Hermione tiptoed down a third-floor corridor, frowning at every creak of the floor. Hidden behind a dusty suit of armor, she kept her eyes fixed on two silhouettes sneaking down the hallway.
"Are you sure no one saw us?" Ron whispered.
"Of course not," Harry replied. "No one's awake at this hour! Come on, it's just past that empty classroom."
Hermione rolled her eyes at the pair's reckless boldness.
Since the previous night, Harry hadn't stopped talking about a supposed magic mirror where he could see his parents—who were supposed to be dead. At first, she'd dismissed it as a Christmas joke, but curiosity was eating away at her.
She waited until the two boys disappeared behind the door, then straightened up, brushed off her robe, and walked forward with purpose. Just a meter from the door, she hesitated, feeling that maybe it wasn't the safest idea to go alone, and immediately thought of someone to bring along.
The next day, after lessons were done:
"A magic mirror?" Kronk repeated, following Hermione as she dragged him down the hallway over a carpet. "Like the ones that tell you if your hair's messy? 'Cause if that's it, there should be one in every hallway."
"No," Hermione said, impatient. "This one's different. It shows... well, I'm not exactly sure," she admitted in a whisper. "But we'll find out soon enough!" she added, pushing open the door to the empty classroom.
In the back, covered with a large sheet, stood the Mirror of Erised.
When she pulled the sheet away, the golden frame gleamed in the wandlight as if freshly polished.
"Ooooh, shiny," Kronk whispered, impressed by the clarity of the reflection.
Someone had really invested in a top-quality polish—you could tell.
Hermione, meanwhile, was studying the mirror, noting the letters on the frame and trying to deduce its purpose.
"I think it shows you what you want most," she theorized. "Not what you think you want, but what you really want. In here." She tapped her chest.
Kronk tilted his head, intrigued.
Hermione motioned for him to step forward.
"Just look at it and tell me what you see."
Kronk stood in front of the mirror.
He blinked. Leaned in. Frowned.
And then... smiled.
Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"What do you see?"
Kronk didn't take his eyes off the mirror.
His voice came out soft, a little hoarse with emotion.
"I'm... in a group," he explained. "Like a round table, but not with knights or anything… more like a committee for important stuff. There are wizards, witches, magical creatures… even a centaur with reading glasses! And they're all looking at me."
"And…?"
"They're listening to me! For real. Like… what I say actually matters."
He rubbed his neck with one huge hand.
"I'm not giving orders, or cooking, or carrying stuff. I'm just… talking. Sharing ideas. And they're all writing things down really carefully. Even Dumbledore's taking notes on a napkin!" Kronk blinked. "Wait, why is he using a napkin?"
Hermione looked into the mirror but, as expected, only saw her own reflection.
Maybe it only worked with one person at a time?
"Anything else?"
Kronk grinned, still watching the mirror.
"In the back, there's a big, shiny golden plaque. It says: 'Kronk: The First Muggle to Make Every Wizard Take Five Minutes a Day to Breathe Deep, Say Thanks, and Stretch Their Shoulders.'"
Hermione burst out laughing.
"That's… incredibly specific."
"I dreamed it once," Kronk confessed. "Though in that dream Dumbledore had donkey ears, so I didn't mention it." He gave her a sideways glance. "Uh, don't tell him I said that, okay?"
He looked back at the mirror.
"I don't want to be the best wizard," he sighed. "I just want to be the guy who makes other people feel at home… even when they don't know where they are."
There was a note of sadness in that last sentence that Hermione didn't quite catch.
She slowly sat down on the floor, scratching her head in confusion.
"It's funny. Harry sees his parents. Ron sees himself as Head Boy and Quidditch captain. And you… you see a Q&A session."
Kronk looked thoughtful.
"Is that weird?"
"No," Hermione said after a pause. "It's… very you, Kronk." She smiled with a hint of mischievous fondness. "Very Hufflepuff."
Kronk stepped back, studying his reflection in silence a few seconds longer before looking away. It was fun, but it wasn't the present.
"Hey, Hermy… what did you see?" he asked. He had a feeling she'd been alone in front of the mirror before coming to get him.
Hermione pressed her lips together.
"I saw my parents, but… here," she said, gesturing around. "Understanding this world. Why I chose to stay instead of going to a Muggle school." She swallowed nervously. "You know… silly stuff."
"That doesn't sound silly," Kronk said, looking at her with rare seriousness.
A comforting silence settled over them.
Hermione stood up, gently covered the mirror, and extinguished her wandlight.
"Let's go back," she said with a cheerier tone. "You know what they say: mirrors like this can show us a lot, but they shouldn't make us forget what the real world is like."
"I get it," Kronk nodded. "But if that vision ever comes true… I call dibs on serving dessert."
Hermione let out a laugh.
"Of course, Supreme Commander of Christmas."
"Supreme Commander," Kronk corrected her with a smug grin.
They walked back together down the snow-covered corridor, more united by the experience than a thousand Charms lessons—completely unaware of a pair of eyes watching them leave.
"By the way, am I the only one who thought that mirror smelled like lemons?" Kronk asked.
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Question! What do you think Kronk should have seen in the Mirror of Erised?