▬▬ six; the mirror of erised.
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IT WAS BEDTIME and the four Gryffindor boys prepped their beds in the chamber they shared. Harry sat at the end of his bed and locked eyes with the floor trying to find an explanation for what had happened earlier, or at least some kind of comfort, something bright in the darkroom he had stumbled into, but he found no light. Instead, he found his best friend in a bitter mood.

Ron walked up to the fireplace in the middle of the room and put his towel on the reeling, and then turned his head to Harry and frowned, "How did you do it?" When Harry responded with silence and a pair of confused eyes he sighed and returned to his bed, "Never mind. Doesn't matter. You could have let your best friend know though."

"Let you know what?" Harry frowned.

"You know bloody well what."

"I didn't ask for this to happen Ron. Okay? You're being stupid."

"Yeah, that's me, Ron Weasley. . . Harry Potter's stupid friend." Ron laid down and put the blanket over himself and leaned back into the pillow, rolling his eyes as Harry explained,

"I didn't put my name in that cup. I don't want eternal glory I just wanna be. . . Look, I don't know what happened tonight and I don't know why, it just did okay." 

"Piss off." And then he blew out the candle, just like Seamus and Neville who really didn't want to get involved. And Harry was left standing by his bed like the lost boy he was. He then walked out knowing well that he wouldn't be able to sleep before he had calmed down.

Little did he know, that Lauren thought the exact same thing. When he walked down the cold stone steps he saw the girl sitting by the lighted fireplace with a thick blanket wrapped around herself as she just watched the sparks sparkle.

"Why are you up?" He asked as he sat down in the red couch behind her.

"Same as you; got a lot on my mind," she stood up and sat down beside him and offered him a halfhearted smile. "Are you nervous about the tournament?"

"Are you joking? I'm a wreck, I don't even know how my name got there," he looked down at his hands. He squeezed them back and forth and were blinking a lot, which Lauren knew were a sign of him in stress. She sighed and grabbed one of his hands and held it gently.

"You're gonna be just fine, I promise. I'll help you, Mione will help you, and I think Ron will come around. And I'll force Cedric to have your back, as long as you have his."

Harry nodded, "thanks, Laure. What would I do without you?" They both chuckled,

"Probably been killed by the Basilisk."

He smiled and then said, "I really would. It was so smart of you to use that tooth to destroy the book." They both smiled back at the memory, even if it was a horrible and scary one, it was still a victory for them.

"Harry?" He looked at her and nodded. "I was wondering if. . . you get visions and nightmares sometimes, right?"

"Yes," he simply responded.

"When was the last time you had one?"

He thought for a second, he wasn't comfortable talking about them—but Lauren was always an exception. "End of summer. Had a lot of them actually. One of them was Wormtail and the other Voldemort, and I don't know who the third is."

"Have you talked to Sirius or Dumbledore about it?"

"I was thinking about sending Hedwig in the morning," he said and she nodded, encouraging him that it was a good idea. "Why are you asking? Are you having nightmares as well?"

She was silent, maybe it was a good thing to tell him, and he would understand because his dream sounded rather alike her own. "Yes," she almost whispered. He straightened up a bit and turned to look at her properly, "and not just at night, sometimes they come in the daytime with an enormous headache."

He studied her a while before saying, "what are they about?"

"Some of them are about a blonde woman with a baby. Another was with Voldemort, you and Ced. And then there's this one I've had since the beginning of summer, it's Pettigrew," she looked at him, "and another man I don't recognize, and then someone behind a chair. I can't see him, but his voice is really—"

"Raspy?" Harry asked, gulping.

"Yes."

"We're having the same dream." Another silence appeared. This one wasn't comfortable at all. "Is it a leather chair, in a falling-apart-looking house?"

She felt sweat on her forehead, "yes." Was it really just a coincidence that they had the same nightmare, about the same three men? "What do we do? What does it mean?"

He shrugged, "I have no idea. Maybe, it could just be random. It doesn't have to mean anything bad."

"But it usually does, doesn't it?"

—

During the Transfiguration class, Lauren was almost sleeping. They weren't doing anything but listening to Professor McGonagall talking about different ways to see whatever an object was or was not actually an animal. And Lauren was already a good student and didn't feel the need to pay much attention, and instead rested her head against Hermione's shoulder.

They were in the middle of the classroom and blended in well among all the other students, so the professor didn't seem to notice Lauren's lazy behaviour.

Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation between her and Harry the night before. They decided to keep their dream as a secret, for now, they didn't wanna cause any more attention then was already drawn on the raven boy. But it was really making Lauren nervous. She had been friends with Harry Potter long enough to know that something like this wasn't something to look away from.

"Who is doing this?!" McGonagall stern voice woke Lauren up from daydreaming. "Stop immediately and step forward." As the blonde girl looked around she noticed everyone's books floating in the air, her eyes widen and at the same moment, the books fell back to their tables and landed with a loud thump.

The old Professor looked around to see who's wand was in the air, but everyone's laid on their desks. And then for a split second, Lauren met the woman's eyes, and they changed from upset to concerned. "Everyone dismissed," she then said seconds before the bell rang. "Miss Diggory, may I have a word with you?"

Lauren glanced at Harry and Hermione before going back into the classroom, closing the door behind her. McGonagall didn't seem upset, she had furrowed eyebrows and worried eyes at the girl. "I didn't do that book thing, Professor. I swear, ask Hermione I was sleeping."

"You shouldn't be sleeping during classes, you have night hour for a reason," she sighed. "But, I'm afraid I think it was you."

"No, I promise."

"I know what someone looks like while they're doing spells. But I am not mad at you, but you shouldn't be capable of doing stuff like that without a wand yet."

"How can I do it without knowing I do it?" Lauren was clearly annoyed.

"I'm not accusing you, I'm concerned, Miss Diggory." She paused for a few moments and looked around and then met the girl's eyes once again, "I'll let you pass this time, maybe it was an accident. I'll speak with Professor Dumbledore about it, see what he thinks. You're free to go now."

"Thank you. And I'm sorry I fell asleep," she smiled before rushing away to catch up with her friends.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked as they walked to the next class.

"She was just telling me not to fall asleep during her class again."

—

It was this time of the day that Lauren always looked forward to. But she never told him that, it would only make Malfoy's ego grew even bigger than it already was.

"You made the books fly, didn't you? That's why McGonagall wanted to talk to you." He had a smirk on his face as she rolled her eyes and threw and old book his way, but it missed his face.

"I didn't. But she thought I did. But I didn't!" She said sternly. "And because I fell asleep."

He chuckled, "it wasn't that boring."

"Yes, it was. And I was tired."

"You're always tired, you okay?" His smirking face changed into concern, and even if she thought he was cute he cared she didn't like people feeling pity about her.

"Quit it, I'm fine." He didn't change his face, he was hesitating deep whatever he should bring it up or not.

"I've been meaning to ask you—"

Lauren interrupted him with standing in front of the mirror in the corner. He stared at her confused face and as she turned her head back and forth between the mirror and behind herself.

"What?" He frowned.

She stared into the mirror with titled head, "what's this mirror?"

"What about it?" He stood up and walked up to her with one hand in his pocket and another holding a half-eaten green apple. Lauren grabbed him and placed him before it as she stood beside the mirror and asked,

"what do you see?"

He stared into the mirror for a second, his eyes than looking at the girl beside it and then back at it again. "I think it's you."

"You think it's me?"

"It's like an old version of me, and a brown-haired woman looking a lot like you." He gets embarrassed all of a sudden when her eyebrows furrowed and she took his place in front of the mirror once again.

"How come we don't see the same? What's the deal with it?"

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders and took another bite. "What do you see?"

"I see myself holding a piece of paper, can't see what's on it though. Looks like a letter or something. . ." she studied the picture of herself and the letterforms a few moments with Draco standing quietly beside her. "Why does it show stuff there isn't here?"

He bites into his apple again, "no idea."

She sighed and looked away, and when she turned back to the mirror the picture had changed, and it made her jump away and land on the ground. He rushed to her side, "what? What did you see?"

"Voldemort," she said in almost a whisper. "He was just beside me, with a hand on my shoulder."

The boy stared at her intensely, "it's probably some prank mirror, showing random stuff to scare or confuse us," he tried to comfort her.

She nodded, "yeah, that makes sense." Another silence took over, and it lasted for a long time before he decided to break it.

"So. . . I heard you talking with Granger, the other night. . . about your parents—"

"That was a private conversation!"

"Yes, I'm sorry! But I just needed to know what was bothering you since you wouldn't tell me yourself," he said.

She groaned, "you're a little snake, Malfoy. Please don't tell anyone."

"Of course I wouldn't, you know me! You can trust me, that's why we're here," he said a bit offended. "Laure?"

She responded with a quiet 'mhm' and met his eyes. "I think there's something else too. Like, why aren't you sleeping during the nights?"

"Drake, I really don't like—"

"Talking about it, yeah I know. But maybe you should," he moved closer to grab her hand in a comforting way.

"I shouldn't tell anyone, it will make things so much worse," she sighed.

"Laure, please. I wanna help you, you're not looking healthy."

She rolled her eyes, "well, thank you. And I'm still not gonna tell you, or anyone else ever again."

"I swear to God, you're too stubborn for your own good," he said and leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. She took this as a chance to steal glances at him and his hair and his face and their hands intertwined. It was odd how they now were these secret best friends but a few years ago they were enemies.

His eyes snapped open and caught Lauren staring, "what?"

She looked away, "nothing."

"You're so mysterious."

"That's what's gonna keep me alive, Malfoy," she smirked.

"No, that's what's gonna keep you single." She slapped his arm playfully and opened her mouth widely, as she was offended—but she found it funny even if it was an insult.

"Whatever, I should go back to my real friends now," she said with a wink.

"I'm not your real friend?" He pulled her back down with his hand that was still holding each other.

She chuckled, "just kidding. See you tomorrow?"

He let go of her hand and smiled, "hope so. Now go, I'll be right behind you."

She was off to find her Gryffindors and prepare for the night, and she didn't turn around and just assumed he sneaked behind her. But he wasn't. Draco Malfoy staid up there and enjoyed the silence. It was better than being in the Slytherin common room, much better.

He looked down into his lap and let out a frustrated sigh, if only he had the courage to tell Lauren how he recently had started to gain feelings for her. But he knew, a kind-hearted girl like her would never love a boy like him. She would never love Draco Malfoy. . .

▬▬ author's note ▬▬
A longer chapter for you today! Enjoy, hope y'all are feeling GOOD. And what's the deal with the mirror?!

[ last updated: 22/11/20 ]
Stay tuned, thank you! <3