The day of the Third Task dawned bright and sunny.

Not that Harry Potter knew this as he was still lying in bed, sleeping peacefully and dreaming of the freedom he would have this summer.

The few months between the second task and the third had been most enlightening to Harry. The Ministry had finally decided on a guardian for young Mister Potter. Though many people had volunteered, some with more nefarious intentions than others, it was eventually decided that the Malfoy's of all people would become Harry's new 'family'.

Though originally this had caused Harry one or two sleepless nights it hadn't really been that bad. In fact, because of this new development, he had discovered a fact about his family that the many people who claimed to be close to them had neglected to mention.

They were neutral.

Not at first of course but once they had found out about Lily's pregnancy they had immediately taken a rather large step back from the on-going confrontation. The reason they had gone into hiding, wasn't to escape Voldemort as so many people had led him to believe. But to escape Dumbledore and his band of bloody chickens.

Lucius had taken great delight in telling Harry that his parents had been neutral for almost two years before their deaths. And in all honesty, Harry had taken great delight in hearing it. This news had made him feel immensely better about his decision to stay away from anything to do with Voldemort. To know that his parent's hadn't wanted that life for him was like a giant weight of his shoulders. Now he didn't have to worry that he would be letting them down.

Though he would never regard to the Dark Lord with anything other that hatred, there was no burning need for revenge. There had been no real cruelty in the fate of Lily and James Potter; Lily had even been offered her freedom. It's not like they were tortured. Their deaths had been fairly quick and completely painless, probably only due to the fact that they were neutral.

The Longbottom's were sort of proof off this. Apparently, despite the fact they had a baby at home who would miss them should something happen, they had remained as active participants in the war. They still fought hard at every battle that took place. It was admirable, that they cared so much about their beliefs and the fate of others to do this but Harry personally would have admired them more if their son had been their first priority.

They had stayed in the Order of the Phoenix and unlike the Potters, they were tortured for any information they might have known.

Yes, Harry was quite sure he had made the right choice by choosing no side at all and Lucius had assured him of Voldemort's agreement. If Harry stayed away from the war that was coming, the war would stay away from him.

Well, the Dark side at least. They made no promises about the Light. Though they did offer him sanctuary should Dumbledore's attempts at control turn nasty or at least nastier than they already had been.

Harry had been gracious about the offer but hadn't really given them a solid answer. To tell the truth, he was trying very hard not to think about the coming years. They were looking to be pretty lonely as there was almost no one in the world Harry could call his friend at the moment.

Sirius hadn't written to him in a month. There hadn't been a single word from him since Harry had written asking why his Godfather had failed to mention the Potter's neutrality. The young Gryffindor tried not to let the disappointment get to him. He was used to it after all.

Most of Gryffindor House had turned their backs on him completely though at this point Harry really wasn't surprised. It had happened twice before after all. The younger years were friendly enough and Neville still smiled at him whenever they saw each other. He even occasionally joined Harry at a table in the library for homework but he made sure no one in red and gold witnessed it.

The rest of the school didn't seem to care one way or the other. With the exception of the tasks themselves, Harry was doing his best to stay out of any sort of spotlight whether this was The Daily Prophet or simply the Hogwarts' rumour mill. He figured if he started to fade into the background now then the general population would pay less attention when he finally disappeared completely. Not that he planned to go very far, he loved the magical world too much to ever completely leave it, but he wanted a quiet life and at least a small bit of anonymity was vital in achieving that goal.

Dumbledore however was doing everything he could to hinder this. Every event relevant to the Tournament had suddenly become a school wide affair. With mandatory attendance.

One example of this was when the Champion's had been told about the final task. Instead of only a handful of people being dragged down to the Quidditch pitch, every person imaginable had been invited to see the fledgling hedges. From Rita Skeeter to Madam Pince. Dumbledore had turned it into a sodding circus.

He arranged for expects to come in to talk about the type of creatures and enchantments that the contestants would be facing. He'd organised visits for children too young to currently attend Hogwarts to come and play with the maze while it was still small and safe. He'd allowed reporters almost constant and unlimited access to the castle. He even tried to arrange for Witch Weekly to have a running column describing the day to day lives of the Champions and what they were doing to prepare for the task.

It was the Malfoy's that had saved Harry from this last atrocity, due to the fact that he was still under age. As his legal guardians, they had refused to give their consent for Harry to be featured in the press. He hadn't actually been in the papers since. Articles about the tournament now always referred to him as 'the fourth Champion' or 'the youngest Champion'. Nothing was written exclusively about him and his face had to be blurred out in any picture that anyone managed to snap of him. It was a very welcome reprieve and helped his plans exceedingly.

Harry could begrudgingly admit that a lot of what Dumbledore had organised was actually pretty good. The lectures were fascinating and the kids had been quite cute running around the miniature maze. It just annoyed Harry that Dumbledore was only doing it for selfish reasons; it was all a ploy to keep Harry fresh in people's minds. Dumbledore needed Harry to be seen as a hero and because Harry wasn't showing people what he was capable of, the next best thing was Dumbledore telling people what Harry would have to be capable of come the third task.

Ultimately it was a pretty feeble ploy. It relied too much on Harry's participation during the maze and anyone who'd been present at the earlier tasks could tell you that just wasn't going to happen. However, for all his faults, Dumbledore was not unintelligent and was probably aware of this. He'd just decided that it didn't matter because this plan had the benefit of rebuilding some of his sullied reputation and, if he was honest, it was just about the only thing he could do. Between the Ministry and the Malfoys, Harry was in a pretty untouchable position which was a relief for the boy.

The Great Hall Went quiet as Harry breezed in around 6 o'clock and swiftly walked over to greet the Malfoys at the Slytherin table. He could see the other Champion's already sitting and smiling with their families. Draco didn't look particularly pleased with Harry's presence but it was understandable and he did mask it rather well. Narcissa stood to meet him with a hug and Lucius gave him a firm squeeze on the shoulder. It was more affection that they usually displayed in public, even to Draco, but they needed to let the world see they were welcoming Harry to the family properly and the Boy-Who-Lived understood that even if it wasn't strictly true.

While they were friendly with him, the Malfoys certainly hadn't been trying to make Harry feel like one of their own and Harry wouldn't want them too. That family were up to their elbows in Voldemort's cause and Harry would rather keep his hands clean thank you very much. And even though the break in tension was nice, expecting Harry and Draco to suddenly act like brothers was probably going a step too far.

Plus it would be kinda weird.

Harry sat with the Malfoys until it was time to make their way outside. It had been rather bemusing to share small talk with them over the evening feast. Every now and then he had Narcissa telling him to sit up straighter or stop slouching. He complied of course; the glares of the male Malfoys had nothing on hers.

Harry wasn't sure exactly how he found himself stood outside the wide entrance to the maze. It all seemed sort of surreal. He could see the anxiety and fear on the faces of the other Champions but couldn't bring himself too care. He supposed that the maze must look intimidating to the people who were actually going to be travelling through it, the hedges themselves were around ten foot tall and it must have been pretty dark inside, but all he could picture were the children who'd been running through it just six weeks ago. Harry envied them, it had looked like fun. It was true that he could have a go now should he choose to but he imagined it would be distinctly less amusing to be running through it because you were being chased rather than just because you were simply excited.

While Ludo Bagman was explaining how the task was going to start, Harry made a quick check through his book bag to make sure he had everything he would need. He did. And he grinned.

Muttering started in the crowds, wondering what he could possible have up his sleeve and if he was honest, Harry himself wasn't completely sure what would happen next. He was still debating whether or not he should actually try and win.

You have to admit it would be funny if he did. The famous and fatal TriWizard Tournament won by the fourteen year old who hadn't even made an effort. Harry knew that if he did make a bid for the trophy, it would have to be done in a way that baffled people. Harry let his expression fade to one of indifference and he watched the other Champions entering the maze one by one. He would be going last due to having the lowest score.

Finally it was Harry's turn to enter. He closed his eyes as he crossed the threshold. He had felt the task magic wash over him and knew straight away that it was already over. He was safe. The magic of the task lay over the maze like Clingfilm in the same way it had covered the surface of the lake and the entrance to the arena. Something loosened in his chest, something he hadn't even realised was tight, as the binding magic of the contract was finally satisfied. The contract had been fulfilled. No matter what happened from this point onwards, his magic was safe and thankfully still his.

The only way his magic could be taken from him now was if he cheated. If he left the maze and barrier of task magic completely it would signal the end of his participation in this tournament.

Harry was still unsure what to do. Part of him wanted to actually win and in the least heroically way possible just to show up Dumbledore but that went against his plan. Even if he won in some sneaky, borderline cheating way it would still give people something to talk about. However at this point, Harry figured that everything he did tonight was going to be talked about anyway and he still had another three years in school to fade into obscurity. It was probably better that he stuck it to Dumbledore now while he still could.

With a course of action in mind, Harry lowed himself to his knees and took about fifteen rocks out of his bag, each the size of a fist. This had the crowds muttering again as he arranged them in a rough circle. The people who hadn't been witness to the previous tasks started speculating about what sort of ritual Harry was about to attempt. The students and Ministry workers who had been lucky enough to see Harry's earlier performances just started shaking their heads.

There were only a handful of muggleborns in the crowd that recognised what Harry was doing. Thankfully, they thought it was funny enough that they didn't want to spoil the surprise for everyone else.

Once the circle was finished, Harry reached into his bag again only this time he pulled out a bundle of twigs. The people who had caught on snorted in amusement. Harry quickly went about arranging them like a tepee in the centre of the circle. He considered keeping two aside to use to build friction but figured that after everything the Malfoys had done for him lately he could at least do the rest of this the magical way. He didn't want to embarrass them.

Harry sat back and crossed his legs as he surveyed his handiwork. It wasn't bad for someone who was only copying what they'd seen on TV. Harry calmly pointed his wand at the centre of his 'tepee'. The audience leaned forward in their seats.

"Incendio!"

The small campfire sprang to life.

Harry grinned as he reached into his back again and produced a small paper bag and a small skewer he'd borrowed from the kitchens. Some of the crowd chuckled as he set about roasting his first marshmallow.

"Mr Potter!" Shouted Dumbledore's enhanced voice. "Would you be so kind as to explain what you're doing?"

Harry quickly cast his ownSonorus Charm, not once looking away from his snack, lest it burst into flame.

"To be honest, I thought it was pretty was explanatory." Was his tongue in cheek response. "I'm toasting marshmallows. I considered making s'mores but I don't actually know what they are so…" Harry shrugged as he let his voice trail off.

"Mr Potter, this is your last chance to participate in a task. To be selected as a TriWizard Champion is an honour. Do you really not want a chance to show the world what you can do?"

Harry pulled his marshmallow away from the flames and glared into the judge's stand while he gave it chance to cool.

"I answered that question during the first task. If I had wanted to 'show the world what I can do', I would have willingly entered this tournament. My answer has not changed." Harry forced the dark look off his face and replaced it with a casual smile. "However you are right that this is my last chance to have a go and it should be an honour." He shrugged with perfect indifference. "Maybe in bit, I'm almost finished with my book so I might get bored soon."

And with that he started to nibble on his marshmallow while he once again pulled Quidditch Through the Ages out of his bag and deliberately turned to only a few pages from the end. In all honesty, he'd only restarted the booked again last night but he didn't want the crowd thinking he was too eager to reach the cup.

It was fifteen minutes and another three marshmallows later that Harry finally finished his book again. He carefully put the sweets, skewer and book back in his bag. A quick aguamenti put the fire out. He'd considered just leaving it but knowing Snape, he probably would have found some obscure rule this broke and used it as an excuse to give Harry detention.

Plus considering he was surrounded by hedges, Harry figured it was probably safer this way.

As he walked to one of the inner walls of the maze, Harry did something that reminded the muggleborns strongly of Mary Poppins. Reaching into the bag one last time, Harry began to pull out a ladder.

Considering his actions were once again self explanatory, mutterings of cheating broke out in the crowd. As he propped the ladder against the wall of the maze, Harry vaguely registered Bagman informing the spectators that Harry would have to be very careful with his next move. The contract would take his magic if he really cheated.

Harry grinned as he swung his bag over his shoulders and began climbing the ladder. Though no one knew it nor had anyone probably guessed it considering the effort he usually put into his studies, Harry had researched the history of the tournament and its rules.

Extensively.

And he know had a pretty good understanding of them. He probably knew them well enough to rival Barty Crouch. If the man was ever found that is.

What Harry planned to do wouldn't count as cheating, just ingenuity. But he would have to be carefully to always have at least one part of his body inside the layer of task magic at all times. Tricky but doable.

Harry paused at the top ladder, his thighs level with the top of the hedge. Here came the hard part. He wasn't exaggerating when he compared the layer of magic to Clingfilm. It held firm across the top of the maze, no higher than the top of the hedge. Harry assumed that was to stop someone simply flying to the centre.

Harry looked at the hedge closely, it was only about a foot thick. Dense enough to discourage a contestant from forcing their way through and hopefully magically enforced for the same reason. He mentally crossed his fingers it would hold his weight as it no doubt could give way if someone applied enough pressure or force, otherwise the people patrolling would have a hell of a time trying to reach someone who was in trouble.

With determination, Harry gripped the hedge as best he could as bravely swung one leg over so he was straddling it the same way one would a broomstick. Though considering the size, this was probably more comparable to a horse. A really prickly horse.

Thankfully the hedge managed to hold Harry's weight rather well even if it did shift quite a bit underneath him. Harry grinned in triumph. Half the battle had already been won. Harry quickly cast a feather light charm at the ladder. It was only wooden so it wasn't too heavy but there were about fifteen to twenty hedges between him and the cup. It would be stupid not to ease the burden a little bit.

Harry grabbed the now almost weightless ladder and began to pull it up. It was actually easier than he thought it would be to keep hold of the thing, though he knew he would have struggled quite a bit had the ladder weighed what it was supposed to. When he'd pulled the ladder up half way, Harry let it balance across the hedge like a see-saw and carefully lowered the other end to the ground on the other side of the hedge. All the while the crowd sat and watched in stunned silence.

Harry gave them a grin and wave before swinging his other leg over the hedge and making his way quickly down the ladder.

The Boy-Who-Lived actually managed to make pretty good time in his quest. Though there were a few stumbling blocks he had to navigate around. The crowd could see him as each time he crossed the top of a hedge except every now and then, instead of climbing over the hedge he would just look over, shake his head and climb back down the way he came. Only to appear again ten foot to the right or left where he would move along as he had before. It was quickly realised that Harry was doing this in order to avoid whatever obstacle was lying in wait for unsuspecting champions.

Only the organisers of the tournament knew there was actually some sort of creature or enchantment on the other side of every hedge. Bagman, who had pinned a rather large sum of money on Harry winning this thing, was quick to point out to the audience that the youngest champion was only avoiding the traps he didn't know how to handle and considering the age difference between him and the others, only skipping five or six wasn't bad.

About half an hour later, Harry was grinning as he gazed up at what he knew to be the last wall between him and the centre of the maze. Despite how quickly he had mastered it, it hadn't been easy climbing and hedges were hardly comfortable resting places. The inside of his thighs were actually quite sore. Harry grit his teeth against the ache that had developed in his legs and forced himself to climb the ladder.

The cup shone brightly. The centre of the maze was completely undisturbed. None of the other champions had even come close yet but that wasn't really surprising given that the task had only started about an hour ago and the maze was pretty big, spanning most of the Quidditch pitch.

Harry had to drag his eyes away from the huge trophy as he climbed down the ladder for the final time. The last thing he needed was to lose his footing just because he was distracted. Imagine the embarrassment of having to forfeit mere feet away from actually winning, especially after all the fuss he made, just because he's slipped and broken his leg.

When he finally reached the ground, Harry barely paused before slowly making his was to the very centre of the maze. He couldn't believe it. This was impossible.

After refusing to do any more than the bare minimum throughout the whole tournament, he was actually going to win. An enormous grin broke out over Harry's face as he reached forward with a shaking hand. He couldn't wait to see the look on Dumbledore's face.

Harry's hand wrapped around the arm of the cup and lifted it into the air with a whoop of triumph. It didn't matter that no one could see him.

He'd bloody won!

However a split second later, all traces of amusement vanished as Harry felt the telltale tug behind his belly button.

"Oh shi-"

Review

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Dun Dun Dun!

I'm sorry! If I was reading this I'd be bloody fuming right now but have no fear. The end is already complete. It was just too tempting to find what your reactions would be to this very mean cliff-hanger but don't worry, I shall post the end as soon as my cruel curiosity is satisfied. Hanna xoxo