The Choice of Destiny (Snape Love Story)

The Third Task

………………………

“Reducto!”

The library table turned to dust as the hex hit it.

“Great job Harry, that leaves us with only fifty more useful spells and hexes to practice… and I really think that I should look into the that one book…”

“Stop Hermione,” groaned Ron. “Neither of us have slept in two days because of your obsessiveness with what could be useful spells for Harry to use in the maze…”

“Well that’s because I care Ron!”

The retaliation was swift.

“If you cared, you would have never gone to the Yule Ball with Krum, you would refuse..”

Harry did his best to tune his two best friends out, the history of the Yule Ball was already bothering him since Ronald hasn’t stopped talking about it ever since he saw Hermione leaning onto Victor’s arm. Additionally to that, Harry’s mind was racing with many questions regarding the end of this school year.

Is Sirius right? Is there a Death Eater here who would dare to try kill me in front of Dumbledore?

Harry felt quite confident that whoever threw his name into the Goblet of Fire disappeared as fast as he could, hoping that one of the three tasks would finally finish him. But then again, he couldn’t help but wonder what would he himself as a Death Eater do if he saw himself pass through the first two tasks almost without a scratch.

I’d probably fret if such brilliant plan would fall apart on me...

Hermione’s voice took over his stream of thoughts.

“Harry, how about we try the compass spell one more time and.. call it a night?”

Harry looked at his two best friends. It was impossible to notice how enraged they have been on each other. Lately they could barely stand each other, yet Harry was impatient to see when will one of them decide to take a step forward to becoming a couple.

Hatred can turn into love right?

He slowly shook his head, while his wand turned in his hands to point to the North. Before he could try again he could feel something in his mind reassuring him that hatred could in fact be one of the first signs of love but at the same time he knew that the tingly feeling that prickled up his neck wasn’t about Hermione and Ron.

…………………………….

While Harry and his friends practiced the spells and hexes that Hermione believed would be useful during the third task, Dumbledore found himself standing in the middle of the maze with some of his most trusted colleagues.

His longtime friend and now colleague, Alastor Moody was slowly muttering incantations, releasing patches of honey colored mist that was meant to imprison a student unless he was smart enough to get out on time. Dumbledore had to smile; after all this was one of the safest obstacles the students would have to face in the maze.

He looked around at his other companions. Hagrid was trying to calm down a very young sphinx who certainly didn’t sound pleased about being closed up in a little box.

“Oh come on kitty, it’ll be fine.”

“It’s not a kitty Hagrid… it’s a sphinx. If it were a kitten she could never talk back at you or bite your head off.” Snickered Severus meanly.

A menacing hiss was the only reply that both men got from the sphinx before they decided to release her. All the professors held their wands at the ready as the sphinx gracefully slid out of the box. She looked at Severus with her piercing blue eyes that seemed like the blue of the stormy sky. The wind seemed to still itself but her soft honey colored fur was ruffled by some mysterious breeze. Dumbledore couldn’t stop himself from admiring the beauty of this extraordinary creature before she opened her maw and spoke: