Hello All,
It's been years! But, I have come back to reclaim this work haha. Did some editing and brushing up and added a couple of new chapters. My goal is to finish it so please read and share! Best Wishes!
Chapter 13
A loud knock at her door caused Hermione to drop her book in surprise. She gingerly walked up to it and opened it. To her horror, a familiar handsome face was peering back at her.
"Blaise, no!" she yelled at the realization of who her captor was.
All he did was hush her silently and urge her forward. Refusing to go, she was about to close the door when his large arm forced it back open. Angrily, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her downstairs.
"Blaise let me go! I can't believe you, you snake! I trusted you," she called out in tears. She should have known it was too good to be true.
He brought her up to the attic and the sight of three clothed figures circled around a black orb caused her to stop abruptly.
Blaise threw her into the room and locked the door behind them. The figures seemed to be either unaware of her presence or did not care because they kept chanting some indistinguishable phrase that sounded almost Egyptian.
The black orb in the middle of the room was shaking wildly as if trying to release itself from an invisible forcefield. Hermione tried to make out the figures chanting but it was no use.
"Blaise," called out the orb in a voice that sounded like it was from another dimension.
"Bring the stones and the girl," it ordered. Blaise stepped forward, and laid 6 stones around the orb causing a red light to emanate.
Hermione stood shaking, unsure of what was about to happen but pretty sure she wasn't going to live long enough to find out.
"Now say the spell," the orb commanded.
Blaise took out his wand and flickered it before calling out, "alruwh tarbit alruwh hataa yaltaqi ealaman, tudhi bawahid lilhifaz ealayh."
Hermione felt a glow around her body unlike anything she ever felt before. It was warm and tingling and yet icy and prickly at the same time. She started to feel sick to her stomach and was about to collapse when loud banging from the street caught all their attention.
Everyone listened as if waiting for it to end but it didn't. Finally, the chanting stopped and everyone yielded their wands, leaving her in the attic with that thing. Her head was spinning and she could feel the glow leaving her body slowly.
Suddenly, yells erupted and she could hear more banging. Collapsed on the ground, unable to move the door to the attic opened once again revealing familiar red hair. Before she knew it, she saw the orb disappear quickly before being scooped up and apparated away.
Seconds later, she could hear everyone making a fuss around her.
"Hermione, are you ok? Can you hear me?" She heard Ginny say.
"About time you lot found me!" she said relieved to be out of there.
"It was Blaise, Blaise kidnapped me," she said frantically sitting up to find her friends looking at her concerned. Narcissa nudged past everyone giving her a hot mug of something that smelled like roses.
"Replenishing tea dear, drink up," she said softly.
Harry popped in moments later covered in what looked like mud. Ginny rushed to his side, hugging him tightly.
"Lucky there were only three, easy enough. Here, Hermione found it on the mantel when I walked in."
He tossed her her wand. "How are you?"
"Good thanks, what do you mean three? There were four men there, did you see Blaise?"
"No, the bugger must have left when he heard the ruckus. Don't worry he's in full suspicion with the ministry. Everyone is aware."
Luna helped Hermione up off the ground and settled her into a chair by the fire. "You're ice cold Hermione. Warm up a bit here and I'll draw a bath."
Funny, she didn't feel cold at all. Settling in she noticed a particular blonde hair boy wasn't around and for some reason it made her feel sad. She turned to the group and explained everything she could of what happened.
She spoke again, tearing her mind away from Draco, "alruwh tarbit alruwh hataa yaltaqi ealaman, tudhi bawahid lilhifaz ealayh." That was the incantation he used on me. Does anyone know of it?
Surprisingly, it was Narcissa that spoke first. "It's Egyptian, here have a look," she said, handing her a small book. "I found this book when Ron figured out what Lucius was muttering. It explains everything.
Hermione eagerly took the book and began to read out loud,
The five parts of the Egyptian soul were the Ren, the Ba, the Ka, the Sheut, and the Ib.
The Ren was the name given to a person at birth. Egyptians believed it was part of a person's soul and that it would live for as long as that name was spoken or the person remembered.
The Sheut was the person's shadow or silhouette. Egyptians believed that the shadow, somehow, contained part of the essence of the person.
The Ib was a metaphysical heart and to ancient Egyptians it was the focus of emotion, thought, will and intention. They understood it as the seat for the soul.
The Ba was the notion of personality. Everything that makes a person unique.
The Ka was the vital fire or spark that distinguishes living people from dead (warm ).
Hermione looked up confused and Narcissa continued. "Lucius and his friends spent a lot of time in Egypt when they were in school. Naturally, they learned of this ancient idea of the soul in five parts. When he started to follow the Dark Lord, they spoke of it quite often. Lucius never realized that the Dark Lord may have given himself a backup plan once the Horcruxes were made."
There was a draft in the air and everyone was silent, listening intently.
"Tom Riddle had an Obscurus when he was younger and I have every reason to believe that it lived on through his death. While his own soul would be too shattered to use an Egyptian ritual, an Obscurus would not be."
Hermione started to catch on quickly to where this was headed.
"So you're saying," she stared. "That black orb thing is an Obscurus, and somehow it has its own consciousness and is somehow performing an old ancient Egyptian ritual?"
"I don't know the specifics but I know that this is the closest thing we have to a lead," Narcissa said sternly.
Luna replied, "From what I know of them, they are angry emotions from childhood. This thing is Tom Riddle in all phases of his life. We don't know what it's capable of."
"What about the spell?" Ron asked. "What's Hermione got to do with all this?"
Narcissa flipped the pages of the book hurriedly before reading out loud again.
In order for these aspects of the soul to function, the body had to remain intact, and this is why mummification became so integral a part of the mortuary rituals and the culture. In order to ensure that the link was maintained between the living and the dead, so that the person's immortality was assured, all material needs had to be provided for the deceased, and the correct funerary rituals had to be performed.
It was expected that a person's heir would bring the daily offerings to the tomb to sustain the owner's ka. If the family was unable to perform this duty, they could hire a 'Ka-servant' who was a priest specially trained in the rituals. A tomb could not be neglected or else the person's spirit would suffer in the afterlife and could then return to seek revenge.
This, in fact, is the plot of one of the best known Egyptian ghost stories, Khonsemhab and the Ghost, in which the spirit of Nebusemekh returns to ask help of Khonesmhab, the High Priest of Amun. Nebusemekh's tomb has been neglected to the point where no one even remembers where it is and no one comes to visit or bring the necessary offerings. Khonsemhab sends his servants to locate, repair, and refurbish the tomb and then promises to provide daily offerings to Nebusemekh's ka.
These offerings would be left on an altar table in the offering chapel of those tombs elaborate enough to have one or on the offerings table in the tomb. The ka of the deceased would enter the tomb through the false door provided and inhabit the body or a statue and draw nourishment from the offerings provided. In time, a ritual could be performed to unbind the Ka from the world of the dead and enter the world of the living free to roam. In order to perform the ritual, one must find a willing sacrificial living entity and gather the 7 stones. 5 representing the parts of the soul, 1 representing the servants' promise to obey and 1 as a backup to undo it all if the ritual was used for evil. Once bound, the spell must sit until the 13th moon before the sacrifice is given and the Ka is free.
"But I wasn't a willing sacrifice so how can this still work?" Hermione asked.
"Not sure," Harry started, "13th moon? What is that?"
"There's a blue moon in two months- December," Luna said. "Perhaps it means then?"
More questions than answers were being formed at that moment and it was making Hermione's head spin. When she got into the bathroom, the aroma of lavender overtook her and she calmly lowered herself into the bath.
The intense heat prickled her skin but she was too shaken up to care. Lowering herself deeper in the bath she moaned in relaxation.
"Looks nice, wish I could join."
Hermione yelled, splashing water everywhere.
"Draco, what the fuck? I'm naked!" she said angrily.
He smirked. "Don't worry the bubbles are hiding the good stuff."
"What are you doing in the bathroom? Couldn't you wait until after I was done finding a little time for myself?"
He sat on the sink, waving his legs back and forth merrily. "This seemed like way more fun."
Hermione groaned in frustration and sank back into her bath.
"I'm happy to see you," Draco said quietly. "I was worried."
"Worried about me? That's new," Hermione. She couldn't help but feel pleased about it though. With everything going on with Blaise, she felt like an idiot, and to have someone genuinely care meant the world.
"Have you been found out?" Hermione asked him.
"No, not yet. Blaise seems to be keeping quiet about it for some reason. Not sure why."
Draco went over to her and sat down next to the bath. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this. It's my fault."
Hermione shook her head. "It was my choice to help. And you deserved my help. She reached a hand out to him, forgetting he wasn't solid but was surprised that she made contact. The touch of his skin sent shivers down my spine.
"How? How are you touching me?" Draco said shocked.
"I don't know!"
She grabbed her towel and magicked herself dry before they ran off into the room Draco's body was in. He was still there, the same as before as if nothing had happened.
Hermione grabbed Draco's spectral arm and was able to hold it tightly.
"Okay so if I'm not human again...the only other explanation would be…" he started before someone clearing their throat interrupted them.
"You two look cozy," Ron called from the door. Hermione realized she was in nothing but a towel and holding Draco's arm. Blushing she threw it down quickly, failing to notice the look of sadness on Draco's face.
"Something's wrong Ron, I'm able to touch him?"
"And how did you figure that one out in the first place?" He said accusingly.
"Don't start with me, you prat. You can't honestly tell me you're jealous?" Hermione roared, angry that Ron had the audacity to think he could still control her.
"I came up here to make sure you're okay but I see you found someone else for that," He spat.
"Ron, that's not fair. Please, this is bigger than some petty rivalry between us."
Ron didn't listen though, he stormed out of the room and they heard him apparate moments later. She didn't know why, but she burst into tears. He always had a way of making her cry.
Draco wrapped her into his arms possessively before walking her to her room. "I'll tell the others, you go change. Don't worry about him. He'll come around. You're the Golden Trio."
Hermione smiled lightly, watching him walk away. He really had changed.
Chapter 14 coming tomorrow! :)