What is your secret?

Part 2: A room behind the painting

Music came from a small harp. By the way, it was a very familiar instrument. With a harp like that one, professor Quirrell lulled the vigilance of three-headed dog that guarded a way to the Philosopher's Stone. Fluffy, a very large three-headed hellhound, was owned by Hagrid. Only Hagrid could take a very rare and dangerous creature as a pet and give it a name like that...

Harry sighed with nostalgia. That happened during Harry's first year in Hogwarts, but felt as if eternity passed since then. However, the sweet melody performed by the harp had not changed at all. It was as beautiful and pacifying as several years ago.

Harry felt as his depression disappeared gradually. It become lighter and brighter on his heart. Smiling, Harry breathed with relief and straightened his shoulders. Yes, as though a mountain fell from his shoulders. With a burst of energy, Harry looked round with keen interest.

The room, where he ended up, was wide enough, almost the same size as the Gryffindor’s common room. There was the height-vaulted ceiling that gave the appearance of a cave to the room. Along of perimeter of the room there were several magic torches. As far as Harry knew (of course from Hermione’s frequent lectures), those torches never emitted smoke and never burned out. Their light was enough to make out the whole room in a general way.

As Harry could discern, there were no windows in the room. Still, the air was fresh, and even had a hint of flowers scent in it. Interesting.

The magic harp has been standing on top of a small pedestal in the middle of the room.

On the right, by the wall, there was a big fireplace with a flame dancing merrily within it; its mantelpiece covered with some recondite tools. In Harry's opinion, those tools were similar to a mixture of alchemical with astronomical ones. Still, none of them Harry saw and even more so used before.

There were two black-leather armchairs by the fireplace. Very cozy looking armchairs, exactly the type Harry liked the most. It was one of his favorite pleasures (beside quidditch of course!), during rainy days to climb with his legs into some comfortable chair and stare at the flame burning in a fireplace. Beside the armchairs, Harry saw a small coffee table of red wood with the carved legs. He decided that he liked this place.

"Wait till I show this room to Ron and Hermione! I'm sure they'll like it also," Harry easily could picture himself with his best friends, doing their homework or playing the snapping chess on that table. However... With the same ease, he could imagine one of usual quarrels between Ron and Hermione or, even worse, their snogging in one of the chairs. No, Harry didn’t want to mar his impression of this peaceful place.

"For now, this room will be my own secret", - he said to himself. He felt as light breeze touched his face as if the room itself approved his decision. As if this place really was destined for him only.

Harry smiled and proceeded with examination of the room.

Oh the left... Harry blinked with surprise. To the left he saw two... hmm... mirrors? Pools? Portals? ... In general, it was something round-shaped and shimmering in the dim light of torches. Each 'mirror' was at least two meters in diameter. Perfectly round, set in massive stone frames with odd runes and symbols carved around the edge, both "mirrors" had been standing vertically opposite each other. Their surface was rippling like water under a light breeze. Harry thought idly that those round objects resembled two pensieves to him. Just very big ones.

A silvery sheet of 'water' from one 'mirror pool' (Harry decided on that name) streamed into other 'pool' without any splash. Moreover, that 'water' not even touched the stone floor.

It was a magic... In spite of the fact that Harry had been studying in Hogwarts for several years already and had been dealing with magic everyday, he never ceased to admire its every new manifestation. Besides, this one was very captivating.

Harry warily came closer to the magic pools and looked into one of them.

At first, it reflected a thin boy with a dark tousled hair. The famous green eyes, hidden behind the round spectacle frames, were looking with a slight fear; but the shine inside of those pools gave out an undisguised curiosity.

Suddenly, the surface of the pool became hazy, covered with a milk-white mist. In several moments, a small 'window' appeared in the mist. There, as it were on a muggle television emerged some blurry images...

He saw himself, flying a broom for the first time. He was a small and naive first-year then. That was the time, when he understood that he likes to fly very much. Harry smiled.

Next, he saw Hermione, reading a very large book by the candle light. Probably something like ‘HogwartsA history'. "How typical of her to go reading at every opportunity."

Another image was Ron, hunting garden gnomes together with other Weasley. There were so many red-haired people at the same time in a small garden! "So funny!"

There were many other visions. Like Dumbledore at the Hoheydukes Sweetshop, buying a rather big paper bag of different sweets...

Snape stealthily reading a muggle poetry book... "Eh?"

Professor Trelawney with hair-rollers all over her head... "Brr... Horrible."

Malfoy secretly trying on some muggle clothes... "Hmm... Not bad. Especially those tight black jeans."

A girl, doing a blowjob to a guy in Slytherin robes. Harry was quite taken aback. "Ginny?!"

'Merlin! What’s that? How she could...?' Harry could not finish the thought, because he was disgusted with the idea of the girl he liked as a sister doing that... that repulsive thing to some Slytherin.

Harry made a wry face, and in an emotional turmoil moved to another pool.

At first, its surface also became misty, and when there a small clear area appeared, Harry wondered what visions he would see there.