me the spell for dealing with one?"

"Riddikulus." Evita raised her hand, then answered confidently as soon as he nodded to her.

"Very good, five points to Hufflepuff," Dumbledore said with a satisfied nod. "Let's practice the spell first, then line up and try it one at a time."

Evita was looking forward to it, because she couldn't figure out what she was truly afraid of either.

Ghosts? Dementors?

The line moved forward bit by bit, and soon it was Evita's turn. She stepped forward, and the wardrobe promptly opened, revealing a woman with silver hair and purple eyes.

Her features were flawlessly beautiful, and her skin was as luminous as moonlight, but her gaze was utterly numb, giving her the air of a walking corpse.

The woman was in a cramped room, hunched over a desk and writing something without a moment's pause. The clock above her went from day to night, then from day to night again.

Evita raised her wand, though the movement was slow however one looked at it. Her eyes were listless. "Riddikulus."

Dumbledore asked with great interest, "Evita, what is that?"

"A dull, repetitive life, Professor," Evita answered. "I hate doing much the same work day and night."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, then let her go to the back.

Dark Magic Defence Class was the last lesson of the day. Evita returned to the common room and lay across a table to do her homework, placing her notes beside her. Students came over from time to time to borrow them, leaving a little candy behind.

Today she had to write an essay on the habits of the Venomous Tentacula, review the Freezing Charm, and study the medieval European wizards' council...

Evita had always been quick with her homework. She put away her quill and, seeing that it was still early, decided to return a few books she had borrowed earlier to the library.

After leaving the library, she pondered the material from Transfiguration and failed to notice that she had wandered off course. Only when she stopped did she discover a very shabby door in front of her.

Without the slightest hesitation, she pushed the door open and went inside. There she saw a magnificent mirror, tall enough to reach the ceiling, with an ornate golden frame supported by two claw-shaped feet.

A line of writing was engraved across the top: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi".

She leaned closer to examine it, then slowly read the line backward. "I show not your true self but your heart's desire."

What a strange mirror. Could it really reveal a person's truest desire?

Evita took two steps back. The mirror first reflected the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl, then soon reflected people who were not in the room.

She saw Lily, James, and Harry. She knew why: those two had originally died and had been forcibly kept in this world by an external force...