Since the moment Harry heard Snape's voice, his feet had felt rooted to the spot.
Snape. Damn it. If that man caught him, he was finished.
He didn't dare make a sound. The tension actually helped clear his head a little. Or maybe he was the type who got calmer the more scared he was.
If it had only been Filch, he would've bolted like a spooked stray dog by now.
He eased backward, making almost no noise, eyes darting left and right.
Filch and Snape's footsteps were getting closer. Harry spotted a classroom door cracked open just wide enough for a person to slip through.
He edged toward it, careful not to touch the door itself, and squeezed inside.
Mrs. Norris's shrill yowl echoed down the corridor right as he pulled the door nearly shut behind him.
A moment later the footsteps passed by. Harry let out a shaky breath.
He leaned against the wall and listened until the sounds faded completely. Only then did he turn to look around the abandoned classroom.
The place was exactly what Fred and George had described—upstairs floors were full of these dusty, unused rooms where rule-breaking students liked to hide.
Desks and chairs were piled against the walls, but right in the middle of the room stood something that definitely didn't belong: an enormous mirror.
It reached all the way to the ceiling, framed in ornate gold with claw-shaped feet at the base. Across the top, carved in elegant letters, ran a single line of text:
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Some fancy wizarding phrase, probably.
Harry stepped in front of the mirror, curious to see how he looked right now. The next second, what he saw nearly knocked him off his feet.
There he stood, plain as day, as if the Invisibility Cloak didn't exist. And behind him… a whole crowd of people.
People he recognized instantly.
His dad. His mom. His grandparents—the ones he'd only ever seen in old photographs at the Dursleys'.
"My family…" Harry whispered, staring.
His eyes went glassy. He felt himself being pulled in, completely lost in the reflection.
He slapped his own cheek, snapping out of it.
"Damn it. I should've just bought a Dream Chocolate."
Because whatever this mirror was showing him, it couldn't possibly beat the feeling of that chocolate.
Filch and Snape's voices had long since disappeared. Harry had zero interest in staying. The mirror held no power over him.
He turned and slipped back out the door without hesitation.
Keeping the cloak pulled tight, he headed downstairs, using everything he'd learned tonight to move silently.
A few minutes later, back in the abandoned classroom, a low, heavy voice broke the silence.
"Hmm?"
A short pause.
Then a much younger, far more surprised voice answered.
"Huh?"
Meanwhile, Harry kept moving. Thanks to the cloak and his newly sharpened night-wandering skills, he made it to the second floor without trouble.
He tugged the cloak open just enough to cover his body while leaving his head exposed. He didn't want the painted shopkeeper to know he had an Invisibility Cloak. And if he suddenly spoke while invisible, he'd probably scare the poor girl half to death.
He didn't realize that a floating head bobbing through the corridor was pretty terrifying on its own.
He turned the final corner and nearly jumped out of his skin.
A tall, solid figure stood right in front of him.
At the exact same moment, the figure turned and looked straight at him.
"Harry?"
The surprised, ancient voice made Harry's stomach drop.
He would've rather faced Snape.
Face stiff, he forced his legs to move forward.
Running from Snape? Maybe. But not from this man.
Dumbledore stood there in a nightshirt, purple nightcap, and fuzzy slippers.
"Oh, Professor. I didn't see you."
"You noticed me the second you turned the corner, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile. "So what brings you here at this hour?"
"I… came to buy chocolate," Harry said, deciding honesty was the only option left.
"A Dream Chocolate. One before bed and you sleep like a dream."
"Really? I haven't tried that one yet." Dumbledore turned to the painting. "Two Dream Chocolates, please, Lely."
While the girl fetched them, Harry watched Dumbledore eagerly unwrap a Moonlight Chocolate he'd apparently just bought.
"So this is the little secret shop you discovered. How did you find it?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
Harry thought for two seconds, then lied with a straight face—even to Dumbledore, he'd protect Charlie's secret.
"I just got lucky. Walked past and spotted it."
Dumbledore nodded, accepting the answer. "Fair enough. My own luck must be terrible, then. Took me this long to stumble across it."
He placed a Galleon into the music-box drawer and collected the two Dream Chocolates.
"One for you," he said, handing one to Harry. The other he tore open and popped straight into his mouth.
He really does love chocolate, Harry thought.
"Oh, chocolate. Such a marvelous flavor," Dumbledore sighed happily.
"If there's nothing else, you should probably put that cloak back on and head to bed. Eat your chocolate and sleep well."
"Wait—Professor? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course. You already did." Dumbledore chuckled. "But you may ask one more."
"Snape. About the letter I sent you."
"Ah, your report." Dumbledore nodded. "I received it."
"And… what did you think?" Harry pressed. The letter felt like it had vanished into thin air. Dumbledore hadn't mentioned it once during their entire conversation.
Dumbledore's blue eyes grew thoughtful.
"You and Mr. Malfoy arranged a midnight duel. Strictly speaking, that deserves point deductions. Yet you bravely came to me anyway and told the full story, including your own mistakes. One cancels the other. No points lost, Harry."
Harry's eyes widened. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. He didn't care about points. He wanted to know what Dumbledore thought of Snape.
"Harry, sometimes we must set aside our personal likes and dislikes before we can see the truth. Some people think they're uncovering facts when they're really just organizing their own prejudices."
Dumbledore's gentle blue eyes met Harry's. The boy suddenly had no more questions left in him.
He turned and walked away in a daze, clutching the chocolate.
The corridor fell quiet.
"Charlie."
Dumbledore spoke again into the empty hallway.
"Why haven't you put any new products on the shelves? I was rather looking forward to them."
"Maybe the second I heard your voice, I should've run for it."