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Severus frowned as he went through the inventory of his personal supply room for potions ingredients. This was the third month in a row that ingredients had been missing.

The Potions master marked down the missing ingredients on his list, noting that it was the same ingredients that had been taken the other two months. In the same quantity, too.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. Someone was brewing polyjuice potion. The combination of the ingredients was distinct, even if the quantity had increased from the last time this had happened. Severus had experienced a similar situation two years ago, but it had only happened one month.

Not three in a row.

Everything else was in order, so Severus took his list and began the journey that would take him from the dungeons to Dumbledore's office. The headmaster needed to know that something was going on, even if he wasn't going to do anything.

Albus wasn't alone when Severus reached the headmaster's office. Alastor Moody was there as well. Just the sight of the ex-Auror made Severus consider turning around and coming back later. He didn't have the time to deal with Moody today.

"Ah, Severus, what can I do for you?"

Well, there was nothing he could do now.

"There is an issue that I must discuss with you privately, headmaster," Severus said coolly, dark eyes staying on Moody to make his point clear. The ex-Auror snorted and muttered something under his breath.

Albus sighed as Severus's eyes darkened even further. He had hoped that the two professors would learn to get along while working together—they needed to seeing as they were in the Order together and would be fighting alongside each other eventually—but they were intent on antagonizing each other at every opportunity that they had.

"Alastor, another time?" Moody nodded, his magical eye no longer swiveling but remaining on Snape's face. The ex-Auror stood and took his time leaving the room, his eye still not leaving the Potions' Master's face. Severus didn't bother to hide his sneer as the door closed.

"What is it, Severus?" Dumbledore asked. Severus didn't respond until he could sense privacy spells being activated as the door to the headmaster's office closed completely.

"Someone is brewing Polyjuice Potion in this school and is stealing from my stores to do so." There was no sense in beating around the bush. Albus enjoyed doing so but Severus had classes to prepare for.

As expected, Albus didn't seem terribly concerned over the issue. The older wizard merely nodded and pressed the tips of his fingers together under his chin, thinking carefully.

"Such as two years ago?" he asked. Severus nodded.

"This is the third month in a row," the dark-haired wizard remarked. "And no one has gotten the chance to go into my personal stores except for…"

Except for Alastor Moody, who insisted on checking Severus's personal stores every month to make sure that the ex-Death Eater wasn't brewing anything that was blatantly illegal or keeping ingredients for such potions. It was infuriating and humiliating. Sometimes Severus couldn't believe that Albus would allow such a thing but he couldn't make a large fuss about the issue. If Alastor was suspicious about Severus, the ex-Auror would look into the more recent past even further and might discover just what exactly had happened in the brief time Dumbledore had been gone from the school.

Severus still couldn't believe that there had been no mention of Harry Potter staying with the Davis family over the summer or over school breaks. Was the headmaster truly unaware of the change in guardianship or had he just stayed quiet, knowing that there was something more to the issue and waiting to confront Severus until he had all of the information?

"I highly doubt it's Alastor stealing from your stores," Dumbledore said. "There would be no need for him to brew Polyjuice and if it was needed, he would be able to get the ingredients from other sources."

"He's the only one with the opportunity," Severus stated. If Alastor Moody didn't trust him, he wouldn't trust the ex-Auror. Snape had seen too many Aurors abuse the power given to them by the Ministry and how quick the Ministry was to protect the Aurors from such claims of abuse. The system disgusted him and he wasn't afraid to state his opinions on the matter.

Albus sighed. He had one professor accusing another of still being a Death Eater and a traitor and the other professor was accusing the first of stealing. It was a situation where there would be no winners.

The weekend before the second task was a Hogsmeade weekend and for once, Harry was not looking forward to going to the village. Why?

Daphne and Pansy were insisting on a double date to keep up appearances.

Harry tried convincing himself that it would just be a group of Slytherins hanging out in the Three Broomsticks. He had done that before. It would just be with a smaller group than what he was used to and just with slightly different people. Instead of hanging out with Tracey, he would be with Pansy and Daphne and Draco.

As much as he tried to think of the double date in that manner, Harry still felt awkward when it came time to meet the girls before heading to Hogsmeade and it was obvious when he attempted to say anything. Finally the teenager decided to follow Draco's example and just stay silent. At least that way, he couldn't make the situation worse than it already seemed.

Just two hours, Harry thought to himself. He only had to deal with this double date situation for two hours before he would leave and go meet Sirius. Two hours really wasn't that long.

Since they had left earlier than the rest of the school, the Three Broomsticks wasn't as crowded as it normally was. It was easy to find a table that would fit four and that was where Harry and Draco left the girls as the two boys went to get drinks.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Draco muttered after they had ordered.

"Better safe than sorry," Harry pointed out. Grey eyes glared at him and Draco refused to reply. Harry sighed. He shouldn't be the one to talk.

"This never happens again," Draco announced once the drinks arrived. "Never."

Harry readily agreed.

For the majority of the following two hours, Harry sat silently as the other three talked. Pansy, Daphne, and Draco had grown up in the same social circles, making it easier for them to create conversation. Harry would have gladly joined in on the conversation but he didn't know three-fourths of the names that were brought up in conversation.

About an hour into the double date, a large group of students arrived, mostly Gryffindors. The other three Slytherins gave the group a passing sneer but Harry kept an eye on which students were entering the pub. It didn't escape his notice that Hermione was among them, trailing behind Ron Weasley and the other fourth year male Gryffindors. She seemed to be in the same situation he was—listening to conversation, trying to speak up when she could but ultimately failing because she didn't fit in completely.

Hermione met a pair of green eyes and nodded curtly when she realized with whom Harry was hanging out. She wouldn't have minded going out of her way to say hello if Harry had been with a different group of Slytherins, but she was reluctant to do so when Draco Malfoy was around. She didn't like the blonde and Draco didn't like her. However, seeing Harry with that group, instead of with Tracey and Tracey's friends made her curious. Were dynamics beginning to change in Slytherin house?

An hour later, Harry excused himself to go meet Sirius. He had been hesitant upon dealing with his godfather but he realized that the man had his uses. His presence was a good excuse for Harry when he needed to get out of an awkward situation.

Sirius smirked when he spotted Harry. The boy was walking quickly, looking frazzled and relieved.

"I remember that look," he remarked once the boy got within earshot. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. Sirius's smirk turned into a grin.

"Your father used to have that look all the time, especially in fifth and sixth year. The girls used to love him, especially the younger ones. I lost track of how many times I had to drag him away from the hoards of girls and how many times he did the same for me. He had a reputation as a one-night hit but that was really only because he came in after curfew most nights. He would never say what he did those nights but there were plenty of rumors."

Harry gave his godfather an awkward smile. He didn't know how to respond when others started talking about James Potter. It was something he knew he should get used to but he always felt somewhat guilty.

"So what happened?" Sirius questioned. Harry shrugged.

"I got roped into a double date," he mumbled. "It wasn't bad since I already knew everyone but I rather it wouldn't have happened in the first place."

"Double dates are rough," Sirius agreed. "I remember when I went on one with your parents. I had known your father for years at that point and he acted so awkward with your mother around that it was something we later decided was better off forgotten. We were all relieved when the night was over. It took me a few years to figure out why he was so awkward that night."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why was he awkward?"

Sirius cleared his throat and looked away. He had said too much.

"Your father wasn't one for traditional relationships," he said vaguely. "And going on a double date with your mother was a bit too traditional for his tastes. Neither of them liked to advertise their feelings for each other in public and because of that, they rarely went on dates to begin with. Lily preferred to act like she couldn't stand your father and James wanted to keep up his reputation. They were both fine with keeping their relationships secret."

Harry tilted his head. Sirius sounded like he knew more than what he was letting on. Did his godfather suspect the truth about his parentage?

"Can you tell me about Hogwarts back when you were in school?" Harry asked. Sirius huffed.

"Back when…make me feel old, why don't you," the man groaned. Harry grinned.

"Well?" he pushed. Sirius sighed but settled down in his seat. He had plenty of stories for the younger wizard.

The twenty-fourth of February was met with great excitement. It was finally time for the second task, after months of waiting. No one had any idea what the second task would be, something that had led to a multitude of rumors being spread around the school.

The rumors ranged from simple, like the one about the champions having to make a singing omelet, to absolutely absurd, like a rumor started by the Gryffindors that stated the golden eggs were Portkeys that would take the champions to an unknown location and they would have to fight their way back to Hogwarts.

Harry had laughed when he heard that particular rumor, especially when others started speculating what kind of things the champions would have to battle on their journey back.

"I highly doubt that they would allow a Basilisk to roam free in London just on the off chance that the champions would come across it," he informed the third years who were spreading the rumor. "That would defeat the purpose of the Statute of Secrecy."

"Besides, when was the last time anyone ever saw a Basilisk in England," Daphne muttered from beside him. Harry smirked, remembering his second year as a private joke. Tracey saw his smirk and rolled her eyes but didn't say anything to correct Daphne's statement.

Despite all the rumors flying around, none of them came close to what the champions were actually expected to do.

Harry followed the crowd of students after breakfast, idly following the professors' directions. It didn't take him long to realize that they were heading down to the lake, not to where the first exam had been held. He wasn't the only one to make this realization, as the students got louder the closer they got to the lake.

The champions were led out as soon as all the students had gathered together. They stood at the lake's edge as the instructions for the second task and Harry barely caught a glimpse of them entering the water as the whistle blew, announcing the start of the second task.

"Well, this is exactly how I wanted to spend my free time," he remarked when it became clear that there was going to be no commentary about what was happening beneath the lake's surface. "Staring at a lake for a few hours. It's not like we have anything else to do."

The girls standing nearby smirked at his comment while a few other students rolled their eyes.

"There have definitely been better ways to spend the morning than standing outside on a February day," Daphne agreed. "But at least we get out of classes. We'd be outside anyway for Herbology lessons."

"We'd be in the greenhouses," Harry corrected. "They're a bit warmer."

"A bit," Daphne agreed.

As the conversation began to grow, Harry looked around to see what other students were doing. The Ravenclaws seemed to have brought books and bags along, allowing them to do homework while they waited for the champions to return. The Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors seemed to be playing some sort of game.

Well, most of the Gryffindors. Looking around, Harry noticed that there was one Gryffindor fourth year that was missing from the crowd.

Where was Hermione? Harry knew that there was a possibility that she might not have come but he doubted it. Everyone else was here and Hermione liked to try and fit in when she could. She wouldn't be alone in the castle if every other student was down by the lake.

Rather than ask questions, Harry kept his observations to himself and idly listened to the Slytherins' conversations, adding in his comments whenever he felt it was necessary.

Thirty minutes into the first task, a pale head broke the surface of the water, drawing screams from the girls in the front of the stands. Harry tried to get an idea of what was going on but he was still shorter than half of his yearmates. After a few attempts, he decided that listening to the commentary going on over all of the noise might be easier to listen to than to see what was happening.

"Our Beauxbatons champion has retired early, unable to continue any further. Apparently the grindylows were too much for our young lady to handle. She'll be unable to continue on with this task and this will have some repercussions on her start for the third task. Remarkable use of the Bubble-Head charm, though!"

Harry could see Pansy and Daphne's noses sniffing in a mixture of disappointment and distaste.

"Hardly surprising that she took last," Pansy muttered. "I suppose the water was too cold for her French tastes."

Harry rolled his eyes as Daphne agreed. The Slytherin girls could be a real mystery at times. They were perfectly nice and friendly one moment and then they were tearing other people to shreds with their words and gossip the next. It made him wonder if all girls were like that or if the girls in Slytherin House took it to the extreme.

Now that Fleur was back, Harry was given something to watch. He hadn't noticed it earlier but the stand that the professors were in was practically right below him and well within eyesight.

Madam Pomfrey was wrapping the Beauxbatons' Champion in heavy blankets and shoving something liquid into her mouth, trying to warm her up. The judges were standing in a circle, talking quietly and occasionally look over in Fleur's direction. They were probably deciding on points, Harry realized.

Fifty-five minutes of the original hour had passed the next time another set of heads broke the lake's surface. Harry loosely used the word heads because one of them looked like a shark before it changed into the head of Viktor Krum.

"Granger again?" Pansy asked in shock as she recognized the second head. "She's what Krum would miss the most?"

Harry wished that he wasn't as shocked as the rest of his housemates but that would be a blatant lie. He knew that Hermione had attended the Yule Ball with Krum but he had never occurred that she might be participating in the second task—willingly or not. Other than at the Yule Ball and once or twice in the library, Harry had never spotted Hermione together with Krum.

"Five minutes within the time limit, Mr. Krum returns, having successfully retrieved his hostage! I don't think any of us were expecting him to use partial human transfiguration! Tricky bit of spellwork that is!"

Ten minutes later, Cedric Diggory returned, his hostage swimming beside him.

"Five minutes outside the time limit, Mr. Diggory, the Hogwarts Champion returns, having used the Bubble-Head charm like Ms. Delacour. However, unlike our Beauxbatons Champion, Mr. Diggory was successful in his retrieval of his hostage! Now while the judges debate about points, the final hostage will be brought back by the local merpeople."

Harry leaned forward at that, eagerly wanting to catch a glimpse of a mermaid. Daphne gave him an odd look.

"Have you never seen a merperson?" she asked. Harry shook his head. When Daphne glanced back at Tracey, the other witch just shrugged.

"He wasn't raised in our world," she reminded the pureblood witch.

The merpeople weren't anything like Harry expected. He had been expecting half-naked people with beautiful looks and voices—an image leftover from a Disney movie that had been shown in school one day. These merpeople were entirely covered in scale, their hair green and full of algae. Their voices were more inhuman and animal-like screeches than anything else. Being towed behind them was a girl with similar blonde hair to Fleur's.

After a few minutes of watching the merpeople, Harry became aware of the points being announced over the crowd.

"While Ms. Delacour failed to retrieve her hostage, her excellent use of the Bubble-Head charm and the skills she displayed while fighting off the grindylows have earned her twenty-five points.

"Mr. Diggory takes second place. He also used the Bubble-Head charm but he unfortunately returned outside the time limit of an hour. The judges have decided to award him forty-five points.

"Finally, Mr. Krum returned five minutes within the time-limit, using an incomplete but effective form of transfiguration. He was the first to return with his hostage and we award him fifty-five points. This completes the second task. The third and final task will take place on the twenty-fourth of June."

Sneak peek for next time:

Sirius attempted to rush Harry further down the hallway, but it was too late. He had already seen the names on the door.

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