The Servants of Egypt

Chapter Eleven

Jim slid open the door to the balcony, and Olivia walked out. The evening air smelled like roses, and the whole city of Cairo was spread out before her under a canopy of stars. She could see the island of Gezira, surrounded by the dark waters of the Nile, and the illuminated minarets of the citadel. It was a beautiful night.

Olivia could sense Jim moving closer behind her. She glanced back as he put his arms around her, kissing her, half on her brow, half on her hair. She was still amazed by all of the experiences they'd had together since they had met at the bazaar. Especially the evening they had spent in Kiya's tomb.

Once they had bound the two tomb guards, Clark Croaker had summoned some people he knew from the Department of Antiquities in Luxor. The guards had both been arrested, babbling about wizards and Egyptian spirits. Working with select contacts both in the muggle government and from the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Croaker had managed to get a list of the witches and wizards who had bought Ushabti through the Egyptian connection, and had begun to track them down. An agreement was proposed to make the ownership of stolen Ushabti illegal, and it appeared the magical ministries of most countries would sign it. Bellatrix Lestrange had still not been located, but she was definitely going to be a persona non grata in Egypt.

Croaker had also been given an invitation from the Egyptian government to play a major role in studying the newly discovered tomb of Kiya, which was being hailed as the most spectacular archeological find in years. Many of the historical aspects of the tomb had been disturbed by the greedy guards, and Croaker regretted that, but the artifacts were still valuable.

The proposed Kiya exhibit would be a major edition to the Cairo museum, and Clark Croaker was a happy man. Luna, taking a cue from Croaker, had gotten in touch with one of her late father's friends. This man ran a potion shop in Diagon Alley, specializing in extremely difficult brews. He was getting on in years, and looking for someone to come into the business. Draco got the job, and he and Pansy were looking forward to returning home at last.

"I'm so grateful to your mother for helping Dad," Olivia said softly to Jim. "He and Mum haven't been home in so long."

"You can tell her tonight. She and Dad are coming with the kids for one last visit to Egypt before my brothers and sisters go back to Hogwarts."

"I hope my father and your father get along better this time," Olivia sighed.

"They're getting there," Jim answered. "It helps that they both love you, you know. You're the bridge between them," he said, hoping that his father really was getting more used to Olivia.

"Jim, that's so sweet!" Oliva exclaimed.

"You bring out the best in me," Jim said softly, kissing her. Olivia looked up at his angular face, and reaching out, drew the tips of her fingers through his black, tousled hair, leaving the quiet night to serve as a mute witness to their passion.

Olivia woke up when Cairo did. She and Jim had left their balcony door open, and she listened for a moment to the sounds coming from the traffic on the El Tahir bridge. The taxis had emerged, and their familiar horns had begun to honk, drowning out the sounds of the carts coming into the city from the nearby villages. Soon the markets would be filled with the smell of cooking lamb, of baking bread, of spices and freshly brewed sweet Arabic coffee. This was modern Cairo, and Olivia would always remember it fondly.

She woke up Jim and they shared an extremely long shower and a leisurely breakfast of juice, fresh croissants and honey. She then struggled with the El Ahram newspaper for awhile. Finally she gave up and folded it away

"What do you want to do today? It's our last day together in Egypt, and neither of us know if we'll ever come back again," Olivia said mournfully.

"Oh, I think we'll be back again someday," Jim said gently, "but I do know what to do. I know where I want to go. I want to go to the Bazaar, where we first met."

"Jim, that's a wonderful idea!"

"Well, I have a practical reason, but I'll tell you later."

"Oooh," Olivia said with a grin, "another mystery!"

"More like a surprise," Jim answered. "I've had enough mysteries to last me for awhile."

Pansy and Draco were also having coffee on the balcony of their hotel room, in the Old Winter Palace. Draco looked at his wife with concern.

"Are you sure you want to go back? It looks like a good opportunity, but not everyone is going to welcome us back with open arms, you know. I can think of a few people who will make Harry Potter's attitude around me look like brotherly love."

"Yes, Draco, I want to go back," Pansy said firmly. "I love you and I loved being with you, every place we went, but we're not getting any younger, and I want to see home. I want to go to London and walk through Trafalger Square. I want to see if the Café Royal is still open. I want to tap the bricks behind the Leaky Cauldron and step into Diagon Alley. I've missed it so. If Luna and I can become friends, you and Harry should be able to keep the peace, and if you and Harry are at least getting along, everything else will fall into place"

She eyed him carefully, and then added quietly, "And I think when we get to England, we should go back to the Manor."

Draco stared at her. "The Manor? It's been empty for years. After Mum died, it probably fell apart. Why do you want to go there?"

"Why not? I want Olivia to see it. I want her to see where she comes from. She has to understand who she really is."

"But Pansy, it will mean nothing to her. And it shouldn't. Those were dark times. It's all in the past now. Why not let it rest?"

Pansy shook her head. "Since when does the future not come out of the past? And I think it's important for us to take Jim Potter with us, too, when we go. If he really loves our daughter, I want to make sure it's for who she is."

Draco frowned. "Don't take it so seriously. I doubt if it will last. I have to admit, the Potter kid is all right, but they're too young, and too different. It's easy for them to say they like each other here in Egypt, when it's been one adventure after another, but once things settled own, I think she'll get bored with him."

Pansy shrugged. "Don't bet on it. He's got the Potter charm."

"And what," Draco said heatedly, "would you know about the Potter charm?"

"Pass the sugar," said Pansy calmly.

Harry Potter was not being charming at that moment. He was giving his oldest daughter a telling off for the swimsuit she was trying to wear down to the pool at the Luxor Hilton. Lily stomped away, raging, and Harry stalked off to his own room, where Luna looked up from the page of hieroglyphics she was translating for Croaker.

"Don't take your temper out on the children," Luna warned Harry.

"Then tell them to act like the children they are!" Harry threw himself down on the bed, and glared at the ceiling.

"I think we've had this conversation before," Luna said, amused, coming to his side. "What's really bothering you, Harry?"

"You know what's bothering me. Why did you have to get Draco that job? The idea of Malfoy working in London drives me mad! I didn't think about him when he was away, but now I'm going to have to be his damned neighbor!"

"Probably a relative, too, some day," Luna mused. 'When you're both taking it in turn to spoil your mutual grandchildren, I'll remind you of this day."

Harry winced. "Don't even joke about things like that! I can't believe this whole thing with Jim and Olivia will go on when we get home. I like Olivia, damn it, but I'm just not ready for this. And I'm certainly not ready to be a father-in-law or a grandfather!"

"Well, if you would just change your mind about another baby of our own," Luna teased him, slipping her arm across his chest.

"Don't start that again!" Harry sighed.

Luna leaned over to kiss him, and smiled. "Why not?"

Everyone was in a better mood when they all met for dinner.

"So, how did you two spend your afternoon?" Luna asked Jim mischievously.

"We went back to the Bazaar," Jim said casually. "I thought I'd pick Olivia up a little souvenir of Egypt." Olivia held up her hand and they all saw she was wearing an engagement ring. Draco and Harry almost spit out their roast duck, but Luna and Pansy beamed.

"Congratulations," Clark Croaker said, amused, as he looked from Harry to Draco, like a spectator at a tennis match. "When's the big day?"

"Haven't decided," Jim answered, "but don't worry...you're invited. We'll have to see when we get home."

"Speaking of home," Pansy said hastily, "Draco and I are going to take a trip up to Malfoy Manor when we get back and see what's left of it. Olivia, Jim...we'd like the two of you to come with us."

"I'd love to!" Olivia answered. "I've heard so much about it!"

"Well, don't expect too much," Draco said glumly. "It's been deserted for a lot of years." He took a sip of his Gianaclis, and the chilled, fruity, white wine made him shudder. "This is too sweet for words," he muttered, cutting it with mineral water. If anyone wondered whether it was just the wine he was referring to, they didn't say.

Pansy and Draco wound up in a flat over the Potions shop, and Draco settled into his job without any problems. Any misgivings the owner may have had about hiring a Malfoy dissolved quickly when he saw how competent Draco was at potions making.

The news about Jim and Olivia's engagement made the rounds quickly. Luna got a few hard to handle Owls from so-called friends, but for the most part everyone was being tactful and kind. Olivia was spending quite a lot of time at Grimmauld Place getting to know her soon-to-be extended family, and she was handling things fairly well. Lily and Kiya were fascinated by their brother's pretty new fiancee, and delighted to be included in the wedding plans. Since no date had been set for the wedding, it was very general, but lots of fun. The girls spent a lot of time looking at possible designs for the wedding and bridesmaid dresses, talking about flowers, and reception halls and music. They bored their other brothers senseless giggling over things like shower favors.

While Jim and Olivia had looked at different styles of invitations, they had not made up their minds as to what they wanted. Any invitation that went out to the wizarding world beginning with the phrase, "Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter and Mrs. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their children" would have to be pretty unique.

Before Harry would consent to host the wedding, he gave Jim a crash course in handling the family investments. He had always planned to have his oldest son take over the family business interests at some point, but had put off giving Jim any real responsibility. Jim had spent some time at the Quibbler office as a small child, and had gone to visit with Harry several times when he got older but that had all been in fun. It was time to be more serious. Harry had gotten involved in Muggle real estate and banking, besides his investments in the wizarding world, and wanted his son to be able to handle everything that was thrown at him.

Jim had always known that his parents were fairly well off, but he hadn't had any idea of how extensive Harry's holdings were. It was overwhelming at times. He tried to explain some of this to Olivia, but it depressed her, something she confessed to Luna one day as they were waiting for Pansy to arrive at Grimmauld Place for tea.

"Everyone is going to think I grabbed Jim just to get even with his father for everything my father had and lost," she lamented, "and you know that's not true. I love Jim, and all of you, and I would marry him if you didn't have a knut to your name. Sometimes I wish you were poor, so I could prove how much I want to be Jim's wife."

Luna kissed her forehead quickly. "Forget about it. I don't care what anyone thinks. I never have. And if anyone does dare say anything, they'll have to answer to me. I got a lot of the same codswallop when I married Harry. I got through it then, and you'll get through it now."

When Pansy came in, she was carrying a very familiar box.

"When am I going to hear from Clark about what to do with Shabti?" Pansy said at once. "I've let her out a few times, and she's willing to serve again, but she's very confused. She loved being back in Egypt, and she's not happy here, but she can't stay with me. Almost all of the illegal Ushabti have already been confiscated. I'm unhappy, too. If they put her in a museum, she'll never come to life again, and somehow that seems wrong. I know I shouldn't think of her as a person, but I can't help it."

"But Mum," cautioned Olivia, " you either have to put her in a museum, or put her back in a tomb. I know how you feel. She's very sweet, and I don't want to see her on a shelf either, but if you put her back in a tomb, how do we know if she'll be back with the spirits she was meant to serve? What if someone steals her again?"

Luna thought hard, and then her face cleared. "I know who we can ask. Wait here."

Olivia watched Luna leave the room, and returned her mother's questioning look with a shrug. Luna was soon back with a small statue and a candle, which she set on the table in the middle of the tea things. She lit the candle, and set a small stone down before the statue.

"Sit very quietly, and try to keep your minds open," Luna cautioned. "Just wait for something to happen, and don't be surprised by anything that does. Be patient."

Luna moved her chair slightly, so that the three women were grouped around the statue. She began to speak carefully and clearly:

Circle now we conjure thee

That thou mayest a boundary be

Between the world of men we know,

And that the Mighty Ones shall show.

A guardian and protection be

For power we shall raise in thee.

Preserve, contain it in thy sphere

To aid the work that we do here.

So have we consecrated thee.

So may our circle blessed be.

A circle of light sprang up around them, and Pansy and Oliva both jerked upright, as Luna began to repeat, "Lovely Lady, teach me of thee" over and over. They were suddenly aware of a presence that they could not see, but concentrating hard, they found the presence becoming visible. It was woman, in ancient Egyptian dress, wearing a gleaming headdress and necklace. She had smiling black eyes lined with kohl, and thick black hair braided in many braids, decorated with shining beads.

"Greetings, daughter," she said to Luna. "I speak a hundred blessings around you! I assure you, the moon is singing your name."

"Isis!" Pansy gasped, looking absolutely terrified.

The lady looked back at her, amused. "Do not fear the opening between worlds. I have many names, but you may call me Astet. I am beloved of Asar, the High Lord of Sopdet. I mean you no harm. Your loyalty has gladdened my heart like sunrise as I have watched you through these uncertain times."

She turned to Olivia and smiled mischievously. "Ah, and here sits the lovely Olivia! Beloved girl, from this day forth, you are also a daughter of mine. I have seen your tears and know your fears. Never doubt your love. He is for you. Place your life in his keeping, and place your trust in my hands. Do not fear what others think, and do not worry about your other men. Your fathers will come to understand. If they do not," she said with a smile and a wink, "I will make their lives a misery of scorned goddesses!"

She laughed merrily, and began to examine the tea things. "Insipid stuff! Is there no wine?"

"If I'd known you'd be in such a good mood, I would've had some ready for you," Luna said dryly, "but we summoned you to talk business. You said once that it wouldn't matter where the Shabti went, and you wouldn't care, but this one is special to us." Luna indicated Pansy's Ushabti box sitting on the floor in front of the tea table. "We care. What're we to do with her? We owe her much we can't repay. She's served well and faithfully."

Astet looked at the box and shrugged. "You wish to give her to me? We shall see."

With a wave of her hand, the box opened, and the Shabti appeared before them, standing stiffly as usual, but when her wide unblinking eyes focused on the goddess, she shrieked, and fell to the floor prostrate in homage.

"M'lady! Sustainer of souls, mistress of mysteries, Lady of love, daughter of Geb, child of Nut, Great Lady of ee other worlds, ee ahm oor sr'ant."

"Rise and look at me. You were a servant of Mer-Nefat, but she has no more need of you," Astet stated firmly. "If you wish to truly be my servant, it shall be done. I will send you to the Palace of Eternity. You may serve me, and serve my sisters there, or you may go back into the box. The choice is yours. What do you choose?"

"You will love the Palace of Eternity," Olivia told the Shabti softly. "It is very beautiful there."

"The sisters of Isis will treat you kindly," added Luna, "and perhaps we will see you again one day."

"Ee go with the lady, and will serve. Honor ees mine to serve the lady. " The Shabti bowed.

"So be it. I will bless you with the power of the heavens, and pray you find contentment." Astet turned to Luna. "This is just one more echo from the grave that has shaped your life. Continue to learn from such echoes, and you will know peace. Be well. I will think of you always, and watch you and yours when I can. In my land, we love the lotus, because it never dies. Remember...it is the same with love. Love alone has no obligation to death."

The goddess waved her hand once more and she and the Shabti were gone.

Luna blinked her wide, silver eyes. "Maybe some wine WOULD be a good idea."

"I'm in," said Pansy, shakily. "Bring it on."