“The… the Philosopher’s Stone!” gasped Draco.

Harry looked at Blaise, his emerald eyes round as saucers “Is that…”

“A material which can convert base metals, like lead, into gold and, allegedly, secretes the Elixir of Life!” said Theo in an awestruck tone.

“Indeed” smiled Blaise “The ultimate goal of alchemy, sought by Issac Newton, Frater Albertus and, of course, the legendary Nicholas Flamel.”

“Flamel… Hagrid implied that Fluffy was guarding something for Flamel” whisper-screamed Draco, grinning wildly. “Oh my Gods!”

“Hermione will not believe this!” giggled Theo “The legendary Philosopher’s Stone, right under our noses.”

Blaise, who had been searching through his Chocolate Frog Cards, drew out the one for Dumbledore. “Listen to this ‘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.”

Harry beamed “I knew I’d heard that name before somewhere, Professor Snape told me about Flamel’s research on dragon blood!”

“How did Dumbledore work on the Philosopher’s Stone” scoffed Theo “He’s only, what, 130ish and Flamel’s stone has been around for about six hundred years!”

“Maybe they thought the Stone could be improved” Blaise said dismissively. “Whatever, Flamel’s lent it to Dumbledore and it’s here in Hogwarts.”

“Let’s go get it!” enthused Draco, practically bouncing up and down.

“One, there’s a Cerberus in the way, two, there’s a Cerberus in the way and, if that isn’t persuasive enough, three, there’s a Cerberus in the way” drawled Blaise.

“Besides, Dray, why do you even want it? Your family is rolling in galleons.”

“Immortality, Theo” sighed Draco. “Well, we’ll just have to see if we can wheedle some Cerberus taming tricks out of Hagrid.”

“But…” Harry hesitated.

“Yes Harry?” asked Draco, slumping on the bed and kicking his heels.

“Wouldn’t it be wrong to steal Flamel’s stone? It’d be like killing him.” Harry said, looking upset.

Draco bit his lip, suddenly serious “Well, maybe we could just take a few dozen beakers of Elixir each and leave the stone. I mean, it’s not as if it can’t make more of the stuff.”

“Or chip off a tiny bit and analyse it” added Theo “We could make our own!”

Blaise grinned “Okay, but, before we can do all that, we need to get our greasy little paws on the sucker. Let’s get together over the Yule holidays and discuss ways and means. Dray, are your parents throwing a party?”

“We always do.”

“Get them to invite all of us to stay over. And Hermione, of course.”

Draco looked slightly concerned but nodded “Of course.”

Blaise smiled “I’ve got a feeling that this coming year is going to be remembered as the Year of the Philosopher’s Stone.”

oOoOo

“Now, children," said Snape, leaning back in his study armchair, "I think that I have time to teach you a highly useful little spell before Professor Dumbledore arrives”

“Cool, Sir!” grinned Harry, setting a half eaten éclair down on his plate.

Draco, who had his mouth full, beamed a chocolate besmeared smile and sat up a little straighter in his chair.

“The incantation is ‘orchideous’, Orr-kid-ee-us” Professor Snape flicked his wand and a bouquet of purple hyacinths, maroon roses and white arum lilies materialised.

“Flowers?” cried Draco, who had managed to choke down his doughnut “but, Sir, flowers aren’t very useful?”

“As you enter adulthood, Draco, you will find that, in some situations, a bouquet is often worth a thousand words. And, with some ladies, a million words of apology will not be able to excuse your forgetting her birthday, your anniversary, Valentines Day, etcetera.”

Harry giggled “Orchidus!" nothing happened "Oh, no, wait, it's Orchideous” a bunch of pink roses and stargazer lilies fell into his hand. “Oh wow! Mine are different!”

“The arrangement alters according to the taste and personality of the caster.” Professor Snape explained.

“Pink! Potter.” Crowed Draco teasingly. Harry blushed and punched him lightly in the arm.

“Really, gentlemen!” Professor Snape smiled “The bright colour of Harry’s blooms signifies an open, happy heart. Nothing more.”

“Orchideous” said Draco, grinning as large, scarlet and gold tea-roses showered from his wand.

“Ha! Gryff colours! Gutted!” laughed Harry.

“You can’t get silver or green roses, Harry.” sniffed Draco.

“Again, it is the ancient symbolism of the colours which should be considered; gold is traditionally the colour of royalty and red signifies fire, passion and masculinity.”

Draco smirked.

“Hello, boys, good evening Professor Snape” beamed Dumbledore, stepping out of the fire “What a lovely surprise to find a room filled with flowers! Gifts for Mrs Malfoy, I presume?”

“Yes, Headmaster” Severus replied levelly.

“What sort of flowers do you make, Sir?” asked Harry enthusiastically “I have pink roses and these nice white-and-pink lilies, Draco makes red and gold roses and Professor Snape does hyacinths, roses and lilies.”

Dumbledore blinked the sad expression from his eyes and forced a smile “Why, I do not know, Harry. It has been many years since I had cast that particular spell. What is the incarnation, again? Ah ‘orchideous’!”

Forget-me-nots, white blooms, whose petals culminated in purple, and small, star-shaped flowers, with myriads of little, green-spotted balls at their centres, streamed from the old wizard’s wand.

“Ah! Still Edelweiss.”

“Wow, I’ve never seen these before, Sir!” said Harry, cradling a flower and stroking its soft, woolly petals.

“It is a mountain plant” the Headmaster replied in a slightly hoarse voice “Feel free to keep them, my boy.” He rummaged in the pocket of his purple paisley robe “Ah, here we are, some little Yule gifts for you all.”

Professor Dumbledore handed Harry a squishy blue present patterned with fluttering golden snitches, Draco received a knobbly black parcel with a swirling hydrophis belcheri design and Severus was given what looked like a large jar wrapped in plain, dark green paper- with a big silver ribbon.

“Thank you, Headmaster.”

“Wow! Thanks Sir! Can we open them now?!” asked Draco.

“It is bad luck to open Yule gifts early, Master Malfoy.” Replied professor Dumbledore blithely.

“I don’t have anything for you yet, Sir” said Harry sadly “We’re not going to Diagon Alley until tomorrow.”

“Don’t trouble yourself, my dear boy.” Dumbledore smiled kindly “Yule is for children, after all.”

Harry was struck with an idea “Orchideous!” a bright posy of orange roses and yellow and red stargazer lilies appeared in his hands “For you, Sir!”

“Harry! You can’t give men flowers!” sighed Draco rolling his eyes.

“Thank you very much, my boy.” Laughed Dumbledore “When you get to my great age, Master Malfoy, one begins to be grateful for any flowers of a non-funerary persuasion. Now, the hour is growing late so I will take my leave, thereby allowing you to take yours. Happy Yule, children, Severus”

“Happy Yule, Headmaster.”

As soon as Professor Dumbledore had disappeared through the floo, Draco turned to Harry “It’s not really bad luck, you know” he smirked mischievously, ripping the paper off a beautifully painted wooden dragon.

Severus sighed and nodded to Harry: term was, technically, over, after all. Taking this as permission, Harry carefully removed the tape holding the present closed and drew out a fine, silvery cloak.

Thank you, Headmaster Severus thought, as he massaged his temples. Thank you so very much.

oOoOo

“Oh Daddy, it is so cool! Harry just got an invisibility cloak. The note said it was his Dad's! It’s a really good one!” Draco burbled, clutching the navy velvet sleeve of his father’s robe.

Harry, who had stumbled out of the floo just in time to catch this snippet of information smiled shyly. “Hello.”

“Good evening, Mr Potter.” Lucius gave a flourishing bow and Harry, rather more awkwardly, copied him, blushing. 

“Ah, and Severus. I hear you were delayed by the Headmaster.”

Severus stepped out of the floo behind Harry, resting a gentle, reassuring hand on his charge’s shoulder. “Indeed, Lucius. Professor Dumbledore wished to give us his Yule gifts.” The Potions Master rolled his eyes.

“I got a dragon! Look, it even breathes mock-fire!” Draco pulled on the dragon’s wings and, opening its tiny jaws, the toy gave a small burst of flame.

“Indeed” Lucius smiled at his son fondly “Although” his silver eyes flitted to Harry’s invisibility cloak “I imagine that, in this instance, the German would also apply.” Lucius gave Severus a significant smirk “One man’s meat...”

“Indeed!”

“Well, children, I think that we really should present ourselves in the Yellow Drawing Room. We wouldn’t want those flowers to wilt, would we?”

“Or us to wilt, Father! I’m absolutely famished.”

“Draco!” Harry giggled “We had afternoon tea only half an hour ago.”

Lucius looked over at Harry, pewter eyes softening slightly, before turning to his son “An age of the earth ago, indeed, my Dragon.”

Harry grinned at Professor Snape: Mr Malfoy spoke to Draco in almost exactly the same tone that the Potions Master used for Harry.

It was not lost on Severus, either, that Draco’s happy, confiding, affectionate tone rather resembled Harry’s when the little boy spoke to Severus.

oOoOo

“Darlings! I was wondering whether the floo had eaten you!”

Draco rushed towards an elegant, pretty woman whose blond hair was fastened in an elegant knot at the back of her head with a huge sapphire, the shade of which was echoed her azure taffeta robes.

“Hello, Mummy, this is Harry Potter, my best friend.”

Mrs Malfoy’s eyes, cool and blue as her sapphires, fell on Harry, who blushingly bowed.

“I have some flowers for you, Mrs Malfoy” Harry murmured shyly, holding out the roses and lilies.

“How charming…”

“I have some for you too, Mummy!” Draco shoved his roses under her nose.

“Thank you Draco. What lovely flowers! I shall put these here, Draco, on the piano. The sunshine colours will look well together, and, if I may, Harry, I will have these in the dining room: blue and pink look simply wonderful together.”

Madam Malfoy clicked her scarlet tipped fingers “Suvie!”

A strange, small creature popped out of thin air. Harry gazed at it, wide eyed; it’s pale eyes were large and long lashed, it’s long ears pointed and it’s little snub nose as round as a chestnut. She, it seemed female, was wearing a crisp white tea-towel, draped like a toga.

“Suvie! Place the pink flowers in the fluted crystal vase. They are to go in the dining room. The red and yellow roses are to go in the round, creamware vase, on the piano in here.” She handed the bouquets carefully to the creature but something about the gesture suggested to Harry that it was more due to solicitude for the flowers rather than care for the elf.

“Dismissed.” The creature disappeared with a pop “Now, gentlemen, shall we have some aperitifs?” Mrs Malfoy asked with a bright smile.

oOoOo

“Psst! Draco”

“Yes Harry?” said Draco, pulling back the aquamarine curtain of his four poster bed, the wood of which was carved with the images of duelling warlocks, dragons and beautiful witches. The boys had begged to share a room for the duration of their holidays: it was, they said, for the sake of poor Reggie and Isis, who’d be lonely otherwise.

“Um, what’s a Suvie?” whispered Harry, whose head was tucked comfortably between the claret silk duvet and a plump pillow.

“Its our house-elf” whispered Draco with a quiet laugh.

“Oh! I’ve never seen one before.” giggled Harry, feeling a bit silly.

“We're going to have to investigate the Hogwarts kitchens next term” grinned Draco “Or, better yet…”

Draco sat up with a rustle of green silk “Dobby?”

An even thinner house-elf materialised, with a nose as long as a carrot and ears that stuck out of its head horizontally. Unlike Suvie, he was dressed in a grubby rag.

“Dobby, two ice-cream sundaes please. I will have cherries and peaches in mine, butterscotch and chocolate ice cream, vanilla cream, toffee sauce and chocolate shavings. Harry?”

“Um, the same please.”

“Is that… is that Harry Potter!” the little creature gasped.

“Yes it is, and he will be very angry with you if you do not fetch our sundaes right away.” said Draco sternly.

Looking frightened, Dobby disapperated with a pop.

Noticing Harry’s concerned expression, Draco sighed “Yes, I know I’m too soft with him but he’s such a wretched-looking little bugger it’s hard not to pity him. Used to be owned my aunt Hortensia, you know. She was a mad old hag, badmouthed my father constantly to the elf and, now we’ve inherited him, he’s practically unmanageable. We have to keep him below stairs; not only does he constantly gibber on about us being 'bad dark wizards”, he's so negligent about his appearance, he isn't fit to be seen!"

Dobby reappeared with the sundaes, which he set down on the beside table before vanishing without a word. As Harry tucked into his ice-cream, he couldn’t help but think that there were some things he’d probably never understand about the wizarding world: it seemed kind of wrong that elves should be ‘inherited’, like property or something, but, Harry thought, he was as clueless as any muggleborn on some things so, really, what did he know?