Mortie Wimsey, Blaise Zabini and the Sorcerer of Egypt

They went along a passage with glazed tiles on its walls, a row of arched doors on the left and a row of arched windows on the right. Through the windows was seen a large square courtyard paved with white marble, with a high fountain of green onyx in the middle, and the building flanking it on all sides, of carved white marble with arched windows, blue domes and open loggias-eyvans on the first floor. The Hogwarts students held their breath, seeing this splendor. The Hogwarts Castle was very beautiful too, but in a Western, Gothic way. Professor Fasil led them through one of the doors to a study like hers, occupied by a tall, thin man with dark eyes on a hawk-like face, in midnight blue robes and a white kerchief-qeffiyeh on his head. Professor Fasil said:

'Good morning, Farhad. We're leaving now, so you are in charge of all for that time. This is Professor Remus Lupin, Mr. Blaise Zabini and Mortimer Wimsey, the Viscount Saint George. It seems these two young men set free the Princess Zinat al-Maljidi, who was imprisoned by Gamal Ibn Faris, and now she owes it to them, so they are with Professor Lupin. Professor Lupin, Mr. Zabini, Lord Saint George, this is my Deputy, Professor Farhad Sherali, he is the Astronomy teacher. We don't have Houses here, as you know.'

Professor Lupin, Mortie and Blaise nodded.

'Good morning,' Professor Sherali said. 'I'll manage it, Farida, don't worry.'

'So, call the Princess Zinat,' Professor Lupin said. 'We'll go right now.'

Blaise nodded and called:

'My lady Zinat, come here! Blaise Zabini and Mortimer Wimsey now call you.'

The jinniyah appeared, tall and buxom, with shining black eyes and long curly black hair, in rose muslin chalvar and red silk sleeveless jacket. Professors Lupin and Sherali stared at her, as well as Mortie and Blaise who have met her once in the past.

'Salaam,' Princess Zinat said.

'Salaam, O Princess,' Blaise said. 'We called you to ask you of a service.'

'Name it,' Princess Zinat said.

'Well, you see, Bill Weasley, our friend Ron's elder brother, was kidnapped by a descendant of Gamal Ibn Faris. Our Defense against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin was called to help, and we told about you, so we're with him. This is the House of Wisdom. This is the Headmistress, Professor Farida Fasil, the Deputy Headmaster, Professor Farhad Sherali, and Professor Remus Lupin, our Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. Help us to retrieve Bill,' Blaise said.

'What? This jackal's descendant dares to harm your friends?' Princess Zinat exclaimed. 'I'll show him!'

'Fine,' Blaise said. 'You carry Mortie - he doesn't know how to Apparate yet - and we shall Apparate together'.

'You have passed your Apparation test already?' Professor Fasil said.

'Yes, the Christmas break,' Blaise said.

'I didn't know it, congratulations Blaise,' Professor Lupin said.

'Well, one can't Apparate at Hogwarts, so how would you know?' Blaise said.

'That's right,' Professor Lupin said. 'Well, where do we Apparate to, Professor Fasil?'

'Fustat,' Professor Fasil said. 'This al-Hardun person lives in Fustat. He lives on the outskirts of the city, in an old white large house on a hill, with a grove of date palms around it. It's on the south border of the city.'

'Right,' Blaise said. 'I'll remember it.'

'Are you ready?' Princess Zinat asked.

'Yes,' Professor Lupin, Professor Fasil, Blaise and Mortie said. Princess Zinat grew in her size till she became ceiling high, picked Mortie up and put him on her palm. It was a very strange feeling - to be held on someone's palm like a butterfly, and a giant face looking down at him.

'So, let's go,' Professor Fasil said. 'Good morning, Farhad. See you later.'

'Good morning, Farida,' Professor Sherali said. 'Good morning, Professor Lupin, Mr. Zabini, Lord Saint George and my lady Zinat.'

'Good morning,' Professor Lupin, Blaise and Mortie said. Princess Zinat said, 'Salaam.'

They went out of Professor Sherali's study, along the passage, through a door, across the courtyard where they met some young people in black robes and qeffiyehs, who greeted Professor Fasil and cast curious glances on her companions, through a magnificent archway outside, where lush green gardens sloped down to a broad, calm river. The building of the school, with its marble walls, arched windows and blue domes, one among them especially large, looked even more beautiful like this.

'This is the Barada river, isn't it, Professor Fasil?' Blaise asked. 'I know it runs from the Anti-Lebanon Mountains through the city of Damascus and the gardens that surround it, right?'

'Yes, Professor Fasil smiled. 'This is indeed Barada River, Mr. Zabini.'

'I am very excited to see all this,' Blaise said. 'I wanted to long ago.'

'Well, now you saw it,' Professor Fasil said. 'We can Apparate from here. Ready?'

'Yes,' Professor Lupin, Princess Zinat, Mortie and Blaise said.

'Well, one...two...three!' Professor Fasil said. On the count of three Professor Fasil, Professor Lupin, Blaise and Princess Zinat with Mortie on her palm Apparated away. They next found themselves on a hill with a large house standing amid a grove of date palms. Professor Fasil said:

'That's the place. Now we try to penetrate into the house quietly.'

'Wait a minute,' Blaise said. He saw a little snakelike creature lying on the grass bathing in the sunshine. He knelt and hissed:

'Hello, little one. Did you by any chance see a tall, slim red-haired young man with his hair in a ponytail around here?'

'Why, yes,' the creature answered. 'Another man carried him into that house over there - a dusky, dark-haired one. The red-haired man was unconscious.'

'And the dark man, did you see him before?' Blaise asked.

'Yes. He lives in that house, I think. He tried to catch me often,' the creature said. 'I managed to flee.'

'Will you know him if you see him another time?' Blaise asked.

'Oh, I will,' the creature said.

'And the red-haired man?' Blaise asked.

'Yes. I never saw before such a shade of hair,' the creature said. 'Your young companion - his hair color is very strange too, but red hair!'

'Very well. See, the man from this house, he holds the red-haired man in this house by force. Will you help me to save the red-haired man?' Blaise asked.

'I will,' the creature said. 'I don't like the man from this house.'

'Excellent,' Blaise said. 'My name is Blaise Zabini, call me Blaise. And yours?'

'Asha,' the creature said.

'Good,' Blaise said, picked the creature gently from the ground and put it in the breast of his robes. Then he said to his companions:

'This little thing saw al-Hardun bring Bill to his house. She will know them both when she sees them. I take her with me into the house.'

'She isn't venomous? And how do you know it's a she?' Princess Zinat asked.

Professor Fasil, Professor Lupin, and Mortie smiled. Blaise explained:

'She isn't venomous because she isn't a snake. She is a lizard; a kind of legless lizard called a slow-worm, Anguis fragilis in Latin. And I know it is a she because she doesn't have these blue spots on the back that all males of her kind have. Her name's Asha, by the way.'

'Are you Syrian, Professor Fasil?' Mortie asked. Professor Fasil said:

'Yes, I am. How do you know?'

'Well, slow-worms aren't found in Arabia, that's why Princess Zinat did not know one when she saw one. And you aren't Persian or Turk, so Syrian.'

'Very well deducted, my lord,' Professor Fasil said. 'You are a bright one.'

'Runs in the family,' Blaise said. 'Mortie is Lord Peter Wimsey's grandson.'

'Oh, the Lord Peter Wimsey?' Professor Fasil said. 'Yes, I heard of him. Then I am not surprised at all.'

'Thank you, Professor,' Mortie smiled.

'Now, shall we go inside?' Professor Fasil said. 'Unfortunately, al-Hardun put an Anti-Apparation charm on his house, like the one that lies on Bayt al-Hikmah and Hogwarts.'

'Yes, let's go,' Professor Lupin said. He took his wand at the ready, and so did Professor Fasil, Blaise and Mortie. Princess Zinat didn't have a wand, because she didn't need one, like all magical beings. They proceeded to the house on the hill. But first Professor Lupin cast a Confundus charm, to tip al-Hardun off. When they were close to the house, Blaise said:

'My lady Zinat, please go into the house first and see where Bill is. You won't miss - he is...'

'I heard how you described him,' Princess Zinat said. 'He's handsome.'

'Yes,' Blaise said. 'I forgot jinn understand the speech of all animals, even Parseltongue. How silly of me.'

Princess Zinat smiled, put Mortie on the ground and disappeared. The other gift of the magical beings is that there is no place where they can't Apparate to or from. Blaise sighed. He envied them a little.