Chapter 36: The Pharaoh's Tomb.
With the expectation of their dangerous exhibition looming, Harry, Ron and Hermione became extremely over worked and nearly impossible to locate. The DA meetings for the week were minus their leader and ran completely by aid of Hermione, Ron and the rest of the mentors. The Gryffindor Quiddich team was unable to practice and Harry was spending all of his free time with Professor Snape in the Dungeon, brewing the potions that would be needed.
Bill Weasley had arrived within hours of his summon and was put up in the castle as one of the members of the order. Every night, after the students were safely tucked away in their snug little beds, Harry, Ron and Hermione were escorted, by Beck, to the room of requirements, where they were put through intensive training and testing for the exhibition.
Through their exhaustion they worked their way through the week and by the time Saturday arrived they were ready to crash completely.
Harry spent Saturday morning in the dungeon bottling potions that needed the rest period of twelve hours before they could be used. He then spent lunch with his friends and they prepared for their final lessons before the exhibition.
"I'm so tired I can't eat," Ron said as he yawned.
"Don't whine," Hermione scolded, "at least you got to sleep in this morning."
"When did you get up?" Harry asked, "you were still snoring when I left this morning."
"About fifteen minutes ago," Ron said as he looked at his watch, "and as soon as we are finished with Bill, the slave drivers and Beck the looney, I am going back to bed," he said.
"I think it would be smart if we all got some rest tonight," Hermione said as she picked at the food on her plate, "we'll need to be as alert as possible tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, and eat as well," Harry said, "we'll need all of our strength tomorrow," he said as he finished his meal.
"Do we know what time we'll be heading off on this exhibition," Ron asked.
"Dawn was decided, was it not?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Harry said, "which means we will need to be awake well before dawn to be in McGonagall's office and I believe that we will not be returning until after most of the school has gone to bed."
"It's just wrong to be awake before even the sun has risen," Ron whined.
"You wanted to be involved in this, you volunteered remember," Hermione said angrily, "so don't complain because you brought this on yourself."
The three friends entered into their last practice feeling the pressure of the task and exhaustion that weighed them down. Beck and Bill were ruthless in their tactics and before the lessons were over Madame Pomfrey was called to cure and bandage many wounds. Silently they ate an early dinner and found their way back to the common room. All three of them climbed into their beds before the sun had set and remained there all night.
There was no signs of the sun on the horizon when Harry and Ron were shaken awake by Beck and given orders to be quick in their dress and report to the common room. Quickly they moved and rushed down the stairs together to find Dumbledore in his portrait and Bill, Beck and Snape all seated around a coffee table that had been covered with an early breakfast. Dobby served coffee to the three men as McGonagall came down the girls dormitory stairs followed by Hermione.
"Harry Potter will promise Dobby to be very careful," Dobby said as he hands shook and he handed Harry a plate of eggs.
"I will promise you that," Harry smiled taking the food.
"And Hermione Granger?" Dobby asked.
"Of course Dobby," Hermione smiled.
"And Ron Weasley?" Dobby asked his great big eyes filling with tears.
"Yes, we'll be careful, Dobby, you don't have to worry," Ron said, "our professors are coming with us, we should be just fine."
"Dobby does not know what he would do if Harry Potter and his friends do not come back from Egypt!" Dobby said as he began to sob, "watch out for the elves of the Pharaoh's," Dobby added, "they are mean and they are very strong and will fight for their masters."
"Is that true?" Hermione asked.
"Oh yes," Bill said, "of all the curse and mummies and spells that protect the tombs of the Pharaoh's the ancient elves that serves them are the most viscous you will find anywhere."
"Thanks for the tip Dobby," Harry said as he sipped his coffee, "we will be careful and we will come back so you had better make sure that you have something waiting for us in the common room when we finally do get back."
"Dobby will do that for Harry Potter," Dobby said happily, "Harry Potter has honored Dobby with such a request!"
"As long as you are happy Dobby," Harry said with a laugh.
"Oh very sir," Dobby said and scurried off.
When they had finished their quick breakfast, the whole party followed McGonagall back up to the Headmistresses office.
"You will have twelve hours to complete your task," McGonagall said as she unwrapped the silver amulet that was the portkey, "if you do not get back to the portkey in time you will have a long way to travel to get back to the school."
"The six of you will have to be very careful and make sure you come back with Ravenclaw's Spectacles," Dumbledore said from his frame in the headmistresses office, "Severus you can destroy the horcrux when you get it back to Hogwarts."
"Yes, sir," Snape said.
"You best be as quick and as careful as possible," McGonagall said, "it's almost dawn now, step up and take hold of the portkey."
With a flash and a pop and a movement that would turn even the strongest of stomachs, the six travelers were transported at the speed of light farther then any of the young people, aside from Ron and Bill, had ever traveled before in their lives.
They landed with a thud in the middle of the desert, sand blowing everywhere on a strong wind that burnt. The sun shown brought and hot as they arrived. It was so uncomfortably hot that it burnt to breath and the sand whipped so violently that their eyes stung and their skin felt as thought it would be blasted off their bodies.
"What kind of curse is this?" Ron yelled as he tried to cover his face with the edge of his cloak.
"It's not a curse," Bill yelled back as he transfigured a large tent in the middle of the desert and rushed the rest of his companions into it, "it's a sand storm and unless we are very close to the entrance to the tomb we'll have to wait till the storm is over," he yelled over the sound of the wind against the thin tent.
"We don't have time to wait," Harry yelled, "there has to be something we can do."
"I have an idea," Hermione said as she knelt onto the sand and pulled her summoning coin from her pocket, "show me the entrance to the Pharaoh Auckmagi's tomb," she said to the coin. With a flash of red the coin sprang to life and traced the shape of a rock door beneath their feet, "oh Professor McGonagall is very good," she said as she straightened up and put the coin back in her pocket.
"Why doesn't my coin do cool things like that," Ron asked.
"Because I made them and so I keep adding to mine," she answered.
"Well done Miss. Granger," Beck said and pointed his wand at the ground, "alohamora," he said.
The stone that covered the entrance to the tomb and as it did a blast of light met them. A sweet humming sound filled their ears and drew them forward into the cavern.
"Wait," Snape said as he grabbed Bill and Ron by the backs of their shirts, "drink this before you enter," he said and passed a shining gold vile of liquid to each of them.
They drank and before their eyes the light turned to darkness and the sweet sound to screaming.
"What is going on?" Ron yelled as he covered his ears.
"What was the first effects of the greed and glory potion that was pained all over the tomb," Beck said as he illuminated his wand, "that is probably the only thing that we were really prepared for. Be on your guard now," he added and headed into the darkness of the tomb.
"They all slowly descended a long stone stair case before they came into view of anything. It was dark and hot in the stairs of the ancient tomb. Even by the light of their wands they couldn't see their feet thought the thick darkness. A sinking, despairing feeling came over Harry as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
"Wait," he said over the screaming that rose all around them.
"Silencio," Beck yelled. His wand flashed and silence fell finally on the stairs.
"What is it?" Snape asked from the back of the line.
"Don't you feel it?" Harry asked.
"What?" everyone asked at the same time, as they tried to see through the darkness.
"Stand aside," Harry said and pushed his way to the front of the line. The feeling followed him like fingers on the back of his neck, "Expecto Patronum,"he yelled and a silver stag burst from his wand and cut through the darkness, pushing back the juvenile dementors that occupied the cavern.
"Good call," Beck said as he resumed the lead.
"Here," Snape said as he pulled a chocolate bar out of the bag he carried over his shoulder.
"Thank you," Harry said as he took the chocolate and continued to follow Beck.
When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, they found themselves looking out on a giant room filled with things. There was a think, path lead through the mountains of objects that were piled high. The walls could not be seen at all and the darkness in the room was complete as the stag stood at in the middle of the room, still pushing back the juvenile dementors.
They stopped in a group, their wands lighting as much as they could and looked around them. There were jugs and furniture all around them. Pots that glowed and all kinds of other thinks that would have belonged to the Pharaoh.
"That is the greed and glory potion," Snape said as he walked over to a glowing jug, "I am very surprised it has lasted this long."
"It has probably been replaced," Harry said as he looked around.
"Do you think Voldemort monitors this place?" Hermione whispered.
"I don't know," Bill shrugged, "it looks very untouched, which is good."
"What is this place?" Ron asked as he continued to look around.
"It is the anti chamber," Bill said as he took the lead, "it is full of all the things that the Pharaoh would need in the next life. All of his magic, potions, any tricks he would use, I can understand why Voldemort would choose a place like this. He would want something like this for himself."
"I agree with you," Snape said as he looked around, "he sees himself as a king."
"It seems fitting doesn't it," Beck added, "but there is something not quiet right in here."
"Don't touch anything," Bill said, "we don't know what kinds of things could be haunting this place."
Slowly they moved along, careful to stay on the path and soon they all reached the next door. The lock was met with a charm from Beck and the heavy door moved aside. A sick green stench moved through the air as they walked into the next room. It was a darker room but empty compared to the anti chamber and much smaller in comparison.
"Where are we now?" Ron asked but was quickly shushed by his bother.
"Who dares interrupt my slumber?" a voice growled from the darkness.
"Oh no," Bill whispered.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Who dares to interrupt my slumber?" the voice asked again more angrily this time.
Snape stepped forward and reaching into his bag he pulled out a glowing potion. It was so bright against the darkness that everyone squinted from its brightness. He through the vile, violently at the floor and it smashed. The liquid from within the bottle did not stop glowing when it hit the floor, in fact it spread and began to light the room. Soon the whole room was bathed in light and before them stood a giant sphinx, its eyes glowing red with anger.
"We mean no harm," Bill said as he stepped forward.
"You are not to be trusted, grave robber," the sphinx hissed, "I can smell it on you. You are the greedy that have robbed the tombs of the pharaoh before this. You will perish in this tomb."
"I'll just stand over here now," Bill said as he backed away.
"You will all perish here," the sphinx said as it started to stand the sick stench of its breath filled the room.
"What do we do?" Ron asked.
"There is another door behind him," Hermione whispered to Professor Beck and pointed to the door at the far side of the room.
Before anyone could say anything else the sphinx sprang into the air and bounded toward them.
"Run!" Harry yelled as he ducked out of the way.
"The door," Hermione yelled and headed across the room.
The sphinx laughed manically.
"Stupify," Harry and Snape yelled at the same time.
The sphinx cowered back, shaking its head and blinking its eyes but was otherwise unaffected by the stunning charm.
"Any other ideas?" Harry yelled as he and Snape ran to catch up with the others.
"Yes one," Snape said as he stopped, turned and aimed his wand at the sphinx, "Avada Kadavra!" he yelled and a bolt of green shot from his wand.
The spell hit the sphinx and in seconds it had crumbled to a pile of rubble at one end of the tomb.
Everyone stared for a moment as the dust settled around in the room. Suddenly there was a movement by the anti chamber door and in rushed a group of elves.
"You've killed it," the elves screamed, "you've killed the masters pet!"
"Not good," Bill said as he rushed to Snape's side, "Stupify!" he yelled but there were to many elves.
Beck ran to the next door and after trying the alohamora charm and that didn't work he turned back into the room, "I don't think this is the door," he said in a bit of a panic.
"It has to be," Hermione said as she pushed him aside, "expelliarmus," she yelled and with a blast the huge rock flew out of the hole, "quick," she said as she ran into the room. The rest followed her before the elves could catch them, "reparo!" she yelled next and the huge rock replaced itself before the elves could catch them.
"Nicely done," Bill said as he looked around.
This new room glowed bright gold all around them. It wasn't as bright as the potion that snape had used in the previous room but it was very brilliant.
"Has that potion worn off already?" Ron asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"No this is really the treasury," Bill said as he looked around, "the gold is probably cursed, I would suggest not touching it unless we have to," he added and pointed to the other end of the room.
There was another door on the other side of the sea of gold. It looked pretty plain compared to the richest that were all around them. Just a plain wood door on plain iron hinges.
"That is probably where we will find the body of the Pharaoh and the horcrux," Bill said pointing to the end of the room.
"Protected by the mummy no doubt," Beck said.
"Isn't it rather odd to see a wooden door on hinges in an ancient tomb?" Ron asked after a moment.
"Yes," Bill said, "you're right Ron, that is very odd."
"Odd is good," Harry said, "it means some one more modern then the Pharaoh has been here and has reenforced that room. I think it will be our best bet."
"We will probably find far more modern curses and spell through there," Beck said as he followed Harry to the other side of the treasure.
Everyone, with wands at the ready stood around the door and watched as Harry and Beck tried the lock on the door. It was unlocked, unlike all the other doors in the tomb.
"That's not a good sign," Harry said as he looked at Beck, "it just means that something far more dangerous is waiting for us on the other side."
"Well we have to go in," Beck said as he motioned for Harry to stand aside, "I'll take the lead."
They all watched as he stepped into the room and they soon followed. Inside the room was dark and all around them were the star like glints of hundreds of thousands of little lenses. Like a starry sea before them rose thousands of pairs of unused, discarded spectacles.
"Oh this is going to be hopeless," Ron said as he looked around.
Once again he was shushed by his brother.
In the middle of the room, high on a stone pedestal was the golden sarcophagus of the ancient magical pharaoh.
"Why don't you just accio the spectacles?" Ron asked after a moment of them simply staring at the sea of glasses all around them.
"I am sure that as soon as you touch them something is going to happen," Harry said remembering what happened the last time he went in search of a horcrux, "and that is probably the only way to get them."
"Yes, there will be but one way and it will be the most obvious and it will be cursed all at the same time," Beck said as he looked around, "so you best be ready for everything."
"Well lets get it over with then," Harry said as he stepped forward, "be ready for anything. Accio Ravenclaws spectacles!" he yelled and a shudder ran through the room like an earth quake.
Suddenly the spectacle sprung out for the sea and flew at Harry.
"Don't touch them!" Beck yelled as he dove in front of Harry and grabbed the spectacles out of mid air and he fell to the ground choking.
"Professor!" Hermione yelled as she raced to him and pulled the spectacles out of his hand and wrapped them in her cloak before she too began to choke.
"What's happening to them?" Ron asked.
"It's desert fever!" Snape said as she pulled the vile of the antidote out of his bag.
"But if they are already choking how are they going to take the antidote?" Ron asked as he watched Hermione turn blue, her eyes full of fear and her breath completely stopping.
"They can't swallow it!" Snape said as he pulled a syringe out of his bag as the ground began to shake.
"Now what?" Harry asked as he looked around.
Suddenly the sea of spectacles began to move, like waves on an angry sea, and soon they rose from around them. Mummies, hundreds of thousands.
"We'll hold them off!" Harry yelled to Snape as he pulled Ron away from Hermione, "you administer the antidote and get them as far away as possible.
"Stupify!" Bill yelled at the first of the mummies that came close to him and then with a silver dagger he drove it into the mummies heart. It melted to sand and fell to the floor, "there are just to many of them!" he yelled as he stabbed the next one.
"We have to get out of here," Harry yelled.
Snape filled the syringe as best as he could though the shaking of the floor and jammed it into Hermione's leg. She began to breath properly but passed out from the effects of the antidote. He then did the same to Beck with the same effects, "we have to get them out of here and back to the castle for Madame Pomfrey to curse the effects of the antidote."
"What do you mean the effects of the antidote?" Ron yelled as another mummy became dust by his hand.
"They are in enchanted sleep now," Harry said, as he went to Ron, "we have to get them out or they will sleep forever!"
"You will never get out of hear!" a loud booming voice filled the burial chamber with a manic, horrific, laughter.
They all turned suddenly to look at the sarcophagus that stood in the middle of a sea of mummies. There before them stood the spirit of the magical Pharaoh Auckmagi.
"You who have disturbed my after life will perish to my fury, you will never see the light of another day!" he screamed and with a loud bang disappeared. In his place was a dark humming cloud.
"What is that?" Ron said as he grabbed his brothers arm.
The buzzing grew louder as the cloud began to move and the ground began to shake more violently.
"They're bees!" Bill yelled.
"Run!" Ron screamed as the swarm flew down on them.
With a wave of his wand Snape lifted Beck and Hermione and levitated them out of the burial chamber and back into the treasure, Ron, Harry and Bill ran after them stunning mummies as they ran.
As then reentered the treasury they noticed the change that had happened to the gold, it was no longer the brilliant treasure that they had first seen, instead in its place were cockroaches, and ocean of coin sized cockroaches.
"What is with all the bug!" Ron yelled.
"Bug are big in Egypt!" Bill yelled.
"Yeah they are huge!" Ron practically screamed.
"No, they are mythically big in Egypt!" Bill said, "they believe that they have magical powers."
"I don't want to find out if they do or not!" Harry yelled back but they were met with the huge door that Hermione had replaced.
"The elves, they are still behind that door!" Harry yelled to Snape just as a huge bolder fell from the ceiling and smashed to the floor only feet away from them.
"We are doing to die in here," Bill screamed, "if not by the bees by the collapsing of this chamber!"
"What do we do?" Ron asked turning to Snape.
Snape handed his wand to Harry and pulled his out of his hand. Flicking it once to make sure it would react to his magic he crumbled the rock with a destruction charm. He motioned for Ron, Bill and Harry to follow him and they did. In front of them were an army of Egyptian elves. Behind them bees, cockroaches and mummies and from above the weight of the desert was bringing the tomb down all around them.
Never losing his cool Snape flicked Harry's wand once more and a huge pile of snakes appeared before him, "Harry tell them to attack the elves!" Snape yelled as he pulled Harry toward the wriggling pile of Snakes.
Harry whispered to the snakes and before the elves knew what had happened they were running from the serpents that began to chase them.
Bill screamed as the bees finally hit them. They were stung by millions of bees all at once and still the mummies were closing in on them.
A sudden pop and a blast like a scream filled the tomb with fire. The bees eased up enough for the four still conscious to see what had happened. Fawkes flew in a great circle around them casting fire in rings around them and pushing back the bees and the mummies.
"He's a handy pet," Snape said as he grabbed his wand from Harry and gave him back his own, "can you move?"
"Yes," Harry said as he grabbed Bill and Ron, one by each arm and started to run after Snape.
The pain of the pee stings was intense as any sting normally was but these bees were enchanted and as they ran the sight faded from their eyes. The poison of the bees rushed through their blood and slowed them down. Harry forced his way onward but could feel that he was losing Bill and Ron. He spun around to see them fall over. Fawkes let out a great cry as the rocks around her began to tumble to the ground.
"Get out!" Harry yelled at the Phoenix and a great bang saw her disappear. He flicked his wand suddenly at Bill and Ron causing them to levitate and continued to run up the staircase as the walls fell in around them.
"We're almost their!" Snape said from a few paces ahead.
They reached the top of the stairs and fell to their knees as Snape replaced the stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. The wind still whipped all around them.
"We need to get them all back to Pomfrey," Snape said as the sweat rolled off his forehead and his hands shook.
"We have to get to Pomfrey too," Harry said as he could tell that he and Snape were both very near passing out.
"Take the portkey!" Snape said as he held out the amulet and grabbed both Hermione and Beck's hands.
Harry did the same and with a flash, a swirl and a pop they returned to Hogwarts castle just before everything went dark.