"You have to believe me, I really saw a magical mirror. I saw so many people inside it—Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, D-Man, and a strange but familiar woman. That must have been my mother; her eyes were just like mine."
"Correction: your eyes are just like hers," Hermione said, touching her own forehead. She felt like Harry's logic was getting a bit jumbled.
Harry didn't want to get into the little details. "The mirror had a name, too. It was... E... E..." He racked his brain, but the name wouldn't come. "Eriramstra Erheurbi Kaferu Aiteung Wohes."
"Yes, yes, that's it!" Harry nodded eagerly, then looked at Dudley with delight.
"D-Man, you know what it is? There really is nothing you don't know!"
"It's called the Mirror of Erised. It's a magical mirror that shows you your deepest, most desperate desires," Dudley said with a hint of gloom. He hadn't seen a single thing in the mirror. Did that mean he had no desires? That couldn't be right! He was curious to know what his deepest desire was, since he believed that a person could only truly grow by facing their desires head-on.
"Then... then it's not real?" Harry's body tensed up slightly. When he saw the reflection in the mirror, he had thought his mother was still alive.
"That's right," Dudley said, gently placing a dumbbell down. "The things you see in that mirror aren't real. The future is for us to create ourselves."
Harry nodded, but he didn't seem to fully grasp it. All the same, he never went looking for that mirror again.
Training and Dragons
The holiday ended quickly. Neville and Malfoy rejoined the training group. Neville hadn't slacked off during the break, but Malfoy had been a bit lazy. Lucius, it seemed, scoffed at the idea of such physical exercise.
When a jogging Ron heard that he had to have extra lessons with the professors every weekend, he let out a loud groan. "I thought things would be easier after the break!"
"Ronald, you could always just stay in your nice, soft bed," Malfoy taunted as he jogged past Ron.
"Say my name right, you little dragon! You wanna fight?" Ron snapped back. The name "Draco" means "dragon," so Malfoy was often called "little dragon."
"Bring it on! I'll beat you first, and then I'll beat Potter!"
Dudley never stopped their squabbles. "If you don't like someone, just fight 'em," he always said. A little healthy competition could actually improve a relationship, and in Dudley's eyes, Malfoy and Ron's friendship was actually pretty solid.
Ron's complaints were short-lived; with all his friends working hard, he wasn't about to give up. As the days went by, the morning training group's physical abilities visibly improved. Even the scrawny Malfoy had a new layer of muscle on his arms.
The most noticeable change, however, was in Neville. He had the largest frame of the group, besides Dudley, so the results of his training were the most dramatic. He was no longer a pudgy boy but a strong, burly one.
Every so often, Dudley would take the group into the Forbidden Forest. Unlike when he went by himself, they would only stay at the outskirts. Even that was an exciting experience. "Wizards shouldn't just be confined to the classroom," he'd told them, explaining that they should broaden their horizons. His system had told him the same thing, so he passed the wisdom on. Everyone agreed.
After an afternoon of gathering herbs and identifying small magical creatures, they headed to Hagrid's hut to rest. Malfoy initially refused, complaining about the humble abode, but since Dudley went inside, he followed.
Dudley, as usual, grabbed a rock cake and started munching on it. Hermione and the others kept a safe distance. Malfoy tried one out of curiosity and nearly broke a tooth. This thing is a weapon, he thought, and secretly tucked a piece into his pocket.
"Harry, do you get the feeling Hagrid's a bit... strange?" Ron whispered to Harry.
Hagrid was acting odd. He wasn't his usual jovial self, and he kept hovering over the fireplace, trying to hide something. The more he tried to conceal it, the more obvious it became. The hut was incredibly hot, which was strange for the season, and he hadn't opened a single window.
According to Murphy's Law, what you fear most will happen. Hagrid's attempt to block their view failed to account for Neville, and there were just too many visitors today.
"Is that... an egg?" Neville pointed to a large, black egg sitting on the hearth. He went closer and examined it. "What kind of creature... wait, I think this is a dragon's egg!"
Magical plants and creatures were Neville's latest focus, and he truly had a knack for it.
"I think I heard you say 'dragon'!" Malfoy, who had been sitting next to Dudley, perked up and immediately rushed over.
Seeing that everyone had noticed, Hagrid gave up hiding it and moved aside. He had mainly wanted to keep Malfoy from seeing it, as Lucius's reputation was far from stellar.
"It really is a dragon's egg!" Malfoy's eyes were glued to the big, black egg, filled with envy. "My father could never get me one of these." He had always dreamed of raising a dragon, but they were dangerous creatures that had never truly been tamed. His father had quickly and mercilessly quashed the dangerous idea.
"Hagrid, where'd you get it? It must have cost a fortune!" Ron said, his eyes also fixed on the egg. What wizard could resist a dragon's egg?
"I won it," Hagrid said proudly. "I was having a drink in the village last night and playing cards with a stranger. To be honest, the bloke was probably desperate to get rid of it."
"You know, it's illegal to own a dragon in the wizarding world. Dragon eggs are included, and it's also illegal to buy or sell them," a voice from the corner said. The hut fell silent. All the students looked at Hagrid in disbelief.
Dudley looked at him with a strange expression. "Hagrid, you know that's illegal?"