I don’t know where the time has gone lately! I’ve been so insanely busy I’ve barely had time to breathe. I spent almost twelve hours in the pit the other day, preparing to take over a months worth of leave, and when I came home I found a letter from my sister, along with a jar or rasgullas. I have no idea how she knew that was exactly what I needed at the end of a long day. I guess it’s a twin thing.

While I probably shouldn’t have due to time constraints, I spent the next day at Saqqara with Ginny Weasley. I’m glad I went, though. It was absolutely fascinating to get inside one of Anubis’s tombs. Normally, I only get to see what comes out of the tombs. I will admit that the experience almost made me wish I had decided to become a Curse Breaker instead of a Researcher. I think I would have had a real knack for it, although I’m certain I would miss the amount of knowledge I get to encounter on a daily basis. I made Ginny promise me that she would owl if they found anything interesting, even if I was already in England. I would have given anything to get to just sit in the tomb and watch them work until they were completely through all of the spells and traps. I can only imagine what they’ll find!

Speaking of Ginny, she finally put me on the right track to find a place to stay while in England. Apparently her twin brothers own several flats in and around London. I sent them an owl, so hopefully they’ll reply with good news. I looked into renting a room in the Leaky Cauldron, but considering they charge by night, it would have gotten very expensive, very quickly. I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed that the Weasley twins will come through for me.

That brings me back to the letter from Parvati. She wants a place to live, and it doesn’t sound like she even knows I’m coming home yet. I haven’t found time to write her back, much less think about what she said in the rest of her letter. I assumed it would be more prudent to write after I knew whether or not I had a place for her to live. I’m not sure how she and Diego will get along. I hope he’ll love her, and that she’ll love him. I love both of them… they’re probably the two most important people in my life. Hopefully, things will work out for the best for all of us.

I still have to send Mum a letter, letting her know when I’ll be coming home. Melinda said that I work too hard as it is and that I deserve to take some time off. Of course, the next day she forgot that I was taking time off and gave me a new file to sort through. Add that to the fact that her mystery writer has yet to show up and work has me a little stressed out right now.

It doesn’t help that Diego has seemed distant lately. Half the time he’s quiet and withdrawn, and the other half he’s fiery and passionate. It almost feels like I’m dating two different blokes. I think he’s just nervous about meeting my parents. He’s not complained anymore about having to go, but I can tell something is bothering him. I just hope he doesn’t let me down.

I can tell I’m feeling more rattled than usual; I’ve misplaced my notes again. I can’t find the section of my notes dedicated to my latest Inferi research. If Melinda wasn’t so disorganized herself she’d kill me. I need more sleep. As much as I love spending the night with Diego, I’m going to get a lot more sleep tonight since he’s staying in his own villa.

Our God has been merciful. He who has two forms has saved my son from an imminent death with his potions. He only asks for my obedience, in life and in death. They say he controls the dead. Our God is powerful.

My head throbbing, I finally take my eyes off my work and rub my temple. It has taken me almost two weeks to translate those five sentences, but victory, finally, is mine. Most people wouldn’t believe how long it takes to decipher the writings that we find. It’s a tedious job, and it takes a special kind of person to have to patience and determination to do it. I think I do more translating for Melinda than anyone else on the site. I know she’s not organized enough to do it herself, but that’s why she has a staff. She’s the one with the brilliant mind; we just try to help her find the right path.

I’ve worked three times as hard as I usually do since my embarrassing display in Diego’s villa. I’m just grateful that no one was around to witness my moment of weakness. I still miss Diego, but I’ve been concentrating on my work instead of him. As a result I made a breakthrough, so I can’t complain.

The next step I have to take is figuring out what the writing means. My responsibility is to brainstorm (either by myself or with my colleagues) and then take my ideas to Melinda. Sometimes the writings are straightforward and she’ll agree with my ideas completely. Other times, they’re complicated and I’m completely off base with my ideas. It’s always fun to examine all of the possibilities.

This writing seems straightforward to me, at least thanks to what I already know. This is a muggle writing, so his god is Anubis. Anubis had all of the local muggles very convinced that he was a god, and honestly, knowing how powerful he was, I can’t blame the muggles for falling for it. Just showing a little bit of magic would have had them all convinced. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that Anubis was a jackal animagus either (hence the two forms reference). He was also a potions genius. We’ve uncovered a formula for a healing potion or two that we believe he created. They look like they could work wonders in today’s society. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to completely pinpoint what they do, so we can’t exactly offer them to the public. I suppose that the writing is referring to Inferi when talking about controlling the dead. But that’s just my opinion. I’ll have to schedule a meeting with Melinda to see what she thinks. Speaking of Melinda, the mystery man she wants me to work with has yet to show up, but when you’re talking about Melinda that’s typical.

Suddenly, a letter drops on my desk and I look up to see an owl flying away. I’d know that owl anywhere; it’s Rojo, Diego’s owl. Instantly my heart begins to flutter and I struggle to open the parchment.

Padma,

My trip is drawing to a close. I will arrive at the portkey point at tonight at six. Please meet me there, my love. We can have dinner together at your villa.

Diego

I can barely believe that Diego is finally coming home, and in less than two hours nonetheless. Immediately my mind begins to plan the perfect meal to prepare for his arrival. Although my mum would never believe it, I’m actually a good cook. She tried to teach Parvati and me for years, so we could be proper Indian wives, of course, but I was never interested. Cooking for Diego inspired me to learn. It’s really not hard; I just have to follow the recipes, and then do a little research into what would improve them. I’ve developed an extensive collection of Spanish recipes that Diego loves. I want to make him happy, and Spanish cuisine makes him happy.

I know that I’m not going to get any more work done until Diego arrives. I quickly pack up my belongings and hurry to my villa so I can run by the store before I have to meet him. It doesn’t take long for me to gather everything I need to fix lentil stew and chicken roast and slip into Diego’s favorite dress. His favorite dress on me, obviously.

After what feels like mere seconds, I’m waiting at the portkey station for Diego to arrive. I don’t know how many people I watch arrive before I see the smile that makes my heart melt. I don’t care about the people watching as I run into Diego’s arms. I don’t care who is watching when he picks me up and swings me around before showering me with kisses. Every kiss feels like it lights a fire deep in my soul. I can’t put into words how much I love him, so I’m reduced to simply whispering the simple words over and over again in between kisses.

The intense moment of reunion eventually passes and Diego runs his hands through my hair and gives me that cockeyed smile that I know so well.

“How’ve you been?”

“Terrible,” I pout playfully, “You leave too often and stay gone for too long.”

“Aw, luv, you can’t hold work against me,” he replies as he takes my hand and leads me to the exit.

“I know,” I sigh, trying to get as close to him as possible as we walk. “I hear your trip was successful at least.”

“It was. Have you been feeling well? You look a little pale… have you put on weight?”

I frown and try to take a nonchalant glance at my body. I don’t think I’ve put on weight, but I look at myself everyday so Diego has a better perspective. “I felt a little off the other day, but I’ll be fine now that you’re back.”

Diego grins and kisses my forehead. “What’s for dinner, luv?”

I spend the rest of the trip back to my villa telling Diego about the dinner I have planned, and what I have planned for dessert.

No matter how long I live in Egypt, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the heat. It’s November, and it is all I can do not to break a sweat in the short walk between my villa and the main building we use for our research. Diego teases me that I sweat like a bloke. I don’t think it’s funny.

This morning I’ve got to make the slightly longer walk to Melinda’s personal office to have a meeting with her. I’ve got my hair wrapped tightly in a bun to keep it off my neck and I’m wearing the lightest clothes I have, but the morning heat is still unbearable.

When I arrive at Melinda’s office I knock lightly on the door before sticking my head in.

“Padma, my dear, was I expecting you today?” she asks with a smile. I have to fight not to roll my eyes. I’ve never understood how someone so brilliant can be so absent minded. It had only been last night that she insisted I meet her this morning. Her red curly hair is held up by a quill and there’s a smudge on her glasses, but I can tell she was hard at work before I interrupted.

“You asked me to come by this morning,” I reply, entering the office and taking the seat opposite her desk. “But you refused to tell me why.”

Melinda chuckles. “Well I guess that wasn’t that smartest decision, since I have no idea why I needed to see you.”

“That’s okay. What are you working on?” I ask as I lean forward in anticipation. Melinda is always working on some fascinating new theory on Anubis, and she’s normally very open with her research staff.

“I’m actually trying to compile all of my notes from the past two years. I received word from Diego last week that my Spanish backer is interested in publishing another volume of my work. This is the part that I’m completely rubbish at, so I’ve got someone coming in to work on writing everything up for me,” she says.

It still amazes me how much my heart begins to race if someone as much as mentions Diego’s name. I’m so proud that his trips to Spain have been productive. It’s hard with him being gone, but knowing that he’s succeeding makes me smile. “You never told me you were ready to publish again,” I reply as I pick up and examine an Egyptian staff that was sitting on her desk.

Melinda frowns, and begins to dig for something in a drawer. “Well, discovering that Anubis was the first creator of Inferi is big enough that my backers think we should go ahead.”

“But we don’t know for sure that they were Inferi,” I argue, setting down the staff. “The reports that we’ve discovered sound like they were very lifelike and Inferi you can obviously tell are dead.”

“But I think the evidence is too heavy on them being Inferi to ignore. I think it’s more likely he was just more powerful, therefore his spell was more successful,” Melinda replies, finally emerging from her drawer with a sheet of paper. “Now I remember why I needed to see you!”

“I just have a feeling we’re missing something important,” I interrupt, shaking my head.

“You know what I always say, follow your instincts, my dear. Now, I need you to spend some time next week helping my writer get adjusted to life down here.”

My first reaction is to refuse. Diego will be back soon and it feels like every trip to Spain for him comes sooner. With our crazy work schedules our time together is limited, and I don’t want to take on any new responsibilities that will keep me away from him. I know, however, that I could never refuse the woman before me.

“I don’t remember his name, Addison, Andy, Alex, something like that,” she continues, “but I want you to help him get started. You know me, my notes are disorganized at best, and you’re the most organized person I have working here.”

I blush at her compliment and stand up from my seat. “If that’s all, I’m going to head into work and get started on translating.”

“What are you translating, dear?” Melinda asks.

I laugh and head for the door. “The document you gave me yesterday, Melinda,” I call over my shoulder.

She chuckles and shakes her head. “Right. Have a nice day.”

The walk to my work space isn’t far, so I’m able to avoid getting too hot again. Each researcher under Melinda works in the same, large room (the pit as we affectionately call it). We all have our own desks, but there aren’t any dividers in the room. Melinda wants us to be able to bounce ideas off of each other with ease, and she finds walls to be restricting. The senior researchers, like my Diego, have their own offices in our building, but they work more with the financial backers than the actual research.

My favorite thing about Egypt, besides Diego, is walking into the research pit. You can feel the electricity from so many brilliant minds working at once. Almost every week someone has some kind of breakthrough and we all go out and celebrate together. After the Inferi breakthrough everyone was too hung over to come in the next day. Normally Melinda would be irate over losing a day of work, but this was one occasion that had her right there with us. I would have enjoyed the celebration more if Diego hadn’t been in Spain, but I still managed to have fun.

I’m the first person in the pit this morning, so it’s quieter than usual. After a quick check of my calendar to recount the days until Diego comes back, I pull out my notebook and get to work.

No one ever claimed that life was simple. No one ever claimed that it was easy either. But you can try to simplify life; look at the facts and act based on the facts. I live my life by the book. I look at the facts surrounding a situation and make educated, well thought out decisions based on the information at my disposal. Sure, I think with my gut from time to time, but information gives me a feeling of security I can’t find anywhere else.

I guess my parents’ influence is part of what made me the type of person I am. Although, Parvati is nothing like me, so I’m not sure exactly how things like that work. We grew up in a traditional Indian, wizarding home with our parents and older brother Sanjay Jr. Our parents were very strict with us, and it never felt like anything I did pleased them. Junior, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to do anything wrong. He was the perfect Indian son. He’s now engaged to the perfect Indian woman and working with our father at his financial advising firm. If I hear my father say one more time how proud he is that Junior’s going to take over the family business, I think I may pull my hair out.

Parvati and I were very close when we were younger. We had our subtle differences, but we were each other’s best friends. Hogwarts changed all that. We went our separate ways and flourished with separate lives, separate classes, separate friends. (Although I do have to say I think I was a slightly better judge of character with my friends.) The distance between us was large and noticeable during the year that Hogwarts was closed. We spent the year locked up at home, yet we still weren’t able to renew the bond we once had. After much begging, my parents agreed to get me a tutor (after they completed a thorough background check, of course) to help pass the time, but Parvati wasn’t interested in taking lessons with me. I tried to get her to come read or research with me, but I got the feeling she would rather wear my books as a hat than actually read them. I’m sure she thought that I was insane for spending so much time studying when we had the year off of school, but she didn’t see how many letters I exchanged with my friends. One friend more than the others, but I’ll get to that in a minute. The sad truth is, the only thing I gained from that year off was a strong desire to get out of the house, and the country.

I’ve left something important out, but it was intentional on my part. Something very painful happened during the year off and I don’t ever think about it unless I absolutely have to. My best friend, Mandy, was killed that year when Death Eaters attacked her home. Her whole family was murdered. I wish I could have gone to her funeral, but my parents refused to let me out of the house. I just wanted to say goodbye to my closest friend. Unlike Su and Morag, Mandy and I were quiet and cared a great deal about our studies. Lisa tended to bounce back and forth between the two sets of best friends, but she definitely did not prove to be anything close to a replacement for Mandy.

Going back for my seventh year at Hogwarts was hard, especially after Mandy’s death. Looking back at all the facts, I’m not sure it was the best decision. After being pent up for so long, I wanted to get out, not be confined somewhere new. I tried to make the best of it, but I’m not sure how successful I was. As much as it pains me to admit it, the best thing about coming back was getting to see Anthony Goldstein. I hate that I allowed myself to get excited about seeing a bloke. A true moment of weakness. But I’m deviating from my point. I’d always known him, especially since we were prefects together. But it took the death of his father after Christmas in sixth year for us to really grow close. He needed help with some writing, and I was the prime candidate to help him. We spent the summer exchanging a countless number of owls, and after Mandy’s death he was there for me like I had been for him. When I saw him again my attraction for him hit me like a ton of bricks. He asked me to the first Hogsmeade weekend, and we were officially together after that. We were practically inseparable; people even went as far to call us the “perfect” couple. It was a fun time in my life, possibly too fun. My friends thought we’d be together forever… in reality, we were together about six months.

As much fun as I had with Anthony, and as much as he had become my best friend, I realized he was having a negative impact on my school work. When I received a ‘D’ on a Transfiguration essay and Professor McGonagall asked me if I was feeling alright, I knew that it was time to face the facts: Anthony was bad for me. I didn’t have any choice but to end our relationship. If I wanted to get a great job out of the country, I needed to focus all of my attention on my studies. I started to ask for extra work in my favorite classes (since I was ahead from all the tutoring I had) and before too long I was on the right track again. I’m proud to say I passed my NEWTS with flying colors, earning an ‘O’ in Charms, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes, and an ‘E’ in Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology.

The bad thing was, without Anthony school got to be fairly miserable. He didn’t seem to miss me at all (seeing as how he was all over Lisa Turpin almost immediately after we had broken up), so I pushed him to the back of my mind, writing off our relationship as a learning experience. I was isolated in my house; Su and Morag just weren’t the type of company I liked to keep and Lisa was obviously no longer considered a friend. No one else seemed to understand why I dumped Anthony when we appeared to be so happy together, but not many people had the same career goals as me. I started to pull away from everything other than my classes. Actually, you might even say my ambitious goals separated me from my classmates that didn’t understand me. It was worth it in the end when I got the job offer of my dreams.

It’s important to explain that during my year of tutoring, I developed a fascination with Egypt and the research of Melinda Roberts. She’s the most brilliant witch I’ve ever read about, or had the pleasure of meeting. Her knowledge and research on Anubis is untouched. Muggles think he was a God, but he was really just a wizard that took advantage of muggles. It’s all amazing, really. Legend has it that he somehow stored his powers to one day pass on to an heir. It gives me chills to think of the great power he had being unleashed on the world. If the stories are true, he was more powerful than Voldemort could have ever dreamed of being.

I was completely shocked when I received an offer to be a research assistant under Melinda in Egypt. It’s a very low paying job, but it’s my dream. To be able to immerse myself in her world was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. So, as soon as I finished Hogwarts I packed up my things and took a portkey to Egypt. It’s one of the few decisions I’ve ever made with my heart, and I’ve been here ever since.

My life here started out fairly normally. I was overwhelmed by the work at first, but I quickly caught up with the rest of the team and proved myself capable. The team is full of interesting people, some almost twice my age, but one person in particular made a special impact on me.

On my 19th birthday a Spanish man by the name of Diego Reyes invited me out to dinner to celebrate. We had become friends fairly quickly when I first moved to Egypt, since he was the person there closest to my age, but something changed that birthday. I’m not ashamed to say I fell in love with him. He’s everything I’ve ever looked for in a man: handsome, brilliant, comes from a good family, treats me like a goddess… I could go on forever if you couldn’t tell. I can’t even talk about him without smiling. I don’t know what I would do without him. On my 20th birthday he promised me that when we left Egypt and had better paying jobs, we would get married. From that moment on, we practically lived like we were already married.

Unfortunately, in life with the good also comes with the bad. Not too long after our unofficial engagement, Diego and I were both promoted. I was promoted from a Junior Researcher to a full fledged Researcher, while Diego was promoted to Senior Researcher. The bad news was that meant he traveled to Spain once a month to make contact with some of our investors. He’s become my entire life, so it’s torturous every time I have to say goodbye to him, even if it’s only for a week. He has my heart, and he always takes it with him.

Melinda is the best mentor anyone could ever ask for. She listens to all my ideas and theories, and encourages me to follow my instincts. It sounds fairly simple, but as someone who tends to ignore their gut feelings, she’s made an impact on me. She’s almost been like a second mother to me. Of course, I talk to her much more than I talk to my real mother… or father… or sister… or brother… or friends…

Okay, I’ll admit it, I’ve not been a very good daughter, sister, or friend. I think I’ve only been home twice since I came to Egypt, and both of those trips were in my first year here. I still owl my parents regularly, and Junior checks in on me from time to time. Parvati, on the other hand, I’m honestly ashamed to call my twin half the time. I thought she was going to Paris to make a name for herself like I did in Egypt, but it seems that all she cared about was chasing boys. Of course, that didn’t turn out well so now she’s back at home. She needs direction in her life, but it’s not my job to find it for her.

But I don’t know exactly what has been keeping me away from home… I have a good life now and I don’t want to rock the boat. My family will have to meet Diego eventually if we’re going to get married. I’ve actually started to think about leaving this job, despite how much I love it. I’m ready to start my life with Diego, and that means leaving Egypt so we can afford to start our life together.