Tansy was practising switching spells in the library when Hermione walked in wearing a grim expression.

'Harry just came in from Quidditch practice and apparently Snape's going to be refereeing next Saturday… it just seems so suspicious don't you think? I mean he's never shown an interest in Quidditch before; what if he's just trying to get Harry hurt again?' She said all this very fast and Tansy, who was concentrating on her coursework, found it rather hard to follow. She waved her wand distractedly and accidentally transfigured the carved table leg into a giant stick of celery.

'Oops... um... nunc reverto!' Tansy pointed her wand at the table leg which turned immediately back to wood and Hermione looked delighted.

'That's it Tansy – you're so clever; if Snape looks like he's going to hurt Harry could you do that to his broomstick?' Tansy shook her head, thinking back to their first flying lesson. She cringed slightly as she remembered her total ineptitude on a broom.

'Madam Hooch says that you need really powerful magic to interfere with a broomstick's magic – I don't think I'd stand a chance. To be honest Hermione I think we'd be better off casting a spell on Snape himself…'

Surprised at her daring, Tansy pulled Defensive Magic Part One towards her and flicked across to the right page.

'…we could use the leg-locker curse on him, I'm sure that would make him fall off his broom.'

Although this had been easily said in the safety of the library, Tansy quailed at the thought of actually cursing Snape in front of the whole school. She was eternally grateful when, in the end, they didn't have to, for Harry caught the Snitch after five minutes, causing Gryffindor to take the lead for the Quidditch Championship. Finding the celebratory party in the Gryffindor common room a little too loud and crowded she retreated upstairs to the dormitory with Intermediate Transfiguration and a large handful of chocolate frogs. Stretching herself out on her comfy four-poster, she opened the book and bit off the first frog's head. As she chewed, she turned the pages absent-mindedly, before turning back to the pile of frogs. She flicked over the first chocolate frog card, (which showed Dumbledore scratching his nose), and gasped.

'I found him, I found Flamel!' She panted, three seconds later, after sprinting headlong down the girls' staircase and into the common room and skidding to a halt in front of her three friends. She hadn't even checked to make sure they were alone before she spoke, she was that excited.

'Look! Read this.' She handed over the card which caused Hermione to leap to her feet in excitement and run up the stairs to their dormitory.

'It's the first chocolate frog card I ever had; I can't believe I didn't remember – it would have saved us all those hours and hours in the library.' Harry said with a frown.

'Never mind that… look at this.' Hermione had returned, breathless, and carrying an extremely large text book which she plonked down on the table in front of them in a small cloud of dust.

'Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!' She announced dramatically. It didn't have the effect that she'd been hoping for: Tansy sneezed and the boys stared somewhat blankly at her, causing Hermione to give an exasperated sigh; 'honestly you three – read this…'

'So… so…' Ron began but Harry cut across him.

'That's what that monster of Hagrid's is guarding and that must be what Snape is trying to steal. I mean the thing can make you live forever and it can turn any metal into gold. Anyone would want it!'

As she cuddled up with Lucky that night, Tansy mulled over the happenings of the day and worried about what the four of them could really hope to achieve against Snape. If she was honest with herself then she really didn't think that they should meddle; if there was something bad going on then surely the teachers and the headmaster would find a way to stop it much more successfully than a bunch of first years?


'Miss Laverstock if you would stay behind please? I would like a word.'

Tansy looked up from packing her bag; it was the end of her Monday morning Transfiguration class and she wondered why the Professor wanted to talk to her – was she in trouble? She continued packing her bag so haphazardly that she dropped the text book on her foot and winced before stooping hurriedly to pick it up. She shoved it in her bag and made her way over to the Professor's desk where she stood awkwardly on one foot, looking so worried that the teacher hastened to reassure the young witch.

'There's no need to look so scared Miss Laverstock; I just wanted to inform you that I will be tutoring you individually in Transfiguration from next week; I mean to start you on the fourth year syllabus by Easter…' Tansy looked at her in disbelief. Professor McGonagall noticed her expression and her mouth twitched.

'…your achievements show me that you are more than capable of the work. Also Professor Snape has informed me that he does not wish to continue spending his free time on your individual lessons so you will re-join your class on Fridays but, be warned, Miss Laverstock – if your Potions grades should drop again then I will ask Professor Snape to resume his coaching. Do you have any questions?' Tansy bit her lip and shook her head and was extremely relieved to escape to the greenhouses for Herbology.


'Fourth year Transfiguration, that's mental…' Tansy, Hermione and Ron were sitting in the great hall at dinner time and Tansy had just told them the news. She took a large bite of pepperoni pizza and grinned.

'I don't care about that, I'm just over the moon not to have any more individual torture-sessions with Snape; I could sing!' This was a figure of speech; although Tansy had progressed to being able to talk to her friends in the great hall, she would never have been able to sing.

'Don't,' Ron advised, as she shoved the rest of the slice of pizza into her mouth. Tansy ignored him and continued speaking with some difficulty.

'Anyway where's Harry?' Hermione frowned and looked around her.

'Maybe he left something in class and went back to get it?' She cut herself a delicate slice of pizza, before continuing. 'Tansy, you must be so pleased that you're doing so well in Transfiguration… but, but don't you think that it's a bit weird that you're not better at anything else? I don't mean that in a nasty way…' Hermione trailed off, two blushing pink spots appearing on her cheeks.

'I've thought about that too, Hermione,' Tansy replied, putting a hand on her friend's arm to show that she wasn't bothered by her honesty. 'It is weird, but it just comes so naturally to me and I can understand it so clearly. Everything else is much, much harder especially Potions…' She was interrupted by the arrival of Harry.

'You'll never guess what!' He began dramatically.

'No, but I'm sure you're about to tell us…' Hermione smirked. Harry ignored the jibe and continued on slightly breathlessly.

'Well I was walking past a classroom and I heard Snape talking to Quirrell about the Philosopher's Stone. Snape was trying to get Quirrell to tell him how to get past Fluffy and he asked something about hocus-pocus so I reckon that there must be other things guarding the stone apart from that monster. I bet Quirrell has done some anti-dark spell which Snape needs to get past.'

Tansy choked suddenly and violently on her pizza; her chest spasmed and her arm flew out involuntarily and knocked over her goblet of pumpkin juice, staining several feet of the white tablecloth a sick kind of yellow.

'You mean that the stone's only safe if Quirrell stands up to Snape?' Hermione asked in alarm, thumping Tansy on the back.

'It'll be gone by this evening.' Ron chimed in.


Although the quartet had thought that Quirrell was unlikely to stand up to Snape for long, over the weeks that followed he didn't appear to have given in. With their end of year exams fast approaching, Tansy and Hermione spent much of their free time in the library, accompanied by an unenthusiastic Harry and Ron. Tansy was extremely worried about her looming Potions final and was spending almost every minute when she wasn't either in lessons, eating or sleeping, revising for it. She was struggling to understand a complicated passage on the magical properties of the hedera helix plant when Ron interrupted the silence of the library.

'Hagrid? What are you doing here?' Looking extremely shifty, Hagrid shuffled into view.

'Nothin'… wha' are you four doin' in the library 'nyway you're not still lookin' for Nicolas Flamel are yeh?' He looked suspiciously at them through his bushy eyebrows.

'Actually we know all about the Philosopher's…' Harry started brightly, but he was interrupted at once by a frantic Hagrid.

'SHHHH! People will think I told yeh… listen, come and see me later, not sayin' that I'll tell you anything o' course.' He shuffled off, hiding something behind his back.

'He was looking in the section on dragons…' Ron dumped an armful of books onto the desk, causing Tansy to jump. 'Look at this one; Identifying Dragon's Eggs by the Shell, I wonder what he's up to?'

'Hagrid told me that he's always wanted a dragon,' Harry said thoughtfully, rummaging through his bag. 'Maybe he's found a way of getting hold of one? An egg I mean...'

'But it's illegal and really really dangerous,' Ron replied, looking really panicked. 'It's impossible to tame them and you should see some of the burns my brother Charlie got from wild ones in Romania.'

'Okay, well I think we should go and find out what he's up to straight after dinner. What do you three say?' Hermione slammed her book shut and stood up. 'Anyway I've had enough of revision for one day and I'm starving – hope it's something good.'

Tansy looked up in surprise at this comment because it seemed so out of character for Hermione to say this but she followed her enthusiastically all the same because she was hungry too.


Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think.