"Gather 'round! Gather 'round, everyone!" Arthur exclaims excitedly, practically jittery as he gathers all nine of us around the toy pyramid souvenir Bill sent when he first started working in Egypt. Everyone is looking around at each other excitedly, luggage in one hand while we reach toward the toy with the other.
"Touch it on the count of three. One, two, three," he counts, and, when he reaches three, we all touch the toy, and, in a flash, all of us kids are thrown harshly onto the searingly hot sand of the desert. Walking, more like floating, towards us, are Molly, Arthur, Charlie, and Percy. In front of us younger kids, standing tall, is Bill Weasley, a member of the family I've met only just once. However, he was the first Weasley I truly bonded with. He'd only been there the first night I stayed with the Weasleys, but he gave me a ton of tips about the wizarding world, and I thought we were somewhat close.
"Bill!" I cry out, giggling as he pulls me to him.
"Hey, Kid! It's been forever!" he chuckles, squeezing me tight.
"Sorry, Rey. Bill's the friendly one," Charlie chuckles, cuffing his older brother on the shoulder when Bill pulls away from me to embrace Charlie. Soon, everyone's gotten their hugs and greetings in with the eldest Weasley child.
"Come on!" he exclaims finally. "I took the liberty of going through the house already myself, so I can give you all a tour!"
Turning around, I see it for the first time. It's a huge house. It looks sort of like the Burrow, except it's a lot fancier. The Weasleys clearly splurged for this vacation. Good. They definitely deserve it.
Suddenly, Bill's running toward the house, hand-in-hand with his mom. Quickly, I sprint after them until I get to the front door. Stepping inside after Molly, Fred just a step behind me, I enter the foyer, which is breathtaking. It's all white oak, dappled with sunlight streaming in through huge windows. The first floor appears to be completely open space. Directly inside is a little sitting room, complete with comfortable looking sofas and a coffee table. Beyond that is a kitchen, containing all the appliances we could possibly need, and a dining room with an extraordinarily long wooden table and ten chairs. I take everything in carefully before heading upstairs after Bill.
The next floor is just three bedrooms and a shared bathroom, painted maroon with white trimmings and fairly nice. The smallest bedroom is Charlie's, holding only a queen-sized bed and an armoire, with a chest of drawers against one wall. The room's walls are painted a pleasant shade of olive, the sheets and curtains a complimenting shade of beige, with the flooring the same white oak as the first floor.
Bill's room is slightly bigger, him having claimed it as he got here first, though it still only has a queen-sized bed, a chest of drawers, and an armoire, with the walls painted a deep, rich shade of plum that stands out against the bright flooring, and complimenting chartreuse sheets on the single bed and curtains.
Finally, there's the largest room on the floor. It will be shared between Ron and Percy. It contains two queen beds, a larger armoire, and a nightstand between beds. Its walls are the same bright shade of crimson as the Gryffindor crest, and the bedspreads and curtains are the same matching shade of deep teal.
There's not much more to see on this floor, so we head to the next.
"This is the twins' and Rey's floor," Molly announces happily, the three of us looking excitedly at each other. "I thought you'd be excited," she chuckles.
"The twins' room first," Bill grins, walking into the first room in the hall. It's gorgeous, the biggest room on the floor, hosting two queen beds, a large armoire, and a nightstand between beds. In setup, it's much like Percy and Ron's room. The walls are a soft shade of buttercream, almost as light as the floors, with bright, fiery red sheets and curtains. I barely stop myself from instinctively throwing myself down on the bed George is claiming for himself. The best part, though, is that it has a balcony past a set of french doors. None of us stop to take a look at it just now, though.
"Come on, we still gotta see Rey's room," Bill stops the boys from getting too comfortable. From there we move onto my room. It's beautiful, that's for sure. The queen bed against the wall looks soft and comfortable, with warm-looking lilac sheets and a soft-looking mattress. The armoire and chest of drawers look the same as everyone else's - gorgeous. An added feature of my room is a long wooden bookcase stretching across one wall, filled with all the classics. The best part, though, is that there's a set of french doors leading out to a balcony I suspect connects with the twins'. I can tell the twins suspect as much as well when the three of us exchange mischievous glances.
"And then there's just the bathroom," we all follow Bill to the twins and I's shared bathroom, painted an electric blue with white trimmings. It seems nice enough, and the appliances look like they're in working condition.
"Alright, one more floor," Bill grins, clapping his hands together before leading us all upstairs. Up here, we start with the first room we come across - a game room. Inside, there are a few comfy sofas, a fully-stocked mini fridge, a popcorn maker, a microwave, a small cupboard fully stocked, and shelves upon shelves of board games. The walls are sunset orange, and all the furniture is a rich navy blue.
Then, there's the master bedroom, with its own bathroom. The bedroom contains the standard bed, a king this time, an armoire, and a chest of drawers. Both the bedroom and bathroom are painted a light shade of grey, with lime green and white sheets and curtains. This bedroom, too, has a set of french doors that lead out to a balcony, though this one is much smaller than the one on the twins and I's shared floor.
Finally, there's Ginny's room, with its own bathroom - lucky girl. This bedroom too contains a queen bed, an armoire, a chest of drawers, and a long bookshelf much like mine. Both the bedroom and bathroom are painted a soft shade of lilac, with soft silver silk sheets and curtains. It's a very pretty room.
Normally, I would've shared a room with Ginny, but the one next to the master is a single, not a double, and the Weasley parents have been keeping their daughter very close since last year's incident. It works for me. The twins and I get a floor to ourselves!
All of us agreeing we should get good rest before our first pyramid tour tomorrow, we decide to eat an early supper and have an early bedtime, so the rest of the night is not that interesting, but it's altogether happy.
"It's scary in here," I shudder, my teeth chattering. There's a chill in the air, and all I want to do is run.
We've been inside this particular pyramid for awhile now, and nothing has happened, which is unusual. This is probably our twentieth pyramid, us having been here two whole weeks now. The suspense curls in my belly, like something dark and sinister. Squeezing George's hand, which I've been holding as we walk, I give him my best "help me" face, and, snickering, he pulls me against his chest so he walks behind me protectively. When Fred sees this, he grabs my hand so that he's protecting me from the front.
This makes me feel slightly better, though the cold air gets danker and brisker by the second. Then, it happens. We turn the corner, and a skeleton with four heads grabs the hem of Percy's robes. Percy lets out a girlish shriek, jumping around in attempt to rid himself of the unwanted grip.
Bill, though, who leads the group, mutters a simple, "Ossibus impetro." Immediately, the skeleton vanishes from thin air, to mine and Percy's delight. "There could be more," Bill warns. Walking farther and farther, we finally reach the center of the pyramid - the tomb itself. "Sepulcrum apertus," he says, pointing his wand forcefully at the tomb door. It swings open with a creak, and we let ourselves in.
"Is it that easy? Your job, I mean?" I ask Bill curiously.
"Oh, no," he laughs heartily. "This pyramid's already had its curse broken. I wouldn't take you anywhere I'm actually working on. It's a dangerous job."
Stepping inside the tomb, we find something not even Bill could have expected. It's filled to the brim with mutated skeletons.
"Oh no," he whispers, face ashen. "They aren't supposed to be here. Let me take care of them." Pulling out his wand, he taps the wall a few times in different places, clearly trying to crack a certain code. The skeletons have spotted us and are beginning to advance, although their movements are slow and zombie-like.
"Get back!" he barks at the rest of us. We all retreat from the tomb rapidly. I am so glad Molly didn't allow Ginny to come with on this one. "Maledictionem affligo!" we can hear Bill cry. "Ossibus multis impetro!"
Then, there's a flash of light and silence for several tense moments. "You can come down! They're gone!" Bill pants from inside the tomb.
Molly is the first down the steps, making the descent into the tomb as fast as she can to embrace her son. "You had us worried!" she cries.
"Sorry, Mum," he laughs lightly.
Looking around, there are hieroglyphs covering all the walls, and, against one wall, is a solid gold sarcophagus, painted richly with different designs. "It was so much more magnificent when we first discovered it," Bill admits. "It belonged to an unknown wizard, but he must have been very powerful and rich. The place was filled with riches. Most of them had to be taken for Gringotts, of course, but we left him in his sarcophagus out of respect, you know? It was those Muggles trying to steal his gold that became those mummies. It's sad, really," Bill shakes his head disapprovingly.
The rest of us all just sort of take it in, recovering from our earlier incident. "Who's ready to get out of here?" Bill grins, finally. "I'll lead the way."
"Pyramide prope clauditis," Bill mutters as he closes the door, tapping it in seemingly random places with his wand.
The twins and I exchange a giggle. If Molly doesn't notice in a second, we'll notify them. "Hey!" her voice rises just in time. "What happened to Percy?!"
Bill furrows his brow, noticing how the twins and I are just barely holding back laughter. "Pyramide apertus recludam," he taps the door again with his wand. There's Percy, face flushed and shaking.
"Wh-Wh-How could you?!" he screeches at the boys and I.
"Boys! Audrey!" Molly shrieks, whacking us over the head. "Apologise! Now!"
"W-We're sorry, Percy," we apologize between shaky laughter while Bill locks the pyramid back up.
"Merlin, what happened in there?" Ginny asks. "You all look awful!"
"It's a long story," Ron rolls his eyes, clearly unamused.
On the Tuesday of our third week in Egypt, I finally break at around one thirty in the morning. Every other night this trip, when I've woken, as I always do, from my night terrors, I've simply gotten up and chosen a book from the shelf's extensive collection to read until I can fall asleep. Every other night, I was too scared of being caught. Not tonight. Tonight, I wake up with this horrible pressure in my chest, panting heavily, cheeks wet with tears. Tonight, I get out of bed and open my french doors, stepping out into the rich blue sky. I stand there a moment, letting the sweat dry and the overheat turn to goosebumps.
Then, I make my way across the balcony and to the other set of french doors. Carefully, I open the doors as quietly as I can manage, stepping inside the room. Both boys are asleep. I can hear their soft snores. Walking across the room and past Fred's bed, I find George. The last thing I want is for him to wake screaming, so I wake him to let him know I'm here.
Carding my long fingers through his soft hair, he practically purrs as his big brown eyes flutter open. "Rey," he moans, voice slurred with sleep.
I give the boy my best lopsided smile, and he smiles back sleepily, patting the bed beside him. I crawl in thankfully. The bed is much bigger than the ones I'm used to sharing with him, but that doesn't mean I sleep any farther away. I curl against his shoulder, and soon I am fast asleep.
On our last week in Egypt, it's finally time to explore the nearby marketplace. Arthur has ordered camels for us to ride there and back. I know all this seems like we're stereotyping Egypt, but Bill says this is the only way to see Egypt as a wizarding family.
So, that morning, I get dressed in my least nice skinny jeans and a casual gray tank top I don't really care about. My outfit also includes long socks, a snapback Neff hat, a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, and a bandana around my neck to be pulled over my mouth while I ride - orders of Bill. I also tie my hair up into a neat ponytail.
Stepping outside into the humid air, I spot the herd of camels. Bill, as usual, leads the way to them.
"So, watch me demonstrate how to mount one. Then, I'll come down and help get you all onto yours, okay?" He approaches a sitting camel confidently from an angle, then he puts one foot on the stirrup and throws the other over the camel's side, seating himself between the two humps. As the camel stands with his back legs, Bill leans backwards, holding onto the saddle, then, when the camel gets up on its front legs, Bill pulls himself forward. Then, gently, he says, "Down, bud." Obediently, the camel sits back down.
Hopping off the camel, he goes to his mom first and helps her onto a second camel. Then, Ginny gets a third. Arthur gets a fourth. Fred gets a fifth. George and I laugh as we watch Fred mount. He nearly falls twice!
Then, it's my turn. Bill's clearly trying to mount us in the order our camels are going to walk in a line. Taking my hand when he senses I'm nervous, Bill leads me to the sixth camel. "I'm actually well-acquainted with this set of camels. This one here, Bennu, is one of the more gentle. Trust me, you got nothin' to worry about," Bill assures me.
Then, he walks with me diagonally toward the handsome camel, instructing me as I put my foot in the stirrup and mount him. "Alright, Ben, up," Bill speaks soothingly. The camel stands on his back legs, and I lean back as I saw Bill do. Then, when he gets up on his front legs, I lean forward. "Now," Bill instructs, "you can wrap your legs around his saddle post. That'll be more comfortable on your tail bone. Also, when you start riding, you should let yourself sway with him, and don't try to control him at all. Just relax, okay, Rey?" I nod, understanding, as I wrap my legs around Bennu's saddle post.
While Bill helps George onto the seventh camel, I shout up at Fred, "What's yours' name?"
"Sherifa! What's yours'?" he asks.
"Bennu!" I shout back. Looking back, I see George has mounted his. "What's yours' name?"
"Bomani! Did you say yours' name is Bennu?" he asks.
"Yeah! Fred's is Sherifa!" I reply.
"Cool!"
Percy mounts the eighth camel, Ron mounts the ninth, and Charlie mounts the tenth before Bill gets back on the first camel. In that time, I find out that Bill's camel's name is Kamilah, Molly's is Asim, Ginny's is Adio, Arthur's is Jahi, Percy's is Jibade, Ron's is Rashida, and Charlie's is Sadiki.
"Alright, we're gonna start moving now!" Bill calls from the front of the line. Then, all of a sudden, Bennu's moving, and so are all the other camels. I do as Bill instructed, allowing myself to relax and sway with Ben's rhythm.
Bill was right. It's a bumpy ride. Camels don't ride steady the way horses do, and my tailbone hurts badly by the time we near the marketplace. Finally reaching it, we dismount just outside, tying our camels to a post as we go inside to explore.
The marketplace is mostly made up of small shops. Some sell clothing - brilliantly colored robes and headscarves as well as practical things like dust goggles, sturdy sandals, and bandanas.
Others sell delicious food, the scents wafting through the streets - aish, basbousa, falafel, kibda, molokhia, and shawarma, mixed with other wonderful scents I don't recognize. There are even carts serving treats like baklava, roz be laban, and umm ali.
Walking through the market, we stop here and there, trying on different articles of clothing and sampling the different foods. It's all beautiful and delicious. I'm convinced Egypt is the most gorgeous place in the world.
The last night in Egypt, we all sit in the game room on the top floor of the house. I know we're all sad to leave, especially because we'll be leaving Bill behind. Bill and I have grown close to the point of me thinking of him as an older brother. He's very protective, a lot like the twins, but in a gentler manner
I think it's funny, though, because you'd never guess about his sweet manner based on his appearance. He often wears all black, lots of leather, and dragonhide boots, looking much like a person attending a rock concert. Inside, though, he's kind of a teddy bear. That's not to say he's not brave, though. You'd have to be with a job like his.
I also am kind of sad because, after we get back, it'll be awhile before we see Charlie again. Charlie is also very protective and gentle, but he's far more shy. It took him such a long time to get warmed up to me, but, now we seem to be close as well. He's a lot like me in that he can be super introverted. Generally, though, I like him. I, too, am very interested in animals, so I love it when he tells me all these things about the dragons he looks after in Romania. He's shorter, tanner, and stockier than his brothers, with the same long red hair as Bill.
"What do you wanna play?" Ginny calls to us, sifting through the shelves of board games.
"How about Pictionary?" I suggest.
Ginny moves about for a moment before retrieving the box, grinning at us and rattling it before bringing it over.
"We're gonna need something to draw on and with," I announce to everyone.
In a flash, Molly has conjured a white board and a marker.
"Thanks, Molly. How about kids against adults?" I ask everyone. They all nod.
"I'll go with the adults," Percy raises his hand snobbishly. Everyone moves about so the adults and Percy are sitting on one side and us kids are sitting on the other. At least with Percy's change in teams both teams are even.
"Who wants to start?" I grin.