Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world belongs to JK Rowling, and everything Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson. I'm just borrowing bits for a while – honest!

An Immortal Magic
By Cariah Delonne

Chapter 10

Jareth watched her leave, his eyes hard. She did not respect him, and that must change before anything else. He had half a mind to speak to Dumbledore about her, but knew that the wizard would disagree with him. So, he would have to teach her in his own way. He smiled.

Sarah shook a little as she walked down the tower steps, and she had reached the bottom before she realized how far she had come. As she descended the final steps, she saw Professor Snape striding towards the staircase. When he saw her he stopped, his lip curled in distaste.

'What are you doing here?' he snapped.

Sarah felt her anger rise. He had no right to question her. It wasn't late at night, and the castle was free to be explored by the students.

'Well?'

'I was summoned,' Sarah said shortly, not clarifying further.

Snape surveyed her, as if deciding whether she spoke the truth.

'Professor McGonagall has been looking for you. I suggest that you go straight to her office,' he said curtly, striding past her and up the stairs towards Jareth's study.

Sarah was shocked for a moment. McGonagall had never needed to call on her before – but perhaps it was something to do with her OWLs, or her Transfiguration grades. Puzzled, Sarah began to make her way through the castle towards McGonagall's office. Her pondering as she walked gave her no conclusions, and as she raised her hand to knock she was as confused as when she had left Jareth's tower.

Before she rapped on the door however, Professor McGonagall opened it, and upon seeing Sarah, bustled her into her office with a click of her tongue. 'Where have you been girl? I've been looking for you everywhere!'

Sarah couldn't help but feel a little put out – after all, she had no control over when and where Jareth called her. And if it were up to her, she wouldn't be having these ridiculous lessons that so far had taught her nothing at all. 'I was with Ja- Professor Sidhe, Professor McGonagall. He called me to his study for an extra lesson.'

McGonagall sniffed, not completely sure if that allowed Sarah to be let off from seemingly wandering around the castle while half of its inhabitants were looking for her. Sarah was more than sure that had she been having this conversation with Snape, the discussion would have ended in her being given detention.

Shaking her head, McGonagall gestured to a chair. 'Take a seat, Miss Williams,' she said resuming her usual poise.

The interview began, and Sarah was relieved to find it was only a careers lecture. She had forgotten completely about them, and silently wished she had remembered in order to escape Jareth's presence quicker. She left the room some twenty minutes later, her arms laden with brochures about healing, careers in the ministry and various other options she had vaguely considered, yet somehow had managed to completely avoid thinking about.

She met Ginny in the common room, dumping the pile of pamphlets on top of a table already brimming with similar papers.

'How was it?' Ginny asked. 'You were gone a long time – McGonagall wasn't too impressed you missed Transfiguration, and then you didn't show for your careers interview and she was furious.'

Sarah looked at Ginny in confusion. She had been gone twenty minutes, half an hour at most – only now did it seem strange that she should have left Jareth's room and gone straight to Transfiguration, but if course Snape had interrupted her, and she was angry with Jareth – furious even. But it still made no sense.

She said as much to Ginny, who frowned.

'I was only gone about half an hour – we were studying in the library, and then I went to Jareth's study, and he was angry because I hadn't come immediately,' her mouth twisted wryly, 'as if I was at his beck and call… but when I left I was heading to Transfiguration, but Snape… and then I met McGonagall and she said the whole castle… Ginny, what's the time?' Sarah just noticed how much she had been babbling, and as she did so, lanced out the window to where the afternoon had lengthened the shadows right across the grounds.

'Almost six,' Ginny said exasperatedly. 'Did you not even notice the time?' Incredulous, her friend looked at her as if she was losing her mind.

Sarah looked around her, confused. She couldn't quite understand what was going on. Furthermore, if it was indeed almost dinnertime, she had also missed Charms. Scowling, she muttered to Ginny that she would see her in the Great Hall, and left through the portrait hole.

Making her way to the Charms corridor, Sarah ran into Professor Flitwick as he was about to leave for dinner.

'Ah, Miss Williams,' he squeaked. 'We missed you in class today….'

Sarah sighed and did her best to explain, but since she did not understand herself, it was rather difficult.
All in all, by the time she entered the Great Hall for dinner, she was flustered and annoyed, and the last person she wanted to see was Malfoy, looking pleased with himself.

'What do you want?' she scowled as he blocked her entrance.

'To talk,' he sneered. 'Alone. Without your precious protector.'

'I don't want to talk with you,' she muttered wearily. 'You have nothing to say that would interest me.'

'Do you even know what it is that you can do? What you could do if you chose? Williams, if you knew a quarter of what I do, you would run from this hall, screaming…' he said the last in a low whisper, his eyes glinting with amusement at her ignorance. 'You call him by his name, and yet you know nothing of him, you play with crystals, and yet you know nothing of what they do!'

'Out of my way, Malfoy,' Sarah sighed. 'I don't particularly care for your theories, and I have no interest in talking to you, alone or otherwise.'

Malfoy opened his hands with mock gentility. 'As you wish, Sarah, but I never thought that Hogwarts would allow such dark magic under it's enchanted ceilings. And certainly without even warning she who holds the magic of the dangers involved.'

Sarah pushed past him, doing her best to ignore his jibing tone. She didn't want to think right now. And although what he said sat uncomfortably in the back of her mind, she tried to push the thought away.

Seating herself next to Ginny and Lavender, Sarah sighed as she dished up roast potatoes onto her plate. Ginny looked at her friend in worry, but said nothing, Sarah's face obviously too distant for conversation.

Ignoring the staff table, Sarah ate quickly, not wanting to stay in the same room as so many people for longer than necessary. She knew Jareth was there, watching her, and she could feel his eyes prickling on the back of her neck.

Leaving as soon as she possibly could, she still couldn't escape Malfoy's words. Of course, Jareth had hurt her only a few nights before, without even speaking a word. Curses like that were forbidden in the wizarding world, and he hadn't even given it a second thought. But he had said himself; it was he who was hurting her, not the crystal. Surely the crystals weren't in themselves good or bad, but the will within them that guided them. And with Jareth as their champion, of course crystals would get a bad name. He wasn't exactly known for his kindness. Nor, Sarah thought wryly, was he exactly known. The Fae were an odd race, older than wizards, and held much more aloof. She wondered if they were really immortal, or just old. After all, wizards lived longer than muggles – it made sense that those who came from the beginning of magic would be stronger yet, and live even longer.

She arrived at the portrait hole without quite realizing where she was, and stood in front of it, fuming for a moment. She had lost the better part of a day, and she had no idea how.

'Are you coming in?' The Fat Lady asked haughtily. 'Or are you going to stand in the corridor all night?'

Sarah looked at her blankly, before turning and walking on without a word. The Fat Lady 'harrumphed' behind her.

In a deserted corridor, Sarah took out the crystal. She was near to Jareth's study, that much she knew, and most of the castle was still at dinner.

Setting the crystal on the floor, she watched as it rocked slightly on the spot, before setting off in the direction of his study. Sarah gave a satisfied smile and followed it.

'Enter,' came the cold voice as she knocked. Once again, Sarah entered the tower room she had left only hours before.

'Sarah, what a lovely surprise,' Jareth observed dryly. The crystal rolled towards him, jumping into his hands. Sarah watched it impassively. She wasn't sure why she had come.

'To what do I owe this pleasure? As you can see, I am rather busy, but I granted you your wish, once again, and the crystal led you to me, as you asked.'

Her temper stirring, Sarah frowned. 'I did not ask.'

Jareth smirked, his eyes assessing her darkly. 'You placed the crystal on the ground, knowing that if I allowed it to do so, it would lead you to me. That is probably as near to asking as you will ever get. Certainly you show no other courtesies.'

Sarah ignored the jibe. 'What happened this afternoon that I lost hours of time?'

'You came here.'

'Yes, and after twenty minutes I left, only to find that hours had passed outside this room. Why?'

Jareth did not reply immediately. Instead, he stood, slowly walking around his desk towards her. Determined to show no fear, Sarah let him take her hand and lead her to the window. Imperiously, he swept his hand towards the horizon, and for the first time, Sarah realized what she was looking at. Before her, sprawled in its ramshackle way, was the Goblin City. She opened her mouth in shock, as she realized they were standing at a window of the Goblin Castle at the heart of the Labyrinth, suddenly miles away from Hogwarts.

'This… this is impossible…' she whispered.

'No,' he corrected. 'Here it is as my will. You will not lose time every time you come to this place – unless I will it.'

'You took the time from me?' she cried incredulously.

He sneered. 'I warned you not to be late. Did you truly believe that after you recklessly wasted my time, I would not take some of yours?'

Sarah opened her mouth in indignation, but Jareth cut her off before she could say a word.

'Don't waste your breath, Sarah,' he said harshly. 'I am not in a generous mood, and you should learn I am not to be trifled with. Have you what you wanted?'

She nodded, staring half in longing, half in fear, at the labyrinthine maze before her. Her head spun. She had not set eyes on the Labyrinth for years.

'Could… could you trap me here, if you wished?' she asked, remembering the twisting turns of the maze, its hopeless winding paths that led everywhere and nowhere.

Jareth laughed cruelly, making the hair on the nape of Sarah's neck stand on end.

'Of course,' he said. 'And eventually, I will.'

There was a cold certainty in his voice that chilled Sarah, and at once she decided she had overstayed her welcome – if there had been any welcome at all.

Walking down the stone steps, the crystal safely in her pocket again, Sarah shivered.

A/N:

Once again, an awfully long time coming, but thank you all so much for your faithful reviews!

Love and blessings,

Cariah.