Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and/or Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 4

"What's your name?".

"Seth!".

"Thank you, Seth! Thank you!".

He ran to the village. Fire. The village was on fire. People grabbing their children and running. He heard a howl/ He looked up to the black starless sky. Above the flames was a white dragon…"

Kaiba shot up awake. His eyes and pupils were wide and his breathing shallow. He slowly tried to calm down. That dream… What in the world was it?

He had seen himself. A teenage version of himself but at the same time not. He wasn't wearing the tidy shirt, pants and vest that he was wearing when Gozaburo was still around. He was wearing a sandy tunic and sandals. His hair was longer, shaggy and lighter in color. His skin was tanned. But even like this, Kaiba couldn't deny that the boy was himself.

The language was not Japanese. It was ancient Egyptian. Kaiba didn't know how he knew that, but he did and he understood it perfectly. It was such a familiar sound… and nostalgic… like a mother inviting her child back to her embrace, after not seeing each other for such a long time that none of the two could remember.

And the dream. It was so real… Too real. The sense of alarm and danger, the fear as he saw the orange flames devouring everyone's lives, the awe inspired by the great dragon emerging from the smoke as a god who delivers the divine punishment… The Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Kaiba remembered. He remembered how he had felt the first time he had clutched a copy of the legendary dragon. He had felt something stir in his heart and soul, raw power in his fingertips. But most of all, he had felt familiarity. Like the dragon was meant to be his.

And the girl… Kisara. There was no mistaking her. He had seen her during Battle City, he had seen her during his trip to Egypt, and even though in this dream she was younger, there was no mistaking her. Her unparallel beauty, the beautifully strong yet soft woman with her hair whiter than snow and her breath-taking eyes more blue than the clear skies.

Kaiba rubbed his forehead, recognizing instantly the first signs of an incoming headache. "Darn it that stupid rod…", he growled. He didn't care how illogical it sounded to blame his dream on a golden stick; it was the rod's fault along with the Geek squad's.

"Ni-sama?".

Kaiba turned his face to the black mane that covered his brother's head. "Mokuba.".

Said boy was wearing a huge grin. "You're awake! I was so worried!".

Kaiba examined his surroundings; he was lying on his bed in his suite. "What happened?".

Mokuba pouted. "Someone knocked you out with the Rod by hitting you on the head.". Sure enough, there was a bump on top of Kaiba's head. He made a mental note to give the idiot in fault a payback.

"For how long was I out?".

"You were out for a few hours and then you started sleeping normally. It's about 8 o'clock.".

"In the evening?".

"No, in the morning.".

Kaiba groaned. Just great.

"Those dudes over there want to go inside the tombs, those ladies want to buy some souvenirs…".

"Malik.".

"…that woman is a shoplifter…".

"…Malik.".

"That guy is texting to his girlfriend… Man, she is HOT!".

"Malik!", finally snapped Ryou.

Malik gulped when he saw the pissed-off look on his friend's face. He looks just like Akefia… "Yes?".

"Don't go using the Eye so deliberately! Do you want Ishizu to take it from you?".

Malik didn't like that prospect at all, so he decided to change the subject. "Hey, any idea where Yugi and the Pharaoh are?".

"Must be still sleeping. Yugi at least…".

"Oi, Bakura-kun, Malik-kun! Come and join us!".

Both teens grinned at the voice. "Gramps/Motou-san!". The old game shop owned looked as cheerful as ever. Then they noticed the company.

"Oh.", fell Ryou's voice. "Are you sure that you don't mind? We don't want to bother you…", he trailed off.

"Don't be stupid, you two! Come on, sit!".

The two teenagers reluctantly sat around the table.

"Son.", greeted Dr. Bakura.

"Yes?".

"This is Bill Wesley, one of my coworkers. Bill, this is my son Ryou, and his friend is Malik Istarh, Ishizu Istarh's younger brother.".

Bill had a pleasant smile on his face. "Nice to meet you.", he said with a British accent.

"Nice to meet you too, Bill-san.", replied Ryou politely.

"Me too!", added Malik with a toothy grin.

"Not bad!", commented Akefia approvingly. Ryou couldn't help but agree. Bill Wesley was nothing like they expected.

The young man was tall and slim, tanned due to working for hours under the sun, with freckles. His long, flaming red hair was tied in a pony-tail. He was dressed as if he was ready to go to a rock music festival. T-shirt, black leather vest, skin-tight jeans and leather boots that the trio couldn't help but admire the quality of. In fact, Akefia was already calculating their price. The outfit was completed by an earring made from a real snake fang – a really cool piece.

Bill was also examining the teens in front of him. He really couldn't see the reason why the Istarhs were so feared by the Egyptian wizarding community. Sure, he did look like a delinquent, but he wasn't dark, as the rumors described him to be. In fact, he looked like a really outgoing person. Ryou from the other hand, looked like a really sweet and polite boy, with many feminine traits on him. But… there was something off with him, and it was not the creepy scar on his face. It took a while to Bill to realize what unsettled him about this teen. His eyes… they were the same color with Avada Kedavra.

Malik and Ryou exchanged a glance. "Ryou and I are going to take a look at the rock-star's soul.", said Akefia. Malik nodded, having heard everything, as he was still clutching the Eye in his hand. After a moment, Ryou spoke again. "All clear. No ill intents. He has quite a big family…". There was a tint of sadness in his voice when he said that. Akefia thought about comforting his Hikari, but decided against it. He never was much of a comforter.

Suddenly Malik had an idea. He grabbed both Ryou and Bill from their forearms and forced them up. "Hey, why don't we leave those old men alone?", he beamed.

"Show some respect to your elders, young man!", demanded Andrew.

Solomon, knowing what Malik had in mind, brushed off the Doctor. "Now now, Mr. Bakura, Malik-kun is right. I don't think that those youngsters will enjoy the company of two old men talking about their job! And besides, I think that Bill-kun needs a break.", he added with a wink towards the red-haired, who gulped.

"Oh, come on dude!", begged Malik. "I get enough archeology with my Sis already! Let's go somewhere else!".

And so Malik dragged the other two at the most distant table of the restaurant, with Bill protesting and Ryou apologizing to the people staring. The three of them sat on the table. "Well?", started Bill. "What do you want to talk about, if not archeology?" he asked jokingly.

"About your home.", replied Malik.

Bill blinked. He did not expect that. "What do you mean, 'about my home'?".

"You know, your family and stuff.". Now Bill had started getting suspicious. He still hadn't forgotten about the rumors. Malik sensed the change in the mood. So did Ryou and Akefia. Ryou nodded at Malik. Mailik clutched the Eye tight in his pocket.

Time for interrogation.

"Well, yeah, about your family. Everybody knows about mine, so… Do you have any siblings?".

Bill's smile immediately flew to his brothers and sister, and he couldn't help but smile warmly at their thought. "Yes, I have. Five brothers and one sister.".

The trio chocked. "FIVE BROTHERS!?".

"That means...", started Ryou calculating "that you are a family of nine?".

"I thought nobody did that in this era…", said Akefia astonished.

"Man, that's a big family!", commented Malik, having recovered from his initial shock. "So, how are they like?".

"Well, I'm the eldest.", started Bill He was glad about the harmless topic. "Next is Charlie, he's twenty two. He works at Rumania as a… beast tamer.".

"A beast tamer?", repeated Ryou.

At that point Malik broke into Bill's mind, the latter not even realizing that there was something wrong. "What kind of beasts?".

Bill hesitated for a moment. He couldn't tell them that those animals were dragons! "Wild animals, usually. Bears and such. He has a lot of scars from his work.".

No kidding, added Malik mentally. Wait till he tells Kaiba!

"Sounds cool.", noted Ryou with a cute smile, ignoring Bill's flinch at the word 'cool'. "Who is next?".

"Next is Percy. He…". Bill stopped, something that did not go unnoticed. He didn't want to talk about Percy. The things he had said… "Percy is nine-teen. He used to be the best of us at school, always striving for perfection… He did know that he was better than us in this, and that kinda got in his head…".

Ryou and Malik exchanged a glance. Nobody had missed the sad tone. "He got absorbed in his work, didn't he?", asked Ryou quietly. Akefia rested a hand on his reincarnate's shoulder, trying to comfort him Ryou knew how that felt all too well.

Bill nodded curtly.

Malik felt badly too. He knew he may get into private matters here, but… He clutched the Eye tighter. "What does he do?".

Bill felt an unexpected rise of panic. "He works as an assistant, at the Ministry…".

"What Ministry?".

The Ministry of Magic. "Not sure.".

"Oh.". Malik then changed the subject. "Up next is…?".

At that, Bill smirked. "Are.".

"Eh?", asked the two boys in tandem.

"The twins. Fred and George. They are seventeen. They hate school but they put their talents into good use.", he laughed.

"Meaning?".

"They are the greatest pranksters known in the history of the prestigious institute of-".

"REALLY!?", jumped Malik eagerly, receiving many wide-eyed stares from the surrounding tables. "Are their pranks any good? Anything original? Do they do them at school? Is during classes or breaks only? Do they get detentions? Have they-".

"MALIK!", snapped Ryou. "You will not form any resistance alliances with the Wesley twins.", he said firmly.

"Oh, come on, Ry! Why do you have to spoil it- OUGH! What was that for!?".

Ryou had elbowed him in the ribs. "Behave yourself.".

Bill gulped. The twins would more than glad to meet them… To his relief Ryou decided to continue the previous conversation. "Who is next?".

"Next is Ronald, though we all call him Ron. He is fifteen. His manners aren't all that good and he is really straight-forward, but he's a good guy and he rocks at chess. And finally, there is Jinni. She is fourteen. The twins have rubbed off terribly on her…". Laughter followed that.

"How about your parents?".

"Mom doesn't work. She takes care of dad and us. She insists I should cut my hair…", he added in an exasperated tone "… and she doesn't like my girlfriend either. Too different tastes. She is so overprotective that every time something happens she starts yelling at us for worrying her crazy. Especially dad and the twins.".

The trio laughed again. "What about your father?".

"He works in the same ministry with Percy, but in different departments. He likes experimenting with electronics, and that has lead to various results…". He sweat-dropped when he remembered the flying Ford which currently resided in the Forbidden Forest. "You don't want to know.".

And so the conversation continued cheerfully like that. With Bill blissfully ignorant of the fact that his mind was being dug.

Andrew Bakura was watching the table at the other side of the restaurant with wary eyes. For once again in a few short months, Andrew Bakura had found himself on the edge. There was something really wrong with the Istarhs. Malik Istarh looked like a cheerfull care-free teenager, but it seemed to Andrew that he acted like that on purpose. It was obvious that the teen did not want to be around him at all. Then there was the apparent rivalry the Istarhs had with Bill Wesley. Bill was weird, that's for sure, but what's with all that cautiousness? It was almost likethey had dirt on each other or something. And finally, the thing that troubled Andrew the most; his son. What did Ryou have to do with the whole story? Why did he feel the need to warn his personally about Bill? There must be more in that warning than Ryou was letting on. And speaking of warning…

Andrew's mind flew to the letter. Kul' Elna… What in the world was that all about anyway!? His own son had actually mailed a death threat to him! A death omen… Andrew shuddered.

He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. That feeling of being left out, like everyone was hiding something from him… Especially his own son…

No. He wasn't going to let his head pondering over that nonsense. There was nothing abnormal with his son. Ryou was odd, that was all in it. Everything that happened was just a coincidence… Wasn't it?

Solomon was observing the blue-haired Egyptologist thoughtfully. As much as the man was trying to hide it, there was no hiding the truth from the reincarnated Royal Advisor's eyes. Andrew Bakura was afraid. He was afraid of Bill Wesley – indeed, the young man had a unique magical signature – he was suspicious of the Istarhs, but most of all, he was afraid of his own son.

At times Solomon thought that Andrew Bakura was very alike Seto Kaiba. They both blatantly refused to face the situation in front them simply out of fear that said situation was out of control. It was sad, honestly. The blue-haired man had put a huge distance between himself and his son both literally and metaphorically out of pure fear, right when Ryou needed him the most; and all Ryou was left with was an empty department and a horrid demon running around his head and turning his life hell. Good thing Akefia cared about the boy. He had been through enough torture already.

Dr. Bakura decided to interrupt both their musings. "Do, Motou-san.", he started. "How do you know Ishizu Istarh?".

Solomon let an inner sigh. Of course Andrew would try digging information out of him. "It was quite by chance, actually. Around a year ago Yugi along with a friend of his decided to visit the Egyptian exhibition at the Domino Museum, and they stumbled upon Miss Ishizu. It was her personal collection, after all. Right after that, Mr. Kaiba started the Battle City and all three Istarhs along with Yugi and Ryou made it to the finals.". The gane shop owner wasn't lying, but there was no need to fill in his companion with the details.

Dr. Bakura was surprised by that bit of info. He didn't know much about Duel Monsters, but he knew that the game was hard and that the fact they had all made it to the finals was astonishing. It was far too much of a coincidence. It made him wonder if there was more to the story. "And?".

"And then we all became very good friends.". OK, the old man was definitely hiding something. He was far too cheery. Andrew's suspicions were confirmed when Dr. Motou poloitely excused himself and left the restaurant.

After the old man was gone, Dr. Bakura started planning in his head. He needed to know more about what was going on. But he wouldn't find out anything by asking. Suddenly he got the strangest of feelings. Like a whisper in the back of his head. Without realizing it, Andrew Bakura got up on his feet and made himself a plan.

He would seek answers in the place where this whole mess started.

Kul'Elna.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore had faced many problems in his life. A broken nose – twice – his bed being set on fire, the death of his sister, Grindelwald, Voldemort, the Ministry, Dementors on his grounds, the constant search for a Defense Against Dark Arts Teacher… but he had never faced a problem like this.

What on Merlin's beard possessed Professor Binns to retire!?

It had turned out that even after all these years, Binns had never realized that he had no physical body. So, someone who was ignorant of that fact had pointed it out to him during a conversation, and now Hogwarts had ended up without a History of Magic teacher.

Odd to say that Dumbledore was the only one who wasn't happy with the events. Granted, it wasn't that Dumbledore was ever satisfied with Professor Binns. In fact, he was looking forward to the day when the students wound stop failing their History OWLs. No – Dumbledore's problem was the Horrible timing. A new vacancy meant another opportunity for the Ministry to infiltrate in Hogwarts.

Therefore, Dumbledore had not announced the empty post and went looking for a History teacher in secret… Without much success.

When Severous Snape entered the office, he was greeted by the sight of the Headmaster pacing up and down in his office. He couldn't help but smirk slightly; it was rare to see the old wizard so frustrated. "You asked to see me, Albus?", asked the black-haired man in a form of greeting.

"Yes, Severous, indeed I have. Has Voldermort move on with any of his plans?", asked Dumbledore in a hushed voice.

"No.".

"Good, good…

Severous inwardly sighted, knowing what was going on in the Headmaster's head all too well. "I take it that you still have not found a History teacher.".

Albus nodded. "I have not. And I am concerned that our Cornelius will take advantage of this inconvenience.".

"Why not asking any of your acquaintances? I am certain that someone will be glad to fill in.".

Dumbledore was still nervous, but he had to admit that the man had a valid point. He dismissed the man and mentally started running through the list of the various people he could ask. While most had rejected the position, there were still a few chances...

Somewhere a brown-haired woman sneezed.

Author Notes: My deepest apologizes for the huge delay! Truth is, I hadn't had the time nor the mood to update, even though I had written this chapter during summer. I just had too many things to do! I can't believe how many favs and follows this story has! I love you all! However, please review. I need your ideas, because when I run out of ideas I stop writing all together.

Did anyone notice the spoiler in the end?

Please, review