2011 HPCreatureFest: Harry Potter Meets the Mummy
Title: Harry Potter Meets the Mummy
Author: enchanted_jae
Pairing: Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, brief Harry/Mummy
Prompt #: 34 for bonfoi
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 3550
Summary: Draco Malfoy has hired freelance curse-breakers Harry, Ron and Hermione to unravel the mystery of what became of his great-great uncle, Cepheus Malfoy.
Warning(s): (highlight to read)*Molestation by mummy, sexual situation*
Beta: groolover
Disclaimer: This piece of art or fiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made, no copyright or trademark infringement, or offence is intended. All characters depicted in sexual situations are above the age of consent.
Harry stepped out the back door of Zahi's Cafe to join Hermione. Lunch time had passed, and the crush of customers had slowed, allowing the staff time for a break.
"My back is killing me," sighed Harry.
Hermione nodded in sympathy. "My feet hurt, too," she said.
"Do you reckon Ron is relaxing in your room?" mused Harry. The air-con was sporadic at the cheap hotel, but it was better than the sweltering heat under which Cairo was currently laboring.
"He'd better not be," said Hermione. "He's supposed to be doing research."
Harry rolled his eyes. "What's wrong with this picture?"
Hermione laughed and swatted him on the arm. "We couldn't very well turn Ron loose in a Muggle cafe," she giggled.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were curse-breakers. They had left the Ministry to do freelance work. Although they enjoyed the freedom of being self-employed, working on commission sometimes left them short of funds. It was for that reason that Harry and Hermione were currently working in a Muggle cafe in Egypt. Harry liked to complain about it, but he didn't really mind the job. It was certainly better than the time he and Ron had been employed mucking out stalls for a horse breeder.
Their real job here in Egypt was to locate the tomb of Princess Ari. According to Draco Malfoy, an ancestor of his had accompanied Howard Carter to Egypt when the British archaeologist had discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. Unlike Carter, however, Cepheus Malfoy had never returned to England. He had disappeared under cover of darkness one night, never to be seen again. Some speculated he had stolen artifacts and smuggled them out of Egypt. Malfoy, however, believed his great-great uncle had been the victim of foul play. Family legend had it that Cepheus had stumbled upon his own discovery of the tomb of Princess Ari, but that a curse had killed him and bound his spirit to the tomb as its guardian.
The remainder of the work day passed quickly and uneventfully, freeing Harry and Hermione to return to their hotel. As Harry sat on the edge of his sagging bed and toed off his shoes, he heard Hermione's voice from the adjoining room.
"Ron?" she called. "Ron?"
Harry stood and headed to the door that connected their rooms just as Hermione knocked. He opened it to see her worried face.
"Ron isn't here," she said.
"Did he leave a note?" asked Harry. Hermione handed him a scrap of hotel stationery.
Found something interesting. Will report back later.
"That's Ron for you," sighed Harry. "All Gryffindor bravado and no Slytherin sense to tamper it."
"I'm certain he's fine," said Hermione. Her pinched features gave lie to her words.
"You can scold him when he gets back," Harry told her, hoping to alleviate her unease. Hermione smiled at him, and Harry relaxed. He'd give Ron a piece of his mind, too. For now, however, he was hungry. "Come on, Hermione," he said. "Let's go grab some shawarma sandwiches."
Later, as Harry and Hermione were in her room sharing a dessert of fatir and watching some mindless telly, Ron burst through the door and slammed it behind him.
"Ron!" Harry and Hermione gasped at the same time.
Ron staggered over to the bed and collapsed on it, nearly spilling Harry off his perch on the edge. "Bloody hell," he muttered. He scrubbed a hand over his face, palm rasping over the stubble on his chin.
"What's going on?" asked Harry.
Ron sat up and eyed the remains of the fatir. "I'll tell you over dinner," he said.
After the trio wandered through one of the local bazaars and purchased more food, they found a seat on the steps of a closed shop to eat. Between bites, Ron told Harry and Hermione how he had spent his day.
"That ruddy book you gave me to read turned out to be rather interesting," he told his girlfriend. "I even found myself cross-referencing it with a book of spells I bought here at the bazaar."
"You bought a book of spells at the bazaar?" Hermione interrupted. "And how much did you pay for it?"
"I used my own money," Ron reassured her. "I reckoned it would be worthwhile, once we get the pay-off from Malfoy."
"Malfoy won't pay us a knut unless we find what happened to his ancestor," said Harry.
"That's why I left the hotel," Ron exclaimed. "I found a vague reference to Princess Ari in Hermione's book, and I Apparated to the Valley of the Kings to have a look about."
"Without us?!" barked Harry.
"I didn't believe I'd actually find anything, mate," said Ron. "I planned to go out, have a look around, and report back to the two of you."
"What went wrong?" sighed Hermione.
Ron's lips quirked in a guilty grin. "I found the bloody tomb," he said.
"That's fantastic!" cried Harry. "Did you see any sign of Cepheus?"
Ron shook his head. "I tried to interpret the hieroglyphics, but it's not my strong suit," he said, looking pointedly at his girlfriend.
"I can translate them," said Hermione. "We'll need to notify Malfoy first, however. He was quite insistent on accompanying us to the tomb if we discovered it."
"As long as he isn't breathing down our necks when we need to concentrate on breaking whatever curse old Cepheus is under," muttered Harry.
"I reckon you'd rather have Malfoy breathing down your pants," snickered Ron.
Harry's face flooded with heat, and he slugged his friend in the shoulder. While in his cups one evening, Harry had told Ron that he had fancied Malfoy since their days at Hogwarts. Ron hadn't let him forget about it.
"Very funny, Ron," snapped Harry. He snatched his mobile phone out of the side pocket of his trousers. "I'll ring the git and let him know we've located the tomb."
Harry scrolled through the numbers stored on his phone and selected Malfoy's. When Malfoy answered, Harry lowered his voice and intoned, "The ginger lion has unearthed the missing serpent."
"What the...?! Potter, is that you? Stop faffing about, and-"
Harry flipped his phone shut, effectively ending the call.
Hermione looked at him curiously. "Did the two of you work out that code without informing us?"
"Not at all," Harry replied with a smug grin. "I just like winding him up. He'll figure it out. Let's get back to our hotel before Malfoy arrives."
The three of them were poring over various maps and books when the loud knock sounded at their door. As Ron was the closest, he stood up and peered through the peephole then opened the door to admit a decidedly flustered Malfoy.
Sharp grey eyes fastened immediately on Harry. "Potter, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
Harry leaned back in his chair and allowed himself a smug smile. "Ron has located the tomb of Princess Ari," he said.
Malfoy's eyes flicked to Ron. "Well done, Weasley," he complimented grudgingly. "Let's go have a look about, shall we?"
"It would be dangerous to go now," said Hermione. "We have yet to determine the nature of the curse that has befallen your ancestor, and-"
"Silly me," scoffed Malfoy. "I thought Gryffindors were bold and brave."
"Brave isn't the same as foolhardy, Malfoy," Hermione countered. She had never liked Malfoy, and her metaphorical hackles were rising at his condescending words.
Rather than answer, Malfoy turned to look pointedly at Harry.
Harry recognized a challenge when he saw one, and he had a difficult time turning down challenges. That trait had led him away from the Aurors and into freelance curse-breaking, after all. "There's no harm in going out tonight to have a look around," said Harry, accepting Malfoy's tacit dare. "Ron, you'll take us there, won't you?"
"Sure, mate," Ron agreed with an affable smile.
Harry turned his attention to Hermione, wincing at her mulish expression. "If you'd rather stay here and do more research, that's fine," said Harry. "In fact, it's a brilliant idea."
"I'm not staying here while you three moronic males go floundering about a sacred tomb in the dark," she snapped. "Wait here while I get my things."
Ron performed a side-along Apparation to take Hermione to the tomb he had discovered, then the two of them returned to the hotel to retrieve Harry and Malfoy. As a group, they secured the area, using wards and spells. Even Malfoy helped with the task.
Hermione paused to read the hieroglyphics on the entrance that Ron had uncovered. "This is Ari's tomb, alright," she said. Using magic, she unsealed the entryway and stepped back. "Let's allow some fresh air to circulate inside before we try to enter," she cautioned.
"What do you suppose we'll find in there?" asked Ron.
"I am hoping we will find what became of my great-great uncle Cepheus," said Malfoy.
"Anything else should rightfully be turned over to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities," Hermione said. Once Hermione deemed an appropriate length of time had passed, she indicated they could proceed into the tomb. Each of them cast Lumos, and they began to cautiously descend the steps hewn from stone into the depths of the tomb.
Ron used his Deluminator to light torches that had been placed in sconces in the walls of the chamber they entered. At the far end of the chamber was an upright sarcophagus. Hermione crept closer and used a soft brush to clear the inscription on the front. "Cefus," she read, "Guardian of the Crypt of Ari."
"Cefus?" Malfoy asked sharply. "Could that be Cepheus?"
"It's possible," Hermione acknowledged. "This sarcophagus doesn't appear ancient to me. In fact, I would venture to say it's no more than one hundred years old."
"Cepheus disappeared in 1922, the same year he accompanied Carter on the expedition that discovered Tut's tomb," said Malfoy. "The final communication anyone received from him was rather cryptic, and he only made a passing reference to the possibility of having discovered Ari's tomb."
"Do you think it's him?" Harry asked.
"According to family lore, Cepheus' spirit is now the guardian of the very tomb he had intended to exploit," shrugged Malfoy. "A fitting punishment, I suppose."
"I reckon we should open it," said Ron. He stepped up next to Hermione and paused to look at her. "Maybe you should stand back," he suggested.
"Ronald Weasley, I've survived a war!" exclaimed Hermione. "I believe I can handle seeing a dead body."
"Er, right," Ron winced. He looked at Harry. "All together, then?"
The three of them held their wands at the ready, and at a signal from Harry, they cast simultaneously. The sarcophagus shuddered, and the seal on the lid cracked and ruptured. The trio retreated to observe the happenings from a safer distance. When all was silent once more, the lid to the sarcophagus hung slightly ajar.
After exchanging nervous glances with his partners, Harry flicked his wand at the sarcophagus, drawing the lid open the rest of the way.
"Bloody hell, it's a mummy," breathed Ron.
Harry turned to Malfoy. "Is that your uncle?" he asked.
"I'm not entirely certain, Potter," said Malfoy. "None of Cepheus' portraits show him swathed in linen."
Harry's jaw tightened at Malfoy's sarcastic jab. Unfortunately, his trousers got tight, too. Sparring with Malfoy had never failed to fire Harry's blood.
Hermione broke the tension by speaking. "If it is Cepheus, and he's under some form of curse that has trapped his spirit here, then we should be able to break the curse. It's our duty, after all." She reached into her bottomless bag and produced several reference books. "Start researching," she ordered.
After nearly an hour of poring over the old tomes, no progress had been made.
"Perhaps we need something more specific to Egyptian curses," said Malfoy. He had been skimming through one of Hermione's books, too.
"This is a copy of the Book of the Dead," muttered Hermione. "It contains magic spells intended to assist a person's journey through the afterlife. So far, however, I'm not having any luck finding a spell specific for our situation."
Ron closed his book and stood up to stretch. He grimaced as the muscles in his back twinged. "Why can't we try a simple Finite Incantatem?" he asked, gesturing at the mummy with his wand. Light flared from the tip and struck the sarcophagus. There was a blinding flash, followed by a whooshing noise, and the dirt and dust in the tomb swirled all around.
Harry flung up a hasty Protego, protecting them from the dust storm. When the worst of it had passed, all four of them rose from their crouched positions to survey the damage.
Hermione rounded on Ron and used both hands to smack him in the chest. "Ronald, what were you thinking?!"
Ron didn't answer. Instead, his eyes grew wider as he stared at a point past Hermione's shoulder. A guttural groan from the sarcophagus caused everyone to look in that direction. The mummy of Cepheus was alive. Its arms and legs moved sluggishly, and it took a stumbling step out of its sarcophagus.
"Bloody hell," squeaked Ron. He grabbed Hermione's arm and began dragging her back toward the stairs they had descended to enter the tomb.
"Now may be a good time to retreat and come up with a plan," said Harry. He took a step back as Malfoy stepped forward.
"Uncle Cepheus?" whispered Malfoy.
The mummy turned toward him slowly. "Mmpf?"
Malfoy drew himself up to his full height. "I am Draco Lucius Malfoy, come to free you from-"
Malfoy's words ended with a frightened yell as the mummy lurched toward him with its decaying arms outstretched.
Harry instinctively stepped in front of a backpedaling Malfoy, placing himself between Malfoy and the mummy. The mummy switched its focus to Harry and garbled something unintelligible. It reached for Harry, and he raised his wand, but his reaction time was dulled by horror. The mummy knocked Harry's wand away and pawed at him with its twig-like hands.
Harry cried out in revulsion and stumbled back, falling hard on his arse. By the time he scrambled to his feet, the mummy had lurched into him, knocking Harry into the wall and pressing against him. Harry's stomach roiled as the thing stroked his face almost tenderly with its withered fingers while mumbling again. Harry gagged as the foul stench of its breath hit his nostrils.
"Harry!" yelled Ron.
"Don't!" cried Hermione. "You may hit Harry!"
From her words, Harry surmised that Ron had raised his wand and been halted by his girlfriend. At the moment, however, Harry was convinced that death by stray spell was preferable to being mashed against a stone wall by a fetid, reanimated corpse.
"Careful, Potter," Malfoy's voice warned from nearby. "Uncle Cepheus was said to have an eye for pretty blokes."
Out of all the possible responses to that ridiculous statement, the one Harry chose to blurt out was, "You think I'm pretty?" He could have bitten his own tongue in half afterward, but it was too late now to retract it.
"Harry, get away from it!" Hermione shrilled.
Harry refrained from snapping at her that he was trying to do just that, and instead he clenched his teeth and pushed against the form that was still pressed full-length to him. Cepheus reacted by seizing Harry's wrists in a preternaturally powerful grip and slamming Harry's hands into the wall above his head. It then used some of its own linen wrappings to bind Harry's wrists and secure them to one of the wall sconces. Harry struggled to free himself, but the old bandaging was surprisingly strong. Cepheus took advantage of Harry's enforced immobility to grope and fondle him.
"Do something!" squeaked Harry. "I'm being molested by a mummy!"
"Cepheus was said to have a thing for bondage," drawled Malfoy.
"You're not helping, Malfoy," growled Harry, trying to turn his head away as Cepheus' face drew nearer.
"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Hermione.
Harry felt the mummy shudder against him, and its full weight pressed him more firmly into the stone wall at his back. Another harsh noise emerged from Cepheus, and he stirred.
"It's not working, Hermione!" cried Harry. "You've only slowed him down!"
"Stupefy!" tried Ron.
Their spells didn't seem to affect Cepheus so much as anger him, and he turned from Harry with a wheezing snarl. Malfoy scrambled out of the way, and the mummy shuffled past him in pursuit of Ron and Hermione. One of them screamed, the sound pitched just a shade too deep to have been Hermione. They began firing spells as they retreated up the stairwell, all of which seemed only to enrage Cepheus.
Malfoy used the momentary distraction to rush to Harry's aid. As he worked to unwind the bindings around Harry's wrists, Malfoy leaned close and murmured, "You look good like this, Potter. Uncle Cepheus isn't the only Malfoy to have a bondage kink."
Harry's bits, which he had feared would never recover their vim and vigor after being groped by a dead hand, surged to glorious life at Malfoy's words and his proximity.
In the meantime, Ron continued distracting and harassing the mummy with one spell after another while Hermione searched frantically through the Book of the Dead for an Egyptian counter-curse.
Once Harry's hands were freed, he grabbed Malfoy's head and planted a quick, hard kiss on his mouth. Before either of them could question his rash action, Harry pushed past Malfoy and retrieved his wand from the floor. "Hermione!" Harry shouted. "What's the plan?"
"Keep him busy until I figure this out!" she responded.
Harry and Ron began taking turns firing spells and hexes at Cepheus. The mummy would turn his rage on one attacker, only to be distracted by the other. Between the two of them, they kept Cepheus occupied.
"Rictusempra!" cast Harry.
"Tarantallegra!" added Ron.
Cepheus began moving jerkily in place while noises that sounded like muffled laughter came from him.
"Hurry, Granger!" shouted Malfoy.
"Ah ha!" crowed Hermione. She tossed the book aside and shouldered her way past Ron, aiming her wand at the mummy and moving it in slow circles as she chanted.
Harry didn't understand the words his friend was using, but he could sense their power as she spoke.
Light glowed at the tip of Hermione's wand and flowed outward, encompassing Cepheus and culminating in a brilliant flash. All of them flinched and covered their eyes for a moment. When Harry dared to look again, he watched as the form of Cepheus seemed to disintegrate unto itself, collapsing almost in slow motion and crumbling to a pile of dust and dirty linens on the floor of the tomb. Then something surprising happened. The dust began to swirl, faster and faster until it took on a vaguely human shape before resolving itself into the specter of Cepheus Malfoy.
He floated up to Hermione. Ron brought his wand up, but Hermione stayed his hand.
"You have freed me, dear lady," beamed Cepheus. "For that, I am grateful." He then glared at Ron and sniffed, "Gingers."
Cepheus turned his attention to Malfoy. "Draco, you say?" he mused. "You've the look of a Malfoy."
Finally, Cepheus drifted to where Harry stood. His expression became quite lecherous. "Your firm, young body makes me long to be corporeal again," he leered. "I'd give you a proper seeing to, I would."
Harry didn't know whether to blanch or blush, so he settled for taking an uneasy step back.
Cepheus floated back toward the stairwell, passing between Ron and Hermione on his way to freedom. "Tally ho!" he called back before disappearing into the darkness beyond.
There followed a momentary silence that Hermione broke when she said, "Well, that was certainly enlightening."
Everyone relaxed until Ron demanded, "We've broken the curse, Malfoy, now pay up. I'm tired of sleeping on a manky bed in a cheap hotel."
Three days later...
Hermione had reported the find of Princess Ari's tomb to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. She and Ron had then left Egypt for a well-deserved holiday in Greece. In need of a holiday of his own, Harry had gone to Venice, but he hadn't gone alone.
At present, Harry was sprawled naked across luxurious sheets in an opulent hotel suite overlooking the canals. He was achingly aroused, but Malfoy seemed intent on making Harry wait for relief. Malfoy was busy securing Harry's hands to the spindles of the headboard with silken ties.
"You deviant," Harry accused in a voice made husky with desire.
"What can I say?" replied Malfoy, eyes sparkling with deviltry. "It runs in the family."
Cross-posted to hp_creatures
Author: enchanted_jae
Pairing: Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, brief Harry/Mummy
Prompt #: 34 for bonfoi
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 3550
Summary: Draco Malfoy has hired freelance curse-breakers Harry, Ron and Hermione to unravel the mystery of what became of his great-great uncle, Cepheus Malfoy.
Warning(s): (highlight to read)*Molestation by mummy, sexual situation*
Beta: groolover
Disclaimer: This piece of art or fiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made, no copyright or trademark infringement, or offence is intended. All characters depicted in sexual situations are above the age of consent.
Harry stepped out the back door of Zahi's Cafe to join Hermione. Lunch time had passed, and the crush of customers had slowed, allowing the staff time for a break.
"My back is killing me," sighed Harry.
Hermione nodded in sympathy. "My feet hurt, too," she said.
"Do you reckon Ron is relaxing in your room?" mused Harry. The air-con was sporadic at the cheap hotel, but it was better than the sweltering heat under which Cairo was currently laboring.
"He'd better not be," said Hermione. "He's supposed to be doing research."
Harry rolled his eyes. "What's wrong with this picture?"
Hermione laughed and swatted him on the arm. "We couldn't very well turn Ron loose in a Muggle cafe," she giggled.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were curse-breakers. They had left the Ministry to do freelance work. Although they enjoyed the freedom of being self-employed, working on commission sometimes left them short of funds. It was for that reason that Harry and Hermione were currently working in a Muggle cafe in Egypt. Harry liked to complain about it, but he didn't really mind the job. It was certainly better than the time he and Ron had been employed mucking out stalls for a horse breeder.
Their real job here in Egypt was to locate the tomb of Princess Ari. According to Draco Malfoy, an ancestor of his had accompanied Howard Carter to Egypt when the British archaeologist had discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. Unlike Carter, however, Cepheus Malfoy had never returned to England. He had disappeared under cover of darkness one night, never to be seen again. Some speculated he had stolen artifacts and smuggled them out of Egypt. Malfoy, however, believed his great-great uncle had been the victim of foul play. Family legend had it that Cepheus had stumbled upon his own discovery of the tomb of Princess Ari, but that a curse had killed him and bound his spirit to the tomb as its guardian.
The remainder of the work day passed quickly and uneventfully, freeing Harry and Hermione to return to their hotel. As Harry sat on the edge of his sagging bed and toed off his shoes, he heard Hermione's voice from the adjoining room.
"Ron?" she called. "Ron?"
Harry stood and headed to the door that connected their rooms just as Hermione knocked. He opened it to see her worried face.
"Ron isn't here," she said.
"Did he leave a note?" asked Harry. Hermione handed him a scrap of hotel stationery.
Found something interesting. Will report back later.
"That's Ron for you," sighed Harry. "All Gryffindor bravado and no Slytherin sense to tamper it."
"I'm certain he's fine," said Hermione. Her pinched features gave lie to her words.
"You can scold him when he gets back," Harry told her, hoping to alleviate her unease. Hermione smiled at him, and Harry relaxed. He'd give Ron a piece of his mind, too. For now, however, he was hungry. "Come on, Hermione," he said. "Let's go grab some shawarma sandwiches."
Later, as Harry and Hermione were in her room sharing a dessert of fatir and watching some mindless telly, Ron burst through the door and slammed it behind him.
"Ron!" Harry and Hermione gasped at the same time.
Ron staggered over to the bed and collapsed on it, nearly spilling Harry off his perch on the edge. "Bloody hell," he muttered. He scrubbed a hand over his face, palm rasping over the stubble on his chin.
"What's going on?" asked Harry.
Ron sat up and eyed the remains of the fatir. "I'll tell you over dinner," he said.
After the trio wandered through one of the local bazaars and purchased more food, they found a seat on the steps of a closed shop to eat. Between bites, Ron told Harry and Hermione how he had spent his day.
"That ruddy book you gave me to read turned out to be rather interesting," he told his girlfriend. "I even found myself cross-referencing it with a book of spells I bought here at the bazaar."
"You bought a book of spells at the bazaar?" Hermione interrupted. "And how much did you pay for it?"
"I used my own money," Ron reassured her. "I reckoned it would be worthwhile, once we get the pay-off from Malfoy."
"Malfoy won't pay us a knut unless we find what happened to his ancestor," said Harry.
"That's why I left the hotel," Ron exclaimed. "I found a vague reference to Princess Ari in Hermione's book, and I Apparated to the Valley of the Kings to have a look about."
"Without us?!" barked Harry.
"I didn't believe I'd actually find anything, mate," said Ron. "I planned to go out, have a look around, and report back to the two of you."
"What went wrong?" sighed Hermione.
Ron's lips quirked in a guilty grin. "I found the bloody tomb," he said.
"That's fantastic!" cried Harry. "Did you see any sign of Cepheus?"
Ron shook his head. "I tried to interpret the hieroglyphics, but it's not my strong suit," he said, looking pointedly at his girlfriend.
"I can translate them," said Hermione. "We'll need to notify Malfoy first, however. He was quite insistent on accompanying us to the tomb if we discovered it."
"As long as he isn't breathing down our necks when we need to concentrate on breaking whatever curse old Cepheus is under," muttered Harry.
"I reckon you'd rather have Malfoy breathing down your pants," snickered Ron.
Harry's face flooded with heat, and he slugged his friend in the shoulder. While in his cups one evening, Harry had told Ron that he had fancied Malfoy since their days at Hogwarts. Ron hadn't let him forget about it.
"Very funny, Ron," snapped Harry. He snatched his mobile phone out of the side pocket of his trousers. "I'll ring the git and let him know we've located the tomb."
Harry scrolled through the numbers stored on his phone and selected Malfoy's. When Malfoy answered, Harry lowered his voice and intoned, "The ginger lion has unearthed the missing serpent."
"What the...?! Potter, is that you? Stop faffing about, and-"
Harry flipped his phone shut, effectively ending the call.
Hermione looked at him curiously. "Did the two of you work out that code without informing us?"
"Not at all," Harry replied with a smug grin. "I just like winding him up. He'll figure it out. Let's get back to our hotel before Malfoy arrives."
The three of them were poring over various maps and books when the loud knock sounded at their door. As Ron was the closest, he stood up and peered through the peephole then opened the door to admit a decidedly flustered Malfoy.
Sharp grey eyes fastened immediately on Harry. "Potter, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
Harry leaned back in his chair and allowed himself a smug smile. "Ron has located the tomb of Princess Ari," he said.
Malfoy's eyes flicked to Ron. "Well done, Weasley," he complimented grudgingly. "Let's go have a look about, shall we?"
"It would be dangerous to go now," said Hermione. "We have yet to determine the nature of the curse that has befallen your ancestor, and-"
"Silly me," scoffed Malfoy. "I thought Gryffindors were bold and brave."
"Brave isn't the same as foolhardy, Malfoy," Hermione countered. She had never liked Malfoy, and her metaphorical hackles were rising at his condescending words.
Rather than answer, Malfoy turned to look pointedly at Harry.
Harry recognized a challenge when he saw one, and he had a difficult time turning down challenges. That trait had led him away from the Aurors and into freelance curse-breaking, after all. "There's no harm in going out tonight to have a look around," said Harry, accepting Malfoy's tacit dare. "Ron, you'll take us there, won't you?"
"Sure, mate," Ron agreed with an affable smile.
Harry turned his attention to Hermione, wincing at her mulish expression. "If you'd rather stay here and do more research, that's fine," said Harry. "In fact, it's a brilliant idea."
"I'm not staying here while you three moronic males go floundering about a sacred tomb in the dark," she snapped. "Wait here while I get my things."
Ron performed a side-along Apparation to take Hermione to the tomb he had discovered, then the two of them returned to the hotel to retrieve Harry and Malfoy. As a group, they secured the area, using wards and spells. Even Malfoy helped with the task.
Hermione paused to read the hieroglyphics on the entrance that Ron had uncovered. "This is Ari's tomb, alright," she said. Using magic, she unsealed the entryway and stepped back. "Let's allow some fresh air to circulate inside before we try to enter," she cautioned.
"What do you suppose we'll find in there?" asked Ron.
"I am hoping we will find what became of my great-great uncle Cepheus," said Malfoy.
"Anything else should rightfully be turned over to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities," Hermione said. Once Hermione deemed an appropriate length of time had passed, she indicated they could proceed into the tomb. Each of them cast Lumos, and they began to cautiously descend the steps hewn from stone into the depths of the tomb.
Ron used his Deluminator to light torches that had been placed in sconces in the walls of the chamber they entered. At the far end of the chamber was an upright sarcophagus. Hermione crept closer and used a soft brush to clear the inscription on the front. "Cefus," she read, "Guardian of the Crypt of Ari."
"Cefus?" Malfoy asked sharply. "Could that be Cepheus?"
"It's possible," Hermione acknowledged. "This sarcophagus doesn't appear ancient to me. In fact, I would venture to say it's no more than one hundred years old."
"Cepheus disappeared in 1922, the same year he accompanied Carter on the expedition that discovered Tut's tomb," said Malfoy. "The final communication anyone received from him was rather cryptic, and he only made a passing reference to the possibility of having discovered Ari's tomb."
"Do you think it's him?" Harry asked.
"According to family lore, Cepheus' spirit is now the guardian of the very tomb he had intended to exploit," shrugged Malfoy. "A fitting punishment, I suppose."
"I reckon we should open it," said Ron. He stepped up next to Hermione and paused to look at her. "Maybe you should stand back," he suggested.
"Ronald Weasley, I've survived a war!" exclaimed Hermione. "I believe I can handle seeing a dead body."
"Er, right," Ron winced. He looked at Harry. "All together, then?"
The three of them held their wands at the ready, and at a signal from Harry, they cast simultaneously. The sarcophagus shuddered, and the seal on the lid cracked and ruptured. The trio retreated to observe the happenings from a safer distance. When all was silent once more, the lid to the sarcophagus hung slightly ajar.
After exchanging nervous glances with his partners, Harry flicked his wand at the sarcophagus, drawing the lid open the rest of the way.
"Bloody hell, it's a mummy," breathed Ron.
Harry turned to Malfoy. "Is that your uncle?" he asked.
"I'm not entirely certain, Potter," said Malfoy. "None of Cepheus' portraits show him swathed in linen."
Harry's jaw tightened at Malfoy's sarcastic jab. Unfortunately, his trousers got tight, too. Sparring with Malfoy had never failed to fire Harry's blood.
Hermione broke the tension by speaking. "If it is Cepheus, and he's under some form of curse that has trapped his spirit here, then we should be able to break the curse. It's our duty, after all." She reached into her bottomless bag and produced several reference books. "Start researching," she ordered.
After nearly an hour of poring over the old tomes, no progress had been made.
"Perhaps we need something more specific to Egyptian curses," said Malfoy. He had been skimming through one of Hermione's books, too.
"This is a copy of the Book of the Dead," muttered Hermione. "It contains magic spells intended to assist a person's journey through the afterlife. So far, however, I'm not having any luck finding a spell specific for our situation."
Ron closed his book and stood up to stretch. He grimaced as the muscles in his back twinged. "Why can't we try a simple Finite Incantatem?" he asked, gesturing at the mummy with his wand. Light flared from the tip and struck the sarcophagus. There was a blinding flash, followed by a whooshing noise, and the dirt and dust in the tomb swirled all around.
Harry flung up a hasty Protego, protecting them from the dust storm. When the worst of it had passed, all four of them rose from their crouched positions to survey the damage.
Hermione rounded on Ron and used both hands to smack him in the chest. "Ronald, what were you thinking?!"
Ron didn't answer. Instead, his eyes grew wider as he stared at a point past Hermione's shoulder. A guttural groan from the sarcophagus caused everyone to look in that direction. The mummy of Cepheus was alive. Its arms and legs moved sluggishly, and it took a stumbling step out of its sarcophagus.
"Bloody hell," squeaked Ron. He grabbed Hermione's arm and began dragging her back toward the stairs they had descended to enter the tomb.
"Now may be a good time to retreat and come up with a plan," said Harry. He took a step back as Malfoy stepped forward.
"Uncle Cepheus?" whispered Malfoy.
The mummy turned toward him slowly. "Mmpf?"
Malfoy drew himself up to his full height. "I am Draco Lucius Malfoy, come to free you from-"
Malfoy's words ended with a frightened yell as the mummy lurched toward him with its decaying arms outstretched.
Harry instinctively stepped in front of a backpedaling Malfoy, placing himself between Malfoy and the mummy. The mummy switched its focus to Harry and garbled something unintelligible. It reached for Harry, and he raised his wand, but his reaction time was dulled by horror. The mummy knocked Harry's wand away and pawed at him with its twig-like hands.
Harry cried out in revulsion and stumbled back, falling hard on his arse. By the time he scrambled to his feet, the mummy had lurched into him, knocking Harry into the wall and pressing against him. Harry's stomach roiled as the thing stroked his face almost tenderly with its withered fingers while mumbling again. Harry gagged as the foul stench of its breath hit his nostrils.
"Harry!" yelled Ron.
"Don't!" cried Hermione. "You may hit Harry!"
From her words, Harry surmised that Ron had raised his wand and been halted by his girlfriend. At the moment, however, Harry was convinced that death by stray spell was preferable to being mashed against a stone wall by a fetid, reanimated corpse.
"Careful, Potter," Malfoy's voice warned from nearby. "Uncle Cepheus was said to have an eye for pretty blokes."
Out of all the possible responses to that ridiculous statement, the one Harry chose to blurt out was, "You think I'm pretty?" He could have bitten his own tongue in half afterward, but it was too late now to retract it.
"Harry, get away from it!" Hermione shrilled.
Harry refrained from snapping at her that he was trying to do just that, and instead he clenched his teeth and pushed against the form that was still pressed full-length to him. Cepheus reacted by seizing Harry's wrists in a preternaturally powerful grip and slamming Harry's hands into the wall above his head. It then used some of its own linen wrappings to bind Harry's wrists and secure them to one of the wall sconces. Harry struggled to free himself, but the old bandaging was surprisingly strong. Cepheus took advantage of Harry's enforced immobility to grope and fondle him.
"Do something!" squeaked Harry. "I'm being molested by a mummy!"
"Cepheus was said to have a thing for bondage," drawled Malfoy.
"You're not helping, Malfoy," growled Harry, trying to turn his head away as Cepheus' face drew nearer.
"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Hermione.
Harry felt the mummy shudder against him, and its full weight pressed him more firmly into the stone wall at his back. Another harsh noise emerged from Cepheus, and he stirred.
"It's not working, Hermione!" cried Harry. "You've only slowed him down!"
"Stupefy!" tried Ron.
Their spells didn't seem to affect Cepheus so much as anger him, and he turned from Harry with a wheezing snarl. Malfoy scrambled out of the way, and the mummy shuffled past him in pursuit of Ron and Hermione. One of them screamed, the sound pitched just a shade too deep to have been Hermione. They began firing spells as they retreated up the stairwell, all of which seemed only to enrage Cepheus.
Malfoy used the momentary distraction to rush to Harry's aid. As he worked to unwind the bindings around Harry's wrists, Malfoy leaned close and murmured, "You look good like this, Potter. Uncle Cepheus isn't the only Malfoy to have a bondage kink."
Harry's bits, which he had feared would never recover their vim and vigor after being groped by a dead hand, surged to glorious life at Malfoy's words and his proximity.
In the meantime, Ron continued distracting and harassing the mummy with one spell after another while Hermione searched frantically through the Book of the Dead for an Egyptian counter-curse.
Once Harry's hands were freed, he grabbed Malfoy's head and planted a quick, hard kiss on his mouth. Before either of them could question his rash action, Harry pushed past Malfoy and retrieved his wand from the floor. "Hermione!" Harry shouted. "What's the plan?"
"Keep him busy until I figure this out!" she responded.
Harry and Ron began taking turns firing spells and hexes at Cepheus. The mummy would turn his rage on one attacker, only to be distracted by the other. Between the two of them, they kept Cepheus occupied.
"Rictusempra!" cast Harry.
"Tarantallegra!" added Ron.
Cepheus began moving jerkily in place while noises that sounded like muffled laughter came from him.
"Hurry, Granger!" shouted Malfoy.
"Ah ha!" crowed Hermione. She tossed the book aside and shouldered her way past Ron, aiming her wand at the mummy and moving it in slow circles as she chanted.
Harry didn't understand the words his friend was using, but he could sense their power as she spoke.
Light glowed at the tip of Hermione's wand and flowed outward, encompassing Cepheus and culminating in a brilliant flash. All of them flinched and covered their eyes for a moment. When Harry dared to look again, he watched as the form of Cepheus seemed to disintegrate unto itself, collapsing almost in slow motion and crumbling to a pile of dust and dirty linens on the floor of the tomb. Then something surprising happened. The dust began to swirl, faster and faster until it took on a vaguely human shape before resolving itself into the specter of Cepheus Malfoy.
He floated up to Hermione. Ron brought his wand up, but Hermione stayed his hand.
"You have freed me, dear lady," beamed Cepheus. "For that, I am grateful." He then glared at Ron and sniffed, "Gingers."
Cepheus turned his attention to Malfoy. "Draco, you say?" he mused. "You've the look of a Malfoy."
Finally, Cepheus drifted to where Harry stood. His expression became quite lecherous. "Your firm, young body makes me long to be corporeal again," he leered. "I'd give you a proper seeing to, I would."
Harry didn't know whether to blanch or blush, so he settled for taking an uneasy step back.
Cepheus floated back toward the stairwell, passing between Ron and Hermione on his way to freedom. "Tally ho!" he called back before disappearing into the darkness beyond.
There followed a momentary silence that Hermione broke when she said, "Well, that was certainly enlightening."
Everyone relaxed until Ron demanded, "We've broken the curse, Malfoy, now pay up. I'm tired of sleeping on a manky bed in a cheap hotel."
Three days later...
Hermione had reported the find of Princess Ari's tomb to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. She and Ron had then left Egypt for a well-deserved holiday in Greece. In need of a holiday of his own, Harry had gone to Venice, but he hadn't gone alone.
At present, Harry was sprawled naked across luxurious sheets in an opulent hotel suite overlooking the canals. He was achingly aroused, but Malfoy seemed intent on making Harry wait for relief. Malfoy was busy securing Harry's hands to the spindles of the headboard with silken ties.
"You deviant," Harry accused in a voice made husky with desire.
"What can I say?" replied Malfoy, eyes sparkling with deviltry. "It runs in the family."
Cross-posted to hp_creatures