The Labyrinth

Warnings: Angst,AU/AR,Crossover,H/C,Language,M/M (slash in later chapters), OOC-ness only to the extent that it fits the movie and plot

Author's note--The titles of the movie scenes that correspond with this chapter are "A Pair of Door Knockers" and "A Present and a Threat". Alright, we have to get through the annoying scene (next chapter) but THEN it means we're getting closer to "As the World Falls Down"!!!!! *squeal* That's going to be FUNNNNN!

Happy reading!

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The Labyrinth

A Pair of Door Knockers, a Present, and a Threat

Ron was very silent as they walked along. Harry tried several times to engage the redhead in conversation, but he never took the bait. Harry wondered if he had a speech impediment that didn’t present itself on one syllable words or if he was just the strong, silent type. He was bigger than Harry, that was for sure, though not quite as tall as Draco. Ron appeared to be much broader in the shoulders, though, and he just appeared beefier, like a big redheaded bodyguard. Suddenly they found themselves staring at two identical doors, much like the ones Harry faced before. Only instead of guardians, there were only two gorgeous female faces that served as door knockers. One had the ring through her ears and the other had it in her mouth. It was the only way to tell them apart.

“Hey,” Harry stopped to look at them. Ron would have kept walking, lost in thought. “Where did they come from?”

“Hmm?” He noticed the doors for the first time and looked back at Harry.

“What do you think, Ron? Which should we choose out of these two pretty girls?” Harry stared at them as if trying to see through the door to the other side. Before Ron could answer, the knocker with the ring through her ears opened her eyes and glared at them.

“It’s very rude to stare,” Padma Patil informed them coldly.

“Oh, I’m sorry; I was just wondering which door to choose,” Harry said, surprised.

“‘Ts no gd skng hr; shs df asa pst,” Parvati Patil tried to speak, but it was completely muffled by the large iron ring in her mouth.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” Padma admonished.

“I’m nt tlkng wth my mth fll!” Parvati argued back.

“Wait a second! I can’t understand you,” Harry said, stepping up to the door and pulling the ring out of the girl’s mouth.

“What were you saying?” Padma said in her same loud voice.

“Ah! Oh! It is so good to get that thing out!” Parvati stretched her lips and smiled broadly.

“What were you saying?” Harry asked.

“I said, it’s no good talking to her; she’s as deaf as a post,” Parvati said playfully.

“Mumble, mumble, mumble. You’re a wonderful conversational companion,” Padma had no idea how loud her voice was.

“You can talk? All you do is moan!” Parvati shot back in an irritated voice.

“No good,” Padma sniffed self-righteously. “Can’t hear you.”

“Where do these doors lead?” Harry changed the subject.

“What?”

“Search me; we’re just the knockers,” Parvati said, rolling her eyes and chuckling. Ron growled a little, disliking both girls.

“How do we get through?” Harry pushed on the doors a little.

“Huh?”

“Knock, and the door will open,” Parvati said, ignoring Padma’s lack of input to the conversation. Harry tried to put the ring back in Parvati’s mouth, but she clamped up. “Uh-uh! I don’t want that thing back in my mouth!”

“Come on, I want to knock,” Harry insisted, holding the ring up to her lips.

“Doesn’t want her ring back in her mouth, eh?” Padma said helpfully. “Can’t say I blame her.”

“Umph! Mmm! Mmm!” Parvati hummed in the negative, breathing heavily through her nose. Harry looked at her and bit his lip. He grabbed her nose and plugged it, waiting until she opened her mouth to breathe; he shoved the ring into her mouth and let go of her nose as she began mumbling again. Harry took hold of the lower half of the circle and knocked deliberately. The door swung open, and Harry and Ron stepped through.

“Sorry,” he apologized to Parvati on the way in. The door was swinging shut, but they heard her mumbled response.

“That’s alright; I’m used to it.”

The door slammed shut behind them.

* * * * *

Voldemort had Transfigured his throne to be just a little bit deeper so that he could recline slightly. Draco, still bound, was made to sit on the arm. It wasn’t very comfortable, but the Death Eaters milling around would shoot hungry glances at him if he moved much. They were waiting; well, Bellatrix appeared to be more biding her time, and every so often, a fight broke out and hexes—interspersed with a few attempted Unforgivables—flew. Draco wouldn’t put it past them to use him for target practice if he annoyed the Dark Lord. Well, Draco surmised quietly, he wouldn’t put it past Voldemort to allow them to curse him while he was still in the monster’s favor, purely for amusement.

He sat stiffly, his back rigid. His muscles, quite predictably, got sore after a while, and Draco would unconsciously slouch a little bit. Then a scaly hand would brush over his lower back, and he would tense up again. Then the Death Eaters would stare at him, the movement catching their eye, and he would hold his breath, hoping his flinch hadn’t offended the Dark Lord.

Voldemort unexpectedly reached up and grabbed Draco by the shoulders from behind, pulling him backwards across his lap. Draco didn’t dare scream; although he jumped a mile. The disfigured man chuckled, brushing his thumb over Draco’s cheekbone sensually. The blonde could sense a change in the air, and he was very uneasy about it. Voldemort seemed…predatory with Draco as the prey, and his mood influenced his followers. Draco reclined—by force, not choice—across the Dark Lord’s hips, and his eyes bulged when he felt a growing hardness under his bum. He would have whimpered except that Voldemort leaned forward, kissing his forehead again like before, only instead of drawing back, he continued down Draco’s face and kissed the tip of the pale nose. Draco began to shake as the scaly lips headed for his own. He squeezed his grey eyes shut, praying for something—ANYTHING!—to happen, and then his stomach gave an embarrassingly loud gurgle.

Voldemort pulled back, surprised, and the entire room froze, waiting for their cue to react. Draco himself cautiously opened his eyes, but the Dark Lord didn’t seem angry. After several tense moments—made nearly unbearable for Draco because of a slight but regular pulse in the thing that was pressing against his arse—Voldemort smiled and began to laugh, running his creepy hand through Draco’s hair. His followers joined in immediately but quietly, waiting to see what they were laughing at.

“I do believe our captive is hungry,” Voldemort announced to the room. Rodolphus snapped his fingers at MacNair, and the hefty man left the room, presumably to go get some food. It had been a very long time since Draco had eaten last. “Such a lively little chap,” the Dark Lord continued, running his hands over Draco’s head and neck fondly.

MacNair reappeared promptly with a small loaf of bread, holding it out to Draco with a questioning look at the Dark Lord. After the nod, Draco took it hesitantly and tore off a small corner. It wasn’t freshly baked, but it was better than nothing. He was so hungry he almost didn’t care if it was poisoned or not. With a wave of Voldemort’s hand, a few pats of butter appeared in front of Draco, and he dipped the bread into it. It tasted much better. After watching him feast on his meager meal, MacNair produced a goblet, and Draco accepted it. It was water; he was given bread and water, albeit with butter.

“We can’t have you eating too much too soon, Draco,” Voldemort purred, pleased from watching the boy eat. “I wouldn’t want you to get stomach cramps, since we will be…working out, shall we say…very shortly.” Draco’s stomach dropped, and suddenly the bread didn’t taste as good anymore. He had an idea of what the Dark Lord was hinting at, and he didn’t like it at all. It wasn’t until Fenrir Greyback licked his lips and reached under his robes to adjust himself that Draco realized that if the werewolf was aroused, there would most likely be blood involved. And the way the Dark Lord was stroking him, Draco put two and two together and came up with a horrifying four. He began to pray with all his heart, begging Harry to save him from impending violation.

* * * * *

The ground was now covered with knotgrass and thorns, and the different kinds of trees were thick. It wasn’t sunny in the Forbidden Forest, and there was an ominous feeling in the air. Ron stepped closer to Harry, touching the black-haired boy’s shoulder.

“I’m scared,” he whispered. Harry looked back at him in surprise, took Ron’s hand, and squeezed it for support.

“You were so brave standing up to the Death Eaters,” he murmured. “Imagine…a tough guy like you being scared.”

“Yeah,” Ron agreed half-heartedly, slightly disgusted with himself for feeling afraid. He let go of Harry’s hand as they crept forward. A majestic unicorn appeared in a small clearing, tossing its pearly white mane delicately and pawing its golden hoof.

“See, Ron, there’s nothing to be afraid of!” Harry said in a normal voice as Ron, unbeknownst to Harry, caught sight of what he thought was an Acromantula off to the side of the path and jumped the other way (into a trap), grabbing a nearby branch to steady himself and disappearing. “Ron? Ron? Ron? Ron, where are you?”

* * * * *

Hermione was sitting near her bookshelf, one of her favorite, familiar books open in her lap. She was looking down at it, but instead of reading, she was busy brooding over her abandonment of Harry. She really liked the way he called her ‘friend’, but since she was unused to having friends, she looked out for herself first. Harry, she mused, was different than everyone around. He seemed to genuinely care for others, and that was something Hermione had never experienced. She sat bolt upright when she heard Harry’s voice, scared.

“Hermione, help!”

“I’m coming, Harry!” She exclaimed to no one; Harry certainly couldn’t hear her. She quickly got to her feet and hurried off, only to stop short in terror as Voldemort stepped out from behind her bookcase.

“Well, if it isn’t you,” he said nastily. Hermione recognized the signs of smoldering anger just below the surface. “And where are you going?”

“Well, you see,” she began, twisting her hands nervously. “The little brat gave me the slip. But I just hear him now, and so I was about to lead him back to the beginning, like you told me!” Voldemort reached down and took her chin in his hand, raising her face to look up at him.

“I see,” he cooed. “For one moment, I thought you were running to help him. But no, not after my warnings; that WOULD be stupid.” He let go, and Hermione stumbled backwards, trying to feign a mocking smile.

“You bet it would! Me, help him? After your warnings?” She began to laugh until Voldemort took her by the arms.

“Oh dear,” he said with honey-sweet compassion. “Poor Her-mee-oh.”

“Hermione,” she whispered automatically.

“I’ve just noticed your lovely books are missing,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. He let go, and Hermione backed away, glancing down.

“Uh, oh yes, so they are! My lovely books…missing! I’d better find them,” she stammered nervously. In the background, they heard Harry’s voice yell for Ron. “But first, I’m off to take him back to the beginning of the labyrinth. Just like we planned.” Hermione had almost backed away from Voldemort when he held his hand up.

“Wait! I’ve got a much better plan, Hermione. Give him this,” Voldemort gestured with his hand, and a Golden Snitch appeared and fluttered to Hermione. When she reached out and grasped it, the wings disappeared, and it looked like peach.

“What-what is it?” She gulped, looking down at the disguised globe.

“It’s a present,” Voldemort replied with open hostility.

“It-it won’t hurt him, will it?”

“Now, why the concern?” Voldemort cocked his head, interested.

“I’ll not harm him,” Hermione asserted, standing tall and looking the Dark Lord in the eye of her own accord. To her surprise, the Dark Lord chuckled.

“Come, come, come, Mudblood! I’m surprised at you! Losing your head over a boy!”

“I haven’t lost my head!”

“You don’t think a half-blood like him could like a filthy, repulsive little Mudblood like you, do you?” Voldemort sneered. Hermione looked at the ground, embarrassed.

“Well, he did say we were…” she trailed off, her eyes watering. She couldn’t let the Dark Lord see her like that.

“What? Bosom companions?” Voldemort teased cruelly. His smirk faded. “Friends?” He said the word as if it were the worst label or insult in the world. Hermione shrugged and wiped her eyes, looking back up.

“Doesn’t matter,” she mumbled. The Dark Lord stepped up and grabbed the girl by her hair, dragging her towards where Harry’s voice was coming from.

“You’ll give him that, Hermione, or I’ll tip you straight into St. Mungo’s before you can blink!”

“Yes, right,” Hermione agreed automatically, broken. She stumbled as Voldemort shoved her off.

“And Hermione,” she turned back to look at him dejectedly. “If he ever kisses you, I’ll turn you into a princess.” Hermione perked up; only purebloods were princesses.

“You-you will?” She didn’t dare to hope…

“Princess of the Land of Stench!” Voldemort threw his head back as her face crumpled again as he disappeared.
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Author's note--Alright, the twins! Wait, what do you mean, 'not the twins you were expecting'? *wink* I know, Fred and George are more popular, but alas, I needed them in a different capacity, so Padma and Parvati get these roles! I liked the idea of the contrast of the ugly knockers in the movie and the pretty girls in this story. (Except that I *did* just see an alternate scene flash through my head. Harry and Ron are standing in front of the knockers--Fred and George--and Harry turns to Ron, talking about his brothers, and says, "Which should we choose of these two ugly characters?" haha Well, Fred and George will appear soon enough!)

I hope that Parvati's lines are still intelligible while she has the ring in her mouth. It seems pretty clear to me, and she does repeat herself.

And...Voldemort. God, I just want to kill him right now. I had to take creative license with this section, since in the movie, Jareth is talking about what to call Toby. But Draco obviously already has a name, AND he doesn't have Voldie's eyes...so I had to come up with an alternative scene.

However, I did manage to use the only usable line in the scene "Such a lively little chap" so there you go. Except that because I'm a sick and twisted, completely fucked up angst whore, "creative license" means more bad shit happening to Draco.

I'm sorry, baby! I'll make it up to you, I swear!

Also...TA-DA! Yami, here is the Forbidden Forest! I know, I know, that doesn't give you any new clues as to the junk yard scene, but *shrug* I was amused. :) It was still a good guess. Things are continuing to fall into place, methinks!

thrnbrooke--I know what you mean! NOW I do feel sorry for Hermione, though! Poor thing...choices to make. Thanks for your review! I've been singing the songs all the time, too. :) My friends have taken to ignoring me or telling me to shut it when I hit a bad note.

WeasleyWench--WOaT and I had a couple of minor disagreements (Snape is being a dickhead and Harry insisted that he should be able to kill Pansy) so we decided to take a break. And then I started posting this story, and now...things are worse. But in my defense, WE WERE ON A BREAK! (haha Okay, the crossover references are killing me! Get it? Get it? haha fucking christ, someone shoot me now)

But things are slowly getting better; we're compromising and coming to an understanding, so hopefully there will be a new chapter up next week, after I'm done moving. Thanks for asking, though ;) I've missed WOaT too. But Harry still has a few more surprises yet before he gets his handsome prince. haha Life is about the journey, but sometimes the reward is just SO SWEET!

And thank you again for the fic recommendation in your latest chapter of "The Personal Ad"! That is so sweet of you, and I really appreciate it! (PS New segment starting of the "Bound Prince" series by SlashPervert! Did you see it? I'm super excited! haha)

mystiedaze--I'm glad you like! That makes me happy! I've been watching it in pieces on youtube in accordance with the chapters. lol Thanks for reviewing!

C. McClain--Hiya! Thank you for your kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I know what you mean about the "Hogwart" line. I *knew* that he said it in the movie, but I didn't KNOW it until I was reading through the script and came to it. Then I laughed my ass off :D Except that, in HP, Hogwarts is pronounced "hog-warts" and in the movie, David Bowie says "how-gort"...I think. *shrug* Crazy Goblin King. Thanks for your review! I hope you'll come back!

Yami Bakura--YAY I feel so much better now! Thank you for the reassurance. Most of the time, I'm confident in what I write. But every once in a while, I get this niggling feeling that a certain section could be better. So then I start examining different angles and different results. The insecurity comes in when I feel like there is a better way...I just can't find it! And since I'm an OCD control freak with a perfectionist streak, I get a little insecure.

But hearing you guys say how much you like the chapter makes me feel better and more confident about it! If you like the bats and Bludgers, then just wait until the goblin city scene! (God I really need to stop doing that. I should just let you enjoy the current scene and stop rambling on about future scenes. lol)

"Thought this through"? Well, it's about as "thought through" as my other stories, but this story was what made me realize that I NEED to read the books, if only to pick up the tiniest nuances not mentioned in the HP Lexicon. *sigh*

And what do you mean, "better review"? I LOVE your reviews, and this one is no exception! But I do hope that you're feeling more energetic and refreshed after you've slept! haha Thank you, darlin!

The first part of this chapter is in the fifth segment of the movie on youtube. Here's the link (again) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ftKRYiFrE

The second part of this chapter is in the sixth segment of the movie on youtube. Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeNfKW9vxQs