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 Three
The night dragged on and Severus had only managed to catch a few hours sleep as Callum had woke him around two in the morning as he was casting illusions of fire breathing dragons onto the chamber walls and in turn lighting up the whole room with an amber glow. After casting numerous finite incantatems and giving Callum a bottle he simply could not get back to sleep after that.
He had risen from his bed around six am and headed into the bathroom to take a hot bath. His day was already planned out for him- bath, sort out Callum, breakfast in the Great Hall with Albus then back to his chambers to read about Hermione's days in Ancient Egypt. This would continue until Albus came to force him to eat and see to Callum if necessary.
"Daaa, dadada," Severus rushed from the bathroom trying to pull a towel around his waist as he looked at Callum completely astonished. Callum was standing up in his cot completely awake and pushing a fist into his mouth as he babbled away to himself.
"Callum? Did you just say." Severus started as he frowned at his son intently.
"Dadadadadadadada," Callum babbled again and raised his hands up when he saw his father. Severus immediately picked him up from his cot and kissed him excitedly on the cheek, a huge grin breaking out on his face.
"That's right, my son. I am your dad." He twirled Callum around and hugged him tightly as he felt a wash of pride overtake him. "I love you, Callum. I just wish your mum was here to hear you say your first word."
"Dadadada."
"Oh, Callum, she would be so proud of you, my son." Severus hugged him again and sighed heavily. "Now, your daddy must get himself ready and then you need to have your bath too as we are due in the Great Hall for breakfast soon." Severus moved out into the lounge room and placed Callum into his playpen. "I'll be back very soon." He headed back into the bathroom, leaving the doors open so that he could hear if anything untoward happened. Within minutes Severus was fully dressed and back in the lounge room to see to Callum. Soon they were both heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Callum could now sit up unaided in a high chair and so Severus simply carried him downstairs as he continued to babble his first word.
"Ah, good morning, Severus and Callum." The Headmaster greeted as they both entered the Great Hall through the teachers door. "What's that?" Albus asked as he heard Callum's voice and smiled brightly.
"He said his first word this morning, Albus," Severus explained proudly.
"Ah, and let me guess that it was 'dad'?" Severus grinned and nodded his head.
"Oh, wait until Hermione hears, Severus. She will be so happy. though peeved he didn't say 'mum' instead, I should imagine." Minerva said as she looked up from the table and chuckled slightly.
"Yes, I imagine so, Minerva. If she ever returns to us that is." Severus said as his smile faded quickly and he conjured a high chair for Callum before taking his own seat.
"Have you found anything else out regarding what happened?" Minerva asked again. Severus sighed heavily.
"Just that she smashed the vials when they time travelled and that she has to brew the time potion again. I have no idea why she has not managed to calculate the ingredients in order to return them both to this time frame however." Severus told her as he gathered some food for himself and some for Callum from the array of dishes in front of him on the head table.
"As I said, Severus, the answers will be contained within her diary. Now, I know you would like to continue reading today so would you like Minerva and I to look after Callum for you? We are going into Hogsmede today." Albus asked as he watched Severus cut up a sausage for Callum and hand it to him. Callum picked up the chunks with his hands and squeezed one into a minced up mess while stuffing the other bit in his mouth voraciously.
"Please, Albus but do not teach him anymore magic. He had me up very early this morning casting fire breathing dragons onto the walls and making them fly around lighting up the entire room." Severus told him before yawning and then casting a deadly glare as Albus and Minerva both chuckled. "I blame Potter for showing him those pictures of the dragons he looked after in Mexico."
"Thanks, Severus. but I believe he had already transformed his toy dragon into a real one before I showed him my pictures." Harry said as he looked up and grinned from the other end of the table.
"Alright, no more magic for today but I will not stop his artistic flare if he chooses to play." Albus agreed as his eyes twinkled in mirth and he winked at Harry.
The rest of the staff began to trickle in just as Severus was finishing his third cup of black coffee. He stood up and kissed Callum on the cheek, not wanting to be questioned yet again about what he had read in the diary. He turned to leave the hall after nodding to Albus and Minerva but just as he got to the door Callum began to cry.
"Dada, dada," Severus turned and gazed back at his son who was attempting to get out of his high chair and reach out to his father as he clenched and unclenched his fists and cried loudly at the injustice of being abandoned.
"Callum, you are staying with Albus and Minerva today." Severus said as he returned to tower above his son and glare down his nose.
"Dada, dada, dada," Callum continued and tears flooded down his cheeks as his distress continued; it was really quite heart breaking and Severus couldn't resist his son's cries any longer. He picked Callum up from the high chair and rocked him in his arms before looking to the Headmaster for an explanation.
"It seems he wants to be with you today, Severus. He must be missing his mum quite a bit and he does not need to be missing his dad so soon either. Spend time with him today, Severus. There will be time for you to read when he takes a nap." Albus replied to Severus' unasked question.
"Come along then." Severus sighed before spinning on his heel and heading back to their chambers with his son in his arms. On the journey back upstairs Severus decided that he would take Callum off to the arboretum on the roof level of the West Tower. This was a place he sometimes used to grow his potions ingredients and it was very safe and very warm up there. He could let Callum play while he read and have no concerns about his son's well being at all.
After a quick stop off to grab the diary and a couple of toys, Severus and Callum headed off up to the roof level. They found a comfortable spot under a shady tree and Severus conjured a blanket for them both to sit on. He placed Callum down on the blanket and handed him his toys before casting some wards around him in a five metre radius. Callum would be able to play anywhere within the circle and not get hurt at all or eat anything he shouldn't. Severus got himself comfortable lying on the grass under the tree and opening the diary.
At first glance he noted he had already read up to the point his marker was at, the previous night. He turned the page and found a very detailed drawing of the garden that Hermione had described. She had been right, if the drawing had been in colour then the beauty of the place would have come to light, it was hard to see the life in the place as it was just in black and white. He turned the page again and found the obelisk that Hermione had mentioned with its relative position in regard to the temple at Heliopolis.
Turning the page again he found that the writing had changed, it wasn't Hermione's neat scripture, which is what he had been expecting. not even a close approximation. His heart began to pound as he started to read and he immediately noticed the date, which was at the top of the page.
Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, 2457 BC. Day???
Let me explain what has happened. As you may have guessed it is Michael who is writing this entry instead of Hermione. The year has changed now as well, as I'm sure you can see. Yet, do not be worried by this fact as I fear we somehow managed to emerge from our time travel in the latter part of the year 2758 BC. So, in actual fact we have only been here for about sixteen weeks in total.
So, Severus, I do assume it is you who is still reading this diary and therefore, I will write it as if you are.
You must have many questions about what has happened in the last few months since Hermione last wrote. I don't doubt it. For a start the diary was lost and I only recently just found it again. Still, that does not explain why I am writing in it instead of Hermione.
Let me go back to what happened after we left the garden in Heliopolis, which was around four months ago now. Hermione and I followed Re and Hathor back into the temple. Hathor was shown to her quarters and so Hermione and I hid in a vacant room right next door until the scheduled meeting that would take place that evening. We rested for a bit but maintained our invisibility spells just in case we dozed off and were discovered. Several hours later we were disturbed by much chattering outside in the corridor. As we crept out of the room we noticed that a throng of people were heading into the main hall of the temple. So, we followed, maintaining a discreet distance behind the crowd.
We stole into the back of the hall and waited for something to happen as everyone chatted amongst themselves with great noise. Before long a large gong was bashed and silence fell throughout the hall. Immediately after, a procession came in from the back of the hall towards the front and the various invited deities came in with Re, the sun-god being carried by various Royal footmen, in a large carriage upon their shoulders. They all proceeded to the front and everyone in the room kneeled on one knee with their heads bowed in respect of their gods. Hermione and I were of course still invisible at this point.
When Re finally reached the front of the hall he was helped out of his carriage and ascended to a large throne on top of a raised dais. He told his followers to all rise up and soon everyone was standing again. I could see immediately how angry this man seemed. He immediately addressed his people, and I will try to remember what he said. although I could be wrong since this was about sixteen weeks ago, as I have already stated.
"Rise my loyal flock!" Re had said in his low authoritative voice. He was wearing his hawk headdress again but had Royal colourings of blue and gold this time, and looked very imposing as he towered over his entire congregation. There was little noise as the gathering all rose as one and Hermione and I moved to the side a bit more so we could keep a clear view.
From our new position we could now see part of the faces of each of the deities that Re had summoned. and there, were many of the ingredients within each of the headdresses the chosen deities wore. I had to pull Hermione back as she was headed off towards the front to try and steal what we needed for the potion to open that book. It took all of my skills at persuasion in order to stop her from being so reckless but I did indeed manage.
"My daughter, Hathor." Re greeted his daughter and she stepped forward to kneel in front of her father. She was wearing a new headdress this time which depicted cow's horns with a solar disk in between. She remained kneeling in front of her father and bowing her head in submission. I should perhaps tell you that Hathor is depicted as a cow in her placid form, being the mother goddess that she is and representing divine motherhood. Re greeted each of his deities in turn.
"Geb, god of the earth," a man who was painted completely green with a stuffed white fronted goose on his head stepped forward. Instead of wearing one of those false beards that seem so popular he was wearing something round his waist. now, it took everything that I could do to stop from laughing out loud but it was a tube-like ornament with jewels, depicting an erect penis! Where these people get their ideas of fashion from I just do not know. Of course you must understand that Geb is supposed to be the divine personification of the earth and therefore the god of fertility. hence his sense of ceremonial dress.
"Shu, father of Geb, god of the air." Shu stepped forward and he seemed somewhat under dressed to me with a simple feather on his head and the mask of a lion on his face. and nothing else.
"Nut, daughter of Shu and goddess of the sky, come before me." Re spoke again as a woman in a red dress with a mask of a cow stepped forth and kneeled before him.
"Tefnut, goddess of moisture." A short woman with a headdress of a sun disk encircled by a cobra emerged from the front of the congregation, and kneeled in front of Re; next to the other deities that had already been summoned.
"Nun, god of primordial waters, step forth." This man wore a mask depicting a frog.
"Finally, Hapy, god of the Nile." A very rotund man shuffled forward and was so grossly overweight that he looked like a female on top and wore a headdress full of water plant life.
Once all of the deities had been greeted by the sun-god, Re told everyone present to sit down on the benches provided. "I have summoned you, my faithful followers on this fine evening for a very grave reason. There are a great number of murmurings finding their way to my ears of a rising up of a different cult in the south." There were many gasps in the crowd at this piece of information and Re raised his hands to draw silence again as he continued.
Hermione interrupted my concentration at this point and I did not hear most of the explanation so I will simply tell you the gist. Re was concerned that his religion was not being followed. religiously and so he wanted to send word out that he was not going to lie down and take this. He was now open to suggestions as to what to do, how to make sure that the word he spread was right and everyone knew this. After much debate and discussion it was decided that the only thing to do would be to send out a representative in order to teach humankind a lesson. By this point Hermione had managed to drag me down to the front to where the deities were and I was feeling too close for comfort to Geb. judging by the reaction that Ptah had exhibited towards me I did not want to know what would happen if we were somehow seen. This man, it was safe to say, made me rather nervous.
As we approached the front, one of the deities suddenly stood up and Hermione knocked into him. He immediately turned and grabbed out into what he must have assumed was thin air and managed to grasp Hermione around the arm.
"What is the meaning of your disturbance, Nun?" Re asked as the god with the frog mask clutched onto his invisible catch.
"There is magic here, my lord." Nun said, trying to explain. I held my breath trying to remain undetected in the hope that I could help Hermione if needed. "I cannot see what it is but I have hold of something."
Re stepped down from his dais and raised an arm to dismiss Nun's concerns. "You are holding the arm of a woman, Nun." My jaw dropped, he could see Hermione! How this was possible I did not know because we were still invisible. "Release her." Re ordered and Nun's grasp quickly diminished allowing Hermione to stand alone in shock. "Step forward," Re summoned Hermione and she hesitatingly moved close to Re.
I stood stock still and watched at a complete and utter loss as to what to do. "Drop your cloak," Re commanded as the entire congregation looked on at the appearance of their sun-god seemingly telling thin air what to do. Hermione muttered an incantation and passed her ring across her chest, ending her invisibility spell in the blink of an eye. "Ah, I see you clearly now. You have the heart of a lioness and the gifts of a powerful witch." Hermione didn't say anything at all as Re began to circle her, looking her up and down. "Why have you graced me with your presence this night?"
"I-I was awed by the sight of you, my lord and so much wanted to attend one of your congregations." Hermione replied, she was trying to lie off the top of her head but being the Gryffindor that she is, was not making any kind of impression.
"Hmm. Tell your companion to come forth." Re told her as he looked directly at me. I stepped to Hermione's side as she looked around to try and find me, although I was now invisible to her since she had ended her invisibility spell. I quickly released my own invisibility spell and bowed in front of Re. "Who are you?" Re asked Hermione and she glanced at me with a worried expression on her face.
"I am known as Talibah, my lord." Hermione told him.
"Ah, and what knowledge is it that you seek?" Re asked her as he continued to circle us both now. He was so tall. is so tall. Taller than you, Severus, and wearing his Royal colours; most intimidating.
"I seek all knowledge, my lord. I am intrigued by life itself and every part of it." Hermione replied a little more comfortable now she was speaking the truth.
"I see that," Re said as he stood in front of her and stared into her eyes. "You," he looked over to me. "What is your name?"
"I am Mensah, my lord." I said with a bow again.
"You are Talibah's travelling companion?" Re asked me.
"Yes, my lord. I travel with Talibah. We are married." I'm sorry, Severus but this was our story back in Memphis and we couldn't change it now in case we were found out.
"Father, I know these two from Memphis. They are jewellers working in the tombs at the Abusir Necropolis." Hathor said as she stood up and moved to stand beside her father.
"Tell me why they are here, Hathor, my daughter." Re told her expecting an immediate answer.
"I do not have that knowledge, father." Hathor said as she eyed us both curiously.
"Then you shall find out!" Re roared at his daughter who immediately shrank back. "They must have followed you from Memphis. How could let that happen?"
"I did not see them, father. They must have been invisible and you know my magic is not as strong as yours is." Hathor spoke quickly.
"We do not have time for this. Guards!" Re shouted as he turned and stepped back up onto his dais. Two Royal guards rushed to the front and kneeled before Re. "Take our visitors to the holding cell and watch them." We were immediately accosted by two of the largest Egyptians I've seen and pulled from the hall and down into what I would say was a dungeon although nothing like that of Hogwarts'. Before we were out of earshot I heard Hathor speaking to her father.
"Do not hurt Talibah, father, she is with child."
Okay, that was a revelation to me for you must be the father Severus and Hermione certainly never mentioned anything to me. I guess looking back all of the signs were there. She was always being sick in the mornings and asking for the weirdest combination of foods. Of course she wasn't showing at the time. we had only been in Egypt for about one week though.
So, we remained in this holding cell until the meeting ended. Not much to tell really about this place. although instead of a flax-filled floor we had sand this time. We talked a little but I don't remember what about. We were more interested in what was going to happen to us and so kept our thoughts to ourselves. We had tried to apparate but found there were wards erected and so could not.
Incidentally, we had left the diary back in the hall and it remained there until I found it just yesterday. It was fairly hard to find since it had its own invisibility spell cast upon it.
So, we were left under guard in the holding cell until summoned by Re to the hall the next morning. The congregation had by this time all gone from the temple and the only people in the hall were Re and Hathor. We kneeled in front of Re who was sitting upon a throne on his dais.
"I know you are not who you say you are," Re began and Hermione and I both remained silent as we continued to kneel with bowed heads. "You are not Egyptians. You have Royal blood however."
"Father, they came to Memphis very recently, I had not seen them before. They are not from Memphis." Hathor told her father as she stood to the side of his throne.
"Who are you really?" Re demanded.
"I am known as Hermione and my companion is Michael. We are from the West, my lord." Hermione told him, trying to give away as little as possible although what she had already told him was more than enough.
"Are you from the opposing cult?" Re asked us.
"No, my lord, we have no cult where we come from but we will gladly serve you." I told him and he laughed at me.
"I thought you might, since you have no other option right now." Re replied. "Tell me how you have Royal blood."
"We can give you no explanation, my lord. It is how we were born. We were given the gift of magic at birth."
"Ah, a Royal son gifted you," Re said trying to reason what I had said in his own seemingly narrow mind. I chose not to contradict anything he said as we were already on shaky ground. "Michael, you will return to Memphis and help to spread my word with Ptah." Re told me, he was going to split us up. I couldn't believe it. and he was going to make me work with Ptah of all people. I would have to keep my eyes open around him as I didn't like his advances one bit. and as for laving Hermione, I couldn't think of anything worse.
"My lord, we should not be separated from one another," I said indicating Hermione and myself.
"Your wife is with child, Hathor will help her bring her creation into this world. It is no longer a husband's concern until the child is born. Hermione will be in safe hands here within the temple." Re told me putting an end to our conversation with a poignant glare, and one that would rival yours, Severus.
With that we were allowed to say a short good bye. I promised Hermione that I would not leave this time frame without her and that I would attempt to brew the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion. She told me to cast a freezing spell on the potion only and not to touch it otherwise as there was one ingredient that we could not obtain for another seven hundred years and we only had what you had put into the bag before we left our own time.
So, I left Hermione and did as she asked with the potion. I had not seen Hermione until I was able to return to the temple very recently to visit with her, which is when I stumbled upon the still invisible diary on my way back out.
Severus, fear not as I have seen Hermione and she is being very well taken care of by Hathor her self. Hathor has not returned to Ptah since and has been solely looking after Hermione. She is quite big now and doing well through her pregnancy. As for Ptah. well, he is not missing his wife at all. He really does prefer the men and Geb is only too happy to service him. Oh, I have been able to spot Nefertem, Ptah's and Hathor's son. He is still a boy and being looked after by what we would call a nanny. I managed to get a lotus petal from his headdress as well. took it while he was asleep. So, I've stored this very carefully in the Potion's bag you gave us and sent it back to Hogwarts' sub-dungeons under stasis. So, one ingredient down and four more things to collect.
One thing though. Sekhmet has started her crusade. She has been slaughtering people in the South and slowly making her way northwards. Thousands of people not complying with the cult of Re have been murdered by what is reported as a large vicious lioness. I have read the myth surrounding Hathor changing into Sekhmet when sufficiently infuriated and I did expect this mass murder to start soon after the meeting. I expect that it was decided at the meeting that Hathor would be chosen as Re's eye and sent out to destroy humankind and this does appear to indeed be the case.
I must sleep now but I will resume this diary as and when things occur.
Please do not worry about your wife, Severus. She is being treated like Royalty.
Enjoy.
Chapter Three
The night dragged on and Severus had only managed to catch a few hours sleep as Callum had woke him around two in the morning as he was casting illusions of fire breathing dragons onto the chamber walls and in turn lighting up the whole room with an amber glow. After casting numerous finite incantatems and giving Callum a bottle he simply could not get back to sleep after that.
He had risen from his bed around six am and headed into the bathroom to take a hot bath. His day was already planned out for him- bath, sort out Callum, breakfast in the Great Hall with Albus then back to his chambers to read about Hermione's days in Ancient Egypt. This would continue until Albus came to force him to eat and see to Callum if necessary.
"Daaa, dadada," Severus rushed from the bathroom trying to pull a towel around his waist as he looked at Callum completely astonished. Callum was standing up in his cot completely awake and pushing a fist into his mouth as he babbled away to himself.
"Callum? Did you just say." Severus started as he frowned at his son intently.
"Dadadadadadadada," Callum babbled again and raised his hands up when he saw his father. Severus immediately picked him up from his cot and kissed him excitedly on the cheek, a huge grin breaking out on his face.
"That's right, my son. I am your dad." He twirled Callum around and hugged him tightly as he felt a wash of pride overtake him. "I love you, Callum. I just wish your mum was here to hear you say your first word."
"Dadadada."
"Oh, Callum, she would be so proud of you, my son." Severus hugged him again and sighed heavily. "Now, your daddy must get himself ready and then you need to have your bath too as we are due in the Great Hall for breakfast soon." Severus moved out into the lounge room and placed Callum into his playpen. "I'll be back very soon." He headed back into the bathroom, leaving the doors open so that he could hear if anything untoward happened. Within minutes Severus was fully dressed and back in the lounge room to see to Callum. Soon they were both heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Callum could now sit up unaided in a high chair and so Severus simply carried him downstairs as he continued to babble his first word.
"Ah, good morning, Severus and Callum." The Headmaster greeted as they both entered the Great Hall through the teachers door. "What's that?" Albus asked as he heard Callum's voice and smiled brightly.
"He said his first word this morning, Albus," Severus explained proudly.
"Ah, and let me guess that it was 'dad'?" Severus grinned and nodded his head.
"Oh, wait until Hermione hears, Severus. She will be so happy. though peeved he didn't say 'mum' instead, I should imagine." Minerva said as she looked up from the table and chuckled slightly.
"Yes, I imagine so, Minerva. If she ever returns to us that is." Severus said as his smile faded quickly and he conjured a high chair for Callum before taking his own seat.
"Have you found anything else out regarding what happened?" Minerva asked again. Severus sighed heavily.
"Just that she smashed the vials when they time travelled and that she has to brew the time potion again. I have no idea why she has not managed to calculate the ingredients in order to return them both to this time frame however." Severus told her as he gathered some food for himself and some for Callum from the array of dishes in front of him on the head table.
"As I said, Severus, the answers will be contained within her diary. Now, I know you would like to continue reading today so would you like Minerva and I to look after Callum for you? We are going into Hogsmede today." Albus asked as he watched Severus cut up a sausage for Callum and hand it to him. Callum picked up the chunks with his hands and squeezed one into a minced up mess while stuffing the other bit in his mouth voraciously.
"Please, Albus but do not teach him anymore magic. He had me up very early this morning casting fire breathing dragons onto the walls and making them fly around lighting up the entire room." Severus told him before yawning and then casting a deadly glare as Albus and Minerva both chuckled. "I blame Potter for showing him those pictures of the dragons he looked after in Mexico."
"Thanks, Severus. but I believe he had already transformed his toy dragon into a real one before I showed him my pictures." Harry said as he looked up and grinned from the other end of the table.
"Alright, no more magic for today but I will not stop his artistic flare if he chooses to play." Albus agreed as his eyes twinkled in mirth and he winked at Harry.
The rest of the staff began to trickle in just as Severus was finishing his third cup of black coffee. He stood up and kissed Callum on the cheek, not wanting to be questioned yet again about what he had read in the diary. He turned to leave the hall after nodding to Albus and Minerva but just as he got to the door Callum began to cry.
"Dada, dada," Severus turned and gazed back at his son who was attempting to get out of his high chair and reach out to his father as he clenched and unclenched his fists and cried loudly at the injustice of being abandoned.
"Callum, you are staying with Albus and Minerva today." Severus said as he returned to tower above his son and glare down his nose.
"Dada, dada, dada," Callum continued and tears flooded down his cheeks as his distress continued; it was really quite heart breaking and Severus couldn't resist his son's cries any longer. He picked Callum up from the high chair and rocked him in his arms before looking to the Headmaster for an explanation.
"It seems he wants to be with you today, Severus. He must be missing his mum quite a bit and he does not need to be missing his dad so soon either. Spend time with him today, Severus. There will be time for you to read when he takes a nap." Albus replied to Severus' unasked question.
"Come along then." Severus sighed before spinning on his heel and heading back to their chambers with his son in his arms. On the journey back upstairs Severus decided that he would take Callum off to the arboretum on the roof level of the West Tower. This was a place he sometimes used to grow his potions ingredients and it was very safe and very warm up there. He could let Callum play while he read and have no concerns about his son's well being at all.
After a quick stop off to grab the diary and a couple of toys, Severus and Callum headed off up to the roof level. They found a comfortable spot under a shady tree and Severus conjured a blanket for them both to sit on. He placed Callum down on the blanket and handed him his toys before casting some wards around him in a five metre radius. Callum would be able to play anywhere within the circle and not get hurt at all or eat anything he shouldn't. Severus got himself comfortable lying on the grass under the tree and opening the diary.
At first glance he noted he had already read up to the point his marker was at, the previous night. He turned the page and found a very detailed drawing of the garden that Hermione had described. She had been right, if the drawing had been in colour then the beauty of the place would have come to light, it was hard to see the life in the place as it was just in black and white. He turned the page again and found the obelisk that Hermione had mentioned with its relative position in regard to the temple at Heliopolis.
Turning the page again he found that the writing had changed, it wasn't Hermione's neat scripture, which is what he had been expecting. not even a close approximation. His heart began to pound as he started to read and he immediately noticed the date, which was at the top of the page.
Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, 2457 BC. Day???
Let me explain what has happened. As you may have guessed it is Michael who is writing this entry instead of Hermione. The year has changed now as well, as I'm sure you can see. Yet, do not be worried by this fact as I fear we somehow managed to emerge from our time travel in the latter part of the year 2758 BC. So, in actual fact we have only been here for about sixteen weeks in total.
So, Severus, I do assume it is you who is still reading this diary and therefore, I will write it as if you are.
You must have many questions about what has happened in the last few months since Hermione last wrote. I don't doubt it. For a start the diary was lost and I only recently just found it again. Still, that does not explain why I am writing in it instead of Hermione.
Let me go back to what happened after we left the garden in Heliopolis, which was around four months ago now. Hermione and I followed Re and Hathor back into the temple. Hathor was shown to her quarters and so Hermione and I hid in a vacant room right next door until the scheduled meeting that would take place that evening. We rested for a bit but maintained our invisibility spells just in case we dozed off and were discovered. Several hours later we were disturbed by much chattering outside in the corridor. As we crept out of the room we noticed that a throng of people were heading into the main hall of the temple. So, we followed, maintaining a discreet distance behind the crowd.
We stole into the back of the hall and waited for something to happen as everyone chatted amongst themselves with great noise. Before long a large gong was bashed and silence fell throughout the hall. Immediately after, a procession came in from the back of the hall towards the front and the various invited deities came in with Re, the sun-god being carried by various Royal footmen, in a large carriage upon their shoulders. They all proceeded to the front and everyone in the room kneeled on one knee with their heads bowed in respect of their gods. Hermione and I were of course still invisible at this point.
When Re finally reached the front of the hall he was helped out of his carriage and ascended to a large throne on top of a raised dais. He told his followers to all rise up and soon everyone was standing again. I could see immediately how angry this man seemed. He immediately addressed his people, and I will try to remember what he said. although I could be wrong since this was about sixteen weeks ago, as I have already stated.
"Rise my loyal flock!" Re had said in his low authoritative voice. He was wearing his hawk headdress again but had Royal colourings of blue and gold this time, and looked very imposing as he towered over his entire congregation. There was little noise as the gathering all rose as one and Hermione and I moved to the side a bit more so we could keep a clear view.
From our new position we could now see part of the faces of each of the deities that Re had summoned. and there, were many of the ingredients within each of the headdresses the chosen deities wore. I had to pull Hermione back as she was headed off towards the front to try and steal what we needed for the potion to open that book. It took all of my skills at persuasion in order to stop her from being so reckless but I did indeed manage.
"My daughter, Hathor." Re greeted his daughter and she stepped forward to kneel in front of her father. She was wearing a new headdress this time which depicted cow's horns with a solar disk in between. She remained kneeling in front of her father and bowing her head in submission. I should perhaps tell you that Hathor is depicted as a cow in her placid form, being the mother goddess that she is and representing divine motherhood. Re greeted each of his deities in turn.
"Geb, god of the earth," a man who was painted completely green with a stuffed white fronted goose on his head stepped forward. Instead of wearing one of those false beards that seem so popular he was wearing something round his waist. now, it took everything that I could do to stop from laughing out loud but it was a tube-like ornament with jewels, depicting an erect penis! Where these people get their ideas of fashion from I just do not know. Of course you must understand that Geb is supposed to be the divine personification of the earth and therefore the god of fertility. hence his sense of ceremonial dress.
"Shu, father of Geb, god of the air." Shu stepped forward and he seemed somewhat under dressed to me with a simple feather on his head and the mask of a lion on his face. and nothing else.
"Nut, daughter of Shu and goddess of the sky, come before me." Re spoke again as a woman in a red dress with a mask of a cow stepped forth and kneeled before him.
"Tefnut, goddess of moisture." A short woman with a headdress of a sun disk encircled by a cobra emerged from the front of the congregation, and kneeled in front of Re; next to the other deities that had already been summoned.
"Nun, god of primordial waters, step forth." This man wore a mask depicting a frog.
"Finally, Hapy, god of the Nile." A very rotund man shuffled forward and was so grossly overweight that he looked like a female on top and wore a headdress full of water plant life.
Once all of the deities had been greeted by the sun-god, Re told everyone present to sit down on the benches provided. "I have summoned you, my faithful followers on this fine evening for a very grave reason. There are a great number of murmurings finding their way to my ears of a rising up of a different cult in the south." There were many gasps in the crowd at this piece of information and Re raised his hands to draw silence again as he continued.
Hermione interrupted my concentration at this point and I did not hear most of the explanation so I will simply tell you the gist. Re was concerned that his religion was not being followed. religiously and so he wanted to send word out that he was not going to lie down and take this. He was now open to suggestions as to what to do, how to make sure that the word he spread was right and everyone knew this. After much debate and discussion it was decided that the only thing to do would be to send out a representative in order to teach humankind a lesson. By this point Hermione had managed to drag me down to the front to where the deities were and I was feeling too close for comfort to Geb. judging by the reaction that Ptah had exhibited towards me I did not want to know what would happen if we were somehow seen. This man, it was safe to say, made me rather nervous.
As we approached the front, one of the deities suddenly stood up and Hermione knocked into him. He immediately turned and grabbed out into what he must have assumed was thin air and managed to grasp Hermione around the arm.
"What is the meaning of your disturbance, Nun?" Re asked as the god with the frog mask clutched onto his invisible catch.
"There is magic here, my lord." Nun said, trying to explain. I held my breath trying to remain undetected in the hope that I could help Hermione if needed. "I cannot see what it is but I have hold of something."
Re stepped down from his dais and raised an arm to dismiss Nun's concerns. "You are holding the arm of a woman, Nun." My jaw dropped, he could see Hermione! How this was possible I did not know because we were still invisible. "Release her." Re ordered and Nun's grasp quickly diminished allowing Hermione to stand alone in shock. "Step forward," Re summoned Hermione and she hesitatingly moved close to Re.
I stood stock still and watched at a complete and utter loss as to what to do. "Drop your cloak," Re commanded as the entire congregation looked on at the appearance of their sun-god seemingly telling thin air what to do. Hermione muttered an incantation and passed her ring across her chest, ending her invisibility spell in the blink of an eye. "Ah, I see you clearly now. You have the heart of a lioness and the gifts of a powerful witch." Hermione didn't say anything at all as Re began to circle her, looking her up and down. "Why have you graced me with your presence this night?"
"I-I was awed by the sight of you, my lord and so much wanted to attend one of your congregations." Hermione replied, she was trying to lie off the top of her head but being the Gryffindor that she is, was not making any kind of impression.
"Hmm. Tell your companion to come forth." Re told her as he looked directly at me. I stepped to Hermione's side as she looked around to try and find me, although I was now invisible to her since she had ended her invisibility spell. I quickly released my own invisibility spell and bowed in front of Re. "Who are you?" Re asked Hermione and she glanced at me with a worried expression on her face.
"I am known as Talibah, my lord." Hermione told him.
"Ah, and what knowledge is it that you seek?" Re asked her as he continued to circle us both now. He was so tall. is so tall. Taller than you, Severus, and wearing his Royal colours; most intimidating.
"I seek all knowledge, my lord. I am intrigued by life itself and every part of it." Hermione replied a little more comfortable now she was speaking the truth.
"I see that," Re said as he stood in front of her and stared into her eyes. "You," he looked over to me. "What is your name?"
"I am Mensah, my lord." I said with a bow again.
"You are Talibah's travelling companion?" Re asked me.
"Yes, my lord. I travel with Talibah. We are married." I'm sorry, Severus but this was our story back in Memphis and we couldn't change it now in case we were found out.
"Father, I know these two from Memphis. They are jewellers working in the tombs at the Abusir Necropolis." Hathor said as she stood up and moved to stand beside her father.
"Tell me why they are here, Hathor, my daughter." Re told her expecting an immediate answer.
"I do not have that knowledge, father." Hathor said as she eyed us both curiously.
"Then you shall find out!" Re roared at his daughter who immediately shrank back. "They must have followed you from Memphis. How could let that happen?"
"I did not see them, father. They must have been invisible and you know my magic is not as strong as yours is." Hathor spoke quickly.
"We do not have time for this. Guards!" Re shouted as he turned and stepped back up onto his dais. Two Royal guards rushed to the front and kneeled before Re. "Take our visitors to the holding cell and watch them." We were immediately accosted by two of the largest Egyptians I've seen and pulled from the hall and down into what I would say was a dungeon although nothing like that of Hogwarts'. Before we were out of earshot I heard Hathor speaking to her father.
"Do not hurt Talibah, father, she is with child."
Okay, that was a revelation to me for you must be the father Severus and Hermione certainly never mentioned anything to me. I guess looking back all of the signs were there. She was always being sick in the mornings and asking for the weirdest combination of foods. Of course she wasn't showing at the time. we had only been in Egypt for about one week though.
So, we remained in this holding cell until the meeting ended. Not much to tell really about this place. although instead of a flax-filled floor we had sand this time. We talked a little but I don't remember what about. We were more interested in what was going to happen to us and so kept our thoughts to ourselves. We had tried to apparate but found there were wards erected and so could not.
Incidentally, we had left the diary back in the hall and it remained there until I found it just yesterday. It was fairly hard to find since it had its own invisibility spell cast upon it.
So, we were left under guard in the holding cell until summoned by Re to the hall the next morning. The congregation had by this time all gone from the temple and the only people in the hall were Re and Hathor. We kneeled in front of Re who was sitting upon a throne on his dais.
"I know you are not who you say you are," Re began and Hermione and I both remained silent as we continued to kneel with bowed heads. "You are not Egyptians. You have Royal blood however."
"Father, they came to Memphis very recently, I had not seen them before. They are not from Memphis." Hathor told her father as she stood to the side of his throne.
"Who are you really?" Re demanded.
"I am known as Hermione and my companion is Michael. We are from the West, my lord." Hermione told him, trying to give away as little as possible although what she had already told him was more than enough.
"Are you from the opposing cult?" Re asked us.
"No, my lord, we have no cult where we come from but we will gladly serve you." I told him and he laughed at me.
"I thought you might, since you have no other option right now." Re replied. "Tell me how you have Royal blood."
"We can give you no explanation, my lord. It is how we were born. We were given the gift of magic at birth."
"Ah, a Royal son gifted you," Re said trying to reason what I had said in his own seemingly narrow mind. I chose not to contradict anything he said as we were already on shaky ground. "Michael, you will return to Memphis and help to spread my word with Ptah." Re told me, he was going to split us up. I couldn't believe it. and he was going to make me work with Ptah of all people. I would have to keep my eyes open around him as I didn't like his advances one bit. and as for laving Hermione, I couldn't think of anything worse.
"My lord, we should not be separated from one another," I said indicating Hermione and myself.
"Your wife is with child, Hathor will help her bring her creation into this world. It is no longer a husband's concern until the child is born. Hermione will be in safe hands here within the temple." Re told me putting an end to our conversation with a poignant glare, and one that would rival yours, Severus.
With that we were allowed to say a short good bye. I promised Hermione that I would not leave this time frame without her and that I would attempt to brew the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion. She told me to cast a freezing spell on the potion only and not to touch it otherwise as there was one ingredient that we could not obtain for another seven hundred years and we only had what you had put into the bag before we left our own time.
So, I left Hermione and did as she asked with the potion. I had not seen Hermione until I was able to return to the temple very recently to visit with her, which is when I stumbled upon the still invisible diary on my way back out.
Severus, fear not as I have seen Hermione and she is being very well taken care of by Hathor her self. Hathor has not returned to Ptah since and has been solely looking after Hermione. She is quite big now and doing well through her pregnancy. As for Ptah. well, he is not missing his wife at all. He really does prefer the men and Geb is only too happy to service him. Oh, I have been able to spot Nefertem, Ptah's and Hathor's son. He is still a boy and being looked after by what we would call a nanny. I managed to get a lotus petal from his headdress as well. took it while he was asleep. So, I've stored this very carefully in the Potion's bag you gave us and sent it back to Hogwarts' sub-dungeons under stasis. So, one ingredient down and four more things to collect.
One thing though. Sekhmet has started her crusade. She has been slaughtering people in the South and slowly making her way northwards. Thousands of people not complying with the cult of Re have been murdered by what is reported as a large vicious lioness. I have read the myth surrounding Hathor changing into Sekhmet when sufficiently infuriated and I did expect this mass murder to start soon after the meeting. I expect that it was decided at the meeting that Hathor would be chosen as Re's eye and sent out to destroy humankind and this does appear to indeed be the case.
I must sleep now but I will resume this diary as and when things occur.
Please do not worry about your wife, Severus. She is being treated like Royalty.