A/N: I do not own anything to do with the Harry Potter universe. J K
Rowling owns it all. I'm just having fun with her characters. This is the
sequel to my first story Sekhmet's Book. I don't as yet know if I'll make
this into a trilogy series. I guess I'll just see how this story goes for
now. I am currently writing this story as fast as I can. which is
unfortunately about one chapter per month. So, it's not complete but it
most definitely will be. just give me time. Please leave a review as my
muse needs feeding before she gets up and leaves.
Enjoy.
Chapter One
Hogwarts: Year 2458 BC
They felt a tingling and an icy cold feeling as they were launched back in time just over four and a half thousand years. The feeling passed in seconds and they both landed on a hard cold stone floor with a thud and unfortunately a sound of breaking glass, which echoed off the dungeon walls.
"Aww." Hermione heard from somewhere on her right and turned her head in a fruitless gesture to try and see what had happened.
"Are you all right, Michael?" Hermione asked as she sat up on the floor and rubbed her arm slightly. The room was very dark and the stone floor exceptionally chilly.
"Yes, just landed on my bottom harder than I would have liked." Michael said as he stood up and chuckled slightly. They could see absolutely nothing in the room, as the darkness seemed to envelop everything and no natural light could get in this far beneath the castle. "Lumos," Michael whispered and his ring, which was his transfigured wand, lit up the vicinity around him. Hermione copied him and soon the entire room could be seen. There was nothing to see however, it was a very vacant room with two heavy wooden doors- one that would lead back out into Hogwarts itself and the other into the room where the Book of Shadows was house in, in their own time that was.
"What was that sound of breaking glass, Hermione?" Michael asked as he gazed around the floor looking for any clues. Hermione remembered hearing it as well and immediately checked the potion vial she was carrying.
"Oh, no," Hermione gasped in horror. "Michael, the vials are smashed. We can't get home for another eight weeks!" Hermione moaned unhappily at the thought of being away from Severus for that length of time.
"Can we brew another potion?" Michael asked quite concerned.
"Yes, Severus enclosed the spare ingredients just in case. I will have to do it here in order for it to go undisturbed though. Come on, Michael. Let's get this part over with." Hermione said as she opened the door and headed into the cell. The only things present were a pedestal, where the Book of Shadows would be put, and a lot of dust. Hermione took out the diary and muttered a spell to copy it and set up and communication between the two books she now held. She placed one of the diaries in the corner of the room and the other into her pocket.
"Is that everything?" Michael asked.
"Yes, hopefully this room will be completely forgotten about for the next four and a half thousand years." Hermione said optimistically. "Let's go to Egypt now. When we have settled a little we can start with the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion."
"Do we have to go right now? I thought we might take a look around here for a bit." Michael said disappointed at not having the opportunity to quench his curiosity about an Ancient Hogwarts and what it would be like compared to his own time.
"Michael, we will have to come back here to brew the time potion but the mission in Egypt is far more important to get over and done with right now." Hermione told him urgently.
"Agreed," Michael said with a nod of his head.
"Right, now 'Hogwarts: A History' tells us that the anti-apparition wards were not put into place until the middle fourteenth century so we should have no problems leaving this place."
"Come on then, let's not hang around. I can't wait to see what the pyramids were like when they were just recently built." Michael told her excitedly and she grinned at him broadly. "Oh, wait. We need to cast translation spells so we can converse with the Egyptian peasants."
Hermione lifted her hand and pointed her finger at him before whispering the translation spell and lowering her hand again. Michael did the same for her and soon they were ready to leave. They stood in the middle of the room and held each other's hand before popping out of existence from Hogwarts and landing in the middle of some reeds by the River Nile in Egypt in the early morning of what would promise to be an unbearably hot day.
~~*~~
Present time.
"What should we do, Albus?" Minerva asked as she watched Severus storm out of the sub dungeons with the diary firmly under his arm. Something must have gone wrong, it had already been fifteen minutes since Hermione and Michael had gone back in time and the potion should have already returned them home by now. Albus sighed and turned to the teachers assembled with a worried expression on his face.
"There is nothing we can do. We must simply be of as much support to Severus as we can be. I fear he may not get through this if he does not have the support he needs." Albus shook his head sadly and moved to place the wards on the room housing the Book of Shadows. "Perhaps Severus will find out what has happened when he reads the diary."
"Just let us know if there is anything we can do. There must be some other way to bring them back." Harry spoke up with a look of shock on his face at the thought of losing one of his best friend and a close colleague.
"We shall have to wait, but we will indeed help in any way we can. In the mean time we need to replace the wards here and head back into the main castle." Albus said as he ushered all of the teachers out and sighed inwardly to himself.
"But, Hermione and Michael will be locked in if we each replace our own wards, Headmaster." Remus said, concerned about the two young professors.
"I shall erect a detection charm so that if either Hermione or Michael returns, we will be alerted at once." Albus conceded, aware of the concern that everyone had; not just Remus.
~~*~~
Severus entered his and Hermione's chambers and immediately dismissed the House Elf who had been watching over Callum. He placed the heavy diary on the small coffee table and lifted his son out of the playpen and held him tightly before finally letting go of his pent up emotions and sobbing at the loss of his wife. They had only been married for eight months and already they had been separated by that cursed spell mingled with Sekhmet's curse. Now they were separated through a period of time of around four thousand five hundred years. and people wondered why Severus was so bitter and angry for most of the time. His life was just a pit of spiralling depression and even with Hermione as his guiding light and ray of hope; nothing could spare him from life's pitfalls and despair.
After crying silently and hugging Callum for what seemed like forever he pulled back and gazed at his son, who was looking up at him with his wife's huge brown eyes and his father's thick matt of black hair. Despite the obvious similarities to Severus, Callum reminded him so much of Hermione- his facial expressions, shape of his chin and nose. "Callum, we've lost her. Mummy has gone. It's just you and me for a while, son. We'll get her back though. Don't worry." He said stroking his head and kissing him on the cheek as he stifled another sob. There was a knock on the door and Severus quickly dried his eyes and called for his visitor to enter. "Albus," Severus greeted without even bothering to look up. he would be the only person who would dare to interrupt Severus' private time.
"Severus," Albus said as he watched father and son together on the couch before entering the chambers properly and taking a seat on one of the chairs.
"I've lost her, Albus." Severus said becoming quite depressed.
"How do you know, son? Have you read her diary that quickly?" Albus asked gravely.
"No, Albus. I've not even opened it." Severus told him with a heavy sigh and a shake of his head.
"Then stop being so pessimistic for your son's sake if nothing else." Albus scolded.
"I find that exceptionally difficult to do when we have only been married for eight months and have spent more than half of that time separated from one another!" Severus said raising his voice angrily to his old mentor. Callum was scared at the sudden change in his father's demeanour and began to cry. "I have no hope left!"
"Severus," Albus tried to soothe.
"I don't want to hear this, Albus. She knew I did not want her to go. She knew I did not want her to cast that spell but she did these things anyway. Despite what I wanted." Severus bellowed, "I cannot stand for this anymore. I've had enough!" His voice broke and he began to cry again. Albus got up and moved over to the couch beside him, placing a hand on his back and rubbing slightly as Callum continued to cry in his father's arms.
"Severus, you must be strong," Albus intoned. "Hermione and Michael both need your help. Callum is your sole responsibility now and he needs his father more than ever. We are all here to help you as much as we can but we need to know how." Severus snorted and clutched his son tightly to his chest again as he rocked him slightly to try and calm him down again. "Now, you have the answers to what has happened right here on this table. I want you to take the time to read through what Hermione has written and then we will devise a plan of action if need be. I will leave you to your thoughts for now Severus but I will come back later this evening to make sure you eat and get some rest."
"Thank you, Albus." Severus said rather dejectedly as he sat Callum upon his knee to face him and brushed his son's tears away with his thumbs. Severus then moved Callum into a more comfortable position and picked up the large diary from the table. He opened the book, took a deep breath and began to read as Albus left the chambers quietly.
~~*~~
Egypt, Old Kingdom approximately 2458 BC.
Well, time travel so far hasn't been too spectacular. The journey was all right but the landing none too pleasant. Michael landed on his bottom quite hard and I hit my arm and the stone floor of the sub dungeons. Our injuries are healed now though. If you are reading this diary, Severus then I'm pleased that my plan for a one-way communication indeed worked and that the diary managed to survive so long a time in the sub dungeons of Hogwarts undisturbed.
I don't really know what to write so I will just tell you things as they happen. Perhaps the whole diary could be edited at a later date.hmm. later date. I mean your present time of course. Anyway, it would be good to have a historical account of Ancient Egypt that wasn't written in hieroglyphics. Michael wants to spend some time at the Ancient Hogwarts as well. so perhaps I can also write some new additions in Hogwarts: A History? Ha-ha, I've always wanted to do that. I love that book!
Anyway, you have the diary, so you know we arrived safely. From the Hogwarts sub dungeons we then apparated right into Egypt, appearing in a bed of reeds by the River Nile in the early hours of the morning. It already promised to be an exceptionally hot day as well, a complete opposite to the chilly Scottish Highlands. I will try to find out the actual time period we are in and match it to the Gregorian calendar in order to make things easier to understand. Either that or I will simply number the days I am here- this being day one of course. and don't go flicking to the back of the book for a sneak peek, Severus! Take each day as it comes.
I will attempt to stick to facts, Severus. When writing in diary format I do tend to ramble sometimes. Oh, please know that I miss you already. and it's only been a few hours! I hope Callum is behaving himself for you. please, do be nice to Kelpy, as she will help you out while I'm gone. Of course, by the way I'm writing you can already assume there has already been a slight problem in us getting home again. When we landed in the past it was indeed with a thud and unfortunately the potions smashed. So, it will be eight weeks before we can finally have a new potion brewed. Of course. that's eight weeks for me. if my calculations are right, then I may already be home from your perspective in time. This is all quite confusing, is it not?
We intend to apparate back to Ancient Hogwarts and brew the potion in the sub dungeons as it is obvious that no one goes down there. We'll have to sneak out into Hogwarts to try to steal a cauldron though; thankfully we already have the ingredients due to your forward thinking. I wonder what the Potions Master looks like? I can't remember who it was off the top of my head.
Anyway, back on topic. We moved out of the bed of reeds and took a good look around. The day was certainly getting hotter and the River Nile looked very inviting indeed as it glistened with the reflected rays of the sun. Unfortunately it was not a leisure activity we could indulge in right then; we needed to find out where we were exactly.
Glancing into the water we saw several fishing boats with their masters already hard at work. Looking across the river and on the side that we currently occupied I could see that the land was well cultivated with many crops growing in the fields. There was also a small village on our side and if you looked into the middle distance you could see mountains and a very rocky landscape. I looked up the Nile and not too far away I could just make out the tips of some of the pyramids. Of course I've never seen the pyramids before but Michael has and he can't wait to see what they are like right now, having been fairly newly built.
I always thought of a desert when I imagined Egypt but I see that this is certainly not the case. There is much greenery and life in abundance. You can see immediately that the Nile is the life giving force for the entire local community and must play a very important part in life for all inhabitants who live by it.
We decided to make our way into the village and immediately noticed two more pyramids. Michael explained that they are known as the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid in our own time. Apparently they were built under Sneferu's reign and as I look I see that the Red Pyramid is actually white. Michael informs me that this is because it still has its outer casing of Tura limestone still intact. I'm finding it exceptionally strange to see these wonders of the world in all of their glory. none show any signs of weathering and are all in tact as they stand.
These constructs are huge and I feel most humbled by them. Michael tells me that the Great Pyramids at Giza are even bigger, and can you believe only built 36 years ago in my current time frame! Absolutely amazing and yet I still see no evidence as to how they were constructed. so I can't solve that mystery as yet I'm afraid.
Walking through the village I could see many derelict and crumbling dwellings and Michael told me that it is because the people who once lived here would have moved once the pyramids had been built. The only people left living here are either farmers or fishermen apparently.
The villagers began to wake up and a man trying to trade some fish for our rings suddenly approached us, of course we had to decline since our rings are actually our transfigured wands. He was friendly enough to inform us where we were though. a place called Dahshur. We thanked him and moved on through the village. The day was getting hotter and we could see that the locals all wore next to nothing as their daily dress, which was probably quite a good idea since the sun hadn't even reached its high point in the sky as yet. We seem to stick out like sore thumbs amongst the locals despite our glamour charms.
So, we needed to travel northwards to Memphis. You read the same books that I did regarding Ancient Egypt, Severus, but I will refresh your memory anyway. We have to find Hathor, daughter of the sun god, Re. She will of course transform into Sekhmet when provoked. We do not yet know if we have arrived before the transformation has occurred for her or if she is already in possession of her Book of Shadows.
We found a track, which seemed to head northwards towards Memphis and set out on it. Michael said it would only be about a five-mile journey and we should try to avoid apparating to places we didn't know unless it was a dire emergency. I completely agree. I decided that I could cope with the heat and walking such a distance so I cast a cooling charm on both of us and we set off on our journey.
There's nothing to really tell you about our journey. We didn't meet anyone and the landscape was just the same as what I've already explained to you.
We managed to reach Memphis after what I would assume to be midday. It's hard to tell the time but the sun had already gone over head and the day had reached its maximum temperature. Memphis, as you have read I'm sure, was the capital city of Egypt at this period in time, of course in your time, Severus it is Cairo. As we entered the city we immediately melded into the sheer throng of people. Of course this city also has a rich agricultural and fisheries business as Dahshur has but it also seems to be the main area of commerce with quite a large market, temples, dwellings, stone masons, slaughter houses, skilled labourers and what appears to be a huge eating place. Michael tells me it was and perhaps still is used as a communal eating place for all construction workers. The whole community seems to be geared towards constructing these huge colossal pyramids, feeding the workers and engaging in religious activities.
We moved to speak to some locals and found out that there was something like a motel we could stay in. We would of course have to be seen to be contributing to their community in some way and so we both acquired jobs working in the jewellery business. Apparently our rings are very exquisitely made and would be very popular as trade items. There are constant shipments via the Nile of precious stones and jewels from all over the world and the god Ptah and his wife love to be adorned with such luxurious items. So, at least we are in the right place in order to perhaps see Sekhmet when she surfaces. So far I see no statues of Sekhmet, only ones of Hathor and she is portrayed with cow-like ears everywhere we look. She does appear to be exceptionally popular in Memphis. Michael seems to think that she has not found her animagus form, as yet. we seem to be here in the right time frame at least.
So, we spent the rest of the day wandering around the town before returning to our dwelling, which is one small room with a raised block on the floor covered with flax. Michael offered me the block but I declined. I've just settled onto the flax-covered floor and added cushioning charms. it's comfortable enough as a short-term measure.
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Oh, we had to choose some names that we could use whilst in Ancient Egypt. Michael suggested that I go by the name of Talibah. The names means "seeks knowledge." How appropriate is that name for me, Severus! Anyway, since I don't know any male Egyptian names except for those belonging to the Pharaohs so he named himself Mensah, which simply means "born third", appropriate for him as well since he has two older brothers.
Anyway, good night, my love, I miss you so much already, especially this night.
Present Time
"Day one over indeed," Severus grumbled to himself as he stood up from the couch two hours later and stretched slightly. He liked the name Michael had picked for Hermione, she was right, it was quite appropriate for her.
Severus shifted Callum gently in his arms as he had fallen asleep again sitting on Severus' knee. He carefully took his son and placed him in his cot in his and Hermione's room, placing a kiss to his son's forehead before quietly exiting the bedroom and leaving the door ajar.
He moved back into the lounge room and noticed how quiet and empty it felt. He felt completely alone once again. Hermione was such a large part of his life and it seemed very strange to not see her sitting next to him reading or playing with Callum. She would hopefully start to brew the potion to return them home pretty soon and after calculating the amount of ingredients she would need hopefully she would return fairly soon. However, looking back at the table where the diary now rested he couldn't believe the actual thickness of it. Hermione had written in fairly small print as well. Severus moved over to the table and picked up the diary once more, he lay himself down on the couch and placed a pillow behind his head for comfort and another on his stomach to help support the weight of the book. He flicked quickly through the text and noticed that not all pages were covered with text, Hermione or maybe Michael had managed to draw perfect pictures of statues, symbols, monuments, streets and whatever else they had seen. He did notice a picture of the sphinx and took time to look at it a little more closely. It was completely in tact and in the picture the nose of the sphinx had not been a crumbled hole as it was in the present time.
Severus took a deep breath and opened the book once more to day two and settled himself in for a very long read.
Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, 2458 BC, day two.
What a night! Cushioning charms simply are not enough and I don't feel too well. Whether it be through exhaustion, the sheer heat or the aches and pains I now have acquired I know not. We start work today as well. As neither Michael nor I have an inclination for jewellery making we are going to have to find a way to do our work by magic and not get caught.
We have a problem with our general ablutions as well. erm. the Egyptians seem to not have anything other than a bucket-type-thing to use. Of course we can cast cleaning charms for the rest of what we need but even so it is quite. archaic. and you might laugh since yes, we are in Ancient Egypt but I do miss my home comforts!
As I look out the hole in the wall. window. I see that the rest of the population seems to be up and heading off towards the big restaurant-type building we saw yesterday. So, Michael and I are going there in the hope of acquiring some breakfast, as we are both very hungry indeed.
~~*~~
Today seems to have been something of a special day. You may have guessed I'm writing this as I lie on my cushioned bundle of flax yet again. I'm quite exhausted now and still rather nauseous. Anyway, back to our day. after breakfast, which consisted of some kind of flat round bread and gruel, we were taken to the main departments here in Memphis in order to start work. After finally acquiring a somewhat empty room with just Michael and I surrounded by the most exquisite jewellery we started work making a necklace for none other than Hathor her self. We were able to find out what she liked by looking at various statues and wall paintings of her that were surrounding us, and so by midday we had a very beautiful piece of jewellery finished and ready to send to her.
Well, just as we were contemplating how to actually transport such a thing of beauty, who should walk into the room but Ptah himself! He is a little shorter than I am and is very much tanned, as are all of the locals. He actually wears a false beard, which I suppose may be the height of fashion in this time but looks quite ridiculous to me. He was adorned with many jewels and had very thick black eyeliner on with a white toga and he also carried a staff. He had apparently been walking amongst his people for most of the day looking at the various works of the craftsmen and artisans and giving pointers and such like. Anyway, what a very gracious man. god. He was so impressed with our work he said our talents were simply wasted making jewellery for everyday use, even if it was for his wife. He told us to report for work tomorrow in the Royal residence where we could be something like chief artisans working on the burial chambers within the great pyramids. Michael was completely beside himself and Ptah seemed very pleased that he had made Michael smile so much.
Of course, being moved up in status we also are able to move out of the peasants' mud hut, which is what we currently live in, and into a Royal worker's residence. This surely means no more flax on the floor. I'd transfigure a bed if I thought there was no way it would be seen by the natives.
I managed to put our time frame into more of a context today. I will tell you, Severus although you probably are already aware from various books you've already read. We are in the Egyptian fifth dynasty and the current King is Neferirkare. Currently there is strife between the Nubians and the Libyans. Oh, and the great building project currently going on is the erection of the Great Sphinx at Giza. I can't wait to see what it looks like without its nose broken off. that is if we are not already home by the time it is built of course. Also the pyramid just finished is that of Neferirkare and is part of the Abusir Necropolis in Memphis. I do believe this maybe the burial chamber we may be working in tomorrow.
So, tomorrow we move to our new residence and start our new job. The workdays are very long here and we will only have one day off a week. Now, we still have to collect our ingredients but I've not seen any of the so- called gods we need to see as yet. I will reiterate what we need to find just in case you forgot.
As you know we need to find the ingredients depicted in the crop circle symbols that were engraved onto the Book of Shadows. Now, as the Egyptians were always fond of symbolic-code we narrowed the four symbols down to mean the four basic elements- earth, air, fire and water. Now we then decided that the ingredients we would need are only available in this time period and would be things that represented those four gods in this time. So, here are the gods we must find followed by what we need to obtain from them.
Nefertem is the son of Ptah and Hathor and he wears a blue lotus flower as his headdress. Blue lotus flowers symbolise fire in this day and age and therefore we need to obtain a petal.
Geb is the god of earth and is depicted with a white fronted goose on his head. We therefore need a feather from the goose.
Shu is the god of air and he is the father of Geb. He wears a feather on his head, now as we don't know the type of feather we must simply obtain the one he wears.
Hapy is the god of the Nile and his headdress is filled with aquatic plants, therefore we need a sample of each.
As the base of the potion we will need to obtain some water from the Nile.
Once the ingredients have been acquired I will be able to devise the potion. quantities etc. well, you are the Potions Master so I needn't tell you.
So, this is the end of day two and we are going to have to find a way to return to Ancient Hogwarts and start off the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion. We have the day off in three days so perhaps that will be a good day to start.
I sincerely hope that my journal is not boring to you, Severus. I do ramble and I will have to edit it eventually. Actually, although I'm sure daily routine may be important I am going to find it tedious to write so I may leave this out from now on. I'll see. Oh, and Michael has said he would like to document what we see in picture format as well. since he does not have access to a camera here. He tells me he is also an avid artist in his spare time. I'm going to hand the diary over to Michael now in fact as he wants to draw a picture of the hut we are living in before we move out. so please turn over.
I love you. Please give Callum a big hug and kiss from his mum. I can't believe it has been two days already, it feels like a life time. and there I go, all emotional now. please excuse the tear stains.
Enjoy.
Chapter One
Hogwarts: Year 2458 BC
They felt a tingling and an icy cold feeling as they were launched back in time just over four and a half thousand years. The feeling passed in seconds and they both landed on a hard cold stone floor with a thud and unfortunately a sound of breaking glass, which echoed off the dungeon walls.
"Aww." Hermione heard from somewhere on her right and turned her head in a fruitless gesture to try and see what had happened.
"Are you all right, Michael?" Hermione asked as she sat up on the floor and rubbed her arm slightly. The room was very dark and the stone floor exceptionally chilly.
"Yes, just landed on my bottom harder than I would have liked." Michael said as he stood up and chuckled slightly. They could see absolutely nothing in the room, as the darkness seemed to envelop everything and no natural light could get in this far beneath the castle. "Lumos," Michael whispered and his ring, which was his transfigured wand, lit up the vicinity around him. Hermione copied him and soon the entire room could be seen. There was nothing to see however, it was a very vacant room with two heavy wooden doors- one that would lead back out into Hogwarts itself and the other into the room where the Book of Shadows was house in, in their own time that was.
"What was that sound of breaking glass, Hermione?" Michael asked as he gazed around the floor looking for any clues. Hermione remembered hearing it as well and immediately checked the potion vial she was carrying.
"Oh, no," Hermione gasped in horror. "Michael, the vials are smashed. We can't get home for another eight weeks!" Hermione moaned unhappily at the thought of being away from Severus for that length of time.
"Can we brew another potion?" Michael asked quite concerned.
"Yes, Severus enclosed the spare ingredients just in case. I will have to do it here in order for it to go undisturbed though. Come on, Michael. Let's get this part over with." Hermione said as she opened the door and headed into the cell. The only things present were a pedestal, where the Book of Shadows would be put, and a lot of dust. Hermione took out the diary and muttered a spell to copy it and set up and communication between the two books she now held. She placed one of the diaries in the corner of the room and the other into her pocket.
"Is that everything?" Michael asked.
"Yes, hopefully this room will be completely forgotten about for the next four and a half thousand years." Hermione said optimistically. "Let's go to Egypt now. When we have settled a little we can start with the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion."
"Do we have to go right now? I thought we might take a look around here for a bit." Michael said disappointed at not having the opportunity to quench his curiosity about an Ancient Hogwarts and what it would be like compared to his own time.
"Michael, we will have to come back here to brew the time potion but the mission in Egypt is far more important to get over and done with right now." Hermione told him urgently.
"Agreed," Michael said with a nod of his head.
"Right, now 'Hogwarts: A History' tells us that the anti-apparition wards were not put into place until the middle fourteenth century so we should have no problems leaving this place."
"Come on then, let's not hang around. I can't wait to see what the pyramids were like when they were just recently built." Michael told her excitedly and she grinned at him broadly. "Oh, wait. We need to cast translation spells so we can converse with the Egyptian peasants."
Hermione lifted her hand and pointed her finger at him before whispering the translation spell and lowering her hand again. Michael did the same for her and soon they were ready to leave. They stood in the middle of the room and held each other's hand before popping out of existence from Hogwarts and landing in the middle of some reeds by the River Nile in Egypt in the early morning of what would promise to be an unbearably hot day.
~~*~~
Present time.
"What should we do, Albus?" Minerva asked as she watched Severus storm out of the sub dungeons with the diary firmly under his arm. Something must have gone wrong, it had already been fifteen minutes since Hermione and Michael had gone back in time and the potion should have already returned them home by now. Albus sighed and turned to the teachers assembled with a worried expression on his face.
"There is nothing we can do. We must simply be of as much support to Severus as we can be. I fear he may not get through this if he does not have the support he needs." Albus shook his head sadly and moved to place the wards on the room housing the Book of Shadows. "Perhaps Severus will find out what has happened when he reads the diary."
"Just let us know if there is anything we can do. There must be some other way to bring them back." Harry spoke up with a look of shock on his face at the thought of losing one of his best friend and a close colleague.
"We shall have to wait, but we will indeed help in any way we can. In the mean time we need to replace the wards here and head back into the main castle." Albus said as he ushered all of the teachers out and sighed inwardly to himself.
"But, Hermione and Michael will be locked in if we each replace our own wards, Headmaster." Remus said, concerned about the two young professors.
"I shall erect a detection charm so that if either Hermione or Michael returns, we will be alerted at once." Albus conceded, aware of the concern that everyone had; not just Remus.
~~*~~
Severus entered his and Hermione's chambers and immediately dismissed the House Elf who had been watching over Callum. He placed the heavy diary on the small coffee table and lifted his son out of the playpen and held him tightly before finally letting go of his pent up emotions and sobbing at the loss of his wife. They had only been married for eight months and already they had been separated by that cursed spell mingled with Sekhmet's curse. Now they were separated through a period of time of around four thousand five hundred years. and people wondered why Severus was so bitter and angry for most of the time. His life was just a pit of spiralling depression and even with Hermione as his guiding light and ray of hope; nothing could spare him from life's pitfalls and despair.
After crying silently and hugging Callum for what seemed like forever he pulled back and gazed at his son, who was looking up at him with his wife's huge brown eyes and his father's thick matt of black hair. Despite the obvious similarities to Severus, Callum reminded him so much of Hermione- his facial expressions, shape of his chin and nose. "Callum, we've lost her. Mummy has gone. It's just you and me for a while, son. We'll get her back though. Don't worry." He said stroking his head and kissing him on the cheek as he stifled another sob. There was a knock on the door and Severus quickly dried his eyes and called for his visitor to enter. "Albus," Severus greeted without even bothering to look up. he would be the only person who would dare to interrupt Severus' private time.
"Severus," Albus said as he watched father and son together on the couch before entering the chambers properly and taking a seat on one of the chairs.
"I've lost her, Albus." Severus said becoming quite depressed.
"How do you know, son? Have you read her diary that quickly?" Albus asked gravely.
"No, Albus. I've not even opened it." Severus told him with a heavy sigh and a shake of his head.
"Then stop being so pessimistic for your son's sake if nothing else." Albus scolded.
"I find that exceptionally difficult to do when we have only been married for eight months and have spent more than half of that time separated from one another!" Severus said raising his voice angrily to his old mentor. Callum was scared at the sudden change in his father's demeanour and began to cry. "I have no hope left!"
"Severus," Albus tried to soothe.
"I don't want to hear this, Albus. She knew I did not want her to go. She knew I did not want her to cast that spell but she did these things anyway. Despite what I wanted." Severus bellowed, "I cannot stand for this anymore. I've had enough!" His voice broke and he began to cry again. Albus got up and moved over to the couch beside him, placing a hand on his back and rubbing slightly as Callum continued to cry in his father's arms.
"Severus, you must be strong," Albus intoned. "Hermione and Michael both need your help. Callum is your sole responsibility now and he needs his father more than ever. We are all here to help you as much as we can but we need to know how." Severus snorted and clutched his son tightly to his chest again as he rocked him slightly to try and calm him down again. "Now, you have the answers to what has happened right here on this table. I want you to take the time to read through what Hermione has written and then we will devise a plan of action if need be. I will leave you to your thoughts for now Severus but I will come back later this evening to make sure you eat and get some rest."
"Thank you, Albus." Severus said rather dejectedly as he sat Callum upon his knee to face him and brushed his son's tears away with his thumbs. Severus then moved Callum into a more comfortable position and picked up the large diary from the table. He opened the book, took a deep breath and began to read as Albus left the chambers quietly.
~~*~~
Egypt, Old Kingdom approximately 2458 BC.
Well, time travel so far hasn't been too spectacular. The journey was all right but the landing none too pleasant. Michael landed on his bottom quite hard and I hit my arm and the stone floor of the sub dungeons. Our injuries are healed now though. If you are reading this diary, Severus then I'm pleased that my plan for a one-way communication indeed worked and that the diary managed to survive so long a time in the sub dungeons of Hogwarts undisturbed.
I don't really know what to write so I will just tell you things as they happen. Perhaps the whole diary could be edited at a later date.hmm. later date. I mean your present time of course. Anyway, it would be good to have a historical account of Ancient Egypt that wasn't written in hieroglyphics. Michael wants to spend some time at the Ancient Hogwarts as well. so perhaps I can also write some new additions in Hogwarts: A History? Ha-ha, I've always wanted to do that. I love that book!
Anyway, you have the diary, so you know we arrived safely. From the Hogwarts sub dungeons we then apparated right into Egypt, appearing in a bed of reeds by the River Nile in the early hours of the morning. It already promised to be an exceptionally hot day as well, a complete opposite to the chilly Scottish Highlands. I will try to find out the actual time period we are in and match it to the Gregorian calendar in order to make things easier to understand. Either that or I will simply number the days I am here- this being day one of course. and don't go flicking to the back of the book for a sneak peek, Severus! Take each day as it comes.
I will attempt to stick to facts, Severus. When writing in diary format I do tend to ramble sometimes. Oh, please know that I miss you already. and it's only been a few hours! I hope Callum is behaving himself for you. please, do be nice to Kelpy, as she will help you out while I'm gone. Of course, by the way I'm writing you can already assume there has already been a slight problem in us getting home again. When we landed in the past it was indeed with a thud and unfortunately the potions smashed. So, it will be eight weeks before we can finally have a new potion brewed. Of course. that's eight weeks for me. if my calculations are right, then I may already be home from your perspective in time. This is all quite confusing, is it not?
We intend to apparate back to Ancient Hogwarts and brew the potion in the sub dungeons as it is obvious that no one goes down there. We'll have to sneak out into Hogwarts to try to steal a cauldron though; thankfully we already have the ingredients due to your forward thinking. I wonder what the Potions Master looks like? I can't remember who it was off the top of my head.
Anyway, back on topic. We moved out of the bed of reeds and took a good look around. The day was certainly getting hotter and the River Nile looked very inviting indeed as it glistened with the reflected rays of the sun. Unfortunately it was not a leisure activity we could indulge in right then; we needed to find out where we were exactly.
Glancing into the water we saw several fishing boats with their masters already hard at work. Looking across the river and on the side that we currently occupied I could see that the land was well cultivated with many crops growing in the fields. There was also a small village on our side and if you looked into the middle distance you could see mountains and a very rocky landscape. I looked up the Nile and not too far away I could just make out the tips of some of the pyramids. Of course I've never seen the pyramids before but Michael has and he can't wait to see what they are like right now, having been fairly newly built.
I always thought of a desert when I imagined Egypt but I see that this is certainly not the case. There is much greenery and life in abundance. You can see immediately that the Nile is the life giving force for the entire local community and must play a very important part in life for all inhabitants who live by it.
We decided to make our way into the village and immediately noticed two more pyramids. Michael explained that they are known as the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid in our own time. Apparently they were built under Sneferu's reign and as I look I see that the Red Pyramid is actually white. Michael informs me that this is because it still has its outer casing of Tura limestone still intact. I'm finding it exceptionally strange to see these wonders of the world in all of their glory. none show any signs of weathering and are all in tact as they stand.
These constructs are huge and I feel most humbled by them. Michael tells me that the Great Pyramids at Giza are even bigger, and can you believe only built 36 years ago in my current time frame! Absolutely amazing and yet I still see no evidence as to how they were constructed. so I can't solve that mystery as yet I'm afraid.
Walking through the village I could see many derelict and crumbling dwellings and Michael told me that it is because the people who once lived here would have moved once the pyramids had been built. The only people left living here are either farmers or fishermen apparently.
The villagers began to wake up and a man trying to trade some fish for our rings suddenly approached us, of course we had to decline since our rings are actually our transfigured wands. He was friendly enough to inform us where we were though. a place called Dahshur. We thanked him and moved on through the village. The day was getting hotter and we could see that the locals all wore next to nothing as their daily dress, which was probably quite a good idea since the sun hadn't even reached its high point in the sky as yet. We seem to stick out like sore thumbs amongst the locals despite our glamour charms.
So, we needed to travel northwards to Memphis. You read the same books that I did regarding Ancient Egypt, Severus, but I will refresh your memory anyway. We have to find Hathor, daughter of the sun god, Re. She will of course transform into Sekhmet when provoked. We do not yet know if we have arrived before the transformation has occurred for her or if she is already in possession of her Book of Shadows.
We found a track, which seemed to head northwards towards Memphis and set out on it. Michael said it would only be about a five-mile journey and we should try to avoid apparating to places we didn't know unless it was a dire emergency. I completely agree. I decided that I could cope with the heat and walking such a distance so I cast a cooling charm on both of us and we set off on our journey.
There's nothing to really tell you about our journey. We didn't meet anyone and the landscape was just the same as what I've already explained to you.
We managed to reach Memphis after what I would assume to be midday. It's hard to tell the time but the sun had already gone over head and the day had reached its maximum temperature. Memphis, as you have read I'm sure, was the capital city of Egypt at this period in time, of course in your time, Severus it is Cairo. As we entered the city we immediately melded into the sheer throng of people. Of course this city also has a rich agricultural and fisheries business as Dahshur has but it also seems to be the main area of commerce with quite a large market, temples, dwellings, stone masons, slaughter houses, skilled labourers and what appears to be a huge eating place. Michael tells me it was and perhaps still is used as a communal eating place for all construction workers. The whole community seems to be geared towards constructing these huge colossal pyramids, feeding the workers and engaging in religious activities.
We moved to speak to some locals and found out that there was something like a motel we could stay in. We would of course have to be seen to be contributing to their community in some way and so we both acquired jobs working in the jewellery business. Apparently our rings are very exquisitely made and would be very popular as trade items. There are constant shipments via the Nile of precious stones and jewels from all over the world and the god Ptah and his wife love to be adorned with such luxurious items. So, at least we are in the right place in order to perhaps see Sekhmet when she surfaces. So far I see no statues of Sekhmet, only ones of Hathor and she is portrayed with cow-like ears everywhere we look. She does appear to be exceptionally popular in Memphis. Michael seems to think that she has not found her animagus form, as yet. we seem to be here in the right time frame at least.
So, we spent the rest of the day wandering around the town before returning to our dwelling, which is one small room with a raised block on the floor covered with flax. Michael offered me the block but I declined. I've just settled onto the flax-covered floor and added cushioning charms. it's comfortable enough as a short-term measure.
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Oh, we had to choose some names that we could use whilst in Ancient Egypt. Michael suggested that I go by the name of Talibah. The names means "seeks knowledge." How appropriate is that name for me, Severus! Anyway, since I don't know any male Egyptian names except for those belonging to the Pharaohs so he named himself Mensah, which simply means "born third", appropriate for him as well since he has two older brothers.
Anyway, good night, my love, I miss you so much already, especially this night.
Present Time
"Day one over indeed," Severus grumbled to himself as he stood up from the couch two hours later and stretched slightly. He liked the name Michael had picked for Hermione, she was right, it was quite appropriate for her.
Severus shifted Callum gently in his arms as he had fallen asleep again sitting on Severus' knee. He carefully took his son and placed him in his cot in his and Hermione's room, placing a kiss to his son's forehead before quietly exiting the bedroom and leaving the door ajar.
He moved back into the lounge room and noticed how quiet and empty it felt. He felt completely alone once again. Hermione was such a large part of his life and it seemed very strange to not see her sitting next to him reading or playing with Callum. She would hopefully start to brew the potion to return them home pretty soon and after calculating the amount of ingredients she would need hopefully she would return fairly soon. However, looking back at the table where the diary now rested he couldn't believe the actual thickness of it. Hermione had written in fairly small print as well. Severus moved over to the table and picked up the diary once more, he lay himself down on the couch and placed a pillow behind his head for comfort and another on his stomach to help support the weight of the book. He flicked quickly through the text and noticed that not all pages were covered with text, Hermione or maybe Michael had managed to draw perfect pictures of statues, symbols, monuments, streets and whatever else they had seen. He did notice a picture of the sphinx and took time to look at it a little more closely. It was completely in tact and in the picture the nose of the sphinx had not been a crumbled hole as it was in the present time.
Severus took a deep breath and opened the book once more to day two and settled himself in for a very long read.
Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, 2458 BC, day two.
What a night! Cushioning charms simply are not enough and I don't feel too well. Whether it be through exhaustion, the sheer heat or the aches and pains I now have acquired I know not. We start work today as well. As neither Michael nor I have an inclination for jewellery making we are going to have to find a way to do our work by magic and not get caught.
We have a problem with our general ablutions as well. erm. the Egyptians seem to not have anything other than a bucket-type-thing to use. Of course we can cast cleaning charms for the rest of what we need but even so it is quite. archaic. and you might laugh since yes, we are in Ancient Egypt but I do miss my home comforts!
As I look out the hole in the wall. window. I see that the rest of the population seems to be up and heading off towards the big restaurant-type building we saw yesterday. So, Michael and I are going there in the hope of acquiring some breakfast, as we are both very hungry indeed.
~~*~~
Today seems to have been something of a special day. You may have guessed I'm writing this as I lie on my cushioned bundle of flax yet again. I'm quite exhausted now and still rather nauseous. Anyway, back to our day. after breakfast, which consisted of some kind of flat round bread and gruel, we were taken to the main departments here in Memphis in order to start work. After finally acquiring a somewhat empty room with just Michael and I surrounded by the most exquisite jewellery we started work making a necklace for none other than Hathor her self. We were able to find out what she liked by looking at various statues and wall paintings of her that were surrounding us, and so by midday we had a very beautiful piece of jewellery finished and ready to send to her.
Well, just as we were contemplating how to actually transport such a thing of beauty, who should walk into the room but Ptah himself! He is a little shorter than I am and is very much tanned, as are all of the locals. He actually wears a false beard, which I suppose may be the height of fashion in this time but looks quite ridiculous to me. He was adorned with many jewels and had very thick black eyeliner on with a white toga and he also carried a staff. He had apparently been walking amongst his people for most of the day looking at the various works of the craftsmen and artisans and giving pointers and such like. Anyway, what a very gracious man. god. He was so impressed with our work he said our talents were simply wasted making jewellery for everyday use, even if it was for his wife. He told us to report for work tomorrow in the Royal residence where we could be something like chief artisans working on the burial chambers within the great pyramids. Michael was completely beside himself and Ptah seemed very pleased that he had made Michael smile so much.
Of course, being moved up in status we also are able to move out of the peasants' mud hut, which is what we currently live in, and into a Royal worker's residence. This surely means no more flax on the floor. I'd transfigure a bed if I thought there was no way it would be seen by the natives.
I managed to put our time frame into more of a context today. I will tell you, Severus although you probably are already aware from various books you've already read. We are in the Egyptian fifth dynasty and the current King is Neferirkare. Currently there is strife between the Nubians and the Libyans. Oh, and the great building project currently going on is the erection of the Great Sphinx at Giza. I can't wait to see what it looks like without its nose broken off. that is if we are not already home by the time it is built of course. Also the pyramid just finished is that of Neferirkare and is part of the Abusir Necropolis in Memphis. I do believe this maybe the burial chamber we may be working in tomorrow.
So, tomorrow we move to our new residence and start our new job. The workdays are very long here and we will only have one day off a week. Now, we still have to collect our ingredients but I've not seen any of the so- called gods we need to see as yet. I will reiterate what we need to find just in case you forgot.
As you know we need to find the ingredients depicted in the crop circle symbols that were engraved onto the Book of Shadows. Now, as the Egyptians were always fond of symbolic-code we narrowed the four symbols down to mean the four basic elements- earth, air, fire and water. Now we then decided that the ingredients we would need are only available in this time period and would be things that represented those four gods in this time. So, here are the gods we must find followed by what we need to obtain from them.
Nefertem is the son of Ptah and Hathor and he wears a blue lotus flower as his headdress. Blue lotus flowers symbolise fire in this day and age and therefore we need to obtain a petal.
Geb is the god of earth and is depicted with a white fronted goose on his head. We therefore need a feather from the goose.
Shu is the god of air and he is the father of Geb. He wears a feather on his head, now as we don't know the type of feather we must simply obtain the one he wears.
Hapy is the god of the Nile and his headdress is filled with aquatic plants, therefore we need a sample of each.
As the base of the potion we will need to obtain some water from the Nile.
Once the ingredients have been acquired I will be able to devise the potion. quantities etc. well, you are the Potions Master so I needn't tell you.
So, this is the end of day two and we are going to have to find a way to return to Ancient Hogwarts and start off the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion. We have the day off in three days so perhaps that will be a good day to start.
I sincerely hope that my journal is not boring to you, Severus. I do ramble and I will have to edit it eventually. Actually, although I'm sure daily routine may be important I am going to find it tedious to write so I may leave this out from now on. I'll see. Oh, and Michael has said he would like to document what we see in picture format as well. since he does not have access to a camera here. He tells me he is also an avid artist in his spare time. I'm going to hand the diary over to Michael now in fact as he wants to draw a picture of the hut we are living in before we move out. so please turn over.
I love you. Please give Callum a big hug and kiss from his mum. I can't believe it has been two days already, it feels like a life time. and there I go, all emotional now. please excuse the tear stains.