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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Tasks	By : QueenB Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 5179 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in anyway, shape or form. The rights of such belong solely to J.K Rowling. I do not make any money or accrue any monetary benefit on this story.

Chapter List
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Before leaving Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to pay a goodbye visit to Hagrid. The other two Gryffindors always would be Harry’s best mates. But the half-giant held a special place in his affections. Hagrid was one of his first friends before coming to Hogwarts – his very first, if truth were told.
Meeting Hagrid in Diagon Alley in his 11th year had been a surprise his parents hadn’t prepared him for. It had been a thrill and a half to learn his father and Hagrid were friends. A real live giant! If only Dudley and his pack of goons could have seen him! They’d have been peeing in their smalls.
Hagrid had been friendly and very chatty, eager to talk to Harry. Most adults didn’t talk to children, at least not as openly as Hagrid did. Harry had already been exposed to the condescension of grown-ups who talked over him like he wasn’t there. The half-giant had been as open as a kid and Harry had soon gotten over his awe at the man’s unusual size.
Harry smiled ruefully at those memories. Hard to believe he’d been so young and naïve back then. Yet, even now, aspects of the magical world never ceased to fascinate him. The presence of giants, centaurs, familiars and a phoenix could never be taken for granted. Maybe they shouldn’t be.
So it was good to drop in to see Hagrid from time to time. There was something very homey about his thatched hut that made it a breath of fresh air after Hogwarts. Maybe because it was down to earth quality, without the coldness of stone, iron, stained glass and gold plate that was Hogwarts, which made it so attractive.
With Hagrid, there were only the roughly hewn timbers, the slobbering Fang and the silence of the forest that lay just beyond it. It was a very soothing atmosphere during a year of hectic school- and spell work.
The adolescent trio found Hagrid packing and agonizing between one very loud orange tie and an equally lurid purplish one with a suspicious stain in one corner. He looked around as all three teenagers entered.
The large face split in a beaming smile. “‘Arry, Ron, ‘Ermione, it’s great to see yeh! How’ve yeh been doin’?” When his boarhound Fang leapt up barking, his tail wagging madly, he gripped him by his fur ruff. “Get down, yeh daft dog! It’s just ‘Arry and ‘is friends! Clear the door so’s he ken get out, will yeh?” They stood aside and the huge dog bounded out, disappearing into the distance, barking his head off.
“Hagrid, we didn’t know you were packing. Where are you going?” Hermione asked politely while craning her neck to see what he was packing.
A faint blush stained the half-giant’s features. He hastily stuffed both ties into the large trunk. “Ah, well, thought I’d take a trip ‘cross the Channel, do a little sightseein’,” he mumbled.
“Oh, you’re going to France?” she beamed.
Hagrid blinked, looking worried and shifty. “France? Uh, what makes yeh think I’m goin’ to France?”
“Easy to guess. It’s lovely country. You’ll have a great time there,” Hermione stated with authority. The bushy-haired girl had told Ron and Harry about the country after she and her parents had visited France one summer. In fact, she hadn’t been able to shut up about it but had raved about the customs, museums, libraries, language and French cuisine until both boys had been bored witless.
Harry summoned his knowledge of geography, which was admittedly sketchy. Yes, France was across the Channel from Britain. Why would Hagrid be going there? Unless…
Hermione’s redheaded boyfriend grinned, having caught on quicker. “Give my best to Madame Maxime, will you?” Ron chuckled.
Now the blush was a brick red color that made it seem the half-giant was suffering from a virulent fever. “Yeh’re not supposed to know ‘bout me seein’ Olympe!” He stopped and clapped his hand over his mouth.
“Why not? She seemed like a nice lady.” Harry meant it. He hadn’t been really close to the giantess. But she hadn’t struck him as being stuck up, unlike the sour-faced and paranoid Igor Karkaroff.
The half-giant ran his hand through his bushy beard, catching the ragged nails on the strands, clearly on edge about the subject. “I was just plannin’ on takin’ a tour with ‘er. We’ve only been seein’ each other for seven months – ”
Ron’s eyebrows shot up towards his forehead. “Seven months? Really? But you knew her over two years ago.”
“Yeh, but getting together’s been tough, what with ‘er bein’ in a foreign country and all that. We’ve been talkin’ mainly through owl and flyin’ that distance’s tough on the wee birds.” Hagrid sighed, a gusty sound that caused Harry’s hair to blow back.
“We’re happy for you, Hagrid, really we are.” Unable to resist twitting the big man a little, Harry adopted an innocent expression and asked, “Are you planning on popping the question while you’re in France?”
“Poppin’ the…?” Hagrid’s color went from red to an ugly beige as his blush faded. “Oh, blast. Yeh don’ think she’ll be wantin’ me to ask ‘er, do yeh?”
“No, no, Hagrid! It was just a joke!” Harry said, sorry to have worried his big friend.
Hagrid plopped down on the bed, unheeding of the creak of wood. “So do yeh think I should get a ring or summat like that?” the half-giant asked, not hearing Harry.
“Oh, that would be so romantic!” Hermione exclaimed, her brown eyes misty.
Ron flushed almost brighter than Hagrid. “I don’t know, Hagrid,” he added nervously. “Seven months is kinda soon, isn’t it? What do you think, Harry?”
“I wouldn’t know about these things. It’s not like I’ve got a girlfriend,” Harry muttered with a shrug. Hagrid was so lucky to have found someone. Sometimes Harry thought he’d always be alone.
Sure, James Potter was a powerful wizard in his own right and had pots of money. But Harry was on the short side with scraggly hair. He knew he couldn’t compare to his best mate.
Ronald Weasley came from one of the most prestigious wizarding families in Britain. Plus, he’d gotten real good-looking to boot. Red hair was evidently just as rare in the magical community as it was in the Muggle world. The firm chest and powerful legs gained from playing Quidditch hadn’t done Ron any harm either. Like his older twin brothers, other girls looked after him when he walked in the streets and sighed. When he went out with Ron, who’d shot up like a beanstalk in his fifth year, Harry was pretty much ignored.
Hagrid’s heavy pat on Harry’s shoulder nearly knocked him down. “Don’ worry about it, ‘Arry. There’s someone out there for yeh. There’s someone for everyone. That’s what Olympe tells me.” The words were spoken with a dreamy expression that looked distinctly weird on the huge bearded face.
Feeling just a little queasy at the mental images beginning to play in his head, Harry hurried on. “So, are you taking Fang with you or letting him run loose through the forest?”
“Oh, I’ve got to take ‘im with me this year. The forest is off limits for ‘im ‘cause of the secret.”
“Secret?” The three adolescents exchanged surprised looks. The forbidden forest wasn’t called that as a joke. Territorial centaurs, werewolves and even rats of unusual size were only some of the dangerous magical creatures lived there. The centaurs themselves had issued stern warnings against any human adult ever setting foot there. Only someone like Hagrid could trespass there without severe repercussions. But what secret could be hidden within the area?
Now the half-giant looked furious with himself. “Blimey, I wasn’ supposed to mention that,” he groused.
“But what’s going on? What secret?” Ron asked. Hagrid was lousy at keeping secrets. If they could just prod him a little, he’d tell them everything they knew.
“It’s naught to fret yehself about. Trust me, ‘eadmaster Dumbledore knows what ‘e’s doin’.”
“The Headmaster knows about this?” Hermione interrupted.
Hagrid hit himself in the head. “I wasn’ supposed to tell yeh that!” he bellowed.
To Hermione, it looked terribly like the distress of an aggrieved house-elf and she hurried to soothe her large friend. “Please, Hagrid, don’t be so upset. I’m sure if Dumbledore knows about it, it can’t be a bad thing, right?”
Suddenly Harry understood. Whatever was in the forest probably had to do with Dumbledore’s mysterious instructions! If Harry could get to it first, he’d have a magical item that would be very special indeed, not to mention a great story to go with it.
Barely able to suppress his excitement, he grinned at Hagrid and patted his shoulder, easy to reach now that the half-giant was seated. “Hagrid, I’m sorry if I worried you just now. You have a great trip to France, okay?”
Black eyes peered at them worriedly. “Yeh’ll forget what I said to yeh, won’t yeh? The ‘eadmaster’d be right upset with me if ‘e knew I spilled to yeh,” Hagrid begged, his large hands twisting in distress.
“No problem, Hagrid. Your secret’s safe with us.” Harry wasn’t promising to forget – impossible, really, unless he was hit with a Memory Charm. But his evasive words appeared to ease Hagrid’s mind.
The half-giant stood up from the bed and resumed his packing. “Thanks for comin’ to see me. I’ll tell Olympe yeh all said hello.”
“Don’t mention the ring part, “Ron interjected hastily. “Maybe seven months is a bit too soon.”
Thick lips pursed as Hagrid considered. “Yeh’re prolly right. Best to give it another two months or so.”
Only nine months? That still seemed awfully soon to Harry but what did he know? Right now the mystery that lay in the forbidden forest was uppermost in his mind. Hagrid’s secret flirtation with the massive Madame Maxime was definitely of secondary importance.
They left the cottage as fast as decency allowed and hurried back to Hogwarts. “What do you think the secret is?” Ron murmured as they neared the school grounds.
“It’s got something to do with Dumbledore’s tasks, I’m certain of it,” Hermione pointed out.
Ron’s eyes widened. “Really? Then we’ve got to get in there!”
“And how will we get out if we’re discovered? We can’t Apparate out. The centaurs have warned us to stay away now that we’re practically adults and they can run much faster than we can,” Hermione pointed out.
“Maybe we can bring our brooms. The centaurs can’t catch us if we fly,” Ron added.
“Through all that tree cover?” she asked. “Then we’d risk flying into the branches. Not all of us are skilled Quidditch players, you know.”
“You can ride with me. I’ll take care of you,” Ron said, eyebrows waggling.
Hermione sniffed, as though the idea of having to be taken care of didn’t appeal to her. But Harry saw her move closer to Ron until they were practically arm in arm.
He thought furiously, making his own plans. Being unable to Apparate on Hogwarts grounds was a problem but not an insurmountable one. Maybe his Invisibility Cloak would give him an edge. The broomsticks were another good idea. He just needed to come up with a strategy that would work.
He glanced at the whispering pair walking ahead of him. With Ron and Hermione so caught up in each other, maybe he had a shot at doing this on his own.

TBC
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Tasks