Chapter 4

The Claws and the Spy


The idea of claming that the mini-dragon was a robot was a kind of a double-edged sword. It did indeed keep the passerby from thinking that anything odd was going on.

Unfortunately, after the fiftieth time Bakura had to say "It is a robot", the dragon got it into his head that his NAME was Robot. And now it would not respond to any other name.

"Who ever heard of a dragon named Robot?" Bakura groaned. Said dragon just licked the back of his neck in an affectionate manner. They had been separated into hotel rooms…that is to say the males had all been dumped into one room while Tea and Ishizu, being the only two females, got a room to themselves….

The male room was, to say the least, a bit crowded. Thankfully the room was reasonably large…

However, pure chaos ruled the moment Marik and Yugi let loose their pets.

Ferrets are extremely active and extremely jumpy animals. And by "jumpy" I do not mean frightened. I mean Little-Ten-Year-Old-On-Sugar-High jumpy. Kittens, no matter how much dignity they try to muster in a cage, are still, when you get down to it: kittens. Add one dragon the size of an owl and…

Needless to say the combination was…interesting.

It did not help matters when, ten minutes later, Joey and Tristan decided they had a pressing appointment elsewhere (the scheduling of this appointment might have had something to do with the fact that Yugi's ferret thought it was fun to jump on people's heads and nibble hair). Odeon was not helping at all. Period. He just sat in a corner of the room with his arms folded, a slight smirk on his face.

Which of course left Yugi, Marik and Bakura to the task of making sure their pets did not tip over and break anything expensive as they (both humans and animals) ran around chasing each other's tails.

Finally, about nine o clock the animals had run out of gas. The ferret and the cat ended up curled up together on a cushion, and Robot had returned to Bakura's neck. Every gave a collective sigh and ordered some nice room service. They where all so exhausted from the day's activities that they all went to sleep…except for a certain thief.

/You still want to go after that thing in the bank?/

/Absolutely, and you can't stop me Host./ the spirit said.

Bakura sighed. While he did not like the idea that the spirit was going to go on a stealing spree, he did take comfort in the fact that it was unlikely that he could actually hurt anyone.

Therefore, Bakura did not make too big a fuss when the spirit took over his body once again. However, to both of their surprise Bakura did not fall into a trance as he usually did when this happened. While he could not control his body, Bakura could still see what was going on…

The spirit did not take time to examine this phenomenon. Instead he slipped out of the hotel and headed back to Diagon Alley.


/Hehehehe, security has really become pathetic in the last few thousand years!/ The spirit exclaimed.

/You call huge dragons pathetic?/ Bakura grumbled.

/Yes. Pathetic by Egyptian standards. This is just to easy./ the spirit's mad laughter echoed throughout Bakura's head (which is not a fun experience I'll have you know.)

Bakura had to give the spirit this though, he had managed to go deep into the depths of the wizarding bank undetected, and it looked like he would be able to get away with this heist. The spirit had been using all of his thieving skills, not to mention the Ring, to break into this place…and Bakura had to admit that he had made this look pretty easy.

/This must be the vault/ The spirit said as the Ring's needle stopped at a certain vault door.

/Yeah…but how do we get in? No doorknob./

/Simple. Brace yourself for the Shadow Realm, Host./

/Wonderful./ Bakura muttered at the spirit literally used the shadows to travel past the door, much like a ghost would have.

The inside of the vault had several piles of gold, silver and bronze wizard coins, which the spirit eagerly scooped up and stuffed his pockets with. Unfortuantlay there was no sign of the Claws.

/Guess they are not here./ Bakura said.

/Oh they are here Host./ the spirit said.

"Return to your master, Claws of the Thief King!" the spirit said, holding out his hand as if he expected his Claws to just leap in.

Surprisingly they did. From underneath a pile of gold coins they sprang like a pair of little bunnies and landed in their owner's grasp.

/Beautiful, aren't they?/ the spirit said. He was right too. The Claws were works of art. They looked like golden plated gloves. Inlaid in the backs of them where two glittering rubies. Hieroglyphics covered them, depicting a strange scene of slaughter. The pictures showed a village of people being herded to altars and brutally massacred. They were well done, so well done that it made Bakura shudder in horror at the scene.

/What…are the drawings about?/ Bakura whispered.

/It…was my home…before…/ There was grief in his voice, and emotion that Bakura had never heard from his "guest" before. /Never mind! I don't want to talk about it…let's just go./ The spirit slipped his Claws over his hands.

/But they don't really look like claws…/ Bakura started.

The spirit smirked and flexed his hands. Golden glowing light shot out of the tips of the Claws and formed…well…claws…

/Look well, Host. These things saved my life more than once in the past. It feels so good to have them back!/

Bakura shuddered again /How many people did you kill with these things?/ he asked, morbidly curious.

/With the Claws? No one. These things have never tasted the blood of humans./ the spirit said /I used the tips to climb walls and pick locks, but I never turned them against another human. I would always sheath them when I got into a fight…/

/But…I've seen you…you like hurting people!/ Bakura was puzzled.

/…you really think that don't you…/ the spirit whispered.

/Of course I do…the way you act!/

/I was not always as I am now, little idiot!/ the spirit growled. /I used to have…to have…/

/Principals?/ Bakura volunteered. /What happened to those principals then?/

/I…/ the spirit paused and thought /I…don't know…/

Both of them where silent on the way back to Diagon Alley.


Once there the spirit insisted on wandering. He was muttering something about alibis.

/And we should probably buy something…or at least look at shops…/ the spirit mused.

"…The Dark Lord…"

"Not here fool, into Knockturn Alley."

/Eh? What was that?/ the spirit pricked their ears.

/Something about a Dark Lord?/

/Let's listen in, shall we?/ the spirit said.

Bakura was about to ask how they were going to do that when the spirit muttered something under his breath in Ancient Egyptian while rubbing one of the Claws in his pocket. Instantly the two of them faded and disappeared.

/Like I said, the best thieving tools./ the spirit said smugly.

They followed the two wizards who had been talking closely, the spirit making sure that they would not be caught. The two whispering wizards stopped in a ratty looking side alley that looked like its best customers were rats.

Knockturn Alley.

Bakura studied the men, committing their faces to memory, just in case. One of them was tall and lanky with greasy hair and an unpleasant expression. The other had watery eyes and reminded Bakura of a rodent.

"Your information has been poor at best, Snape." The rat-man said. "For someone whose as close to Dumbledore as you say, you certainly don't know that much."

"I know more than you, Wormtail." The other man snarled "Certainly more than little rat that follows the Dark Lord around licking his boots. At least I am actually doing something."

"You are supposed to be giving me information, not insulting me." The man called Wormtail squeaked.

"I am giving you information, if you would stop babbling long enough for me to give it." Snape said coolly. "This year there will be four transfer students to Hogwarts. All from Japan. All going into the fifth year."

A pause, then "That's it? That is all you have?"

"That is all that Dumbledore will tell me." Snape replied.

/He's lying./ the spirit thought.

/How can you tell?/

/I just can…/

After trading a few more insults the two men parted ways. Bakura and the spirit stayed where they were, still invisible.

/That was enlightening./ the spirit finally said.

/How?/

/First, this wizarding society is divided into factions. Judging from the secrecy I would bet that the faction that those two belong to is either illegal or secret from the others. Second, this Snape man works with the Headmaster of our new school in some way. Third, this Snape is either a spy or a double agent. Either way, we cannot trust him. And fourth…there is something going on here that we don't know about…and I hate secrets that are not mine…/

Bakura groaned. /Not Millennium Items again!/

/…I…doubt it./

/Really?/

/The world does not revolve around the items, Host. This may be something totally unrelated. Either way, I think we should be cautious from now on./

/Great. Wonderful, can we go to the hotel now?/

/Yes./ the spirit said.

They left, but they both felt the foreboding in the air.

Neither got much sleep that night.