"We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No-one to cry to
No place to go home..."
"Nutshell" by Adema

Wa'ew Em Gereh : Gereh-Neb Netjer, Key Ni Bin
Chapter 5: Janna & Gerehkhered

The Owlrey was almost completely silent when Harry arrived there the following morning. He was alone but for the owls who hadn't left to go hunting, since Ron and Hermione had already gone to sleep.

Harry removed his cloak and set it down on a clean part of the floor. Sitting down on top of it, he pulled our parchment, quill, and ink and prepared to write a letter to Sirius.

The only problem was, he didn't know where to begin. So much had happened to him in the past few days. He didn't know if Dumbledore had already informed Sirius of what had happened. And if he hadn't, how to tell him? This wasn't something you could just say casually.

Harry glanced out the windor. The first quarter moon had just emerged above the horizon. After staring out at it for a few moments, he lowered his eyes back to the parchment and tried to think about what to write. After a moment he decicded to share with Sirius whatever was on his mind.

And so he put quill to parchment and wrote. At some point his hand seemed to move on its own, and he lost touch with what was going on around him. He was brought back to reality when he caught the scent of something entering the room.

Harry's eyes darted around the Owlrey. He couldn't see anyone else in the room, but his sense of smell was telling him that there was another vampire with him.

Harry sighed. "You can't hide, you know, I can smell you."

"Oh, I know that," A young woman's voice said. A girl who looked to be a year younger than he was materialized in front of him. She had short blond hair and violet eyes. Judging by the crest on the front of her robes, she was a Slytherin. "Hello Harry..."

"Do I know you?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Not really. We've come in contact before, but we've never spoken."

"Well, what do you want?" Harry snapped. "Only, I'm kinda busy."

"Jeez, why so harsh?"

"I don't trust Slytherins," Harry said, glaring at her.

"Hey, easy! I don't associate myself with Malfoy's gang. I think they're a bunch of bigots." The girl sighed. "My name is Janna Sentare. I'm in your year, and we have Care Of Magical Creatures and Potions together. That's when we've come in contact before, but obviously we've never spoken."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "If you're a vampire, then how do you attend classes?" He asked.

"It's not impossible, you know, we just need a bit of help," Janna said. She pulled a pair of flasks from her robes and showed them to Harry. "Snape makes me two potions, so I can pass as human."

"...Still not convinced you're on my side."

"Would it help to tell you that I'm your sister?"

Harry's eyebrows shot straight into his fringe. "Nice try, I'm an only child."

"No, silly, not your mortal sister!" Janna scoffed. "I'm your vampiric sister. We share the same Sire."

"...Oh."

"You sound disappointed."

"I'm not, trust me." He began writing again. "Is there anything in particular that you came here for?"

"Yes, actually." She handed him the flasks she had pulled out earlier. "I was asked to give these to you."

Harry cocked an eyebrow. "But they're yours."

"No, they're spares. One will let you walk in direct sunlight for three hours tops; the other, when taken half an hour before a meal, will let you eat normal food. You'll need to replenish both of these potions eventually."

Harry gave Janna a curt nod to show that he understood and returned to writing the letter once more.

"I'm guessing that now isn't the best time to have a discussion about our Sire, is it?" Janna asked quietly.

"No, it's not."

"Well, there aer some things I need to tell you about her... 'warn' would be a better word, I suppose... Would you mind it if we met again to talk about this?"

"...Fine," Harry said, resigned.

"Tomorrow eveningnight, sorry1 o'clock? McGonagall's classroom? That work?"

"Sure."

"Well, then, I'll leave you alone until then..." She stood up and headed towards the door.

"This doesn't mean that I trust you," Harry called after her.

"Oh, I know," Janna returned, throwing the ghostly while something she had been carry over herself and disappearing entirely.

Harry sighed and finished his letter, addressed it, and called Hedwig to take the letter to Sirius. Afterwards he returned to Gryffindor tower.

As soon as he entered, another odd scent caught his attention. A soft chuckle sounded from an armchair with its back to Harry.

"Gereh-nefer, khered-rehew-i..." A soft, feminine, rich voice said.

The voice tugged at Harry's memory. He knew he had heard it before, but as to where, he had no clue. He still could not remember the night he was Changed. Could that possibly be...?

The chair's occupant stood and moved around it so that Harry could see her.

She, too, was a vampire. Amethyst eyes gleamed hungrily from behind several long bangs. Her brown hair fell past her hips, and she wore a long, elegant black dress.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded, quietly, though he was almost certain that he knew the answer already.

The woman chuckled again. "Tsk, tsk, you don't remember...?"

"If you're referring to the night I died, then no, I don't."

"Pity..." She said. "I am Gerehkhered, your Sire."

Harry narrowed his eyes and drew out his wand. "Incendio," he said, calmly. A spurt of flams shot at Gerehkhered from his wand.

Gerehkhered merely laughed, lifted her hand, and returned, "Ab-sedjet." The flames vanished. "That was uncalled for," She said, quietly but dangerously. "You should show more respect."

"Why?" Harry hissed. "Why should I respect you?"

"Because I am your Sire."

"You took my life against my will!" Harry shoulded. "I never wanted to be a vampire!"

Gerehkhered remained silent.

"Why would I respect you for that? It's under-handed and dirty, something I'd expect from Malfoy. I will do nothing for you. I never want to see you again."

"Iew-i mewet-ek..." Gerehkhered said, dangerously. "Tjen a-ka meri wi..."

Harry practically roared in anger and lunged at her. She dodged him easily. "You are not my mother!" He shouted. "My mother is, and always will be, Lily Evans Potter!"

"By clinging to your mortal family in such a way, you only make yourself more vulnerable..."

Harry seized a thin log from the fire and brandished it at her. "GET OUT!"

Gerehkhered narrowed her eyes. "Fine. But you haven't seen the last of me. I vow, I will break you... My rebellious Childe..." She disappeared with a single Khemetic word spoken to the air.

Harry shuddered, replaced the log, and sank into a chair. "And I vow... one day... Ib-i keded tjen..."

‹‹›‹››

Harry did not sleep for the rest of the night. Rather than disturb his roommates, he spent the remainder of his time that night in the Common Room, contemplating his situation and sometimes even attempted to devise a plan to kill his Sire.

The Sun was rising and Harry was just thinking about going to sleep when he remembered that he still had the flasks that Janna had given to him. He removed them from his bag and examined them closely.

It seem Janna had chosen each of them deliberately. Even at first glance he could tell them apart instantly. The first was a light grey colour, with a yellow topaz set into the cap. Inscribed into the metal was a beautiful demotic script. Harry ran his fingers over the inscription before examining it more closely. The symbols appeared to be Egyptian. Reading them from left-to-right didn't seem to make much sense. The intended words were backwards. So he read in the opposite direction instead.

The inscription revealed that the potion inside was the one that would let him walk in direct sunlight unharmed for three hours. Harry arched an eyebrow before turning to the other flask, which was a darker grey than the first, and had a ruby set into the cap. It had a similar inscription as the first, except this one said that, when taken half an hour before a meal, the poition contained inside the flask would allow him to eat normal food for a limited amount of time. Harry recalled, from Hermione's "lecture" on vampires, that under normal circumstances, he would regurgitate normal food upon ingesting it.

:You're cutting things rather closely, aren't you?: A voice said in his head. Harry jumped and fell out of his chair.

The voice was Janna's. Rubbing his forehead, Harry got to his feet. :What're you doing in my head!: He demanded angrily.

:Making sure you either take the herew potion or get to a safe place before you combust: she responded, mock-sternly.

:I'm fine: Harry insisted, bitterly, side-stepping a beam of sunligh as the sun rose further into the sky.

:...Gerehkhered visited, didn't she?: Janna said sombrely.

:...How did you know?: Harry asked, forgetting his anger for a moment.

:I knew she would visit you eventually... She's been going on about you all summer.:

:...What!:

:I'll tell you more tonight, and I swear it'll be the whole truth. She paused. What do you make of her?:

:Iew-es iew-hemet: Harry said, angrily.

Janna laughed bitterly. :I agree.:

This wasn't the reaction Harry had expected. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

:Yeah, I know, you probably don't believe me,: Janna said, mentally sighing. :Are you going to take that potion?:

:...I guess.:

:Good. My business here is done. See you in class.:

She said no more. Harry sighed and tentatively opened the light-coloured flask. He hesitated, then sipped at the liquid, grimacing at the taste. A few seconds later, he cautiously moved his hand into the path of a beam of sunlight. When his hand didn't start to smoke, a smile dawned on his face and he stood up, stepping into direct sunlight for the first time since he was Changed.