The Servants of Egypt

Chapter Ten

Olivia looked over at her father uncertainly. "That's my boyfriend, Jim. He's been helping me look for you."

"Jim?" Draco asked, still staring at the young man on the ground.

"James Potter."

"Bloody hell!" Draco sighed, sitting suddenly on the ground beside the other man. Before Draco could say anything else, Jim groaned, and opened his eyes. Olivia helped him to sit up. Her obvious concern for the younger man irritated Draco, but he was so happy to have company, he let it go for the moment.

"Jim, are you all right?" she asked, running her fingers gently through his disheveled hair.

"I think so," Jim said, rubbing the back of his head. "Where are we?"

"In a tomb on the West Bank, halfway between the Valley of the Queens and the village of Qurna," Draco said flatly. "How did you get here?"

"An Arab man offered to sell us Ushabti," Olivia said. "We were trying to find you by following the smuggling route."

"Wow," Jim said to Olivia as he looked at Draco, "you do look like your dad!"

"And you look like yours," Draco answered tartly. "You must be Harry Potter's son. Would you mind telling me how you met my daughter?"

"My parents gave me a trip to Egypt for my graduation present," Jim said. "I met Olivia in the market place in Cairo, and my great-uncle, Clark Croaker, has also been helping us look for you. He was working at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo when I got here."

"Mum has been really worried," Olivia added.

"She must have been, if she let you go to Potter and Croaker for help. Poor Pansy!" Draco said with a sigh. "I expect you were lured down her by the same Muggle who brought me. His name is Ahmed. He's a tomb guard. He apparently found out about the smuggling operation and what Aunt Bella was doing with the statues. He wants me to animate Ushabti for him."

"Can you do that?" Jim asked.

"No, but he doesn't accept that. He doesn't believe me, so I've been trying to play along with him to buy time, but we can't have much time left. They're not going to leave three of us down here forever. Do you have wands?" Draco replied.

"No," Olivia answered. "He made us leave them in the car. He wouldn't show us the Ushabti unless we did." She looked around, wrinkling her nose. "What's that smell?"

"Plan 'B'...come and see," Draco answered.

He led the two of them into the other room, where they found a simmering cauldron. Olivia looked in it and laughed. "Daddy! You didn't dare!"

"What is it?" Jim asked, looking apprehensively into the cauldron.

"A strengthening solution," Olivia answered, looking fondly at her father. "That was an interesting idea, Dad. What were you trying to do with this? Did you want to try to overpower the guards or just move these coffins so you could attempt an escape?"

"Oh, whatever opportunity came along," Draco said smugly.

"You're kidding!" Jim said, still looking into the simmering cauldron. "I've never seen a strengthening solution!"

"Yes, well, they removed it from the syllabus at Hogwarts during my fifth year, and I suppose they must never have thought to put it back," Draco said.

"Is it ready?" Olivia asked her father.

"Should be nearly, but we have to decide how to use it. Your being here changes a lot. Does anyone know you're here?" Draco asked hopefully.

"Clark Croaker knows where we went to meet the smuggler," Olivia said. "If we don't check in with him, I'm sure he'll come after us. Jim's parents were in Egypt yesterday, but I don't know if they still are. If they're still here, they'll be worried, too."

"If we don't come back," Jim said grimly, "my folks will go ballistic. They'll try to find us. I know they will." He looked at the coffins curiously. "I wonder who these people are?"

"Nobles, most likely," Draco said. "I'm no expert, but that would be my guess. The coffins are too elaborate for commoners."

Jim walked over to the largest sarcophagus. "I don't think so. I'm nowhere near as good as my mum is with hieroglyphics, but I think this is a royal mummy. Maybe it's a minor wife or sister of one of the lesser-known kings. I wonder if it's someone who was moved here and hidden to keep the mummy safe from grave robbers? It happened quite often."

"When we get out," Olivia said confidently, "we'll ask your mum or Clark to check it out. They'll be able to tell right away."

"Pretty confident, aren't you?" Jim said with a sigh.

"In you and my dad, yes," she said, smiling at him.

Draco rolled his eyes and looked with distaste at the younger man, but Olivia and Jim didn't notice.

* * *

Clark Croaker drove to the village of Deir-el-Medina, with Pansy sitting next to him, clutching her Ushabti box, and Harry and Luna sitting in the back seat, holding each other's hands tightly. Clark parked the car and they all followed a tour group that had come out to see the ancient huts, but not too closely.

They were finally able to slip away from the tour group without being seen, and Pansy opened the Ushabti box.

"Shabti, come."

The small statue again turned into an awkward little girl. "Ee come."

Croaker couched down before her. "All right. Now where do we go?" he asked the Egyptian girl, his eyes blinking. She pointed up to the hillside with a stiff arm.

"What do you think?" Harry asked him. "Do we need disillusionment charms?"

"Might be a good idea," Croaker answered. The two witches and the two wizards took out their wands and in unison, tapped each other on the heads, causing themselves to blend into the hot Egyptian landscape. "Can you still see us, Shabti?"

"Ee sees," she answered. 'Oo are ready?"

"Yes," Harry said.

The Shabti began to walk up the stony path that led to the hills, and then began to follow a rocky path. Pansy followed her, Croaker followed Pansy, and Harry and Luna, still holding hands walked behind the others. They reached a heavy iron gate, which was locked, but Croaker opened it with a simple Alohomora charm. It creaked ominously. They went past several dark opening that obviously led to tombs, until the Shabti stopped before one such opening, at the end of the path. Sitting on a rock outside the tomb entrance, they saw three narrow strips of wood. and Luna cried out, and snatched one of them up.

"This is Jim's wand!"

Pansy took the other two and caressed them gently. "These belong to Draco and Olivia. They are here."

"Or at least they were," Harry muttered. Clark Croaker looked into the tomb entrance, and backed out quickly.

"There's someone there," Clark said softly. "An Arab man. He's sitting on the ground up against the wall of the main corridor. I think he's asleep."

"A guard?" Luna asked quietly. "They are being guarded?"

"Yes," Clark answered. "I don't know if we can all get past him without waking him. He will certainly see the Shabti, if he wakes."

"Let him," Pansy said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked her, puzzled.

"What do you think he would do if he saw an animated Ushabti?" Pansy replied, with a note of quiet triumph in her voice. "It will either scare the hell out of him, or intrigue him." She turned to the Ushabti, who was waiting patiently for her mistress to give her more instructions. "Shabti, if you can still sense the power of Isis, go find the boy wearing the Isis necklace."

"Ee go," the Ushabti answered, and walked into the dark corridor. She moved quickly and confidently. The Shabti walked up to the Arab man, who was leaning against the wall. "Ee ahm the tomb sr'ant of Mer-Nefat. Oo are you?" she asked him.

The man woke up startled, and looked around wildly. "Ahhh-eee!" he screamed, as he looked down at the small rigid figure which was staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes. He then looked toward the back of the tomb. "This is one of them! He has done it! I must get Ahmed! It has begun!" He ran out of the tomb, nearly knocking down the disillusioned Harry and Luna in his haste. They only got out of the way just in time.

Croaker watched him go, amused in spite of his nervousness. "He knew what she was! Whoever is involved in this has obviously seen animated Ushabti before," he said. "I think we have definitely found our smuggling route."

"Great," Harry replied, "now let's find the kids and see if we can get the hell out of here before he comes back."

They removed the disillusionment charm from each other, and drew their wands. Lighting them, they headed down the dark corridor and found themselves in an antechamber containing all sorts of antiques, including Ushabti. Their Ushabti pointed. "Oother sr'ants of Egypt."

Luna looked at her sympathetically. "Are these friends of yours, Shabti?"

"Ee do not oonderstand what ees friends. When ee are here, ee are here. When ee are not here, ee are not. Ee ahm nothing until ee are awakened." She looked sad. "Come. Ee shows you m'preencess." The Shabti continued down a dark corridor, and stopped before a hole broken in the wall. A faint light glowed through the hole. She pointed down.

Clark Croaker leaned over the edge. "Is anyone down there?"

Startled upon hearing his voice Olivia, Draco, and Jim looked up. Jim walked out of the burial chamber and looked up at the opening. "Uncle Clark?"

When she heard her son's voice, Luna cried out his name. "Jim! Are you all right? Is Olivia with you? Is Draco?"

"Mum? Dad?" Jim could see the faces vaguely in the darkness? "Yes, we're all here. How did you find us?"

"Pansy's here, too," Luna replied. Her Shabti showed us the way. Thank goodness you wore your necklace. The Shabti could sense the power of Isis, and we were able to track you."

Draco and Oliva also strained to see the faces above them. "Pansy?" Draco called. "Are you there? What happened to the guard?"

"Wait a minute," Croaker said practically, and holding out his wand, he created a magical staircase leading down into the chamber. Pansy rushed down first and threw herself into her husband's arms. Olivia began to hug both of her parents, and Harry and Luna went to their son. After their initial excitement wore off, however, and the missing wands had been returned to their owners, Draco and Harry glared at each other.

"You really got yourself into it this time, Malfoy," Harry said.

"For your information, Potter, I had a plan, and I was just getting going on it when you showed up!" Draco answered hotly.

"Don't start, you two," said Luna practically. "We have to get out of here before that guard comes back." She looked around. "What is this place?"

"This tomb intersects with the one above it," Draco answered. "The guards seem to have been looting it over time."

"Uncle Clark, come look at this," Jim told him, pulling him out of the antechamber into the burial chamber. "There are four people here. Looks like a woman and some children, but I can't figure out who they are. I think they're minor royals, though, probably hidden here to protect them."

Croaker looked at the largest sarcophagus, and then grinned. "Luna, come here. Do you see what I see?"

Luna ambled into the burial chamber, and looked carefully at the hieroglyphics Croaker was pointing to. She ran her hand reverently over the sarcophagus, and looked up at Clark Croaker, understanding his smile perfectly. "The cartouche of Akhenaten! Oh, Jim, this is wonderful," Luna said happily, glancing at her son. "Wait until we tell your sister!"

"Tell her what? Which sister?" Jim looked confused.

"You've found Queen Kiya!" Luna said, smiling. "This is the missing wife of Akhenaten, and if I'm not mistaken, her children, the missing siblings of Tuthankhamen!" Luna's eyes were shining. "They must have been hidden here when Akhenaten's religion failed, and everyone started replacing the Aten with the old gods!"

"I've got to get a better look at the furniture and jewelry we passed upstairs! This is a sensational find! " Croaker said excitedly.

"Hang the jewelry," Draco said. "We have to get out of here. If a crowd of Muggles come back, we're going to have to curse them to get out of here, unless we use my strengthening solution to overpower them."

"Oh, is that what stinks?" Harry said, looking at Draco's simmering cauldron. "I thought something smelled off."

"Considering you never made a strengthening solution correctly in your life, how would you know what it should smell like?" Draco snapped.

"Oh, Daddy, please don't start," Olivia said firmly. She turned to the Shabti, who was still standing stiffly on Croaker's staircase. "You found me, Shabti? Thank you! I'm so glad to see you! You've done really, really well!"

"Yes, m'preencess. Ee find. Where ee go now? Ee stay home, oor does ee go back with m'master to the house of m'preencess?"

"What are we going to do with her? Pansy asked in a low voice. "I never thought about that. I hate to just see her sit in a museum. She's almost like one of the family, but she really doesn't belong with us. We can't keep her if no one else will be allowed to keep theirs."

"We'll figure something out," Clark answered. "In the meantime, I think we should use wands AND Draco's strengthening solution. It will make any spells we cast much more powerful."

Taking empty water bottles, they scooped out some of the solution from the cauldron, and drank. Olivia, Pansy, Jim, Harry and Luna all shuddered after drinking, but Clark smiled as he raised his empty bottle to Draco. "Congratulations! Very well done, under difficult circumstances! You must be a master potions brewer!"

"Well, I learned from the best," Draco sighed. "Old Snape wasn't much of a human being, but he was talented in his way."

"He was," acknowledged Croaker. "But he left very few apprentices. You must come back to England! I know a lot of people who could use someone with your talent."

"But no one with my name," Draco said mournfully. "People have long memories."

Luna laid a gentle hand on Draco's arm. She had never dreamed she'd ever see a Malfoy looking so defeated. "Not everyone holds a grudge, Draco. I think it's time for you to come home. Won't you think about it?"

Draco started to answer her, but they all froze when they heard excited shouting coming from upstairs. They drew their wands. The two Muggles appeared at the top of the stairs, and not expecting to find them, skidded down the stairs to find instead of an unarmed man and two young people, a group of armed wizards and witches. Ropes flew out of wands from every direction, and the two men found themselves wrapped as tightly as any Egyptian mummy ever was. They began to shout and swear.

"Silencio!"

Draco cast the silencing spell, and enjoyed doing it.

"What do we do now?" Luna asked practically.

"What indeed?" Croaker said with a sigh, and tried to think. Getting into the chamber and finding the kids had been one thing. Getting out with two Muggle captives was going to be another.