The Third Task
The few months between the Second and Third Task went by, almost from one moment to the next. The winter retreated, the spring arrived and bloomed into early summer andbefore he knew it, Severus stood in front of the maze that was to be the Third Task.
There were only a few days in the past few months that stood out to Severus, mostly the celebrations of Ostara and Beltane. Again, Harry had insisted on celebrating the Sabbaths in the traditional way. And he had insisted with a fervour that made it very hard to even try to deny him. He had read up on the traditions before every Sabbath and discussed those traditions with everyone that had something to contribute, before deciding what he liked best for himself and his own traditions. In February, before the Second Task, Imbolc had been celebrated with a bonfire to welcome the longer days, making oatcakes in Andromeda’s kitchen, a traditional ritual with a sacrifice of those cakes and milk to the fire, and a cleansing of their magic, before a Feast. As it should be. Again, those they celebrated with had insisted that the magic felt stronger, deeper, when Harry held the ritual. Severus had too little experience to make a comment, but he did feel Harry’s magic deep in his bones, in his core, connecting him, for a few moments, to something so much bigger than himself.
Something deep, deep within the Earth herself.
Something high, so very high, above them.
Something truly vast.
Something vital.
Something Severus and the rest of the Wizarding World had forgotten about.
Something important.
Something dangerous.
So, none of them were surprised when Harry insisted on celebrating Ostara, even if it was all but illegal. Harry wanted to use Raven’s Keep, but Kreacher maintained that the place wasn’t proper for such rituals yet. Not for the clean and restoring kind of rituals that Harry did. There was still too much darkness and vileness in the house, even if the Keep itself was clean.
Thus, Severus smuggled Harry out of Hogwarts for the second time, because Ostara occurred before the Easter holidays, as usual, and brought him to Andromeda’s and Ted’s house. That had repeated itself when Beltane came around, but this time Kreacher had gravely promised that Raven’s Keep would be ready to celebrate Litha, or Midsummer, even if they would have to celebrate some days late, because of the damned Third Task. Harry had given it some thought, before stating that the magic would still be right to celebrate Litha on the 26th of June, and the extra power they would get from holding the ritual in Raven’s Keep's old ritual room, would make up for the wait.
Now the Third Task was here, and Severus went into the maze together with Mister Krum, with a big green dot over his head to show where he was in the maze. All the traps, spells and creatures had a viewing spell over them, so the audience could see what was happening. Severus was uncertain if this had always been the plan, or if the Tournament officials had taken a lesson after the Second Task. After all, both the audience and the media had ranted and raved about the Second Task, the obstacles, the Champions solutions, the fact that it was perfect to watch, and the atmosphere when people cheered their chosen Champion on. There was no doubt about the fact that it wouldn’t have been nearly as good if the Task had found place in the Lake.
Before Severus lost sight of the audience completely, he turned to look at the stands where Harry sat, between Aries and Lupin and with Ted behind him and Andromeda in front of him, in addition to his friends all around them. No one had forgotten that Harry’s name had come out of the Goblet of Fire in what was most likely a plot to hurt or kill Harry. Since nothing had happened yet, everyone was on high alert today. It might be that the plot had been thwarted completely when Severus took Harry’s place in the Tournament, but no one was willing to take that risk. Aries was on guard duty, sent by her own boss in the DMLE, because she had argued so well that Harry might be in danger and that she needed to be able to function as an Auror in case something happened. Especially since she would do it anyway, no matter what. Not that she told her boss that part. Harry was her little brother; she wasn’t going to let anyone hurt him.
Severus suspected that Madame Bones had let Aries come as an Auror on duty, not because of Harry’s safety, but for everyone else’s. She knew what was at stake if Harry got hurt. She knew, just like Alastor Moody, that there was very little anyone could do if an Omega got hurt and an enraged Alpha wanted to stop it, or avenge it. By this point, Severus was completely unable to halt himself if Harry got physically hurt, and even if it was words that hurt him, he responded in a fashion that was pure instinct. No thought required, or even possible.
An upper year Hufflepuff had learned that the hard way, just a month ago. He had taunted Harry for being a coward and not participating in the Tournament after he had cheated his way in. Most people had accepted that Harry had been trapped in the Tournament, but there were a few that refused to accept that fact. The curse Severus used to sew his mouth shut would fade in time, but it had yet to weaken even a bit, and the young man had to stay in St. Mungo’s hospital until it did, because he could not eat nor drink by himself and he sometimes had trouble breathing properly, too. No one had been able to dispel the curse. No one ever would. It wasn’t only because it was Severus’ own invention, it was because it was his power, his Warder power, behind it.
Then Severus was fully in the maze, and he focused on the task before him. Get all the Champions through the maze alive and get one of them, one of the actual participants, to take the bloody Cup.
It didn’t take him long to realise that it wouldn’t happen like that, and that the trap meant for Harry was about to catch him instead, in one way or another. Well, something that was supposed to catch a fourteen-year-old boy would most likely have a much harder time holding a fully grown and very well-educated wizard. Not to mention a Warder.
Yes, let whoever wanted to hurt his Wyrd try themselves against his teeth and claws. Let them try themselves against his Darkness, his Cold and Shadows. Let them break against his Magic.
And let them Scream.