Labyrinth of Illusion

Harry stretched up, trying to get his fingers to touch the rope that held Professor Snape to the wall.

"Get out of here, you fool," Snape hissed. "Is the trapdoor still open? Try to find a way to climb up out of it."

"And what?" Harry asked. "Leave you to die? You're not my favourite person in the world, but I'm going to leave you hanging here to die."

"Gwendolyn," Snape rasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood, "It's Sakura. She tricked me."

"I know." Harry finally reached the ties holding Snape up. He groaned as the limp Potions Master fell off of the wall. He was completely immobile, just falling into Harry's arms. "It's Yasha, actually. I don't think Miss Tsukino has any control over it."

"Voldemort--" Snape tried to move under his own power. "And Akkei--"

"They're getting married, I know." Harry put an arm under Snape's armpits, holding him up. "So what? I'm not going to buy him a toaster or anything."

"Potter, you idiot!" Snape growled. "Don't you know anything?"

"What?"

Snape pulled himself away from Harry, supporting himself against the wall. "Wizard marriages; handfastings. They're not just stupid Muggle ceremonies, where you get a piece of paper that says you're bound together. You're actually *bound*. Body and soul and magic."

"I'm surprised Voldemort hasn't sold his soul yet," Harry commented wryly. "Come on, Professor. Let me help you. We're not going to get anywhere with you leaning against a wall."

"You fool," Snape laughed. "Don't you realize? If Voldemort handfasts with Akkei, they're joined in everything. He gets complete access to her magic. Akkei is the most powerful Kitsune in our world."

Harry sank to the ground. "Combined with Voldemort's power it would be--"

Snape pushed himself away from the wall, groaning in pain. "Enough to bring our world to ruin."

Harry nodded. "Okay, we need to find a way out of here. Is there a tunnel?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "Pillock-- this is an Oubliette. It's a dungeon where the only way in or out is that trap door about five meters up. It's too high to levitate. Do you know how to Apparate?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm only fifteen. I haven't even started learning yet. Do you know how?"

"Of course I know how to Apparate! But I can only get myself out. I can't take you with me."

"Well, get yourself out. Stop Voldemort." Harry stared up at the trapdoor. "You can come back later to get me out."

"Potter, it's not that simple. Even if I could just stop Voldemort, I would never be able to find my way back here. The Labyrinth is impossible to navigate, especially if you think you know where you're going."

"Poor Harry and Severus, all lost." A figure stepped forward from the shadows. "Don't know how to get out of the Labyrinth."

Harry stared at the figure as they revealed themselves. The shadow receded, the dim light of the room casting down upon the short, scruffy boy. His black hair was in disarray. Black glasses were crooked on the boy's face. His brilliant green eyes stared into Harry. He adjusted his green and silver tie. "Is everything all right, Harry?"

Harry stared at his doppelganger. "Professor Snape-- Get out now."

**

"Are you sure this will do it?" Voldemort asked. He paced, shaking his head. "I don't like this. Pitting Harry against himself."

"As Yasha has already proved with the others, the way to undoing someone is by using their greatest fear against them. Harry's greatest fear is his dark self. It'll work exactly the same as it did for the interlopers. Except with Harry we'll turn him, instead of killing him."

"Where is your spawn?" Voldemort asked, yawning. "Shouldn't she had maimed those fools yet?"

As if cued, Yasha skipped in, tossing her ball in the air. "I'm back!" she announced cheerfully.

"Yasha," Akkei smiled, "How did everything go."

"They're all killing themselves as we speak," Yasha chirped. "All except the Half-breed. One of your beasties got to him, Daddy."

"If you call me that one more time, I swear I will bash your skull in." Voldemort threw a book at Yasha. She dodged it easily.

"I want my reward now," Yasha said plainly. She slipped down onto her knees. "I did my job. Now I want to be free. Sakura is becoming such a pain in the ass. She nearly ruin my fun with Remus. She always had a soft spot for that wolf."

Voldemort sighed, staring down at the prostrate Kitsune. "I suppose you did do your job. SoÉ How would you like me to do this?"

"Leave her alive," Yasha answered quickly. "Lord VoldemortÉ. I've spent thirty years tied to this human. Give me the pleasure of tearing her throat out."

Voldemort chuckled. "You can have her guts for garters, for all I care. Just make sure to kill her quickly." He raised his wand. "Relegare Vulpes!"

The scream was inhuman as translucent smoke surround Sakura Tsukino's body. The body writhed and jerked. Grey streaks shot through her raven hair and she began to age. The smoke drifted to her side, forming a vague human shape. The smoke turned to fire, quickly dying out.

Left standing in the place of the fire was a breathtaking woman. She was almost a mirror image of Akkei, albeit a bit smaller. She ran her hands up her form. "I'm me again," She squealed, throwing her hands into the air.

Sakura scrambled to her feet, eyes wide. She panted, looking at Voldemort, Akkei and Wormtail, then focusing on Yasha.

"Surprised to see what's been in you all these years, sweetheart?" Yasha laughed. "It's quite an improvement over your mortal form, if I say so myself."

Sakura broke into a frantic run. Yasha rubbed her hand together. "Chasing is always fun."

**

"Who are you?" Harry demanded his doppelganger.

"I'm you," The double replied. He looked behind Harry. "I see Professor Snape has already rabbited. Well, self-preservation is one of our greatest traits."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, I get it. You're a Slytherin, right? You're what I would be if I had let the Sorting Hat put me in Slytherin."

"Bright boy." The Slytherin-Harry grinned.

"Is this supposed to scare me?" Harry laughed. "Ooh... You're a big, scary Slytherin! I'm quaking. You think seeing myself wearing a green and silver tie is really going to make me fall on my knees crying for mercy? Did Voldemort's brain not get resurrected with his body?"

A cool smile spread over Slytherin-Harry's lips. "Oh, I'm not frightening because I'm what could have been... I'm what is."

Harry crossed his arms, shaking his head. "The Kitsune are masters of illusion. You're just a forgery."

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" Slytherin-Harry laughed. "But you don't. My existence proves that. I exist because you know deep inside that I'm part of you. I'm the voice inside your head you desperately try to ignore. Oh, Harry... I'm not your worst nightmare. I'm who you are."

Slytherin-Harry inched closer, bringing his mouth to Harry's ear. "Everything Yasha did to you was inside of you to begin with. She didn't brainwash you. She simply brought me out. You have always had these feelings. That you were better than everyone else was. That you could rise above the rabble and become a true force of terror."

"I never..." Harry snarled.

"Oh, but you did. Kitsune illusions are only as real as you want them to be. You wanted family. Severus wanted a physical representation of his guilt. Sirius wants to be punished for letting your parents die. Hagrid wants to know his place in the world. Hermione wants to be told how mundane and simple she is. Ron wants to finally know how unimportant he is. Remus wants to be a monster. You're all getting exactly what you want."

Harry shut his eyes tightly, trying to drown out the sound of his double's voice. It wasn't true... None of it was true.

"We're killing them as we speak," Slytherin-Harry said. "You can see it in your head, can't you?"

Unbidden, the images flashed before Harry's mind eye. Sirius holding a knife, being taunted into suicide-- Remus as a wolf-- Hermione being danced around-- And Ron... Ron...

**

"You're not REAL!" Ron shouted, his milky eyes trained on Harry. "I can see passed this. You're a frightened little Kitsune, playing up to Voldemort's wishes."

"What are you?" Harry demanded, fading into Yasha. "You should not be able to break my illusion yet. You're not strong enough."

"I am Ron Weasley." He stood up, fists clenched. "And I'm going to save the world."

"So, the Weasel's got some hidden tricks," Yasha crossed her arms over her chest. "Colour me shocked. Well... Do you think you can get to the others in time?" She smiled. "Let's race." She disappeared.

Ron looked around. The Weasley house was gone. He was back in the Labyrinth, at a crossroads. He heard a scream down one of the paths.

"HERMIONE!"

**

Harry lifted his head. "Ron is safe."

Slytherin-Harry shook his head. "Maybe for this moment. Yasha should have realized someone like Ron would be able to fell Kitsune illusion."

"Someone like Ron?" Harry shook his head. "I don't understand."

Slytherin-Harry walked in a circle around his counterpart. It kept shifting back and forth between Akkei and the alter-Harry. " It does come as a shock, doesn't it? The Weasel's got something up his sleeve. I don't even know if he's aware of it."

"I still don't understand."

Akkei shifted back into Harry. "Harry Potter doesn't understand something-- Excuse me while I die of shock." The Kitsune had trouble maintaining one form. She shuddered. "Shit..."

"You're falling apart." Harry grinned, shaking his head. "You can't maintain your form."

Akkei fell to her knees. Her breath ragged, she gave Harry a tired smile. "I'm not licked yet, boy." Her eyes glowed as she staggered to her feet, grabbing Harry by the collar. "I just need a little pick-me-up."

Harry's eyes went wide. He flashed to the Dementor-- How it's body collapsed and turned to dust. He turned his head. "If I die, you won't have an heir."

"I'm not going to kill you," Akkei hissed softly. She ran her hand up his thigh seductively. "I'll only take enough to keep myself together."

Harry felt his stomach turn as Akkei molested him. He felt the energy begin to burn inside of him. He tried to stop the natural reactions of his body. This was wrong... This was wrong!

He groaned, shutting his eyes tightly. It was a losing battle. He was a fifteen-year-old boy and Akkei was a very beautiful succubus. It was impossible to stop the inevitable actions of his anatomy.

"You look so much like Voldemort use to," Akkei purred, biting Harry's earlobe. "I think I may actually enjoy this."

Oh God, make it stop... Harry pleaded... He didn't want this to happen. He was struggling vainly. Someone please intervene.

There was a pounding sound and the Oubliette flooded with moonlight. A rope extended down the trapdoor. "Potter!" It was Snape. "Come on!"

Mustering up all of his strength, Harry shoved the Kitsune. He grabbed the rope Snape let down, pulling himself up.

Akkei stamped her foot. "You're going to die, Potter!"

Voldemort stepped out of the shadows, halting the Kitsune. "It's my turn. Wormtail and I will finish this."

Whimpering, Akkei looked up at Voldemort, pouting. "I've changed my mind. I want him dead."

Voldemort chuckled softly. "I knew you would come to your sense. Don't fret, Akkei. Potter won't get away this time."