Harry had had the best Christmas that he had ever had in his entire life. He was very happy that he had allowed Draco to talk him into spending Christmas with him, instead of with Haiden as he had originally planned. Harry had originally planned to point Haiden in the right direction of where to look to figure out who Nicolas Flamel was. Because, though it had at first been funny watching Haiden and his friends wander around the library lost and confused, it was now quickly becoming annoying. They were getting on both his and Madam Pince's nerves. However, since Harry was now planning to spend Christmas with Draco, his plan had quickly changed.
The weeks leading to the Winter Holidays, Harry spent all of his free time in the Restricted Section researching the Sorcerer's Stone and how it was made. He then had Severus order him the ingredients that he, himself, couldn't order because of his age. And with the help of Draco, he spent a good portion of his Winter Holiday making a replica of the Sorcerer's Stone for Haiden, sure that it would help his brother (if not Hermione) remember who Nicolas Flamel was.
When Harry had first gotten to the Malfoy Manor and met Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius terrified him. And had Draco not been holding his hand, Harry was pretty sure that he would have bolted for the nearest cupboard and hid there for the rest of the holiday. However, after getting to know Lucius, Harry found that the man wasn't at all what he seemed. Though Lucius seemed to be a hard and uncaring man to the outside world, he was actually a very loving and compassionate man to the people closest to him. It warmed Harry's heart and made him feel bad for being frightened of the man.
Narcissa Malfoy was a beautiful woman with enchanting storm grey eyes and long, silky blonde hair. And, according to Draco, the first time that Narcissa had seen Harry, she instantly fell in love with his wide, doe-like, emerald eyes. Narcissa was very smart, funny, witty, and sassy. She was also very pampered and liked things to be a certain way, and Lucius was happy to spoil her.
On Christmas day, during Christmas Breakfast, Harry had been reintroduced to Severus Snape. At the Malfoy Manor, Severus was neither a professor, nor a Potions Master (or even the man that helped Harry in Diagon Alley), he was just Uncle Severus the family friend and Draco's Godfather. Severus dropped his mask and allowed himself to smile, laugh, and even joke around.
At first, Harry wasn't sure how to act around this new Severus. However, he soon warmed up to Severus after the man 'stole' (according to Draco) Harry away and showed him some of his secret hiding places in the Malfoy garden. After Harry was able to warm up to Severus, Harry told the man that Haiden thought that he was trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. And then he had to explain how he even knew that the stone was being protected by Fluffy (and, hopefully, the other traps) in the forbidden corridor.
After a light Christmas Lunch, the five of them opened their presents. Harry got different prank candies from the Weasley twins and, at the insistence of Draco and Severus, slipped one to Lucius. Everyone howled in laughter when Lucius's white hair slowly began to cycle through the colors of a neon rainbow. At Narcissa's insistence, Lucius got up and began to strike ridiculous poses, causing everyone to laugh even harder.
Harry had also received a hand-knitted ocean blue sweater (that reminded Harry of Haiden's eyes) from Mrs. Weasley. Though at some point during the night the sweater disappeared, and Harry never saw it again. He did ask Draco what happened to the sweater, and Draco told him that he had the house elves 'take care of it'. The box of homemade fudge that had come with the sweater had also disappeared.
From his aunt and uncle, Harry received a Fifty-pence. And was saddened, yet not surprised, when he didn't receive anything from his brother.
Draco had given him a beautiful silver necklace that had a dragon wrapped around a sleeping kitten. Harry loved it. He gave Draco as small kiss on the cheek that made Draco's face explode in a bright red, which caused the three adults to tease Draco until he yelled at them to stop.
Harry had sent the Sorcerer's Stone replica and a box that he had carved the transmutation circle (that was said to have been used to create the actual stone) on the lid to Haiden. He hoped that even if the stone didn't help Haiden, then the transmutation circle (which Flamel was known to use) would help him.
As there had been no actual recipe for the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry had had to figure out how to make the replica using trial and error, which left Harry with a lot of failed attempts. He sent a few of the stable ones (the ones he knew wouldn't blow up or cause serious harm) to Fred and George knowing that they would find a way to incorporate them into a prank.
Harry had also given Draco two of the many failed attempts. One was a fine powder of Silver-blue dust that, when tossed into the air, would show what the person most desired, even if at the time they didn't realize they desired it. The other was a fine powder of midnight blue dust that, when sprinkled on a piece of fabric and then worn, would temporarily turn the wearer invisible. Harry had made Draco swear to him that he wouldn't use the invisibility powder to break into the Gryffindor Tower. Reluctantly Draco swore not to break into the Gryffindor Tower.
After the wonderful Christmas he had, Harry was almost reluctant to return to the school and all the drama that went along with it. However, he did go back and soon found himself in the Gryffindor common room sitting in between Fred and George. He happily told them all about his time with Draco and his family (purposely ignoring any snide remarks or rude snorts from Ron who was playing chess with Hermione), and eagerly listened to Fred and George's adventures in Romania.
"Oh," Harry gasped, "did the stone I made help you find Nicolas Flamel?" He asked Hermione, causing her to look away from the chess board and look at him in confusion.
"What stone?" Hermione asked.
"The replica stone that I made and sent to Haiden. It was supposed to help the three of you figure out who Nicolas Flamel is." Harry explained.
"Haiden never showed me any stone." Hermione said before looking at Ron. "Has he shown you any stone?"
"Nope." Ron grunted before making his move.
"Oh." Harry muttered sadly, did his brother even care how much time he had spent to get that replica just right. How many times he had come close to seriously hurting himself to find the right combination of ingredients. How many nights he stayed up studying and stressing over how to get the transfiguration circle to work and which transfiguration circle to use.
"Thank you for your wonderful gifts, Harry." George said as if sensing the change in Harry's mood. Harry snapped out of his thoughts and smiled up at the older boy.
"You're very welcome. I had a feeling that they would be useful for a prank or to stabilize any of your potions." Harry explained for them.
"You know us so well, Kitten." Fred laughed out. "We've been trying to see if one of the many powders you sent us could help stabilize our mobile swamp that we've been–" he was interrupted by the common room door swinging open and a pissed Haiden stormed over to them, his ocean blue eyes glaring at the Weasley twins.
"Where were you? We had practice today!" Haiden hissed out.
"Wood knew we weren't going to be there today. You know that we have permission to skip practice every now and then to allow our reserves to get more practice time." They told him earning an annoyed huff from Haiden.
"Well, you missed the big announcement." Haiden told them as he stomped around the couch and plopped down in a seat next to Ron.
"What announcement?" Fred asked.
"Snape's refereeing." Haiden spat out, causing Ron to mess up as he whipped his head around to look at Haiden in shock.
"What? Since when does that slimy bastard ever referee a Quidditch match? You know he's only refereeing so that he can keep Gryffindor from overtaking Slytherin." Ron grumbled.
"I understand that you guys don't like Severus, but can you not talk about him like that in front of me?" Harry asked with a sigh.
"Or what, you gonna run to your Slytherin boyfriend and get him to complain to his dad?" Ron asked glaring at him.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Oh, don't play dumb, we all know you're dating Draco Malfoy." Ron said.
"I'm not dating Draco." Harry said before looking up at Fred and George. "Am I?"
"No, Kitten, you're not dating him." George told him.
"And you won't be until he asks you properly." Fred added.
"Can we focus on what's really important. What are we going to do about Snape refereeing?" Haiden asked glaring at Fred and George.
"Don't play." Hermione suggested.
"Say you're ill." Ron chimed in.
"Pretend to break your leg." Hermione threw out.
"Actually break your leg." Ron said causing Harry to look at him in shock. What kind of friend tells you to break your leg on purpose?
"Can't." Haiden said glaring at them all. "Unlike your brothers over there, I don't have a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all. And if I don't play, Gryffindor will have to forfeit." At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How the boy had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what everyone instantly recognized as the Leg-Locker Curse. Harry felt sorry for the boy who must have had to bunny hop all the way up to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry got off the couch and helped Neville up, while undoing the curse, after the boy had fallen on his face causing everyone (but his small group) in the common room to laugh.
"What happened?" Hermione asked as Harry led Neville over to the couch.
"Malfoy." Neville said nervously glancing at Harry. "I met him outside the library. He said that he'd been looking for someone to practice the curse on." Harry caught Haiden smirking and rolled his eyes at him.
"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville who looked fearfully at Harry. "Report him!" Neville shook his head.
"I don't want any more trouble." He mumbled as he continued to glance nervously at Harry.
"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" Ron said. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."
"There's no need to tell me that I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that." Neville choked out.
"Neville, look at me." Harry said and Neville's eyes flew over to him. "Now, everyone here knows that I'm Draco's friend." He ignored a rude remark muttered under Ron's breath that earned him a book thrown at him by George. "And as Draco's friend, I believe that I have earned the right to tell you this." Harry placed his hand on Neville's shoulder and watched the boy gulp. "You need to report him." Harry nearly laughed at the shocked looks on Hermione, Ron, Haiden, and Neville's face. "The only reason the Draco is walking all over you is because you are letting him, you need to find a way to dig deep into your soul and pull out that Gryffindor courage that the hat must have seen. It placed you in the house of courage for a reason." Neville gave a small squeak of fear at that. "You don't have to start out big, you can start out small, like saying no to someone like me or even Haiden and then slowly work your way up to finally being able to stand up to Draco." Neville's lips twitched into a weak smile as a Chocolate Frog suddenly hit him in the head.
"My brother's right. You were placed in Gryffindor for a reason. You've just got to find that reason." Haiden said with a smirk.
"Thanks Harry, Haiden… I think I'll go to bed… D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?" Neville asked and Harry saw shock flash across Haiden's face. Had Haiden not expected his friend to pick up a habit of his? As Neville walked away, Haiden glanced at the card.
"Dumbledore again." He muttered tossing the card to the ground. Knowing that Nicolas Flamel was mentioned on that card, Harry shot from the couch (startling Fred and George who had decided to do some homework) and grab the card. "He was the first one I ever–" Haiden cut himself off when Harry shoved the card in front of Haiden's face, making sure that Nicolas Flamel's name was in front of Haiden's eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Read it." Harry demanded.
"What?" Haiden asked in confusion.
"Read it." Harry repeated.
"Why?" Haiden asked suspiciously.
"Please." Harry begged. With a sigh, Haiden took the card from Harry and began to read it.
"'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel–'" Haiden stopped reading with a gasp and Hermione jumped to her feet with a soft cry of "Oh!"
"Stay here!" She said before taking off towards the stairs to the girl's dormitories. Harry sat back down in between Fred and George who were both giving him a look of confused amusement. However, before they could comment on anything, Hermione was back and with an enormous old book in her arms. "You were right Harry; I did know where to look! I just never thought to look in here. I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."
"Light?" Ron asked and the unamused stare that Hermione gave him shut Ron up as she frantically flicked through the pages.
"Haiden, earlier Harry mentioned something about sending you a stone replica of something."
"Uh…" Haiden said looking as if he were trying to recall something. "Yeah, I think I remember getting something like a stone from Harry." Anger and pain flew through him, his brother hadn't even remembered his gift. Maybe Draco was right, maybe he should just stop trying to salvage his relationship with his brother. What was the point in wasting his energy and getting his heart torn to shreds when Haiden obviously didn't care.
"Well, go get it. Let me see it!" Hermione ordered sounding very frustrated with Haiden. Haiden sat there glaring at Hermione. "Now!" She snapped and Haiden rolled his eyes before getting up and quickly made his way to the boy's dormitory. Five minutes later, Haiden had come back holding the small wooden box Harry had sent him. Haiden handed Hermione the box and sat back in his seat as Hermione opened the box, pulling out the replica stone. "I thought so!" Hermione all but yelled. "Why didn't you show this to me the moment I got back! This could have solved this mystery weeks ago!"
"Why? What is it?" Ron asked as Haiden took the stone from Hermione.
"Really, Ron, you don't recognize that?" George asked in shock.
"If I did then I wouldn't have asked." Ron said, clearly annoyed.
"This," Hermione said taking the stone back from Haiden (earning an annoyed look) and holding it out for everyone in their group to see it, "is the Sorcerer's Stone."
"Actually, it's just a replica in looks only. I couldn't actually make the real one in the time that I gave myself." Harry said, pretty sure that had he given himself more time, he would have figured out how to create the actual working stone.
"It's a damn good replica." Fred whispered in awe as he reached out and gently took it from Hermione. "Is this were all those dusts you sent us came from? You trying to create this?"
"Yeah, no matter how much I searched, I just couldn't find an actual recipe, just a list of ingredients that had been used." Harry said feeling both proud and a little shy.
"What does a stone have to do with Nicolas Flamel?" Haiden asked as the lid of the box caught Hermione's attention.
"Is this?" Hermione asked as she picked up the box to closely examine the lid. "Did you… Is this… You didn't seriously carve the actual transmutation circle into the lid of the box!" Hermione cried out.
"I don't honestly know if it's the actual circle, but it's what most of the books speculate is the circle." Harry explained.
"What does a stone and a damn circle have to do with Nicolas Flamel?" Haiden asked again, frustrated with the fact that he had been ignored.
"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look – read that, there." Hermione ordered shoving the book towards Haiden and Ron as she continued to examine the stone and box lid.
"'The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and sixty-eight).'" Ron read aloud.
"See?" Hermione said. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry glanced at the Weasley twins who seemed more interested in the replica stone (that they had taken from Hermione). "I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and Flamel knew someone was after it. That's why Flamel wanted the stone moved out of Gringotts!"
"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" Haiden gasped out. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it!"
"Stop accusing Severus of going after the stone!" Harry snapped out causing the Weasley twins to look at him in shock, never having heard Harry sound like that.
"Why do you keep defending Professor Snape?" Haiden snapped out.
"Why are you so sure that he's up to something?" Harry asked.
"Because he's a bastard that hates me!" Haiden yelled.
"So, because you believe he hates you, he's now the prime suspect for stealing the stone? When you, yourself, just stated that anyone would want it?" Harry said standing up and began to leave only to pause and look over his shoulder at his brother with a hard look. "And I'm defending Severus because I know he's a good guy. He was the one who found (and helped me) when you and Hagrid abandoned me in Diagon Alley." With that said he left the Gryffindor Tower with Fred and George quickly following him.
"Want to talk about what just happened?" Fred asked after a few tense minutes of wandering around.
"What's there to talk about? My older brother and our temporary guardian, that was assigned to take us to get our school supplies, left me sitting in front of Madam Malkin's shop for three hours before Professor Snape found me. End of story." Harry said, his tone clearly stating that that subject was a sore one for him. It was silent for another few tense moments before anyone spoke again.
"So, what's this about a dog guarding the Sorcerer's Stone?" George asked causing Harry to suddenly stop walking and spin around to look at the two older boys. He didn't know why, but Harry was suddenly fearful of their lives. Something was whispering that if they got curious and looked into what had been discussed about Severus and the Sorcerer's Stone, that these boys would die.
"Nothing! Forget what you heard! It's just a silly game we're playing!" Harry all but screamed out.
"It's all right, Kitten, calm down. It's forgotten about." The twins said pulling Harry into a hug.
"It's still quite impressive that you were actually able to make a replica of the Sorcerer's Stone." Fred said.
"Do you think you could make us one?" George asked and Harry launched into the details of how hard it had been. He told them everything he did, everything he tried, and everything that failed. Harry even told him the time that he almost set the room on fire, and how mad Draco had gotten when he had found out.