APLR - 9

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Disclaimer : I make no money nor do I own this. As much as I'd like to … maybe within my own insanity? [closes eyes and sees lawyers waving papers and frightening looking subpoenas] … not even there.

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AN: To Jay() - dude, ur e-mail didn't show. .uk? Just put a few spaces in next time.

As for everyone else, things are going slow. Sorry.

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Evy walked quickly as she led them through the hall of the Museum of Antiquities.

"What's this guy want anyway?"

"There's only one person I know who might be able to give us any answers." Evy said as they turned to go into the room.

What they saw there shocked everyone, even Harry.

"You?!" Evy exclaimed.

"Professor?!" Harry exclaimed at the sight of Ardeth Bey, the weaponry expert who had visited Hogwarts a year earlier.

"Miss Carnahan." Mr. Daher (*) said as he saw them, especially the handguns that Rick, Henderson, and Jonathan had pulled out. "Gentlemen."

"What is he doing here?" Evy asked while Ardeth looked in slight amusement at Harry who glared back at his former teacher.

"Do you really want to know or would you prefer to just shoot us?" he asked in return.

Rick un-cocked his guns and put them back into his holsters as he said, "After what I just saw, I'm willing to go on a little faith here."

They went into the room and Harry glared at Ardeth as he spoke in Arabic, "Why didn't you ever tell me you were a Medjai! You were my teacher! You're my friend! You're almost my brother!" he yelled at Ardeth while Mr. Bey looked on in amusement as Ardeth looked a little lost for words as the teen continued to rant. Finally, when Harry stopped, Mr. Bey took over the conversation and spoke in English.

"We are part of an ancient secret society, for over 3000 years we have guarded the city of the dead, swore to manhood to do anything in our power to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn into this world." Dr. Daher started.

Ardeth, his eyes on the Americans, continued. "And now, because of you, we have failed."

Evelyn looked between the two men, fury in her eyes. "And you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?"

Ardeth and Dr. Daher glanced between each other.

"To stop this creature, let me think." Dr. Daher muttered sarcastically.

"Sir –" Evelyn sounded cross, but they paid her no mind when they answered.

"Yes." The two answered.

"Question… why doesn't he like cats?" O'Connell asked Dr. Daher.

Harry's lip quirked, he thought it rather ironic that a soon to be 'all powerful' mummy feared kitties. Especially when Voldie's fear had been mortality. Evil people sure had weird fears.

"Cats are the guardians of the underworld; he will fear them until he is fully regenerated." Dr. Daher explained.

"And then he will fear nothing." Ardeth stated, and the anxiety within the group rose before Daniels stopped pacing and turned to the two Medjai.

"Yeah, and you know how he gets hisself fully regenerated?" Daniel growled.

"By killing everyone who opened that chest." Henderson echoed, looking at his hands, and swallowed.

"And sucking them dry, that's how." Daniel's continued, slightly frantic as they had all but signed their own death warrants when they opened the chest.

Harry glanced up at Jonathan who clearly looked uninterested and bored as he was playing with the bow of the chariot figure; Ardeth looked incised as the childish man's actions.

"Jonathan will you stop playing with that." Evy reprimanded, seeing the two men's looks at her brother.

Harry looked at the two Medjai, he wanted answers - NOW. "At Hamunaptra, he called me Haru. He said that I would not stop him from being with someone named Anck-Su-Namun."

Evy looked at him, she obviously hadn't remembered that tidbit. Of course, she had been screaming her head off at the time. "What?"

"It was Haru who discovered the affair. He tried to warn his father, but someone - presumably Imhotep - murdered him." Dr. Bey said. "He was technically the Pharoah of Egypt for nearly an hour as his father had died before him."

"And what does that have to do with me?" he asked. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm not this Haru person." he reaffirmed to not only himself but to everyone else.

"Because of Haru's yelling, the Medjai were able to trap Imhotep. It could be said that Haru was the reason that Imhotep was cursed."

"I repeat, what does this have to do with me?"

"Haru was nineteen when he was murdered. Ramses was seventeen when he became Pharaoh."

"So because I'm a young man, he wants to kill me?" Harry said as he groaned while thinking, 'This is Tom all over again.'

"So what about this Anck-Su-Namun person?" Jonathan asked.

"It was because of his love for Anck-Su-Namun that he was cursed." Dr. Bey said even though Harry frowned. He didn't quite think that they had the entire story. In the wizarding world, they knew of Ancient Egyptian curses and spells and he just had the feeling that Imhotep had another few lines to add to this story.

"Perhaps he will again try to raise her from the dead." Ardeth mused and they sat in silence for the next few minutes

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"Is he traveling with anyone?" Ardeth asked a few minutes later.

Harry shook his head, "I haven't seen anyone." he said as he looked up at the skylight and froze. "That can't be good."

"And he reached forth his hand towards the heavens, and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt."

"His powers are growing." Ardeth said. "We must be on guard." he said with a pointed look to the two Americans. The final two victims if they had anything to say about it.

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