A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 69 Farewell to the Mirror of Eris

Amidst the chorus of objections, Irving ignored them, surveying his surroundings, and said in a cheerful tone, "Oh dear, how did we end up here?"

Harry looked closely and realized they were very close to the room where the Mirror of Erised was kept. He involuntarily looked in that direction, instantly becoming distracted.

"Let's go see something interesting!" Owen waved to the group and took the lead, heading towards the room.

The others followed curiously behind, but Harry's mind had already flown to the Magic Mirror.

Pushing open the tightly closed door, Owen chuckled, "It's still here after all."

"This is..." The young wizards peered into the mirror, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Oh, this..." Neville stared blankly at the mirror.

"Is it real?" Daphne's expression also became anxious and uncertain. She raised one hand and rested it on the mirror, staring blankly at it.

"No, it might be a dangerous magical artifact. We'd better stay away from it!" Hermione stared at the reflection in the mirror for a moment, then frowned sharply and shouted, grabbing Neville's robe and pulling him forcefully toward the door.

"It's alright, Hermione, I've had it for several days now," Harry said absently, gazing at his parents in the mirror.

"Do you look normal right now?" Hermione said sternly. "It's tempting you! I didn't know that so many dark magic items harm those who aren't careful enough this way!"

"I think everyone sees things differently, and that's evidence that it's manipulative. Neville, what do you see?" She turned to look at Neville.

"Um... my parents..." Neville's voice trailed off. He glanced longingly at his healthy, smiling parents in the mirror, then forcibly looked away, his fists clenched tightly, his expression hardening.

"Look, something's not right! Let's go!" Hermione raised her voice, her eyes scanning each person's face, trying to find a supporter.

Owen looked at his reflection in the mirror, a thoughtful expression on his face, then smiled. He patted Neville on the shoulder and looked at Hermione with interest: "What did you see in there?"

Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly. She turned her head away and said arrogantly, "I don't think it's anything worth talking about."

"Draco, what about you?" Owen asked again.

"That's my privacy, Owen," Draco said slowly, squinting as he looked into the mirror.

"Oh my, you two are really in sync right now," Owen said with a smile.

"Only a dog would have such a tacit understanding with him (her)!" the two said in unison, then suddenly glared at each other fiercely, each snorted, and turned their heads away with ugly expressions.

"Owen, will what's shown in the mirror come true?" Daphne's azure eyes held a hint of fearful hope.

"Obviously not, it only shows the desires in our hearts," Owen shook his head and said, "It's a false illusion."

"Is that so? I thought..." Daphne sighed, murmuring to herself, "I thought I could cure her... You know, my sister, she was born sick..."

The Greengrass family's situation is no secret among pure-blood families; they carry a curse that can be passed down through their bloodline—a blood curse. The blood curse activates randomly in the family's descendants. Daphne escaped it, but her sister was clearly less fortunate.

"I know, but anything is possible, and what appears in the mirror might become reality." Owen ruffled her hair, gently comforting the downcast girl. Neville, who was in a similar predicament, seemed much stronger at this moment and clumsily tried to soothe her as well.

Daphne quickly composed herself, smiled somewhat embarrassedly at everyone, and then silently moved away from the Mirror of Eris.

"Owen, what do you see in the mirror?" Draco changed the subject.

Irving blinked and said honestly, "I saw myself..." He pointed to the mirror with his index finger, his smile deepening, "And the whole world."

"You want to rule the world?" Draco said, glancing sideways. Everyone looked over.

"No, not domination." Owen smiled meaningfully. "The world is my stage, and I just want to perform freely on that stage."

Before anyone could ask any more questions, the door to the room creaked open. The white-bearded old man poked half his head in from outside and exclaimed "Whoa!" in apparent surprise.

"So many people here. If I weren't absolutely certain I wasn't getting old and my eyesight wasn't failing me, I would have thought I'd walked into the wrong room." Dumbledore walked in with a smile, raising his hand to push up his crooked half-moon glasses perched on his nose.

Owen squinted at his hands, which were still covered by white gloves. Dumbledore seemed to notice his gaze, winked at him, and casually tucked his hands into his sleeves.

"Professor Dumbledore!" The young wizards were at a loss, and even Draco, who often talked behind Dumbledore's back, shrank back.

"I've temporarily stored this mirror here. Ah, I didn't expect you'd find it." Dumbledore nodded, his bright, sharp blue eyes sweeping across everyone's faces, lingering for a moment on Harry. "It seems you've discovered the magical power and captivating charm of the Mirror of Erised."

"No, Professor! I think..." Hermione's face flushed instantly, "I mean, a mirror that reflects the desires of the human heart may not be so wonderful and...safe." Her voice trailed off.

"Ah, of course. It allows us to see our deepest, most urgent, and intense desires, and only the happiest people in the world can use it as an ordinary mirror." Dumbledore nodded to Hermione, saying with satisfaction, "People are always easily captivated by the illusions created by the Mirror of Erised, wasting their time in its presence, even driven mad. To be able to maintain clear reason in its presence is a rare and precious quality, Miss Granger."

"I have to give you ten points, Miss Granger. For your rare rationality, and even more so for your unwavering determination to lead your friends away from temptation," Dumbledore said admiringly.

The little witch's cheeks burned even redder. Draco curled his lip in disdain.

"So, Harry, I ask you not to come looking for it anymore. It's no use getting caught up in illusory dreams and forgetting about real life," Dumbledore said to Harry, whose eyes were still fixed on the mirror. "After today, this mirror will be moved to a new place."

"Yes, Professor," Harry said, opening his mouth but ultimately only managing a muffled reply.

"Oh dear, look, it's dinnertime again before we know it." Dumbledore slapped his forehead. "You should all go and have dinner, or would you rather stay and have a meal with this old man?"

"By the way, Mr. Filch just told me that someone was actually dueling in the hallway. That's quite unusual, isn't it?"

The young wizards nervously bid farewell to Dumbledore and fled the door as if they were escaping.

After leaving the room, Owen glanced back and met Dumbledore's thoughtful gaze. Owen gave a flawless, elegant smile, nodded slightly, and walked away.

(End of this chapter)