(A/n) The idea for this story has been bouncing around my head for awhile. I figured I would start on it and see where it takes me. It takes place during the fourth book.

Disclaimer: All characters, names, places, etc associated with the world of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Original characters belong to me.

Chapter 1

Boots were pounding hard against the stone floor, bringing up centuries old dust and debris. The owner of the boots threw a glance over her shoulder while she skidded around a corner. The stone wall of the corner that she had turned exploded a moment later while sparks of red magic faded from view. The woman's breath came in heavy gasps as she ran quickly down one corridor then another, avoiding large chunks of stone that littered the floor and large gaping holes that appeared without warning.

She heard the pounding of several pairs of feet behind her and the inevitable screams as one of her pursuers stumbled down one of the holes. A satisfied smirk danced across her lips as she ducked around another corner and avoided another spell that had been cast her way.

"Dammit! She is too quick!"

She heard one of them yell and she had to fight down the sudden urge to laugh. Wizards indeed… She turned another corner and nimbly jumped over a hole that appeared in the floor. Torches were lighting all by themselves, following her ascent from the bottom of the five thousand year old underground tomb back to the world of the living. She ducked under a series of sharp blades that had erupted from the walls and darted to the right, sandwiching herself against the wall as a large block of stone fell from the ceiling with a shuddering thud.

Her heart racing a mile a minute, she reached down carefully to feel the object that she was risking everything for still safe in the pack at her side. She squeezed herself out of the tiny space that she had found herself in and continued to run. She heard more shouts and screams behind her, given to the fact that her pursuers were not as agile in avoiding the blades and traps, then a distinct popping noise.

"Cheaters…" She murmured as one of her pursuers Apparated in front of her and waved his wand. Yellow sparks flew toward the woman only for it to bounce harmlessly off of what looked like black robes that she had pulled up to defend herself. A glint of black scales caught the torch's light as she threw the hem of the robe aside. The wizard stared in surprise before he moved his wand to cast another spell.

A loud bang echoed off the walls of the corridor and the wizard jerked back. Shock registered on the man's face as he glanced down at the red that blossomed through the cloth at his shoulder. His wand slipped from his grasp and clattered across the floor while he fell to his knees. Smoke was wafting up from the barrel of the gun she held and she didn't hesitate to keep it aimed his way as she skirted past him and continued to run.

Slipping the gun back in the holster at her side, she kept on running up one corridor and another before she emerged into a high spaced chamber. She skidded to a stop at the edge of the doorway and glanced down at the floor. It was a five foot drop to the floor of the chamber and covering the floor were the scuttling and slithering forms of scarab beetles and snakes. The creatures crawled over one another as a constant mass of shining black shells and dark brown scales.

Suppressing a shudder, the woman eyed the levitating platforms that were steadily making there way in various directions about the chamber. How did it go again? First jump then wait ten seconds then jump to the left then straight, wait five seconds… She went over the sequence again and again in her mind as she heard the scuffling sounds of her pursuers making their way past the traps further back in the corridor. She glanced behind her to catch a glimpse of two wizards racing up the corridor. "There she is!"

She flashed a smile at them and waggled her fingers in goodbye, just as the first platform floated by, and then she jumped. The moment she jumped, the snakes and the beetles reacted at once and they rose up like a dark wave in an attempt to grab the woman. She sailed across the space and landed in a crouch on the floating platform. The moment her feet touched the floating block of stone, the dark mass wavered and settled back down to the floor. She waited ten seconds before she jumped to the next platform that floated then to the next before waiting exactly five seconds and jumping to the next platform. With each jump, the beetles and snakes rose up to grab her but fell away when her feet touched a platform. She was steadily making her way up toward the only exit of the tomb when she heard a scream of pure terror from down below.

She glanced down to find that one of the wizards had missed his aim when he had jumped toward a platform in an attempt to follow. Spells were firing every which way as the wizard tried to fend off the creatures that swarmed over him like a black wave. His screams rose up toward her and she looked away from the sight of flesh and bone being eaten away, continuing to make her way toward the exit. The other wizard was carefully jumping from one platform to another but he did not know the exact sequence and he watched helplessly while the woman jumped to the last platform and then to the ledge that bore the exit.

She did not look back as she ran up the last flight of steps, the crack of light up ahead giving way to the hope that she was almost home free. She climbed the last few steps, avoiding the last few traps of trick stairways and flying blades, before she emerged through the opening and out into the painfully bright sunshine. She took in a deep breath as she kept a hand on her pack and the other on the butt of her gun. She was aware of a strange noise up ahead of her and she looked up to see a man standing about ten feet away.

He was clapping his hands as he stared at the woman, his blond hair, streaked with grey, falling over his brow and around the rim of his black shades. He was dressed in white robes and his white boots sunk beneath the sand as he walked toward her, still clapping. "Bravo, my dear, bravo. You certainly are talented aren't you?"

The woman glared at the wizard as he stopped and folded his arms across his chest. "You have successfully managed to procure a very ancient and powerful artifact from an even more dangerous tomb. Virtually unscathed no less and yet not one of my men have emerged. I dare say you do know how to make a wizard look bad."

"Vladimir, how wonderful to see you here, I take it you are enjoying the Egyptian weather?" The woman had straightened but her hand did leave the butt of her gun. The man was aware of this and his gaze moved from the holster of her weapon to the black shorts that were worn beneath the black robe. A smile touched his lips as his eyes followed the length of her tanned legs marred with fresh bruises and scratches.

"The view is rather enticing." He responded in turn and his smile grew at the sight of the scowl that now adorned the woman's face. She had hidden the pack that bore the artifact beneath her robe and her free hand now gripped the butt of her second gun. The man saw this and the smile fell. "That would not be wise my dear. You may be very talented but those talents can only go so far in the field you would be battling."

"Oh of that I am very much aware." She gave an easy smile that did not reach her eyes. "So if you will excuse me, I will just be on my way."

The man reached into his white robes and withdrew his wand slowly, almost patiently. "Now, now, my sweet, there is no need to rush. Surely you have some time to spare." He kept his wand aimed toward her chest though from the glint of black scales that adorned her torso like a chainmail, he knew that a spell cast head on would not have the desired effect.

The woman did not look away from the wizard as she relaxed and moved away from the entrance of the tomb, that was actually a slit of an opening among some stone mesas. The smile on her face remained as she continued to move away from the man and stopped in front of a lone boulder. The man tightened the grip on his wand even when the last man that had been pursuing the woman finally emerged from the entrance of the tomb and a few others Apparated beside the white robed wizard. They all stood behind him, waiting for their orders as they eyed the woman.

The woman lifted a boot and held it there, just above the surface of the boulder. The man saw this and his wand wavered. He could see the symbols that danced just above the surface of the rock, various spells that he recognized. How did the woman know that they were there? He instantly lowered his wand and took a step back. "You wouldn't…" He said but without much confidence.

The smile on the woman's face grew before she moved her leg back and kicked the boulder. The rock glowed a fierce bright red as the spells that protected the nearby pyramid erupted from the contact. All at once, figures Apparated around the small group with their wands raised. The white robed man shouted a curse to the woman before he turned on the spot and Disapparated from view. The other wizards were not as quick as the spells that shot from the wands that surrounded them paralyzed the men in their tracks.

The woman was just about to turn and run away, while the workers of the Gringotts Bank were distracted, when another wizard materialized in front of her, his wand at the ready. He blinked in surprise at the sight of her before a smile fell across his lips. He was tall with long red hair tied back into a pony tail and a dragon's fang hanging from one ear. He was dressed not in robes but in form fitting clothes that looked to be a mix of leather and dragon hide. "Well hello there. I do believe that you've been trespassing on Gringotts property. Would you mind coming quietly? Your friends have been putting up a bit of a ruckus."

Her frown was instant as her hands fell away from her guns, her black robe falling forward to hide them from view. "I am not associated with them." She growled as she held her hands up in surrender. She was aware of the other Gringotts wizards behind her and escape was not an option at this point for one such as her. Sighing inwardly, she stood quietly as the red headed wizard bound her with ropes that emerged from the tip of his wand.

"Well, even if you aren't, you're still trespassing. Where is your wand located?"

She eyed the wizard with a blank look as her hip swayed to the side. The pack at her hip twitched in response and the artifact that had been poking her side disappeared. The man noticed the motion of her hips and reached to grab the black robe. "Please pardon my intrusion but we don't want any hidden suprises."

He smiled at her, trying to be charming, while his fingers touched the scales that lined the outside of the robe. He blinked in surprise, studying her robe curiously but said nothing. He pulled the robe aside to find not a wand but the holsters of two guns at her hips, a brown leather bag and bruised and scratched legs.

Slightly confused at the sight of the guns, he looked at woman and took in a breath. "Ma'am, where is your wand?"

The woman gave a cold smile in response and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have one."

Silence greeted this statement and then the wizard groaned. This was going to be one of those days, he could feel it…