At night in Hogwarts, everything slumbered in the darkness. Even during the grandest festivals adorned with the most beautiful decorations, its fantasy and mystery remained concealed.
Light went on a night-time wander to The Library, planning to obtain two restricted books after a long while to enrich himself. Suddenly, a shrill howl emanated from the Restricted Section.
Upon hearing the sound, Light involuntarily checked his Disillusionment Charm.
Suddenly, he recalled that Harry Potter began night-time wanderings after obtaining the Invisibility Cloak and then discovered The Mirror of Erised.
"Last time, due to old Dumbledore showing up suddenly, I didn't get to touch The Mirror of Erised. This time, I'll go give it a touch. What if I can get a Mileage Point!"
After the commotion died down, Light sneaked towards the vicinity of The Library. I remember it was an abandoned classroom with the door open!
Thanks to his frequent visits to The Library, Light quickly located this self-deluding abandoned classroom.
Light slowly opened the classroom door. After entering, he returned the door to its original state.
In the abandoned classroom, the desks and chairs were haphazardly piled up in the corner, creating a huge open space.
In the middle of the open space stood a magnificent mirror, which was exactly The Mirror of Erised that Light had seen in Dumbledore's office before.
Only a thin figure stood in front of the magic mirror. Harry Potter stared blankly at the mirror. Light didn't approach but just waited off to the side.
"I'll be back, Dad, Mom!" Harry Potter cast a reluctant glance at the mirror and then turned away.
After seeing Harry Potter exit the classroom, Light dispelled the Disillusionment Charm and slowly walked towards the magic mirror. Then he extended his right hand.
"Complete the mileage task 'Mysterious Magic Mirror', Mileage Points +1."
Light received the message from the stone stele and retracted his hand, planning to leave. Then, as if realizing something, he shifted his steps gently and walked towards the magic mirror, completely exposing himself in front of the mirror.
Light stared at himself in the mirror, his expression a bit dazed. What the magic mirror reflected was his face from his previous life, with a fresh and energetic appearance, wearing a gentle smile. His clothes were neat, exuding a sunny aura.
"This is the kind of adult I once wanted to be! Righteous and sunny, confident and straightforward, an adult who can handle everything naturally and never regrets a decision. But it seems that even until I died, I never became such a person!"
Light stared quietly at himself in the magic mirror, his eyes filled with endless loss.
'I might know why this magic mirror is so appealing. It's because it can reveal things that one knows are impossible to achieve.'
'Harry Potter's deceased family, Dumbledore's "wool socks". Because they know they can't achieve them, they get indulged in the illusions.'
'So I can't become the person I expect to be? Because I simply don't believe I'll become such a person.'
Light understood the truth behind the magic mirror and let out a deep sigh.
"So what did you see? Why are you sighing, Mr. Lagus?" A gentle voice sounded behind Light.
Light turned around as if he had anticipated it.
Dumbledore looked at Light with a smile, as if he had been standing there for a long time.
"I saw the most outstanding person in the world, someone I could never measure up to. Just like you." Light said in a fawning tone.
"I don't deserve the praise you've given. Can we have a chat, Mr. Ragus?" Dumbledore lifted his right hand slightly and cast the spell "Accio", and desks and chairs flew into the classroom. They landed steadily on the ground. Then the dust on the desks and chairs vanished, and candies, biscuits, desserts, and pumpkin juice materialized on them.
"Please have a seat. If you don't mind, help yourself. After all, you must be hungry by now." Dumbledore took the lead in sitting down and invited.
After thanking Dumbledore, Light also sat on the chair and started eating the desserts.
"Professor, when did you show up?" Light asked while eating a small cake.
"I made some settings for this The Mirror of Erised. After all, it's a bit dangerous. Mr. Ragus, The Mirror of Erised can show the things that people desire and are most eager for in their hearts."
"It's not as harmless as you think. It's dangerous."
Dumbledore admonished Light in a slightly warning tone.
"I understand. What it depicts will never come true. So I won't get addicted to it either." Light said with an expression of seeing through the world.
"Is that so? You are even more excellent than I thought. Well, it's getting late. It's time to go back!" Dumbledore looked at the time and began to politely ask Light to leave with kindness.
After bidding farewell to Dumbledore, Light headed straight back to the dormitory.
Back in the room, lying on the bed, Light recalled the conversation he had just had with old Dumbledore.
"He probably showed up when Harry Potter did. Old Dumbledore might suspect that I'm involved with Voldemort!"
"After all, it's all just too coincidental. I've pretty much been around Harry Potter all the time, and then there's 'Wood's Orphanage'. It's hard for him not to be suspicious of me."
"But it's not a big deal. Old Dumbledore isn't a good person in the conventional sense, but as long as I don't cross his bottom line, he's still willing to play by the rules."
After Light worked it out, he gradually calmed down and drifted off to sleep.
During the subsequent Christmas vacation, Harry Potter visited The Mirror of Erised two more times, and each time he returned disappointed and sad.
During this time, Light didn't go to the Restricted Section but kept practicing Spells. After all, there was a dangerous person on guard there.
...
During the subsequent Christmas vacation, Light led a peaceful life, practicing Spells whenever he had some free time. The results were impressive. Except that the Fiendfyre Curse was still hard to control, he could already put it out in a small area!
After being inspired by old Dumbledore, Harry Potter stopped visiting the mirror. But he had nightmares every night from then on.
When the new semester rolled around, the young wizards returned to school, brimming with the joy of the vacation.
The first thing Hermione did upon returning to school was to ask if they had found any information regarding Nicolas Flamel.
Harry Potter took all the blame and told Hermione about what had happened during those three nights of wandering at night.
After learning the whole story, Hermione's mood was extremely complex. She was worried that Harry Potter had wandered at night for three consecutive nights and almost got caught. She was also disappointed that they still hadn't found out who Nicolas Flamel was.
Harry Potter repeatedly reassured Hermione that he would go to The Library to look for information whenever he had some free time.
However, with the start of the new term, Harry Potter, the star player of the Quidditch team, was pretty much dragged to Quidditch training whenever he had some free time. He didn't have much free time left.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it had been five days since the start of the semester.
"So who on earth is Nicolas Flamel?" Ron slumped onto the table in the reading area of The Library.
"I've seen his name somewhere. I just can't remember where," Harry Potter said as he frantically flipped through the books.
"Found it. This must be it!" Light flattened the book *The History of Alchemy* and pointed to a certain place on the page.
"What? Let me see." Hermione snatched the book away at full speed.
"Right, right. It's him. The Philosopher's Stone, immortality. It's him," Hermione whispered to Harry Potter and Ron excitedly.