Disclaimer: I own nothing. Any characters out of Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson, and the Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling.

An Immortal Magic
By Cariah Delonne

Chapter 1

"You have no power over me…" Sarah stated in realization.

The crystal burst, shattered, sending the mortal back into reality. In his owl form, Jareth swept around the room before disappearing into the night. He stopped only for a moment outside her window before he left, returning to the Labyrinth defeated. He swore when he saw who waited for him.

"We had an agreement…" the man drawled. Jareth surveyed his visitor from the black ermine coat to his long blonde hair.

"We did Lucius," he stated, "But what's done is done."

Lucius Malfoy's scowl deepened. "No mortal who passed through these walls was ever meant to return. You just let one go. There will be those in the wizarding world who will not approve at all."

"Like I said Lucius," Jareth replied, "What's done is done. I did everything I could to keep her from returning." Inwardly, he cringed at what he had offered her only minutes ago. Outwardly, his face remained a cool mask of indifference.

"As if Hogwarts isn't filled with enough Mudbloods already," Lucius continued, "Without other Kingdoms causing more to be thrust into the wizarding world!"

Jareth laughed harshly. "This will be no ordinary mudblood. She may have gained magic, and therefore entrance to Hogwarts by entering my Labyrinth, but by defeating it, she gained some of the Labyrinth's own." Lazily, he tossed Lucius a crystal.

Malfoy's lip curled in distaste. "I am not fond of Divination, Jareth."

The Goblin King just smirked. "Take a look."

Arrogantly, disbelievingly, Malfoy looked into the crystal, to see a young girl sitting on her bed, surrounded by Jareth's subjects. She looks harmless, Malfoy thought, But the Labyrinth has never been beaten before. Let alone Jareth. "So this is the mortal?" he asked carelessly, conveniently forgetting that he too, did not possess immortality. Jareth merely nodded.

Malfoy tossed the crystal back to Jareth, where it disappeared. The two began to walk out of the throne room, into a private sitting room overlooking the great maze. "Besides Malfoy," Jareth drawled, "She may not even be your problem. The American school of Witchcraft-"

"Is run by a man who would not touch such a delicate case as hers with a yardstick, Only Dumbledore will be fool enough to take this girl."

"Correct, Lucius," came a tired voice from the doorway. "Tell me, how did you surmise that?"

"Professor Dumbledore…" Lucius said, caught off guard.

Dumbledore waved him away with his hand. "Later Lucius. What happened here?" he addressed Jareth.

"A girl conquered the Labyrinth," Jareth answered in bored tones, obviously sick of being questioned about how he chose to run his kingdom. Clearly, if he could have done more to stop her leaving he would have done so. He did not like his judgment being examined, especially within his own realm.

"That much I guessed," replied Dumbledore. "How? This has never happened before."

"No," agreed Jareth, becoming aggravated, "it has not. But I could do nothing else to stop her leaving. She beat the Labyrinth – she beat me at my own game. I am as surprised as you. As a prize, she reclaimed her baby brother, and gained some magic of her own."

Dumbledore sighed. What's done was done. He twirled his fingers through his beard thoughtfully. What to do now? Tear her away from her family and the brother she had only just rescued? But she couldn't stay in the muggle world with untrained magic – especially with the chance that she had gained some of the Labyrinth's wild magic along the way. She would have to go to Hogwarts. She was four years late, but he did not doubt that a girl who could defeat the Labyrinth at fifteen, and turn Jareth's own subjects against him, would have little trouble settling in at Hogwarts.

"People are often surprising Jareth," Dumbledore said wisely. "Of all the people who could have possibly beaten you within thirteen hours, a child-"

Dumbledore did not finish the sentence. "Ten hours, Dumbledore," Jareth cut in. "I took three hours away."

Lucius, still standing apart from the two, went pale. "A fifteen year old girl beat you in ten hours!" He was incredulous, "but the clock struck thirteen!"

Jareth laughed hollowly. "Yes – I wound it forward when I felt she was getting too close – three hours to be exact. As I said, Professor, if I could have done more to stop her, I would have. She solved it in ten hours."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in amusement. The idea of Jareth, the Goblin King, being beaten at his own game was amusing enough – but by a child, in less than the allowed time…" he stifled a small smile. Children were surprising, but perhaps he had underestimated this one.

Jareth saw the amusement in the Headmaster's eyes and scowled. It was not wise to anger the King on his own territory, even less in such a situation as this.

"Good luck with her Dumbledore!" he called sourly after the disapparating Headmaster.

Lucius too, soon departed, seeing the gleam of anger in Jareth's eyes – in no way did he want to be at the receiving end of his anger.

"Damn her!" Jareth swore, throwing a crystal against the wall. It smashed, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.

*****

A/N: Umm… so do you like it? This scene came upon me in the middle of the night –and I might continue it, depends. I have a few ideas of where it might go, but it's time etc... and I still am working on my other fics… Please Review and tell me what you think!
~Cariah.