Chapter 53
The return to the British Empire passed without incident. Our cabal piled into two cars and quickly reached the government building in central Irkutsk, and from there, the portal to London. I spent the next two days at home enjoying the peace and quiet. It was so wonderful to be alone! Especially after a week spent in the company of numerous relatives, since I was constantly with someone at the Dark Lord’s house, which was quite stressful. Granger and Smith also spent the two days resting, trying not to get out of bed unless absolutely necessary. So, well rested and well-rested, I returned to Hogwarts with peace of mind. Operation “Trotsky” must be completed!
We met the Weasleys and Finch-Fletchley at the station, after which we quickly said goodbye to our families and boarded the train to Scotland. After settling into our compartment and pouring cups of hot chocolate, we all began sharing our impressions of the holiday. Hermione, Elvira, and I told the boys about our adventures in the Union, leaving out the details of our interactions with the local deity and Smith’s test of her gift. I’d tell Justin everything later, but the redhead wasn’t supposed to know such things; he’d think Elvira was a future general in the undead army. Finch-Fletchley told us about his trip to Bali with his parents, and at the end of the holiday, he met Ron in London and gave him a tour of the Imperial Aircraft Museum. Weasley really enjoyed this experience; this lover of the sky and flying kept telling us during the trip that his dream now is to fly a supersonic fighter. He even lifted his sweater to show off his T-shirt with a MiG-17 print and a little witch on a broomstick drawn next to it. It looked very cute and even funny.
The rest of the trip went smoothly. First, the girls from Green House dropped by, then the chatty Gryffindor girls. We thanked each other for the gifts, then quietly sipped tea and shared our holiday impressions. By the time we arrived in Hogsmeade, I was a little tired, and the tea I’d drunk left my ears buzzing. Oddly enough, I didn’t see or hear Potter and Co. during the trip, although I distinctly remember the black-haired, bespectacled man boarding the train. Apparently, someone had gotten a good beating over the holidays; I couldn’t see any other reason for my brother’s behavioral changes.
We traveled from the station to the castle in sleigh carriages pulled by Thestrals. These cute black horses with bat-like wings looked very unusual against the January snow; I even stroked one of their charming faces. Passing second-year Gryffindors whispered that Hellsing had completely lost her fucking mind—the air was caressing, but I merely smirked and treated the horse to bits of smoked meat. It was worth remembering that these cute horses are carnivores, hence their impressive set of razor-sharp fangs. Of course, compared to Alucard or Victoria, they looked like a rabbit versus a dragon, but still. The winged horse of the apocalypse (not a mistake, but sarcasm))) took the delicacy from my hand carefully and gently, and I promised myself that someday I would definitely fly on such a cute little animal.
At the celebratory dinner, Dumbledore greeted everyone, wished them a Happy New Year, and announced that trips to the magical village would be resuming this year. The mood at the tables immediately soared, helped by the abundance of delicious and varied food. The Hogwarts house elves were excellent cooks! After a hearty dinner, we headed to the Hogwarts tower, with almost five more months of school ahead of us.
***
January flew by quickly, routinely, and nervously. Quickly and routinely, because not a single incident occurred. Well, almost. Longbottom showed up, having lost a significant amount of weight over the Christmas holidays and even being spotted doing morning exercises twice, but he quickly grew tired of it all. Now Neville was actively regaining his lost shape through intense jaw work. In other words, he was constantly eating! I also enjoyed the bald and evil Professor Prince. Or the Grim Billiard Ball. Or the Shining Cauldron… In short, the Potions master’s nicknames had noticeably increased. The Head of Slytherin was raging, resorting to outright insults and humiliation, bringing students to tears. Points were being dropped from everyone, even from the Green House, and the detention queue was already full until mid-April. I couldn’t even imagine what magical stuff Dagworth had mixed into his shampoo, if even the Potions Master hadn’t figured it out yet. There were a couple more late-night skirmishes between the Gryffindors and Slytherins, and that was it! Even the new Marauders were as quiet as mice under a broom.
As for my nerves… Every night after lights out, I’d unfold the Marauder’s Map and sit over it until late at night, but – no way! My brother was either sleeping in the boys’ dorm or causing trouble near the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Where’s the fucking mirror?!
Three weeks of constant nervous tension and lack of sleep had taken their toll; I became very aggressive and absent-minded, and wonderful black bruises appeared under my beautiful green eyes. Seeing my state, Hermione attacked me, quite literally—as soon as we reached our base of operations, she hit me on the head with a stool. I woke up tied to a chair, and my best friend had laid out about a kilogram of orange abomination on a white porcelain platter.
This slimy and disgusting substance was definitely the product of Satan’s sick mind and was originally created for the most sophisticated tortures of sinners. Compared to this orange, wrinkled, and stinking abomination, a cauldron of boiling oil would have seemed like a pleasant jacuzzi! I’ll definitely have to include it in the UEBI investigator’s manual. My friend knew I couldn’t stand dried apricots!!! This dried fruit immediately made me gag and nothing else.
– Mia, what are you doing? – I jerked, but the ropes held tight.
“Nothing, I’m just trying to figure out why my best friend is so nervous. Over the past week, you’ve managed to be rude to all our friends and acquaintances, and beat up the new Marauders three times for no reason. Plus, you broke Zabini’s arm and knocked out four of Hufflepuff Macmillan’s front teeth!” Hermione smiled sweetly and took a slice of the orange torture device from the plate. “Back on Lake Baikal, you promised to tell me the plan for extracting the Philosopher’s Stone, and I promised to help you, remember?” I nodded and glanced at the plate. “And since you refuse to share your problems with me, we’ll have a hearty dinner of dried apricots now, and then I’ll inject you with a vial of Dreamless Dreams Potion and put you to bed.”
– You wouldn’t dare! – I looked in horror at the orange stuff in her hands, a lump forming in my throat. Any more and I’m going to throw up. – Mia, come to your senses! Not that! Maybe it’s better the old-fashioned way, like we read in the textbook? – I looked at my friend with the eyes of the cat from Shrek. – A hot iron? Or needles under your nails? Just put the poop in, okay? Please.
“Don’t make eyes, it doesn’t work on me. And anyway! Dried apricots are really healthy, they’re full of vitamins!” The brat popped a piece of the crap into her mouth and began chewing with gusto! I squeezed my eyes shut and tried my best to keep my dinner inside, but that slurping sound! Disgusting! My heart was pounding, my vision was swimming, I smelled a foul odor, and I clenched my jaw tightly, otherwise the fountain of friendship between nations would have splashed everywhere.
“Enough! I give up! I’ll tell you everything!” I jerked in my chair again, breathing heavily, and shook my head.
“Or maybe just a piece?” Mia feigned disappointment and waved her magic wand, dissolving the bonds.
“Next time I’ll give you a pumpkin juice bath.” I grumbled, stood up from my chair, and turned away. My friend choked on air and started coughing. “And anyway, take that crap away, any more and I’m definitely going to throw up.”
“I’ve always been amused by your reaction to dried apricots. Could you tell me where they’re from?” Her friend smiled and put the plate of orange crap away in the cupboard.
– I don’t remember! – I really didn’t remember why I couldn’t stand dried apricots. – And anyway! Where did you get THAT?! You can’t find anything like that in the Empire.
“I asked Maria for a couple of kilos, it’s delicious.” I shuddered. “And it works well as a psychological tool on a certain green-eyed black-and-white witch who thinks she’s the smartest.”
“You little brat.” I smiled and turned to my friend, who was looking at me with a serious gaze.
“What happened?” Hermione clenched her fists. “Why the hell haven’t you been sleeping properly since you arrived at Hogwarts and are constantly on edge?! I’m still waiting for the White Beard dispossession plan!”
“I just don’t know how to tell you…” I lowered my head. “How can I explain what I saw in the movies, how Harry Potter sat in front of the mirror at night and admired his parents? Maybe it’s complete nonsense, and such a mirror never existed in this world?!”
“Tell it like it is.” Mia’s brown eyes radiated warmth and support. “I’m your best friend, and I’ll always be by your side.”
“Okay, but first I need a drink.” The smell of that stuff was still in my nose, so I reached into my bag for a thermos of hot chocolate, and Hermione, with a satisfied smile, pulled out two porcelain cups.
“I’m all ears.” We settled comfortably on the sofa, and my friend took a sip of the hot drink.
“You know, right, that my brother wanders around the school almost every night in an invisibility cloak?” ‘Mione nodded in response. “Basically, Potter is supposed to find an ancient artifact in one of the abandoned classrooms, a large magical mirror, and there’s a small chance that the Philosopher’s Stone is inside it.”
“I see.” Granger put her cup down on the saucer and looked at me peacefully. “I take it the problem is that you don’t know when it will happen?”
– Yes. – I looked at my calm friend with disbelief and asked cautiously. – Mia, aren’t you going to ask where I got this information?
“I have so many questions for you…” Granger smiled mysteriously, “but I’m sure that when the time comes, you’ll tell me everything. We’re best friends, after all, even more.”
– In the summer. I promise I’ll tell you everything during the summer holidays. – I hugged Hermione, happy as a cat that has eaten too much sour cream.
– So, that’s it! – My friend pulled away and looked me seriously in the eyes. – Now let’s go to the living room, where you give me the Marauder’s Map and go to bed! Today I’ll conduct a lesson with Smith, and then I’ll keep an eye on your brother. And one more thing! – Mia shook me by the shoulders. – Tomorrow you’ll apologize to the guys for your behavior. You acted like a hysterical woman during her first period!
– I agree. – I lowered my head guiltily, and then someone butted me in the ear.
” Who’s going to apologize to me? ” Vasya peeked out from under his robe. ” Who called me a useless piece of crap yesterday?!”
“ Forgive me ,” I hissed, stroking my pet’s head.
– Suck forgiveness.
– What did you say?!
– I forgive you! You misheard. – The sly little face hid back.
– Did we talk? – I nodded in response to Hermione. – Okay, let’s go to the bedroom, you need to get some sleep.
***
I got out of bed this morning feeling refreshed and energetic, but Mia was nodding off, but her eyes sparkled with contentment, meaning something had happened that night. And I’d slept through it all! Because Elvira and I were the only three of us to get up early, Hermione just glanced at me and drank a tonic, after which we all went for a run. Running up and down the stairs, I replayed the last three weeks in my head, and I felt a little ashamed of my behavior. I’d managed to be rude to everyone I knew. Hmm… That’s what nerves do to a person! Today I’ll apologize to the other students, well, except for the marauders—I didn’t feel sorry for them, and it was good for them. I already realized in my heart that the schedule had changed slightly, and now we were paired with Hufflepuff in History of Magic, where I knocked out Macmillan’s teeth. Before class, he was bumping into one of his classmates and bumped into me while I was pensive. Then, reflex kicked in and he was knocked out cold. It was awkward…
In the room before breakfast, I apologized to Brown and Patil, blaming my behavior on problems at home. Well, I couldn’t tell them the truth! The girls hugged me back with smiles and said everything was fine, like, that’s just how engagements work… Holy shit! Where did those thoughts even pop into their curious little heads?! Those little brats thought I’d been engaged to some old man from the Soviet Union, which is why I was so worried! It turns out I wasn’t on vacation in the USSR, but attending a matchmaking with my future groom, who was a relative of the General Secretary himself! While I was wide-eyed and gasping for air, the girls hugged me again and wished me luck, saying he was old and I’d definitely outlive him, and then find myself a younger lover and live a normal life. When the satisfied brats scurried off into the sunset and the door closed behind them, Hermione burst into hysterical laughter, and Elvira wasn’t far behind. In the end, I had to reassure my friends rather than find out about my brother’s nocturnal adventures.
When I went down to the Great Hall, I was about to go up to Weasley and apologize. I’d been ignoring the kid for the last two weeks, and the day before yesterday, when he came up to me smiling, I actually threw his chess set across the living room and called the game stupid. I was truly embarrassed about that. Maybe I should really arrange a plane ride for him? But he beat me to it. Fuck, maybe I should strangle Brown and Patil? How did they manage THAT?! It’s only been fifteen minutes!
– Rigel, you… I didn’t know… – Ron wiped his nose with his sleeve. – No, I know what you… The future baroness, and aristocrats have a hard time with marriages, it’s almost always arranged, and everything is decided by the parents… My brothers told me once… Anyway, I’m not offended, but I could have said it right away! Marrying an old Russian man, and a relative of the ruler of this northern country at that… No, I understand that he’s a rich industrialist, but to go against your mother’s will… If you change your mind, or you need help, just let me know! We’ll definitely think of something… You’re my friend! Here…
By the end of his monologue, Weasley was as red as a tomato, but the problem was, he was delivering his fiery speech right in front of the Great Hall. Several dozen people could hear us, and given the boredom at Hogwarts… Tomorrow, everyone, EVERYONE, will know that I’m marrying the Tsar of the Soviet Union, and who cares that the Tsar was executed at the beginning of the century! But Ron is a good man, willing to help his friend, and I WILL NOT ask what he was planning. The less you know, the better you sleep.
“Ron, it’s okay.” I walked over and hugged the red-haired misunderstanding, then pulled away and smiled at him. In the background, Justin was barely holding back hysterical laughter, but when he caught my gaze, he immediately calmed down. “The engagement issue has been decided – it won’t happen, the relatives couldn’t come to an agreement. I just didn’t have time to tell Lavender and Parvati about it.” Weasley sighed with relief and smiled too. “I was nervous, I’m very ashamed of my behavior, Ron, I’m sorry. We’ll definitely play chess tomorrow, and maybe someday I’ll even beat you.”
“I wasn’t offended, anything can happen!” Weasley took a step back and smiled again. “We’re friends! And anyway, let’s go eat! There are caramel waffles for breakfast today, I can smell them!”
We headed to the table, whispering quietly. As the saying goes, if you can’t prevent it, lead it! I’ll explain everything to Justin later; he’s not stupid and will understand. I’m not that important, so in a week the stupid rumors will die down… I hope. In the future, I’ll have to be more careful with Brown and Patil, and given the girls’ imaginations and the boredom at school… I’ll have to keep my finger on the pulse with these little brats. We ate breakfast with these thoughts in mind, and the waffles were truly delicious.
The first class was the history of magic. Mia whispered that she’d tell us everything after lunch, but now she wanted to get some sleep. Before we could even reach the right room, two fair-haired boys with yellow ties came forward to greet us. One of the boys had an extremely displeased, even arrogant, expression, and the other badgers watched the pair closely.
“Hellsing, my name is Ernie Macmillan, and this is my friend Zachariah Smith.” The boy stood in front of Hermione and me with a disgruntled expression, not even nodding. This was a gross breach of etiquette and showed disrespect for the other man.
“Rigel Hellsing, my friend Hermione Granger,” I answer this asshole dryly. “What do I owe you?”
“I demand an apology! You dared to hit the heir of a pure-blooded family, part of the Sacred 28!” The boy clenched his fists in anger.
“Well, sorry, you came at me yourself, I didn’t mean to.” I answered calmly and shrugged. The last thing I needed was a conflict with Hufflepuff, and I’d promised my friend I’d apologize to the other guys.
“That’s not enough!” Macmillan flushed and shook slightly with anger. “I demand a public apology to the entire school, as well as compensation for moral damages!”
“Won’t your face crack?” I took a step forward, and the brass knuckles found their way onto my hand, fortunately hidden by the long, wide sleeves of my robe. “I apologized, the conversation is over.”
“That’s not your decision! I’m the heir to a noble family! And you’re the spawn of a damned family!” A magic wand appeared in the little bastard’s hands, and a red haze filled my eyes. “Platinum bitch…”
The boor didn’t have time to finish his sentence; an army boot landed between his legs, jackknifing him. I delivered a full-throated blow to his head with my brass knuckles. Breaking his fall, I caught the badger by the tie and began methodically pounding his disgruntled, screeching face into mincemeat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his friend stagger back in horror—he must have seen the sparks in my hair, the coward! I grinned contentedly and delivered another blow, blood splattering everywhere and bones crunching, but I didn’t care! The bastard had insulted my family! The nervous tension that had been building up inside me for the last three weeks demanded an outlet, and it found one! Another swing failed, something stopped my hand, I turned my head to the right and received a hard slap from a disgruntled Mia.
The red veil lifted, and I looked again at MacMillan, wheezing and bubbling blood. His face truly resembled dog meat: his nose was twisted, his skin was split in many places, revealing white bones and tendons, his front teeth were gone, and his lips resembled enormous dumplings. And all this beauty was profusely covered in blood. The boy was clearly already unconscious, and my hand, tightly gripping his tie, kept him from falling. Yeah, there’ll probably be a bruise on his neck too. I released my fingers, and the body of the screeching heir collapsed onto the stone floor, where a dark red puddle immediately began to form.
The Hufflepuff students all drew their wands and pointed them at me, but the Gryffindors followed suit and drew theirs as well. A fight was about to break out.
Two girls slowly stepped forward from the badgers’ side, pointedly holding their empty hands out in plain sight. Well, that was understandable—all my friends were already standing at the ready. Hermione, for one, had even pulled out a machine gun and was now glaring thoughtfully at the Hufflepuff students.
“I’m Susan Bones, and this is Hannah Abbott,” the red-haired girl introduced herself, while the blonde rolled Ernie onto his back and recoiled in horror.
– Rigel Hellsing, do I need to apologize to you too? – I haven’t completely let go yet.
“Hellsing, haven’t you overdone it?” Bones ignored my question and glanced sideways at her classmate’s face, which was now a bloody mess. “The MacMillan family is very rich, and they’re also part of the Sacred 28.”
“I’m within my rights. That bastard insulted my family and my mother.” I slowly pulled out my wand and demonstratively brushed my clothes. “Such insults can only be washed away with blood!”
“But not like that…” Susan crouched down next to the boy and checked his pulse. Her aunt was the head of the DMP, so maybe that’s why the girl was acting so calm? The others around her had turned pale, some even green. Hermione alone didn’t give a damn, standing calmly with a machine gun in her hands and a look of complete indifference on her sweet face.
– Exactly, Susan. What if this heir insulted your family? – I looked into the Hufflepuff’s brown eyes. – What if Ernie called YOUR aunt a bitch? What would you do?
The red-haired girl stood up abruptly and, casting a disdainful glance at Macmillan, stepped aside. It’s nice to talk to intelligent people. As far as I knew, only Susan and her Aunt Amelia survived the entire Bones family. The rest had died, not just casually, but in battle with Death Eaters. The girl’s family had been in the Order of the Phoenix, for which they had paid. I read in the newspaper that the Scumbag himself, accompanied by his lackeys, had attacked their house, causing a veritable massacre. The relatives had given the wounded girl the baby and the only Portkey they had, saving at least both of them. Amelia had become a mother figure to Susan; the girl had no one else, and besides, Madam Bones had been the head of the DPM for many years and, of course, had many enemies… But somehow she was still alive.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Flitwick and Sprout rushed into the hallway, quickly questioning Bones about what had happened and chiding me for being overly cruel, especially since the boy had only been joking! Naturally, they docked thirty points from Gryffindor for the fight in the hallway and assigned me two weeks of detention with Mr. Filch. That was the end of the show, and the Heads of House, taking Macmillan with them, left, casting me a final, disapproving glance.
The History of Magic lesson itself went as usual: everyone was asleep, and only occasionally did I catch the badgers’ disapproving glances. The Gryffindors, however, looked at me with approval, well, except for the new Marauders—they quietly hated Hermione and me, but were afraid, so they kept their mouths shut.
Transfiguration went smoothly, and I even earned ten House points, which softened McGonagall’s gaze slightly. Our Head of House loved points, but I thought she didn’t quite understand their purpose. Maybe she just enjoyed having the House Cup in her office? What good were they to us, ordinary students? Oh, right – the colors of the Great Hall’s decor for the farewell dinner! I had plenty of red in the common room; the green dining room looked much cozier, in my opinion.
I made peace with the Slytherins during recess. Naturally, they already knew I was being married off to my uncle, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, so the girls decided to support me. I wonder if Dumbledore knows yet? I spent the entire recess calming Diana and Daphne down, making up excuses as I went along to explain why the engagement hadn’t happened. We settled on the fact that Mom hadn’t agreed to send her only daughter to live permanently in a distant, cold country, which was the groom’s main condition. All in all, everything ended well, and while I was still single, the girls were happy for me and wished me luck. By the end of our conversation, Hermione’s face had become an impenetrable mask. The brat had cranked up her Occlumency to the max to keep from laughing out loud. Frankly, I was barely holding back, but I was overwhelmed by another desire: to hug Lavender tightly around the neck and squeeze, squeeze!
After finishing our classes and having a hearty lunch, Hermione and I headed to our base of operations, while the rest of our classmates headed to the library. We promised to join them soon. The walk to the fifth floor was incredibly long; I thought Mia was deliberately walking so slowly, but we finally made it.
“Tell me!” I asked as soon as the door closed behind us, and immediately reached into my bag for the pyramid. Just in case.
“You’ve lost control again!” Hermione turned around and glared at me.
– He insulted my mother, and I didn’t really…
– Not much?! If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have beaten that idiot to death! – Mione came up close and looked me in the eyes. – Riya, this is not normal, at times like these you turn into a bloodthirsty psychopathic maniac! And if you had killed him in front of everyone? Can you imagine how much trouble you would have caused Lady Integra?!
“I understand, I always try to control my battle frenzy, but here the nervous tension just took its toll…” I lower my head guiltily. “And I gave in to my dark side a little…”
“A little… Covered in blood and with a crazy smile on your face! At times like these, even I’m afraid of you, you crazy fool.” Hermione looked at me thoughtfully. “Maybe you should talk to Victoria? She managed to control her bloody madness, let her share her experience!”
“Okay, I’ll talk to her over the holidays. I don’t like the monster I’m turning into myself.” I nod in response. “I’ll also consult with Mom and Sergey, maybe they can suggest something useful.”
– Now that’s a deal! – Mia smiled contentedly.
“Now tell me what happened last night!” I stared demandingly at my satisfied friend.
“You were right, this morning around one o’clock your brother was returning from the dungeons and went into an empty classroom on the fourth floor.” She unfolded the Marauder’s Map. “I solemnly swear I was planning a prank and nothing but a prank! He stayed here until almost five in the morning.” Mia pointed to the spot on the map. “Then Dumbledore appeared and escorted him to the common room.”
– This is definitely it! – I jumped for joy, just like in the movie!
“Are you sure?” My friend looked at me skeptically. “Maybe Potter just fell asleep there and the headmaster woke him up?”
“I need to check, just in case.” A chill ran down my spine. “If I can’t find the mirror, I’ll tell Mom about the Philosopher’s Stone during the Easter holidays and ask Victoria or Alucard for help. The castle’s wards weren’t effective against those monsters. Even if they drench Hogwarts in blood, I’ll have the Stone!”
We quickly reached the classroom we needed; it was locked, but with Alohomora, the door finally gave way, and we stepped inside. The room was completely empty: no desks, no old chairs, nothing at all! This alarmed me; abandoned classrooms usually had all sorts of junk scattered about, covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. I walked to the window, ran my finger along the sill, and looked around carefully—it was spotlessly clean. Damn, it was as sterile as an operating room! So they’d recently cleaned the place, but Filch didn’t care; the punishment wardens were always busy with other things, and the only suspect left was the bearded old man.
– Rhea, are you sure? – Hermione came up behind me and put her hand on my shoulder. – Maybe Harry really did fall asleep here, and the headmaster woke him up and took him to the common room?
– Mia, he definitely found something here. – I turned and looked into his chocolate eyes. – My brother looks for adventure almost every night, but he never stays anywhere for long! Have you seen him today? He’s been so thoughtful all day! I have to check!
– Okay, but I will insure you.
“Agreed.” I glanced around the empty room again and headed for the exit. “Come on, the guys are waiting for us in the library.”
***
Albus Dumbledore disconnected from the surveillance artifact with a satisfied smile and leaned back in his chair.
“Fawkes, I was right,” the wizard turned to the phoenix sitting on its perch. “All this cruelty and hatred are just a sham; the girl truly loves her brother and worries about him. This is simply wonderful; love and family ties will help us guide Rigel toward the light, but we must proceed with great caution.”
The headmaster waved his hand, beckoning the tea set from the cupboard, and with another pass filled a cup with the fragrant hot drink. Taking a sip, Dumbledore settled into his chair and began to ponder. Harry had greatly upset the headmaster over the past year; the boy promised to grow up insolent, spoiled, and self-centered. Such a person would never fight for the ideals of the world, much less sacrifice himself. But perhaps this was all just a facade? Perhaps deep down he remained a kind and good boy, and his behavior was just a mask? So the headmaster came up with the idea of testing him with the Mirror of Erised.
This dark artifact fed on the beholder’s magic (and when that drained, on their life force as well), but it could also reveal their deepest dreams and desires. A true masterpiece of ancient artificers, it also possessed a couple of hidden powers known to only a few. Dumbledore carefully studied the young Potter’s itinerary and “accidentally forgot” the artifact in an abandoned classroom. Naturally, childish curiosity got the better of him, and the boy looked in the mirror.
The headmaster closely monitored the child’s condition and, when Potter was on the verge of magical exhaustion, intervened. Albus was curious to know what the boy dreamed of, what he wanted to achieve in life… Such knowledge made it easy to approach someone and guide them toward their desired goal. While escorting the boy to the common room, Dumbledore easily read his superficial thoughts. Potter’s shields were down, and his protective artifacts had drained—the mirror had absorbed them all. The headmaster was deeply upset by the thought images of the Chosen One, that an eleven-year-old child would dream of such a thing… It turned out the boy was not only a spoiled egotist, but also a very vindictive, cruel, sadist! And that was sad.
The Chosen One might need to be replaced. And it seemed he’d already figured out who… After all, the prophecy didn’t specify the Chosen One’s gender, both children met the criteria, and judging by the girl’s behavior, she was deeply worried about her brother. She’d been watching Harry’s exploits for the past month, which indicated she loved him and couldn’t abandon him in times of need. She’d been so alarmed when she learned Harry hadn’t spent the night in the common room, and she decided to check what had him so puzzled. This was something she could work on, but she had to be very careful, the main thing was not to provoke the platinum bitch and strictly adhere to the terms of the Treaty.
Albus finished his tea and stroked his beard contentedly. Today he would learn the true motives and dreams of the Chosen One’s sister, and would be able to compare brother and sister… Based on this information, he would be able to make plans for the future. After all, if the girl thirsted only for revenge, given her upbringing, the cruelty, and the power of the Order of Protestant Knights… Sooner or later, she would lead Hellsing. Dumbledore briefly imagined what an embittered witch, cast out of the Wizarding World, and one who had experienced a veritable hell as a child, might be capable of. And all of this was the fault of wizards.
“Fuck.” The director winced, then sighed heavily. “But she’s already killed, and now she doesn’t see anything wrong with it…”
Dumbledore waved his hand, beckoning a bottle of mead from the cupboard. Of course, he had one more idea for influencing the girl, but only as a last resort… Besides, she might still refuse…
***
The day had been incredibly long, with time dragging by at a snail’s pace. To calm my nerves, I redid all my homework, then tried to read, but my thoughts were preoccupied with the mirror and the possible discovery of the stone. So I offered Ron a game of chess, especially since I’d promised it myself. The evening flew by while we played, and although I didn’t win a single game, I calmed down and got into the right frame of mind. After lights out, when everyone was asleep, I waited until midnight, dressed in full battle gear, and pulled out the trophy Invisibility Cloak. Yes, the very same one I’d stolen from Selwyn. This cloak, of course, isn’t as cool as my brother’s, but combined with the Silent Steps Charm, it worked perfectly. By this point, Hermione had activated the Marauder’s Map and already inserted the mage-earpiece into her ear, and I followed suit.
“We’re following the plan,” I whispered quietly and threw the robe over my head.
“I’ll be keeping a close eye on you.” Mia’s voice sounded right in his ear, the magical technology working perfectly. “I’ll let you know if any professors show up nearby.” The bed curtain pulled back, revealing Granger’s serious face. “If you stay there for more than an hour, I’m coming to your aid. And that’s not up for discussion!”
“I agree.” I nodded in response and, throwing on the hood of my robe, quietly left the living room.
I reached the classroom quickly and without incident, not even meeting anyone along the way. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself, pushed the door open, and entered the classroom. And I saw it right away: about two meters tall, a gilded, or maybe even gold, frame with a multitude of patterns and, of course, the strange inscription “EINALEZH” across the top, right above the black surface of the mirror itself. Looking away, I slowly approached the ancient artifact and stood to one side. Now I needed to figure out how to get the stone out, and, if possible, avoid looking into the mirror.
“Hollow, hollow, I’m a nest, over.” A voice rang out in my ear.
“Nest, I’m here, the mirror is here too,” I answered my worried friend. “That’s it, don’t bother me, I’ll quickly get the stone and be right back.”
– Hollow, you have an hour, then I’m heading out!
– Received, nest!
I stood there for a moment, collecting my thoughts. What was it like in the movie? I need to think about how I want to save the stone, I mean save it! I don’t want to use it, I want to save the stone from the evil villain. Okay, I think I’m in the right frame of mind, now I can watch. I wonder what my deepest dream is? The last thought flashed by very quickly, somewhere in the back of my mind, but it was enough. My heart skipped a beat at what I saw in the mirror.
