Up and Down

Summer Interlude: Hot and Cold

"Blimey, I forgot how hot it is here."

Anna laughs as Sebastian empties his waterskin over the top of his head.

She received a Portkey from her father in the last days of the term. With the exams behind them - notably much less stressful than the previous year's - they were mainly just wandering the grounds or Hogsmeade, flying and spending time lounging about the Room of Requirement or Undercroft.

They did stop for a couple of days at Feldcroft while they awaited the time and date of their travel.

Solomon seems to have gotten much more pleasant to be around now that his niece wasn't slowly dying under his care. Sebastian still butted heads with his uncle, but it was a lot less hostile.

When asked what they plan on doing after the next year's end, all three of them tried their best to deflect.

Sebastian has a great natural ability and understanding of Potions. He seems to be considering making a career of it, perhaps opening his own shop, his charm and charisma would certainly not go amiss in the trade.

Ominis has an incredible analytical mind and his special relationship with Charms is a wonder to behold. He could become a scholar, a researcher, inventor of spells. His navigation charms are a work of genius already.

Anna, meanwhile, isn't too keen on letting Solomon know she aims to become an Auror. She has a strong suspicion that much like Sharp, he would try to dissuade her from pursuing such a dangerous path.

But so far she is two for two in her years in the wizarding society, as in there is yet to be a year when someone doesn't fire a Killing Curse at her.

They left for Egypt without saying anything concrete, not to Solomon or Anne, nor to each other.

Her father welcomed them back with open arms.

"Papa!" She ran over to Vance, jumping into his arms and letting him spin her around just like when she was little.

The man laughed and put her back down on the ground and placed an affectionate kiss on the top of her head.

"Welcome back, my dear. Mr Gaunt, Mr Sallow, good to see you as well!"

"Mr Visconti," the boys greeted him politely, but Anna was ready to dance from the warm way her father smiled at her dear serpents.

"So glad you were able to join! This season is shaping up to be very interesting..."

Much like last time, they didn't stay in Alexandria or Cairo, instead heading out to the Sorcerer's Necropolis among the many other archaeological parties. Vance's discoveries the previous summer seem to have brought out a lot more people back into the field which has been slowly stagnating over the past couple of decades.

"Which couldn't have been possible without the lot of you!" Vance gesticulates excitedly from the back of his camel as they sway west, away from the Nile, over to the land of the dead.

"Wouldn't have been possible without Ominis and Anna," Sebastian shrugs, though his voice doesn't have the same quiet bitterness it had last year, "I'm just the errand boy."

"You are selling yourself short, Mr Sallow. I read all about your exploits in the Triwizard Tournament in the papers!"

"Well..." Sebastian grimaces, "a lot of those were your daughter's ideas."

"But I didn't have to go out and actually do them," Anna nudges him with her elbow and he laughs.

Sebastian's shirt became almost see-through as the water soaked the thin fabric after he doused himself with the contents of his waterskin, the fabric clinging to the muscle beneath.