Mirror of Maybe
is a novel-length Harry Potter fanfic written by Midnight Blue. The first chapter was published during the Three Year Summer, meaning it is only Canon through the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
It begins with an end-of-year party for Harry's fifth year. Cornelius Fudge brought a mirror to the event which allows the students to see a few minutes into the future. When Harry looks into it, he is pulled in and lives thirteen years into a possible future. When the mirror spits him back out again, only a few minutes later, he becomes determined to Set Right What Once Went Wrong. And make Severus Snape fall in love with him again.
Mirror of Maybe contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: The Dursleys, as canon, even though they're not really his parents. Unlike many fanfics, however, it is noted in the out-of-sequence Chapter 99 that the abuse was never physical.
- Arch-Enemy: Voldemort. Not only is he the main, recurring villain, it's also implied that he's always involved in Harry's Key Incidents which the mirror uses to predict the future.
- Brutal Honesty: This is the explanation for Severus' canon callousness and biting comments; he genuinely believes what he is saying, and finds it distasteful and even immoral to remain silent about it or cover it with polite lies. Moreover, he considers many Gryffindors hypocrites and cowards for not being willing to face hard truths.
- Experienced Protagonist: Because of his time in the mirror, Harry starts not only having completed his training, but also with experience in the coming war.
- I Gave My Word: Severus makes this his lifestyle. He never lies, unless it is required by his position as a spy. This is what makes Harry first take real notice of him (in the mirror); someone expresses surprise that Severus followed through in going out of his way to help them, and Severus simply replies - rather irritably - "I said I would, didn't I?"
- Magic Mirror: The titular Mirror of Maybe.
- Mean Boss: Voldemort tortures his servants on a regular basis for any failure. More than that, since he intends to live forever, he forces his all-male inner circle to marry certain women and produce children so he will always have strong servants. Even if they happen to be gay.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: As soon as Harry realizes it's possible, this becomes his goal for the war with Voldemort.
