Hydrus Cygnus Grey
-Book One-

A/N: This is completely OC, it will contain little of the Harry Potter world that you know, so don't expect it to. It occurs in the same generation as Harry Potter but instead it is all the way over in Egypt. This story will hopefully cover seven years in separate fanfics but you never know, I never have been too reliable. I hope that I am this time around, all my other fanfics have been placed on Hiatus for now.

Chapter One

8th June 1990

"But Dad, I want to go to school now!" said a small boy with long black hair left loose to hang down to his shoulders

"You're too young Hydrus, you've got a year to go yet." Said an older replica of the young boy, the man was of around twenty five years old, his hair like his sons was long but tied in a simple bun rather than let loose.

The man was dressed formally in a black suit and sat inside what appeared to be a café, his son was running circles around the table repeating his request with different wording. Hydrus was dressed in a plain white shirt and black trousers. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, but that didn't stop the sweating. The constant running certainly didn't help.

"Hydrus, sit down, the ice cream will be here soon and then we can go and get you some books and if you're good, we could even go to 'Aasi's Brooms'." He said calmly

Hydrus was sat within seconds of hearing about the brooms, you see Hydrus loved quidditch. You might never have heard of it before, but that is of course because the sport is for wizards and witches. Which is exactly what young Hydrus was.

Hydrus' father gave a knowing sigh and then smiled. His son would do anything for quidditch, the man often regretted introducing his son to the sport, he knew his wife certainly regretted the fact that she had let Hydrus' father introduce Hydrus to the sport.

The ice cream arrived with a pop, no waitress or waiter, it just simply popped onto the table. Neither of the two flinched and Hydrus was soon stuffing his face with the chocolate ice cream. Smiling, his father too began to eat, although in a more civilised manner. Looking at his son he carefully began to think of what exactly he had planned today, today he would tell Hydrus of his true heritage.

After finishing up their ice creams, the father dropped six silver coins on the table, which promptly vanished and then began to head out with Hydrus following beside him. As they left the café, they came out into a wide cobbled street crammed with shops and people. Children and adults alike scuffled around the street, shouting to make their voice heard to their children, friends or family.

Hydrus' father placed a firm hand on Hydrus' shoulder and guided him towards a large marble pyramid at what appeared to be the start of the road. The pyramid rose at least 300 m into the air, towering above the rest of the street and all of the buildings. The massive double doored entrance were almost open indefinitely as swarms of people entered and left the gigantic building.

"Are we going to Gringotts Dad?" Said Hydrus

"Yes Hydrus, there are a few things I would like to attend to and then we'll be off to the library."

"And then Aasi's right, we better go to Aasi's" Said Hydrus with a puff, clearly frustrated that he had to go to Gringotts before the broom shop

"Young man, with that attitude, I'll leave you in Gringotts and let the goblins do as they want with you, I've heard they like to lock up little kids like you in vaults and leave you forever there."

"That's a lie dad and you know it, the goblins are nice." Said Hydrus with a laugh

"Oh that's what you think Hydrus, that's exactly what they want you to think."

Hydrus rolled his eyes and shrugged his father's hand off of his shoulder. Unbeknownst to Hydrus, his father's eyes were twinkling with laughter at his son's actions, his son always aimed to look like a man, even with his ruffled and undone shirt.

Walking up to the wide double doors, the first thing to notice would be the two live sphinxes laying either side of the double doors. They were asleep currently although both seemed to be aware of the ongoings around them, Hydrus quickly ran up to the one on the right and stroked its fur.

"How are you today Sphinxy?" Said Hydrus, the only reply he got was a small purr from the animal

Satisfied with the reply, Hydrus ran over to the other Sphynx and did the same, receiving the same reply. Hydrus' father shook his head with resignation as he looked at Hydrus running around. Hydrus had always wanted a sphynx of his own, but they were rare creatures, perhaps the rarest, even in Egypt.

Looking up, the man took little notice of the large golden plate with black text carefully printed onto it, the plate read

You may enter, be you friend or foe
though if you enter you must know
not all who pass through these doors
will ever again leave our floors

Jewels and gold, we do store
but only take what is yours and no more
for those who take what is not theirs
we will punish, as is just and fair

For we will, with vengeance strike
and you will never leave again,
though try you might

"Come Hydrus, I want to finish up in here quickly." Said the father

Hydrus slowly trudged to his father's side, taking one longing look at the sphinxes before entering through the grand double doors. Although there were many people entering, the atrium was not too full of people, most were probably down at the vaults. Hydrus made for the vault chutes as though to jump down, but his father quickly pulled him back lightly.

"We're meeting the Goblins today Hydrus, we're not here to withdraw anything."

This seemed to make Hydrus fall into even more of an irritated mood, meetings with Goblins always took so long.

"It's a short one Hydrus, I promise, I'm just coming to see Haruk quickly." Said his father with a smile

Hydrus only shook his head in reply and smiled sarcastically back.

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"Cygnus Grey! It has been a while has it not?" said a large bulky Goblin, it was easy to tell that he was an extremely old Goblin. The lack of hair and pale wrinkly skin being the major pointers to his age. "And Hydrus Grey as well, if I'm not mistaken young man, it is your birthday today, congratulations!"

Hydrus smiled shyly back, he didn't very much enjoy talking to Goblins, and he knew that some could be very nice, like Haruk…but others were often spiteful to humans, especially children.

"Yes indeed it is his birthday Haruk, that's actually why I've come here to you. Young Hydrus is going to need a vault I imagine, a small spending vault, nothing major."

Hydrus look up with a bright smile at his father…a vault! He was getting a vault for his tenth birthday.

"Oh of course, young Hydrus is going to need it whether he goes to Uagadou or Heka." Said Haruk

Haruk quickly opened up a drawer from his small desk and after a bit of ruffling around he found a small folder, quickly ripping the top with his nail, he let a key and a sheet of paper fall out.

At Hydrus' look of surprise, Haruk told him that he'd long known Hydrus would need a vault one day and has so prepared him one. All Hydrus needed to do was sign on the paper. Then it was his father's decision as to how much he wanted to deposit into his sons vault

"So Hydrus, how about ten Menkas?" said Cygnus

"10 Menkas! I couldn't even get a book with that!" said an affronted Hydrus

Haruk laughed at the reaction of Hydrus, muttering something about a Goblins spirit

"Fine fine, twenty." Said Cygnus only to be glared at by Hydrus, further sending Haruk into laugher "Fine we best make it 20 Khufus Haruk, Hydrus will have our heads otherwise."

Hydrus smiled happily at that, he hadn't been expecting that much.

"Also Haruk, we'd best throw in some change, I doubt Hydrus will spend any more than a Khafre at one time. Also, would you mind if we spoke for a minute, just quickly." Said Cygnus

"Yes of course…" Said Haruk almost sadly, he smiled but it was clear to Hydrus that he was worried about something

The two went off to a corner of the room and Hydrus walked off to the other without being asked, he knew this was serious, that did not of course stop him from trying to make out anything he could.

"They're getting bolder…I heard that…"
"…we need to, there's no…"
"…find out…we'll have no other…"
"…I'll try to…he isn't very inclined to do…"

Hydrus would have listened for longer had his father not given him one pointed look as though he knew exactly why Hydrus seemed to be edging further from his corner and closer to him and Haruk. He then went back to talking with Haruk and quickly shook his hand.

"Well then you two, till another day, may your vaults flow with gold and silver." Said Haruk

Hydrus, along with his father replied with the customary 'and may yours flow with rubies and jewels' just as his father had taught him.

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"Thanks for the vault dad!" said Hydrus as soon as they had left Gringotts

"I have the right mind to close it up Hydrus, you know not to listen in on my conversations, especially ones that I ask you not to."

"Well you didn't ask me not to." Replied Hydrus smugly

His father only shook his head and sighed. He turned the next corner with Hydrus by his side, and led the way to the library, it was a small quaint library but was the only one on the Ra high street. Walking in quickly, he and Hydrus practically ran around the shop picking up the needed books, Hydrus had reached second year material already. It was certainly somewhat due to Cygnus' pushing him to work, buy Hydrus was a smart boy and had done well with his studies.

The two had finished up in the library within only ten minutes and were now headed back up Ra High Street. Hydrus was practically dragging his father towards a large wooden shop with a rickety sign that read 'Aasi's est. 1755' atop a large glass window from which one could see dozens of broomsticks.

"Come on dad, I want to see the New Aasi's own range of brooms, apparently the Aasi 1000 can do 0-30 in 10 seconds and it has some of the best steering."

And so within just a few seconds, Hydrus had dragged his father into the middle of the shop where two brooms we hung down from the ceiling. The one on the left was sleek and made of black polished wood, with a small curve between the bristles of the broom and the other end of the broom. Towards the top of the broom Cygnus noticed a no-slip grip handle. The other broom was the polar opposite of the one on the left, it was completely straight and made of lightly polished bright wood.

Hydrus had only given the straight broom one glance, he wasn't here to look at a riding broom, he wanted a quidditch broom, and that is exactly what the Aasi 1000 was.

"It's so nice isn't it dad, and only seven Khufu's!" Said Hydrus with a smile and a pleading look.

"You know that you don't nee-" He took another look at Hydrus "Alright, we'll get it, but this is your broom for the next five years."

Hydrus jumped up and down with glee.

"Sami will be so jealous, so will Hassan!"

"No making anyone jealous Hydrus, it's not nice."

"But it's fun…"

Cygnus ruffled Hydrus' long black hair and led him to the counter where they made the quick purchase and headed out. Hydrus carried the sleek black broom under his arm and revelled in the envious looks of those around him. Upon noticing this, Cygnus quickly shrank the broom and had Hydrus stuff it in his pocket.

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"Where are we going Dad, I thought we were all done here." Questioned Hydrus

"Well we can't let you leave here without a wand can we?"

"I'm only ten though dad, I can't get a wand yet. Are you trying to be funny again, you're not as good as you like to think."

"The next prime minister can get away with a few things don't you think?" replied Hydrus' father

"You're not the next Prime Minister are y…wait, you are?" shouted Hydrus

"Keep it down Hydrus and don't tell anyone, but yes, that's me."

Hydrus quickly ran ahead of his father and turned to hug him, Hydrus had always been proud of how far his father had made it in life with his situation. Hydrus held on for only a few seconds, after all he couldn't be seen hugging his father for too long in public. Without another word he turned to continue walking with a smile on his face. The very same smile had found itself on Cygnus' face too.

The son and father walked carefully into the old shop, it was certainly the oldest wand shop in the world, after all Egypt was the birthplace of Magic after all. Inside, the building had only a small desk at the front of the shop and a few chairs strewn about the room.

Out of a door behind the desk came out an old man, Hydrus knew him as Sulgan, the best wandmaker in all of Egypt. Without a word he motioned for Cygnus to take a seat and guided Hydrus towards the door. With a worried look back at his father, Hydrus went on with the old man.

"What hand is your dominant one young child?" said Sulgan

"Both Sir, I can write with both."

The man just nodded and guided him down a corridor full of jars of liquids, furs and hairs to the right and a variety of different types of wood to the left. At the end was a small desk littered with a variety of metal tools and a few wands.

"Stop, drag your hand across the woods to your left and pick out the ones that pull you, do the same with the jars on the right after and come to me at the desk at the end of the corridor."

With that, the man walked off, Hydrus let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and began to do as Sulgan had instructed. Walking back and forth down the corridor, he'd only picked out two woods. Without labels, he wasn't able to tell what either one was.

Hydrus then moved on to the jars, of which he picked three. Struggling to carry all that he picked, he made his way to the desk and slowly lowered them to the desk where Sulgan sat staring at the jars and woods, as though entranced.

"Acacia and Tamarix as woods. Griffin feather, Griffin tail fur and dragon heartstring as cores. An odd collection certainly, no matter." He then went off mumbling to himself before looking back at Hydrus and asking him "Where is your father from and where is your mother from, do you know?"

"My father is from England Sir, my mother is here from Egypt."

"Ah, that makes sense, of some kind." He began mumbling again and waved a wand in his hand, which brought a tape measure which began measuring various parts of Hydrus' body. "What month were you born in child?"

"June, today is my birthday." Said Hydrus with a smile

Sulgan didn't even reply and began to inspect the woods and shake the jars as the tape measure continued to measure Hydrus.

"I think acacia will do, a difficult wood to master, but your aura is powerful, it will submit." Said Sulgan, and then went off mumbling again "Did you know boy, most think the wand choses the wizard, a foolish assumption, a wand will submit to anyone, it is your aura that matters, it's why I make my wands on the day. A new wand is weaker, much so and easier to force into submission. From then it becomes your wand and performs and grows with you. The others think that if a wand performs for someone at first touch, then it has chosen them, what foolishness. It is simply a wand that is too weak to resist submitting." As his longest talk to Hydrus was done, he went of mumbling and looking at the jars once more.

"Perhaps the two griffin cores might do, an Acacia and Griffin wand would be powerful. Perhaps if I added Griffin heartstring it would become ever more powerful…you didn't feel attraction to any other cores did you child?"

Hydrus simply shook his head just as the tape measure fell to the ground and flew away.

"Yes, you're right. Anyway child, you will need a flexible wand, and short...not too short, you have a powerful personality, too short would not do at all. It cannot be fragile this wand, no. If it were it would break apart with a powerful spell from you. Perhaps ten and a quarter inches, and quite simple, no carvings, just a straight powerful wand. Rough, I will not polish anything but the handle." Said Sulgan "What are you still doing here child, leave and sit with your father, I shall be out within two hours. Now go, I have much work to do. Also child, lock the outside door, I need no more customers right now."

Hydrus quickly rushed back down the corridor, at the door he still heard the man talking and muttering to himself. It was certainly odd…Hydrus left the corridor and did as Sulgan had asked and told his father how long they would have to wait while locking the door.

Two and a half hours later, Hydrus left the shop with his wand, having paid the one Khufu for it. With a smile on his face he looked up at his father and asked.

"Are we going home now?"

"Yes Hydrus, time to go home."

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A/N: Alright, what did you think, is it any good? In any case, I think you should leave a review. As well as that I think there are some things I should clear up, first of all the currency in Magical Egypt is much different to Britain. There are Khufus, Khafres and Menkas. A Khufu is worth about £50 and there are 5 Khafres in a Khufu. This makes Khafres worth around £10, which is like two Galleon, this inflation will be explained in just a moment. Finally there are Menkas, there are 100 Menkas in a Khafre, making it worth around £0.10.

Okay, great now that is done, let me explain the apparent inflation, the reason for this is that the Magical Population of Egypt is much much higher than that of the UK. The reason for this will be explained over the course of the fanfic as a part of the story but I'll just tell you that there are around 4000 wizards and witches in the UK, but in Egypt there are 42,750, making them around 0.0005% of the population of Egypt. Whereas Wizards and Witches in the UK only make up around 0.00006% of the Population. Alright that's all I'll say for now, till the next chapter. Don't forget to review, it helps a lot.