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, which I do advise you to read first. 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. This story is only available at the following sites- Fan Adult and Whispers.

Enjoy.

Chapter 16

Severus knew what would become of his estranged wife unless he rescued her. He had read about the mummification process in the Old Kingdom before he ventured back into the past. Spells would be chanted from the Book of The Dead whilst the body was going through an embalming process. The body would be stretched out and left in this position before the organs were removed and embalmed separately from the body, with a view to dehydrating the body to preserve it. The brain was simply seen as a 'stuffing' for the head, and so was discarded. The body would then be tightly wrapped in strips of resin-soaked linen before being placed into a sarcophagus and removed to the burial chambers. All of this would take place somewhere on the West side of the Nile in a place of purification. Various solutions would have been used for the processes such as natron; to initially aid in preservation. It was a simple process but this would not have preserved the body too well, the techniques of mummification were still being fine tuned in this particular era, and indeed mummies found from this era had an appearance of charcoal burned skin due to the poor techniques employed.

Hermione wasn't dead though, Severus had seen her breathing; shallow but still breathing. She was simply paralytically drunk. He'd never send his wife in such an inebriated state before. Unless he rescued her though, she would soon become a corpse, for one could not live if one's brain was removed through one's nostrils.

Severus followed the entourage as the locals moved Hermione's body through the dimly lit street- now only illuminated as torches had been lit by two of the people heading the group. She was placed onto a long thin boat, which had been bobbing on the surface near the small harbor on River Nile, and within seconds it slowly set sail down river. Severus slipped onto the back of the boat as a stowaway and cast an invisibility spell upon himself. Around one mile down the river they came to a halt outside of a building, which could only be assumed to be the place of purification. Severus followed the entourage inside and watched as the receiving embalmers placed her onto a large stone slab in the middle of the room. The room itself was painted with pictures of Osiris; the god of the Underworld, it was he who would help transport the soul to its eternal life.

Severus was becoming nervous, there were too many people to tackle if he was going to rescue her, and time was running out. If they began the process then he would have to somehow interrupt.

"We shall leave you now," Severus heard the local Egyptians from the boat say as they moved out of the building and headed back for home. There was just Severus, Hermione and two embalmers now. He breathed a sigh of relief. The two men moved towards their embalming tools and picked up a vat of fluid and some ladles. They began to pour the liquid over Hermione's body; it didn't matter that she was still clothed as that would aide in holding the liquid near to the skin.

To Severus' surprise the men only coated Hermione in the natron solution before leaving to continue the process in the morning. Natron would simply dehydrate the skin; it was a salt and bicarbonate solution. Once the area was clear and he could hear no movement, Severus stepped forward and picked up Hermione's saturated and pregnant body. He thought that a good dunking in the cold Nile water would do her the world of good in more than one way but thinking better of it he didn't need her to go into premature labour and secondly, he really didn't want her to be awake in his presence. With a long sigh he quietly focused his mind and apparated back to Michael's quarters in Memphis.

"What happened?" Harry blurted out as he saw Snape appear with Hermione draped, seemingly lifeless in his arms and soaked through to the skin.

"She is drunk is all, Potter." Severus replied, immediately very angry at the sight of Michael. He placed Hermione onto the bed and stepped aside, amused to see Michael step hurriedly behind Harry's back. "Nile water," Severus said, producing a canister of water.

"Why is she all wet, did she fall into the Nile, Severus?" Harry asked as he conjured towels and began to pat her face dry.

"She was beginning the embalming process, covered in a dehydrating salt solution. The Egyptians thought her dead but she is simply drunk." Severus looked to Michael. "That should please you to no ends, Creevy."

"A-as a friend only, S-Snape." Michael retorted and Severus simply snorted.

"So, is that everything now? Do we have all of the ingredients?" Harry asked turning to Michael.

"Y-yes, Harry. We now have everything we were supposed to get." Michael replied.

"Then I suggest we get the hell out of this god forsaken dump. Gather your belongings," Severus said, turning to pick up Hermione again; slightly less damp than she had been. "To Hogwarts dungeons," Severus focused and apparated himself and Hermione; Michael and Harry followed, leaving Ancient Egypt well and truly behind them.

Hermione had one humongous headache. She had never felt this bad before. What had happened? Where was she now for that matter? The smells were familiar but different to what she had been used to, it was a damp and foisty smell with a cold that crept through the air and clamped around her body. She shivered and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes she squinted in the bright torchlight, it pained her eyes and assaulted her senses. Her mouth tasted disgusting, thick and an iron taste lingered; perhaps she had bitten her tongue or something? She tried to sit forward but it was virtually impossible and she slumped back onto a cushioned chair of some sort, which proved to be only marginally better.

"Try not to move, Hermione," a voice gently told her.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, recognizing the voice. Something wasn't right, this was all wrong. Harry shouldn't be here. Where was she? What day was it? What time was it?

"Hermione, we are back at Hogwarts… Ancient Hogwarts anyway. We left Egypt behind; we are marginally safe now- although Ancient Hogwarts is nowhere near what we are used to."

"Oh, Harry." She sucked in a breath, "my head hurts so much." Hermione said, raising her hand to cover her eyes and rub at them. "What the hell happened?"

"What do you remember?" Harry asked as it was a rather long story to reiterate.

"Erm… Egypt…?" She said through her foggy mind. "Hathor…er…Michael was there… chanting?"

"Yes, anything else?" He prompted and Hermione sat in deep painful concentration for a few moments.

"Sekhmet…" She suddenly sat bolt upright, which was the entirely wrong thing to do as her stomach protested profusely and she vomited all over Harry. "Urgh, I'm so sorry, Harry. I remember it all now." She said as her mind swirled and she felt incredibly dizzy; her mouth tasted so much worse now as well.

"Thanks, 'Mione," Harry said, rather disgusted and waved his wand ring a few times, cleaning himself up.

"I remember, Harry… I killed…" Her voice trailed off.

"No, not you, 'Mione… Sekhmet."

"But I was Sekhmet… she used my body. Invaded my very mind. I feel raped. I-I… how could she do that? How could she?" She asked in a whisper as she tried to formulate words through her sobs.

"'Mione… shhh," Harry moved closer and hugged her tightly. "Listen, you need to try and forget it all. You were not in control. She used you and you could do absolutely nothing."

"Harry, tell me how you came to be in the past as well," Hermione asked as she tried to hold herself together.

"We traveled back once the potion was ready. Severus had read that you were in danger in the diary and he couldn't leave you here."

"Severus? Severus is here too?" Hermione had tears coming to her eyes and she looked about the dank dungeon room to see if her husband truly was there.

"He's a little busy right now, 'Mione." Harry told her, sadly.

"Well, go get him, Harry. I've missed him so much, I need my husband here," Hermione told him as she took a shuddering breath and waited.

"Erm… 'Mione, he doesn't want to see you… he… er… you…" Hermione raised her eyebrows waiting for an answer. "Y-you kissed Michael, told him you loved him… but it was Severus in disguise and Severus…"

"Thinks I am in love with Michael but… oh, Harry… I was thinking about Severus at the time and I wasn't able to finish what I was going to say, which was that I love Michael as a friend only." Hermione pleaded to her best friend.

"Well, you need to tell Severus that. I believe you but you need to make Severus believe you too."

"Yes," She nodded in agreement. "Where is he?"

"Later, 'Mione. You need to drink this, it's a potion- of sorts that we stole from the alchemy classroom to assist with hangovers… and then you need to rest." Harry pointed to her stomach, "that baby has been through a lot of late." Hermione rubbed her tummy and felt the baby kick back; it wouldn't be long now before it was born. She nodded, drank the potion and lay back down; a lot going through her mind that needed questioned and answered, and all demanding her utmost attention.

Severus knew Hogwarts like the back of his hand, his Hogwarts anyway. This one… this Hogwarts was nothing like its twenty-first century counterpart. The dungeons were a great deal smaller for a start. The Slytherin wing was non-existent; it being built much later in time when there was a need for expansion, its students likely housed in the upper castle. There were only a few rooms in the dungeons- a cauldron storeroom, an office, which would eventually become his and the alchemy laboratory, which would eventually be his private lab. Aside from those rooms there was also the corridor which lead down into the sub-dungeons; the area that he had just come from.

Severus had no idea what day or time of year this was, pretty hard to tell the hour as well without a view to the outside. For that, he would need to ascend further into the castle. Severus had cast finite incantatum on himself the moment they had arrived back in Ancient Scotland, now he was able to walk through the corridors as a Master of this school should- be it a few thousand years too early or not. He swept around the corridor in search of one man in particular. They needed an ally in this time and a helping hand to obtain food and medical supplies for the time they would be here, and Severus was far more inclined to trust a distant relative than an idiotic Hufflepuff headmistress.

So, where would he find the man he was looking for, one Sinjin Snape? Well, Severus would likely have been in his office or patrolling the school, or indeed in his chambers with Callum. This was a different time and place however, and as far as Severus was aware, Sinjin had no family. First place to try would be the Alchemy office or laboratory; he was on the correct floor in the castle anyway.

Severus stepped around the corner and found the door he was looking for, which lead into the office. He pushed it slightly but found it was locked so cast alohomora and found that the door unlocked easily. Peering inside- he saw that no one was there, the place was deserted. He locked the door again, turned and tried the next door along hoping the man would be in the lab but that also proved to be a futile search. Just as Severus was wondering if he should loiter around the Alchemy rooms or attempt to try higher up in the castle, he heard movement heading towards him along the corridor. Severus pushed himself into an alcove and waited to see who it was before he made himself known.

A man came shuffling up the corridor mumbling to himself in Latin and pulled out a key from his pocket, he knew it was Sinjin immediately; remembering the picture Creevy had drawn in the diary for him. Pushing the key it into the keyhole of the office door, Sinjin turned it and swung the door open. Rather a crude action for a wizard, thought Severus but then had the "alohomora" spell even been invented yet? Severus cast a translation spell upon himself and quietly followed his ancient relative.

Sinjin turned, still muttering to himself distractedly and suddenly looked up, as he felt a presence in the room with him. "Who are you?" Sinjin asked, staring at Severus in awe. It was almost as if he was peering into a looking-glass. They looked very similar, same nose structure, same features. Sinjin had piercing blue eyes though and long brown hair, where as Severus was all black, and of course there was around a six inch height difference; Severus being the taller of the two.

"I beg your forgiveness upon my intrusion but I need your help and confidence. I am sure that when I explain, that you will be more inclined to deliver it." Severus said trying to keep the usual cold, demanding tone from his voice; he could always revert to type if necessary.

"So, I ask again. Who are you?" Sinjin demanded.

"I, sir, am Severus Simeon Snape."

"Simeon?" Severus nodded once. "Hmm… my middle brother's name. You are a Snape no less?"

"Correct."

"And explain to me where you are from. You look familiar to me but we have never met." Sinjin asked still with an air of suspicion.

"No, indeed we have never met. Do I have your confidence?" Severus asked for he was not going to explain if he was only going to have to Obliviate the man in a few minutes.

"For now," Sinjin replied, cagily. Severus sighed, he needed Sinjin's help.

"I am from your future, in short, you are something of my fourteen times great uncle. I have traveled within a small party of four and we are stranded in your time until such times as we can safely leave. I shall not go into details surrounding why we had to time travel, suffice it to say that we have, and we are here… stranded."

"You expect me to believe you?" Sinjin drawled with a raised eyebrow, this Severus knew how to tell a tall tale it seemed.

"You are a skilled Legillimens are you not?" Severus asked with a mirrored raised eyebrow. Sinjin nodded and took the permission from Severus to invade his mind. Severus was also skilled at Occlumency and guarded his mind enough to show Sinjin only what he needed to know.

"You speak the truth, I see." Sinjin replied after a minute. Severus nodded. "So, what do you want?"

"To be accepted at Hogwarts for around six weeks, housed, nourished. We will need access to whatever medical supplies you have as one of our party is with child and close to giving birth, hence why we cannot leave just now."

"The castle is big enough to accommodate you but medical supplies?" Sinjin asked confused.

"You have none? No medi-witch?" Sinjin looked puzzled. "Medicinal potions then?"

"For child birth we call the eldest witch at hand, wizards are not permitted to enter the room and so we have no clue as to what occurs within its walls. No medicines available for such a time…"

"Nothing for pain?" Severus interrupted.

"It is the mark of a witch to bear it. One who cannot withstand childbirth simply dies and proves that she is no witch at all in the end." Sinjin explained offhandedly. Severus opened his mouth in horror, having heard what Hermione went through- having been there; he wouldn't wish that upon anyone. "There are spells I am told to help but again, it is the birthing witch who knows these, wizards are not privy." Severus still looked displeased. "Would you drug a horse?"

"A horse is different when in labour!"

"Are they? To me they are much the same…"

"So, we have access to such a witch then?" Severus cut him off before they began to argue, it wasn't his goal to irritate the man he was attempting to get help from.

"One can be arranged," Sinjin replied. "As to rooms, I shall have to speak with the Headmistress though I am certain she will leave it all in my capable hands and have nothing to do with you at all. She is not the brightest of folk but then she is a witch." Sinjin stopped there as if that had explained everything. Severus just nodded.

"I shall wait here for you to return."

"I will not be long." Sinjin replied as he stormed off to see the Headmistress with a swirl of his long dark brown robes and a more confident walk leaving Severus alone in the office.

Severus looked around slowly, the room itself should feel very familiar but it did not. It was smaller than Severus' office and was not as full of belongings, potion bottles, cauldrons and books as his own either. There was a large bear skin rug in front of a fire and above the fireplace was the head of an antelope stuck to the wall. A few tomes were on a shelf and of course there was a desk and the odd alchemical ingredient scattered about. Candles were in sconces on the walls and burned a dim light due to being made from animal fats. The smell came from the animals fats that were currently being burned and it was not at all pleasant. There were crude wooden stools and Severus looked at one before choosing to remain standing.

Sinjin came back around ten minutes later finding Severus in exactly the same spot he had left him. "The Headmistress has given you a set of rooms near to the Great Hall. She will meet with you when it is more convenient to herself. I have not relayed that you are time travelers but instead told her you are a visiting family member. You may take your meals with the rest of the school. The next meal is in two hours time."

"Thank you, Sinjin."

"Welcome, if I may be of further assistance then I shall attempt to help in any way I can. However, please note I am very busy myself, being the Head of Slytherin is not an easy task and I also am Deputy Headmaster, and due to the incompetence of our esteemed Head, it feels like I personally run this establishment, which I am sure Salazar would much prefer."

"Noted, we shall endeavor to not take up too much of your time."

"A word of warning, Severus. These are dangerous times," Severus had heard this before, when was he not living in a 'dangerous time'? "Witch hunts are happening up and down the country. Be on your guard and do not ever show that you have a gift of Magic for it will be the death of you." Severus nodded solemnly.

"Thank you for your help. I bid you farewell for now." Severus took a half bow and left the office to go back to the sub dungeons.