She always remembered

Belvina Black missed all the Christmas events; she preferred to stay in the lounge and eat bread rather than go to the auditorium for turkey.

After the sun set, the dimly lit lounge was filled with chattering friends: Bassheda Bablin carrying two leather bags, and Paul Bernard carrying a pot.

As soon as she entered, Bassheda started talking non-stop. She said, "It's such a shame you didn't go to the banquet. Today there are not only traditional holiday foods, but also those stews you were making in the kitchen earlier."

Cooking is something that's difficult for those who don't know how, but easy for those who do. The elves at Hogwarts easily learned how to cook.

However, there was a slight mishap, such as the chicken stew with mushrooms becoming turkey stew with mushrooms, which was also fitting for the occasion, since it was Christmas.

Bassheda put down the bag in her hand, which contained colorful firecrackers, small sausages, and braised meat.

She continued, "And another thing, Hagrid, who was drunk, actually kissed Professor McGonagall, and Professor McGonagall wasn't angry at all; instead, she smiled shyly! You really do see all sorts of things when you live a long life."

Paul put down the pot he was holding, casually lifted the lid, and said, "You probably haven't eaten much, have you? Bassheda and I brought some back."

Well—how should I put it? Basilda and Paul's wizarding style is a bit off; they look more like Muggles who bring takeout bags to a feast.

"Thank you. I've never really liked holidays; I always find them particularly boring," Belvina said. She peeked into the pot and thankfully, it wasn't turkey stew with mushrooms, just a common school stew with nothing fancy about it.

"I know you don't like holidays, and what you dislike most is January 1st, which is just around the corner." Bassheda sighed as she spoke. "Without realizing it, we've gotten another year older."

Girls inevitably feel anxious about their appearance and age. No one wants to grow old or have their youthful beauty taken away by time.

"Since you don't want to get old so much, why not consider the Philosopher's Stone?" Belvina joked. "If you succeed, you'll be immortal. If you fail, you'll just be in Azkaban. At least there, you won't just be worried about your age."

"Don't worry, if I were immortal, I would definitely preside over your funeral myself and give a sharp critique of your life's deeds," said Bassheda as she demurely prepared two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

If that's the case, Belvina's posthumous reputation is basically doomed.

Listening to Belvina and Bassheda chatting and laughing, Paul felt that the two of them were much more manly than him, daring to say anything.

"Ah, I'm so heartbroken! You won't even take me with you to immortality!" Belvina feigned disappointment and collapsed to the ground. If she could squeeze out a few tears, it would seem even more convincing.

"Of course I won't take you with me, because if I get locked up in Azkaban, you definitely won't go to jail with me," Bassheda said.

At this moment, Paul, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "You must not have had enough to eat in Azkaban, right?"

Basilda hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, and finally could only angrily punch Paul to vent her anger.

As the colorful firecrackers exploded with a cannon-like bang and a puff of blue smoke, Bassheda finally gave up glaring at Paul. She snorted and turned her head away.

A navy hat fell into Belvina's hands, and she thought of Minister Faris Spavian, who had been kicked by the centaur.

The longest-serving Minister of Magic was removed from office not because he was too old (147 years old), but because of another outrageous act.

After the death of Queen Victoria, a Muggle, Spavan attended her funeral wearing an admiral's hat and gaiters. Then, Wizengamo politely suggested that Spavan step down from his ministerial position.

Thinking of this, Belvina said, "I spoke with Professor Dumbledore today and saw the mechanism he used to protect the Philosopher's Stone."

"He took you to the fourth floor?"

"Did he take you to see the Philosopher's Stone?"

Bassheda and Paul spoke almost simultaneously, but their focuses were completely different.

Basilda was more interested in knowing what the mechanism protecting the Philosopher's Stone was and whether it could withstand the test, while Paul was more concerned about the Philosopher's Stone itself.

"No, he took me to see the Mirror of Erised, on the fifth floor," Belvina said. "That mirror is Dumbledore's protective measure, a magic mirror that can reflect the desires in people's hearts."

Upon hearing that it wasn't the Philosopher's Stone, Paul seemed uninterested. He said, "I know about the Mirror of Erised, but I never imagined it was hidden in the school. Some say it was created to fulfill people's fantasies, while others say it was created to make people obsessed with fantasy."

Whoever created the Mirror of Erised, the harm it caused far outweighed its benefits.

Many people detach themselves from reality and waste their time because of it. Some even cannot accept that everything in the mirror is just an illusion, driving themselves crazy.

"Should we go take a look?" Bassheda asked, seeking her friends' opinions. "Isn't the Mirror of Eris on the fifth floor?"

"Let's go check it out, as a little Christmas entertainment," Paul said. "The Mirror of Erised should be quite interesting, as long as we don't get fooled by the illusions in the mirror."

The three of them reached a consensus. After Belvina finished eating, they packed up and headed straight for the long-abandoned empty classroom.

When she arrived at the abandoned classroom, Belvina did not go forward; her shame was enough to keep her away from the Mirror of Erised for a long time.

Knowing nothing, Bassheda and Paul each stepped forward and stood in the Mirror of Eris, which reached all the way to the ceiling. They had come for the illusion in the mirror, so naturally they wouldn't stand as far away as Belvina.

The two people standing in front of the mirror had different expressions; they weren't exactly happy, but they weren't unhappy either.

After a long while, Paul finally spoke, revealing what he had seen in the Mirror of Erised.

He said, "I saw the Philosopher's Stone, not Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone, but my own Philosopher's Stone. I made the Philosopher's Stone just like Nicolas Flamel."

Paul shook his head vigorously to prevent himself from being misled by the success he saw in the mirror.

He continued, "My dream is indeed to be as successful as Nicolas Flamel, the symbol of which is the Philosopher's Stone, but I know that's impossible. Of all the brilliant alchemists over the centuries, only Nicolas Flamel has achieved it."

"I don't have such lofty ideals as you," Bassheda said resentfully. "I only see that I've restored the ancient runes and recreated the ancient magic contained within them, but—Belvina, tell me, why are you standing next to me, throwing away the runes I painstakingly created!"

Oh dear... this is just innocent bystanders getting shot at!

Belvina protested her innocence, saying that even if she wanted to tease Bassheda, she would never joke about her work; this was truly an undeserved disaster.

"Let me explain, things definitely aren't like that—"

"Are you saying I don't have the ability to reconstruct ancient runes?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Belvina stammered, but then she suddenly realized something was wrong!

Belvina stood up straight and shouted, "The Mirror of Eris reflects your inner desires! Shouldn't you be the one asking yourself why I was skipping runes over the water? What does it have to do with me!"

Hmm, that seems to be the case.

Bassheda scratched her chin awkwardly. Admitting her mistake was absolutely out of the question. How could she possibly admit to something like this? Absolutely not!

"What do you see in the mirror?" Bassheda began to change the subject, which was her usual tactic. No matter how awkward it was, she had to get away with topics that embarrassed her.

Just a minute ago, Belvina was all high and mighty, but now she was silent. What could she say? She couldn't very well say that she saw Basilda wearing a very sexy swimsuit, could she? That would make her look like a pervert!

"I saw myself." Belvina thought for a moment and decided to tell a lie based on the facts. "I saw myself as the most powerful wizard, doing many amazing things."

Normally, Bassheda could see through Belvina's lies at a glance because they knew each other well enough.

But tonight, Belvina lied again, and Bassheda failed to see through her lie.

"What's wrong with you? Where has your mind wandered off to?" Belvina asked, noticing Bassheda's unusual behavior; the ancient Rune Sweetheart was lost in thought.

"It's nothing," Bassheda said dismissively. "Didn't you say you wanted to be a minister when you were in school? I just suddenly remembered it."

"Really? I don't think I ever said I wanted to be the principal, did I?" Belvina raised her hand and touched her smooth forehead.