"A mirror? Why would someone leave one here?"
In an old classroom like this, a mirror wasn't strange by itself—but this one was. It looked brand-new, far too ornate, and completely out of place among the dust and forgotten furniture.
"What is this thing?"
Harry stepped closer, curious but cautious. He didn't look straight into it right away. Like Tom, he could tell something felt off about it.
Tom floated up to examine the top of the frame. Sure enough, a line of engraving was carved there:
I show not your face but your heart's desire.
Yep. Mirror of Erised.
He had no idea why it was hidden here under a white sheet, but that didn't matter right now.
What mattered was that it might actually help Harry with the mess inside his head.
Tom waved a paw.
[Harry, come take a look. This mirror might clear up some of that confusion for you.]
The Mirror of Erised only showed what the heart wanted most. Given how Harry was feeling tonight, a beautiful illusion and the real thing probably wouldn't feel that different.
"? Okay."
Harry still looked confused, but if Tom said it was safe, it couldn't be Dark magic. He stepped in front of the glass.
The moment he saw what was inside, he froze.
He whipped around, checking every corner of the room to make sure he and Tom were alone. His voice shook. "Tom! There are people in the mirror! Is this some kind of anti-Invisibility mirror? Is someone else hiding in here?!"
[Of course not.]
Tom rolled his eyes.
[It's just the two of us in here—probably.]
He added that last word a little hesitantly. You never knew with Dumbledore. The old man could be lurking anywhere.
After double-checking that the room was empty, Harry turned back to the mirror. This time he saw them clearly: a man with the same messy black hair and nearly identical face, and a red-haired woman whose eyes matched his own and whose features looked like the girl version of him from earlier that day.
"Dad… Mum?"
The words slipped out. He reached up without thinking and pressed his hand against the cold glass.
Tom ignored Harry, who was now lost in the dream. He was debating whether he should pop back to his body real quick when a calm voice spoke right beside his ear.
"You really shouldn't have let Harry look into the Mirror of Erised just yet. At least, not right now."
Dumbledore stepped out of the shadows, beard and all.
[Why not?]
The words floated above Tom's head. Harry never even glanced away from the mirror.
"He still knows so little about our world. I worry he'll lose himself in that beautiful illusion… maybe even walk a dangerous path."
Dumbledore gave Tom's translucent soul form a slightly startled look, then continued smoothly. "Even I nearly drowned in it the first time I saw this mirror. If you hadn't brought Ariana back, it would probably still be sitting in my office."
[But he was going to face it sooner or later, right? Even without me, you would've steered him toward it eventually~]
Tom shrugged.
[Besides, I don't think Harry's the type to get lost in a daydream. Worst case, I'll just give him an early Christmas present.]
He still wasn't sure exactly how to pull someone out of the Mirror's realm on command, but in ghost form he could sense the place existed. Figuring out how to locate Lily and James's souls would just take a little research. Worst case, he could build a soul-locator gadget. Tech problems were never a problem for him.
"You can already pull people out of the Mirror's realm?!"
Dumbledore actually blinked. If that was true, then maybe his own parents—
No. Best not to disturb them.
He shook his head and let the thought go. Having Ariana back was more than enough.
[Not yet!]
Tom puffed out his chest proudly.
"…Very well. If you're that confident, I won't argue."
Dumbledore sighed. "By the way, how is the resurrection project for Ariana coming along?"
He had been forcing himself not to check on her lately, terrified Aberforth would notice something and storm the castle to drag her away. Once she was properly alive again, Aberforth might grumble, but seeing his sister attending classes like any normal witch would probably soften him. He might even apply to teach here just to keep an eye on her.
That was also why Dumbledore had quietly blocked McGonagall's suggestion to let ghosts enroll officially. The last thing Tom needed was a dozen ghostly busybodies.
[Ask yourself that question.]
Tom rolled his eyes again.
[You still haven't given me that shop you promised!]
He had no idea what the old man was planning, but the empty room Dumbledore had sworn to hand over still hadn't materialized.
"Ah, yes. Don't worry—I always keep my promises."
Dumbledore's smile turned a touch sheepish. He remembered perfectly well. Things had simply been… busy. Besides, the gift Tom had given him was so enormous that he refused to fob the cat off with any old classroom. He wanted it to be a proper surprise.
Which meant the surprise itself was taking a little longer than expected.
[Just make sure you deliver.]
Tom waved a paw.
[As for Ariana, she's my friend. I'm not going to let her down.]
He had only brought it up to remind the old fox not to short-change his rewards. There were still a few technical hurdles left anyway—like figuring out how to extract DNA from a soul so he could grow her a proper body. He wasn't about to dig up her grave.
Tonight's plan to prank Peeves was partly revenge and partly research. Peeves might be a poltergeist instead of a regular ghost, but the two were close enough for testing.
Although… maybe I could borrow You-Know-Who's soul for experiments later?
The thought made Tom grin.
"I won't go back on my word."
Dumbledore shook his head, already mentally speeding up the timeline. He'd move Tom's Christmas surprise forward so the cat wouldn't start causing chaos out of spite.
"Oh, and would you like to look into the Mirror yourself?"
The headmaster asked suddenly. "Aren't you curious what your own heart desires?"
[Me? Sure, why not.]
Tom hesitated for half a second. He honestly thought he already had everything he wanted—pocket money and a peaceful life at the Lovegoods were basically checked off. Still, it couldn't hurt.
Worst case, it'll just act like a normal mirror~
He floated over to Harry.
Harry was still lost in the vision, eyes shining with tears, a tiny smile on his face, murmuring something under his breath. Even the shadow that had been sitting between his brows lately had lightened.
Mission accomplished. Tom was about to pull him away when he suddenly paused.
Hang on. The Mirror of Erised only shows the reflection of the person standing directly in front of it. From the side it's just a normal mirror. But what if two people are in front of it at the same time?
In the original story Harry and Ron never tried it together because the mirror wasn't wide enough. But Tom was a ghost right now. He could float.
He could float right above Harry's head.
Let's try it~
Without disturbing Harry, and under Dumbledore's startled gaze, Tom drifted upward until he was hovering directly over the boy and looked into the glass.
The next second he saw Harry's dream: the Potter family gathered around their son, smiling at the Harry outside the mirror with love and encouragement. No sound, but their eyes said everything.
No wonder the old man was worried Harry would get addicted. Even without voices, that image is exactly what the kid wants most.
Now… what about mine?
Tom stared at his own translucent cat form floating above Harry's head in the reflection and frowned. Does this thing discriminate against cats? Or ghosts?
Then the image changed.
The classroom vanished. In its place appeared a cozy, familiar room—the Lovegood house, Tom's home in this world.
Yeah, a peaceful life is definitely what I—
Before he could finish the thought, another figure stepped into the frame right in front of Harry's dream family.
[What the—?! Why the hell is that stinky rat in my mirror?!]