Harry Potter: The Prince of Games

Disclaimer: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Plot: Harry never went to the Dursleys; instead, he went to James' brother and was raised in a life of fun, mystery and excitement. But, as it always does, destiny soon catches up with Harry as he discovers strange powers, dark destinies and unusual truths about himself.

Author's Note: Okay, so this one is an idea that's completely random and yet fun at the same time; and, as always, I say that if you don't like it, then don't read it

Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to Goodfella96 and Above the Winter Moonlight for being my inspiration for this story; their stories are also my recommended reads: Battle Born by Above the Winter Moonlight and Harry Potter and the Stone of Ra by Goodfella96;

Key Pairings: Eventual Harry/Alexis; Eventual Jaden/Yubel;

Normal Speech

'Thought'

'Spirit/Mind Speech'

(OC Cards)

Review Answers:

Guest: Yeah I know; I was just putting it in terms that Harry would use to understand what had happened: remember that he thought there was a reason for Zane allowing him to go first;

Notasavior: Well that is one of the SK's powers, so I think that's a yes; also, I have a plan to get old Snake Face involved that you might enjoy, so keep reading to find out what I have in mind;

Blackholelord: Let's just say that the she-male is going to learn their lesson the hard way once Harry is done;

"This was just one duel: who knows what'll happen when we duel again!"

Even Crowler was shocked into silence as Harry walked away to applause and cheers from the Academy crowd, though he did stop to offer the hand to Zane, who smiled as he rose up, taking the hand of his new friend and young protégé.

'Not to mention,' thought Zane as he raised Harry's hand in victory, 'The next Kaiser of Obelisk Blue…'

Chapter 6: Hello Duel Academy

Duel Academy;

Built by Seto Kaiba to be the training academy and proving grounds of prodigal professional duellists, it was a place that was both revered and well-known in reputation by those who sent their children there as well as those who had heard about it in news reports and word-by-mouth. Within the Academy, the system of sorting the new students was split between three distinct Dorm Ranks that were based on the names and power of the Egyptian God Cards.

Given that it was Kaiba that had founded the Academy and decided on the system personally, it didn't surprise Harry one bit when he learned that Obelisk the Tormentor – once Kaiba's own personal Egyptian God Card before he lost it to Yugi in the Battle City Finals – had bestowed his name onto the dorm of Obelisk Blue, which was the home of the elite in the school while Slifer the Sky Dragon's recognised dorm of Slifer Red was for newbies, rookies and dropouts.

'If that's not a symbol of Dad and Seto's rivalry, I'll eat my duel disk,' thought Harry as he looked out of the window on the ride towards the Academy, the soft sound of the helicopter's blades echoing in his ears along with the announcement from the pilot that said that they would be reaching Academy Island soon.

Next to him, Jaden seemed content to sleep out the ride with a somewhat-relaxed expression on his face; as he looked away from the window, Harry felt a smile tug at his lips as he looked to his friend and apparent-guardian. Even though Jaden was someone special to Harry's destiny, ever since they'd had their little reunion and Harry had watched Jaden duel Crowler, the Supreme King had felt like there was something a little different about his friend.

He didn't know what it was, but while Jaden's excitement and duel spirit was an infectious sense of delight for Harry, there was something that seemed to overlook the connection that Harry had felt when he and Jaden had first shook hands several years ago.

As the chopper touched down on the docks, Harry heaved a sigh as he reasoned that he had some time to figure it out.

But first, he had an Academy to check out…

Prince of Games

"Well I don't know about you, Sy, but it looks as though I'm in the Slifer Red dorm!"

The announcement from Jaden actually had Harry surprised as he walked out of the main entrance of the Academy, decked out in the full attire of the Obelisk Blue Dormitory, though his blue blazer had been abandoned for his personal-favourite blue duster. If anyone had anything to say against it, they seemed to have been intimidated into keeping quiet.

Though he didn't say anything about it himself, Harry had a sneaking suspicion that it was thanks to his announcement that he was a co-owner of the Academy and had a direct line to the big man himself. Like his Father had cautioned him, Harry didn't want to use his influence too much and be one of those spoiled little rich kids that thought money and connections solved everything, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't if he was forced to do so.

As he approached the stone statue in front of the Academy where he saw Jaden checking out his student PDA, Harry's eyes narrowed as he saw the one that his friend had addressed. Syrus Truesdale, a light-blue haired, bespectacled boy that, from the name alone, Harry had figured out to be related to the Obelisk Kaiser, Zane Truesdale.

Even so, when he'd looked over Syrus' test results and saw how he was rather shy and timid around others, Harry had felt a little sorry for him because he seemed to have some sort of test anxiety and a nervous hand in making moves that Harry suspected came from the older-brother thing that Syrus had to endure at the Academy.

As he saw the two duellists sharing the results of their arrangements, Harry lifted a hand and waved as Jaden looked up and noticed him, his eyes widening when he saw the blue that Harry wore. "Whoa, Harry: you got into Obelisk Blue, huh?"

"Well Jay," replied Syrus, looking up at Harry with a hint of respect as he explained, "He did beat my brother in front of the entire freshman class and in one move too."

"Two moves, Syrus," argued Harry, earning a raised eyebrow from Jaden as he added, "If you mean that my Battle Phase was just one turn, then fine, but realistically-speaking, it was two turns and only then, it was because Zane misjudged the random power of my deck. So, Jaden, are you actually all right with being in Slifer?"

As Jaden looked to Harry curiously, the elite duellist rubbed the bridge of his nose as he explained, "Obelisks, much like the man that owned the card before Dad beat him, are the cream of the crop; Ra's are the middlemen and Slifer's are…well, to use a term that might suit Kaiba perfectly, it would be the place where Joey Wheeler's kids would probably end up because Seto hates the guy too much."

"Oh," Jaden replied, though Harry saw Syrus' face falling as the realisation hit him.

"Hey," argued the emerald-eyed duellist, joining the two Slifers as he explained, "Don't worry about it, you guys: I mean, no offence meant, Truesdale, but if you could just get over the fear that you're living in Zane's shadow, then you'd be a great duellist in no time."

Syrus' eyes actually seemed to brighten up as he looked up at Harry with an air of hope, "You…you really think so, Harry…erm…it's okay for me to call you Harry, right?"

"Sure," replied Harry, holding out a hand to Syrus, which the other boy shook rather weakly. "I'm not here to use my influences unless I have to, so outside of those times, I want you guys to see me as just another duellist."

"Another duellist that happened to get the highest scores of everyone else in the class," argued another voice, this one making Harry turn to see a dark-haired, grey-eyed boy standing behind them; unlike Jaden, Syrus and Harry, the boy was dressed in a Ra Yellow uniform and seemed to have his own sense of self-importance about him.

He also had a slight British accent that Harry noticed while, strangely, listening to him, Harry was reminded of Seto, though he couldn't quite figure out why that was.

"I'm sorry?" asked Harry curiously, a part of him a little bemused and even angered at the way that the boy had said that he was the highest-scoring entrant into the school. "If you've got something to say then just say it, Jeeves!"

Jaden sniggered into one hand while the boy scowled as he explained, "My name is Bastion Misawa and I have said all that needs to be said, Harry Potter: you got into the Academy and entered Obelisk Blue because you have connections to Kaiba himself. As for the test, you most-likely cheated since even my knowledgeable abilities didn't get a full 100% because of a few trick questions on the paper."

Drawing himself up to his full height, Harry actually laughed as he asked, "Wait, hold on: is this one of those I read it so I must be right things, Misawa? Because if it is, then you should know that I've been reading, researching, revising and recreating scenarios surrounding the world of duelling since I first held a deck in my hands."

Syrus seemed a little awed by Harry's exclamation while the emerald-eyed duellist went on, "Also, just in case you're actually thicker than you claim to be, let me tell you that neither Seto Kaiba nor Yugi Muto or, as I call him, Dad, had anything to do with my entrance exam. In fact, Seto himself offered to sweep me through simply because I own one third of the Academy's authority, ownership and regulations, but I said no and had my test overseen by Maximilian Pegasus himself since Dad and Kaiba didn't want me to have an easy ride. Pegasus tested me on everything from fusions to ritual and Gemini summonings and even a few trick questions based on prototype duel theories that Kaibacorp and Industrial Illusions are working on for the foreseeable future."

"Look," added Jaden, suddenly rising from where he'd been watching and listening as Harry defended his honour and that of his godfather. "The point is, Misawa, Harry didn't cheat and he couldn't if he wanted to."

"Then what about that card?" asked Bastion, earning a raised eyebrow from Harry as he explained, "There's a one-in-forty chance of you drawing such a powerful card on the very first draw and yet you did it and against the school's top-ranked duellist, no less."

Heaving a sigh, Harry turned and, reaching into his backpack, he withdrew his duel disk as he argued, "If you doubt me, Misawa, then do the obvious thing: put up or shut up!"

For a moment, Bastion actually looked a little shocked at Harry's firm decision to take the battle to the card field; however, as he looked to the other boys with the Obelisk Blue, he cleared his throat as he explained, "Unfortunately, my duel disk is waiting for me in the Ra Dorm, so I must decline, but rest assured, Potter, we will meet on the field and I will prove you to be the falsified idol that you are."

"Until then," argued Harry, returning his disk – which was his Battle City disk since he didn't go anywhere without it – to his pack as he continued, "Keep your opinions to yourself, Misawa! Insult me, my family or my abilities again and not even a lack of disk will save you from retribution. Now, make like the geek that you are and go running to your books: I'm sure there's a torn page you need to heal like a wounded animal!"

With his head held high as though he had actually been shunned by Harry, Bastion walked away, leaving Harry alone with the other two duellists; once they were alone again, Harry took a deep breath before he added, "Sorry about that, guys: it just grinds my gears that someone thinks that all that I am is a stooge of my godfather."

"We don't think that, Harry," insisted Syrus, earning a thankful smile from Harry.

"I meant what I said, though, Sy," added the young duellist, earning a slight blush from the smaller boy as he explained, "If you ever need my help with anything, you just give me a call."

"But…" retorted Syrus, his eyes lowering as he asked, "Don't Obelisks insult us Slifers because they think we're the bottom of the barrel?"

"Well I know two Obelisks that won't do that and one of them's your brother," explained Harry, earning another sorrowful look from Syrus; with a sigh of resignation, Harry changed tack as he asked, "Look, whatever your deal is with Zane, why don't I have a chat with him about easing up on you? Remember that because I beat him, he's basically my wingman just like you and Jaden have become close too."

"You'd do that?" asked Syrus, earning a nod from Harry.

"What are friends for?" asked Harry, nodding towards the far end of the island as he added, "Come on, let's go and see what the Slifer Dorm looks like!"

"But…what about the Obelisk Dorm?" asked Jaden, earning a soft smile from his emerald-eyed friend as he shrugged in response.

"If it's not good enough for the guy that beat Doctor Crowler, then it's definitely not good enough for the Prince of Games!"

Prince of Games

If Harry thought that the Obelisk Dormitory wasn't good enough for him, then by the time that they got a look at the Slifer Dorms, Jaden was actually a little uneasy about what his friend might say about their home.

If he had anything to say about it, he didn't; instead, he followed Jaden and Syrus into the room that had been allocated for them and, as the two boys examined the surprisingly-three-bunk bed that occupied the room, it was Jaden that asked it, "Three bunks? So anyone else gets their own rooms and we Slifers have to make good on what we can?"

"That's Seto's sense of humour for you, I guess," mused Harry, tossing his pack onto the top-most bunk while Jaden took the bottom and Syrus used the middle one. "Dad's friends used to hang around him all the time so, eventually, Seto started giving them nicknames like the nerd herd, the dweeb patrol or the geek squad. I guess since Slifer's dorm mirrors Dad's status as far as Seto's concerned, he puts Slifers together so that they stand united with the same effect."

"Wow," Syrus whispered, watching as Harry clambered up onto the top bunk, much to Syrus' surprise. "Wait, Harry: you're actually staying with us?"

"Like I said, if it's not good enough for those with real talent, then it's sure not good enough for me," answered Harry, before he pulled on the collar of his coat as he added, "Though I think that I might have to call home and ask Dad to order me a red version of this duster; not that there's anything wrong with the actual uniform, but I prefer this one any day."

"You certainly look like Kaiba in that outfit," laughed Jaden, earning a shrug from Harry as he added, "Except the hair: that's all Yugi if I ever saw it."

While the emerald-eyed boy laughed, shedding his blue duster in the process, Jaden walked over to the drawers in the room and, pulling out a spare red blazer, he threw it to Harry as he added, "Here, that should tide you over until your Dad sends you the red one."

"Thanks Jay," replied Harry, looking around the dorm with a searching glance before he asked, "So, we're settled in: disks are locked and loaded and we're officially met and befriended."

"What do you want to do now?" asked Jaden as though he knew what Harry was thinking.

"Let's take a walk and explore this place," answered Harry, attaching his Academy Disk to his wrist – all three of them having found said disks waiting at the end of the bunk bed in a trunk with the Academy logo on it – before he leapt off the top bunk and, looking at a watch on his wrist, he then added, "We've got time to kill before the Slifer welcome dinner."

As the other two nodded in agreement, it was Jaden who laughed as he asked, "How do you think the other Obelisks will react seeing you as one of us?"

"Hopefully," mused Harry, shrugging ruefully with a sly grin on his face as he added, "They'll be pretty pissed!"

Chapter 6 and talk about a surprise: Harry has willingly exiled himself from his Obelisk Blue rank, but does he have an ulterior motive?

Also, can Harry and Jaden help Syrus overcome his fears and will the inevitable battle between Harry and Bastion be one to remember?

Keep Reading to Find Out

Next Chapter: A certain someone hasn't learned their lesson, so Harry decides to lay down the law; plus, the Academy reacts to seeing the apparently-future Kaiser of the Academy as a Slifer Slacker while Harry himself makes another rival: one that's not against him cause of duelling, but something else…

Please Read and Review

AN: Slifer Red Harry?

So, let me first say that I have intentionally written Chumley out of the story, though that's only as a student of DA; he will appear a little later, but he's not a student at the academy; instead, the 'Slifer Trio' is Harry, Jaden and Syrus, so I hope you like that;

Also, with regards to Syrus, I decided not to bash him as, when I think about it, given his 'strengths' in later seasons, he reminds me of our favourite Gryffindor underdog and how he was helped by Harry's friendship as well, so I hope you like that little twist;

Finally, Bastion: his smarts are good and he's quite the duellist, but I needed someone to challenge Harry because they think he got in on sheer luck and, since I have plans for DA's own 'rich boy' I thought Bastion was the ideal candidate; whether or not that changes later, we'll have to see, but for now, he and Harry are rivals;