Stories from the past - Egypt

Disclaimer: Anything that is familiar, ie Harry Potterness does not belong to me. So there I said it.

This is a story that tells Ron and Hermione's relationship 3000 years ago, in Egypt, the centre of the wizarding community.

Harry Potter: Pharaoh's second son, next in line to the throne. His name is Ahmeni.

Ron Weasley: Harry's brother, one of the princes. Name, Ahmenhotep.

Hermione Granger: The youngest daughter of the Pharaoh's Grand Vizier. Her name is Norfret, her mother is one of the queen's confidants.

Draco Malfoy: The son of Valu, the Royal treasurer. Hates both of pharaoh's sons. Name; Rahimere.

Albus Dumbledore: The royal scribe and teacher to the royal children, Name; Hordeth.

Other Characters

Prenhoe: Eldest son of pharaoh

Lady Heseret: Norfret's mother

Vechlis: Norfret's elder sister

I think that's it for the moment, if there are any new characters I'll add them in front of each chapter.

A/N: I know this is so weird. . . but I wanted to try something like this out.

***

"It's going to be my first day in Pharaoh's court!" Norfet giggled happily to her elder sister, Vechlis as her servant placed an oiled and scented wig on top of her braided hair.

"Remember all the court etiquette." Her sister gently told her, picking out a silver circlet for her to wear.

Norfret crinkled her nose. "I don't think I can stand this heavy wig all day long. The perfume is making me dizzy. Can I take it off? Please?" her maid servant waited patiently for her sister to decide.

"Alright then. Since you are only 14 I don't expect her majesty to expect you to wear a wig. Yet. But you are going to have fasten your hair with the circlet; remember no running, and when you see the queen, press your forehead against the floor and say the official rite; my heart - "

"My heart is glad and my soul delights in the light of your face oh Divine one. Yes, I know it already." Norfret said in an annoying know-it-all voice that irritated her sister to no end.

The servant gently smiled to herself and she loosened the braids and brushed out Norfret's long, slightly un-cooperative ebony hair. Norfret had refused to inherit the beautiful silky hair of her mother's, instead she had inherited her father's, a little wild and wavy. The servant Ita placed the circlet on the top of her head.

"If you are lucky, the queen may be gracious and you may not have to say it. In fact you probably won't have to. But if you are lucky enough to meet Pharaoh himself, prostrate yourself like that immediately." Vechlis carried on lecturing.

This annoyed Norfret immensely.

"I know, I know." She was all made up now, her servant placed finishing touches on her make up, drawing around her large brown eyes with black kohl. Her sister gave her golden bangles to wear.

"I don't think you are ready to wear the necklace father gave you." Her sister told her matter-of-factly, examining her critically.

"You are ready my lady." The maid servant told her quietly, fastening the ties around Norfret's neck that held her linen robe in place.

"Thank you Ita."

Norfret did a little twirl and slipped into the golden sandals her mother had prepared the night before.

"How do I look?"

"You look very pretty." Her mother said from behind her, she walked in to her chamber already dressed for court. Norfret smiled. Getting her mother's approval delighted her.

"I have to say your choice of robes today is very good."

"Actually Vechlis picked it out for me."

"Your choices of robes were always excellent Vechlis; actually I didn't expect Norfret could pick out a robe all by herself." Her mother teased gently.

"Well, I think we should be going, the sun is almost above our heads and Her majesty the queen Ahmose expects us and she is not a lady to be kept waiting."

***

Ahmeni and Ahmenhotep, the two royal princes ran into the classroom breathlessly as their teacher, the royal scribe Hordeth gave them a reprimanding stare. Their eldest brother Prenhoe gave them a cold glower while shaking his head, no doubt at their audacity to be late. The other children gave them a little wave and smiled. They were late again - time seemed to fly when they were taking a dip in the Nile, and the early morning swim had distracted them from their studies. But they were fearless, nothing could touch them. They were the royal princes, the two sons of Queen Ahmose, royal wife of Pharaoh.

"As I was saying before the two highnesses barged in on us," Hordeth continued as Ahmeni and Ahmenhotep took their seats, "the staff is used by wizards during official rites, in pharaoh's presence." Hordeth had brought in his staff. His wand lay beside him on the table.

"You will all be given a staff when you come of age. Except you, your highness." He said indicating to Ahmeni, "you will be given the crook and the flail." Hordeth stared at Ahmeni. Hordeth had blue, piercing eyes which was very strange for an Egyptian; it gave Ahmeni the feeling that he was being stared through, the feeling he sometimes got when he stared up at the face of the gods.

"The muggle pharaohs of Egypt have not been not aware that the crook and flail had much magical power, it was more of a symbol to them - however, his highness will be using it to its full magical potency."

Prenhoe glared at Ahmeni with hatred - he always thought, as Pharaoh's oldest son that he was the justified heir to the throne but he was only the son of Pharaoh's concubine not the royal wife. He always harboured resentment towards his father for this. As for Ahmenhotep, the second son of Ahmose, the non - identical twin of Ahmeni, he had always hated him, his stature and good looks, strutting about the Mansion of Silver like he owned the palace.

"However we will not be discussing the use of the staff this morning. We will make a healing potion that combats snake bites. . ."

Prenhoe was brought back from his thoughts,

"please take out your papyrus scrolls and take the ingredients down. . ." The gathered children hurried to follow the royal scribe's orders. All of pharaoh's children were magical and Prenhoe was desperate to prove himself to be the true heir of Egypt, and his academic success would be a powerful tool.

Meanwhile the other children looked out longingly out over the portico - the garden looked cool and refreshing and the sparkling blue water of the Nile were beckoning them for a swim.

***

"Norfret, wait outside in the garden. The queen wishes a private audience with me before she meets you. I will not be long and a servant will be sent to summon you in a while. Behave." Her mother told her gently but firmly, pushing her outside on to the garden.

Norfret sighed slightly in anticipation and took a seat outside on the garden on one of the stone benches. She swung her legs back and forth while looking around the palace garden. Exquisite exported roses from Babylon adorned the garden and artificial ponds and pools were arranged artfully and birds twittered from the branches of the trees. She sighed and smiled, enjoying the cool and quiet, beyond the garden she saw the sparkling Nile. She wanted to swim but could not. She closed her eyes and was just enjoying the cool breeze and serenity when she was disturbed. Her eyes flew opened and narrowed as she spied two boys, looking extremely cocky, who ran into the garden from the west wing of the Mansion of Silver laughing merrily. She glared, how dare they disturb her, Lady Norfret, daughter of the Grand Vizier of Egypt, personal friend of pharaoh? 'Probably some boys from the royal academy.' She thought and rose from her perch on the stone bench and imperiously walked over with her nose in the air.

"Perhaps you could be more considerate and not disturb the quiet and tranquillity of the garden." She told them in a scolding tone.

The boys' head whipped toward her direction and they both stared at her momentarily. She had her hands on her hips and was staring at them with such sternness that it didn't suit her young face.

They burst in to open mocking laughter.

"Ahmeni, she is scolding us. Us!"

"Oh we are quailing under your stern reprimand great lady."

This really aggravated Norfret.

"How dare you laugh at me? Do you know who I am?" she asked tossing her wild hair over her shoulders. At her feminine gesture, Ahmenhotep was distracted by her insult but Ahmeni, Royal prince was not.

"Do you know who we are?" he asked with narrowed eyes. He puffed himself up and resumed the posture and tones he used with the servants and lesser children of pharaoh.

"You are probably a spoiled brat of a court official taking advantage of your break at the Royal Academy. I have been educated by Hordeth, the Royal Scribe himself at the personal favour great Pharaoh has bestowed upon my father, Grand Vizier of Egypt, and my family." Norfret said condescendingly.

Ahmeni opened his mouth to give her a run down on how he would feed her to the lions in the Red Lands for her impudence but Ahmenhotep gently elbowed him and bowed down low.

"Forgive us oh great lady! We have done you grievous injustice to your position in society that is so clearly superior to ours. Please accept our humble apologise and allow us to ask you on what great affair you have graced the Mansion of Silver with your beauty?"

Norfret blushed under the attention of boy, a man almost, who she found herself inexorably drawn to. She cleared her throat and composed herself. "The great Queen Ahmose, Royal Wife of great pharaoh has requested a private audience with me and my mother."

Catching on, Ahmeni also lowered and bowed to her, "Please forgive our rudeness my lady."

"I shall consider it." Being in court was not bad at all Norfret thought smugly.

The two boys exchanged guarded glances and bowed again.

"Excuse us, My lady." They both said and ran back off trying hard to control their laughter.

Norfret stared after their backs with a bemused expression on her face. She didn't have time to ponder upon their strange behaviour however; Queen Ahmose's servant had come to summon her to the queen's chambers.

***

"My heart is glad and my soul delights in the light of your face oh Divine one." Norfret recited, bowing low. Thankfully, the queen did not ask her to kiss her sandaled foot nor did she ask her to bow down on the floor. Smiling graciously she told Norfret in a quiet but commanding tone to take a seat on one of the chairs. Norfret, trembling slightly looked around and noticed the great paintings on the wall, most of them of Goddesses and deities. She also noted wryly how most of them closely resembled the queen.

"Your mother tells me Norfret that you are quite ready to be a woman of the court."

"Yes your majesty." She replied demurely.

"Do you think that you are worthy of being a lady in court."

"I have no thought nor power over that decision. It rests entirely on her majesty's graciousness and far seeing and divine evaluation of my humble being."

Norfret's mother glanced at her daughter trying hard not to break into a complete grin. Norfret had already picked up the great secret of being successful in court - shower praises and glorification on the royals. Queen Ahmose smiled.

"I suppose you have practiced that line?"

Norfret flinched in horror, "No. no. . . my lady. . ." she stuttered.

Queen Ahmose laughed merrily, "Stop quivering my child, I won't bite you."

Norfret relaxed slightly.

The servant announced her presence from out side the gilded doors.

"Enter."

"Your Majesty, the two royal princes have been asking to bask in your smile." The maid servant said bowing low.

"Show them in."

Norfret arranged her bangles and straightened her gown. She had to look desirable to the princes.

"Mother!"

She could hear the approaching footsteps of two boys, she had to control herself so that she didn't look around. Instead, she hung her head low and looked up at the smiling face of the queen through her lashes.

"My dear sons. I know you have met Lady Heseret," she said indicating Norfret's mother, "this is her daughter, Norfret. She will be a lady of the court soon."

Norfret rose and bowed low to the princes. Taking her seat, only then, she looked up at their grinning faces and her face blanched in horror. Ahmenhotep gave her a small wave. She was ready to die.

"This is my eldest, Prince Ahmeni and my youngest, Prince Ahmenhotep. They only differ in age by minutes." Queen Ahmose laughed as she looked at her two sons lovingly.

Meanwhile Norfret looked as though she would have gladly accepted death as she looked at the two princes who could barely control the laughter in their voice as they spoke to their mother. They stole glances at her and enjoyed her expression of panic and horror on her face. She looked ready to vomit. She could feel tears stinging in her eyes already; she would be surely banished from court if the queen found out about her behaviour toward her two sons, the two great prides in her life. And so they engaged in idle chatter about court, about the greatness of pharaoh. . .

Norfret could not take it anymore. She couldn't wait for the princes to tell their mother about her. . .

She had to tell her herself and hope for the best.

"I would like to apologise to the two highnesses." She spoke up bravely. Her mother and the queen looked at her, nonplussed.

"Why, my dear?" the queen asked gently.

Norfret held her tears back. She was not a baby. "Earlier this morning I was rather rude to the two highnesses in the garden. . . I am in most deep remorse; at the time I had no idea that they were the two great prides of Egypt and I have insulted them. I beg of you to forgive me for my rudeness."

The queen glanced at her two sons. She had no doubt in her mind that the two had played a nasty trick on the poor girl. To confirm her suspicions, she spied two identical grins on their faces. To Norfret, the queen's silence was torture. She wanted her to shout, or laugh or forgive her. . .most preferably. She rose from her seat and prostrated herself.

"Please forgive me your majesty I swear upon Isis that this will not happen again so long as I shall live with full knowledge that you could take that away from me."

Ahmenhotep and Ahmeni felt extremely sorry for her.

Queen Ahmose looked sternly at her sons. "You two, apologise to the lady immediately for your trickery."

The two looked at each other in surprise. Norfret raised her head and stared at the queen disbelievingly.

"Now!"

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

"Now, Lady Heseret and I are going to take a turn about the garden. . . you three can get acquainted."

She rose from her throne and everyone bowed.

***

A/N: what do you think? Continue or just scrap the whole idea. . . it is difficult writing that formally actually. . . but it's fun.