Iuga Sortis II

Ten

She felt weightless, and a tingling sensation permeated her entire body. It was as if the room crackled with a strange energy, a strangeness that seemed oddly familiar. The room was conspicuously bare with hieroglyphics over the walls and one very large pyramid in the center of it. Each side was a different color--gold, green, scarlet, and silver.

Their house colors.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked.

He looked as confused as she felt. "Not a clue."

"I'm afraid, Draco." She wrapped her arms around herself, and his came to join hers.

"I'm right here, love. I'm not going anywhere."

Her heart sped at the endearment, but she tried to make light of the situation. "Not as if you have much choice. I don't think we would be able to leave even if we wanted to!"

She felt him shift to look behind him, and he chuckled. "You're right, Ginger. There's no door."

"This room wants us to do something, and I don't think we'll be able to leave until we do it."

"If it involves you naked and me naked, I think I can oblige the room," he said seductively as he nibbled on her ear.

"Draco!" She wriggled out of his embrace and faced him, putting her hands on her hips.

"I'm just saying what you're thinking, love. That's all."

His grin was so cocky and oh so sexy. It melted her on the spot. "Draco . . ."

"Yes, love?"

Her heart rate increased again, and she wondered how she spent her life without ever hearing him call her such before.

"What are we going to do? We need to get out of here!"

He stalked closer to her, and she forced herself to remain where she was. The heat emanating from him was enough to melt steel.

"I'm going to kiss you, and you're going to let me." He said it with such arrogance she rolled her eyes.

"And what makes you think . . ."

The contact of his soft lips on her temple caused all speech to flee her mind. She clutched at his robes, and he placed his hands at her waist. He moved his lips slowly down her hairline until he reached her ear. He blew a cool stream of air at the tips and continued till he reached her ear canal. His nose nuzzled the space where her ear met her temple, and she groaned.

"Draco!"

"I'll never tire hearing you moan my name, love," he whispered. "It was meant for you and you alone."

She groaned again and moved her arms around his neck, bringing her flush against him. He placed his hands at the back of her thighs and put them at his hips. She locked her legs around him.

It was his turn to moan.

"Ginger, you're going to be the death of me."

"Then I had better stop. I like you much better alive."

She made to move her legs, but he patted her behind. "Who said I wouldn't bring you with me?"

Ginny chuckled lowly and directed his lips to hers. Suddenly she didn't care if she was trapped in an unknown room with a strange aura. Draco was with her, and the familiarity and security he offered would make her feel safe anywhere.

Like she was home.

She pulled back quickly with a gasp.

"What's wrong, Ginny?"

She licked her lips and looked away from him, moving her eyes to the area of floor beside his feet. She felt his hand tenderly caress her jaw before grasping it lightly.

"Look at me, Ginny. Tell me what's bothering you."

"I'm afraid."

"I'm here, Ginny; I'm not going anywhere."

She sighed. "I'm not talking about the room."

"I'm not either."

Her body tensed at the declaration, and he lifted her chin. Those stormy gray eyes were no longer turbulent, but serene and clear. She saw herself in them, and she sighed again. He lifted a corner of his mouth, and he rubbed her nose with his. Ginny whimpered and cradled his face in her hands and placed a lingering kiss to his forehead. He tightened his hold around her waist and kissed her jaw in soft pecks as he lowered them to the ground. She was now straddling him and felt a very obvious change in his anatomy.

"Oh!" But she wiggled her bum, loving the feel of it.

"Ginger . . ."

"Dragon?"

"Don't--don't do . . ."

"Hmm?"

"You're going to be the death of me," he said again.

"Then I'm coming with you."

"You bloody well better! I can't be without you, love."

"Nor I you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his head cradled against hers. He placed soft kisses along her pulse point, and Ginny unconsciously tightened her legs around him.

"Ugh. Make them stop, Asar! Please!"

Ginny shrieked and fell backwards, almost hitting her head if Draco's strong arms hadn't stopped her fall.

"I'm rather enjoying the show, Apedemak. It's been awhile for me and my love."

"Asar!"

"Nebt-het!"

"I agree with Apedemak. They really need to stop."

"You're only saying that because you two hate each other at the moment. As soon as you two wake up, you'll be worse than us."

There was a snort. "Not likely."

All throughout the exchange, Ginny and Draco had disentangled themselves and stared at the large wall before them. It was a picture of four figures--two female and two male--all looking strangely familiar to her.

She gasped.

"You're a quick one, thank Ra. I really would've been disappointed if I was as dumb in this life as I was three lives ago," the one called Nebt-het said.

"Three lives ago?" Ginny heard herself ask. She looked to Draco, but he was too busy staring at his reflection.

Well, his reflection had green skin.

"You look right handsome, my boy. I'd expect nothing less; I am the ruler of the underworld . . ."

Draco blinked rapidly, and his mouth dropped open.

"You--you're--"

"Yes, my boy. Though I daresay it took you awhile be open to figuring it out. That infernal father of yours had you so warped I couldn't contact you until I was certain."

"Certain of what?" Ginny asked.

Asar's one eye shifted to her, and she shuddered. Whereas the portraits in the corridors could move fully, these paintings could only move in profile. It was disconcerting as well as fascinating.

Draco answered hurriedly, and Ginny had the distinct feeling he didn't want her to know the "what." "Why didn't you say anything before? We'd been in here a while, about to . . ."

"Yes, well, we figured you two should have a moment. At least you're not fighting it as a certain other two are . . ." the other female figure muttered.

Ginny snickered. "You know, you look eerily like--"

"Nia. Yes, every one of them had to be a spitting image of me. But you take what you can get."

"But what a beautiful image it is, Aset."

"Shush, Apedemak, you old dog."

"Darling, don't you mean cat?"

"A mangy one at that."

"If I could, Asar, I'd swipe that smirk off your face."

"You call yourselves different names than the ones in my dreams. Why?" Ginny asked.

Asar shrugged. "The Greek names are more well-known than our Egyptian names, and we figured it would be best to introduce ourselves as something vaguely familiar. I know you went to Egypt recently. They now call us Osiris, Isis, and Nephthysthere."

"And you're still Apedemak?" Draco asked the lion-headed god.

Apedemak nodded. "I'm Nubian, not among the same parentage as these three. My fate was different than theirs."

"But you three are siblings?"

"Yes. The gods and goddesses were all interrelated; even Apedemak is some sort of cousin. But our familial laws do not manifest the same as mortals. Each genetic composition, if you can call it that, is completely independent of each other."

"So it's more in name only," Ginny concluded.

"Very much so. But the times changed and so did our tactics. We became mortal, and since we were now bound by mortal familial laws, we had to scatter," Asetsaid.

"Which is why none of us are in the same family anymore," Draco said.

"Good deduction."

"Praise Merlin!" Draco laughed. Ginny huffed and crossed her arms in front of her, but she couldn't help but feel the relief as well.

"Yes. You are free to love each other now, just as we did in our time," Nebt-hetsaid with a smile.

"For millennia, we couldn't get our act together, but the one time we did, it ended in disaster."

"Because of me?" Ginny asked.

"Because of my descendant, daft woman she was. She fell in love with the wrong person," Aset muttered.

Ginny was concerned. "Are you saying our feelings aren't really ours, but they're--they're yours manifested so 'you' or 'we' don't mess up again?"

Nebt-het looked at her kindly, or as kindly as a one-dimensional painting could. "No, love. They are yours--fully yours. Ours are corollary if that, but necessary to unlock the magic inside. We can't force you to love each other; we just try to give you a little nudge."

Draco scowled. "What magic? We've already 'unlocked' the magic. We wouldn't be at Hogwarts if we didn't."

Apedemak gave him a smirk that oddly reminded her of Harry. "Silly boy, just like your ancestor."

"I resent that!" Asar huffed.

"Resent it all you like, but he's right," Aset said with a laugh in her voice.

"But Aset, wife of mine, he wouldn't understand. Not with his father working for--"

"To be fair, Nia doesn't know, either."

"That's because Thoth is sitting on the information, won't give the child the scroll. I know he read the first one--"

"And Sekhmet isn't helping matters either. She's coddling her," Asar said.

Ginny was growing impatient. "What are you on about?"

"Has she told you about training?" Apedemak asked.

"Who?"

"Sekhmet."

Ginny and Draco shared a blank look.

"Jamilah. Nia's grandmother."

"Ooh!"

The gods laughed at their simultaneous comprehension.

"Yes. You should start soon. I understand some of Nia's powers have shown."

Ginny grinned. "Bloody brilliant display, as I understand it. I just wish I was there to see it."

Apedemak and Aset shared a look. "Imagine what would've happened had all of her powers been unlocked. What you saw was just the tip of the pyramid."

"And Harry? He's done amazing things as well." She heard Draco snort, and she grinned at him.

"Did I mention how happy I am you're not a dim one? I just thought I'd reiterate that," Nebt-het said with a note of pride.

"Yes, Harry as well. His nobility will take him far but not as far as necessary. It'll take more than honor to eradicate Thanatos and Set," Asar said wisely.

"I've heard those names before," Draco said.

"Yes. And you'll hear them many more times to come. I'm surprised Thothhasn't told you yet," Asar said.

"Who is Thoth--oh. Really, I should've figured this out before!" Ginny said, slapping her forehead lightly.

"Yes, Dumbledore, the crazy eccentric, he is. He's the one who installed the room."

"How?"

"His wife, Seshat, left him instructions."

"Well, who is she?"

"Ask Nia that, love," Nebt-het answered to Draco.

"Will we remember this when we wake up tomorrow?" he asked skeptically.

The gods laughed again. "Every word. I just ask you don't broadcast this room to the school. The stairs can only do so much in preventing stragglers."

"That was done on purpose!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Of course it was. We had to let you know before you began training. It's nothing like you're used to doing. Harry's D.A. lessons were good, but nothing compared to what you're going to need."

Ginny didn't like the sound of that.

"Do we tell Nia and Potty?"

"You two still don't like each other?" Aset groaned.

"He tried to take my woman!" Asarexclaimed.

"I did take your woman!"

"I meant Nebt-het!"

"Love you too, Asar; love you, too."

"Really, Aset! Apedemak had you at hello!"

Ginny giggled at their banter. The gods sounded so much as when the four of them were together that any doubts she had of their story being true disappeared.

"If you would be so kind, could you tell us who Thanatos and Set are?" Draco interrupted.

There was immediate silence in the room, and Ginny felt a chill go through her.

The same chill that came when Tom Riddle invaded her body.

"No!"

Nebt-het looked sadly at her. "Yes. He's coming back for you, love. You need this training more than ever."

"And Set? What of Set?" Draco asked as he wrapped his arms protectively around Ginny.

"Nia is safe . . . for now. But the man with the silver hand will figure it out soon enough."

"What?"

Asar looked grave. "To give the thin and thick of it, all hell will break loose in a year's time."

~~~~~~~~~

If he weren't so dedicated to Dumbledore, he would've turned Potter over to the Dark Lord himself.

"You act like the child wasn't gonnafind out for herself at some point."

Snape glared at his former mother-in-law.

"But even you must admit, Jamilah, it was not Harry's place to share that news, especially in such a matter as he did."

For the first time Snape could ever recall, there was censure in Dumbledore's voice as he spoke of Potter.

It was almost enough to lift his spirits.

"His place or no, the cat's outta the bag now. Only question is what do we do with said cat?"

"Pet it?" Dumbledore offered.

Jamilah rolled her eyes, and Snape offered a smirk.

"Give my daughter time. She'll forgive me, hopefully . . ."

Jamilah smiled at him, a rare occurrence. "My daughter forgave you; I think her daughter could give you the same courtesy."

"You actually think me worthy of forgiveness?"

"Regardless of what I or anyone else thinks of you, you love that girl as if she was your own."

"She should've been my own, but I was too blind, too consumed to do anything about it."

She looked at him with regret. "Things had to happen the way they did in order for us to have a fighting chance."

"I know."

"In time Nia will know as well."

"I hope so."

Dumbledore's eyes shifted between Jamilahand Severus. "You said you had news, Jam. About Set?"

Jamilah's eyes brightened considerably. "Yes! I think I've finally figured out who he is."

Severus looked nonchalant. "It's Pettigrew, isn't it?"

"What about the sneaky little rat?"

Sirius walked into the room, his hair still dripping from a shower he just took. Severus groaned.

"This is none of your concern, Black. Go hide under a bed like a good doggie."

Sirius growled.

"You seem to do that a lot, which I really can't blame you for, since it takes a modicum of intelligence to speak in a human language."

"Then you must've got the good lady and Dumbledore here to translate ass talk because you're the biggest jackass I've ever met in my life!"

"Severus, Sirius, please? This is a rather important conversation, and we really don't need you two bickering."

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Yes, Professor."

Jamilah chuckled shortly before continuing. "I've realized who Set is. It's Pettigrew."

"I knew it," Severus muttered.

"Who is Set?"

"A very bad god who's trying to take over the world," Dumbledore said.

"And my grandbaby."

"This makes no sense . . ."

"Let me ask you, Sirius, when you decided to make Pettigrew the Secret-Keeper instead, did you think he'd ever turn on them?"

His eyes clouded over in rage. "No. Not at the time, but he did, and he took me down with him. I'll never forgive the bastard. Never."

"Brilliant move, I daresay. No one would've suspected the mousy Pettigrew to be the most evil being to walk the earth," Severus said.

"You mean to tell me Pettigrew is more evil than Voldemort."

"Yes. Voldemort is icing on the cake. The batter is Set," Jamilah said.

Severus could tell Sirius didn't believe a word they were saying. "Impossible! You read Harry's account of Voldie's resurrection! Pettigrew was a whimpering fool! Hardly what I'd call evil than a bloody traitor who deserves to die . . ."

"A bloody traitor who owes a debt to Harry Potter," Dumbledore said.

Snape's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"Yes. There will come a time Mr. Pettigrew will have to repay that debt. Chances are it will happen in a Voldemort/Harry showdown."

"Harry saved that rat's life! One of the few times I wish he'd been in Slytherin. At least he would've disposed of the bastard as he should've."

Severus glared at Sirius, and the other man merely smirked at him.

"Too much Gryffindor nobility stopped him at that, so he's alive and apparently very well," Severus said.

"Dumbledore, why is Nia in Slytherin?" Jamilah suddenly asked.

Severus tried to control the wince he felt. He'd often wondered that as well, for he thought Nia was far more like her mother, who was a Gryffindor.

"I'm not the Sorting Hat, Jam," he said, but there was a twinkle in his eyes.

Jamilah rolled hers. "Don't play with me, Granddad. You know why every child is Sorted the way they are."

"Granddad?" Sirius asked confusedly.

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Never would've guessed that, would you, my boy?"

"Just that the family resemblance isn't all that clear," Sirius mumbled.

"Nor is the human one with you, but we give you the benefit of the doubt," Severus said dryly.

"I thought Dumbledore said to stop, Snivellus!"

"That I did," Dumbledore replied and gave Severus a reproachful look.

He hated being treated like a twelve year old, but that didn't stop him from rolling his eyes and crossing his arms before him.

"Yes, back to my question," Jamilahsaid, looking pointedly at the men before her.

Dumbledore sighed. "Your granddaughter is noble, to be sure, but she has cunning and an ability to hide herself when necessary, something that is distinctly Slytherin. She would make a very good Occlumens, like Severus."

"Not like Potter. He was horrible," Severus interjected.

"Why else did I get you to teach him? You're far better than I."

"And because you thought the Dark Lord might have taken him over."

Dumbledore looked grave. "But he did, eventually. Tried to get the boy to turn on me."

Sirius snorted. "He never would've pulled a Wormtail on you, Professor. He's got James's blood in him."

"I know that now. I regret not trusting Harry's abilities and loyalty."

"It's not as if he's a Hufflepuff," Severus said dryly.

"But he's not a Slytherin either. That's the most important thing."

"And yet two Slytherins hold the very fate of the word in their hands. As Nia says, 'how do you like them apples?'"

"They rot like a corpse, look like your teeth, and they smell, too," Sirius snarled.

"Hmm. I guess you love them, don't you?"

"Go to hell!"

"I go there every time the Dark Mark burns, thank you very much!"

Sirius's eyes widened at his outburst, but Severus didn't care. The double duty was weighing heavily on him, and the fact that Nia knew about his role in the war didn't set his mind any more at ease.

"You asked for it. I have no sympathy for you," Sirius sneered.

"That's the last thing I want from you, Black. But then again I'll bet you couldn't wait for the opportunity to turn, so you could be Leka's shoulder to cry on!"

"I was more than that to her, Snivellus. I was almost her fiancé!"

Severus smirked. "And yet, she was my wife!"

"And the mother of neither of your children, thank God!" Jamilahsnapped.

If Jamilah had backhanded him, the blow would've been less painful, but she went right for the jugular--Nia. He spared a glance to Dumbledore and saw his eyes watching the ceiling and his fingers in their familiar steeple.

"Headmaster?"

"I'm going to sit here and stare at this fascinating ceiling until the three of you are quite done with insulting each other. Carry on."

The three looked shamefully at one another, but no one apologized.

Jamilah sighed. "Any other reason Nia'sin Slytherin?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Draco Malfoy."

"So, what? Nia plays Malfoy's girlfriend?"

"No. She's his foundation, and he hers."

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "What the blazes does that little nosebleed have in all of this? He's the enemy!"

"He needed to have someone he'd be willing to risk his father's wrath and his friends' scorn for."

"Malika was there for you that way," Sirius admitted grudgingly.

"But she was not of my house."

"Don't you dare blame your fall from grace on my daughter!" Jamilah warned.

Severus sighed wearily. "I am doing no such thing. What I am implying is having Nia and Mr. Malfoy in the same house, which means constant contact with each other, will provide the boy with the courage he needs to break away. I had no such luxury; I didn't have courage in the first place."

"I agree. You would've made a pathetic Gryffindor."

"And by all accounts, so did you."

Rage filled Sirius's eyes. "You bloody, sniveling prat!"

"Sirius, leave. Now."

Dumbledore's voice was soft, but it left no room for argument.

Sirius looked aghast. "It's all right for him to insult me, but I get the boot when I return the favor? That's bias!"

"Something a Slytherin lives with daily, Black. Doesn't feel too good, doesit?" Severus smirked.

"Like your Dark Lord and his goons show their bias by killing innocent Muggles and mixed-bloods?"

"No, Black, that's a vendetta."

"And racism," Dumbledore added, the green aura starting to form again.

"Granddad, come back to us. Come back."

She rubbed his arm gently; he began to calm. Sirius looked at the older man with a mixture of awe and fear.

"Do I want to know . . ."

Severus shook his head. "It would be best if you didn't, Black. We didn't bring you back from the dead only to get killed again."

"Why would I get killed?"

"I go into a daze, my boy. I remember the worst memory of my life and, with that, the rage I felt. Only a few people can bring me back from it."

"Does it have to do with Malika'srape?" Sirius asked, his face blanching.

Severus sucked in a breath of shock, wrath, and terror. "What?"

Three faces looked guiltily at him. Even Sirius's face was void of its usual smugness.

"How did you--" Jamilah began.

"She wrote me a letter, more to tell me she knew I was innocent," Sirius said sadly.

"You told me it was a ritual . . ." Severus breathed.

"It was. Nia had to be conceived in chaos and despair," Jamilah said quietly. A tear streamed down her cheek, but Severus didn't care.

Nia was the product of a rape.

Severus felt hollow. "And Johnson--"

"Was under the ImperiusCurse at the time."

"I thought Aurors were trained against it!"

"Not if they're given a sedative to make their minds weaker," Dumbledore said. He looked at him with sorrow, but there was no regret.

Sirius stared blankly at a wall as he spoke. "It was September of '82, one year after Voldemort fell. The Order apparently knew there was Dark activity despite no Voldie. They and other Aurors were still doing 'cleanup,' as it were. They ambushed a Dark Revel."

Severus's blood ran cold. Though he'd officially been a Hogwarts professor for a year, he still had to maintain a sense of "loyalty" to the Dark Brethren as a part of his job to the Order. Then, not many people knew of the double role he played, but what bothered him was he didn't remember any of this.

"Was Set there?"

Dumbledore nodded. "He was."

"Who cast the spell?" Severus asked monotonously.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and one tear fell. That tear filled Severus with a sense of dread.

"You did."