This chapter is late as heck, my apologies, but I hope you enjoy, nevertheless

On the last week of May, Harry was informed to head down to the Quidditch field for information on the third task.

"What d'you reckon it's going to be?" Cedric asked Harry as he joined him. "Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels; she reckons we've got to find treasure."

"That wouldn't be too bad," said Harry. "But it sounds too easy to be true."

They walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the field.

"What've they done to it?" Cedric said indignantly, stopping dead.

"Hedges!" Harry said, staring at the walls that now covered the once-smooth ground.

Apparently, they were building a maze on the field.

"There will be obstacles," Bagman said happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures... then there will be spells that must be broken... all that sort of thing, you know. Now, Mr. Potter will get a head start into the maze." Bagman grinned at Harry. "Then Mr. Diggory... then Mr. Krum will enter... then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"

Very, Harry mentally deadpanned. Especially with Voldemort on the loose.

HARRY POTTER

"DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"

Harry stared blankly at the article, wondering how the hell Rita knew about his scar hurting. He had been in Arithmancy when he was suddenly aware of his scar bursting in pain and being on the floor. Not wanting to worry anyone, he had swiftly left for his dorm and remained there until he could think more clearly.

"Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?" Parkinson shouted, pushing away Draco as he tried to shut her up.

"This woman," Fred muttered, shaking his head. "When will she learn to stop bugging you so much?"

Bugging... Harry suddenly recalled seeing Parkinson seemingly talking into her hand like it was a walkie-talkie. There was also no way Rita Skeeter would have been able to have seen Harry without him noticing her unless she had something to help conceal her.

"Harry, Harry!" Fred nudged his boyfriend, looking concerned. He looked awfully calm for someone who had been slandered— again.

"Hm?" Harry mumbled calmly.

"You all right? You don't even look like you're affected."

"Oh, I am. But Rita Skeeter will regret ever writing this."

Fred blinked at the scheming expression on Harry's face. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

Harry snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Says you, Marauder-in-training."

At that moment, Professor Flitwick approached them. "Mr. Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast. Your families will be there."

Harry nodded, inwardly wincing. Remus and Sirius were not likely to be happy that he had not told them about his vision.

"I'll see you later," Fred said, kissing Harry's cheek.

"Bye." Harry stood up and went into the side chamber.

To his surprise, the Weasleys were also there.

"Surprise!" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly. "Thought we'd come and watch you. Harry!"

Harry grinned at her, then turned to Remus and Sirius. "You made it," he said, hugging them both.

"Course we did, pup," Sirius said.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Remus added.

They all took a tour around Hogwarts, though Remus and Sirius eventually separated from the Weasleys and pulled Harry aside.

"What was the vision about?" Remus asked.

Harry didn't even try to pretend he didn't know what he meant. "Voldemort got a letter from an owl. He said something like, Wormtail's blunder had been repaired. He said someone was dead. Then he said, Wormtail wouldn't be fed to the snake— there was a snake beside his chair. He said— he said he'd be feeding me to it, instead. Then he did the Cruciatus Curse on Wormtail— and my scar hurt," Harry said.

"Your scar hurt," Sirius repeated anxiously. "Why would your scar hurt?"

Harry shrugged.

"You should have told us, kiddo," Remus said.

"I didn't want to bother you."

"Harry, we talked about this," Remus said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You are never a bother to us."

"The Third Task," Harry said. "Do you think it has anything to do with that?"

"It most likely does. Nothing out of the ordinary happened in the first two." Sirius' eyes were shadowed with concern. "Stay alert. Do what you have to do to survive."

Harry nodded solemnly.

They rejoined the Weasleys and headed back into the Great Hall for lunch.

"Mum— Bill!" said Ron, looking stunned, as he joined the Gryffindor table. "What're you doing here?"

"Come to watch Harry in the last task!" said Mrs. Weasley brightly. "I must say, it makes a lovely change, not having to cook. How was your exam?"

"Oh... okay," said Ron. "Couldn't remember all the goblin rebels' names, so I invented a few. It's all right, they're all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean; it wasn't hard."

Fred, George, and Ginny came in and sat down with them.

"Hey, Mum," Fred said. His grin faltered upon seeing her face.

Harry frowned. "You didn't believe what Rita Skeeta wrote, did you?"

"No, of course not," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Fred really likes Harry," George said.

"Yeah, you should hear him in the common room," Ginny added. "He goes on and on about Harry's eyes."

"And his hair," Ron chirped.

"Ginny, Ron!" Fred exclaimed. "Are you serious?!"

"No, but he is." Ginny pointed to Sirius, who let out his bark-like laugh.

Mrs. Weasley didn't say anything else, but Harry noticed that she was no longer staring at Fred disapprovingly.

"So, did you figure out Skeeter yet?" Remus asked in a low voice.

The vindictive gleam Fred had seen earlier reappeared in Harry's eyes. "I believe so. I think she may be an Animagus."

"But what kind?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"A bug of some sort," Harry said. "The problem now is finding her."

"Do you have the map on you?" Remus asked.

"No, I'd have to go get it."

After he did that, the three spent the afternoon walking around the castle, partly focused for any insect, but mostly talking about what had been going on back at home. Harry laughed as Sirius recalled rather grumpily when he had woken Remus up by turning into Padfoot and licking him like he often did, only for Remus to lash out and kick him in the groin.

"It's not funny, I couldn't sit down for like five hours!"

"It was barely one."

"Ten hours!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"

As Bagman listed off the points each champion had, Harry concentrated on taking deep breaths. He turned to look back at the stands. Fred waved at him, then blushed as Sirius leaned over and said something in his ear. Harry turned back around, rolling his eyes. No doubt that Sirius had said something rather... mature.

"So... on my whistle, Harry!" said Bagman. "Three— two— one—"

As the whistle sounded, Harry raced forward and disappeared into the maze.

Let's see what happens next, shall we?