Labyrinth of Illusion

Remus stumbled down the path, leaning against the wall. He was panting hard. He blinked. "Is she still behind us, Padfoot?"

There was silence. Remus opened his eyes slowly, turning around. "Padfoot?" He looked around. "Ron? Hermione? Hagrid?"

He was alone. He was utterly alone. He had no idea where he was in the Labyrinth, or how exactly he got here.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" Yasha appeared in front of him. She sauntered towards him. "Just when you think you know where you're going... The only way out is to get as lost as you can."

Remus stood up straight. "Sakura, stop this. Please."

"I'm trying!" Yasha-- No, Sakura-- cried out desperately. She clutched her head. "NO! Shut up, you stupid bitch!" She hit herself. "Don't talk to her! She's staying buried!"

Reaching under his shirt, Remus pulled the suede strap from around his neck. He held up the small white ball. "Yasha, I com--"

Yasha snarled, bringing her claws across Remus' face. "Shut up! I will not take your orders any longer! I am the Princess of Illusion. You hold no dominion over me."

Remus gripped the ball in his first. "Why are you doing this, Yasha? I know you. You're not evil."

She nodded. "You're right. I'm not evil, Remus. I'm doing a terrible, terrible thing right now." She brought her hand to his throat, pushing him against the wall. "I'm not evil. I just want out."

"Of Sakura."

Yasha nodded, burying her claws in Remus' flesh. "The binding spells used against me tied me to Sakura. I've been trapped in this shell for thirty-two years. Do you realize how *boring* it is being tied to a simpering, pathetic moron like Sakura? It's amazing how insipid one girl can be!"

"Sakura's not pathetic."

Yasha rolled her eyes. "I have the powers of a God. Yet I'm stuck bowing to the whims of this silly girl. She whines about how she doesn't want to be evil. Twenty-four hours a day, she's going on and on about her life, her worries, her loneliness." She spat on Remus. "It's disgusting. You wouldn't believe how much fun the past few months have been. Having her cry out in pain as I hypnotized Harry, hurt Hermione, killed Ron." She ran a single claw down Remus' cheek, cutting it open. She licked the blood. "The best part had to be fucking Snape. It wasn't really necessary... Just fun."

Remus swallowed hard. "You used Sakura's body to seduce Severus?"

"As Gwendolyn, of course. But it was only an illusion-- It was Sakura's body. It was fantastic. Writhing around with him in bed... Mm!" Yasha leaned in close to Remus' ear. "Unlike some people, he wasn't afraid to bite."

"You raped her," Remus snarled.

Yasha chuckled. "So that's why she wanted to vomit..."

Yasha's hand closed around Remus'. She pulled the ball from his fingers. "I believe this is mine." She pulled back, examining it. "You've taken good care of it for me. Thank you."

She smiled. "Your friends are in for a big surprise. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a proper end for you." She sighed deeply. "Then, it came to me."

Her eyes began to glow brighter. "The Labyrinth is the will of the Kitsune. We turn the tide, we make the sun rise." She extended her hand to the air. The sun disappeared from the sky, the moon appearing. It was only a sliver. "I can phase the moon."

"Oh God. NO!" Remus gasped, tears in his eyes. "Don't do it, Sakura!"

"You said we were stronger than our beasts, Remus." The moon slowly expanded, filling out. Remus watched in horror as it began a full orb. He howled, his body twisting, changing.

"Now prove it."

**

Chest heaving as ragged breath escaped him; Sirius' back burned with pain. His jet black hair fell in front of his face, matted and sweaty. Sirius' body convulsed as he threw himself onto the ground on hands and knees. The lights dimmed, a murky haze had settled over. The sun had been blotted from...

...The hard, stone ceiling.

Sirius was no longer in the Labyrinth. He was in a small, dank corridor. A festering, fetid stench fills his nostrils. Sirius' hands tightened into a fist. No, this was a dream. He couldn't be here.

He was out of Azkaban!

Clutching his chest, the icy chill bit through his chest. Sirius opened his mouth, letting out a soundless scream. "Moony!" He screamed, pounding a fist against the floor. "*Moony*! Where are you? Hermione... Ron... Hagrid!"

Hot tears began to slide down Sirius' cheeks. The horrible, excited screeches of the Dementors filled his ears. Shadows loomed overhead. Sirius didn't want to look up. He didn't want to look at the Dementors he knew we hanging over him.

"They can't hear you," Yasha's voice was filled with perverse pleasure. "No one wants to be around a horrible, disappointing--" Yasha's voice morphed, deepening. It was filled with loathing and shame. "Boy. A sorry excused for an heir."

"Da'?" Sirius' head jerked up. Four Dementors stood in front of him. The first spoke in his father's voice.

"Always getting in trouble, always costing me money." The Dementor/father growled. "Never minding your lessons. Maybe I should give you another."

"No!" Sirius' voice was laced with desperation. "Please, Da! Don't hit me anymore!"

"A troublemaker... You're such a fool. Running around with the Gypos, casting curses and ruining our good name."

Sirius shook his head furious. "No, Da'! I-- I was fighting Voldemort!"

"Getting yourself arrested, the worst criminal of all time. We had to change our name, leave the country. I knew I should have smothered you when the doctor handed you to me."

"Da', please... No!"

The second Dementor began to laugh. "Da' please... You wouldn't believe the number of time I heard that cried out at night."

Sirius fell backwards, eyes going wide. "I'm not hearing this!"

"I don't know why I ever bothered with you," the second Dementor taunted. "Your pick-ups weren't that great. I guess my self-esteem needed some work."

"MACHKA!" Sirius moved forward. "I... I..." He put his hand on the hem of the second Dementor's robes.

"Don't touch me! You wouldn't believe what I've had to endure. Having to look at their faces day after day... Seeing your eyes looking back at me. It makes me want to heave. Tell me, do you feel the absence? The pain of having our fasting broken?"

"Every day," he rasped, "I feel you gone... Both of you."

The second Dementor kept laughing. "We were glad to see you gone. Being stuck with you sent Savori to St. Mungo's Psych Ward!"

Sirius shook his head again. "I don't believe you."

"She couldn't take it. Tried to slit her wrists. Found her in her bedroom, laying in a pool of her own blood. Whispering to me, 'I'm sorry, Mama.'."

"SHUT UP!" Sirius snarled. "I never wanted to let you down!"

"Just like you didn't want to let me down?" The third Dementor asked.

Sirius clutched his head. "Go away, Prongs!"

"You were so sure of yourself. There was no way Voldemort could find us. Wormtail would *never* betray us."

Sirius choked back a sob. "I didn't know... No one did."

"You were scared," James taunted, "You didn't want all of that responsibility on your head. You were saving your own ass."

"Voldemort would have suspected me!" Sirius cried hoarsely. "He would have come after me!"

"You were a coward! You sacrifice us! You almost killed my son. All so you wouldn't have to keep the secret... You should spend the rest of your life here."

"NO!" Sirius curled himself up, hugging his legs. "I won't stay here!"

"Or maybe we should just have done with it," James laughed. He picked Sirius up, bringing him closer.

"No! Prongs, stop!" Sirius sobbed. His grasping hand pulled James-Dementor's hood off.

Underneath was not James.

"H-Harry?"

Harry stared down at Sirius with cold eyes. "You've disappointed us all," Harry murmured, dropping Sirius. "Your dad, your bitch, Prongs... Even me."

Sirius nodded. "I know... I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

Harry freed his hand from the inside of his robes. He turned his hand over, showing off the penknife in his palm. "Thanks for the present, Sirius."

He tossed the knife in front of Sirius. "Do you want to make it up to us?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. I do."

"Then do it. Finish what I started. Pick up the knife, and just slip it in. Right through the heart. It'll be over quick. It'll make everything so much easier. Everyone will be happy."

**

"Strange, isn't it?" The bodiless voice echoed through the Labyrinth as Hagrid stumbled through the winding alleys. "The most unintelligent one of the group is the only one with the sense to be afraid."

"I aint afraid of some great bitch like you, Sakura," Hagrid growled, tripping over a loose tile stone. Toppling over, he hit his head against the wall. "Just wonderin' which limb I should tear off first."

"Brute strength-- How quaint," The voice laughed. "There aren't many men who resort to that these days. I find it refreshing. I just love to get physical."

Hagrid pulled himself up, black eyes narrowing. "I shoulda put an arrow in yer head when I had the chance."

"Now... Would you Da' appreciate that kind of that?" Yasha giggled.

Picking up a stray rock, Hagrid threw it aimlessly, trying vainly to hit the disembodied voice. "You just leave m' Da' outta this!"

"Are you afraid at what I would think?" Hagrid turned to face the new, masculine voice behind him. He saw the small figure form. He was a sweet looking man, dwarfed by Hagrid. His dark eyes were filled with sadness as he stared at Hagrid. "Getting expelled? 'm glad I did'n live t' see such a thing. I couldn' live with the shame."

"D-DaÉ." Hagrid felt his voice waiver as he stretched a hand out towards the diminutive man. "I did'n do anythin'! Tom-- Tom Riddle framed me!"

"Yeh did'n belong at Hogwarts," Mr. Hagrid whispered, shaking his head. "I always knew it. Yeh did'n belong in the Wizarding World."

"I did, Da! I done good! 'm a Teacher now!" Hagrid pleaded with his father. "I did belong!"

Mr. Hagrid paid no mind. "But you did'n belong in their world either."

"Their world--" Hagrid took a deep breath as he realized who his father spoke of.

"They'll never accept us," Friedwulfa growled. Using thumb and forefinger, she lifted Hagrid up by the back of his collar. She was much bigger than she had been when he saw her in the summer. "The wizard don't want us. They don't want you either. Why would anyone want a fool like you anyway?"

Friedwulfa dropped Hagrid back to the ground. He was on his hands and knees, staring at a pair of feet. Hagrid slowly looked up into the stony face of Harry Potter.

"Harry! We gotta get! Now! Sakura's playin' some sort o' mind game! Come on! Help us find a way out!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Always have to help Hagrid, don't we?" He laughed, kicking Hagrid hard in the face.

"Hagrid, forgets who's the adult. 'Harry, little Norbert needs to be hidden', 'Harry, they're going to take me back to Azkaban', 'Harry they wanna kill Buckbeak', 'Harry, I'm a half-giant'. For Merlin's sake, man... Can you do anything yourself? Nothing but a great, bumbling, simpering moron. Do you think I'm around you because I like you? I feel *sorry* for you."

"But Harry--" Hagrid began. He then noticed the dark shadow creeping over. Mr. Hagrid and Friedwulfa disappeared as if they had never been.

Harry's eyes went wide. He then looked positively annoyed, morphing back into Sakura/Yasha. "Oh, hell! Why he had to bring those beasts in. You're on your own, Halfbreed." She disappeared in a blaze.

Hagrid turned slowly to face the monsterous creature behind him. "Oh Merlin."

**

"Ron! Hagrid! Sirius! Professor Lupin!" Hermione cried out desperately, pounding her fist against the dead end of the Labyrinth. She had been going around in circles for the last hour. It had only been half an hour ago she had realized she was completely alone.

She went to retrace her steps, but found the way she had just been blocked. The Labyrinths seemed to change every time she moved.

"Come on, guys! We need to figure out a way out of here." She leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky. "We need to be logical, find our way outÉ"

"Logical?" She heard a voice laugh. "Logic is the last thing we need, Hermione."

Ron stepped out of the dead end.

"RON!" Hermione ran to him, raising her arms to hug him. He held his hand up, holding her off.

"Logic is what keeps us in the Labyrinth. You would think with all of your pretentious posturing you would know that." Ron smiled wickedly. "The only way out is to get as lost as you can."

"I don't understand," Hermione asked, "How do you know that? How do you get lost on purpose?" She backed away from Ron, feeling her nerves grow as he smile became more and more twisted.

She backed into someone else. Harry's arms tightened around her shoulders.

"Look at Hermione," Harry laughed, pushing her towards Ron. "Trying to make sense of what's going on. Always with questions. Everything's got to be perfect in ickle Hermione's head, or it just isn't right."

Ron pushed Hermione back to Harry. "Hermione's word is law. It's right, it's wrong. It's not something you do. Thinks she's the last word on everything. So full of herself, trying to hide what she really is."

The two boys played with Hermione, passing her back and forth. "We know the truth," Ron sneered, tickling Hermione under the chin. "You thought you hid it, but it was always there."

Harry took Hermione into his arms, stroking her hair. "The shy, bookwormy Muggle girl, always had the right answer and not a friend to her name. Even her teachers couldn't stand her, such a brown-noser. Braces and bushy hair, always eating lunch alone. Desperate for something special."

Ron took her again, moving his face much too close. "You must have soiled yourself when you found out you had magical blood. Suddenly, you had something going. Ickle Hermione was special. The little bint with nothing going for her was *magical*. Pathetic, really. Couldn't make it in the Muggle world, so she had to become a witch. Not much of one. All book learning."

Harry grabbed her again, dancing her around. "Voldemort's going to eat you alive. There aren't enough books in the world that could protect you from him."

"Not that it matters much," Ron laughed. "Who's going to miss a bossy little know-it-all? You're a nightmare. You got no friends."

"We pitied you," Harry snarled, "You didn't have anyone. None of the girls liked you. None of the guys wanted you. They want someone they can--" He ran his hand down Hermione's back. "Grow to love."

"But who would ever love you?" Ron asked, laughing. "Bushy, braceface Hermione."

"Braceface, Braceface..." Harry sang, "The Muggles were glad to see you go!"

"STOP IT!" Hermione cried, her head swimming. Harry's dance was making her light-headed. Their insults became a blur. She took short, shallow breaths, shutting her eyes tightly. Her stomach lurched.

Hermione kept spinning, mumbling over and over, "Stop it."

**

It was a door. Ron had found a door.

"Brilliant!" He said. "Come on, guys-- Let's go through it!"

He turned back to him companions. There was no one behind him. He shook his head. "That's odd." Oh well, they probably weren't far behind. They'd get to the door soon enough. They would go through. It probably led to the way out.

Ron had found the way out. He was sure of it. Maybe Sirius was right. Maybe he was going to save the world. It sure didn't seem like Harry was going to be doing it.

Grasping the handle of the door, Ron pushed on it. It didn't budge. He grunted, pushing his weight against it. Banging his arm hard, he felt it move a bit.

Gritting his teeth and backing up, Ron narrowed his gaze on the doorway. "Like I'm going to give up that easily."

He surged forward, slamming his body against the door. It popped open and Ron tumbled in. He hit the floor, face down.

Picking himself up, Ron rubbed his long nose. He blinked, looking around the room he had entered.

It was an eclectically decorated, tatty living room. In the corner was a chair, with a pair of knitting needles moving by itself. A large grandfather clock was in the corner. Ron went to examine it. All of the hands, save for Bill and Charlie, were at home. Ron picked up a pillow that had fallen to the floor.

"I'm home?"

He grinned. He had found a way back. This was perfect! No one else had found a way home, but he had!

Ron buried his face in the pillow. It smelled like home. He shut his eyes, trying not to let the stinging tears through.

"Mum." Ron whispered, putting the blanket down. "She's probably throwing a fit. Worried sick."

He ran into the kitchen. "Mum! Dad!"

They were sitting down to dinner. None of them looked particularly worried that Ron had been in the playground of You-Know-Who. In fact, they looked happy.

"Pass the potatoes," Mr. Weasley asked. He smiled at Ginny. "Thank you Ginny."

"Fred Weasley, don't throw peas!" Mrs. Weasley admonished one of the twins as he used his spoon to fling a half dozen peas in Percy's direction.

"Mum! I'm home!" Ron whooped, "Aren't you proud of me? I got out all by myself!"

Mrs. Weasley paid no mind, sitting down beside Ginny at the table. She looked around, shaking her head. "Where's your brother? He's late for dinner."

"I'm right here." Ron said. "Mum?"

"I bet he's writing to his girlfriend," George said, "Dear Hermione, I love you, I love you, I love you..."

Ron paled. Had the twins found his love letters to Hermione? He thought no one had known about them. Oh, man... Fred and George were going to give him such a hard time. At least they were exaggerating about the content.

"I'm here! Sorry I'm late!" Footsteps thundered down the stairs. "I was in the middle of Quidditch through the Ages."

Ron blinked. Why was Harry wearing his sweater?

"About time you got down here, Harry Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Really! I know you have a lot of things to do, with being made Prefect and Quidditch Captain, but you've still got to make time for your family."

"I know, Mum," Harry replied, kissing Mrs. Weasley on the cheek. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, dear. Sit down and have some Yorkshire puds,"

"Mum?" Ron said, the panic staring to rise in his voice. "Mummy? Can't you see me?"

The Weasleys continued with their meal, not noticing the red haired boy jumping around and yelling at the table.

"Pass the gravy," Ginny asked.

"Gin! You can see me, right?" Ron went to tap her on the head, his hand passing through her.

He staggered backwards, staring at his hand. "This is a nightmare."

"This is their fantasy," Harry said, looking up from his meal to Ron. "This is what your family has always wants. You were always so useless. You didn't really think they preferred you over me, did you? Hell, even with me only as your friend your parents loved me more. Always gave me special attention."

"That's only because you're parents were dead and the Dursleys are gits."

"It's only because I'm the son they wanted," Harry laughed, "It's not like they even wanted another boy. I mean, don't you think five was enough? They were just trying for a girl."

"Shut up."

He placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "You're not wanted, Ron. You're nobody. You're a sidekick and a bad one at that. You don't do anything except get hurt. You didn't get the girl... You're just there. It's really pathetic."

"I'm going to save the world," Ron said fiercely.

"Oh yes, Sirius' words to you. Do you really think he meant them? He wasn't just trying to comfort a wailing little snot?"

"This isn't real," Ron growled. "I don't believe you."

"This is real," Harry snarled, his eyes turning yellow. "It's real because you believe it's real."

Ron pushed Harry hard, his eyes turning white. "NO!"