(no subject)

[girlyswot]

So the list is now up and I can reveal to the world that I wrote this for springtime_gen   With thanks to those on my flist who read this months ago and made helpful suggestions.

The wind is my father…

Charlie yawned without bothering to cover his mouth and reached for another slice of toast. Bill smiled wryly. His younger brother had never been much of a one for mornings. Especially not after the number of beers that had been sunk the night before. Whereas he, now a responsible father of two small children, always felt lucky if he slept much beyond six o'clock. He refilled Charlie's coffee cup then went over to the window to wait for the owls he'd spotted in the distance, guessing they must be from home. Out here in Egypt wizards tended to prefer the native saker falcons to carry their post. The sakers were fast and breathtaking to watch when they flew, faster than the wind itself, but Bill had never much fancied keeping a killing machine like that in his house.

The postcard from Fleur he tucked into his pocket for later. The brown envelope from the Ministry was chucked onto a pile by the kettle. Tax, he guessed. Another missive from Gringotts about the training job they wanted him to take. He didn't really know why he kept turning them down, except that he'd always been a cursebreaker and there didn't seem a good reason to stop now. Not one that he was admitting to, anyway.

The letter from Ginny, however, was enough of a rarity for him to be intrigued. He broke the seal and scanned the contents swiftly.


Dear Bill

I've just had a postcard from my friend Luna. She says she's going to Egypt to try to work out the Riddle of the Sphinx. Do you remember that summer we all came to see you and you told us the legends? Well, Luna thinks she can solve the mystery.

I'm worried about her, Bill. Harry said maybe I could ask you to go and see if she's okay. It's not too far, is it? I know you've got Charlie staying, but perhaps he wouldn't mind. He could go and see the pyramids or the camels or something.

Anyway, let me know when you've seen her, would you? And tell her not to do anything foolish.

Thanks. Sorry to be such a pain. Did Alain get over his cold okay?

love,

Ginny


Bill pushed the letter across the table to his brother and went to find some owl treats for Hedwig.

Charlie was frowning when he came back. 'The Riddle of the Sphinx?'

Bill shrugged. 'It's legendary. If you can solve the riddle the Sphinx lets you past.'

'And if not?'

Bill grimaced. 'Well, according to the legend you die. No one's tried it for years.'

Charlie's grip on the parchment tightened. 'We're going, then?'

The eldest Weasley sighed. 'I suppose so. You ever get a Howler from Gin?'

Charlie shook his head.

'Worse than Mum's, trust me. Ten to one the girl's just doing some perfectly innocent sightseeing and Gin's got her knickers in a twist about nothing.' Bill began to clear away the breakfast things with two or three efficient sweeps of his wand.

'Do you know her?' asked Charlie casually, standing up and stretching first one muscled arm behind his back, then the other.

'Luna? Nope, never met her. You?'

'Harry introduced us last summer at his birthday party.'

'Good,' said Bill. 'At least you'll recognise her when we find her.'

---

It was hotter than she'd expected in the stillness of the desert. Luna reached for her wand and conjured a cup of water to drink while she gazed around her once more. She loved it here. She loved the way the waves on the sand looked like there should be sea but there wasn't. Her father had told her they were made by the tails of Giant Streeler. The Streeler were nocturnal, of course, and Luna had never been out in the desert at night, so she hadn't seen them. She thought it would be like a beautiful slow dance as they made the perfect patterns that were always changing. She loved the sky here, too. It felt bigger than normal, higher, like someone had lifted the lid off the world to look in and see what was happening. And she thought she might even like the heat, once she'd got used to it a bit.

When she'd asked for directions at the hostel they'd told her she should take a camel but Luna preferred to walk. She liked the way the sand felt as it blew against her legs and she wanted to be able to look at the marks she left behind her when the sand had covered them over.

She had expected that she would be able to see the Sphinx long before she reached it. Everyone said how huge and impressive it was. But as she put her hand up to shade her eyes from the sun and scanned the horizon, she couldn't see any sign of it.

Suddenly it was there, taking her breath away. Right in front of her, as if the sand had just fallen away from its sides and uncovered it for her to see. In the distance Luna could see a group of Muggles, pointing and taking photographs. None of them seemed to have brought an offering. She wondered why they'd bothered coming in that case. They wouldn't be able to get near the Sphinx at all.

Luna reached into her bag and took out the carved jade amulet that she'd found in the street market a few days earlier. It was delicate and pretty and now that she was confronted with this majestic red lion-god, she wasn't sure if it was the right thing after all. Still, she didn't have anything else.

She waited until the group of Muggles were walking away towards the pyramids, then slipped under the barrier and went forward to stand between the lion's paws. She had to crook her head right back to look up at the weathered face without its nose. Solemnly, she bowed, then knelt and laid her offering at its feet.

---

'So what's the riddle you have to solve?'

Now that they were on their way, having Apparated to Cairo and hired camels for the rest of the trip, Charlie was starting to feel a little calmer. The cheerful witch at the hostel had easily recognised Luna from Charlie's description and informed them that she had gone out to the Sphinx only an hour or so earlier. She'd gone on foot, so they could easily catch her up. Charlie had wanted to Apparate but the witch had laughed and Bill had shaken his head. Too many curses in that area to make it worth the risk. Splinching would be the least of their problems.

'No one knows,' replied Bill. 'Every Sphinx had its own. When the riddle was solved, the statue disintegrated. Clever curse work, actually.'

'Oh. So then…?'

'No one's ever solved this one. And the goblins have checked the records for the last 2,500 years. No clue as to what the riddle even is.'

Perhaps he wasn’t feeling quite so calm, then. Charlie steadied himself on the camel. 'But can't you break the curse without the riddle? I mean, that's what you do, isn't it?'

Bill laughed. 'Sometimes. But these are complicated curses and it's not worth the while. No treasure.'

'Right. Of course. All about the money.' Charlie kicked his camel hard so that the beast sprang forward ahead of Bill's.

'Hey! Wait for me.' Bill urged his mount on smoothly, with the ease borne of long practice, and soon came upsides his brother. 'What was that supposed to mean?'

Charlie shrugged, still staring straight ahead to where he supposed the Sphinx must be.

'I work for a bank,' Bill pointed out quietly. 'They pay me to recover treasure. They're not in it for fun and nor am I.'

'I can see that,' agreed Charlie.

Bill reached across and grasped Charlie's reins bringing them both to a halt and forcing Charlie to look at him.

'Is there something you wanted to say? Because I'm damned if we're going anywhere near the largest cursed object in the known world while you're in this kind of mood.'

'Scared?' jeered Charlie.

Bill flushed and bit his lip. He'd never admitted the knock his confidence had taken during the War, not even to Fleur. He was damned if he was going to admit it to Charlie, who seemed to thrive on danger.

'Look,' he told him evenly, 'these are real curses, Charlie. They kill people. We're not playing around here. So if you're not going to listen to me, you can leave right now.'

'Says who?' It was like he was six years old again and Bill was telling him he couldn't take Dad’s broomstick. 'You don't get to say what I can and can't do, Bill. Not any more. And not since you became such a bloody coward,' he added under his breath. Everyone knew that Bill had lost his nerve at the last great battle.

'Says the professional curse-breaker,' came back the reply, laced heavily with irony.

Charlie glared for a moment, wishing he didn’t feel so much like stamping his foot and shouting 'It's not fair!' Instead he turned away and gathered up his reins again slowly.

'I'm coming,' he muttered through gritted teeth.

---

Luna waited, still kneeling, wondering whether she should say something to the Sphinx.

Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, she felt something begin to move. The left paw of the lion that had towered over Luna's head even when she was standing was drawing closer. Then the right. She was going to be squashed. She knew she should get up and run but something was holding her in place. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She could feel the hot sandy stone of the Sphinx brushing against her. A great noise like the wind over the desert filled her head. Then her body was being squeezed and pulled and pressed. A bit like Apparating, she thought, watching the world swirl and distort as if it were in a kaleidoscope.

---

The two men were still some distance away when they caught sight of the tiny figure kneeling at the foot of the Sphinx.

'That her?' checked Bill.

Charlie nodded. Something in the way the girl's head was held and the set of her shoulders was instantly recognisable. He'd known it was her for several minutes.

'Bill? Do you see that?' There was a heat haze and Charlie blinked and put up a hand to shade his eyes to try to be sure of what he was seeing.

'It's moving,' Bill concurred.

'Why doesn't she get up?' asked Charlie, knowing that Bill couldn't give him an answer. 'Come on, Luna,' he urged. 'Just stand up and move away. Come on now.'

They'd ridden significantly closer but were still well out of earshot. Charlie saw that Bill had reached for his wand and he slid his own hand down to do the same.

But before either of them could do anything a violent wind blew up in an instant. Sand was thrown into their eyes and mouths, blinding them and leaving them coughing and choking and wiping away sudden tears.

'Bloody hell,' gasped Charlie, when he could finally speak. 'What was that?'

Bill was shaking his head like a dog to get rid of the sand. He sat back up and retied his ponytail. 'Khamsin. Further south they call it the Haboob.'

Charlie raised an eyebrow.

Bill gave a brief smile of acknowledgment. 'I know. I can't say it with a straight face either.' He gathered his reins and checked his wand, then pointed the camel back in the direction of the Sphinx. 'Um, Charlie?'

'What's up?' His eyes followed his brother’s gaze. 'Oh shit.'

'I think we may have lost her.'


…a cloud is my mother…


Luna's head was still spinning pleasantly when she blinked her eyes open. She was glad that it was cooler inside the sandstone chamber but she wished it wasn’t quite so dark. She reached for her wand but then remembered something she'd read about the Greybacked Sliders that hibernated quite happily in dark enclosed spaces but woke up with a fierce hunger whenever someone turned on a light. Luna began to feel the walls with her fingers, wondering if there was a doorway.

---

Charlie was already half way to the Sphinx. He turned his head over his shoulder and called out impatiently to his brother.

Bill shook his head but kicked his camel on, following Charlie at a more sedate pace. He wished he could share his brother's easy determination to go after the girl. He desperately wished he could shake off the sick fear in his stomach. What if this was the time he lost it? What if he panicked like he had that time during the War? It would be his fault. He was the one who was supposed to take care of his brothers. He was the one who was the professional here.

'Wait there!' he called after Charlie, who was no more than fifty yards from the Sphinx by now, and was just slowing down fractionally in order to jump off the animal and run.

'We have to check what happened first,' he announced, when he'd caught up. 'It may not be safe.'

'Well, of course it's not safe. She bloody disappeared. We have to go after her.' Charlie swung on his heel and tried to stride off but Bill caught his arm.

'I think she was Disapparated.'

'She was Disapparated?' Charlie was mystified. 'You mean someone else took her? But there wasn't anyone there. We were the only people within, I don’t know, half a mile of this place.'

'It’s a way that some of the desert tribes have developed to set traps. There's a complicated set of Charms which, if you set them off in just the right way, will Disapparate whoever walks into them.'

'Why not just use a Portkey?'

'Out here?' Bill indicated the shifting desert landscape. 'Make it one day, the next it'll be covered in ten feet of sand. Might not be seen again for a thousand years.'

'Oh. Then…?'

'Then we don't want to walk straight into the same trap. I need to examine it.' As calmly as he could, he walked towards the spot where Luna had knelt, carefully eyeing up the statue.

Charlie waited impatiently, watching Bill's meticulous examination of the huge stone figure.

'Hinges,' Bill explained. 'They've set up the paws to move. Probably to make sure the victim is standing in exactly the right spot.'

Charlie didn't much care for the sick feeling that came over him when Bill called Luna the victim. He turned away, checking the surrounding area for stray Muggles.

'Charlie, come and look at this.'

Bill was pointing down at the ground. Charlie peered over his shoulder. There was a carved amulet, the kind that every street vendor was selling to passing tourists.

'So?'

'So, I think Luna brought it. An offering or something. Sound like the kind of thing she'd do?'

Charlie sighed. 'Yes. It does.' He bent as if to pick it up.

'No, leave it.' Bill's hand was on his shoulder but Charlie had already touched the soft corner of the charm. There was a familiar tug at the centre of his stomach.


---

'Idiot,' remarked Bill, with more feeling than he'd really intended. It wasn't really Charlie's fault, after all. He should have told him not to touch the amulet.

Charlie twisted his face. 'Sorry. It didn't occur to me that it could be a Portkey. Not after what you said.'

'It wasn't. If I'm right that it was Luna's offering, then I think the magic of the Sphinx made it into a Gateway.'

'A Gateway?'

'We're inside the statue, Charlie.'

'Which means?'

'We'd better find that damned riddle,' said Bill tersely.

Charlie held out his lit wand and began to look round the chamber they were in.

'Listen to this.' Bill was examining an inscription on the largest wall. He translated the hieroglyphics for Charlie.

'The one who dares to breach this guard shall be cursed.
His arm shall be cut off
like that of this bull,
his neck shall be twisted off
like that of a bird.
His office shall not exist,
the position of his son shall not exist,
his house shall not exist in Nubia,
his tomb shall not exist in the necropolis.
His god shall not accept his white bread,
his flesh shall belong to the fire,
his children shall belong to the fire,
his corpse shall not be to the ground.
I shall be against him
as a crocodile on the water,
as a serpent on earth,
and as an enemy in the necropolis.'

'Well at least we know where we stand,' tried Charlie with a hint of a grin.

Bill was already turning to the next wall. 'You do realise that this is a sealed chamber?' he pointed out. 'Limited oxygen. We don’t have time for jokes.'

Charlie made a face behind his brother's back and refrained from observing that Bill had wasted at least three minutes of oxygen reading out the stupid curse.

'What can I do?' he asked, trying to sound helpful.

Bill was pointing his wand at each corner of the five-walled chamber in turn. 'Just keep out of my way and don’t touch anything.'

That sounded about right. He tried to tell himself that it didn't matter who did what, so long as they found Luna. But still it rankled. Why was it that Bill always had to be the bloody hero?

---

Gradually her eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light. Luna was absorbed in tracing the delicate patterns of birds carved into the walls. Dodos, she thought, or possibly Gworb-dweebles. Though she wasn’t sure if Gworb-dweebles lived in Egypt. She could ask her father. Luna began to count…

---

'I'm going to illuminate the curses.'

'How?' asked Charlie, icily polite.

'Make a dust cloud then set up a charged field. Can you go and stand over there?' Bill indicated the farthest, darkest corner of the chamber.

'Should I just shrink myself into your pocket?' muttered Charlie but he obeyed nevertheless.

'Apharim,' pronounced Bill, flicking his wand. The air was suddenly filled with dust motes circling and dancing in the orange light that flowed from Charlie's wand.

'Galahu darek.' A mass of coloured paths showed against the cloudy background. Bill moved slowly, isolating each trail, breaking some, stabilising others, untangling the knots. It was careful, methodical, delicate work of the sort that Charlie knew he would never have the patience for.

'Okay,' said Bill when the room was still half filled with the network of spells. 'When I break the next one, the room will shift. You need to brace yourself against the wall and try to hold your wand steady so that I have the light to keep working.'

'Okay.' Charlie pushed his spare hand up against the gritty stone and planted his feet wide.

'On three. One… two… three!' There was a terrifying sound of stone cracking and tumbling. Charlie sucked in his breath and pressed back against the walls while the floor disappeared from underneath his feet.


…my son is the cool stream…


Two thousand four hundred and thirty one. She'd counted them twice to be sure. Luna sat on the cool stone floor in the chamber and thought about the birds. There were two thousand four hundred and thirty one. Perhaps it was a prime number. She began to check for factors in her head. It was an Arithmancy trick she'd always enjoyed. Eleven. Surprising. That left two hundred and twenty one. She tried again. Thirteen. And seventeen.

Luna went over to the wall again and began counting in groups of eleven, then thirteen, then seventeen. She touched the eye of each bird as she counted. When she reached the final group of seventeen she heard a grating sound in the wall behind her. Luna smiled. A door had opened.

---

He held on as best he could until the room shuddered to a halt. Charlie was faintly impressed that it looked as though Bill had managed to keep working on the Charms despite not having any wall near enough to brace himself against.

'I'm nearly there. When I get to that red one, we should be able to blast a hole through the wall where you're standing.'

'We?' He didn't attempt to disguise the sarcasm in his voice.

Bill glanced briefly across at his brother. 'Sure. You remember the spell, right? Two will be four times quicker than one and I've no idea how thick these walls are. It might still take us a while.'

In fact it only took a couple of minutes while they both worked to form a hole large enough to pass through. Bill climbed through first then motioned to Charlie to follow through the short passage into a second chamber. It was slightly smaller than the first and had quite a different atmosphere. As Bill directed his lit wand around the walls, trickles of water shone out like jewels.

He used to love this about curse-breaking. One challenge after another. As soon as you got through one room, there'd be another with a different curse, a new puzzle to solve. His wits against the wizards who'd set the traps so many years earlier.

Now whatever relief he felt at getting out of one problem was short-lived. Each successive layer of defence just increased the sick feeling in his stomach. The curses in the cloud chamber had been tricky and complicated but at least he'd known what to do. What if this next chamber was the one he couldn't work out? He'd never seen one like this before. What if he and Charlie got trapped with the water coming in? He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut to clear his thoughts. He knew he needed to concentrate.

'Where's the water coming from?' asked Charlie.

Bill shook his head. 'Dunno. I've never seen anything like this before.'

He watched as Charlie reached out a hand to touch the wall, then did the same, finding it surprisingly warm to the touch. He traced the path of one small stream up as far as he could reach.

'The walls are porous,' said Charlie. 'I think the whole room must be surrounded by water.'

Bill pointed his wand upwards. There were no cracks or holes that he could see. Charlie was right, the water seemed to be coming in everywhere.

He looked down. No sign of the water level rising, at least. But if Charlie was right, then…

'What about the hole?'

'What hole?'

Bill pointed. 'Where we came in.'

Charlie went over and poked about. 'No sign of anything coming in here.'

'Good. My memory of the Bubble-Head Charm is far from adequate.' He cast a basic Revealing Charm to check for curses. 'Looks clean,' he announced briefly. 'We need to find the weak spot.'

He showed Charlie the spell and they split up to search the walls.

'Bill. Over here.'

Charlie was crouching down in the corner. 'I think there’s something painted on the wall here.’

Bill rubbed his fingers over the grimy wall, revealing some of the familiar symbols.

'It’s part of a bigger picture,' Charlie pointed out. 'Look.'

The trickles of water were increasing, noticed Bill grimly. But as they passed down the wall they removed the dust of the ages to reveal a complex series of inscriptions.

'Anything helpful?'

Bill squinted, trying to read the faint signs higher up the wall. 'No, I don’t think… hold on… what's that?' He frowned in concentration.

'Um, Bill?'

'Hmm?' He wasn’t really listening as he tried to piece the puzzle together.

'We may have a problem.'

Charlie grabbed his arm and pointed back at the hole. Where there had been a dry passage back into the first chamber, there was now a gushing spring. Bill looked down at his sandalled feet again. He was standing in at least half an inch of water and it was rising steadily.

---

Gold dripped from every available surface. Jewels shone like fire, embedded into masks and statues. Clay pots decorated with ornate patterns contained carved pieces of shells and stones. Luna meandered slowly through the treasure trove with wide eyes, stroking the metal with one light finger.

---

'Drought Charm?'

Bill nodded. 'Do whatever you can. I think the answer's in this inscription but I'm going to need a while to figure it out.'

Charlie set to work. He was more used to conjuring water to put out flames, but he still remembered the Charms for drying dishes. This was going to take more than a couple of flicks and an Evanesco to deal with though.

'It's a Vision Charm,' Bill called over his shoulder a few minutes later. The water was lapping round their ankles now. 'You okay?'

Charlie grimaced. 'Fine. But it's coming in faster and the spells are starting to wear out.'

'Try conjuring a sponge,' suggested Bill.

Charlie laughed. 'I’ll give it a go. How's the Vision Charm going to help?'

'Dunno. But it's all we've got.'

Charlie nodded and succeeded in producing a satisfactorily large sponge from his wand. 'Take your time,' he told Bill calmly. 'I've got this under control.'

Ten minutes later and Charlie had all but abandoned his Charms. The water was pouring down the walls and streaming in through the passage and had just about reached waist height. He hoped that Bill had already deciphered the part of the spell below the water level.

The water was freezing cold and Charlie could see that Bill was starting to shiver. He fished his wand out of his belt and tried a Heating Charm.

Bill muttered his thanks, though he hardly broke his concentration. Charlie cast the spell again, directing it more carefully around his brother.

'Okay,' Bill announced a few minutes later. 'I think I've got it.'

Charlie waded slowly to stand beside him, feeling the water creeping upwards round his chest. 'What will it do?'

'If I'm right, it should show us the way out.'

Bill raised his wand above the water level to shoulder height and drew a complicated shape in the air while he uttered the Charm.

'Eeim To Eim Alale’p. Barbariath Menebreio Arbathiao’th. 'L Iae'l Oue’ne’iie Mesommias!'

Charlie shivered, even though he was no longer cold. The room seemed to shudder and the water drew back from their bodies. Then a dark light began to glow from Bill's wand. It pulled Bill's arm into an arch, growing brighter as it went.

Bill reached for Charlie's arm. 'We have to go through it,' he whispered. 'Hold on to me.'

He couldn't have said why, but Charlie was afraid to enter the archway. He put an arm round Bill's waist and nodded, lips pressed tightly together.

'I'll hold on,' he replied quietly. 'Lead the way.'

---

Luna traced the wave painted on the large clay pot. There was something wonderfully soothing about the rhythmic movement as her finger followed the repeated curve. Up and down. Round and round. Up and down.

Her eyes began to close.


… my daughter is the fruit of the field.


It was like nothing he'd ever experienced. Whenever he tried to describe it, he could only come up with oxymorons.

Cold fire. Dark light. Soft hard.

It felt like it had lasted for ever. Still Bill kept walking and Charlie kept holding on to him for dear life.

Keep going, he told himself.

One foot in front of the other.

You can do it.

See, Bill's there and all you've got to do is hold on.

A smell. Like ripe pomegranates. Sweet and heavy.

Charlie wanted to stop but Bill dragged him on faster and deeper.

Then there was solid ground beneath his feet and fresh air. He opened eyes he hadn't known were shut.

'All right?' Bill was looking worriedly at him.

Charlie took a deep breath and ran a hand over his sweaty forehead. 'Yeah.' He let out his breath. 'Yeah. What was that?'

'They call them Saeptum Infinitum. It's a passage that gets longer and smaller the slower you walk. It'll constrict your breathing if you stop, until you slowly suffocate. Only way through is to keep your pace up and breathe deeply.'

'Oh. You couldn't have told me that before we went in?'

Bill reached out a hand to Charlie's shoulder. 'I didn't realise that's what it was until we were half way through. And by then I didn't have any breath to spare. Are you okay?'

Charlie shrugged. 'I guess so. What was the smell?'

'Part of the Charm. It's supposed to make your legs feel heavier so you stop moving.'

'Well it worked,' Charlie observed. He looked around at yet another chamber, wondering how on earth they would ever make it out alive, let alone find Luna. At least there was no water spilling into this one. No curse carved into the walls. Just a large flock of Egyptian dodos. And, thank God, an open door.

Bill smiled encouragingly. 'We're doing well. Want to take a break for a few minutes?'

Charlie closed his eyes for an instant. The passage seemed to have drained all the energy out of him. But Luna's bright face shone in his head and he knew they had to keep pressing on.

The door led through to a long shallow stairway. Bill jogged steadily upwards, Charlie behind him. There were hundreds of steps but none of the oppressive atmosphere of the Saeptum Infinitum.

'Why weren't you afraid before?'

Bill glanced back over his shoulder but didn't stop climbing. 'When?'

'In the Saeptum thing. I was terrified.'

There was a long pause. 'Me too.'

Charlie blinked. 'But you seemed so calm. And you didn't stop.'

Bill shrugged. 'Panic makes it worse. And once I'd worked out what that thing was, I knew we had to keep on.' He winked at his brother without smiling. 'Couldn't let Mum lose her two favourite sons all in one go.'

Charlie acknowledged the wink but frowned again. 'Bill?'

'What's up?'

'Are you still scared?'

Bill stopped and leaned back against the wall, letting out a long, shuddering breath.

Charlie came up to stand in front of him on the same step. He reached out to put a comforting hand on his arm. 'Is it still what happened with Lestrange?'

No answer.

'It's over, Bill,' Charlie insisted. 'The War's over. Lestrange is in Azkaban and he's never coming out. You have to let it go.'

Bill pressed his lips tightly together and opened his eyes slowly. 'Every night,' he said quietly. 'Every night I live through that nightmare again.'

Charlie couldn't imagine what that must be like but he waited for Bill to explain.

'Every morning I wake up afraid. Terrified that I didn't make it in time. That Fleur…' He swallowed hard. 'I remember how close I came to losing it all. I remember that it was my fault, that I panicked when I should have stayed calm.' He shook his head. 'I'm not afraid of Lestrange. I'm afraid of myself. I'm afraid to trust myself any more.'

'Doesn't that make your job kind of difficult?' observed Charlie casually.

Bill gave a hollow laugh. 'Every day is another test. Every day I have to prove myself again. Prove that I can take the risks, just like everyone else.'

'Risks like following your idiot brother into the Sphinx?'

Bill lifted an eyebrow. 'Yes, well. We're here now. And we'd better get going again.'

'Sure.'

Charlie let Bill go on ahead again.

'She's special, isn't she?'

Charlie looked up but Bill was still climbing stairs and hadn't looked round to speak.

'Never met anyone like her,' he answered lightly.

Bill stopped then and looked at him seriously. 'We'll find her, Charlie. We'll get her out of here.'

He swallowed and nodded. 'Keep moving, then.'

Another hundred or so steps. Then a doorway. Open like the one downstairs.

---

She was in an orchard. All around, trees were laden with delicious looking fruit that was ripe and fragrant. Luna reached out a hand to feel the soft skin of a peach, then wandered on to where the pomegranates hung. Perhaps she would just sit down here and close her eyes for a minute.

---

'I guess we found the treasure, then.'

Bill nodded, his mind racing. This wasn't work, or at least it wasn't supposed to be. He didn't have to tell the goblins about the stash. They just had to work out how to get it out.

Then he could chuck in his job. Even if Charlie took half, he'd still have more than enough to satisfy all Fleur's expensive tastes. He could stay at home in France with her and Alain and Édouard.

He had contacts. He could sell the objects for what they were worth, not just melt them down for the gold. That was a sarcophagus, enamelled and jewelled. He began to make mental calculations that ran into at least six figures worth of Galleons.

It would be risky. Reckless, even. But maybe, somehow, that made it okay. If he took this one last huge risk, then maybe he could get out with his pride intact.

'Bill! She's here.'

Charlie's voice broke through his thoughts. 'What is it? What's wrong?'

'She's unconscious.'

Charlie was crouching beside the girl and running his wand over her, checking for damage.

'Breathing's fine,' he told Bill. 'Can't find any evidence of spell damage.'

'Let me look.' Bill knelt on the other side of Luna and gently reached across to push her eyelids open. Luna's cool grey pupils looked back at him unseeingly.

'Well?' asked Charlie urgently. 'What's wrong with her?'

Bill sat back on his heels. 'Poison.'

'Poison?' Charlie blinked. 'But how?'

Bill was examining the pot that lay beside Luna's head with his wand, taking care not to touch it. 'In the glaze here. Just enough to seep through the skin of anyone who touches it, I'd guess.'

'Can you tell what kind? Where can we get an antidote? Oh God, how do we get her out of here?'

Bill stood up calmly. 'Can't say exactly but if it's been in here for several thousand years, chances are it's pretty weak by now. She'll be okay, Charlie. We just have to find our way out.'

'Right. Fine.' Charlie was gripping his wand tightly. 'How do we do that?'

'The riddle.'

'The riddle? But you said…'

'If we solve the riddle, the statue will disintegrate.'

Charlie frowned. 'We're inside the statue. If it disintegrates, won't that be pretty dangerous?'

Bill shrugged. 'Yup. But if we don't, we're stuck here until the air runs out.'

'But we still don't know what the riddle is,' Charlie pointed out.

'Yes we do. Look.'

He pointed to a golden plaque on the wall which was glowing and pulsing, making it difficult to see what was carved into it. There were letters - no, words - in English.

'How…?' said Charlie.

'Babel Charm.' Bill had already worked this out. 'The riddle appears in the language of the reader.'

'Oh.'

The wind is my father,
a cloud is my mother.
My son is the cool stream,
my daughter is the fruit of the field.

I am of all the gods' gifts, most greatly prized.
The lion's destruction will come from the skies.

'But…' Charlie was confused.

'What?'

'It doesn't rain in Egypt. Does it?'

Bill narrowed his eyes and read through the riddle again. 'No, not often. But you'd better start hoping it does today. "The lion's destruction will come from the skies."'

Charlie turned back to check on Luna, still sleeping peacefully. 'What happens now? I mean, how does it know we've solved the riddle?'

'Oh it knows,' Bill assured him grimly. 'Listen.'

Charlie held his breath. They could just hear a faint irregular tapping noise. 'Is that…?'

'I think so. We climbed all those stairs, remember. We must be pretty near the top. You'd better pick her up and be ready. Once you can see clear sky, Apparate. Don't try to go far, just clear the statue.'

The noise was growing louder and nearer. One or two chunks of stone had fallen from the ceiling of their chamber.

'Bill?' Damn. He'd been hoping Charlie was too preoccupied with Luna to notice. 'What about all this?' He nodded towards the treasure.

'Don't worry about it. You just get out of here with Luna, okay?'

'But the bank…'

'…think I'm down in Luxor taking a couple of days off with my brother. It's nothing to do with them.'

Charlie eyed his brother. 'You're planning to claim it?'

'Something wrong with that?' He had to shout over the noise of the storm and the falling stonework.

'You don't have to prove anything,' Charlie yelled back. 'You don't have to take the risk.'

Bill ignored his brother and raised his wand, preparing to cast the Possession Charm. Whatever survived the storm would be his by right. But by binding himself to the treasure like this, he took the risk of being destroyed along with the Sphinx itself. It was worth it, if it meant never having to leave Fleur and put himself on the line again.

Another volley of rain overhead caused a shower of sandstone in their chamber. It couldn't be long before the room would be open to the elements.

Charlie shifted Luna over his shoulder and stood up, carrying her easily. He reached for his wand. 'You can't do the Charm,' he bellowed. 'Luna was here first. She should make the claim.'

Bill lowered his wand fractionally. 'She's unconscious.'

'So I'll do it for her,' Charlie shouted. He lifted his arm.

'Watch out!' Bill jerked them both out of the way of a falling block of stone. There was a sudden blast of fresh, cool air. In moments, the room would be open to the sky.

The brothers eyed each other fiercely.

'I'm not letting you do the Charm.'

They'd both spoken at the same moment. Charlie raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

'It's not safe,' said Bill.

'I know,' Charlie told him pointedly.

Another chunk of stone landed just inches away. Charlie looked up. He could see the dark sky clearly ahead. It was almost time.

'Well?'

Bill looked at the piles of treasure. Thoughts of the life he had imagined flickered across his mind. His gaze returned to Charlie, holding Luna so naturally. He remembered those heady days, years ago, when he'd first fallen in love with Fleur. He grimaced, realising exactly what Fleur would say if she were standing where Charlie was.

She wouldn't want the money.

A great noise sounded above them and both men ducked instinctively. Rubble poured in around them. Too late to cast any damned Charm. Bill pushed aside the stones. He could feel the rain coming down in on him now. They had to go.

'Charlie?'

'Here.' Bill felt Charlie's free hand grip his arm. 'Ready?'

He took a deep breath and nodded. 'Let's get out of here.'

---

Someone was holding a cup to her lips. It smelled like pomegranate juice. Luna drank gratefully.

Something rough rubbed against her cheek. Luna opened her eyes, looked up into Charlie's face and smiled.

'You look like a lion.'

Charlie laughed. 'You look like a goddess.'

'I hoped I would see you again,' she told him.

'So did I.'

She closed her eyes again, tired now that her thirst was quenched.

Charlie waited until he was sure she was sleeping then went through to the kitchen. Bill was sitting at the table with a quill in his hand.

'How is she?'

'I think she'll be fine. That potion seems to have worked. She woke up for a moment or two.'

'Great.' Bill went back to his letter.

'Writing to the goblins?'

He didn't look up. 'Yes.'

'Will they send you to search for the treasure?'

Bill put down his quill and smiled. 'Nope. I'm done with curse-breaking.'

'Really?' Charlie was amazed. For as long as he could remember curse-breaking was all Bill had ever wanted to do.

'They've been offering me a training position for a while now. I'll still be out here in the field some of the time but I'll have more time with Fleur and the boys. And I won't have to take the same risks.'

Charlie nodded. He thought he understood. 'You never had anything to prove, Bill.'

Bill frowned. 'Maybe not to anyone else. But I needed to prove something to myself, I think.'

'Did you write to Ginny yet?'

Bill chuckled. 'No. I thought you could do that. She'll be glad to know Luna's safe.'

Charlie smiled. 'There are some pretty unusual magical creatures in Romania, you know. I thought perhaps I'd see if I could interest her in researching the Lesser Checked Starfrogs.'

'Lesser Checked Starfrogs?'

Charlie shrugged and grinned. 'Well, it's got to be safer than the Sphinx. Plus, it'll take her a while.'

'Since they don't actually exist?'

'We don't know they don't exist. It's just that no one's ever found one yet.' Charlie glanced across at the door to the bedroom where Luna lay so peacefully sleeping. 'But I think we might have fun looking.'

Comments

[crumplehornedki.livejournal.com]

Luna is so adorable. And of course Charlie is too! And tortured Bill, you made me really feel for him. Well done.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I read this first time round but it was fun to reread. I like the idea of Luna and Charlie together. I noticed you managed to get Charlie's arm muscles into the story - don't you think that perhaps you're a tiny bit obsessed there?

[amamama.livejournal.com]

Oh,lovely, lovely. All that gold, the treasure, the temptation, the need to prove oneself, the poisoning. So well done, and Luna is so canon, they way she'll accept anything, how nothing doesn't exist - it's just not found yet. Magic. I've gone through a bunch of your fics now, and it's been lovely - but I haven't got a thing done in the house! Gotta go, seriously - silly me. *big, big hugs*

[merlins-babe.livejournal.com]

This story has been rec'ed at
(http://community.livejournal.com/thegoldenseeker/)

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Thanks - and thanks for letting me know.

[jncar.livejournal.com]

In case you're not tracking comments over at springtime_gen anymore, here is what I said over there:

"Hi! I just found this fic via one of the threads over at SugarQuill where it was recommended as a good Bill-fic. I enjoyed it very much. I really like stories that incorporate complex, interesting plots that include new magic/magical ideas that fit perfectly in the wizarding world, and yours fits that perfectly.

I like the idea of Bill having lingering insecurities after the war, and feeling the need to prove himself. And I enjoyed the portrayal of Charlie as a rather adrenaline/adventure driven man. And I liked the hint of romance with Luna--of often thought that she and Charlie would make an interesting couple.

I'm actually reccing genfic stories at the rec community crack_broom this month, and I plan on reccing this tale about these rarely-written characters."

I'm sure I'll come back to your fiction journal for more, as I enjoyed this very much. :)

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I didn't know anyone had recommended it at SQ. I'm glad you found it though and thanks for letting me know you've recommended it.

[jncar.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I actually participated in the springtime_gen exchange, but I didn't have time to read many of the stories then, so finding yours has inspired me to go back and read some more. I always enjoy some good genfic. :)

[mollyssister.livejournal.com]

I am here by way of the rec on crack_broom. This is a feel good story! I enjoyed the brotherly interaction, the solving of a mystery and of course one of my most favorite characters, Miss Lovegood. Thanks so much.

[purple-ladybug1.livejournal.com]

Really good! I enjoyed this. I like the brotherly dynamic.