Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.
Chapter XIV – An Air of Mistrust
*Where do we go from here?*
The question lingered uncomfortably inside Hermione.
*Was this a mistake? Giving up a nice, warm friendship for a night of hot sex?*
Hermione had woken up before Oliver and now she was looking at him, sleeping peacefully… He was beautiful. Her mind ran to Harry. During their adventures, she had slept more than once by his side and she could remember his restless sleep.
Harry's daytime serenity was paid each night with dark fights against dark demons in dreams too dark for such an angel. She shook Harry's image away. They had chosen separate ways. What might have been had no place in a morning like this.
Oliver woke up in the empty bed. His heart froze for a second, thinking *it was a just dream*. But the reality took over. He was in Hermione's bedroom, in Hermione's bed…in Hermione's life…
He walked to the kitchen to see Hermione lost in thoughts over a cup of coffee. She was inhaling the steam as if it had magical proprieties.
"Good morning" he said, softly kissing her on a cheek.
"Morning" she smiled, brightening his day. "Coffee?"
"Thanks"
It felt as awkward as their first meeting. The expectations, the fears and the mystery were just as thick as that day, in Hogsmeade. Now, they had to rediscover each other in this new light. It seemed that the months of working together had never existed.
An owl broke the uncomfortable silence. The Bricassart seal made Oliver even more restless. That woman was up to no good. Hermione opened the letter and read it aloud.
"Dear Hermione,
You kept dancing around a subject I'd rather leave buried. I didn't want to talk about it and I still don't. Not for lack of trust. You know enough of my secrets and you still like me, so one more skeleton in my cupboard shouldn't surprise you. The reason I've been hesitant to talk to you is your association with the Morgana Institute. They're not bad, but their values can endanger my way of life.
If you are absolutely sure you want to know that one big secret, ask me and I shall tell you. But you must be prepared for disappointment. Some things, no matter how important or how useful, do not pass the test of time.
I do have the answer you're looking for. Be careful what you ask though.
This is about the ultimate proof of trust I have ever given. I trust you and your wisdom.
Madeleine
P.S. Don't take too long to make up your mind.
M. "
"You said you were not going to tell her about the job"
"I didn't. She figured it out"
"Anyway, how could she know something like that?" Oliver inquired, feeling safer, on familiar ground.
"She knows things about the Ancient Egypt. She was really good at History of Magic"
Hermione was grateful for the way he accepted her chat with Madeleine. He could have lectured her for hours.
"No one is that good!"
"She travelled a lot with her parents. She saw places and things we've only read about in books"
"So? You think we should go and ask her?"
"WE? I don't think she'd like that. Besides, we're supposed to meet Bill today"
"Yeah… I forgot about that particular joy"
Oliver was no longer jealous, but he couldn't shake the dislike for the man.
~~~~~~~~
Bill was waiting for them in his classroom. He was browsing one of May Thorsen's most popular books "Spells of Illusion". Hermione couldn't help contemplating Madeleine's offer. One of her friend's past existences held the key to the Osiris papers, but was she entitled to ask this favour from Madeleine? Finding Bill in one of her books - because she knew very well that Madeleine's previous incarnation was May Thorsen - looked like a sign. She reminded herself she didn't believe in Divination and that sort of nonsense.
"Hello! Are you ready for a trip in the catacombs of Port Said?" Bill greeted them.
"Why? You have any clues about the catacombs? You know something we don't know?" she asked.
Bill smiled.
"And probably the other way around. It's not like any of our employers are known for their transparence. But now that we work together, we should put our cards on the table"
Oliver puffed with mistrust. Their orders had been quite clear. They should work with the Ministry, but they shouldn't reveal more than it was absolutely necessary. He was quite sure the Ministry gave Bill similar directions. But was this the best way to work with someone?
"I took the liberty to get you out of classes today" Bill informed her on their way out of the University.
"Oh. Right. Thanks"
Hermione had been so absorbed in her research that school was the last thing on her mind. She sneaked a peak at Oliver. He kept unusually quiet. She couldn't help miss the days when he had to hold her hand. Apparently, he didn't think their relationship should be common knowledge.
She could understand his doubts about Bill, but she still felt a little unhappy.
~~~~~~~
Having Bill around made the trip a totally different experience. They didn't have to sneak in the places they wanted to visit anymore. The Morgana Institute carried a lot of weight in the wizarding community, but they were required to keep a low profile in the Muggle world. The Ministry of Magic on the other hand, was forced to initiate and maintain continuous relations with the Muggles. In that respect, Bill was a lot of help. He didn't carry a badge or anything like that, but it was obvious that he had extensive training in dealing with them. How much that was due to the Ministry's training programs and how much was his father's merit, no one knew. The fact remained that he knew exactly what to tell to make the people open doors for them.
Oliver and Hermione witnessed another demonstration of Weasley type smooth talking, which allowed them to enter the Town Hall.
"This is how far our theories went. I think I've been open enough for you to start trusting me. Now it's your turn to get us further"
Beneath the Town Hall was a maze. The Minoan decorations disclosed the approximate age of the construction. The Egyptian and Cretan civilisations had influenced each other, but that had happened in recorded history, not in the age of the myths when Osiris presumably lived.
"This cannot be contemporary to the Osiris papers, most certainly" Hermione unfolded her hypothesis aloud. "It is, however, built to hide something. Probably it's heavily booby-trapped. We should really watch our step"
"Do you think the traps still work after all this time?" Oliver was thinking about the Garden.
"There is no limit to good magic. It only grows stronger in time" said Hermione, lost in thought. "What is this writing?" she pointed to the wall covered with hieroglyph-like signs.
"We couldn't figure it out yet. It seems older than the classical hieroglyphs, although the maze was built considerably later than the pyramids"
"I'd like to study them in the library" *Ask Madeleine* she thought.
Hermione started drawing them on a notebook when Oliver pointed his wand at the wall, saying "idem est" and a thin sheet of paper with the strange signs copied exactly peeled off the wall, leaving the writing untouched.
"Impressive" Bill congratulated him, while Hermione was folding the paper. "There is only one way to get through this"
"What?" Hermione asked, impatient.
"Oh, I don't know that!" Bill exclaimed casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But there is only one right way. If we make the slightest mistake, everything closes"
"How do you know that?" Oliver inquired.
"I read it in a book"
Bill tried to act civil, but Oliver's visible mistrust was annoying. He had ruled out jealousy as a reason because he could see Hermione's clear preference for Wood.
"There is a logical method to go around through a labyrinth" Hermione was searching her memory.
"This thing was built out of paranoia. I fail to see what how logic is going to help us through it" observed Bill, uneasy.
"One can't go through the trouble of building a hiding place like this and not work out a way to go in and out of it"
Oliver tried to play the devil's advocate.
"You assume that" Oliver stepped in. "Don't you think it is possible that this is meant to remain undisturbed for eternity? Maybe whoever build it tried to put the dangerous item away, not daring to destroy it?"
"You mean, like a death trap?" Hermione voiced everyone's worst case scenario. "No. The book was buried for the future generations. We are the future"
Hermione was wearing her translator bracelet and necklace, so everything she was saying was heard both in English and in Arabic. At the phrase "we are the future" the wall crumbled loudly before them, revealing an arch.
She tried to cast a spell, to test the possible dangers, but nothing happened. The wand felt lifeless in her hand.
"Oh, this is so irritating!" she exclaimed. "The wands don't work anymore! I hate this"
"What did you expect?" Bill asked, rhetorically. "When in Egypt… we should act like the Egyptians"
He walked towards the arch, but Oliver stopped him.
"What do you think you're doing? That could be a trap"
"An act of faith" said Bill and stepped beneath the arch.
Nothing disturbed the silence. Hermione's hand instinctively searched for Oliver's. Hand in hand, Oliver and Hermione followed Bill. After exactly four steps on a corridor dimly lit by their improvised torch, they came across the first human remains. The pieces of an European armour were still hanging around a white, very dry skeleton. From its position, the knight was trying to get out when he died.
"That's encouraging!" Bill muttered.
Oliver's thoughts were just as bleak. He was willing to risk his life, but Hermione… He didn't want to risk her life. Or their chance for happiness. He hated having to play the reasonable one. Three Gryffindors in a race! A living nightmare! None of them had any instinctive common sense in these matters. This time, for the first time, Oliver's new found priorities had turned him into an adult.
~~~~~ Another chamber ~~~~~
With every step they were taking, the road behind them disappeared.
"That saves us the trouble to chose what to do" Bill said, unsure if he meant it as a joke or not.
Unlike Hermione, neither of them had been in a similar situation. She had done this sort of thing since the first year at Hogwarts, so she felt invincible. But this time, Harry was not by her side. She looked around, trying to prepare herself for whatever was the next test. The builders left the legacy and an immense responsibility to their descendants and they had probably tried to make sure that they were worthy of this gift.
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Sorry about the suspense!
Leaving Oliver and Hermione in such a pleasant situation I felt I could let them out of trouble for a while. Besides, I sort of reached a difficult point of the story. This is how far I had thought it out in the first place, but they need more action and adventure to balance the pinkish colour the story reached.