Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 79 Mirror of Erised

The warm April days slipped away gently, and signs of summer's arrival began to appear on campus without anyone noticing.

As evening fell, the breeze that blew between the castle towers became gentle and languid, and the setting sun cast a honey-colored halo over the Black Lake. Groups of giant squid stretched their tentacles in the shallow water, creating ripples.

In the Apparition test at the end of April, Snape and Pandora both passed the test smoothly; however, Abbott made a big mistake due to nervousness, landing directly on the poor examiner's head and tearing out the examiner's few remaining hairs in his panic.

Despite failing the exam, Abbott harbored no resentment towards the examiner. On the contrary, he felt deeply guilty towards him.

“Merlin’s beard,” Abbot muttered over and over, “Ah, you didn’t see the look of despair on his face, clutching those few strands of hair with trembling hands…”

One afternoon after a Charms class, Professor Flitwick relayed a message from Dumbledore to Snape, asking him to go to the Headmaster's office after dinner.

"Good evening, Professor," Snape said gently as he pushed open the oak door. "What brings you here?"

"Good evening, Severus. I have a problem that I need your help with," Dumbledore said kindly. "I'd like to use the Room of Requirement. Could you open the door for me?"

"Hmm..." Snape scratched his head a little embarrassedly. They had been occupying that magical room for a long time, although most students didn't know it existed. "Professor, how about I bring you two chamber pots? It's normal for an old man to get up at night, so you don't need to worry too much."

"Shut up, kid." Dumbledore glared at him irritably, got up and came out from behind his desk. "Come with me."

The two walked down the corridor to the door of the House of Response.

Under Dumbledore's unwavering gaze, Snape had no choice but to use a coded signal to summon Myrtle.

After a familiar sound, the door appeared on the wall and slowly opened.

Dumbledore followed Snape into the Room of Requirement.

"Headmaster, what brings you here?" Myrtle asked in surprise.

Dumbledore greeted her with a smile.

Upon seeing the myrtle and the special door-opening mechanism, he couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

“What a clever design,” he said. “This way, no one can bother you.”

"However, I need to use it for something else now. Myrtle, could you please come with us and go out for a bit?"

Myrtle looked at Snape, somewhat bewildered.

“Let’s go out first,” Snape nodded to her, his voice gentle. “You can go wander around somewhere else and come find me later.”

After the Room of Requirement was vacated again, Dumbledore silently walked back and forth in the corridor three times.

As he walked, the vanished door reappeared.

Pushing open the door, Snape found that they had once again entered the large room where the Hogwarts teachers and students hid their belongings.

"Professor, are you here to hide something or to look for something?" he asked.

Dumbledore didn't answer, weaving through the clutter and high walls. Snape followed closely behind, arriving at a pile of broken tables and chairs.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and a mirror that reached the ceiling appeared before them.

The mirror was very impressive, with a gleaming gold frame, supported by two claw-shaped feet, and an engraved line of incomprehensible text on the top.

"The Mirror of Erised," Snape murmured to himself.

"Would you like to see this mirror, Severus?" Dumbledore turned to look at Snape, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "It's a magical mirror."

“Well,” said Snape, who was also very curious to see what he would see in the mirror. “Why not take a look?”

He took a few steps closer to the Mirror of Erised, stood before it, held his breath, and looked into it. Unexpectedly, he saw only his own calm face in the mirror. Nothing else.

"What do you see in the mirror?" Dumbledore asked.

“I saw myself holding a pair of thick wool socks,” Snape replied without batting an eye.

Dumbledore was stunned for a moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

“You know, Professor,” Snape said flatly as he walked away from the mirror without a backward glance, “there are never enough socks.”

“I won’t get any truth from you.” Dumbledore shook his head, then walked to where Snape had been standing and quietly gazed at the Mirror of Erised.

His face was expressionless, and his body made no movement.

Snape quietly sat down at an old desk nearby and waited silently for the headmaster.

The room was so quiet that only the soft breathing of the two people could be heard.

Dumbledore stood there for a while.

“Alright, Severus,” the headmaster suddenly spoke, turning away from the mirror. “We can go back now.”

“Professor, may I ask you a question?” Snape said, using his hands to slide off the table and onto the floor.

“Aren’t you asking me a question right now?” Dumbledore said gently. “However, you may ask me one more question.”

“I won’t ask what you see when you look in the mirror,” Snape said, looking up and flipping the words on the mirror in alphabetical order. He read them aloud softly, “I show not your face but your heart’s desire.”

“Oh,” Dumbledore said, slightly surprised, “it seems you’ve already guessed what this mirror is for.”

“Yes,” Snape said softly, “you haven’t seen it in a long time, Professor. Do you miss it?”

“A little bit,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “I haven’t seen it in many years.”

Snape stood in front of the Magic Mirror again, glanced at himself in the mirror one last time, then turned to Dumbledore and said, "Professor, what do you think is the most important thing to an old person?"

“This is the third question, Severus,” said Dumbledore. “But I can still answer you. I think it’s family.”

"So, are you planning to go and find the Resurrection Stone?" Snape asked again, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

He stared intently at Dumbledore, not wanting to miss any subtle change in the other's expression.

“Not now,” Dumbledore said calmly.

"Why don't you take this mirror with you?"

"Let's go."

Dumbledore waved his wand to conceal the Mirror of Erised, and walked towards the entrance of the Room of Requirement without looking back.

In the dim light, his tall figure seemed somewhat lonely.

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(End of this chapter)