Christmas, 2377
"Come on Commander, down here. If they find us we’ll be expelled for sure."
A small hand grabbed hold of his, dragging him down yet another dim corridor. The cloak currently draped over their shoulders might have rendered them invisible to prying eyes but it did little to deaden the sound of their footsteps.
"In here."
She stopped suddenly, forcing him to brace his hands against the wooden door. As the alternative was to have squashed her flatter than one of Neelix’s infamous leola root pancakes, he flattened his palms against the rough wood, flinching slightly as a splinter embedded itself into his left thumb.
Naomi chose that precise moment to turn and give him a quick hug. Looking down at her face, glowing with excitement he found himself returning her grin.
"Isn’t this the best Christmas present ever? Mom says Tom spent months working on it."
Chakotay let another grin slip free. If he remembered correctly B'Elanna had had a few choice words to say about the amount of time her husband had been spending in the holo-labs lately. Of course, she’d relented when she discovered the recipient of Paris’s latest masterpiece was a certain young lady by the name of Naomi.
He was about to speak when a sinister meow sounded from the shadows. He could tell from Naomi’s startled gasp that this was not good.
"Oh no… it's Mrs. Norris."
Naomi moved quickly, dragging him through the crumbling archway before he’d had a chance to enquire as to who Mrs. Norris was, and what role she had to play here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Perhaps he should have taken Kathryn’s advice and done a little research into the story behind the holonovel before allowing himself to be talked into taking part.
Finally free from pursuit, they were able to shrug off the cloak and take stock of their surroundings. What little illumination there was came from the grime encrusted windows set in the east wall. For a moment Chakotay mourned for the lamp they had been forced to leave behind in the library when they’d been disturbed ransacking the restricted section. As their eyes adapted to the gloom, shadows slowly resolved into discarded chairs and overturned tables… identifying their sanctuary as a disused classroom.
"What’s that?"
Naomi didn’t wait for an answer, racing across the room to stand at the base of what had to be the largest mirror Chakotay had ever seen.
As high as the ceiling, it was contained within an ornate gold frame into which an inscription was carved. Dust clung to every surface, obscuring much of the script, but something about the words reminded Chakotay of childhood intrigues.
'Erised stra eh…t ub…afru oyt on w…hsi.'
Curious, he moved closer but was, once again, beaten by Naomi who stepped up to the mirror, her small face alive with excitement. It took only a second or two for the excitement to be replaced by confusion.
"Something’s wrong… Where’s my reflection?"
The words had barely left her mouth before she’d let out a small scream and whirled round, her eyes searching through the shadows in the room. Instantly alert Chakotay moved to shield her from whatever danger she’d spotted, but despite his best efforts he could see nothing that warranted such alarm.
When he turned back Naomi was once again staring at the mirror; her eyes fixed on a sight only she seemed able to see.
"Look at me…" She reached out and touched the dusty surface, a look of wonder on her face. "I’m a Captain, and there’s Mom and my father. Everyone’s smiling at me..."
She was so close to the mirror now that her nose was nearly touching that of her reflection.
"Can’t you see them all?"
"Sorry Naomi… I can only see you, and some cobwebs."
He tactfully refrained from mentioning the large spiders that came with them.
Throwing him an exasperated glance she stepped aside.
"Perhaps you're not looking into it properly. Go on, stand where I was and then you’ll see."
Never one to disappoint a lady, Chakotay took up position directly in front of the mirror. Naomi watched him with barely contained excitement. Time seemed to stand still as he stared into the depths of the glass. A flash of something that might have been pain raced across his features, leaving in its wake an emptiness that made the little girl want to throw her arms around him and give him a big hug.
"Did you see them?"
Chakotay dragged his eyes away from the images captured within the glass. Not trusting his voice he nodded, grateful for the fact that Naomi didn’t ask him to elaborate.
"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"
"Perhaps…" Balling his hands into fists, Chakotay ruthlessly suppressed the trembling that threatened to expose him. "But we both know there will be no future for either of us if we miss dinner. Rumour has it Neelix has surpassed himself this year."
"But Commander… we still don’t know who Nicholas Flamel is!" She stared up at him beseechingly. "And then there’s that three headed dog…"
"Naomi!"
"I know…" She took one last look at the smiling woman in the mirror, marvelling at the four shiny pips nestling on her collar. "I promised Mom I wouldn’t be late, but… can we come back tomorrow?"
"I’ll see what I can do."
The words echoed in his head as he stood staring once more at the mirror. He was alone this time, his companion from this afternoon safely tucked up asleep in bed. The past few hours had been torture for him, forced to socialise with the crew he’d finally pleaded exhaustion and hidden himself away in his quarters. Once there he’d paced the floor, waiting nervously for his chance to return, unobserved, to the holodeck.
He’d been afraid it was all a dream, that he’d get here and find them gone. But they were still there, smiling back at him. Red hair glinted in the sunshine as she reached down to pick up the child running towards her. Identical smiles turned towards him, warming his soul while simultaneously breaking his heart. A second child clambered into view, arms outstretched towards him. Smiling, Kathryn scooped him up, balancing a child on each hip.
"Back again, Commander?"
He’d been so engrossed in the images that he’d failed to notice that he was no longer alone. An old man, his hair and beard the colour of snow stood motionless by one of the discarded desks. Albus Dumbledore. Naomi had pointed him out that afternoon, her voice filled with wonder.
"Forgive me. I didn’t realise you were there."
The old man seemed to grow sad at his words. Without warning he started to move, crossing the intervening space with a grace that belied his age.
"I see you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. By now I expect you realise what it does?"
"I know what it doesn’t do," Chakotay whispered the words, "it doesn’t show the future."
A soft sigh sounded from beside him.
"No, it doesn’t. Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. For those of us less fortunate the mirror reveals nothing less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. However, be warned… this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.
"Do not condemn yourself to such a fate, Commander. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
The words hung in the air long after the one who had uttered them had faded back into the shadows. Yet somewhere deep inside him a voice took up the chant, clearing a way through the memories of seven long years of frustrated dreams and squandered opportunities, to focus instead on the promise of the here and now.
A bittersweet smile tugged at his lips as he watched a Kathryn he would never know reach out to him, her eyes alight with equal measures of love and laughter.
Leaning forward he placed a soft kiss on her smiling lips.
"I love you, Kathryn, I always will… but I can’t allow myself to be in love with you any longer. It’s not fair on either of us. I don’t expect you to understand, I barely understand it myself, but I hope one day you’ll forgive me for what I’m about to do…"
His decision made, Voyager's first officer turned his back on seven years of dreams and strode purposefully out of the holodeck.
Additional Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling owns all things Harry Potter, including the vast majority of the words spoken by Albus Dumbedore in this piece. I considered changing her words but it took the heart out of the piece.
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