– CHAPTER THIRTEEN –

The Snake, The Queer, His Trans Bestie & Her Sister

It was the last day of the winter break, and Hermione Granger had just arrived back in the girls' dorm in Gryffindor Tower. She'd had a very quiet and restful Christmas with her family, and she was doing her best not to rub it in Harmony's face. However, she was more concerned with what Harmony had gotten up to over the holiday, and Hermione heard all about the discovery of the Mirror of Erised and the increasing evidence that Professor Quirrell was their prime suspect.

Her mood took a sharp turn, though, when Harmony asked her to talk things out with Ron Weasley.

'You have got to be kidding me?' Hermione balked.

'Please,' Harmony pleaded. 'He's genuinely sorry.'

Hermione harrumphed as she folded her arms. 'I'll think about it. Don't you want to hear about how I got on with our little research project first?'

Harmony, for now, conceded. In all the drama of the past week or so, Harmony had almost completely forgotten about their continued search for the elusive Nicolas Flamel. The results, however, were quite promising.

'Trying to find anything wizarding related on the Internet was…weird,' Hermione admitted. 'The Ministry is at least aware of it, as there's very little accurate information bouncing about. The "online magic community" is mostly just a bunch of forum weirdos with wild theories that are way off the mark. However, here's the thing: even Muggles are aware of Nicolas Flamel.'

Hermione showed Harmony a printout of a Wikipedia article all about Nicolas Flamel. However, he wasn't some present-day figure who could be knocking about today. This Flamel supposedly died in 1418!

'All Muggle historical evidence points to Flamel being just a scrivener; basically, a human photocopier,' Hermione explained. 'Here's where it gets interesting: those same online conspiracy folks think he was an alchemist. Particularly, of this.'

She produced another photocopy of another wiki page:

The Philosopher's Stone is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals into gold. It is also called the Elixir of Life, useful for rejuvenation and for achieving immortality; for many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal in alchemy.

Suddenly, it all clicked into place in Harmony's mind. The small package from Vault 713, the intense security measures, all of the secrecy and subterfuge.

'The Philosopher's Stone?' she said. 'You think what's under the trap door, under Fluffy…is the Philosopher's Stone? But…how?'

Hermione groaned. 'Isn't it obvious? Which reminds me.'

She then pulled a gigantic old book from under her bed called Alchemy Through the Ages Vol. VII: 1300-1500.

'I checked this out of the library before the break for some light reading. I never thought he'd be in here.'

Hermione quickly scanned through the book and, after a few minutes of frantic page-flipping, landed on the right one. She excitedly handed the book for Harmony to read:

There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone in existence belongs to Mr Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover. Mr Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his pet cat Pernell (six hundred and fifty-eight).

'Flamel is still alive because of the Stone,' said Hermione, 'but now he's entrusted it to Dumbledore to keep it safe.'

Harmony could see some of the logic, but something still didn't add up for her.

'But why?'

'It's a rock of immortality that also turns stuff into gold? Who wouldn't want that?'

'No, I mean, why move it here? I mean, I get it, Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the wizarding world, but so's Gringotts. They must've known someone was after it.'

'Need I stress again, Harmony: rock, immortality, gold.'

That's when another piece of the puzzle connected for Harmony. 'I bet Quirrell is after it, but he doesn't want it for himself. That night I found the mirror, he was talking to someone. I don't know who though; nobody else was there but me. Maybe they had some kind of magical link to each other? The only real question now is…who?'

'What does the mirror have to do with this?' asked Hermione. 'You say you think Quirrell was looking for it too? Maybe he thought looking into it would give him some kind of clue how to get to the Stone?'

'No, the Mirror of Erised doesn't work like that, but I think you're onto something. Dumbledore said they were moving the mirror. Maybe it's down there with the Stone too? Just another valuable artifact too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands?'

'Sure, maybe, but…what do we do now? We've got theories, but no proof…at least none that wouldn't get us in trouble.'

That, Harmony didn't have an answer for; not even a notion of one. They had simultaneously cracked who Nicolas Flamel is and what was lurking underneath the trap door but, like every step so far in this frustrating mystery, each answer only raised more questions.

Lessons resumed the next morning, and with it a mountain of new homework. Professor Snape had tasked his students with brewing the healing Wiggenweld Potion by their next class, whilst Professor McGonagall had asked them to write an extensive essay about the ethics of transfiguring animals into inanimate objects.

Though their search for Nicolas Flamel had now ended, Harmony, Hermione and Pansy still frequently met in the library to work on their homework together, as well as discuss new theories about the mysterious third-floor corridor. Having now caught up on Harmony and Hermione's latest discoveries, Pansy was even more gung-ho about going after Quirrell, but Hermione tempered her eagerness.

'We need solid evidence,' she affirmed. 'Something that without a shadow of a doubt proves that he is guilty.'

Harmony's attention was even more diverted than her friends though, as she also had Quidditch training to attend. Oliver Wood was more determined than ever to secure the Quidditch Cup, and with Slytherin still ahead in the league, Gryffindor needed to ace its next match against Hufflepuff if they wanted to pull into the lead.

However, the entire team didn't exactly have their head in the game. George Weasley still hadn't been quite the same since his encounter with the Mirror of Erised, and nearly got whacked off his broom by a Bludger sent his way by Fred. As the practice came to a close, Wood called them in, clearly not happy with their performance.

'Guys, we need to focus and not mess about,' he stressed. 'I know we're feeling confident after thrashing Slytherin, but this might be the most important match of the season. Plus, there's another wrinkle I should warn you about: Professor Snape will be refereeing.'

'Snape? Since when has he been so interested in Quidditch?' wondered Katie Bell.

The team continued to moan and groan about the news as they got out of their Quidditch gear and headed back to the castle, but Harmony was quietly thankful about the news. She still didn't exactly like Snape, but after he supposedly saved her during the last Quidditch match, Harmony knew that he ultimately had her best interests at heart.

'He's doing it to protect you,' Pansy theorised as the trio met once again in the library that evening. 'I bet he's making sure Quirrell isn't going to hex your broom again.'

'Makes sense,' Harmony agreed. 'Just wish he showed he cared to my face. I've still never heard him use my first name.'

'But he's like that with everyone. It's always "Miss Parkinson" this, "Miss Parkinson" that. He's an old-fashioned curmudgeon; it's just how he talks. Right, Hermione?'

Hermione wasn't particularly involved in the conversation. Whilst Harmony and Pansy sat at a desk, casually flipping through some books whilst mostly catching up on gossip, Hermione was scouring every shelf she could for books on how to brew the perfect Wiggenweld Potion. As Potions was the only class she wasn't getting top marks in, she was now driving herself as hard as she could to impress Snape.

It was getting late, and the three girls were growing tired and ready to call it for the night, when the unexpected arrival of a fellow first-year changed everything.

Ron Weasley walked meekly into the library, waving at Harmony before walking over towards Hermione. As soon as she saw him, Harmony winced. She thought she had agreed with Ron that she would organise a time for them to talk when Hermione was ready, but now he had waltzed in completely unannounced. If Ron wasn't careful, he could have left the library with a black eye.

'Um, Hermione?' asked Ron, clearly shaking in his shoes. 'Can…can we talk?'

Hermione didn't respond to Ron, still preoccupied with her search as she stood at the top of a ladder, searching the highest shelves.

'I've, um, I've been thinking a lot about how I treated you last term,' Ron continued, undeterred, 'and…and I've kind of figured out why I did, I think. I'm, uh…I've never been good at magic. Always been made fun of for it, even by my brothers; especially by my brothers, actually.

'I guess I…when I saw you pick up this stuff so easily, I felt…angry. Like…how can this girl who was a Muggle five minutes ago do this stuff I've never been able to all my life? I know what I said to you was wrong, but…no, there's no excuse for that.

'What I want to say is…I've been figuring out a lot of new stuff about myself, and I realised that maybe the reason a lot of people don't like me is…I don't like me, so…I'm trying out a new Ron. I'm sorry, Hermione, for all of it. Merry belated Christmas.'

Ron then reached into his cloak pocket, pulling out a single Chocolate Frog packet, and held it out for Hermione to take. She had still yet to even make eye contact with him.

'I know it's not much,' Ron admitted, 'but I can't help that I'm a poor Weasley.'

Hermione finally stepped down from the ladder and approached Ron. She accepted the Chocolate Frog and finally looked the pale, ginger boy in the eyes.

'Thanks, New Ron,' she said. 'Took you long enough.'

Ron was a little unsure at first, thinking Hermione was snubbing his apology, but she instead smiled and gave him an accepting hug. The huge weight was lifted from both Gryffindors as they exhaled in relief. It was heart-warming enough that even Pansy seemed moved by the gesture. Harmony, however, was most proud of Ron. What he did, as simple as it seemed, was incredibly difficult, but he was a better person for doing it.

Soon enough, the day of the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff match arrived, and Harmony was raring to get going. The rest of the team wasn't as enthused, even as Wood gave it his all in his usual pre-game inspirational speech. Fred and George were convinced Snape was going to take every opportunity to impede their game, all to make sure Slytherin stayed on top of the leaderboard. Harmony, meanwhile, was far more concerned with simply staying on her broom for the entire match.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Pansy took up their seats in the Gryffindor stands. Pansy certainly got her fair share of evil looks from the other Gryffindors, but she simply bit her lip and ignored them. Her attention instead focused on scanning the staff box for Professor Quirrell, but despite even Dumbledore showing up to watch, the purple-clad stutterer was nowhere to be seen.

'Well, that's a relief,' exhaled Hermione. 'We can just focus on supporting Harmony now. I barely even saw half of the last match.'

Pansy, as usual, wasn't convinced. 'Quirrell could be hiding anywhere in the stadium. I'm not letting my guard down for a second. If that slimy creep shows his face again...'

'You really think Quirrell is going to try the same plan again?'

'He's clearly bad at being evil. I wouldn't put it past him.'

'Who're you talking about?' Ron butted in as he took a seat in the stands behind Hermione. 'Snape, I'm guessing?'

'Doesn't matter,' said Hermione dismissively.

Harmony and the rest of the Quidditch players took to the pitch As Professor Snape went over the rules, his eyes constantly darted their way back toward Harmony at the end of every sentence. More than any other player, she knew Snape's eyes would stay firmly focused on her. As much as she knew it was because he was trying to keep her safe, his eerie stare unnerved her regardless.

The match got off to a rocky start, as clearly some players were taking it more seriously than others. Fred and George seemed to spend as much time hitting Bludgers in Snape's direction as they did the Hufflepuff team, which eventually bit them back as Snape awarded Hufflepuff a penalty throw in retaliation. Wood looked mortified from the goalposts, shouting at his team to stay focused. The game had barely been going on for two minutes, and already it was chaos.

'Your brothers need to get their act together,' Pansy said to Ron. 'They seem more concerned with being silly than winning the match.'

'For the first time in a while, I agree with you, Pansy,' said a familiar sneering voice. Hermione, Pansy and Ron turned to see Draco Malfoy sitting a few rows behind them, flanked on either side as usual by Crabbe and Goyle.

'Hi, Draco,' said Pansy stone-faced, not even looking at him as her eyes returned to surveying the stadium. 'Come to cheer on Hufflepuff?'

'No, I couldn't give a toss about this match. I'm actually here to admire the local wildlife, and what do I find? A filthy-blooded bookworm, the worst Weasley, and that's saying a lot, and the rarest creature of them all: the snake in lion's clothing.'

'Oy, will you just buzz off, Malfoy?' blared Ron. 'I'm trying to enjoy the game.'

'What's even the point?' Malfoy ranted on uninvited. 'They might as well give Slytherin the Cup now. Potter got lucky last time. My father reckons he was only offered the position for diversity points. I'll start watching when the creep loses control of his broom again. Maybe he'll break some bones this time-'

'Seriously, dude!' seethed Pansy, finally looking Malfoy in the eyes. 'Leave her alone!'

Malfoy and his lackeys cooed and laughed. 'Oh, so you're buying into this gender absurdity now? Figures. You've been spending so much time with that degenerate, he's probably convinced you that you can "identify as a Gryffindor"'.

Pansy scoffed. 'Nah, I'm still a Slytherin. You're just a pesky garter snake.'

Malfoy was beyond infuriated by the jibe. He looked ready to maul at Pansy as he leapt off his seat. Even as Dean and Seamus stepped in to quell the madness, Pansy stood her ground, never letting her gaze leave Malfoy's.

Unlike their match against Slytherin, Harmony had already spotted and gotten on the Golden Snitch's trail in no time flat. Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff's Seeker, was also on its tail but was lagging far behind. Gryffindor had yet to score a single point with the Quaffle, but if Harmony could catch this one ball, their victory would be assured.

Ron smirked at Malfoy. 'Oh, look,' he said sarcastically. '"That degenerate" is about to win us the Quidditch Cup.'

'You're one to talk, Weasley,' Draco spat back. 'You're only happy Potter's around because he makes you seem like less of a disgrace.'

'Actually, it's because she is my friend.'

Even Crabbe and Goyle were looking bored now, but Malfoy kept going, only putting more and more emphasis on his misgendering. 'Well, if you love him so much, why don't you marry him? Clearly no one else will.'

Ron just shook his head and laughed. 'I don't think she's my type, mate.'

'What, you prefer your men to be real men, huh?'

'Actually, yeah, I do. And?'

The stadium was incredibly loud that afternoon, but the Gryffindor stands went completely silent on hearing Ron's retort. Everyone was looking at him in surprise and disbelief. Ron himself, though, didn't at all seem phased. Dumbledore's advice to live loud and proud had rubbed off on him.

Malfoy, unable to properly fathom how that insult had backfired, just pulled a face of disgust and stormed off with his flunkies.

'Weasley?' said a very confused Seamus. 'You gay?'

'Yeah,' Ron replied matter-of-factly. 'So?'

Seamus hesitated for a moment before just saying, 'Nothing. Just checking, is all.'

Ron smiled. Any doubt in his mind quickly drifted away. He looked over at Dean, who smiled and nodded back at him. It was barely even a gesture, but it made Ron blush all the same.

'Guys, this is a very sweet moment and all,' said Hermione, 'but you're missing the game.'

Harmony had edged closer and closer to the Snitch. It was practically in her grasp. She just needed to anticipate where it would zip next. She was so dead focused on catching it that, completely obliviously, she was zooming straight into Professor Snape's flight path. Right as she was about to lunge for the ball, she noticed who she was about to collide with and took a sharp dive, barely scraping by the Potions Master.

As Harmony pulled up from her descent, the Snitch was already in her grasp; in her actual hand this time, too. Gryffindor had won again, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Harmony headed down to the grassy pitch and, after being congratulated by her teammates and opponents, Professor Snape approached her.

'Well played, Potter,' he said unemotionally. 'It must be hard carrying your entire team on your back. May I suggest you pay more attention to where you are flying next time?'

Snape quickly tried to make his leave. 'Wait, Professor,' Harmony called out, stopping him in his tracks. 'Hermione told me what you did at the last match. I never got a chance to say…thank you.'

Snape froze for a moment. A hint of positive emotion tried to eke out of his sullen face, but all he could muster was a slight mouth warble.

'You're welcome,' he blurted before continuing his exit.

Harmony thought winning her first match was the happiest she'd ever felt since starting at Hogwarts, but the second victory somehow tasted even sweeter. Not only did she catch the Snitch in record time, and not only did she do so without falling off her broom, she proved that her debut was no fluke. She was more than just a famous name, or the token trans student, but a valuable member of her house and the school. The whole of Gryffindor had swarmed the pitch after the match was over, showering praise and congratulations on her, none more so than Hermione and Ron. Even Lavender Brown, who could barely stand to look Harmony in the eyes most days, seemed happy.

Still elated in the aftermath of the win, Harmony took her time wandering over to the school broomstick shed, where she stored her Nimbus Two Thousand outside of practice and matches on strict orders from McGonagall and Hooch. The sun was starting to set over Hogwarts, bathing the castle and its grounds in a warm red and orange glow. Harmony saw it as a sign that it was her house colours that enveloped the night sky.

She had just reached the entrance to the shed when a figure caught her attention. They were dressed in a dark hooded cloak, and they were heading towards the Forbidden Forest. More so than their gait or their posture, it was the bulbous shape of their head underneath the cowl that gave away it was Professor Quirrell.

Her suspicions aroused, Harmony took to her broom and vigilantly trailed Quirrell into the forest, staying high above the treeline. She almost lost him a few times amidst the thickness of the forestry, but he eventually came to a stop in a clearing. Harmony carefully descended downward, perching herself atop a strong branch, and watched Quirrell like a hawk.

A few moments later, another figure emerged from the woods. Quirrell, who had seemed perfectly calm and collected up until this point, suddenly jumped in fright. Harmony couldn't blame him, for the figure was Professor Snape.

'S-S-S-Severus!' shuddered Quirrell. 'I-I-I-I don't know why y-y-y-you asked to meet me h-h-h-h-here of all places?'

'I want to keep this quiet, Quirinius,' Snape replied. 'After all, we don't want any students overhearing anything regarding the Philosopher's Stone.'

'Ah, of c-c-c-c-course. About that-'

Snape suddenly became very aggressive, even more so than usual. He got right up in Quirrell's face, nearly tripping the professor over.

'I've had enough of your games! Don't think I don't see right through you. You've always been a coward, Quirinius, but you've been laying it on a little thick this year.'

'A-A-A-A-A lot happened over the summer break. It's left me m-m-m-m-much more…delicate, as you can plainly s-s-s-see.'

Harmony could tell Snape wasn't buying it, but he took a step back regardless.

'Of course,' he said. 'Any encounter with a vampire would do that to a man…as would one with a Cerberus.'

Quirrell tittered out of nervousness, but Snape remained completely stone-faced. Harmony had thought it was only students who were scared of Snape's glower, but it seemed to work even on adults.

'It's funny,' Snape growled. 'Halloween, the Gryffindor v Slytherin match, Christmas night. There's a pattern emerging…and I just need to know where your loyalties lie. You don't want to get on the wrong side of mine.'

Quirrell pulled himself together enough to say, 'We're on the s-s-s-same side, aren't we? We've a-a-a-a-always been all along. R-r-r-r-right?'

Snape didn't even address the question, giving nothing away. 'Pull yourself together, Quirinius. This is your last warning, and whatever you do…leave Potter out of it.' With those as his final words, Snape stormed off back towards the castle, as Quirrell stayed behind a moment to seemingly collect himself.

Harmony wanted to stay and watched a little longer, but the tree branch she sat atop was starting to creak from her weight. The sound travelled to the forest floor, as Quirrell heard it and looked up. Quickly but quietly, Harmony hopped back on her broom and zipped back to the broom shed as night finally fell over the school grounds.

'Harmony, where have you been?' Hermione asked her as she arrived back in the school entrance hall, where she and Ron had been waiting for her. 'You're missing the celebrations.'

'Yeah, Fred and George got some wicked treats from Honeydukes down in Hogsmeade,' said Ron excitedly. 'Hey, did you hear? Me and Pansy owned Malfoy today. That girl's all right, actually, once you get to know her. A bit of a sourpuss, but-'

Harmony interrupted Ron before he could go on another ramble. 'Guys, that's great and all, but there's something else. Hermione, where's Pansy? We need to talk about…the thing.'

'She said she was going to the library, I think,' Hermione replied. 'Likes to spend as much time outside of the Slytherin common room as she can. We could go speak there.'

'Hang on, what's this all about?' Ron asked.

'It doesn't matter. Probably best if you don't know. C'mon, Harmony.'

Hermione grabbed Harmony by the cuff of her robe, pulling her off towards the stairs, but Ron wasn't letting go of it that easy.

'Now wait just a tick!' he shouted. 'I thought we were all friends here?'

Hermione groaned. 'It's not like that, Ron, we're just-'

'Just what? Thinking you're better than me again? Or is it a "girl" thing?'

'Ron, you're not listening. This isn't some gal pal hangout!'

Harmony couldn't stand to listen to the bickering any longer. 'Guys, stop! Seriously! Ron's right. We're past this. He deserves to know. He was there that night with Fluffy too, remember?'

'Who or what the hell is Fluffy?' asked Ron.

As the three made their way to the library, Harmony filled Ron in on everything that had happened since their little encounter with Hagrid's "pet" on the third floor, including Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone. Once they were in the library and brought Pansy into their chat, Harmony recounted what she had overheard in the forest.

'So you think Snape is in on it after all?' Ron questioned. 'Wouldn't bloody surprise me.'

'No way,' snapped back Pansy. 'It's how I thought all along: Snape is trying to stop Quirrell. Right, Harmony?'

Harmony threw up her arms. 'Honestly, they were talking so vague, it's hard to tell. My gut tells me no, but…we've been wrong before.'

'What if it's yes and no?' Hermione suggested. 'Maybe they're both after the Stone, and are just competing to get it first?'

'Snape asked Quirrell about where his loyalties lie,' Harmony recounted, 'Quirrell said he and Snape were on the same side, and then Snape said…he told Quirrell to leave me out of it.'

Hermione was gobsmacked. 'You? What do you have to…wait, you don't think…'

'I don't think. I know. Both Snape and Quirrell are aware we know about the Stone. The question now is: can we trust either of them?'