Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or Harry Potter. I just own this story idea, and it's only worth something while you read it.
Chapter Four
Severus paced back and forth in front of the king; that thrice damned prophecy kept repeating itself over and over in his head…well, the part he hadheard. It was the part he hadn't heard that worried him the most.
"Dumbledore was looking right at me, Sire. He had his brother stop me before I even passed through the bar," Severus explained nervously.
It was no secret that he had joined the death eaters. While he wasn't proud of his moment of weakness, King Jareth had understood and accepted his repentance within moments of meeting him. Severus had sworn an oath of fealty almost immediately. There was no way he would pass up the chance to get to know a true being of power. This man had offered him family, reconciliation with his beloved Lily, and a way to redeem his self worth. It was more than he'd ever hoped for, given the sad state of his life to date.
The king had immediately transported him to the Underground and taught him occlumency as practiced by the fae. The result of several months of training, which only amounted to a few days Above, meant that Severus' mind was impenetrable to wizards. Not only that, but he'd been taught a bit of fae magic which was wand-less and undetectable. Potter could possibly learn, too, if only he would. Apparently, he was too stubborn. The fact that His Majesty disliked him almost as much as Severus did was a bonus.
"And what did that old meddler want?" the king asked as he created a crystal to roll around.
"He brought me to Hogwarts and grilled me about my intentions. He ended up saying that I should protect myself by telling the dark lord what I'd heard." Severus paused, trying to decide if he should tell the king of his suspicions.
"What is it, Severus?" The monarch's penetrating gaze was locked on him, as if looking into his very soul.
"It felt off, Sire. I only heard the first part of the prophecy, but I thought it claptrap. The headmaster, though…I got the impression that he would make sure the dark lord knew there had been a prophecy, no matter what I did," Severus finished uneasily. "I was summoned while I was still in the room with the headmaster. When I kneeled before the dark lord, he acted as if he had already known that I'd followed Dumbledore to the bar and then back to the castle."
"What did you hear?" the king asked, waving toward a high backed chair. He'd dispelled the crystal sphere and was now flicking his riding crop against his boot heel irritably.
For one moment, Severus wondered if Potter had ever been in the king's study and somehow doubted it. With a sharp shake of his head, he focused on the topic at hand. The prophecy. It felt like something he should say standing up, but to do that would be to ignore his king as well as give the foolish words weight. Accordingly, Severus sat down and closed his eyes for a moment, clutching at the arms of the chair as he ordered his thoughts and tried to remember every nuance.
"I didn't hear it all, Sire, but what I did hear went as follows: The child of power has come, born at the death of Aurelius…Born to the house of old and new, he will end the dark…" He took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sure there was more to that second line, and even more after that, but I couldn't hear it," he confessed, ashamed. "I think someone cast a muffulato. Coming from that fraud, I would have thought both Dumbledore and the dark lord would have laughed the so-called prophecy off, but they didn't. I don't know why, but they didn't."
"You should know by now that most wizards are inherently lazy, Severus." The king had created a crystal to hold the moment and was floating it over to a shelf by his desk as he continued to speak. "Dumbledore will want an easy solution, such as it is, and the pretender will wait to see what his nemesis does. If the old man acts on the prophecy, it must be true; therefore the dark will be given an easy solution to winning this tug of war."
"Dumbledore asked me to join his not-so-secret order, Sire. Of course, I would have to take polyjuice potion in order to hide from Moody's augmented eye. I said I would consider it."
"Hmm," King Jareth hummed, creating another crystal to roll between his fingers. "Go to the meetings until we decide to pull you all out of there. Convince the pretender that it was his own idea that you get close to the old man. We must…"
He was cut off mid-sentence by a pounding on the door. "Your Majesty! I have a message from the lady mother! Your Ma…"
The goblin that spilled into the room when King Jareth jerked open the door shocked Severus completely. He'd expected one of the palace goblins but this was a Gringotts goblin, still dressed in the bank's uniform. The creature must be distressed indeed to lose its decorum this way.
"Yes, give me the message, Stabeye," the king barked.
"My apologies, Highness. The lady mother was most upset." The goblin hung his head, no doubt still distraught as well as embarrassed by his own behavior. "The young prince was crying," he added in a low, hopeless tone.
Severus knew for a fact that crying children were generally ignored by goblins, unless they saw some sign of abuse occurring within Gringotts' walls. Should that be the case, the guilty parent was taken into custody by the goblins and a caretaker assigned immediately to the child. Perhaps it was due to their association with the fae, but goblins had a zero-tolerance policy for child abuse of any species. All parents knew better than to so much as raise a voice to their children while visiting the bank. Still, babies cried, royal or otherwise, and Severus was quite surprised to see how upset this goblin was by the event.
"And now we see his devious plans come to light."
"Sire?" Severus ventured, nervous at the unholy glint in the fae's eyes as he read Lily's missive.
"It seems the old man wants Lily and Potter to go into hiding with my son," King Jareth murmured. "Stabeye, escort the prince and his lady mother to the castle. Have her leave a note for that husband of hers. Get someone to deliver it if you will. Don't forget to send a house elf for whatever articles they'll need. Well? Go!" The goblin nodded vigorously as he backed out of the room, bowing all the way. The king turned back to Severus and picked up where he left off. "I'll let him hide them, so long as no one tries to hide them from me," he said, pacing the path Severus had taken earlier in their conversation. "You can stay to rest and visit the healer if need be…I know how that soulless degenerate operates."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Severus nodded, not bothering to deny a pending visit to the palace healer. He had tried to hide his shaking hands, but had known at the outset it was a losing endeavor—King Jareth was too sharp by half to miss even the smallest flinch, much less shaking hands on an apprentice potions master.
"I'd like you to spend a bit of time with Iarfhlaith while you're both here."
"Of course, Sire. I had hoped to," Severus said quickly, standing when the king stopped and turned to him.
"Good, now leave me. I have other matters to attend."
Sketching a half-bow on the way out the door, Severus hurried away. He had at least a week and maybe longer in the Underground before he need even think about the dark lord or Dumbledore. Sometimes, he wanted nothing more than to stay here and never leave. But then he'd remember that he was more human than fae and had to stay Aboveground for awhile still. As long as Lily and his godson needed to stay there, he wouldn't be alone, even if he had to suffer Potter as well.
KT KT KT KT KT
"No, I'm not telling anyone when we change secret keepers!" James declared, slamming a fist on the table. "I'm gonna show that bloody fairy that I can take care of my own family."
Sirius took a long pull from the neck of his bottle and handed it back to James. "I don't know, Jamie…I mean, my mum used to threaten us," he raised his pitch and shrilled, "If you don't behave young man, the gob…"
Diving across the table, James slapped a hand over his best friend's mouth. "Don't say his name—even that," he rasped. "To say his name, in any form, is to ask for his attention," he snapped, feeling a great deal more sober than he had moments ago. "I promise you, that is something you don't want."
For all his anger and bravado, James held no illusions about who would win any contest of power between himself and the goblin king. He had been nearby when that surly dwarf had told someone, "I'm a coward and Jareth scares me!"
Well, James Potter was no coward, but he wasn't stupid either. It had been moments after that statement that the king himself had materialized, and very annoyed he was, too. No. Saying his name never brought anything good.
Sometimes he wondered, fleetingly, of course, but he wondered if he'd have married Lily and had little Harry if he'd truly understood about her royal sperm donor.
"In't he, like, Lily's cousin or summin'?" Sirius asked, still more than a little tipsy. "I mean, he helped you guys have Harry. That's where they are now, right? Visitin' him?"
"She and the baby go to stay with him in his palace most weekends. You should see Harry chasin' those chickens all around," he chuckled. "The floo connects straight into Director Ragnoc's office in Gringotts. S'pretty brill, really. An' it's not like I was gonna stay in the house all 'round the clock, myself. So I guess it's all right that she goes down there sometimes," James said, taking another long drink from the bottle. There was that burn he liked so well. He'd lost if for a moment, but now he felt better again. What was he talking about? "Oh, yeah, they can't stay there all'a time. Harry's too young, even if he is the prince."
"You gotta love that, Jamie. Your son, prince over a half a kingdom and heir to the throne over the whole thing. You just really gotta love that, brother."
"Yeah. I guess so. His birthday is a national holiday there You shoulda seen the crowds and pressies. If only that blond ponce would keep his nose out, it'd all be grand," James agreed.
"So you wanna do it the night they come back? I mean, they'll be tired, right? We could get Petey over then and change it. Lily'll sleep right through it," Sirius suggested.
"Naw, that won't work. Time's different down there. She'll be all rested. They both will." James considered his options for a few moments. "We'll do it the Wednesday before Halloween, next week. They can't go down to visit for the weekend and week before and the weekend of Halloween 'cuz it's one of the Lab'rinth's busiest times. Apparently American muggles go a little crazy 'round then."
"So Lily'll be all busy runnin' about after the little nipper and they'll both be cranky and tired, huh?"
"Yep," James agreed in satisfaction. "You think we should tell Dumbledore about the switch?"
"Dunno," Sirius slurred. "Le's talk about it tamarra. 'M right pissed…" With that, Siris' face dropped to the table with an odd wet splat.
James considered moving him and shrugged. He was more than half gone himself. A long look up the stairs told him he wouldn't be making that trip tonight. With a concentrated heave, he levered himself out of his chair, grabbing the mostly empty whiskey bottle on the way by as he staggered toward the couch. Sirius was on his own. This was his house, after all. They could finalize the change in secret keepers tomorrow—sometime after he found the hangover potion.
