CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE REFLECTED TRUTH
Harry's mind was racing again and it felt like his heart was in his head instead of his chest due to the throbbing that suddenly took up residence in his skull. He looked at the card again. The plaques still read SCHOOL and HOSPITAL. He dug frantically through the other cards and found that he had only one copy of the forget-me-not cameo.
"I don't believe it." Harry whispered. "If this is the real world with no magic, how can my card have changed?"
Snuffles pulled hard on his leash and Harry was dragged out into the street despite his attempts to keep his family's dog on the sidewalk. The dog was panting as it strained against the leash but stubbornly pulled him towards the park. After seeing the card, Harry thought he'd let snuffles have his way.
A few minutes later they arrived in the park but Snuffles pulled Harry right to the center into a copse of trees that created a neat, circular clearing. The dog let out a single bark that echoed into the night.
"What is it, boy?" Harry asked after a few minutes. The dog paced around the clearing and then sat down and began to scratch at the collar around his neck.
"Do you want me to take off your collar?" He asked.
The dog looked up at him as if he understood then walked over to Harry and bowed its head.
Harry reached down and undid the collar's buckle. He half expected the dog to run off but instead it sat back down and scratched at his neck gratefully.
A flutter of wings was heard in the tree behind him and Harry turned around to see a pale white owl that almost seemed to be translucent.
"Who?" The owl asked Harry.
"What? What do you mean?" Harry was looking inquisitively at the bird.
"Who are you?" The owl asked the second time.
Harry was back on his heels. An owl that says more than just 'who'? "I-I'm H-Harry P-Potter." He stumbled over the reply.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around in fright. What he saw next made his knees buckle and Harry fell to the ground.
"S-Sirius?" He asked tentatively, tears welling in his eyes at the sight of his godfather.
"Yes, Harry. It's me." He held out a hand to help Harry to his feet. "I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized with a lopsided smile.
Harry eagerly took his hand and once on his feet hugged Sirius. "I thought you died! I never thought I'd see you again!" Despite himself, Harry could only laugh in relief and he could barely hold it in.
"It's ok, Harry. I went peacefully." He said after a moment. "I didn't really die, but I have no way of getting back at the moment." Sirius had a sad look on his face. "They say that there are things far worse than death. They're right. Being able to see but not be seen, speak but not be heard, and anything you touch you pass right through ..." His godfather sighed.
"What do you mean? It sounds like you're a ghost." Harry said after a moment.
"It's something quite like that. But it's very different. I don't have time to explain it all right now, we'll see each other again, I promise. Right now I need you to listen to me."
Harry nodded grimly and looked around, fearful that there would be prying eyes and ears listening from the shadows. "I'm listening." He said after a moment.
"Harry, you aren't where you think you are. This is a dream world that you've been tricked into going into. You're currently at St. Mungo's in a 'coma.' It's not actually a coma, they have you hooked to a potion drip and that potion is keeping you here. This is bad, Harry, the Potion of Erised was developed to act just like the mirror. It takes your deepest, darkest desires and brings them to full life in your dreams." He explained as Harry's eyes grew as big as dinner plates. "When you looked at the card, you wished desperately to find out where Hermione was. She isn't in the hospital with you right now because she was sent back to the school."
A twig snapped somewhere in the darkness of the surrounding park.
"You know how the mirror works, Harry. Think." Sirius transformed back to his dog form and pawed at the discarded collar. Harry bent down and quickly put it back on the dog. He was just in time as a policeman strolled into the copse of trees.
"The park was closed a few minutes ago, son. Head on home now." The policeman said.
"Sorry." Harry said quickly. "My dog wanted to get some exercise. I'll be on my way." He took the leash and with Snuffles in tow, Harry made his way back to Privet Drive.
"Where have you been?" His father was asking sternly. "It's been an hour since you left!"
Harry bowed his head. "I'm sorry, dad. Snuffles dragged me to the park and I just got back." Snuffles jumped up on James and tried to lick his face.
"Well, you've gotten back in one piece. Do you feel any better, had enough time to think?"
Harry nodded. "I feel better than I ever thought I could." He beamed back. "Now that I realize what's been going on and I can get on with things, I feel terrific!" And I'll really be back home once I find out how to get back! Harry thought happily to himself.
His mother smiled brightly at the news. "That's great, sweetie!" She enveloped him in a motherly hug. "As long as we're up, how about some hot cocoa?"
Harry and his father both agreed wholeheartedly. "It's been a while since you've had your mother's hot cocoa." His father said happily. "Best stuff on the planet I'd say!"
Lily blushed. "You two wait here and I'll see to it then."
Harry sat in an overstuffed chair by the fireplace and Snuffles lay his head on Harry's lap. Harry smiled and scratched behind the dog's ears.
"It looks like you're adjusting well, son." His father said as he sat down in another chair across from him.
Harry smiled at his father. I do wish this was real, but it isn't. He thought. I wonder how I'm going to figure this one out ... What would Hermione do? There wasn't a library at his fingertips like at Hogwarts when it suddenly dawned on him. The comics! There was a story about a mirror of truth!
"I'm going to get a comic or two to read, I'll be right back down." He said happily as he left the room. He returned a few minutes later with the comics concerning the story.
"Is the cocoa ready yet, Lily?" His father called into the kitchen.
"It'll be just a few minutes, James!" His mother's voice echoed from the kitchen.
James picked up a newspaper that had been lying on a side table and began to flip through it.
Meanwhile, Harry was engrossed in the storyline concerning the mirror of truth. Harvey had lost his way in a huge labyrinth and he was trying to find Harmony and Roy. There were monsters of all types roaming the large maze and he was having a rough time avoiding or fighting them all. While Harvey was running the maze, Harmony was looking through a book she always carried with her. It was her Tome of All Knowledge they had found when they defeated the three-headed dog. All she had to do was present it with a problem and it would give her clues that would help solve that problem. She found that the only way to get Harvey out of the labyrinth was to create an infinite tunnel of reflections that amplified the image of whatever was inside. This would cause the confusion surrounding the subject to shatter and allow whoever was confused to return home safely.
Harry thought hard. How can I create a magical tunnel of infinite reflections?
"Here we are! Three mugs of nice, warm hot cocoa!" His mother said as she set a tray down on the coffee table. "You used to like marshmallows in yours, Harry. I hope you still do."
Harry smiled. "They're great, mom!" He took a sip of the hot beverage and the flavor danced on his tongue. "This is really good!" He said with a smile as he picked up a biscuit to nibble on.
"I'm glad you like it, sweetie." His mother beamed at him from behind her mug.
His parents began telling him about all that went on while he was asleep. The Gulf War had ended, there were tensions everywhere. The U.S. had re-elected their president even after a flurry of inquiries into a scandal he was involved in. There was a lot of information that Harry had heard in his 'dream' but he let his parents continue telling him what was going on around the world and then what was happening with their family.
"Dudley has been at Smeltings for a while now. His grades dipped when you were in the hospital but after a while he seemed to pour himself into his schoolwork and is bringing home perfect marks each term." His mother was explaining.
Harry stifled a yawn at this point but kept his sleepy eyes open and he tried to be attentive to his parents.
"Oh, sweetie, why didn't you tell us you were getting tired again?" His mother asked with a slight laugh.
"I didn't want to interrupt you." Harry said truthfully. "It's been so long since I've heard either of you that I just wanted to take it all in."
She smiled at him as she got to her feet. "We missed hearing your voice too, sweetie. Come on and we'll get you up to bed, shall we?"
Harry smiled and got up. How am I going to create that tunnel? He asked himself as they made their way up the stairs to his room. They passed the bathroom and he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror over the bathroom sink.
His mother ushered him into his room and Snuffles padded in and hopped up onto the bed. "Shoo, Snuffles. Let Harry get some sleep." She tried to push the large dog off the bed but failed miserably.
"It's ok, mom." Harry said with a grin. "I think I can manage with Snuffles here." He patted the dog on his back and smiled again.
"Ok, if you think you'll be fine then." She said with a giggle. "Your Aunt and I are going to go antique shopping tomorrow. Do you want to tag along?" She asked as she kissed his forehead and tucked him in again.
"That sounds interesting." Harry said. Maybe I'll find something that can help me get back ...
He had a hard time sleeping again. His mind was racing. I need to find a way to create that reflective tunnel. He thought. Snuffles wasn't sleeping either and seemed to be watching around the room.
"Keeping an eye on me?" Harry whispered quietly to the dog and Snuffles nodded back.
Harry fell asleep soon afterwards and had another dream. Lockhart was standing above him with a wand, a devilishly mischievous look in his eyes. He looked up and scurried back to his bed when a door opened and Ron and Hermione came in the room. Hermione kissed his forehead and whispered that she loved him in his ear. Ron set a box of Every Flavor Beans on the nightstand and told Harry that he had to get better soon because the next match was coming up in a few weeks.
Harry tried to call out to them but he couldn't move or make a sound. Hermione wiped her eyes as she sat next to his bed and took his hand in hers.
He woke up to Snuffles nudging him in the ribs. Apparently he was mumbling in his sleep. He went for the forget-me-not cameo card that was in his stack of favorite cards on the night table and looked at it desperately. The plaques both read HOSPITAL. "I wasn't dreaming!" He whispered excitedly to his godfather. "I wasn't dreaming!" His heart grew twice its size in an instant.
It wasn't long afterwards that his mother poked her head through the door and told him that it was time for breakfast.
"I'll be right down, mom." He said happily. After she left he was out of bed and dressed. He and Snuffles went down to the kitchen where a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage was waiting for him.
"Morning." His mother said with a smile. "Did you sleep better?"
"I had some more dreams." Harry admitted. "But I do feel a lot better than I did a couple of days ago." He smiled at her and took a seat. When she wasn't looking he slipped a few sausages to Snuffles and he ate the rest quickly.
"Mind if I run Snuffles around the block?" He asked. "I'll be back before Aunt Petunia arrives."
His mother laughed. "You really loved that dog. Go on, go on. If you run a little late we can wait for you."
Harry got ready to walk the dog and was soon trotting down the street with Snuffles.
"Is it ok to talk while we're out and about?" He asked in a conspiratorial voice to his dog. Snuffles looked up at him and let out a playful bark. "I guess that's a yes." Harry smiled. "Well, I think I may have gotten an idea on how to break through the Potion of Erised." He explained. "There was something that Harmony did with mirrors in the comic. If I'm not mistaken, that was a big clue ... All I need to do is create a mirror of truth."
Snuffles looked curiously at him.
"Oh, it was a mirror that had infinite reflections in it. It broke the confusion on Harvey and allowed him to get out of this huge labyrinth." Harry explained.
He didn't have much time to elaborate as their path finally brought them back to the house where another car was in the driveway. "Aunt Petunia must be here." He said forlornly. "I'm still not used to her being nice to me."
He wiped his feet before going in and let Snuffles free just before his mother and aunt came in from the kitchen.
"H-Harry?" His aunt asked tenuously. "How are you?"
Harry was still unused to this treatment but he swallowed and walked over to his aunt. "I'm sorry if I worried you." He said after he hugged her.
Her arms flew around him in an instant and she began to cry. "I'm so glad you don't think of us that way, Harry. I'd never do anything to hurt you."
"It's ok, Aunt Petunia, it-it was just a dream." He felt like a heel for lying to his aunt. It felt so real and he had always hoped that his relatives would treat him like one of the family.
His aunt let go and dried her eyes. "So, your mother tells me you'd like to go antiquing with us today. Are you still up to it?" She asked with a curious smile on her face.
"Sure." Harry said with a smile. "I haven't done much but walk the dog and lie around. I could use some time out with my mom and aunt."
"Well put your coat back on then and we'll head out in a minute." His mother instructed.
After a few moments they were in the car and heading to a large antique store in the southern end of London. It had a lot of beautiful pieces on display. His aunt had purchased a writing table and a new coffee table. His mother was torn between a new vanity and a sitting chair. Harry couldn't take his eyes off a large mirror that looked just like the mirror of Erised. It didn't have any writing on it, however, but the general shape and look of it had him convinced that this was something he would need to get back.
"That is a lovely mirror, Harry." Aunt Petunia beamed behind him. "And it's very reasonably priced!"
His mother joined them.
"Lily, we need to bring Harry with us more often, look at this find!" Petunia gasped.
"That is a beautiful mirror." His mother looked it over and circled it looking for flaws. There were a few cracks along the back of the frame and a piece was chipped from one of the feet. "It's got some dings in it as well. Maybe we can get a better deal off of it. Do you want this, Harry?"
Harry nodded as he looked into the mirror. He saw only himself, the room behind him, and his mother and aunt as they moved into view. "I really like it." He said.
They went to lunch afterwards and Harry had one of the largest hamburgers he'd ever eaten. They went for ice cream and then returned to the house.
"Well, let's clear some space in your room for that mirror." His mother said happily as they entered. "It should be delivered here tomorrow morning." The three of them retreated to Harry's room and moved his dresser to make space.
Harry couldn't wait until tomorrow. He had already seen a full height mirror in his parent's room and he had already formulated a plan. He was going to leave a note on his bed just in case and he would create his tunnel of mirrors and hopefully be back where he belonged shortly that morning.