I Don't Want to be a Hero - Ch. 28

The Philosopher's Stone & The Mirror of Erised

The last chamber was unlike all the others. Harry could tell he was in a tower simply from the open arched window views onto the sky. If he went closer to a window and looked down no doubt the grounds of Hogwarts would be below. The rest of the room descended down several steps into a sunken pit where a tall, and ornate mirror sat in the center of the pit.

Harry felt the overwhelming error in coming after the Philosopher's Stone. That's what friends do, he decided, they talk you into things that make sense when they're all around but when it's just you...

"I wish you were here, dad," Harry's hands clutched spasmodically to his robes; his eyes darting around the room warily. He had the sinking feeling that Dudley might jump out at him from the shadows... or maybe that crazy witch would appear again.

Harry was sweating. His student robes felt like a cumbersome burden. He shrugged them off his shoulders.

Taking a breath Harry ventured down the steps towards the mirror slowly and methodically. When he reached the mirror there was his expected reflection but there were others behind him. He looked over his shoulder hoping Hermione had sent someone to help him but there was no one. He turned back to the ghostly images.

"Magic mirror," he nodded with a slight sneer. Harry touched the surface and one blurry image came into focus; it was Professor Snape. Harry let out a long sigh of relief. "Hi."

To his delight the Potions Master in the mirror gave him a tiny smile and draped an arm over his shoulder, and across his chest. Harry raised his hand to touch that arm but felt nothing. A wave of disappointment drifted over him.

"Dad,"  he whispered. "Uhm... Professor Snape, I mean. I don't think you'd like if I called you 'dad' but you've been like one, you know? You found me, you watch over me, and you're the only adult who ever believed me. My Aunt Petunia calls me an 'incurable liar'. It's always Dudley, though, that makes up stories, and gets me in trouble." Harry sighed and in frustration ran his hand through his hair. He glared at his reflection, and the mess of his hair. He hated that it just never seemed to go anywhere he wanted.

"I don't like it here, dad... sir." Harry's eyes darted left and right away from the reflection. "It feels like I'm being watched. And, there's no stone here. Draco, Ron, and Hermione all think I probably have it now, and Quirrell doesn't. He's got a monster, dad," Harry's voice dropped to a faint whisper. "It's lumpy, and looks diseased, and its got evil eyes that are like blood. It wants to eat me, probably."

Harry stepped away from the mirror and scrutinised the room he was in again. There were no corners, no shadows to hide something. No cabinet, no strange boxes. He stepped back to the mirror.

Professor Snape was solid but behind him were two, floating, vague shapes. Harry was not afraid of them, and they did not worry him either. He wondered if one was that ghost that appeared to him in the forest and called him ‘son’. He'd seen another ghost, too, when he lay in that park where the crazy witch had left him to die. The ghost woman had sat next to him and told him to hold on when all he wanted to do was sink into the blackness that was beckoning to him. He recalled her words...

"Harry, it's not your time, yet," the ghost had whispered. As she shimmered behind the blurriness of pain she smiled at him and he felt the warmth of love washing over him like cool, refreshing water. "A friend of mine is coming for you, Harry. He'll take care of you for us."

The ghostly figures wavered and Harry could make out their features. "You're both the ghosts!" Harry cried with recognition. "Are you my parents?"

Both the ghosts nodded. Harry let out a relieved sigh of breath. "You were there. You were both there." The ghosts of James and Lily Potter nodded, and smiled. His smile faded as his reflected self stepped closer to the reflection of Professor Snape. He then glowered angrily at his parents.

"This is your fault!" The smiles on the ghosts faces faltered. "There's a monster trying to kill me because of you two! And, you both left me with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon! They hate me!" Lily ghost's face appeared appalled that he was with her awful sister. James ghost frowned and his ghostly fingers gripped Professor Snape's right forearm. "Because of you I gotta stop a monster from getting the Philosopher's Stone an' I don't even know what it looks like!!"

His fists crashed against the glass of the mirror, and he slid down it until he was on the floor leaning against the mirror. "Everybody thinks I'm some stupid hero an' I'm not," he muttered as tears began to drip down his cheeks. He sniffled. "Dad said he was gonna take me flying where nobody would hurt me. I got friends. Draco, Ron, and Hermione. Magic's neat except for all the terrible stuff. And, the Headmaster thinks I should be happy to be some all-powerful Saviour. I don't want to be a hero. I want to be me. Just a kid. And, I want to find that dumb Philosopher's Stone so the monster won't kill me."

Reflection Professor Snape knelt down by the small boy. James ghost crouched as Lily ghost tried to float closer to her son. She was unable to do so since there was not enough mirror surface.

Harry felt strong arms wrap around him gently, and a voice he knew all too well spoke softly into his ear, "Check your pockets, Harry."

Harry did not immediately check his pockets but turned and gratefully curled into those comforting arms. "I'm sorry I called you 'dad', sir. You probably hate it."

"Harry, hush. I do not hate being called... dad." Professor Snape had arrived via another, more direct route that led upward to the tower that held the Mirror of Erised. He glanced warily up at the mirror and saw the child's vision of his ghostly parents, and his own, very solid, reflection. James Potter gave him a very serious look, then nodded. Lily smiled radiantly, and then she touched the reflection of Snape. He then lowered his gaze to the small boy in his arms. "Harry, please, would you check your pockets for me?"

Harry nodded, pulled slightly away, and checked both his trouser pockets. In the second one he felt an irregular, hard lump. He pulled it forth. The jewel was fiery red even without light touching it. "Is this it?" he asked Professor Snape.

"I'll take the Stone, Mr. Potter," both Snape and Harry looked as Professor Quirrell stepped from behind the mirror.

"How did you get here, Quirrell?" demanded Snape as he stood yet still kept Harry at his side.

"I simply followed you, Snape. You’re… affection for that stupid child was not as hidden as you thought. I watched you, and knew that you would lead me to Potter. And, now that he has the Philosopher’s Stone he can give it to me. As for you, traitor..." The last word was scathing and filled with hatred. “you will die for my Master.”

Harry felt a bristling in his blood. His teacher was trying to protect him but Harry wanted to protect his teacher from Professor Quirrell's anger.

To both their surprise Quirrell turned around at some hissing noise, and he began to unwrap his smelly turban. Harry gasped, and Snape grimaced as both saw the face of Voldemort on the back of Quirrell's head. The face looked angrily at Snape then smiled evilly at Harry.

"Missssster Potterrrrrr. At lasssst we meet faccccce tooooooooo faccccce," purred Voldemort like a snake. "Quirrell, dispose of the traitor."

"Leave my daddy alone!!" shouted Harry jumping in front of his teacher. In the same moment, with unbelievable speed, Quirrell spun, cast the Killing Curse, and blew Snape head over heels until his head cracked against the far wall of the pit. For only a moment Harry stared at the crumpled form of the Potions Master. With an anger that burned inside of him he launched himself at Quirrell. "You killed my daddy!!!"

Quirrell screamed as the boy's hands connected with the skin of his face. He was burning. He tried to pull away, but Harry gripped his head tighter. Quirrell screamed in agony. His head turned to ashes as his body burst into flame. Harry fell backwards and tripped over the legs of his teacher. A wind picked up, and an unearthly howling filled the chamber. Harry pushed into Snape's side and put his hands over his ears. A huge wraith rose from the destroyed body of Quirrell and just as Harry glanced up he saw the red, blood eyes of a demon.

The wraith smiled menacingly and swirled towards Harry with dangerous intent. In that moment the ghost of James Potter wrapped his arms around the wraith. The monster let out a terrible screech. The ghost Lily Potter arose beside her husband, and she pushed her hands right through the wraith. Again it screeched, and swam sickeningly about the room as it fought with the two ghosts. With a last effort it swept towards Harry. A third ghost rose up like a dark angel and kept the wraith from Harry. When the monster wove closer the dark angel caught the wraith by its head, and squeezed with super-ghostly strength.

The wraith screamed and screamed again as the two ghosts of Harry’s parents, and the ghost of Severus Snape held the beast in their insubstantial hands. Voldemort’s spirit fought, shaking the tower, stones were dislodged and plaster fell... two columns cracked and a third fell right onto the mirror shattering it in an explosion of glass.

Instinctively Harry rolled up as tightly as possible to escape the flying glass. Above him his parents still held the wraith as it bucked and screamed. It, too, began to burn and a sanguine fluid of bluish and grey flame burst forth from its amorphous body. Harry felt the heat from the burning ghost, and then he felt someone throw a heavy draping of his teacher's cloak over him. He did not know that the Potions cloak was inundated with spells and potions to protect the cloth even from the hottest heat source, and the most caustic substances and potion ingredients.

A moment later the horrible screams faded away but flames still burned within the tower. A gentle voice touched Harry's soul.

"Stay there, love,” the ghostly fingers of Lily felt like a gentle, cool breeze in the heat of the fire above him. “Don't move and you shall be safe. I covered you in Severus' remarkable cloak, and your father will make sure the flames do not touch his body." Harry felt a cool whisper of a breeze stroke his forehead.

"He's dead," Harry whimpered as he also felt the body he huddled against fast decreasing in temperature.

Another voice, deeper and with an inexplicable smile in it, touched Harry's soul. "Touch your wand to Severus, son."

"Why?" asked Harry who sniffled as his cheek pressed against his teacher's silent chest.

"Remember what your wand can do?" whispered James as unseen fingers ruffled Harry’s hair. "Touch your wand to Severus and tell him to come back. Your mum and I want someone to take care of you."

"To love you, Harry, since dada and I can't always be with you," Lily's hand, like tendrils of a breeze stroked his hand.

"But he doesn't," whimpered Harry.

"Ohhhh he's a prickly one, our Severus, dear Harry," chuckled Lily and her laughter sounded like tiny bells chiming amongst the stars. "But believe me, he loves you with all of his heart and soul." He felt his soul swell with the warmth of his mum and dada's love. It almost hurt it felt so beautiful!

Harry removed his wand from his sleeve and touched it to his teacher's chest. "Professor Snape?" he lowered his voice from a whisper to a breath, "Dad? Please... come back. I need you."

A whirlwind swept through the tower and around the wizard and the small boy. It was so strong that it blew the fire to a few scattered embers. Harry, afraid, screamed and threw his arms over Professor Snape. A blackness came down, almost crushing in its density. Harry's cries faded, and the darkness took him down, down... and down.

a/n: Folks I did a rewrite on Chapter 21 to fix not a plot gap but plot stumble. It is not necessary to read it, but if you wish to, please do so. On another note - I do not use a beta. I go over chapters several times before posting but still I miss something. If you do catch something let me know what chapter the problem is in, and quote a sentence so I can find it. Usually I can find it but sometimes I cannot. Lastly, please watch your language when leaving a review. Thank you.