June 1982
Cokeworth, England
Williams Residence
It was Professor Snape who found Sarah first. She hardly noticed, crouched as she was over Professor Aldbar, whispering to herself. "Harry Potter survived it, and he was just a baby; it's possible; you can survive it too."
Snape knelt beside her and it was the oddity of him wearing Muggle jeans that finally arrested her attention. She tore her gaze from Aldbar's sightless eyes and stared in a dull stupor at Snape in a button down and a crooked black leather coat. His features were somehow softer, even in the dark shadows of her house. He looked at her as though he cared, but with pity.
He looked at her the way her father had when he told her Mum was dead.
"A baby can survive the Killing Curse," she insisted with all the certainty of an 11-year-old girl. She sniffed to clear her nose – her words sounded strange – and asked in confusion, "Why can't Professor Aldbar?"
Snape rested his wand gently on Aldbar's forehead, whispering a spell Sarah didn't know. A soft yellow light flickered from the end of his wand, moving over Aldbar's body — Aldbar — like one of those scanners at the supermarket. Snape's shoulders fell, and Sarah sniffed again. "No," she said.
"I'm sorry," Snape murmured. "He's gone."
"But he— he's a hero! He saved me! He can't— he can't be — He can't!" Sarah pushed Snape's shoulder angrily. "Do something! You said you could put a stopper in death, didn't you?"
And Professor Snape wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her. "Not forever," he said. "And he did save you. That would have meant a lot to him."
To the grizzled old Auror... oh yes, it would have.
Sarah sniffled, turning her head into his chest. A button dug into her cheek and she didn't care. She listened to the flames still crackling around them, felt her fingers digging into her wand. She thought of everything that had happened to bring her here, all the little things from just after her eleventh birthday to now.
It had all started so wonderfully…
A/N: Welp. This is it. I decided to just post the thing because I'm not getting anything done on it and it's been like two years. And what the hey, Camp NaNo. Again. Haha. Anyway. I couldn't figure out where to start, so I figured 'why not the ending'? It's cliche, who cares?
Also. The Snape in this story is different, as you can see. Hello, fanon Severus. Been meaning to write one of you for a while now.
And it's going to take me a while to introduce Jareth. Sarah doesn't meet him til she's 15, remember?
Enjoy the story!
(translation: guilt trip me into writing it, please, I'm such a procrastinator it won't get done unless I know someone's reading it)
[July 1, 2016 - datemarking because I want to keep myself accountable]
Further note: This is the beginning of that epic Harry Potter/Labyrinth fic I've been wanting to do for ages. Eventually Sarah/Jareth, because obviously. I won't be bashing anyone in particular, though I sense a frenemy brotagonist relationship with Draco and Hermione, because reasons. Ron's a chess player, though, and eventually he's going to meet- oh, that's a spoiler. I've ideas for the Hallows, and a secret ally for Voldemort, and headcanons about the Underground and how it relates to the Goblin Wars - I have plans, guys, but no idea how to get there, so I'm starting at the beginning. This chapter will probably haunt me forever, but if I never post it I'll never finish, so that's what I'm doing.
And seriously. If you want to see me go in a certain direction, throw me a line. As of now the only absolutes are Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth, leading Jareth around by his feathery Fae hair while the Labyrinth laughs about it to Hogwarts, who is sentient.
And if you happen to be from the UK, tell me any errors you don't like? please?
One last thing. I try to understand why all these characters did what they did in canon, and how what I did to Severus when he was 9 changes all of them.
Poor boy.
(I regret nothing)
In memory of David Bowie and Alan Rickman. From a novice wordsmith to two Silvertongues:
I shall never forget your voices.