May 1992

After Easter break, as the weather grew warmer, Hermione reported in to their group about her progress in researching the protections on the stone. She'd managed to chat to Professor Flitwick over the holidays while asking him about revision for exams.

"Professor Flitwick has done something with enchanting a large number of small objects with flying charms as his defence," she said.

"How did you figure that out?" asked Neville.

"Nothing could have been simpler. I simply told Professor Flitwick that Professor Dumbledore told me he'd helped with the defences on the third floor corridor room, and that he'd been very impressed with his excellent Charms work and told me to ask him all about it."

"And that worked?" asked Harry.

"Like a charm," she grinned. "He wouldn't go into specifics, but talked about the differences between Levitation and Flight charms a lot, and individual versus mass enchantments."

"Aren't you worried he'll talk to Professor Dumbledore about that?" asked Harry with a note of concern in his voice.

"Oh, I didn't think of that. Well, I hope he doesn't."

Neville said, "I've almost finished my list of magical plants that can thrive indoors and might be dangerous, but I need a little more time to look up some rarer plants."

It seemed like they had some very good leads on the stone's defences, and Harry said he'd report in to Quirrell once Neville's list was finished. Hermione said she still thought this was all a big mistake, and they should tell Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore instead.

"Any of the teachers would do really, even Professor Snape," suggested Hermione. "You know, Professor McGonagall said he would absolutely never harm one of the students – that it definitely wasn't him who jinxed Harry's broom. And that while he can be a bit grumpy at times he's actually very brave and trustworthy-"

Neville actually snapped at her quite uncharacteristically angrily. "Once you've researched what that man did in the war, with his fellow Death Eaters, then I'll listen to your opinion Hermione. Until then, I'd be most obliged if you would maintain silence on this matter." Neville stalked off.

Hermione looked very upset, and a wide-eyed Ron said, "Whoa! Neville!"

Harry told Hermione later that Neville had his reasons to dislike Snape, and he was sure Neville didn't mean to offend her.

"If he wants me to research it, I'll research it. But I think it was very rude of him."

"It was rather ungallant of him to speak so to a lady, it must be said."

"Must you talk like Malfoy, Harry?"

"Sorry."

Harry didn't see much of Malfoy at all, though, unless he and Ron were fighting, or at the quarter year celebrations. It was Pansy's lessons in etiquette and traditions just sinking in a bit. He just wanted to sound like everyone else, and between the Slytherin girls and Neville he tended to pick up a few words and phrases here and there. Ron threw in a few old-fashioned words occasionally, but didn't speak as formally as the others. Hermione was the only one of his friends who used modern slang or pop culture references, and even she had a teacher's pet's tendency to use polite and correct language at all times.

On the first of May he joined the more traditionalist first years by the lake to celebrate Beltane. There was a lot of griping amongst the group about how they couldn't have a proper bonfire. But they made do, and took turns jumping over a small campfire that had been lit with magic (all of them cast Incendio at the same time, so it wouldn't matter so much if someone's spell failed). Then they danced around it in a circle holding hands, which was a lot of fun. Goyle had smuggled a whole leg of roast beef out from the feast for them to share (Harry had no idea how he'd managed that without being spotted), and they each ate some, and cast a little of it into the fire quietly. A couple of fairies ventured out from the forest to flitter around their fire while everyone was chatting happily and Pansy was singing an old song (it sounded like it was a spell – apparently it was just in Latin). They looked like tiny people with insect wings, and Harry thought they were the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen in the wizarding world! Everyone agreed it was a very propitious sign for their celebration.

Dudley was clearly starting to worry a bit about his own upcoming exams as May drew to a close and exams loomed ever closer. He sent plenty of notes and papers back and forth with Harry. They travelled via Muggle post to the postbox in London, and from there they were delivered to Hogsmeade (somehow) to be collected by the school owls. Dudley wanted to ensure Harry would know what he was facing for exams and what his topics were for end of year essays. Which Harry wouldn't write for him, but for which he did provide outlines of suggested topics and sections to include. Harry was keeping up with Maths and Science in particular. Not because Dudley was especially interested, but because Harry was. He still hoped that after he'd finished at Hogwarts he might be able to go on to University. Ever since he'd started studying to help Dudley he'd been thinking about how good it would be to keep up his own education in ordinary subjects too. He had plans for the summer break to look into whether there were correspondence courses for teenagers to get their GCSEs and A levels without having to go to a normal school. There must be some kind of home schooling program he could jump in on, surely. And with the revelation over Yule that there was a family vault full of gold waiting for him when he was an adult, he didn't need to worry about the cost draining his vault. He could even pay his own way to university without needing a scholarship! He didn't want to be stuck in the magical ghetto, with no options for his future left except to stay among wizards because he had no qualifications to work anywhere except behind a fast food counter. He had bigger dreams than that. Of course, he wasn't going to let Dudley know that he actually rather appreciated all the work he was sending. Let him keep thinking he owed Harry big time, so he'd keep the Dursleys off Harry's back in regards to chores at home.

At one of his lakeside meet-ups with the Slytherins, Daphne was eager to share a little piece of gossip she'd heard. "It's about your favourite Slytherin, Pansy! Do you want to know what I heard from Crabbe about what he's up to?"

"I'm sure I wouldn't need to be informed of anything Draco is doing, we're very good friends," sniffed Pansy.

Millicent made kissy faces behind her back at Tracey and Harry, and giggled.

"You'll never guess, he's been sneaking out after curfew to spy on Hagrid's hut!"

"What?" said an astounded Pansy. "Why would he do that?"

"Well apparently," whispered Daphne to them as they huddled in close to hear, "Hagrid has gotten a hold of a dragon egg, and it's about to hatch! And you know how dear Draco is about dragons."

"He's dragon-crazy," explained Tracey to Harry. "His name, you know."

"Oh yes, the constellation. Latin for 'dragon', isn't it?"

"You won't tell the teachers, will you? Or Ron?" asked Millicent. "He'd get in ever so much trouble." The other girls froze and looked worriedly at Harry.

"Perhaps 'dear Draco' should owe me a little favour then," smirked Harry, trying to get them to lighten up.

Millicent and Tracey laughed, but the other two scowled at him.

"If you're a big blabbermouth and get poor Draco in trouble, I will be most vexed with you!" said Pansy crossly.

"Perhaps I should've remembered we can't trust you," said Daphne with a sniff.

"Hey! I won't dob. I'm just saying tit for tat, right? Maybe sometime he'll need to keep a secret when I'm up to something I shouldn't be, okay?"

"I suppose that's fair," mused Daphne consideringly.

Pansy kept scowling. "Why won't you two just make friends? This is so difficult for me - you're rather inconsiderate sometimes, Harry."

The next time they met up in the library for a study session, Daphne quietly told Harry that she'd talked to Draco. She'd told Draco that Harry had approached her, to discuss how he'd seen Draco going down to Hagrid's hut, and wanted to call in a claim. "He says he acknowledges your favour, and in return for your silence will keep a similar secret of yours when claimed at some point in the future, as proposed."

Harry stared at her. "I was kind of joking, you know."

"Were you? I thought you were serious. Well too late now, what's done is done," said Daphne with a shrug. "It's not a bad thing to have acknowledged. Mayhap a favour like that 'twill be useful sometime, and it's not like he's too cross. He complained, to be sure, but he respected your 'Slytherin-like' traditional attitude about it actually. And that you weren't dobbing to Weasley of course. Weasley would run to a teacher like a nundu was after him."

Pansy had invited Ernie to join them that day, for she wanted to talk all about fashion.

"So I thought you might appreciate us having a boy along for you to talk with – fashion for girls obviously varies a lot from male fashion! So I invited Macmillan to join us."

"Hi Potter! Remember me from the uh…?" the Hufflepuff boy trailed off after an enthusiastic start.

"Yes, hi Ernie. Good to see you again."

Ernie puffed up happily. "I heard you were looking into your family, Harry. I can call you Harry can't I? There's a link between the Macmillan and the Black families, but we're not actually related. Different branches, you know. So we're talking about fashion, Pansy said? Not sure I'll be much help I'm afraid my dear chap – my parents buy most of my clothes."

The two of them chatted about hat styles for a while, and what made men's and women's robes different, while the girls mostly chatted amongst themselves for a change. They were gossiping about fashionable hat decorations (apparently buckles were in this year), while working on their Charms homework.

Hermione wandered through the library – when she saw Harry with Pansy and her friends she usually immediately went and sat elsewhere, but today she broke that pattern and stopped by their table. "So are other students allowed in your private club today, then?" she said to Harry.

"Oh, Ernie Macmillan, may I introduce my good friend Hermione Granger?" Harry said with a formal wave of his hand to indicate her.

"My pleasure, ma'am," said Ernie, copying Harry's formality and reaching for Hermione's hand to kiss.

She snatched her hand away before he could take it though. "No offence Ernie but I don't do all that pure-blood stuff," she said. "No-one does anymore really. Don't you think it's rather patriarchal and demeaning to women? You know I read in a book that…"

"Then perhaps it would be judicious of you to move along, if you do not appreciate the advantages that proper society and proper manners offer," sniffed Pansy.

"Harry!" Hermione complained, turning to him.

"Well, she's my cousin, Hermione. Maybe you could join us and just… not do the manners stuff you're uncomfortable with? You don't have to fight."

"I think perhaps I know when I'm not really wanted," complained Hermione, and walked off.

"She's smarter than I thought," drawled Pansy in an overly loud voice. Millicent, Daphne and Tracey all giggled along with her. Ernie and Harry just looked uncomfortable.

"Oh dear," said Daphne, "look at Harry's face. Harry, I guess now you know how Pansy feels about how you and Draco won't try and make friends. Some people just don't mix well together and there's not much you can do about it!"

"Not without the right potion, anyway," muttered Millicent, and snickered.

"It's never like this in Hufflepuff," sighed Ernie plaintively. "Sorry, Harry. Usually the girls think it's charming."

Neville finally had his list of dangerous plants ready for Quirrell. "Sorry it took so long Harry. The really tricky part was finding out the most efficacious defences to counter their abilities. These are the most likely plants that Professor Sprout might have used as a defence. They're all dangerous to people, but not immediately lethal – I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want to kill someone. And they will all cope with being kept indoors for a long period of time. Oh, and you can either find them locally or they are kept in one of the greenhouses."

Harry read through the list. For so much research, it was shorter than he'd expected.

The Bundimun. Part creature, part fungus. It has a foul stench of decay, and can spit out acid. Good at hiding, but can be spotted if you look for rotting wood or dirt which it will need for food, as well as noticing its pungent smell. Vulnerable to Scouring Charms (Scourgify) which will take care of a small infestation.

Cerebrumous Spattergroit spores. They could be kept in a jar that could break, and work like a virulent disease, causing purple pustules, severe confusion, and memory loss. You might forget what you're even looking for. To improve this defence, any sealed containers with purple dust spores inside should be opaque. If encountered, an intruder could avoid the worst effects with a Bubble-Head Charm (Ebublio).

Bursting Mushrooms. They have a red and white spotted cap. If you approach them, they will swell and shrink rapidly before exploding violently. Easily avoided unless tightly clustered; a Shield Charm (Protego) may be employed if they explode. They can also be sliced from a distance with a Severing Charm (Diffindo) to negate their ability to explode.

Hiding jars of Spattergroit spores behind the mushrooms would create a good layered defence – levitate them in extremely slowly to avoid triggering the mushrooms' defences.

Devil's Snare. This plant has many tentacles that strangle anything that touches it. Struggling makes it hold tighter, and the Severing Charm (Diffindo) provokes a violent reaction so is unlikely to be employed by a knowledgeable intruder. One could play dead to encourage it to let go, or use fire spells (Incendio) or light spells (Lumos) to make it wither or recoil, as it prefers dark and damp conditions.

Fire Seed Bush. A reddish crystalline tree with no leaves. Grows in caves. One should avoid contact with seeds or branches, which is usually easy due to its distinctive appearance. The Freezing Spell (Glacius) is often employed to kill the plant or freeze its seeds.

"This is awesome, Neville!" enthused Harry. Neville beamed proudly. "I did think there might be more plants, though?"

"Well, it started out much longer, but as I said I had to rule a lot of them out because of reasons of climate or accessibility. There were a couple I even asked her about, when the situation allowed, but those she mentioned an unfamiliarity with I removed from the list. So that ruled a few more out."

"I guess it's time to talk to Professor Quirrell, then. He's been anxious to hear about our progress. He reminded me just the other day that he needs help in figuring out the holes in the defences, so he can bolster the weak points. But Dumbledore is too secretive to share information that will let him do his job. Poor man, I think he's terrified Snape is going to steal the stone every day. He's looking so pale lately."

"He might not be the best teacher, but he's a smart man, I think," said Neville thoughtfully.

Harry met up with Professor Quirrell the next day, in the DADA classroom at lunch time after classes were finished. He pulled an apple and a breadroll out of his bag to eat while they chatted.

"Hungry, Mr. P-P-Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "Old habit. You never know when you'll get a chance for a snack."

Quirrell peered at him with an almost suspicious look, and Harry felt the beginnings of another headache as he remembered going without food far too often, living with the Dursleys. The pressure eased as he closed his eyes and massaged his forehead.

"Stupid garlic smell," Harry thought unhappily. He wished his favourite teacher wasn't so paranoid about vampires.

"So, you h-have some results for me at last, you said?"

"Yes," said Harry, bringing out his notes. "So, here's what we know about the stone's defences-"

"Ahhh," interrupted Quirrell with a satisfied sigh. "So you've discovered that the t-t-treasure is the Philosopher's Stone, then?"

"Yes, I remembered Professor Dumbledore mentioning it was a matter between him and Nicholas Flamel, and we figured it out from there, Sir."

"Br-br-ight children. It's good to know things for c-c-certain, isn't it?"

Harry told Quirrell about his own conclusions about McGonagall using animated stone statues or gargoyles as her defence, to avoid setting off their trigger conditions if possible, their vulnerability to acid and raw damage, and near-immunity to potions and many spells. He didn't name names at any point, but reported that friends had helped conclude that there might soon be a young dragon guarding the stone somewhere, as well as the cerberus. He recommended adding a silencing charm to protect the cerberus from being put to sleep by music.

"Even baby dragons are very tough for one person to overcome - they're immune fire, or a single stunning spell, and their bite and fire breath are dangerous. We thought perhaps feeding it would be the most likely point of weakness Snape would exploit, perhaps with a potion-laced rabbit, for instance."

"A very in-t-t-teresting thought, Mr. Potter," nodded Quirrell thoughtfully.

He shared Hermione's information about Professor Flitwick's multiple flying objects. And concluded with reading out Neville's list of dangerous plants and their vulnerabilities he should ward against.

"Very compre-hensive, Mr. P-Potter. But wh-what of Professor Dumbledore's d-defences? Have you come across any c-c-clues as to what he may employ? Transfiguration is a strength of his also, but h-he is never so simple in his approach as McGonagall."

Harry thought about it. "There's a mirror, hidden somewhere in the school," he said, remembering. "I came across it once - The Mirror of Erised. It shows you your heart's desire. Dumbledore said he was going to move it to elsewhere in the school, and I shouldn't go looking for it. Then he mentioned the third floor corridor – that's probably not a coincidence. I also know he can spy on people really well, while invisible or not present. So he's probably got some covert means of monitoring the stone, and making sure it's safe."

Professor Quirrell stared at him. "Y-you are a remarkable young wizard."

Harry blushed, a little. "You'll make sure it's well guarded, won't you Sir? I don't want Snape to get it."

"Never fear, Mr. Potter. I have the utmost interest in ensuring that the enemies of all I hold dear never get their greedy and malicious h-h-hands on the stone, Mr. Potter. I am, after all," he said with a curious smile, "the Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher. I will not forget all you have done for me. You will be rewarded, in due course, for all you have done."

Harry was proud to have helped.

"Sir, may I ask a question?"

"Respectful questions from those s-s-seeking to learn from their elders are… almost always welcomed."

"Do you know why Professor Snape hates me so much? I think… I'm sure he hated me before I even spoke to him."

"It's interesting," mused Quirrell, "he's a c-c-complex man and has always been hard to read. But in th-this matter I believe I can cast a Lumos on the situation. Firstly, you are of course the famous Boy Who Lived, the d-defeater of the Dark Lord whom he used to follow faithfully. And secondly, I know he hated your f-father. They were enemies in school, you see. It is possible he declared a feud with the Potter family, when he was young."

"So my family and his are enemies?"

"Who can say? We must see what sides you both fall down upon. I await the results with interest."

"I don't understand, Sir."

"J-J-Just wait, Potter. Who is allied with wh-who, and who your enemies are will become clearer with time. There's no n-n-need to be precipitate in your judgements. You should learn patience, as I have."

The next couple of weeks were furiously busy as students crammed in preparation for their exams, which were gruellingly difficult for many. They all sweltered in the summer heat of the large classrooms where their written exams were done. Harry worried over the Anti-Cheating Quills, but was relieved to hear they simply stopped you copying or paraphrasing anything you read or heard during the exam, whether from another person or from hidden notes. Hermione stressed a lot over her results, as did Harry in his own way. He'd carefully ensured his snuff-box had whiskers after its transformation from a mouse, but wasn't sure if he'd made the design on the lid too complex. Their last exam was History of Magic, which thanks to Harry's arrangement with Millicent he was exceptionally well prepared for - he knew he'd get an Acceptable as planned.

The students all cheered at the conclusion of their last exam and flocked in crowds out into the sunny grounds to chat and relax. Hermione was going over the answers she'd given to a patiently listening Harry, while Neville and Ron were off in the lake's shallows tickling the giant squid with Ron's brothers.

Daphne and Pansy stopped by the tree the two were sitting under, with some gossip that Daphne was bursting to share. They subtly ignored Hermione and talked directly to Harry.

"Harry darling, you'll never guess what happened! Hagrid's hut has burned down!" announced Daphne, after a cursory polite greeting.

"Really? How did that happen? Cooking accident?"

"No, something made it burn down while he was out of his hut one night," she said, with a significant look. Harry guessed she meant the baby dragon must've hatched, and might be responsible. "Perhaps his fire got out of control. He was out in the Forbidden Forest when it happened. He claims there's a monster killing unicorns and drinking their blood, so he was hunting it! I shudder to think there's such a creature out there, but there could be. In any case, he definitely wasn't home when it happened. He's been bawling about it like a big baby, and the Headmaster's given him a room down in the dungeons near the Hufflepuffs until he has a new hut built."

"That's hardly sympathetic to a man who's just lost his home," criticised Hermione.

"Did we ask you for your opinion?" sneered Pansy.

"Thanks for stopping by," said Harry desperately. "I'll catch up with you later, alright?"

"Certainly, cousin," said a smiling Pansy, throwing a pointed look at Hermione. "We'll catch up in the library at our usual time. Come, Daphne." She swept away, with Daphne trailing behind her, waving to Harry.

"I don't know how you can stand them," griped Hermione.

"They're much nicer when we're on our own," explained Harry weakly. Friends were definitely harder to manage than he'd imagined.

A/N: Edited to fix a continuity error – thanks to CycoMW for the catch!