Chapter Ten: The Labyrinth

As Harry lay quietly next to Lydia, he saw her moving slightly in her sleep and focused on her face. Her eyes were twitching, as if she were having a terrible nightmare. He put a protective arm around her, and she only sighed. He had gently reached out for her in the darkness and pulled her into his embrace. He couldn't sleep, for fear he would lose her again. "Harry" he heard her whisper as she opened her eyes as she felt his touch. "I'm here," he uttered into her ear, stroking her face. "I want to know everything about you" she muttered, half aware of where she was. "I've never met anyone like you," she said, her cheeks growing warm as they embraced and he kept her warm close to his body underneath the covers. "I'll tell you anything you wish to know," he whispered back, looking directly into her eyes. She only sighed into his ear contentedly as he began to talk about his past.
"I was born a no-body - my aunt was obligated to take me in out of duty more out of love for my mother, who she hated..she was never to love me, nor I her, but I have immense respect for her now" he said softly as she caressed his face. "It was a hard life, as you know, but I learned why that was the case..and why Voldemort was determined to end my life. it was what Dumbledore called my prophecy" Lydia blinked, where have I heard that before? She had wondered. "Prophecy?" She asked gently, letting out a deep breath. Her father had talked about this very thing within ear shot of her and Draco..he must have realized she had been listening. "I began calling it the 'death prophecy' because it had connected Voldemort and myself together - whether I liked it or not, and claimed that neither of us could live - while the other was alive." Lydia's dark face only showed confusion. "And you single handedly destroyed Voldemort?" She asked in a frightened voice. "With Dumbledore's help, naturally. He was the only wizard, besides that of myself that Voldemort seemed to fear." He paused and put a hand through his hair "I was finally able to defeat him last year" Harry added, "and you must have realized that your father is a death eater" he said matter-of-factly. "Yes, of that I am brutally aware. He sent out two of the other death eaters after my mother and had her killed, but she would have died nonetheless, since she was slowly being driven insane by Voldemort's power. She was delirious and always acting strange. That was to be her undoing" Lydia sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment, finally adjusting to the darkness and shifting her position. "I fear that something or someone may be possessing me" she uttered abit coldly as she turned away from him slightly. He immediately put a warm hand upon her shoulder. "You just have to learn to use your strengths to clear your mind and not allow it to take over you. You can beat the anger; you must.." he said. "It was my hatred and deep resentment over what happened to my parents that nearly destroyed me. "After I lost my godfather, I thought I lost everything. He was my only real connection to my family." he said as Lydia grasped his hand tenderly in hers. "I heard" she uttered. "You must miss him terribly - there are some days I wish my mother were still alive. She was the only one who truly understood me" she sighed again. "It is very difficult for me to cease feeling this anger, because, like you, I am resentful of my lot" she frowned. Harry nodded sadly, still holding her close. "I almost feel my hurt so deeply that it gives me immense physical pain; but there is nothing I can do," she mumbled. "I do understand. Many years, before I discovered that I had a connection with Voldemort - I felt his own anger and hatred as well as my own, and it brought me horrible aches" "it's the connection that I have to my mother - and hence to Voldemort - that scares me everyday" Lydia added quickly, burying her head into the pillow in frustration. "He could use this against me - but that was because I had no way of knowing how to fight him, but we do have a chance; you and I - I will keep my promise - I will protect you Lydia. I will do whatever it takes, I swear it," he whispered, rising shortly to take into his arms. I will not lose you..he thought in vain, gazing into her eyes as the sun began to rise. "Nor I you" she said softly, as if reading his thoughts. "I love you," he said quietly as they kissed.
Lydia's eyes opened and her surroundings looked unfamiliar. She thought she had seen Harry and called out to him, but there was no response. There was only the sound of a harsh wind as it nearly blew right through her and chilled her immensely. She then felt two arms come around her - and she muttered out breathlessly "Harry!" But it was the cold, unforgiving face of Lucious Malfoy! "NO!" She screamed, "Stay away from me father" she whispered, Running as far as she could "do not touch me!" She cried, the tears streaming down her face. She had run straight into the arms of Harry. But his eyes were glowing a deep red and he looked and sounded like a serpent..he began speaking in parseltongue, as he began damning her to eternal hell as she cried out "no" and stumbled backward into what appeared to be a pit of a labyrinth. She stood up slowly and took a deep breath. There was nothing but walls and twists and turns all around her - Lydia was only greeted with silence. She then walked alittle further and fell into an unseen hole and her world became utter blackness.
Harry opened his eyes for the second time, and Lydia was gone. He had felt the strangest sensation come over him and immediately feared something more terrible had become of her. He was incensed with alarm, and knew that those closest to him were well aware of his determination to always 'play the hero' would be his downfall.Harry closed his eyes after hearing the words "follow the path" in the back of his mind, and wondered if his instincts were not trying to tell him something important. He knew that Lydia had not just disappeared on her own, after what she had made clear to him, it was obvious that someone else was controlling her and making her act beyond her control - and now, whoever they were - she was their prisoner - just like Sirius, Harry thought with a shudder. Was this another trap? He thought helplessly.
As Harry went down the corridor a few hours later, he heard a fluttering sound and gasped as he saw a large group of owls hovering over the entrance to the forbidden forest. He grew worried and went to follow them. He stopped shortly thereafter and raised an eyebrow - as an envelope fell to his feet. Harry bent down to retrieve it and saw another message like the one he had envisioned before in exactly the same handwriting:

Follow the..

And another note fell to his feet, as he picked it up quickly:

Path before you..

And another:

You will find..

Another: What you seek..

Harry was baffled. As he went to step backward, a huge shape that looked like a footprint began to etch itself into the ground before Harry and a sign appeared that read in huge letters:

THIS WAY

After that, many footprints appeared before him, one after the other.leading well into the forbidden forest. Harry slowly followed. It led him deep into the woods and he looked all about him, praying that he would soon find.. Harry's eyes bulged wider - wide before him was what appeared to be a labyrinth. He went to touch the wall and quickly pulled back his hand, since he felt a searing pain and nearly yelped. It had struck fire and the words enter here were deeply etched into it, written in fire. Where on earth did this place come from? He wondered to himself. He had been through the forest many times and had never seen this place. He felt along the wall and found no means in which to enter. He let out a sigh. How the bloody hell am I to get inside? He heard the fluttering of owl's wings above him and gazed up slowly as the sky suddenly turned to darkness and it began to storm. He cursed again under his breath as he put a hood over his head and continued to hunt frantically for an opening. He had nearly fallen backward as an unseen hole in the wall flew open. He quickly pulled out his wand and slowly crept inside.
Everything looked ordinary - but Harry well knew better. Things in the wizardry world were never what they seemed. He went straight on, marking his paths with huge "X's" as he went. He then stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a loud laughter all around him. "This way" one voice hissed "no - this way!" Said another. "Reveal yourself!" Harry's voice boomed. The mysterious voices only laughed as he ran through the maze. His chest was heaving and his heart was pounding. "Damnit" he cried out, "it feels as though I've been here for hours and none of the paths have changed!" He uttered to himself, as he looked about in both left and right directions. He then looked at his watch and frowned as he noticed that the hands were quickly turning around in circles very rapidly. "What the??" He whispered. Harry then let out a short cry after he felt a pain shoot all through his leg. He snarled after he had seen a small two-headed creature that looked like a goblin latching on and trying to bite him again. He had immediately pointed his wand at it and it screeched in anger as Harry attacked it. "Serves you right you hellish beast" Harry said smugly after it ran off.
The paths only seemed to go around in circles, and Harry began to feel frustrated and even more lost than when he began. The darkness overhead had only worsened, but the rain had stopped. He pulled out his wand and whispered "lumos" and could better see ahead. "I wish I knew where the hell I was going" Harry said, and then stopped, hearing what he had just said nearly three times: "I wish I knew where the hell I was going!" He frowned - there was a mimic! "Hey!" He called out "Hey!" The voice repeated. "What are you??" he yelled, "what are you?" The voice asked him just as menacingly. He then fell silenced. He felt as if the place were closing in on him..he looked all around - there was no place left to run.