Chapter 108 The Mirror of Erised
Coming down the spiral staircase of the West Tower and walking through the castle corridors at night, Anton's mood improved considerably.
The castle at night had a kind of quiet liveliness.
Inside the picture frames on the walls, the figures ran back and forth, and two women were even fighting.
A ghost on a huge horse galloped past.
The twins slipped out from a corner, greeted Anton, and then slipped back into a secret passage.
Ron's balding old rat was being chased by several cats, scurrying away at top speed in a nearby corridor.
That was Wormtail, Anton knew, but he couldn't be bothered to care.
Walking along like this, he saw an open door to an abandoned classroom.
Peeking in from the doorway, he could vaguely see a huge mirror standing against the innermost wall.
"The Mirror of Erised?"
A thought stirred in Anton's mind, and he walked in out of curiosity.
To be honest, he was a little curious.
A fanfiction he had read mentioned that "Erised" spelled backward is "Desire," and it shows the most desperate, most intense desire of a person's heart.
Anton was curious about what his desire was.
More delicious food? More magical spells? Or returning to his past life?
The last one, forget it, he was an orphan in his past life, had a girlfriend, but if it weren't for the watch Pedro gave him that could peek into the past, he would have long forgotten many things about his girlfriend.
He spent his whole life studying hard and working honestly, only to end up as a mortgage slave.
It's better now, like a traveler.
The Mirror of Erised was very tall, almost reaching the ceiling, with an ornate golden frame supported by two claw-shaped feet.
An inscription was carved at the top, Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
But read backward, it should be the correct content: I show not your face but your heart's desire.
So,
What is the desire?
Anton stared intently, and a short video clip he had seen in his past life appeared in the mirror.
It was the scene of Sirius Black falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries, except the person had become himself.
His face wore an expression of extraordinary relief and a smile, as if to say—Hey, that's great, it's all over.
"Heh~"
Anton scoffed, "Boring."
Everyone dies, and the things he had experienced allowed him to accept death calmly, but that didn't mean he was world-weary.
Damn it, I'm living a good life, why should I die?
I haven't lived enough yet!
Anton turned to leave, figuring it was more practical to get a good night's sleep than to worry about why the Mirror of Erised was showing such a scene.
"Child, what did you see in the mirror?"
Dumbledore's voice came from beside him, Anton blinked, the super composure trained by the old wizard kept him from jumping up, but he really wanted to say, showing up suddenly like this in the middle of the night is scary!
Turning his head, he saw old Dumbledore sitting on a desk, wearing loose, hot pink pajamas and a plush, pointy, crooked wizard hat that was actually part of a set with the pajamas.
Paired with gold-rimmed half-moon glasses and hands full of strange rings.
It had to be said, since Anton came into contact with the wizarding world, Professor Dumbledore's fashion sense had never disappointed him.
The top trendsetter of the wizarding world, a super cool old boy.
"Myself," Anton said truthfully.
He found that these top wizards, whether Dumbledore or Voldemort, always had eyes that could see through people's hearts, he didn't know if it was because of the Legilimency spell, or if they themselves had powerful eyes skilled at observing people.
If it wasn't something very important, he couldn't be bothered to lie to these two.
"That's wonderful," Dumbledore slid off the desk, "The happiest person in the world can use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, which is to say, they see their own reflection in it."
Anton rolled his eyes, "The me in the mirror was dead."
"!!!" Dumbledore looked astonished.
Anton spread his hands helplessly, "I'm very sure I'm not world-weary, nor do I have any thoughts of ending my life, on the contrary, I desire to live more than anyone, and I've put in a lot of effort for it."
This statement interrupted the comforting words Dumbledore was about to say, he looked at the mirror with confusion, then back at Anton.
"I've got it, you come with me," Dumbledore beckoned.
The two of them came out of the classroom, and the wooden door slowly closed automatically behind them.
The old and the young walked up the stone stairs towards Dumbledore's office.
"I went to the Forbidden Forest with him tonight, he has to rely on the blood of magical creatures to sustain himself," Anton said casually, "He said a lot of bad things about you after we got back, but it's clear he still respects you, a bit like..."
Anton's expression was odd, "Like a child who ran away from home after a fight with his father."
Dumbledore's expression was complicated, he sighed, "I brought him from the orphanage to Hogwarts, perhaps I did play the role of a father in his life, it's a pity I didn't do a good job."
The two chatted as they walked.
"Professor Dumbledore, staying up in the middle of the night, guarding the Mirror of Erised, that's not a good thing," Anton's face was full of teasing, "Staring at illusions won't solve anything."
"Heh, Fiennes was right, you can be a real pain sometimes, kid," Dumbledore complained, pursing his lips, "Family, love, friendship, life, there are just too many helpless moments, sometimes we find that spells can't solve everything, and instead make one feel even more powerless."
"I don't see it that way."
Anton chuckled, "All circumstances are gifts from fate, we must learn to accept them with grace. Of course, sometimes I'll also curse fate as a little bitch, and then do everything in my power to change things, as long as I don't have regrets later."
"No regrets?" Dumbledore stopped in his tracks.
"Mhm," Anton's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, "Auntie Ilsa, oh, that's the girlfriend Lupin found, they insisted I watch a four-year-old movie with them, said it was very educational, called '84, Charing Cross Road,' that's the street where the Leaky Cauldron is."
"This street is full of bookstores, an American lady, in order to buy an old book, found the address of a bookstore, she and the bookstore owner began a correspondence that lasted for decades, through letters, she also got to know every employee in the bookstore, and they often mailed each other gifts during holidays."
"This feeling of being soulmates without ever having met is extremely wonderful."
"Until decades later, the lady, having not received a reply for a long time, decided to come to 84, Charing Cross Road in England to see this bookstore. To meet the bookstore owner, and the people she had been soul companions with for decades."
"When she arrived, the bookstore owner was already dead, and the bookstore was closed," Anton shrugged, "I think she had terminal procrastination, Auntie Ilsa said it was a tacit romance, Uncle Lupin said it was the fear of reality shattering the dream."
"But no matter what, this will be the biggest regret of her life."
"..."
Dumbledore's gaze was distant, looking out the corridor window at the dark night sky, he let out a deep breath.
"I was originally planning to give you some advice, but instead, you've advised me."
Anton shrugged, an innocent expression on his face, and blinked.