In the days that followed, professors took turns patrolling the castle after curfew each night.
Meanwhile, Filch was nearly driven mad by mysterious rooster feathers appearing throughout the castle. Despite cleaning the same areas five times, the feathers would reappear — tucked in corridor corners or scattered by door frames — making them impossible to eliminate completely.
This situation made him even more irritable than usual. He glared viciously at everyone, and would harshly scold any student who spoke even slightly too loudly.
The scolded students seethed with resentment but could do nothing. Filch's behavior was tacitly approved by a certain Potions professor, and any complaints would only result in lost house points. Their only recourse was to avoid him whenever possible.
Kyle had been on his best behavior lately — spending days in the library doing homework and reading, returning to the dormitory on time, and even temporarily suspending his nighttime wanderings.
Fred and George had informed him that Filch spent most evenings prowling the second floor, while patrolling professors frequently checked the library. With the increased scrutiny, copying books had become too risky, so Kyle decided to wait until things calmed down.
But some people clearly didn't share his caution — Harry Potter, for instance.
Ever since discovering who the people in the mirror were, Harry had become fixated on one thing: returning to the mirror night after night, simply to sit and gaze at the image.
Ron had tried to dissuade him without success. Harry refused to listen to anyone.
Until the third night, when he encountered Dumbledore in the room.
"I... I didn't see you, sir!" Harry stammered nervously, his hands and feet ice-cold with fear.
He suddenly remembered the strict monitoring of nighttime wandering. What if Dumbledore thought he was responsible for the recent incidents?
At the thought of Gryffindor losing two hundred points, Harry felt as if his internal organs were freezing solid.
"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you." Dumbledore said with a smile.
Harry saw the smile on Dumbledore's face and finally relaxed. Fortunately, the old man didn't seem inclined to deduct points. He reminded Harry of that kindly Muggle grandfather who often went for morning walks in Little Whinging — patient and gentle.
From him, Harry finally understood the true purpose of the Mirror of Erised.
"This mirror shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts." Dumbledore said softly, "People have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what they see is real, or even possible."
Harry bowed his head in silence for a moment, then muttered, "Sir... Professor Dumbledore, have you looked in this mirror too?"
"Yes, and more than once." Dumbledore said with a smile, "I must say, no one can resist its power, not even I... oh, except for one person."
"Who is that person?" Harry asked curiously.
"A second-year student." Dumbledore looked at Harry's astonished expression and winked, "What, don't believe it?"
Harry nodded.
If Dumbledore had named a famous wizard or a professor, Harry could have accepted it. But a second-year student accomplishing something even this powerful wizard couldn't do... how was that possible?
"Just as you think, in this regard, he is indeed more exceptional than I am." Dumbledore said after a thoughtful pause, "He had two opportunities to view the Mirror of Erised, but each time he left without hesitation."
"Professor Dumbledore, could it be that this person just thought it was an ordinary mirror?"
"That's what I thought at first, but I later discovered that wasn't the case." Dumbledore shook his head, "He knew about the Mirror of Erised and was very clear about its function."
"Who is he?" Harry asked again, "Do I know him?"
But this time, Dumbledore didn't answer.
"We've said enough for today, Harry." He said, standing up, "The mirror will be moved to a new location tomorrow, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why not put that admirable Invisibility Cloak back on and get off to bed?"
Harry left the room with questions swirling in his mind.
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
Later, lying in his dormitory bed, he couldn't stop wondering about the second-year student Dumbledore had mentioned.
He knew few second-years — just a handful of Gryffindors and Kyle.
"Could it be him?" Harry thought, though he wasn't entirely convinced.
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His curiosity persisted into the next day.
During lunch, Kanna nudged Kyle across the table and whispered, "Have you been doing anything unusual lately, like practicing Quidditch on the field?"
"Of course not. I've been in the library these past few days and nowhere else." Kyle replied, confused, "Besides, with the rest of the team away, there's no point training alone. Why do you ask?"
"No reason, except Harry Potter keeps staring at you." Kanna discreetly pointed toward the Gryffindor table, "I thought maybe he'd spotted you working on new Quidditch tactics."
"Huh?" Kyle instinctively turned around, just in time to see Harry quickly look down at his plate.
"It's not just now." Kanna continued, "I've caught him sneaking glances at you several times."
Kyle felt alarmed.
Could Harry somehow know that he was also in that fourth-floor room that day?
No, that couldn't be it. He had maintained the Disillusionment Charm the entire time; there was no way Harry could have seen him. And the chance that Harry had guessed his presence was minimal — the boy simply wasn't that perceptive.
"It's probably because of Quidditch." Kyle said nonchalantly, "After all, our match against Gryffindor is right after Christmas. He's likely thinking about strategy and sees me as his upcoming opponent."
"Strategy?" Kanna frowned, puzzled, "But isn't he a Seeker? Does he need strategy?"
"Probably just another one of Wood's schemes." Kyle shrugged, "Never mind him... Aren't you supposed to have remedial lessons with Snape today? How are your preparations going?"
"I've got everything ready — books, quills, parchment, ink..." At the mention of remedial lessons, Kanna immediately became more nervous and forgot about Harry's furtive glances. She quietly asked, "Kyle, do you think I should bring my cauldron too?"
"That won't be necessary." Kyle replied.
Though he'd never had remedial lessons himself, he could easily guess that if there was one thing Snape didn't lack, it was cauldrons.
✭✭✭
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