Chapter 028 I hope you are relaxing your stay at home. Be safe and healthy that's the only thing I wish for. Here's the quote for the chapter. "There is one consolation in being sick, and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were ever in before". -Henry David Thoreau * * * * * ** Knock! Knock! "Come in". Alex entered professor Snape's office. "You are here! Aren't you a bit early?" Snape asked. He thought, Alex, will be back after a couple of days. "It's alright I had nothing to do there anyway". Alex said. Apart from reading books and lazying around, he had nothing to do. "What about Nicole, she must have fussed a bit". Professor Snape asked. "I left her with the Granger's. She will come back with Hermione". "That's good". Snape said as he nodded in agreement. There was silence for a while before Snape asked, " Did you --- I mean --- I sent something for you... it was not a present or something, it's just that it was unnecessarily taking space here, I needed to get rid of it". "Thank you, professor, for that cauldron. I will make sure to use it well". Snape has sent Alex a Christmas present. It was an old cauldron which was with him for a long time. Although it was old, it was of the highest grade. "It's nothing, as I said it was a waste here". "Professor these are for you". Alex said and started taking out things from his pouch. He first gave him a pocket watch. It had a silvery glow, probably made of silver, " I thought hard as to guess what you might like. Well, watches are something that no one dislikes". Snape looked at the watch and flipped it around for a while before putting it in his pocket. It looked well as it complimented his black robes. Alex waited for a while before placing the cage he was carrying with him on the table in front of Professor Snape, " Professor, this too is also for you". Professor Snape walked up to the cage and removed the cloth covering it. Looking at the animal in the cage Professor Snape had a complicated expression on his face. Sometimes he would look happy, sometimes sad and sometimes there was a feeling of longing. Alex thought that professor like the gift, but what professor Snape said made him feel confused, "Why did you bring this to me?" "But professor, don't you like a doe?" Alex asked. Yes, the pet Alex found in the pet store was a doe. Seeing the doe, Alex was reminded of the past. ** Flashback (four years back) Soon after, when Professor Snape started giving lessons to Alex, he accompanied him when the latter visited places in search of herbs and animals used in potions. On one such trip when they had to spend the night in a forest, Alex saw a doe and tried to hunt it down for dinner. It was then that Snape stopped him from pursuing the doe. "Never in your life kill a doe in front of me". Snape said seriously. *** Alex thought that the professor had some inkling feelings towards the doe, that's why when he saw the doe in the pet shop, he immediately bought it for him. "You can go now". Snape said. "But" Alex tried to explain so that Professor Snape might not misunderstand him. "I want to be alone for some time". Professor Snape said as he walked up to his chair and sat. When Alex saw professor Snape plunge into his seat, he could only leave him alone. When Alex left, professor Snape stood from his chair and walked towards the doe who was sleeping in the cage. He opened the cage and picked it up carefully. With the sleeping doe in his arm, he strolled in his office lost in his thoughts. 'Why did you have to bring this?' *** Alex was back in his room. He was feeling confused by the way professor Snape reacted to seeing the doe. It was already dinner time, so Alex went to the 'Great Hall'. It was almost empty. *** After dinner, Alex was in his room, thinking about why professor Snape asked him to come early? He didn't say anything today. Was it to look out for Harry? When Alex thought of this he remembered how the professor, asked him to keep Potter away from dangers at all times. Alex took out the map Professor Snape gave him and tried to locate Potter. Alex thought that Harry should be in the Gryffindor tower, but to his surprise, there were no footsteps of Harry there. Alex looked around the map only to find Harry in the library, that too in the restricted zone. ' What is he thinking? If he is found the punishment won't be light'. Alex sprang out of his bed and dashed out of the dormitory. But when Alex reached the library, there was no one there. He searched around for a while, only to hear a couple of footsteps coming in his direction. "You asked me to come directly to you, Professor if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library — Restricted Section." Alex heard Filch's complaining voice. "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them." It was Professor Snape who replied. Alex took out the map from his pocket and searched for Potter. Potter was running away from them. Alex slipped out of the shadows trying to avoid professor Snape and filch, but Snape still caught sight of him. Alex followed Harry into a room. It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket — but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.' Alex walked towards the mirror and saw Potter rooted in front of the mirror. He looked astonished, happy as well as sad. After looking at the mirror for a while, Harry ran out of the room. Alex wanted to follow him but the mirror intrigued him. After Harry left, Alex came out of the shadows and stood in front of the mirror. He could only see himself. He was beginning to doubt whether Potter was crazy or not when silhouettes began to appear in the mirror. One after the other, the number of people in the mirror increased. Contrary to Potter, there was no sadness in Alex's eyes. His eyes slowly turned blood red, he dug his fingers so deep that blood dripped out of his hand. Soon, the people disappeared, now only a man and a woman along with a girl were standing in front of him, smiling. Alex stretched his hand to touch the mirror but he heard footsteps approaching in his direction. Alex hid himself again in the dark corners. Soon Potter along with Ron who was yawning came and stood in front of the mirror. "This is what I wanted to show you". Harry said as he pointed towards the mirror. "What's so great about this thing?" Ron asked. "Wel,l you will see". Harry said and stood in front of the mirror. After a second or two he exclaimed, " Do you see them? My parents". "I can't see anything." "Look! Look at them all . . . there are loads of them. . . ." "I can only see you," Ron said as he tried to look at the mirror from above Potter's shoulder or sometimes from the sides. But he could only see Potter. "Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pyjamas. Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image. Alex could not focus on what the two of them were talking about, his mind was in a complete mess right now. For a moment he felt what he saw was real and he held some hopes in his heart, but now that he calmed down his hopes began to die again. "Look at me!" Ron said. "Can you see all your family standing around you?" Harry asked. "No..." * * * * *