His bed was all warm and snuggly, but it wasn't enough to dampen his excitement about what day today was. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and reached for the glasses that lay by his bed. Slipping them on, he had to blink twice when he saw the packages at the foot of his bed. Not once had he ever remembered getting presents for Christmas. He looked up to see Ron struggling with his covers as he got up and put on his dressing gown.
"Happy Christmas," they said to each other. Harry was still staring in awe at his pile. "I can't believe I got presents!"
And that was only the start of the day. Harry received gifts from Mrs. Weasley, Hagrid, Hermione and even a fifty pence note from his aunt and uncle, which fascinated Ron, so he gave it to him. He was so enthralled with all his gifts.
There was a fifth wrapped package underneath all the others. It was very light, which made Harry extremely curious. He tore into the wrapping and something made of a silvery cloth fell to the floor. Reaching down to pick it up, he noted that it felt like it was made of water. Ron looked downright in shock and told him to pull it on.
He wrapped the cloak around his shoulders. It felt very comfortable and not heavy at all. Ron was having a fit, telling him to look in the mirror. He moved over and gazed at his reflection... and was amazed when all he saw was his head! He was invisible! Oh, the things he could do while invisible. He could get back at Draco for everything he'd done. He could investigate the entire castle. He could sneak into the kitchen without his aunt or uncle ever knowing!
He had to hide it when Fred and George came in and it slipped his memory for a while. They all went down into the Great Hall for dinner. Harry was enthralled by all the decorations. The large firs seemed to touch the sky-like ceiling and were covered in colors of the four houses. Not many students had stayed for the holidays, so the large tables were replaced by a smaller, more intimate setting.
Then there was the food, something Harry had been looking forward to seeing and tasting. It was everything he'd dreamt of and more. There were all sorts of food and pastries with which to stuff him stomach. After they finished eating, the boys went outside and had a rollicking snowball fight before coming in to play some wizard chess in the Gryffindor common room.
Harry had a wonderful day, the best Christmas he could ever remember. Yet his mind continued to come back to the cloak lying crumpled on his bed. He constantly thought of what he could do with it. But, he also wondered who had given it to him? The note with it had said that it had been his father's. Who would his father have trusted so much to give him such a rare gift?
After saying goodnight to Ron, he lay awake in his bed, still thinking of the cloak. He could go anywhere he wanted. Slipping quietly out of the bed, he grabbed the cloak and headed out into the vastness that was Hogwarts.
He wandered along the halls, trying to keep up with where he was going. He noticed lots of paintings and suits of armor everywhere. Perhaps he'd even be able to find a shortcut to Professor McGonagall's classroom or even Snape's room. He heard voices in the corridor ahead of him. Fearing it was Filch, he ducked into an old classroom.
It was a rather dusty room, as though it hadn't been used in a long while. There was one very odd thing, something tall leaning up against the wall. Moving over, he touched the drapery covering the item and it fell to the floor revealing a mirror with a gold frame and two huge clawed feet. He reached out and touched the frame. It was very cool to the touch and felt pitted from use. The feet on which it stood looked like they could have been from a dragon or another large animal.
His eyes traveled to the top of the frame where some words were etched into the gold. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. He had no clue what the words meant, figuring it was some ancient Wizarding language. He was drawn to the reflective surface, looking deep within the mirror. A vision swirled into view. A woman with long, red hair smiled at him. He blinked, stunned, and then saw a man step up beside her. He was tall, wore glasses and had dark, messy hair; it stood up in the back, just like Harry's.
"Mum? Dad?" Harry was in complete awe. He was looking at the refection of his parents. He turned his head quickly and saw that no one was behind him. Looking back at the mirror, he saw they were still there. This is impossible, he thought. Isn't it? He wasn't so sure anymore. If a cloak could make him invisible, why couldn't a mirror show him his parents?
Over the next few days, Harry spent every hour he could before the mysterious mirror watching his family. He even saw his grandfather. His mother was so beautiful and he looked just like his father.
"The Mirror of Erised is a strange object, is it not?"
He nearly jumped to the ceiling as he turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing just behind him. "Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't..."
Dumbledore just smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "It is alright, Harry. I suppose you have worked out what the mirror does?"
He nodded. "It shows you what you want to see." Harry stood up, his head low. "I've never seen them before, Professor. I just wanted to remember them."
Dumbledore nodded and placed an arm around the boy's shoulders. "I understand, but the mirror has to be moved tomorrow. Come along. I believe there are some pumpkin pasties with our names on them down in the Great Hall."
Harry smiled up at the wizened old man. There was one question he had to ask. "Sir? What do you see when you look into the mirror?"
"Socks. You can never have enough socks."
Harry smiled as he awoke. Socks. That's what Dumbledore had seen in the Mirror of Erised. There was something about socks. It was what he had used to release Dobby from his servitude to Malfoy. The house-elf had given him socks every year since for both his birthday and Christmas. He wondered what colors he would get this year.
The dream had not only made him happy, but sad as well. He missed Dumbledore very much. He missed the old wizard's guidance and his familiarity. But Harry was continuing on with what Dumbledore had wished. He was going to defeat Voldemort, just as his former headmaster had done many years ago to Grindelwald.
Picking up his glasses and sliding them on, he looked at the clock beside his bed. It was nearly six in the morning. No one else should be up, he thought. Getting up and pulling on some clothes, he made his way downstairs. There was a bit of shopping he was going to have to do. He smiled as he thought about how happy he could make everyone in the house. That was his desire now, to make everyone happy.