A/N: Hey guys! I love you all so freaking much and I know I say it a thousand times but it still feels so less. You guys are so amazing.
Just to clear some things us, the last chapter was about Anora and Hermione bonding as friends, not as lovers.

A reviewer asked if Harry knows about how Severus was a death eater, and no, he doesn't know about it yet, but he will in the coming chapters!

This chapter is based on the Third Task. I have modified the task a bit, but it still remains pretty same.

I hope you guys like it!

CHAPTER 29- The Third Task: Part 1

Harry sighed as the door to his room opened again.

"HARRY SNAPE! STOP WALLOWING IN SELF PITY AND GET UP FROM THAT BED OR I WILL JINX YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!"

That did sound like a great idea for Harry, considering the third task was this evening.

He slowly put the book he was reading on the bedside table and looked at his mum.

She was standing with her hands crossed and her face set in a dark scowl.

"Hi." Harry said softly and watched as her face relaxed and her hands fell to her side.

She closed the door behind her and came and sat down beside him in the bed.

"Hey." She smiled at him.

"You know I don't want to come out." Harry stated and started playing with a loose thread on his bed sheet.

"Harry, I know this is hard for you. But you have been cooped up in the room since after breakfast, and it is past lunch now! We are worried Harry. Hermione and Ron have been sitting outside since an hour waiting for you."

Harry groaned and put his head in his hands.

"I don't want to see anyone right now." He said, his voice a bit muffled.

"Because…people's faces are somehow harmful to your health?" Lily asked him.

"Mum." Harry said and rolled his eyes before staring ahead.

"I'm…I don't know, mum. You won't understand." He said and shook his head.

"Why don't you try me?" Lily said and rubbed his back.

Harry looked at her with tears.

"What- what if I don't win?" He whispered.

"Oh Harry, we told you, we don't care if you lose or win. All we care is that you are safe and well after the task. Winning or losing doesn't decide your fate, honey. We are so proud of you to handle all this at such a young age." She said.

"I know. But all the students of Hogwarts are counting on me and Cedric. I entered the Gryffindor common room yesterday and I saw people making posters saying "Hero with cape is our Snape." People actually think that I am going to win this, mum. What if I don't? What will they think of me? They will hate me!" A sob escaped his lips and Lily pulled him in for a hug.

"No Harry, no. They won't hate you. Harry those who care about you, will never pressurize you. It's not going to matter to me, or you father or Anora or your best friends whether you win or not. Remember the quote I drilled in your head when you were small?" Lily asked him.

Harry sniffed and nodded.

"Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." He said.

"Exactly. You never chose to be in the tournament Harry, your name was intentionally put into the Goblet of Fire by someone who wishes you harm. You never wanted to fight in this tournament. If it were up to me I would have told you to go in there and immediately send red sparks into the air and come out without a scratch. But even though I'm your mum, it's not up to me. What exactly you do in the maze is up to you, whether you want to fight or you want to come out as soon as you get inside is up to you, Harry. I can't tell you what to do. I just want you to be careful and play fair. And I trust you to do it." Lily said kissed his forehead.

"Thanks, Mum." Harry said and stood up to wipe his face.

"Now come on, I refuse to let you spend even one more minute into this room." She said and dragged him outside.

Severus and Anora were sitting on the sofa with Anora's head on Severus' shoulder and Severus reading a book.

"Look who came out of hibernation!" Lily announced lightly.

Anora's head snapped up and she rushed towards Harry to hug him.

"We were so worried." She whispered in his ears as he held her. He felt bad after spotting a few tears leak out of her eyes but she was quick to wipe them.

"I thought Ron and Hermione were here." Harry said and took a seat in the armchair beside Anora's.

"They were, but I sent them to lunch. They will see you this evening." Severus said and scrutinized Harry with a gaze.

"Harry, whatever your mother said in there, it's true. There is no pressure from us for you to win. We want you safe, that's all." He said and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Do you understand me, son?"

Harry smiled at him and nodded.

"I do, dad."

Severus returned his smile and nodded before leaning back and putting an arm around Lily.

"There's some lunch kept on the table for you two. And before you deny eating lunch Harry, you need your strength and I won't let you miss meals just for you to fall unconscious even before the task starts." Lily said sternly.

"On the contrary, I am famished." Harry said and stood up with Anora to go over to the dining table where two plates were kept with a heating charm on them.

"Make sure to eat all of it. Anora, especially you." Severus said sternly as they passed them and Harry chuckled as Anora rolled her eyes.

"Sure, Dr. Snape." Anora whispered and for the first time that day, Harry laughed.

And then, for a moment, Harry thought his life was normal and there was no Triwizard tournament hanging over his head. No crazy dark wizards chasing him.

It was just him and family.

And that thought, that feeling was oddly satisfying.

/

Harry shifted from one foot to another as he saw Dumbledore's lips move. The old man was saying something but Harry was too overwhelmed by the number of people present for the Third Task. It was as if half of the public from Quidditch World Cup were here to see who wins and who dies.

His green eyes searched for familiar faces in the masses of strange ones.

His face relaxed a bit when he saw his friends waving at him from a distance. He smiled at them. He had talked to them before the task.

Flashback

"Harry, be safe in there. Use all the hexes and jinxes you know. You will have to use your knowledge and keep your defenses up-"

"Geez Hermione, he's not going into some Afghan war, slow down." Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione glared at him before looking at Harry who was looking at both of them with an amused expression.

"Please be careful, Harry. We trust you and believe in you and we just want you to be safe." Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she launched herself at Harry with full force.

"Don't worry Herms, I got out alive from a 2 hours History of Magic class, I am sure I will be fine." Harry chuckled as Hermione hit him lightly on his back before letting go.

"Take care in there, mate. It would be a great loss for the Wizarding World to lose one Harry Snape. And it is pretty fun to see you lose in Wizard Chess every Sunday. That's actually how I survive a whole week." Harry grinned as he gave Ron a brotherly hug.

"Prat." Harry said lightly.

"Bloody sod. Don't die in there." Ron said and cleared his throat.

End Flashback

Harry was brought out of his stupor by a huge thundering of claps.

Dumbledore turned towards the champions and told them to take their positions in front of the maze openings.

Harry swept the audience for the last time when his eyes settled on his parents. His mum was sitting beside his father holding his hand. They smiled at him reassuringly and Harry felt a small smile graze his lips. He then saw Anora sitting beside Kai, waving at him and giving him a thumb's up.

Harry nodded his head at her and gave her a small grin before turning around and taking a deep breath.

He looked at all the other champions ad saw them do the same thing. He gave Cedric a small smile and the older boy nodded.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's start the third and the final task of The Triwizard Tournament. I wish all the champions luck. May the finest and the bravest of you all win." Cornileus Fudge's voice boomed and a huge opening formed in front of Harry.

'Never fear Harry, for we will be with you, always.' With his parents' words in his mind, Harry entered the maze and the opening closed, drowning all the voices of everyone outside and leaving Harry with utter silence.

Outside the Maze:

As soon as the maze swallowed their son, Lily looked at Severus and he smiled at her.

"He's our son. He's going to be just fine." He said and Lily nodded.

"I know."

She looked behind and watched as Anora was talking to Kai.

She had looked a bit serious and quiet since the morning, which was justified as her brother was literally playing with death.

Anora waved at Lily and smiled a bit.

"Where's Moody?" Kai suddenly asked from beside Anora.

"He's sitting beside Dumbledore over there." Anora pointed towards the front.

"But why isn't he sitting with all the teachers in the staff's stand?" Kai frowned.

"Dumbledore was going to keep an eye on him, maybe that's why." Anora shrugged.

"But why?"

Anora chewed on his lower lip as she looked at Kai.

"Because I told him to." She said in a small voice.

Kai's eyes widened.

"What? Seriously? But why?"

"It's a long story, Kai." Anora sighed.

"Of course." Kai said and looked away.

Anora closed her eyes and weighed all the pros and cons of telling Kai everything about the prophecy and all. Dumbledore had already given her his permission to tell Kai and talk to him about it, but she had refused to tell him and drag him under the claws of danger.

Kai had always been understanding, he would cover up for her when she used to disappear without telling anyone, he stayed up late and got in trouble for her, he had done everything he could to help her without asking questions.

Finally, Anora took a deep breath and made her decision.

"Kai." She called him.

"What?" He snapped and Anora flinched at his tone. His expression softened and he asked her again, in a soft voice this time.

Anora quickly murmured a 'muffiliato' before looking at him.

"You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for, Kai. I love you, and there were things in the past that I couldn't tell you, that I didn't want to tell you. I know you will ask me why, so here's the answer. Because knowing those things would have put you in grave danger."

"Anora, I am capable of handling things. You are my best friend and if I can't deal with the things that you put yourself into, what kind of a friend am I? If you can't trust me with such important things in your life, that just suggests that I am unworthy of your trust and not a good friend." Kai said and looked into Anora's blue eyes.

"That is not at all true, Kai! You are the most trustworthy person I have ever met! I trust you with my life, Kai." Anora said and grasped his hand.

"Then tell me." Kai whispered. "Tell me everything."

And Anora did.

The Maze:

Harry shivered as soon as the maze closed behind him. The path ahead was dark and foggy and Harry had absolutely no idea how he was going to find the cup. He had never actually been in a maze or solved one, for that matter. Except the one in Daily Prophet maybe, those are easy. He shook his head and took his wand out. A soft glow of light emitted from his wand as he cast lumos, lighting the path in front of him.

The small space and blocked tunnel gave him a feeling of claustrophobia but he gulped his fears and started walking.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

He went where his heart took him, which was mostly in patterns. He walked for what seemed like an hour but in reality, was 20 mins. He had a bad feeling about this, but life was always harsh. He suddenly took a left turn and found himself staring at a dead end.

"Damn it." He sighed and retraced his steps back a few times.

He reached a fork turn and heard someone whimpering. Harry, being a Gryffindor, obviously followed it.

His eyes widened when he saw Fleur being dragged inside the walls of the maze by thick brown vines.

"Relashio!" Harry yelled without thinking and shot at the vines.

But the vines didn't budge. They just hissed a bit but didn't leave the French girl.

"Help!" She gritted out as the vines tried to swallow her head.

"Confringo!" He yelled again and this time, blasted the vines apart, injuring fleur in the process.

'Shit, she's going to blame me now.' He thought with horror and dread before rushing forward to help her sit properly.

"I-I am so sorry I didn't mean to injure you I jus-" He stammered.

"Je vous remercie. Thank you." Fleur breathed out as she took his held his hand and sobbed.

"Do you want me to call for help?" Harry asked slowly, confused if she would understand English.

"Yes, please. Red sparks. I get out." She said cried.

Harry nodded and sent red sparks up in the air before looking at Fleur to see if he could leave her alone till help arrives.

He saw her sitting there with her eyes closed and was about to silently leave when, out of nowhere, she grabbed his hand.

"Viktor. Dangerous. Be aware. Viktor, not Viktor. Not Vik-" Her head lolled to her side as she lost consciousness.

Before Harry could do something, her body vanished.

'Viktor, not Viktor? What was she talking about?' Harry thought as he made his way to the left side of the maze.

Outside The Maze:

Kai exhaled loudly as Anora finished with her story.

"That's a lot to take in." He said finally.

"I know. Remember Kai, whatever happens, you do not repeat any of this to anyone. I know I can trust you with it, but just for safety." Anora shrugged.

"I won't utter a single word to even a dead soul. I promise." He said.

"Pinky promise?" Anora smiled as she put her little finger in front of his.

Kai grinned before intertwining his finger with her.

"Pinky promise."

Anora breathed in deeply before looking over at Dumbledore who had left his seat from beside Moody and was talking to Cedric's Dad.

"I'll be back." She told Kai, who nodded.

She slowly descended the stairs and walked right past Severus and Lily towards Dumbledore.

Severus frowned at her as she talked stoically to Dumbledore.

'Do they know about the last Horcrux? If yes, then why aren't they telling us anything?' He thought.

He watched as Anora slowly nodded at Dumbledore before coming up to the stands. But, instead of sitting beside them or on her usual seat beside Kai, she went and sat beside Alastor.

"What is Anora doing beside Alastor?" Lily asked confusedly.

"I have no idea." Severus responded.

/

"Can I have a seat?" Anora asked Alastor.

He looked at her skeptically before giving her a curt nod.

Anora took a seat beside him and cleared her throat.

"I thought you would sit with your parents, or your...friend." Alastor commented without looking at her.

"I was going to, but I don't want to." Anora replied.

Alastor raised an eyebrow at her.

"Considering one of their child is in death's grip, one would think they would want their other child close to them." He said.

Anora looked into his eyes with determination.

"Harry is going to come back, alive." She told him firmly.

Alastor slowly nodded his head.

"Good." Anora said and looked back at Severus and Lily. They were talking amongst themselves and Anora wanted nothing more than squeezing herself between them and staying there until Harry came out.

But she couldn't.

She had to keep an eye on Alastor.

Suddenly, Severus looked at her and mouthed 'What is wrong?'

Anora pursed her lips and reluctantly looked away.

She hated to do this to them.

/

Severus narrowed his eyes at Anora's back.

"What is wrong with her?" Lily asked.

"She's up to something." Severus stated before looking at Albus who was happily chatting away with Amos Diggory who looked as if death had warmed over him.

/

"How's Tonks?" Anora asked Alastor whose magical eye darted towards her.

"She is...doing good." He replied shortly.

"And how are things at the ministry?"

"Fine. Cornileus is as blank as ever. The man cannot even pour himself tea without spilling it."

"Tell me something new." Anora snorted.

Before anyone could say anything, the sky was illuminated with red sparks.

Anora stood up and watched as the sky burned red before returning to its usual dark colour.

Her breathing quickened as she watched Dumbledore wave his wand before looking at Severus and Lily.

'Harry.' Was all Anora was thinking about as she rushed down the stands behind her parents.

"What is it, Albus?" Lily asked with panic lacing her voice. Severus was looking closely at Dumbledore as he waved his wand in complicated patterns, trying to figure out what was wrong from the old man's expression.

Lily pulled Anora close to her as they all waited for Dumbledore to say something. After what seemed like hours, but was actually a minute, Dumbledore opened his eyes and looked at them.

"The sparks were sent from Harry's wand." He said softly.

Lily's hold tightened on Anora and Anora's eyes widened as she took in the news Severus froze on the spot, expressionless.

"Hey look! It's Fleur!" They heard a student cry as a body floated over towards them from the maze.

Lily gasped loudly before tears flowed down her face and she gripped Severus' arm.

Anora let out the breath that she was unknowingly holding and put a hand on her racing heart, trying to calm it down somehow.

She looked at Severus and Lily before slipping out of Lily's grasp.

She turned around and frowned at the absence of Alastor Moody.

She went up to the seat she was previously occupying beside Moody and looked around.

Her eyes suddenly caught something shining beneath Mood's seat and she bent down to have a look.

Moody's bottle.

Anora slowly picked it up and found it empty. She then sniffed it, hoping to find FireWhiskey, or something.

Her eyes popped out of their socket and she froze when she recognized the smell.

Albus suddenly caught her eye and furrowed his brows.

Anora held the bottle slightly in air so that he can see it and mouth:

'Polyjuice.'

/

Harry was beyond frustrated.

Till now he had met 7 dead ends and had blasted 2 giant spiders and 3 unnaturally long snakes.

He was honestly bored now.

He sighed as he turned around a corner.

He started humming Jackson C Frank's 'Blues Run The Game' as he walked. Anora had introduced him to a lot of muggle musicians and songs and 'Blues Run The Game' was his favourite at the moment.

Just as he took a right, the path turned smoky and he could hardly see. Song forgotten, he kept his wand at the ready and cautiously walked forward. He heard a sound behind him and snapped his head back.

Upon seeing no one, Harry resumed his walking.

He walked for a whole minute before he heard a scream.

Breathing heavily, he ran in front and saw Viktor's back as he stood in front of Cedric who was sprawled on the floor.

Cedric's eyes locked with Harry's but he showed no other acknowledgment of Harry's presence.

Harry instantly understood what he wanted him to do and nodded slightly before slowly moving towards Viktor.

Just as Viktor raised his wand to curse Cedric, Harry raised his own.

"Cruci-"

"Impedimenta!" Harry yelled and Viktor froze in his movements.

Cedric struggled to stand up and Harry ran towards him to help him.

As quickly as possible, with Cedric leaning on Harry, they both managed to leave Viktor behind.

"What happened?" Harry asked as soon as he thought they were far away from Viktor.

"Viktor, he's acting like he's possessed. He's not…he. His eyes are glazed and blue and he looks pretty different." Cedric panted as leaned against the maze wall.

Suddenly, everything became clear in Harry's head.

"He's under the imperius." Harry whispered.

"What? How do you know that?" Cedric asked him.

"He attacked Fleur. When I was helping her, she said 'Viktor, not Viktor' before falling unconscious." Harry explained him.

They stood there for a few minutes, contemplating what to do before Harry broke the silence.

"Are you alright?" He asked Cedric who was supporting his hands on his knees. The older boy had a cut on his left eyebrow which had oozed a lot of blood. His elbows were scratched to the extent where Harry could see the inner skin and his breathing was a bit irregular.

Harry had managed to keep a record of not getting hurt except for a little scratch in his palm from when one of the spiders had thrown him on the ground.

"Yeah, a bit banged up, but fine." Cedric nodded.

"Come on then, we can't stay here for long, he won't be frozen for a long time." Harry said.

"We have to tell Dumbledore about this, Harry." Cedric said as they walked.

"I know. And we have to tell him without Viktor knowing. There's only one way we can do that." Harry said they neared a right turn.

"How?" Cedric asked and watched as Harry put himself against a wall and leaned forward to see if the path to the right was clear.

"By getting to the cup before Viktor does." Harry said and motioned for him to follow him.

"I am slowly starting to think that shammed us by saying that there is a cup." Cedric chuckled darkly.

"I know, right. It's been hours and none of us are any close to finding it." Harry said.

They walked for another 10 minutes before they saw a different path.

It was not the same as the ones as before, it had flowers on either side of it and the road was cobbled.

Harry looked at Cedric who grinned at him.

"We found it." He said, and with a renewed enthusiasm, the boys walked till they saw it.

The cup sat magnificently on a rock with vines and flowers growing around it. It was glowing blue as the two champions neared it. It was like a miniature version of Goblet of Fire.

Just as they were nearing it, something grabbed Harry's ankle and pulled him down and backwards. Cedric's head whipped behind him and he saw Viktor with a malicious grin controlling the vines which were puling Harry towards him.

"CEDRIC! TAKE THE CUP AND TELL DUMBLEDORE." Harry yelled as he held on to a large rock in the path.

Cedric shook his head before blasting curses after curses towards Viktor.

"I won't leave you here with him, Harry." He said.

Harry looked at him and nodded before trying to reach for his wand which was lying a bit away from his outstretched hand. He winced as the vines pulled harder on his ankle. But he didn't loosen his grip on the rock.

Cedric, seeing Harry's difficulty, slowly moved towards him, all the while dueling Viktor. He kicked Harry's wand towards the younger wizard's hand.

Harry instantly grabbed it and blasted the vines away from his legs and scrambled to his feet.

"COME ON! WE NEED TO GO!" He said as Viktor cursed the walls around them.

The walls started closing in on them and Cedric and Harry ran towards the cup.

They stood on either side of the cup and faced the biggest dilemma.

"Harry, you saved my life, you take it." Cedric said.

"You saved my life too, you too have a claim on it." Harry argued.

"Harry it doesn't matter, we both are from Hogwarts, whatever happens, Hogwarts wins!" Cedric yelled.

"Well then, let's win fairly." Harry said as Cedric gave him a confused look.

"You hold that side, I will hold the other one." Before Cedric could say anything, Harry cut him off. "We don't have a lot of time, Cedric! Let's do it!"

Cedric looked at the walls before nodding.

"On the count of three."

"One"

They were almost 15 meters from becoming pulp between the walls.

"Two"

10 meters.

"THREE." Harry yelled and they both grabbed the cup.

Harry felt a familiar pull to the navel before they were spinning in air.

They landed on hard ground and the cup sat between their sprawled bodies.

"A portkey?! Seriously?!" Cedric said incredulously.

Harry didn't comment as he took in his surroundings.

"We are in a graveyard." He noted.

"Dumbledore didn't say anything about this. You think it's the part of the tournament?" Cedric asked as he dusted his clothes.

"No." Harry said and Cedric looked at him. Harry was looking at the name of a statue with widened eyes.

"What? What is it?" Cedric asked as he stood beside him.

Harry pointed to the name and Cedric squinted his eyes to read the dusty letters.

"Who's Tom Riddle Sr.?" He asked.

Harry looked at him and gulped.

"Voldemort's father."

A/N: Voldemort's back!