Harry was sitting on her lavish bed, dressed for sleep but unable to actually sleep. For the first time in a while, Harry dressed herself in 'her' pajamas. She should have been happy about that but couldn't find the emotion. With everything that had happened and would likely continue happening, Harry wanted someone here with her that was uncomplicated. Or at least less complicated. It seemed more and more often now that her life was always going to be complicated. She just didn't know how she felt about that.
Harry scoffed mentally. Was she ever going to have a handle on her own life? Seems quite unlikely at this rate. Honestly, she was more concerned about Zalika and Clione being with their mother rather than there with her and that train of thought confused her. Imhotep's Cult made sure they and their mother were protected, but if Harry could be victimized in the village, so could they. She just wasn't sure if she trusted the people that followed Imhotep and she was here alone with them.
Not wanting to sit on her bed in the dark and do nothing any longer, Harry grabbed the green bag that Hermione sent with Bill off the small table next to her bed. Her glasses still sat where she set them last on the small table. The more paranoid part of her couldn't bring herself to get rid of them just in case Imhotep took his magic back and left her defenseless. She may be falling in too deep here but at least she could keep some wits about her. The darkness in the Oasis lifted to a soft glow as Harry opened the bag, seemingly understanding that she wanted some light but not too much. Like so many of the things happening here, Harry wanted it all to bother her but she just couldn't find it within herself to do so. It was all quite nice. Maybe someday she could enjoy life again without thinking everything was some kind of trick or a ruse meant only to hurt her. Inside the bag was what Harry could only call controlled chaos. Hermione's trademark through and through. Just looking at it all made Harry smile with a bone deep nostalgia.
All the clothes and accessories Hermione had squirreled away for and from her for the war were here. Moving some of the clothes revealed her invisibility cloak. That could help her greatly here, but only if it didn't involve Imhotep. So much of his magical ability called into question the standardized magical education she'd received and she just couldn't be sure that the enchantment on the old cloak was powerful enough to fool him. That could be something to test sometime later when she had the energy. There were numerous snacks and treats that had been carefully packed and magically preserved. Judging by the types of goodies she found, Harry guessed it was most likely Molly's doing. She was always the best at anything food related. Next to them were what looked like all of her school textbooks and many more that she knew were from or at least copies from Hermione's personal hoard. Looking a little closer, Harry noticed that her copy of "Advanced Potion-Making" was missing. She knew it was in the kitchen with the other books Lock-Nah got her, but it was nice to confirm that it was actually her book and not some magical trick. How the book got out of this bag or Hermione's was a mystery for another day. Reaching further into the bag, Harry's heart soared as her fingers clasped onto her wand. She pulled it out and quickly looked it over. All the little nicks and notches were so familiar to her, but it felt different now. The magic in the wand didn't answer the call of her own magic. It was like the wand didn't recognize her.
The soft sound of footfalls echoing down the hallway caught Harry's attention from the many ideas beginning to take form in her head. One of the girls was coming down to her room and Harry couldn't be happier. She quickly stowed the wand back into the bag and tossed it back onto the small table. She just knew that they would demand to see how it worked and Harry was wound too tightly for something like that right now.
Clione was the one that came around the corner, wearing the white dress with the thick golden yoke and braided hair with beads that they only wore within the Oasis. One of these days Harry would be able to tell them apart by their footsteps like she could with Fred and George. That thought made her heart lurch uncomfortably but she managed to keep it on the inside.
Clione's eyes got comically big when she saw Harry. "My Lady!" She sprinted towards the bed and literally leapt up the steps and across the bed to latch onto Harry with a fierce full body hug. "My Lady. We were so worried!" The young girl spoke with emotion thick in her voice as she hugged Harry even tighter.
More quick steps signaled that her sister was close behind Clione. Zalika came around the corner at a full sprint and jumped on to the bed in much the same way as Clione. It didn't bother Harry that Zalika didn't say anything to her at first. She was also wearing a similar outfit and hairstyle that Clione was wearing, just in different colors. Harry let the two girls hug her tightly, waiting patiently for their emotions to come down before engaging them in conversation.
"What's gotten into you two? I wasn't gone for that long." Harry tried her best to soothe them but she knew she wasn't the best at that. She usually let Ron handle the soothing since he had more experience with his brothers and sister.
Zalika looked up at her with concern and confusion written across her face. "You've been gone for two days."
"Two days?" Harry asked in a shocked whisper. There was no way that the last time she saw them was that long ago. That meant that she'd been awake and not eaten for nearly three days and yet she didn't feel tired or hungry. She felt physically fine, great even. That information unsettled her deeply. The memory of one of her conversations with Heka where she called Harry's mortality into question echoed in her head. Seemed like Harry would be having a discussion with the self professed Goddess very soon. "Well, I'm back now." Harry filled her tone with false airness.
"We were so worried." Clione whimpered pathetically into Harry's shoulder, clearly unaffected by Harry's effort.
"Why?" Harry asked as gently as she could. There was something more going on here and Harry would bet her vault that it had little to do with her.
"The Dread Lord…we'd never seen him so angry." Zalika's voice was thick with multiple emotions. "Whatever Lock-Nah said to him…" Her words trailed off but Harry understood what they weren't saying. She'd not witnessed the full extent of Imhotep's anger, but she could infer quite a bit from the day Mr. Hafez tried to use the Cult to attack her. Her mind wandered to when he left her here to destroy the ICW. Hopefully Ron or Hermione had heard what happened. She needed to know who she was putting more than her feelings into.
"Did he do anything to you two?" Harry continued her soft questioning. It had been a worry in the back of her mind for as long as she had been here.
"No, no." Clione lifted her head to reveal tear tracks down her face. "The Dread Lord ordered us home and told us to wait."
"We weren't told why." Zalika was fighting the tears from falling and doing pretty well at it. "We were so worried that something terrible had happened to you."
That started the tears in full. Zalika took her left shoulder to cry on while Clione returned to her right one. All Harry could do was hold them while they worked through their fears and worries. It was clear that all this emotion wasn't really about Harry's safety, but their own. That tidbit didn't really matter right now. They were young and afraid and she was their pillar of support. Harry knew what it was like to be in their position and would never turn anyone away from taking comfort from her if they needed it. She couldn't even count how many times Ron and Hermione had done something similar over the years. It's what friends did for one another.
"We made your shirt wet." Clione sniffled loudly as she tried to hilariously wipe the tears away with her hand.
"Don't worry about that." Harry replied with a smile. There was no way she could hold something so trivial against either of them. "It'll dry." She reassured the two with the kindest smile she could manage.
Zalika raised her head, revealing her own wet spot on Harry's other shoulder. She tried to wipe away the wet spot much like her sister. Harry could only laugh, which caused the girls to also begin laughing. Their mirth ended quickly, though the light atmosphere remained which pleased Harry.
"Will you tell us where you went?" Clione asked quietly.
Harry didn't want to talk about what happened at the ICW Headquarters and her own related failings but the two girls needed reassurance, which left Harry in an uncomfortable position.
"Some of my people tried to take me away." Harry explained simply, hoping that would be the end of it, but she highly doubted these two would let her get away with it that easily. They never had before.
"Why would they do such a thing?" Zalika asked firmly. Harry could see anger in her eyes through the tears, though she didn't know why, other than the same reason they were so emotional concerning Harry's absence.
"I ran into a man from the Medjai not too long ago with Lock-Nah. He sent a letter to some of my people, telling them about Imhotep. I believe it was done in an effort to get them to destroy him for the Medjai." Harry sighed. "Instead they believed I did all those things and were already in motion to punish me for them."
Zalika looked disgusted while Clione started to cry quietly. "They had no right!" Zalika tried so hard to growl. Had about the same effect as a kitten hissing.
"They are the governing body for my people that operate internationally, so they did have the right. Somewhat." Harry quickly amended. Abeba's words were still echoing in her mind and the fear along with it. Lord Voldemort was at the far end of that scale, but that didn't mean there weren't other tyrants not quite that far down waiting in the wings. It didn't matter how much good was in someone or how much good they did, a tyrant could only be a tyrant. "But don't you two worry, Imhotep took care of them."
Both girls smiled broadly at that but it only unsettled Harry. "Of course he did." Zalika spoke proudly. "The Dread Lord will make things better! For all of us!" Zalika nodded enthusiastically. As if you could make things better just by murdering a lot of people. Harry had severe doubts about numerous things, but chose to keep them to herself. These girls had been through enough without Harry trying to convince them that their beliefs might be wrong.
"Are we going to continue with your potion project today?" Clione asked with big eyes.
"We got a lot of cleaning done before…" Zalika's word trailed off but it did little to run the fire in her eyes away.
Harry was feeling drained emotionally and wasn't really feeling up to doing anything today, but she also knew that the girls needed a return to normalcy. Or at least as normal as things got here. Harry nodded slightly and the girls set to getting Harry ready in record time. They were clearly excited for another rather monotonous day working on this project.
"Why are you two so excited about this project?" Harry asked as they finished dressing her in a dark green outfit with blocky gold accents. "It's not nearly that interesting."
"Yes it is!" Zalika responded quickly. "We're learning so much!"
"But you can't brew potions." Harry remembered that they were Muggles. "It requires magic."
"Well, yes. But we can still help you with the non-magic parts." Clione added with a bright smile. "We help you. You help the Village."
Harry couldn't stop herself from smiling back at them. Was she ever this young? This optimistic? But the truth of the matter was 'probably not'. The Dursleys were vicious and vile towards her for as long as she could remember. Only bad things had ever happened to her starting at nearly the very beginning. Harry decided at that moment that if, for whatever reason, she was forced to leave this place, she was going to take them and their mother with her. There was no way she could leave these women behind to be victimized by their society like she was.
"Alright. I understand." She told them sweetly.
Harry made sure to grab the green bag before leaving the Oasis and secured it to the waistband of her pants. With how things were going, she didn't want to be caught off guard again. They walked to the kitchen in companionable silence, however Harry noticed something interesting enough to say something.
"You two didn't change." Harry motioned to their outfits that always reminded Harry of Ancient Egypt. "You usually change when we leave the Oasis."
They looked between themselves a little sheepishly. "I had a dream while you were gone." Clione whispered almost too quietly for Harry to hear. "I was so afraid when I woke up."
"A dream?" Harry knew enough that dreams could be more and not to discount them too quickly. "A dream about what?" She pressed as gently as she could.
"You." She looked up to Harry with eyes full of fear once more. "You were just sitting down with your back against a large rock. You were alone and looking out across the desert near the village" Clione took a moment to swallow down her emotions. "Nothing was happening, but it felt so…ominous. Like the whole world was holding its breath as it waited for you."
"Waited for me?" Harry pressed.
"To make your decision." Clione shook her head slightly. "I don't know what any of it means!" She implored Harry, like she had all the answers.
Harry placed a hand on the girls' shoulder and the mounting emotional outburst died before it truly began. "Don't tie yourself in knots over a dream like that." Harry explained as calmly as she could. Like she actually knew what was happening here. "Dreams are almost always just that: Dreams." She smiled at both of the girls. "They don't mean much on the average day to day."
Clione nodded slowly. Maybe she believed Harry, maybe she didn't. It didn't really matter to Harry when it came down to it. She could believe that this dream of hers was actually some prophetic vision and act on it in whatever way she wanted. That was her right and it wouldn't affect Harry that much. And if it did, then they would deal with that when it happened.
"We talked for hours once she calmed down from her dream." Zalika added, seeing her sister was too emotional to continue. "People in the village are talking about how things are changing, and not for the better."
"Because of Imhotep and his Cult?" Harry felt a little bad that that was the first place her mind went, but it wasn't like there wasn't precedent.
"Many of the people in the village see him and his Cult as a stabilizing group. No, they are worried about things building elsewhere, here and in other countries." Zalika looked worried but not as much as Clione.
Clione swallowed her emotions down once more. "We've decided. If anything happens, if we're forced to choose, we are choosing you." She announced as her sister nodded quickly.
"Choosing me? Clione…" Harry implored. This was not what she wanted to hear today.
"Don't you dare." Zalika shushed Harry with a surprising amount of authority. "There is nothing you can say. We have made up our minds on this."
Harry sighed, though not unhappily. While she was not someone who demanded unwavering loyalty, having it given freely felt good. It meant she didn't have to wonder or worry about the two people that were closest to her. They were on her side because they decided so on their own and not because of threats or violence. These two girls believed in her authority and power to protect them and others like them. And Harry wanted to do that too. Their belief in her made her heart and mind lighten.
"Thank you." Harry stated simply. The two girls smiled in response and latched themselves onto her in the second fierce hug they'd given her today. Harry didn't mind. It felt good to know that they not only cared about her because it was their job, but that they believed in her more than she believed in herself.
They spent some time working in the kitchen. The girls had made amazing progress cleaning all of the surfaces, but there were more than a few areas that required a firmer hand. They all worked together, sometimes talking though usually in silence, for long enough that Harry lost track of the time.
Harry was kneeling under the main prep area around the large cauldron. She still had very little knowledge about carpentry and if the wood of these prep tables would be usable for preparing the various potion ingredients that she'd need. The tables at Hogwarts were much older than these, but they were magically augmented and well cared for. Everything in this room looked like it had been closed off and left to rot for years, if not decades.
Finding no way forward from this perspective, Harry stood up and came face to face with Imhotep, standing silently within arms reach of her with his own arms behind his back. She wasn't even startled by his sudden appearance this time, like something in the back of her brain already knew he was here. Zalika and Clione were quieter than usual and a quick glance showed her that they were no longer in the room.
"Is this going to be a constant thing with you?" She asked her personal Incubus more than a little sarcastically. Imhotep smirked down at her. The man never looked to be anything other than amused by her snips. He brought his arms forward and revealed that he was holding a clear, green teacup and saucer that had a dark liquid in it. "What is this?" Harry asked dumbly.
"An accord." He replied smoothly only once Harry took the cup and saucer from his hands.
It was clear he was waiting for her to drink it, so she did so slowly. It was tea! Tasted like a type of Earl Grey, but it might just be a deep bodied Black.
"This is quite good! Thank you!" Harry replied happily after a few long draws of the tea. She had been dying for some good tea, but didn't want to be too much of a bother to anyone here. She was already a foreigner. No reason to call attention to that fact…especially after the ICW.
"There is no need to thank me. I wish only to beg for your forgiveness." He replied lowly. Harry tried desperately to keep her body under control and not to blush. She wasn't too sure if she was successful, but his soft smile did not change so she might actually have controlled it this time. Or he was being nice.
"My forgiveness?" Harry replied as she examined the tea cup with the light of one of the many torches behind it. The green glass of the cup had lines and variations through it that made her think that it wasn't actually made of glass. It was much thicker for the snake designs that coiled in smooth geometric angles all around the cup and saucer. "For what?"
"I have been ruminating on your words." Imhotep seemed upset so Harry chose to wait for him to finish. "You were correct to give me such a rebuke." Harry took a breath to argue, but was silenced by a raised hand. "You need not say anything further. I misunderstood my place and I am grateful you stayed your punishment to only a few…stinging words." He then reached for her hand but waited for it to be given to him. Once her hand was resting in his own, he placed a slow kiss on the back of her hand.
"That's…" She wanted to tell him that all this wasn't necessary, that it was history, but that wouldn't be the truth. The fact that he was here and apologizing for overstepping one of her boundaries, and by the next day even, she just couldn't believe it. It meant so much. "I appreciate it." Her reply sounded stilted to her own ears. Imhotep didn't seem to mind as he smiled sweetly to her. "So what brings you all the way down here?" Harry asked as casually as she could manage once he let go of her hand.
"May I ask what was in the bag the Jackal gifted you?" There was still some venom in his words but it was also clear that he was holding himself back for her benefit. It was nice to be able to reinforce oneself without having to resort to violence.
"It's actually from one of my best friends, Hermione. Bill was just the messenger." Harry gently placed the teacup and saucer down and pulled the green bag out from her waist band. "It's got a bunch of my old things as well as gifts from all my friends." Harry explained happily. Imhotep moved closer to her when she opened it, clearly interested in what was inside, though she couldn't explain why.
"Your things?" He questioned as he tried to peer into the open bag. "Like your…stick?"
"Wand." She corrected him as gently as she could. "And yes, it's in here as well."
Harry opened the bag and quickly found her wand. In her hand once more, the magic of the wand still felt so distant to her own magic.
"Has something become misaligned in your relic?" Imhotep asked smoothly, no doubt sensing her change in mood.
"I'm not sure. It's not responding to my magic like before." She pushed her magic into the wand, but it remained little more than a piece of wood with some passive magic in the Phoenix Feather core. She hoped that repairing it with the Elder Wand didn't affect the magic of the wand adversely.
Imhotep took the wand out of her hand and began examining it with a clinical eye. "Could you make use of another relic like this one? Perhaps construct one?"
Harry was loath to give up her wand. They had been through so much together, and were almost friends. The idea that she might have to give it up…hurt. Something sparked in her mind, calling her attention back to the bag. Something inside called to her, nearly demanding to be acknowledged. Harry couldn't see what was calling to her, so she just reached in and grabbed onto whatever it was. The feeling in her mind sparked in happiness as she pulled it out.
The Elder Wand.
Her mind was sent reeling. Why would anyone back home put this into the bag? The magic inside of the Elder Wand was far more receptive to her magic, coiling thickly under her fingertips. Why did it feel like how she saw Nagini act towards Lord Voldemort in all those visions she had? It felt so…hungry.
"You have a second relic?" Harry heard Imhotep ask.
"I guess?" Harry replied airily. The room was quiet while Harry tried to figure out why this was put in her bag. Why was it here? "This wand originally belonged to my school Headmaster, Dumbledore." Imhotep shifted closer to her, casually but only just. She didn't know why but having him closer did make her feel safer. "Voldemort took it after he murdered Dumbledore. But it wasn't loyal to him, so he could not tap into its true potential."
Harry turned to Imhotep, silently holding the wand out to him. He reached for it and she felt the Elder Wand practically purr as he switched the wands. There was already no desire within her to use such a wand, but that reaction sealed it by making her feel physically sick. She tried to distract herself from that feeling by carefully placing her wand back in the bag.
"Interesting." Imhotep spoke to himself as he examined the Elder Wand with the same clinical efficiency as with her wand. "This wand is different from your first." He continued to speak to no one in particular. "The magic that made this relic is similar, yet fundamentally distinct."
"Well, the story about the Hallows is quite old." Harry took the Elder Wand back when it was held out for her. The magic within coiled under her fingertips once more, begging to be let loose. "Dumbledore gave Hermione his copy of the story that was written in runes. It'd make sense that the magic used to create it would be different from what we use now." Harry placed the Elder Wand in the green bag gently, still not sure what to do with it.
"I sense that the relics' mere presence disturbs you."
Imhotep's words cut right through her and to the truth of her fear. The Elder Wand scared her. What it had been used for by Lord Voldemort and its previous Masters chilled her down to her soul. And now that stain was hers.
"It does." There was no use trying to lie to this man. Harry wasn't sure he had the ability to know what she was thinking but, even if it was proven that he didn't, she didn't want to lie to him. She could admit to herself that she was still just a scared child and she needed someone to be there for her. Was it wise to turn to someone like Imhotep for that security? Harry didn't know and she didn't care right now. She needed some kind of security here and Imhotep was offering it without demanding something in return. "It's so evil." She added in a whisper.
Imhotep placed his left hand on the back of her neck and gripped her firmly. She could feel his magic sliding out of his hand and into her body, making her skin prickle pleasantly. "It is true, the relic is made of a dark type of magic, but it cannot be evil." His voice dropped lower as he spoke to her, soothing her further. "Dark Magic can be used for the benefit of people just as Light Magic can be used to subjugate them." The hand on the back of her neck shifted around to the front, continuing to apply a pleasing amount of pressure. She could feel him shift lower to be able to speak directly in her ear, "Darkness is not inherently evil. It is merely a tool." His breath dancing across the shell of her ear gave her goosebumps across her body.
"Is that how you view your magic?" Harry took the chance to try to get a better idea on how this man thought. "Your…place here?" She added without thinking.
Imhotep chuckled as the hand on her neck tightened slightly. Nothing he was doing made Harry worry. "Yes." He practically growled directly into her ear. The hand on her neck tightened again, coming close to causing her actual discomfort before it was yanked away. He grabbed onto her shoulders from behind, gripping her rhythmically like a Panther trying very hard not to tear or rip a favored keeper with its claws. "There is another reason I came here." Imhotep finally moved away from her, giving her the chance to breathe once more. "The Jackal has returned and wishes to take you from my presence."
"Bill is here? Right now?" Harry asked before turning around to face Imhotep, finding him standing an arms length away from her and his hands behind his back. "Took your time telling me." She pointed out with little heat. Imhotep didn't seem concerned, simply moved his head in a way that told her as much. "Well, if he wants to take me somewhere, I should change."
"Change?" Imhotep asked, sounding slightly confused.
"My clothes." She replied while grabbing her bag off the table and quickly opening it. "I don't want to stand out more than I already do." Harry palmed through her clothes to find an outfit she knew would be comfortable. A well worn pair of jeans with a faded blue shirt and her trusty plaid overshirt, just in case they went somewhere cooler or it got late.
"I do not trust the Jackal." Imhotep sneered. "Your former oppressors will no doubt attempt to capture you once again if given a second opportunity. He may be working with them to deliver you to them." He sounded quite angry. It struck Harry that Imhotep might have been more deeply bothered by her impromptu trip than he let on. Then again, he did also possibly level the ICW Headquarters. She should ask Bill about that. He would have heard something from his Ministry friends and contacts.
"Bill is made of good stuff. He would never sink to that." Harry knew that none of the Weasley's would hand her over to someone just because they demanded it. They stood with her against Lord Voldemort even after Arthur was attacked by Nagini.
"I still do not trust him." Imhotep muttered and Harry actually found it quite funny. This incredibly powerful man, one who murdered easily and without a second thought, was so worried about some foreigner.
"Then send my 'Shadow' to watch over me while I'm out." She suggested with a coy smile. In truth, she was trying very hard not to laugh. Who knew a grown ass man could act so juvenile. Imhotep cocked his head ever so slightly which Harry knew meant he didn't fully understand something. "Lock-Nah?" She added with a smirk.
"Ah, your Favorite." Imhotep nodded to himself. "I will speak to him once you leave with the Jackal."
"Yeah, I figured you would. Now you need to leave." Harry motioned to the door with her head. Imhotep didn't move, only looked at her curiously. "I need to change my clothes and you are not allowed to be here for that. Now shoo."
Imhotep smirked at her, but did as she asked, leaving without a sound. He closed the door firmly behind her and she could feel some of his magic linger on the door. No doubt making sure she remained alone. Harry smiled at the sweetness the man kept close and well guarded. Wasting no time, she slipped out of the nice clothes Imhotep made for her and began changing into her old clothes. She thought that changing into her old clothes would feel good, like slipping back into her skin, but layer after layer just felt wrong. Her underwear cut hard into her skin while the jeans bunched uncomfortably in the bend of her hips and knees. The shirt scratched at her skin like it was made of wool. Was this because she was used to wearing the perfectly tailored clothes made of a material so soft she barely felt it? Something to experiment with later. She'd kept Bill waiting long enough. She shoved the nice clothes into the bag and took off towards Bill.
Inside the main room of the Cult building Harry found Bill standing off to the far side of the room, on the opposite side of Imhotep's throne. She noticed that Imhotep and Lock-Nah were both standing near his throne, looking ready to commit several acts of violence.
"Harry!" Bill called out happily. Harry couldn't help but run to him for the hug he offered. "How are you doing?"
"I'm actually doing pretty well." Harry replied happily. Bill waited to let go of her until she let go of him first. "How's everyone back home?"
"Everyone is…" Bill hesitated as he thought, "...doing as well as they can." He finally stated.
Harry knew what he wasn't saying. Her friends and found family back home were still suffering from the war. And here she was, galavanting around Egypt with barely a letter sent. "I wish things were better." Harry sighed unhappily.
"Hey! None of that." Bill bumped her shoulder with a smile. "Let's get out of here already!" He said with a smile, even as he looked over her towards Imhotep and Lock-Nah.
Harry chose not to say anything about his obvious concern regarding the two new men in her life, instead following him out of the building silently. She did spare a moment to wave at both of them on her way out the main door. Imhotep seemed confused while Lock-Nah gave a timid wave in return. They moved through the various buildings quickly. Bill only spoke up once they had reached the edge of Itsa and were waiting for a local camel dealer to bring camels for them to use to get to the dig site.
"What's happening here, Harry?" Bill asked once the man was outside of earshot. "What are you doing here?"
"I wrote everything down in the letter…" Harry had begun to explain but Bill quickly cut her off.
"Yes, yes. I read the letter you sent." Bill muttered while waving her words away. Harry didn't understand why he was acting this way. "I meant more about why you're still here." Bill leveled a steely glare on her that might have worked better before…well, before Imhotep. "Why haven't you come home?" He demanded bluntly.
"I don't know." Harry replied simply. She didn't want to have this conversation, but it needed to happen.
"Is that man…doing something to you?" His tone remained harsh.
"Imhotep?" Bill nodded. "No, he's not done anything bad to me." Imhotep has done a great many things to and around her, but it never made her concerned about her safety while here.
"Then why haven't you come home?!" Bill demanded, louder this time.
"I didn't want to!" Harry answered with the same amount of aggression. Bill seemed to relax a little. "I liked being around people that don't treat me like they do back home." She added, softer this time.
"How so?" Bill asked, mimicking her softer tone.
"Like I'm broken?" Harry suggested lamely. "Like I'm their savior."
Bill nodded slowly, not speaking further since the camel merchant returned with two camels for them. Bills' dark colored camel immediately tried to bite him while Harry's beige colored one nuzzled under her jaw affectionately. They set off into the desert shortly after the merchant helped her onto her camel.
"Has he been kind to you?" Bill asked after a long period of silence between them out in the middle of a desert.
"Imhotep?" Harry asked again and Bill nodded once more. "Yes. He has been very kind to me." Bill looked upset for some reason. "Bill? What's wrong?" She asked.
"You know I've spent years down here." Harry nodded, hearing all about what Bill had been up to through Ron. "I've worked closely with all kinds of Archeologists, but also with a group called the Medjai." The hair on the back of Harry's neck stood up, but she kept her emotions on lockdown. She wanted to hear what Bill had to say about the Medjai. "They had a lot of old stories. Stories older than Europe."
"Ok?" Harry replied when Bill's words lulled, hoping to get him to continue.
"I was told the story of an ancient wizard called Imhotep." Bill stated with an amount of finality.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it wasn't a happy story." Harry replied only partially sarcastically.
Bill smiled at her, though not fully. "That's an incredibly gentle way to put it." He sighed as he looked away. "The short version is that he murdered some Pharaoh and was punished by the guards that later became the Medjai. The ritual they used was supposed to keep him alive inside a sealed sarcophagus while he was eaten alive by scarabs for eternity. If he ever came back, he was supposed to bring the plagues of Egypt with him."
Harry thought over his words, feeling sick over the mental image that was forming. The tidbits she'd gotten from the various conversations before were woefully inadequate at telling the full story. "That's beyond barbaric." She muttered angrily. To think someone would consider that would be an adequate punishment for …anything really.
"I always thought so." Bill agreed. "I think only Voldemort would qualify for that kind of a punishment, but I'm still not sure about that even."
Bills' camel tried to bite Harry's camel, making Bill pull his mount a little further away. "Are we sure that it's the same Imhotep that rescued me? I don't want to discount a Medjai story just because I don't think it's factual, but…" Harry looked around them, "There's no plagues here." She pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess that's true." Bill sighed unhappily. "I'm still worried about you." He added quietly.
"Why?" Harry questioned a bit too sharply. "I've never felt better."
"But you're hanging around grown men that you don't know. That's dangerous." Bill sounded so much like a father in that moment and the thought made Harry's skin crawl. Her father was dead and she didn't need her best friends' oldest brother trying to fill a closed position.
"Bill." Harry tried very hard to keep her tone in control. "I don't really want to talk about this right now." Her tone left no room for argument. Bill must have caught it since he quickly stopped talking.
They rode in silence for what felt like another hour until a small building finally came into view through the haze of the heated sand.
"That's where we're heading." Bill pointed towards the building in relief. "About time too. I'm melting under this sun."
Looking at Bill, Harry could see the truth of his words. His face was flushed red and there was sweat dripping down in temples at regular intervals. Harry didn't feel the same way. The sun felt like a living room light to her. Just kind of there. She followed Bills' lead as they arrived at the stone building and dismounted her camel with little coordination. Bill tied the two camels near three more camels that were already tied by the water trough.
"Your friends?" Harry pointed towards the other camels and he nodded.
"Yeah! This building is just the entrance. They should be further in and under ground, where it's also cooler." Bill replied with a strange tone that Harry couldn't quite place. Something between relief and trepidation.
Bill motioned for Harry to follow him into the building, which she did. The building looked like every abandoned sandstone building built hundreds or thousands of years ago that Harry had ever seen in person or in the numerous magazines Bill sent Ron. Bill led her down some old stairs that looked like they had been swept of the majority of the sand that had come in through the doorway. Further down into the part of the building that was underground. Bill seemed to find relief as they walked down the hallway. Harry didn't share that relief. It felt the same down here as it did above ground. She might have examined that thought closer had she not heard the sound of other voices filtering down the hallway they were walking down.
Bill walked through the doorway first, immediately smiling broadly at someone Harry could not see yet. "Evy!" Bill called out and rushed out of sight with his arms already open for a hug.
Harry came around the corner of the doorway in time to see Bill giving a fierce hug to someone shorter than him.
"How are you doing Evy? It feels like it's been ages!" Bill spoke to the person happily. Harry chose to keep her distance.
"It certainly does!" A woman with a soft British accent replied just as happily.
Bill turned to the side, revealing an older woman with long brown hair and a pleasant expression. She was wearing pretty nondescript clothes that Harry noted were already dirty. "This is my littlest brothers' best friend, Harry."
"Oh! Harry Potter?!" Evy walked up to her quickly with her hand already held out. "A pleasure to finally meet you!" She shook Harry's hand roughly. "Bill was always talking about you and all the trouble you got his brother into." She continued with a smile.
Evy turned back to Bill and Harry took the opportunity to give Bill a sharp look. How dare he think she was dragging Ron into all the trouble they got into. Ron practically jumped at the chance to do something for himself instead of being yet another forgettable Weasley son. Bill saw the look, but didn't react as Evy was looking at him now.
"Yeah, well. At least things have calmed down a bit." Bill continued to talk, but it sounded stilted. Like he wasn't prepared for this topic to come up and was left scrambling for polite conversation.
"I can only imagine after everything I heard." Evy lost the joy in her voice. "Nothing but bad news for what felt like years."
Bill shrugged. "Over now, at least."
"Well, since you're here. Why don't you come see what we've uncovered!" Evy smacked his arm slightly that spoke of a deep friendship.
"I'd love to!" Bill's eyes lit up as he motioned for Harry to follow them.
Harry had lost all her desire to remain here with Bill during the conversation, but decided to stick with it and see what the day held for her. Evy led them into a larger room that had colorful pictures that looked like they were from Ancient Egypt all over the walls, though she could have been wrong. She was no expert after all.
"Look here. I think this inscription here is referencing…" Evy was talking to Bill about something on one of the walls so Harry tuned out her voice.
Instead, Harry looked at the pictures on the walls with a meandering interest. There was something distinctly familiar about them but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Like trying to catch fog in her hand, the answer seemingly drifted far enough away to tease her.
Harry sighed unhappily. She was already bored of the old pictures on the walls and noise from the conversation behind her that she had no desire to pay attention to. Harry was loath to admit this little tidbit to anyone else, but she missed Imhotep. She realized now that the entire Cult building was literally soaked with his essence. There was nowhere in that building she went that she didn't feel some part of him lingering in the air. This building felt cold and dead, having not been touched by anyone living in a very long time. Harry hated it. She wanted to go…back home. That thought made her mind stutter to stop. She wanted to go home, but home wasn't back in Great Britain. Home was…with Imhotep. Was this her hormones clouding her mind? Was it Imhotep? The answer to that question eluded her. She was just starting to consider how hard it would be to sneak out and go back to the Cult building when a new voice got her attention.
"Bored already, huh?" A male voice without an accent spoke quietly to her right. Looking, it was an older looking man. He looked and dressed like every rugged adventurer she'd seen in movies and looked like he'd lived a hard life, but his eyes were still kind. Something inside her told her that he was good and that she could trust him. "The Archeology talk always gives me a headache." He groaned with a slight sneer, but it quickly disappeared when he looked over to Bill and Evy.
The man motioned for her to follow him down another hallway that connected to this room and she did so without giving Bill the courtesy of letting him know she was leaving the room. He could deal with it by himself, she thought with a sneer. When had she become so antagonistic towards her best friend's oldest brother yet had no shred of it when she thought of her childhood nemesis? She wanted to be concerned about being influenced by someone else, but couldn't find it within herself to try and figure it out. It could be her paranoia flaring up or it could be a legitimate concern. All she knew for sure was that Bill was not the person she could bring these concerns to anymore.
"I'm Rick O'Connell, by the way." The man told her over his shoulder as he continued to walk.
"His given name is Richard, by the way." Another man's voice with a deeper British accent replied as Rick led her into a new room that was also covered with pictures.
"I could still kill you." Rick threatened the new man with a growl and a stern finger pointed at him. "There's very little stopping me."
The other man, a tall and skinny fellow with a thinning hairline, also wearing rather plain yet dirty clothes, did not seem the least bit concerned by the threat. "Only my sister." The other man pointed out while setting the tools he was working with on a small table near him. Rick sneered again and turned away from the new man. "Hello!" The man replied happily as he held out his hand to Harry. She quickly took the greeting. "Jonathan Carnahan. Pleasure to meet you." Jonathan greeted her a little too happily. Harry noticed that his eyes were quite red in a similar way that Uncle Vernon's got when he came home from the pub and was looking for a fight.
"Harry. Pleasure to meet you as well." Harry returned the greeting, still not sure what to think of, well, anything going on here.
"Ah! Another Brit!" Jonathan exclaimed happily. "I'll be honest, his accent gets rather old." Jonathan acted like he was telling her a secret, but made sure to say it loud enough for Rick to hear.
"I'm literally the only non-Brit here!" Rick exclaimed so loudly that his words bounced around the room. "How can you get tired of it?!"
Jonathan shrugged contemptuously while turning back to where he was working. Rick responded by picking up an old looking wooden stool and threw it at Jonathan, hitting him square in the back and knocking him to the ground with a loud groan.
"Get bent you fucking tosser!" Jonathan growled at Rick, complete with bared teeth, though Harry did not find him the least bit intimidating.
"Boys!" Evy called out from the other room, though she did not leave it.
The three of them stood quietly in the room, each clearly waiting for something different.
Jonathan spoke up first after a long and awkward moment. "Did you really have to hit me with a stool?" He questioned evenly as he motioned to the wooden stool that was now laying in several pieces. All his spit and vinegar now gone.
"I will until you figure out how to shut the hell up." Rick replied, though with far less venom than before. Rick walked over and helped Jonathan up off the dirt floor. "Can't you complain about something other than my accent?" He asked as he knocked the dirt off the other mans' clothes.
"It's easy." Jonathan replied with slurred shame.
"You could come up with more interesting insults if you didn't drink so much." Rick replied in a somewhat disappointed tone. He let Jonathan go and Jonathon swayed a bit before getting his footing. Jonathan nodded shamefully before going back to cleaning the wall he was working on carefully. Rick motioned Harry to him and she complied. "Sorry about my brother-in-law. He's working on it." Rick explained sympathetically.
"You don't need to explain it to me." Harry replied truthfully. "We're all working on something."
Rick smiled so earnestly that Harry couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks."
"So, what do you do when the Archeologists are working?" Harry asked after a long quiet moment.
"Be bored outta my skull, mostly." Rick chuckled as he opened a crate at the far end of the room with a crowbar. He tossed the top he just removed to the other side of the room. "I don't know a lot about history and have no magic, so…" Rick shrugged, looking bone tired, "I'm usually just the muscle." He smiled at Harry over his shoulder.
Harry smiled back, finding that she quite liked this man. "While I may not know of your specific situation, I can fully sympathize." She walked up closer to Rick while making sure she stayed out of the range of the box tops he was tossing over his shoulder. "I learned just enough history to pass my tests. When it comes to planning, I'm a proper idiot at the best of times so I'm usually just the magical muscle."
Rick smiled brightly at her. "Two peas, huh?"
"What about peas?" Harry wasn't sure what that particular American saying meant.
"Two peas in a pod!" Jonathan yelled out.
"Oh!" Harry felt a little silly that she couldn't figure that one out. "Seems like."
Rick chuckled even as he glared at Jonathan. He straightened up, looking around a little with intent. He must have found what he was looking for since he gave her the motion to stay quiet and to follow him. Having nothing better to do, Harry followed him with light steps. Rick led her down yet another hallway that turned into stairs that looked to lead back outside.
"Wanna get out of here?" Rick pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
"And go where?" Harry replied. She desperately wanted to get out of this dead building and overbearing friend.
"There's this great bar in a village not far from here. I'm going there and thought you might like to ditch as well."
Harry looked over her shoulder to where she knew Bill was since she could feel his rather weak magical presence. She wondered briefly if it felt so weak because she was used to feeling Imhotep's magic that seemed to permeate everything or if something more fundamental had changed within her.
'Fuck it', Harry decided. "Let's get out of here." She said out loud as she turned back to Rick.
Rick pumped the air in glee, which Harry thought was strange, but didn't say anything. He was an American afterall, they did things weirdly. Rick grabbed one of the camels that was already there, one about the same shade as hers, while Harry grabbed her original camel. Rick then began leading them in a new direction that took them through a narrow pass through some tall rocks. True to his word, there was a village on the other side of the rocksand it took him next to no time for him to lead her right to the bar in question.
"I found this place a few years back when I wanted to get away from a Goblin envoy that I wanted to kick in the face." Rick spoke conversationally as he tied up both of the camels.
"Goblins can be tough to be around at the best of times." Harry cringed inwardly when she thought of the damage her, Ron, and Hermione caused to Gringotts during the war. She should probably look into that whole situation and see if any of them are wanted for reparations. "They haven't been treated the best by the magical community."
"Not my place." Rick waved her comment away. "I'm no magical."
Harry chuckled as she followed Rick to the main bar counter and sat down next to him. "How sensible of you."
Rick grimaced. "Only because I had to learn that lesson the hard way." Harry laughed again and bumped his shoulder with her own, making him smile.
Rick ordered for them since Harry didn't know what they served. He ended up ordering them a couple tall glasses of a local whiskey that burned pleasantly.
"So what's your story?" Rick spoke up once they were both nearly done with their drinks. "How about we trade?" He added when Harry sighed sadly.
"Trade?" She thought about it as she finished her drink. She was already starting to feel tipsy. "You got yourself a deal."
Rick smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. For some reason, he reminded Harry of Sirius and that made her heart hurt.
"Dad left when I was young, then Mom died not long after, so I was left at an orphanage in Cairo." Rick explained solemnly. Harry decided to wait and let him work out the words at his own pace. Bad memories always hurt, no matter how much time has passed. "Got in with a bad crowd and did a lot of bad things. Joined the French Foreign Legion to get out of that but deserted when my whole platoon was killed. Would have gone to prison and probably been executed if not for Evy and her dumbass brother." Rick smiled more sincerely this time before he looked at Harry. "Your turn."
"My parents were betrayed by a friend and murdered at the end of the First Wizard War in Great Britain. I was raised by my aunt and uncle but they hated me for my magical heritage." The bartender brought another drink for the two of them. This time something still very alcoholic yet delightfully fruity. She sipped at it to avoid talking for a moment.
"Did they hurt you?" Rick asked timidly. Harry nodded and could hear Rick mutter something that sounded like a curse under his breath.
"I started Hogwarts when I was Eleven, but it seemed like there was always something trying to hurt or kill me every year."
Rick appeared thoughtful. "Why were you such a target as a child?" He asked, though it didn't sound directly at her.
Harry gave him a look. "Because I'm Harry fucking Potter." Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Rick motioned to the bartender. "Drinks are on me."
Harry laughed as she finished off her fruity drink just as the bartender brought a dark colored drink. She probably shouldn't drink this much, but it felt good to unwind and Rick made for good company.
"Thanks mate." Harry gently tapped her glass with his.
"It's the least I can do." Rick swirled his drink with one hand, deep in thought. Harry took a deep drink of her drink and could barely keep herself from coughing. This one was much stronger than the other two. "You know, Bill and Evy stayed in contact after he went back home." He leaned into her space roughly, no doubt because of the alcohol. "She's thoughtful like that." He spoke like he was telling a secret, making Harry laugh. "She was so worried about him and his family when we got word of the war."
"Hopefully you three were far away from all that." Harry hoped that they hadn't gotten caught in any of the shit that happened during the war.
"We were still down here, so yes." Rick replied a bit slurred. "Heard enough about it from Bill and some of the other Curse-Breakers we worked with to know to stay away." Rick added much softer, "We knew how bad it was from what they weren't saying."
"It was probably worse than what you think." Harry replied sadly. She hated thinking about the war, but she wondered what it was like for those on the outside. Or those that had no way to help.
"Bill told us some of the things you and his brother got up to, but I'm willing to bet it was the sanitized version." Rick said in a pointed way as he sipped his drink.
"Well, first, it wasn't just the two of us. We always had our other best friend, Hermione, right there with us." Harry replied wistfully. She really did miss her friends. "I can't speak for what Bill may or may not have said, but I assure you…it was a lot more destructive than he let on." She failed at stifling her giggles.
The two lapsed into silence for another long moment before Rick spoke up again. "That why you're here?"
"Yes and no." Harry sighed. The bartender brought them each another drink and Harry made sure to drink this one slower. She was well on her way to getting drunk. "Some shit I don't want to talk about went down just after the battle at Hogwarts." Rick nodded. "This man I had never seen before shows up, kills everyone that had hurt me and brought me here." Harry took a deep draw from her drink hoping to drown the bad memories. "Haven't found a reason to go back yet."
Rick nodded again as he drank his own drink. "I get that." He finally said, much to Harry's relief. After her interaction with Bill, she thought everyone was going to think she was being stupid or selfish. "Did something similar myself." Rick turned to her. "What about that guy that brought you down here? He still around?"
"Heh, yeah." Harry huffed. "He's still taking care of me months later." She could feel herself blush and desperately hoped that the alcohol flush would cover it up.
"There's more going on there, isn't there?" Rick asked with a sly grin.
"You could say that." Harry grinned even as she felt her blush deepen. "I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about him."
"Well, maybe I can help. Tell me about him." He nudged her shoulder with his.
Harry tried to think of a way to describe Imhotep to a stranger without coming across as a love struck teenager. "Tall, dark, and handsome?" She finally found some words through the alcohol. Rick laughed heartily, making Harry feel better about this topic of conversation. "I think my biggest hang up is how much older than me he is."
"How old is he?"
"I haven't wanted to be rude and ask, but he's much older. I feel like he's probably almost as old as my father." Harry grimaced at the thought. She couldn't see herself dating someone as old as Sirius or Remus. Why was Imhotep so different? Was it because he was foreign? New and exciting?
"Ah, got a thing for older men?" Rick nodded approvingly. "Hey, I don't judge." He added quickly when Harry tried to speak up. "Look. Everyone has a thing for someone older at some point in their life. There's no shame there."
"I know there's no shame in it." Harry sighed as she tried desperately to rein in her thoughts through the haze of alcohol. "Could I know if I'm being taken advantage of?" She finally asked and was quite pleased at the very mature question she managed to find.
Rick hummed as he thought quietly before speaking up. "What does your gut say about him?" He questioned her carefully.
"Nothing bad." Harry drained her glass and handed it over to the bartender. "He's an intense person that makes me nervous nearly every time I'm around him, but I've never been worried."
Rick leaned back on his stool with his hands in the air. "I'm sure I'm the last person to be giving any kind of advice, however…" He leaned in close to her, "...I say go for it."
"That's your advice?!" Harry nearly squealed as she started laughing again.
Rick shrugged. "All I'm saying is that life is too short to question your every decision like that." His tone turned more solemn. "There's nothing wrong with living for yourself after giving so much to your country."
Harry smiled at the fellow foreigner she'd found in her company. Rick made a great point. Maybe she had been thinking too hard about her feelings surrounding Imhotep. She didn't know what fate had in store for her, but maybe that was ok. A sudden yell behind them caught her and Rick's attention. They turned around at the same time to see a small group of men wearing clothes that looked strikingly similar to what she had seen Ardeth Bay wear.
"There she is!" One man spoke in dual tones while pointing in their direction.
"What about the man?" Another man also spoke in the same spoken overlay.
"Friends of yours?" Rick asked very carefully. His body was taut, very ready for a fight.
"Not nice ones…" Harry muttered in return.
"Kill him too!" The first man yelled out.
The first man pointed a thick sword at them which signaled to the other men to begin their advance. Rick pulled out a long barreled gun from somewhere, readying it with a dexterity that surprised her with how much they had been drinking. One of the men threw his sword at her in a sudden attack. She tried to think of how she could perform a repulsion charm when her magic coiled around her and exploded outward in front of her. The group of men, along with several tables and chairs, were blasted out of the bar entrance and sent the other bar patrons scrambling.
Rick looked at the scene with a surprised face. "That'll work." He finally announced. Rick grabbed Harry's arm hard and practically dragged her out of the bar through a small side exit then down a couple small walkways before finally letting go. He pushed her into sitting against a random sandy colored building. "Wait here." Rick ordered and she was in no state to argue.
Rick ran off and disappeared from sight when he turned down a different walkway. It was only once Rick had fully disappeared from sight that the true weight of her situation fell on her. She was drunk and alone, surrounded by strangers in possibly a separate village from Itsa. Hermione always said that Ron and Harry were dangerously stupid when left alone together but clearly Ron was holding Harry back from achieving greater heights of mind-boggling stupidity.
A man that looked to be with the attacking group of men came around the corner. His eyes darted to Harry and sneered deeply. She brought up her magic to shield her as he brought his thick sword down at her, causing him to stagger backwards. Having no better idea, she magically grabbed the man and pinned him against the building across from her. Before she could figure out what to do with the man, Lock-Nah appeared from around the corner and stabbed the restrained man in the stomach. Harry flinched away from the sight of the man's blood gushing out of him and covered her eyes to block out the image of his blood staining the sand in front of her.
"Who's the worthless dog now?" She heard Lock-Nah snarl dual-toned over the other mans' pained groans. Harry tried so hard to block out the wet sounds and more pained noises but couldn't stop the flinch when the man fell to the ground dead. "Oh, my apologies, Your Majesty." Lock-Nah spoke far kinder as he helped Harry to her feet and walked her away from the gory scene.
"Hey! Get your hands off her!" Rick demanded with his own snarl.
"It's alright, Rick." Harry tried to find her voice but found it hard. All she could see behind her hands was blood. "I know Lock-Nah."
"Good to hear." Rick uttered in an unbelieving tone. "The main group fell back. No idea where they went, not that I really care, but there might be a couple stragglers on the way back to the camels." There was a pause of silence between the three of them. "Are you ok?" Harry felt a rough hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not great with blood." Harry muttered in response.
"Blood?" Rick sounded confused. There were some more sounds of moving sand and clothes. "Oh…blood. Right." His voice came closer. "I think it's time to cut this party short."
"I agree." Lock-Nah replied in a flat tone.
A different hand grabbed her other arm and Harry knew it was Lock-Nah so she allowed him to pull her away. After a couple minutes, Harry felt steady enough to remove her hands from her eyes. The two men were on either side of her while they were walking quickly down the narrow paths between the buildings. A group of three men initiated an attack as they came around a corner near the bar. Rick quickly opened fire on the one closest to him while Lock-Nah cut the throat of a different one deeply and efficiently. Harry used her magic on the sand beneath them to grab the feet of the third to keep him from advancing. He tried a couple times to free himself before Rick put several rounds to his chest and Lock-Nah slit his throat at the same time. Harry looked up at the sky to avoid looking at more blood.
"Well done." Lock-Nah spoke in a pleased tone.
"Same to you." Rick replied with a similar tone.
They didn't run into any more enemies on their way back to the camels. Lock-Nah took one of the other agitated camels tied up out front of the bar.
"I suggest you come back with me now." Lock-Nah gave Harry a pointed look that she took to mean this was more of a respectful order.
"That's not a bad plan, but what about Bill?" Rick asked as he untied his and Harry's camels.
"Can you let him know what happened here and that I went back?" Harry asked, still a little shaken.
"And take all the blame?!" Rick placed a dramatic hand on his chest which made Harry laugh. Judging by the pleased slate of his eyes, that was his intent.
"Tell you what. You go back without me, let everyone there know what we got up to and you can put as much blame on me as you want during the explanation." Harry suggested with a hand out and a smile.
Rick smiled back as he took her hand and shook his roughly. "You got yourself a deal."
Harry had some trouble getting onto her camel with all the alcohol she had with Rick and so Lock-Nah helped her get up. "Let's do this again sometime." Harry said to Rick with a smile.
"Sounds like a plan!" Rick returned her smile.
Lock-Nah took the lead and they started back across the desert. They were quiet for a long time which Harry appreciated. It felt like she had somehow gotten drunker after leaving the village and it gave her body some time to try to sober up. A small part of her was worried about what Imhotep might think of the state she was in.
"May I ask what you were doing with this new foreigner?" Lock-Nah finally asked.
"We were drinking in a bar." Harry replied, distracted by trying to stay upright on her moving camel. "I'm not sure who the men were who attacked us."
"Medjai." Lock-Nah replied with a sneer. "Things are progressing faster now." It sounded like he was speaking to himself. "There is still the matter I need to speak to you about."
It took his words a few moments to sink in fully. "Ah, yes. You mentioned this issue yesterday." She rubbed her eyes roughly, hoping to sober herself up for this conversation. "I'm not sure I'm in any state to have a serious conversation right now. How about first thing in the morning? Will that work for you?"
Lock-Nah was silent as he thought. "Yes, that will be acceptable." Lock-Nah nodded, which left Harry relieved. She didn't have to try to work through whatever issue Lock-Nah had while drunk. "You did not answer my question." He spoke once more. Harry looked at him, trying very hard to remember what he said, and he chuckled softly. "Why were you at the bar with the new foreigner in the first place?"
"Oh!" Harry said a little too happily. "Right. Bill took me to an archeology Dig Site but it turned out to be boring as hell. Rick helped me sneak out so we could have some drinks." She explained simply, hoping that would be enough.
Lock-Nah regarded her with a keen eye. "You did not go with Bill." He stated but it also sounded like a question.
Harry could only sigh. The last she wanted to do was talk about Bill and all the crap he brought with him from Britain, but Lock-Nah deserved the truth. "I wasn't too keen to spend more time around him." She felt Lock-Nah watching her and she knew he wanted more information. "I didn't appreciate him insinuating that I was wrong for not going back home right away." She tacked on with a tired sigh. She wanted to get out of the sun and go to bed. She quite enjoyed the mental image of snuggling up against Imhotep in bed that her inebriated mind supplied her without asking. Tart.
Lock-Nah scoffed. "Treacherous Jackal."
"I wish I disagreed with you." Harry replied glumly.
The rest of the ride was thankfully uneventful. Lock-Nah helped Harry off her camel when they arrived at the Cult building and told her that he would take her camel back to the camel merchant. She tried to explain where the merchant was, but Lock-Nah explained that there was only one place to rent camels. She stepped through the doorway, already feeling better to be back. Her eyes were drawn to the two people that were already in the room. Imhotep was sitting on his throne at the far side of the room while his priest was standing at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the throne. Imhotep's eyes were already on her when she looked over, so she started to walk towards them. His priest glanced over his shoulder, no doubt to see what had Imhotep's attention, before he bowed and began walking further into the building. He gave her a curt nod as they passed one another.
As she climbed the stairs, Imhotep stood and held out a hand for her. "What's his name again?" She asked as she placed her hand in his own. Imhotep only chuckled in response as he looked down on her with deep affection.
Footsteps echoed behind her and she knew she was in danger when her magic coiled around her defensively. Looking over her shoulder, she saw men wearing all black and welding thick swords, exactly like the men that attacked her and Rick at the bar.
"Medjai." Harry whispered in fear. She didn't want to have another fight with them while still drunk.
"You crossed the desert quickly," the man that spoke looked to be the same one that ordered the attack before. "But it will not help you now." He threatened her with a growl.
Imhotep stepped around her, blocking her from her attackers. "Please sit while I manage this." He spoke easily over his shoulder in Parseltongue. Harry nodded to him and sat on his throne. She was in no state to defend herself, so it was fortuitous that Imhotep was here to do it for her.
The men looked between each other quickly before one charged them. Imhotep didn't even move to summon a spire of earth that broke through the marble floor and speared the man through the head before disappearing back into the floor. Several more men charged Imhotep with their swords raised before the first one's body even hit the floor. Harry didn't see what kind of attacks he used against the attacking group as she was still being shielded by his body. A smaller man used the brief moment that Imhotep's attention was away from him to try to sneak by her sentinel to get to her. It didn't work. With a dismissive flick of his wrist, Imhotep sent a large rock towards the man. It smashed his head against the wall, leaving a gory mess of blood and brain matter splattered against the wall.
Harry's entire body lurched hard. There was so much red. It took everything to keep her drinks down as her stomach started to roll and didn't show any sign of stopping. Her lungs stopped wanting to work, making it harder and harder to breathe. Red. There was red everywhere.
Strong hands grabbed her head and pulled her eyes away from the gore. Imhotep's face was very close to hers but she couldn't see him. All there was, was red. Harry tried to say something, anything, but her lungs still weren't working. Imhotep said something but she couldn't hear him over the rushing blood in her ears. Red.
The next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes. She was laying on her back and looking at the ceiling above her bed in her Oasis. She sighed as she tried to think of what had happened after the group of attackers followed her into the cult building, but was having trouble grabbing onto any memories. At least she felt sober now.
"You are awake." She heard Imhotep say in his usual tone. She looked down to the end of her bed and saw him walking around the end towards her. "I was worried." He said simply.
Harry sat up slowly, only now noticing that her clothes had been changed to her sleep clothes. "You changed my clothes?" She asked numbly.
"I used my magic to replace your clothes with ones you would find more comfortable for rest." He placed his hands behind his back. "I swear to you, I saw nothing that lay beneath." He assured her quite firmly.
Harry actually laughed at that. "I wasn't worried." She reassured him as she moved her legs to tuck them under her.
Imhotep took it as the invitation it was and sat down on the bed near her. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly.
Harry thought about how she felt and couldn't find the right words. "I'm not really sure." It was as close to any truth as she could get.
All Imhotep did in return was sigh unhappily. He leaned forward, resting heavily on his knees with his elbows and threaded his fingers. "I never meant for you to see how I conduct battle." He explained carefully. "I should have thought about that before initiating your enemies."
While Harry did not fully remember what had happened, she appreciated that he came to her defense so quickly and cared for her after whatever had happened. "It's fine..." She had begun to say.
"It is not!" Imhotep cut her off sharply, nearly snarling at her. She closed her mouth with an audible snap of her teeth. He snarled silently this time as he looked down at his hands. "I beg your forgiveness far too much. I should be better." He growled menacingly.
Harry sat there, unsure what to do. She wasn't afraid of him but a part of her screamed for caution. She was sitting next to an incredibly powerful yet equally volatile man and she really had no way to protect herself if he exploded. Even if it wasn't directed at her.
"I don't mind." She replied in a whisper as she looked down at the bed. She did not want to agitate him further but desperately wanted to reassure him.
Imhotep looked over to her. He still looked angry, but his eyes were hopeful. "I must be better," He spoke forcefully, but less angry, "If I am to serve you properly."
Harry smiled at him, hoping it would put him at ease. She remembered her conversation with Rick concerning Jonathan. "Then work on it." She tried to keep her tone gentle. He'd done so much to help her. It was about time she returned the favor.
Imhotep looked back to his hands though he had a smile now. "Does your elegance know any boundaries?" He spoke with a kinder tone.
Harry shrugged, not feeling elegant whatsoever, but she was not going to dispute any of his compliments. It was nice being complimented on something other than her how much like her dead parents she looked. "We're all working on something." She gave him another kind smile. "Don't be too hard on yourself." He looked up to her once more. "It doesn't really help." If only she could heed her own advice.
The room was quiet for a long moment as Imhotep looked deep in thought. It's not like Harry had anything better to do than wait for him to find whatever thought he was searching for. Based on all the other times they spoke in private, he had made sure Zalika and Clione were not around, so she knew she didn't have to worry about them stumbling in on anything.
"You are not yet ready to ascend." Imhotep finally spoke, though Harry wasn't sure who that statement was directed to. "I must be better, now." He stated with a deep conviction that Harry knew meant that he was still being too hard on himself. It wasn't his fault that she kept getting attacked, yet it sounded he was going to continue blaming himself for it while ignoring the fact that she's been getting attacked since she was a literal baby.
Needing something different now, Harry scooted closer to Imhotep with slow movements, just in case he was still in an elevated state. He watched her curiously out of the corner of his eye but made no move or word to stop her. She stopped once she was facing the opposite way as him and her hip almost made contact with his hip. He straightened his back so he was once more taller than her, but she didn't mind. It brought his right shoulder to the best height for her to lay her head down on it. She felt his chuckle more than heard it as he wrapped his right arm around her midriff and pulled her in close to him. It brought her body much closer to his, the arm around her increasing the pressure on her body, and allowing him a better angle to rest his own head into hers. It felt so good being this close to him. Like his mere presence calmed her whole being enough to finally be able to relax for the first time in years.
Sitting here in the silence of companionship, she found she didn't care what Bill or anyone else back home thought about her or her choices.
She was happy here. She was happy with Imhotep.
