Into the Labyrinth

Harry gaped at the man. He wasn't even sure if you could actually call him a man. The person before him was more serpentine than human. Skin alabaster, eyes like rubies. He wore shadowy blue shimmering robes that clung close to his body. Harry openly stared at him, the man was intriguing. He practically radiated power, it filled the whole room. Harry forgot to be afraid as he just watched. The man stared back with the same intensity. Suddenly it hit Harry, he knew this man! It wasn't possible, was it? It couldn't be…

"You're him, aren't you?" Harry started, voice calm. "The Dark Lord?"

Lord Voldemort only stood, unimpressed.

"Please," Harry tried again. "I… I need my cousin back."

"What's done, is done," Voldemort's voice was cold.

"I didn't mean it," Harry swallowed.

"Oh? But, you did," Voldemort smiled patronizingly.

Harry felt the blood drain from his face. Could the Dark Lord tell if he was lying? How did he know? Was he reading Harry's mind? He looked away, fixing his gaze on the floor. He needed to get Dudley back, his aunt and uncle would be furious. There was only one place Voldemort could have taken Dudley, Hogwarts. His castle resided beyond the goblin city called Hogsmeade. The only problem was that Harry didn't know how to get there. He'd have to reason with the Dark Lord.

"Please," Harry's voice shook. "Please, I have to get him back."

Voldemort's face held no emotion. But, his body was visibly tense, as if he was trying to hold himself back from something. Harry started to panic. Had he done something wrong? Was the Dark Lord angry? What did I do? The sentence wrapped itself around his thoughts, over and over. Voldemort took two steps closer to Harry, Harry took a step back. The Dark Lord sighed softly and crossed his arms over his chest. Harry got the impression he was annoyed now, but his face was still blank. Harry's panic continued.

"Harry," Voldemort began softly. "Go back to your room, read your books," he stepped closer again, Harry didn't move this time. "Forget about the baby."

Forget about Dudley? That sounded nice. He thought about going back to his room, how much easier it would be. Instead of arguing with this stranger he could read and act until his aunt and uncle came home. He wouldn't have to soothe a crying child or change him. He could do whatever he wanted. Really, he should be grateful to the Dark Lord, he had given Harry freedom. Instead of complaining, he should be thanking the man worshiping him. Harry shook these thoughts away, they made his head foggy. Of course he couldn't leave Dudley! They were cousins, family! How could he let Dudley get turned into a goblin? Harry's mind began to clear, he grew angry. This man had stolen his cousin and expected him to do nothing? He was wrong.

"No," Harry stated. He glared at the Dark Lord.

Voldemort looked shocked for a second. He schooled his features and tried again.

"I've brought you a gift," he held out his hand and a large clear sphere appeared in his waiting palm. Harry looked confused.

"It's simply a crystal, but if you turn it this way," he began elegantly juggling the crystal back and forth in one hand. It was enchanting. It moved so fluidly as if his hand and the crystal were one. "It'll show you your dreams, Harry," Voldemort practically purred.

Harry was entranced. He wanted that crystal. He'd never wanted anything so much. The Dark Lord started juggling the crystal with both hands now, only it didn't look like he was juggling it. It looked like he was gently caressing the crystal and the crystal seemed to move through his hands on its own. The movements were so fluid and so graceful it was beautiful. He'd do anything to have that crystal. Voldemort had him and he knew it.

"But," Voldemort began, still twirling the crystal. "This is no gift for an ordinary boy, who watches after a screaming baby," he stopped his movements and offered the crystal to Harry. "Leave me the child," he whispered.

Harry's arm started to lift. All he wanted was the crystal. Why should he care if the Dark Lord had Dudley? Surely he would take good care of him… And turn him into a goblin, The rational part of his mind supplied. Harry clenched his fist. No, he couldn't have the crystal. He had to get his cousin back.

"No," Harry whispered. Voldemort looked livid. Harry began to backpedal.

"I- I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, really," Harry's voice was shaking. "But, I need to get my cousin back. I can't just leave him!"

Voldemort was openly angry now. No one had ever gone against him. Slowly he brought the crystal back towards him, no longer offering it. He contemplated it, who could turn down such a gift? He had just granted Harry's greatest wish and offered him a priceless token. How could anyone insult him so? Harry had to be punished. He held the crystal tighter, it shimmered, no longer a crystal. It was a snake, coiled around his fingers, hissing angrily. Harry visibly tensed, the boy was afraid of snakes. The Dark Lord recalled, a few years ago, when Harry was in the backyard weeding the garden. A small snake slithered across the young man's shoe, it was the first time he saw Harry truly afraid. The boy had screamed and fallen over himself trying to scurry away. Voldemort later killed the snake. But now, he held one threateningly.

"Harry," The Dark Lord's calm voice forced Harry to focus on him. "Don't defy me," he threw the snake.

Harry screamed as the snake landed on him. It immediately wrapped around his throat. He tried his best to pry it off, but it wouldn't budge. He couldn't stop screaming, his eyes filled with tears. The snake tightened its hold. Harry couldn't breathe now, he clawed at the snake. It had only cut off his airway for a moment before it turned into a light fabric. Harry flung the fabric off him, breath ragged. It slowly drifted towards the ground. Harry watched it, clutching his neck. As the fabric hit the ground it turned into a small goblin. The goblin looked up at Harry, whose eyes were bulging, and laughed cruelly before scampering off. Still holding his throat, Harry looked up at the Dark Lord, who watched Harry's fear impassively.

"You are no match for me, Harry," the Dark Lord was vaguely smug.

Harry had no doubt that Voldemort had power over him.

"Please," Harry swallowed, his voice shook. "I have to have my cousin b- back," he was shaking.

Voldemort was surprised, though he did not show it. How could the boy still ask this of him? How could he convince the boy it was futile? The Labyrinth. Yes, surely the boy would give up once he saw his Labyrinth.

"You want the child?" Harry nodded slowly. Voldemort turned towards the open french doors and pointed outwards, he smiled. "He's there, in my castle."

Harry rushed passed him, focused on where the Dark Lord was pointing. He gasped when, instead of the balcony of his aunt and uncle's room, he was faced with something completely different. His backyard was gone. He stood on dead soil in a landscape he had never seen before. Facing towards the most spectacular scene he had ever witnessed. There was a stone Labyrinth in the distance. On a hill within the Labyrinth Harry could just make out a large castle.

"Is that… Is that Hogwarts?" Harry breathed. Unconsciously, he took a step towards the Labyrinth. The thought of exploring it made his heart pump faster.

"Turn back, Harry, before it's too late," Voldemort's attempts to dissuade him only made Harry more interested.

"I can't," Harry took another step towards the Labyrinth. The Dark Lord sighed.

It seemed Harry was going through with this no matter what. Voldemort would let him, but he wouldn't make it easy. He stepped behind Harry, nearly touching him.

"It's further than you think," the Dark Lord whispered into Harry's ear. Harry shivered. "and time is short."

The idea of setting a time limit had just come to him. That would seem fair, wouldn't it? It was perfect, really. Surely Harry would try until the end, but once time ran out he would give up. It really was a fair chance, even if he tweaked the game. He had all the power after all. A clock with 13 hours appeared on the branch of a tree, the Dark Lord gestured towards it. Harry looked at the odd clock.

"You have 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth," at Voldemort's words Harry gazed towards the Labyrinth again. The Dark Lord tilted Harry's chin towards him, forcing eye contact. "If you fail, the child is mine."

Harry swallowed and forced his head away. 13 hours? That couldn't be too bad. It really didn't look that difficult. Besides, one of his favorite books had a larger Labyrinth in it, and the hero had gotten through it easy enough. He was certain he could solve it. But, where was the entrance?

"How am I to get in?" He turned to face the Dark Lord, only he wasn't there. Voldemort and his 13-hour clock had vanished. Harry was alone.

Harry took off towards the giant stone maze. It was a fair bit away, The Dark Lord could have at least brought him closer. It seemed like he walked for 30 minutes before the Labyrinth looked any nearer. The time limit felt real to him then. He didn't have a watch, and there were no clocks around the trees. How was he to know how much time had passed? Perhaps there would be clocks in the Labyrinth if only Harry could get there…

The sun had risen before Harry got close enough to the giant stone structure to look for the entrance. He wandered around the outside for a bit but found nothing. He was getting quite desperate when he found someone also outside of the Labyrinth. Harry stopped, about to ask the person how to get in, he noticed it wasn't a person at all! It was a goblin! Probably the most interesting looking goblin he had met so far, granted he hadn't meant many goblins, but still. The goblin was short, it wore grubby clothes but still looked quite elegant. The thing had jewels and gems all over it's tattered clothes. It had the shiniest blond hair Harry had ever seen, and it- oh. Harry quickly averted his eyes, the goblin also seemed to be relieving himself into a tiny pond. How was he supposed to ask for directions? Should he just stand there and wait while the goblin finished? Should he let the goblin know he was there? Shoving all his embarrassment away, Harry loudly cleared his throat.

"Excuse me?" Harry was still turned away.

"Oh!" The goblin quickly tucked himself away. "Excuse me!" The goblin had a faint blush on his delicate skin.

Harry gawked. He didn't know goblins could be so beautiful. He'd always read that they were horrid creatures, and the goblins he'd seen so far were hideous. But, this one had soft features and bright eyes. He almost looked human. The goblin took one look at Harry and it's embarrassment faded, he looked cross.

"Oh, it's you," he walked away from Harry picking up something as he went. Harry thought this was rude.

"Can you help me?" He asked anyway. The goblin ignored him.

The goblin made his way toward the Labyrinth's wall holding a contraption in his arms. As he got closer he pulled a lever back and sprayed a small flying creature. He promptly shouted 58, kicked dirt onto the creature and moved along the wall searching for his next victim. Harry ran towards the fallen thing. It had wings, two sets of arms and two sets of legs, it was hairy all over. Harry didn't think it deserved the goblins cruel treatment and picked up the poor thing. He cradled it to his chest. How could anyone ever hurt something so small?

"How could you?" He voiced, the goblin ignored him. "You're a monster," he mumbled. Just then the creature bit him, he cried out and dropped it. The goblin laughed.

"What did you expect doxies to do?" The goblin chuckled.

Harry didn't know what a doxie was but he didn't expect it to bite him. The goblin had found another doxie, which he sprayed and kicked away. Even though one of them had bit Harry, he still didn't think they deserved sure terrible treatment.

"You're dreadful!" He said incredulously. The goblin scoffed.

"No, no I am not. I'm Draco," tThe goblin seemed very proud of this fact. "And who are you?" He asked, unimpressed.

"Harry," he replied dully. Draco scoffed again and turned away.

"I knew it." He chuckled. He continued on his way down the wall, shooting down doxies and ignoring Harry. Harry followed him.

"Do you know where the door to the Labyrinth is?" He asked.

"Maybe," Draco shot down another doxie as he answered. Not at all interested in talking to Harry.

They walked for a few more steps, but Draco offered no more information. He just continued to shoot and kick more of those flying things. Harry grew impatient.

"Well, where is it?" He finally asked.

"Where's what?"

"The door!"

"What door?"

Harry sighed, frustrated. He didn't very much care for this goblin. He was beautiful but he was down right rude and just unhelpful.

"It's hopeless asking you anything!" Harry shouted. He turned to find the door himself when Draco answered back.

"Not," Draco began, smug. "If you ask the right question," he went back to spraying doxies.

The right question? Was this just a word game? Was this his first test? To solve the Labyrinth, did he have to solve how to get into it? That didn't seem fair. He had to ask the right question… Perhaps it was just the wording.

"How do I get into the Labyrinth?" Harry asked.

Draco abruptly stopped his twisted little game of shooting doxies and turned around. His eyes gleamed. A smile spread across his face.

"Now that's more like it!" He sounded truly pleased. He walked back towards Harry, then passed him and stopped. He waited for Harry, who followed quickly.

"You get in," He point towards the wall and as he pointed the wall opened up. "There."

Harry was transfixed. The doors were massive, fog billowed out of the Labyrinth. Clearly, no one had gone inside in a very long time. He took a few steps towards the door when Draco spoke again.

"You're really going in there?" The goblin was bewildered. Harry turned back to Draco.

"I have to," he said simply then walked towards the Labyrinth again.

Draco didn't stop him this time. He entered. For a while he just stood there. There was a lot of debris in each direction. All of it was covered in some sort of sparkling dust, the air was still thick with fog and had a weirdly sweet smell to it. Like sweet, too ripe, fruit. It wasn't very impressive, just… weird. Was this really the Labyrinth? There were only two choices to go! Left or right. There were no turns, it just went straight on in both directions. He looked each way again. Draco was beside him now, he jumped.

"Cozy, isn't it?" Draco said dryly. "So, left or right?"

Harry looked both ways again. He didn't have much of a choice, did he? Both ways were exactly the same, endless. Wasn't the point of a Labyrinth to have twists and turns and dead ends? How was two identical paths a Labyrinth? Harry didn't get it. He was confused.

"Why are they the same?" He asked, still looking around. Draco laughed.

"You're not going to get very far, are you?"

Harry scoffed. "Well, which way would you go?"

Draco made a show of looking around, just as Harry had done. Harry glared down at him. He didn't like being made a fool. Then Draco shrugged and faced Harry.

"I wouldn't go either way," he smiled up at Harry triumphantly. Harry sighed.

"You really are no help," Draco just continued to smile at him. Harry sighed again. "You can leave now," Draco looked offended.

"You know what's your problem?" Draco scathed. "You take too much for granted."

Harry didn't see what this had to do with anything, he didn't have a chance to ask before the goblin spoke again.

"Take this Labyrinth for instance," Draco gestured at the walls. "Even if you do somehow manage to figure it out, you'll never get back out again," he turned to leave. He looked smug as if he had properly scolded Harry. Harry was a bit bemused.

"Well, I guess that's your opinion then," Harry shrugged.

Draco stopped leaving to look back up at Harry, clearly his words hadn't affected the boy as he hoped.

"Yes, and it's better than yours!" The goblin stomped back out the doors. Harry thought the goblin was being childish now.

"Thanks for nothing, Dracula," Harry turned to leave. Draco groaned loudly and turned back around.

"It's Draco!" He spat. He turned to leave again. "Don't say I didn't warn you!" He shouted at Harry as he flung the door shut.

Warn me of what? Harry thought. All that goblin did was annoy Harry! Nothing he said made any sense, and he didn't warn him about anything! Harry scoffed and turned back towards the problem at hand. A Labyrinth with no turns. He contemplated the pros and cons of going left or right, but there were no pros or cons. They both were the same. How was he to choose? He could go left, but then, what if left was a dead end? The same could be said for right. He looked up towards the wall, it was too high to climb. He couldn't get a better view. Sighing he decided to go right. As he uncertainly walked down the path, he noticed very odd things. Moss with eyes, dead flowers with teeth. He even saw a tree limb that was moving.

He walked and walked. He tripped over debris a few times but still, he walked. How could one path be so long? And yet when he looked ahead, all he saw was the same. Long stretched out corridor with no turns, covered in sparkling dust and moss with eyes. He was becoming agitated. He leaned against a jagged wall. What was the point of this? Was this a trick? It just went straight! How was he to solve a Labyrinth when there was no Labyrinth to solve? Maybe it just goes on forever. Harry thought.

"Maybe it doesn't," Harry said aloud to himself. "Maybe I'm just taking it for granted that it does," Harry's logic seemed to give him more spirits. He took off at a run.

He ran. He ran so long he got a stitch in his side and he could hardly breathe at all. But, he continued to run. There just had to be a turn somewhere. When Harry felt his legs would drop, he stopped running, panting heavily. He sat down on the stone ground trying to catch his breath. Once the stitch had left his side, he got back up and walked some more. Oh, what's the point! He thought. He was angry now. Clearly this was going nowhere. Harry sank back down on the ground and buried his head in his arms. What am I going to do? Just then he heard a small voice coming from behind him.

"Hello," it said.

Harry looked behind him, but there was just wall. Looking around he found a small worm with odd features. As if it was stuck between human and worm. It had a small mop of dirty blonde hair on it's tiny head, it's whole body was blue and fleshy. Could the worm have talked? Feeling stupid Harry spoke up.

"Did you… did you just talk?" He asked the worm. It smiled serenely up at him.

"Yes, I did actually, I said 'Hello'," the worm had a sleepy voice.

Harry wasn't sure what to say to the little blue worm. It was by far the weirdest thing Harry had seen in his life. Was he supposed to talk to it? Should he talk to it? Well, there was no one else to talk to, so he might as well. But what do you say to a worm?

"Would you happen to know how to get through this Labyrinth?" Harry blurted out.

"I'm afraid I don't," replied the worm. "Would you like to come inside and have some pudding?"

The small worm gestured towards an equally small hole in the wall. Harry wasn't sure if the worm was serious or not.

"Oh, um, no thank you," Harry politely declined. "Are you sure you don't know a way through? It's really important that I solve this Labyrinth, but there are no openings or anything! It just goes on and on and-" he sighed, exasperated.

"Perhaps you aren't looking right. There are loads of openings."

"What?"

"The Labyrinth is full of trickery. Things aren't always what they seem in this place," the worm's tone was one of warning.

"Could you- would you mind showing me an opening, then?" Harry didn't believe the worm.

"There's one right in front of you."

Harry looked up, but there was just wall. Was this worm insane?

"Go on," Encouraged the worm. "Touch the wall then," the worm seemed to know Harry wasn't convinced.

Slowly Harry got off the ground and took a step. He looked back at the worm who nodded. Hesitant he went to touch the wall, only there was no wall. His hand disappeared into it, he gasped and jumped back. Harry glanced back at the worm again, his eyes wide.

"You'll find your way, if not always in the way you expect," the worm spoke dreamily.

"Um, right, thanks," Harry turned back to the wall.

Harry walked through the foe wall, it shimmered as he went. Now he was faced with the option he had when he first entered the Labyrinth. Left or right. Only this time, each path didn't go on and on. He could see other walls and turns down both corridors. Which way to go? Maybe he'd have better luck with left this time. He started down that way when he heard the little worm again. Sighing he turned around.

"You can't go that way," the worm repeated.

"What? Why not?"

"Never go that way."

The worm wasn't making any sense, of course he could go that way! But the crazy worm had been right about the opening. He decided to trust it and went right. Not bothering to say goodbye or question the worm further.

"He's not quite ready for you yet," the worm whispered to itself after the boy had gone.

AN: Ah, um, yeah… So originally I had planned to post every 2-3 days… I've actually had this chapter waiting around half finished for a couple of days. Honestly, I have really bad writing anxiety. (which is hilarious because I want to be a writer/author.) So I thought I'd inch my way into more writing confidence by doing fanfiction, but then I could never get the courage to write/post my ideas. And then ObsidianPen posted that prompt and I figured that it might be a bit easier to start off on an AU prompt. It's not. I still hate everything I write and the anxiety is still there. But I really want to write this. I really, really want to be a better writer. I am going to stick pretty close to the movie, but not everything will be exact. And I will see this through til the end. So I just wanted to say thank you for sticking around and putting up with my shit. Please feel free to leave any criticism/suggestions/feedback/etc.