Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 76 Double-Way Mirror

Tierra slowly turned around, her face bearing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

“Headmaster,” Tierra called out respectfully. After thinking for a moment, she ran up to Dumbledore and, like a child caught doing something wrong, lowered her head and said obediently, “Headmaster, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have come out during curfew.”

“If I remember correctly, you, along with Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Malfoy, have already been punished once for this, and you even swore to Professor McGonagall that you wouldn’t do it again,” Dumbledore said kindly. “So what could be so urgent that you had to break your oath?”

“It’s…it’s the Philosopher’s Stone, sir.” Tyella answered honestly, revealing all of Harry and the others’ findings, guesses—including their actions that night.

“But you don’t think so, do you?” Dumbledore asked after listening quietly. “You don’t think it was Snape, do you?”

“Yes, Headmaster,” Tierra replied. “Snape tutors me in Potions every Sunday, and I don’t think Snape is the kind of person who would steal the Philosopher’s Stone.”

"Are you making that judgment based solely on your interactions with him?" Dumbledore asked.

“Not entirely, there’s also his usual attitude towards Harry… Although it was terrible, it was definitely not malicious, but rather carried a bit of disappointment and… and… emotions that I don’t even know myself.” Tierra carefully chose her words.

“Very good, is there any more?” Dumbledore asked.

"But it is true that someone has designs on the Philosopher's Stone, so I started to keep an eye on the teachers at school who didn't get along with Snape."

"Hmm, is there any more?"

“At first I didn’t notice Professor Quirrell until Harry overheard a conversation between Snape and Quirrell, and that’s when I finally realized that Professor Quirrell might be suspicious,” Tierra said. “That’s why I’m going to Professor Quirrell’s office tonight. If he’s in his office tonight, my suspicions will naturally fall apart. If he’s not, then I can find some evidence to confirm my suspicions.”

It took Tyrell a great deal of effort to make the lie believable.

"Has the evidence been found?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," Tierra said, feigning shame. "It seems I guessed wrong."

“No, you’re right,” Dumbledore said. “Professor Quirrell is indeed suspicious.”

"Really?" Tierra feigned surprise.

“Really.” Dumbledore smiled. “Although I don’t have any proof myself, I do today.”

Dumbledore then extended his arm and said, “Take my arm.”

Tiera did as she was told.

Immediately afterwards, everything spun around, and Tiera found herself in a room that looked like a basement.

Four tall torches stood around the room, and in the very center of the room stood a huge, gold-rimmed floor-length mirror.

It's the Mirror of Erised!

However, the magic mirror showed neither Tiera's hometown nor his parents, nor even his image. Instead, it displayed a middle-aged man with a tattered rag wrapped around his head, his face shifting between ferocity, anger, and fear.

It's Professor Quirrell!
"This is the world inside the Mirror of Erised," Dumbledore's voice came from beside Tierra. "Only those who see through the illusions of the mirror can reach here via Apparition." Dumbledore smiled at Tierra. "I believe that one day you will be able to come here on your own."

"But this is the first time I've seen a young wizard adapt to Apparition so quickly. Many... even adult wizards vomit stomach acid when they Apparate for the first time," Dumbledore said casually.

"Maybe it's because my stomach is empty," Tiera replied dismissively.

He could teleport back and forth over distances of tens of thousands of light-years, so a distance of a few dozen meters within the castle was nothing to him.

Dumbledore nodded, accepting Tyrell's explanation.

“Headmaster, does this mean Professor Quirrell really has a problem?” Tierra asked.

“Oh, he has more than just a problem,” Dumbledore said. “Your deduction is accurate.”

"Just watch," Dumbledore said, waving his hand and conjuring a tea table and two chairs in the mirror space.

On it were two delicate ceramic cups, a pot of hot tea, and a three-tiered dessert stand with five strawberry cheesecakes, two cream breads, and three rose shortbreads.

“Have a taste,” Dumbledore said, pulling out a chair and gesturing to Tierra. “Although it’s past afternoon tea time, that doesn’t stop us from enjoying some sweets, does it?”

“Thank you, Headmaster.” Tierra obediently pulled out another chair and sat down.

“However, I still suggest you ask a house-elf for some food after you leave,” Dumbledore said, pouring himself a cup of tea and taking a bite of a rose biscuit. “The food conjured by the Mirror of Erised may taste good and feel filling, but it’s all fake. Once you leave this space, it will all disappear, and you’ll feel even hungrier than before. We’re just passing the time now so you won’t get too bored with this old man.”

“No, Headmaster, you are the greatest white wizard. It is my honor to be in the same room as you.” Tierra took a sip of red tea, which was sweet and delicious.

I took another bite of the rose-flavored crispy biscuit; it was soft, fragrant, and crunchy.

Of course, Tierra wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by.

They brought some academic questions, mainly about Transfiguration and alchemy, to ask Dumbledore for advice.

Tierra had already asked Tom Riddle about these issues, but Tierra wanted to consider the problem from multiple angles, as it concerned the creation of the elixir of immortality and the final step in the refinement of the "inheritor".

Anyway, Tyella believed that her superior knowledge and learning compared to other young wizards could not be hidden from Dumbledore, so she might as well be open about it.

Dumbledore patiently answered all of their questions, even going so far as to explain things in a simple and profound way, which greatly benefited Tyrell.

“Your knowledge,” Dumbledore said, “is quite rare among young wizards your age.”

"Can you tell me why you study and acquire knowledge so diligently?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Because I felt my own insignificance and the vastness of the universe." Tierra instantly switched into essay mode, just like when his professor asked him why he wanted to pursue graduate studies during his postgraduate entrance exam interview.

Tierra looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle... and said, "The starry sky and the universe are so vast, I want to go and see them."

Many thanks to Taishi Corn Silk and Korsi for their generous support!


(End of this chapter)