"Mr. Howell, there's nothing we can do until the Mandrakes are done growing," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "Stop coming back here and asking me the same questions. His condition hasn't changed and will not until he is given the right cure. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to." She swung the large door shut with a clang.

Dan sighed and slowly walked away from the medical wing. It had been many days since Phil had been petrified. He had visited him everyday since, asking Madam Pomfrey how he was doing. Obviously she had met her limit with him.

Nearly Headless Nick was petrified too, which was unusual as he was a ghost. Dan suspected Phil had been talking to him about Moaning Mytrle when the monster had attacked them both. Now both bodies were lying in the hospital beds along with the two others.

The school immediately somehow found out, and the panic already present grew stronger. More and more students were being sent home by their parents, and talk of Hogwarts being shut down was a topic frequently brought up.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked with Dan as much as they could, recognizing his loneliness after Phil being petrified. Hermione tried to comfort Dan by saying the Polyjuice potion was only a couple weeks away from finishing. Even though it might help them know who the heir of Slytherin was, it wouldn't bring Phil back. Only one thing would, and it was that plant. Dan talked to Neville of Gryffindor, a close friend of Harry, Ron, and Hermiones. However boyish Neville looked, he knew more about Herbology than most students.

"If they started growing them immediately after Mrs. Norris was petrified," Neville calculated when Dan had asked during Herbology, "they should be ready in about.. three weeks."

Dan nods. "Thanks Neville."

"No problem. Er, Phil's your friend right?" Neville asks. Dan nods. "Must've been pretty shocking then, you finding him petrified."

Dan sighs. "It definitely wasn't something I was hoping for."

"I think it's the thing people fear most these days," Neville said. He dug a hole in the dirt they were supposed to put their Partying Pansies into, but the flower wouldn't hold still long enough for him to bury its roots. Dan only nodded, pretending to focus on his own flower. In his mind he was reliving the moment he had found Phil petrified in the hallway. It wasn't something he necessarily wanted to talk about openly. Phil was his closet companion, the one he knew he could fall back on. Now he felt vulnerable, without Phil's happy personality and get it done attitude. And it wasn't like he didn't have any other friends. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were only some of them. But Phil had been his best friend hands down. No one else could take his place.

The days dragged on slowly. Gone were the jokes, pranks, and laughter of the usual school. Everyone hurried from class to class, no one stopping to talk in the hallways. Occasionally a shot of laughter would be heard, but it was always short. Christmas would soon be here. Dan expected it to be the least cheery one he had ever had.

"Dan!"

Dan turned around to come to face with an excited looking Hermione. The Gryffindor patterned scarf around her neck trailed behind her as she ran. She came to a stop by his side, breathing heavily.

"The Polyjuice potion is nearly done!" She said excitedly. "I guess that it will be ready to drink right on Christmas Day."

"Oh boy," said Dan unenthusiastically, "What a great Christmas present."

"Snap out of it Dan," said Hermione suddenly. "You've been moping around ever since Phil was petrified."

Dan flared up immediately. "Well duh, he was my best friend!"

"Yes I get that, and I know it's upsetting, but is stumbling around to all your classes and barely paying attention going to bring him back?" She questioned, looking at him pointedly.

"Why do you pay so close attention to me?" Asked Dan, avoiding her question.

"You're my friend," said Hermione as it was the simplest question ever. "I'm more observant than you realize. Now Daniel Hanson, I want you to come to class with me, I want to you sit up in your chair and pay attention."

"You can't tell me what to do," said Dan defiantly. One look from Hermione, though, and he was quickly walking to class with her. Once there, Hermione chose a chair close to Dan, and would prod him if he started to zone out or wasn't taking notes. This continued on until the end of the day. By the end of it, Dan was feeling less lonely then he had felt.

"See, all you needed was to stop swimming around in your self pitying thoughts," said Hermione, as if reading his mind. They were walking down the corridor to dinner.

"You were right as usual, Hermione," sighed Dan.

Hermione smiled triumphantly. "I usually am." Harry and Ron joined them just then, clutching their book bags.

"Hermione, when did you say that potion would be finished?" Harry asked out of breath.

"Probably right on Christmas Day," replied Hermione, hair bouncing up and down with her strides.

"Perfect," said Harry. "I'm ready to catch the heir of Slytherin."

"We don't know for sure it's Malfoy," said Hermione. "He just seems like a good start."

"Who are you guys changing into?" Asked Dan.

"Malfoy has two dumb lackeys that follow him around everywhere he goes," said Ron. "Me and Harry will turn into them. Hermione is going to turn into Pansy, a Slytherin girl."

"Did I mention we will all need some part of the person we're changing into?" Asked Hermione. Ron and Harry looked confused. "Guess not. You'll need to get some of their hair and put it in your dose of the potion."

"Yuck, you mean I have to drink Crabbe?" Asked Ron, wrinkling his nose. Hermione grimaced. "I'm afraid so."

When they arrived in the great hall, a pleasant sight greeted them. The whole hall had been decked out in Christmas decorations. Giant, brilliant trees stood around the outside of the hall, covered with ornaments and tinsel. Strands of garland and tinsel were strung across every wall and across the room. The large fireplace against one wall was blazing high, it too decorated. The magical ceiling showed a clear, cool winters night. Dan smiled for the first time in a long while. Christmas had always his favorite holiday.

They easily found seats around the large Gryffindor table. With more and more students returning home, the usual shoulder to shoulder room of the meals now was quite roomy. Some of Dan's Ravenclaw friends came over to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

They all laughed and joked as they ate. It was the most anyone had genuinely laughed in a long time. Hermione looked over at Dan and smiled. Dan grinned back in response.

                                ~~~

"Dan! Dan, wake up! It's Christmas!"

Dan groaned and rolled over. He pulled the covers up over his head, only to have them ripped away from him.

"Come on, Dan! Stop being such a lazy turd and open presents with us!" One of his friends Spencer said. He heard the thud of footsteps trail away in the direction of the common room. Once alone, Dan sighed. He usually spent Christmas with his family, but this year they had all visited family out of country. His mom had been very upset that Dan wouldn't be there, and he had been okay with it only because he got to spend it with Phil.

So much for that idea.

He rolled out of bed and stumbled into the main room. Many of his friends had already started opening their presents, leaving wrapping all over the floor.

"Here's your pile, Dan," said another Ravenclaw boy, Eric, pointing to a stack of presents. He saw one from his mom, grandma, brother, sister, a friend, and.. Hermione? He picked up the present. It was relatively heavy. He began to open it, hoping she hadn't expected anything in return. Once all the wrapping was gone, in his hand was a book. On the title it read, 100 ways to stay focused when you're a slack minded ninny

Dan grinned and opened the cover of the book. A note fell out.

Dear Dan,

As much as I enjoyed being able to boss you around for a day, I can't babysit you forever. You must learn to do it on your own. I hope this will be helpful.

                    With love, Hermione.

Dan flipped few a bit of the book before placing it on the ground. Only Hermione would give someone a book for a Christmas present. As he unwrapped all his presents, one small one with no name at the bottom caught his attention. Attached to it was a small note.

I found this in your friends belongings. I think he would've been rather upset if it had not made it to you for Christmas.

Dan looked at the front and back on the note, but no one had signed it. He opened the present, his curiosity near bursting. There was another small note, but different handwriting from the last. His eyes widened when he recognized the handwriting.

Hey Dan! Merry Christmas! These are little coins that we can communicate through. They look like normal currency, so the chance of getting caught is slim. Simply press your finger against one. It will light up, and the other one, which I have, will light up too. Try it out!

-Phil

Dans heart hammered. How could he have been given Phil's present if Phil was currently petrified in the hospital wing? He picked up the mysterious, unsigned note. Had this person delivered Phil's gift for him? Who was it?

Dan pushes the questions away and opened the rest of the box. Sure enough, a small coin was laying in the bottom. He picked it up and pressed his thumb against it. It lit up. Dan brought it close to his mouth.

"Hey Phil. I don't know how this got to me, but it's a brilliant present. Merry Christmas, mate."

The light died away, which Dan suspected meant the message had been sent. He didn't know what he expected, but he found himself slightly disappointed when no message was sent back in return.

"Hey Dan, what's that?" Asked Spencer, walking over to him while eating some chocolate.

"A communication coin," said Dan, flipping it into the air.

"Sweet! Who from?"

Dan turns over the small box in his hand, looking for clues. "Somebody delivered Phil's gift to me."

Spencer's eyes widened. "Who?"

Dan shook his head. "I dunno, they didn't leave their name."

Spencer held out his hand. "Let me see." Dan handed him the unsigned note. Spencer looked thoughtful. He turned it over in his hand. "This handwriting looks familiar."

"Do you know who's it is?" Dan asked eagerly.

Spencer shook his head, tossing the note back into the box. "I only mildly recognize it. To me, it looks much too nice to have been a student's handwriting."

"You think it was a teacher?" Dan asked quietly.

Spencer shrugged. "I'm just telling you what it looks like. However it got to you, you still got a Christmas present from Phil. Weren't expecting that, were you?"

Dan couldn't help but chuckle. "No, I certainly wasn't." He unwrapped the rest of his presents, Spencer watching and oohing over what he got.

"Guys, you do realize breakfast is in 3 minutes, right?" Said their Ravenclaw perfect loudly, standing in the middle of the common room, surrounded by piles of wrapping paper. Dan looks down at his own pajama clad, messy appearance and at all his friends around him mirroring it. They all whip into a frenzy, picking up their newly gotten presents and rushing up to their bunks. Dan deposits his stuff onto his bed, then quickly gets dressed, combed his fingers through his wild curls, and ran down the stairs. He walked quickly down the corridor, soon being accompanied by more Ravenclaws.

"They say we're the organized House," said Fredrick, a Ravenclaw fourth year. "Every year, no matter how early I get up, breakfast is always a mad scramble."

"I'm sure we're not going to be the only ones walking in late," Spencer said, his blonde hair looking untidy. Dan points to it, Spencer catching his eye and running his hands through it. "Besides," He continues, "it's Christmas. Everything is more laid back."

There was a sudden bang in front of them. Dan jumps and turns his head. Amy, a Ravenclaw third year, joined into the mass of Ravenclaws. "Hey guys!"

"Amy, where'd you come from?" Fredrick asked in bewilderment. Amy holds out her hand. A small pile of teeth were laying in her palm. Fredrick gasped. "Are those Teleporting Teeth?"

Amy grinned. "My mum sent them to me. Really handy, especially in crowds. Just throw one over and you're at the front!" Everyone else chimed in with what they got. By the time they reached the hall, Dan was having a better Christmas than he thought he would be having.

Sure enough, when they got to the Christmas clad dining hall, it seemed only half of the students that had stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas were there. They sat at the Ravenclaw table, waiting for the food to appear in front of them. As he looked around the hall, Dan saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione come in. He slipped away from his table to went over to talk to them. They sat at the Gryffindor table and Dan slid in next to Hermione.

"How's the potion?" He asked, looking around for any eavesdroppers.

"It's ready," Hermione said back excitedly. "We plan to slip some sleeping potion into some sweets at dinner then leave them out for Crabbe and Goyrle to find. They're dumb and greedy, so I have no doubt that they'll take our bait. We'll hide them so while we're talking to Malfoy they don't show up. We won't have to worry about Pansy, she doesn't hang around Malfoy much. Disguised as her I'll just be in the area, wherever they are."

"Brilliant! Anything I can do to help?"

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I don't think- wait, yes, there is one thing." She looked at Dan with searching eyes. "Do you think you could come up with a plan to ensure Malfoy will be in his common room?"

Dan grinned. "I think I can devise something."

"Great! We'll tell you when we're ready then you can do it."

"How's he supposed to know it's us when we're disguised as other people?" Ron joined in.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, I think Dan will be able to tell. It's pretty obvious when three Slytherins come up to him telling him they're-" she put up air quotations. "-ready."

Dan looked around and noticed a lot more people had begun arriving into the hall. His own house was glancing at him curiously.

"I've gotta go guys, I'll see you later," he says, standing up. "If you can, be sure to give Malfoy a nice good punch."

Ron grinned. "I think even as stupid Crabbe and Goyrle that would be a bit suspicious." Dan laughed before turning and walking back to his house table. On the way, he glanced up to the teachers table at the front of the hall. Dumbledore's blue eyes were gazing at him. Dan quickly looked away. How long had he been watching him?

He got back to his table, and just as he sat down, there were two loud claps and food materialized in front of them. Cheers were heard around the hall. Dan hungrily tore into it. They all ate breakfast as quickly as they could, eager to get up and play in the snow outside.

"I didn't know you were friends with Harry Potter," said one of his friends, Lee, when they were all exiting the hall.

"I am," he replied. "And his close friends too."

"What, didn't want to tell your friends you like a stuck-up, a poor boy, and a mudblood?" Someone laughed as they went by. Dan turned his head. Malfoy was sneering over to him from where he was leaning against the wall.

"Obviously you didn't learn from my first, do I need to punch you again?" Dan asked cooly, walking over to Draco.

"You didn't even land a hand on me," Draco sneered.

"In that case, I definitely need to try again," Dan threatened. Lee appeared at his side and grabbed his arm. "Dan stop," he pleaded.

Draco looked at Lee. "I see you finally got a new friend after your last one was petrified." Dan's fist balled up until his knuckles turned white. "Serves him right," Malfoy went on, a smirk on his face. "the disgusting mudblood."

Dan ripped his arm out of Lee's grip. He grabbed Malfoy by his shoulders and pushed him up against the wall. Several people gasped and cheered.

"Don't you ever insult my friends again," Dan growled angrily to Malfoy's shocked face. Malfoy pushed Dan off him. Dan stumbled back several steps. Malfoy reached for his wand, but immediately three Ravenclaw wands were on him.

"I'll do whatever I want, Howell," sneered Malfoy. "Next time you decide to mess with me, you won't have your precious friends to protect you." With one last lingering glare, Malfoy disappeared into the mass of students.

"You really shouldn't let him get to you so much," said Lee by his side, though he too looked angry.

"You're pretty brave for a Ravenclaw," Ron said, who had apparently been watching the whole encounter. "I think the hat made a mistake, you're definitely a Gryffindor at heart."

"Ron that's impossible," Hermione said briskly, appearing also. "But it's true what you said. You have quite a bit of courage. Be careful though," she warned, "Malfoy is good at twisting the truth, he could turn this so it makes it look like you started it."

"I mean I kinda did," Dan chuckled sheepishly. "He was just taunting me and I.. took the bait."

"He's good at that," Hermione said with a sigh in her voice. "Runs in his blood. The whole Malfoy family is foul."

"I've noticed," Dan replied pointedly. "Do you guys want to go outside with us? We were just about to get ready.

Hermione glanced at Ron and Harry, who nodded. She turned to Dan with a smile. "Sure!" They all agreed on a meeting place outside before heading back to their dorms.