The Cost of the Elixir

'It looks like you've thought it all out,' Draco said, impressed at the amount of work Aries had put into this, even whilst bedridden. 'Have you told Uncle Sirius about the Stone?'

Aries shook his head. 'It's far too dangerous. If anyone ever learns that the Stone is here, they'll undoubtedly try to steal it. That was Dumbledore's mistake. If he wanted to hide the Stone successfully, he shouldn't have told anyone where it was.'

'Good point. So we're the only ones who know?'

'Us and Mopsy,' Aries said. 'But Mopsy is under strict orders never to mention the Stone to anyone, under any circumstances. Since I'm her owner now, she has to obey me even over Dad and the rest of the family.'

Draco pouted. 'That's convenient. You're so lucky. I wish I had an elf of my own like that.'

Aries frowned at his cousin. 'Think about what you just said, Draco.'

The blond boy looked confused for a moment, and then turned deathly pale as he realised the only circumstances which could enable one to inherit full ownership of a house elf.

'I'm so sorry, Aries,' he stammered. 'I didn't mean it that way. I wasn't thinking.'

'That's all right,' Aries responded quietly. 'I understand. Just try to think before you speak next time. That's one of the first things the Stone taught me. Words are very powerful. We ought never to use them flippantly.'

'Sorry,' Draco repeated. He paused. 'So how do we make the Elixir? What book did you find the directions in?'

'There is no book,' Aries replied. 'We shall have to consult the Stone itself.'

'You make it sound like it's alive,' Draco said uncomfortably.

Aries furrowed his brow pensively in response to that. 'The Stone isn't alive, or at least I don't think so,' he said after a moment's reflection. 'It's more as though it's made out of life, or rather, the Stone and life are made out of the same thing.'

Draco stared at his cousin blankly. 'I don't follow you.'

Harry chuckled. 'I suppose it is difficult to grasp. After we brew the Elixir, I'll let you look into the Stone, and you can see for yourself what I'm talking about.' He sat down on a stool behind one of the workbenches and held the Stone several inches directly in front of his face.

Draco watched curiously as his cousin began to stare into the Stone. After a few moments, Aries began to wince. A few minutes later, he began to groan in pain. Nonetheless he continued to stare into the Stone, seemingly mesmerised by its hidden mysteries. His eyes narrowed in concentration, and the Stone began to glow. Suddenly Aries cried out and dropped the Stone onto the workbench.

'Are you all right, Aries?' Draco asked, putting his hand on his cousin's shoulder.

'I'm fine, Draco,' Aries said weakly. 'It just takes a lot out of me, is all.' He grimaced and forced himself to sit up straight. He rubbed his temples for a moment before glancing at Draco. 'Fetch a solid gold cauldron, please,' he said. When Draco made no move to comply, Aries turned to look directly into his cousin's eyes.

Draco gasped. Aries' eyes were brighter than ever, and they seemed no longer to be blue, but rather green. Moreover, they bore a sad, world-weary look, as though they had seen far too much of the world's sorrows ever again to be light-hearted and carefree.

'Draco,' Aries said slowly, 'I'll be all right. But we need to begin brewing the Elixir. Please fetch a solid gold cauldron.'

Draco nodded and walked over to the shelf on which the cauldrons were stacked.

'Er, Aries?' he said once he got there. 'They're all pewter.'

Aries sighed. 'That's not a problem, Draco,' he said. 'Just bring a medium-sized cauldron over here.'

Draco selected one of the cauldrons and set it on the workbench in front of his cousin. Aries picked up the Stone and closed his eyes. He carefully touched it to the edge of the cauldron, and in an instant the pewter was transformed into pure gold.

'Great Merlin!' Draco exclaimed. Aries ignored him.

'Fill the cauldron two-thirds full of pure water,' he said hoarsely. He still sounded utterly exhausted.

'Where shall I get the water?' Draco asked, looking around the room. There didn't seem to be a tap.

Aries gave his cousin a wry smile. 'May I suggest the Aguamenti Charm?'

'Oh, right,' Draco said, his cheeks turning pink with embarrassment, and began filling the cauldron from his wand. 'Um, Aries? Not that I mind, but why didn't you just cast the charm yourself?'

'I'm far too tired to do any magic at the moment, Draco,' Aries replied, holding his head in his left hand. 'It always takes me at least a few hours to recuperate after gazing into the Stone.'

'You're too tired to do any magic?' Draco asked in concern. 'That can't be good. What if you use Parseltongue?'

Aries shook his head. 'I find that Parseltongue doesn't come to me as easily as it once did,' he replied. 'Ever since I began using the Stone, the Parseltongue seems to slip farther and farther away.' He glanced down at the cauldron. 'Stop,' he said, and Draco complied. Aries took a deep breath. 'Now levitate the cauldron onto a tripod and light a blue fire underneath it.'

It was well after midnight when Draco finally finished pouring the wine-red Elixir into small diamond flasks – Aries had insisted that only diamond flasks were good enough to contain the Elixir of Life.

'How much gold did these flasks cost?' Draco asked in awe.

Harry smiled at his cousin. 'A single diamond flask costs upwards of twenty thousand Galleons.'

Draco dropped the flask he was holding, and it dented the stone floor.

'Where did you get the gold?' he demanded.

Harry shrugged. 'I had Mopsy use all the allowance I'd saved up to buy scrap metal. With the Philosopher's Stone to turn it into gold, that was just enough to pay for one diamond flask.'

'But there must be a hundred flasks here,' Draco protested.

'Fortunately, diamond flasks are eminently well-suited to the Duplication Charm, ' Aries replied. He looked as though he were trying not to laugh.

For the umpteenth time that night, Draco's cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he quietly resumed his work. Once he was done filling the flasks, he placed all but two of them on an empty shelf. Of the other two, one he gave to his cousin, and one he slipped into the pocket of his own robes. Aries summoned Mopsy, and the elf Apparated them each to their own rooms.

.....

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