The tree was gone. The normally dour potions master honestly had no idea why he was so surprised. The thing had been doing the unexpected ever since it first appeared, the result of a mispronounced spell that the newest occupant of his quarters had been practicing. He could remember with perfect clarity the day it had appeared.

It had been the first of the New Year that the little evergreen had sprouted, melding seamlessly with flagstones of his sitting room floor. It was just a tiny thing, no higher than his knee. He might even have been inclined to put it somewhere it could provide the boy with tacit encouragement. Making a tree, even accidentally, was no small feat for an eleven year old.

If he were truthful with himself, he would have most likely ignored it. Unfortunately, it had been conjured up in the precise center of his sitting room. Given that its location was rather undesired on his part, it was with some small stirrings of regret that he endeavored to remove it.

He had felt a bizarre mixture of annoyance and blazing pride when he had been entirely unsuccessful. The stubborn little plant had resisted every spell he thrown at it, from simple vanishing spells to the most powerful curses and hexes he knew. After that it had resisted plain old pulling. In desperation he had asked for assistance from first Minerva, and when she was unsuccessful, Albus himself

Even the headmaster's potent magic and extensive knowledge of spells had proved fruitless. The little tree simply sat there, looking as fresh as the day it first appeared. At this point, Severus simply gave up on trying to remove it himself, focusing instead on training his ward in the control of his magic after extracting the promise from the boy that he would focus on removing the plant first. It would make for a good lesson in magical control after all.

Then came the start of the summer holidays. The little plant was still there, proving itself to be every bit as stubborn as its creator. He and his ward left for Spinner's End, Severus leaving the house elves instructions to remove it before they returned. He reasoned that away from any possible influence of its creator, active or otherwise, it stood a reasonable chance of being removed.

He and his former ward, now adopted son as the papers had finally gone through, had returned a few days before the start of term to find that the arboreal wonder had begun to actively defy the laws of nature. It had grown incredibly over the month or so they'd been away, enough that it was now straining heavily against the ceiling of his quarters. It was also blooming stacks of parchment and bearing fruit that took the form of glass potion vials of varying shapes and sizes. He had sighed, enlarged the ceiling so the blasted thing could stand straight, harvested the "fruit" and parchment (no sense letting it go to waste.), and shot his giggling son an exasperated look before going to find the house elves to prevent them from punishing themselves for their failure.

In what was quite possibly direct defiance to the professor, the tree continued to bloom and fruit throughout the year. It never grew any taller, but it had a new fruit every day. Any day that was considered a holiday somewhere was marked by a special fruit for that day. It was quite an educational experience for both of them. They even started an album when it became clear it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. A new snapshot for each day. As the situation with the students being petrified escalated along with the rumors against his son, Severus became grateful for this daily tradition. It gave his son something to look forward to

He dreaded Halloween. Given its behavior so far, he was sure the stubborn plant would weigh itself down with candy. As if his son needed anywhere near that much sugar. He was sure to get more than enough at the feast anyway, Albus and his sweet obsession would practically ensure it. When the date rolled around however, he was surprised, and though he would never admit it, touched to find the tree practically bursting with nearly every type of lily in existence, roots and all. His sharp eyes didn't miss the row of treacle tarts, his son's favorite treat, near the bottom however. That day had a special color photograph. The lilies were put in Pomona Sprout's willing care until he and his son could replant them in the summer.

With the start of December the feisty evergreen began to truly show off. The first day it was laden with shiny strands of red, silver, green, and gold garland. Despite his misgivings, he let his son use it to decorate their quarters. He noticed he saved several ropes for the tree itself. The next day it grew mistletoe, something Severus was quick to give to Albus, wanting no part of its tradition in his quarters

The next week was apparently the week for candy and sweets in general, a rarity for the plant. (Severus's rule of only a few sweets a day seemed to be the only one it generally followed or supported.) Every day it was heavily laden with biscuits, candies, and even entire cakes. Most of these went to the kitchens to be made into dessert offerings for the students, though the more potent items such as the rum cake went strictly to the staff table.

It seemed to mostly stick to decorations after this event. One day it grew what seemed to be brilliantly shining stars. Severus watched his son string them together and drape them decoratively across the tree. On an impulse he made a brief trip to Spinner's End and returned with a box of ornaments from the attic. He spent an enjoyable day with his son hanging ornaments, something he had never bothered to do before now. Then again, he never had any reason to even decorate a tree before now. He decided he rather liked it.

On Christmas Eve the tree fairly glowed, looking every inch a Christmas tree. That day it grew a small sphere containing flame that was constantly changing color. It exuded more warmth than the fireplace and made Severus feel content just looking at it. It was a strange sensation but one he thought he could become accustomed to.

On Christmas day, the plucky tree had two wrapped gifts hanging from its branches. His son's contained a golden snitch with slytherin green wings. His own had a collection of potion ingredients from supposedly extinct plants and animals. He had to fight down the warmth that surged up when his son set the snitch aside and told him that Severus's gift meant more to him than the tree's ever could.

Now it was January first, and he was staring at puddle of garland, stars, and ornaments. It looked for all the world as if the evergreen had simply melted back into the floor. A sound beside him broke him out of his musings. His son looked up at him, emerald eyes wide.

"What happened to the tree, dad?" His father shook his head.

"I don't know. I just came in to find it this way." His son cocked his head.

"I'll miss it, but I guess it got what it wanted." His father stared at him.

"It got what it wanted?" A shrug was the only visible answer.

"Doesn't everyone want something more than anything else?" He grinned. "I got what I really wanted. I got a family." Severus forced himself to swallow the lump he felt in his throat. "Maybe it just wanted to be a tree for a family more than anything else and hung on for it." Severus was silent for several minutes.

Finally he flicked his wand, causing the decorations on the floor to pack themselves away into a nearby box. He cast a glance at the flame sphere sitting on the table before he started for the door. His son's voice stopped him briefly.

"Where are you going?" Severus actually smiled.

"I realize it's a bit late, but right now I'm feeling the spirit of the season. I'm going to visit Albus and give him a late Christmas present."

"What kind of present?" Severus's smile turned into a smirk.

"I'm going to accept his offer of a lemon drop." He blinked when his son laughed and offered their camera to him.

"Make sure you get a picture of  his reaction. I know it's gonna be a good one." Severus nodded and tucked the camera away.

The color enlargements of Albus Dumbledore's thunderstruck expression graced their homes for the rest of their lives.