Challenge: Rose Weasley
Word Count: 100
Giving a first-year a special research project was unusual but not unprecedented; Narcissa Black and her sister Andromeda had both done so, and if Narcissa hadn't decided that money and position were worth more than knowledge, she would probably be directing her own Charms laboratory by now.
Rose Weasley was, if anything, more gifted than the Black sisters: brighter, more curious, and enormously talented. Assigning her to research the murex snail and recreate Tyrian Purple if at all possible would keep her from being bored, and possibly teach her discipline and research skills she hadn't already absorbed from her mother.