Disclaimer--Much as I wish it did, nothing here belongs to me--including the references to Egyptian gods and lore. Ginny Weasley and her universe are the property of JK Rowling, Scholastic, and WB. Bill's reading belongs to Normandy Ellis' "Awakening Osiris", and is a translation of the Papyrus Ani from the Book of the Dead. No disrespect or copyright infringement is intended, and the story is only intended as the sincerest form of flattery.
Author's Notes--Sorry for the slight delay! I hope this chapter is worth the wait! I hope I did justice to Egypt, but it was tricky since I've never been there, so if I didn't, I apologize!
Strawberries and Blueberries--Glad to oblige! *grins and waves*
Adrienne--It makes me so happy you think this story is getting better. *blushes and smiles* I can't really take credit for doing anything, though...the story seems to tell itself to me, and I do the typing. *shrugs sheepishly* I'm glad you liked how I handled the trip and the inclusion of the Diggorys--I didn't know that would happen until it did! I did know about the Leviathan...I'd hoped it would seem like a believable form of magical travel, and I wasn't sure, so I'm glad you thought it did! Thank you for continuing to read and review! :-D
EEDOE--Oh NO! I didn't mean to give you a guilt trip! That's so strange--and darkly funny--that the ether ate your hard-written review! (I have to admit, I was comforted to find out you had written one) Of course, this review was wonderful, too! *hugs* I thought it was about time someone said that to Percy as well! *winks and snickers* It's so nice to share such wonderful Weasley moments! I agree with you about Ginny's constant thoughts of Harry...five minutes without such thoughts would be like five minutes without breathing! Until next time...*hugs*
Bill--I totally agree Ginny with Harry is essential...I'm terrified of JK will have a brilliant plot twist and leave me crushed. *grins nervously* I'm so thrilled you think Bill came across as himself! *beams* That's so funny and unexpected about your carpets, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...I was thinking of you when I wrote that, and this next bit as well. I hope you like it! *crosses fingers* Enjoy Egypt! *hugs*
****************
They went to see the pyramids the next morning, across a sea of sand. Everything was burnished, the color of tarnished bronze, bright and hot...outside. Inside the pyramids it was thick and impenetrable shade, hushed and quiet, things on display, as if they were in a museum...Ginny found the endless stretches of canoptic jars rather boring, and the occasional corpse bearing the marks of being cursed made her feel rather ill, but she liked the stone sphinxes that reminded her of Hermione-whose wand contained hair from a Sphinx's tail-and the statues of a cat-like creature Bill said was the goddess Bastet-who was probably an ancient animagi people mistook for a god. She had the utchat, an all-seeing cats-eye amulet, believed to have magical powers, just as cats themselves could influence health, marriage, and fortune. Ginny could have spent hours studying the still form of Bastet, and was hurried away from her countless times by the impatience of the others.
Bill told them a few things about the History of Magic in Egypt as they crept through low, cramped tunnels alternated with blinding sunshine that soon turned every last one of them hot red in spite of the sun-block charm Mum had performed. Knots were the convergence of forces, and numbers were abstract knots. Bill could hardly keep a straight face when he mentioned the Leyden Papyrus named the number 7 as having a particularly compelling strength. Sun, earth, water, fearsome animals such as the crocodile and the scorpion, and essences of poppy, acacia, and honey held great power.
Ginny was still mulling these things over when they emerged to find two people wearing heavy robes and sweating. "Mr. Weasley?"
"Yes, that's me," Dad said.
"I'm Pickwick Linkletter, with the Daily Prophet. And this is my associate, photographer Finnius Tyming. We'd like to get a photo for our story on the winner of the Grand Prize Galleon Draw."
"Oh, certainly," Dad said.
"So you used the money on a trip?" Linkletter asked as Tyming began to group the rest of the family in front of the pyramid.
"Yes, to visit my eldest son, Bill, who works as a curse breaker here at Gringotts," Dad elaborated.
"And how long do you intend to stay?"
"We'll be here about a month, then its back to London so this troop can start school," Dad said fondly, waving at Percy, Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George.
"You all go to Hogwarts?" Linkletter asked.
"Absolutely," Percy said, "I've been a Prefect the last two years, and I was just named Head Boy."
"Shh..." hissed Fred.
"What are you going around advertising that for?" George said.
"Do you want us to die of embarrassment?"
Tyming suppressed an amused smile. "All ready for the photo? Smile, everyone." His camera gave a flash like thunderless lightning. Spots danced in front of Ginny's eyes.
"Story should be in next week," Linkletter said. "We'll send you a couple copies."
"Thanks." Dad shook his hand, and the two Daily Prophet employees disappeared with a loud bang.
"The curses in this next pyramid are particularly effective," Bill began as they continued on their way. "They've been applied in extremely unusual ways that puzzled us for months...really quite ingenuous."
"Ginny," Mum said suddenly, "you're looking a little tired. Why don't you wait out here?"
Ginny blinked. "I'm not that tired, Mum. I'll go with you, I'd rather be in the shade."
"Don't be ridiculous," Mum snapped. "Wait right here."
"I don't want to stand out here alone!" Ginny crossed her arms impatiently and glowered at Mum as if she could force her to realize she was being unreasonable. "Especially if this is one of the most interesting ones. Part of our holiday is seeing the sights!"
"Interesting or not, I've had enough of you and curses to last a lifetime, young lady! You're staying outside with me, and that's that."
"Actually, I'd quite enjoy a break," Bill said. "I'm getting hoarse, and I see these things all the time. Why don't you go in and I'll stay with Ginny, Mum."
"Well..." Mum said doubtfully. "If you're sure..."
"Absolutely," Bill said firmly. "I'm sure it will be fascinating without my running commentary."
Ginny turned her back on Mum without waiting for her to decide, slid down to sit heavily on the pyramid's sloping side, immediately wished she hadn't, as the stone was scorching, and didn't get up. Bill eased into place beside her. She stared at the stone wall she was sitting on so she didn't have to look at him, and noticed, to her amazement, a lot of spiky, sharp shapes that looked like hieroglyphics-ancient Egyptian Runes, so to speak-cut into the stone and not quite weathered away.
"In the sea foam, in the swirlings of imagination...I am a fish, a tadpole...a crocodile...I am an urge, an idea....A portent of impossible dreams...I lie between heaven and earth...Between goodness and evil...Between patience, and explosion..." Bill said softly.
Ginny stared up at him, the words shivering across her spine, raising goosebumps on her skin. "I am AMONG you, but not WITH you...I know no beginning, for I have no end...I have always been here, a child in the silence of things...Ready to awaken at any moment...I am possibility..."
Bill frowned as if trying to make out words gone indistinct. "The sadness, the creation, the joy of it...Dance a moment.....reach down and pull me a song, spin and chant...Forget the sorrow that we are flesh on bone. Return with me to the dark waters...to the song in my mother's belly...We are gods, dancing in a whirlwind of darkness..."
"Dancing in a whirlwind of darkness," Ginny whispered, reaching up to pull her hair over her shoulder. She had done that...she knew what it was like. The strands spread across her palm, burning red, the edges tipped thick and impenetrable black where they had been christened in a pool of ink...
Bill watched her for a moment, as if weighing something. "Before the World began....we knew each other...we agreed..... To part company. To know sorrow, in exchange for joy, To know death, in exchange for life. We are the dark seeds of possibility, whispering...."
/The dark seeds of possibility, whispering. Tom.../ and, to Ginny's horror, she was filled with a sudden welling of sadness and longing...
Bill's eyes were sharp on her face, but he continued translating. "Gods live, even in darkness...And in the world above your heads...And in the crevices of the dark...And in the open palm of a stranger...I am the child....the seed in everything...The rhythm, the flower, the old story that lingers.."
/Gods live even in darkness...the old story that lingers.../ Ginny repeated the words to herself with a flickering spark of hope.
"I am the name of things...I am a man on earth, and a god in heaven...And while I travel the deserts in frail form...While I grow old, and weak, and die...I live always as a Child, inside the Body of Truth...A blue egg, that rocks in the storm, but never breaks..." Bill finished, his fingers tracing the last of the runes.
Author's Notes--Sorry for the slight delay! I hope this chapter is worth the wait! I hope I did justice to Egypt, but it was tricky since I've never been there, so if I didn't, I apologize!
Strawberries and Blueberries--Glad to oblige! *grins and waves*
Adrienne--It makes me so happy you think this story is getting better. *blushes and smiles* I can't really take credit for doing anything, though...the story seems to tell itself to me, and I do the typing. *shrugs sheepishly* I'm glad you liked how I handled the trip and the inclusion of the Diggorys--I didn't know that would happen until it did! I did know about the Leviathan...I'd hoped it would seem like a believable form of magical travel, and I wasn't sure, so I'm glad you thought it did! Thank you for continuing to read and review! :-D
EEDOE--Oh NO! I didn't mean to give you a guilt trip! That's so strange--and darkly funny--that the ether ate your hard-written review! (I have to admit, I was comforted to find out you had written one) Of course, this review was wonderful, too! *hugs* I thought it was about time someone said that to Percy as well! *winks and snickers* It's so nice to share such wonderful Weasley moments! I agree with you about Ginny's constant thoughts of Harry...five minutes without such thoughts would be like five minutes without breathing! Until next time...*hugs*
Bill--I totally agree Ginny with Harry is essential...I'm terrified of JK will have a brilliant plot twist and leave me crushed. *grins nervously* I'm so thrilled you think Bill came across as himself! *beams* That's so funny and unexpected about your carpets, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...I was thinking of you when I wrote that, and this next bit as well. I hope you like it! *crosses fingers* Enjoy Egypt! *hugs*
****************
They went to see the pyramids the next morning, across a sea of sand. Everything was burnished, the color of tarnished bronze, bright and hot...outside. Inside the pyramids it was thick and impenetrable shade, hushed and quiet, things on display, as if they were in a museum...Ginny found the endless stretches of canoptic jars rather boring, and the occasional corpse bearing the marks of being cursed made her feel rather ill, but she liked the stone sphinxes that reminded her of Hermione-whose wand contained hair from a Sphinx's tail-and the statues of a cat-like creature Bill said was the goddess Bastet-who was probably an ancient animagi people mistook for a god. She had the utchat, an all-seeing cats-eye amulet, believed to have magical powers, just as cats themselves could influence health, marriage, and fortune. Ginny could have spent hours studying the still form of Bastet, and was hurried away from her countless times by the impatience of the others.
Bill told them a few things about the History of Magic in Egypt as they crept through low, cramped tunnels alternated with blinding sunshine that soon turned every last one of them hot red in spite of the sun-block charm Mum had performed. Knots were the convergence of forces, and numbers were abstract knots. Bill could hardly keep a straight face when he mentioned the Leyden Papyrus named the number 7 as having a particularly compelling strength. Sun, earth, water, fearsome animals such as the crocodile and the scorpion, and essences of poppy, acacia, and honey held great power.
Ginny was still mulling these things over when they emerged to find two people wearing heavy robes and sweating. "Mr. Weasley?"
"Yes, that's me," Dad said.
"I'm Pickwick Linkletter, with the Daily Prophet. And this is my associate, photographer Finnius Tyming. We'd like to get a photo for our story on the winner of the Grand Prize Galleon Draw."
"Oh, certainly," Dad said.
"So you used the money on a trip?" Linkletter asked as Tyming began to group the rest of the family in front of the pyramid.
"Yes, to visit my eldest son, Bill, who works as a curse breaker here at Gringotts," Dad elaborated.
"And how long do you intend to stay?"
"We'll be here about a month, then its back to London so this troop can start school," Dad said fondly, waving at Percy, Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George.
"You all go to Hogwarts?" Linkletter asked.
"Absolutely," Percy said, "I've been a Prefect the last two years, and I was just named Head Boy."
"Shh..." hissed Fred.
"What are you going around advertising that for?" George said.
"Do you want us to die of embarrassment?"
Tyming suppressed an amused smile. "All ready for the photo? Smile, everyone." His camera gave a flash like thunderless lightning. Spots danced in front of Ginny's eyes.
"Story should be in next week," Linkletter said. "We'll send you a couple copies."
"Thanks." Dad shook his hand, and the two Daily Prophet employees disappeared with a loud bang.
"The curses in this next pyramid are particularly effective," Bill began as they continued on their way. "They've been applied in extremely unusual ways that puzzled us for months...really quite ingenuous."
"Ginny," Mum said suddenly, "you're looking a little tired. Why don't you wait out here?"
Ginny blinked. "I'm not that tired, Mum. I'll go with you, I'd rather be in the shade."
"Don't be ridiculous," Mum snapped. "Wait right here."
"I don't want to stand out here alone!" Ginny crossed her arms impatiently and glowered at Mum as if she could force her to realize she was being unreasonable. "Especially if this is one of the most interesting ones. Part of our holiday is seeing the sights!"
"Interesting or not, I've had enough of you and curses to last a lifetime, young lady! You're staying outside with me, and that's that."
"Actually, I'd quite enjoy a break," Bill said. "I'm getting hoarse, and I see these things all the time. Why don't you go in and I'll stay with Ginny, Mum."
"Well..." Mum said doubtfully. "If you're sure..."
"Absolutely," Bill said firmly. "I'm sure it will be fascinating without my running commentary."
Ginny turned her back on Mum without waiting for her to decide, slid down to sit heavily on the pyramid's sloping side, immediately wished she hadn't, as the stone was scorching, and didn't get up. Bill eased into place beside her. She stared at the stone wall she was sitting on so she didn't have to look at him, and noticed, to her amazement, a lot of spiky, sharp shapes that looked like hieroglyphics-ancient Egyptian Runes, so to speak-cut into the stone and not quite weathered away.
"In the sea foam, in the swirlings of imagination...I am a fish, a tadpole...a crocodile...I am an urge, an idea....A portent of impossible dreams...I lie between heaven and earth...Between goodness and evil...Between patience, and explosion..." Bill said softly.
Ginny stared up at him, the words shivering across her spine, raising goosebumps on her skin. "I am AMONG you, but not WITH you...I know no beginning, for I have no end...I have always been here, a child in the silence of things...Ready to awaken at any moment...I am possibility..."
Bill frowned as if trying to make out words gone indistinct. "The sadness, the creation, the joy of it...Dance a moment.....reach down and pull me a song, spin and chant...Forget the sorrow that we are flesh on bone. Return with me to the dark waters...to the song in my mother's belly...We are gods, dancing in a whirlwind of darkness..."
"Dancing in a whirlwind of darkness," Ginny whispered, reaching up to pull her hair over her shoulder. She had done that...she knew what it was like. The strands spread across her palm, burning red, the edges tipped thick and impenetrable black where they had been christened in a pool of ink...
Bill watched her for a moment, as if weighing something. "Before the World began....we knew each other...we agreed..... To part company. To know sorrow, in exchange for joy, To know death, in exchange for life. We are the dark seeds of possibility, whispering...."
/The dark seeds of possibility, whispering. Tom.../ and, to Ginny's horror, she was filled with a sudden welling of sadness and longing...
Bill's eyes were sharp on her face, but he continued translating. "Gods live, even in darkness...And in the world above your heads...And in the crevices of the dark...And in the open palm of a stranger...I am the child....the seed in everything...The rhythm, the flower, the old story that lingers.."
/Gods live even in darkness...the old story that lingers.../ Ginny repeated the words to herself with a flickering spark of hope.
"I am the name of things...I am a man on earth, and a god in heaven...And while I travel the deserts in frail form...While I grow old, and weak, and die...I live always as a Child, inside the Body of Truth...A blue egg, that rocks in the storm, but never breaks..." Bill finished, his fingers tracing the last of the runes.