Douglas looked at Bill, that familiar nickname laced with a hint of slyness."That's where you come in, SB.""Me?" Bill was caught off guard."Exactly. Gringotts is a neutral financial institution, isn't it?"Douglas's mind raced, the entire plan mapping itself out in an instant."Dumbledore and I will formally petition the Egyptian Ministry, through the British one, for an academic collaboration and historical site preservation agreement. And you, as Gringotts's top Curse-Breaker, will provide the official assessment report."The gears in Douglas's head turned audibly, each part clicking perfectly into place."The report's core message: no gold, no treasure. Just extreme danger, priceless but unprofitable ancient curses, and crippling maintenance costs. Pure academic value. That should kill any goblin interest stone-dead.""And," he nodded towards the ring on Bill's hand, "you'll have our new consultant here dig up information on a few small, forgotten Egyptian tombs. The ones with actual, tangible wealth still inside.""As a gesture of goodwill, you'll discreetly pass that information to the Egyptian Ministry through Gringotts channels.""I imagine they'd be thrilled to trade a dangerous, worthless potato for several chests of solid Galleons.""For appearances, they might rope in Uagadou for a token three-party collaboration. Makes them look open and magnanimous."Bill's brain had officially short-circuited.He stared, utterly dumbfounded.In the space of a few minutes, Douglas had woven together a complete framework involving academia, diplomacy, commerce, and intelligence. Hogwarts, the British Ministry, the Egyptian Ministry, Gringotts goblins, even Uagadou. Everyone was neatly positioned. Everyone got something they wanted.He looked at Douglas. It took him a long moment to find his voice."Mate…" he said slowly, with genuine awe. "If Slytherin had you, they'd probably rule the world.""No, thanks. Green's not my color."Douglas waved a dismissive hand."I'm just a simple, education-loving Hufflepuff."Right on cue, a wave of furious thought slammed into Bill's mind from the ring."Despicable! Treacherous! You brigands! Usurpers! How dare you manipulate the legacy of Ankh-Ka like this!""See? Our new teaching assistant is already preparing his lessons."Douglas clapped his hands together, pleased, and winked at Bill."Come on. Before we handle the official business, we need to secure this place. Can't have anyone else just wandering in."They exchanged a grin. All prior doubts and shock had melted away, replaced by the solid understanding of a shared mission.Bill raised his wand and began etching Gringotts-standard containment runes onto the tomb walls. They were effective against most physical and magical intrusion.Douglas headed for the entrance. He had something more… personal in mind.He didn't use any complex charms. Instead, he pulled a small ink bottle and a quill from his pocket.On the stone beside the entrance, in a fluid, cursive script, he wrote:'Beware of the Dog. Trespassers will be dealt with accordingly. — Hogwarts School Property Management Office.'He paused, then added a smaller line beneath it:'P.S. Unauthorized entry will result in mandatory recitation of the first three hundred pages of Defence Against the Dark Arts: Foundational Principles. One mistake equals one day of detention.'Bill read it, his eye twitching.He had a feeling that second line was more terrifying than an Avada Kedavra."There," Douglas said, satisfied. "Physical deterrence and psychological warfare. Covered."He turned back to Bill."Now for the magical layer."He raised his wand and tapped the gem-studded ceiling."Star Shift."The gems simulating the night sky began to move. They slid away from their imitation of the Big Dipper, rearranging themselves into a new, unrecognizable constellation."I changed the entry condition," Douglas explained. "From the Big Dipper aligning with the dunes to… the relative position of the Andromeda Galaxy at midnight on the winter solstice.""More student-friendly that way."Bill was rendered speechless.In under an hour, they had transformed this ancient death trap into a heavily fortified, Hogwarts-branded, deeply mischievous… overseas classroom.The shadow in the ring, sensing these final changes, had given up on curses. A deep, despairing silence radiated from it instead.It had probably never imagined its millennia of lonely vigil would end like this."What now? No other exit," Bill said, glancing around the sealed chamber.Douglas's gaze swept the walls."Then this custom-built soul-reassembly chamber… must have a final exit button, right?"He remembered the shadow's last words. This tomb was made for Ankh-Ka.If he succeeded, he'd need a way out. Not a permanent stone coffin.Douglas's eyes finally settled on the very center of the ceiling, directly above the sarcophagus.There, carved into the stone, was a massive, complete Eye of Horus.Unlike the closed eye at the entrance, this one was wide open.Its pupil stared coldly down at the empty sarcophagus below."The ancient Egyptians believed the Eye of Horus represented healing and rebirth," Bill noted, following his gaze."Right. But here, I think it means 'completion'."Douglas raised his wand, pointing it at the giant eye."If I were Ankh-Ka, having just reassembled my soul, reborn… what would I do?"He looked at Bill, understanding dawning in his eyes."I'd open my eyes. And look upon the world again."Douglas took a deep breath, focusing his magic at the wand's tip. He didn't cast an offensive spell. Instead, he took the same power he'd used against the Obliviation Curse, that raw and unwavering conviction of self, and channeled it into a soft beam of light aimed at the stone pupil.KRRR-RUMBLE…A heavy, mechanical grinding echoed, not from above, but from beneath their feet.The massive, empty sarcophagus slid backwards, revealing a dark, square shaft leading down.A wave of dry, warm air wafted up, carrying the scent of desert sunlight."An exit?" Bill peered in, hopeful."A shortcut," Douglas corrected with a smile.He jumped in first.The shaft wasn't deep, just a sloping, upward slide. They slid for a good ten seconds before being ejected from a camouflaged opening in a dune."Pah!"Bill spat out sand and got to his feet. They were back on the surface.The moon had sunk low in the west. A sliver of pale light lined the eastern horizon.Dawn was coming.Behind them, the disguised exit vanished under shifting sand as if it had never existed.The Whispering Dunes returned to their ancient, eternal silence."It's over," Bill let out a long, deep breath, rolling his sore shoulders. This expedition had been more intense than everything he'd faced at Gringotts in the past few years combined.He glanced at the ring. The tiny shadow within seemed to have accepted its fate, curled quietly in its corner."Come on, mate."Douglas slung an arm around Bill's shoulders."Back to Cairo. I'm buying the biggest breakfast they have. Then…" He nodded at Bill's hand. "We need to have a serious chat with your new smart device.""Just pray it doesn't start reciting ancient Egyptian funeral dirges in my head while I'm trying to sleep," Bill said wryly.Side by side, the two figures walked towards the desert's edge, their long shadows stretching across the sand to meet the rising sun.
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