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**********
Erwin was taken aback.
He instantly recognized the voice that had spoken behind him.
It belonged to none other than the headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore.
Erwin was certain he hadn't seen anyone in the classroom when he entered.
'The old man must have used a Disillusionment Charm,' he thought silently, though he didn't stop moving or show surprise.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Professor Dumbledore," Erwin said evenly.
Dumbledore smiled as he stepped closer, his expression calm and unreadable.
He didn't seem to mind that Erwin hadn't answered his earlier question.
Instead, he spoke in that quiet, thoughtful tone of his.
"I originally came to persuade Mr. Potter. He's been visiting this mirror for three nights in a row. But as I arrived, I happened to overhear your conversation."
He paused, eyes twinkling faintly.
"You're right, people cannot always live in fantasy. Sooner or later, they must face reality."
'What a coincidence,' Erwin thought drily. 'You followed Harry all the way here, didn't you?'
Still, he kept his tone polite, his lips curving slightly.
"Professor, I was only speaking my thoughts aloud," he said, "but I am curious about what this mirror truly shows."
He didn't bother to conceal his interest.
There was no point lying to a wizard as perceptive as Dumbledore. Even if Erwin's Occlumency could protect his thoughts, the old fox could still read plenty from observation alone.
Dumbledore studied him with mild amusement.
"Mr. Gaunt," he said, "I'm rather curious myself. What would the most talented student Hogwarts has seen in fifty years see in this mirror, I wonder? Would you care to share?"
"Sorry, Professor," Erwin replied smoothly, "but you appeared before I could see clearly."
He made the excuse sound perfectly natural, though his eyes had already turned toward the mirror again.
The surface shimmered, blurring for a moment before slowly sharpening into focus.
The reflection cleared, and Erwin froze as the image before him took shape.
**
He saw himself standing proudly in a grand manor hall, surrounded by laughter and warmth.
Beside him were several women, their faces radiant. Including him, they were all grown up now.
Cho. Hermione. And some others, yet they all looked at him with affection.
It was a picture of harmony, of happiness.
**
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Dumbledore broke the silence gently.
"Mr. Gaunt, what is it that you see?"
Erwin didn't answer.
His eyes stayed fixed on the mirror.
A faint color rose in his cheeks as the absurdity of it hit him.
'Fake. That's Impossible, must be fake. This mirror must be broken,' he thought quickly. 'There's no way I'm that shallow.'
And yet… as he looked longer, at the peaceful smiles, the warmth of family, and the sense of belonging that radiated from the image, something inside him softened.
'Perhaps,' he admitted to himself, 'that kind of life wouldn't be so bad after all.'
He drew in a quiet breath and tore his gaze away, shaking his head as if to banish the thought entirely.
The priority now was dealing with Dumbledore.
"Professor, I saw myself along with Cho living happily. The two of us had a very good relationship."
Erwin told the truth, but not the complete truth.
Dumbledore could easily tell that Erwin was being reserved.
The dreamy expression on the young man's face moments ago hadn't escaped his notice.
He didn't press the matter, simply nodding in acknowledgment.
"Young people are sure full of vitality. On a separate note, this old man sees wool socks in the mirror; I never seem to have enough each year. By the way, thank you for your Christmas gift, Mr. Gaunt. It's the first time I've received red wool socks. Quite lovely."
'Dumbledore, you crafty old man,' Erwin thought.
'If you hadn't seen your sister or Grindelwald in that mirror, I'd dare to challenge Voldemort right now.'
But he didn't dare voice these thoughts, nor did he want to continue this verbal dance with Dumbledore.
He ran his Occlumency at full speed, afraid that his sarcastic commentary might slip through in his expressions.
"If there's nothing else, I should go, Professor. You know how demanding Christmas homework can be."
Making a convenient excuse, Erwin prepared to leave.
Dumbledore didn't stop him, nodding to show understanding.
"Feel free to visit my office when you have time. The password is Lemon Sherbet. If you could bring your phoenix, that would be even better. Fawkes hasn't seen another phoenix companion in many years."
Erwin agreed and turned to leave the classroom.
From today's conversation, Erwin could at least determine that Dumbledore seemed friendly toward him.
It wasn't that Erwin feared Dumbledore; he simply didn't want to lose his current peaceful life.
In this academy, he had Cho, many friends, and a group of excellent professors.
For Erwin, who had been an orphan in two lifetimes, this represented warmth he'd never experienced before.
Erwin knew he carried too many secrets.
Eventually, Dumbledore would take notice.
But today's encounter revealed that the headmaster must have been observing him for quite some time.
Yet despite this prolonged surveillance, Dumbledore hadn't confronted or troubled him, which suggested that Erwin's actions hadn't significantly disrupted whatever plans the old wizard had in motion.
'I'm still not strong enough. If I were powerful enough, Dumbledore wouldn't risk antagonizing me, especially with Voldemort still out there as a threat.'
This thought deepened Erwin's hunger for greater power.
However, he understood that his strength had already improved remarkably fast.
At his current level, ordinary training could only take him so far; he would need to rely on other advantages.
For the next several days, Erwin barely left his bedroom, thoroughly digesting the alchemical knowledge in his mind.
Before he knew it, the Christmas holiday had ended, and Cho was finally returning to Hogwarts.