Draco Malfoy and the Sleep of Fleeting Death

Christmas and Succeeding

After half an hour of failed attempts to catch Slughorn (he seemed unusually good at hiding himself in the snowy landscape), McGonagall declared the rest of the day's lessons off; after all, it was the first snow of the year. She reminded everyone to be inside for curfew, then retreated to the castle for "a nice cup of tea and maybe a biscuit". Draco thought that that sounded wonderful, and was about to follow her inside when Jisky appeared next to him. "The Stone has melted," she said.

Draco froze, all thoughts of tea and biscuits vanished from his mind. He jumped up, pulling Harry up with him, and sprinted off towards the castle. "We can make the Elixir," Draco muttered to him as he began to protest. Immediately, Harry shut up and suddenly it was Harry pulling Draco towards the castle.

Behind them, Blaise, Pansy, Ron and Hermione all smiled at the sight of their joined hands.

"Took them long enough," Ron muttered.

"Couldn't agree more," Pansy said. "Well, now, Blaise; time for you to pay up. C'mon, c'mon, don't be shy." At Hermione and Ron's twin looks of confusion, she smirked and said, "Blaise and I had a little bet. He thought they'd stay oblivious to each other until Christmas; I thought they would get together before that. And, as you can see," she said, gesturing towards the boys disappearing into the castle together, "I was right. Oh, Blaise, don't try to cheat me, you cheapskate. That's leprechaun gold. That's the seventh time you've tried that on me. Honestly, darling, it just doesn't work. Now, where's my money?"

Inside the castle, Harry and Draco were dashing through the halls towards the Room of Requirement. They paced back and forth together in front of the entrance, impatient with excitement. As soon as the door appeared, Draco flung it open and ran over to the cauldron containing the melted Stone. He knew the steps to extract the Elixir, had spent Merlin knew how long going over the motions meticulously, but just in case... "Harry, what's the incantation?"

"Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae," Harry replied immediately. When Draco gave him a surprised look at his quick response, he half-blushed and muttered, "I put it in my memory home."

"Ohh. Okay. Any other tips you've got in there?"

"Er- yeah, actually. Dumbledore said you say it seven times- no more, no less- and add your heart's deepest desire."

Draco nodded and took a deep breath. He only had one shot at this. Where'd he put the Mirror shard?

He spotted it on the table behind him and to his left. He grabbed it- he refused to notice the glint of a golden ring that now sat on the pair of intertwined hands he could see inside- and lowered it slowly into the potion. The liquid went from a vibrant orange to a deep scarlet, almost the colour of blood.

"Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae, Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae, Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae, Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae, Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae, Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae, Extractum Aeterna Aurea Vitae," he said. The liquid seemed to evaporate as he spoke, turning from scarlet liquid to pink-tinged smoke of some sort. It had no identifiable smell, yet Draco was reminded of everything in life that he loved; his mother, his broom, the gardens at Malfoy Manor, hot chocolate and the smell of freshly cut grass, and Pansy's perfume and the rain and the snow and an overwhelmingly strong scent of Harry. And then... What was that?

Ozone and fire and smoke and... Did gunpowder have a smell?

Harry seemed to realize it before Draco did. He grabbed Draco from behind and pulled him down onto the floor as the cauldron rattled and hissed... And exploded.

Was that supposed to happen?

Draco lay there in Harry's arms, terrified that he'd messed up; it was Harry who sat up tentatively first, peeking at the table. He scrambled upright and pulled something off the table. "Draco," he cried, "Draco, look!"