Chapter Fourteen
Harry and Michael apparated as quickly as they could, it was not wise to be hanging around in the Palace anymore- invisibility cloak or not. They appeared back in Michael's chambers where they had been earlier that morning and both sighed heavily. What on earth were they to do now?
Harry stepped away from Michael, deep in thought for a moment before turning back to face him with a suspicious look on his face. "Hermione isn't carrying your baby is she, Michael?" Harry asked point blank.
"Harry…" Michael started slowly.
"Just answer the question, Michael!" Harry ground out through his teeth, anger was rising within him and he wanted a straight answer. Michael took a deep breath.
"No," Michael replied, "and why do you even think that, Harry? You've known me since we were in Hogwarts as students. Why would you think I would do something like that?" Michael was becoming annoyed now with all of the questions and the aspersions being cast upon his character.
"I don't," Harry conceded. "I wanted a straight answer. I believe you."
"Then why the need to ask?"
"I've seen the way you look at her, Michael. From the day you two met it has been obvious that you have had something of a crush on her." Harry sighed heavily. "I just needed to hear it from your own lips. I trust Hermione but pregnancy hormones can do weird things to a woman's brain… of course I only know this from being around Lavender, Hermione and Ginny," Harry added sheepishly.
"Well, whatever Snape thinks is all wrong. I have never ever laid a finger on Hermione and I wouldn't," Michael affirmed.
"Settled then…. Now what do we do?" Harry asked as he slumped down onto one of the wooden benches and looked up at Michael waiting for answers.
"Good question, Harry." Michael said, sitting opposite him. There was a long silence between them both.
"Snape can get himself out, I hope." Harry said.
"Yes but then he's going to come for me… and I don't relish that prospect," Michael stated worriedly. A Snape in a good mood was bad but a Snape in a total rage was like a death sentence to anyone who got in his way, especially the person he was gunning for.
"He won't do anything to you, Michael. He knows you are our hope of getting out of this place. No-one knows Ancient Egypt better than you do." Harry looked up at Michael. "Besides, he's pledged to Dumbledore that he'll bring us all back safely, and he would never go back on his word, Slytherin or not."
"How very re-assuring," Michael droned as he rolled his eyes.
"Slytherin's are just as honour and duty bound as Gryffindors, if for very different reasons," Harry told Michael. He wasn't particularly fond of any Slytherin but it was true about their sense of twisted sensibility.
"So, we assume Snape can get out… he's taken care of…"
"Yes, we assume so but we had better check on the cell just to make sure. You can ask Re if you can see Snape since he did attack you… say you want to make sure he's going to suffer or something. If he's still in the cells then we can make a gaol break and if not… all well and good," Harry reasoned.
"And Hermione?" Michael asked rather tentatively, he was getting nervous enough to not want to even mention her name now.
"Hermione… any idea what was happening in there with the maids and all that chanting?"
"No." Michael said then decided to expand as Harry shot him a look. "It seems a little strange, granted. I can't say I've ever been near Hermione when the servants were attending to her before but then this could be normal practice for Ancient Egyptians."
"So, what do we do about Hermione then?"
"I suggest we go back to the Palace and wait until the guards are…erm… 'off guard'… we can then try and slip into Hermione's chambers and as soon as we can, we apparate her out of there. We should double check on Snape first though."
"Agreed," Harry nodded his head.
"Right then, back under the cloak and I'll lead the apparaition… I know where we can apparate to without anyone knowing." Harry stood up and moved towards Michael, pulling the cloak around them both as he went. Within seconds they we on their way back to the Palace… plan… G now in motion.
Severus stood in a darkened alleyway, shadows stretched from all angles as the opposing buildings surrounding him blocked out some of the natural light. He had apparated into the centre of Heliopolis, and as far away from that retched Palace… and his treacherous wife as he currently could get. It was a still and quiet night, some low rain clouds hung in the sky occasionally causing something of a lunar eclipse but otherwise there was enough light from the above star field and moon to light his immediate surroundings. Thankfully the rain was holding off for now although the slight sloshing sound of water alerted him to the fact that he was very near to where the flooding had already occurred.
It was a dangerous time to be out… night… in the dark with a crazed Goddess on the loose and out for anyone's blood. To Severus, it sounded just like old times with Voldemort and his fellow Death Eaters; except this time he was the one who was vulnerable and not the one causing the mayhem.
He was alone, in the alleyway and could hear no-one within the immediate vicinity either, despite this fact, Severus moved from shadow to shadow as he made his way along the alleyway towards the sound of the water. His reason for being here was simple. He needed time to calm down and collecting water from the River Nile seemed like a good use of his time as he did it.
After moving down to the far end of the alleyway, Severus saw that it opened up into something like a town square. Still there was no-one else outside and he was alone…alone… something wasn't right. He felt like something was about to happen. Not a complete sense of a presence of a complete feeling of doom… just a tickle at the back of his mind… something familiar from his previous Death Eater years… it was a mild sense he had developed during those dangerous times and it had always served its purpose back then and managed to keep him out of more fixes than he would care to name. He kept in the shadows and moved off onto another more spacious alleyway- well a street really.
Hearing the sound of water coming in waves become louder, Severus moved off to the side and came near to a bed of reeds, which were waving slightly due to the movement of the water at their roots. The feeling he had seemed to have dissipated for now and so Severus conjured a bottle before heading down to the waters edge and starting to fill it. Collecting Nile water now might save a bit of time later, and as far as Severus was concerned, the less time spent in Ancient Egypt the better. He felt far more at home in Ancient Scotland.
"Wake up!"
"Wh…wha…?"
"I said wake up, you are holding me back, you inbreed!"
"Holding…?" Hermione stirred from her slumber and looked around, blinking as her eyes tried to focus in the dim light. She didn't see who had spoken.
"I require nourishment," the voice demanded.
"Go get a sandwich then," Hermione yawned as her addled brain tried to catch up with what was going on.
"We are going out," the voice informed her matter-of-factly.
"I don't think so," Hermione replied as she closed her eyes again to try and fall into sleep once more. Suddenly she felt her entire body jolt and before she knew what was going on she was up and standing. "Wha…"
"Forgotten have we? Such a short memory… tut tut," the condescending voice continued.
"You!" Hermione said with sudden realisation. She was well aware of where the voice was coming from now.
"Hahahahaha," the voice cackled inside her mind. "Glad you remember me now."
"I will not let you control me like this!" Hermione affirmed.
"You have no choice, my dear." Hermione tried to struggle against the pressure that was within her mind, it was an eternal presence that was no longer in the back ground but quite prominently in the foreground and making all of the decisions.
"You cannot fight me…"
"I will never surrender myself to you so I may as well try, Sekhmet." Hermione countered, cutting the goddess of mid-sentence. She was getting very weak again, even trying to maintain the ounce of mind control she had was definitely taking it out of her. If she continued then she could run the risk of losing control completely, and then she'd never have a fighting chance. Hermione relaxed against the struggle for a moment and took a step back.
"Hahahahaha," Sekhment cackled once more. "See? I told you. You weak minded individual. No-one can stop me!"
"I will not give up," Hermione whispered back as she slipped back into unconsciousness once again. For now, she would remain a sleeping presence only.
Hermione was unaware but Sekhmet had tapped into her magical power once more and apparated into Heliopolis. She was out for the hunt, needed sustenance and would get what she wanted before the night was over. Anyone who stood in her way would regret it… well, they might regret it if they lived to tell the tale!