Due to the events that had just occured mere minutes before, Anna gasped at the sound of Cale's voice. She spun around to see if it was really him, or just an illusion, but then it occured to her that the images in the mirror probably couldn't speak. At least, "Cale and the babies" hadn't been talking earlier. They'd just been...there, as if their one and only purpose had been to jsut give Anna something heartwarming to stare at. "Oh, Cale! It was horrible! You were here, but you weren't here. Not really, you see. Then you vanished, and I thought something had happened to you!" Anna stopped babbling and took a deep breath, realizing that Cale would have no clue what she was going on and on about.

"Okay, so this mirror, it's the Mirror of Erised. If you look into it, it show's you your heart's desire. It shows you what you truly, truly wish for deep down in your soul," Anna explained. "Only, I didn't know that at first. When I looked into it, I saw you, Cale. You were just standing there, in the reflection, and smiling at me. You were also holding someone's children---one boy and one girl. I turned to talk to you, but you were, of course, gone. Because I didn't understand what the mirror was all about, I thought you'd vanished. That's...that's why I was crying," she said, mumbling the last part.

The little boy was now touching his tongue at the mirror (which he thought was candy and chocolate... and candy)! Hm... This doesn't even taste right, tastes rotten and old. Yup, it does. Taking a few steps back from the old thing he realized it was a mirror. Cam touched the old mirror with his palm and looked down. We'll meet again, my precious. A grin appeared on his kiddy face after looking up and noticed there was A LOT of people in the classroom. Ooh. Embarrassing.

That was when he remembered, the GHOSTS! That sound he heard which came from behind him. It was probably something else but he was sure there was some ghost in the room. Eek. A boy came in the room, another one! He could have been a ghost too...

Cam started to poke everyone with his finger to check if they were ghosts or not. Ghost... no.

Cale wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion and looked at Paris, who he had just noticed was standing nearby. Why was she looking at him so funny? "What's wrong, Paris?" he asked. "You're acting like you're seeing a ghost or something!"

Cale's mouth fell open in shock. What on Earth was she going on about? She was acting completely mental! "Wait, I don't understand--so, you thought you saw me in this mirror holding some strange babies and that's what got you so worked up?" he asked. For a moment he had been scared it had been Denton's fault or something of the like.

"Are you sure that's what you saw? I mean...how is that possible?" he asked, stepping in front of the mirror and staring at it. He didn't see any strange children in the mirror with him. But, to his amazement, as he continued to stare into the glass, his reflection changed before his eyes. Instead of his robes, he was wearing a business suit, much like the one his uncle Ben wore to work. Anna was there next to him as well, but she looked different that she had a second ago. She looked--older in a way. Not horribly older and wrinkled or anything, just older. It was hard to put his finger on it. She wasn't wearing robes, just normal everyday clothing, and she was holding a little baby girl in her arms. Every once in a while, the girl would jerk her head back and laugh as Anna nearly died of fright. Meanwhile, at his feet, a little boy was tugging on his pant leg, trying to get his attention, yet he couldn't feel the tugging on his leg. He knew it was there, but at the same time, it wasn't.

Blinking and jerking his head away from the image, he tried to get some sense of reality again. Anna had just explained this to him and yet, he was still completely caught off guard by the image in the mirror. "What is this thing again?" he asked her quietly. He wanted desperately to look back into the mirror, but at the same time he knew that he shouldn't. It was a trick, that was it...an optical illusion. A very wonderful illusion.

Jake burst out laughing as Cameron burst into the room with that determined face, and then... was he LICKING the mirror?! Sigh... I am friends, with a mentalist...

Woah, then the rounds of poking. Jake glared at Cameron as he was reached, eyeing the ominous poking finger. "Poke me and regret it," Jake growled, hoping his friend would remember the pranks and revenge he could do. "And that goes for prods, jabs, kicks... and punches." Jake looked across and thought he could just about make out his little RAVENCLAWS PWN message, though it was dark, so it could well have been Jake's imagination. Nevertheless, Jake deliberately looked pointedly at Cameron's cheek.

Jake relaxed a little as he looked over to Lyra. "Ok... ok... yeah, I suppose you would," Jake muttered, letting out a breath. Paris was gripping onto him... such a nice girl to him, she was. Almost like a sister.

"Jack has... a twin..." Jake explained. He hadn't met the boy as such, but he had seen him across Diagon Alley the first time he'd met Jack. The subtleties were different, but there. "John is the other one..." Real polite. "And I think... hope... that that's John."

Jake looked up at Paris. "She's not the one who throws punches like quaffles, don't worry," he smiled, hopefully in a reassuring way.

She looked at Anna and her and Cale talked. She listened as Anna explained what the mirror was. She stopped. Your deepest desires...She wanted to see in it again. It was so sweet and delicious. She didn't care she wanted it and she needed it. Seeing what your heart desired, was that so bad?

Her mouth hung open as the boy started to lick and kiss on the mirror.She glared at the boy. She swatted at his hands. "Stop poking me." She said poking the boy back. "What is wrong with you?" She asking poking him till he moved away from her.

She looked at Cale. "Its just...Anna saw...I didn't" she mumbled as he walked over to Anna. Ok he had to be real if he was walking. "Is it really you?" She asked before she thought she was really going crazy.

She didn't like Jake go she didn't trust Lyra one bit and she just needed a reason to start a fight. She looked back at Jake. "Who is throwing punches?" She asked seriously.

Dominic had fallen silent in listening to the others banter around him. Truth be told, he wasn't really sure where the discussion was headed as lots of people spoke and confused him. But he did catch onto a few things, such as something about Lyra - when did she arrive? - being afraid of someone punching her!? What the --?

Though the biggest amusement came from someone suggesting the mirror hiding a stone; honestly that was like borderline insanity because one, it had been done before. So he read in books anyway. The fifth year highly doubted the situation would repeat history. Weird.

Though he didn't doubt the mirror and this room had something to do with the treasure from last term, but he DID doubt that the mirror was the answer to finding the treasure as for one, it could never be that easy or simple. Half listening to the young Hufflepuff, Varius, speaking about his interaction with the portraits, a faint smile came across his lips about the mention of Gwendolyn the gardener wanting to be placed on the exterior of the castle. "I'll see what I can do about Gwendolyn, but I can't make any promises," the fifth year mused, never recalling ever seeing a portrait on the exterior... this could be different.

Hmm, interesting point about the ghosts being trapped in the mirror though. "I think the best way to find out more about how the ghosts returned would be to talk with them though, as others-" he glanced briefly at Kayla, "--have already mentioned." Dom continued, turning to address the others at long last, after being quiet for some time. "Yes Anna, I do remember with the walls tumbling down last term, how could one forget that? But that's an interesting theory and might make some sense as to that's where the ghosts came from. Especially since I don't know about your room, but the Hufflepuff Room was quite creepy and eerie, so I wouldn't be surprised it there was a ghost or two back there." It was quite logical now that Dom thought about it more, actually.

Jake bit his lip. He didn't have a problem with telling, but it was the company in the room that bothered him. "Another first year in my year... Jack Mosier," he mumbled. "But, like, don't worry about it. The nurse fixed us up, good and proper, and Jack lost points and got detention," Jake nodded quickly. Sure it was his house, but still...

Aaaaand I still have to share a dormitory with the complete and utter psyco.

Jake still wasn't sure he wanted to admit who had stepped in... a certain teacher from Diagon Alley who Paris was sure to remember.

Dom..Dom...Dom, Dom....Doooooommmmmmmmm. Here he goes again. You would think the boy got light headed from all the hot air he was blowing. He sure loved the sound of his own voice, Paris thought as she tried to keep from rolling her eyes at him. She didn't trust herself to respond to him and be nice about so she just gave him a tight smile.

She looked down at Jake as she held on to him like glue. "Jack punched you?" She asked. "Why would he do that. Where was this? What happened?" She demanded as she fired questions at him. She didn't like her friends being hurt, especially when she couldn't do anything about it. "Don't worry about it." She said her voice rising. "He punches one of my misfits and then you tell me not to worry about it. Yeah right." She told him. Like she was going to let that go.

Jake bit his lip again as he struggled a tad. "I muttered something when I thought no-one was there, and then I must have said something instead of thinking it... and he swung for me... and I ducked," he rambled. "And he hit Lyra on the nose, then he hit me in the eye. But it's gone now, see?"

Ruh-roh... this wasn't sounding good. Jake struggled away from Paris as her voice raised a little higher... and higher. "Stop it," he groaned. Jake started moving away from the girl until his back hit something solid; the Mirror. Or rather, the frame of it. Instinctively, Jake's hand shot behind him and touched the cool, dusty glass, as though to stop it from falling. But Jake was so small, it hadn't made a difference. Nevertheless, Jake stood stock still against the frame. "Stop shouting at me..."

Kayla gave Paris a half hearted smile after her run in with Lyra and she returned the girl's hug gratefully. Although she didn't want any of them feeling sorry for her or treating her any differently because they knew about her parents. Ugh...why did she have to open her big mouth, now everyone would probably know.

"Not a friend of Myrtle's then?" Kayla chuckled at Paris. "She's okay, you just have to know how to handle her. Give her the attention she wants and she's like putty in your hands or well...hmm being a ghost that would be rather hard but you know what I mean."


Kayla was thankful that Lyra did not mention anything about her outburst and although she was still a little miffed with girl, she appreciated the fact she had the decency not to say anymore about it.

She looked up at the sound of Lyra's outrage and she immediately spotted John standing there. When Lyra had finished her little tirade, Kayla immediately knew what was going on and she stepped forward. "That's not Jack" she said quietly. "This is John and his twin brother Jack, have a lot going on in their lives right now and so they may do things that they can't control" she gave Lyra and imploring look. "Professor Dumont and I are working on helping them, so I ask...no I beg of you Lyra, please let them be and leave them to me."

John looked as this girl and was about to say something when she started calling him Jack, he was scared what was he going to do now, maybe he should run for it, but he wanted to know what was happening down here. Luckerly he saw Kaycee and smiled as he ran behind her, he was scared what was this girl going to do to him. He smiled at Jake and said "Hi Jake it's it John." He then went back to hiding behind Kaycee and he looked upto the back of her hair and said. "What have I done?" He wanted to shout for a Professor but decided to wait a few moments to see what would happen.

She reached up and stroked his eyebrow as she looked at his face for any lingering signs of being punched. "Well is good that you ducked and he missed you the first time." She wasn't going to comment about Lyra getting, hit. her and Agie could stand to be popped a couple of more times and brought down a peg or two. She wouldn't mind being the one to hit Agie a few good times either.

She made a face as Jake pulled away from her. "Fine," she snapped her brown eyes darkening. Here she was genuinely concerned and upset over her friends being punched and he was brushing her off and pulling away from her. Well she could just keep her concern to herself from now on. She ignored him as he continued to talk. Her emotional state ran hot or cold. She was either really into you and you were running hot or she could careless if you were on fire and she was running cold, and right now Jake was working his way from hot to cold, and she wasn't going to be a pleasant person for him to be around once that happened.

"No I am not in the Myrtle fan club," She told Kayla as she started to pick at her nails. Dominic had sufficiently bored her out of her euphoric state and she was started to really get upset with him about that. "I don't have the time to devote to stroking the ego of someone who is dead." She had her own ego to keep up with let alone trying to help Myrtle with her self esteem issues decades after her death.

She listened to Kayla explain what was going on with John and Jack. "Does it have anything to do with Jack trying to leave the school last week?" She asked her. "He was in hysterics at the Front Gate and Professor Dumont had to stun him to get him to calm down," She explained. She would really have to make an effort to talk to them about what was going on, but she didn't want to question John on front of Lyra. The girl had the emotional depth of a tube of lip gloss.

She gave John a smile. "Well you haven't done anything love," She said softly.





Kayla was thankful that Lyra did not mention anything about her outburst and although she was still a little miffed with girl, she appreciated the fact she had the decency not to say anymore about it.

She looked up at the sound of Lyra's outrage and she immediately spotted John standing there. When Lyra had finished her little tirade, Kayla immediately knew what was going on and she stepped forward. "That's not Jack" she said quietly. "This is John and his twin brother Jack, have a lot going on in their lives right now and so they may do things that they can't control" she gave Lyra and imploring look. "Professor Dumont and I are working on helping them, so I ask...no I beg of you Lyra, please let them be and leave them to me."[/QUOTE]

Jake turned away, feeling the frame of the mirror on his back again. "Fine," he snapped back. People shouting at him? No, no, no! The minute that happened he was gone; Jake was not a fan of being shouted at, no matter who. Especially if said person had hold of him, and could pretty much floor him.

Ah, so no-one cared after all. Jake squeezed his eyes shut as he felt them burn and he sniffed a tad. "Stop it," he mutted to himself. Greeeeeeat... lose a friend... Well it was either that or he blew up at her later.

Pfft... Jack had problems? That was for sure, problems in the head. Well, Jake was fine on leaving him be, no problems here. John however, at least he was sort of bearable. "Hi John," Jake called back, eyes still closed, voice hitching.

Varius had kept silent, allowing his classmates to converse between themselves. However, Varius wanted information, he wanted to test his theory and by the looks of things he was not going to be getting it here. He said a short 'bye' to Kayla, ExpelledGirl and Jake (ensuring to rub their heads) and headed off.

Melina was in love. No, really, she was in love. But how could she not be? Everything she had ever wished for was there, reflected on that mirror. Merlin, it was so beautiful that it brought crystal tears to her sky-blue eyes. She just wanted to get in there so much! And she longed to know if that boy was who she believed it to be and the other one... Oh, the other one was leaving her so confused! Who could he be? A prince charming, that was certain. It had to be a prince, for only princes looked so dashingly handsome. Besides, he had that aristocratic and sweet air... Sigh. But who was he exactly? She bit her lip.

Intrigued, she gave a few very slow steps towards it, ignoring the voices of those who fruitlessly tried to reach for her attention. It was just that... Oh, but who was that lady? Her eyes were the exact color of Melly's, just like the tone of her hair and the shape of their faces were so similar as well! But the lady was older, had less freckles and was far too beatiful for it to be Mel. It wasn't as if she'd ever be able to control her bushy hair, after all. So who could that be too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dingDong

The little boy was now touching his tongue at the mirror (which he thought was candy and chocolate... and candy)! Hm... This doesn't even taste right, tastes rotten and old. Yup, it does. Taking a few steps back from the old thing he realized it was a mirror. Cam touched the old mirror with his palm and looked down. We'll meet again, my precious. A grin appeared on his kiddy face after looking up and noticed there was A LOT of people in the classroom. Ooh. Embarrassing.

That was when he remembered, the GHOSTS! That sound he heard which came from behind him. It was probably something else but he was sure there was some ghost in the room. Eek. A boy came in the room, another one! He could have been a ghost too...

Cam started to poke everyone with his finger to check if they were ghosts or not. Ghost... no.

She gave a few more steps towards it and was just about to lay her hand on its surface when she found someone tackling the mirror. She squeaked. At once, her eyes went wide and she gave a step back, suddenly back into reality. She didn't have time to react properly for the next thing she knew the tackling/kissing kiddie was waddling to her. Eeeep! Scary! He wasn't going to lick her too, was he?

Breathing quickening, she tried to walk backwards away from him but he was too fast for her. The following events seemed to happen in slow motion, way too slow motion, mind you. First a chubby finger was raising, then it was flying towards her and it was flying closer and closer while Mel's eyes got bigger and bigger and then... POKE! "Eeek!," She squeaked, jumping in spot.
Due to the shock she was still in, she couldn't help but jump and squeak yet again at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder. Oh dear, oh dear, oooooooooh dear! What was going on there? She had been so peaceful in front of that mirror and then that kid hugged it and poked her and and and now... Now what was that?

Oh. It was Willow. Phewie for that. She sighed and moved a hand from her book to her chest. Had the girl not spoken Melly's name, the third year might actually have started crying with fright or... Well, she didn't want to finish that thought. Either way, it wouldn't have been pretty. "It's you," She smiled, looking up at her friend. Hopefully Willow wouldn't think too badly of her strange reaction. Ahem.

"And... umm... I'm not certain myself," She admitted shyly, blushing just the slightest. "I just know... I just know it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," She smiled, her eyes already on the mirror.

Now seeing that the mirror had no-one too nearby, she walked towards it and uncurled an arm from her book to place her palm on the surface of the mirror. For a few seconds, she said nothing, for she was too engrossed on the picture. However, the sudden sight of a fairy flying right in front of her and waving her hand at Melly made the little girl giggle and somehow remember how she wasn't alone. "Can you see it?," She asked Willow, flickering her head to the older female for the briefest of seconds before getting back to grinning at the mirror.

Suddenly, she frowned. "What are Juni and Issy doing there?," She asked herself, tilting her head and trying to get a proper look. "I want to go in there too..." She bit her lower lip and kept gazing into it as she wondered how she could do it.

"Fine," What on earth was his bloody problem? She was a few seconds away from getting annoyed at Jake. he was acting like a total baby now and it was grating on her nerves. "No one is messing with you," She snapped he was about to go into crazy mode again, but this time she wasn't going to be sympathetic, he worked himself into these frenzies and she she was frankly growing sick of them.

Barry looked over to Freya. "I see myself finding my mother and a death eater by the name of Claxton. Thats is clear but theres something else that I can`t see. " he said .

Then it occured to him, PEEVES. Myrtle was too hard to find and the rest of them were unlikely to tell. "Come Livvy, I have a few dungbombs left" he said.

Stooooopid mood swings. Pah, they were coming thick and fast now, one minute he was hago lucky, and the next, the total opposite... the mirror image... Mirror...

Maybe... but no, no way. Jake didn't even want to suggest his theory, fearing they would ignore him, or call him an idiot. It seemed less and less likely, that the mirror could cause the antithesis in things, and Jake didn't feel like being carted off to the Hospital Wing. No, he wanted to stay.

Turning his back on the rest of the people in the room, Jake's eye flew open at the sign of impact on his head, but it was just Varius again. "Bye..." Jake mumbled. He weren't leaving, not no way, not no how.

Jake looked up at the frame of the mirror again and stood staring, as though he was actually looking into it (which he wouldn't do, as he doubted the mirror could show his deepest desire now. Pfft, who needs it?). "What are you doing here..."

Hogwarts was... infuriating. Le sigh...

Anna watched Cale, frowning as a look of confusion spread across his face. She should have known better than to ramble on and on and just blow his mind talking about illusions inside a mirror. She couldn't help it, though. She'd just been so excited to see him and see that nothing bad had happened to him. "No, I did see you in the mirror," she corrected. "That's what the Mirror of Erised does. It shows you what you truly desire deep down in your heart." Anna bit her bottom lip and looked down a bit, sort of embarrassed at the fact that she was revealing to him that he was what lied deep down in her soul. "I guess that shows you, erm, you know...how much I love you," she added.

"I'm still confused about the babies, though," she continued. "I couldn't figure whose children you were holding." She sort of really did know whose children he was holding, but she was a little scared to say that part out loud. Cale seemed to be the kind of guy who ran from talk about marriage and children (of his own), and Anna didn't want to completely freak him out. That fact still remained that those little babies in the mirror belonged to both she and Cale. She knew that, but had that crossed Cale's mind yet? Meh. Who knew.

Anna smiled as she watched Cale step in front of the mirror. She wrapped her arm around him and stared into the mirror, as well. There they were---Cale and the babies were looking back at her and waving hello. She fought the urge to wave back at them...or to run inside the mirror and join them forever and always. If only... Anna stared at the babies a little while longer. The little girl had stopped pulling at her ribbon, and the little boy had started poking her in the side, tormenting her just like any other brother would do. "What do you see?" Anna whispered, taking her eyes off the mirror long enough to look back up at Cale.

He nodded at Paris. "Yeah, it's really me--I could see why you would think I was an illusion, though," he added. This mirror seemed to be playing tricks on EVERYONE's minds.

Cale shrugged, pretending like the babies part was confusing him too. On the contray, he had a feeling deep down he knew EXACTLY whose babies those were. They had to be theirs. The boy had noticeably curls in his hair, as did the girl, and their hair color looked to be a mixture between his and Anna's. But what did this all mean? Was this mirror telling the future, or just showing them what he WANTED out of life? Either way, it was a little...creepy. Cale felt like he was watching something that was forbidden to him. Maybe he wasn't supposed to know about these kids, about the future that he desired deep down in his heart--

"Anna, maybe we should leave," he suggested, taking hold of her arm as he noticed the little boy start to bug his sister. "This mirror--I have a weird feeling about it. Like it's going to drive us mad if we sit here trying to figure it out any longer," he told her. It was true...everyone in the room was already going nuts around him, taking their turns looking into the mirror and acting in bizarre ways that must have been appropriate with the reflection they were seeing. "Don't you think there was a reason it was hidden?" he asked her.

He could tell immediately that it was going to be a task pulling her away from this mirror. He could already see her slipping, staring at the babies in the way that only a mother could intently watch her kids. Cale shivered--this whole place was starting to give him the creeps. As much as he too wanted to stay here and look into the mirror, at the twins that Mirror-Cale and Mirror Anna were currently playing with, he knew they shouldn't. If they didn't leave now, it would be nearly impossible to pull themselves away later.

When Cale shrugged, Anna nodded once and then glanced away from him. She didn't figure he'd respond to her comment about the babies. Knowing Cale, he was probably ready to turn and run from the room and never think about the reflection in the mirror ever again. Or, well, at least not for a few more years or so. Anna glanced away from the mirror, as well, figuring she needed a break from the illusions it had been showing her.

"Leave?" Anna asked, looking up at Cale with a panic-stricken face. For a moment, she allowed herself to wonder why the thought of leaving the mirror scared her so. Perhaps it was the fact that Anna connected this mirror to her future with Cale...and apparently their two children. Or maybe it was the fact that for just a brief moment, the mirror allowed her to escape the school and wander far, far away, to a place where she was only accompanied by her heart's desires. "I'm not ready to leave yet. I don't need to look into the mirror or anything, but I'd just like to stay here a bit longer. Come sit with me," she said, walking to a piece of the wall near the mirror and sliding down it until she reached the floor. "I want to know what you saw when you looked into the mirror."

Something clicked in Jake's mind. "Isn't the school motto something about tickling sleeping dragons?" he suddenly asked. "And the door- the portrait -is a sleeping dragon... therefore, we shouldn't really tickle it..."

Now, Jake had a thing about being told not to do something. He just had to, recently he had found the self restraint to stop himself, but this was tempting.

"So what would happen if someone was to tickle it?" Jake asked, staying where he was. "Preferably someone braver than I am?"

Jake was certain he had a point, but he was scared something bad would happen and he'd be at fault... can't be having that. In his mind, a little voice screamed.

TICKLE IT! I wanna see what happens! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!

Barry walked back to the room and said "Tickle the dragon? If you say so, it is only a dragon painting it doesn`t actually shoot fire" and he stepped towards the draggon and started tickling where the draggons stomuch was and he waited.

Jake grinned as Barry tickled it. Maybe something would happen, maybe not... If anything it was a start, but thinking about what they should or shouldn't do was starting to make Jake's head hurt.

"I hate reverse psychology," he muttered to himself, watching the gap in the wall where the portrait was.

"I don't think it'll shoot fire, this is just a wild guess," Jake explained. "It makes sense to me."

And it did. Why shouldn't they tickle the sleeping dragon? Eh? "Just don't look at me if it goes wrong..."

Nancy was definitely not the best person to stand on her tiptoes any longer than five seconds. Definitely not. This fact was proven at exactly that moment since the 13-year-old almost immediately lost her balance and almost fell on the one of the students standing nearby. Being sort of used to her clumsiness already, though, Nancy somehow managed to not fall over completely so she just ended up swaying a bit before regaining her balance. But she really wanted to see what the group of students was gathered around!

Just as Nancy was about to open her mouth to ask someone what exactly was going on in the front of the room she was standing in she heard two familiar voices addressing her. Her blue eyes immediately darted around the peculiar room in search for the owners of those voices until they fell on Paris and Jake who were standing slightly to her right. Making her way through the group of students towards them Nancy grinned at the two of them before saying, "Hey Paris. Hey Jake." Then with another glance around the room she gave the two a questioning look before adding, "So, what exactly is going on with that dragon portrait out ther-" That was the moment her eyes fell on the mirror that was in the very front of the room and the object everyone was gathered around. "What is that?" She asked slowly while taking a few steps towards the mirror.