Between the Stars
Summery: Deciding to leave the wizarding world and its mechanizations, Harry begins to read and write fantasy stories to fill the void. One story that he reads begins to haunt his mind. He becomes obsessed with it and it becomes obsessed with him.
World: Harry Potter/Labyrinth crossover
Pairing: Harry/Jareth
Warnings: slash, m-preg
A/N: You guys don’t know how deliriously happy you have made me. I expected no more than a half a dozen or so reviews, at most. I have over thirty and they are still coming in. I would love to thank each and every one of you individually, but thanks to the rules I can’t. So I’ll have to settle for a collective thanks!
I will say this though in response to one. The review thought that Harry life confession was a little unrealistic because it was not the type of thing that the review could see themselves doing. I’m just the opposite. I am the type of person, I would hold it all in and end up spilling my guts all at once. That is why I had him do it that way. Once he started talking he just couldn’t stop. He was embarrassed that he had done it later. It falls back to the penchant to speak and act before you think. I think that is a very ‘Harry’ and ‘Gryiffindor’ type of thing to do.
Last time:
Harry felt himself being drawn in further and further. He found himself wishing for something. Almost unconscious of the words passing his lips, he stated in a solemn voice, “I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away… right now.”
XXX
A high and joyous laughter rang throughout the Labyrinth. It was the first time that someone had wished themselves away and not another. There would be no runner, this one belonged to him, and there was no escape.
Chapter Two
Beauty seeks out beauty and power seeks out power. That is, and has always been, the way of things. So if one possesses both beauty and power in abundance, what does one seek?
For many centuries Jareth had sought the answer to that question. He thought he had found it when a young, mortal girl wished away her younger brother. She too possessed great beauty and power, but it was not to be. She did not understand what was behind the offer of her dreams, thus Jareth was left alone.
He was surprised that he was not bitter toward Sarah. She was simply not his soulmate, as he had believed. Because she had bested his labyrinth, he had a vested interest in both her younger brother and the girl herself. When their time in the mortal realm came to an end, they would have an honored place amongst the Fey in the Underground.
Jareth had already started to make plans. Mortal lives were short. With no heir of his own, he intended to name Toby as his successor.
Jareth’s father was growing old. Even the Fey eventually found their path to the next world in time. As his father’s only child, Jareth would ascend to the throne as High King. Someone had to take his place. The legend of the Goblin King was one that would never die. There would always be children whished away.
You see, time and magic, even life and death worked differently in the Underground. There was no such thing as a truly mundane, or muggle person. In the Underground, all was or became magic. The greater the connection to the Underground, the stronger the magic.
There had always been two worlds. One of the worlds was magic itself; the other held only the latent magic of life. When those from the Underground ventured Above, they took their magic with them. Thus were born wizards and all the other magical peoples in the Above. When the mundane people started to disbelieve in magic, and even fear it, the Fey and their brethren returned Underground.
The Aboveground was forever changed. The people there were the keepers of magic and legend. After that, those who found their way Underground, by chance or purpose, became saturated with its magic. Those who already possessed magic became a part of the Underground ever after. Even in those who left it behind, it never left them.
Sarah and Toby were two such people. Though they appeared to be mundane, someone in their ancestry had once known the Underground.
Thus, when Toby called out to him, as he often did, Jareth appeared at his side without hesitation. The boy’s request was an odd one, to go and see his sister. Sarah, by her own will, had distanced herself from Jareth. At first he had visited the girl often, but he was rebuked. She did not comprehend what he was still trying to tell her; that she was a part of his world whether she liked it or not. When the day came for her to join the Underground, she would be in for a shock.
Jareth bowed to the request and joined Sarah. Her husband, a muggle man in all respects, knew of her history with the Underground to a degree. He was a believer in the old ways in spirit if not in practice. So when Jareth appeared before them, he showed proper respect, but no fear.
The story they told him rang bells in his head, but he could not place it. He let it pass as being so similar to the sad tales of so many wished away. The boy had been alone, unwanted, and used for most of his life. In the end, he had chosen solitude and blamed himself for crimes of others.
He agreed to watch over the young man. When he looked over the sleeping form he had sensed great magic within him. It was agreed that when the time came, he would make himself known to the wizard and offer him sanctuary in the Underground.
“What made you think to call on me, Sarah?”
Sarah sat next to her vigilant husband and sighed. “In the time that I have known you, I have learned one thing about you that never changes. Through all you manipulations, behind all you tricks and games, you have a good heart. You bend over backwards to help the children of this world. You uncover the truth in the hearts of man. I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, see it when I was a girl. I was only a child then, and you were trying to protect me as much as Toby.”
Jareth saw Sarah in a new light in that moment. At last she was a women. She finally understood, that a man’s actions were not always what they seemed. She truly understood the lesson that the Labyrinth taught.
“I want to give Harry the book. I want him to become comfortable with the idea before he deals with the trauma of the reality.”
When Jareth had agreed, he did not understand the magnitude of his action. He didn’t realize the true power within the wizard. He didn’t expect to become obsessed within moments of Harry opening the book. The draw was so intense that he could do nothing but watch. Before the sun set on that first day, he heard the call and he laughed.
Apparently he was not the only one enthralled to the point of consumption. As the Goblin King he could not ignore the call of the wished away.
XXX
Harry’s eyes snapped up from the book. He could feel the magic crackling around him. It was like nothing he had ever encountered before. He stood quickly, again pulling his wand from his pants leg. There were giggles around him, but as he turned he could never catch more than a shadow from the corner of his eye. Something clicked in his head. He turned toward the window and waited. He started when a hand rested on his shoulder instead.
“Waiting for someone?” The voice was silky and it caused a shiver down Harry’s spine.
He turned slowly and met a pair of mismatched eyes. No, that wasn’t right. The eyes were the same color, but the pupil of one was far larger, causing it to look darker. He was both menacing and strangely comforting. His magic seemed more natural and real then any other Harry had felt. He was drawn in by it, and he was not afraid.
“You’re real.” It was an obvious statement, but Harry could think of nothing else to say.
Jareth found it exceedingly amusing. “I am.”
Harry looked down and cursed under his breath, realizing what he had said. “So what now?”
Jareth’s visage softened. Harry was his, no questions asked and no second chances. At the same time, nothing about this young man’s life had been under his control. He bore the look of one tossed by too many seas. “That depends upon you. What’s said is said. You have wished yourself into my possession by your own free will. Because of that there is no runner to attempt rescue. However, I can give you thirteen hours to set things in order. You are not a child, I understand that you have responsibilities.”
Harry’s wand slipped from his fingers and clattered against the wood floor. The reality of his situation was suddenly very heavy upon his mind. “I’ll be a goblin…”
He hadn’t meant for the man to hear his words, but Jareth’s high laughter rung in his ears. “My dear young wizard, not all within the Underground become goblins. Your studies should have taught you that. Have you not learned the legends?”
“I…” Harry didn’t know what to say, so he settled for shaking his head no.
“What are they teaching these children? Have even the keepers of magic forgotten the old ways?”
Harry looked up. The King suddenly looked angry and Harry felt the need to defend his people. “I grew up with muggles. I don’t know what most wizarding children know. They don’t teach folklore at school.”
“Folklore! Folklore indeed! I am not a mere fairy tale!”
Harry took a step back and tried to think of a way to clam the man down. “I… I said it badly. I’m sorry. I meant… culture. A ghost teaches the only history class offered at Hogwarts, and he doesn’t teach much besides goblin rebellions. He says nothing of real history.”
Jareth looked at the cowering wizard and reigned in his temper. Powerful wizard or not, Harry had no way to combat the temper of a Fey. Besides, it was not his fault that wizards were forgetting the old ways. Jareth’s mind began to race. There might be more than one opportunity presenting itself here. Not only was he gaining a powerful subject to his rule, one he was highly drawn to, but he was also gaining a direct link to the wizarding world. If the old ways were being forgotten then this young man might be the way to rekindle them.
“So, what say you? Do you want your time to set things in order?”
Harry felt the pressure of the Goblin King’s anger lift and raised his head. It was not so much that he had been afraid as it was almost physically painful to try and stand against the weight of the man’s power. “Will I be able to return?”
Jareth looked at him with a piercing gaze. “I do not know. I have many powers, but even I cannot know the full measure of the future.”
“I beg but a moment.” Jareth nodded to the request and watched Harry scurry about the room.
He gathered several things and put them in a box on the bedside table before writing a note.
Sarah,
Something has come up. I don’t know when or if I will see you again. I have no one else who really needs telling. Mrs. Marshal will take care of things in London for me. I trust you to take care of my interest in my books. If anyone comes looking for me you can honestly tell them you don’t know, but I doubt they will. I can never thank you enough for being such a good friend to me.
Harry
Jareth raised an eyebrow at the note. It was short and to the point without giving anything away.
Harry looked around the room several times before bending to retrieve his wand. It was a bit sad that this was what his life was reduced to. He wasn’t leaving much behind, and as he looked at Jareth he could only wonder what he might be gaining.
“I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Jareth’s face was almost kind and his heart raced when he once again laid his hand on the young wizard’s shoulder. In a shower of glitter they were gone.