The Second Task
Severus could hear the running footsteps and the clomping that told him who was running, for almost half a minute before that someone pounded on his door, apparently trying to bash it down. He opened the door and looked straight at Moody, who had both eyes on his face and who strangely managed to be both red in the face from exertion, and pale from fright.
“Hurry, Snape! The idiots are trying to get the brat to agree to be your hostage!” The gruff voice was filled with genuine fear and the pieces clicked together in Severus’ head hard and fast.
All the Champions had solved the riddle in the Golden Egg by themselves and then come together to talk about it and solve the different problems. Everyone had a plan. The only thing no one knew was what they would have to retrieve from under the lake. Severus had not, for even a moment, considered that they would use people. It was bad enough to send teenagers into the ice-cold lake in February, but to put children in the water for hours! That was most likely the exact reason he should have suspected that they would have to retrieve people; the pure idiocy of it!
Severus was running and left Moody behind in just a few steps. His form was flowing, swimming through the air, melding with the walls and the shadows and before he knew it, he was right outside the Headmaster's office, past the gargoyle, and he could feel a very upset Wyrd on the other side of the door. Severus was angry, but not furious, not yet, and he was not upset, just tired. Harry felt cornered and very, very upset.
Severus opened the door and strode in. There was a small screech and Harry flung himself around Severus’ waist and buried his face against his chest, trilling in fear and confusion. Severus hugged him against himself and felt his Darkness envelop him partly and then seep out into the room. Miss Granger was there too, white as a ghost, as was a small girl, not yet ten years of age, that bore a suspect resemblance to Fleur Delacour. Then there was a boy from Hufflepuff, Jason Merrill, that Severus’ suspected was one of Mister Diggory’s closest friends.
“How many times must I tell you incompetent bastards that Harry is not to appear in anything that has to do with this blasted Tournament in any way, shape or form!” Severus thundered at the people in the room, the Heads of all three schools, Minerva and the Ministry officials. “The fact that you keep on trying makes me wonder if it would be safest for Harry if I closed all three schools, as well as the Ministry, permanently!”
Darkness covered the walls of the room now, covering the portraits, seeping through cracks in the walls and floor and down the open staircase behind him. He wouldn’t relish in killing children and Harry wouldn’t thank him for hurting or killing his friends, but Harry was important, more important than he or anyone else could even understand. Yet. Severus knew he would understand in time, but for him to understand, Harry needed to be alive, well, and happy. Continuing to be pushed around and cornered like this didn’t make him well and happy and it could very well threaten his life.
Miss Granger and the little girl whimpered. Mister Merrill gasped. Harry hummed contentedly in his arms, safe in his Darkness.
“Severus, my boy …” Dumbledore began.
“Do you understand, old man?” Severus snarled. “This is your very last warning. The absolute last. There will be no more chances. For any of you. I do not care about human life, even children; it is not in my nature to do so. You will have to protect the children of the schools by acting in a manner that does not harm or frighten Harry, because I do not have it in me to give you any more chances.
“You knew that Harry is my Omega, and yet you did not manage to protect him from this Tournament, and even after I took his place you have pushed and prodded to make him participate in the Tournament in some way or another, until you decided that putting a bonded Omega at the bottom of the Black Lake in February is safe. No matter how you supposed to do it, we already know that magic reacts differently to Harry now than a year ago. He might very well have died, and that is unthinkable.”
Miss Granger whimpered in distress.
“So, this is your very last warning, your very last chance. Try to endanger him again, in any way, and I will end you, because that is the only way to keep him safe from your machinations.”
Again, Severus wondered about what had happened to him, to make him able to say such threats, and truly mean them. That wasn’t like him. He could fight and kill to protect himself and others, and it was not beyond the scope of reason that he might get proactive if pushed, but to kill someone, to kill Dumbledore, in cold blood? Kill a whole school, or three whole schools, to stop the Tournament for good to keep Harry safe? That was beyond anything he could ever have thought off himself a year ago. Now, now, he knew he wouldn’t even hesitate. Not if he deemed it necessary. That fact should have bothered him. It didn’t. Though, it did bother him that it didn’t bother him, but only slightly. He wasn’t human enough anymore, for more than that.
“Albus, agree with him, you fool, agree!” Moody had managed to get up the stairs to the office, even if he was breathing hard and sweating, as well as shaking because Severus’ Shadows had crept down the stairs and out into the rest of the school. Not causing any havoc, yet, only cold and despair.
“Your Omega will of course not have to participate in this Tournament in any way, shape or form,” Madame Maxime stated in her heavily accented English. “We were trying to get Dumbledore to make a different choice, when you appeared.”
Harry nodded into his chest, agreeing with her words. Miss Granger too, nodded at that statement.
“And I swear to you, on Magic and my life, I will do my very best to keep your Omega, Harry Potter, out of the Tournament and safe,” Madame Maxime added, and a flash of silver filled the room, binding her words to the power of an Alpha. She swallowed hard, as the usual response was a bit less flashy, but she still seemed determined to keep her Oath. She had, after all, sworn to try her best, not to succeed.
Severus looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. She nodded back.
“Very well. Now that I ended up disrupting the preparations for this Task, I might as well disrupt it some more. I do know that it includes retrieving something, or someone,” he hugged Harry closer again, “from the Black Lake. But the Tournament is supposed to be a spectator sport, no matter how little I like that concept. How is anyone supposed to see what the Champions are doing underwater? Is there a spell to show their progress? Will the announcer get their progress from under water and announce it to the audience?”
“That is no business of yours, Snape,” Crouch snarled.
“It is. You see, I’m the Potion Master at this school, and while Madame Pomphrey has had me brew some extra batches of Pepper Up and the like, that will hardly help if the whole school and the delegations of the two other school has to spend hours in the icy wind and get sick. Not to mention that the Champions and the hostages risk running much worse than just a cold. They risk drowning, frostbite, magical exhaustion from their magic trying to keep them alive. If that young girl is Miss Delacour’s sister, then she is part Veela too, and the consequences of putting a Veela, particularly a Veela child, under ice cold water for an hour or more … I do not like her chances, not at all.” He looked at Madame Maxime, the one who had to be responsible for the girl being there at all, as she was far too young to be a part of the delegation. “And that is before considering the enmity between Veela and Merfolk.”
Madame Maxime looked a bit grey.
“Severus, it is hardly your place to comment on any of this. You simply have to trust that we can keep them safe. In fact, you have to, now that Harry is no longer a hostage,” Dumbledore said.
Severus snorted. “Miss Granger, does this sound like something you would willingly agree on? What did your parents say when the Headmaster asked for their permission to endanger their only child?”
“I don’t … I don’t think anyone has asked them, sir. I didn’t know anything about this, an hour ago,” she whispered.
“For shame, Dumbledore, keeping the Muggles from getting a say in their own child’s life and health at your school. What about your parents, Mister Merrill? You are not yet of age.”
“I don’t think they know anything either, sir. And I do not consent to being put at the bottom of the lake. My family might not be rich nor powerful, but my aunt works at the Prophet. If I get taken by force, she will slam the Tournament and everyone involved for months, if not longer.”
The little Miss Delacour looked up at Madame Maxime and spoke so softly in French that Severus couldn’t hear the words, but he did see the tears in her eyes. She apparently understood enough English to understand what was going on.
“Monsieur Delacour is a powerful and renowned lawyer,” Madame Maxime said slowly. “Endangering one daughter who is of age and who volunteered to participate in the Tournament by sending her into ice cold and Merfolk infested waters is not good. Putting his youngest child in the same perils … The Tournament and everyone involved will regret it for a very long time. I would have said something sooner, if someone,” she shot a glance at Bagman and Crouch, “had deigned to inform us of the plans.”
“Congratulations, you have now completely ruined the Second Task! Are you happy now, you cur!” Crouch spat and tossed his arms in the air.
“Exceedingly so,” Severus stated dryly. “If you are quite done with your histrionics…?” Severus lifted an eyebrow.
Crouch looked at him with a sneer, but didn’t say anything more.
“You want to have the Champions go through something difficult to be able to release their hostages, correct?”
“Yes, that is so,” Madame Maxime agreed.
Apparently, she was the only one who wanted to cooperate with him at all. Well, he had just ruined months of planning in less than fifteen minutes.
“Why not make an obstacle course, on dry land? In the middle of the Quidditch pitch, perhaps, as that already has seating for the audience. No real danger, no confrontations, just magical and physical prowess to get through. Maybe a key for every Champion at the end of every part of the course and all the Champions need all the keys to free their hostages from a platform at the middle of the course. This way, everyone remains on land, safe and dry, and the audience can actually see the Task, and be a bit more sheltered from the cold February winds.”
“Oh, like a gladiator game of sorts, sir?” Miss Granger piped up, then she blushed. “I really like that TV-show.”
Severus looked at her. That was an unexpected confession from the bookworm.
“Yes, indeed, very much something like that. Just with some magical use too.”
She nodded. “I have some great ideas,” Miss Granger told Madame Maxime. “If I get to help, I promise that I won’t tell Victor anything, and if I’m on dry land without any chance of drowning or frostbite or other harm, I consent to being a hostage and I know my parents won’t mind then.” She smiled carefully at the giant of a woman, and Madame Maxime smiled warmly back down at her.
“That is good to hear, Mademoiselle. I’m sure everyone would like to hear your ideas. Will we be able to implement them in such a short time?”
“Oh yes, with magic it will absolutely be possible,” Miss Granger assured. “I can probably make some of the obstacles myself, and get them to last to the end of the Task. But it will probably be better if someone else does it. Maybe I can make a model to show you?”
“As one of the contestants, I will retire now,” Severus said before the conversation became too involved. “For my hostage, you might try Aries Polaris Tonks-Black, he might consent to participate if you ask, and he gets some hours off work on such a short notice.” He nodded at Madame Maxime and Miss Granger and left with an arm around Harry’s shoulders.
“Are you alright, Harry?” he asked after they left the gargoyle behind. The school was once again free of Severus’ Darkness, now it was only normal shadows and flickering light.
“Yeah, yeah, I am.” Harry drew in a deep breath and leaned deeper into Severus. “Thanks for coming for me.”
“Always, my little Wyrd. Nothing can keep me from you for long, if you need me.” He hugged him hard again and listened to the clomping sounds that told of Moody - Alastor now, Severus supposed, as he had shown himself as an actual ally, against all expectations - approaching. He met the other man’s eyes when he rounded the corner.
“Thank you for getting me, Alastor,” Severus said in a low voice.
“Think nothing of it,” Alastor said gruffly and shook his mane of hair. “I might have suffered under Binns as much as anyone, but I still learned my history. I know what will happen if you get pushed too far. No one with an ounce of sense wants that, Severus. No one.” He shook his head again. “I dearly wish I knew what Albus is thinking these days, trying to push that brat of yours all over the place.”
He looked at Harry, but Severus noticed that Harry didn’t flinch away. He also noticed that Alastor didn’t call him boy, as Dumbledore did. Apparently, Alastor had noticed Harry’s aversion to the word and had decided to stop using it. He didn’t quite know what to do with a world where Alastor Moody, paranoid ex-Auror, showed more understanding and compassion than Albus Dumbledore, the Leader of everything Light and Good.
The next day Severus found himself with the other Champions at the edge of the Quidditch pitch where an enormous obstacle course had been set up. There were walls to climb, pits to cross, swinging pads to get past while keeping on a thin plank, nets to get over and lots of other obstacles. Bagman presented them all, one after the other and described what would have to be done at the obstacle. At the end of each obstacle there was a smaller obstacle, like a box they had to get open or tasks they had to do, to get one of the keys they needed to open the locks that bound their hostage to comfortable chairs on the platform in the middle of the pitch. The main obstacles they could do without magic, or make it easier if they knew how to use magic to help them. For the smaller tasks to get the keys, they needed magic. The points for the Task were decided both on how fast one got one’s hostage and how one solved the bigger obstacles and smaller tasks.
All of the Champions would do the obstacle course at the same time. The obstacle that Severus would do, would light up in green, while Mister Diggory’s would light up in yellow, Miss Delacour’s would be blue, and Mister Krum’s would be red. There were enough obstacles for them to not have to stumble over one another.
This would be safer for everyone, and it would give the audience something to actually watch.
As Harry sat with Lupin, Andromeda and Ted and his friends in the audience, and Aries sat grinning in a big, green, comfy chair on the platform, Severus didn’t mind so much having to perform for the entertainment of people. Those he cared about were safe and what he now did, he did to keep Harry safe. So what if people watched him jump and climb and sweat? He could hear both Aries and Harry cheering him on through the crowd. He even heard Harry yell in victory when he managed to free Aries right after Mister Krum had freed Miss Granger, just like he was supposed to do, as a teenager at a school game.
Later, when the celebrations in the Great Hall and the quieter, but also more welcome, celebration in Severus’ own quarters were over, only Aries were left.
“I wonder if maybe I could stay over for the night?” Aries asked hesitantly, licking his lips. His lilac hair framing his sharp face and the big silver eyes nervously followed Severus’ movements when he crossed the room towards him. “Only if you want to, of course, and we could just sleep, if … if that is what you want, but if you want to do something more …”
Severus caught him by the back of the head and brought him closer as he leaned down that little bit. The kiss was slow, as Severus preferred it to begin with, then he straightened.
“I would very much like to fuck you,” Severus admitted in a low murmur.
Aries blushed, but his eyes glinted when he met Severus’ gaze. “I would like that very much, too,” he said, huskily. “Just … I haven’t … I have never had sex in a male body before, just so you know. I have read about it and experimented a bit by myself, but I have no real experience …” He looked down and Severus stroked up and down his arms as comforting as he could.
“I would be honoured to be your first in this way,” Severus said and leaned down again. “And do not worry, I will take very good care of you.”
This time he didn’t halt the kiss before Aries was moaning and clinging to him, just to be certain that his partner would forget about those pesky nerves and enjoy himself.
The next morning, when he awoke alone in his bed with a vague memory of a soft kiss and some murmured words about having to get to work, the small note on his nightstand assured him that Aries had enjoyed himself very much. It also said that he detested that he had been forced to take such an early shift that day, to be able to participate as a hostage the day before. The last sentence told Severus that Aries hoped for a repeat performance sooner rather than later. He had signed with his full name and a small sketch of a raven in flight. Severus knew that Aries had used the last few weeks to practise how to make that sketch in a few fast and clean strokes with a quill.
By now, Aries alone could possibly hold all the pride of House Black, all by himself. Not that Andromeda didn’t give him competition. Harry also felt more and more pride about being the Heir of House Black for every update he got about Raven’s Keep and the progression of the restoration of the old castle, either from the house elves or from the Curse Breakers. House Black was on the rise again, whether the bigoted members wanted it to, or not. The new Lord Black, Aries, Andromeda and Harry could hardly care any less about the bigots of the family and Lord Black was ready and willing to remove any aggressive traditionalists and blood-purists from the family. He had already removed Bellatrix Black Lestrange and given a warning to Narcissa Black Malfoy.
Severus touched the raven with a fingertip and observed as it flapped its wings. He felt a spark of Aries’ magic through the sketch and smiled. He, too, hoped for a repeat performance of last night as soon as possible.