Morris didn't know exactly what this mysterious "mirror" Harry had mentioned was or why it mattered so much, but judging from the urgency and intensity in Harry's expression, it must have been something important.
Late at night, well past midnight, approaching one in the morning—Morris arrived at the agreed-upon meeting point: the staircase entrance of Gryffindor Tower, waiting patiently in the shadows for Harry.
The winter nights at Hogwarts were bitingly cold despite the castle's walls and warming charms. Even indoors, sheltered from the wind and snow outside, every breath Morris took condensed immediately into faint wisps of white mist.
Morris pulled his warming-charmed robes tighter around himself, and quietly slipped deeper into the shadows at the corner of the wall. His dark clothing made him nearly invisible in the dim light.
At his feet, Tin-Tin was leisurely licking his right front paw, grooming himself. The little fellow was always energetic at night.
Suddenly, Tin-Tin's ears rotated forward and his entire body went alert. He sensed something approaching and turned sharply toward the spiral staircase that led down from Gryffindor Tower.
Almost simultaneously, a muffled thud echoed from the staircase followed immediately by a suppressed gasp of pain and muttered curse.
"Harry?" Morris called out in a low, cautious voice. "Is that you?"
"It's me... hiss... damn moving staircases..." Harry's voice came back.
He shuffled down the final steps somewhat awkwardly, emerging from the darkness of the stairwell into the faint torchlight. His glasses were skewed on his face, knocked crooked by the impact, and he was clutching a strange silver, shimmering fabric in one hand while rubbing his forehead with the other.
"Sorry for the delay," Harry said as he straightened his glasses, wincing slightly. A small red mark was already visible on his forehead where he'd collided with the wall, and his expression showed embarrassment. "The staircase moved just as I was coming down. I wasn't paying enough attention and ran straight into the wall like an idiot."
Morris's gaze fell immediately on the peculiar cloth in Harry's hand.
"Is that an Invisibility Cloak?" Morris asked uncertainly.
"Yes," Harry nodded.
Morris really wanted to say something like, "Rich kid, let's be friends and share your wealth," but managed to restrain the impulse.
He had seen Invisibility Cloaks for sale during his time in Diagon Alley, displayed in shop windows behind protective glass with price tags that made his eyes water. Even the cheapest, most basic Invisibility Cloak cost several hundred Galleons minimum, and those were the inferior quality ones with limited duration.
The truly good ones, authentic Invisibility Cloaks made from genuine Demiguise fur with permanent enchantments cost thousands of Galleons.
Of course, that was specifically the genuine, high-quality kind. There were cheaper alternatives involving Disillusionment Charms woven, but those wore out quickly and never always worked as well.
Harry shook out the Invisibility Cloak. "Come on, Morris. Get under this with me and no one will be able to spot us."
"Oh, that's perfectly all right, but thank you for the offer," Morris said politely, shaking his head in gentle refusal.
He drew his wand from his robe with a smooth motion and casted Disillusionment Charm on himself
His figure immediately began to fade from view, becoming translucent and then invisible. His body took on the colors and textures of whatever was behind him, creating perfect camouflage.
Only a very faint, barely perceptible outline remained and unless someone looked extremely carefully and knew exactly where to focus, he was impossible to detect.
His self-cast Disillusionment Charm worked just as effectively as Harry's inherited Invisibility Cloak for practical purposes.
Harry froze mid-motion, clearly not expecting Morris to have this trick. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the space where Morris had been standing, now seeing only the faint shimmer of displaced air.
"That's... that's brilliant actually," Harry said with admiration.
"Where are you taking me?" Morris's ethereal voice emerged from the apparently empty air beside Harry.
"You'll find out very soon," Harry said somewhat mysteriously. "Just trust me. Follow me."
He draped the Invisibility Cloak over his shoulders and head, pulling it into position but leaving only his face exposed for now so he could see where he was going.
Harry headed toward the grand staircase with Morris following close behind.
Because of the Invisibility Cloak's complete coverage of Harry's body, Morris could only see a disembodied head floating through the air, moving along the corridor with no visible means of support.
It was rather creepy and surreal, like something from a ghost story or nightmare dream.
Morris had to suppress the urge to laugh at the absurd sight.
The two boys hurried through the dark, silent corridors as quickly as stealth would allow. They needed to avoid detection but also didn't want to waste time.
Inevitably, they ran directly into the patrolling Filch and his horrible cat, Mrs. Norris.
Filch was shuffling through a corridor they needed to cross scanning every shadow for rule-breaking students. Mrs. Norris prowled ahead of him, her lamp-like eyes were glowing in the darkness.
Morris and Harry both froze, pressing against the wall, holding their breath.
Fortunately, Morris had brought Tin-Tin along, and the undead cat proved his worth immediately.
Sensing Mrs. Norris's presence, Tin-Tin launched itself from Morris's shoulder with a yowl of challenge.
The ensuing commotion from the two cats fighting successfully diverted Filch's attention away from the corridor the boys needed to traverse.
Eventually, after several more tense minutes of careful navigation through the castle's maze-like passages, they stopped in front of a half-open door on the third floor corridor.
"I remember this is an abandoned classroom," Morris said, examining the unremarkable wooden door with curious interest. "I passed by here once while looking for a bathroom. Why not come visit during the day? I don't see any 'Keep Out' sign or official prohibition hanging here."
It was a perfectly reasonable question.
Harry fell completely silent for two long seconds, his expression was becoming sheepish and slightly embarrassed.
Yes... why had he been coming to see the mirror at this sensitive late-night hour? Why the secrecy and rule-breaking?
It was Christmas break now—there was plenty of free time during the day with hardly any students around, and almost no chance of being disturbed or having to explain what he was doing. He could have viewed the mirror safely during normal hours.
Perhaps his mind and judgment had already been scrambled and compromised by that mirror.
"Anyway, let's just go inside first," Harry said dryly. He pushed open the door and walked in eagerly
Morris shrugged at this non-answer and followed without further comment, reaching back to close the door quietly behind them to avoid attracting attention.
He had actually been to this particular room once before during his explorations while searching for a conveniently located bathroom. The furnishings and layout inside hadn't changed much since that previous visit.
Broken tables and chairs were piled randomly to one side of the room, stacked against the wall. The blackboard at the front still bore faded writing and crude graffiti from some unknown era. The air carried the thick, musty scent of accumulated dust, neglect, and slowly decaying wood.
The only change was that against the front wall stood a rather magnificent mirror, almost as tall as the ceiling. Its frame was golden, and it rested on two claw-shaped feet for support.
Harry walked straight toward the mirror without hesitation, and immediately stood before it staring in a daze.
Morris, however, didn't act rashly or approach the mirror immediately.
Because...
"Good evening, Headmaster Dumbledore," Morris said clearly, turning toward the dark corner of the room and greeting the hidden figure with resigned politeness.
That's right—Albus Dumbledore himself was sitting calmly on an old wooden desk pushed against the wall, which happened to be just the right height for comfortable seating.
He had been quietly observing both Harry and Morris like a benevolent ghost.
No wonder the classroom door had been partly open despite the late hour—someone had been inside all along.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement. He smiled slightly and slid down gracefully from the desk.
"Very observant, Mr. Black," he said warmly. "Most students wouldn't have noticed my presence. If you had come half an hour later, you wouldn't have encountered me at all. I was just preparing to leave."
Morris nodded in understanding. "Duly noted, Headmaster. We'll learn our lesson and adjust our timing accordingly next time."
Dumbledore's smile widened slightly. "I think it would be considerably better if there were no next time at all, don't you? Wandering the castle after midnight is against school rules, as I'm sure you're both aware."
At this point, Harry who'd been so absorbed in staring at the mirror that he'd been oblivious to the conversation happening behind him finally noticed the movement and voices.
He spun around suddenly and seeing Dumbledore's tall figure standing there calmly in the darkness, became immediately flustered and panicked.
"Pro-Professor Dumbledore!" he stammered, his face was flushing red with embarrassment at being caught. "I—we—this isn't—I can explain—"
"Mm," Dumbledore acknowledged gently, raising one hand to stop Harry's anxious explanations.
He walked slowly to Harry's side, his gaze was now falling thoughtfully on the mirror.
"It seems you've already discovered the wonders of the Mirror of Erised," Dumbledore said softly.
The Mirror of Erised?
Morris's curiosity intensified immediately at hearing this.
Morris became interested and stepped forward to look at the enormous mirror.
What he saw there made him blink in surprise.
In the mirror's reflection, he saw himself but not the real him standing in the dusty classroom. This version of Morris stood on an elegant diving platform positioned high above an endless, literally endless ocean of golden Galleons piled in mountainous heaps that extended to the horizon in every direction.
The Morris in the mirror wore an expression that was... how to put it?
A rather foolish, utterly ridiculous smile of pure bliss that clearly said "I'm very rich and incredibly happy about it."
The kind of expression normally seen on lottery winners or people who'd just inherited unexpected fortunes.
The mirror-Morris waved enthusiastically at the real Morris standing outside the glass, grinning like an idiot. Then he made an exaggerated motion as if preparing to dive headfirst into that golden ocean, spreading his arms wide.
"..."
The real Morris outside the mirror felt his eye twitch at the corner in response to this absurd display.
As everyone with basic physics knowledge knows, Galleons are solid metal objects. This wasn't a cartoon or animated film where characters could swim through gold coins like Scrooge McDuck.
If the mirror-Morris really jumped into that pile from that height, never mind drowning or swimming, tenth-degree disability would be absolutely unavoidable at minimum.
Morris tore his gaze away from the ridiculous scene and turned to Dumbledore, who stood beside him.
"What exactly is this mirror, Headmaster?" Morris asked directly.
"Would you like to guess first?" Dumbledore suggested with a playful wink, clearly enjoying the moment. "What do you think this mirror shows?"
"I think this mirror can display a person's delusions," Morris said without hesitation.
"Very close indeed, Mr. Black," Dumbledore smiled with approval and revealed the answer. "Let me explain. What you see reflected in this mirror is actually what you desire most deeply in your heart."
He turned and placed his hand gently on Harry's shoulder, his eyes were filled with compassion and understanding.
"So you saw your family, didn't you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked quietly, already knowing the answer. "Your parents."
Harry nodded stiffly, unable to speak. His eyes were filled with unshed tears. This was precisely why he had been coming here for several nights in a row.
And also...
Harry secretly glanced sideways at Morris, his expression was complicated.
Morris was like him—a child without parents, without family, possibly even worse off in some ways. At least Harry knew his parents' names, knew they'd loved him, knew about their lives and how they'd died protecting him. He had that much, at least.
Morris apparently knew nothing about his origins or family.
This was exactly why Harry had felt compelled to bring Morris here, to share this discovery. Surely Morris must want to see his parents too, must desperately desire to know who they were and what they looked like. The mirror could give him that.
Meanwhile, Morris's expression had become peculiar as he processed Dumbledore's explanation of the mirror's function.
What he desired most deeply in his heart?
He genuinely didn't think what he desired most profoundly was simply money—though Galleons were certainly shiny, attractive, and extremely useful for purchasing things he needed.
Morris refused to believe his deepest desire was something so 'shallow'.
He turned back to look at the Mirror of Erised again.
However, this time, the scene reflected in the mirror's surface actually changed before his eyes!
The ocean of Galleons instantly vanished.
In its place appeared a boundless deep space—infinite darkness stretching in every direction without limit or horizon.
And Morris stood completely alone in this overwhelming darkness.
Then, slowly and majestically, the transformation began.
Behind him, in a place extremely distant and deep, perhaps light-years away, a single star quietly ignited. A point of light was blooming in the darkness.
Immediately after, a second star lit up.
Then a third. A fourth. A fifth...
In just a few seconds, the darkness began to fill with light.
Stars appeared in dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, then millions, until counting became meaningless.
The Morris in the mirror no longer stood in empty void but found himself surrounded, embraced by an infinite sea of stars.
Galaxies spiraled in the distance. Nebulae glowed with color. Star clusters shone like diamonds scattered across black velvet.
The entire universe spread before him, infinite and magnificent and full of mysteries waiting to be explored and understood.
The mirror-Morris stood at the center of this cosmic display, arms spread wide, head tilted back, expression filled with wonder and determination and limitless ambition.
"Now that's more like it," the real Morris outside the mirror said softly, smiling with satisfaction.
He wanted to understand everything. To master magic completely. To push beyond every boundary and limitation. To explore realms unknown. To achieve what had never been achieved before.
The mysteries and secrets of universe itself were his ambition.