Chapter 28: Detention with Filch

Mahaad dodged other students in black robes as he ran to Filch's office. He ignored all of the glaring looks as he weaved in and out of people's way. He skidded to a half in front of the caretaker's office, his lungs burning.

He knocked on the door, as he leaned over, catching his breath. The door was thrown open and Filch frowned at him. "Cutting it close aren't we, Mr. Ishtar?" Mahaad blinked. Filch knows my name?

"Come in. Mr. Muto is already here," he grinned as he opened the door wider. Mahaad repressed a shudder as he entered the office. Yugi was sitting on a wooden crate in the corner, swinging his legs back and forth.

"I'm sorry I was almost late," Mahaad apologized.

Filch just shook his head. "Both of you will be preserving old detention records, without magic."

Filch indicated several drawers of records. Yugi paled.

/Let me take over Yugi. I was the one who got caught. Not you./

Yugi shrugged. /Alright. But let me know if you want to trade places./

Mahaad and Yami sat on the floor and began the arduous task of copying records. Yami pulled a stack of folders toward himself and opened the top one. Mahaad accepted the quill Filch offered him.

With a spike of alarm, he turned the quill over in his fingers. It was larger than normal and was black instead of white. It can't be!

Filch met Mahaad's gaze and sneered. "I borrowed that from Madam Umbridge's office."

The joy Mahaad had felt when he found out they were just copying records evaporated. Yami hissed in pain behind him. Mahaad turned and saw the Pharaoh gaping at the back of his left hand that showed the line he had just written on the blank form. He balled his left hand into a fist, his knuckles white. His eyes glazed over.

Mahaad didn't dare delay any longer, so he turned back to the records he was supposed to be copying. He gritted his teeth as the familiar searing pain carved the letters into his left hand.

He was already feeling weak because of the ritual and having skipped dinner to cast it. His stomach rumbled as he wrote the next sentence.

Mahaad knew the Pharaoh was seething behind him. He had Gamed Umbridge for this very thing. Did he intend to attack the caretaker as well?

The hours stretched out as they worked in silence. The cold stone floor made his joints ache as he shifted to find a more comfortable position on the ground.

After what seemed like an eternity, Filch looked up from his work at his desk. "I think you've done enough for tonight. You may leave."

Mahaad shakily rose to his feet, and he set the quill on the desk as he stumbled forward after sitting for so long. Yami set his quill next to Mahaad's.

They left the room in silence. On the way out Mahaad glanced at the clock, it was almost midnight.

"Are you alright? You don't look good," the Pharaoh commented, his words clipped. Even though Mahaad knew the Pharaoh wasn't mad at him, he tensed slightly.

"The execration drained me, and I skipped dinner."

The Pharaoh growled in annoyance sending chills up the priest's spine.

"And then we spent the last several hours copying detention records in our own blood!" The Pharaoh said.

Mahaad nodded. "I've still got to go repair Seth's mummy," he turned to head up the staircase.

The Pharaoh glared at him, stopping him in his tracks. "I didn't dismiss you, Tjaty." Vizier.

"With your permission I'll—"

"—No. You will accompany me to the Gryffindor Tower. Seth can wait until tomorrow."

The Pharaoh turned and waved Mahaad in front of him. Reluctantly, Mahaad obeyed.

They walked in silence until they reached the Tower. As soon as the Fat Lady opened the portrait hole, Mahaad relaxed a bit. The room was empty, and the fire was dying in the hearth.

Mahaad sank into a chair and closed his eyes. The Pharaoh came back and pressed a few granola bars into his hands. Mahaad opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it after the Pharaoh glared at him.

"Thank you, my Pharaoh."

"It was all I could find right now."

The Pharaoh watched as Mahaad ate the granola bars, his hand still throbbing occasionally.

The next morning Mahaad woke up and got out of bed. He blinked in the darkness. His body told him it was still very early. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and set off for the Room of Requirement.

He opened the door and found the five coffins there just as they had left them. He changed his robes to his formal white ones that he wore the previous day. He set down his backpack on the ground and withdrew the sack Ishizu gave him.

He untied the string and opened the bag, removing several amulets carefully. He swallowed and approached Seth's mummy, surveying the damage properly for the first time by the torchlight.

Seth's wooden coffin was richly decorated with hieroglyphic spells, and images of the gods, fading with age. The coffin itself was smashed in several places.

Mahaad removed the lid and spend several minutes clearing away wooden splinters from the wrappings. The damage extended to mummy as well. His bandages were torn in places, exposing flesh. Amulets were missing.

Mahaad removed some linen bandages from his bag and covered the holes in the wrappings. When he was finished, he recited several spells from the Book of Coming Forth by Day.

"Hail to you, my father Osiris! I have come to you to the intent that you may heal his flesh; he is competent like my father Khepri, who is like the one who does not perish. Come, that his breath may be stronger than yours O Lord of Breath. Where are the likes of him…" Mahaad closed his eyes and continued chanting.

He placed a golden djed pillar on the mummy.

"Raise yourself, O Osiris, place yourself on your side, that I may put water beneath you and that I may bring you a djed-pillar of gold so that you may rejoice in it."

He placed the other amulets he brought with him on the mummy, tucking them in gently.

This done, he replaced the lid on the coffin and left the room.

Hermione soon developed a way for them to keep track of their meetings by giving them Galleons that would change according to the date and time of the next DA meeting.

Mahaad was cordial with Hermione over the next two weeks, but he was still stung by their disagreement over the relationship between masters and servants.

Time passed quickly in their Transfiguration lesson with McGonagall. At the end she said, "Now, I'm not giving you any homework this week because the first Quidditch game of the season is on Saturday."

As the bell rang overhead, Mahaad raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Yugi. Quidditch is taken very seriously here. It's like their version of Duel Monsters…?

The day of the match held the first week of November, was cold yet clear. Mahaad shivered as he dressed in his black robes. He looked over to see Harry comforting Ron who looked a little pale. Mahaad knew Ron was on the Gryffindor team, but he wasn't entirely sure what a 'Keeper' did in the game.

Harry dragged a reluctant Ron to the Great Hall for breakfast. Mahaad followed behind, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm.

The Hall was louder than normal as people chatted excitedly about the upcoming match. Mahaad pulled a plate of toast toward himself and slathered it with butter.

He swept the Hall and noticed the Slytherins moving around and passing out green badges to one another and laughing. He spotted Marik and Bakura among them. Mahaad narrowed his eyes, if the Tomb Robber was out it didn't bode well.

Yugi and Hermione joined their table soon afterward both wearing red and gold.

"I must have been crazy to do this! What was I thinking?" Ron moaned as Harry dumped some food on his plate. "You'll be fine, you're just nervous," Harry reassured him.

Luna walked toward their table wearing a foot-tall lion on her hat. She tapped it with her wand and it roared, making several people in the vicinity jump.

Angelica came up to them to collect Ron and Harry. As Harry rose, Hermione grabbed his arm and whispered, "Don't let Ron see what is on the badges." Harry nodded and left for the pitch.

Soon afterward Mahaad and the others left to get seats in the stands that surrounded the stadium. They took seats with their fellow Gryffindors and waited eagerly for the teams to take the field. Yugi and Mahaad leaned in as Hermione reviewed the players' positions.

The players took to the air and the balls were released. Lee Jordan's voice rang out as he commentated the match.

When there was a break in his commentary, the lyrics to the song the Slytherins were singing became clear:

Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a sing ring,

That's why Slytherins all sing:

Weasley is our king.

Weasley was born in a bin,

He always lets the Quaffle in,

Weasley will make sure we win,

Weasley is our king!

The Slytherin chasers moved toward Ron in possession of the Quaffle and threw it. Ron made a desperate dive but missed.

The Slytherins roared and sang louder. Harry and Malfoy were circling the stadium hunting for the Snitch as they dodged bludgers aimed at them.

Ron missed another goal and the Slytherins screamed in approval.

Soon Ron let in another two goals. Hermione bit her lip.

"Is this how games usually go?" Yugi asked.

She shook her head.

A few minutes later Harry and Malfoy were locked in a contest to see who could grab the Snitch. Mahaad held his breath as he watched. Then Harry's fingers closed around the tiny golden ball and the match was over.

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I know the Quidditch match was very short, but I'm rubbish at writing them.

Review Responses:

YumiStar: Hermione is being judgmental. She thinks she understands the differences in their cultures, but she couldn't be more wrong…

Suzululu4moe: Yeah, that's true. Yami doesn't handle things like that very well sometimes.

PrincessAmerica101: Thanks, I adore their relationship too. I think Hermione would have limited exposure to other points of view because she is at Hogwarts most of the time.