𝕄𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕

The Quidditch arena was going to give Sekhmet a migraine if everyone in the bloody place kept screaming at the top of their lungs in anticipation. The game hadn’t even bloody started yet! Why was everyone screaming like they were going to make a difference? Sekhmet let out a short breath of frustration before going to find a place to sit in the stands.

Today’s game, the first one of the season, was between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Both teams were good, and maybe it was simply Sekhmet’s house pride, but Slytherin was almost guaranteed to win. With Regulus as their captain this year there was no way the team was going to be caught slacking. Regulus may have had a naturally put-together demeanor, but if Sekhmet had learned one thing from Barty and Evan it was that he was an absolute menace on the pitch. They two had come to her on more than one occasion to complain, telling her to “set the boy straight— Merlin knows he only listens to you”. Sekhmet had laughed them off, but seeing Regulus now she thinks she understood their points.

Regulus was at the center of the field, huddled in with the rest of the Slytherin team. He looked every bit the natural-born leader he was meant to be, giving orders to the team and going over plays. Sekhmet stared at him with a look of delight, overjoyed that he was finally able to fill the role he had wanted for so long. What the boys on the team didn’t know was that Sekhmet had helped him formulate plays for today’s game.

She may have been prohibited from participating physically in Quidditch but she did enjoy the game. Sekhmet was also a natural strategist and planner, which ultimately led to Regulus seeking her out after his first practice as Captain. He asked her for her input on how to go about different plays strategically, struggling with the task after having simply followed orders so long. Sekhmet had been eager to help, quickly going over every tactic she could think of that may prove useful against Ravenclaw. Regulus had sat quietly, listening intently to her every word and chiming in every once in a while to agree or disagree. In the end, the two had formulated a list of different plans regarding the game today, making Regulus feel even more assured and confident in his ability to lead the team to victory.

As Sekhmet stared she was broken out of her trance by Pandora who pulled on her arm, pointing to a spot in the stands where a young girl was waving to her. The girl was decked out in Ravenclaw gear, showing her house pride to the maximum. It took a moment for Sekhmet to make out who she was under all the blue, but she eventually recognized the girl as Amina Yassin. Sekhmet waved back, smiling at the girl in greeting as she walked toward her.

Sekhmet had consented to sit with Amina at the game considering that she was going to be there anyway. Amina still struggled with regular English and hadn’t exactly learned Quidditch terms yet. This had led to Amina asking if Sekhmet would help her translate the game to which she happily obliged. What Sekhmet wasn’t told however was that Amina had also invited James and subsequently his friends as well. She gave Amina a pointed look to which the tiny witch responded with an innocent grin. Sekhmet rolled her eyes fondly, not upset at Amina’s actions. Having two translators was better than one she supposed.

“Amina, I see you're excited” Sekhmet grinned, gesturing broadly to Amina’s outfit.

“It’s my first game! Of course, I’m excited! And I brought James so he’s going to help too!” Amina’s eyes lit up in anticipation, her body bouncing up and down as she rambled anxiously.

Sekhmet and James giggled fondly, already used to the girl's antics. Sekhmet sat next to Amina who had James on her other side. Because the Gryffindor team wasn’t playing there was no need for them to be at the game, but Sekhmet wasn’t all that surprised that Amina had managed to convince him to come. The eleven-year-old had an endearing quality to her that softened even the hardest of hearts. Of course, the boys in the corridor didn’t follow that rule, but Sekhmet figured that they probably didn’t even let her get a word out. She pushed off the bad thoughts focusing back on the situation at hand.

Beside James sat none other than Gryffindor Golden Girl Lily Evans,  her red hair a dead giveaway. Lily sat cuddled up to James, her hands around one of his arms. Sekhmet supposed she was correct in her earlier assumptions that the two were dating. She wasn’t shocked, James had been pining after the girl for nearly forever.

Behind Lily was Remus who was sitting next to Sirius in an equally fond position, though not as outright. Remus had his scarred hands folded together on his lap, his bouncing leg housing Sirius’ palm. Remus gave her a small smile in greeting, though he looked a bit apprehensive his eye not quite meeting hers. Sekhmet figured it was probably getting close to the full moon and pushed his behavior to the back of her mind.

Beside Sekhmet sat Pandora who had on an outrageous mix of Slytherin and Ravenclaw apparel. She had come to support her friends, but the game being against her own house left her at odds for what to do. One year Sekhmet had offhandedly suggested she just wear something from each house as a compromise. It was safe to say that Sekhmet had not expected the abstract fashion that was her friend’s outfit— but really what should she have expected from her eccentric friend? The witch never did anything simple and if she liked the outfit she had then Sekhmet supported her every step of the way, beating back people who were rude or malicious toward Pandora. Dorcas sat behind the two girls, her hair done up in box braids that she had recently gotten done for when she went back home. Christmas break was coming up soon and Dorcas had insisted that getting her hair done with magic was much easier than getting it done the muggle way. This led to Sekhmet doing her hair for her.

Despite not having textured hair herself it wasn’t uncommon for people in Egypt to have such features. Growing up, fellow pureblood girls with more tight curls had taught her how to braid their hair into all sorts of styles. Sekhmet had always enjoyed doing their hair and had immediately volunteered when Dorcas had brought up her disdain at having not found a good hairdresser while at Hogwarts.

Dorcas had even taken to convincing Sekhmet to put a plethora of gold hair cuffs throughout the style adding a bit of sparkle to the braids. She wore green and gold in support of her house at the game to both show her support and match her new look.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! I welcome you to the first Quidditch game of the 1978 season!” Called out the announcer, signaling the start of the game and effectively shutting the crowd up.

Sekhmet sat up, gluing her eyes to the game in anticipation. She heard James translate the first announcement in Arabic for Amina who nodded eagerly. Merlin, she hoped that her and Regulus’ plan worked.

“We start the winning!” Anima cheered, her English was a little broken but her smile was as big as ever.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Slytherin was undoubtedly winning. They were up by 70 points after having successfully maneuvered Sekhmet’s first two plays, scoring within the first five minutes of the game. Sekhmet was on the edge of her seat, her knuckles turning white with how hard she tensed. She couldn’t believe that her plays had worked! She was helping Slytherin win! Regulus had given her a nod of approval and a thumbs up earlier in the game, after the aforementioned plays.

Sekhmet stared out at the game, the commentator's words going in one ear and out the other. She saw Barty beating a Bludger away from Evan as he scored yet another goal, throwing the  Quaffle so hard he nearly knocked the Ravenclaw keeper off his broom. The two boys high-fived in celebration and Sekhmet cheered at the top of her lungs.

“bien joué les gars!” Sekhmet shouted a huge smile on her face as she pumped her arms in support.

The group often conversed in French throughout Quidditch games. The main reason was that it simply drew more attention; and made them stand out to each other on the field. Evan and Barty looked to Sekhmet pumping their fists in the air, smirks on their faces. Pandora waved beside her, a huge smile on her face.

Just as she went to turn attention to Regulus and see if he had yet to spot the Snitch a hand tapped her shoulder. Sekhmet flinched, moving away from the contact and whipping her head around to see who had just touched her. She came face to face with Remus Lupin, the scars on his face more pronounced this up close. He looked wary, his anxiety showing through his shaking hands. Sekhmet gave him a questioning look.

“Would you— could you come talk to me?” Remus whispered to her, his voice barely heard by all the cheering students in the stands.

His eyes closed for a moment as if in a grimace. He looked to Sirius for what Sekhmet could only interpret as reassurance, then turned his gaze back to her. Sekhmet nodded her head, her brows furrowing in confusion. Remus looked around to make sure no one was looking at them.

“Privately I mean,” Remus elaborated on his previous question, moving to stand up and offer Sekhmet a hand.

Sekhmet took his hand, informing Pandora that she’d be back in a moment and to fill her in if anything exciting happened. She walked with Remus over to one of the staircases leading up to the stands, moving to stand beside him once he paused his movement. No students were in the vicinity and the noise was much more dull where they stood. Remus looked at her a long moment as if in uncertainty before blurting out,

“Why haven’t you told anyone?”

Sekhmet stared at him dumbly. Her face was neutral and showing no emotion as she looked at Remus’ squirming form. Her arms were crossed over one another as she looked up at him.

“Remus, with all due respect, what in Merlin’s left arm are you talking about?” Sekhmet asked him, her tone dubious and slightly surprised.

Remus looked at her like she’d just slapped him across the face and called him a slur. His face went red as he pulled his hands out of his pockets to wave them about in frustration.

“The note Sekhmet! How did you find out?! And why haven’t you told anyone?!” Remus hissed urgently, running a hand through his hair as he looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation, “I’m dangerous.”

“Remus, darling, you drink chai lattes in the library and host study sessions on Sundays. You’re hardly threatening, much less dangerous” Sekhmet replied her tone amused as she wondered why he thought she would think him a safety risk.

“I’m a bloody—” Remus started getting closer to her and whispering his last words in shame, “I’m a werewolf Sekhmet. I’m a monster.”

Sekhmet observed Remus’ abashed and guilt-ridden demeanor when it hit her. Lycanthropy was a much bigger deal here in Europe than it was in Egypt. Merlin how could she be so daft?! She had never once viewed Remus as dangerous because of his condition. Sekhmet was smart enough to know that monsters weren’t creatures. No, they were men. Men who tortured, killed, and abused whoever stood in their way. Men who made others feel inferior simply because they could. Men were monsters, Remus Lupin was most certainly not. She had taken that into account when she’d given him the note but viewing the affliction as anything other than that wasn’t behavior she participated in. She cast a quick silencing and disillusionment charm around them, grabbing Remus’ arms that were curled around him. He looked like he was trying to stop himself from falling apart, tears and fear haunting his eyes.

“Remus Lupin, look at me” his gaze snapped up to Sekhmet’s at her stern yet soft tone.

“I didn’t mean to make you worry. I only wanted to help. You see— in Egypt— Lycanthropy isn’t such a taboo condition. People there can get help and the Khemu— Egypt's wizarding government— works toward helping those afflicted. I gave you that note in the Hospital Wing that day because I figured you could use some help with your transitions.” Sekhmet explained her voice soft and caring in a way that Remus had never heard from her.

Sekhmet Arafa was supposed to be the Princess of Slytherin. Her family had all sorts of dark magic roots and she did blood magic like it was as easy as breathing. She was surrounded by prejudice and ignorance every day of her life. So why on Earth was she being so nice to him right now? Remus had no idea, except for the idea that maybe she wasn’t as brainwashed as Sirius had claimed.

The black-haired boy had spilled every horrid secret regarding Pureblood society when he had run away during his fifth year. Remus had assumed that he must’ve known, after all, that he was the one living within the confines of the society since his birth. Why shouldn’t he believe him? It hadn’t occurred to him that maybe— perhaps— other people were more similar to Sirius than he had thought. Forced into their upbringings and abused by those who were supposed to cherish them most. It was hypocritical of him to think that, simply because people had a certain last name, then they must be a certain way. Sekhmet Arafa had just proved Remus wrong in a way he hadn’t predicted. She broke Remus’ train of thought, squeezing his arms lightly to draw his attention.

“The note, did you read it? Or rather, did you understand it?” Sekhmet asked him, her tone hopeful.

“Yeah, I read it. I wasn’t sure what it was all supposed to mean though” Remus admitted, his teary eyes going back to their natural soft brown.

“It’s instructions for a potion. It’s meant to help werewolves with their transformation. Make them more aware and ease the pain of changing. Would you like to try it?” Sekhmet asked a warm smile on her lips.

Remus looked up at her in appreciation, pulling her into a sudden hug. Sekhmet was caught off guard and immediately tensed at the action, going stiff as a board. Remus quickly let go of her muttering his thanks in embarrassment. Despite his rash action, Sekhmet gave him a friendly grin. Perhaps they could be friends? Her mind suggested.

“Of course Remus. I’ll give it to you on our next patrol?” She offered, moving with him to walk back to the stands.

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great” Remus replied feeling lighter than he had in ages.

He had something to look forward to. He had hope.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Slytherin had won 30-250 against Ravenclaw, Regulus making a spectacular dive for the snitch and barely beating the Ravenclaw seeker who had been in closer proximity to it. Sekhmet jumped out of her seat in excitement, bouncing up and down and cheering as Regulus caught the golden snitch. She cupped her hands around her mouth yelling all sorts of congratulations to him in French which he responded to with a beaming smile and a tilt of his chin. Sekhmet didn’t think she’d ever been more proud of her house— of Regulus.

The team all made their way down to the field, their feet falling on the solid ground for the first time in hours. Regulus shook the hand of the Ravenclaw team captain, Roger Davies, who Sekhmet vaguely knew because of a few shared classes. He was in his 7th year if she remembered correctly. She’d never talked to him, trying to remain polite though never friendly. The Arafa family name meant that she had an image to uphold. Her conversing with the Marauders was already a risk considering that they were labeled a group of blood traitors, mudbloods, and beasts.

Sekhmet gave Davies a polite wave as she made her way to Regulus. The latter in question was sweaty and beaming, his right hand holding up his broom in victory. Sekhmet sped up to meet him, giving him a big hug regardless of his current less-than-desirable hygiene. Regulus turned and returned the hug instantly, lifting her as they laughed. He put her down and moved his head down to be more at her level, grabbing the sides of her face with his hands. His eyes sparkled with joy and pride, his adrenaline making him more comfortable and confident than usual. He pulled her forward and gave Sekhmet a big kiss on the forehead to which she laughed. Regulus rested his chin on top of her head bringing her in for another hug. He whispered, and although Sekhmet couldn’t see his face she could feel the smile on his lips.

“You are my lucky charm Sekhmet Arafa.”

She and Regulus had won. Her heart skipped a beat. Sekhmet let out a blinding smile, feeling butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. Her vision went fuzzy, her mind foggy—then it all went black.