Reflections
Christmas was a fun affair.
The Hamato brothers woke up surprised to see presents at the ends of their beds, much like Harry was. Although there's was significantly smaller, it didn't really matter that much. They recieved sweets from Hermione (although Donnie's came woth a copy og 'Hogwarts; A History') they also recieved something from Ron's mother, which was a bit of a surprise.
Apparently, the twins loved talking about Mikey in the letters they sent home, and in extention his brothers, it was enough for their kind mother to knit them all Christmas sweaters, something they already wore the moment they got them. Leo got a blue one with a silver 'L', Raph recieved one in Gryffindor colors, red with a golden 'R', Donnie got his in purple woth a lighter lavender 'D' and Mikey got a pastel orange one with a black 'M'. (Raph refused to wear his saying the letters were lame, however, he was seen wearing it days after the Christmas feast.)
Speaking of the Christmas feasts, it was also the first time the brothers even celebrated Christmas on this scale. They would usually just order pizza and crash around the apartment, maybe even watching movies (Leo loves Star Wars. It was unfortunate that Space Heroes didn't exist, but that was enough yo fill the void). There were a lot of fod and Crackers, these little things that when you pull it pops and has little toys inside. They didn't get to see a normal one but the magical one was amazing. Mikey won a funky little frog plush that croaks when he squeezes it.
The afternoon was spent playing in the snow. Donnie and Leo (who was bundled up in a hoodie and Mrs. Weasley's sweater, Donnie was with him because he didn't want to get wet) were watching the battle against the Gryffindors vs Raph and Mikey. The latter was obviously winning, the two always getting successful hits and always manages to dodge everything that was sent to their way, that was until Mikey decided it woule be funny to hit Raph instead. To which the two turned on each other and started to wrestle in the snow, a stray snowball hits Leo square in the face to which the snow ball to which the game's stakes became high.
It was a free for all with Donnie joining in the fray last minute and has been dubbed the winner.
While Harry and Ron spent their time in the Gryffindor tower messing with Harru's invisibility cloak, the Hamato brothers were in a hidden secret room in Hogwarts.
The room was found by Donnie one faithful morning when he was moved into a new room because of the explosion of the Ravenclaw dormitory.
It showed it's doors to him jn his moment of weakness, showing an open space that looked quite similar to their old home, to the lair, but more castle and medieval like, insyead of dark concrete the place was stunning with marble all around.
It became their little hidey hole if they didn't want tk deal with people.
Donnie made himself a little lab and started trying to combine magic and machine while his brothers slowly snuck in pillows and blankets inside the room and made a little area where they can sleep. He planned om bring their CD player from home so him and his brothers can have a little movie night in the castle once he figures out how to do what he did with Raph's hearing aids to other complex gadgets.
The brothers were enjoying their tike in front of the fire place, eating and stuffing their faces, pushing and shoving each other like they were little kids again (which they technically are) but...
Donnie feels weird about it.
His jeart sometimes clenches tightly after he catches himself laughing at Mikey's goofy jokes. He sometimes forces the smile on his face down whenever he sees Leo crack a smile of his own, or he pushes down thst fluttery happy feeling in his chest whenever Raph was teased aboit growing soft.
He doesn't know what was going on. He knows he deserves to be happy, that was what Leo said when they first got here, right? That they should finally have a normal life, so he should enjoy it.
Well this isn't exactly normal.
Donnie gazes sadly at his brothers who were asleep on their bundles of blankets and pillows. Leo looked so serene even when asleep, a small smile on his face as he leans more into Raph, who was on his other side, spread out like a starfish, his hand holding on to the other's. Mikey was on Leo's other side, snuggling into him like a baby koala, using his arm as a little pillow.
It's so peaceful but he can't help but feel like something was...
Maybe he should go to an actual bed than sleep on the floor tonight.
He went out, silent as ever. The halls were dark and quiet, something he wasn't already used to. To his surprise, a shrill shout envelopes thw halls, echoing as it goes farther and farther away from its source, which seemed to be the library. Donnie vaults over to the rafters, hiding in the shadows as he hears loud footsteps of someone running... But no one was there.
Narrowing his eyes, he followed the footfalls based on the sounds alone, hiding in plain sight.
He watches in surprise as an abandoned classroom opened, before it even closes, he slips inside with whoever was concealing themselved.
He stands in the corner, eyes widening when he sees Harry emerge out of nowhere, coming out of a blanket like substance that flowed like water and reflected the moonlight like smooth metal. The kid really needs to pay attention to his surroundings. It doesn't matter if he's using whatever that was for stealth when he can hear his footsteps a mile away.
Donnie however, notices another thing in the classroom.
In the middle was an old antique looking mirror with an intricate designs as its border. On the top, chiselled into the fine stone was an inscription that read 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'
Donnie decides to just simply observe.
He watches, fascinated as Harry went over to the mirror, he can see his reflection paint out his surprised expression only for him to be confised because Harru was looking at the mirror as if he was seeing things in it.
He touches his shoulder and looks back, Donnie almost thought he was caught until he hears the soft whispered words come out of Harry's mouth.
"Mom... Dad...?"
Donnie stays there with Harry, sitting in one of the desk and chairs pushed to the walls of the room. Not once did Harry even noticed he was there.
Once he left, the sky was a dark navy blue and from then on Donnie kept thinking of the mirror...
So he came back, after Harry was, of course, done obsessing about it like he was.
He found out about it from the time he showed it to Ron. Apparently it shows your deepest desires. Donnie was honestly curious. He off handedly thought it was probably going to be April (his brothers joked about it a lot before, but he moved on from her. She's a great friend, yeah, but it doesn't matter now that she probably doesn't even exist in this world)
He steps in front of the mirror—
There, standing in front of him, looking down at the much shorter child that he was, was him...
As a mutant turtle.
Red brown eyes looked down at each other with fascination and hidden realization. Donnie looked behind the taller turtle to see Mikey and Raph goofing off at the back, Leo was laughing and talking with April as Casey was filming everything on his phone. They were all there, all ages fifteen... Maybe 16 or 17, happy and laughing.
They were there, looking normal... Or what was their definition of normal at the time was.
He watches as... Master Splinter (why... Why does his chest feels so tight when seeing him? Wasn't he supposed to be happy?) walk into the frame and gently placing a hand on Donnie's shoulder, or rather, on turtle Donnie's shoulder.
The rat master looked down and gave him one of his wise smiles before walking out of the frame once more.
Oh...
Oh no...
This was going to be a problem... Right?
"Donnie?"
Donnie didn't move from his sitting position watching his brothers and friends inside the mirror enjoying and talking amongst themselves, his version from beyond the mirror was smiling and laughing...
He was jealous.
He didn't even realized that he has gotren cold and stiff from staying in the same position for the whole night. The sun was already shining outside when he promised himself he was only going to take a little peak.
If Leo knows if they were feeling down, Raph always somehow knows where the brothers are, that's if they weren't meaning to even hide themselves in the first place.
Raph stood behind him, he was probably mad but Donnie doesn't care to even look back.
"Donnie?!" Raph raises his voice, making Donnie blink. "Geez! I've been calling your name for a whole fucking minute! Where were you? When we went to the secret room you weren't there, when Mikey snuck into the Ravenclaw tower, you weren't there, you weren't even in the library! What did you do all night?! Leo was so worried and wouldn't stop badgering about you—"
Donnie just remained silent.
Raph stopped his little lecture when he noticed the far off look in his younger brother's eyes.
"Donnie?"
"'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.'" Donnie says.
"What... What the f... What are yku saying? Gibberish?"
"That's what the inscription says." Donnie points at the top of the mirror. "The funny thing about it... Is that if you read it backwards... Like how a mirror distorts your image to make it look reversed... It says what the mirror does."
Raph honestly can't sit through Donnie's science rants, even if you pay hom five pounds for it. But now, he thinks Donnie needs this more.
"What does it say?"
"It says... 'Is how not you face but your hearts desire.'" Donnie finally looked over to his older brother, eyes tired and side, it looked puffy as if he was crying. Contrary to popular belief, it was Donnie was rarely cried most out of their brothers. "You know what it means?"
"No." Raph honestly says. "Listen, Donnie, whatever you're trying tp make me realize, can we please do it after i show Lep you're alright?"
"It means the mirror shows you what your hearts desire." Donnie ignores him. "Do you know what i see?"
"I don't know... April?" Raph says, getting a little bit impatient with all the questions. "I didn't come here for a quiz, okay?"
"I see us... But we're still turtles." Donnie looks back at the mirror, Raph can't help but look worried for his brother. "We're laughing, having fun... Doing kid stuff with April and Casey... Master Splinter was there too..."
Donnie let's out a wet laugh.
"You know... If it were me... When i was still like that, i would've seen me, us, as a human. Us having a normal family, away from the stupid Kraang, away from mutants, away from everything. I would've probably be so shallow and see April liking this new handsome human version of me." Raph lowers himself next to Donnie, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, this one was more solid than the hand Mirror Splinter offered. He grabs it, squeezing it tight. "But..." His voice breaks, he forces his tightening throat to continue. "But now that i have it... Now that we almost have a normal life considering our odds of getting into bigger trouble, i see me, as a turtle. I see what i used to think was abnormal, an anomaly, something that shouldn't really exist, a monster, a mutant... I see the former me, i see us, we were still happy... "
Mirror Donnie looked down at his younger (by physical age) self, not with a worried face but one that was taunting him, he was smiling, far off from the silent tears that rolled down his cheek.
"It's unfair. Why can't I be happy? I got my wish. We're still together. I should be happy, right? But it just hurts so bad!"
Raph pulled Donnie in for a hug, forcing his younger brother's arms down so he would stop pulling at his hair, he lets him squeeze his hand instead. No matter how painfully tight his brother squeezes, he can handle it, just so he can remove the pain from him somehow.
Raph wasn't the emotions person, that's Mikey. And he wasn't the comforting words type person like Leo.
But he'll be damned if he doesn't try and make Donnie feel better.
"Hey... I miss home too." Raph says. "I know you've been trying so hard to try and get back. I know it was probably you who took it the hardest when you realized we were practically reborn here, that we can't go back. I'm sorry for ignoring it, i'm sorry for butting in and being a baby, taking Leo's attention away from you, taking the comfort away from you. You needed it more than i am. Donnie... Donnie look at me. "
Donnie sniffles and wipes his tears away. He lets himself be vulnerable for once instead of bottling it all up.
"You don't need a stupid magic mirror to tell you how you're supposed to be happy."
Donnie smiles. He finally tries to stand up, Raph helping him as he wobbles a bit, one of his legs fell asleep from the way he sat all night.
"Thanks, Raphie."
"If you mention this to anyone, I'm throwing you off the Gryffindor tower."
"Love you too."
The Mirror of Erised disappeared from that classroom when Raph checked.
(He wanted to honestly smash it)
Good.
Something like that can make even the sanest person go crazy.