5

A/N: Thank you so much to my very lovely Beta, Angel Mischa!

"How much air do you think is left?" Draco asked. "I really don't want to suffocate to death."

"There's plenty of air. Can't you feel that draft?" she said, a little snippy.

Draco waved his hand in the air slowly. "Where's it coming from?"

"That crack in the wall over there."

Draco crawled over and inspected it. "There is no way we can break through this. If only they hadn't taken our wands!"

"Well, they did, and now we'll just have to sit here and die, won't we?"

"Giving up so easily, Granger? I was counting on your intellect to find a way out."

"You figure it out! It's all your fault we're down here in the first place!"

"How do you figure that?" he said angrily.

"If you had just gone ahead and had sex with me like you were supposed to, then we wouldn't be in this predicament!"

"Gone ahead and had sex with you?" He was in complete disbelief. "You were crying!"

"I would have gotten over it!" she yelled. "I know you wanted to do it. Why did you stop?"

"What kind of monster do you think I am?" he shouted back. "I may be a lot of things, but a rapist I'm not!" He was shaking uncontrollably. "You hate me when I'm a bastard, and you hate me when I do the right thing. I can't win with you, can I?"

"Fine time you picked to become all good and noble!" she said.

"You are such an ungrateful BITCH! I saved you from total humiliation, and I don't even get a thank you!" He glared at her. "Don't expect me to EVER do it again."

"I don't need you, Malfoy. I can take care of myself." She crawled into the corner and turned away from him.

"Are you crying, Granger?" He could hear her sobbing quietly, and all it did was annoy him. He was counting on her to be strong; after all, he had never really seen her as a weakling. "Stop your damn bawling and help me find a way out of here!"

She turned around and glared at him. After a second or two of them staring each other down, she finally gave in. "Fine. I'll help you!"

"There is some sort of door on the wall up there, almost to the ceiling," he said, pointing.

"How are we supposed to reach that?" she asked, knowing the answer already.

"Climb on, Granger!" he said with a smirk.

She hesitated. "I'm not sure I trust you enough to not let me fall."

He sighed, clearly offended. "You have to trust me. You have no one else!"

She knew he was right, so she hitched up her long white linen dress and climbed onto his back.

"Damn, Granger! You're a lot heavier than you look!" he grumbled as he took her hands and helped her to stand on his shoulders.

"It's pure muscle, Malfoy. Now hold my feet," she said, wobbling and groping the wall.

The bottom of her dress was over his head, and if he looked up, he had a clear view of her...

"Stop looking up my dress!" she reached down and took it off his head.

"It was dark under there. Don't worry, I didn't see anything!" he laughed. "What's the big deal anyway? It's not like I didn't get an extreme close-up that day in the library!"

Hermione reached her hand down and smacked him upside his head. "I told you to never speak about that day again!"

"Whatever you say. I really don't know why it bothers you so much." He braced himself against the wall, trying to keep her steady.

"It just does, okay? Now hold me still. The door is a little out of my reach." She stood on her toes as Draco held onto her ankles. She reached her fingertips up the smooth wall.

"Can you open it?"

"Just a little bit further!" she said, straining to reach the handle. "I've got it!" She grabbed it and pulled with all her might. It wouldn't budge. "No!" she yelled, trying to turn it with no results. She gave up on the handle and started to pound on the door instead. "Help! Let us out!"

"Stop moving, Granger!"

"Please! You can't leave us to die down here!"

"I said..." Draco did not get to finish his plea because she came tumbling down, knocking him to the ground. She landed right on top of him, her face not even an inch from his. "If you wanted to be on top, Granger, all you had to do was ask."

Her eyebrows came together and he could tell she was about to give him a tongue lashing like only she could. So, to stop it, he grabbed her head and smashed his lips onto hers.

She struggled for only a second and then kissed him deeply and with a passion she never knew she possessed.

***

Saneha stood outside the pyramid, hidden in the shadows, listening to Hermione pounding on the door, pleading for release. He knew this was wrong and was going to do something about it. He looked at the guard. This man was tall and muscular but not very bright. This would be an advantage.

"Excuse me," he said. "I was told to deliver a message to you."

The guard looked down at the steward. "And what message is this?"

"It is from the Pharaoh himself."

At the mention of the Pharaoh, the guard bowed low to the ground. Saneha took out a dagger and plunged it into the man's back. There was a look of shock and surprise on the guard's face as he fell back against the pyramid wall. Saneha pulled out the knife and plunged it into his chest. As he watched, a blood bubble formed on the soldier's mouth, and he fell face first into the sand.

***

Draco pulled Hermione's dress up over her hips and squeezed her tight little ass, lifting his hips up and grinding his erection into her. She broke the kiss and sat up, straddling him. He closed his eyes as she leaned in and kissed his bare stomach, dipping her tongue in and out of his belly button.

Hermione paused and looked up at the door. "Did you hear something?"

"Only the blood rushing from my head into my cock."

Hermione stood up and walked over to the wall.

"Where are you going?" he asked, not able to move.

"Shh! There! I heard it again!"

"I hear nothing!" Draco said. Suddenly, sand fell into his face as the door opened and Saneha threw down a rope.

Hermione was almost jumping for joy, she was so excited. "Saneha!"

"Please, climb up the rope! There is no time to waste! It is almost midnight!"

Draco got up and stood next to Hermione. "Ladies first..."

"Then maybe you should go," she said with a huge grin.

"I'll get you for that!" he said, lifting her onto the rope. He watched her slowly climb to the top where the steward helped her out.

He made it swiftly up, and in no time was pulled out by Hermione and Saneha. "You have the most wretched timing!" Draco said to the Egyptian. "But thanks!" He shook the embarrassed man's hand. "Whoa!" he said, spying the guard lying in a pool of blood.

"What will they do when they find out what you've done?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"It does not matter. All that matters is that justice has been served!"

"What do you mean?"

"He is not the only man I have killed this night!" Saneha said proudly. "This reign was corrupt! The Pharaoh had no real voice! Imhotep was the true ruler, and Meruitensa was his lap dog!"

Hermione paused. "You killed Imhotep?" She was astonished. "But Saneha, in the future, he is worshipped! By killing him, you have made him a god!"

Saneha squared his shoulders. "I care not! My conscience is clear! When my heart is weighed against the feather of Maat, I shall be found worthy!"

"This is all very interesting. Now shouldn't we be getting to the clock?" Draco said impatiently. "We have a lot of ground to cover, and only a couple of hours to do it in."

Saneha frowned. "Well, my Lord, we actually only have an hour."

"What!!!" Hermione and Draco shouted at the same time.

"But it should not be hard to do with the help of these!" The Steward pulled out their wands and held them out.

"Oh, Saneha! I could just kiss you!" Hermione gushed, taking her wand.

"That would not appropriate," he said, blushing.

"Damn right it wouldn't," Draco mumbled.

Hermione embraced the man. "I don't know how to thank you enough!"

Saneha looked at them both. "You can thank me by getting away from here, living long productive lives, and having lots of children."

"With each other?" Draco asked. "That'll never happen."

"Never say never. You love each other. Perhaps you don't see it yet, but there will come a time when you won't be able to deny it any longer."

Hermione smiled. "I'll miss you, Saneha."

"I will miss you, my goddess," he said, smiling back.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Sorry to interrupt this blatant display of emotion." He shivered as if disgusted. "But we need to hurry our asses up, unless you want to stay in this horrid country where everyone is obsessed with death and architecture."

Hermione laughed. "All right! I'm coming!" She kissed Saneha on the cheek and then walked over to where Draco was standing, thinking hard.

"How are we going to get there so fast?"

Draco snapped his fingers. "I've got it! But first..." He waved his wand, turning his features back to normal. "I feel like my old self!" He was now wearing his usual attire... black pants and black shirt. He looked Hermione up and down and then waved his wand, turning her Egyptian linen dress into a black and green plaid skirt and a low-cut white shirt. She had white knee socks on and shiny black patent leather buckle shoes. "I like this look on you."

"You would!" She had to admit that this was how she felt most comfortable--except for the low-cut top.

"And now, for our transportation!" He closed his eyes and concentrated.

Hermione let out a little scream when a broomstick appeared in Draco's hand. "How the hell did you do that?" She was quite impressed.

Draco smirked and winked at her. "It's a secret, Granger. I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He climbed on the broom and held out his hand to her.

"But I hate flying!" she whined.

"That's because you've never flown with me! Now get your sexy ass on this broom right now!"

Hermione, her heart beating rapidly, mounted the Firebolt and put her arms around Draco.

"Goodbye!" Saneha waved.

"I'll never forget you!" Hermione said sadly.

Without warning, Draco took off from the ground at an amazing speed, Hermione holding on for dear life, crushing his ribs.

"Ease up a little, Granger. I can't breathe! You wouldn't want me blacking out, now would you?"

Hermione's head was instantly filled with images of herself and Draco falling out of the sky and splattering on the ground. She loosened her grip.

"Can I ask you something, Granger?"

"That depends."

"On what?" Her mouth was close to his ear, and when she spoke, it sent shivers up and down his spine.

"It depends on if the question you're planning to ask is sexual in nature."

Draco couldn't help but laugh. "It's not sexual."

"All right then, ask away."

"Do you love me, Granger?"

Hermione was so shocked by the question that she almost fell off the broom.

"Hey! Am I to take it that you'd rather commit suicide by jumping off this broom than answer my question?" he asked, pulling her back to safety.

"I... I'm just shocked that you would ask me something like that."

"Well? Do you love me?"

Hermione wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, 'no, she did not love him,' but was it really true? "I don't have to answer that."

"Oh, yes, you do!" he said, diving toward the ground. "Answer the question, or I'll slam this broom into the ground!"

Hermione's stomach was flip-flopping from the dive, and she was in a total panic. "What are you doing? Pull up! You're going to kill us both!"

"Just answer the question!"

Hermione could see the ground zooming in at an alarming rate. She thought about saying yes, but the thought of his smug face made her say the opposite. "No! I don't love you!"

Draco pulled up, just missing the ground. "Not the answer I was hoping for, but an answer, nevertheless," he said.

Hermione thought she heard a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I don't love you either, so it doesn't matter." He leaned forward, searching the sand in the darkness. "Look! There it is!"

"It's already chiming!"

Draco landed the broom, and both of them ran as fast as they could and then opened the secret door and scrambled inside just as the clock chimed twelve.

"That was close!" Draco said. "We almost didn't make it."

"Thanks to your little stunt back there!"

"Here we go! Blame me! I'm getting used to it!"

The clock stopped, and in the silence, Hermione took Draco's hand. "I wonder where we are now?"

"There's only one way to find out." He reached his hand forward and slowly opened the door.

Sunlight and sweltering heat hit them in the face. They shielded their eyes as they stepped out of the clock.

"I can't see a damn thing!" Draco said.

"I don't think you want to!" Hermione said, clearly scared. She pressed up against him and felt behind her for the clock. It was gone.

"Granger, what's wrong?" Draco asked.

Draco moved his head to the right. He stiffened, and they both screamed as a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex let out a mighty roar.

to be continued...