Labyrinth of Illusion

Harry landed, eyes wide as he stared at the still body of Ron Weasley. Dead? Sakura didn't mean dead. Ron couldn't *die*.

Ginny had run down to the field. She was sobbing. She ran into the George's arms. He held her tightly, trying to keep his own tears under control. Fred hugged his twin and little sister.

"Get out of the way," Remus said, pushing the other wizards away. "I need room."

"What di'ya think yer doin', Remus?" Hagrid asked, trying to pull him away from Ron. Remus shoved off Hagrid.

"Give me room!" Remus thumped the heel of his palm against Ron's chest. "Come on, Ron," he muttered. He tilted Ron's chin, pinching his nose. He began to breathe into Ron's mouth.

Harry felt his heart thundering in his chest. Anyone sitting there? Everywhere else is full. Tears began to sting his eyes. Ron had been his constant companion, his first friend.... His best pal.

Have you really got-- You know...

Harry fell to his knees, covering his face. He heard a whimper and a cold nose touch his hand. He wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck, hugging him tightly. He buried his face in the jet-black fur.

"You almost left us, Ronald," Dumbledore said softly.

Harry looked up. Ron was trying to sit up, while Miss Tsukino and Remus were keeping him down.

"Lay down," Miss Tsukino said, "You were dead, Ron. Rest."

Remus conjured up a stretcher. "Get him to the hospital wing, immediately. Madame Pomfrey needs to see to him."

Harry sat on the ground, keeping his face covered. Sirius let out a whine. "Harry? Harry?" Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Would you like to come to the hospital wing?"

He shook his head mutely, keeping his face covered. His heart threatened to burst from his chest. His head throbbed with pain. That undefinable wrenching in his stomach wouldn't go away.

What was wrong with him?

**

Harry didn't know quite how he got to his dorm. The walk had been a haze. He had heard whispers about Ron's condition, how it happened.

Then, boom! All of this power goes through him!

He was dead for almost three minutes. Luckily, Mr. Lupin knew that Muggle reviving stuff.

I bet Potter did it. Did you hear what he did to Hermione? And they're his best mates!

Harry threw himself down onto his bed. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm his trembling hands. Emotions warred deep inside him. He kept reliving the moment over and over again.

The blinding flash, the cry, the sickening thump... Ron's body lying on the ground. He's dead.

He had wanted to kill Ron himself when Gwendolyn was kicked out. Why? Why did he want Ron dead? Ron had been Harry's most precious person during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Gwendolyn was just some woman he had met this year, his teacher.

But she was family. She was....

She hadn't even been talking to his father when she disappeared. They hadn't gotten along.

But she was good to him. She... She truly loved him.

Ron's dead eyes... Hermione's whimper of hurt... The coldness of her skin...

He should care about them. He did care. Why was something trying to stop him. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?" Harry demanded.

"Someone's doing something to you," was the gentle reply. Harry turned over. Sirius was standing in the doorway. "Voldemort is doing something to you."

He moved towards the bed, sitting down. "Harry.... I know you don't like me much right now. I'm not quite sure why. But you have to know this isn't you."

"It hurts," Harry whispered. "I don't want it to hurt."

"It hurts because you care about Ron and Hermione." Sirius put an arm around Harry. "You have to listen, Gwendolyn-- She's not the way she should be. I knew her when she was a student. I think she's making you act this way. Controlling you."

"I like Gwendolyn. She's never tried to hurt me."

"You thought the same thing about Professor Quirrell, Tom Riddle, Scabbers and Mad-Eye Moody." Sirius sighed. "Now, Gwendolyn Maclay has never been my favourite person in the world. I mean, being the girlfriend of Snape is enough to make me loathe her, but--"

"Wait a second," Harry blinked, "Snape?"

**

Dumbledore approached Remus and Sakura, who were standing in the doorway of the hospital wing.

"How's he doing?" Sakura asked softly, looking over to Ron. He was being fawned over by Madame Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley, who had just arrived.

"He'll be fine," Dumbledore assured them. "Not many wizards get the chance to know what a piece of toast feels like... In some ways, Mr. Weasley is lucky."

"In some ways he's almost dead," Remus retorted.

"And he's not, thanks to you, Remus," Dumbledore said, "That was some quick thinking."

"Muggles have some good remedies." Remus ran a hand through his greying hair. "Why is Voldemort trying to kill Harry's friends?"

"If it is even Voldemort." Dumbledore tried to hide his worried expression.

"Gwendolyn isn't allowed on school property anymore, right?" Remus said. "So it couldn't have been her."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Dumbledore, you're not suggesting that it was Harry?"

"The boy is changed, there's no question about that." He sighed. "But... The magics wielded in Ronald's demise-- Those were Elemental magics. They are powerful, primal, dark... Demonic. I doubt there is a wizard outside of Voldemort capable of it. If Harry has acquired these powers and fallen... Then..."

**

"Let me get this straight," Ron said slowly, lying back in the hospital bed. "I died. As in *dead* died?"

Mrs. Weasley smoothed down Ron's hair. She was a pale as a ghost, one hand tightly clutching Ron's. "You were a little dead. But you're all better now. Professor Lupin fixed you up right good."

"That doesn't change the fact that I *died*," Ron insisted. "I was dead. Not of the living. Ceased to be. In the great beyond. Now I'm not."

Madame Pomfrey shook her head, giving Ron a glass of water. "There have been people much more dead than you were who still came back, Mr. Weasley. You're not a zombie yet. It couldn't have been that serious. After all, it was Muggle ingenuity that saved you."

"I think death is pretty serious, Madame Pomfrey!" Ron shouted. He scowled. "I was turned into a deep fried Weasley!"

"Ron, please, calm down, sweetie," Mrs. Weasley begged, "it's all right."

"No, it's not!" Tears slid down Ron's face. "I died! I don't want to be dead!"

Mrs. Weasley grabbed her youngest son, pulling him close. She let him sob against her. She rocked him back and forth gently. "It's okay, Ron. It's okay..."

**

Night had settled over the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was in her quarters, asleep, but on call.

The hospital wing was empty, except for Ron, who lay in the hard, cold bed. He had been in here for a week now. The hospital wing seeming to become a second home to Ron. He had spent so much time there in the past few months.

At Dumbledore's insistence, Mrs. Weasley had finally gone home. She had spent several days at Hogwarts fussing over him, not leaving him alone for a moment.

Ron missed her. With his mum at school, he wasn't left alone with his thoughts. He hated being left alone to think.

He kept wondering where he had been, in the time when he had died. There wasn't any great light, or a feeling of peace. Not like they said in books. He hadn't separated from his body and become a ghost, like Moaning Myrtle or Nearly Headless Nick. He had just stopped existing.

Ron hated the idea of not existing. He had just barely begun to exist. It wasn't time for him to stop!

The sound of claws clicking against hard stone echoed through the room. Ron sat up, wincing in pain. His bones were still healing. He had broken his back in his fall. That injury took a while to heal. Madame Pomfrey assured him he would be fine in a few more days. He would even be able to play Quidditch again.

Sirius was standing beside the bed. Well, his dog form was standing beside the bed. The bear-like dog looked up at Ron with pale eyes. He transformed, turning into the lanky human. "Hullo Ron."

Harry's godfather sat down beside Ron's bed. "How are you doing?"

"How do you think?" Ron asked roughly. "I died."

"Well, I remember how I felt," Sirius commented, leaning back. He raised an eyebrow when Ron gaped at him. "What? You think you're the only person to ever die and come back?"

Sirius stretched out his long, lanky legs. He sighed deeply, brushing his long black hair out of his face. Spending the past few months at Hogwarts had made an extreme difference in Harry's godfather. He was looking healthier than he had in a long time, no longer showing so many signs of spending a dozen years incarcerated.

Sirius took a deep breath, shutting his eyes. "I remember it very clearly. It was in my fifth year. Prongs, Moony, Wormtail and myself had sneaked out along with our girlfriends. We went skinny-dipping in the lake." Sirius noted Ron's look of shock. "Did you think bothering Snape and learning how to be animagi was all we did in school?" He sighed deeply. "Anyway, a bunch of Grindeylows grabbed me in the water. I wasn't the best swimmer in the world and I didn't have my wand with me. I drowned."

"You were dead? Like really dead?"

Sirius nodded. "As dead as you were. Even back then, Moony knew his life-saving techniques. I believe he learned from his mother. Incredibly lady, Mrs. Lupin is. One of the sweetest, smartest ladies I've ever met. Anyway, that's not the point. I'm not here to tell you to meet Remus' mother, though I do suggest it." Sirius moved closer to Ron's bed. His pale eyes were wide and gleaming. "You're afraid."

"Of course I'm afraid!" Ron snapped, glaring at Sirius. He bit his lip so hard he drew blood. "My best friend has become psychotic. The girl I'm in love with is in love with my psychotic best friend. There have been two attacks on my life and one of them succeeded!"

"Ron," Sirius put his hand on Ron's shoulder, looking him straight in the eyes. Ron couldn't turn himself away, could not pull himself from Sirius' gaze. It was too intense, too powerful. "You don't have to be afraid. DeathÉ It's not something to fear. It's just the next step in our progression." Sirius took a deep breath. "Besides, death will not come to you for some time now. You are too important to go yet. I know you think of yourself as a sidekick, Harry's helper... It's not true. You may not know it yet, but you are destined for bigger things. You are meant for greatness, Ronald Weasley. You will save the world."

**

An unearthly howl filled Harry's ears. The world was black, blinding pain. Someone was being tortured! Was Wormtail being played with again? No... This felt worse than the torture Voldemort's companion had put Peter Pettigrew through.

"You stupid, silly thing!" Voldemort hissed, "You went against my plan!"

"His friends tie him to the world. I was simply trying to get them out of the way! It would have been easier!" The voice didn't sound human. It was too filled with pain.

"The mudblood and Weasley do not die yet," Voldemort growled as another cry echoed through Harry's head. "When they die, the last thing they will see is Harry's face. He will kill them."

"I'm sorry, my Lord. Forgive me. Forgive me! The bitch is clouding my judgement!"

Voldemort chuckled. "Ah, childÉ It's so amusing to watch you squirm. It's so easy for you to blame your friend, isn't it? It was your own foolishness. You're very lucky. Tsukino and Lupin saved the brats for you. If they had died, you would have followed. Of course, you'll have to make up for it."

"Anything! I'll do anything!"

"Once you're done torturing Snape, you're going to Wormtail. He's been very lonely."

The pain-filled creature groaned as Wormtail's perverted laughter filled the air.

**

Harry bolted upright. He was sprawled out on his bed, on top of the covers. He had been studying for his OWLs. He must have drifted off.

Who had Voldemort been torturing? Was it that strange woman? Whoever it was, they didn't sound human. The pure pain they screamed outÉ It was monstrous.

Voldemort wanted him to kill Hermione and Ron. Voldemort wanted him to kill his friends. He was doing something to him.

Harry needed help. Harry needed--

**

"Ginny!" Harry had gone into the library, immediately spotting the redhead girl pushing the oversized book cart. The cart was piled high with leather-bound books, with gold and silver gilded writing on the spines.

Ginny had been working in the library since the beginning of the year, to earn herself some extra money. The cost of sending so many children to Hogwarts was starting to catch up with the Weasley family. Harry felt bad for the girl. Only the poorest students took jobs in the library. Students like Malfoy teased them mercilessly. Ginny had said to Harry early in the year that she didn't care. Malfoy would tease her no matter what.

Ginny looked up from the cart, turning to Harry. "Shh!" She hissed, "Keep your voice down. Madame Pince is giving you the evil eye."

Indeed, the library matron of Hogwarts was glaring at Harry as if he had brought match to one of the priceless volumes. He gave her a sheepish grin, walking towards Ginny. "Listen, GinÉ. I need your help. I'm looking for Hermione."

Ginny eyed Harry cautiously. She picked the heaviest book up off the cart. For a moment, Harry thought she might hit him over the head with it.

Instead, Ginny placed the book in Harry's hands. "She asked me to find this for her. She is in the dark creatures section." Ginny pointed to one of the stacks. "She's been in there all day."

Harry looked down at the cover of the book he held. It read Demon and Spirits of the Pacific Rim. Giving a small smile to the youngest Weasley, Harry began to walk towards the study.

Before he could get two steps, Ginny grabbed Harry by the ear, "Wait just a second, Harry!" She jerked him back over.

"Ow! Ginny!" Harry winced in pain, Ginny's nails digging into his earlobe. "That really hurts!"

"Good!" Ginny replied, pushing in her nails a little further. "You deserve it! You really hurt Hermione's feelings! And you've been all weird lately! I don't know what's wrong with you, butÉ You're losing your friends! If you don't stop it, we're going to be throwing you at You-Know-Who! So when you go to see Hermione, apologize to her!"

Ginny let go of Harry quickly. He sighed in relief, rubbing his ear. "I was going to apologize... Man, Ginny! You're vicious! Maybe we should send you against the Death Eaters. They wouldn't have a chance."

Ginny smiled smugly, going back to the cart. "I have work to do. Now go apologize." She began to push the cart down one of the stacks. "I'll see you in the Common Room, Harry."

Giving his ear one last soothing rub, Harry walked to the stacks. Hermione was sitting on the floor, surrounded by piles of books. Several of the books were open. Hermione was scanning them, trying to take in as much information as she could.

"This might help," Harry whispered, holding out the book that Ginny had given him.

Hermione stilled for a long moment. Slowly, she looked up. "Harry?"

"Ginny gave that to me." He sat down on the floor. "Said you were looking for it."

She nodded, accepting the book. Her eyes welled with tears. "Th-thank you so much..."

Harry sighed deeply, taking Hermione's hand. He gently stroked her knuckles with his thumb. "Listen, Hermione... I don't know what happened to me." He looked down. "Something came over me."

Hermione shook her head, looking down at the book in her lap. "I know, I know. Gwendolyn is so precious to you. I don't want to hear--"

"Voldemort wants me to kill you." Harry took a deep breath, watching Hermione carefully. She had stopped moving, her hand stilled in turning the page halfway.

The page dropped from her fingers, her hand staying suspended in the air. She looked up, her eyes wide. "He wants you to kill me?"

He nodded. "You and Ron. Voldemort wants me to kill both of you. He's angry at the servant who tried to kill you two."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked.

"Because I've been having dreams... No, Visions." Harry grabbed Hermione's hand tightly. "Hermione, I'm afraid. I don't know what he's doing to me or how he's doing it... But I might... I might hurt you and Ron."

Hermione shook her head. "You wouldn't."

Harry laughed. "Are you kidding, Hermione? I would have killed you if Madame Pomfrey hadn't pulled me off you. And I wanted to cover Ron in spiders just to hear him scream! I'm not in control of myself. I can't stop what's being done."

"It's Gwendolyn, Harry," Hermione whispered, "You know that right?"

Harry shook his head. "No. It wouldn't be her. She's my family. I can't believe she would--"

"Harry, Gwendolyn Maclay wasn't the nicest person in the world even before she disappeared. I've heard things about her. She was a snarky Ravenclaw who hated having Potter blood. She didn't like your dad, or Sirius, or Remus..."

"Only because she was in love with Snape." Harry insisted. "She was in love with Snape, and he hated the Potters, so she hated having Potter blood."

"She was in love with *Snape*, Harry! Don't you think that's a strike against her?"

Harry gripped Hermione's hand tighter. "Well, it's not like she married him! I bet he's the one who took her to Voldemort!"

"Here," Hermione held up one of her books. A rough sketch of a winding maze was opened. It didn't move like most wizarding pictures. It was a dead picture, just lying on the page. "This is where she went."

Harry blinked, moving closer. "What is it?"

"This is the Labyrinth of Illusion. Professor Snape said it's where Gwendolyn was."

"Well, what is it?"

Hermione turned the book back to herself, reading aloud. "There are very few accounts related to the Labyrinth of Illusion. It does not, by all evidence, exist within our dimensional realm. Igor Karkaroff, former Death Eater, claimed the realm was created as a gift to Lord Voldemort by his most loyal supporter." "His most loyal supporter is Wormtail," Harry said, looking at the book over Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione shook her head. "That's what I thought at first. But look here: Karkaroff's report stated that a witch calling herself the Akkei, Mistress of Illusion, ruled the realm. The only Akkei on reference is not a witch, but a Kitsune."

Harry felt his heart thunder in his chest. "I've seen her," he murmured, "In my visions. She looks like a human, but she's not. She's got--"

"--Fox ears and a tail?" Hermione finished. "Right. That's her,"

She turned the page, pointing to the next sketch. It was a crude rendition, but it was very clearly the woman who plagued Harry's dreams.

Hermione had begun to thumb through the book Harry had brought her. "The word Kitsune sounded familiar to me. Then I remember where I heard it. That Oni which attack Ron andÉ. It called Miss Tsukino 'Kitsune'. Miss Tsukino is able to transform herself into something that looks a lot like Akkei... As well as a full fox form. At first I thought animagus, but I've never heard of an animagus who could do half-transformations. Also, the transformation was different. So I started combing the dark creature books, to find references to the Kitsune."

"Miss Tsukino is a dark creature?" Harry repeated.

Hermione shook her head again. "Remember what Snape called her in class?"

"Hanyou? Yeah, I remember."

Hermione picked up another book. "It's a Japanese word meaning 'half-demon' or 'half-spirit'. Anyway, Kitsune are not listed in the British Dark Creature books. But Miss Tsukino was born in JapanÉ Ah ha! Here it is!" She pointed at a passage in the book. "Second only to dragons, Kitsune are some of the most fearsome beasts in the Pacific Rim. Most Kitsune serve as the servants of the god of rice Inari. A splinter group turned their back on their divine mission to become demonic creature. Normally bodiless spirits, old and strong Kitsune manifest themselves within our world as women/fox hybrids. Younger Kitsune are often forced to possess a mortal body. The Demonic Kitsune is powerful, possessing the abilities of illusion, elemental manipulation and dimensional magic. These Kitsune are, by nature, succubae. They absorb energy from other creatures through the act of intercourse and other intimate activities,"

"What?" Harry sputtered, "You mean they get energy by--by--"

"By having sex," Hermione finished. "Or kissing. Any activity where they have very close contact."

"Akkei kissed a Dementor in my vision. It turned to dust."

Hermione nodded. "She drained it of all of its powers. There's more-- While in most cases, the Kitsune is likely to kill their companion, they can form complex relationships. They have an obsessive nature that drives them to find a permanent mate. A Kitsune will show devotion to their mortal companion by giving them the Kitsune ball, the source of their powers. In such cases, the mortal is not drained of their power during intimacy. Their energy output, the Ki, is actually increased. Kitsune are fond of dark wizards, whose ideals fit the chaotic, hedonistic Kitsune desires. The only natural enemy of the Kitsune is the dragon, one of the only creatures capable of destroying them. The most effective way to kill a Kitsune is to destroy the source of their power. Kitsunes are also frightened of Seers, who can break their illusions."

"Maybe it's because I was raised by Muggles..." Harry said, staring at the book. "But that is just totally messed up."

"They do sound vile, don't they?" Hermione shut the book. "Akkei is Voldemort's companion. He must keep her around for power boosts."

Harry's eyes went wide. "I think I'm going to be sick. Voldemort having sex? That goes against all laws of nature."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Well, no one said that the Kitsune were sane. But what puzzles me is how Gwendolyn coming back is connected to Akkei and Voldemort."

"It *isn't*," Harry insisted. "If anything, I think we should start looking at Sakura. I mean, she is a Kitsune. It would make sense for her to be paired with Akkei."

"Dumbledore trusts Miss Tsukino. Besides, Miss Tsukino isn't a full Kitsune. She's a human possessed by a Kitsune."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked, thinking back on all of the times he had spoken to Sakura. It hadn't been much. When would she have had a chance to charm him?

"Hanyou, Harry. It means half-human, half-demon. That means there's a Kitsune spirit inside her body. Miss Tsukino obviously has control. There must have been binding spells cast on the KitsuneÉ. But I don't understand why the Kitsune has stayed with her so long if she's possessed. You would think the creature would move on once it gained its strength."

"That still doesn't make any sense. It sounds like the Kitsune are even worse than werewolves. Why would Dumbledore want a one running around the school?"

**

There was a blinding flash in Dumbledore's office. Fawkes squawked from his perch as Sakura was thrown backwards. Remus jumped out, cushioning her fall. Dumbledore and Sirius ran to her side. Severus stood in the shadows, scowling.

Panting, Sakura struggled to get up. "Sorry RemusÉ." She looked back at Remus, who smiled gently at her. She blushed. "Why did you jump in the way?"

"It would have been ungentlemanly of me to let you crash in Dumbledore's bookshelf," He held his hand out to her. "Come on, up you go."

Dumbledore sighed, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "How far were you able to get?"

"I can feel the Labyrinth, feel its evil. But I can't punch a hole into it. I'm not powerful enough." She scrubbed her face with her hands. "I don't know why you want to go there, anyway."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "If what Gwendolyn told us is true, that she escaped the Labyrinth, a portal needed to be opened. She could not have done this herself. It takes powerful magic to open a portal between the two worlds. The only way she would have been able to escape..."

"...Is if Voldemort was bringing things in," Sirius finished, nodding. "Like dragons, Acromantulas, Manticores..."

Dumbledore nodded. "We have not heard of any activity from the Labyrinth since Voldemort's demise."

"I have met Akkei." Severus stepped forward, looking menacing. "She would do anything for Voldemort. Her obsession with him... It's dangerous. Voldemort exploits her emotions, uses her power. I suspect once he was restored, he went straight to her to boost his energy."

"Sakura, do you know anything about her?" Remus asked, placing a hand Sakura's shoulder.

"Only rumours. Akkei hasn't been seen in Japan for over fifty years. Even the few Kitsune I have met only know her from rumour. From what I've heard... She's very powerful. But she has no thoughts of her own. She is insane, living for nothing but torture and lust."

"We get it, the bird is deadly." Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. "So is this an ambush tactic? Send Remus, Snape and I in there while Sakura opens the portal?"

"I just want to know if it is possible," Dumbledore said, "We must strike against Voldemort soon."

Sakura leaned heavily against Remus. Her face was etched with exhaustion. "I cannot open a portal to the Labyrinth. The extra strength Yasha gives me... It's not enough. If we want to get into the Labyrinth... We need to wait for Voldemort to come to us."