Tanya Degurechaff’s Hogwarts Adventure

Tanya Degurechaff

I was expecting to awaken on December 25th to an empty room, go down to see how Christmas was celebrated by those historically ostracized by fearful suspicious fools, before returning to the Common Room, cozying up close to the fire with a borrowed book from the library.

I did wake up alone, but not to an empty bed. The foot of the bed was covered in presents to the point of spilling onto the floor. I took a moment to decide if I should take the presents down to the Common Room to open with Harry and the Weasley brothers.

The first gift I opened in the privacy of my room turned out to be a sweater from Mrs. Weasley. An oversized green monstrosity with red flowers on it, some sort of orchid if I was not mistaken. I was practically swallowed by the fluffy warm sweater as I put it on. Along with the sweater was a box of fudge. Taking a piece as I grabbed a piece of parchment and quill to write who got me what to ensure I appropriately thanked them, I found the fudge to be rather agreeable as a snack.

The next package was from Hermione and was a small case of chocolate frogs. I wrote down a note about Hermione's gift and slid the chocolate stash under my bed for later enjoyment.

Having opened two of the smaller gifts, I allowed my curiosity to take me to the largest gift. An impressively sized box wrapped in a beautiful and ornate paper and a bow that felt like it might be made from an actually good quality fabric. Pulling out the attached letter I saw that this present was from Malfoy. The letter contained an apology for his behavior and his desire to start over as friends.

I made a note to let him know his apology was accepted. After opening the gift, I added an additional note to make it clear that while I was open to his friendship, I was still not interested in a romantic relationship with him.

There was a reasonable guess that he simply had no sense of the value of his gift to an orphan without wealthy parents. The gift was a beautiful coffee set for preparing and serving Turkish style coffee. A small pot with a long handle for boiling the grounds in water before pouring into the coffee cups. All of it was in a very ornate silver with swirling filigree patterns, including a serving tray and small dish.

Turkish coffee was not my favorite preparation for coffee. The texture of the unfiltered coffee was much thicker and fuller, almost as if it was a latte made with coffee flavored heavy cream. I preferred a pour over or drip style of filtered coffee. An Americano if I was to get an espresso based drink.

With that said, I did develop some fondness for the almost ritualistic yet casual way the coffee shops in the Middle East would handle their coffee in the Turkish style. Going to a coffee shop was to talk and slowly enjoy coffee over the course of an hour at minimum with the other patrons. I would happily make use of this set… if I had any beans or a grinder capable of getting fine enough grounds. Currently, Malfoy had given me a very fine display piece with no practical purpose.

I underlined my note to accept Malfoy's apology.

The next gift was unsigned, though the handwriting looked familiar. Opening the gift confirmed my suspicions. I could think of one person that might have given me a bag of chocolate covered coffee beans. If he wanted to be circumspect in gifting the beans, I was willing to be circumspect when I thanked him later.

The last two gifts were from Lavender and Parvati. A chocolate bar from a brand I was unfamiliar with, but looked to be of decent quality from Lavender and a small bag of coffee beans from Parvati. I made notes to express my appreciation to the two before wandering down to the common room.

After the holiday feast was done, perhaps I should ask Madam Pince if she knew which book would contain a charm for grinding items into a powder. Turkish coffee required the beans to be very finely ground, to a similar consistency to flour. In theory, I could use the mortar and pestle used for my potions class, but that risked cross contamination and I didn't know if the portion ingredients were safe to consume outside of a potion meant for consumption.

"Look Percy, even Troll Crusher got a sweater," one of the Weasley twins said as he helped push Percy down. Fred judging by the large yellow F on his blue sweater.

"Her name is Tanya," Percy said as he struggled to get his arms the right way through his sweater.

"I do not mind their nickname for me," I told Percy with a smile. "Considering Gryffindor is supposedly the house of the brave, Troll Crusher seems appropriately Gryffindorish and is more preferable to some call signs I have received in the past."

"What nicknames bother you?" Ron in his maroon sweater asked from behind his brothers, coming down the stairs with Harry.

I put a little edge into my smile and voice as I told them, "I would greatly prefer it if none of you ever called me Fairy or Pixie."

Seeing everyone nodding their heads in agreement, I decided to change the topic to something more pleasant than a few annoying call signs I previously had.

"Everyone satisfied with their Christmas gifts?"

"Yeah, the haul was great," Ron said as he went to drop his body onto one of the couches. "Bloody hell, Harry even got a gift from that git Malfoy."

"He apologized for his behavior when he was leaving at the start of the holiday break," Harry said, taking a seat next to Ron.

"I received an apology with the gift he sent me as well," I said before directing my next statement at Ron. "Mr. Malfoy seems to have gained an understanding that his attempts at friendship were poorly done and he wishes to start over. I believe we should be willing to accept his offer of friendship and help him learn how one befriends others."

"You're going to become friends with a snake?" George, going by the G on his sweater, said.

"Don't let Wood hear. He might think the little snake is a spy," Fred said.

"Knock it off you two," Percy said, looking annoyed at his brothers. "I think it is good that they are putting their differences aside and appropriately networking."

"Thank you," I said to Percy. There was much Ron could still learn from each of his older brothers. "Shall we head down to breakfast?"

Breakfast was a small affair, nearly a light snack, as the older Weasleys suggested that Harry, Ron, and myself save space for the Christmas Dinner. The Dinner turned out to be a lavish lunch of turkey, roasts, sausages, potatoes, and so much more all set on platters and separated by piles of magical Christmas Crackers. A few years at the orphanage we would be lucky enough to receive enough of the non magical Crackers for all the children to have fun with the holes inside and the paper crowns and little toys. The magical versions were similar in many ways, but the magic produced a louder bang when cracked open and the hats were not simple little paper crowns, but actual hats. As silly as I no doubt looked, I put on the top hat that I got out of one of the Crackers. Even the toys were more elaborate and included sets of Wizard Chess pieces, decks of cards, and other more substantial toys and games than should be able to fit inside such small tubes.

The Great Hall was full of laughter and cheer as the teachers let their hair down and, if Mr. Hagrid was any indication, partook in a few adult beverages that I would have to wait a few years before I could once again partake in the joy of.

After the meal, the boys convinced me to go outside to 'enjoy' the snow with them. The snowball fight ended up being unfairly boys versus girl. Just because I had better aim than any of them didn't mean they had to gang up on me like that. After managing to dodge for a while I convinced them to help me build a snowman that we left my hat on before heading inside to warm up by the common room fire.

Talking with Percy, I found he actually had the grinding spell I was looking for in one of his books. The twins were interested in learning the spell as well, seeing the benefit for their potion making. I got the coffee Parvati had gifted me to practice on and after a few attempts the three of us were able to get a decent amount of grounds fine enough to use with the Turkish set Malfoy got me.

Percy ended up being the only one to join me in actually enjoying the coffee, though Harry was kind enough finish the sample before saying it was too bitter for him.

All told, the secular manner the holiday seemed to be celebrated in the Magical Community, if today was any indication, was far more enjoyable than spending most of the day in Church services.

—-

Harry Potter

It was late at night when Harry remembered the gift from the mysterious person, the invisibility cloak that had once belonged to his dad. Looking over to the other occupied bed, Harry decided to move quietly as he went over to where he had left the cloak, underneath his bed. Pulling it out, Harry stroked the smooth material. Smoother than silk and lighter than air. The note with the cloak has said it was his father's and that he should use it well.

Looking to Ron, Harry got a small smile on his face. They would use it together later, but for tonight Harry wanted to experience it himself. It was his cloak and he wanted to have it by himself.

Throwing the fabric on and not seeing his reflection in the mirror, Harry crept downstairs and through the Fat Lady's portrait into the hall outside the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry thought for a moment where to go before letting his feet guide him through the halls. There was nowhere specific he needed to see, but the castle looked so different at night and empty of people. The portraits were asleep for the most part with only a few nocturnal ones still awake. He passed the Fat Friar and Grey Lady having a conversation in one hallway.

Snape was out. Harry turned a corner and saw the potions professor drinking from a steaming mug alone in a hallway. Harrysaw Snape turn towards him and seem to look directly at him before turning back to his drink. Harry slowly went the other way, moving as quietly as he could. Seeing a door ajar, Harry slipped through into an unused classroom.

The desks and chairs were pushed against one wall and the room had a feel of being used for storage to Harry. Especially with a large standing mirror in one corner. With a smile, Harry crept closer to the mirror, wanting to look in the mirror again and not see himself standing there.

With a gasp, Harry whirled around before looking back at the mirror with his fist in his mouth to keep from making any noise that might carry to where Snape was.

The mirror did not show the empty classroom Harry was in. The the reflective surface displayed a crowd of people with Harry in the middle. The red haired lady behind Harry was within reach if Harry could just touch her. Stretching back while watching the mirror, Harry found he was still by himself, invisible, in the middle of an unused classroom, regardless of what the mirror showed.

Looking closer at the two closest to him in the mirror, Harry's eyes grew misty.

"Mom? Dad?"

Harry looked around at the other people and realized they were his family. He stood there quietly, soaking in their presence until he heard a noise that broke his focus. Looking around, Harry knew he had to get back to bed soon.

The next morning Harry told Tanya and Ron about what he saw.

"You could have woken me up," Ron said crossly.

"You can come tonight. I'm going back. I can show you the mirror," Harry said.

"Or we can go now," Tanya said, getting up. "We don't have to be anywhere specific right now and can do what we want. And if we want to look at a mirror in an empty classroom, no one can stop us. If we go at night, we could get in trouble for being out after curfew."

Harry smiled and agreed, getting up to grab some warm clothes as they would be leaving the warm Common Room to explore the rest of the much colder castle.

It took the group a while following Harry as he tried to remember how to get back to the room. Harry got in front of the mirror and pointed at it.

"Look, they're there."

"I only see you," Ron said.

"Maybe you need to look at it from the right angle, come over here. Now do you see my family?"

"No." Ron paused and just stared at himself in the mirror. When he resumed speaking his voice was barely above a whisper, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Look at me."

"Do you see your family?"

"No. I just see myself, but I'm older. And I'm Head Boy."

Tanya moved to stand beside Ron, looking at the mirror.

Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as Tanya gasped at what she saw. Looking at her, Harry saw her eyes shimmering as a tear began rolling down her cheek.

Harry's neck itched.

Tanya moved closer to the mirror, lightly touching the surface as she looked up at the inscription at the top.

"What do you see?" Ron asked Tanya.

"Socks."

"Socks?"

"Just, just leave it at that. Please." Tanya's voice was softer than Harry had ever heard it before. "That explains it."

" 'What?' " Harry and Ron asked at the same time.

Tanya pointed towards some words on the mirror's frame that Harry hadn't noticed before now. "The inscription here is backwards. As if transcribed by looking in a mirror. 'I show not your face, but your heart's desire'."

"So you desire socks?" Harry flinched at Ron's question.

"I do not want to discuss what I desire. I cannot have it, but you can have yours." Tanya turned to Ron. "If you work hard, your desires are achievable. I can help you, but you will have to put in the effort."

Ron nodded and Tanya went to stand next to him, looking into the mirror as if seeing what he saw.

"Is being Head Boy all you see? Or do you desire more?"

"No. No, I am also holding the House and Quidditch Cups. And I am the Quidditch Captain."

"When Wood gets back, we will talk to him about you apprenticing under him as captain and getting you up to speed as a reserve player."

"Thanks," Ron said.

Turning towards Harry, Tanya fixed her gaze upon him. "What is in the past should be left there. There is no bringing back the dead, no matter how much we may hate it."

Tanya left the room.

Ron was the one to break the silence they stood in. "She did not see socks in the mirror."

Harry felt he knew what, or rather who, Tanya saw in the mirror, but it was not his place to speculate about their friend.

"I'm heading back to the Common Room. You coming?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. I think I want to look at my family a little longer."

Ron nodded his head. "Ok. Just, uh, just try not to spend too much time."

Harry sat in front of the mirror as the door closed behind Ron.

"Your friends are right, you know."

Harry whirled around to the voice. "Dumbledore! How?"

Dumbledore gave a smile as his eyes twinkled. "I do not need a cloak to become invisible."

Dumbledore moved in front of the mirror and squatted down to place a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Ms. Degurechaff is right that the inscription is backwards and that it explains the function of the Mirror of Erised rather succinctly. This mirror shows us nothing more and nothing less than our deepest desires. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."

"And Tanya sees socks?"

"I rather suspect your friend might not have been entirely truthful about what she saw." Dumbledore looked into the mirror with a gentle smile. Harry saw his parents waving at him in the reflection and no clues on what Dumbledore was looking at. "However, I do believe her stated desire is a rather good one. One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't receive a single sock. People insist on giving me books."

"If I may ask, what do you see, Professor?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a soft smile. "I believe I will be stealing young Ms. Degurechaff's answer and say socks."

Harry frowned in thought. "You aren't being truthful either, are you sir?"

Dumbledore stood up and helped Harry to his feet. "Much like your friend, my desires are rather private and I do not wish to dwell on them long. Now how about we head down to the Great Hall? I do believe the house elves have prepared some hot chocolate with a bit of peppermint. A delightful combination."

"House elves?" Harry asked as he let Dumbledore lead him out of the room.

"Who do you think~," Dumbledore trailed off as he and Harry saw Tanya standing in the arch of a window, her back turned towards them. Standing on the outside of the window as she took a step off the edge.

Dumbledore moved, his wand coming to hand as he started to run as Tanya twisted in mid air. Twisted, spun, and did not fall. Harry was next to Dumbledore staring out the window, their faces pressed against the glass as they watched Tanya seem to dance in the air. Moving, twisting, spinning, skating through the air with the surety that she could traverse the empty space as easily as any hallway inside the castle.

Dumbledore gave a chuckle. "Well, that is not something you see too often."

—-

Tanya Degurechaff

Flight was a complicated series of formulas that took incredible focus to maintain without the aid of a computation orb. Perhaps there was a spell usable with wands that would make the process simpler, but that incredible focus was what I wanted. A few moments of the joy of flight combined with incredible focus would get my mind off of what the mirror showed me.

In officer school when given lessons on how to utilize magic and the computation orbs, we were taught the flight formula as an emergency resource. In combat situations, we would be sitting ducks as our movement is slow and sluggish. Parachutes had shown consistently safer results as a backup to computation orbs as they work even when the mage is unconscious or injured.

I could feel the mental strain as I kept the formula going and stable as I floated slowly in the air. My mind dull with the distraction as I burnt off my frustrations.

Moege die ewige Ruhe dich bewahren.