"Headmaster Dumbledore..."
Harry supported himself against his knees and stood up, eyes horrified and dazed, his mind in complete chaos.
"Don't be nervous, Harry." Dumbledore slowly paced forward, gently soothing: "This was merely a small accident. As you witnessed, Tiger deposited a small stone with me..."
The old man shrugged quite playfully, then glanced at Tiger with considerable helplessness. "But clearly, I must continue safeguarding it."
"He possesses such a dreadful temper..."
"Don't you agree?"
Dumbledore's eyes flickered with cunning light, like a child speaking ill of someone behind their back. He secretly winked at Harry, as if requesting his partner's discretion.
"Uh..."
Honestly, Harry desperately wanted to nod in agreement.
But he didn't dare—never mind facing Tiger, he wouldn't dare nod even confronting Hermione.
Besides, Dumbledore seemed... genuinely unreliable!
"Well, it's growing late..."
Like his little partner hadn't chosen joining him in mischief, Dumbledore sighed with regret.
"You should return to sleep, Harry."
"This isn't where you belong. The Mirror of Erised reveals your heart's deepest desires."
"But none of it's real—it will only waste your time, indulging in beautiful dreams, day after day."
"Someday, you'll discover what you're seeing isn't happiness, but pain."
The aged face gradually filled with gravity.
"Harry, don't ignore those who care about you—that's your true wealth..."
"Sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Harry lowered his head, nose beginning to sting. He understood these truths perfectly.
But he missed his parents so desperately—those were smiles he couldn't witness even in dreams.
"You're right, I just..."
With one final trace of reluctance, Harry turned back toward the Mirror of Erised, as if making silent farewell.
With barely perceptible choking, he gathered his Invisibility Cloak and slowly walked toward the classroom door.
"Harry..."
Dumbledore suddenly called out to stop him.
Just as Harry turned around in confusion, he shook his wide sleeves—an exquisitely wrapped horseshoe-shaped chocolate fell into his hand.
"Try this—Honeydukes' newest creation. Don't tell Minerva..."
With thief-like whispers, the chocolate was tucked into Harry's arms. The previously melancholy boy unconsciously curved his lips upward.
"Thank you, Headmaster..."
Watching Harry don his Invisibility Cloak and depart the abandoned classroom, Dumbledore couldn't help shaking his head.
The world's greatest source of happiness was love—and its greatest source of pain was also love. Back then, how long had he himself lingered before the Mirror of Erised?
With these thoughts, the elderly man slowly turned around, observing Tiger standing before the Mirror of Erised.
The ferocity had completely vanished from Tiger's face, replaced by rare gentleness as his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
Witnessing this scene, Dumbledore inexplicably felt relieved, curiosity rising in his heart.
"What did you see, Tiger?"
"Hmm..." Tiger's lips curved slightly, ripples gradually appearing in his eyes.
"A little Hufflepuff girl."
"She's smiling at me."
"Oh, damn heaven—she's smiling so radiantly. I've never seen her smile like that..."
Noticing the teasing and incredulity in Tiger's eyes, the little girl in the mirror actually raised her fist defiantly—her delicate, adorable figure suddenly gaining fierce spirit.
"Hahahaha!"
Tiger couldn't help shaking his head and laughing heartily, his cheerful, resonant laughter echoing throughout the classroom.
However, the next second, laughter stopped abruptly.
"Motherfucker!!!"
"Who the hell is this son of a bitch!"
Furious roars shook the mirror's surface.
Observing the man who suddenly materialized in the mirror, Tiger's face darkened instantly, veins bulging across his forehead as he attempted punching the man's head into his chest.
He'd completely forgotten this was merely a mirror's reflection.
But watching the little girl smile radiantly as she took the man's arm, gently leaning against his shoulder, Tiger's tightly clenched fists actually loosened unconsciously—the strength in his fingers melting away with that happiness and attachment.
"Fuck you, Lawrence..."
Gritted cursing arose.
The man in the mirror gently rubbed the girl's head, regarding Tiger with eyes carrying warmth and apology.
"Tiger, don't blame Lawrence."
"He truly loves you all..."
Dumbledore stood behind Tiger, sighing with melancholy as if he too could perceive the figures within the mirror.
"..."
Tiger remained silent, merely staring blankly at the Hufflepuff girl in the mirror, face gloomy.
"Mom..."
"You really should have broken that son of a bitch's legs back then—then he wouldn't have abandoned you..."
With these words, Tiger turned and walked straight toward the classroom door, no longer lingering.
"I'm claiming this mirror."
"I'll relocate it when term ends. Anyone who dares interfere—I'll devour them alive." The seemingly calm tone carried unquestionable violence.
Indulging in beautiful dreams surpassed living in agony—he refused witnessing Mother Polly silently weeping over her pocket watch anymore.
"Tiger is actually quite gentle."
"Don't you think so, Fawkes?"
Within the empty classroom, moonlight penetrated window lattices, spilling across floors in mottled silver brilliance.
The smile in Dumbledore's eyes proved deep and rich—the Philosopher's Stone within his sleeve seemed less burdensome than before.
Phoenix cries suddenly rang out.
Fawkes perched atop the Mirror of Erised, glaring disapprovingly at this old bee...
What the hell are you barking about! (?_?)
On Christmas holidays' final day, Hogwarts once again returned to former liveliness.
Within the Slytherin common room, little snakes sat together discussing holiday events.
"My father took me to Norway."
"That place was absolutely freezing..."
Draco Malfoy's tone brimmed with disdain, yet the showing-off and excitement across his face couldn't be suppressed.
As his friends, Blaise Zabini and others had grown accustomed to this—and enjoyed witnessing him thus.
Full participation indeed.
Pansy's parents remained perpetually busy socializing; Daphne's parents constantly searched for solutions to their family curse.
Don't mention Blaise—his stepfather had died again, just this Christmas...
In short, regarding family happiness, truly no one could compare to the silly Malfoy heir.
Just then, the serpent-eagle stone wall's shifting sound rang out again—everyone turned to observe.
They witnessed Theodore Nott wearing a three-piece suit and newsboy cap, walking into the common room with cold, indifferent eyes.
"Theodore?!"
Malfoy and others couldn't help exclaiming.
Except for the hat, Theodore Nott's outfit proved almost identical to Tiger's.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
Theodore Nott curved his lips quite stiffly, drawing ghost-like stares from Malfoy and others.
"Where did you spend the holidays, Theodore?"
Blaise Zabini approached his friend, sniffing intensely, attempting to detect Polyjuice Potion.
"Spent. Christmas. Father's. House."
Theodore Nott struggled maintaining his stiff, unnatural smile, speech rhythm becoming peculiar—words emerging individually.
"Merlin's triangular underwear—did Father slice half your tongue off?!"
Blaise Zabini swallowed hard, tone filled with horror as he reached toward his friend's lips.
"No, you're overthinking."
"No such incident occurred."
Theodore Nott suddenly dropped his smile, speech becoming coherent again.
He pushed Blaise away with disgust.
"Mom commanded this. After holidays she'll inspect—I must master smiling..."
"Mom?!"
Malfoy and others suddenly widened their eyes, surprise and suspicion flashing across their pale faces.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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