“By all means, after you, Abbott.”
“Just like the quidditch standings…” Heather winked and tossed her hair, grinning as it was all a joke. Zeta bounced up behind her.

Then suddenly a curator addressed them with instructions. Heather applied an attentive expression as she did for certain professors lessons though really she had a growing sensation of responsibility not to muck up since declaring she wanted to go first. Her Gryffindor pride would not allow her to fail!

“… Are there any questions now?”
“Yeah, what happens if she looks in it and it breaks?” Heather asked cheekily, thumbing over her shoulder. Pride turning to bravado and really terrible jokes. “Joking, joking Zeeee… it’ll break with Watkins.” She cackled. “Right, me first!”

Heather stepped across to the square on the floor, eyeing up the decorated frame of the very old mirror. The glass wasn’t clean like modern mirrors, but had a pattern like frost creeping in at the edges. If Heather had paid more attention to the displays rather than getting caught behind with her family she might have known this was due to how it was made all that time ago, and the age of the mirror.

As she squared herself she took a deeper than normal breath, seeing herself in the mirror as she was right then. But as she blinked, the scene changed. Heather was there, ever so slightly older, or maybe five years older… she inched forward, and leaned towards the glass, eyes narrowed in thought and examination at the indistinct age of her mirror-self. What was clearer was that she held herself with confidence, and carried a great big trophy with All-England Wizarding Duelling Competition[1] engraved on it. Now she looked harder she saw other medals slung round her neck.

Heather’s jaw went slack, and for a good long moment she forgot the mirror showed her heart’s greatest desire and not the future. She laughed out loud, gleefully, and as ever for Heather too loudly. She put her hands on her hips and grinned.

“I’m like duelling champion of the world or something!” She told the others loudly, “this is awesome!”

It took a bit of cajoling to get her to shift, though the grin on her face refused to budge!

1.	All-England Wizarding Duelling Competition, Heather has been trying to convince her parents to let her enter.

Meredith rolled her eyes at her best friend. Looked back at Blake and smirked. He took her hand. Offered his arm. Like a gentleman. He had manners. Proper pureblood. They got out of the way to let Heather take point. Zeta jumped in second. Meredith felt electric. Anticipation. Excitement. Nerves?

She watched Heather step up. Lean forward. Gape. Laughed loudly. Call out.

"Not sure you said it loud enough Heath!" Cried Meredith. Laughed too. "She has like a permanent sonorous charm. I swear." Said Meredith to Blake. "You must hear her coming on the pitch. If I see myself with earmuffs on because I want her to shut up I will hex her... What do you think you will see?"

The museum curator had heard it all before and allowed in the first, clasping the brass hook on the red rope after her. Zeta craned her neck to be able to see Heather's reaction, but she needn't because Heather didn't hide a thing. She looked like an absolute radiant dope! Zeta laughed along with the rest of them, their youthful voices clattering in the smooth-stoned halls. Professor Greyfriar didn't look up, fluent now in what screams were and weren't tragedy.

Heather was coaxed opposite to clear the space and await the others and Zeta was waved forward.

"Your boobs, obviously," was Zeta's prophecy to Meredith who Zeta was sure was soaking in all this fresh attention.

"Ahem," went the curator. "Stand there."

Zeta had to force herself to look away from her friends and into the old frosting glass, the entire thing towering like a double-sized door over her head with architecture to match (added on later, so said the plaques). It loomed in her peripheral, a massive reminder of a growing inner tumult about the world and her place in it and who she was and what she wanted. But she couldn't not look.

She fixed her smile and looked. Zeta saw herself: big smile, red hair piled high, nose ring, designer jumper, incredible shoes, and all above moonlight and lanterns - she could almost smell the summer wind, the smell of fire burning. And friends and Peppers all around her. It wasn't a boisterous adoring crowd, there was no symbol of success to give her a hint of what she out to be doing.

"I look happy!" she said stupidly. "And I have a nice jumper. Oh, cor, that's really sad. Calm down."

She didn't look sad, she didn't feel sad, it just all sounded terribly pathetic when she attempted to describe what she saw. No matter how much her brows furrowed, her perfectly content mirror-image only grinned at her as if to invite her in.

"Sorry," Zeta muttered at herself. "Thanks. Or. Ugh. Okay, next!"

Kelvin quieted and paid attention as the curator motioned them forward and explained the process for each of them to look into the mirror.  He didn't recognize the witch which hopefully meant she wouldn't recognize him either, it had been a long time since he'd hung out in the curator's offices with his mum.  He glared at Heather as much for saying his last name as for the joke.  Kelvin glanced at the curator hoping that she didn't make the connection between the teenage Watkins standing in front of her and the Watkins that worked in the museum. Surely she was too busy to accidently orchestrate a meeting Kelvin did not want.

He didn't have long to stew with those thoughts before Heather and Zeta had had their chance to see their greatest desires and Kelvin found himself being ushered into place in front of the mirror.  He'd watched them both have the positive and loud reactions he generally expected from them.  He forced himself to turn and look at himself in the mirror.

Was he taller?  He was definitely taller in the mirror.  And he was wearing the head boy badge.  Sure he'd thought about that mostly in terms of which of his peers would get it.  Mostly with dismay that one of them would get it.  Did he want—

He wasn't alone in the mirror, his whole family was there.  His brother, his father, his mother... his mother with her arm around him and a handsome guy who looked Kelvin's age...maybe a bit older.. who was holding his hand.  He looked a bit like... Blake... or Connor... or Kyson.  At least his mind and heart agreed on what his type was.  He felt tears start to well up though, it was a kick to the stomach seeing his mother accepting him and his boyfriend.  He hadn't realized how much he wanted her to accept him.  He thought he was fine with his new normal.

"Nope." He shook his head trying to clear the emotion, "I'm done."  He walked over to Heather and Zeta avoiding making eye contact with either as he joined them.  He was doing his best to keep control in front of his friends, and an entire room packed with people.  Head boy would be nice.  Boyfriend would be nice.  Kelvin just needed to focus on that. Not the lost cause of being accepted by his mum.  He wiped at his eyes... he was not going to cry.

When it was his turn, Blake moved to the place indicated by the curator. His crystalline blue gaze lingered over the words that the frame professed. “I show not your face but your heart's desire.”

His chest tightened and he took a sharp breath as he shifted his eyes to the glass, uncertain and apprehensive of what it might reveal. Blake was never one to talk much or seriously of his feelings or even what his heart might most desire. When his classmates talked of a great desire for the quidditch victory this year and for all of time, they probably weren't wrong. It sounded grand enough but still quite shallow.

His heart lurched in his chest when the image in the mirror grew dark and grey. Sinewy shadows danced in a sizeable room with stone walls. It appeared empty and desolate, which would be confusing to anyone. How was that something anyone would desire?

But it soon became clear to Blake that the room was a mausoleum or crypt, specifically the one where generations of the Knight Family came to rest in peace.

His gaze focused in on the memorials closest to him. It took his breath away to realize that they were names belonging to his family. Not distant but immediate family.

Here lies Fitzgerald Knight.

Here lies….

One after the other, after another his eyes passed over the names familiar to him.

Here lies Callum Knight.

Here lies Darren Knight.

Here lies Harold Knight. Twin of Blake.

His vision became blurry as he struggled to see the death dates.

Even Aglaia, his seemingly sweet and innocent sister, had a place here. To Rest In Peace.

To allow him peace.

He whispered that word, “Peace.” Under his breath. With hopeful eyes. Eyes that blurred again and only now felt wet.

He should feel sadness that he was alone, right?

Blake's shoulders seemed to heave with relief. Somehow, he felt the least alone than he ever remembered feeling in all his life among his family.

Blake heard someone calling to him and he tore his gaze away from the mirror, breaking the magical spell it had over him. He heard someone's voice ask if he was alright and with one glance in the direction of his waiting classmates, he suddenly felt sick to his stomach as a wave of guilt washed over every limb in his body.

"I'm.....sorry," he stammered, and hurried off to find the nearest bench to sit on and collect his thoughts.

Heather and Zeta were happy. Kelvin and Blake looked like the world had ended.
"Blake?" Called Meredith. "Are you okay?" Now stood alone near to the mirror. She fiddled with her rings. Worried. Looked at Zeta and Heather. Who were with the boys. Who were walking away. She took a deep breath. Shifted her green satchel on her shoulder. Set her chin proudly. Stood before the mirror. Swallowed.

Meredith saw herself. Like a normal mirror. But then her reflection smiled. Turned on the spot. In Hogwarts robes. Shiny Head Girl pin. Holding a set of outstanding exam results. Cup for best results. Her parents smiling behind her. Friends. Was that an invitation letter to Laevenstrome? Did someone kiss her on the cheek! Her heart's desire was success. That was true this year. But Meredith stepped nearer. "Then what?" Asked Meredith. But this mirror showed her heart's desire not her future. It could not make up her mind for her. So her mirror self tapped its temples and its heart and winked. What? "Ah!" She dragged her eyes away. She did not want to see something sad like Blake and Kelvin. "Thank you." Meredith bowed her head politely to the curator. Hurried from the mirror after her friends. "Wait. What did you see?"

“Not sure you said it loud enough Heath!” Meredith was laughing, and Heather stuck her tongue out in friendly retaliation. She skipped out of the way for Zeta.

“I look happy! And I have a nice jumper…”

“You need to go shopping!” Heather called from her spot, cupping her hands around her mouth. She didn’t care she was making noise and the Headmaster might give her one of his looks. “Cool, huh?” She asked Zeta when she got close. “Wish it was guaranteed future, would like to have everything worked out.”

She glanced away, keen to see what happened as Kelvin approached. Unlike the two witches before him, Kelvin seemed subdued about what he saw in the mirror. He didn’t meet their eyes as he walked towards them.
“Kel?” Heather asked, loudly as ever, “cheer up, it might never happen!” Unwittingly not realising that was probably the last thing Kelvin needed to hear, Heather persisted, “what? Why, what was it? Kelvin?”

And then Blake was there, and looking equally spooked. Heather was baffled. Distracted from watching Meredith taking her turn by the Ravenclaws all shaken and stirred.

“Wait. What did you see?” Meredith was back, also all concern.
“I was holding a big trophy and like, but these two look like they’ve seen ghosts…” Her forehead was creased with confusion.

Blake wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting on the bench before he was pulled out of his running thoughts of how he was such a horrible person for what the mirror had shown him by Meredith’s voice. He saw her worry and curiosity. She asked what he had seen and her query was echoed (even silently) by the others. His blue eyes darted between them all, unsure if he wanted to dampen the mood. He debated holding back and only sharing with Kelvin at some point, since Blake did consider him to be his closest friend. Maybe closer than even his own family.

But maybe this was too dark to burden his friend with alone. Dragging his hand through his hair, Blake shrugged. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. It’s just what I saw was rather wild.” He paused and stood, trying to shake off any lingering haziness. “Heather is right though in that what we see it might never come true. In fact, I probably wouldn’t be that lucky,” he said with a wry tone in his voice.

Shoving his hands in his pants pockets, Blake still found it hard to shake the guilt of what his image implied. Even as he darkly joked, “Sooo, it pretty much said that my hearts desire is for my family to basically not exist.”

Not wanting to wait for an awkward silence to ensue, he rushed to say, “Can we get out of here now and do something fun?”

“Cool, huh?” She asked Zeta when she got close. “Wish it was guaranteed future, would like to have everything worked out.”

"It actually was," Zeta admitted to Heather. "Uncomfortably self-revealing, but cool."

Soon enough everyone was finished and the boys both genuinely unhappy. Zeta was concerned, same as Heather and Meredith. Blake was ready to go eat his feelings - Zeta nodded in agreement.

It was no secret that Blake's family was a bit of a shit-show in places, but Zeta was sure it didn't mean Blake wanted them to just all disappear. And poor Kelvin. He looked terrible, all still and stiff.

"It should probably be illegal to let teenagers have a look at it," she said, mostly to Kelvin. "What my heart desires changes every five to seven minutes. Public health issue, and everything. We're going to break it."

Meredith was shocked. Her mouth made a little 'oh' shape. She clung to her satchel strap. Zeta's words brought her out of her daze.
"Yes. Exactly." Agreed Meredith. "Come on. Let's get out of here." She moved to Blake's side. Looped her arm through his again. Clasped his hand. Reassuring. Supportive.

Kelvin looked up as Heather tried to reassure him. "Yeah. No.  You're right.  It will never happen," he said, obviously fighting back tears.

At least he wasn't the only one bringing down the overall joyous mood of his friends.  He and Blake were both doing their stereotypical duty as Ravenclaws to ruin everyone else's fun day out. Kelvin also had the added duty of prefect and apparently hopeful head boy to really quash the fun.  He moved toward his friend to...  Kelvin wasn't sure what  he could do, he wasn't really in a place to be comforting.

"Yeah, getting out of here sounds good."

Kelvin smiled a bit when Zeta admitted to changing what she wanted frequently.  He thought she was being a little overly generous with her timeframe.  Then she was threatening to break the priceless artifact and he was grabbing her shoulder to turn her toward the exit.  "Nope.  We're leaving,"  Kelvin directed it at the curators who might have heard as much as at Zeta.  Though he did kind of agree that teenagers, or at least gay teenagers estranged from their mum, shouldn't be looking in stupid magical mirrors.

“Sooo, it pretty much said that my hearts desire is for my family to basically not exist. Can we get out of here now and do something fun?”

“What the-?” Heather was caught by surprise. Was Kelvin trying not to cry? What the heck had just happened?

“It should probably be illegal to let teenagers have a look at it. What my heart desires changes every five to seven minutes. Public health issue, and everything. We're going to break it.“ Zeta proclaimed, trying to divert attention.

“Yes. Exactly.“ Agreed Meredith, who had looked equally shocked a moment before. “Come on. Let's get out of here.“ She took Blake’s arm, but Heather didn’t make any joke about it.

“Yeah, getting out of here sounds good.” Kelvin agreed.

“Going to be some essay…” Heather shook her head. “Always knew history was whack. Let’s get hot chocolate at Diagon, c’mon, there’s got to be a floo fireplace we can use.”

End