Tandis Qu'On Se Perd Dans Ces Voies Invalides
x x x
AN: Hey you all! It's been a while and I guess that none of you actually know me (after all I haven't uploaded in a looong time and never in this fandom so)
Anyway
I'm here today with a new fic. It'll be quite long (8 chapters I think) and the first part of the three I'd like to write in this AU.
With the dark side of dimensions release I wanted to write something Yu-Gi-Oh based so here I am. I'm an hard JouKai shipper (even though I can't understand why...) so yeah here we go.
Don't hesitate to point out any grammar mistake or anything like that, I'm French and I'm not fluent (if someone wants to BETA me it'd be super special awesome)
I hope you'll enjoy!
Warnings: I haven't finished writing the entire story, it might go from T to M very quickly (I'd like to write some smut but for now I don't know if I'm good enough in English to try... We'll see)
x x x
It was the first of September and Joey was already late. Not that it was unusual. But he should already have been at King's Cross ten minutes ago. He would never get an empty compartment. That sucked. He could only hope that Yugi and Tristan had come soon enough to balance his own ineffectiveness.
"Punctual as ever I see," a voice snapped once he stepped out of the hidden passage.
Seto Kaiba stood in front of the Hogwarts Express, his arms crossed and his leather bag flying next to him. He had been speaking with a younger student but was now staring at the young Gryffindor.
"Fuck off Kaiba"
He then managed to make his way through the crowd, not even looking at the Slytherin for more than a second. His mood was bad enough already. There was no need for that annoying prick to make it worse. He strongly hoped that Kaiba would not find an empty compartment and would have to sit next to Bakura.
But of course, that was unlikely.
With half of his house having a crush on him and the other half fearing him, he would easily manage to force the soon to be victims of his irritation our.
And if Joey didn't want to end up himself with the older Bakura, he'd better find his friends. Not that he didn't like Orion, but he was just too quiet for him, too likely to play some sick trick and murder him with a glare. He was so different from his younger brother, Ryo.
"Joey!"
Finally, he heard Yugi's voice rise from behind him.
"You're late," Tristan simply stated.
"Thanks man, I haven't noticed"
"We couldn't find an empty compartment. We have to share one with Tea's classmates," Yugi interrupted. Tea had been a friend of the three Gryffindors since their first year despite the fact that she wasn't in the same house. "They really don't seem to mind if we stay with them"
"After all who would complain having such handsome men keeping you company?"
"I know a lot of people who would"
"Like who?" Joey asked eager to know who would possibly resist his seductive smile.
"Like him," Honda answered, before Yugi could come up with an answer.
Kaiba entered the carriage, alone this time. He went straight to the third compartment next to the entrance, not even looking at the three students still standing in the empty hallway.
"I think he would appreciate it, you know, deep down," Yugi suggested.
"You're too naive"
"Yeah he would kick us out in less time than it takes to say 'Quidditch'"
"Speaking of Quidditch, how are you planning on winning the House Cup?" Tristan asked.
"We're not planning on doing it, we will do it," Joey answered with a big smile.
"And you actually believe that?" a deep voice said from behind Yugi. It belonged to a Slytherin, but fortunately not the worse one.
"Of course! We lost by only thirty points last year, this time GRYFFINDOR WILL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR PRETENTIOUS ASSES!" Joey was now grinning at the other student.
"Yeah yeah whatever, now let me pass"
"What are you all yelling about?" Kaiba stepped out of his compartment, looking quite pissed, glaring right at Joey before wrinkling his nose.
Oh yeah, now that was all that was missing to make this moment even worse.
"Guess what? Wheeler thinks Gryffindor's going to win this year," Atem announced, an amused smile on his lips.
Joey was a skilled player, a good chaser who was playing for his house team since his second year at Hogwarts. Yet they all knew that he had had troubles scoring last year. But that was just because a better keeper had finally been recruited by the Slytherin team: Kaiba.
"You are never going to land your filthy hands on the Quidditch cup"
"I will, and you know why?" Kaiba raised a mocking eyebrow. Whatever his explanation was, it was not enough to make him doubt the issue of this year's championship. "Because I will be the one leading the team this year"
A heavy silence suddenly fell on the small hallway, only interrupted by a muffled cough from Tristan. Atem nearly choked himself as his eyes widened. Kaiba on the other hand was now looking at Joey, a blank expression on his face. Finally, a corner of his mouth lifted before he started to laugh.
"You? Captain? You can't be serious. Who chose you? Even Tate would make a better leader" She was the Gryffindor keeper and Kaiba truly despised her for her lack of talent. At least that was what he liked to say. At the end, she may not have been as good as he was, but she definitely was not the worse keeper in Quidditch history.
"You're just saying that because you are afraid to lose"
"You wish"
"And because you're not your team's captain"
That was the last straw.
The tension between the two men had been slowly building since they had first met in front of the train and was now reaching its climax, threatening to explode. Atem had been the team captain since fifth year after the previous one had graduated and even if they were somehow friends, the rivalry between him and his keeper was even stronger than the one between the Kaiba and Joey. And the latter knew that he had touched a nerve when the Slytherin remained speechless at the statement.
"Come on Joey, the train will be starting soon," Yugi interrupted before anyone could fan the flames of the fire that was currently burning brightly between the two students.
x x x
"Wheeler? Captain?" Kaiba growled when he entered the compartment he had previously left to shout at the annoyingly loud passengers.
"I don't know what they were thinking when they appointed him, I think Marshall or Grace would have been a better choice," Atem observed, both girls were a little less impulsive than Joey and far better at strategy.
"Well at least they'll be easy to beat"
"Wait, what did you say?" asked a girl who was sitting between two boys, all of them wearing a Slytherin tie. Camilla was one of the team chasers, along with Atem and Francis, who was not in the compartment yet for an obscure reason. Her long blond hair was tied in a ponytail and her clear blue eyes had widened when she heard the conversation between Kaiba and their captain.
"I said that Joey Wheeler is the new Gryffindor captain," the brunet simply answered, not even looking at Camilla.
"They're so screwed," one of the two beaters, the one with dark hair and glasses stated.
"He's just going to tell them to go straight to the goal without thinking," the other boy added. Both of them were pretty massive but this one had blond hair and a rounder face.
"Don't underestimate him," another girl finally warned with a slight French accent. She was pretty short like a feminine version of Yugi. She was the only one who seemed to be able to bear if not like the Gryffindor team, especially the shorter teen despite the fact that he always caught the Snitch before she did. "He may be playing without much thinking but that doesn't mean he can't think"
"Don't tell me you really believe that," Kaiba spitted.
"Actually Seto, I think Nell may be right. We don't know what Wheeler's capable of"
"Am I dreaming or is the great Atem agreeing with what I, humble member of his team, said?"
"Shut up," Atem mumbled, a slight grin on his face.
"You wish. So Seto, I've heard your brother's starting his first year," Nell continued, after a small pause during which she glared at the other chaser.
"Yes he must be with Walsh's brother"
"Are you expecting him to be sorted in Slytherin?" Henry, the brown haired beater asked.
"No" Actually, he hoped that Mokuba would not end up in Slytherin, not that he didn't want his brother to be near him, it was quite the contrary actually, but because he didn't want Mokuba to relay on him too much. He knew that his brother had to find his own place at Hogwarts, as far from Kaiba's shadow as possible. "I just hope he doesn't end up in Gryffindor"
The whole compartment laughed, after all if they all hated the Gryffindors, but Kaiba seemed to hate them even more.
"So how was summer?" Henry chose to change the subject. He was not looking at anyone in particular, his eyes fixed on the door as he watched students running down the hallway.
"Oh the same as usual, windy, boring," Camilla answered "Charles spent a month at Francis', can you imagine? I was alone with mother, Merlin I thought I was going to kill myself at the end"
Charles was Camilla's twin brother, he had been sorted into Ravenclaw and for what Kaiba knew, separation had been harsh for both of them. But they got through it at the end. He personally found that their houses fitted them quite well as individuals.
"You could have come to my place," Edmund suggested, only to be answered by a death glare from the blond girl.
They kept babbling about their summer during the whole trip. They did not mind Kaiba's silence. After all he was not the most talkative one and didn't get along the others more than necessary. Actually, they all knew that he stayed with them only because they were the best option. If he had been allowed to, he would have travelled on his own.
Looking at the moving landscape through the window, he did not even bother to listen to what they were all babbling about. Summer had been shit for all of them. But he knew that his holidays had been the absolute worst.
Since his stepfather's death which had happened last year during Christmas holidays, things had become complicated for the young man. Gozaburo had died in a mysterious way, his body dislocated, probably killed during a mission for the Dark Lord. At least that was what everybody thought. Kaiba knew better than jump into conclusions and could tell they were all wrong.
Purebloods were ruling everything and everyone was expecting Kaiba to become a death eater, just like his adopted father. But being only sixteen for now, he wasn't able to serve the Dark Lord properly and therefore still had little time to think about it. He knew that as soon as the 25th November would be passed, he was going to have to submit or die. He would have to take the mark or be tortured and murdered. And then Mokuba would have to take it instead of him. And that was intolerable.
But for now, he was still too young and had finally taken his place as CEO of the family business. He had passed his last school year and summer holidays shutting down all of the dirty parts of KaibaCorp. The name was famous for selling poisons and other dangerous products. Gozaburo had also started to commercialize his mercenaries' skills.
Kaiba was now working on rebuilding the Kaiba Empire on new grounds. He had already bought some of the most famous broom brands and was planning on investing on one or two teams. No one knew yet that his dreams were that big, except for Mokuba of course.
Only few people knew how powerful the Kaiba name still was. For all the others, the company had sunk with Gozaburo's murder. But when Kaiba would get out of school, he would prove them wrong. And he would be feared more than Gozaburo ever was.
x x x
Joey followed his friends to their compartment. Four Hufflepuff girls were already sitting next to the window. He didn't know all of their names but he didn't have time to ask before the fourth one quickly stood up.
"Joey! Congratulations!" Tea exclaimed. She threw her arms around the blonds' neck with a bright smile on her face.
He laughed and caught her, encircling her waist. "Thanks"
Despite the fact that she was in another house, she still was Joey's best friend. She was always helping the others and a very good friend of the entire group, but Joey seemed to be the only one she trusted enough to let down all her walls. And it was mutual.
Maybe it was because they both were muggle borns, which had been a dangerous status lately. Tristan and Yugi simply couldn't understand what they both had been through because of You-Know-Who since they were both born in wizarding families.
"You heard about Malia's dad?" Yugi asked when Joey let Tea go.
"No what happened?"
"He was killed during the summer"
"So I've heard, he was working for the Ministry and refused to obey to You-Know-Who," one of the Hufflepuff girls said.
"It's foolish," another one stated, "he knew what would happen, he knew he would get killed, it's his own fault"
No one said anything. They all knew she was deeply wrong, but also that they also knew they couldn't talk about it in such a public place.
Joey who had been a member of the Quidditch team since his second year had been a good friend of Dorcas Meadowes, a former Gryffindor chaser. Since she had left Hogwarts two years ago, they had kept in touch. This summer however, she had come to his house telling him about an organisation that was fighting against the Dark Lord.
"How can I help you? I want to join, fight with you!"
They had never been very close friends, after all Dorcas was three years older than him but she also knew that Joey was the only current Hogwarts student she could entirely trust.
"I'm not asking you to join the Order, I know you will eventually, when you're out of Hogwarts but now is too soon, you still have two years to make. Until then just keep an eye on your friends, during times like these, they're precious"
"I know. And why are you here exactly?"
"I just want you to know that the Order exists because I know that you'll help us if we need you too"
"Of course I will"
"When you've finished your studies, ask Dumbledore about it, I told him about you, he will gladly let you in once you've finished. We need people to join us." He was going to interrupt he but she didn't let him, "but not students, Joey, you're too young to fight against wizards as powerful as them."
"You really think it's going to take another two years to defeat Him?"
"I hope not. And in case this is the last time I see you, I just want to tell you that I am glad to know you"
"Why- Why would you-"
She placed her hand on his shoulder with a sad smile.
"It's war, and during wars, people die"
She had used that tone. That exact same tone Serenity had used when she had told him that their mother was up to something. Like she knew it would happen. But Joey didn't have the time to say anything, and say what anyway? She had already left in a cracking sound. He also knew, deep down, that it was the last time he would see her alive.
But now all that mattered was the Order. He was going to join them. He would also tell Tristan. After all everybody said that he was a wiser and calmer version of him but not less courageous or loyal. He would join the Order without any doubt.
He didn't know about Yugi and Tea though.
He sighed.
"You're awfully silent," Tea suddenly remarked.
It was his legendary stomach that saved him by growling loudly.
Laughs finally filled the compartment as his face turned red.
x x x
The compartment next to the one where Joey and his friends were was almost empty. There was only one white-haired teen who was sitting alone, close to the window. But the door suddenly opened, making his head turn quickly.
"Bakura," the newly arrived young man greeted
"Ishtar"
They both nodded respectfully and the young Egyptian chose to sit next to Orion. Nobody ever called him Orion, it was like his name was only Bakura.
"Summer?" Marik asked with a grin, perfectly knowing what the answer would be.
"Horrible"
"Mine too," he smiled, they both had troubles with spending the summer with their families: Marik because he had to work with his sister for two months and Bakura because he had to go back to the flat he shared with his brother. Brother who was way too friendly and invited way too many people to sleep at home.
"Where's your brother?"
"Not here"
"Obviously"
Ryo had always had less trouble accommodating to people. He should have ended up in Hufflepuff, they were both agreeing on that. He was friendlier, gentler and definitely kinder than his older brother or Marik. Yet he had been sent to Ravenclaw, just like Bakura who however was meant to be a Slytherin, according to his few friends who all happened to be a part of the house of Merlin. Marik included, of course.
"Father wants me to take the mark," Marik finally dropped, making Bakura shudder.
He didn't even know if it was because of what he said or the casual way he had used. Between the two friends, the pureblood supremacy policy was a sensible nerve since the Ravenclaw was a half blood, often considered a muggle born because he had been raised by muggles.
"And what are you going to do?"
"I don't know"
That was true. He knew that if he were to say no, he would not survive the wrath of his father. Yet he did not really agree with all this 'pureblood are the only wizards worth living' thing. After all, Bakura was his best friend and one of the most intelligent and talented wizards he had ever met, so how could he ever think that muggle borns were not true wizards?
"I don't think your father will be happy to hear that"
"He said I had until my birthday to agree to it, after that-"
"Yeah I think I get it"
"Anyway I still have four months to decide if I-"
"Do you really think dying is better than getting the mark?"
Marik laughed in disbelief, looking away from Bakura for a second.
"You don't even know what they're capable of. I don't think even I know, but it's serious enough to make me hesitate"
Bakura sighed but didn't say anything more. Deep down, he knew that Marik would take it. He was the last male member of the Ishtar family and was expected to become a death eater just like his father who had been a close friend to the Dark Lord when they had been at Hogwarts. It was like a family legacy that Marik could not refuse, especially if it could assure him a good place at the ministry. Anyway, his father would never let him live without the dark mark. If he refused, he was better off dead.
Yet he had always wondered why Ishizu didn't take it, but it obviously had something to do with her being a woman. Orion had known her, she was a Ravenclaw too and he could tell by the way she had acted towards everyone that she was nothing like her father, or even like Marik.
He hoped his friend would make the good choice.
But he knew he wouldn't.