The Servants of Egypt

Chapter Eight

Olivia Malfoy had expected to have a very awkward day, but it turned out to be one of the nicest days she had ever spent. From what her parents had said about Harry and Luna Potter, she had expected them to be an odd couple, but she had never seen two people more in love. It was as if they each knew what the other was thinking at all times.

She and Jim had met them at the hotel and gone to the Luxor Museum, halfway between the Luxor and Karnak temples. Luna Potter knew quite a bit about ancient Egypt, and had a dreamy way of telling stories that made them seem very real

The museum had tastefully displayed exhibits and a small garden. The ground floor of the museum was good sized, with a smaller upper gallery. They had wandered about happily, and especially enjoyed the New Kingdom statues that had been found in a cache in Karnak in 1989 and the items from Tutankhamen's tomb. The best pieces had been moved to Cairo, but there was a nice example of a funerary bed, and a gold-inlaid cow's head of the goddess Hathor. To Luna Lovegood Potter, the gods and goddesses were not ancient history.

She spoke lovingly of them as friends, which took some getting used to, but was nice, in a weird way. Olivia had to admit that she could see why her parents had thought Luna odd, since they had obviously not gotten to know her well. Luna wasn't the sort of person who projected her true personality on the surface. You had to give her a chance to draw you in.

"Hathor is a goddess of the sky," Luna told them fondly. "She's the golden one. She began as the goddess of love, of festivals and dance. Later she became known as the goddess of the dead."

Olivia looked hurt. The idea of a festival goddess becoming a death goddess seemed sad to her. "But why?" she asked Luna.

Luna smiled sadly. "The myth is that when Ra grew old, men began to complain that he was neglecting them. As their creator, he did not take too kindly to being mocked by them. He called a secret council of the gods, and they decided to destroy mankind. Hathor was given the task of their destruction. She obeyed Ra. After she started, the gods realized that if they removed all of mankind, they would have no one to perform the necessary tasks in their temples, but once Hathor began, she could not stop. She had become addicted to blood. The gods mixed mandrake with freshly brewed beer and blood from those she had already slain. Mistaking this for pure blood, Hathor drank it and got too drunk to finish her task, so the remaining men on earth were spared."

Luna looked back at the golden idol solemnly. "She is still connected with the land of the dead, though."

"Anyone who drinks mandrake and beer should be connected with the land of the dead!" Harry said, scandalized, and they all laughed.

They stopped to look at some very interesting prints of how the site had looked in the 19^th century. Then everyone began to choose favorite statues, the same game Jim and his siblings had played in the British Museum as children. Jim was relieved to find Olivia included in the family tradition. She chose a large pink granite head of Amenhotep III on the ground floor as her favorite piece. Jim and Harry settled on two busts of Akhenaten, while Luna favored a sandstone block on the second floor, decorated with an image of Akhenaten and Nefertiti worshipping Aten.

After they left the Luxor Museum they went to the Museum of Mummification, on the banks of the Nile, which had exhibits of human, bird and animal mummies, as well as tools used in the mummification process. At first the mummies seemed ghoulish, but Olivia had to admit, the longer one looked at them the more serene they became.

"There's one thing I don't understand, though," Olivia said to Luna, once she understood the basic process of mummification.

"What's that?" Luna responded.

"Well, life after death was a strong belief to the ancient Egyptians," continued Olivia. "They had total faith in an afterworld, a blessed, distant place."

"Of course they did," Luna said, unsure of where Olivia was going with this. "They believed each of us has a ka, or spirit, that is born with us. The ka was a sort of guardian angel that protected a person during his or her life. Then when one died, the ka went on to the afterworld, where it would hopefully be united with its owner, to live forever in happiness."

"But," Olivia continued, "they also believed the dead lived in the tomb. They filled the tombs with everything one would need to live. How could they reconcile those two beliefs?"

"Smart girl," Harry said to Jim, winking. "They certainly planned for everything."

Jim grinned at this father.

"It is a contradiction, but they did manage to reconcile it," Luna answered, deciding to ignore her husband for a moment. "In addition to his body, and his ka, the Egyptian had a soul, which flew away at death. The soul was depicted as a human-headed bird, with the face of the deceased. During life, it stayed with the body. After death, it flew freely around the world. At night, when evil spirits were about, they believed it took refuge in the tomb. That's how mummification got started. The soul had to be able to recognize the body from which it had come, in order to find the right tomb."

After they left the mummy museum, they went to the Green Palace Restaurant, near the Karnak temple. It featured traditional Egyptian cuisine, and oddly enough, Italian food. That was a nice change for Olivia and Jim after a week of sampling Egyptian fare. No one brought up the disastrous incident of the morning, to Jim's relief. He wondered just how stern his mother had been with his dad. She might look like fluff, but underneath she was solid.

They talked instead about what was going on with the Ushabti statues, Clark Croaker, and Draco's disappearance. Olivia told them about Durmstrang, and Harry and Luna reminisced about their time at Hogwarts with Pansy and Draco.

"I remember the first time I saw them go out together," Harry said to Olivia. "It was the Yule Ball, the year we hosted the Triwizard Tournament. Draco had a set of dress robes made of black velvet, with a high collar. He looked just like a vicar! But your mother had frilly, pink dress robes. She hung on his arm all night. I could tell then that she was really mad about him."

"What did you wear, Mrs. Potter?" Olivia asked, interested.

"I didn't go to the ball," Luna said ruefully. "You had to be in fourth year or above, unless an older student invited you. I was in third year then, and no one did. I stayed at school over the holiday, though, to see it. I sat in the window of my dormitory all night, watching the couples in the garden."

She looked over at Jim. "Your father went with one of the Patil twins. I remember seeing him. He had dark green dress robes that brought out his eyes. I had never realized what good taste he had."

"Molly Weasley picked those out for me," Harry said with a grin, "or are you talking about my taste in women? Parvati was a good-looking girl in those days, wasn't she? I was a terrible dancer, though," he added hastily, when they all turned to stare at him.

"You haven't gotten much better," Luna said playfully, hitting him on the arm.

"It was a disaster," Harry acknowledged, looking at Jim. "My first date with a girl, and it was a total disaster. Your Uncle Ron went with Parvati's twin sister, Padma. He didn't even try to dance. The girls got so angry at us they ditched us for a couple of boys from Beauxbatons. I can't say I blamed them, either. He had really wanted to go with your Aunt Hermione. He already liked her, but he couldn't bring himself to let her know. When he finally got around to asking her, she had already accepted a date with Viktor Krum. Ron was so jealous he couldn't see straight!"

"I've heard of Viktor Krum. He was a big hero at Durmstrang," Olivia said. "People still remember him. He was a fairly famous Quidditch player."

"Oh, yes," Harry said. "He was the best Seeker I ever saw. I thought I was pretty good until I saw him at the World Cup. After that I knew I'd never make it as a professional."

They made it to the Karnak Temple complex in plenty of time to look around before the light show began. Olivia was delighted by everything she saw. The sheer scale of it was overwhelming, and she said so to Luna, who nodded.

"In ancient times this was called Iput-Isut, 'the most esteemed of places'. What's interesting to me is the way the temples vary in style," said Luna. "Of course, they were constructed over a period of 1,300 years."

As an example of the changes that had been made over time, Luna pointed to the Temple of Amun. She explained how Akhenaten had replaced images of Amun with those of Aten. The images of Aten had then been removed and images of Amun had been restored by Akhenaten's successors after Akhenaten's monotheistic religion had failed.

The shrine of Seti II fascinated Olivia. It had been a way station for the sacred barques of Amun, Mut and Khonsu as they were taken on ritual processions. The images on the outer façade, of Seti making offerings to the various deities, delighted her.

When Harry, proud of his wife, revealed that she could read the ancient writing, an excited Olivia asked Luna to read something for her. Luna obligingly translated an inscription in the Temple of Ramses III.

She read slowly: "I made it for you in your city of Waset, in front of your forecourt, to the Lord of the Gods, being the temple of Ramses in the estate of Amun, to remain as long as the heavens bear the sun. I fill its treasuries with offerings that my hands had brought."

"Oh, that was wonderful!" Olivia exclaimed. "I hope it does last as long as the heavens bear the sun!" She turned on Jim. "How come you didn't learn to read hieroglyphics?"

"I'm not a Ravenclaw. I didn't have to take Ancient Runes," he said sheepishly.

"Gryffindors are loyal, but lazy," Luna said dryly, causing Harry to shake his head, and make the mistake of saying he was sorry he had ever gotten her started.

Luna got even with him at the Obelisk of Hatsheput. Taking Olivia by the arm, she drew her off for another demonstration of translation.

"O ye people who see this monument in years to come and speak of that which I have made, beware lest you say 'I know not why it was done'. I did it because I wished to make a gift for my father Amun, and to gild them with electrum," Luna read dramatically.

Harry and Jim looked at the two women, looked at each other, shrugged, and used the time to share a couple of bottles of water. Harry nodded toward Olivia. "If she keeps this up, your mother won't want to leave."

"You think Mum really likes her?" Jim asked, hopefully.

"I know she does. I like her myself, although I wish I didn't." Before Jim could protest, Harry said firmly, "I'm only going to say this once, but I do have to say it, so bear with me. You haven't known her long enough to be this serious about her! And you're getting mixed up with something that could be very dangerous."

"Like you and Mum did?" Jim asked slyly.

Harry sighed. "Yes, exactly like we did." He clapped his son on the shoulder, and they went to join the women, who were eager to get past the fifth and sixth Pylons to the Vestibule and Festival Hall.

After the light show, Harry and Luna regretfully said goodbye.

"We're going to leave first thing in the morning, so we probably won't see you again for awhile," Luna told Jim and Olivia, as she hugged and kissed them both goodbye, "but if you need us, let us know and we'll come back at once."

"Keep in touch, won't you?" Harry pleaded. "Be careful."

"We will," Jim assured his father.

They waited until they were sure they were not being observed. Harry and Luna left first, then Jim and Olivia Apparated back to their hotel. She was tired, but happy.

"I had a wonderful time," she told him. "This was a nice break from all of the worrying I've been doing, and I adore your mother."

They went into the hotel, and found a message waiting for them. The envelope was plain white, with Olivia's name written on it in an uneven hand. She tore it open and found a note inside, written in the same uneven scrawl.

It said, " For Ushabti, be at the tomb of Ramses VII tomorrow at 1700."

She looked up at Jim. "Where is that? It's on the West Bank, I think, but we'll have to check the guidebooks."

Jim shook his head. "Let's call Uncle Clark. He has a Muggle telephone."

"He's probably asleep," Olivia argued.

"So, we'll wake him up," Jim said, dialing the telephone.

Clark Croaker had been asleep, but he had always been a light sleeper, and was fully alert when he picked up the receiver. Jim read him the note, and he was not pleased with what he heard.

"Ramses VII? Are you sure it doesn't say Ramses IX or VI or I? Or even III?"

Jim sighed, exasperated. "If it did, I would have said so. Why?"

"Well," Croaker answered, "they are all in the Valley of the Kings, but VII is an unusual choice. It's in a small valley, off to the right of the entrance gate, and seldom visited by tourists, although I don't think it's officially forbidden at this time, like the tomb of Seti I is. It's a later style, poorly preserved tomb. The only thing really interesting about it is the burial chamber. The sarcophagus is still in place, a nice granite one. They obviously want you to go someplace where it won't be crowded and that makes me worried. It could be a trap. Although, the tombs close at 1700 hours, which means people should be around exiting the area. This doesn't make sense."

"Olivia has been asking about Ushabti. They say Ushabti. They must be planning on showing us Ushabti," Jim said patiently. "If we see statues, then maybe we're in on the smuggling route."

"I hope that's all it is. Keep me posted. Let me know what you find out. Try to remember everything you see," Croaker replied. "Did you see your parents today?"

"Yes, we spent the whole day with them. They said they're planning on leaving in the morning, though."

Croaker hesitated, then asked casually, "How did they like Olivia?"

Jim grinned. "They did, actually, although things didn't go too well at first. Remind me to tell you about it sometime. I'm willing to bet Dad never will."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. I'll talk to you when we get back from the Valley of the Kings. I don't know how long this will take. It might be late. Is it all right to call no matter what time it is? Olivia was worried about waking you up."

"No, no, that's fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Goodbye."

Jim said goodbye, and Clark Croaker heard a click on the other end of the line. He hung up the phone, and thought hard. Perhaps this was NOT a good time for Harry and Luna to leave Egypt. He called the desk at the Hilton, and asked for them, but they had left a message that they did not want to be disturbed. So he left his name and number and told the desk clerk to make sure the Potters did not check out in the morning without talking to him.

Jim turned to Olivia and told her what his great-uncle had told him. She had been looking through some of her guidebooks.

"That's basically what it says here, too. It's a single, horizontal plane. The walls are lined with scenes from the Book of Gates, and the burial chamber has a picture on the ceiling that portrays the constellations, the calendar of feasts, and the goddess Nut. Nothing really that tourists can see done better in more accessible places. They have a map of it in here." She offered him the book, and he looked at it.

"Uncle Clark was afraid it was a trap of some kind, but it doesn't look like there's anyplace you could get trapped. It's a straight shot. Unless someone hides behind the sarcophagus, there's really no place to be surprised," Jim said, tossing down the book.

"I hope you're right." She stepped into his arms, and he held her. "I just hope this isn't a wild goose chase. I hope I can really find Dad. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it could be tomorrow?"

"If we find him, what will he think of me? You've conquered quite a bit of my family already. I'm at a disadvantage here," Jim teased her.

"Dad always said I could be with anyone I wanted. I want you." She hesitated, then teased him back. "But I also want a shower. I feel horrible after being out in the sun and the sand all day."

"Want company?"

"Give me a head start. I want to wash my hair."

"Oh," Jim said with a fake moan, "The old 'I'm washing my hair' routine!"

Olivia rolled her eyes, and headed for the bathroom.

***

Draco Malfoy was not thinking of his daughter at the moment. He was looking at the cauldron he had been provided. His captors had finally come up with everything he needed. Thank Merlin the tomb was buried so far into the rock that it always stayed fairly cool. Otherwise the fire he had started under the cauldron would have killed him. He had set up the cauldron in the burial chamber and had started sleeping in the antechamber instead, where the ventilation was better. The last thing he needed was to successfully complete this potion and then die of smoke inhalation before it could mature.

He closed his eyes and pictured himself in old Snape's dungeon, trying to remember everything that happened the day he had first tried to brew this potion. In his mind he was sitting across from Harry Potter and that mudblood, Granger. Potter was making a mess of things, and Granger was hissing instructions in his ear, as usual. She always came to the rescue when one of her Gryffindor mates had problems in potions. Potter was staring at Snape, who was not looking at Potter, but at someone else.

Draco shook his head. He had to concentrate on the potion, and not let his mind get fixated on people he had not seen for years and probably would never see again. This was probably going to be his only chance to do something about his situation, and he had to do it right. He knew the guard was still upstairs. He kept hearing someone moving about. It was probably a big, strong, stupid Muggle, happy to be paid to sit at the entrance to a tomb, babysitting a wandless wizard.

Certain that the potion was maturing as it should, Draco left it and headed for his blankets. How had he ever gotten himself into this mess?