Chapter 25: Quidditch Delayed
The next morning Mahaad awoke with a start, his heart racing. Cold sweat soaked his sleeping tunic. He relaxed slightly after recognizing the hangings of his four-poster bed. It had just been a dream. The images of his fellow priests among the damned in the Egyptian Duat—eating dung, drinking urine and walking upside down, faded, but his still felt unsettled. Mahaad scanned the room and his gaze rested on Yugi's sleeping form. He had wanted to talk to Yugi about Sirius, but he didn't get the chance because Yugi woke up late, and almost missed breakfast.
Yugi and the others had dark circles under their eyes, Mahaad noted as he entered the Great Hall for breakfast. Mahaad ate his breakfast mechanically, his mind elsewhere.
"Come on, we'd better get going or we'll be late for Charms," Hermione urged, suppressing a yawn of her own, her bushy hair slightly frizzy. Mahaad rose to his feet and slung his bag over his shoulder and trudged with the others for class.
Flitwick informed them that they were going to be practicing silencing charms today. Yugi grinned and rubbed his eyes. Flitwick explained the wand movements and everyone practicing. Hermione was the first one to perform the spell correctly. Flitwick awarded her 10 points to Gryffindor. Harry Ron and Hermione conversed in low tones during spell practice, and Mahaad couldn't overhear what they were talking about. At the end of class Ron, Harry, Yugi and Mahaad were given extra practice.
As they left the classroom, Harry and Ron seemed a bit more relaxed around Yugi and Mahaad than they were before. Rain smacked against the windows in a steady downpour. Because of the rain they were allowed to remain indoors over the break.
Angelica made her way over the Harry. "We have permission to reform the Quidditch team!" she reported enthusiastically. A grin spread across Harry's face. "That's excellent!" Ron whooped.
"How did you pull it off?" Ron asked.
"Well Umbridge was holding it over us, so I talked to McGonagall and I think she appealed to Dumbledore! She also said—" she looked both ways and moved closer to them, her voice dropping to a whisper, "—that Binns got fed up teaching twice as many classes and appealed to the Ministry. They're sending someone new soon."
Harry nodded, still grinning. Mahaad slowly tapped his chin with a finger, considering the new information.
"We'll have Quidditch practice tonight at 7—all night. We have a lot of work to do!" She said as she walked away.
Hermione was staring out the window, watching the storm as lightening flashed across the grounds, her head cocked.
"What are you thinking about Granger-san?" Mahaad asked. She jumped and turned to look at him, as if just noticing he was there.
"I was just wondering if this whole defense group is a good idea or not," she admitted.
Harry stared at her. "It was your idea!" Ron protested.
"After talking to Snuffles last night—" she began.
"—But he supports it!" Harry interjected.
Hermione twisted her fingers and bit her lip. "But that is what makes me think it might not be such a good idea," she said.
"Why?" Ron demanded, folding his arms across his chest.
"Do you really trust his judgment?" she asked, tensing.
"Yes, of course I do!" Harry said automatically.
Just then Peeves began pelting students with ink pellets. Katie Bell, who got one in her ear, started throwing things at the ghost that sailed through him.
"Don't you think he is kind of…living though us?" she asked.
"What do you mean by that?" Harry demanded.
"Don't you think that this is just the kind of thing Snuffles would love? Planning secret defense groups without the Ministry knowing?"
Ron scoffed. "Merlin's beard, you sound like my mother."
Hermione bit her lip again but didn't reply.
Later that day, Harry and Ron bid farewell as they headed down to the Quidditch Pitch for practice. Mahaad's head was spinning, thinking about Seth and the other priests. Mahaad entered the common room and found Hermione curled up in an armchair by the fire, knitting misshapen elf hats. She looked stressed but smiled at him.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
She nodded and followed him to an unused classroom, the wind beating rain against the windows.
He took a seat next to her. "What is troubling you Hermione?" he asked. His eyes filled with concern.
She sighed. "I just hope I am doing the right thing."
He nodded attentively. "You are concerned for the other students' safety. There's nothing wrong with that," he said.
She nodded. "I told Harry and Ron they could trust you. After all, you trusted me with your secret."
"Thank you. Yugi and I will not betray that trust."
Her expression softened, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "That's noble of you."
"I noticed you were still making hats for the house-elves," Mahaad noted, leaning forward.
She frowned. "Yes, the house-elves need to be freed! They are getting treated unfairly. Can we please not talk about this tonight?"
He nodded, reluctantly.
"It must be hard for you to come here and try to catch up on everything. You are handling it remarkably well," she said.
Mahaad shrugged and looked out the window at the rain.
She slipped her hand in his, which brought his attention back to her.
"You have no idea," he whispered.
"I come from a Muggle-born family. Before I got my letter to Hogwarts, I didn't even know that magic existed."
He raised an eyebrow. Even peasants in Egypt knew that magic was real. The modern world was bewildering at times.
"You worked hard to make it to the top of your class," he said.
She nodded.
They stared at each other for several seconds. Mahaad's heart started racing. His gaze shifted to her lips, and he leaned towards her. She closed her eyes.
He could feel her breath against his skin.
A cackle sounded to Mahaad's right and Peeves appeared, hovering above them. He dumped an entire inkwell on Mahaad's head. Startled, Mahaad and Hermione broke apart.
The bottle shattered as it hit the floor. Mahaad jumped to his feet, ink running down his face.
"Naughty, naughty!" Peeves reprimanded.
Mahaad pulled out his wand, but Hermione whipped out her wand and cried, "Stupefy!" The jet of red light missed the ghost by mere inches. The ghost cackled again and vanished through the wall.
Hermione gave Mahaad a sympathetic look. Hermione said another spell Mahaad didn't catch and pointed her wand at him. Mahaad tensed as the spell hit him, but relaxed when he realized she had removed the ink splattered on his head.
Mahaad gazed at Hermione and reached up and wiped a drop of ink of her cheek, she smiled.
Harry and Ron's voices moved closer. "I'd better get back," Mahaad said as he grabbed his bag from the floor. Mahaad and Hermione reentered the common room to find Harry and Ron sopping wet, huddled near the fire.
"Practice was canceled," Harry said glumly.
Hermione waved her wand and dried their robes. Ron sighed as he sank into a chair. Mahaad retreated to his table, causing Yugi to look up from his homework. Ron complained loudly about the rain.
"Harry said his scar hurt too," Ron added.
Mahaad and Yugi exchanged glances. What did that mean?
"He says he can read You-Know-Who's mind," Ron exclaimed breathlessly.
"No," Harry countered, "It's like I can tell what he is feeling. And tonight, he is angry. It feels like…" he trailed off struggling to find the right words, as he stared into the fire.
"Something isn't getting done fast enough or failed. Something stopped him."
Yugi and Mahaaad exchanged looks of alarm. Yugi's eyes glazed over as he relayed the message to the Pharaoh. Yami took over and stood, Yugi's homework forgotten. Mahaad rose too.
Without a word, Yami left the common room. Mahaad blinked and scrambled to catch up. Yami headed to Ishizu's office. He strode purposely down the corridor, his shoulders pulled back, and head erect even if it was after curfew. As they neared her office Mahaad heard a meow behind them.
Mahaad's heart jumped to this throat as he turned around.
Filch stood a lantern illuminating his face, grinning. "I'll see both of you Wednesday for detention," he said triumphantly.
"Mr. Filch, it was my fault—" Mahaad began, but was interrupted.
"—I don't care who's fault it is. I'll see you both at 7 o'clock. Don't be late. Now off to your common room both of you."
They had no choice but to head back the way they came. But as soon as Filch was out of sight, the Pharaoh doubled back toward Ishizu's office.
Mahaad knocked urgently on Ishizu's door. She opened the door and her eyes widened as she wordlessly opened the door wider, so they could enter. The Pharaoh quickly explained what Harry had shared. While the Pharaoh brought the Tomb Keeper up to speed, Mahaad walked over to where the five coffins were resting, just inside Ishizu's door.
He reached out with his magic and checked the spells. The wards were intact.
"Mahaad," the Pharaoh called sharply.
"Yes?" Mahaad replied quickly, spinning around to face his king. The Pharaoh stood next to Ishizu his fists clenched.
"Send your Shadow Ghoul to tail Voldemort. I want to know what he is up to."
"Yes, my king," Mahaad replied, his eyes widening.
He concentrated on his Ghoul's magical signature and repeated the instructions to the Shadow creature.
"We also need to make finding a place to repair Seth's body our top priority. After that, add Lord Voldemort, to the execration list. He is now an Enemy of Egypt!"
Mahaad gasped. No one had been added to the list in millennia.
The Pharaoh gave him a sharp look. "You disagree?"
"No, it will just take time to prepare the ritual, my Pharaoh."
Yami nodded. "So, let it be written, so let it be done!" the Pharaoh commanded, slamming his fist down on Ishizu's desk.
The next morning Dumbledore stood before the assembled students at breakfast. The usual chattered quieted. "Binns' complained to the Ministry about his workload so Fudge has appointed a temporary replacement for Professor Umbridge to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Please welcome Albert Runcorn."
A man stood. He was over six feet tall and had black hair and dark eyes the swept the hall. He didn't smile but sat down as soon as the polite applause was over.
Author's Notes:
The execration texts were a way to ritually curse someone in Egyptian magic. The targeted person would be destroyed—permanently.
Review Responses:
YumiStar: Filch can be a pain in the neck sometimes! He probably does think that…
Guest 1: Yeah, that would be good. Voldemort deserves it doesn't he?
PrincessAmerica101: Thank you for explaining this theory to me, I like it. It is interesting. Let me know if you have any other ideas!
Thanks, this is really the only place my knowledge comes in handy. ;-) That means a lot to me. I'm glad you like them. I enjoy writing them.
Guest 2: That will get addressed in two chapters. I'll come back to it, don't worry.