The Mirror
Fyfe and Henry were still waiting for Perry to return to the dorm after the party. Fyfe was pacing up and down nervously, and they both were still trying to make sense of the evening’s events.
“We’ve got to be very careful how we bring this up,” Fyfe acknowledged fretfully, “we don’t want to scare him off.”
Henry stared back at him, his brow furrowing. “You don’t think—”
“What?”
“Nah, it can’t be,” he shrugged the thought off, but then he said, as though to alleviate his conscience, “he’s not—you know—” but his courage failed him, and his sentence trailed off into nothing.
“What, Perry?” Fyfe scoffed, picking up on Henry’s meaning.
“No, of course not,” Henry said quickly.
“He’s the manliest guy I know!” Fyfe retorted, justifying himself. “Heck, if he is, any one of us could be!”
“Yeah, course,” Henry agreed, glad to quash the idea. “I don’t even know where the thought came from!”
Fyfe gave a confirmatory look, then fell quiet, lost in deep thought.
“We know Perry!” He said at last. “He’s a sound chap—he can’t be. Besides, you know what happens to guys like that!”
This time Henry looked concerned and took some moments to respond.
“You know what, I bet he’s just trying to make alliances with other houses. You know, no hard feelings and all that. I guess inter-house unity is a good thing.”
Just then, Perry entered the moonlit dorm room. He looked as calm and untroubled as ever. He strode over to his bed, oblivious to his roommates' distress, and started to get ready for bed.
“Alright, Perry?” Fyfe asked in a most nonchalant manner.
“Yes, thanks, Fyfe,” he replied. “You? It was a good party, wasn’t it!”
“What were you thinking?” Henry exploded abruptly, all pretence gone. “Why didn’t you tell us you were going to invite him?”
Having expected this, Perry sat down and gave his rehearsed answers. “Because I didn’t think you would want me to,” he sighed, “and I wanted to invite him.”
“The guy tried to freeze one of your best friends!” Henry shouted back, annoyed. “Don’t try and make out we’re being unreasonable.”
“Why did you want to?” Fyfe asked, trying to understand. “Is being the most popular kid out of three houses not good enough for you? You wanted to be king of the Slytherins as well?”
Perry was crushed. How could he explain that he liked Orion a lot?
“I don’t expect you to understand,” Perry said. “I like him, I’d like to get to know him better. Is that a problem?”
Henry gripped his bed frame and asked, “And what about all this nonsense over Muggle parents?”
“How do we know it’s nonsense or not,” Perry replied heatedly. “We’re here to learn, aren’t we? Open our minds. I haven’t seen Muggles do anything to earn the respect of wizards!”
“Alright, alright,” Fyfe said, trying to calm the tensions in the room. “I can definitely see why you didn’t want to tell us, Perry, and our response has probably justified it. That’s what makes me most sad. I’m just sorry you didn’t feel like you could tell us. I hope in the future, we can get to a point where you feel you can share anything with us, whatever it is.”
“Thanks,” Perry said, his cheeks growing warm.
“Yeah,” Henry agreed, rather more awkwardly. “And you know, if you’re right about him, perhaps we could all be friends.”
*
Rowena was in her office. It was bare, but for some simple furniture. The stonework was all the decoration she needed. Next to her desk stood a plinth with the Pensieve on it. She sat behind her desk, and on the other side of the room stood a large mirror. She was crying, or rather, she had been crying. No more tears were coming. She was sure that if one person would have been kind to her, if one person would have stood by her and supported her, surely it would have been Helga. Helga was the kindest, most selfless person she knew. If she couldn’t stand the sight of her, who would? Maybe it was true; maybe she deserved to be an outcast. What would everyone say? What would her mother say?
As though by thinking of her, she had summoned her, Helga knocked on the door and entered. She looked abashed as she saw Rowena, and her tear-strewn face, and her heart softened.
Helga gulped and said, “Whatever I may think, I’m not going to desert you.”
“Oh, Helga!” Rowena cried. “I never thought you would.”
“I know,” she retorted sternly. “Though there’s more at stake now than your feelings. There’s the child. There’s the school. There’s the family. After all, we are kind of sisters now.”
“Yes,” Rowena affirmed, her hands flying about her. “I’m not expecting anybody’s sympathy or condolence—”
“I assume this is why you have refused to leave the castle,” Helga said coldly. “Well, that’s wise. We can’t risk anyone seeing you—”
“That’s not why I don’t leave the castle!” Rowena interjected abruptly.
“I actually think this is the best place for your confinement. There will be more questions if you leave altogether. With some well-placed concealment charms, I don’t think anyone will even notice. We just need to find some place for you to be delivered of the child, and I don’t think anyone would be any the wiser. We can say they were left on the steps of the Castle….”
Rowena was growing more and more enraged. “You talk as if I should be ashamed of the child!”
Helga winced. “The only person I’m ashamed of is you.”
“Oh, you waltz about the place making everybody believe you’re so good and kind, but deep down you’re just as judgmental and vindictive as everybody else!”
Helga scoffed.
“And,” Rowena shot, pointedly, “jealous!”
Outraged, Helga replied, “Oh, that is ridiculous. Jealous of the woman who got herself pregnant! Sure! Talk about people trying to make out they’re clever and witty—how clever do you have to be? And—so much for the Sight—how did you not foresee this?”
Rowena fumed, but she did not want to get distressed for the sake of the baby. So, she sat back, her eyes clenched together.
Helga suddenly relinquished her anger, and compassion swept over her. She drew closer.
“What’s the matter, Rowena?” She asked meekly.
“How can I do this without you? How can I do this if you’re not with me?” She teared up.
Helga sighed. “I am, I will be. It will just take time to get used to the idea of it.”
The tension eased, and a quiet calm descended on them. Rowena took a few short breaths.
“What’s this?” Helga asked at last, turning and pointing at the mirror opposite Rowena, trying to talk about something else. “This looking glass is new.”
“Oh, nothing,” Rowena said quietly. “Just something I’ve been working on.”
“You made this?” Helga asked, impressed. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Then she walked over to the mirror to see her reflection. When she stood there, she gasped.
“Rowena!” She cried, looking back at her. “Where have they come from?”
“What can you see?” Rowena asked.
“All about me are lots of children. They are all looking up at me. They are trying to grasp my hands...”
She spoke wistfully, as though lost in a dream. Her words trailed off as she gazed so intently into the mirror.
“How does it do it?” Helga asked, entranced, reluctant to tear herself away.
Rowena replied, uncertainly, “I fashioned it,” she paused, “it shows one their heart’s deepest desire.”
Helga gasped and moved backward a few steps. Rowena stood up and walked around her desk to join Helga in solidarity.
“What—what does it show you?” Helga asked curiously, surprised at her own daring.
“I see Oswald again,” Rowena admitted calmly, touching the mirror affectionately. “That’s why I made it. So I could see him again.”
She subconsciously placed a hand on her stomach.
“Oh Rowena,” Helga sighed, feeling overcome with emotion. “It’s beautiful.”
*
The end of term was fast approaching, which meant the students would be returning to their families. It seemed such an age since Perry had left his house. So much had happened. The end of term also meant the last opportunity to see Orion before the yuletide break, and till the new year. Orion had asked him to come to the Slytherin common room that evening. He had, of course, said yes. He had no idea how Orion had found the courage to go all the way up to the Gryffindor common room. The thought of facing the Slytherins all in their natural habitat, all on their home turf, was petrifying. Still, after much thought over his apparel and time stood before his reflection, he made his way down to the dungeons.
The entrance to the Gryffindor common room was obvious. It would never have occurred to Godric to conceal it, nor had it occurred to Perry the great difficulty he might face trying to locate the entrance to the Slytherin common room. All he had been told vaguely was it was along one wall somewhere down in the dungeons. Frustrated and about to give up, a door suddenly materialized in a wall, and Orion stepped out.
“There you are,” he said, jovially, “I wondered if you’d got lost.”
“Lost? I almost gave up!” Perry exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “Seriously, who are you all hiding from?”
“Everyone, probably,” Orion replied, stepping back through the wall, and leading Perry in by the hand, “I’m not sure any of the other houses like us much - can’t think why. Maybe the Ravenclaws do, a bit.”
“‘Cause you’re all mad and evil,” Perry laughed.
Orion laughed too.
The Slytherin common room looked nothing like the Gryffindor common room, to Perry. It was cool, calm, and green! His eyes were immediately drawn to the rows of books on the shelves, and he walked straight over to them, confidently, and oblivious to the stares of the Slytherins. Orion’s presence gave him courage.
“Woah!” Perry exclaimed, his hands tracing the spines of the books, and looking back at Orion, “the library doesn’t even have half of these books!”
“I know,” Orion smiled, pleased to be able to impress him, “I think Professor Slytherin got them sent directly from Winchester.”
Perry carried on looking.
“You like it then?” Orion asked, self-consciously, “I know it’s not nearly as warm and friendly as the Gryffindor one.”
Perry looked around. The eyes of the Slytherins suddenly darted back to their parchments, and conversations.
“Yeah,” Perry nodded, thinking about it, “this is a school and we’re supposed to be learning. Everybody’s always messing about in the Gryffindor common room, and trying to prank each other!”
Over on some of the seats, he saw Osprey talking to Theodore Lester and a few others.
“Where’s Aldridge?” Perry asked, sulkily.
Orion took a deep breath and said, “Not sure. He’s not taking our friendship very well.”
“Do you mind?” Perry inquired, nervously.
“No,” he said immediately, “he was always a bit of a dim, pig-headed git anyway. Want to sit down? Professor Slytherin will be here soon.”
Perry acquiesced, and they took a seat next to Osprey’s gang. Perry sat casually, holding his head up, and flicked between listening to their discussion, and glancing at Orion. Shockingly, they were talking about work. The potion’s work. Then he realized they were making plans for the future. Like how they could use it in a business - how they could monetize it. Most shockingly of all, Osprey seemed to be popular.
All of a sudden, Professor Slytherin walked in. Everyone immediately stopped their conversations. There seemed to be a sort of reverence and awe for him, which would have been unthinkable for the Gryffindors. Professor Slytherin motioned for them to gather. It appeared that he had something to say, and that this was quite a normal occurrence. In fact, Perry wondered if this was what Orion had wanted him to come for. Professor Slytherin looked over the room and was about to speak when he noticed Perry. He looked a little surprised, but then turned to Orion, and gave an almost half-smile.
“Whilst your classmates sleep and loaf about, we will not tire or slumber, but will watch and build. We are going to be the forerunners, the founders, of a glorious wizarding world. Everything we envisage, we can do, and we will do. It all starts here.”
There was a sudden energy in the room, as all eyes fixed intensely on Professor Slytherin.
“There will be those who try to dissuade us, and bring us down. Those who do not want us to reach our full potential. There will be those who do not want us to defend ourselves from the muggles - those who do not want us to exercise our rights. We must guard ourselves from them. Their rhetoric is nothing more than hate speech against wizards. They promote hate against wizards, and our wizarding ways. We must not listen to them. We must distance ourselves from them. Do you know what it is they want? What their goal is? Do not be deceived - they want to eradicate us. They want nothing more than for us to all vanish. Will we allow it? No. We must be prepared to stand against them - to stand up for what we believe in. Most dangerous of all are those who claim to be wizards but are barely more than muggles in disguise themselves - mudbloods,” and he continued, venomously and bitterly, “and those mudbloods that would seek to interbreed with we pure wizards. We cannot be too careful. Their lust for muggles is not an excuse for us to accept their hatred. It is okay for us to be wizards. We must never forget that. In fact, for us to truly reach our full potential, we must embrace our magic. We are magic. We’re pure-blood magic, and that’s nothing for us to be ashamed of.”
Professor Slytherin spoke powerfully, winsomely, and with great conviction. There were several nods and grunts from the Slytherins. It was clear that they supported him wholeheartedly. That they embraced his teaching, and thought highly of him.
“What did you think?” Orion asked Perry when they were finally alone in his room.
Orion looked at Perry, intently, almost nervously.
“I don’t know,” Perry admitted, honestly, running his hands through his hair. Really, it sounded pretty dark to him, and he didn't get what the problem was. But, he so wanted to agree with Orion. “It’s a lot to take in. He made some good points, I guess?”
Orion relaxed at this and changed the topic, “What do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?” he asked, smiling.
Perry was caught off guard. He neither expected this, nor had he given it much thought. He suddenly felt very foolish.
“I’m not sure,” he mumbled back, feeling very self-conscious at his lack of thought, “what about you?”
“I want to be the head of a great dynasty,” Orion said, his eyes shining. “A great wizarding house that lasts for centuries. That’s, you know, famous for doing lots of amazing things for wizarding kind.”
“That sounds like a pretty good aspiration,” Perry confessed, dreamily, “I’d like that too.”
“The Blacks and the Faulkners,” Orion announced, proudly, “we’ll be two great houses, together”
“We’ll live really close!” Perry said, suddenly, joining in the vision, “our families will always be in and out of each other’s houses. We’ll go on holiday together,” he laughed.
“And our children will go to Hogwarts together!” Orion grinned.
They both sat back, happy at the thought of it. Perry, completely relaxed and at ease, like only a Gryffindor could be. Orion, thoughtful and well-mannered. He couldn’t help thinking how achingly beautiful Perry was. He could die. Ineffable, incomparable, words failed him. Their hands accidentally touched. They leaned in close, carried along by the simplicity of youth, and kissed. A sweet, hedonistic, joyous kiss. Perry couldn’t help laughing as they carried on, it was so - so fun.